:Chapter 26:

"I left for two minutes to go to the rest room and I come back to find you dancing with that man" I said hotly, gripping the steering wheel. "Jesse, we were just dancing. Besides I made my peace with him, so what could you possibly have against him?" she replied in her soothing tone. "Susannah, do you not remember what happened with him while you were in high school?" I asked. "I know, I know, but that's all in the past now. Honey, really, we were just dancing and catching up" she answered. "You know, he is engaged," she added.

"He told you that?" I questioned skeptically. "Yeah, he said he was just visiting his uncle and that he got dragged out by some of his old friends from high school" Susannah chirped with a smug expression.

"And he just happened to spot you and ask you to dance? Did you mention that you're married, and pregnant?" I asked. "Oh, I didn't have to because about two seconds after he told me he was engaged my jealous husband practically tackled the poor guy and gave him a verbal beat down like no other. In front of everyone in the entire club too" she huffed, "Jesse, I don't get it. Why are you acting like this…this macho 'I must shield my little ole wife from every guy, everywhere' man? That isn't my husband. That isn't you."

I took a calming breath and thought for a second about what Susannah had said. "I just…it's just that now that you're pregnant-" I began. "Jesse!" Susannah screeched, "just because I'm pregnant that doesn't mean that I'm suddenly any different. I'm not about to go and run off with Tad freaking Beaumont! Or any other guy for that matter. Do you really think that I'd just up and cheat on you? Especially now that I'm carrying your child!" After that rant Susannah was breathing hard and she looked really stressed out by my actions, and this argument.

"Querida" I cooed, using my own calming tone. "Don't 'querida' me! Not now, Hector" she sighed, turning away. I noticed the sharpness in her voice, and I also noticed how she'd used my formal name. It was never a good sign when she did that.

I finally pulled into our driveway about five minutes later, but neither Susannah nor I moved, even after I'd turned off the car. In the uncomfortable silence of the car I could hear Susannah crying quietly, her nose starting to run. Finally I couldn't take it anymore, so I spoke up; "Susannah, please don't cry. I'm sorry about my behavior, it's just that it seems that…that every time something good happens, something or someone comes and takes it away from me. And I tend to get very protective when I care about something a lot. But with you, it just seems like my protective feelings get even stronger" I admitted, "Don't you remember after we got back from our honeymoon and I punched that guy at the café off of main street because he kept staring at your chest?"

"Jesse" Susannah sniffled, "I remember, trust me. I still can't even think of ever stepping foot in there again. And it's sweet that you're protective, but you took things way beyond protective tonight. I mean you nearly got us kicked out of that club, and you really scared Tad…and me." At this my eyes started prickling, and I could feel tears trying to fill my eyes. In my life, and afterlife, I've only ever cried a few times. Now, my feelings, which Susannah was always telling me to let out, were about to pour out.

"Susannah" I said my voice sounding husky and filled with emotion, "I never meant to scare you. Believe me, that is the last thing I would ever want to do. I don't know what came over me earlier, but I am truly sorry, and I hope that you can find it in your heart to forgive me." When she didn't respond after a few heart-wrenching moments, I had to get out of the car.

I quickly exited the car and closed the door behind me. 'How could I have done that? I really upset her this time. What am I doing?' I thought as I paced through the front yard.

Light footsteps alerted me that Susannah had gotten out of the car and was just a few feet behind me. I turned around to face her, expecting either a hug and kiss to make up or a continuation of the fight. But I noticed the color had drained from Susannah's face and she looked a little panicked.

"Jesse" Susannah said faintly from near the car, her legs looking like they could barely hold her up, "I'm not feeling too well." I rushed to her side and steadied her, pulling her into my arms. "Susannah, what's wrong? Are you dizzy? Do you feel nauseated?" I asked urgently, smoothing back her hair. "All of the above" she answered weakly, staring down at her hands in shock.

"Do you want to lie down? Or…hospital! I could take you to the hospital" I replied, looking at her blood-smeared hands. "No, you know how I feel about hospitals" she responded, her words coming out slurred, "just let me lie dow-" She just completely went limp, fainting in my arms. "Susannah!" I cried, lifting her head. She didn't respond at all, so I quickly carried her back to the car and got her into the passenger seat.

