AN: I don't own any of the CSI:NY Characters or any of the show's storylines that I may refer to from time to time, but the rest of the plot is mine.

Sorry the muse won't let up and insisted this came out.

1. Waiting

Christmas had brought snow, but January, while crisp and clear had seen the temperatures in the city plummet almost overnight. The winter freeze, as it had been named by the media, had lasted for 10 days and looked set to last at least several more. Mac, Lindsay and Don were thankful that their current scene was an apartment block in lower Manhattan, affording them some warmth while they did their jobs.

Lindsay and Mac had spent several hours sorting through the victims possessions and bagging their evidence. As Lindsay continued sifting through the personal effects scattered through the bedroom. Don was down the hall interviewing the neighbours, but so far very little useful information had come their way. As Mac stood observing the Medical Examiner's team remove the body his phone rang. He answered it is his usual manner, ready for almost anything, except the news which Stella gave him while standing in the middle of her own crime scene, surrounded by signs of carnage and several waiting ambulances preparing for their mercy dash to the nearest hospital. Mac's expression became more sombre as the short call progressed. He ended the call as he entered the bedroom.

Without looking up from her task Lindsay spoke, expecting her boss to be asking for an update on her findings. "I'm almost done Mac, there's a few things that might be helpful, but I'm not holding my breath."

"Lindsay, can you finish up here and take everything back to the lab. Get Adam to help with whatever you need."

"No problem, you got another scene?" Lindsay looked up at Mac and noted his expression, she knew there was bad news.

"Not exactly, where's Flack?"

"Right here Mac." He announced as he re-entered the room and heard the question. He quickly observed the other man's stiff posture and tense expression. "What's up?" Mac made no immediate response. He looked at Flack carefully, he did not want this job. He didn't want to see another member of his team get hurt, but he was powerless to stop the advancing avalanche and he opened his mouth to speak.

"Stella just called. She's on her way to Angel of Mercy, ... it's Nikki."

Don looked at Mac like he was a little crazy. "Not possible Mac, she's just fine, I spoke to her like an hour ago, she's out shopping."

Mac eyed the younger detective carefully. "I'm sorry Don, she's being taken in as we speak."

Don's eyes almost popped out of his head as he looked at the other man. He rubbed his hand through his short cropped hair. His mind working in a thousand different directions.

"No! ... It is not happening again. Mac it just can't!" Don almost yelled as the news began to sink in.

"Don, there aren't many details, we don't know exactly what happened, Stella is with her and Danny and Hawkes are heading to the scene. We'll find out what happened, but for now you need to be with your wife. I'll drive you."

Don pulled out his phone and hit the speed dial for Nikki, after ringing a few times it went to voicemail. Mac eased the phone from his hand and cancelled the call. "There may be nothing wrong, it may not be the baby, but until we get to the hospital and see Stella or a doctor we don't know any more."

".... Everything was going so good this time, we can't lose this one. We just can't." Don mumbled, tears threatening to fall at the fears running through his mind.

Mac quickly coaxed him from the scene, shooting a concerned look at Lindsay as they left.

----

Don rushed into the hospital emergency room. Stella saw him and moved from her seat in the waiting area towards him. She stopped a passing nurse. "Detective Sergeant Flack is here, could you let Dr Michael's know?"

The nurse barely had time to mumble a reply before Don was bearing down on them his eyes constantly scanning the busy waiting area. "What the hell happened Stell?"

"We don't know yet. Danny, Hawkes and Angell are on it. But it appears she was caught in the cross fire of an attempted bank robbery, she was already unconscious when Jess arrived. … I got here as soon as I heard, all I know is she has a bullet graze to her arm and possibly a head injury."

"… and- … and-" He stuttered unable to form the words to ask the question uppermost in his mind.

"They know she's pregnant, they'll check the baby."

Don turned and stared out of the window. It wasn't supposed to be like this. Things were supposed to go right this time.

