Hi! It's been a while since I've updated, and I can't apologize enough. I had to take a break from writing for a bit, but I really wanted to update this story for all of the amazing people that read it. I hope this chapter is okay.

Just an age reminder – Tate: 24 Violet: 23 Year: 2001

9 months into the pregnancy

Sitting outside on a lounge chair in the backyard had become a daily occurrence for Violet. Once her belly had gotten so big that she could barely walk, Tate had to carry her outside, but he never complained. He would sit with her occasionally but knew that she also liked her alone time to soak up the sun and think.

She was almost to her ninth month of being pregnant, and everything seemed to be going well other than the fact that she was no longer allowed to walk anywhere. Her body frame was too small to carry the weight of the baby so she was on strict bed rest until she delivered. That didn't mean, however, that she stayed in bed. Violet had always been stubborn, and she had begged Tate to get her a wheelchair so that she could still move around. He had eventually given in, never being able to say no to her.

Tate had been perfect for the past nine months. He stayed by Violet's side, helping with anything that she needed. He made sure she was eating all of the correct foods, getting enough rest, and always feeling well and happy. Violet couldn't be more thankful or blessed to have such an amazing man in her life. She had been his rock for so long, and now he was hers.

Currently, Violet was sitting in her lounge chair, reading a book out loud so that Nathan could hear her voice. He would kick the inside of her stomach every now again, and it made Violet feel like he was enjoying the story. She had been feeling under the weather all morning and was hoping that being outside would make her feel better. So far, she only felt worse.

All of her limbs ached as if she had been running a marathon recently, and she was having slight cramps. She figured that she was probably close to going into labor because her due date was only two weeks away. The doctor had told her a few days ago that she could go into labor at any minute because of her small size. The baby was more than ready to be born.

She hissed and clutched her belly as a severe pain spread deep inside of her. "Ah…" She groaned, doubling over. "Nathan, what are you doing?" It felt as if the baby was clawing at her insides. "Stop. Stop. Stop." She whispered frantically as the pain increased.

All of a sudden, she felt a wetness seep through her underwear and along her legs. She guessed that her water had just broken, and she reached down to feel if her dress had gotten wet. Her face drained of color when she pulled her hand back and saw that it was covered in blood.

Panic rose in her throat. "Tate!" She screamed. "Tate! Help!"

…

Tate had been standing in the kitchen when he heard Violet screaming his name. He dropped the cup in his hand, letting it shatter on the floor as he ran through the back door and outside. He saw Violet sitting in the lounge chair with tears running down her cheeks and blood covering her hands.

"Violet! What's wrong?" He was by her side in a matter of seconds.

"Tate, it hurts. It hurts." Violet cried.

Tate couldn't take his eyes off the blood on Violet's hands. "Why are you bleeding?" He asked frantically.

"I feel funny. My head…" Violet's words drifted off as her eyes started to close, and she started to fall to the side.

Tate wrapped his arms around her before she could fall off the chair. "Violet! Baby, please wake up." He was shaking his arms, trying to get Violet to open her eyes. "Come on, Vi. Don't do this to me. Please don't leave me." He tightened his grip around her, lifting her up and carrying her inside quickly. He laid her down on the couch before running to the phone and calling an ambulance.

…

Everything after that happened in a blur. The paramedics arrived in record time, placing Violet's limp body on a stretcher and into the ambulance in a matter of minutes. Tate held her hand tightly the entire ride to the hospital, quietly begging her to wake up. He wasn't listening to anything as he ran along side the stretcher as the doctors moved Violet quickly down the hallway.

A doctor moved in front of him, blocking his path as Violet was carried away from him. He struggled in the doctor's hold. "Let me go! I can't leave her!"

"Mr. Langdon, please calm down!" The doctor wouldn't budge. "We are doing everything we can to help her, but our main concern right now is the baby."

The baby. The baby… Tate had forgotten about his son until now. He had been so focused on Violet that he hadn't realized that Nathan could also be in danger. The doctor had to grab him as he fell to his knees, sobbing. Could he possibly lose the two most important people in his life in one day?

…

Silence surrounded Tate. He had been sitting in the waiting room for hours, and no one would tell him what was going on. He had called Charlee and Grey after an hour, and they were now sitting with him. Charlee had called Violet's parents, and they were flying in tomorrow. Now, it was a waiting game. Everything meaningful in Tate's life rested in the hands of the doctors.

He jumped when someone touched his shoulder lightly.

"I'm sorry to startle you, Mr. Langdon, but we have some news for you."

Tate stood up quickly, facing the doctor. "What's happening? Is Violet okay? Is the baby okay?"

The doctor smiled slightly. "Your son is perfectly healthy and is waiting for you in the nursery."

Tate felt relief wash through him for a split second until he realized that the doctor hadn't mentioned Violet. "And… And Violet?"

"Ms. Harmon lost a lot of blood. It was touch and go for a while as we worked on getting the baby out safely. We did everything that we could, but she fell into a coma."

"What does that mean?"

"It means that her body shut down from the blood loss. We are giving her blood transfusions now, and we hope that this will allow her to break out of the coma, but we can't be sure. She might not wake up, Mr. Langdon."

The words danced around Tate's head. She might not wake up… But she had to. She couldn't leave him. She couldn't…

"I…" Tate couldn't find the words to say. Thankfully, Charlee moved up by his side and spoke for him.

"Thank you, doctor. Can Tate see her?"

"He is more than welcome to stay with her now, but I would recommend that he meet his son first."

Charlee nodded. "Yes, I agree. Thank you again." The doctor nodded before walking off, and Charlee turned to face Tate. "It's going to be okay. Violet is strong and stubborn. She'll pull through this."

Tate wanted to believe that. "She is strong. Stronger than me… I need her. I can't do this alone."

"No matter what, you won't be alone. Ever." Charlee smiled at Tate. "You'll always have Grey and me. And now you have a son."

"Nathan…" Tate whispered. "I want to go see him."

Charlee nodded. "Come on."

…

"He's perfect." Tate said mesmerized as he looked at the baby in his arms. He was so small. "Hi, Nathan. I'm your dad." Nathan's eyes were staring up at Tate, and one of his tiny hands was resting on one of Tate's fingers. "You're so little." Tate whispered. Nathan blinked up at him. He had the dark blue eyes that would eventually turn into a beautiful dark brown as he grew older. The sprinkling of light blonde hair on his head was the contrast of his dark eyes.

Holding Nathan in his arms for the first time would become a memory that Tate would never forget. It was a shining hope in such a dark time. He only wished that Violet was by his side to cherish this moment with him.

"Your mommy is going to be so happy to meet you." He swayed back and forth a bit, rocking Nathan gently. "You have the best mommy in the world. She loves you so much."

Tate held Nathan in his arms for as long as he could before the nurse told him that the nursery was closing. She reassured him that he could come back in the morning and would hopefully be able to take Nathan home. Tate nodded, wondering how he was supposed to take care of his son without Violet.

Violet… He had to go see her. That was the next place he went. When he walked into her hospital room, his heart dropped. She looked so small in the large bed. The sight sent memories flooding into his mind from the first time he had seen Violet in the hospital. At least this time she wasn't as broken as before. She was just stuck in sleep.

He moved to the side of the bed, sitting in a chair and taking one of Violet's hands into his. "Hi, baby…" He whispered.

He didn't say anything for the rest of the night because he honestly couldn't think of what to say. Everything seemed like a dream to him, and he was waiting to wake up.