Thanks so much to those who reviewed! Here is the next chap. Happy Holidays :)

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Ellie ran through the halls of the ER, clutching her stethoscope so it didn't whip right off her neck. It was all she could do to keep herself in check. As a doctor she was supposed to stay calm, level-headed, but she didn't bother concealing her worry as she pushed through the other doctors to get to his stretcher.

When she finally saw him-- saw what state he was in– she repeated his name like a mantra, a prayer that he was ok. He was alert and trying to say something but even so all she could see was the damage. His neck was in a brace, there was blood already drying in curly clumps on his head, and so much blood on his shirt it had to be cut off just to see where the wounds were. There were many people working on him but he still fought to get their attention, pushing away their gloved hands and begging. It was all too much for Ellie to take in.

"Chuck! What happened?"

When he finally noticed his sister there she was hoping fo some sort of relief in his eyes but all she could see through his tears was fear. "Where's Sarah!" he demanded. "Where's Sarah?"

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When Ellie opens the door and lays eyes on him she exhales as if she's been holding her breath for a long time. She squeezes him in such a tight hug that Chuck has to chuckle even as he's trying to get some air.

"I'm so glad you're home," she whispers.

"Me too."

"Hey! Chuck!" Devon's grin is as wide as ever and after not seeing it in such a long time Chuck's just now realizing that it is indeed awesome. The Captain comes in for a hug too, with a few macho slaps on the back for good measure. "We missed you around here, bro," he says squeezing Chuck's shoulder. "You gotta tell us all about Moscow."

As it turned out Moscow was just another dead end. "Moscow was beautiful," he says in a long sigh. "Lots of... Russian people."

"He can tell us all about it later," Ellie interjects, noticing how tired he looks. "First, dinner. I hope you're hungry, Chuck."

He smiles sincerely at the promise of Ellie's home cooking. "Starved."

Eating Ellie's food made Chuck seriously reconsider leaving again, as was her intention, he was sure. But he did miss this. It'd been a while, nearly four months, since he'd seen them last, and that was entirely too long to go without seeing his family.

With Ellie preparing the desert in the kitchen Devon not-so-surreptitiously moves into the seat beside Chuck, assuming a serious posture, which can only mean he's about to have a serious conversation.

"So tell me, Chuck. How is everything, really?"

"Everything is really fine, Devon." He stresses the "really" in the hopes that Awesome will stop asking. But he knows that's unlikely to happen.

"I think what you're doing, taking time to travel-- clear your mind-- is awesome. But if you ever feel the need to talk to someone I could hook you up with some counseling. I'd be happy to go with you if you–"

"I don't need counseling," Chuck assures him. He misses the days when Awesome would offer to take him on a life-risking white water rafting trip instead.

"Getting mugged can be a traumatic experience, Chuck. You lost a lot, and then on top of everything, to lose–"

"I don't need counseling," Chuck repeats. "Thanks but no thanks, Devon."

"I was going to say lose your confidence. No man should have to lose that."

Chuck has to laugh, and even jokes, "I don't think I had much of that to begin with."

"You're probably right," Awesome notes, rather somberly. "Sorry if we're coming off too strong about this." Chuck finds it interesting that Awesome chooses the word "we" seeing as how Ellie hadn't mentioned a thing about any of this. She'd spent the entire dinner talking about what he'd missed back home and asking about the places he'd been.

"It's just, you know how Ellie is," Awesome continues. "She still worries about you." Chuck steals a look her way. She's arranging slices of pound cake on dishes, oblivious to the conversation. "You've been through a lot this year. You need to take as much time as you need. Just know we're always here for you."

"Thank you, Devon, I appreciate that. But really, I'm fine."

"So when do you think you're coming back home?"

It's a question he doesn't want to answer but coming here tonight knew he would have to.

Ellie joins them at the table. Chuck knows she heard the last part of the conversation because her eyes are alight with interest, waiting for him to answer. "I still have a few more trips to make," he says reluctantly.

"Well, we hope you'll find your way home by April," Ellie says.

Chuck feels confused. Even more so by the smile he sees sneaking onto Awesome's face. "What's in April?"

And by now even Ellie can't hide her excitement. Her smile is huge and she's radiant. "In April," she begins slowly, "you're going to be an uncle."

The news is like the best sucker punch he's ever gotten and he's up on his feet instantly, enveloping Ellie in a hug that's so sudden it surprises her but delights her all the same.

"You're having a baby!" He says, grabbing Ellie by the shoulders, incredulous. He turns to Awesome and shakes the beaming man's hand. "That's.... awesome!"

He hasn't been this happy in a while. In a year, actually. And by the way Ellie looks at him she's aware of that too.

"A baby," he says. "That's about the best news you can get, isn't it?"

Ellie nods, wiping a tear from her eye. She's touched.