Chapter 28

It was Lulu's third night in the hospital. The first had been the worst, emotionally and physically. The second hadn't been too terrible, although Lulu couldn't sleep due to the worry she was feeling. But the third, so far, wasn't all that bad. Even though her baby's fate was yet to be determined, Lulu's arm was starting to hurt less, and Dante was by her side. He'd been by her side almost every hour of every day since she arrived in the hospital.

"What are you thinking about?" asked Dante quietly. Lulu was startled and snapped her head around to face him. She realized that for the last few minutes she'd been staring out the window.

"Oh, nothing really." Lulu smiled at Dante and turned her attention to gazing out the window. Her mind had wandered back to her baby, and the familiar worry began to eat away at her once more.

"You're thinking about something," pointed out Dante, "because you're frowning. Are you worrying about the baby again?"

Lulu sighed. "Yeah. I am. How can I not?"

"I'm worried too, if that helps." Dante climbed onto Lulu's bed and lay down, pulling her body against his own. Lulu smiled and placed her hand on the arm that wrapped around her.

KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK. "Lulu? Can I come in?" called Robin from outside the door. "I have some news."

Lulu rolled over to face Dante, her eyes wide and her heart beating alarmingly fast. "Oh God," she murmured.

"It's okay, Lulu. Just take a deep breath." Dante began to rub Lulu's arm comfortingly, and then shouted, "You can come in Robin."

The door opened, and in walked Robin. She was holding her clipboard as she made her way over to the side of Lulu's bed. "Hi Lulu. How are you feeling?"

"Nervous."

"Well that's to be expected." Robin smiled. "How about physically?"

"Alright. My arm doesn't hurt that much anymore, and I've had no stomach pains." Lulu pulled herself up into a sitting position so that she could see Robin better.

"Good," said Robin. "Now, the latest tests results have come back, and I think you're gonna be-"

Wait!" cried Lulu. Robin fell silent and Dante looked behind himself at Lulu.

"What's wrong?" asked Dante. He reached out his hand, and Lulu took it.

"I'm...scared," she replied, her voice hardly audible. "What if it isn't good news?"

"Well isn't it better to know?" Dante looked at Lulu with his big concerned eyes and squeezed her hand. "C'mon. You can do this."

Lulu took a deep breath and nodded at Robin. "I'm sorry. Just...just say it."

"Okay." Robin took one last glance at her clipboard and then turned her attention back to Lulu. Dante was no longer looking at Robin; instead he was holding Lulu's gaze. He smiled slightly. "After we did that last test today, we can safely say that your baby is-"

Lulu shut her eyes and held on tightly to Dante's hand.

"-alive and well. He or she is fine, and your pregnancy should continue without any complications." Robin was beaming. "It's amazing that your baby was able to make it. She truly is just as strong as you."

At first the news didn't sink in for Lulu. She opened her eyes slowly, and stared at Dante's bright face without anything really registering. Then it hit her like a tidal wave, and she felt the corners of her mouth turn up into the biggest smile she could make. A happy-tear slid down her cheek and onto the pillow.

"She's okay?" Lulu asked, almost unbelievingly.

"She's okay," clarified Robin. "Your baby is fine."

Lulu threw her arms around Dante and buried her face in his shoulder. She felt his strong hands pressing her against him.

"She's okay," said Lulu to Dante. "Oh my God, she's okay."

Dante held Lulu tighter. "I love you, Lulu. And I love our baby almost as much."

Lulu giggled. "I love you too. And I also love our baby."

The pair remained in each other's arms long after Robin had left. Lulu felt blissfully happy as she once again drifted to sleep in Dante's arms.

When Lulu's breathing became perfectly even and rhythmic, Dante knew she was asleep.

"Lulu?"

There was no response.

With a tender smile, Dante slowly pulled himself away from Lulu and stepped off the bed. Just as he was about to cover her with the blankets, she stirred.

"Dante?" said Lulu groggily. She squinted in his direction and stretched out her arms.

"Shh, shh." Dante pulled the covers over Lulu's body and kissed her on the forehead. "I'll see you tomorrow, beautiful."

"I love you," Lulu murmured before closing her eyes.

"I love you too." Dante stared at Lulu for a few minutes, taking in every breathtaking detail before heading for the door.

Author's Note - sorry it took me a while to update...I just wanted to make this chapter perfect (or close to). Even though this chapter looks like the end of the story, it isn't :) I'm going to write a couple more chapters, probably surrounding the baby's birth. Thank you again for reading and reviewing! I really, really appreciate it!