Title: What the heart wants
author: Cindy Ryan
notes and summary: See part one

A month and a half later Sam sat in an early afternoon meeting with Syd. Her only career now was acting. The attorney had earned his pay and got a judge to change the terms of Sam's probation. Still it'd taken a lot of will power for Sam to not stop by the PI office. She missed being there; missed the pseudo family that had started to form. However, things with Eddie had been tense to say the least. He hadn't talked to her since that night. So many times Sam had reached for her phone to call or text, but in the end she'd left Eddie alone.

"Sam? Are you listening?"Syd asked.

"Sorry."Sam replied with a frown. "What was the last thing?"

"Need you to look at that list of tv commericals I gave you earlier."Syd repeated patiently. "Nearly all are solid offers with good pay."

"Not glamorous but may be what I need for the next few months."Sam replied as she picked up the printed list. "Steady good paying work."

"There's one from the same company you did the Italian pizza ad for."Syd continued. "They were very happy with the results."

"Good."Sam acknowledged.

Suddenly a harsh cramp whipped through Sam's midsection and she doubled over with a gasp.

"Sam?!"Syd exclaimed with concern as she stood and rushed around her desk. "What is it? What's wrong?"

Sam fought to breathe through the painful cramp when another hit. With the second one she felt liquid trickle down her right leg. Looking at that sock Sam saw a small amount of blood and she froze. Oh God...not the baby...

"Sam?"Syd asked again kneeling next to her client.

"Call an ambulance."Sam said her voice thick with pain. "I-I might be miscarrying."

"Oh God."Syd whispered as she snatched her cell from the desk and dialed 911.

Once at the hospital Sam had been whisked away for tests and exams. Syd stood in the lobby of the ER staring at her phone. Sam had asked her to call Eddie. Syd knew she had to. Still it was not a phone call anyone wanted to make. Taking a deep breath Syd dialed her ex's number. The PI picked up on the third ring.

"Hi Syd."Eddie Valetik began. "Can I call you back? I'm tailing a..."

"Eddie."Syd interupted anxiously.

"What's wrong?"Eddie asked picking up on the tension in her voice.

"I'm at Cedars-Sinai with Sam."Syd began quietly.

"Is she alright?"Eddie demanded worriedly. "The baby?"

"She had cramping and light bleeding."Syd explained. "They're examinng her now."

"I'm on my way."Eddie promised and the phone went dead.

Syd sighed and leaned back against the wall to wait.

Sam nearly collapsed against the pillow in relief an hour later. An ER doctor, Matt Hamlin had just spent a half hour explaining to a nervous first time expectant mother that what she had experienced wasn't that unusual. Scary yes, but not uncommon. The pain had been caused by a combination of a yeast infection and stomach ligaments stretching. The bleeding was normal spotting which most women experience at some point during pregnancy. The ultrasound had spotted no tears. So everything was fine.

Syd had stepped out to see about her paperwork. Eddie hadn't arrived yet. Sam would be glad to see him. Today had put things in perspective. She'd realized in that paniaced fear filled moment in Syd's office that she wanted this baby. She wanted to keep it; wanted to be a mother. Sam just hoped it wasn't too late to salvage her friendship with Eddie.

Eddie raced through the halls of the hospital finally locating Sam's room on the third floor. Pausing to catch his breath Eddie knocked. When he got permission the PI pushed open the door. Eddie hadn't been sure what he'd find and his imagination had been working overtime. Sam was sitting up in bed. She looked pale and her eyes were red-rimmed from crying. Eddie swallowed hard.

"Sam."Eddie began anxiously when he reached the bed. "Are you okay? The baby?"

Sam reached over and took both of Eddie's hands in hers.

"We're both fine."Sam proclaimed with a smile.

"Thank God."Eddie whispered as he sank down onto the edge of Sam's bed. "I was so afraid..."

"So was I."Sam said her smile disappearing. "And today made me realize something."

"What's that?"Eddie asked.

Sam gripped Eddie's hands needing his strength for the rest of this conversation.

"That I want to keep the baby."Sam said softly. "I'm stopping the adoption process."

The smile that spread across her ex-partner's face would've powered the space station for at least a year. Eddie let go of their hands and pulled Sam into a tight embrace.

"You'll be a wonderful mother."Eddie finally said a few minutes later in a husky voice.

"You'll be a great Dad."Sam said tearfully as she pulled back.

Eddie rested his right hand on Sam's stomach. Sam's heart melted at the tenderness in his dark eyes. He was going to be a wonderful father.

"Are we okay?"Sam asked after several minutes of silence. "I was only trying to do what was best..."

"I know, Sam."Eddie said quietly. "We were both trying to protect our child."

"You didn't answer my question."Sam stated softly. "Are we okay?"

Eddie hadn't realized until today how much he'd missed Sam. He still half expected her to walk off the elevator and into his office. More than anything in those four months they'd become friends; good friends. Even as much as he hated to admit it Sam had the prospects of becoming a great PI. She'd already excelled more as his partner than he'd ever thought possible.

Now as he sat in a hospital room with his right hand over his unborn child he considered Sam's question. He'd never really been angry with her; just the situation. Eddie had wanted to raise his child. There could be a real chance now of the three of them being an actual family. Maybe not the white picket fence part but Eddie could picture a house in the suburbs. He smiled at Sam and saw relief wash over her face.

"Yes, Sam."Eddie confirmed as he reached up with his free hand to brush a stray hair from the actress's face. "We're okay."

Eddie pulled Sam into an embrace and she buried her head against his chest. They sat like that for a long time.