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Henry?! What the hell did that little bastard have to do with anything?! Maybe it was just a dream – or nightmare, actually.

"Betty?" Daniel said, noticing her eyes were open and responsive.

"Daniel?" she spoke.

He pressed the call button for the nurse.

"Oh my god! Betty, you're awake!" he exclaimed, then kissed her lips, overjoyed that she finally had come back to him. "Are you okay?"

"Daniel?" she repeated, confused. "Oww . . . Where am I? . . . Why did you kiss me like that? Or at all? Something's really wrong, isn't it? Is it my family? Yours? Amanda? Marc? . . . Where's Henry?"

There it was again.

"Did you need something, Mr. Meade?" the nurse responded.

"Yes. My wife – she's awake. And I think her water just broke," he answered.

"I'll let the on-call doctor know right away, Mr. Meade, and send a nurse in the meantime," the nurse said.

"Thank you," he replied.

"Everyone's fine, Betty. You've been in a coma for almost a month. I thought I'd lost you . . . I don't know where Henry is. Probably at home, asleep. Why do you keep asking?" Daniel told her, trying to keep calm.

"A coma? How? Does Henry know? I don't want him to think I stood him up. And don't keep giving me that 'what-the-hell-are-doing-I-don't-want-to-see-you-get-hurt' look every time I bring up his name," she huffed. "I'm not going down that path with him again, but I didn't think it'd hurt to have breakfast and catch up."

Daniel nodded. The doctors had warned him she might experience some memory loss, but did she have to go back to a time that had anything to do with Henry? And didn't it occur to her that he'd be worried about her a hell of a lot more than that greaseball – even back then?

"About three weeks ago, you were in a plane crash You've been in a coma ever since," he explained.

"Where's your wife – shouldn't you be with her instead of me?" Betty questioned.

"Betty -" he began.

"Daniel, I know you care about me, but you just told the nurse that her water broke. Aaaaahhh . . . there's that freakin' pain again! When did you get married, anyway?" she asked. "And please tell me it isn't to Trista! Honestly, Daniel, you can do so much better. Oh god, you didn't have to marry her, did you? I thought you'd changed. Getting a girl pregnant was something Old Daniel would do, not New Daniel."

"Slow down, B. I'm not married to Trista – I never even slept with her," he assured her. "And I didn't get any other random girl pregnant either. Face it, my sex life was non-existent after Amanda and I stopped being fun-buddies."

"Ewwww! And good," Betty exhaled a sigh of relief. "I mean – why do I even care? . . . Oww . . . You can date, sleep with, marry whoever you want, Daniel. I'm just overstepping again."

"Uh, Betty? There's something I need to tell you. But you have to promise me you won't freak out," Daniel said.

"Yeah, because hearing those words makes anyone want to stay calm . . . Ooooooh . . ." she sarcastically remarked.

"Betty," Daniel sighed.

"Sorry. I promise," she said.

"Betty, you are my wife," he carefully told her.

"I-I'm y-your w-wife?! . . . Owwwww! . . . I guess that explains the pain . . . Aaaahhh! Son of a bitch that hurts! . . . and the wet bed, and why my stomach's so big, and these rings, but it doesn't explain you," Betty said. "How did this happen? Oh, shit! Is the baby Henry's? Did you marry me to 'rescue' me from him or something? I knew I shouldn't have agreed to see him again!"

"Betty, calm down. The baby is ours," Daniel told her.

"Ours?! You mean you and I – really?" she looked at him skeptically.

Daniel nodded.

"Did we make one of those pacts or something – like when we reached a certain point in our lives if neither of us was married, we'd marry each other and raise a kid? Because that would make sense – you'll be forty in a few years and neither one of us has been that lucky in love. We're best friends - why not, right?" she guessed.

Daniel sighed, trying to hide his frustration at the fact that she couldn't picture them as a real couple. He shouldn't be so upset, though. He was the one who fell first to begin with.

"No. Betty, we're really in love. Like palms sweating, hearts racing, can't live without each other, together forever, passionate love," he clarified.

"Oh . . . Owww! Didn't the nurse say she was sending someone?" Betty asked.

