Disclaimer: not mine..

big thanks to nikki ;)

A/N: this one is a little bit longer than the previous but not much though ;)

enjoy!

chapter 4

He was afraid to open the door. He was afraid to find a woman in this room who was scared of him just because he was a man himself.

He wasn't sure if he would survive such a reaction from her. He had seen enough rape victims in his career to know how the reaction mostly was, when a man was in the same room, especially so short after such a terrible event.

He took a final breath and pushed the door open.

Her reaction was definitely not the one he'd expected. If she would have been able to jump out of the bed to run to him, she most likely would have done. Instead, she raised her arms like a little child, just the way she always did when she wanted to be hugged and held by him.

He indulged her silent demand.

"I'm sorry, Jethro, I just couldn't keep our baby safe," she whispered, during her sobs.

"Ssshhh everything is going to be ok."

She held him tighter.

"Don't leave me!"

"Baby, I won't go anywhere."

She moved her tortured body aside and pulled him next to her on the small hospital bed.

She rested her head upon his heart and her arm across his chest.

He held her tight, trying to show her everything he felt for her in this embrace, and let his silent tears leave the corner of his eyes.

They lay there together, silent for a moment, until she began to speak again.

"Don't hate me."

Her voice was full of unshed tears.

"I could never hate you Abs, there is nothing that you did wrong, nothing I could hate you for."

She looked up into his watery eyes.

"I never meant to hurt you."

"You didn't."

He stroked his fingers gently over her back, careful not to touch her somewhere else.

"I'm sorry Abs. I'm sorry that I didn't keep my promise."

Her voice was harsh.

"What happened to me wasn't you fault either, Jethro. Don't you dare blame yourself."

She lay back down again. And finally, she began to relax slightly in his arms. The arms that had always kept her safe in the past, and were always going to keep her safe in the future.

TBC..