After sleeping most of the following day away, Angel carried the rest of the boxes from the baby shower up to the bedroom, save for Lindsey's, so that Buffy could finish opening them when she already started pouting how unfair all of this bed rest business was. It thankfully did cheer her up some once she started going through them, oohing and awwing over some of the new outfits, blankets, various toys but she would also get sad mentioning how she couldn't be the one to put everything in the perfect place.

He knew bed rest wasn't going to be easy on her, especially when this was only Day One and she was already starting in on how much she wished she could just do what she wanted or being worried about him having to wait on her. Of course he didn't mind one bit but she was the most stubborn woman he had ever known in his life.

He knew he would have to find some creative ways to keep her entertained soon. Both of her main doctors from the hospital had nudged at the idea she would probably be on bed rest the rest of her pregnancy, she may get more freedom in time to do small things around the house but she was high risk now so she'd be stuck just resting and recovering and keeping herself safe more than anything else.

With all of the new baby things at least that'd help he thought. They'd finally be able to finish fixing the house up and officially be prepared for when Peanut was born. The sooner the better now, too, with the risk of an early labor hanging over their heads.

Later that evening after all of the presents had been gone through, and sorted. He had moved everything from their room to the nursery, figuring he would save the task of putting everything away for tomorrow under her direction. Restless from so many hours in the bed, Buffy had decided to take a bath. Luckily the fracture in her arm wasn't too severe so the doctor had been able to put her in a soft cast so that way she could remove it and adjust from time to time.

Listening to the water running from the other room, Angel fell back on the bed, closing his eyes, he released a huge breath of air. The reality of the last week finally settling within him, he was actually starting to feel the beginnings of the weight lifting from his chest. Well until he allowed his thoughts to drift to fucking Darla, but he didn't have the mental capacity to go there again, not right now.

He was exhausted, relieved, terrified, and so damn grateful that things weren't worse concerning Buffy or the baby. Pressing his palms into his eyes, he attempted to clear his mind, allowing some of the tension to drain from his body. Except drowning out his thoughts, meant that his brain automatically concentrated on the sounds coming from the next room, the room where his wife was in their giant master tub bathing, the same one she'd skyped him from that time he was stuck in the office. The same one he had a million other memories of them together, kissing, touching, making love. All those things he shouldn't be thinking was selfish, he knew it was, but after the rollercoaster of the last week, his first instinct was still to bury himself inside of her, to lose himself in her warmth.

Feeling his dick twitch, he mentally chastised himself, suddenly the remainder of her pregnancy felt never ending. Needing a distraction, he grabbed his phone to search through the delivery options, seeing a new text from Lindsey he clicked on the notification only to have a picture of his wife's car appear on the screen. Confused, it took him a second to notice the pixelated image of someone standing there with her hood open. Even in its grainy state, he knew with every fiber of his being that it was Darla underneath the disguise.

"That's the best shot I could pull from the footage."

Damn. He knew it was Darla, Lindsey knew it was Darla, but he also knew there was no way the distorted image would be taken seriously by the police. Which was bullshit, he shouldn't have to be solely responsible for his wife's and unborn daughter's life. He wasn't sure if he had ever truly hated anyone before, but he was positive that he hated that woman. If she could even be considered that, she was evil incarnate, how he wished he could turn back time and skip ever meeting the bitch. So much about their life would be different had she never existed.

OoOoO

Lying back in the jetted tub, she hung her feet off the side of the white porcelain. After days of sitting in a hospital bed, only being allowed a quick shower a couple of times, the warm water helped to soothe her aching body.

It had barely been a day and already she could tell that this whole bedrest thing was going to suck beyond the telling of it. Unfortunately she knew that she didn't have a choice, but this was not something that she was cut out for. The remaining weeks of her pregnancy now seemed as though they had morphed into years. How was she supposed to just sit there for the next ten to twelve weeks, not to mention the fact that her doctor had stressed how imperative it was that their sexual activities cease to exist.

Which logically with everything going on, she knew that should be the last thing on her mind, and honestly with how battered and bruised she still was, she was in no way up for those activities now… but eventually she knew it would become an issue. Between all of the hustle and bustle of the hospital, and then the shower yesterday it wasn't something they had exactly had time to talk about.

