Colton sat back in his chair, rubbed his face wearily and took a sip of the lukewarm coffee on his desk. Glancing at the clock on his computer he realised that he had been at it for four hours and really needed a break. He thought about calling Iris, that was always a circuit breaker. It surprised him a little how much better he felt about life now, he had missed her and missed talking to her. She kept him honest and grounded. Without her he spent far too long working and not living.

He smiled when the phone rang, "How did you know I was thinking of calling you?" he chuckled.

"Hi Colton." He didn't recognise the voice. "It's Teisha."

"Where's Iris? Is she okay? What's wrong?" He'd had one of these phone calls before and it had been a disaster. It set in motion this chain of events that led to Iris living in another city and away from her family and him.

"She's just been taken to hospital. She collapsed at work."

"What do you mean collapsed?" His voice was surprisingly calm and Teisha was a little surprised. She expected a different response.

"She had a fever, stomach pains and could barely walk. We called an ambulance, she's on her way now. I am with her."

"Is she awake, where is she?" Now he was starting to panic and his voice went up about three octaves.

"We are almost at the hospital. She's out of it, they have given her some morphine."

"What the hell?" He asked her a million questions which Teisha couldn't really answer. His mind was spinning and he needed to call Lola and get her to call someone at the hospital and find out what was going on. This couldn't be happening again.

"Are you going to come out?" Teisha was well aware how much Iris was missing him and how much she hated being here. So was so much happier though with Colton back in her life. She was like a completely new person now; the change had been startling and she got to see how much fun and outgoing Iris really was.

"Of course." He snapped; he already had his browser open trying to find a flight. He apologised for his harsh response and Teisha told him to forget about it, she knew he'd be worried about Iris. "I'll let you know as soon as I book something."

"I'll stay with her."

"Thanks."

Colton booked a flight, he didn't even have time to go home and get a change of clothes and he didn't care, he'd buy stuff if he needed too. Teisha called him back when she was at the hospital and said they were still examining Iris and couldn't tell her anything so he called Lola.

"Lola, Bug's in hospital, they've taken her in an ambulance, she collapsed at work. Can you call them and find out? Nobody is telling me anything. I am on my way to the airport now." He rushed out all at once and Lola struggled to keep up. He was talking a million miles an hour.

"Whoa Colton slow down. What do you mean she collapsed?"

"I can't Lola, I don't know anything and it's freaking me out. She had stomach pains, she collapsed and they've got her on morphine." Colton barked at her. "That's all I know."

"Appendix? Maybe."

"I don't know." Lola promised to call him back as soon as she could find something out. It was a frustrating wait and a frustrating call for Lola. They were reluctant to give her any information over the phone, just that she was being examined and comfortable. Fortunately Lola was Iris's next of kin. When she moved here she wasn't with Colton and had put Lola down. She hadn't gotten around to updating it yet, it was honestly the last thing on her mind.

"That's unhelpful." Lola cajoled them. "She's my little sister, she's all alone in Albany, she has no family with her. Her fiancé is on his way from Chicago. I'm her next of kin, so you will need to find someone to talk to me."

"I will get the Doctor to call you when he is done examining your sister." Came the snippy reply which did little to impress Lola.

She wasn't happy nor Colton when she told him. The last thing he wanted was to get on the plane and not know anything. If she didn't get an answer soon she'd get someone further up the chain to do her bidding.

He had just sat on the plane when Lola called him. "They are just doing some tests; they've taken bloods and are about to do an ultrasound."

"For what?"

"They are concerned about a few things. Appendicitis is a possibility, but unlikely so they are also checking for a kidney infection, a twisted ovary or …" Lola paused and took a breath, while Colton held his. "…an ectopic pregnancy."

He only heard one word. "Pregnancy?"

Lola knew it was going to freak him out, truth be told it freaked her out a little too and she did think of not telling him but that wasn't fair, he had to be prepared for anything. "It's one of the things they are looking for, an ectopic pregnancy."

