Adrian pulled into his driveway and jumped out of his car, not even bothering to lock it. He bounded up the steps of the front porch, where Peggy met him, Sophia on her hip.

Upon seeing her father, Sophia extended her arms for him to take her. "Feeling better?" he asked, gathering her in his arms and kissing her forehead.

Sophia nodded, then pointed towards the living room. "Mama sick."

"She is, huh? Well, let's go see how she's doing."

"Dada help?"

"I'm sure going to try," he said, setting the toddler on the floor with her toys.

Adrian walked towards Natalie, who was curled up on the couch, under a pile of blankets. He rolled his shoulder at the sight of her pale complexion. "Any change?" he asked Peggy.

"The same as when I called, I'm afraid. I can't get her to wake up enough to eat or even drink much. She's only had a few sips of water since I've been here."

He sat on the edge of the couch and felt Natalie's forehead with the back of his hand. "She's burning up! Where's that thermometer?" He leaned over her to look through the pile of used tissues on the end table. After finding it, he held it to her temple and waited for the beep. "103.2! We've got to get that down." He again leaned over Natalie to reach for the Tylenol. "Peggy, I need some water."

"Oh, dear," said Peggy as she ran into the kitchen. "I should have monitored her more closely. She took a dose a couple of hours ago. I thought that would be enough."

"It's okay, Peggy," he said. "I…I'm just glad you were here." He adjusted his neck at the thought of what may have happened if she had not returned.

He pulled the pile of blankets off his wife and touched her shoulder. "Natalie…Natalie, you need to wake up and take some medicine."

She moved a little, then reached for the blankets. "Sooo c…co…cold."

"Natalie!" Adrian shook her again. "Come on, sweetheart, you're burning up. We've got to get your fever down."

"J…Just want to…sleep…." Natalie coughed three times, then she was overcome with a fit of side-splitting coughs which brought her fully awake.

Adrian wrapped his arms around her at the same time he helped her move to a sitting position.

Peggy ran back into the room and handed Adrian the water, concern in her eyes.

Once the coughing subsided, he held the glass of water to Natalie's lips. She took two small sips, then pushed it away. His brow creased as he looked at her pale cheeks and sunken eyes.

"You need to drink more. You're getting dehydrated."

Natalie put her hand to her throat. "So sore," she said, hoarsely.

"How about some hot tea with honey? If you can get that down with some medicine, I'll help you up to bed. How does that sound?"

Natalie nodded, so Adrian started to stand, but before he could, Peggy headed back into the kitchen. "Stay there. I'll get it."

"Mother?" mumbled Natalie, "Why are you still here?"

"I'm here to help, dear."

Natalie leaned against Adrian. "We're okay."

"Well, I am glad to hear that, but I am staying anyway, at least until I know you're better."

Sophia toddled over and patted Natalie's knee. "Mama better?"

Adrian pulled her into his lap, but she stuck out her bottom lip when she looked up at her mother's face.

He ran his hand through her dark curls. "Mama will be okay." He said it as much to reassure himself as his daughter.

Natalie adjusted herself on the couch, then rubbed her hand along the side of her belly.

"Is the baby moving?"

Natalie nodded. "He's making it a little hard to get comfortable."

Adrian put his hand on her stomach and felt a rolling sensation as if the baby was doing a somersault. It reassured him to know the baby was doing well despite Natalie's illness. Before long, the panic he had been fighting began to subside. Sophia was on the mend, the baby was healthy. Natalie would get better too. He forced himself to think positively instead of allowing his mind to imagine the worst-case scenarios which seemed to occupy so much of his thoughts as of late. As he sat with his family gathered in his arms, he didn't dare think what it would be like to lose any one of them. He loved them all so dearly.

Peggy returned to the living room with the tray of tea. She stopped for a moment, almost hesitant to break up the scene she was witnessing. Her daughter was certainly well-loved. That much was obvious. She cleared her throat and Adrian looked up just as she placed the tray on the coffee table in front of them.

"Here's the tea, dear," she said. "Please try to drink it. I also brought you some crackers in case the medicine upsets your stomach." Then, she took Sophia from Adrian. "Come on, sweetheart. Let's find you a snack."

"Nack!" said Sophia, clapping her hands.

Adrian sat with Natalie and encouraged her to finish her tea, but when she began to nod off, he decided to let her sleep for a while before checking her temperature again. He made his way to the kitchen just as Sophia finished eating. He found Peggy wetting a paper towel to clean her face and hands.

