Sam struggled to keep her eyes open as she looked around the hospital room. She had been drifting in and out and had only just realized where she was. As Sam continued to fight the urge to go back to sleep, she placed a hand on the small swell of her abdomen.

At that contact, it all suddenly hit Sam; she was in the hospital because there had been something wrong with the baby!

Her memory flooded back to her as she pulled herself up into a seated position. Was everything okay with her and Freddie's unborn child?
She tried to locate a call button on the side of her bed, desperate for news. Before she could do so, however, the door to her room opened and Freddie walked in.

"Freddie!" she said at once. "Did-Did they tell you what happened? Did anybody tell you anything?"
"Sam," he said gently, putting a hand on her shoulder. "Calm down. Don't work yourself up right now."
"How can I-"

"The baby's fine," Freddie told her. "Your doctor was just talking to me."

Sam breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank God…I-I don't know what happened, Freddie. I-I just remember there being a lot of blood…Lauren drove me here and then I think I passed out or something. But-But the doctor said the baby's fine?"
"Yes," Freddie nodded. "But-But, um, the doctor also said this is going to be a difficult pregnancy."
Sam blinked. "What do you mean? You said-"

"The-The doctor said the reason you had to be rushed here was because this pregnancy is putting a lot of strain on your body," Freddie explained. "Which is normal for all pregnant women. But with you…um, well, the doctor said that your kidneys were a little more strained than usual before you got pregnant."

"What?" Sam frowned. "But-But I never had any problems before!"
"He said they weren't strained enough to cause you any real danger or discomfort before," Freddie replied. "It's just with this pregnancy…"

"But-But why are my kidneys-" Sam started, but then her voice trailed.

"Sam-"

"It's my fault," Sam said softly. "I-I did this to myself when I was drinking-"

"Don't think that way," Freddie said firmly. "This isn't your fault. Look, everything is going to be okay. The doctor said after you give birth your kidneys should be fine again."
Sam didn't reply.

"You-You're going to have to stay here a couple more weeks," Freddie continued. "Um, and then when you come home, you're gonna have to be on bed rest-"

"Bed rest?" Sam repeated. "I can't be on bed rest! My maternity leave doesn't start for another few months and we have a toddler! How am I supposed to take care of Heather in bed? And what about Lauren? Who's going to take her to school and drive her places when you're busy?"
"Sam, don't worry about all of that," Freddie said. "Right now we need to focus on making sure you and this baby are safe for the rest of your pregnancy. You'll just have to start your maternity leave now. I'm sure the dance company will understand. And I can handle the girls. I can drive Lauren wherever she needs to be and I'll handle Heather. I stay with her while you're at work, don't I?"
"But-But what if you have to go into the office?"

"I'll bring her with me if I have to," Freddie shrugged. "Listen, I'll make sure it all works out, okay? You just focus on resting up."

Sam looked down at her lap.

"Baby, this isn't your fault," Freddie whispered, squeezing her hand. "These things…sometimes they just happen."

"I know," Sam said softly. "But-But if I just hadn't-"

"Don't," Freddie said firmly. He leaned over and kissed her. "Now, are you up for some company? The girls are out in the waiting room. They're real worried about you."

"Sure," Sam said heavily. "Oh, um, by the way, I wasn't paying too much attention during the ride over, but Lauren did a pretty good job driving…"
Freddie smiled. "Guess my lessons have been paying off then." He gave her another kiss. "Sam, we're gonna get through this, okay? You're going to relax in bed for the next four months and then our new son or daughter is going to finally join us. It's all going to be alright."
Sam took a deep breath before nodding, giving him a small smile. "Thank you."

….

"When you come home?" Heather asked Sam later that day, as the toddler sat next to Sam in the hospital bed.

"Not for a couple more weeks, sweetie," Sam replied, giving her daughter a sad smile.

"But I want mommy," Heather pouted.

"We'll visit her every day," Freddie promised. "Mommy just has to stay here to make sure everything is okay with your brother or sister."

"Baby hurt?"

"Er…no," Sam said slowly. "This is just so the baby doesn't get hurt."