"What does that mean?"

"It means the embryo is in her fallopian tube rather than her uterus. It means it's not a viable pregnancy and they will need to operate to remove it. Could Bug be pregnant?"

"I guess so, there is a chance. Not that we were trying or anything, but…." He rambled a little. He was spinning. "…you know…" the rest of the sentence just kind of hung in the air, he didn't really need to say it. Yes, there was every chance she could be pregnant, they didn't exactly worry about protection each and every time. They hadn't been quite so diligent in regards to that.

"Like how pregnant would she be? Three months?" Lola knew what he was asking. He wanted to know if it was possible that Iris was already pregnant when they got back together although she had assured him she always used protection with James and she had had a period since then, but that all flew out the window at the moment.

"No, it's likely just a few weeks, they cause problems pretty quickly. It might not be an ectopic pregnancy though, there are a few things they are looking at. It might still be appendicitis or a torsion of the ovary, or even a kidney infection. We just need to wait until they have all the test results. Do you want me to come out?"

"No, not yet. Hey can you not tell anyone just now? Just until we know what's going on and I see Bug."

"I won't tell Pops." That's all they were worried about. Pops would worry so until they knew Bug was going to be okay they would keep it between them. Both Colton and Lola knew that Iris wouldn't want to stress Pops out unless they had no choice, right now they didn't even know what was going on. Not having answers wasn't going to wash with Pops.

"Hey, thanks Lola."

"Colt, give her a big hug and kiss from us and tell her we love her. I will talk to you when you get there, call me when you land."

"Keep onto them Lola, please."

"Hey, I will."

Lola was going to annoy them until she knew what was going on. As soon as she hung up from Colton Lola called the hospital again and got the run around. It was a tense wait until the Doctor finally called her back. They needed Lola's permission to operate and Lola made it very clear, very quickly that she was a Doctor so he could drop the layman speak and tell her exactly what was going on.

"Is Iris awake?"

"Not really, she was in a lot of pain and we have just given her some more sedation. We've done two ultrasounds, abdominal and transvaginal and are confident that she has a torsion of her left ovary."

"Not an ectopic pregnancy?"

"Highly unlikely. Her bloods don't indicate a spike in her Beta-HCG levels so I think we can rule that out. Her white cell count is low also so infection seems unlikely also. I would be surprised if it was appendicitis. Her urine sample was pretty clear also so I don't think it's kidney related."

"Are they going to do laparoscopic or open?"

"Laparoscopic. Although, as you know it could change depending on what we find."

"Okay. When?"

"She's just heading up now. We want to get in quickly to reduce the risk of necrosis. Ideally we want to preserve her ovary, she's a young woman."

"Absolutely. Her fiancé will be there in another hour or so." Lola agreed that the best thing was to get Iris into surgery sooner rather than later. "I will talk to him. Who's doing the operation?"

"I am. Is that okay with you?" Doctor Willis chuckled. Lola had asked when she first called who was the Consultation on call and had looked him up. "I assume you've done your homework."

"I'm sorry, she's just my little sister and she's so far away and I worry about her."

"Dr Hollister." He had also done his homework. "I promise to look after her."

Colton turned his phone on as soon as he landed. The plane hadn't even reached the terminal and he was calling Lola. "How is she? What's going on?"

"She's in surgery right now. They diagnosed her with a torsion of her left ovary."

"What does that mean?"

"Her left ovary has twisted and because of that there is no blood flow, it's extremely painful. They will make a small incision and un-twist it, it's keyhole surgery."

"So she will be okay?"

"Yes, most likely she will be fine. However there is a chance that the ovary may have been without blood for too long and it may need to be removed, either today or in coming days." She could hear Colton groaning. "Hey, let's not worry about that right now. One step at a time."

"So she's not pregnant?"

"No, Colton she's not pregnant."

"Okay."

