ATTENTION: THE AUTHOR IS POSTING THE LAST CHAPTER ON MAY 5. TO THANK ALL THOSE WHO HAVE READ HER STORY, SHE IS ALLOWING THE ENTIRE STORY TO BE PUBLISHED UNTIL MAY 22.

THIS BOOK OR ANY PORTION THEREOF MAY NOT BE REPRODUCED IN ANY FORM WITHOUT PERMISSION. THE SCANNING, UPLOADING, AND DISTRIBUTION OF THIS BOOK VIA THE INTERNET OR VIA ANY OTHER MEANS WITHOUT THE PERMISSION OF THE PUBLISHER IS ILLEGAL AND PUNISHABLE BY LAW.

THE REST OF THEIR DAYS IN London passed in a blur. New Years wasn't much of a celebration. They'd seen Dr. Whalen again; he'd explained a few options and they discussed the possibilities in terms of the baby. With Robin's insistence, they'd told his father about the pregnancy but held off on telling him that Regina was sick. It would only stress him out.

Regina couldn't muster the nerves to tell Zelena and she was still pretty peeved at her. They said their goodbyes to Amelia and to Jordan. It had been the hardest thing for Robin to say goodbye to Jordan knowing that it could've been the last time he saw him alive.

When they were back in Texas, it seemed like their time in London had been a dream. "It's hot."

"Yea," he took her bag and flung it over his shoulder. "Come on, let's grab a cab."

When they climbed in the back of one, he said, "We're going to your place. I'll pick up whatever I need. I'll stay with you."

"You don't have to do that."

"I want to. Plus, I don't think I can sleep without you next to me."

"We meet with Gold in two days," she said dully. "I was excited about this case. Now…" She lifted her hands and dropped them. "I don't have the energy."

As they zoomed through the city and onto the highway, he pulled her to him and kissed the top of her head. "I know that, we've been through a lot. Let's focus on your appointment tomorrow. It'll tell us what to do next."

Her body shivered under his, "What if…"

"Uh uh, I told you to stop that. No negative thoughts, no what-ifs. We take it a day at a time and see what comes next." His fingers trailed up and down her back in comfort.

"I'll try."

When the cab pulled up outside of Regina's apartment, he took the bags and led them inside. Regina went straight to the kitchen while he dumped the bags in the bedroom. It took him two trips from the cab, and he stopped to tip the man. When he came back inside, she was standing staring at the kettle set to boil.

"Are you hungry?"

She turned to face him; the vacant stare was starting to worry him. "A little."

"What do you want? We can order in; I can take you out. Your choice." He stood beside her took her hand and kissed the ring he'd put on her finger.

"In. Something greasy."

"Chinese? Pizza? Mexican?"

"Chinese sounds good. I'm gonna go change." She turned kissed him.

"Take your time. Have a bath and drink your tea. I'll be back."

He waited until she poured a cup of tea and disappeared into the bedroom. He took her keys, locked the front door, and drove to his place first. He hadn't had long to process his situation on his own. He'd been there for her since hearing the news. For days, he'd wanted some time alone to think.

Now, as he walked into his empty apartment, he took the time to sit on the couch after ordering the food. He put his head in his hands and expelled a breath. He'd wanted to call his friend Dale for some time and took the time to do it.

"Hey man, where the hell have you been?" The cheery voice was comforting.

"Hey Dale. I went to London for Christmas."

"Well, I'll be. How the hell are you?"

"To be honest, I'm in a shitter. You have a minute?"

"What's up, Rob?" His voice turned serious. That simplicity, the fact that he could read him so well, was the comfort and solace he needed. He spilled it to Dale. He told him everything he knew, what he felt, the fears he had, and the heartache he knew could come. When he got it all out and could express himself without censoring himself, he felt marginally better.

"I can't believe you're getting married, man. That's just…and the fact that you're dealing with this is mad. How's she holding up?"

"Regina is strong, but she puts on a front. You've seen her. What do you think of her?"

"Regina Mills? Tough as brass and mean with it. Smart and solid. Dependable and self-reliant."

