Spinelli found himself having mixed feelings as he left the office for the night. But most of his feelings were positive. He felt slightly jealous of Terry; he was replacing Spinelli as Stone Cold's trusted confidant, at least where the business was concerned. But he was relieved that he was leaving his friend in capable hands. He felt concerned for Terry; he didn't want him to be in danger. He was relieved that his time in the mob was almost over and that he and Kendra would be safe from Stone Cold's enemies in a matter of weeks. He also liked Terry on a personal level. He was a nice, intelligent, level-headed person. He was also painfully shy. Spinelli hoped he could help him with that, too.
He would meet Terry at Kelly's tomorrow and introduce him to Georgie. Then they would go to the office and continue Terry's training. It was Nadine's day off, so she would watch Kendra. He smiled, thinking Georgie would spend most of her free time tomorrow getting acquainted with her new niece.
He gently ruffled Kendra's hair as he put her in her crib. She was his world now; he couldn't imagine his life without her. He couldn't wait to give her brothers and sisters.
"In a few days," he said softly to the sleeping baby, "The Empathic One meets her new and most welcome cousin."
He could easily picture himself married to Georgie and being part of her family. He'd felt like part of her family ever since the Fourth of July. He had been talking with Robin during their last Sunday dinner and she'd said she wanted Spinelli to be their baby's honorary uncle.
He smiled, picturing their babies playing and growing up together, as the doorbell rang.
"I love you," he whispered to Kendra, kissing her forehead, before turning to go to answer the door.
As he saw Georgie through the peephole, his smile faded. She was obviously upset. He opened the door and she threw her arms around him.
"I need you and Kendra," she said, trying not to cry.
He brought her in and closed the door. She looked exhausted. He sat her down and put on a pot of coffee.
"What happened?" he asked gently as the coffee percolated.
"First there were complications with the labor and they had to do an emergency C section."
Spinelli's stomach dropped as he thought of Jolene's labor and how Kendra had come out with the cord around her neck.
"Then there was an HIV scare because Emma had a nick on her ear."
"The baby's name is Emma?"
She nodded.
"Emma grace. She's OK, but then Robin crashed and now she's unconscious. Her blood won't clot."
"What can be done?"
"Nothing; all we can do is wait."
He pulled her protectively into his arms. She hugged him tightly.
"Spinelli, I'm scared."
Spinelli thought Patrick must be terrified, too. If Robin died, he would have to raise their daughter alone. It had been different for Spinelli. He had fully expected to raise Kendra without a mother. Patrick and Robin had planned for baby Emma together.
"I know," he said gently. "But Dr. Robin has waited so long to be a mother. I trust that she will survive by sheer strength of will so she can be with her child."
"She has to. After Maxie- she hasn't even been gone a year. Her birthday is next month. Mack and I can't-"
"You will not lose Robin."
"I hope you're right," she said, snuggling deeper into his shoulder.
He rubbed her back for a moment, then Kendra began to cry. Spinelli got up to change her and Georgie got up to get a cup of coffee.
When Spinelli brought the freshly diapered baby out of the bedroom, Georgie fought back tears as she hugged her. Kendra was growing up without a mother. Georgie knew how that was. Felicia had needed to be with Frisco and had left her and Maxie with Mack. Georgie understood, but it still hurt that Felicia hadn't been there.
Maxie had been resentful, and now Georgie felt herself resenting Frisco. Felicia had come home for Maxie's funeral. More and more since Maxie's death, Georgie found herself becoming angry with Frisco for not doing the same. If their mother could come home for their daughter's funeral, their father, who was in the same line of work, could have and should have come home, too.
Maybe Maxie had been right, at least in Frisco's case. Maybe he just didn't care about either of them.
Felicia had left again, but she had been there. She had cared enough about Maxie to come home for the funeral; Frisco had apparently not. Georgie couldn't remember the last time she'd seen him. She suddenly had the irrational, but powerful, thought that if Frisco and Felicia hadn't left, Maxie would never have made many of her bad choices and maybe she would still be alive.
Now Emma was facing the possibility of growing up without Robin. Georgie knew Patrick loved Emma, but didn't think he'd be able to handle it if Robin died. Patrick wasn't like Spinelli. He would withdraw into his job, the women, the race cars, anything he could to forget and Emma would, in a sense, lose both her parents. No child deserved to be abandoned and forgotten because their parents chose to put themselves first. If Robin died, Georgie was afraid Patrick would do that, however unintentionally. She'd overheard him confiding the same fear to Matt and had a horrible feeling that if the worst happened, Patrick would be right.
She promised herself that Emma would not be abandoned. If Robin died and Patrick didn't step up, Georgie would fight for custody if necessary. She would not let Emma be an orphan in any sense of the word. That had been how Maxie felt, even with Mack's love and guidance, and Georgie was determined that Emma would not end up like Maxie, dead before she'd even really had a chance to live, killed by her own bad choices and a man with a grudge and a propensity for violence. Emma was going to have the life that everyone deserves. Georgie would see to it, even if it meant steam rolling Patrick, which she would do if he wasn't man enough to raise his child alone.
She was surprised out of her thoughts when Spinelli wiped a tear from her cheek. Another one fell into Kendra's hair.
"Robin is going to live," he said with quiet conviction. "She won't leave her baby."
But as she remembered the demeanor of all the doctors and nurses as they informed the family of the situation, Georgie couldn't share Spinelli's natural, and usually contagious, optimism. As much as she wished she could, she couldn't bring herself to believe him.