A/N: Please read my user page for an explanation of the lateness with the whole chapter scenario, also please review each coming chapter (I'll throw in some bonus ones). Anyway, shocking times ahead, hold on to your hats I'm throwing spanners : ).
Enjoy.
Mac looked anxiously at George as she came into his office, she was on desk duty now and although he knew this frustrated her she seemed happy enough. He wondered how he was going to tell her what he had to tell her.
"Hey Mac"
"You alright?" he asked as she sat down carefully on a chair in front of his desk
"Yeah, just got some really funny jokes from some of the guys in my department asking why I wasn't having their baby. Asses" she said with a good natured smile
He paused for a moment, he had to tell her straight "Look, something happened with Donald. There was an explosion, he's in hospital right now"
She narrowed her eyes and struggled to retain the information "And?" she said shakily
"He's going to be in surgery in a little while, but it's serious" he admitted
George shut her eyes for a few seconds "What about his family?" she murmured "Ronnie...she'll want to know"
"Don't worry about that right now. I just think...that you should go home for now" he said carefully
Her brown eyes widened in disbelief "I have to go and see him...I can't just sit around at home!"
"I don't think it would help you or the baby if you saw him right now"
"Mac...but I..."
"I know" he said with genuine sympathy "I know, but the best you can do is look after yourself and the child, that's what he'd care about too"
She swallowed thickly and rubbed her eyes "Call me, whatever happens okay?" she felt tears coming but she refused to let them fall, Mac was right. She was determined to be strong.
"I promise I will" he said earnestly and stood up "C'mere"
They hugged, both of them deeply concerned for Don and hoping that the detective made it through his operation.
Adam rushed into the lab breathlessly and was relieved to find Ronnie at her desk still working.
"I thought you'd left" he said, leaning against a desk and trying to catch his breath
"Well I don't know why I would since I just got in to work...what's with you?" she asked raising her eyebrow
He went over to her desk and placed his hands on it, looking at her curiously "You're okay?"
"Course I am" she said and it was true, she'd been feeling a lot better lately
Raking a hand through his hair he frowned and looked at her again "You don't know then..."
Now she too was frowning "What's going on?"
"There was this explosion on your brother's case, he was trapped..."
Her heart plummeted as she listened "Is he okay?"
"He's in hospital now, they're operating now...I can't believe no one told you" he said, a flash of annoyance creeping into his voice
Ronnie exhaled and stood up, trying to think straight "I turned off my cell...god...I turned off my cell because I didn't want to talk to him"
Adam stared at her for a brief moment "Let's go. I'll drive you there"
"You have to work" she said weakly feeling very sick suddenly
"Let's go" he said firmly
She looked at him gratefully and grabbed her purse as they headed out of the lab, not even stopping to change out of their lab coats.
Looking down at her brother, Ronnie struggled to make the connection between the worryingly pale person lying in the hospital bed, and the affable, good humoured, talkative one she lived with, the one who always looked out for her.
"He looks terrible" she murmured to her sister
Ros nodded grimly "They're taking care of him" she said quietly and put an arm instinctively around her baby sister's shoulder
Izzy cried silently and clutched her older sibling, feeling helpless "They better catch this bastard" she said softly
The three sister's held each other tightly and stared at their brother's sleeping form, he'd come from surgery nearly an hour ago and had yet to awaken.
Ros caught the eye of Don's doctor through the glass screen on the wall, he gave her a meaningful look; it was time for them to leave.
"Okay girls, lets let Don get some sleep" Ros murmured firmly, squeezing them both to get their attention.
Izzy gulped back tears and followed her Ros to the door, they waited patiently as Ronnie planted a gentle kiss on her brother's forehead.
"I forgive you D" she said softly and blinked back tears
Then she straightened up and followed her sisters out of the quiet room, shutting the door carefully behind her.
Outside in the waiting room were Mac, Stella, Sheldon, Adam, Lindsay and Danny who was still in his suit from Aiden's funeral. The group sat silently apart but were all united in their worry about their friend and the faith that he would recover soon.
When Don's sisters re-emerged from his room, Mac stood up and smiled gently at them.
"How was he?"
Ros could tell neither of her younger sister's was up for talking much "Quiet, but he always is compared to us" she half joked
Mac nodded, he could see she was trying to be strong for her family "Will your parents be down?"
"My father is too sick to come down and my mother is taking care of him" said Ros with a sad smile "I don't think we should tell them until Don is stable"
"Of course" agreed Mac
Ros looked at her watch "I-I better get my sisters home"
"I wanna stay" said Ronnie speaking up
Ros studied her sibling's face and sighed "Okay, but get some rest after awhile"
Ronnie kissed Ros' cheek and hugged Izzy "I'll call"
Izzy gripped Ronnie affectionately in return "You better"
Sheldon headed out with them, offering to drive them both home. The small group watched the trio walk down the well lit hospital then returned their attention to the immediate issue of Don's health.