"I'll do that, Peggy," he said, putting out his hand to take the towel. "Thank you, but I think we'll be fine now. Why don't you go on home."

Peggy walked past him and began to clean the squirmy toddler. "I'd like to stay, Adrian, at least until I know Natalie's fever has come down."

"I can take care of my family, Peggy."

She held up her hand. "Under normal circumstances, I'm sure you are perfectly capable, but Natalie needs your full attention right now. I'll take care of Sophia and you take care of her."

"I appreciate your offer, I do, but…."

"Adrian," Natalie called from the couch.

He rushed to her side.

"I think I'd like to go to bed now."

He offered her his hand. "Be careful, sweetheart."

"Thanks," she said, taking a couple of attempts to stand up. "If I didn't have to heave this bowling ball up with me, I may have been able to do it myself."

Adrian put his arm around her waist and walked with her to the stairs, but before she put her foot on the first step, she stopped, grabbed her belly, and grimaced.

"What's wrong?"

"I'm…I'm not sure. I just got a cramp."

"Do you need to go sit back down?"

She took a couple of deep breaths. "No, I'm fine now."

They tried the stairs again and made it halfway up before she grabbed her belly again. "Oh!" she cried out, her eyes growing wide.

"Nat…Nat…Natalie…you are not fine. Let's go sit back down."

They made their way back to the couch, where Adrian held the glass of water to her lips. "Here, try and drink a little."

She took a few sips and her face relaxed. "I think I'm okay."

She pulled herself to the edge of the couch, but before she could stand, her face contorted as she clutched her belly once again. She tried to take a few deep breaths which only made her cough.

Adrian's face drained of color. "Natalie, are you in labor?"

She shook her head while blowing out her breaths. "No. It's much too early for that."

"Well, I know it's too early. That's why I'm concerned."

Peggy had been watching from across the room, but at the word, 'labor', she fell into the chair behind her and touched her cheek. "You need to take her to the hospital, Adrian!"

"I'm fine, mother. I think these are Braxton-Hicks. I had some with Julie, just not this early." She motioned for Adrian to sit beside her and she leaned into him. "I'm just so…so cold…and tired."

Adrian could feel the heat radiating from her body and started to reach for the thermometer, but she was overcome with a series of hard coughs which shook her whole body. She sipped some water and just as she caught her breath, she grabbed her belly. "Ohhh," she moaned.

"Another Braxton-Hicks?" asked Adrian, trying to control the panic in his voice.

"That one hurt a little more," said Natalie, struggling to get a breath.

Peggy was standing in front of them now. "Please take her, Adrian. Trust me on this. I'll stay with Sophia for as long as I need to. Just…just take care of Natalie."

Adrian's eyes darted between Natalie and her mother. He was surprised at Peggy's insistence, but he was beginning to think he needed to trust her intuition. Besides the contractions, whether they be harmless Braxton-Hicks or not, Natalie's fever was also persistent, and then there was that terrible cough. He knew Peggy was right. It couldn't wait until she could see her doctor in the morning. She needed help now. The need to run, to escape rose in Adrian's thoughts just as it always did at times like this, but as Adrian helped Natalie to his car, he fought the pull of his fear harder than he ever had. There were two lives at stake this time, Natalie and their unborn child. They both needed him. They needed him to be calm enough to drive to the hospital. They needed his strength and support, as much as he could muster. He helped Natalie get buckled in, then he ran around to his side and jumped in, taking a few deep breaths before turning the key to start the car.

Before he pulled out of the driveway, Peggy ran out with a bag in her hands. She opened the back door and placed it on the seat. "I put some clean clothes in there…in case they keep her overnight." She closed the door and asked through Adrian's open window, "Is there anyone you would like for me to call…to let them know what's going on?"

Adrian turned fearful eyes towards her. "Julie…please call Julie."

"Of course, Julie."

"And Leland. Leland Stottlemeyer."

She looked at her daughter. "Don't you worry about Sophia, dear. I'll take good care of her." She put her hand on Adrian's shoulder. "Call me when you know. I'm sure everything…everything will be just fine, but please call me."

Adrian nodded as he put the car in reverse and backed out of the driveway.

Peggy watched them leave, and Adrian was certain he saw her wipe a tear as she turned to go back up the stairs, into the house.

