A/N: UPDATED UPDATED UPDATED (does happy dance). This chapter is quite sad, but there's a little bit of fluff too.

Don't own them, never will, orginial characters belong to me, blah blah yada.

Reviews always welcome.

Chapter 25

"Jimmy," Vanessa whispered in the dead of night. "I'm so sorry I can't give you what you want…"

Lifting his head off the pillow, a very groggy Jimmy Craig kissed his wife's cheek. "Vanessa," he breathed, "you mean everything to me, and when you're well, the best thing you could give me is what I have now." He hugged her tighter, careful not to disturb her stitches. "All I want is you…"

He could hear her crying softly. "I don't deserve you," she insisted. "I can't have children with you, Jimmy, how could you want me?"

"I love you," Jimmy cooed in her ear. "You mean the world to me, Vanessa. I don't care that we can't have children. Like you said back in the hospital there are always other options."

He felt her tense.

"I want children, believe me, I do. But right now, I just want you to get well," Jimmy whispered, his voice hoarse.

Vanessa rolled over and faced him. "What was it that first attracted you to me?"

Jimmy stopped, choking on his words. "Well, I, uh…" he rolled over on to his back. "I dunno, I guess, your demeanor, the way you played hockey, the way you stood up for what you believed in, so many things…" Jimmy heaved a sigh. "But I guess… your eyes…"

"My eyes?"

"You have such beautiful eyes," he told her. "I could get lost in them."

Vanessa smiled through her tears. "You're the most incredible man I've ever known, Jim Craig, what did I do to deserve you?"

Jimmy kissed his wife's cheek.

"You're you," he answered. "That's all I could ever ask for."

Colleen held the phone to her ear. She was so excited! She was going to be the one to tell her grandma that she was going to be a big sister! Not Mommy, not Daddy, but Colleen would do it.

"Hello?" came a voice on the phone.

"Hi Grandma…" her sweet voice radiated through the phone as Robbie smiled at his partner behind their daughter's back.

"Hello sweet pea, how are you?"

"I'm good," she answered, light sparkling in her eyes. "Guess what?"

"What?"

"I'm gonna be a big sister!" she exclaimed.

"Are you really?"

"Uh huh, Mommy and Daddy say so!" she smiled.

"That's wonderful, honey," April praised. "Hey, put your daddy back on the phone…"

Colleen handed the phone to her father and skipped out of the living room. "I gotta pee!" her retreating voice was heard.

"Hi Mom," Rob smiled, waiting for what was on the other end.

"You're going to have another WHAT?" was the question.

"Another baby…" Robbie repeated.

"WHY!" she exclaimed. "You have one, and she's not even in school yet!"

"She's in senior kindergarten, Mother!" Robbie answered back. "This was a surprise, and we're more than prepared for this next one."

"Okay, but you two better get married soon, give those kids a stable home…"

"Goodbye, Mother…" he hissed into the phone and hang up.

He turned to Erica and rolled his eyes.

"I love my mother, but sometimes she just drives me crazy!" Robbie's hands clasped his temples.

"What did she say?"

Robbie took her in his arms.

"That we should get married, and give Colleen and the new baby a stable home."

Erica smirked, laughing to herself. "If it ain't broke, don't fix it…" She put her arms around his neck. "I couldn't be happier with the way things are now, and nothing is broken, so we shouldn't fix it." She kissed his lips softly and swiftly. "I love you, and that won't ever change, Robin McClanahan." She insisted, letting him go. "We have a beautiful little girl, and in just seven months, we'll have a new baby."

"How do you think Vanessa will take it?"

Erica stopped. "Oh," her hands went to her mouth. "Oh, I didn't even think about that…" she turned away from him. "Oh Robbie, I can't do that to her…" her eyes widened and she covered her face. "I can't do that to her… I can't have this baby!"

Robbie immediately sat her down. She'd gotten herself so worked up she was nearly in tears. Sitting beside her, he held her hands.

"What they went through was heartbreaking, Ricki, I admit it, but here we are now," he held her close. "You're pregnant, we're going to be parents again, it's scary, and it's exhilarating, but we can do it."

Her breathing became slow and steady again.

"I couldn't be happier to have you, Erica," he insisted. "You've given me so much."

"I know what you're thinking Robbie," she answered. "And right now, the only thing you could give me," she lay down on the bed. "Is to just lay here with me and hold me…"

And that's exactly what he did.

Jimmy awoke beside a sleeping Vanessa. She was the most beautiful woman he'd ever laid eyes on, and to see her in pain was heart wrenching. What could he do? Doctors had told him that depression after a hysterectomy was quite common, and they believed Vanessa was coping fairly well. In fact, they suspected she was grieving, rather than in a depression.

"Oh my love," he whispered, getting out of bed and going to the window. "I promised I would protect you, and I promise I will do whatever it takes to make you well again…"

She didn't stir.

"For better or worse, I will always be here, Vanessa," He promised her as she slept.

"For better or worse."