"Yeah, but you know how ridiculously slow hospital staff can be – especially at night. If you don't say you're bleeding to death, they take their own damn time," he scoffed.

"So . . . you and me, we're in love?" she said, trying to distract herself from the pain.

"Yeah," Daniel answered.

"This is really weird . . . We're married . . . I'm about to give birth to your baby . . . and I don't remember any of it . . ." she said, still trying to wrap her head around it.

"I know this is a lot to deal with at once. I'm so sorry you have to go through this," he said.

"No, Daniel. I'm sorry. I've been so busy worrying about me, that I completely ignored what you must be going through. Thank you so much for being here for me . . . for always being here when I need you. I can't imagine how hard it is for you to have the woman you married not even remember your relationship. I promise I'll do everything I can to get my memory back – and not just for me, but for you, too. I'm on Team Daniel – always. Oh, god! Why does it feel like this baby's trying to rip out my insides? Holy shit, it hurts!"

"Is there anything I can do?" Daniel asked.

"Could you rub my lower back?" she timidly requested, turning on her side. "It's really killing me right now."

"Sure," he said cautiously placing his hands on her back. She was his wife, so every part of her was familiar to him. However, he knew he had to be respectful of boundaries considering she only remembered him as her friend. "Here?"

"No, lower . . . lower . . . right there. Perfect . . . Ohhhh . . . that feels good. Thank you . . . I'm sure you've given me plenty of massages before so it's nothing new to you. But I still feel a little uncomfortable about it. You have magic fingers, by the way – no wonder I fell for you. Oh god – did I just say that out loud?" she gasped, her face turning red with embarrassment.

"Betty, it's okay. There's no need to be embarrassed," Daniel assured her, taking her hand. "I don't think I could make it any more obvious how I feel about you. But there is absolutely no pressure to say or do anything you aren't comfortable with. Both of us need time to adjust."

Betty squeezed his hand back.

"You're right," she agreed. "But I don't know why I'm so nervous . . . I mean it's you, not some stranger. I know way too many personal things about you to start being afraid to be myself around you – like what used to be in the top drawer of your dresser. And for the record – ewwww! And thank god I got rid of them!"

"You talked to my mom, didn't you?!" he accused.

"You'll never know," she smugly replied. "As I was saying, maybe I'm apprehensive because I only remember you before you were in love with me. My instinct is to sensor any inappropriate thoughts I might have about you."

"You've had inappropriate thoughts about me?" Daniel replied, intrigued.

"Maybe once, but it was when I'd accidentally taken two different cold medications and had just broken up with Zach - or Ezra - whatever. Not only did he not want to be seen with me, but he also ended up giving me the flu," she remembered, annoyed. "Aaaaaaahh . . ."

"Wait - I shared a pint of sugar free ice cream with you that night . . . you cried on my shoulder," Daniel recalled. "I blamed being sick on Amanda."

"Sorry . . ." Betty sheepishly apologized. "Owwww! And I'm really sorry you took it out on Amanda. She's the one who suggested getting the healthier stuff for minor upsets in the first place. And here comes another one . . . Aaaaahhhhh!"

"Want me to text your family?" he offered, handing her a cup of half-melted ice chips he'd gotten earlier that night for his drink.

"Could you? They'll probably get here before anyone checks on us," she scoffed, taking one and handing the cup back to him.

"Yeah, but let me go to the nurses' station first – this is bullshit!" he complained.

"No. Daniel, don't! Please stay with me . . . I need you," Betty pleaded, grabbing his hand as tears formed in her eyes and her chin quivered.

Daniel was surprised by her reaction. He was only going down the hall. Did she honestly think he'd run and never look back? He pressed the button for the nurse.

"It's okay. I'm right here, B," he reassured her, sitting on her bed and holding her.

He pulled out his phone and quickly group texted her family, his, and their friends, letting them know her status.

"I'm sorry. I'm usually stronger than this - I'm just really scared right now," she confessed, wiping the tears from her eyes. "I'm about to have a baby I have no memories of conceiving or carrying. I still don't know exactly how I ended up in here or why I don't remember anything. And you, you're somehow my husband now. Oooooooohhhhhhh! But you're still the man I know and love as my friend. I trust you more than anyone, which is probably one of the reasons I married you in the first place. Just promise you won't leave me?"