Robin smiled, "To the outsider that's pretty accurate."

"What's the more?"

"She's vulnerable, sweet, and sensitive."

"Regina Mills? We're still talking about the same woman?"

"You don't know her like I do," he defended.

"Sure, you've been under the sheets with her. Your brain is hopped up on sex. It isn't just sex that you want to marry her, is it?"

"No. I'm in love with her Dale. I can't lose her," his voice broke.

"I know, man. I'm just harping on you. You need me, I'm here. Okay?"

"Thanks. I want you to meet her."

"I will. We'll have dinner or something. You can meet Sammie. I've been seeing her for a little while. Maybe I'm not just hot for her," he said sounding embarrassed.

Robin laughed, "I'll talk to Regina. We'll set something up. I need to deal with some stuff first."

"You do that. I love you, man. Come over for a beer whenever you need to unload."

"You got it."

Feeling marginally better, Robin packed up what he needed, dropped by to pick up the food, stopped to get her some flowers, and headed back to her place.

Regina woke the next morning to the sound of her alarm. Robin's arm came around her, he buried his face in her hair and groaned. "What time is it?"

"Five."

"Too early," he mumbled.

"It was set for work," she replied and shifted around to face him and pressed her face to his chest. "We do have to get up soon."

"I know."

"Robin…"

"Don't."

"You don't know what I was going to say."

"Fine. What?"

"If I was just pregnant, this would be easier to swallow." She tangled her legs with his. "Though, I need to see my gynecologist. I don't how I got pregnant. I have an IUD."

He was quiet for a long time and she'd thought he fell back asleep. Then she heard him, "Does it upset you? Do you not want to be?" His voice was careful, measured. But she could hear the pain underneath it.

"I won't lie, when he told me, I was shocked, and I may have panicked a little."

"Why?"

"We didn't plan this, nor did we ever discuss it. It's not like we've been using protection."

"You were on birth control, we're monogamous. I'm clean, you are too. Condoms weren't necessary. If I'd known an IUD could fail, I'd have used them."

She closed her eyes, "I'm not upset. Not about the baby," she amended. "It's not the best time and we didn't plan it, but I've wanted children for a long time."

His hands smoothed up and down her back, "I know. You're gonna be an amazing mom."

Tears sprang to her eyes, "That's if…"

"Do not finish that sentence," he interrupted. His hand gripped her arm, "You can't think like that. It's not fair to me, you, or the baby. You don't know what's gonna happen. So, stop it. You hear me? You're not this person, Regina. You're strong and you're gonna be strong through this. I'm not gonna let you feel sorry for yourself."

A sob escaped her, and she buried her face in his chest to muffle it. As she tried to keep it inside, more escaped and she was falling apart. Her arms were tight around him. "I'm sorry."

"Don't apologize to me. This isn't your fault."

"I want this baby, Robin. I want it," she lifted her head and tried to focus on his face. Through the dim light of the room, their eyes locked on each other.

"We'll do everything we can to bring this baby into the world. I promise."

"I love you."

He lowered his head and kissed her softly. "I love you, baby."

FOUR HOURS LATER THEY SAT in the exam room of a Dr. White. Robin put a hand on her bouncing leg. "You're making me nervous."

"I'm nervous."

"I know, but you're jittery and making me feel worse." He slanted her a look. "Knock it off. It's not good for you or the baby to be this wired."

"I need coffee and you wouldn't let me have any," she grumbled.

"No caffeine. I looked it up."

He saw her roll her eyes, "You looked up more than you should've. It says one cup is fine."

"Hey," he said softly. When she turned to meet his eyes, he smiled, "Let's not take any chances. Okay?" Her face softened and she nodded. He squeezed her hand. "I'm right here," he said when the door opened.

A woman in her fifties, with high cheekbones, a pleasant smile, and blue eyes walked in with a white coat over what looked like a flowery dress. Her heels were sensible, but he wondered how much her feet hurt at the end of a shift. "Regina Mills, right?"

"Yes." Robin glanced at her and hated the fear in her eyes.