In that instant all my medical knowledge seemed to evaporate because I was actually panicking. After strapping her in, which took longer than expected, because my hands were shaking, I ran to the driver's side and started the car.

I'm sure I broke the speed limit, and maybe even a few traffic laws, but getting Susannah to the hospital was more important than following laws at this point. I kept talking to Susannah on the way there, trying to wake her, but nothing. Her head just lolled to the side, blood slowly trickling from her nose as I made my to the hospital.

When I finally pulled up to the hospital I ran out and got Susannah before rushing in through the emergency entrance. "I need a doctor!" I yelled, carrying Susannah towards the small nurses' station.

"Dr. de Silva?" a familiar looking nurse asked, running over to me. "Yes, please help. It's my wife. She fainted after saying she was dizzy and feeling nauseated. We just found out she's pregnant. Please, you have to help" I pleaded, my eyes prickling with tears again.

"Oh my gosh" she exclaimed, "come on back and lay her down on a bed, I'll go get one of the doctors."

&&&

"Dr. de Silva" the familiar looking nurse whose name, it turned out was Pamela, said trying to get my attention. I looked up from the plastic chair I was sitting on next to Susannah's bed, my eyes were barely keeping open, but my concern for Susannah was keeping them from closing. She sent me a kind smile before walking into the room with Susannah's chart in hand.

"Dr. Ortega will be right in to talk to you, but I just wanted to see if there was anything I could do to help. Is there something that you think would make your wife more comfortable, or anything like that?" she asked. "Not having Susannah wake up in here would probably be nice; she hates hospitals" I answered with a slight chuckle, "Thank you for offering, but you've already done enough. I really appreciate everything you've done Pamela, for Susannah and myself." "Don't mention it. I'm just doing my job" she replied before waving goodbye and leaving me alone with Susannah once again.

"Querida, I don't know if you can here me, but I just want to let you know that I'm here, and I'm not going anywhere. I love you so much. Please, just try and wake up soon. I honestly don't know what to do without you, and you have no idea how much seeing you lying in this hospital bed is killing me inside" I whispered to her still form, clutching her hand in mine like my life depended on it. My eyes started filling with tears again, but I forced them down, telling myself to be strong for Susannah, and for our baby.

"Jesse" Dr. Ortega said knocking on the door before strolling inside. "Hi" I responded, standing up and shaking his hand politely before sitting back down next to Susannah. "Well I just got back Suze's tests results and everything looks fine. I think the reason she may have passed out was because of stress and exhaustion. It's pretty common for first time mothers to over do things in the beginning of their pregnancy. Suze probably just didn't realize how tired she was, but her body did. Right now the best thing for her is rest and fluids to keep her from getting dehydrated" he explained.

"What about the blood, and the baby?" I questioned anxiously. "Well, it was just a nosebleed, which happens a lot to pregnant women, and as for the babies we won't know for sure until we do an ultrasound, but as far as I can tell they're fine" he answered with a smile.

I stared at him for a moment before what he had just said fully registered. "Babies?" I asked, "As in plural?" "Yeah. You do know its twins, right?" "I…I didn't know. I just found out yesterday that Susannah was pregnant," I said still in shock.

"Well, I don't see how you didn't know, I mean it says right here-oh" he stopped after reading over some of Susannah's paper work. "What?" I questioned, now nervously. "Suze didn't know," he said looking up, "her doctor, Dr. Richardson, put a post-it note on here saying that she had to call Suze and tell her it was twins. Her doctor found out after she had already left her appointment yesterday."

"How is that possible?" I asked genuinely surprised. "Well, in her notes it says 'Upon further examination of ultrasound it was discovered that two fetuses are present. After reviewing tape of the ultrasound, it was evident that two heartbeats are present and both are strong" he read imitating a female voice, but sounding very squeaky and high-pitched. "Twins" I said, almost testing it out.

"Listen Jesse, congratulations on the babies, and I'll come back and check on Suze in a little while. In the mean time, why don't you go and get something to eat, or at least some coffee? You look like you need it," he said before leaving. I turned my attention back to Susannah and couldn't help but smile proudly at her.

