Part 16.


"Look at that," Jill said softly, running the instrument over Max's stomach, "Your baby is fine. See there? That's the heart beating."

Max was speechless as she looked at the screen, and she couldn't quite believe that their child was all right after what had just happened. It's so tiny, she thought, what just happened? One minute I was fine, then all of this? Our baby . . . I don't know what I would have done if something had happened to it.

"So everything is okay?," she heard Kenny ask.

Jill nodded, "Everything is fine, but I want to keep her overnight for observation. Just to keep an eye on everything."

"No argument here," Kenny replied, looking down at his exhausted fiancé.

"What happened?," Max finally asked, tearing her gaze away from the screen, "I mean one minute everything was great, then . . . Why?"

Jill shook her head, "These things just happen sometime. It can be due to stress, biological factors, any number of things."

Kenny looked down at her, and thought of the fight that they had. Could that have caused this, he thought, it was over a week ago? All that pressure to get married, and what happened last night. Thank god that their both okay.

Max nodded, "Okay. Is this a one time thing? I mean it won't happen again?"

"You need to take it easy," Jill countered, "This can happen many times over, and you might not always be this lucky. I know that you've been stressed out lately, and you need to relax. Take a few days off, and let your body recover."

Max nodded again, and looked up at Kenny who replied, "I'll make sure she does Jill."

"I have an in with your boss too," Jill said with a smile, "So you can take it easy at work too. I know it's kind of slow now, and he can afford to give you some time off."

Max merely nodded, too tired to argue as Kenny smoothed her hair back and said, "Thanks Jill. For everything."

"I'm going to get a room ready," Jill replied, "And give you two some time to talk."



"The airport tapes are back," Skeeter declared, "And they did get on a plane together, and head out to California. Where ironically enough there is a convention out there at St. Michaels, one of the biggest and wealthiest churches in the area."

"That's a big break," Jimmy commented, "I'll give a call out there. Where is everybody today?"

"On patrol," Skeeter trailed off, "Although I'm not sure where the lovebirds are. They were supposed to be in over an hour ago."

"I'll call them too," Jimmy replied, "I need to talk to them about what happened last night anyway."

Skeeter nodded, "I bet they were going to get married."

"Me too," Jimmy conceded, "How goes our surprise?"



"Ssh, get some sleep," Kenny said gently, "I'm not going anywhere sweetheart."

Max smiled sleepily at him, "Aren't you supposed to be at work?"

"So are you," he replied, stroking her cheek, "I'm going to call, and let them know what's going on. Don't worry about it, or anything else. Just get some rest."

"Hmm," she mumbled, as she drifted off.

He stroked her cheek again, as he reached for the phone. Pausing, he looked at his intended bride thoughtfully. She looks so peaceful, he thought, and that's strange after everything that she just went through. I almost lost both of them. That's it, I'm not asking her to do anything she isn't ready for. At least until she has the baby. Kissing her quickly on the top of her head, he dialed the station.


"How is she doing?," Jimmy asked later that night, as he walked into Jill's office at the hospital, "I didn't want to barge in on them."

Jill looked up from her desk, and was touched by his fatherly concern for Max, "I just got the test results in . . . and I was going down to share the news with them."

"Jill? Is everything okay? With Max and the baby?"

"For now," Jill replied cryptically, "She really needs to take it easy Jimmy. And I'm worried about her weight too. She's awfully thin to be this far along."

Jimmy nodded, "With everything that happened lately . . . Life hasn't been calm for them. That's why they didn't want to tell everyone about their relationship to begin with, isn't it? They knew that there were going to a lot of questions and speculations about it. And then the baby. Just tell me that everyone will be okay."

Jill nodded, "Why don't you walk down to her room with me? I know that she's been sleeping on and off all day. Kenny hasn't left her side either, and I don't think that he plans on going anywhere tonight either."

"I'm not surprised. He's in love with her Jill," Jimmy replied, as they walked down the hall, "He sounded like he was in shock when I talked to him this morning. I know they were having some problems recently, but that never changed the way they felt about each other. And I do think that they were planning on getting married last night."

Jill nodded, "Unless she was really feeling sick . . . which might help determine what happened this morning."

Jimmy nodded, "I think of them like they're my own kids sometimes. I want them to be happy Jill."

"Me too," she trailed off, pausing in front of the door to Max's room, "I'm sure that they would both like to see you."

Jimmy nodded, "How bad is it?"

Jill shook her head, "We caught it in time . . . Come on."

Kenny turned, as they came in and didn't miss the pensive look on Jill's face, "Hi. What's going on?"

"How is she doing?," Jimmy asked nodding toward Max, "I worried about both of you all day."

Kenny shrugged, "She's been sleeping a lot. I guess that is good."

Jill nodded, as she looked over at her sleeping patient, "It is. She's going to need to get a lot of rest in the next few months Kenny. That's going to be essential."

He sat up a bit straighter, "What's wrong?"

"She has preeclampsia. It causes some swelling in the uterus and high blood pressure," Jill explained, "It's treatable, mostly with bed rest and there are some medications that'll lower her blood pressure."

Kenny let out a sigh of relief, "So they'll both be okay? She just needs to rest?"

"Nothing is guaranteed, and this is a tricky disorder," Jill replied, "And nothing is foolproof, but with rest and medication there is a good chance that they both will be."

Kenny swallowed, "What sort of chance? Does this . . . kill people?"

"The percentages are very low," Jill replied gently, "Between 15% and 30% infant mortality rate, and between 10%-36% for the mother. There just aren't enough studies to pin point it exactly."

Jimmy watched as Kenny gathered his thoughts, and interjected, "What about work? You said bed rest, and if work is going to cause her anymore stress, well I don't want that to happen."

