"Four months?" Juliet asked in disbelief. She looked over at Shawn who was looking back at her equally shocked. She adjusted on the ultrasound table to check her stomach which was just barely rounded over her jeans- nothing that a big dinner couldn't achieve.

"She's four months pregnant?" Juliet felt Shawn's hand squeeze hers a little tighter.

"I don't understand." Juliet shook her head, trying to run through everything that had happened over the last four months. "How?"

"I mean, I think you know how," Shawn said, smiling at her. She shot a quick glare in his direction.

"It happens sometimes with women who are not regular," Dr. Johnson, her OB-GYN, said, wiggling the ultrasound wand across the cool jelly spread across Juliet's stomach. Juliet watched the screen in disbelief. That was her little bean in there.

"Do you want to hear the heartbeat?"

Juliet couldn't speak. She had heard the heartbeat before. And yet, the last time she was in this position, there hadn't been a heartbeat to hear anymore.

She looked over at Shawn, tears prickling the corners of her eyes. Shawn jumped up and brought his face to hers so all she could see was his eyes looking into hers.

"Whatever happens," Shawn said, reading her mind, "you're my person. I've got you and I'm here for you. You are not alone."

Juliet nodded and let Shawn kiss her on the forehead and rub his thumb on her cheek.

"Okay," she said, closing her eyes. It was quiet in the room for a moment, but soon a heavy whooshing sound filled the room. It was strong and steady.

Her eyes still closed, she felt Shawn's forehead touch her own. They let the sound cover them like a blanket.

"We're having a baby," Shawn whispered just loud enough for her to hear.

Whoosh

Whoosh

Whoosh

Juliet drove to the hospital, the whooshing sound still echoing in her ears. She still couldn't believe she was really four months pregnant. They were going to have a baby. Her due date was April 24th. And sometime between Lassiter's stroke and now it had nearly become Thanksgiving.

She put her hand on her slightly pooched stomach. "I can't wait to meet you, baby."

She drove a little faster, anxious to get to the hospital. Marlowe had texted her last night that they were going to take out Lassiter's breathing tube, and she wanted to be there when they did.

She navigated the parking lot quickly, pulling into what had become her regular row and walking briskly through the lobby, up the elevator, and down the hall to Lassiter's room. She could do this walk in her sleep. She recognized every inch of the floor he had been stuck on for the last 25 days.

Marlowe jumped up when she walked through the sliding glass door and Juliet held out her arms. For as little time as she and Marlowe had spent together before this all happened, they had become so much closer since the stroke. They had both spent long hours sitting by Carlton's bed, keeping each other updated and talking through their anxieties. Marlowe had simply been her partner's wife, and she had been his partner. Neither had spent much time talking about themselves. But now, now they were each other's support system.

"How are you?"

Marlowe nodded and smiled, her cheeks turning a rosy pink. "They said he looked good overnight and they can do it today."

Juliet could feel Marlowe's happiness radiating into her hands. This woman would finally hear her husband talk again. "Why don't you go get some food?" She asked, gently, willing Marlowe to take a break for herself.

Marlowe nodded and ducked out of the room, leaving Juliet alone with Carlton.

It was obvious how awake he was. His whole body seemed more alive. His head was moving under the breathing tube and his right leg was adjusting under the sheets. She could see him twisting his right hand in a child-like attempt to free itself from the soft bracelets keeping his wrists tight against the bed.

Juliet moved around the bed to hold his right hand tightly. It slowly relaxed in her own.

"Hey, Carlton," she said, watching his chest rise and fall. "They're gonna take that big old tube out of your mouth today." His whole body seemed to relax with the sound of her voice. "We need you to breathe on your own, okay? We need you to be okay so that we can get you out of here. We want you to come home, okay? Me, Marlowe, Lily, everyone. We all miss you and we want you out of this room, so we need you to breathe for us."

She suddenly felt a flutter in her stomach. Not nausea, more like a wiggle. Like little butterflies taking off inside of her.

"Oh my gosh!" She placed her free hand over her stomach. She couldn't feel any movement, but she knew that it was her baby. "Carlton! I just felt it!"

Her heart nearly stopped when she felt the hand underneath her grip a little tighter. She looked up in shock and saw her partner's eyes looking at hers. They looked crusty around the edges and tired, but they were open, and they were looking right at her.

"Carlton! Can you hear me?" His hand gripped hers again, a little stronger this time. She squeezed his hand back, tears filling her eyes. "Carlton, I'm pregnant."

The words felt heavy on her chest. She had been afraid to say them out loud. Afraid to jinx it. But maybe it would be okay. Maybe this was the baby's way of telling her it was in there, and it was okay.

Under her hand, she felt Carlton's begin to shift. She looked down and saw it form an awkward thumbs up.

