Finishing her afternoon rounds, Lesley later was waiting for Rick so they could check out and go home together but before Rick could get ready to meet Lesley he was paged back to the O.R but not before he told Lesley that he wasn't gonna be able to leave instead he told her that he arranged for Jessie to take her home and later told her to take it easy and to not wait up for him because he didn't know when he was gonna be able to see her at home.

" Sweetheart I'm sorry that I'm not gonna be able to spend tonight like we were going but I promise I will find a way to make it up to you." Rick stated before the page sounded out again

" Rick it's alright… we're both doctors remember I certainly understand when plans get messed up. I will be okay while I'm at home." Lesley hugged Rick before she left with Jessie.

~~~

Doing homework upstairs, Genesis was about to finish and pick up in her room until she had a knock at her window from a small tiny rock from a kid that she knew from the school. Realizing that soon she was gonna expect to see Rick and Lesley home, Genesis tried to get her friend to leave as Rick made it clear that she or Jesslyn were not allowed to have friends over while they weren't home.

" Dude I could get into alot of trouble with you just showing up here… My parents are gonna be home from the hospital soon and if they catch you here…"

" How about you just come over to my place… Maybe we could do a movie…" Trevor suggested

" I would if it wasn't during the week… so maybe Friday but seriously you have to get out of here before my parents are home." Genesis answered when she heard Lesley close the car door with Jessie

" Great…. My parents are home… I want you in the closet and don't you dare make a sound. I have to see that my mom's okay. Then you are gonna be out the way you came."

Genesis closed the door without letting him argue and went down to see that Lesley was okay and helped her to relax.

" How was school.?" Lesley asked granted she alittle sore from the hassle at the hospital.

" It was just the same… boring as usual but I'm almost finished with homework and later I was gonna ask if I could go see some friends?" Genesis asked hoping she could go

" Ladybug you know how your dad feels about you being out during a school night and during the week. I can't just change the rules for you and not for your sister because you come to me."

" But mom I wasn't gonna ask you to…. Becca and Tyler are going to a movie and they asked me if I'd like to go along."

" Baby I know you weren't asking me to but I don't think I should go and make a decision behind your father's ruling on the matter. If you want to do it again with them this weekend then I don't see why not but not today… I'm sorry."

Genesis went back up to her room alittle annoyed but didn't ignore that she had to get her boyfriend out of the house.

" You need to go home and if you ever do this again knowing that I would be home alone, I will break you in 2 in the worst way." Genesis made clear

Making dinner in the kitchen, Lesley started to set the table when she started noticing a few marks on her forearm that she didn't have before and again to her side after she went upstairs to shower before settling down for the night. Lesley didn't want to think anything of it as her appointment the other day went well and her blood work was good and Dr Richards had no reason to suspect anything was back.

Finally getting home, Rick checked in on the kids and later joined Lesley who was sound asleep but had forgotten to turn on her oxygen. Getting changed it didn't take long for Rick to make sure everything was okay before going to bed and making sure her respirator was on.

" hmm..." Lesley adjusted like always after Rick would get home late and later joins her in bed.

" I love you too little bug..." Rick tucked his arm underneath Lesley before he went to sleep

Rick got up alittle bit earlier even though they both had the day off and the kids were out of school for the summer which gave Rick the perfect idea to take the kids and Lesley up into the mountainside out in Aspen but he wanted to wait to see how Lesley was be throughout the next few days because he started to notice that she had lost weight alittle bit and she wasn't always feeling good by the end of the day before going home from work at the hospital.

" Feeling alright?" Rick asked gently while checking on her temperature and her pressure.

" I'm okay… it's just a headache and alittle cough… I'll be okay. Are the kids up yet?" Lesley asked

" It's too early for them to be up… I'm gonna change you to your respirator mask. I don't like that your pressure is alittle low." Rick reached for Lesley's respirator mask.

" I think maybe I've caught the flu… or it's just a bug."

" I hope that it's just a bug and not the flu… I might have to take you to the hospital if your temperature gets any higher. Right now it's not too high which is a good sign but I'm gonna watch it in case.. I want you to try to rest, okay?" Rick adjusted the comforter and made sure Lesley was comfortable.

" Yes Dr. Steve Hardy… This is Dr. Rick Webber." Rick said while on the phone downstairs.

Rick sat down at the table. " Dr. Hardy." Steve answered

" Hi Steve it's Rick…. I hate to call out but I'm afraid that I have to, with Alice out in Nevada and then Jessie on duty. I don't want to leave Lesley by herself when she's not feeling good.. she has a temperature of 101.2 and her BP was 84/60 last I saw."

" Rick, maybe you should just bring her in. With a fever that high and her condition, we shouldn't take a chance."

" Well I think I'm gonna watch it myself for the time being but I wanted to call you first to let you know what was going on." Rick explained before finishing with his phone call

Waking up the kids, Rick later checked on Lesley after he made breakfast for the kids and wanted to see if she felt up to getting something to eat but decided to check her vital signs first.