Stella joined Mac who had just walked in after parking the car and they all stood in silence for a few minutes, lost in their own thoughts. Don was staring out the window, apparently watching the snow flurries outside, when in fact he was lost in the memory of what had happened just the week before.

----

He opened his eyes to see her leaning on the door wearing a long satin nightdress looking beautiful and graceful, the weak winter sunlight spilling from the window lighting the room.

"Hey!"

"Morning, ... now if you're awake I have someone who is desperate to see their Daddy before going to school."

"Who's taking her?"

"Mum said she would so we can spend some time together for your birthday, seeing as we're both on lates, she'll be here in about 15 minutes."

"Can I go in yet Mummy!" Amy called from the other side of the door. He watched as she opened the door and slipped out, it wasn't even a minute before she returned with several packages letting Amy run past her and bounce on to the bed as he sat up and pulled on a shirt. As Amy pushed presents at him he shot a look at Nikki, she looked really well. Either she had got good at hiding the morning sickness or today was a good day. He winked at her, amused at the suggestive smile she returned. Life couldn't get any better than spending time with his girls.

----

The silent contemplation was broken when Dr Michaels, an older man with greying hair, joined them and looked at Mac. "Detective Flack?"

Don turned and looked at the doctor his eyes moist from unshed tears. "How are they?"

The doctor turned to Don realising his error from the younger man's demeanour. "Your wife has sustained a minor gun shot wound to the upper arm, but she's taken quite a nasty bang to the head and appears to have some bruising around the rib cage. At the moment she is on a ventilator to stabilise her breathing and ensure she has enough oxygen to support her and the baby. At this stage it's more precautionary but were running a CT scan right now which should tell us more. Someone from Maternity will check the baby later."

"Can I see her?"

"When she's finished in CT they're taking her up to the neurosurgical ICU, there's a waiting room on 5th floor, someone will find you up there when she's settled and speak to you some more."

"But she is going to be OK?" Don asked firmly, needing something good to come out of this situation.

"I'm sorry detective, it's too early to say anything for sure, we'll know more after all the tests are done. What we do know is that you're wife is very poorly right now and the pregnancy won't be helping her. …. It might be wise to consider termination, it will ease any stress on her vital organs and give her a better chance of recovery."

"No!" Snapped Don. "No termination. It's not an option."

"It may be a medical necessity." The doctor coaxed gently.

"No! … I can't do that to her, … to us."

"I understand your reluctance, but it could be in your wife's best interest."

"I said NO, don't you get that?" Don blustered as he ran his hands through his hair, fighting the anger and despair that washed over him. The doctor wasn't quite sure what to say next. Stella stepped in and moved the doctor away to explain why Don was so adamant and fill in some bits of Nikki's medical history that she knew. Don turned to stare out of the window again. His thoughts were incoherent, the doctors words, the fears for Nikki and the baby, what he would need to say to Amy, how her mother would take the news so soon after losing her brother. The jumbled thoughts screamed in his head, making him just want to close his eyes and ignore it all. Stella's hand on his arm brought him back to the present. He looked at her. "We can't lose them Stell."

"It's too early to say anything right now, … Let's go upstairs, Mac and I are going to wait with you a bit until there's more news."

"What do I say to Amy and her Ma?"

"For now, nothing. Amy's in school, you've got a few hours before you need to worry about her. You need to know more before you think about anything else. … Come on."

Stella coaxed him from the Emergency Room towards another waiting room outside the ICU.

----

Hawkes and Danny were packing up everything at the scene as Angell joined them.

"Hey guys, anything you can give me now?"

Both looked at her. Hawkes shook his head. "I wish there was. … Has anyone heard from the hospital?"

Angell shook her head and bit her lip. "Not since they arrived. Nikki's still unconscious and having a battery of tests, at the moment it seems it's her they're worried about more than the baby. Don's taken it badly according to Mac."

"What was she doing in there anyway?" Asked Danny.