I glanced down at my watch and realized just how late it was, and how tired I was. I decided to rest my eyes a little, just for a little while, and laid my head down beside Susannah's hip. 'Just a little nap' I told myself as I drifted off to sleep.

&&&

"No, I'm gonna let him sleep a little longer. Last night must have been pretty rough for him and he needs to rest" Susannah was whispering to someone as she smoothed my hair gently.

"Suze, he's been out since before we got here, don't you want to wake him up and let him know you're okay?" a voice I recognized as CeeCee's mumbled back. "Whenever he decides to wake up is when I'll talk to him about how I'm feeling. Besides, look at him; I can't bother him, he looks so cute and serene when he's sleeping" Susannah replied in a hushed tone.

"Sure. Listen I'm gonna go get some breakfast, do you want me to bring you anything?" CeeCee asked. "Umm, some orange juice and a chocolate chip muffin sound really good. Oh, will you make that two orange juices, and get a breakfast burrito too" Susannah answered.

"He's not even awake yet and already you're worrying about what he's gonna eat? Jeez, Simon you're a lot nicer than I am. I pretty much leave Adam to fend for himself," CeeCee admitted. Susannah laughed lightly before saying, "I know, Adam tells me."

"What a little snitch" CeeCee huffed, "oh well, I'll deal with him later. Be back in a few." "Okay, see ya" Susannah sighed.

After a few seconds of silence I decided I'd better actually get up, but Susannah started talking to me, "Jesse, I know you probably can't hear me, but I'm kind of bored and I'm kind of hoping that maybe if I talk to you, you'll wake up. I know that's kind of mean and selfish, but the only company I've had for most of the day have been some super perky nurses and Dan, who said he was gonna take my case since the other doctor's shift was over. CeeCee and Adam got here a while ago. Adam went to go get us some clothes to change into, and some essentials too."

She paused for about a minute before moving onto her side and curling up around my head. That's when I decided to finally get up. Slowly I shifted around a little before opening my eyes.

"Jesse?" Susannah whispered, wiping at her eyes. I lifted my head up and saw that her eyes were red and puffy, as if she'd just been crying. "Susannah" I answered, gazing into her eyes, "are you feeling okay?" She sent me an amused smile and pecked my cheek, her hand still smoothing back my hair. "I feel better, especially now that you're awake, but a little freaked out."

"Why freaked out?" I questioned, sitting up in my chair. My back and neck felt stiff from the position I'd slept in, and I guess Susannah noticed because next thing I knew she was pulling me onto the bed beside her and turning me away from her.

"Susannah, I'm fine, just a little stiff. I'll be fine in a little while. Now why are you freaked out? Did one the doctor's say something?" I protested. "Jesse, relax, I'm just gonna try and help you loosen up. Why didn't you just sleep next to me on the bed, it's big enough for both of us? Oh, and no, the doctor won't tell me anything except that I have to take things easy and realize my limits. But I'm freaked up cause I woke up in the hospital. You know my feelings on hospitals" she replied, her hands massaging all my stress and anxiety away. "I don't know, I didn't even think about that," I said contently.

"Better?" she asked resting her chin on my shoulder, after she had eased my tight muscles. "Yes, thank you" I responded reaching over my shoulder and tucking some hair behind Susannah's ear.

"Jesse, we have to talk about what happened last night, at least eventually" she sighed lying back against her pillows. "I know. Susannah…I'm sorry, I know my behavior was inexcusable-"

"Jesse, I wasn't talking about the fight" Susannah interrupted. "Oh, you mean after you fainted" I said, not really wanting to think back to what had happened for fear that it would stir up all those emotions within me again.

I turned around to face Susannah and noticed she didn't look me in the eye. "Yeah" she murmured, wrapping her arms around her stomach protectively.

"Susannah I honestly don't know what to tell you. I mean after you fainted I pretty much just rushed you over here, and after that they ran some tests. Dr. Ortega said you had probably passed out due to stress and exhaustion, and that it was common for first time mothers to not realize they're over doing things. Besides that nothing happened. The last thing I remember is talking to you before resting my eyes a little" I recounted.

"Resting your eyes, huh?" Susannah laughed, "You know, most people just call that sleeping." I smiled, feeling slightly embarrassed, but hearing Susannah laugh was a welcome sound.