Already, this morning when she woke up to his body spooned tightly against hers, she found herself questioning if she should put some space between them after feeling his very obvious arousal pressed against her. Of course Angel had ignored it, but it left lingering thoughts in her mind as to her husband's thoughts on the subject, it wasn't fair. Not that she had the slightest idea how to even attempt to broach that subject. She just knew that the next few weeks were going to be hard on him too, and she didn't want to rub his nose in it.

Watching her stomach move beneath the surface of the water, she gently pressed back against the bulge of what she could only guess was a foot… or possibly an elbow. She was always more active at night, her Daddy's late night talks probably had something to do with that. Though hopefully it was a habit they could reverse once she was actually here, but she'd read in more than one of her pregnancy books that newborns tended to keep the same schedule they had in the womb, at least for a little while.

They hadn't called Lindsey back since she was basically relegated to one floor of the house, and they had slept most of the day, so she figured it was just easier all around to stay upstairs today. Not to say she wasn't curious about what he had sent, she had no idea what it could be, but she was sure it was something to out do all others, typical Lindsey. She would have to remind Angel about it tomorrow, after they finished with everything in the nursery.

Of course the thought of her conversation with Lindsey brought up thoughts of Darla. She knew Angel was worried enough for the both of them, and the last thing her body needed was more stress, still the idea that she had really attempted to murder not only her but her unborn baby sent chills through to her core. She wanted to be strong, she especially didn't want to add to Angel's load by stressing him out more because she'd let herself get upset, but Darla had succeeded in making her feel exactly like her deranged brother had before her… a victim.

OoOoO

She waited until her fingers were pruned and the water had cooled before she decided to kick the drain up with her foot. Grabbing the fluffy white towel she'd laid out, she quickly wrapped one around her body, before using the other to towel dry her hair. Wiping the steam from the mirror, she took a second to asses the damage now that she finally felt as though she'd been able to scrub all of the grime off her.

The image before her probably wasn't as shocking as it would have been had she not already survived through the horror of her previous accident. She hoped nothing she would face from here on out would compare to what she looked like back in Texas but that didn't mean she wanted any of this either.

Carefully, she inspected her face down her throat, and on to her collarbone and shoulder with a number of winces and frowns in the process.

The long, hot bath had at least helped ease some of the overall aches and pains but she knew it was going to be a long while until she felt normal.

OoOoO

Walking into the bedroom, Buffy looked sheepishly over at Angel when their eyes met. He took in the new and improved look and she didn't miss the flash of lust in his eyes at seeing her still only in the towel and suddenly thought maybe she should have brought a change of clothes with her into the bathroom. Not that she thought she could even get dressed on her own however.

Angel cleared his throat and stood, asking her if she was alright. "I'm supposed to help you in and out of the bathtub, you know," he reminded her and she grumbled.

"I know. I just want to feel a little normal and I was careful," she promised as she found a new pair of panties and one of Angel's shirts and placed them down on the bed before sitting down her own self on the edge.

Angel came around to the other side and took a seat beside her, grabbing one of her hands up with his own. "Do you feel any better?"

"Physically? Yes, a little bit. Not so sure mentally," she admitted, leaning her head against his shoulder. "Too much on my mind."

"Wanna talk about it?"

She shook her head a little. "There's just so much and not for tonight. Maybe tomorrow we can deal with it all."

He just turned his head slightly so he could kiss the top of her head and make a noise of agreement. "You need help changing?"

Buffy sighed. She knew she more than likely did but it brought up those worries about him back to the forefront.

He seemed to pick up on the uneasiness and pulled back to really look at her. "What's going on in that pretty head of yours?"

She sighed again, looking down at her lap. "It's silly. I just... it seems unfair to you, especially all this having to take care of me like this."

"You're my wife, Buffy. You're hurt and I love you... of course I'm supposed to take care of you. I want to," he responded, a hint of confusion in his tone.

"I know," she told him softly. "I just mean... we can't... you know... and having to help me change and supposed to help with getting in and out of the bathtub or shower or whatever..."

"Buffy," he cut her off, his body turning slightly toward her. He said her name again and she finally lifted her eyes to meet his. "Please don't tell me you're sitting around being worried - of all things right now - about thinking you're somehow harming me with this."

"A little. I mean, it's not like we can have sex... probably for the rest of this pregnancy... and then there's the weeks after she's born..." She cursed the little blush that she felt creeping up to her cheeks.

"Buffy. I'm gonna live," he told her, his eyebrows creasing together. "I think we all know this isn't the ideal situation but it's not the end of the world. I am forever attracted to you, and that isn't going to change for anything... but it's okay. I can in fact control myself."

