They toasted each other with a glass of sparkling cider. Chris and Erica looked into the other's eyes without saying a word and Chris gave Erica a kiss on the forehead. They did not even need words anymore to tell the other how much they loved the other; they had run out of words to describe how they felt for each other. Chris looked at Erica and put his hand on her stomach. It was their first anniversary and Erica was six months pregnant.

"Ok, what about girls names?" Chris asked.

"Hmmm how about Erica?" Erica said with a playful smile.

"Darlin', I don't think there's enough room in the world let alone Pine Valley!"

Erica laughed, "Alright."

She was so unbelievably happy. Chris was the man of her dreams. She was Erica Kane and even she could not believe how wonderful her life was sometimes. She couldn't ask for anything more in a man.

"Ok Mr. Smarty-pants, if you don't like my suggestions, lets hear some of yours!"

"Ok, ok. My suggestion is; that we, meaning you and I, go upstairs and take a nice, long, warm, bubble bath." Erica smiled at him and said, "Well, we still won't have any names for the baby, but" "But...don't leave me hanging here!" She dismissed his impatient outburst with another smile, "BUT I love you too much to even think of saying no to you. Especially when you look at me like that with your beautiful blue eyes."

"Well, what can I say, if ya got it, ya got it!" Chris said as he danced around the room with a foolish smile on his face. "Oh, believe me Mr. Stamp you've got it!" Erica laughed. "And you've got me as well." With that, Chris scurried over to the couch where Erica was sitting and swept her up into his arms. He looked at her and they kissed. As he carried her up the stairs to their bath, he looked into her eyes and said, "You've got me, too. You always will, no matter what. I love you."

As Erica listened to those words, she felt light-headed with happiness. How could one woman who had gone through so many hard times, end up finding this extraordinary man who meant everything to her, and was going to be the father of her child? Erica did not know the answer to that question. She asked herself that question over and over again, but she really didn't want to know the answer. All she wanted to do was to make sure she made Chris as happy as he made her.

Chris filled the bathtub up with bubbles and lit candles to give the room a romantic aura. Erica was waiting in the bedroom until he told her she could come in. While she was waiting for Chris, she was trying to think of more names for their baby. She wanted to give him or her the perfect name. Their family and friends had given them so many suggestions, but none of them sounded right. Chris and Erica had decided together that they did not want to know the sex of the baby until it was born. It was something that Chris felt very strongly about.

In mid-thought, Chris appeared in the door to the bathroom and said, "Mrs. Stamp, your bathtub awaits you." "You mean our bathtub, Mr. Stamp. I don't plan on going in there alone." Erica replied. "I couldn't possibly reach my back all by myself now could I?" Erica said as she winked at Chris. "Well, I suppose if you put it that way, I'll have to go in there and help you." "You don't have to I suppose I could do it myself if I had to" "Ha! I don't think so!" Chris said with mischievous smile on his face. "Alright," Erica laughed "then lets go in there before the water gets cold!"

They went into the bathroom together. They got into the bath and Chris held Erica in his arms. Chris looked at Erica, but there was something very serious in his eyes. When Erica asked him what was wrong, he only held her tighter.

"Chris, talk to me. You know you can tell me anything."

"Its just"

"Just what, Chris? What's wrong?" Erica asked.

"Nothing is wrong I just can't believe how lucky I am to have you in my life and how lucky we are to be having a baby together. We are going to give him or her the perfect life and we are going to do it together." Erica let herself melt in his arms and she sat there all wrapped up in his strong and loving arms. After Chris and Erica had taken their bath, they went back downstairs to have their anniversary dinner. Chris told Erica that he would make her anything she wanted.

"Oh, it's our anniversary, you don't have to cook!" She told him. "Erica, I would do anything for you and I want to do this. So, you just tell me what you want and I'll run into that kitchen and whip it up for you!"

Erica told him that she wanted him to surprise her with whatever he thought was the most romantic. Chris scooted into the kitchen to make Erica dinner. As she was sitting on the couch, she felt a twinge of pain in her stomach. She let out a small cry of pain and Chris came into the room to see if she everything was all right. Erica told him she was fine. He went back into the kitchen to make them their dinner and Erica started to become worried as another pain came. She was not sure what was wrong, but she was almost sure that it had something to do with the baby. Erica was going to keep it a secret and see if the pain went away, but she then thought about just how much this baby meant to Chris and to her.

Erica made her way out to the kitchen to tell Chris. As she walked in, Chris turned around and he saw how pale she was. His face went white also, but it was with fear.

"Erica? Erica, what's wrong?" "I don't know Chris, I think there's something wrong with the baby. I keep feeling these sharp pains in my stomach, it feels like I'm in labor, but that's impossible. It's three months early!" "Alright sweetheart, lets get you to the hospital, now."

