"Hi Mom," Lindsey smiles trying not to stare her mother in the eye. She realizes what Nick was warning her about. Catherine's eyes are sunken in, and they have dark circles under them. She looks pale, and incredible weak.
"I'm sorry that I worried you," Catherine apologizes.
"It's ok mom. I'm just glad that you're ok."
"Me too," Catherine agrees.
"What happened?"
Before Catherine can answers Lindsey notices the bundle that Catherine is holding in her arms. Lindsey moves closer and realizes that Catherine is holding a baby. Lindsey simply looks at her mother in confusion.
"You had a baby?" Lindsey questions.
Catherine simply nods.
"Why didn't you tell me that..."
Catherine cuts her off, "I didn't know."
"So...is it ok?"
"She's fine," Nick assures her.
"Can I hold her?" Lindsey asks.
"Of course," Catherine answers.
Lindsey very carefully lifts the fragile baby out of her mother's arms. She studies the baby. "She's so little," Lindsey comments.
"Four pounds six ounce," Nick announces, "And she's got lots of hair."
"Does she have a name?" Lindsey asks Catherine.
"Finley Nicole."
"That's pretty," Lindsey smiles.
Lindsey gives the baby back. "I'm glad you're ok. But I have to go home. I've got a huge project due tomorrow."
"Ok," Catherine smiles.
Lindsey leaves and Nick watches Catherine very carefully.
"How are you holding up?" he questions.
"I'm fine," she answers quickly.
"Are you sure?"
"Uh huh," she nods.
"Don't lie to me."
"I don't know how I feel about this..."
"It's ok," he reassures her.
"No it's not. She's my daughter..." she stops herself and looks at the sleeping baby.
"You're getting tired, let me take her," he suggests.
She nods, and he takes the little girl. Catherine falls asleep. When she wakes up she watches Nick hold Finley. "Hi pretty girl. What are you doing?" he asks. He looks over at Catherine and notices her watching him.
"You weren't asleep very long."
"It was long enough," she answers.
"She's got your nose," he comments.
"You don't have to stay here and take care of me," she offers him an out.
"I want to," he answers.
"Nick you don't have to," she tells him.
"I'd do anything for you," he replies.
She doesn't say a word. She just looks at him. He carefully returns the baby to her arms. She holds the baby closely, and studies her.
"Nick go home and get some rest. I'll be ok," she promises.
"I want to stay," he argues.
"Go. Get some rest, and you can come back. We'll be fine," she repeats.
He nods in agreement. He leaves the hospital, and heads home. The first thing he does is take a nice hot shower. He's sleeping within twenty minutes of stepping through his front door. He dreams of them in his sleep. He runs to the store and then heads to the hospital. He finds Catherine sleeping peacefully in her bed, with Finley no where in sight. He carefully slips in and takes a seat next to her.
He watches her as she sleeps. It wasn't fair. She had no clue how much he loved her, how much she meant to him. He had gone home and dreamed about her. He dreamed of Finley. Life was cruel. He had fallen in love with the baby the instant he laid eyes on her, and she wasn't even his. She didn't belong to him, neither of them did. That didn't matter though, because he was going to be there anyway.
She opens her eyes and looks at him, but says nothing. He scoots closer and gently puts her hand in his. "Go back to sleep," he begs her.
"I can't," she answers.
"I know you're tired, get some rest, lord knows you're going to need it with a newborn."
"Nick..."
"Yeah?" he answers.
"Do you know when I can go home?"
"Tomorrow if your blood work is ok."
"And Finley?"
"They haven't said yet."
"I don't want to leave her here."
"Catherine she'll be fine."
"I can't go home without her."
"You have to leave her here, it's what's best for her," he reasons.
"It was really bad wasn't it?"
He doesn't say anything, he just looks into her big blue eyes. "Now isn't the time," he tells her.
"Tell me," she begs.
"You lost a lot of blood. Between the time you were loaded onto the ambulance and the time you arrived here you had a seizure. They got it under control, but you had another one not long after you got here."
"Why?" she asks him as she stares into his big brown eyes.
"They think that you had pre-eclampsia, and the bleeding was caused by a placental abruption."
She doesn't say a word.
"They've got you on medication, and they've been monitoring your blood pressure."
"What does that mean for her?"
"There could be problems later, but for right now they said she's fine."
"Thank you for being here for me."
"You're welcome."
"Nick when I go home..." she stops.
"When you go home what?"
"Will you come with me?"
He nods, "Of course. I'm not going to let you do this on your own."