"I know," she cut in, feeling more ridiculous by the moment now. "It just feels like I'm teasing you somehow."

"I think we both know when you intend to tease," he told her with a small smirk. "I am going to live," he repeated. "It's not like we haven't gone without touching one another before at various times. I mean, we were at each others' throats and then divorced and apart for a very long time there..." he trailed off. "It's not going to bother me to take care of you, Buffy. It's all I want to do in this life."

Doing his best to prove to her that he wasn't going to be as frustrated as she imagined in her head, Angel had carefully helped her get dressed after a few more moments passed between them. "I'm just thankful you're both okay," he whispered. His hand lingered on her bare stomach for a moment before finishing getting the large shirt on over her head and smoothed down.

OoOoO

Not feeling up to the idea of being carried back up and down the stairs again, Buffy was put in charge of handling the phone while Angel headed downstairs to finally get to Lindsey's gift. He'd already got a billion things for the two of them so Angel wasn't even sure what to expect.

Truth be told, he had kept expecting to come home to a minivan in the driveway sent by the asshole.

Then again... there was still time.

They all chatted for a couple minutes before Lindsey told him to get on with it and Buffy smiled brightly and gave a thumbs up so he started working on it.

Angel thought his first set of gifts had been a big deal but it seemed like inside the large box was coming in hot too as he kept pulling endless items out. He was starting to think this kid would be taken care of into her toddler years with all the new outfits, shoes, a bounce chair, playmats, jumper seat, infant toys, and everything else two expecting parents could possibly ever need. He didn't miss the handful of personalized "Lindsay" items thrown in the mix either.

"You do too much for us, you know that?" Buffy said, turning the camera her way for a moment.

"Nah," Lindsey brushed it off. "Never too much for my favorite-"

"I wouldn't finish that!" Angel yelled.

Lindsey's smile brightened. "I don't have to say it. We all know what the truth is without me having to say it out loud."

Angel just grumbled some curses as he tried to straighten out the mess he made with all the new goodies. He was thankful when Lindsey never mentioned anything else about Darla. He was hoping just to save all the serious talk for at least another night if it could be helped. His brain just needed a little break from everything going on around them and he was sure she felt the same. Tomorrow was always a new day and they could start trying to sort through all the new discoveries and come up with a new plan of action.

He could also look to the better new beginnings as well come tomorrow as they could now officially start getting the house prepared for the little one. And he and Buffy could work out any new routine they might need with her pretty much being confined to the bed and having to rest most of the day.

OoOoO

As he'd expected Buffy hadn't taken too well to the rules and regulations of bedrest. It wasn't too bad the first few days when she was still catching up on the sleep she'd missed from the hospital. But now that she was once again well rested, and some of her more minor injuries began to heal, he could tell she was beginning to go a bit stir crazy, especially the last day or so.

Every single piece of baby equipment, furniture, every onesie, blanket, and bottle had been cleaned or sanitized and put away, ready for the baby. Their living room now came fully equipped with a swing, bouncer, and some diaper caddy that Buffy insisted they needed for down stairs.

The nursery was officially decorated and fully functioning, her dresser was neatly organized by size, and her crib was now fully dressed in the lady bug bedding Lindsey had sent. He had even cleared a space in their room, and got the bassinet set up. All they were missing now was the baby… who hopefully despite all of their preparations would hold off for a while longer.

Buffy's first visit since being released from the hospital was with Dr. Laurence today, he knew she was anxious to see if the tear had healed at all, and if any of her restrictions would be lifted. She had sprung from the bed the second his alarm went off, well as fast as she could spring at the moment. Regardless, she was getting ready for the doctor as though it was prom 2.0.

Checking his watch for the third time, he was about to remind her that they were going to be late, but when he looked up all the air seemed to be sucked from his lungs. She stood before him appearing as though she was a goddess, dressed in another one of her new maternity dresses, he could barely even see the remnants of her bruises through her makeup. If it wasn't for the brace, he never would have guessed she'd even been in an accident. Clearing his throat in an attempt to find his voice, he stood up from the bed, his arms immediately reaching for her.

"Someone's feeling better."

Swaying in his arms, she smiled brightly up at him. "Little bit. Besides I have a feeling these doctor visits may just become the highlight of my week."

Trailing his hands down the curve of her hips, he reached around, playfully grabbing her ass through the flowy material of her dress. "Mmm, I thought I was the highlight of your week."

