The next morning Jackie woke up to a nurse's tender touch. She looked up to see her holding a baby and smiling down at her. Suddenly the events of the previous night played in her head. She shot up, the nurse quietly patted her shoulder and placed the baby in Jackie's arms. Jackie knew instantly it was her baby. Her everything.
The nurse smiled above the mother and daughter. She had been a nurse for over 15 years but she had never seen two souls reach out for each other like they had. "I think she's hungry." She whispered.
When Steven woke he nearly gave himself whiplash while turning to check on Jackie who was staring at him with a soft smile on her lips. Her eyes danced with happy tears and Steven looked down to her arms to see a pink bundle sleeping soundly against her chest. Jackie brought one arm out from under the bundle and motioned for him to come sit beside her. He complied crawling into her bed. She looked back up into his eyes and began to hand him the baby. When he tried to refuse she shook her head and proceeded.
When the baby was in Steven's arms he took a good look at the baby's face and tears began pricking his eyes. He had been so afraid last night and having them both here now meant everything to him. Jackie laid her head on his shoulder and brushed her hand along the infants cheek. "Have you ever seen anything more angelic in your life?" She asked, in a whisper.
He shook his head then looked at her realizing it was nearly a lie.
As if she has read his mind she stretched up and kissed his cheek tenderly. "Thank you, Steven." Her voice trembled next to his ear.
She pulled back and Steven looked at her. "I haven't done anything." He told her, sincerely.
She looked at him in almost disbelief. "You've done everything. You've been there for me so much over the last two months. Not to mention last night when you saved mine and my child's life." She told him.
Steven and Jackie's eyes remained locked for what felt to them like an eternity. Steven's lips ached for Jackie, he realized he had been lost since she left. Somewhere deep inside him he had known that, however. Now she was back and he needed her. His lips began gravitating to hers, being pulled, almost like two magnets. Their lips where so close that his whole body felt like it was being electrocuted when there was a fast knock on the door. They sobered quickly, moving as far away as the bed allowed. The door opened and the whole gang came piling in.
"Oh my god!" Donna squealed. "She's beautiful!" She said taking her from Steven. "What's her name?" She asked.
Jackie lauded back smiling.
"Daphne Noelle La Savourée." He announced, proudly.
The gang gathered around oohing and awing. Eric turned to look at Steven and took a deep breath. "Uh, Hyde. Could you come out to the hall with me?" He asked.
Steven followed him out. "Look, I know your worried but we're all here now. Why don't you head home, take a shower and change. Maybe even say hello to your girlfriend." He suggested.
Steven agreed realizing he had forgotten all about Cara.
When he arrived home he unlocked the door and went in. He unbuttoned his shirt and threw it in the clothes bin outside the bathroom. He then went to the kitchen where cat was laying on the rug. He headed to the bedroom heard talking as he opened the door.
When he walked in he saw Cara in bed with their next door neighbors sister, Haylee.
While Cara and Haylee scrambled to their feet Steven thought back on his and Cara's relationship, from beginning to this moment and realized that nothing had made more sense. He had seen her look at other women but not in the way most girls did. He then realized that even if he had walked in on her with a man he still wouldn't have cared. Actually he was happy for her and that was exactly what he told her. They didn't fight or cry they just wished the best for one another and promised to remain friends even roommates until she found something else.
For the first time in years Steven felt like he actually had something to look forward to. He looked forward to just getting back to the hospital.
Before the hospital he stopped by grooved to get the present he had bought last week.
When he arrived back at the hospital the gang had left and Jackie was laying with Daphne, singing to her softly.
Jackie looked up to see Steven walking into her room and smiled. He looked great, clean, and happy. She had always loved to see him happy. "I always told you, you clean up real nice." She teased.
He rolled his eye, and sat down in the seat by her bed. "Yeah. Yeah. Yeah." He said. Steven leaned over and gently stroked Daphne's cheek. "She is beautiful." He told Jackie.
She nodded in agreement. "Best thing I've ever done. I just can't stop thinking about Dash and how much he would hate missing this. He was so excited to be a father. You know when I lost the baby last year I was an absolute mess. I mean I thought my body had failed me like I just wasn't meant to have kids but Dash he- he's hope never faltered. He never once made me feel like I was broken."
Jackie wasn't sure why she always opened up to Steven like this, it was one of the reasons she loved him. That's one of things Steven and Dash had, had in common. She could always talk to Dash, about anything.
Steven stayed quiet and Jackie decided to change the subject. "How was Cara?" She asked. Jackie actually kind of liked Cara, though she didn't feel like she was right for Steven, she liked her. Then again Jackie didn't think she would ever think anyone else was right for him.
He sat back in his chair, crossing his hands over his stomach. "We broke up." He said simply.
"Oh Steven, I'm sorry." She said, sincerely.
"No don't be. Honestly we were together much longer then we should have been. I think we were just both tired of being alone. Anyway she's going to stay with me until she finds a new place." He confessed.
It was Jackie's turn to stay quiet a moment then decided to ask a question she had kept to herself.
"On the subject of dead and failed relationships, Michael sort of let it slip that you married again after Samantha."
She said, nonchalantly. "What happened?"
Steven looked at her a moment then decided why not tell her. They seemed to have this new open friendship going. "Well her name was Heather... We met at WB's office Christmas party and at first it was great. She was fun and independent. After a year she asked to get married and I was like 'what the hell.' I figured it would be different than it was with Sam, but after a while I began to bore her and she skipped town with Casey." He finished, earning a tsk tsk sound from Jackie.
"You always did like the restless ones." She said.
"I guess that's why we didn't work, huh?" He asked.
"No Steven, we didn't work because we were young and stupid. I was naïve and you had a heavy chip on your shoulder, that I could never seem dust off." She explained.
Steven was about to tell Jackie how much she had changed him back then, how loving her had made him better in a lot of ways and how even her leaving had made him grow up. He was going to say that even when she wasn't there she was still that voice in the back of his mind. His conscience. However, before he got a chance to Dr. Willis came in to check on Jackie. Steven watched as they talked seeing the way Dr. Willis looked at Jackie. He saw the look he had seen many times before. He was in awe of her.