"Jesse?" she asked, looking pensive. "Yes Susannah?" I responded. "Are you still mad at me?" she questioned, her emerald gaze meeting my own. "Mad at you? I was never mad at you, why would you think that I was?" I asked confused. "Because you haven't called me querida not once since last night" she pointed out. "If I recall correctly, I was told not to call you querida. I guess I was just waiting for some sort of an affirmation that it was okay for me to call you that again" I answered.

"Jesse" Susannah repeated, "I'm sorry about last night. You know Tad, and fainting. Well, everything really." "None of that was your fault. I'm the one who should be sorry. I over reacted when I saw you with that guy, and I shouldn't have attacked him. If I hadn't done that, maybe you wouldn't have fainted, and ended up in the hospital. I'm sorry querida. I'm so sorry" I said, the tears that had been prickling my eyes since yesterday, finally dripping down my face.

"Jesse" she cooed, wrapping her arms around me. I just buried my face in her hair and cried, holding her tightly. "Shhh, it's okay" Susannah whispered to me, pulling away and staring into my eyes, "It's okay." Hearing that just made me cry more, and Susannah brought my head down to her chest. She knew that hearing her heartbeat would relax me as she always said hearing mine always relaxes her. Just crying against her chest and hugging her tightly made everything seem better.

After a few minutes I looked up at Susannah and noticed that she was crying as well. Gently I wiped away her tears, and kissed her cheek. She sent me a watery smile and wiped my own tears. "Aren't we a pair?" Susannah joked, laughing lightly, after all our tears were finally wiped away. I chuckled and cupped her face before kissing her. I'd been dying to kiss her since I'd first heard her voice this morning. And now everything seemed right as we kissed, gently exploring each other's mouths.

"Okay, really, you two. I haven't even had my morning coffee yet, and you two are already making out" CeeCee interrupted from the doorway. Susannah and I begrudgingly broke apart, smiling like idiots. "Good morning to you too" I teased, watching CeeCee as she brought a tray of food towards Susannah and I.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. Here, I've got two orange juices, a chocolate chip muffin, and a breakfast burrito. The coffee and egg sandwich are mine, so paws off" she said, sliding the tray onto the swinging table attached to Susannah's bed. "Thank you" both Susannah and I replied happily taking our food and eating.

"Jeez, can you people never wait for me to start eating?" Adam asked coming into the room carrying one of Susannah's many overnight bags.

"Did you bring everything I told you to?" Susannah questioned. "God morning to you too. And I'm fine by the way, thanks for asking. Here, I brought everything you put on the list, plus this cool belt I thought would go well with the outfit you recommended for Jesse" Adam replied, pulling out my brown leather belt with the silver buckle.

"Oh my God, what is it with guys and that belt? It's a funky, old belt, why can't you people see that?" Susannah complained. CeeCee nodded her head in agreement and added, "That thing looks older than Sister Ernestine." "That's probably because it is" Susannah sighed under her breath, taking the bag from Adam and looking through it.

"Miss Simon" a young nurse chimed from the doorway. I made a face at that, because even after two years of marriage, Susannah still refuses to take my name. Susannah made an annoyed face and put down her muffin before turning towards the perky young woman and giving her a forced smile.

"Hello again. Are you feeling okay?" the nurse asked walking over and checking the machines connected to Susannah. "Oh I'm just dandy. Actually I was wondering when I'd be able to get out of here, cause you know, I'm feeling all better" Susannah answered with fake cheerfulness.

"Well, Dr. Richardson is on her way in just to see you, and once she gives us an okay, you'll be released" the nurse said with a bright smile that hurt my jaw just looking at it.

"Thank God" Susannah huffed, "I just wanna go home and relax." I grabbed Susannah's hand and said "Me too, and I can't wait to take you home and-"

"Awh, well I know all of us here will really miss you. We'll just have to bug your husband to bring you around more often" the now slightly annoying nurse interrupted. "Definitely" Susannah replied with a sarcastic undertone that completely went over the perky nurse's head. "Alright, well see ya around. Bye" she cheered, waving as she exited the room.

