Another installment is up, thanks for reading and the feedback!

C.J. sat in the waiting room of her doctor's office. The lobby had been filled with other women in various stages of pregnancy, some with men sitting beside them, others by themselves or with other women.

She had an appointment for her first ultrasound and she had been excited to see her baby for the first, well at least in its earlier stages. After spending a morning arguing a motion in court on behalf of Hans, she had gotten into her car and sped over to the doctor's office because she had about an hour until she had to get back to the office to meet with him and his wife. In the past couple of months, Hans had been cooperating with her more in his defense and C.J. had a feeling that Elizabeth had something to do with that.

But still she couldn't wait until this case reached its conclusion. At least she could take a breather from it for a little while.

She liked her doctor a lot, the one that Carol had recommended and everything had been progressing along nicely, now that the morning sickness had abated, which made her days go much easier though she still felt tired by their end.

Matt rushed into the waiting room and C.J. smiled when she looked up and saw him there.

"Great to see you," she said, "We've still got a few minutes."

He sat down beside her and took her hand in his own.

"The meeting with Tony ended a lot better than it started," Matt said, "Roy's handling the logistics while I'm here."

"Houston…"

"I wouldn't miss this for anything," he said, "Our first look at our baby."

Her eyes stung a bit but then she had become more emotional these days.

"Yeah…"

"How do you feel?"

She smiled at him and squeezed his hand.

"Great…what about you?"

"Better now," Matt said, "You have plans tonight?"

She shrugged.

"Just some briefs to review," she said, "then I thought I would curl up on the couch with some popcorn and watch a movie."

"That sounds promising…"

She chuckled.

"It is if it's with the right company."

He brought her hand up to his lips.

"I'll be there…right after the stakeout at the marina."

She nodded and then the nurse called them over to see the doctor.

Matt sat in the car with Roy, as they both watched the action taking place in front of them at the crowded marina. Roy looked through his binoculars at two men who were sitting at a table next to a yacht.

"I think I can get in closer…"

Roy looked over at Matt.

"The vehicle over there might provide some cover."

Matt nodded.

"How long have we been sitting here?"

Roy looked at his watch.

"About six hours…"

"I'll give it another 45 minutes and I'm out of here if nothing changes," Matt said.

Roy smiled.

"I've got a dinner date with Sophia," he said, "I think we can wrap this up."

They both looked at the two men in front of them.

"They don't look too eager right now," Roy noted, "Hard to believe they've been moving the stolen merchandise."

"Looks can be deceiving," Matt said, looking through the binoculars.

"Indeed," Roy said, "How did the doctor's appointment go?"

Matt looked over at his uncle.

"Doctor took the ultrasound and everything looks just fine."

Actually it had been one of the most amazing experiences in his life to wait with C.J. while the doctor explained to both of them about the test. To actually see the movement on the monitor, as the doctor outlined the features of their developing baby, right down to its beating heart. He had reached out to touch the screen with his fingers, unable to help himself.

C.J. had just watched the screen and him, in wonder. Not able to speak. The doctor had turned to them and smiled.

"Everything's progressing as it should," she said, "and the fetus has a strong and healthy heartbeat."

Matt and C.J. looked at each other and both breathed a little easier. The doctor smiled and patted C.J.'s shoulder, clearly used to it.

Roy suddenly sat up in his seat.

"It looks like they're getting ready to move…"

Matt nodded and made sure he had his gun ready before leaving the car.

C.J. sat on her couch at her home, the one that she still lived in as she and Matt split the time they spent together at each other's houses. She had Hans' case discovery spread out in front of her and she had been sifting through the police reports to see if she had missed anything critical. But everything seemed to be exactly as it had always looked.

She sighed flipping through the papers again and then picking up her glass of juice, sipping it. Dinner had been some salad and chicken after Matt had phoned her and said he might be running a little late. She hadn't minded because she knew his work was important to him and he had always made efforts to make sure they had enough time to spend together.