"I swear. I'll never leave you, Betty. I promise," he vowed, kissing her temple.

"Thank you . . ." she said, relaxing comfortably in his arms. "You said I was in a plane crash. Why was I on a plane? Where was I going – I just got back from Fashion Week in London?"

"It's March 2011," he told her. "You were with Amanda, your assistant, and the photographer of your new magazine in London. You guys were covering the launch of UN Women in New York."

"I took the job?" she said, shocked. "But that means I let everyone down, even you."

"Hey . . . hey, you didn't let anyone down, Betty. You have made everyone so proud of you – especially me," he calmed her down.

"Aaahhh . . . where the hell is the doctor?! . . . Owww . . . the contractions are coming faster . . . Ooooooo . . . .!" Betty wailed.

Daniel pressed the button for the nurses' station again. Someone actually answered that time.

"What the hell is wrong with you people?! I told you a god damn hour ago that my wife had woken up from her coma and was in labor. Her contractions are getting closer and closer together. Send someone down here now, before I fire all of your asses and sue this hospital for negligence! And if you think I'm joking, you are sorely mistaken. My family owns an entire wing of this hospital and a seat on the board, so I will do it!" Daniel bellowed.

"Jesus, Daniel! Since when did you start going all Willie on people's asses?" Betty asked. "Owwww . . ."

"Sorry, Betty. I guess it just comes natural when I'm protecting the people I love most," he apologized.

"You don't have to apologize, Daniel. I'm honestly strangely turned-on by it. Ahhhhh . . . yeah, I know. Not the right timing," she cringed in pain. "Can you just rub my back again?"

"Here?" he asked.

"Yeah, right there. I'm sure I'm way past the window of an epidural thanks to the staff," she groaned in pain.

"I'm so sorry, B," he told her. "I don't know if it'll help, but you can squeeze my hand until it breaks. After all, I'm the guy who knocked you up in the first place."

Betty giggled.

"Owww . . .!" she exclaimed, reaching for his hand. "If only I could remember how any of this happened. Right now it's just hilarious to think that I of all people managed to get knocked up by Daniel Meade. Tell me that we were at least sober when it happened. Because if it was a drunken one-night-stand that led you to pitying me, I think I'm gonna cry."

"We were both sober and in love when it happened. We didn't plan it, but we were happy about it," Daniel told her, intentionally leaving out the part of her initial freak-out.

"Good. That's good. The last thing I want is to be the person someone settles on because they feel obligated," she sighed in relief, before enduring yet another contraction.

"Betty, that's the farthest thing from the truth. I quit MODE and moved to another country for only a chance that you'd see me as someone more than just your screw-up friend. I'd never wanted to be with anyone as much as I wanted to be with you," he confessed.

"Really?" she questioned. "Aaaaaahh . . ."

"Really," he confirmed.

"That's so sweet," she melted, placing her hand on his cheek.

Daniel leaned in closer, their lips almost touching when the doctor barged in.

"Hi, guys! I'm Dr. Mickey Stinkel – you can call me Mick. So you're Betty Suarez-Meade and you must be the baby-daddy?" he greeted them.

"Yes, I'm her husband, Daniel Meade," he held out his hand, slightly perturbed by the assumption that he was still just some screw-her and leave-her type of guy.

"Oh, yeah . . . Now I recognize you. You know, I couldn't believe you got hitched again! I mean you used to have chicks all over you, man! Probably banging three, four models a night? Damn! What sane guy would give that up? Sorry I'm late, by the way – got stuck in traffic," the young doctor who looked fresh out of med school excused, washing his hands and struggling to put on some gloves. He reminded Daniel of a combination of Kenny from accounting and Nick Pepper – only dumber and less coordinated.

Daniel and Betty looked at each other.

"Oh, who am I kidding – it's 4 in the morning? I slept in a little longer. Guess you don't need that, Betty – you've been in a coma for about a month . . ." Dr. Stinkel joked, checking her vitals for any signs of side effects. "First babies take forever, anyways. I'm sure you're not nearly as far along as you think you are and we can squeeze an epidural in. But let me just take a quick peek . . . Whoa!"

