The next morning, Audrey was snatched from her sleep by the painful shrill sound of the alarm. She grunted slightly and immediately turned off the satanic machine before sending it up straight against the wall. She rolled on her back, still groggy from the short night of sleep she had and instinctively stretched out her arm to the other side of the bed. She sighed, turning her head to the right and opened her eyes to find an empty cold space. She mentally cursed herself. It'd been quite a while since the breakup, yet she could sometimes still forget they weren't sharing the same bed anymore. This had been happening a lot lately, and she was getting desperate. She was missing him, and it was how her unconscious was trying to tell her.

Stupid brain.

She stared at the ceiling and started thinking about last night. She hadn't been able to shake off the odd feeling since she had come home. There were moments she hated how things had ended up between them. She was missing these good old times where things used to be easy and lighthearted. She wasn't regretting what happened between them, not a single second, but she just couldn't understand how things got out of control that nastily. Last night was just one more proof that things weren't the same between them anymore. She could still feel the awkwardness of the ride home and she felt a twinge of sadness pulling at her heart because if there was one thing they weren't before all this was being uncomfortable in each other's presence.

She brought her hand to her abdomen and rested it against her still flat stomach. She dared wondering if the situation between them would have been different if she hadn't ended up being pregnant with his child. Would they be still ignoring each other? Would he have still be that caring towards her? Or was he just trying to be nice? He had made it clear about wanting to be there for the baby. But what about her? What about them?

They never really took the time to discuss it. She wasn't even sure she wanted to discuss it with him yet. The thing was, she was stuck. It was getting more and more difficult to keep being objective around him. She wanted what was best for the baby, which means she wouldn't rush in a relationship with the father once again if she wasn't hundred percent sure, but she just couldn't ignore the butterflies she was still feeling in her abdomen whenever she would think of him either.

As she straightened up a little too abruptly to look at the time, she felt her stomach twist, reminding her that no, today would still not be free of morning sickness. She couldn't remember the last time she had woken up feeling something else but the sudden urge to throw up. She sighed, again and simply tried to ignore the heaviness in her abdomen and the odd feeling in her chest. She had told Neil that it was only a matter of time before the symptoms would disappear, but deep down she feared she would have to get used to the fact of feeling queasy for the rest of the pregnancy. Just the thought of spending the next 7 months feeling nothing but disgust whenever she would dare thinking about food gave her the irrepressible urge to scream in her pillow. Though she probably wouldn't have enough strength to do so. Instead, she threw her bedsheets away and sat at the edge of the bed, waiting for the tightness in her stomach to disappear.

"You're giving me a hard time little spawn, you know that?" She hissed at her lower abdomen. Suddenly, she realized what just happened. It was the very first time she spoke to her baby, and she felt a sudden warming feeling invading her chest. So, that was what it felt like? As she hardly hid her smile, she finally stood up and went straight to the bathroom, getting herself ready for the long day ahead.

Neil started his shift a bit later than usual that day. He had a surgery rescheduled and took the opportunity to use that time wisely. He had checked the planning before stopping at the small organic shop around the corner this morning. He had trouble finding a place to park and hadn't anticipated the endless line at the cash register. He was now walking at a quick pace through the whole hospital, hoping he wouldn't be too late.

He finally reached the right place and was relieved to see that the assistant's office was empty. It wasn't that he didn't like Alisha, but he felt that this woman was holding disregard for him and he never really knew why.

He approached her office, then softly knocked on the door and waited a few seconds.

"Come in." He heard her muffled voice from inside.

Right on time, he thought before entering.

Audrey looked up from her laptop and slightly straightened on her chair when she noticed who was her visitor.

"Hey."

"Hey," he answered back, "I know you have a fiscal management meeting with the board in a few. Actually, I was hoping you'd still be in your office."

Her eyes widened at the sudden reminder and she immediately checked the time at the bottom of her screen. She instantly calmed down, realizing she had still a good fifteen minutes ahead of her.

"Well, it's your lucky day." She smiled at him, before sighing. "I didn't realize the time."

"I won't be long. I was just passing by. I have something for you."

She tilted her head and looked at him with a curious look on her face. He didn't wait any longer and walked closer to her desk.

"This one is for you." He lifted one of the drinks from the cup holder he was holding and handed it to her.

She took it, not convinced and looked down at the cupboard with a suspicious glare, afraid it was a beverage that would make her even sicker than she already was. Noticing the weird look on her face, he immediately reassured her.

"Ginger iced tea." He paused, "I've done some research last night, and this is what came out. Ginger is known to be a good natural against morning sickness. I thought it could be worth giving a try." He shrugged.

Audrey slightly pouted and the features of her face softened as she stared at the cup, silently.

No, no, no, no. She was internally praying for the hormones to calm the fuck down. Now was not the right time to play the emotional one. Get a grip on yourself!

But at the same time… it was so sweet of him and unexpected. She had been so worn out from being sick all the time that she was willing to swallow any remedy if it would brush the queasy feeling off.

"You okay?" Neil asked, slightly frowning to her lack of response. He was starting to wonder if it wasn't a bad idea after all. But Audrey cleared her throat and forced a smile, looking up at him.

"Yes, I'm good." But giving the skeptical look on his face, she gave up and finally rolled her eyes. "It's just those freaking hormones. And with you being that nice with me, this isn't helping."

Neil chuckled, then his grin slowly disappeared. "I'm not where I should suppose to be, and… well, that's not what I meant." He sighed, "I'm just trying to be there for you and the baby, as much as I can."

