A few minutes later the door of the house flew open and the man stumbled out empty handed, Nikki's heart sunk but the fire service pulled up just then, drawing her attention away from the stumbling man.

"Sir is this your house?" one of them asked the man who nodded, looking like he was about to collapse. "Is anyone still in there?"

"My wife and daughter" the man replied weakly and stumbled towards Nikki, collapsing onto his knees next to her. "How..is he?" he asked through a coughing fit just as Harry ran over to them and crouched next to Nikki.

An ambulance with its blue lights flashing stopped a few meters down the road and the paramedics jumped out. They rushed over to the small group, already carrying oxygen tanks and masks.

"Ma'am is this your son?" one of them asked Nikki who shook her head vigorously and motioned to the swaying man next to her.

"No it's his son, I'm a doctor. They both need oxygen"

The paramedic nodded and gently placed an oxygen mask over the young boy's face, telling him to breath in deeply before turning to sort out his father who was staring blankly at his burning house.

"Sir you need to put this on"

"I need my wife and daughter" the man choked but didn't protest as the paramedic slipped the mask over his face and told him to breathe it in deeply. He tried to get up to go back to the house but Harry held him down again, knowing he was a hypocrite. If that was Nikki in there he would be back in there like a shot. "I need...to get..my wife..and daughter" the man coughed and the little boy in Nikki's arms sat up slightly, before gripping onto Nikki's hand for dear life. Seemingly not knowing that his father was right next to him. Nikki and Harry exchanged a look over the sobbing man's shoulder before Nikki focused all her attentions back on calming the little boy in her arms. The fire behind them crackled loudly, and there was a smell of burnt rubber, plastic and metal in the air as the house continued to burn. Nikki felt her own eyes fill with tears, this was man's life going up in flames while everyone watched, unable to do anything. The windows suddenly burst out from the head of the flames and Nikki flinched, automatically covering the boy as the glass showered them.

"Nikki are you alright?" Harry demanded as he made his way over to her. Nikki just shook her head slightly and hugged the boy closer to her, whispering soothing words to him as tears slipped down his face. Harry wrapped his arms around Nikki's shoulders and pressed a kiss onto the back of her head as a paramedic jogged over.

"Are you two alright?" he asked, noticing that Nikki had a cut on her arm where the glass had cut "Ma'am we're going to have to fix your arm"

Nikki glanced down to where he was pointing and saw a rather large cut, blood running down her arm. Harry gripped her arm gently in his hand and lifted it slightly, Nikki hissed as the pain hit her suddenly and he winced.

"Sorry sweetheart"

"We're going to have to take the boy" a paramedic yelled above the sound of the flames and another one walked over and carefully took him from Nikki.

"Are you his mother?"

"No" Nikki replied for the second time "I'm just a doctor, that's his father"

She motioned to the silently crying man who was sitting on his driveway, staring at his house that still held his wife and daughter. Nikki then became aware of the paramedic who was sorting her arm out.

"What's your name ma'am?" he asked kindly as he opened his bag, pulling out some antiseptic wipes.

"Nikki" she replied and Harry tightened his grip on her waist and arm as the paramedic began to wipe the large cut with a wipe, causing Nikki to try and wrench her arm away and let out a small moan of pain.

"I'm James" the man told her and glanced at Harry "Are you her husband?"

"Fiancé" he replied and pressed a kiss to Nikki's temple "Harry"

All three of them looked around when they heard a loud cry from the man who refused to go into the ambulance. They saw two fire-fighters come out of the house, each carrying a female in their arms. Nikki felt sick when she saw that the man's daughter looked less than a year old and she had to turn away as he began yelling at the paramedics to help them. They all knew that the chances of them being alive was minimum. Nikki winced again as James started to clean her arm again, focusing on his own patient.

"You might need a few stitches"

"It's fine" Nikki replied stubbornly but Harry shook his head.

"Do as he says" he whispered, both of them trying to block out the noise of the husband begging the paramedics to save his family. Neither of them looked up as the man was gently but forcibly taken to the second ambulance that had turned up.

"Are you alright?" Rosalind asked as she walked over and saw Nikki's arm.

"Glass" Harry told her "From where the windows blew out. What about the wife and daughter?"

Rosalind just shook her head and sighed, while Harry tightened his grip on Nikki who leant her head back on his shoulder as James wrapped a bandage around her arm after having decided that stitches weren't necessary. The smell in the air was making Nikki feel sick but she was determined not to embarrass herself in front of everyone by vomiting. Harry seemed to sense that there was something wrong with his lover and gently moved some of her hair away from her face, seeing how pale she was.

"Take her home please sir" the paramedic instructed Harry as they stood up, Harry helping Nikki to her feet and wrapping his arms around her to steady her. "Is she allergic to anything?"

"No" Harry replied as they walked to the back of the first ambulance where the young boy was sitting, still with an oxygen mask on his face. James climbed in and rummaged around in the cupboard before extracting a box and handing it to Harry.

"Painkillers for her arm"

"Thank you" Harry nodded as he took Nikki's hand and led her through the crowd that had formed and back to the house. As soon as they were inside Nikki pushed him away and ran down the corridor, Harry frowned as he heard a door slam open and then the sound of Nikki vomiting. He rushed after her and found her in their bathroom, leaning over the toilet. Harry crouched down and moved some of her hair out of her face, rubbing her back with his other hand as he soothed her quietly.

"That little girl" she whispered "and that little boy who doesn't have a mother"

"I know, I know" Harry murmured, continuing to rub her back. He also felt sorry for the husband, who had lost his wife and daughter. He felt himself feeling sick even thinking about losing Nikki. Harry stood up and poured some water into a glass, before sitting down and handing it to Nikki allowing her to take a sip before opening the tablets.

"I don't want them" Nikki told him as she got shakily to her feet "My arm's fine"

"Nikki" Harry warned as he stood up, but Nikki smiled at him and shook her head, placing her hands on his shoulders.

"It's fine Harry"

Harry however saw Nikki wince when she moved her arm but didn't say anything to her. Instead, he placed his hands on her hips and allowed her to rest her head on his chest, breathing in his comforting scent.

Some nice angst for you all ;) Dunno where it came from but there shouldn't be any more anytime soon....if I'm feeling nice that is.

xxx