Chris got Erica into the car and he drove as fast as he could without putting them in any danger. When they arrived at the hospital, Chris carried Erica in because she was so weak and pale she could hardly hold herself up. Dr. Clader took Erica into a cubicle to be examined. He rushed out of the room and started quickly talking to the other doctors. Chris asked what was happening and Dr. Claytor told him that Erica was in labor and they needed to deliver the baby--now. Chris stood there in disbelief as he watched the doctor's rush about. He then saw them wheel Erica out of the room. He ran to be by her side. Chris took Erica's hand and told her that he was there for her and he wasn't going to let anything happen to her.

"We've been through too much darlin'. Everything will be all right; I'll make sure of that. I love you." Erica mouthed the words "I love you, too" to Chris as they rushed her away. Chris was not allowed into the room while the doctor's delivered the baby, but he was right outside the door, pacing. A nurse would give him occasional updates about what was happening inside. Finally, the nurse came out and told Chris that the baby had been delivered.

"Is it baby alive?" Chris asked with fear in his voice. The nurse hesitated for a moment and said "She's alive, but she's very small and weak. I will let you know when the doctor's tell me you can see her."

Chris let out a sigh that seemed to lift the weight of the world off his shoulders. "We have a baby girl...and Erica? How's Erica?" "Your wife is OK and she is being taken to another room. If you follow me, I'll take you to her." Chris followed the nurse to Erica's recovery room. He walked in and she was sleeping. He quietly walked in and sat down next to her bed. He kissed her forehead gently and told her that he was there and was going to take care of her. Erica woke up a while later and Chris was sitting right there at her side. Erica smiled at him.

"Chris, how is our baby? Did,did our baby live?" Erica asked with tears forming in her eyes. "Our little girl is alive, sweetheart. The doctor's said she is weak, but alive." Erica started to cry. Her prayers had been answered. That is all she had been doing while she was in there. She was praying to God that their baby would live. "I never gave up hope, Chris-not for one second. Our little girl made it because of prayers and because she was made by two people who are survivors and there was no way that she could have died."

"Well, she's not out of the woods yet. But you're not giving up hope, there is no way I will either." He told her. Chris and Erica sat in the room together not saying a word, they were sorting out their thoughts and thinking about what was next.

The nurse walked into the room and told Chris and Erica that they could see their daughter now. She put Erica into a wheelchair and Chris said he would push her, she just had to tell them where their daughter was. The couple went down the hall and looked through the glass at their daughter. She had machine after machine hooked up to her tiny body. Chris held Erica's hand and they went into the ICU and sat with their baby.

Weeks later, Chris and Erica were finally able to hold their baby. With scrubs on to protect the baby, the nurse brought the baby over to Erica. As she was holding her, she told Chris again that the reason their baby was alive was because they had never given up hope for her. Just then, Chris's face lit up. "That's it, I've got the perfect name for our little miracle." Chris said.

"What? What is the name?" Erica asked. "Exactly what you just said. Hope. She was the only thing we've been hoping for since you became pregnant and she was the only thing we were hoping for, for all these weeks." Chris said with enthusiasm.

"It's perfect. Our only Hope. Hope Stamp." After a month and two weeks in the hospital, Hope Stamp was able to go home. Chris and Erica had been by her side everyday and now they were able to bring their baby home to meet their friends and family. When Chris opened the door for Erica and Hope, the faces of all the people they loved greeted them. Bianca, Myrtle, and Opal, were the first ones they saw. They took the bags from Chris and started fawning over the new edition to the Stamp family.

Bianca then told her mother that they had another surprise in store for them. She told her to follow her upstairs. When Bianca opened the door to what Chris had been planning on making their baby's room, a shocked Chris and Erica saw that the room was completely done.

"We all pitched in, to get the room all nice and finished for your little baby girl. We knew that you wouldn't have time to do it before you got home with being at the hospital and all." Opal told them. Chris and Erica thanked everyone for all their hard work and for everything else they had done for them while they were taking care of their baby in the hospital.

When all the guests had left, Chris and Erica brought Hope to her new room and set her in her crib. Chris gave Erica a hug as they stood there and watched their--now better than healthy--baby sleep.

"Everything is perfect now, Chris. Our baby is healthy, our friends and family made this amazing room for her, and we are more in love than we ever have been." Erica said to Chris. "I couldn't agree more darlin'. We are so lucky and no matter what life has thrown at us, we come out of it stronger than ever. We are going to give Hope the perfect life and everyday we are a family, things will be better than other." With that, Hope woke up and began to cry.

Chris and Erica looked at each other and smiled. Erica picked Hope up and she started to laugh when Chris played with her feet. With a smile, Erica said "And so begins our perfect life together"