Besides she had been falling back into her busy work habits since they had returned from Catalina Island. Her caseload had climbed between handling cases for Matt's firm and also handling some stray legal business Murray dropped in her lap when she wasn't looking and additional cases as well. But she really had to think about cutting back, because she had been thinking about reducing her workload in her last couple of months of pregnancy and then taking off some time after her child was born to spend with him or her in the earliest months of life.

Then that led to her thinking about how much work she had to do to prepare for the baby's arrival. She and Matt had been looking at several properties outside the city with some acreage and nice family style houses. But they hadn't decided on a particular one and when they did…escrow and then remodeling and creating a nursery for their baby.

She knew she had to think about finishing up her work so that when Matt did arrive, they could put their busy day aside and focus on each other. To relax and unwind after another hectic day, watch a movie and eat some popcorn. To forget about the world and everyone one else in it for just a little while, nothing could be more perfect.

And that's when the phone rang.

The ambulance had rushed to the hospital as fast as the city streets would allow and paramedics worked on him while he fought to remain conscious.

"C.J…"

The man looked at him, patting his shoulder.

"We're almost there," he said, "Think you can remain awake for us Mr. Houston?"

Matt tried to get up but the paramedic stopped him.

"Relax, you're going to have to remain still so we can work on you," the man said, "Then it will be up to the doctors to decide what to do next but you've been shot and you're losing blood."

The pain that had shaken his body, the burning sensation in his chest where the bullet had pierced flesh and apparently a bodily organ or two as well from the way it felt. It had begun to recede when they had put him on the stretcher and into the ambulance.

Matt sank back on the stretcher while they hooked him up to those familiar looking monitors that would provide information on his physical condition but his mind wandered to friendlier places. It hadn't taken him that long before he had reached the two men before they had gotten into an argument and one had tried to shoot the other before Matt had placed himself in their path. That had been his first instinct even though they had been strangers to him.

He hadn't been the intended target of the bullet clearly but the heated missile hadn't cared about that and had struck the first object in its trajectory obeying the laws of physics. He had fallen suddenly, as his body registered the hit and the two men looking at him had split in opposite directions, fleeing before the anticipated arrival of the police.

Even the man whose life he had saved.

Roy had rushed up to help him and had reached for his cell phone to call 911 as a small throng of onlookers congregated.

"Call C.J. but don't say anything that will worry her…"

Roy just smiled although his eyes remained serious and remained with his nephew until the medics arrived.

Now, doctors and nurses greeted the arrival of their patient in the ER. Matt looked up at all the activity and saw that a familiar looking face had just shaken his head at him.

"Mr. Houston, long time no see…"

Matt smiled grimly as the pain began to hit him again as they moved him down the hallway into the pre-op room to prepare him for the necessary surgery to remove yet another bullet from his body.

Roy had called C.J. after the medics had arrived and she had just put everything aside, gotten a coat and had driven to the hospital, being totally familiar with this drill. She couldn't really judge him harshly because he had done the same for her and she was too worried anyway. Roy had said he had been shot on the surveillance operation and that it was serious.

She hadn't needed his words to tell her that because his voice did.

She parked the car in the lot and rushed to the ER, to where she saw Roy sitting there drinking some coffee. Chris had come to the hospital as well and looked up when C.J. arrived.

"Come and sit down," Chris said, "We've both been here a short while and the doctor said it might take a while until they're finished fixing him up."

So C.J. sat and looked Roy in the eye.

"How bad is it?"

Roy sighed.

"He was hit point blank in the chest," he said, "It missed the heart…barely but nicked the liver and the spleen."

C.J. closed her eyes, breathing deeply.

"Then he'll be taking it easy for a while."

Roy nodded.

"He's not going to die from this," he said, "but not by much."

C.J. knew what he meant, another millimeter in several different directions and…she didn't want to think about that. She just wanted to see him.

"He told me to tell you not to worry…"

C.J. sighed.

"Then why does he do this," she said, "Why did he get himself shot?"

"He saved a man's life today," Roy said, "but the man he took the bullet for didn't stick around to thank him."