"It's her day off Danny, she was probably running errands." Angell answered. "Let me know when you get anything?"

The guys nodded at her in return and she turned and walked away. Her steps slower than normal, a sign of the uncertainty that hung in the air over what was happing to their colleagues. Hawkes and Danny finished packing up in silence.

----

A young male doctor entered the waiting room, he observed the group in the corner and steeled himself for an icy reception. There was a young dark haired man hunched over, his arms on his knees and his head in his hands. Either side sat a man and woman, both looking concerned. The doctor sighed, he looked a lot younger than his thirty something years, which often agitated patient's relatives, but he was a good doctor and had seen many cases like this one, although he had to admit that few were pregnant at the time.

"Detective Sergeant Flack?" Don raised his head on hearing his name.

"I'm Dr Draven, would you like to talk in private?"

Don half shook his head. "How's Nikki?" The doctor pulled up a chair and sat facing the group.

"… I'm afraid she is still unconscious and is likely to remain that way for a while. The CT scan shows a slight swelling to the brain, nothing for alarm at the moment but we'd like it to stay that way. She was stabilised at the scene and medicated by the paramedics, any and all early intervention is good. Currently she is sedated and ventilated." He paused to let them take in the information. "She will be constantly monitored and if there are signs of deterioration we will have to operate."

"... and the baby?"

"There's no guarantee at this time, we're running an ultrasound now to know where we stand, but undoubtedly the baby will cause complications, her blood volume and Hb counts are all affected by the impact of the foetus, at this stage we're walking a thin line, there's no doubt that your wife's chances would be improved if we were to terminate the pregnancy, but I've been told you're against the idea."

Don sighed heavily. "I am."

"If you're concerned on religious grounds-"

"Fuck religious grounds, I am not going to consent to anything which affects the baby."

"There could come a point where both their lives are threatened we need to know-"

"You want me to sacrifice one to save the other? ... No way, this baby means everything to her, I won't let you take it."

The doctor nodded gravely. "I hope we don't have to, but you should be aware that if there are complications we could lose both of them." He said quietly. "For now we are going to keep her sedated, it will help us to keep any intracranial pressure down and ensure she has the best chance to recover."

"Can I see her?"

"In a few minutes." The doctor looked between the people in front of him. "Someone will come for you. ... Do you have any questions?"

Don rubbed his hand through his hair again, while he tried to clear his thoughts. But he was unable to think coherently and closed his eyes against the noise in his head, hoping to block it out, but it didn't work. Stella and Mac exchanged glances and thanked the doctor for his time. He left them all to console each other. Stella wrapped an arm around Don's shoulder.

"She'll be OK Don, she's tough, she just got her life straight, she won't give up now."

----

Danny walked into the trace lab where Adam and Lindsay were in conversation. "Adam, we need your help. Here." He handed over a plastic box with evidence bags. "I need to know who's DNA we've got."

"But I'm in the middle of trace on Lindsay's case."

"It's OK Adam, they need you more right now. Come back when you're done." Lindsay answered and Adam left with the box Danny had handed over.

"Has anyone heard anything?"

"Mac just called, he's on his way back, he's mad, he wants these guys caught fast."

"And Nikki?"

"She's got a minor gunshot wound and a bang to the head. They've induced a coma to help stabilise her. Stella's waiting at the hospital with Flack." Danny nodded sombrely, Lindsay could clearly see the tears forming in his eyes. "... You OK?"

Danny nodded. "... It's just- .. I need to check this CCTV." He picked up the second box he had brought with him and walked out.

----

Don followed the nurse towards the glass walled room. He couldn't avoid seeing inside even before the door slid open. He almost wanted to be sick, he had never seen her so pale and still. The array of machines surrounding her monitoring every heartbeat, every breath, wires and tubes seemed to be everywhere. He could feel Stella's silent presence behind him, hovering, there for him and for Nikki.