That elicited a laugh from her, wrapping her arms around him, she quickly took his bottom lip between her own. Slipping her tongue out to duel with his for just a second before breaking away, she smiled as she slowly pushed him back. "Come on, Mr. Don't worry about me, I can control myself… we're going to be late."

OoOoO

Thankfully the car ride to her appointment was once again uneventful, though he still wasn't comfortable with her in the car. He really wasn't sure if thay anxiety would ever go away, he'd even googled a few private driving services, though she had quickly shut that idea down.

There was a swift knock, then Dr. Laurence's smiling face appeared in the doorway. They had all exchanged quick pleasantries, Dr. Laurence even taking the time to ask Buffy how her surprise shower had gone as she looked over her chart.

"How are you feeling? Any cramps, bleeding?"

Buffy shook her head, "Nope.".

"Okay, well that's definitely a good sign. Let's take a peek at that baby, and see how things are looking."

Angel helped Buffy lay back against the padded table, spreading a sheet across her lower half as she bunched up her dress to expose her belly.

Dr. Laurence pulled the now familiar ultrasound device next to them, and squirted a generous amount of the blue gel across her abdomen. Pressing the wand to her, a picture of their daughter's profile instantly appeared on the screen.

"Looks like she's still sucking that thumb."

Dr. Laurence took her time taking quite a few measurements of both the baby, and the tear Buffy had suffered. Angel and Buffy both just enjoyed watching their daughter wiggle on the screen in front of them, as if to prove that she was in fact okay.

"Well everything looks good from what I can see. The tear actually seems to be healing really well, according to your chart, it's shrunk by a few centimeters since your last scan in the hospital. At this point I honestly couldn't ask for anything more."

Sharing a quick smile with Angel, she used the sheet to clean the gunk off of her stomach, as Angel helped her to sit back up. "Good, as in good enough to modify my restrictions," she asked hopefully.

Just from the little bit that she'd gotten to know Buffy, Dr. Laurence knew she was going to have a hard time on restriction. "I really don't want to get too far ahead of ourselves Buffy. Though you are healing, we're not in the clear yet. A hard fall, possibly even a good contraction could open the tear and cause you to start bleeding again. It's imperative that we get through the next four to six weeks, then we can reevaluate. If you continue to heal at this rate, the tear may even resolve itself within another month or so, that would be ideal, at that point we could probably lift all of your restrictions, but until then I urge you to just keep doing as you have been."

Chewing on the skin of her bottom lip, Buffy let out a long sigh. At least there was a light at the end of the tunnel, four to six weeks sounded a whole lot better than ten to twelve. "What about the stairs?"

Dr. Laurance looked from Angel and back to Buffy again as though she was trying to find the right words. "I feel comfortable enough to give you freedom to roam around the house, as long as Angel's there in case you fall," she told them, glancing at him pointedly, before returning her attention to Buffy. "Now that doesn't mean you can pull out the vacuum, or even stand at the sink long enough to do the dishes. I really would like for you to spend another week resting as much as possible, I think by this time next week we could really be on our way out of the danger zone, but that's going to be up to you."

Shaking her head in agreement, she was just glad she had permission to walk up and down the damn stairs again. It almost made her feel like an invalid being trapped to one floor or the other without Angel's help. Plus, she just knew she would feel better knowing she could eat a meal at the table, or watch a movie in the living room without questioning if it was too much for her body.

Dr. Laurence instructed them to stop by the front desk on their way out to schedule their following appointment and reminded them to pick up a copy of the paperwork and a print out of some of the new ultrasound photos she'd snapped for them to take home on their way out.

OoOoO

Even though she was given permission to at the very least take the stairs in their home as needed, and even though Angel was very much right beside her when it was given and they both knew he heard the words that were spoken, Buffy still found him hovering behind her when she made her way toward them. She rolled her eyes as she watched him pretend to be cleaning while she cautiously made her way back down the final few bottom steps and returned to the large mess she had been making while working on their baby book some more.

She took her seat back on the fluffy sofa and after a few moments Angel returned to the kitchen to finish cooking. She shook her head and just tried to keep herself entertained since she knew there was no way she could really help out or anything.

Grabbing her phone, she snapped a few new photos of the state of the house from where she sat before she forgot yet again, too. She loved the new set up he'd managed to create to make way for the baby. He had also just about finished with all the safety locks and features she knew they didn't need to have worked out just yet but she did figure they might as well get things ready now rather than wait and wind up scrambling to do it later.

