The button clicked and a small alarm went off somewhere in the depths of the hospital. Mick hurried over to me and sat on the bed. "I'm sorry… I'm sorry. Oh my gosh I'm so sorry." I watched for the nurse and held my stomach. It was probably the scar from the stab a while ago that got stretched from the pregnancy.

I was bleeding a lot. I shook my head and replied. "No it's not your fault. I threw myself upon you and… I don't know probably overexerted something." The nurse angrily walked into my room and shifted her weight onto one leg. "What's wrong?" she snapped at me, like I interrupted her lunch break or something. I shakily lifted my hand from my stomach to reveal on bloody hospital gown.

Her eyebrows arched and she let out a sigh. She moved my hands to my side and pulled up my gown, revealing my bleeding stab wound. She sighed and left for a second then returned with a needle and thread to sew my wound up. I watched Mick pace back and forth like an overprotective father as she sewed and cleaned me up.

She finished and told me "Don't you dare get up again…" and then left. Mick sat on the edge of my bed and looked at me with his bloodshot eyes. He took my hand and I said "You should really go home and get some rest."

He shook his head like a stubborn child. "Please Mick" I pleaded. "You look terrible, No offense, so you should really go home." He pursed his lips and then got up slowly. "I'll call you…" He said as he walked out of my room.

I laid back and closed my eyes. I dozed off for about two minutes, when a nurse ran into my room. Breathlessly she said "Ms Turner?" I sat up and ran my hand through my hair. "Yeah… that's me. Can I help you?" She caught her breath and continued. "There's a Mr. St. John looking for you. He collapsed in the hallway and he's refusing help. His only request is to see you."

I frantically stood up, disregarding my new stitches, and ran with the nurse to where Mick was lying on the floor. I knelt down to his side and took his hand. "What's wrong?" I asked in a slight hush not to make the nurses question what he might be.

He winced and quietly managed to say "Kidneys… Josef…failing…" I nodded. "Okay… uh don't worry I'll call Josef and he'll come and get you." I moved away from him and dialed Josef's number.

"Hello?" he groggily answered. It was the middle of the day so he was probably sleeping or something. "Hello Josef its Beth. Listen, Mick's in the hospital and collapsed in pain on the floor due to his kidney… or something. Uhm…" My voice started to crack and tears rolled down my cheeks. "Can you come and get him?"

"Calm down Blondie. I'll be right there." He hung up and I sniffled. I wiped the tears away from my eyes and went back over to Mick. I knelt down beside him and took his hand.

"Josef's coming. Don't worry." I sat with him until Josef arrived three minutes later. He scooped him up in his arms and started for the back exit. I tried to follow but a nurse stopped me.

"Beth Lindsey?" I crossed my arms and watched Josef turn a corner to where he would find the emergency exit. I snapped back to reality and replied "Yes that's me. I know I shouldn't be out of my room, it's just…"

"You're not in trouble. It's your son, Brady. His heart stopped. His pacer isn't working properly" My world froze around me. I swallowed and bit my lip. "His heart stopped?"

The nurse nodded. "He's being prepped for surgery. We need to insert a different artificial pacemaker. The other one wasn't strong enough."

I nodded. "If you're looking for approval, then yes. Totally yes." Tears rolled down my cheek and I breathed out heavily.

She led me back to my room and handed me a clipboard of paper work. I started to fill everything out when the doctor came in.

He shook my hand and introduced himself as Dr Whitman.

"This procedure is familiar correct?" I sighed and nodded. "Unfortunately. It's way too familiar at this point. He's an infant… A three day old infant… How often does this need to happen?"

"Well you now have a son with an arrhythmia. After this he should be set for life. I think we have determined what it is exactly. We need to exchange the pacer now though. After the surgery I'll explain it. He'll be okay."

I nodded. I finished the paperwork and sat in the bed staring at the wall. I pulled out my cell phone and called Mick's phone.

It went straight to voicemail.

I cursed lightly under my breath. I called Josef and he answered on the third ring.

"Josef!" I never thought I'd be this happy to hear his voice. "Beth?" "Yes. How's Mick?" "It's all about Mick… He's fine. He needed his blood filtered that's all. Stupid ass probably had a dirty freshie and contaminated himself. He's alright now."

I sighed a sigh of relief. I was a bit jealous though. Freshie? Aren't those like Skanks that are hired to be fed off of… and used for sex? I caught myself getting worked up about this and replied. "Can I talk to him?"

I could hear him mumble something in the background and then Josef replied "No. He can't talk now. Sorry."

My shoulders slumped and I held back tears. After all this all I wanted to do is talk to him… and he doesn't want to talk to me…

"Ok." I said shakily. "Tell him Brady needs a new pacer and he's in surgery now."

"Will do. Bye." And before I could reply he hung up. I swallowed and put my phone down on the bed.

