****Bonjour mes amies!! Here's another chapter for ya....I'm sorry if it's a bit sombre, but I'm in that kind of a mood at the moment and sometimes you can't help writing it down can you? Of course it could be PMS...which means I'll be writing in some fights and maybe a murder or two in the coming days...ah, being female is such a wonderful thing! ;-D****

Chapter thirteen

When Kevin and Lenny reached the hospital later that morning, it was to find Sam pacing about in the corridor and looking frantic. Lenny dropped the bag she had packed for Rachel and rushed over to him, getting worried herself when she saw his eyes up close.

"Sam? What's happened? Is Rachel okay?" she asked, aware of Kevin moving up beside her.

Sam shook his head. "I don't know...they made me leave the room. One minute she was fine and then...I think she had a fit, and I called for the nurse...the next second I was out here and all sorts of people were running in there. God!" he said, running his hands through his hair. "No-one has come out to tell me anything yet!"

Lenny wasn't sure what to say, so she hugged him instead. "Someone will come out soon," she said softly, not wanting to say all the usual things about Rachel eventually being okay, because what if she wasn't? She tugged Sam over to a chair and sat down next to him, holding his hand as they waited for someone to emerge from behind the door.

Kevin sat in another chair and fidgeted, feeling uncomfortable in hospitals anyway and now feeling bad for his friend. His eyes moved to Lenny and he studied her silently, trying to figure out how things had changed between them so suddenly. She wasn't truly beautiful, but she was far prettier than he had ever thought, not really having noticed her before. He wondered why he hadn't. Fair enough, she had always managed to rouse his formidable temper almost the moment he set eyes on her, but surely that shouldn't have blinded him to her looks? He shook his head and dropped his eyes to her soft mouth. It wasn't really just her looks though, he decided. It was her personality. She actually had one, and that was something that had been sadly lacking in most of his female 'friends'.

Lenny turned big, soft grey eyes on him at that moment and he felt his stomach flip over, a feeling he couldn't recall having since his first date in high school. He tried to think of her as just Sam's baby sister again, but it was impossible, especially now he had seen her virtually naked. He wasn't sure if he liked the way he was feeling, but glancing at Sam he shrugged off his discomfort. There were far more important things to worry about at the moment. He gave Lenny what he hoped was a reassuring smile and stood up, offering to get everyone coffee so he could be alone and straighten his thoughts out a little. Regardless of how he was suddenly feeling, he didn't know if he wanted such a complication in his life right then. His face was unintentionally grim as he walked away.

Lenny watched as Kevin's tall form disappeared down the corridor and she chewed her bottom lip nervously. Things had been okay on the drive to the hospital, or at least she thought they had. He had even kissed her when he helped her out of his truck, something that still made her blush because there had been other people in the parking lot. But the way he had just looked at her...she couldn't quite place what she had seen in his eyes, but if she had to put a name to it then it looked a lot like regret. She wondered if reality had just intruded on him and he wished he had never touched her, and she suddenly felt the need to talk to another woman for the first time ever. She had never really chatted with Rachel about such things, but she wished she could now. Or Amy. Now Rachel was ill and Amy was away on her honeymoon. Still, she would be back in another week and then maybe she could go over and have a talk with her, if she still needed to. A frown drew her eyebrows down as she thought of how selfish her thoughts were. All she was doing was thinking of herself when Rachel was laying behind the plain hospital door, perhaps dying. She squeezed her brother's hand again and prayed for everything to be okay with both her sister-in-law and the unborn baby.

A few minutes passed by and then the door opened and a doctor emerged, standing in front of Sam and looking grim. "Mr. Hart?"

Sam stood up, letting go of Lenny's hand and wiping his suddenly sweaty palms on his jeans. "Yes, that's me. How's my wife?"

"She very ill right now, I'm sorry to say. She has a condition called Pre-Eclampsia, and it's caused her blood pressure to rocket, which is why she had a fit."

"Is there...what about the baby? I mean...is she better now? Have you given her something to make it better?" Sam asked, his face white.