"You want something to drink?" asked Stella, getting up and stretching slightly "I can get you all a coffee, we might be here a while"
Lindsay shook her head "I might get home actually" she said standing up too
Stella smiled "See you" she went off to the canteen to get some refreshments for everyone else
"He'll be fine Ronnie" said Lindsay to the younger woman, not knowing what else to say
Ronnie nodded distractedly "Thank you" she sat down on one of the plastic chairs next to Adam
"I'll give you a ride" offered Danny, knowing that there wasn't much he could do for Ronnie right now, but he would still return later after he'd dropped Lindsay off
The remaining three fell into thoughtful silence, until Mac left to go and see Don for himself. After a while Ronnie's phone rang, it was Chad calling to see how she was. They didn't talk as frequently as they would have liked to but the two former lab partners were still close.
"How you holding up?" asked Adam, once she hung up the phone. It was the first time he'd said anything to Ronnie since he brought her to the hospital a few hours earlier.
She bit her lip "It's not about me, it's about D. You'd think some people would realise that"
He didn't miss the bitter note in her tone "Danny?" being one of best friends he'd realised by now that Ronnie and Danny had been more than just co-workers.
Scoffing, she shook her head "I thought he'd be here for his best friend at least but god..."
Adam leant back into his chair, looking at her seriously "He's just giving Lindsay a ride home. There's nothing he can do for Don just by sitting here, right now we all just have to wait"
Ronnie pulled her knees up to her chest, knowing her friend was right "Yeah well"
He glanced at her, she looked so tired and vulnerable, he suspected that she didn't let people see this side often.
"Come on, he's going to be fine. He's a Flack, and if I know you then your family can handle anything" smiled Adam
Ronnie shot him a wry look "You think?"
He gave her a meaningful look back "Yeah I do"
She shifted slightly in her seat and nudged him with her shoulder "Thanks buddy"
He put an arm around her and ruffled her hair "There's that 'thanks' word again, I thought I warned you about this manners thing"
She laughed and shut her eyes, feeling sleep coming over her, she let out a faint yawn mentally willing her brother to wake up soon.
Danny rapped on the door to the lab and when he got no answer he came in, he nodded in greeting at Adam.
"Hey"
Adam muttered a distracted 'hello' in return, what with Ronnie still at the hospital waiting for her brother to come around, that day he had double the workload.
"I just came for my tox results" said Danny
Adam gestured to a desk loaded with papers "On top of that pile, don't knock it over"
Danny got his print out and glanced at it with a satisfied nod then he looked at Adam "I'm going over to see Don at the hospital, Ronnie still there?"
Adam now looked at Danny "That's a bad idea"
"Why?"
The other man sighed "Listen, you're not at the top of Ronnie's list of favourite people, I don't think seeing her would be any help to her right now"
Danny was perplexed "What? Why?"
Adam, knowing how Ronnie felt about people knowing too much about her personal life decided to lie "I don't really know but I do know that she doesn't want to see you, it would just upset her"
"Sorry" he added as an afterthought
Danny raised his eyebrows sympathetically "Dude, don't worry about it" he headed out of the lab and wished there was something he could do for the Flack family.
Then he spotted Ros and Izzy leaving Mac's office and he had an idea; perhaps there was something he could do.
"Hello?"
George peered anxiously at Don's sisters, she waved her dog Atticus away and invited them in, wishing she'd had time to hide her bump which was more noticeable at that stage in her pregnancy.
Ros glanced around the living room approvingly "It's a nice place you have here, I studied design...this, this is very nice"
Izzy smiled in agreement and crouched down to pet Atticus
"Uh have a seat...Do you all want something to drink?" offered George nervously, she had no idea what the two women were doing there but she suspected they knew about her and Don.
"Honey sit down, we won't bite" said Izzy sweetly then glanced at her older sister "Well, I won't"
George sat down on an armchair opposite them, managing a weak smile.
Ros smirked "Be quiet Isobel" she turned in her seat to face George "Listen sweetie, we know that you and Don are having a baby together..."
"He was going to tell you at thanksgiving dinner this weekend but the..." George trailed off sadly, Don still wasn't out of hospital
Ros nodded "Yeah he called to arrange" she cleared her throat "We spoke to that Danny Messer and he told us how good you've been to our big lug of a brother and we really appreciate it. I know I do, my brother needs a strong woman to get him sorted out and I couldn't be happier that you're having his child, he really cares about you"
George smiled genuinely at this "Thank you"
Izzy beamed, her blue eyes flashing warmly "It's so great that you two are back together too after everything..."
