Author's Note: Why Noah wanted to take her to the hospital will be revealed in this chapter. I actually think this fic might take and long long time to finish. Longer than I first imagined, but I promise happiness will be acheived in many ways. :)

CHAPTER 25: Better and Worse

"But don't get hung up on it just soldier on with it. Good luck with shooting the moon." – Shooting The Moon, Ok Go

Noah had told Elle to meet him at a hospital at around seven. Claire had told him Elle had taken a pregnancy test and it came up positive. He knew from experience that pregnancy tests often lied. Twice Sandra had believed she was pregnant and wasn't. He wanted Elle to be sure.

If it was true, if Elle was pregnant, she had to come here to tell him. He had tried calling Gabriel before too. No answer. Just voice mail. He hadn't bothered leaving a voice mail. He wondered if he did what it would be like. Anger for getting his little Elle pregnant. Smooth trying to convince the former serial killer to be a good father to the baby. Full of joy congratulating him on his wonderful little bundle of joy.

He knocked on Gabriel's door just because. Elle would wait for him at the hospital where she would get an official pregnancy test. He stared at the door. Knocked again. This time he was staring at Gabriel. A distant yet happy look in his eyes wearing a tight black shirt and jeans. He was newly shaven with his hair sticking up at the ends. He had on a smile on.

"Noah!" He sounded like an excited teenager just learning his favorite band was considering letting him in their band. He hugged Mr. Bennet with a new satisfaction. "How are you?"

"Good," Noah almost seemed puzzled by the joy on his face. Elle must have already gotten to him. "Can I-"

"Of course you can." Gabriel huffed motioning Noah in. The older man stepped into the clean apartment. He noticed the hole in the cabinet though. It was pretty noticeable. "Are you meeting Elle somewhere?" When he said her name his whole face lit up. Like she was his god or something.

"A hospital." His voice was tone and certain. He smiled softly as if realizing it. "I assume you heard."

"Yeah," He leaned against the counter thinking the moment over again. Lost in space. Lost in time. Lost in his own joy. "I can't even wrap my head around it." He laughed softly looking at Noah. Meeting the eyes of a father. "I'm going to be a father."

"Scary thought, huh?" Noah gave a half smile looking down. "When I was given Claire I didn't think I could do it either, but when you see the baby . . . when you realize how much you care about this small little being it all seems to fall into place. It'll be like falling in love again only different. Just a little." Gabriel was happy about that. He adored falling for Elle. He was already so in love with his child.

"Okay, so what are your intentions with my little girl?" Bennet just grinned and Gabriel suddenly felt like he was going to be the victim of a shot gun wedding.

"Well whatever she wants. I'm staying in New York until I can get my . . .appetite under control." He looked down softly with a smile. He couldn't stop smiling. He felt so giddy and clueless. He and Elle had made a little person nestled safely in her belly. Created something. Created life. So many things he had destroyed and finally he had created something. Someone.

"Good man," He felt Noah slap his shoulder like old times. He still grinned, but this time he saw Noah was too. "She's going to need you. She already does. The kid will need you too." He wouldn't abandon his child. Never. Not like his father did. He wasn't going to repeat his mistake. He was going to love and care for his little boy or girl until there was not a breath left in him. "Good luck controlling yourself, Gabriel. I'm routing for you. We all are." Bennet went to turn, but Gabriel started speaking.

"I think. . .I think this is what I always wanted." He and Bennet made eye contact as his smile stilled. "Home, family." He laughed squeezing a hand around his bicep. "I always wanted that. A family who accepted me. I wanted someone to accept me and she did." His eyes fluttered laughing at how wonderful that felt. "She loves me and I love her. I love her so much." He said it with almost perfectly held back tears in her eyes. Like he knew he loved her too much. So much it hurt when she hurt. It hurt when he hurt her or knew she was hurting.

"And I want it all. I want her. I want my baby. I want to be special." He cocked his head to the side looking at Bennet. "Is that so wrong?" He really wasn't sure. Was it wrong to want everything so much?

