It was a whole eight days before the doctors were considering letting Nikki go home, the bleeding had stopped enough for them to be happy with thinking about it, and the scans three times a day had been reduced to just two a day, the baby still looking healthy and well in each one. Nikki's fears about the baby having stopped moving had been all for nothing, the baby had been a lively one for the past few days and didn't seem to stay in the same position for more than an hour or two before they were rolling around into a better one. At the twenty-three week mark, the movements were getting stronger, and Harry liked to lay on the bed with her and talk with his hand against her belly, encouraging the movements. Nikki couldn't deny him that, not when a week before they thought that they were going to lose the baby that had been a complete surprise to them, but not at all unwanted.
"Two days and I'll be in my own home" Nikki told Leo happily that afternoon when he visited her after he had finished work, like he did every day either before or after "I miss my bed"
"Well you're not back at work for another month"
"Leo.."
"No arguing" Leo told her sternly "I've cleared it with other people, we've got some temps in to take over from you while you're off, and Harry is only doing part time hours. Mainly because I know you would probably murder him if I gave him full time off and he was here with you all the time"
Nikki giggled at that and nodded, slipping her arm through Leo's after she had done her dressing gown up so they could go on a walk through the corridors while they talked.
"Niall says you're teaching him to cook"
"I had him over a few nights for dinner and he says that I cook better than Harry does" Leo smirked at the young woman who held a special place in his heart somewhere around the same place that Cassie still held "He didn't mention your cooking though"
"He knows what's good for him, but did you cook or did Janet?" Nikki grinned, earning a smile from Leo in the process "Thank you for looking after him, both of you, I know you're both busy people"
"He's a good boy, he's come a long way with you and Harry, and we love having him over"
"He's already planning on taking both our names" she told Leo proudly, her heart jumping as she thought about it "Me and Harry, parents to a teenager and a baby. Did you ever think that would happen?"
"I thought it might eventually, give another five-ish years or someone finally knocking your heads together. The baby so quickly into the relationship was a surprise though"
"Surprised us as well" Nikki told him, stopping walking for a second at the main desk to the hospital wing they were on so she could tell the nurses there that she was going for a walk with Leo.
"Are you okay to go for a walk? You're feeling okay, Nikki?" the nurse asked her and Nikki rolled her eyes, earning a laugh from the woman behind the desk "You know we have to ask"
"I know you do, it might help the baby move a bit so they're not pressed against my back so much right now" Nikki sighed, watching as the nurse wrote a note down that she was leaving the wing for a walk. She opened her mouth to tell them that she probably wouldn't be long with Leo, when she felt something warm and wet dripping down her legs, looking down at herself and blinking when she saw the blood the legs of her pyjama bottoms. She vaguely heard Leo leaning over the desk and telling the nurse that she was bleeding, shaking her head as tears fell down her cheeks, it had all been going so well, everything had been fine and they were going to go home.
"Nikki, come on sweetheart" the nurse took her hand and arm, another nurse running over to help "Back to your room, we'll sort this out for you"
"Leo.."
"I'm here Nikki" Leo told her as he followed them into the room "What's going on?"
"Sir, if you would wait outside.."
"No" Nikki shook her head, turning around and holding her hand out to Leo who stepped into the room properly and took it "Don't leave me, please" she whispered through her tears as the nurses rushed around, one of them calling for Dr Gregory to come to the room as quickly as possible, closing the blinds to the room to give them all some privacy.
"Come on Nikki sweetheart, on the bed and we'll see what's going on with this little one making all this fuss again"
"Where are they?" Harry demanded as he saw Leo standing outside the room that Nikki had been in for the week, he had received a frantic call from the other man over an hour ago telling him he needed to get to the hospital as soon as he could, and he had cursed London traffic the whole damn way "Leo? Where is Nikki? What about the baby?"
"Harry..."
"Dr Cunningham" Dr Gregory saw him standing in the waiting area of the hospital wing and walked over to him, shaking his hand "Nikki started to bleed again a bit over an hour and a half ago and she went into labour soon after"
"What?" Harry whispered, his voice breaking as he spoke and he felt his chest constrict so painfully he felt a bit lightheaded, Leo's hand on his arm grounding him slightly "You were able to stop it, you can do that now, you can.."
"We delivered the baby within five minutes and we've given Nikki some sedation to help her sleep better so her body can heal, she thankfully didn't need any surgery up until this point but she will need to be monitored closely"
Harry looked at Leo, his vision blurry through his tears as he tried to take in everything that had been said to him, shaking his head as a few tears dripped down his cheeks.
"The baby?"
"He's in intensive care right now, as you can imagine he is extremely vulnerable and we are doing everything we can for both of them. Twenty-three weeks is a tricky stage but they are doing everything they can for the baby, I can promise you that Harry" she told the man who looked as though his brain was having trouble properly computing what was going on, it wouldn't be the first time though, she had given this news before and she knew what she was doing.
"Can I see them? Nikki? Please"
"We'd rather keep Nikki under observation for another few hours, but I can phone the neonatal ward and arrange for you to go and see your son when they are ready for you and give us the green light"
Harry nodded quickly, covering his mouth with his hand as he let out a sob, turning towards Leo as the older man wrapped his arms around him and held him like he had the first time they had brought Nikki in. He gripped Leo's jumper, crying like a little boy into his dad's shoulder as Leo rubbed his back and whispered for him to let it all out, Leo's voice breaking as well as he spoke and blinking away his own tears.
"It's okay Harry" Leo whispered, shushing him gently and stroking his hair, biting his lip and closing his eyes as Harry continued to sob "It will be okay"
He couldn't bring himself to think that it could be anything but okay for them both.
