Sandra was sick again that Christmas Eve after she and Danny had gone to bed.

They had stayed up late to help the McCawley's fill the stockings and put the presents under the tree after the kids has been put to bed for the night. Evelyn had told Sandra they were old enough that they understood about Santa Claus and it was the one night of the year that she could get them to bed without any fuss.

Her stomach had started to turn over as they had said goodnight and headed up the stairs but as they got ready for bed, the nausea had passed. She thought that she would be all right.

She was wrong.

Sandra didn't know what time it was as she felt her stomach start to roll again and she knew without a doubt that it wasn't going to pass this time. She looked over at her husband as he slept and couldn't help but smile. They had waited for so long to get married and for everything that went along with it. But they had more than made up for it since their wedding night and the thought of that made her flush.

She got up as quietly as she could and got into her slippers before she got her robe from the foot of the bed and slipped her arms into the sleeves. She was thankful for the fire that burned in the fireplace because the warmth of the room made it easier for her to rush to the bathroom.

She barely had time to turn on the bathroom tap.

Sandra couldn't help but think as she drew a shaky hand across her damp forehead that she hoped her entire pregnancy wouldn't have her in the bathroom, if that were indeed what it was. Another wave hit that didn't feel as urgent and when it was finished, she sighed. She sat on the floor and waited to see if her stomach would finally settle and when she felt steady enough, she stood up.

It was inevitable that Danny would wake up without her there. He'd told her a couple of months earlier that he had gotten used to her being with him at night and when she wasn't next to him, he didn't sleep well. She heard a knock on the door as she brushed her teeth and when it opened, he was there and looked more concerned than ever.

"I'm sorry Danny, I didn't mean to wake you." She could feel her face flush as she put her toothbrush away.

"You all right?" He asked her as he stepped inside.

Sandra nodded. "I'm all right." She told him before she splashed some cold water on her face.

"I'd feel better if you'd go to a doctor while we're here. Then we'd know for sure what' s goin' on."

She couldn't help but laugh. "If I am pregnant going to the doctor isn't going to help. He'll just tell me that it's a part of having a baby and it'll pass."

He put his arms around her and sighed. "I'm bein' a pain in the ass, I know."

"You're being a caring husband Danny and I love you for it."

He pulled away from her to look into her eyes. "I just don't know what I would do if I lost you. We waited for such a long time."

It suddenly dawned on her why he was so worried and she hugged him. "Try not to worry about this. Having a baby is a perfectly natural thing and I'll come through it."

He hugged her back. "Mama almost didn't."

"But she did, didn't she and she was fine after that." Sandra tried to comfort him. She hadn't seen him so agitated since he thought Rafe had been killed in England. "Let's go back to bed, I'm really tired."

He let go of her and she walked out of the bathroom. He shut off the light before he put an arm around her shoulders and walked with her back to the bed. She took her robe off and sat down on the edge.

Danny sat down next to her and took her hand. "I never really understood until tonight how Daddy must have felt when Mama died. But if anythin' ever happened to you..." He didn't finish his thought.

She put her head down on his shoulder. "There really isn't any reason to be so concerned. I'm a healthy girl and I shouldn't have any trouble."

"From the first night when we talked in that nightclub I've never felt alone because I knew that you were somewhere nearby. I know you think I'm makin' too much of your bein' sick but you're my family now and it's my job to take care of my family." He sighed again.

"And I love you so much because of that." She smiled before she sat up. "Let's go back to bed."

"All right honey." He nodded as he stood up and went around to his side of the bed while Sandra got in on her side. He turned off his bedside lamp and reached for her.

Sandra put her arms around him and kissed his cheek and they went back to sleep.

When she awoke again, Sandra heard whispers outside of the bedroom door. If she didn't know better, it was Evelyn and the children. She looked over at Danny and he was sound asleep and it concerned her that he had a frown on his face. He usually looked so peaceful when he slept.

