Jarod paced the floors of the emergency room waiting for the outcome of his wife's condition. Sydney and Broots waited patiently with him.

"Mama?" Cathy cried out softly, twirling her finger around a strand of her hair, looking around the room as if waiting for her mother to walk in. Debbie who was seated in the corner, slowly got up and carried her out.

"Juice, Cathy? You want to get some juice?"

"Juice," she echoed.

"She told me last night. She was two months pregnant." Jarod sat down, his elbows on his lap, he looked down onto the floor. Sydney puts his arm around his shoulder to comfort him.

"She'll be fine, Jarod, she'll be fine," Sydney tells him. Jarod spoke in a whisper, "I don't know what I would do if something ever happened to her."

It was a couple of hours until the attending physician came out to speak to Jarod. As he was approached, from the somber look on the doctor's face, he knew. A single tear slid down his cheek as he was led into her hospital room. He paused for a moment at the foot of the bed holding in his breath for about ten seconds before exhaling slowly. She laid asleep oblivious to the turn of events that happened the last couple of hours. The pain he felt was unlike any other he's ever had.

Pulling out a chair next to her bedside, Jarod sits down, but not before giving his wife a kiss lightly on her lips. Taking hold of her hand, his fingers between hers, he softly lays his forehead down on her shoulder.

It was a few hours before she awoken. Smiling slightly at him, she looks around the room, at first unsure of her whereabouts.

"Honey," he spoke in a whisper, trying to hold back his tears.

"Where am I?" She ask in her throaty voice.

"Hospital. You were brought in early this morning."

She shut her eyes tight and opened them again. "No," her voice was soft at first. Then reality sunked in. "Noooooo," she yells, grabbing onto her stomach. "Noooooooo, the baby, my baby, our baby." She grabs his arm, fighting him as he tries to comfort her, crying uncontrollably.

"Let go of me," she yells out pushing him away. "I want my baby, don't you understand? Where's my baby?"

"Shhhhhh," he says, crying along with her, holding on to her, he embraces her tightly, rocking her back and forth, as he sat on the bed. "I'm sorry, honey, I'm so sorry."

Trembling, she wraps her arms around his neck, burying her face on his shoulders.

"I'll get them for this," she spoke out of breath, crying, her head leaned against his chest. "I-I was so worried about you...thought daddy would shoot you...then, the pain."

"Okay, honey, okay. Don't go there."

She continued, "the pain, it was so unbearable, gone to the bathroom...the blood," her cries were loud enough that Sydney and Broots stood at the doorway.

Jarod held her in his arms embracing her tightly. Her cries softened and the sound of her voice was barely a whisper. "Don't ever leave me. Cathy? Where's Cathy?"

"Debbie has her. She's fine."

Her voice grew louder. "And those bastards?"

"Your father and brother, they've been arrested. They won't be around for a very long time."

"My baby. He's gone."

Reaching for a tissue, Jarod gently wipes her tears away.

"He?"

"I was hoping for a son for you. I'm so sorry, Jarod, didn't you know what you were getting yourself into? You shouldn't have come back for me. I've given you nothing but grief since you've been with me. You deserve happiness."

"Stop it, alright? You're talking nonsense right now."

"I lost our baby. I'm sorry."

"It's not your fault, it's nobody's fault."

"Our love was forbidden from the very beginning. We shouldn't have had a life together. I've brought you nothing but misery."

"What about Cathy? We would have never had our daughter."

"I'm sorry. I'm so tired...don't know what I'm saying."

"You rest now. I'll be here when you get up, alright?"

It's been two years since that dreadful day. There were a lot of changes in their lives. Jarod no longer lived in fear of being returned back to The Centre. Mr. Parker and Lyle were no longer in existence. Sydney, Broots and Debbie were considered a part of their family and often visited each other when time permitted them to.

He lies in his crib gurgling and babbling to himself. Grabbing his foot, he places his toes in his mouth. His sparkling blue eyes follows the swaying of his mobile back and forth which hangs directly at his feet. Giggling to himself, he tries to touch it with his foot. Unsuccessfully, he rolls over, clutching the crib rails with his tiny hands.

Little Jake pulls himself up, tip-toes looking over to see what was on the other side. There on the king-sized bed laid his mommy and daddy fast asleep. Cuddling each other, they lay quietly still. Grabbing his teddy bear, he watches them. The only noise is the soft snoring coming out of his father. Taking hold of his teddy's arm, he swings it and throws it hitting Jarod. With one eye open, he looks over his wife and places his finger to his lips.

"Shhh," he tells his son. Jumping up and down, he holds out his hand to daddy.

Dragging himself out of bed, Jarod lifts his child up, flops him on the bed. He crawls his way to his mommy and lays himself atop of her.

Parker lifts her head slightly and smiles, hugging her son. "Sweetie pie, you're up."

"We're all up." Jarod mumbles as he crawls back under the covers. He felt a tug on his blanket, opening his eyes, Cathy stood staring at her father with those puppy dog eyes she inherited from him. He lets out a loud sigh.

"Okay, sweetie. Do you want to jump right in?" She smiles her dimpled smile, nods and made her way between them.

It was early morning, Parker quietly got out of bed as so not to wake her family. Pulling the quilt on them, she remembers the many restless and lonely nights. "The "Ice Queen" was now a wife and mother. Married with children and loving every bit of her life, one which she would never have imagined, a lifetime commitment to the little boy she first set her eyes on, in that glass room, at what was once home for him at The Centre.

The End