Jill shook her head, "That was my next point. Bed rest only, at least for awhile. Whatever issues you two are having Kenny, table them for now."

"Not a problem," he trailed off, still thinking of the numbers that Jill had just given him, "She's going to hate this."

"She is stubborn," Jimmy agreed, "But she wants what is best for the baby. That's a given."

"I'll come talk to her in the morning," Jill added, "And explain her condition some more, and I have some information for you both to read."

"Thanks," Kenny said gratefully, looking over at a still sleeping Max, "For everything. I mean that."

"If you're planning on staying the night, there is a spare blanket and pillow in the closet," Jill added, "We'll be going, unless you have any more questions?"

Kenny shook his head, as they left. Turning back to Max, "What have we gotten ourselves into here?"



"Good news," Skeeter said the next morning, dropping a fax onto Jimmy's desk, "Our church robbers were picked up outside San Francisco last night."

"That is good news," Jimmy agreed, stifling a yawn, "I'm sure we're not the only ones that want a crack at them."

"No," Skeeter replied, "Late night sir?"

Jimmy shook his head, and paused before replying, "You have to keep this quiet, but I know the three of you are friends. Max ended up in the hospital last night, she's having some problems with the pregnancy."

"Oh . . . Um, everybody okay?"

"For now. It sounds like it's going to be touch and go for awhile. Kenny stayed the night with her."

"I'm not surprised. Is she up to visitors?"

Jimmy shook his head, "She's due to go home today. Apparently a lot of bed rest is in order, and I'm sure she'll like that. Distraction would probably be good then."

Skeeter nodded, feeling his heart break for his friends, "I'll keep them in my thoughts."


Max looked around her bedroom later that afternoon after being discharged from the hospital. I could have killed our child before it was even born, she thought, forcing herself to lie back. I'm going to be a terrible parent. Too much stress? That's what I get for picking a fight, well a couple of fights with Kenny. Not to mention all that stuff with Rachel. How am I supposed to stay in bed for the next four months?

"You're supposed to be relaxing," Kenny commented, noting her furrowed expression as he joined her on her bed, "Not contemplating world peace."

She smiled despite her mood, "I am, really. It's good to be home though."

"I hope you say that at the end of the week."

"Me too. I'm more afraid I'm going to go crazy lying here like this all day. Trips to the bathroom just don't excite me."

"She's going to reevaluate you after two weeks," Kenny countered, watching her trace her pregnant stomach with her hand, "You didn't do anything to cause this, so stop blaming yourself."

"You know me too well. It just happened so quickly . . . I felt fine, then everything turned upside down. Thanks. For getting me to the hospital, staying with me."

"There isn't any other place I would have been."

Max looked away before replying, "I don't think I realized how badly I wanted this baby until I almost lost it. I don't want that to happen again."

"It won't. You're going to do what Jill said. And have a healthy baby," Kenny said, laying his hand on top of her stomach, "The first of many?"

Max smiled, finding that topic not as scary as she did a few weeks ago, "How many are you planning on?"

"I don't know. Three? Four?"

"With me?"

"Of course with you. Do you know how amazing you look pregnant? You're glowing, even now."

Max smiled, as she looked down at her bump, "Almost five months . . . Where did all of the time go?"



I'm going crazy, Max thought two months later, gazing up at her ceiling. I can't just lie here like this. I'm going to lose my mind. I'm starting to care what happens on these soap operas. And I'm so damn fat. I don't care what Kenny says about glowing. I'm fat dammit.

"Anyone home?," she heard Jill call from the living room, as she made her way back to the bedroom, "I thought I'd come check up on you."

"Thanks."

"And I wanted to check your blood pressure and weight," Jill continued, thinking that she still looked a little to thin for being over seven months along, "Have you been eating?"

Max gestured to her protruding stomach, "What do you think?"

Jill nodded, "How about a trip to the scale?"

"Anything to get out of bed for a few minutes," Max agreed, rising to her feet slowly, Ugh. My back."

Jill suppressed a smile, as she watched Max pull down her tee shirt over her bump and stretch. She looks radiant, Jill thought, despite the preeclampsia. Although I wish she would put on a few more pounds, "You ready?"

Max traced her stomach thoughtfully, "Sure. Someone is moving around a lot today. And kicking."

"Can I feel?"

Max nodded, as Jill laid her hand on her stomach, "That was a big one. It isn't causing you any more discomfort?"

She shook her head, "No. It sort of reassures me of everything. If she's moving, she's got to be okay. Right?"

Jill smiled, as they made their way to the scale, "Up you go. Good, two more pounds. That makes 15? You're making progress Max, and your blood pressure is down."

"Does that mean I can take a field trip out of here?"

"I want to see you in my office later this week so we can do another sonogram."

"That actually sounds appealing at this point. These walls are closing in on me."

Jill smiled, "Back to bed now young lady."

Max bit back her retort, as she heard the front door open again, "Can't I see who that is first? Please?"

"It's just me Max," Kenny called back, "Do what she says."

"You two will be the death of me," she said under her breath, as she walked slowly back to the bedroom. Catching sight of herself in the mirror, she had to smile a little. This is pretty neat, she thought, running her hand over her distended stomach as she felt another kick, "Hey, how are you doing in there?"

"Talking to yourself?," Kenny asked, coming up behind her.

Max smiled, as she turned back toward him, "Sort of. Someone is kicking up a storm today."

Kenny laid his hand on her belly, "It doesn't hurt?"

Max shook her head, "It just feels different. Like an upset stomach or something."

"You feeling okay? You should be in bed."

"I'm going, I'm going," Max replied, turning, "Oh. Shit."

"What the hell was that?"

Jill rounded the corner, and saw the puddle by Kenny's feet, "I'd say someones water just broke."


To be continued.