"I know-" Roger reply with all the calm he could muster. "I know it's her- and I know- I know how you feel but you have to trust me now." He took a deep breath and urged Gregory to do the same. "I can treat her pain, but I don't want to put her pregnancy at further risk. Poor baby's under enough stress from the muscle spasms in her uterus."

Gregory's eyes flashed wildly back towards the curtain when Olivia cried out again, and this time she continued sobbing. Roger could tell he was losing the battle to keep Gregory's attention. "You listen to me now. I'm going to find out what's happening to her, and you are going to go in there and keep her calm. Tell her she's going to be all right. Tell her the baby's going to be all right and keep telling her until she believes you."

Removing his stethoscope from his neck, he pressed it into Gregory's hands. "I was saving this for your next appointment, but if you help her listen to her baby's heart I'm sure she'll calm right down." Releasing his shoulders Roger pushed him back towards the curtain. "I'll be back as soon as I know anything. You hit the emergency call button if she gets worse."

Bette was whispering to Olivia as she sobbed hysterically into her shoulder. The eccentric blonde had the look of desperation she only got when she was truly overwhelmed. His wife's shoulders were visibly shaking under Bette's caring hands, and he wanted to shove her aside and hold her. He needed to hold her.

The nurse standing nearby moved aside as he walked back in, plastering a warm smile on his face. "Thanks for being here for her Bette." He brushed her shoulder as he sat down on the bed at her side.

Still crying, trembling under the stress of her pain, Olivia opened her eyes at the feel of his hands on her shoulders. "Roger's down in the lab. He says you're going to be fine."

Shaking her head, her chin quivered as she stared at him in desperation. She wanted to hope. "But our baby- god, Gregory something's wrong with our baby and it's all my fault."

"No." Holding her against his chest, he lay down next to her. Gregory wrapped his arms around her. "No sweetheart, the baby's fine."

"But it hurts." She yanked her hand out of his grasp to hold the stabbing pain in her lower belly. "It hurts."

He unfolded the fingers of her fist, letting her clench down on his hand instead of the sheet she held balled up. "I know Liv and I am sorry, but you have to hang on."

Writhing from her side to lie on her back, she fixed her eyes on his. Gregory kept his gaze steady, pristinely calm. "Roger gave you something to help the baby. The baby's fine. You just hold on to me until he figures out how to help you."

"The baby-" The pain shot up again and he had to listen, helpless, as her breath hissed sharply in the back of her throat, preventing her from speaking. Gregory placed one end of the stethoscope in his ear and started to warm the flat metal end of it in his hand.

"Liv, the baby's going to be fine." Her stomach was sensitive and just the touch of his hand brought new tears to her eyes and another one of those terrible gasps. Gregory apologized with a kiss on her cheek. Finding the delicate rushing of the baby's heartbeat reminded him of the first time he had heard Caitlin. His life had changed forever in that moment, his world had expanded to accommodate the new life who depended on him, just as this new baby did.

Tucking the stethoscope carefully in her ears, he waited for the beautiful relief to fill her eyes. "That's our baby. Sweetheart, that's our baby." Gregory kissed her forehead, knowing his promise was as much for himself as it was for her. "He's safe and he's going to stay that way. No matter what I have to do. Believe me, Olivia."

"Oh darling." She could feel the new, quiet tears on her skin, followed by the softness of his lips as he smoothed them away. Gregory had a way with her sorrow that made it bearable, no matter how terrible it was. For all his difficulties with his own emotions, hers were something he could handle. Something he could take care of. The warm confidence in his gaze strengthened her heart. "I do, Gregory. I do believe you."

He danced his fingers lazily across her forehead, pleased and touched "You're just going to keep crying, aren't you?"

Olivia nodded, tilting her head into his chest and the smell of cologne and fabric softener from his oxford shirt. "I can't describe how horrified I was, how frightened- Gregory, I'd rather die then lose this baby."

Cold clamped around his heart. "Don't say that-" Fear made his eyes look glassy until he blinked it back with a bravely cheerful smile. "I think the baby needs you to stay right where you are Liv." The tip of his nose tickled her ear. "I know I do."

Caitlin sank into a chair beside Bette, sighing heavily. She wanted to go home. She didn't want to be stuck here in the hospital, listening to everyone flutter around worrying about her mother. Olivia's collapse could not have been more convenient. Her father, who was supposed to be protecting her and worrying about her, ran out of the room without even looking twice at her the moment he heard about her mother.

Cole sat down on her other side, he hid a grin behind his hand and reached for a magazine. This carefully choreographed miscarriage was taking too long. Hadn't Gregory and his doctor friend realized yet that it was a lost cause? AJ knew what he was doing, but the stubborn streak in the Richards family ran deep.

"I never thought I'd have to do this again." Bette thought aloud to herself. Cole realized immediately what was on her mind, but it took a few moments for Caitlin to see the opportunity in front of them.

"Do what again?" She finally asked with innocent curiosity. "Has mom been in the hospital before with this baby?" Bette took a second to answer, giving Caitlin enough time to get indignant. "God, having this baby is killing her isn't it?"