"It's not wrong." Bennet told him with a half smile. "You just have to know to balance everything." Gabriel would work on that. He had to. He wanted to be there for Elle and his child. Soon.

--

The hospital seemed like a mad house almost. Elle did everything she could not to be run down. Nurses shouted and raced about trying to lug patients in and out. She peered over at the front desk where phones were ringing off the hook. Noah had told her to come here and get checked out. Find out if she was really pregnant. Judging by how she felt at the moment it was pretty definite she was.

"Sweetheart," A dark skinned nurse in floral scrubs touched her shoulder almost causing her to jump. "What can I do for you?" Despite the rush this woman had noticed her. She smiled brightly hoping to help her.

"I . . .I need to know if I'm pregnant." The nurse nodded her leading her to a room through all the commotion.

"I'll get you into a room. Send one of our not busy nurses in to take your blood." She nodded ushering her into a room. Elle mumbled something along the lines of okay before the nurse left her.

The room wasn't small, but had glass windows that made her see every bit of commotion. She was thankful for the bed. She felt awfully tired from walking so much. He laid on the bed trying to shut her eyes. The bust noises distracted her. She smiled softly trying to think hard about her life.

She was going to have Gabriel soon. She was going to have him forever and no body, hunger or person would be able to take him away for her. In the long run it seemed selfish. But she knew she needed him. Their baby needed him. In that moment she felt fear wash over her like a tidal wave.

What if she wasn't pregnant? What if she had just given Gabriel hope he was going to be a father and it was all a lie? Not a lie, but misleading. She'd have to tell him. Or maybe she didn't. She didn't want to lie to him though. Despite that they weren't liars.

"Okay," A familiar voice sang out shutting the door to the hospital behind him. "I'm told you need some blood drawn. Think your . . ." Their eyes met and Elle saw it was Peter as Peter saw it was Elle. "Pregnant." He held the chart in his hand in his light blue scrubs looking at her with a coy smile before flipping the hair from his eyes.

"Hi Peter." She shifted on the blankets as she sat up. A pain in her back came forth, but she decided to ignore it. "What a coincidence you're here?" Peter just shook his head as if coming out of a daze.

"Yeah," He said softly looking her over. "So you think you're pregnant?" He almost seemed puzzle. He remembered her situation. She had been engaged to a drug addict who couldn't stop. She had come to New York hoping he was a better man, but he wasn't. If Peter remembered the boyfriend was that insisted she leave.

"Four pregnancy tests, morning sickness, and a heaping load of tiredness and pain don't lie." Ell smiled proudly tickling her finger to her stomach. "Either that or something worse is wrong with me." Peter nodded slowly proceeding to take the needles. "So drawing my blood will do what?"

Peter explained using some fancy words Elle hadn't heard of before, but all the same it explained it to her. Peter was a good nurse. He drew her blood very gently. She didn't like needles too much so squished her eyes closed when he stuck her. It hurt a lot, but she had to be sure. She had to know.

"Well I can get this check out quickly. I have to ask this," He stated looking Elle in the eye after placing a bandage on her upper arm where he drew the blood. "Do you know when you might have conceived?" Elle knew very well.

"Two weeks. Almost sixteen days ago. Will you be able to tell?" She wondered looking into Peter's dark eyes. He nodded softly.

"Should be." He said softly and left.

She noticed Peter seemed a bit withdrawn from her. Maybe he had a lot on his mind or something. She saw him pull another male nurse to the side telling him something and giving him her vial. Than Peter smiled finally turning around and coming back into her room.

"I thought you might need company. I spent Hesam to get the results. It shouldn't take long. We're not busy with blood. Bus crash, but nothing serious." Peter shrugged coming in to sit by her bedside. "So four pregnancy tests?" He asked placed his chin on the back part of the chair where he sat on it the wrong way. "Wanted to be sure?"

"I'm not the kind of person who ever actually thought about having kids." She admitted with a soft smile.

"If you need any help, there are options Elle." He said just to relate it to her, but she was already protesting.

"If I am pregnant, which I 'm almost one hundred percent positive I am, I want to keep it." She pressed her hand to her stomach and Peter could tell Elle wasn't fooling. This woman knew exactly what she wanted.