The doctor shook his head. "I'm afraid there is nothing that can make this better at this stage except to deliver the baby. Once her body is free of the child then she will start to get better, but not before. Which brings me to this form," he said, holding out a clipboard with a release form on it. "I need you to sign this to say we can perform a C-section."

Sam stared at the paper and then looked back at the doctor. "Tell me honestly, will both her and the baby pull through this?"

The first smile graced the doctors face as he nodded. "If we do the procedure now, then yes. Your wife's pregnancy has only another couple of weeks to run anyway, and the child appears to be healthy. It's your wife we're more concerned about at the moment, and if you want me to be honest, then I must tell you that it isn't unusual for the unborn child to die if the birth isn't brought forward. Hence the C-section."

Sam nodded and immediately signed his name at the bottom of the page, handing it back to the doctor. "Do whatever you have to do, but make her better, please."

The older man patted him on the shoulder and smiled again. "We'll do that. Don't worry so much now, everything will be fine. The operation is minor and won't take too long." He walked back into the room and after a few more minutes Rachel was wheeled out on the bed, her face flushed but peaceful as she was unconscious. Sam stood and watched them wheel her away, his eyes holding a wealth of pain and worry. "God, Lenny, what if she dies? How the hell do I go on if she dies?"

Lenny felt tears fill her eyes and she stood up, wrapping one arm around his waist and hugging him. "You heard the doctor, she'll be just fine...and so will the baby, you'll see. In just a little while you'll be a Daddy," she said, trying to sound confident, but secretly she wondered about how everything would turn out.

"God, I hope you're right," he murmured, watching as a nurse approached them with a smile.

"Mr Hart? Would you like to come down to the operating theatre? We have a small family room there where you can wait. I'm afraid only you will be able to come down though," the nurse said, sending a regretful glance to Lenny.

"That's okay," Lenny said, giving a shaky smile. "I'll wait in the waiting room up here, you go and make sure she's okay." She gave Sam a push towards the nurse and then bit her lip as she watched him walk off. She didn't notice Kevin walk up behind her and she jumped when she heard him speak.

"What's going on?" he asked, handing her a cup of coffee and then putting another one down that he had bought for Sam.

"Rachel's gone to have a C-section...she has Pre-Eclampsia," Lenny said, staring up at him with watery eyes. "She's really ill."

Kevin frowned and put up one big hand, cupping her cheek with it and stroking his thumb over her chin. "Will she be okay?"

Lenny sniffed and nodded. "The doctor said it would all be fine once she's had the baby, but Sam's so worried."

Kevin frowned. He wondered how he would feel if anything happened to someone he loved, and he imagined he would go out of his mind with worry. If something happened to Lenny...he shook his head and dropped his hand suddenly, trying to mask the horror in his eyes. He didn't love Lenny...Christ, he hadn't been able to stand the sight of her until just recently so where the hell were his errant thoughts taking him? But the big grey eyes that were looking up at him seeking reassurance instantly softened him and he touched her face again, helplessly pulling her against him and giving her a cuddle, a deep sigh puffing out of him as he let himself enjoy the feel of her snuggling up to him. He knew that fate was pulling him in a direction he wasn't altogether sure he wanted to go, and he wondered what to do about it. One thing was for certain, he would not allow himself to fall in love with Lenny. And if he had to stay away from her to make sure it didn't happen, then that was what he would have to do, no matter how oddly panicked that made him feel. He felt more and more sure that perhaps a return to how they used to be was called for...but for now she was upset, and she needed someone. Since there was no-one else around, then that someone was him.

********

Time passed slowly as they waited for news, and Kevin found himself sitting next to Lenny in the waiting room and holding her hand, his thumb stroking over the soft skin of her knuckles. His head was still spinning with thoughts about what to do...but his body knew exactly where it wanted to be, and it was currently settled very comfortably right next to her. Which didn't exactly help him as he was trying to formulate a plan so she would suddenly hate him again. He figured that if she hated him, then she wouldn't get anywhere near him to tempt him, and he would be able to keep his distance with ease. Because if she liked him, she would forever be around and he suddenly realised he didn't have any will power to resist her. He almost laughed at that. Him, the big man, the ladykiller...unable to resist a tiny scrap of a thing with enormous soulful grey eyes and plump kissable lips and enticing curves...He groaned and squeezed his eyes shut, trying to stop himself from picturing her naked again, but it was virtually impossible.