"How do you feel about that?"

"I don't know Lola. I am trying not to think about it, I just want to see her. I wouldn't care as long as she's okay, that's all I care about." Colton's voice was shaking a little. "I just need to be there. I hate her being so far away. This shouldn't be happening; Iris shouldn't be alone."

"I know. Call me when you get to the hospital." Lola calmed him. "Hey, remember you are her fiancé, make sure you tell them that, I've already told them you are coming."

"Okay."

He'd lied to Lola; he had thought about it a lot. What would they do right now if she was pregnant? Even though Lola told him that the pregnancy wouldn't be viable he did think about what it would be like to be a parent. It was something he wanted; it was something he wanted with Iris but they weren't there yet. She was desperately trying to establish herself and her career and he supported her completely, that's what got them into this mess of living in separate states.

He worried about what Iris thought, how she felt when the prospect of being pregnant presented itself. Did she know? Did she have any idea? What would she think about all this? Is this something she wanted?

Not having any luggage he was out of the airport and in a taxi in a flash. It wasn't a long trip to the hospital but it felt like it to took forever. He was sent up to a waiting room and when he introduced himself to the desk he was told that Iris was in recovery and being transferred to a room shortly.

There were scattered groups of people in the small room. He spied one lone woman sitting in the corner and she looked vaguely familiar from some photos Iris had showed him so he approached her. "Teisha?"

The woman leapt up and hugged him quickly, Iris had told him that she was a hugger and a kisser which was the exact opposite from Colton. He didn't get the need for it, unless it was from Iris and then he'd take all the kisses and hugs he could get. "Colton? I'm so glad you are here. Iris will be so happy to see you."

"Thanks for calling me. I really appreciate it." He chatted to her for a bit, trying to piece together what happened until they told him he could go up and wait in her room. She would need to spend the night and the Doctors would come talk to him shortly.

Iris was asleep as they bought her in. He stood back and let them settle her into bed. The nurse assured him that everything went well and Iris was comfortable. "She's been awake already but has some pain, she will be sleepy for a while. Someone will be in to talk to you shortly." They kept saying that and he still had no idea what was going on.

It wasn't long before another nurse came in to do some obs. Colton was sitting beside her holding her hand. He'd already called Lola and let her know that he was with Iris now. "How's my patient?" The nurse checked her IV, took her pulse and respirations. She had a quick look at her dressing.

"Still sleeping."

"That's good. Have they talked to you yet?"

"No. No one has told me anything. I know she had a twisted ovary or something."

"Yes, they managed to untwist it easily according to her chart. She's resting comfortably now." The nurse asked him if he needed anything and Colton shook his head. "Try not to worry, she's doing well. It won't be long."

That's all they kept saying, she's comfortable, she'd doing well. What the hell did that mean?

Iris didn't wake when the Doctor came in. He was relieved to know that the operation was successful, they untwisted her ovary and it still looked viable and he could probably take her home in the morning. "However…" Colton's heart fell through his stomach. "..it's unusual for someone Iris's age to spontaneously have a torsion of her ovary, there is usually a reason. Iris had a cyst on her ovary, we have removed it and sent it off to pathology for testing. It looks benign but I do like to check. At this stage I don't expect any complications. Do you have any questions?"

"The cyst? Like cancer?"

"It's routine, I would like to be able to say with 100 percent certainty that it is not cancer but I'll wait for the pathology report." He talked about how common cysts were and that the majority of women had them at some stage and usually they didn't cause any issues and once they were removed they weren't any more likely to have another one. "I will come back to talk to Iris in the morning when she is more awake."

He closed his eyes momentarily and had no idea how long it was but he woke suddenly when Iris started to stir. He leapt up out of his seat and bent over her. "Hey sweetheart." Wiping her hair back from her forehead he kissed it tenderly. "You scared me."

"Hi." She smiled weakly.

"Hi Wombat. What you doing?"