"At least your room has a view," Lauren commented, looking out the window by Sam's bed. "You can see the sun set and rise every day."

"Like I'll be up for the sunrise," Sam chuckled.

"Visiting hours are almost up," Freddie said, glancing at his watch. "We should go…is there anything you want me to bring you when we come by tomorrow, Sam? I'm already bringing your laptop, some magazines, the comfy blanket from the bed…"

"That's all I need," Sam replied.

"Alright," Freddie said, giving her a kiss. "I should get these two home."
"Can I drive, daddy?" Lauren asked.

"Um, I-I dunno Lauren," Freddie frowned. "It's getting dark and-"

"Hey, if Lauren got me from home to here in less than ten minutes while obeying every traffic rule and parking perfectly, I think she'll be fine," Sam said, grinning at Lauren.

"Well…okay," Freddie agreed.

"Thanks, Sam," Lauren beamed.

"Thank you, Laure," Sam said. "You really saved the day today."

"I stay with mommy," Heather said firmly, hugging tight to her mother's arm.

"Aw honey, I-I wish you could," Sam said. "But the hospital won't let you. Besides, you don't want to sleep here in this stuffy little hospital room. Wouldn't you rather sleep at home in your own bed with all your toys?"
"No!"

"I've got her," Freddie said, gently picking up the child from the bed. "Come on, Heather. You can make mommy a really nice card when we get home."

"This sucks," Sam sighed, looking at her distressed daughter and wanting nothing more than to get up and go home with her family.

"It's only temporary," Freddie reminded her. "We'll be back her first thing in the morning. Just try and get some sleep."

"We'll bring you breakfast from The Biscuit Factory," Lauren promised. "I remember how gross the food is here from when I volunteered over the summer."
"You're the best," Sam smiled.

"We'll miss you," Freddie said, giving his wife one last kiss. "Love you, Sam."
"Bye, Sam," Lauren waved.

"Bye-bye, mommy," Heather sniffed.

Freddie knew how hard this was on Sam. As he looked back at her before leaving the room with Lauren and Heather, he could see how much she wanted to be going with them.

"Alright, Lauren," Freddie said as the family walked through the hospital hall. "With Sam on bed rest, I'm really going to need your help taking care of things around the house."
"Yeah, no problem," Lauren nodded.

"I'll need you to help with Heather and pitching in a little more with the housework," Freddie told her. "We need to make sure Sam is completely relaxed until this baby comes."

"Okay," Lauren said. "So does this mean that the baby and Sam are both going to be alright?"
Freddie sighed. "I sure hope so, Lauren."

…

It was very late, but Sam still couldn't sleep. She was still trying to wrap her head around all that had happened that day.

She had been beyond terrified. Those few fleeting moments when she thought she was going to lose this baby…

She placed her hands on her stomach, feeling a surge of relief as she felt a gentle kick from her unborn child.

It was going to be weird for her, though, being on bed rest for four more months. Normally she'd be overjoyed for an excuse to lounge around and have everyone wait on her hand and foot, but oddly enough, now that it was actually happening, she wasn't looking forward to it.

Sam sighed as she leaned back against her pillow. She supposed she had no choice in the matter, though. If bed rest was what was going to keep this baby safe until it was born, than so be it.

Four months isn't that long, Sam reasoned to herself. And now I can finally catch up on some T.V. shows. I've been dying to see that one show about the circus freaks everybody keeps talking about…I'm sure this is gonna fly by. And once the baby gets here, I'm gonna be begging for this rest back. Might as well take advantage of this time until May when-

Suddenly, Sam bolted up in her bed.

This child wasn't going to be born until May. She was going to be on bed rest until May.

Conner's birthday was in March…this was going to be the first year since he died that she wouldn't be able to go back to Washington to visit his grave.

She couldn't. If she wasn't allowed to go downstairs in her own home, she surly wouldn't be allowed to travel halfway across the country.

She could feel the tears welling in her eyes as she laid back down.

And, for the second time in less than twenty-four hours, she felt as though a part of her was crumbling.