A/N - First off, my sincerest apologies for disappearing from this account once again. I've had a couple of health issues, and back in January I thought it was over, but, it wasn't. I believe I'm on the up and up now.

However, my writing is very, very rusty. So I'm going to put out a few drabbles to get back on my feet. Clearly, I'm trying my hand at angst lol xoxo

I lost the baby

Alex stood frozen in the door of the bathroom he shared with his wife as her words hung in the air. His eyes swept over her form as his mouth went dry. How was he supposed to respond?

Jo's eyes filled with tears as her fingers gripped the tiled floor. "I-I lost the b-baby..."

He moved into the small room, sitting beside her and wrapping his arms around her shoulders, choosing to say nothing. Alex couldn't begin to imagine how she was feeling right now. His eyes darted over the pools of blood that speckled the floor beneath her. "Do you want to go to the hospital?" he finally asked, his voice raw with emotion.

"No, not yet. I'm not ready."

Alex nodded slowly, drawing her to his chest and rubbing her back as her temple pressed against his shoulder. Seconds ticked to minutes as the tension left her body and she slacked against him. He wasn't sure how long they sat in silence, each of them processing what had happened. They didn't even know if they were having a boy or girl. He cleared his throat and brushed away a stray tear. "A shower would help. Then you sh-should probably rest."

"I'm sorry, Alex." Her hands gripped his arms as he helped her to her feet. "I'm so sorry."

"This is not your fault," he stressed, his hand curving around the back of her head and bringing her forehead to his lips. "These things happen." He'd said those same words to numerous women throughout his career, but he never thought he'd be saying it to the mother of his child. Alex never thought they'd lose their baby, not after everything they'd already been through.

Jo's legs trembled as he tenderly removed the bathrobe and helped her into the tub. He kept one hand firmly on her back to support her as his other hand worked the knobs and started the shower. She stared at the floor of the tub numbly as he smoothed a soapy cloth over her skin. The water turned a shade of pink causing fresh tears to trickle down her cheeks.

"Ssshhhh, I've got you," he soothed, wrapping her in a towel and carrying her to their bedroom as she cried softly. Alex comforted her the best that he could, whispering words of encouragement in her ear until she drifted off to sleep in their bed.

His own tears fell as he kneeled in the bathroom floor, scrubbing the blood from the tile. An ache filled his chest, mourning the loss.

The loss of a child that would never be.