One on the nurses wheeled in the tiny crib thing that held Nina. "She can stay with you now." I smiled and got up out of bed. The nurse handed me the baby, and I cautiously made my way back to the bed. I sat back down and ran my pinky up and down her cheek.

She opened her eyes and looked at me. I leaned back and rested my head against the wall behind my bed. She yawned and took my pinky in her little fist. I bit my cheek and tears rolled down my face.

The nurse left and Jenna walked in. I looked up from Nina and smiled. "Jenna!"

She came over to me and hugged me. "Hey." She said kissing my cheek. "Congratulations my girl. They're gorgeous."

I beamed at her. "Thanks. I need to get used to multitasking I guess… and being depended upon all the time."

"Mick will help. Don't worry."

I shook my head. "He's currently ignoring me… not that I care…"

She sat up on the bed with a giant grin on her face. I squirmed under her stare. "What?"

"You like him."

My cheeks got hot and I started to blush. I shifted my legs out in front of me and readjusted Nina in my arms. "No. I don't like him. I'm still in love with Josh. I still wear the ring."

"That means nothing. We've known each other since we were three. I know when you like someone. He's awesome."

I smiled a little and then I thought of Josh. "As much as it pains me to see you with anyone else but me I know it's the right thing."

Jenna saw my pain and wrapped her arm around me. "Josh loves you. He always will. It's been six months."

"I feel like I'm cheating on him. We promised never to cheat on each other. Ever. Period. And ever since Josh died Mick had made me feel so alive." Oh the irony.

She nodded. "I understand. That's what love will do to you."

I looked down at Nina. She had fallen asleep and was cuddled into the crook of my arm. "If I love Mick, then I feel like I'd be cheating on them. They're the only part of Josh that I have left."

She shrugged. "You aren't cheating on them. Wouldn't you rather let them have a father figure in their life, instead of growing up and wondering where daddy is?"

"I'd have to tell them eventually about what happened." I extended my leg to the crib on wheels a couple of inches away from the bed and wheeled it over. I placed Nina lightly into it and repositioned myself so that I was sitting pretzel style.

Jenna sighed "You're a great mommy already."

"You're a great aunt Jenna already."

The doctor walked into the room and removed his gloves. I sat up straight and Jenna tensed. "Is he okay?" I asked. My fingers were crossed in my lap.

He nodded. "Yeah, he's a little trooper. Very strong. He's in the NICU now. We just need to monitor him for a few days then you guys can leave. Hello Jenna."

He nodded in Jenna's general direction. She smiled and nodded back. "When can I see him?" I asked, breaking the awkwardness lingering in the air.

"Now if you want."

I turned to Jenna and asked "Can you watch her? I'll be right back."

She nodded and watched the doctor out of the corner of her eyes. I got off the bed and followed the doctor down to the NICU.

The monitors beeping were all attached to tiny babies. Some that could fit in the palm of your hand, some that were hooked up to ventilators twenty times their size and some that were in the same boat as Brady.

We stopped at an incubator with my little boy in it. He had a bandage on his chest that wrapped around his body. He wasn't hooked up to a ventilator, which was my greatest fear, and was breathing normally. He was attached to some IV's but other than that it was that gruesome to look at.

The doctor pulled over a chair. "You can sit if you would like."

I cautiously sat down, never adverting my gaze from my boy, and ran my hand through my hair. "Is he in pain?"

"Not likely. He's on a drip of some pain medication so he's okay. Don't worry."

"And you said I could take him home soon?" I ask biting my lip.

"Yes. In roughly three days. It's all based on how he's doing. He's made a lot of progress so far."

I nodded. I stood up and told the doctor "I think I want to go back to my room now." He nodded and moved aside so I could leave. I made my way back to the room. I entered and saw Mick sitting the couch.

My excitement almost boiled over as I almost threw myself at him, but I just stood there.

He smiled. "Hi"

"Hello." I replied my mind shrieked "HUG HIM! KISS HIM! DON'T JUST STAND THERE, DO SOMETHING!" instead I just stood there, arms crossed. Jenna still sat on the edge of the bed keeping an eye on Nina. Poor Jenna caught up in this.

"What's up?" he asked getting up.

I sat down on the bed and replied "I just saw Brady. He's okay."

Jenna got up. "I got to go. I'll see you later." We hugged and she left.

He sat down where Jenna was sitting and smiled. "He's a cutie that one. You know…"

Before he could finish I cut him off. "Why did you ignore me before? I was in a horrible situation between you and Brady and just everything and you don't even have the balls to talk to me?" tears rolled down my cheek and I curled my hands into balls.

He moved towards me and took my face in his hands. He lifted my face up to his and kissed me. My hands unclenched and my tears rolled off my face. I didn't pull away.