C.J. nodded, knowing that was just like him. He would risk his life even for strangers and she loved him for that but right now, it just scared her. Because if he had died…then his baby, the one they created together, would never know his or her father, except through photographs which had been pretty much the way that C.J. had known her own father. Sometimes she had her own memories to draw on but they were fragmented, mostly bits and pieces, words that he had said, the scent of his cologne and the smile on his face the last time she had seen him.

"I'll be back later to tuck you into bed…"

One last smile before he left home for the last time.

She wanted much better for her own child, for him or her or even them to grow up knowing their own father, to create their own memories of his love for them. But she couldn't think about that, she had to focus on the here and now.

And that was that her child's father would survive another bullet wound. All that remained was waiting for the surgeon to brief them and then the days that Matt would require to heal up from his injury. And oh, if he thought he would trim off his recovery time and return back to work, he would be mistaken. She would make sure he knew that right off the bat…after she reminded him that she loved him when he woke up.

Roy asked her if she needed anything and she shook her head. Because what she needed, he couldn't give her.

"Leo's coming by to bring some food if you haven't eaten…"

C.J. looked at Chris.

"I'm fine," she said, "I had dinner earlier."

She didn't want to add that even the thought of eating made her nauseous, not because of her pregnancy but because her heart was being squeezed in her throat. Then she heard some voices followed by footstep, and look up to see both Elizabeth and Christina just standing there, expressions of dismay on their faces.

And she just closed her eyes. Oh please could they just go away…then she remembered that they both cared for Matt despite their broken relationships with him. Roy looked over at C.J. and she shrugged slightly then she forced a smile on her face.

"It's nice to see you," she said, "Why don't you come sit with us?"

Elizabeth and Christina looked at each other and then they sat down in nearby chairs.

"How is he," Elizabeth asked, "The nurse wouldn't tell us anything because we're not family but I was almost…"

Mercifully her tact caught up in time to stop her from finishing her statement.

"He's in surgery and will be for some time," Roy said, "But he's expected to survive."

Elizabeth clasped her hands.

"Thank God…"

Christina just looked at her.

"I never had any doubt," she said, "I mean Rooster can survive anything thrown at him."

C.J. thought that might be true but there might come a day that not even he could survive.

"Oh this is why I just couldn't go through with the wedding," Elizabeth said, "I loved him…but really who could sit home at night and worry that he's never coming through the front door again."

C.J. fought to remain silent.

"With us, we were just too different," Christina said, "I mean we both traveled so much and hardly saw each other…and we just had different tastes."

Then they both looked at C.J.

"So when are you two hitching up," Christina said, "I mean are you going to wait until you're too big to fit in a wedding dress?"

C.J. just stared at her. Of all the places to say something like that, but she wouldn't take the bait. She knew that Christina had never liked her anyway.

"Actually that's none of your business," she said, "and I'm focusing on what's going on right now."

Christina nodded, folding her arms.

"Probably a good choice," she said, "He'll marry you when he wants to, because you could never force Rooster into anything."

C.J. raised a brow, not being able to help yourself.

"No you can't," she agreed, "but if you could, maybe you two would still be together…"

Christina's mouth dropped open and C.J. looked at Roy.

"I'm going to go take a walk," she said, "Get some fresh air."

Chris eyed the two other women steely.

"I'll go too," she said, "It's getting awfully stuffy in here."

The two of them left, with Chris putting her arm around C.J.'s shoulder.

"I just want to…"

Chris smiled.

"So did I," she said, "But I think the hospital staff would frown on women brawling in their waiting room."

The two of them chuckled as they headed out of the waiting room.

Later, C.J. watched over Matt while he lay on the hospital bed hooked up to monitors but resting comfortably and breathing on his own. She stroked his face and watched the lines disappear beneath her touch. After the surgeon had given them the news about the success of the operation, C.J. had asked to see him and the surgeon knew her well enough to not say no. So he said for a minute and led her to his room.

She had talked to him softly for a little while about everything and really not much at all, because she knew that somehow he heard her words.

And that's how they spent the night together.