Natalie cradled her belly and tried to take steady, deep breaths in between her coughs as they entered through the doors of San Francisco General. The urgency of her situation was obvious, so it didn't take long for her to be moved to a room in the E.R. She was settled and a nurse came to take her vitals and ask a series of questions. Adrian stayed by the side of the bed until he was asked to take a seat. He did so and put his head in his hands. This was all too familiar. How many other times had he sat in a hospital room, completely helpless? He had done so with his mother, Trudy, Natalie after her accident, and his father. He was doing his best to hold it together, to not 'Monk out' as his friends had come to call it, but he didn't know how long he could maintain his composure. It was almost too much.

Just when he felt completely drained of strength, he felt a hand on his shoulder. "Adrian?" He looked up to see the concerned eyes of Sharona Disher looking down at him.

"Sharona?"

"What's going on? I saw that Natalie had been checked in."

Sharona instantly heard the worry in his voice. "She's sick, Sharona, really sick, and she…she was having contractions."

"Contractions? She's not due for a while yet."

Adrian nodded. "Nine weeks and three days."

"How many hours?"

"What do you mean?"

"Well, you know how many weeks and how many days. I thought maybe you would know the hours too."

"Sharona, how am I supposed to know that? No one knows the exact hour the baby will come."

"Right," she said, rolling her eyes. Then, she turned and approached the bed. "Hey girl, how are you doing?"

"I…feel…awful," Natalie said in between coughs.

"You sound awful," said Sharona. "How long have you had that cough?"

"Since this morning."

"Sore throat?"

Natalie nodded.

"Have you been drinking much?"

Natalie paused, then shook her head.

"How's the baby? Adrian said you had some contractions?"

Natalie nodded again. "A few earlier. Sharona, I'm scared. It's too soon for the baby to come."

Sharona took her hand and squeezed it. "Well, since they seem to be subsiding, my guess is they were just Braxton-Hicks."

"That's what I thought at first, but they were really strong. The Braxton-Hicks I had with Julie weren't that strong."

"You're right. They usually aren't very painful, but there are some factors that can cause that, and one of those is dehydration."

Adrian looked up. "Do you think that's all it is, Sharona?"

"That's my guess. I've got to get back to my other patients, but I'll check in with you as often as I can. The doctor will be here soon."

"Thanks, Sharona," said Adrian as he watched her go.

"Adrian, sit with me please," said Natalie scooting over on the bed.

Adrian sat beside her, and she entwined her fingers with his as she laid her head against his shoulder. He once again felt the heat from her fever, and he had to fight the panic that kept threatening to take control of his mind.

Natalie pressed into him even harder. "I'm sooo cold," she said through chattering teeth, "and my chest hurts."

"I know. Hang in there, sweetheart. The doctor will be here soon."

Natalie was just recovering from another series of hard coughs when a distinguished, older man in a white lab coat joined them. "Oh, my, that doesn't sound good," he said. "Let's listen to those lungs, shall we?"

Adrian slipped off the bed while the doctor arranged his stethoscope. "I'm Dr. Ben Weissmann by the way," he said, extending his hand. "Are you her husband?"

Adrian shook his hand. "Yes, I am Adrian Monk. This is my wife, Natalie."

Dr. Weissman raised an eyebrow when Adrian pulled out a disinfectant wipe to clean his hands but then smiled. "Good hygiene. I'm glad to see it."

He instructed Natalie to lean forward, then placed the end of the stethoscope on her back and asked her to breathe deeply. After moving the stethoscope around her back, he moved it to her chest, and she repeated the deep breaths. He then removed the stethoscope and examined her nose, ears, and throat. When he was done, he patted her shoulder and told her she could lie down.

The doctor turned to look at Adrian. "How long has she been sick?"

"She wasn't feeling well yesterday. She had a headache and was very tired. This morning, she woke up with congestion, a sore throat, and a cough, but she didn't have a fever until late morning."

"Has she been having frequent headaches?"

"Yes. She said she had them a lot with our older daughter as well, so we weren't too concerned."

Dr. Weissman stroked his dark mustache and nodded. "We will be running some tests to confirm this, but I believe she has developed a case of pneumonia, probably as a result of a sinus infection she has been fighting."

Adrian jolted to attention. "Pneumonia!? But it came on so quickly."