"Colton?"

"Just sleep baby. I'll be right here."

She slept for another hour, the nurse came and went again before Iris woke. She was a little more aware and stayed awake a little longer this time. "What are you doing here?"

Colton jumped up and kissed her dry lips. "Well Bug, you are in hospital, you've had an operation to fix a twisted ovary. Where did you think I'd be?"

"I'm glad you are here."

"What happened?"

"I woke up this morning with a stomach ache but didn't think, it started to really hurt, I think I remember being in the break room, getting a drink, I was really hot." She wasn't particularly coherent. "You are here. I like that."

"I like it too. I missed you. You could have just told me you missed me and I would have come without the dramatics."

"No fun in that." She still looked so out of it, but she kept licking her lips.

"Are you thirsty? Do you want me to see if you can drink?"

Iris nodded and Colton pressed the buzzer so he could get a nurse in and she was allowed to have a drink of water. "Don't you spew on me? Last time you were in hospital you spewed on me."

"I'll try."

The nurse chuckled. They were cute together. This was one of her favourite parts of her job, watching couples dealing with whatever was happening to them. It was always one taking care of the other and you could tell what sort of people they were by how they interacted, or didn't as sometimes was the case. She'd had couples who barely spoke, the visitor didn't move from the chair beside their bed to help, to talk or check on their loved one. It felt like an inconvenience to be there. She much preferred patients who were, like Iris seemed to be, loved and adored and Colton seemed to genuinely care and want to help.

Iris grimaced as she tried to move. Her ass was getting sore already and she wanted to get up. "Can I get up to pee?"

"Sure. I'll help you." Her nurse agreed. The sooner Iris got moving again the better.

"You'll be better than him, he freaks out, fusses and overreacts."

"I love you too." Colton blew her a kiss as the nurse helped her out of bed. He didn't like watching her hobble to the bathroom and distracted himself by straightening her sheets and folding back her blanket so she could get back into bed.

They both laughed when they came back in and saw the bed. "See I told you, he's a fusser."

"He'll do me out of a job. Can't have loved ones doing all my work."

Colton helped her settle back into bed. She was a bit more alert now and sat up a little. He perched on the edge of her bed. "So, twisted ovary huh?"

"Yep."

"The Doctor came in a little while ago, said you did well. He did find a cyst on your ovary which he has removed, that's what caused the twist. It all looks completely good."

"A Cyst?"

"Yeah, it's good though. Don't worry. It's gone."

"Colton…" it was sinking in a little, the enormity of what was happening to her.

"Baby, he said it's fine. It's common but yours decided it wanted out. Do you remember much else? Do you remember them talking about an ectopic pregnancy?" He just couldn't ignore it.

"Not really, vaguely when they told me I needed an operation. I wasn't pregnant was I?"

"No, no you weren't."

"Oh." Iris's lip quivered. "Sorry." She waved him away. "I just feel like shit."

"Hey, talk to me. Are you okay?"

"Yeah, yeah I am. Can I still get pregnant? Like now with this going on."

"Well according to Lola you can, if the ovary is okay and we will know in the next couple of days then it should be fine. This is not something you want right now is it? Did you want to be pregnant?"

"Not right now." She couldn't stop the tears though. They tumbled out of her and she felt stupid.

"Hey, Wombat, I'm a little bit sad too."

"It's stupid, there wasn't even a baby and I am sad because there wasn't and I don't want there to be yet but I did kinda want there to be. It doesn't make sense."

"It makes perfect sense because that's exactly how I felt too." Colton cradled her face, letting her tears cascade over his fingers. "I love you so much Iris."

"I think you'd love me more if I was pregnant."

"No I wouldn't. Iris come on, I'm here because I love you no matter what."

"I know, I'm just so all over the shop…" Iris was utterly broken. This had terrified her and being alone while it was happening had been too much. She didn't remember a lot but she did remember being told she needed surgery and all she could think of was that she was alone. "I don't want to be here anymore."