"Oh my God" CeeCee said looking disgusted, "are all the nurses here like that?" "No, just a few, and of course I seem to attract them all" Susannah grumbled. I strung my arm around Susannah and gave her a gentle kiss on the head when another woman entered the room. "Hey Suze" said the woman, walking in with Susannah's chart in her hand.

"Hey Monica" Susannah replied with a genuine smile. I nudged her and whispered "Querida, who is that?" Susannah laughed before making introductions. "Jesse is this Dr. Richardson, Dr. Richardson, this is my husband Jesse. And those two over there are-well you already know CeeCee, but that's her husband, Adam." Dr. Richardson waved at Adam and CeeCee before walking over to Susannah's bed. She gave Susannah a gentle hug and stuck her hand out. I shook her hand while she said, "Well, it sure is nice to finally meet you. Suze is always telling me about you, but she's been doing that since I first started seeing her, and that was years ago. Sorry we had to meet under these circumstances though." "Yes, it's nice to meet you too," I replied politely, trying to remember if Susannah had ever mentioned a Dr. Richardson to me.

"Alright what do you have to do before you can let them release me?" Susannah asked getting straight to the point. Dr. Richardson smiled at Susannah and answered, "Just a little check up to make sure everything looks okay, and then an ultrasound to peek in at the kiddies."

"Kiddies?" Susannah questioned, noticing the plural.

"Crap" Dr. Richardson sighed, "Yeah, I forgot to call you. Umm, after you left yesterday I went back to review the ultrasound footage and noticed that there were two heartbeats present and two fetuses."

"Oh my God" Susannah gasped, "two." I scooted closer to Susannah and pulled her into my arms. "Querida, relax. We can handle it."

"That's easy for you to say, you don't have to give birth to two babies or carry them for nine months. I'm gonna be huge" she grumbled.

"Susannah, its okay. I'm here to help as much as possible and you know I'll be here for you no matter what" I reassured her. "Yeah, but my cousin Sarah had twins and she got huge! I mean, she looked like she had tucked a giant beach ball under all her clothes" she exclaimed.

I laughed, remembering Susannah tell me about her cousin's appearance at her baby shower. "Querida, you'll be fine, and I'm sure you won't get huge" I replied.

"Suze," CeeCee said trying to get Susannah's attention, "just think about it. More weight means more cleavage."

Susannah seemed to perk up at this, but I could tell her mind was whirring with worries. I planted a gentle kiss on her cheek and whispered to her, "Don't worry. Stop panicking, and think about the positives. Besides with twins, pregnancy is usually shortened by at least a couple weeks."

She sent me an appreciative smile and hugged me tightly. "Okay" she murmured. "I love you." I squeezed her tighter and nuzzled my face on her neck before mumbling back "I love you too querida."

"Well, I hate to break this up, but I need to do a quick exam before I let these people release you. So, everybody out unless you're pregnant or a father-to-be" Dr. Richardson said shooing out Adam and CeeCee.

CeeCee however, didn't move. Adam noticed this and tapped her on the shoulder before saying to her, "Cee that means she wants us out."

CeeCee just looked up at him with nervous eyes and replied, "Adam I have to tell you something. C'mon." At that she grabbed Adam's hand and pulled him out after her.

"That's going to be an interesting conversation," Dr. Richardson said, standing up and going to the foot of Susannah's hospital bed.

&&&

"Everything is okay down here," Dr. Richardson said, covering Susannah back up.

Those few minutes she had spent examining Susannah were some of the uncomfortable moments I've had to experience in my life. I mean, she was poking and prodding my wife, in a very private area. Not only that, but Susannah didn't seem too thrilled about it. She kept squirming and making odd faces as Dr. Richardson did whatever it is gynecologists do down there.

"I'm just gonna go bring in an ultrasound machine and check on the kids, if everything is okay I'll make sure you get outta here today" Dr. Richardson informed us as she exited the room.

Susannah stared after her for a few seconds before she wiggled uncomfortably and sat up. She patted the space beside her legs, searching for something.

"Querida, what's wrong?" I asked.

"Huh? Oh, nothing. I just…I had underwear on last night. And I could have sworn I had some on when I woke up. But now, I can't find them" she explained looking frustrated.