"Whoa?" Betty and Daniel simultaneously repeated.

"Um . . . turns out I can already see some of the head. Yeah, no time for those painkillers. Oops – sorry!" he shrugged. "Shouldn't be too much longer before you can start pushing. I'm gonna finish this chart and grab a nurse."

"Oops?! Sorry?! Sleeping in?! And bringing up my past sex life?! Betty, can you believe this jackass? I'm calling for someone else!" Daniel discreetly protested, reaching for the call button.

Betty immediately grabbed it and held it away from him.

"Betty! What the hell?!" Daniel wondered, attempting to grab it again until she smacked him away.

"Daniel, I appreciate your concern, I really do," she said as quietly as possible. "Ohhhhhh . . . But it took us an hour and a half before we got horny Doogie Howser, here. If we try for someone else, we could end up with Paris Hilton wearing a stethoscope. Aaaaahhhh . . . And face it, you don't know nothin' 'bout birthin' no babies while we wait for the next quack to come."

Daniel gave her a blank expression.

"'Gone with the Wind'?" she explained. "You seriously need to broaden your knowledge of classic movies. Owwwww! Anyway, this guy at least knows something to some degree," she argued.

Then they both noticed him accidentally knocking over a sterilized tray of medical instruments before leaving the room.

Daniel looked at his wife skeptically.

"Damn it, Daniel! Don't mess with your recently comatose, amnesiac, pregnant wife when she's about to give birth to your child!" she warned, wincing in pain. "You have my permission to yell at and fire people to your heart's content after it's all over. I promise."

"Fine," he grumbled. "But I'm holding you to it."

"Just get over here and hold my hands," she huffed. "Owwwww!"

Daniel sat behind her and did as he was told. He knew better than to argue with her when she was like that.

"Okay . . . let's just see how far dilated you are, now," Dr. Stinkel said, coming back in with a nurse and checking Betty's progress. "Awesome! It's showtime!"

"Oh my god, Daniel – I don't know if I can do this!" Betty panicked, the reality setting in.

"Yes you can! Betty, you are the bravest person I know. And I'm right here," he assured her.

"Okay, Betty. Take a deep breath and push," Dr. Stinkel told her.

"Tell me something to distract me," she said to Daniel as she started pushing. "Oooooooohhhhhh!"

"I, uh, I set myself on fire when you wanted to take that job," he said. He hated that everyone knew about that incident, but he figured it'd be a good aversion to Betty's pain at the moment.

"You what?!" Betty exclaimed, taking a breath before pushing again. "Daniel, what the hell were you thinking?! Aaaaaaaahhhhhh!"

"I know . . . I wasn't. I thought it'd be cool to burn your release form and show you I wasn't going to let you leave . . . Turns out, it only looked cool in my head," he admitted.

"And the head is out! Great job, Betty!" Dr. Stinkel said. "Take some breaths and then give me another big push.

Betty nodded.

"Daniel, you could barely light the match . . . on the cupcake you stole from Ida's retirement party . . . when you forgot to get me a birthday present," she reminded him, attempting to catch her breath.

"You knew about that?" Daniel said, surprised.

"The wrapper said 'Over the Hill'," she retorted, then pushed again. "Ooooowwwww!"

"It was a joke?" he sheepishly excused.

"You're ten years . . . Ooooooooohhhh . . . older than I am," she countered.

"It's not like I look it, right?" he conceitedly pointed out.

"You don't act like it," she corrected him.

"Watch it – you just admitted you married an old guy," he smirked.

"You're not that old, and besides, age makes you sexier," she flirted, resting for a moment. "Only right now, I'm beginning to think that sex is a very bad thing that's literally coming back to bite me in the Aaaaaaaaahhhhhhhh!"

"And the first shoulder is out!" the doctor exclaimed. "Keep pushing, Betty . . . Here's number two!"

"You're doing so great, B!" Daniel smiled and wiped her forehead with a damp cloth.

"Okay, Betty. One more big push," Dr. Stinkel told her.