"Then come home, come home with me." Still holding her face he looked at her until he saw the slightest of nods. "Good."

"You talked to Lola?" Iris didn't looked surprised when he nodded.

"I did, when Teisha called I had no idea what was going on so I got Lola to call them, use her Doctor speak and she was your next of kin. She handled all that while I just got on a plane."

"Pops?"

Colton knew Iris would be okay with him not knowing yet. The last thing she would want to do was stress Pops and if he knew and they didn't have answers he would be a wreck. "He doesn't know, neither does Mae or Alfie. We just wanted to take care of you first."

"Thanks."

Colton's phone rang and he wasn't surprised to see it was Lola. He handed it to Iris to answer. "Hey Colt.." Lola started but Iris's sobbing cut her off. "..Bug?"

"Hi Lola."

"Oh Bug, oh my god it is so good to hear your voice. How are you?"

"I'm okay, a little sore and tired but okay."

"Are you sure? What did the Doctor say? It went well?"

"It did, Colton knows more than me I was out of it when the Doctor was here." She looked really tired and Colt didn't want her to spend long on the phone. He hoped that Lola could hear it and keep Iris's operation to herself, at least until tomorrow. If they knew they'd be on the phone and he Iris would talk to them and he wanted her to rest. He didn't want to go down that road again, it had been ugly last time.

"As long as you are okay? You gave us quite the fright."

"Sorry. I'm really glad Colt is here. That was a nice surprise when I woke up."

"He's a good man Bug. Just the right level of panic."

"I can imagine. Hey, I'm a bit whacked, do you want to talk to Colton?" Iris was happy to hear from Lola but really wasn't up to talking at the moment. She just wanted to sleep and be comforted by Colton.

"Sure, you just rest and sleep. I love you Bug, I'm so glad you are okay."

"Love you too Lola Bear." She handed the phone to Colton and he talked to Lola for a bit, telling her what the Doctor had told them. He didn't tell her about the cyst, that could wait until they had an answer tomorrow morning. Iris didn't really listen; she was exhausted and drifting off to sleep again. Colt watched her while he was talking and was just glad she didn't look like she was in any pain.

It was late when Iris finally convinced him to go home, have a shower, get out of his work clothes and get a good night's sleep. "Ahhh….I've got no other clothes?"

"What do you mean?"

"I came straight from work to the airport. I have my laptop and that's it."

"That's funny." Iris smiled and then burst into tears; she was on such an emotional rollercoaster at the moment. "Does that mean you are leaving tomorrow?"

"No, I just need to do a bit of shopping." Colton assured her. "You need some TLC for a little while yet."

"What about work?"

"I've got my laptop. I can still do some work. Don't worry about that." He waited until she was finally asleep, they had given her something to help with the pain and it knocked her out, which he was grateful for. Having only just got here he didn't really want to leave but sleeping in a hard chair all night was not the least be appealing.

Letting himself into Iris's place it felt odd that he was there and she wasn't. He'd been here once, when he came back for her, then Iris had visited Chicago and he was planning to come back soon but they were trying not to be stupid about things and blow all their money on travel. They talked everyday though, sometimes more than once. Now he was here, standing in the middle of her apartment and not having a clue what to do, it all seemed a little surreal. When he woke up this morning if you'd asked him what the craziest thing he could think of happening being here wouldn't have even crossed his mind.

Jumping in the shower he stood under the warm water and just tried to breathe. What a day? He was enjoying being back in Iris's life and they found their grove again quickly. For a while he held onto the possibility that she might be pregnant and tried to think how that would make him feel. He loved Iris, he adored her but they had things to work out still. Then he realised that if she had been pregnant and they had to terminate he worried about how they would cope with that. They were moot points, neither happened but what if they did? How would that feel? How would he help Iris?

