The doctor stayed by the doorway as Harper and Josh entered the small hospital room. Layla was sleeping in the only bed in the room to the right, by the far wall. Harper sniffled a little to keep herself at bay and moved over to Layla's side, letting go of Josh's hand. "I'll be back to check on her in thirty minutes," the doctor said, before hurrying down the hall. Harper sat in one of the plastic chairs beside Layla's bed while Josh remained standing.

Both brother and sister felt numb. And both were silent. Harper remembered back when she was still in the hospital, and Layla was telling her all about her baby plans. The realization that none of those might come true was bone crushing. She sucked in a few quiet breaths, trying to breathe right. Her mind told her she wasn't able to breathe. She needed air.

She stood and walked to the open door. "I'll be right back," she said, before slipping out. She took a few steps down the hallway and stood, running a hand over her face. Instinctually, she reached into her pocket and dug out her cell phone, then dialed Steve's number.

The time didn't really matter. He answered on the third ring. "Hello?" he sounded very groggy and she knew she'd woken him up. For a second she felt bad. But then she remembered why she needed him, and it didn't matter. "Steve, it's me," she said. Her voice was all over the place.

Her hands were shaking, therefore shaking the phone. "What's up? Are you okay?" Steve asked, sounding worried.

"I'm, um...I'm at the hospital. It's- it's Layla," Harper said.

"What happened?" he asked. There was a scuffling sound on the other end, and Harper sniffled back tears. "Josh said she wasn't feeling well and he ended up having to take her to the ER...I don't know all the specifics, but they had to do a C-section to save the baby," Harper explained.

"I'll be there as soon as I can, okay?" he said.

She nodded, though he couldn't see it. "Okay," she said. After hanging up, she slid her cell phone into her pocket and wiped at her eyes. She couldn't hold back the tides any longer, and tears trickled down her cheeks. Harper slid down the wall to the floor and choked out a small sob.

Josh stepped into the hallway to look for Harper, and he saw her sitting on the ground in tears. He quickly knelt beside her and pulled her into his arms. "She's going to be okay. They both are," he said. There was a certain confidence to his voice that was false, but just believable enough to make her feel better.

It didn't stop the tears, but it gave her the strength to let him pull her up to her feet. "We'll get through this, as a family," Josh said. She nodded a little and wiped off some tears. "I'll be fine, I just need a minute," Harper said, glancing up at him for a second. He got the subtle hint, and nodded once.

He squeezed her shoulder reassuringly before going back into the room with Layla. Harper took a deep breath and decided to go back to the waiting area. Odds are they wouldn't let anyone in that wasn't family. So she thought it best to wait for Steve there. As she exited the double doors, she saw that Steve was talking with the girl behind the help desk.

Steve happened to glance in her direction and noticed she was there. He said something to the help desk girl, then walked over to her. Her under eyes were puffy and tears still drained off her chin from her cheeks. Steve immediately pulled her into his arms, and she held onto him tightly. It seemed like a stupid question to ask, but he asked anyway. "How are you holding up?" he asked.

She pulled back and wiped at her eyes. "Exactly how you'd expect," she said, with a somewhat sarcastic chuckle. "So not good. But not bad, considering." He nodded as she spoke, keeping his arms around her protectively. She sniffled. "I know it's really early-" she started.

"It doesn't matter. You need me, you call, okay?" he said. She nodded and hugged him again. If her mind wasn't preoccupied by worries for Layla and the baby, she would say something else—anything else, really. But given the circumstances and lack of sleep, her mind was not up to multi-tasking.

Harper stepped back and Steve slid his hand in hers. "Josh is probably wondering where I am," she said, thinking.

"I can wait here, if you want to go back in there," Steve said.

"You're family, aren't you?" she thought aloud. "I think you are. Come on." She tugged on his hand, pulling him with her to the help desk. The girl behind the desk perked up. "Hi, um, my sister is back there. Could you buzz me in?" Harper asked.

"What is the patient's name?" the girl asked.

"Layla Cummings," Harper answered. The girl typed on her computer for a minute, then looked back up at Harper. "And your name?" she asked.

"Harper Kelly," Harper said.

"And who is the gentleman?" the girl asked.

"I'm her-" Steve started.

"He's my fiancé," Harper lied. The girl nodded and started typing again. Harper flashed a small smile at Steve before focusing on the help desk girl. The girl handed Harper two red wristbands with numbers on them. "Here you go. If you need to get back in after this, just scan the bands at the door," the girl said, as Harper took the bands.

The double doors buzzed and began opening on their own. "Thank you," Harper said. The girl nodded with a polite smile. Harper started for the double doors and Steve followed close behind. "Fiancé?" Steve asked, as they passed the doors.

"Don't act like you didn't like it," Harper said, sarcastically. Steve shook his head, smiling at her humor. Harper vaguely remembered where to go, but she got them to the room fine. As they entered, Josh twisted to see behind him. "Hey," he said, greeting Steve with a casual nod. Steve returned the gesture, and Harper tugged him over to sit on the cushioned bench along the far wall. "The doctor was just in," Josh said. "She said the baby is still in stable condition."

Harper nodded with a light sigh of relief. "That's good. Is there any way to contact her husband?" she asked Josh.

"I don't know. He's deployed right now and I don't know how she usually talks to him," he said, thinking.

Just then, Steve had a thought. "Catherine still has some inside contacts. Maybe she can get the news to him?" he suggested, glancing between Josh and Harper.

Harper nodded in agreeance. She didn't particularly like Catherine, but if she could help contact Layla's husband, then so be it. Steve nodded and kissed the side of Harper's head. "I'll give her a call," he said, standing. He left the room as he pulled out his cell phone, and Josh turned to Harper. "Who's Catherine?" he asked her.

She sighed. "His ex," she said, simply. Josh nodded, sensing there was awkwardness to the situation, but didn't comment. Harper pulled her legs up onto the bench beside her and loosely crossed her arms, leaning her back into the wall. Just then, Layla stirred. Harper quickly hopped to her feet and moved over to her bedside.

Layla's eyelids fluttered open, and then squinted from the light. Her first words were, "Did the baby make it?" Harper sat beside her and took her hand. "He's okay. They say he's stable," Harper said.

Layla smiled. "It's a boy?" she asked. Harper nodded with a small smile, and Layla noticed Josh. "One more and we'd have a party," Layla said, her voice strained a bit.

"Steve's here, too," Harper said.

"There we go," Layla said, continuing the joke. Harper tried making her chuckle sound genuine. It almost was. But she was still saddened by the news of the baby's potential for death. Harper glanced at Josh, and he nodded reassuringly. She turned back to Layla, and Layla smiled at her. "So, are we gonna talk names?" Harper asked, putting on a smile.

"We've already picked one out—Henry James," Layla said, proudly.

"Sounds fancy," Josh commented.

"It's prestigious," Harper added. Layla laughed. She was just so excited to have a baby, she wasn't really thinking of the prematurity. Harper guessed she was still coming off the anesthetic. But, soon, it would hit her.