"Did you tell him yet?" Peter asked letting his cheek feel the warmth of the metal chair. She nodded. "How'd he take it?" Peter had seen enough pregnant women to know what to look for. Elle had swollen breasts, a tired tone in her voice, a paler appearance. He had known that from his memory, though by her logic she had already been pregnant when he first met her in the cab.

"Better than I thought. I actually think he's going to get better this time." She sounded so certain. Peter swallowed knowing from his own experience that things with addicts didn't get better. They only got worse. "How about you? How is everything?" Peter wasn't looking forward to telling her, but had to get it off his chest.

"Not good."Elle tilted her little head curiously. "The woman I told you about. The one I loved. Her boyfriend . . . he shot her. At least that's my theory. The police looked into him, but they can't find any evidence. Murder weapon or anything." Elle looked almost shocked by it.

"I'm so sorry Peter." She touched his shoulder lightly as he dipped his head. "When did it happen?"

"Almost a week ago. I just came back from the funeral. It took a couple days to find her body." He swallowed softly as Elle slowly rubbed his shoulder. "We could have had something you know?" He looked into her eyes like he was a lost child. "I mean I don't understand why'd she go back to him when he hurt her every time he used." Elle was understanding that was much like her situation, but she knew, she had faith Gabriel would stop for the baby.

"Some people can't be saved Peter." She brushed his dark hair from his eyes getting a chill. He smiled softly. She felt like she was comforting a child. Maybe she'd be comforting her son or daughter like this. "We just have to move on and save those we can." He looked up at her nodding in agreeance. Suddenly the door opened. The nurse called to Peter which he turned.

He took something from the nurse. A chart? He looked it over smiling and shooing the nurse away. Elle peered over at Peter who was fiddling with the clip board and paper work.

"What's the verdict, doc?" Elle said in a tease. Peter looked up at her softly smiling.

"Well you are in fact pregnant." Elle grinned so wide she thought her lips would fall off. "Your HCG levels are normal of a woman in this stage of a pregnancy, but I suggest you go for visits at the doctor you have in Texas." Elle nodded slowly taking herself up to hug Peter. The young man was almost surprised, but hugged her back all the same. Her warmth was too comforting not to embrace it.

"Thank you Peter." She kissed his cheek lightly and Peter could have sworn he felt sparks. Peter quickly let go of her scribbling something down on a business card on the clip board.

"If you need anything advice, medical or otherwise give me a call." He placed it in her hand soundly with a smile. "Good luck with all this, Elle."

"You too Peter." She touched his cheek lightly before leaving . As she left Peter wondered if things were getting better for him or worse.

--

Elle was beaming with new joy. She was officially pregnant. The baby growing inside her was probably too small to be considered that, but she felt that this child would someday be able to dominate most of her body and heart. She was going to wait for Noah in the waiting area which was less crowded than before, but saw him. His face was stern like any father after a runaway daughter.

"Elle you had me worried sick." He stated when they were face to face. She threw her arms around Noah crying happily.

"I'm pregnant Daddy." She fell into her own little fantasy world because people were watching very closely. Noah held his daughter softly.

"I know." Bennet whispered rubbing her sore spine. "Your sister told me. That's why I'm here." She didn't mind if Claire told everyone she knew. She liked this. She liked the idea of being pregnant with his baby.

"Sorry I ran off." She said softly burying her head in his collarbone.

"It's alright. Gave me a chance to talk to him." Elle play gasped at the word probably being overdramatic.

"Daddy you didn't!" Almost horrified. Like Noah would murder Gabriel for getting his innocent little Elle knocked up.

"I just simply told him to do the right thing." Noah brushed hair from his adopted daughter's face. "He promised he would." Like he had promised her.

"Thanks, Dad." She hugged him again before letting go. Noah just smiled hugging her shoulders lightly.

"Let's go home Elle Bell." Elle smiled softly at the new nickname knowing everything was going to be better now. She had family, a child on the way, and Gabriel was going to come soon. Things could only get better.