"No beauty, no, don't think that. She's not going to lose this baby." Bette fidgeted with her hands. Cole could watch her thinking, see the train of thought as she made the decision he'd been waiting for. "I was just- she did lose a baby." Touching Caitlin's hand, Bette remembered the little girl she'd held in the hospital waiting room while her parents lost their hope, all those years ago.

"And it was awful. One of the worst days of my life- of hers- of everyone's. Everything was going so well." Bette fished her lacy handkerchief out of her purse and crumpled it in her hand. "Your parents were so thrilled. Especially your father, he loved you so much, he just couldn't wait to have another baby." Bette sighed, taking Caitlin's hand inside hers and squeezing it. "But it wasn't mean to be. Livie had a miscarriage at five and a half months. It was terrible beauty, just terrible. She nearly died and everything fell apart."

"That was when she started drinking?" Disapproval dripped from her voice. "After she lost the baby?"

"After the miscarriage, even your parents weren't sure if their marriage was going to make it. They turned away from each other and your mother started drinking to fill the gap." Bette brushed the golden hair back from Caitlin's shoulders, smiling sadly. "But she's done with that now beauty. Don't you worry. Everything is going to be fine. Just fine."

"I hope so." The quiet look on Caitlin's face could have meant anything. Bette took it for pain and wrapped the young woman in a hug. Cole knew better. He knew she was thinking and he knew what to say to push her over the edge.

She held her for a long time. Wishing she could take the pain away from the whole suffering family. "I'm going to go keep an eye out for Roger. Get the news as quickly as I can. You take care of her now Julian."

Cole nodded, slipping easily back into his French accent. "I hope you and Dr. Baxter have good news for us soon. Caitlin's very concerned about her mother."

Bette paused near the door up from the laboratory, lying in wait for the good doctor at the sill of a window. She dabbed at the front of her red suit coat with a golden handkerchief. Olivia's tears had soaked through to her blouse beneath, but she wouldn't be able to deal with that until she got home to change. Hopefully sooner rather later, she'd already had enough of hospitals for the next few months.

Though with Olivia pregnant and that bastard still after her- Bette banished the thought. No one was prepared for a loss like that now. Not so close on the heels of Alex Mitchum's death. "You know we need this little one don't you big G?"

"I'm sure I don't have to remind you that it's not just Greg and Livie either. There's a group of people wandering around outside that hospital room who are really counting on that baby to mend a lot of wrongs." She chuckled to herself as she watched the sailboats in the harbor through the window. "I know it's a lot to put on a very tiny set of shoulders, but she has a hell of a lot of potential to draw on. You know her parents have strength, just make sure she gets her fair share of that, and she'll be fine."

"You know, I think there's something in the water that makes people talk to themselves in this town?" Roger teased as he took her arm and started leading her towards the emergency room at a brisk walk. "No one talked to themselves nearly this much in Manchester and the weather was better."

"Better?" She burst out laughing in relief. If Roger was happy enough to joke with her, Olivia's test results must have been good. "What could possibly be better than California sunshine? The fog and rain of Northern England?"

"There's variety in northern England. Here it's sunshine, sunshine, sunshine all the time. Snow has character. It floats down, it plays with you. It can be comforting or driving and bitter." He took the stairs instead of the elevator down to the first floor. "Sunshine's just too happy all the time. Doesn't change with your mood the way English weather, proper weather, does."

"Speaking of mood, you must have good news in that clandestine little folder of yours." Bette jogged a few steps to keep up as they hurried down a back hallway. "Livie's all right?"

Roger's green eyes twinkled, and if he'd had more time he would have spun her around in glee. "She's fine. I already called up to have Dr. Leigh take care of what that bastard used to poison her. We're past crisis and into revenge now."

She pulled him to a stop. "You sound like Greggie."

"You may not be his biggest fan, but the man is right some of the time." Roger kissed the bridge of her nose. "This is one of those times." They continued at his frenzied pace down the corridor, stopping just outside the double doors into emergency. "Now, Stanley, my fearless cohort, I can trust you to follow my lead?"

Bette finally got a chance to tuck her handkerchief away in her pocket. "Always anything for you Livingston."

"Good." A furtive glance made sure no one could hear him but her. "Olivia was poisoned with a drug called pitocin. I know you have a million questions, but bare with me. Suffice it to say, it means that Cole not only knows how to hurt her and the baby, but he also got access to her when only the people on the other side of that door knew where she was."

Bette whispered mysteriously back. "So there's a traitor?"

"A traitor, a bugging system. Something shady's going on, and we have to flush it out." Roger was in full plotting mode now, eyes shining with purpose. "So we lie. We fudge the truth, we sneak her away and make sure no one but you, Gregory and I know where she is. And I need your help."

"Wipe the smile off your face." He ordered as his own expression became grimly serious. "I've just told you that I'm sending your best friend away to a clinic, in a last-ditch effort to save her baby that will most likely fail and destroy her life. I have to be professional, but you-"

Her shocked gasp was perfect and the tears threatening her waterproof mascara were just the right touch. Roger nodded, pleased with her unwavering trust. "I'll owe you." He pushed open the door with a slow hand, his expression grim and quiet.

Caitlin, Julian, Casey and Heather jumped to their feet. "I wish there was an easier way to do this, but there's no way around bad news."