She wasn't pregnant, and hadn't been pregnant but there was still the risk that she may lose an ovary and that would dent future prospects of having a baby. Not impossible apparently, just harder. Could they survive that? Would they survive that?

He wasn't at all surprised that Lola called him, he had two missed calls when he got out of the shower so he called her back. She'd only keep ringing. "What aren't you telling me?" She didn't give him much of a chance. "I guess Bug was awake and you didn't want to talk about something. You know I can ring and find out."

"Okay Lola, slow down. She had a cyst removed from her ovary, they think it's okay, like not cancer but we will find out in the morning. Bug was still a bit out of it, she's a bit rambling. I just didn't want to talk in front of her, she knows about it although I am not sure she remembers much of what we told her and I want her to sleep and not worry about it tonight, that's all I promise."

"Fair enough. How big of a cyst are we talking about?"

"I'm not sure, he just said a cyst, a follicle cyst or something I read on her chart and he said it was common and there shouldn't be any problems." Colton had managed to pour himself a drink. He'd found a t-shirt of his that Iris had stolen and put that on and that would have to do right now. "I've gotta say, it freaked me out."

"It is really common." Lola reassured him and talked him through it. She explained what tests they were doing; what Iris's recovery would look like and Colton again asked her about future fertility.

"You know we are not ready to have kids, not in the slightest but we have talked about it. Is this going to affect that? Iris would be devastated."

"More than likely no, but without seeing her notes I can't say. Colton don't worry about that right now."

"I'm worried about everything Lola." He reminded her sister. "This is Bug, my Bug. I know you know what this feels like."

"I know you are but hey, you are there with her and we just have to play the waiting game for now. There is nothing we can do about it tonight."

He didn't sleep well, at all. He sat up until well past midnight and then tossed and turned in bed until he gave up at six am and got up. He had thrown his work shirt in the wash last night and hung it up to dry overnight. Ironing it was a little therapeutic, it allowed him to zone out and he paid close attention to the creases, probably a little too much attention. Making himself a coffee he was doing a quick search for a store nearby that he could get some clothes when Iris called.

"Hi Bug. How are you? How'd you sleep? Has the Doctor been in?"

"Are you going to let me say something?" Iris sighed. "I am good. I had a good night's sleep, although I wish you were here. I don't like that you are so close and not with me."

"I hear ya. Any pain?"

"A little but much better."

"Good. Hey is there anything you want me to bring in? A change of clothes?"

"Are you wearing my clothes?"

"Yes, I have that lacy black thong on, I keep snagging my balls in it and that sexy green dress that I love you in feels good, so slinky."

"Don't stretch it. It will have bumps in the wrong places." He grabbed a couple of things; she was coming home anyway hopefully but wanted clean underwear at least and something comfortable to wear as she only had her work clothes and it had been suggested not to wear anything that would cut into her waist while she was still tender. He found a long loose jersey dress for her.

Iris's face lit up when he walked in. Even seeing him last night didn't feel real. She had asked the nurse when she woke up during the night if he was really here or did she dream it. "What the cute guy who fussed over you? The guy who rang us twice already to check on you? That guy?"

"Yes."

"He's here but we had to kick him out, he was doing our jobs for us."

"He's good like that." She smiled and drifted back off to sleep.

Doctor Willis came in not long after Colton arrived. Iris wasn't allowed to have a shower yet but she could have a wash and Colton helped her with that and got her dressed. He was such a sweetheart and the nurses loved him. Iris loved it today but he'd want to calm down soon or Colton would drive her nuts.

"So, as expected the pathology was benign, so nothing to worry about there. As I mentioned to your fiancé' last night, many women having cysts on their ovaries over their life and they never cause any issues, every now and then, as in your case it can flare up and one side effects is that it can cause a torsion. Your ovary looks good but we will get you back for an ultrasound in two weeks to have another look. If you experience any fevers, heavy bleeding, pain, vomiting you will need to come back in straight away. Necrosis is still a possibility."