He paused outside the room steeling himself for the sounds that would hit him when the door opened. The nurse looked at him sympathetically. "Take your time, I know it isn't easy, I see all families hesitate just the same."

"Don, I'll wait here, give you some time." Stella told him quietly.

He turned to her. "Stell, .... Amy can't know, ... not yet. .... Can you call Sarah, ask her to take her, tell her we're working. Her Ma should know too." He held out his phone, his hand shaking violently. Stella took the phone.

"I'll handle it. Go see Nikki, she needs you."

"What happened Stell?"

"I don't know but you can bet Mac and the team will work round the clock until we have the answers and someone pays for this."

"Damn right they're going to pay." He muttered then nodded at the nurse. He couldn't put off going in any longer.

As the door slowly slid open he stepped inside, his stomach churning from anxiety and the clinical antiseptic smell. He was right the monitors and machines too contributed to the nausea as they beeped and hummed in the background. The ventilator hissed as it provided oxygen. The nurse inside stepped aside from the bed to allow him closer.

For several minutes he stood watching, signs of life were minimal. The machines were doing it all. Her face was pale and her hair splayed across the pillow, her eyes closed. He tentatively stretched out his still shaking hand and brushed his fingers against her hand. He was transfixed, scared to look away incase she had disappeared when he looked back, scared to touch her and hurt her more. The nurse hovering nearby watched sympathetically.

"It's ok to hold her hand, talk to her, she may be able to hear you." Slowly he wrapped his hand around hers as the nurse pushed up a chair for him to sit in. "I'll give you a minute, I'll be right outside the door if you need anything." Don was oblivious to her quiet words and she left without any acknowledgement from him.

He sank into the chair and tightened his grip on her hand raising it to his lips. He kissed it then leaned forward and rested his other hand on her abdomen as if protecting the life inside her. Desperate to hold back the tears which threatened to engulf him he spoke. "… They tell me I should talk to you, that you might hear. …. You should know the baby's fine, but they- … I'm not doing so good Princess, you gotta wake up, I'm not ready to- we're gonna find who did this, I promise, but don't you worry Mac's got everyone on it. …" Choked with emotion, Don rested his head on their entwined hands, taking some small comfort from the warmth which lingered in hers.

-----

Mac tossed his overcoat and suit jacket onto the couch in his office and hurried through the lab, finding Danny in the AV room he asked for an update on the case.

"CCTV was the first thing they hit as they walked in. There's nothing on the primary circuit. But there is some good news. This branch were piloting some new security features, if they work then they'll be rolled out to all the branches across the country."

"So what have we got?"

"A second CCTV feed, not as extensive as the primary, but we got some images we can use. I've got 4 perps so far, they moved fast and hard. The takeover was done in seconds."

"… Have you seen what happened to Nikki?"

"Not yet." Danny had his eyes glued to the screens as he spoke. "The images are on a loop, there's about a 10 second delay between each image. We may not find anything." Danny followed the action in slow motion as they continued to study the images before them.

"Where's Hawkes?"

"Autopsy, one of the gunman was taken out by first on scene and his partner. Sid just finished the post."

"Any other injuries?"

"None serious, mostly shock."

"Any other new security measures to help us?"

"Chris is going over a voice recording we found among the scattered personal effects. It's not very clear, but … it sounds like someone is trying to negotiate. A woman. It could be Nikki."

"She ID herself?" Mac asked concentrating on the images playing in front of them.

"I don't think so, the first bit is too garbled to make sense to know for sure."

"Keep on it."

"Sure. ... How are they doing?"

"Doctors are keeping her sedated and under close observation. ... Stella's staying with them, she'll keep us posted. I just talked to Angell, she's going over to tell her mother and take her to the hospital."

"That's tough, she just lost her brother, now this. ... There anything they need Mac?"

"We catch whoever is responsible."

Danny nodded, clearly upset by the day's chain of events.