Rubbing a hand on her busy stomach, she smiled, imagining when life was both back to normal and yet anything but because their little one would finally be out in the world with them. The house being put together made her excited beyond belief. She had also just got her and Angel's bags put together in the past couple of days for when they needed to get to the hospital.

The only thing really keeping her from going completely crazy with this whole limitations on what she was able to do was knowing it was the best thing for the baby. Otherwise, she doubted she'd really be listening. But this wasn't about just her and that was a huge difference in her mind. After today she did feel a little more hopeful that she would have more freedom to move around and live a little more normally in the weeks to come.

Buffy knew there were many things her doctor just wasn't going to budge on at any point given all that had happened but that was okay, what she could get she would relish in. So many little things she realized she was taking for granted before all this mess!

Her eyes drifted toward the kitchen and she couldn't help but fall more in love with that damn husband of hers as she watched him move endlessly around the kitchen and dining room trying to make everything perfect. Angel had been endlessly amazing through all of this. She had yet to hear him utter a single complaint about any of it... be it constantly cleaning, putting things together, making sure she was able to get from one level of the house to the other, cooking...

He worried all the time about her and the baby, to the point she wanted to smack him at times with his hovering and how stressed out he always seemed when he didn't think she was looking. Buffy also knew his worries went well beyond just the health concerns and she had more than enough of those of her own but she tried to just not let it eat her alive. One of the good things about being stuck at home and with her personal bodyguard husband here was having never felt more safe.

Angel had at least loosened up as of late of being more intimate with her. Sex was still very much off the table and she hated the idea that it may remain that way for way too many months but he felt more comfortable lately with a number of heavy make out sessions, he had also been setting up silly and sweet "dates" they could do in their situation just around the house. It wasn't the same and she missed their every day lives together but she had to admit she was enjoying all the randomness he was coming up with just to try and keep her happy.

OoOoO

Angel knew she had been joking and teasing him with the invitation, but once he was done drying the dishes he headed upstairs, quietly stripped his clothes off once he got to the bathroom, and heard her giggle as he pulled the shower curtain back and stepped inside the tub behind her.

"What are you doing?" she asked as he pulled her body back into his.

"Mmm, taking a shower with my wife?" he answered. his hands already roaming her naked, wet body.

"But we can't-"

"I know," he said softly. He wasn't sure how smart this idea was going to wind up being but he really didn't give it much thought beforehand. Angel kissed down the side of her neck before stepping back and getting some of her shampoo into his palm and he began working his fingers through her hair and massaging her head. Buffy leaned back against him again, her head tilting as a smile took over her face.

Angel helped rinse her hair out before repeating the same motions with her conditioner before moving on to the bottle of her favorite body wash and let his hands roam over her small body. He ate up every small gasp or shiver, how her muscles would finally relax as he worked them under his fingers.

Buffy turned around to face him, making sure all of the bubble remains had been washed back away and she asked if it was her turn. Angel smirked a little down at her but he shook his head. Instead, he cupped her face, and kissed her quickly before stepping back out to let her finish her shower in peace.

Buffy's head popped out from the corner of the curtain and she pouted at him. "The world isn't going to end if you let me touch you, too, you know."

He chuckled as he reached for a towel and began drying off. "Hey, I happen to know exactly where you want to be touching me, woman," he joked.

"And I am allowed!" she argued. "There's nothing wrong with your body, Angel, just mine."

Angel shook his head. "Nope. I am as off limits as you are," he told her, not for the first time since she had been released from the hospital. She'd bridged this conversation already with him and he couldn't get on board with the idea of her being left frustrated.

As he started to get dressed, Buffy's head disappeared, slipping back to the other side of the curtain as she muttered some threats and promises that she was going to get him over this line of thinking sooner or later. "Just you wait mister," she shouted over the water as she heard him exiting the bathroom.

She knew sex was off limits, and basically anything else that involved her pleasure, no orgasms for Buffy. But now that she was feeling better, she found herself missing her husband more everyday, not in the physical sense as he had been by her side non stop since the accident, but she missed touching him, she missed all the small acts of intimacy they were now unable to share.

She could tell it was starting to get to him too, as though his little cameo in the shower wasn't evidence enough, she'd noticed the last few mornings he was quick to hop from the bed, almost as if he was trying to put some distance between them. She understood his frustrations, but she hated the distance she felt was growing between them, and she was bound and determined to put a stop to it.

ButImBroken:

Cowritten with Scribes1015!