Let's get these two hearts beating faster

Chapter one

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"I think she's coming through". A motherly voice spoke and Rukia groggily opened her eyes and gasped in pain. Rukia woke up to blinding white room and moaned in agony. She couldn't remember how she got there but the conservation that led to it made her cringe. Ichigo! She shot out of her bed and tried weakly to pull the IV lines attached to her arm, but the nurse was faster than she was and pushed her down on the bed.

"No I have to know what happened to Ichigo", She said desperately. "Take me to Ichigo now! I NEED to see him!"

"Now, now dear, I can't take you in your condition." The nurse tried to assure her, but Rukia was stubborn. It was all her fault. If she hadn't been so upset and jealous, she wouldn't have ended up in her situation, laying in her hospital bed.

"If you don't take me now, I'll sue this hospital for all it's worth!" Rukia screamed, hoping to intimidate the nurse with her status.

"What is going on in here? Mrs. Kurosaki what are you doing out of bed, and in your condition, you need to rest." Said a man with black spiked hair. He looked so much like Ichigo that it hurt her to know that her husband was somewhere she couldn't reach him, but when the doctor reminded her of her delicate situation, she hugged her stomach in horror.

Did her baby survive? She didn't get to tell Ichigo about the baby, the second one of his she had in her –afraid of the situation that put her into the marriage in the first place with the birth of her first son, Kyuuka. "H-how is my baby?", Rukia asked weakly, trembling at the thought of a miscarriage with Ichigo's baby.

The doctor patted her back reassuringly. "The baby is safe, but I need you to calm down, or the baby will get upset".

Rukia did but her hand tugged on his bleached white coat. "How is Ichigo? Is he alright?"

The doctor grimaced. "He is in a coma right now."

Rukia gasped. "How long has it been?" the doctor flipped through the pages in his folder. "About 4 hours right now, but don't worry I will inform you when he wakes up, for now, I need you to rest."

Rukia nodded mutely, not even noticing the motherly nurses return and the injection into her arm and then darkness.

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I'd been a week and Rukia was getting restless when the nurses still evaded her questions about husband. She had been released three days ago and was still not allowed to see her husband for "health reasons", so she her brother and sister in law, Kaien and Misa had taken her home to her baby boy, but when the hospital still did not call after another restless nights, Rukia decided to take matters to her own will and walked right into her husbands hospital room.

She had to see him awake and living, but what she saw reminded her of what she was soon to lose. There he was, bare-chested in the tiny hospital bed, still overbearingly powerful and strong despite the bandages around his mid waist –but it wasn't how he looked that had her in chokeing back memories. It was the almost intimately position he was in with his secretary…Orihime.

Somewhere she should have been, and before she could think before speaking, the words flew out of her mouth. "I thought visiting hours were only for family".

Orihime turned to her and smiled. In a practiced mock hurt she said with familiar malicious words, "Of course but I think I qualify. I of course know him better than anyone else besides his mother. We are childhood friends after all."

"Of course she didn't mean that," Ichigo's mother assured her. Rukia winced, but of course they would consider Orihime as a part of their family, she had already used that excuse countless times.

"Who is this girl, and who does she go off speaking to Orihime like that", Ichigo barked at Rukia, staring at her with an unfamiliarity and coldness that Rukia had never encountered before.

Rukia staggered back. "W-what you don't know who I am?" Rukia asked trembling and holding onto Kaien's arm when she realized that Ichigo, the man she loved more than life had just forgotten her.

Ichigo frowned at Kaien with displeasure written all over his face. "Why is she holding onto you like a lifeline Kaien, the only woman allowed to do that is Misa," he said coldly.

The next thing she knew, they brought her out of the hospital room and sat her down onto the bench, but all Rukia could think of was how he could forget her!

Rukia turned to Ichigo's mother with hurt filled eyes, "Why didn't you tell me he had amnesia?"

"We didn't know either, he asked about Kyuuka as usual, he seemed to have memories of his son, and he recognized all of us just fine".