" Sweetheart I know you're not feeling good, but I have breakfast made for you… Les…. Lesley..."

Seeing that Lesley's fever went up again Rick started to feel that Steve's opinion made better sense of having her admitted before anything was to get worse and wasted no time when he picked up the phone and called for an ambulance and told the girls to stay with their brother

" Dad, I had plans with a couple friends..." Genesis spoke up

" Your friends can wait. I want you home helping your sister with your brother while I am not home and or when I have your mother admitted for medical reasons. Times like that and situations like this are more important than you wanting to go hang out with your friends."

" Daddy it's okay just make sure that Momma is okay and tell her I love her too…." Hearing the siren from our front Jesslyn took Riley upstairs so they would be out of the way.

Rick led the paramedics upstairs so they could assess Lesley's condition and start to move her for transport.

" Is your wife on any medication.?"

" Just on immunosuppressants and Lepezol she's a transplant recipient and she was also a cancer patient as well."

" Has she taken or eaten anything before she became unresponsive?"

" No, I've been up since 5:30 this morning and she was fine all morning until I checked her vital signs around 6 and before I alerted for you her BP was 84/60 respiration was off but wasn't dire and her temperature was at 101.2 when I first checked. Now her temperature is at 103.4 and her pressure dropped alittle more recording at 73/40 heart rate at 54."

Rick left with the paramedics and Lesley while they notified the hospital that they were on their way with an ETA of 15 minutes.

" 45 year old female BP is 74/30 respiration is shallow and was intubated on route."

" Darlene, have Dr Richards, Quartermaine and Dr Hardy paged stat to the ER and have Jessie Brewer paged as well." Rick asked and went back to be at Lesley's side

" Rick you know I'm gonna need you to wait outside."

Waiting for Rick, was not one of his best suits especially knowing that it was Lesley who was fighting for her life but knowing that she was good hands and Alan was gonna be there made it about 5% easier for Rick to tell her that he wouldn't be far when he went to step out into the hall. Something in Rick was screaming that something had to be back or something had to have developed because it wasn't just that morning that he noticed a few symptoms, he noticed them at least over the last 2 weeks or so that Lesley had shown a few symptoms. She was losing

weight and her appetite wasn't all there and she was more tired than usual. The only symptom he didn't see that she noticed though was that she was starting to bruise more easily than usual. Rick prayed and hoped that she wasn't developing something else or another form of cancer again because to think she would have to battle for her life all over again scared him just as well as he knew it would scare her and to think of the possibility that she wasn't gonna want to go through treatment scared him even more.

" Rick..." Monica called out to the lounge

" Monica…. Tell me she's okay…" Rick tried not to sound panicked

" Given her symptoms and how low her respiratory system is functioning, she may have contracted pneumonia again." Monica explained

" I should've brought her in right away when I first recorded her fever at 101.2 and even Steve told me I should have."

" Rick, don't go there…. You're doing everything you can for Lesley. And right now blaming yourself isn't gonna help her. She's stable where I can move her to the ICU. So go up and be there by her side."

" Thanks for helping her Monica. I appreciate it."

" We've known each other for a very long time Rick… and while I sometimes wish that you and I were still together, I'm glad she has you in her corner to care about her."

Over the next couple of days Lesley's condition started to improve where she was able to come off the vent but to play it safely, both Monica and Dr Richards wanted to keep her on the respirator mask as a precaution while she still wasn't out of the woods entirely.

" It's okay Les, I'm right here by your side and I'm gonna stay here until you are going home."

Pulling down her mask, Lesley was gonna try to tell him something but Rick stopped her from doing so and just told her to rest.

" Just rest, little bug. Don't try to talk right now. There is plenty of time for us to talk right now I just want you to rest and get better." Rick put her mask back up where it was supposed to be.

Rick stayed at Lesley's side unless he went to call to check on the kids at Ruby's. " Thanks Ruby for keeping the kids with you…. Are the girls doing okay?"

" The girls are fine and Riley asked about seeing his mother again but I told him I would talk to you about it."

" Well right now she's still listed as guarded with the pneumonia but she was able to be taken off the ventilator so that's a good step. When Monica and Jerry think she's stable enough for visitors, I'll call you to bring the kids to see her." Rick explained the situation and later got off the phone to head back to sit at Lesley bedside.

Starting to wake up, Lesley moved her hand to reach for Rick's. " I'm right here bug…. I'm not going anywhere."

" The kids….. I wa….. wanna see the kids… I have to tell them."

" They know how much you love them… and they told Ruby to tell me that they miss you just as much as they love you.. I told them I would be bringing you home… so don't you try to give up now."

