CHAPTER 6

Caitlin started mixing the ingredients for a special eggplant parmesan-perfect for String's vegetarian habits and Dom would especially approve of it being Italian. Her mom came in. "You know, I could make a delicious meat sauce for that," she offered.

"It's nice of you to offer, but no thanks," Caitlin declined politely.

"It would really make it though," her mother insisted, "I won't get in your way, but I know it would just finish it, make it truly perfect."

"String won't eat it," she said abruptly.

"What do you mean he won't eat it? It would make it."

"Can't we just go with the recipe and have the marinara sauce?"

"It's just so much better with a little meat."

"Mom, he's a vegetarian."

She rolled her eyes dramatically. "Caitlin O'Shaunessy, I just can't see for the life of me why you can't pick a normal guy that eats normal food instead of one of these new-age health nuts."

Caitlin ignored her mother's ranting and continued on with the marinara sauce.

At dinner the conversation started off friendly enough. Passing String his plate, Caitlin's mother question String. "So what exactly do you do?"

The question caught him off guard. "My job? I fly for Dom's business, Santini Air, charters and movie stunts, that kind of thing," he recovered quickly.

"How exactly did you and Cait manage to get shot in a flying stunt? And do you think it's really a good idea trying to raise a kid, not knowing if you'll both make it home every night?"

Hawke fought to keep his temper under control, but it doesn't last for long. Finally he stomped off out of the cabin.

"What'd you do that for?" Caitlin question angrily. "No wonder you don't like him. You don't want to."

Le, who had asked to be excused to stay with Chance who was still fussy, came tearing down the stairs. "Cait, come quick! There's something wrong with Chance!"

In a sudden panic she charged up the stairs after him.

Chance, laying in the crib, fussed hysterically. Caitlin reached over to lay a hand on his forehead to see if he had a fever as her mom walked into the room. He suddenly bowed up and went into a seizure. Caitlin, going into full fledged panic, screamed for Hawke.

Hawke, hearing the screaming coming from inside, took the stairs two at a time up to the loft. He lunged into the room to see Caitlin's mom trying to calm her and the baby seizing in the crib. He yelled for Le to grab the diaper bag as he hustled Caitlin, now holding the baby, into the helicopter outside. By now the infant had gone limp and kind of lethargic.

As soon as Caitlin, holding Chance, and her mom were in the back her started up the rotors. Le came scurrying into the co-pilot seat and they took off for the community hospital. On the way, he tried to get a hold of Dom or Saint John,but no such luck. He opted to call Michael to see if he could track them down.

At the hospital, Chance was immediately rushed in, leaving String, Cait, and the others only to wait and worry. String's concern was evident for Caitlin and his son. Caitlin's mother started to think maybe she had been a little too hard on him.

Michael and Marella soon arrived with Dominic and Saint John in tow. Dom tried to comfort the worried String and Caitlin while Saint John waited with Le. Time passed slowly, still baring no news.

Caitlin caught her mother saying something about canceling the wedding plans for the following day. "How can you be thinking about the wedding when your grandson could be dying in there for all you know?!" she launched at her.

Hawke, who was still holding the sobbing Caitlin, looked more than a little stricken himself at her words. Dom just patted him gently on the back, not knowing what else he could do.

Marella silently slipped down the hallway to find a doctor and see what news she could find out. After a few minutes, she returned with the news. "The doctors think they've stabilized his condition and that he'd picked up some infection. The seizsure was just caused by the high fever."

All of them heaved a enormous sigh of relief.

After things started to settled, Cait's mom said that she guessed she needed to call everybody and tell them the wedding was off for now. This time Caitlin looked down sadly, but saw no other option but to agree.

String said a firm 'no.' "This just goes to show how much he needs his family. We could go ahead with the wedding plans, just do it at the hospital."

Shaking her head, Caitlin's mother started listing off reasons why it couldn't be done.

Caitlin who had started to look hopeful again, seemed crushed.

"Michael?" String inquired, looking at the spy, "Can you make it happen?"

He stoked his mustache as he pondered it for a minute. He sent a fleeting glance at Marella. She nodded slightly, her eyes twinkling. Michael grinned and agreed. "We'll make it happen."

\A/

String and Caitlin spent the night at the hospital with Chance while the others went home to get some sleep and get ready- the reception was to be held at Dom's, Saint John would bring Hawke's tux, and Caitlin's mother would bring her dress.

The wedding began without any problems in Chance's room, Hawke in his tuxedo, and Caitlin looking radiant holding Chance. The hospital chaplain preformed the ceremony and congratulations were offered all around just as the doctor came in to check on Chance.

Nodding his approval, the doctor gave his prognosis. "He should be out of danger now. We'll just keep him another day as a precaution."

As the others started to leave to go back to Dom's apartment, String told them to go and enjoy themselves. He put an arm around Cait and pulled her close, rubbing a finger softly over the sleeping baby's cheek.

Cait's mom pulled him aside, telling that him that she needed to talk to him.

"I'm sorry," she began, "You sure wouldn't have been my first choice as a husband for my daughter, and I'm still not happy about the getting shot part, but now I realize how much you care for her and Chance and that they are pretty lucky to have you." She reached up to kiss him on the cheek. "She couldn't have picked a better guy."

Looking back at her daughter, she noticed Caitlin's bittersweet happiness. She was ecstatic to know Chance was going to be ok, but she was going to miss her own wedding reception.

"Go," she decided on impulse. "I'll stay with Chance. You take her and have a good time."

Hawke hesitated, torn between the two.

"Go on, even if it's only for a little while. I'll call you if anything goes wrong."

He finally nodded, meeting her eyes and gave her a shy half smile.

Placing a gentle hand on Caitlin's elbow, he whispered something in her ear. She turned to look at the sleeping baby and her mother who promptly shooed them out with a grin.

He placed an arm around her and led her out.

Caitlin's mother sat down in the chair beside her new grandson, stroking his soft, downy, baby fluff and hummed a lullaby.

\A/

Music softly playing in the background, String took Cait into his arms and they danced happily on the patio, lit only by the warm glow provided by the Japanese lanterns. He kissed her thoroughly and somehow she knew everything was going to work out.