The door opened slowly and three sleepy faces peeked in. "Merry Christmas." They all whispered.

"Merry Christmas." Sandra whispered back and with a smile sat up as quietly as she could. Danny was always up early to be at the base, so she wanted him to have the chance to sleep in as late as he wanted. She put her slippers on and after she got up, put her robe on. She put a finger to her lips and the children seemed to understand.

When she'd stepped out into the hall, she closed the door and she walked downstairs with the McCawley's.

"You don't look so good." Evelyn observed as the children disappeared ahead of them.

"I was sick again." Sandra flushed. "And Danny is starting to worry already."

"Rafe was the same way." She smiled.

"Ev, Danny's mother almost died in childbirth and it worries him that it could happen to me."

Evelyn looked surprised. "I'm sorry Sandra, I didn't know. But surely you explained to him that this is all a part of being pregnant."

She nodded. "Logically I'm sure he knows that. But the possibility of our having a baby seems to be bringing up a lot of feelings and fears that I'm sure he thought he dealt with."

Evelyn tucked her arm through Sandra's and they walked down to the parlor. The tree was lit and the kids had packages in their hands. They begged their mother to open them and she smiled at shook her head. "Not yet. It's not time."

They frowned but made no other protest.

"How do you do that?"

She smiled. "We just keep reinforcing the idea that it's not going to change anything if they keep asking."

"You're up." Sandra turned around and saw Sarah come in from the kitchen. "You had a bad night didn't you?"

She nodded.

Sarah took her hand. "Come into the kitchen and have some chamomile tea, it always helped me. And Evelyn can have another cup of coffee with me."

The two girls followed Sarah into the kitchen and sat down at the table while she poured Evelyn a fresh cup of coffee and made a cup of tea for Sandra before she sat down with her own cup of coffee.

"Sarah, what can you tell me about Danny's mother? He said she almost died when she had him." Sandra asked quietly before she took a sip of tea.

"He's really worried about you, isn't he?" Sarah frowned.

Sandra nodded.

She sighed. "Rachel and Cole had a hard time trying to have a family. She miscarried a couple of times before she managed to carry Danny to term and when she went into labor she had all sorts of complications. It was very serious and because of that she was told not to have any more children."

"You knew her well?"

Sarah nodded. "She would bring Danny over here all of the time and we would sit in here and have a cup of coffee and talk. She was a sweet woman and I can't help but think that she would have approved of Danny's choice because I sure do."

"Thank you Sarah, that means a lot."

"You're like her in many ways. That may be why Danny worried so much."

"What can I do?"

"Just do everything the doctor tells you to do and try not to get too impatient when that husband of yours hovers around." She smiled.

Sandra laughed before she took another sip of her tea. "All right."

Sarah smiled back. "You're looking better now."

"The tea has helped, thank you."

"You do realize that you've got two kids out there with a bunch of unopened presents?"

Sandra turned around and saw Danny as he stood in the doorway. "What are you doing up? It's still early."

His face flushed as he glanced at Sarah and then Evelyn before he looked back at her. "I don't sleep well without you, you know that."

Her own face flushed as she got up and hugged him. "Merry Christmas Danny."

"Merry Christmas honey." He smiled at her and hugged her back.

"Tom and Rafe are outside chopping some firewood, so if everyone has their coffee I think it's time we get them inside so the kids can open their presents." Sarah remarked as she stood up and headed to the kitchen door.

Evelyn got up. "I'll make sure the kids aren't into anything they shouldn't be." And she walked out of the kitchen and Danny and Sandra were alone.

"You certainly know how to clear a room Danny." Sandra smiled at him

He grinned at her. "Yea, because if you look up you'll get the idea."

She looked up and saw another sprig of mistletoe. When she looked back at Danny his grin got wider as he put his arms around her and kissed her.

"I like this tradition." She smiled as he let her go for a moment.

"Me too honey." He said as he pulled her to him and kissed her again.