" I'm just so tired…." Lesley looked over towards Rick

" I want you to keep fighting Lesley…. We all need you… but I need you Lesley. I can't do it all by myself. Maybe I'm being selfish darling but I don't think I can make it if I were to lose you." Rick pleaded for Lesley to not give up and to keep fighting

Finally starting to respond to the strong antibiotics Lesley started to improve where she was finally out of the ICU and moved to the 7th floor and Rick had a surprise waiting in the hall for her as he promised he would.

" Rick you've done something… and I know you did because you keep looking behind you and you keep smiling each time you do it. What did you do."

" Hey now wait a minute…. I have a good reason to smile like a fool. I almost lost you twice… I don't like to have to think about the possibility that I would lose you. Plus I do have a surprise for you in the hall."

" Rick, I don't want there to be a big fuss… I do however…. I would love you to tears if I were able to see the kids if you'd arrange that for me. I miss them"

" Close your eyes, bug… and don't go peeking." Rick responded and opened the door but reminded the kids to be quiet

" Now I really know you're up to something Richard." Lesley barked but closed her eyes at his suggestion.

Rick lifted Riley so he could sit on the side next to Lesley and Rick nodded when Jesslyn asked to give Lesley a kiss.

" We're all so relieved that you're better and you'll be coming home soon."

" Rick you are a sneaky little snake.. but I'm also happy that you brought the kids up.." Lesley nudged Rick at his side

" Actually Momma Daddy didn't pick us up… Ruby brought us up when Dad called… and Riley was so excited he was gonna be here."

" Remind me to thank Ruby later… Has Steve or Monica or anybody said anything about me checking out of this place to go home.?" Lesley looked towards Rick.

" I'll find out later tonight if I will be able to take you home. Monica might want to keep you though for observation for at least another couple of days." Rick answered

After another week, Rick took Lesley home so she could relax with the kids and he had to head back to the hospital for a consultation but made sure to be home later before dinner

" Girls get washed up for dinner, your Dad's gonna be home soon..."

" Mom, maybe you shouldn't take on so much… you just got out of the hospital and we don't want you to be back again as a patient…." Genesis insisted that Lesley takes an easy instead of pushing herself to finish setting up for dinner.

" Ladybug I'm gonna be fine, it's only setting the table. So you and Jesslyn take your brother upstairs and get washed up for dinner." Lesley answered and had let her smile fade after the girls took Riley upstairs because she didn't feel right.

Hoping to feel better Lesley decided to lay down on the couch as Rick was about to walk in. Thankfully he had just walked in when she fell asleep on the couch after dinner was ready.

" Guys easy with the noise… your mom is asleep. And that's okay, she needs to rest."

" Dad you don't think maybe she's sick do you?"

" What do you mean Genesis?" Rick asked

" I was just asking… I tried to get her to let Jesslyn and I set things for dinner but she didn't want us to. That and she's not all steady on her feet. I'm really worried about her." Genesis answered

" I'll look into it and get to the bottom of it. But for now let's let her rest with it being her first night home from being in the hospital again."

Rick made sure that the kids ate dinner and they got their chores done in the meanwhile, Rick wanted to check on Lesley just to see if she wanted something to eat before she was to go to

bed for the night as well as he wanted to make sure she had her night time medication as he never would miss when she had to take her meds.

" Lesley sweetheart, there's dinner leftover for you if you want something. You have to take your meds too before bed." Rick sat on the edge by Lesley while she was laying down on the couch.

" I was wondering when my favorite husband was gonna come home….. How long was I asleep?" Lesley commented as Rick helped her sit up.

" I don't really know. Genesis said she was trying to help you and you weren't feeling good. Shortly after that I had gotten home. You were asleep by the time I got home so I fed the kids and made sure they did their chores before I asked them to go upstairs.. Let's try to get alittle something to eat so you can take your meds and after that if you'd like l'll take you up to bed." Rick answered

" Actually I think just staying here by the fire in the fireplace sounds good to me…. Almost sleeping by it would probably feel good."

" Well how about this weekend we allow the kids to spend the weekend with their friends and Riley could spend the night with his friend Max… and you and I could just spend this weekend here alone with the fire in the fireplace going maybe set up a little camping like set up just right here what do you think.?"

" I think that is a perfect idea for us. And the kids will be happy."

Lesley leaned closer to Rick after they finished and after she took her meds. Rick senses that something is bothering Lesley and something was alittle off but he wasn't about to push anything at that time because for the time being he just wanted to spend the time as it was with her.

" Can I get you anything.?" Rick turned his head after lighting a fire in the fireplace

" No I'm okay.. but uh I would like to just lay here and just be with you."

" Well I hate to be the one to tell you this but I'm the only one you have. and I wouldn't want to be anywhere else but here with my beautiful wife." Rick closed his arms around Lesley while they stayed up by the fire until Lesley fell asleep

Rick carried Lesley up to bed and made sure her oxygen was turned on before he changed and went to sleep himself.