----

Stella stood in the hallway watching through the window. Don had been motionless at her bedside for some time. Nurses and Doctors had come and gone, but there had been no change in their patient's condition, not that any was anticipated for a while yet. She pushed open the door and stepped inside. She rested a hand on Don's shoulder and felt him stiffen before sitting up. She handed him a take out cup of coffee. He nodded at her silently as his eyes raked over the machines to Nikki's face. The beeps on the machine picked up as he moved. He drew his hand from her stomach and flexed his fingers before taking the hand he had been holding before taking the coffee from Stella.

"I'm here babe, ... Stella's here."

The machine continued to beep faster and a stream of nursing staff rushed in, Stella helped pull him back as a nurse bundled them out of the room then pulled the blinds, obscuring what was going on inside. Stella sat him in a chair to wait, he looked at her tiredly.

"You don't have to stay. I'll be alright."

"I don't have to, but it's what we do, .... I was with Mac the night of the bombing. The whole team pulled together then, we'll do it now. ... you're not alone."

"What happened to her Stella?"

"That's what they're trying to figure out, Mac has everyone working this, double time whatever it needs to find the answers."

"Amy?"

"I talked to Sarah, she can stay as long as you need. ... Jess has gone to tell her Mom and bring her over."

"... Thanks."

"You want a sandwich or something?"

"Nah, I'm good."

Stella rubbed his back as he lent forward and cradled his head in his hands, his arms resting on his knees.

----

Lindsay was in the break room when Hawkes walked in. "Any more of that coffee? I could use some."

"Sure, I'm just making fresh, I figure we could all use it tonight. Is there any more news?"

"I'm going to head over there in a bit talk to her doctors and help explain things to her Mom and Flack, give Stella a break."

"Do we know anything?"

"She's got a minor gunshot wound and possible head injury, they're keeping her sedated pending another CT scan tomorrow."

"... Is she going to be alright?"

"... It's hard to say Linds, head injuries are very complex. It's one thing us doctors never give a prognosis on because anything can happen. All we can do is wait."

"I'm not good at waiting. I don't know what to say."

"No one does."

----

Dr Draven left Nikki's room and approached Stella and Don. "Detective Flack." Don looked up. "Your wife is stable again for now. She suffered a seizure, a result of increased intracranial pressure. We've increased the sedation and will continue to monitor her overnight. We'll decide in the morning if we go ahead with the CT scan or whether we go for a more detailed MRI. We've also added a nerve blocker to the drugs she is getting to try and prevent further seizures. ... We should talk about the baby."

"No!"

"There is still a possibility that she could loose it, or more critically, the baby can cause further complications and we would be unable to do anything. .... I wish there was another alternative, but I really think it is in her best interests for us to terminate."

"I will not agree to you- ... I can't do it." Don sighed heavily.

"There is still a chance that she could lose the baby anyway, or at this stage of development the drugs we're giving her could cause severe birth defects."

"Doctor, this baby is much loved and wanted, how would you feel if it was your wife and she had already lost one baby?" Stella's steely voice caused the doctor to look at her. He appeared to soften a little.

"I'm sorry detective I didn't know. I'll give you some time, I'll also arrange for an obstetrician to talk to you. Explain the finer details so that you know what the prospects are. Help you to understand what you and your wife could be facing."

Don had switched off, the doctor's words going over his head.

"Tomorrow, let it wait until tomorrow." She advised.

----

A few minutes later Don had taken up residence at her bedside again. It was a waiting game, her life hanging in the balance as they monitored her injuries and hoped they wouldn't get worse. Machines doing the things which should happen naturally, he knew now what it had felt like for his family as they kept vigil at his side two years before. He didn't know if he could wait six hours let alone six days to see if she would wake up. Between his injuries and surgery he had been out for almost a week back then. Now he was waiting, hoping. He wasn't ready to let her- ... let them go.

He wrapped his left hand around hers again and his right on her stomach as he had earlier and for the first time in years, he prayed. The only sound in the room, the machines which were keeping her alive.