"Does this increase her risk of developing ovarian cancer down the track?" That thought had popped into his head sometime in the middle of the night and it took all his willpower not to get up and google it. He was too scared of the outcome.

"No, there is no correlation between benign ovarian cysts and an increased risk of cancer. Familial history is a far greater risk factor. Any history in your family, your mom, grandmother?"

"No, my grandmother on my mother's side lived until she was 90, on my Dad's side she died from a stroke when she was 74. My mother died in a car accident when I was three. She was 43."

"I'm sorry to hear that."

While the sense of relief was a weight of her shoulders Iris was still nervously twisting her hands. "Can it happen again?"

"Potentially yes, but you are no more at risk than you were for this episode. Just unlucky."

"What about children? Does this affect that?" She'd had so many thoughts crashing through her head when she woke up that morning, she wasn't sure if it was the stress of that that was making her feel sick or the after effects of the operation.

"Highly unlikely, unless we get more cysts or if you do end up losing your ovary. You will still have one functioning ovary so your chances are still quite good but it might be a bit more of a struggle, you may need assistance down the track." He smiled kindly. "Iris, we are not there yet. As far as I am concerned, right now you have two functioning ovaries and your ability to fall pregnant is the same as it was two days ago."

"Okay."

"Okay, well then, they tell me you've eaten, you are drinking well enough and your pain is under control so I can see no reason to keep you here any longer." The Doctor gave her some directions on pain medication and physical activity over the next few weeks and sent the nurse in to talk about wound care and then they were discharged.

Iris closed her eyes on the trip home, comforted by Colton's hand holding hers. Getting up and moving had made her feel a little off but she just wanted to get home. Colton set her up on the couch, pillows, blankets, water to drink, TV remote and her phone before he did a quick trip to the shops. He wanted to grab some food as well as some other clothes for himself.

He hoped that Iris would sleep but Lola had called her and woken her up. "Are you home Bug? What did they say? Did they get the results of the cyst?" Colton had already told her that he had told Lola about the cyst. She wasn't surprised and Lola would've been hounding the hospital anyway.

"It's all good, just a normal everyday garden variety cyst, he said skinned or something and nothing to worry about. Now we just wait I guess to see if the torsion did any damage."

"You got onto it quickly so I am sure it's going to be fine."

"And if it's not?" Iris couldn't stop the emotion in her voice. "I could lose it and that scares me."

"I know, I know but Bug I'd rather that than lose you. We kinda really like you."

"Colton wants kids, he said so, we've always talked about it. What if I lose it and I can't or I get more cysts or the other one twists too?" She couldn't bear the thought of losing him again after just getting him back. They hadn't done so well the last time they'd hit a hurdle and Iris was worried it would happen again.

"Slow down Bug, the chances of all that happening are pretty low."

"So is a torsion of the ovary, the odds are low but here I am."

"This is all very raw and new and you have every right to feel scared and worried. I can only give you the odds, and they are low." Lola didn't want to dismiss how Iris was feeling, she was entitled to feel whatever she wanted, she wasn't about to tell her she was stupid for worrying. Truth be told, Lola was worried too.

"I know, I'm just feeling sorry for myself."

"Perfectly reasonable and I'd expect nothing less." Perhaps it was better to change the subject, she could tell Iris was spinning a little. "Hey, how's that man of yours doing?"

"I'm glad he's here. I don't know for how long though. He's just gone out for a bit to get some groceries and clothes. He turned up with a laptop and that's it."

"He got on the first flight he could."

"He's a good boy. He will drive me nuts soon enough though. He's fussing."

By the time Colton was back Iris was asleep on the bed. She had tried to sleep on the couch but it was uncomfortable. He moved around quietly and sat down and tried to get some work done. They had been good enough to give him a couple of days off but he promised to finish the reports that were due.