George's smile faltered and she held onto the arm of her chair "We're not together again"
Izzy's face fell but then she recovered quickly "Oh who cares about that right now, I'm going to be an auntie again!" she leapt up and hugged George happily
Ros smiled warmly, her mind already at work. It was clear to see that George still had feelings for her brother and Don felt exactly the same, they would be perfect together if only they...or someone else could sort them out. Her smile widened, she was just the person for the job.
Stella smiled to herself, standing outside Don's door, she could hear the detective loudly arguing with his sister about what movie to watch on the television in his room.
Flashing a smile at Don's nurse as she exited, Stella walked into the room and beamed at the two siblings.
"You don't know how happy I am to hear your voice" she said to Don, pleasantly surprised to find him awake and in a brighter mood then when she'd last seen him. Some of his colour had returned too and he didn't look quite so washed out by the pale hospital gown he was wearing.
He laughed, wincing slightly at the pain in his side "Well come over here and give me some love then"
Stella smiled and went over to his bed, hugging him gently "You've been looking after him then?" she said and then moved on to embrace Ronnie, sitting down on an empty chair when she'd done so
Ronnie grinned "Yeah, he knows that I know what's good for him and watching Baywatch definitely ain't one of those things"
Stella handed the box of chocolates she had brought to Ronnie "Then I guess you better check that these are safe"
The younger sister eyed them greedily "Uh...yeah...I think I will"
Don scoffed, knowing Ronnie fully intended to eat them all by herself, he looked at Stella "So what have I missed at work? Anything good?"
Stella shook her head "Nope, not at all. All your paperwork and your schedule will be waiting for you when you get back"
He groaned and smiled good naturedly "Some things never change"
They started discussing work when there was a rap at the door, Ronnie put on a high girly voice "Who is it?"
Don exchanged a wry look with Stella "She's crazy, like certifiable crazy"
George peered around the door and looked at them shyly "Hey everyone"
"Hey George" chorused Stella and Ronnie
"Come in" said Don, happy to see George, he thought, thinking how adorable she looked in her many layers to protect herself from the outside frost. Something which his sister in her black short skirt, matching turtle neck and black boots didn't seem all that aware of.
Ron gave Stella a pointed look "Hey Stella why don't we go check these chocolates are on the level?"
Stella smirked "Right. Later Flack, get back to work soon"
Ronnie affectionately ruffled her brother's hair and then left with Stella, taking the chocolates along.
"What was that about?" asked George, coming over to his bedside
He rolled his eyes "Never mind" then he brightened "Hows my kid doing?"
She rubbed her stomach absently "Brilliantly. How are you?"
Don shrugged as best he could "Been better"
"I've been worried about you y'know. When I heard what happened, I thought is this kid going to have a father or what?" she was smiling but she was clearly still concerned about him, he took her hand and held onto it, brushing his thumb over her skin
"Always. I'm fine, you can see that" he told her insistently
"Yeah I know but still...close call"
He met her eyes and had an overwhelming urge to kiss her "I missed you while I was in here" he said gently
George looked down at his hand then at him "I have to tell you something"
His brow furrowed at her expression, she moved away from him and sat down on the chair that Stella had occupied only moments ago.
"What's this about?"
George took her bright blue beret off her curls and held it in her hands, wringing it nervously "Remember that guy you saw outside my ante natal class? The 'suit' as you called him"
"What about him?"
George wondered how she was going to tell Don what she had to say, she suddenly regretted coming over. Perhaps it wasn't the best time, especially in Don's condition.
"We...Orson is..." she paused nervously then decided to get it over with
"We were married once...it was when I was much younger, I was just starting out in the foce and Orson was getting more attention for his work...and he got a contract to work in France but I didn't want to leave so I decided to stay...but we didn't have to get divorced because apparently on the way to the honeymoon in Brazil we didn't sign the right papers so technically we weren't really married..." she trailed off, realising she was rambling
Don stared at her "Wait, a minute, back up. Are you serious? You were married to that guy?"
She nodded "It was only for three years"
"Three years?" he exclaimed, feeling incredibly stupid. Here he'd been having delusions that maybe she was starting to trust him again when that really wasn't the case at all. If she'd really trusted him she would have told him about her marriage a long time ago.
"I mean we...were young and my parents really wanted us to marry on account of who Orson's father is. It wasn't...I don't know. I mean...I did love him but it wasn't enough so we...got the marriage annulled" she said faintly
"Why are you only telling me this now? I thought you and I were getting on..." he sighed "I can't believe I'm hearing this"
"I guess I didn't think it mattered anymore. It was way back in my past."