"I'm Dr. White. You are?"

He extended a hand, "Robin Locksley, Regina is my fiance." That gave him a jolt, it was the first time he'd said it out loud.

"Congratulations on the happy news. Now," she rolled her chair forward and sat down. She held a clipboard. "I spoke to Dr. Whalen in London. Can you explain why you were seeing him?"

Regina nodded, "Robin's father is suffering from kidney failure. I tested to see if I was a match."

Her head came up and she looked from Regina to him. He watched her eyes soften, "That's admirable." She turned to him and winked, "She's a keeper."

"Yes, she is," he looked at her and kissed her hand.

"Well, I've gone over your file. The reason nothing was picked up on your first blood order was because they only tested to see what blood type you are. There are some other factors they look at when determining compatibility. I can't go into too much because it's not my area of expertise."

She paused and looked through the papers again. "The second sample was taken, and they did some more thorough tests. There were a few things that jump out at me. Your sugar levels were pretty low. Had you fasted?"

"Yes." Regina's voice was distant.

"We'll do some follow up and check and keep up with it. Do you have a history of low blood sugar?"

"No."

"Well, sometimes in early pregnancy, the sugar levels can get low. Do you have an OB yet?"

"Not yet."

"You'll want to set one up and soon. We'll coordinate the treatment plan and get you all set up."

Regina nodded but kept her silence. He could see her struggling.

"Your iron was a bit low too and that could be for several reasons. You were in another country, holiday meals can change your blood samples, we'll test it again."

She flipped to the last page and paused, read it over, and nodded. When her head came up, she looked directly at Regina. Their eyes met.

"I want you to take a deep breath for me." Regina obeyed. "I'm going to be straight with you. You ready for that?"

He squeezed her hand and Regina said, "Yes."

"We're gonna run these tests again. There are some anomalies and some incomplete findings. The good thing is we're early in the diagnosis. The earlier the better in catching these things. Now, the baby puts a hitch in it. Treatments in the first trimester are risky. We usually wait and start in the second. I'm not gonna do that."

Her hand squeezed his hard. "You're not?"

"No. I'm going to run these tests again. I need you to go to an OB and get me a DOC. Date of conception. I want to know how far along you are. How long have you been trying?"

"We weren't trying. I had an IUD." She looked at him with guilt in her eyes.

"Did you get it removed?"

"Dr. Whalen had a nurse take it out when I found out."

"Good. Alright, you set up that appointment. I'm going to write a script for some extensive blood work. You don't have to be fasting to get it done. If you want, there's a lab on the third floor who can do it here." She turned to Robin, "You'll have to support her and drive. She'll be woozy for a little while. They'll take about twelve vials. I need all I can get."

"I'll take care of her," he said. "Dr. White, what are the chances of the survival of the baby if you start treatment now."

"There's not really a way I can answer that. It varies from patient to patient. I've had women who make it to the third trimester and their baby not. I've had women who catch it early and it all works out. I won't lie to you; the chances are enough to make you worry. What I can tell you, is that I'm going to do whatever I can to protect the baby and the mother."

Regina asked, "If you waited until the second trimester, does the chance change?"

Dr. White sighed, "Yes, the chances of the baby's survival increase significantly. But looking at your history, I can't advise that we wait. Your father had cancer, yes?"

"How did you know?"

"It's in your file. He had an aggressive cancer and in genes it can be passed down. So, I wouldn't advise that we wait. It could spread if we wait. So, you'll have to make that determination. It's your body, Regina. It's your baby. Let's take it one step at a time, okay? Let's draw some blood and let my lab analyze and see where we start."

Regina nodded. When Dr. White left the room, she turned to him and wrapped her arms around him. "I'll take you upstairs and then I'll take you out to eat. You'll be weak and hungry."

"I have to call Maggie and Amelia. I told them I would."

"I'll call mom. You call Maggie. After."

REGINA SAT AT THE KITCHEN TABLE with files out when Robin came out of the shower. He kissed the top of her head, "You got it all arranged?"