Iris eventually woke and he heard her in the bathroom. "You okay?" He was waiting for her in the bedroom. "Sleep okay?"

"Yeah, I did. I feel okay. A little hungry."

"What do you feel like?"

"Hmmm, pumpkin soup and cheese toasties."

"Ha, okay." He could do the toasties; the soup would be a challenge. He'd give it a go but it would be for dinner and not an afternoon snack. "Cheese toastie coming up. Soup for dinner?"

"You are too good to me."

"Yes, yes I am. Just you remember that when you are better. I will accept thanks in many many ways." He kissed her forehead. "Now, let me feed you."

Iris watched him walk away. "Hey, those jeans look good on you. Nice ass." Colton patted his ass with both hands as he walked out. He'd been shopping while she slept and she was curious to what he'd buy. He was funny, he didn't buy a lot of clothes but when he did he made sure he bought quality stuff. He was about quality not quantity. Albany did have decent stores but whether Colton could be bothered hunting them down was another thing. The jeans looked good though, but then again she thought he always looked good in jeans.

When her phone rang she wasn't surprised it was Lola checking up on her again, it was going to get old very quickly at this pace. "How are you? Feeling okay?"

"I am, Colton is just making me something to eat before you ask."

"Good."

"I've slept, I am eating, my pain is okay, I am peeing." Iris knew what Lola would ask. She went through what Doctor Willis had told her and she promised to take it easy for a few days.

"Hey, when Colton leaves I'm going to bring Billy out and we are going to stay a couple of days okay?"

"You don't have to Lola, I'll be fine." Iris wasn't surprised that she had obviously been talking to Colton about this. She knew he had to go back to work at some point. He couldn't stay here forever.

"Pfft…I so don't care. I need to see you. You need to see Billy and hang out with your nephew; he gives good cuddles and I need to break from Sam. He's insane."

"Poor little Sam." Iris would have loved for Sam to come too but she was looking forward to seeing Billy, she hadn't seen a lot of him and couldn't wait to get her hands on her nephew. One of the hardest things about living so far away was missing out on that connection with Sam, Poppy and Billy.

"I can't wait to see you."

Colton was in the kitchen finishing off her toastie. He looked good in her kitchen. "Did you know Lola was coming?"

"Yes."

"You told her she could?"

"Yes."

"Were you going to ask me if that was okay?"

"No."

"Okay." Iris was a little frustrated with him. She thought it wasn't necessary but there was no point arguing with either of them. They would have been plotting and planning this and nothing she could say would change their minds. It was nice though, having him around and knowing that he cared. She'd had six months without him in her life, he was back now and she was good with that. She could put up with his overzealous fussing, it was so much better than the alternative.

"Just love you." Colton slid the plate across the counter. "Just worried about you."

"I know. I'm really glad you are here. I can't wait to curl up with you."

"That's my plan." He leant on the counter while she ate. Iris nibbled at it, she wasn't really hungry but knew that if she didn't eat Colton would nag her and somehow Lola would find out and all hell would break loose. "So, Pops?"

"He doesn't know yet does he?"

Colton didn't regret that decision, even if Iris was upset about it. She didn't need the stress of everyone calling checking up on her. Lola was bad enough. "Nope, I didn't think you'd want to worry him just yet."

Iris nodded. "I'm worried about you."

"Why?"

"What if this isn't the end? I could still lose my ovary and that means maybe I can't have children."

"It doesn't mean that at all. It might just be harder and there are options." Colton rubbed his hand up and down her arm. "Wombat, there is nothing to suggest yet that this might be anything more. Your ovary might be fine, they got onto it quickly."

"Yeah, I know. It just feels big, you know."

"I know. So let's just take things easy, do everything the Doctor suggested, rest and hopefully this will be all over soon."

"Yep." Iris's voice quivered. "Yep."

Colton changed the subject. "Hey, how about that cuddle now?"

"I'm okay."

"Not for you, for me. I need a hug."