"Even if it's Shawn's?" She watched his eyes roll back for a moment before catching hers again. His hand turned again, this time falling to the side in a thumbs down.

She smiled and shook her head at him.

"Thanks."

Juliet looked up to the sound of the glass door sliding open.

"My love," Marlowe said, quickly coming around to stand next to the bed and putting her hands on Carlton's arm.

Juliet ducked out of the way and watched Carlton's eyes trace Marlowe's face.

"They're coming," Marlowe told Juliet, not taking her eyes off her husband's. "They just called and said they were ready to take the tube out. They'll be in here in just a minute."

Almost on cue, two nurses followed Dr. Weller into the room.

"Are you ready to get this tube out?" Dr. Weller asked Marlowe who nodded, her face glowing.

"How about you," he said, turning to Carlton. He walked over to listen to his chest with his stethoscope, "are you ready to get this tube out?"

Carlton's head methodically moved up and down under the tube, his eyes wide open now. Juliet could see his detective mind working, his eyes darting around in an effort to take in the room.

Two nurses walked on either side of Carlton's bed to adjust it into a seated position, leaving Juliet and Marlowe to slide to the back of the room.

"Alright, Carlton," one of the nurses said, "I am going to undo the pads and then Sydney here is going to pull the tube out, okay?"

Juliet felt Marlowe's hands tighten around her arm. She patted her hands and watched carefully as they unstuck the tape from Carlton's lip.

"Ready?" Sydney asked, "Take a big deep breath,"

Carlton's chest rose sharply.

"One… two… three," Juliet stared, wide-eyed as the nurse pulled the tube out of Carlton's mouth, and he immediately began coughing.

Strong, hacky coughs bellowed from deep in his chest filled the room and Juliet felt fingernails begin to dig into her arm.

"Good job, Carlton," Sydney said, patting him on the shoulder and putting a straw into his mouth to suck all of the gross out. "Get it out of there. You're okay."

Slowly, the coughing subsided, and Juliet watched his breathing turn into soft, steady breaths. The nails loosened from Juliet's bicep and she exhaled, not realizing she had been holding her breath since the doctor came in.

The nurses put oxygen on Carlton's nose and began working to undo the restraints from the side of the bed. As soon as they moved out of the way, Marlowe ran over to sit next to him.

"Hi, baby," she said, tears in her eyes. Juliet watched, feeling salt stinging the corner of her own eyes as well.

Carlton reached up slightly with his right hand and reached out for Marlowe's face. She bent over to be closer to him so he could reach her.

"I love you so much," she said, her voice cracking.

His lips moved as air quietly passed through his lungs. The side of his face still drooped, and his jaw appeared heavy.

"I love you," he mouthed to her, the sound barely crackling as it came out. Marlowe kissed his cheek, tears running steadily down her face.

Juliet looked to Dr. Weller and the nurses, who were watching the monitors and watching the happy couple, smiling. They looked relaxed, and Juliet let herself breathe easier.

"Your sats are looking good, Carlton," Dr. Weller said, giving him a pat on the feet. "You did have that tube in for a long time. It may take a while for your voice to fully come back. But as for right now, you look great."

Dr. Weller nodded to Marlowe and then to the nurses. "Let me know if anything changes," he said to Sydney on the way out, the other nurse following.

"Good job, baby," Marlowe said, kissing his cheek again. "You look so good."

Carlton's hand reached up and rubbed his throat.

His mouth opened as if he wanted to say something, but the words were slow to come.

"Water," he finally mouthed.

"Well, you can't drink anything yet, but I can give you some water on a swab. How does that sound?" Sydney asked, pulling out a little green sponge on a straw.

Carlton nodded and opened his mouth, letting the nurse put the sponge on his tongue and around his cheeks. He closed his mouth in an attempt to suck on it, but was immediately hit with another coughing fit and tilted forward to let the extra water spill out of his mouth and onto his gown.

Marlowe quickly began tapping on his back as the coughing slowed and Sydney put the suction straw back in his mouth so he wouldn't continue to choke. Juliet watched wide-eyed from her spot on the side of the room.

"It's okay," Sydney said, giving Carlton a minute to catch his breath. "Your throat hasn't had to swallow in a while. It has just forgotten how. That's why we have this tube in your nose to your stomach so you can get your food and medicine in the meantime. But it's a muscle that can be worked and it can learn how to again."

It just forgot how? Juliet thought, staring at her partner. She realized in that moment that having the tube out didn't mean he was fine. It didn't mean that he would be up and out on the field with her in no time. She knew that recovery wasn't easy- she'd been there. But this was different. This wasn't just building her strength back up after chemo and surgeries had wreaked havoc on her body. This was relearning how to do everything. Like, everything.

And right now, he couldn't even swallow.