"But that makes no sense! How could he remember Kyuuka, but not the women who gave birth to him"! Ichigo's mother hugged her. "I'm sorry dear. I don't know what else to say but I know that no son of mine would purposely try to forget a woman like you".

But Rukia thought otherwise.

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The second time she arrived at Ichigo's hospital bed she came prepared. The doctor James had told her to rethink visiting until Ichigo had asked for her but she just couldn't stay away from him.

She wore her dark blue chiffon dress that went right above her knees and a dark gray wool cardigan with black stiletto pumps. It was Ichigo's favorite outfit and she hoped that by wearing it, it would help him remember her.

When she walked in, the scene she saw made her heart ache with want. Ichigo lay in his bed; half naked from the chest and a scantily clad Orihime sat on his bed feeding him hospital food with an intimacy she knew she wanted.

Rukia could not believe the pain she felt looking at the coziness and intimacy between the two.

Ichigo had obviously found no need for her company when he banned her from his room and yet he welcomed Orihime with open arms –enough for him to ask her to hand feed him as if she was his wife.

It should have been her, coaxing him to eat and the first one he would ask to visit. Did he not care for her anymore? She was once again second place and the pain did not lessen the sharp edge inching into her heart. But not only did he forget her, he also forgot about the baby. The guilt she felt that day in the car that drove her right into this situation gave her a will and determination to win Ichigo's love back.

They both looked up at her in the entrance and was sure they didn't see the pain, regret and guilt she felt. "I didn't know your assistant duties also ran playing nursemaid."

Ichigo's amber eyes darkened in obvious displeasure. "Why the hell not. You weren't here to fulfill them."

She couldn't believe he just said that. If it weren't for the doctor, she would have been here faster than she could wink. "You didn't ask for me".

"And that should stop you from coming to your husbands bed?" He derided. "You're here now and I still haven't asked for you."

Orihime got up and walked towards Rukia with a smug look on her face. "I think I'll leave now. I wouldn't want to be the cause of a domestic fight." She implied they had many. James had told her not to tell him about the baby, afraid that it might upset him and she knew that talking another baby he had with her would overwhelm him.

Rukia stepped aside and whispered to Orihime, "You get what you give Orihime." Orihime smiled. "Oh I will, once you let him go."

Rukia was shocked to hear for the first time to hear Orihime's true intentions. "I'm never letting go," Rukia promised, but Orihime didn't seem to be fazed.

"You won't have a choice". And with that she left the room.

Burning with the desire to punch Orihime she marched in the room. She'd given Ichigo her heart and a beautiful son, but he would have to follow through. Ever since he had married her for the baby, she wondered how long this relationship would last and why he made love to her when he obviously had Orihime.

Rukia brushed against his bed. "The doctor told me you could go home tomorrow."

He stared at her through eyes that memorized her and yet remained impassive. "Yeah. I'll finish the meetings and then return home to Japan." Not we, but I.

She tried not to let what he said bother her and switched her attention to his mushy plate. "Is that all your going to eat?"

"Yes."

"But you should eat more and regain your strength."

"I'm fine. If you're so concerned, maybe you shouldn't have scared off the woman who was convincing me to eat this shit." Her frighten Orihime? Not on her watch!

"Are you telling me you need someone to entice you to eat?" Rukia mocked.

Ichigo's eyebrows quirked. "Maybe I am. Can you take the job?"

His tone implied that she could never seduce him to anything, but if she didn't already have a baby with him –she would prove it now.

She took off her coat and laid it over the chair and touched his lips –something quite daring that she would have done. "I know how to feed all of your hungers," she said huskily, hoping that she sounded promiscuous with passion and lust.

His eyes turned to a familiar gold and his jaw tensed, something she remembered he did when he was trying to hold back his control for her. His touch didn't leave her unaffected either. Even the smallest touch sent jolts of electric rush racing through her body –their reaction to each other and never anyone else.

Ichigo jerked his head back, his eyes narrowing –in contempt. "Did you trap me into this marriage by using your body?"

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