He knew that by being separated from Audrey, he was going to miss out on a lot of things during the pregnancy. He already missed the very first appointment with the OB-GYN, and he'd rather not think about all the little things he wouldn't experience in the next few months. Yet he also knew that they were still adjusting to the situation, and deep down he was hoping for a second chance. No matter how much trouble they had faced and would still have to overcome, he couldn't picture his life without her in it anymore.

"Thank you." Audrey sadly smiled at him.

She well knew what he meant by not being where he was supposed to be, and her heart ached at the thought of it. It wasn't how she wanted things to be, but she had decided otherwise the night she left his house without looking back, after having told him that loving him wasn't enough. Oh, if only he could see this was all a lie.

As his gaze started to feel too heavy for her to bear, she did what she always did: finding a way out.

She broke eye contact with him and desperately started looking for something on her desk, anything that would give her an excuse to change the subject.

"I should get going, I'm running late for my meeting."

"Right, I'll leave you to it." Neil nodded. "See you later." He started walking out, and Audrey observed him with torment written all over her face. She opened her mouth to say something and took a breath, but the words got stuck in her throat. There was something that had been on her mind since a few days now and just never got the courage to ask him. She was seeing him getting closer to the door now and before she could let herself chicken out once again, she called his name.

"Neil," She let out.

His hand stopped at the handle of the door and his heart was now pounding so loud in his chest. He turned around, trying to maintain a straight face.

All she could do was blankly stare at him as he was waiting for her to say something.

Now or never.

"I have another appointment schedule next week with my OB," She paused, "would you like to come with me?"

"I thought you already had your first trimester appointment?" He frowned, but then noticed the switch on her face and realized it wasn't the answer she had expected, and he suddenly felt stupid.

"I know. It's just that I've been quite tired and suffering a lot from morning sickness these past few weeks, so it's just another routine check-up."

"Oh, I see. But I-, Yes." He mumbled, "Of course, I'll be willing to go with you."

She softened at his brief and quiet uncomfortable smile. She nodded, then sighed.

"I'll see you later, then."

He nodded once, then left her office and let out a breath he hadn't realized he had been holding this whole time. He couldn't hide the smirk growing on his face, as he was walking to the elevators to get himself ready for his surgery.

Later that day, Audrey had finished all the paperwork that had grown roots on her desk over the past few days and could finally go home. She could see through the windows that darkness had already taken over the streets and that most of the visitors had left the hospital. The hallways and the patients' rooms were particularly quiet, which meant that she had once again stayed far too late.

After Neil had paid her a visit this morning, she had drunk the ginger iced tea, not convinced at all about the so-called good benefits. But she had to say that over the hours, the nausea had surprisingly lessened and she could finally get a break and enjoy the day. She couldn't suppress the smile growing in the corner of her mouth, just picturing him spending most of his night scrolling through some weird pregnancy forums just for her. She made a mental note to thank him later. If the time wasn't that indecent, she probably would have texted him.

She hadn't planned on wandering through the floors of the hospital at the end of her shift, but there were still some files she needed to drop at the nurses' station on the third floor and it couldn't wait tomorrow. The night shift was already on duty. She greeted the nurse quietly and put the documents in the drawer. She particularly appreciated these moments of respite within the walls of the hospital, where everything seemed paradoxically reassuring and calm. And yet, within these same walls, she was aware that some people were currently struggling to live while being hooked up to machines, some families were saying their last goodbye to a loved one, praying for a miracle…

As she walked around the counter to get back to the elevators, her eyes caught the sight of a patient. She couldn't help but stop and looked at her for a moment. This wasn't just any patients. It was Mrs. Johnson, laying on her bed, quietly watching through the window. Suddenly, Audrey noted she hadn't seen many people visiting her since she had been admitted here. Of course, she knew by Neil that her daughter and husband had died a long time ago, but what about her other relatives? The mere thought of this woman spending her days alone in this room with her only thoughts for company crushed her heart. She hesitated for a moment, knowing full well she shouldn't do this. Yet an irrepressible urge overwhelmed her, and she started walking towards her room. It was late, and she was getting terribly tired, only wishing to get home. But she also knew how much a simple attention could mean so much more to someone.

As she stood at the threshold, she softly knocked on the door to catch the lady's attention before stepping inside the room. Maria startled a bit, not expecting anyone to disturb her at this hour and turned her head to look at the visitor.

She immediately smiled.

"Dr. Lim, to what do I owe your presence?" She gently asked.

"I'm just checking on you." Audrey smiled at her turn.

"Isn't what nurses are supposed to do?"

Lim chuckled, as she stood at the foot of the bed. "You're right. But I thought I could pay you a visit before going home."

"Dr. Melendez usually tries to greet me every day, even for a few minutes. But it's been three days since he has come."

Audrey could hear the slight hint of disappointment and sadness in Mrs. Johnson's voice. She looked at her left and spotted the free chair.

"I know he's very busy, I'm not worried about it." The lady added.

"Well, I'm not as charming as Dr. Melendez, but I still can offer you some company tonight." She smiled, sitting down on the chair.

"But dear, you must be so exhausted. You should go home and get some rest."

Audrey shrugged, "my shift's over and I've nothing better to do right now."

She smiled again, determined to share a few of her free time with a lonely patient. Maria smiled in return, and stretched her hand out, in which Audrey slid hers immediately.