"Yea, Gold is meeting with us at 9. We'll have the day to get ready for the depositions. We're starting with Sean."

He sat and she looked up to see he'd put on a flannel shirt and sweats. His hair was still damp from the shower. "Thursday?"

"Yea. I've been emailing Gold and solidifying the questions. It'll be a few hours, I'd guess. I'm meeting with Belfrey tomorrow too. I just heard."

"The dragon lady? Yikes."

She smirked, "I can handle her. We're gonna bounce some ideas off on how to proceed after the deposition. There's a chance some criminal activity will be discussed, and she's better equipped to handle it. So, we're meeting for coffee at four. You'll be there."

"Me?"

"Yes, you're part of the team. Gold has another engagement or I'd've made him come too. He's got another family case. So, he'll be with Maggie."

"Alright. How are you feeling?"

"Better, still a little dizzy, I guess."

"Hungry?"

Rubbing her stomach, she shook her head, "No, I'm nauseous."

He stood and went into the kitchen. Took out a few crackers and heated up some chicken broth. When he came back, he set them in front of her. "This should help. Sip it slow."

"Is this how it's gonna be? You babying me?"

He put his hands on her shoulders and started to knead out the knots, "Get used to it. It's not every day my soon to be wife is carrying my baby. You deserve to be pampered."

Her lips curved, "You're sweet."

He kissed her head and kept kneading. "I was thinking about our living arrangements."

Taking a bite of cracker and sipping broth, she asked, "What do you mean?"

"Well," he started to move his hands from her shoulders to her neck. The feeling was divine. "We don't need two apartments. Plus, we're gonna need more room."

Instinctively, she pressed a hand to her stomach. Hoping to God that it was true. "I guess."

"I figure," he said moving down her back. "I'd break my lease and move in here until we can find a place. Unless that would freak you out. It's not like we haven't been living together for the last few weeks."

Glancing around her apartment, she frowned, "Where are you gonna fit all your stuff?"

He laughed, "I'm so glad you didn't call me crazy and say no. I can put the furniture in storage for now. We can decide that stuff later. I'm not attached to any of it."

"Not even your flat screen?"

He winced, "Alright, you got me there. There's plenty of room in the living room to put it up. We can get rid of your baby TV."

"Maybe," she said noncommittally.

"I was also thinking that we could look at this house," he began. She felt herself stiffen under his hands. He kneaded harder, "Relax."

"What house?"

"Oh, this house I found. It's big, old, and has good character. Red trimmings and shutters. There's this big tree with a swing in the yard. Plenty of bedrooms. I figure we have this one and work on another one in a year. How many kids do you want?"

She swiveled around to face him, "How did you know?"

"Know what?"

"Don't play games with me, Robin."

He knelt down and rested his hands on her thighs. "You're not as secretive as you think, you know. I saw the papers in your room one day. I've looked at the house. It's big, we can change whatever we don't like. There's room for us. Plenty of room for guests."

"I know."

"So, how many do you want?" He rested his hand on her belly. "This isn't gonna be our first rodeo."

"It isn't?"

He smiled, "No, I'm gonna knock you up plenty. How many?"

"Two."

"Two?" He frowned, "I was thinking five."

Her eyes widened, "Five? Are you nuts?"

"I always wanted a big family. My mother would be ecstatic to have grandkids running around."

She put her hands on his cheeks and kissed him. "Five is nuts. Three with the option for four."

He grinned, "We'll see. How about we go practice?"

"Robin," she rolled her eyes.

He turned serious for a minute, "I haven't been able to touch you since we found out. It's been a hard week, Regina. I asked you to marry me, we're pregnant, you're sick. It's a lot."

"I know."

"I didn't want to overwhelm you and I didn't trust myself. Right now, I wanna take you in our bedroom and make love to my fiance. All soft and slow like," he smiled.

"Really?"

He laughed at her playful eyes, "Yea. If you're lucky, we'll do it several times. Come on, wife."

As they stood, she said, "I'm not your wife yet."

"Technicality. Come here." He led her into the bedroom and brought her mouth to his.