I do not own Smash or any characters

Prologue

Derek was numb as he sat next to the hospital bed. Her hand seemed so small in his and if the respirator had not been connected she almost looked as if she was sleeping. Two hours, that was all the time the doctor's gave him to make a decision. The doctor's had told him the fall resulted in the placenta prematurely detaching from the uterus. The baby was slowly losing oxygen. Surgery was the only option but without enough time to stabilize Karen her chances of surviving surgery were slim. She was hemorrhaging badly and they needed to replace some of the blood loss, but the longer it took to stabilize Karen, the more distressed their baby was under. Within two hours he had to choose between the woman he loved and their unborn child. It was all surreal. She had left the studio with a smile on her face and in a matter of minutes their world was turned upside down. If he every hated anyone; in that moment he hated Ivy Lynn.

Julia's POV

Sitting out in the waiting room with Tom and the other cast members, Julia could feel herself choke with emotion. Derek had asked her to contact Karen's parents and inform them of what had happened. Karen's mother had answered the phone and when she realized her daughter was not on the other end, terror took hold as all Julia could hear were tears. "How did the accident happen?" she had asked. It was a question Julia couldn't answer. It was a question; she and the others were still attempting to understand themselves.

Julia had joined Derek and Karen for lunch. The three of them talked about the baby and Julia marveled at what a changed man Derek was from a year ago. He had bragged about his ability to put a crib together and beamed with pride when he told her he had picked the baby's name. He explained to Julia that if the baby was a girl, her name would be Hanna Rose, after Karen's grandmother and his mother. If it was a boy, the name would be Dustin Christopher after Karen's father and grandfather. Watching them, Julia was truly happy for her friends.

The three finished lunch and returned to the studio. When they got there, Karen walked upstairs to grab a catalog she had forgotten. She kissed Derek goodbye and left shutting the door behind her. It was a few seconds later that they heard yelling. Everyone in the studio could hear Ivy's voice getting louder. "What are you doing here?" her voice shrilled. "Is it not enough that you stole Derek from me, now you have to come and flaunt your baby?" Tom who was seated next to me got up first to see what was happening. But as soon as Derek heard his name he moved as quickly as he could from where he was standing next to the piano. But it was too late, before he could open the door Karen shouted "let go of me!" They were the last words before her horrifying scream.

In that instant we all ran into the hallway. The site we took in was like a scene from a movie. Karen had fallen down the stairs stopping at the first landing. She had blood coming from a cut to her head but what immediately caught everyone's attention was the blood staining her pants. "Call an ambulance!" Tom yelled out. He was standing next to Derek who at this point cradled Karen in his arms as he talked to her. Tears streamed down his face as he plead for her to stay with him. Karen's face was pale and her words were just above a whisper. "Derek" she cried "something's wrong with the baby." As everyone watched, Derek did his best to assure her but she remained adamant. "Promise me Derek, save our baby." "Your going to be fine Karen we going to get through this together, the three of us." "Don't give up on me" he begged. "I couldn't live if something happened to our baby, please promise me." Karen's eyes slowly closing. "I need to know you'll save our baby." "I promise" Derek told her before she passed out.

Julia would never forget the look in Derek's eyes as he held Karen. He had told Julia at his wedding "Karen is my reason for breathing." What was going to happen now?