"Yes," said the doctor as he jotted another note on his clipboard. "Pregnant women are more susceptible to developing pneumonia, especially after a bout with an infection or a virus. Their immune systems are naturally suppressed so their bodies can concentrate on nurturing the baby. Also, with decreased lung capacity, the lungs aren't as efficient at draining excess fluids as they normally are. We will start a drip of antibiotics for the sinus infection, along with fluids for the dehydration. Then, we will verify the pneumonia was brought on by the same bacterial infection, and not a separate viral one. I'd like to admit her for at least twenty-four hours."

"Is…is it serious, doctor?"

He looked at Adrian with kind eyes. "Mr. Monk, pneumonia is always serious, but especially in pregnant women. It can cause respiratory complications, pre-term labor, and low birth weight for the baby. I'm glad you brought her in as soon as you did. That gives her a much better chance at a complete recovery without complications, but I am concerned about her high fever and dehydration."

Adrian nodded silently as his throat tightened.

Dr. Weissman glanced down at the chart once again before turning his attention to a bewildered Natalie. "Now, I also see that you experienced some contractions earlier this evening. How far apart were they?"

"They were about five to ten minutes apart," said Natalie.

"How intense were they?"

"Pretty intense. That's why we came in."

The doctor stroked his mustache again. "How long has it been since your last one?"

Natalie looked at Adrian. The evening had been a blur.

"I think the last one was about an hour ago, shortly after we arrived here."

Dr. Weissman put down the clipboard and chart. "Let's see how this little one is doing," he said as he placed the stethoscope against her belly. He moved it around and smiled. "It sounds like your baby is doing just fine, but I am going to order an ultrasound so we can get a better look."

Adrian and Natalie both breathed a sigh of relief. "The contractions?" asked Adrian. "Do you think that was false labor?"

"I believe so. Those false contractions, or Braxton-Hicks as they are commonly called, are the body's way of prepping the mother for labor. Usually, they are not as intense as what Natalie experienced this time, but her dehydration caused the hormone which signals the contractions to be more concentrated, thus producing a stronger sensation. We will monitor her, though, throughout her stay to make sure that's all it was. The survival rate is quite good for babies born this early, but it would be ideal for yours to stay put a little longer."

Natalie moved to get more comfortable, and when she did, she was overcome with a fit of coughing which left her struggling to catch her breath.

Adrian rushed to her side as the doctor helped her to sit up and drink some water.

"I'm going to put her on oxygen and order those tests to be done ASAP. I don't like the sound of that cough," Dr. Weissman said. Then, he turned to the nurse in charge. "Keep an eye on that fever. I don't want to give her anything stronger, but if it spikes up anymore, we may have to, even if it means taking the baby early."

The doctor stepped out the door, but Adrian ran after him. "Doctor, will she be okay?"

"We are going to do the best we can to make sure of that. We'll get the oxygen and IV going immediately and hopefully see a reduction in that fever. Then, we'll know more after the tests."

"Is there anything I can do, doctor?"

"Are you a man of faith, Mr. Monk?"

"Well…."

"Your wife could use some prayers," he said, putting his hand on Adrian's shoulder. I believe she is going to pull through, but she's not out of the woods yet."

Adrian walked back in to witness a flurry of activity around his wife, and within minutes, Natalie had an IV in place which would administer the much-needed medicine and fluids, and a nasal cannula was positioned to deliver oxygen to her compromised lungs. Once the room was clear, Adrian again took his place by her side on the bed, and she leaned against him. He noticed that her cough lessened when she was in more of a sitting position, so it made it easier for her to rest, and they both benefitted from the comfort of each other's touch.

"Adrian," she said through ragged breaths.

"Shhh, you shouldn't try to talk."

"I'm scared. What…what if I don't make it, or what if the baby doesn't make it?"

Adrian kissed her forehead and rubbed her arm. "Don't talk like that. You're going to get better, and the baby is going to be just fine. We are going to get through this."

"Do you really think so?"

"I know so," he said with a gentle squeeze.

Natalie closed her eyes and drifted to sleep just before two nurses came to perform the tests for pneumonia. He was asked to leave the room while they took the chest x-rays. He didn't want to leave her, but upon their insistence, he drug his weary limbs to a chair in the waiting room and collapsed into it. It was then that he finally allowed himself to feel, and as he felt, he put his face in his hands and wept.

"Oh, God!" he cried out. "Please don't take them from me!"

He let the tears roll down his cheeks until he felt a hand on his shoulder. He lifted watery eyes to see Sharona kneel in front of him. She took one look at his tear-stained cheeks and pulled him into her arms, allowing his tears to drench her shirt.