"Are you okay?" she asked him softly, making his eyes snap open as he looked at her.

"I...I'm...er...fine," he mumbled, tearing his eyes away with some difficulty and trying to think of other things. He had to make her hate him, and he had to do it fast, or he'd end up carrying her off to his own home and locking her in with him forever.

Lenny frowned as she looked at him, wondering if he was as worried about Rachel as she was. She decided he must be, because he looked really odd. Her attention was snapped away from him as the waiting room door opened and Sam walked in.

"How is everything?" Lenny asked instantly, leaping up and grabbing his hands.

"It's...fine. Everything's okay. Rachel woke up and she's going to be fine after a few days in here. And I'm a father," he said, sounding shell-shocked, but grinning from ear to ear.

"You are? You are! Is it a boy or a girl? Can I see it? Can I see Rachel?" Lenny asked, almost bouncing up and down in her relief and happiness for him.

Sam laughed, and behind her Kevin did too, unable to stop himself at her enthusiasm. "It's a little girl, and yes you can see her. But no, you can't see Rachel until tomorrow. She's going to get some medication to take care of her blood pressure and a good night's sleep."

"A girl? Oh, that's so sweet. What are you going to call her? Rachel couldn't think of any girl's names could she? I know she had lots for a boy....." Lenny's voice trailed off down the hall as Sam took her to see his new baby, and Kevin slowly followed them, his eyes dropping to the soft globes of Lenny's ass in her jeans as she walked along. It was almost a shame that he couldn't let their relationship...or whatever it was...continue any further, because she was starting to look sexier and sexier to him every time he looked at her. He briefly wondered if he was losing his mind, or if she was a witch, before he picked up her voice again and couldn't help but smile as she fired off hundreds of questions to her brother.

Before long they were standing in front of the glass window of the nursery, and Sam was pointing out the tiny bundle that he had fathered. A nurse obligingly picked up the infant and showed them her face, smiling broadly as she watched the reactions of the three people behind the glass. Sam grinned proudly, looking slightly stunned. Kevin's mouth dropped open a tiny bit as he stared down at the tiny baby girl, feeling a tug in his gut as he wondered if he'd ever have one of those. And Lenny smiled, laughed...and then burst into tears as she stared at her new niece. Sam laughed and would have put his arm around her, but she turned instantly towards Kevin instead, making her brother raise his eyebrows.

Kevin gathered her up in his huge arms and rubbed her back as she cried, his head bowing down over hers as he murmured soothing nothings to her. He hadn't even thought about pushing her away, or that he didn't really want her near him anymore - or so he told himself. He didn't think about anything like that, he just did what came naturally and comforted her even though he didn't know why she was crying. When he realised what he was doing he frowned, but he didn't let her go. He knew he was going to be damned for eternity if he didn't push her away from him...and soon...but God help him she made him feel complete. His eyes lifted to Sam's above Lenny's head and the other man studied him seriously for a few seconds before nodding.

To Sam it looked like Kevin had fallen head over heels for Lenny, and he suddenly decided it was up to her what happened from now on. He wasn't going to interfere unless Kevin did something to hurt her. But by the way Kevin was holding her, he didn't think that would happen. He had never seen him act this way with another female before...in fact, he almost looked terrified, and Sam promised himself he would have a talk with him later, find out what was going on behind that usually impassive visage.

****Okay, there you go. And before anyone points anything out...and I'd be willing to bet at least one person would...I don't know all that much about Pre-Eclampsia. Some of my facts are dead on and can't be faulted...others...well, looking them up and actually doing research would have taken too long, so I wrote what I knew and made up the rest! Sorry about that, and sorry if this chapter was a little too full of thoughts and stuff. Ah well, at least it's moving forward again, even if it is only slow!****