I joined her in the search and quickly discovered the undergarment in question. "Would this happen to be what you were looking for?" I asked holding out the white, cotton article of clothing.

"Thank you" she cheered, happily snatching it away from me and tugging it up her legs.

"Querida…" I started, not quite sure of what I was saying.

"Yeah?" she asked, looking into my eyes, a smile appearing on her face.

"I was wondering…well, more hoping than wondering…but, when we get home…are…are we going to be okay? Because I hate fighting with you, and I know that sometimes you forgive me and then decide later that you're still mad at me."

"We're just fine, Jesse. And when we do get home, there are two very important things I have to do" she replied.

"What?" I questioned.

"First of all, shower. And second of all, make love to my husband. Multiple times" she said, grabbing hold of my hand and running her thumb over my knuckles. I couldn't help the smile that crept onto my face, and a second later I was kissing Susannah, whispering to her about what we could when we got home. After a few minutes we pulled apart, figuring Dr. Richardson would be returning soon.

And almost as if on cue, Dr. Richardson appeared. "Alright" Dr. Richardson sighed, entering the room, tugging an ultrasound machine behind her. "Now, we just got this new machine that lets you see the baby in like high def. I'm not supposed to take this one out of my office upstairs, but for you, Suze, I couldn't help myself."

Susannah gave a delighted squeal and turned to me with bright eyes. "Now you can see the babies and hear their heartbeats."

&&&

Thud-thud-thud-thud.

When I first heard the sound my mind went completely blank. I stared up at Susannah and then back again at the ultrasound machine. There on the screening, two barely visible blobs were. One more prominent on the screen than the other.

"Now you can't really see much because you're only about two months along, but by next month we should be able to see fingers, toes, and even faces with this new machine. Plus we might be able to tell the sexes of the babies" Dr. Richardson said with a cheerful smile.

"Jesse" Susannah cooed with a brilliant smile plastered on her face, "what are you thinking?"

I looked up into Susannah's sparkling eyes and couldn't think of a way to respond. What was I thinking? Susannah, the most beautiful woman to ever grace this planet, is my wife, and carrying my children. This perfect woman who has already given me so much, is now giving me something I thought was impossible.

My mouth moved to try to tell Susannah these things, but no words came out.

Dr. Richardson slowly stood up and mumbled something about giving us a moment alone before scurrying out of the room.

"Jesse?" Susannah asked, staring at me with worried eyes.

I looked at her, amazed at how much my life has changed, and all because of this perfect, beautiful, smart, sexy woman.

Her eyes searched my face, for any clue as to what I might be thinking, and all I could think about was how I was ever going to repay her for rescuing me from a half-life of nothing but pain and loneliness.

"Querida" I sighed before kissing her soft lips. I tried to thank her for everything she has ever done for me in that single kiss, but that was impossible. She pulled away to catch her breath and smiled at me. "Jesse, you don't have thank me. I love you," she said through ragged breaths. I smiled at how she understood exactly what I'd been trying to convey and gently kissed her again.

Dr. Richardson knocked on the door before poking her head through the doorway. She gave us a warm smile and stepped into the room, holding Susannah's chart. "All right well everything looks great, so I'm gonna go ahead and let them release you, but I want to have a follow-up with you sometime next week, just to be safe" she told us.

Susannah nodded her head and questioned, "Jesse can come right?" I smiled happily at her and stared expectantly at Dr. Richardson.

"Of course" she answered, "I always tell my patients that involving the fathers is a great idea, plus it makes them feel more involved, and not like they're just the sperm donor."

I nodded, already having felt that a little bit, but asked Dr. Richardson, "Should Susannah be restricting anything from her diet, or are there certain things she should try and eat more of now that she's pregnant?"

"Well, I'd advise her to lay of junk food, and try and eat more fruits and veggies, but she should be fine. I've already gone over some food no-nos with her, and she knows that she has to restrain from certain things, but Suze eats pretty well already. And remember you crave something, you get it. Those cravings are so random, but if you don't get them, you'll get grouchy" she advised us. "Now go schedule your appointment at the front desk, and then go home and relax."

"Gladly" Susannah said, waving goodbye to Dr. Richardson. "All right lets blow this popsicle stand."