Don's brow furrowed further "Then why is this guy back here? I thought you said he was living in France?"
"Yeah...well he's back now. We had dinner...and he said...he's willing to move back here. If I want"
"Oh. Do ya?"
"Orson...well he's always been there for me when I needed him and now that I'm having this baby. I just really need someone I can rely on, someone I can trust completely"
"And you think you can trust him but not me. Is that it?" said Don flatly
George shrugged miserably "Of course I do. You're the father of my baby but...Orson...well maybe he's more ready to be responsible than you are"
He took offence at this "Hey I am trying"
"I know you are" she said gently "But I can't wait for that forever"
"What about us?" he said finally
She exhaled "Thats exactly my point. We're never going to work out and every time we try...something gets in the way"
"So you're taking the easy way out?" he muttered sullenly
George stood up "I just want to do right by this child"
Don fell silent, clearly he wasn't ready to talk to her yet.
She looked at the floor "I'm going to go. I have to be at work" she gazed at him sadly "Get better alright?"
"Yeah"
George walked out of the hospital room, feeling completely down. She hadn't meant to tell Don as much as she had but she hadn't been able to help herself. She was tired of him coming late to doctor's appointments or not showing up at all. The first time she'd felt the baby kick, she'd called him, knowing it was his day off and he was out with his friends. It was much harder than she'd thought facing up to the idea that she would be a single mother and Orson was offering to be there for her where Don couldn't. She knew that the detective worked just as hard as he played and he deserved to have a life, which was another reason why she was drawn to Orson. She and Don both knew that he wasn't quite ready to be a father but Orson was.
Ronnie scooped up her nephew Gabe, kissing his curly black hair, he wriggled free and she watched him run off to play with his brother Nate.
"Your kids are so great" she said as Ros joined her on the patio with two ice teas, the two sisters were both enjoying a relatively lazy lunch hour in Ros' expansive back garden on two deck chairs, facing the sun. Ros had called Ronnie over, knowing that her sister was troubled by something and knew that even if a measly hour at lunch time wasn't much 'quality time' it would at least be some time where Ros could try and find out what was on her baby sister's mind.
"Yeah well you can have 'em" smirked Ros, handing Ronnie her drink "Or some of your own"
Ronnie rolled her blue eyes "Please! And ruin this figure, no way no how. Besides, it's not like I'm getting any decent offers"
"Yeah right, you get hit on by everyone. My gay hairdresser said he would turn straight for you! I don't understand it myself, you've got no breasts to speak of and your butt is too small" teased Ros sipping her tea
"Ouch! Leave me alone" said Ronnie mock wincing "I'm just grateful I didn't 'inherit' mom's hips"
Ros arched an eyebrow "Poor Izzy then. She did"
They shared a conspiratorial laugh and watched Ros' son's playing on the plastic jungle gym that Ros' husband had set up.
"Anyway, what happened with you and Nikolai?" asked Ros after a while, lazily twirling the diamond tennis bracelet around her wrist
"He kept buying me stuff, I just wasn't into to him. I thought he knew that" she said with a sigh
"Poor you, having a famous boxer buy you gifts. Last gift Colin brought me was a mail order lingerie catalogue and that wasfree" laughed Ros
Ronnie wrinkled her nose "It just...I don't think I want to be in another 'serious' relationship. It's too much hassle. I'm just going to have fun. You have one life right? So I'll live it"
Her sister eyed her knowingly "If that was what you really wanted then I'd be happy for you... but I know you and you're a die hard romantic. Deep down"
At her sister's scornful expression she added "Very, very, very, very deep down"
Ronnie scoffed "I think you want to have this conversation with Izzy"
"Don't let Danny Messer get to you like Stuart Grant did"
Ronnie's eyes flashed warningly "I don't want to talk about that"
Ros nodded and sighed, smoothing down her navy dress suit as she sat up "Alright honey. Why don't I get us a refill?"
Ronnie shrugged "Yeah, fine"
"Already taken care of"
The two women looked up and smiled at Colin; Roslyn's husband, a tall handsome African-American man who had the same impeccable smart dress sense as his wife.
He placed down a fresh cool jug of iced tea and lowered down to kiss his wife, Ronnie smiled at this display of affection.
"Hello Veronica, it's been a while" said Colin, squeezing Ronnie's hand "You look great as usual, I love the blonde"
Ronnie flicked her newly dyed hair happily and winked at Ros "You have got a real charmer here"
Colin's eyes twinkled "Excuse me ladies, I've got two boys to say hello to" he headed down the garden to greet his sons.
"So you don't want this then? Kids, a husband...or a wife. Ever?" said Ros lightly
Ronnie smirked "Maybe a wife" then she shook her head "Nah, marriage...is not for me"