"We're almost there, baby – we can do this, right?" Daniel held up his good hand for a high-five. The other one he could barely feel at the moment.

"I think so . . ." Betty reluctantly hit his hand as she attempted to gather up more strength for the final push.

"Alright! Go Team Detty! P-U, S-H, push that baby out!" Daniel coached.

"Daniel, what are you doing?" Betty asked, annoyed and out of breath.

"I'm cheering you on," he innocently shrugged.

"Don't do that," she warned, pushing one last time. "Aaaaaaaaaaahhhhh!"

"Sorry," he sheepishly apologized.

"Alright, guys. Get ready to meet your baby girl!" Dr. Stinkel announced, holding her up as she began to cry for the first time.

"Oh my god, she's beautiful!" Betty exclaimed.

"She really is – even if she does kinda look like my Great Aunt Edna, covered in grape jelly," he mused.

Betty jabbed him with her elbow.

"Ow!" he rubbed his side. "And you were right – it was a girl."

She gave Daniel a puzzled look.

"But I don't care – she's here and she's healthy," he grinned.

"Dad, would you like to cut the cord?" the doctor asked Daniel.

Daniel looked at Betty unsure of her feelings.

"Go ahead – it's okay," she smiled, weakly.

"Cool! Spongey," he remarked as he snipped it with the scissors.

Betty couldn't help but laugh at his boyish comments.

As Dr. Stinkel and the nurse cleaned their new daughter up and checked her vitals, Daniel went over to Betty's side.

"You were amazing, Betty. Thank you so much," he kissed the top of her hand, with tears in his eyes. "You went above and beyond what any other woman in labor had to go through. The strength and courage you showed only makes me love you even more."

Betty smiled, timidly.

"Don't take this the wrong way . . . but I love you, too, Daniel. Knowing what I know, and the way you stood by me this whole time - never expecting anything more than what I could give to you – it made me see how easily I could have fallen for you," Betty confessed. "It's not as weird to think about anymore."

Daniel modestly smiled.

"See, I knew you'd come around, eventually. It's the charm, isn't it?" he teased.

"How could I forget that trying to compliment you is impossible without your head getting bigger by the second?" she rolled her eyes.

The nurse appeared at that moment and carefully handed Betty their baby girl.

"Oh my god! I can't believe we made this . . . She's so perfect," Betty gushed in awe.

"She's beautiful – just like her mom," Daniel commented, mesmerized.

Betty smiled, coyly up at Daniel.

"She's got your nose," she observed. "And your eyes."

"Your hair – she's got so much for just a newborn . . . and your cute little chipmunk cheeks," he smiled.

"Bobby told you?" she wondered, blushing from embarrassment.

"Yeah -" Daniel started to explain, but was interrupted by their daughter letting out a wail at the top of her tiny lungs.

"Feisty, like you, too," he joked.

Betty gave him a look and quieted the baby down.

"The things I do for you, Meade . . . this one tops them all. I'm thinking you owe me 5-star dinners, movies, and all the snacks I can eat for at least a year. Plus -" she began.

Daniel kissed her passionately, unable to hold back his emotions any longer. He knew it was a risk, but decided to go for it anyway.

"W-Why'd you do that?" Betty asked, breathless and confused.

"To shut you up," he muttered into her lips, hoping a little humor would soften any fears she might have.

Betty hesitated for a second and smiled down at their new baby girl – she was a miracle in more ways than one. Betty then gazed into Daniel's entrancing blue eyes and kissed him back just as passionately.

At that moment, Daniel was more confident than ever that they could get through everything that happened; that even if Betty never recalled their life together, there was still a chance to start a new one if she was willing. And judging by her reaction to his kiss, the odds were definitely in his favor. That was until Betty suddenly turned sheet white, falling limp and unconscious.

Shocked and confused, Daniel immediately called out to the doctor for help and quickly grabbed their child before she was harmed. His wife's heart monitor went crazy, a crash cart rolled in, and their daughter began to wail again as he faintly heard comments of Betty 'bleeding out', and the medical staff 'losing her' above the cries. A nurse quickly guided them into another room, and Daniel's whole world fell apart for the second time that month.