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Chapter Four: Good News Bad News

Paige looked back and forth between John and Cole as she began to feel sick to her stomach shaking it off she put on her best "doctor face" and cleared her throat.

"Marty has internal bleeding and a head injury. We are doing everything we can to protect the baby but it may come down to Marty or the baby. In this instance this is a decision left up to the father of the baby."

"Is it really that bad?" John managed his arm still firmly around Cole.

"I'm sorry to say that it is John."

John knew how badly Cole needed his mother and he couldn't help but think about himself and Mike when their father had died. Without Eve they would have been lost completely he couldn't do that to Cole.

"You can't let Marty die. She already has a son that can't lose her."

Paige nodded and beckoned Michael to follow her back into the ICU where they both continued prepping Marty for surgery and her MRI to check on her head injury which hopefully was just a mild concussion.

Two hours later Paige and Michael came out and told both John and Cole that Marty was all right and that they had even managed to save the baby but John could tell there was something more going on; something Michael didn't want him to know.

Slowly Marty could feel herself coming out of what felt like a heavy fog had settled over her brain. Her head hurt like hell and she wasn't sure where she was. Gingerly she raised her hand up to the side of her head and felt the softness and firmness of gauze. She began to get scared and nervous, why couldn't she figure out where she was and what happened?

All she knew was that it seemed like she was in an accident but was Cole with her? Was he okay? She had to know. After flagging down the nurse in her room she managed to ask her to get her son for her even with the tube down her throat. Fearing the worst she began to cry desperately hoping he was all right.

"Cole," Paige said gently, "Your Mom's asking for you so you can go on in if you want."

"Okay thanks Dr. Miller."

John and Michael both watched as Cole took a deep breath and walked through the doors of the ICU and into Marty's room. That sickening feeling John had earlier was growing in the pit of his stomach like a weed as he looked at Michael whom he knew had something to tell him.

"Spit it out Mike," John said forcefully making Michael turn around and face him, "Tell me what's going on."

Michael sighed as he ran his fingers through his hair and began to pace. He didn't know how to tell John that judging from the way Marty woke up after her surgery that she didn't remember anything, well almost anything. She was going to be in for a shocker when she found out she was pregnant by a man she almost certainly wouldn't recognize.

How was he supposed to tell his brother that if he walked into Marty's hospital room she wouldn't recognize him? The woman that he loved and the mother of his child wouldn't recognize him but Michael knew he had to tell John so he could prepare him for that seeing as that's what it would ultimately come down to.

"Just don't shoot the messenger all right?"

"I don't want to shoot anybody so just cut the crap and tell me what's going on."

"Marty and the baby are stable except . . . except when Paige and I were in her room when she woke up she asked for Cole and she was extremely afraid and disoriented. The baby didn't even cross her mind neither did you and she didn't recognize me or Paige. She had no idea where she was or what happened."

"Wait what? What are you telling me Mike she's got amnesia or something?"

"It's a possibility that it could be retro grade amnesia where she doesn't remember anything that happened before the accident but John she's been pregnant for months now. You guys have been together for over a year and she's known you for almost two. It's more likely that she has amnesia from her head injury. She may not remember you at all."

"So the good news is Marty and the baby are all right," John said trying to compute everything Michael was telling him, "But the bad news here is that she probably or excuse me it's more likely that she may not remember me at all? I just want to make sure that's what's going on here. So is that what's going on? The woman I love and the mother of my baby may not remember me?"

"Yeah that's what I'm saying but there's a chance she will. People regain their memories all the time. Oh and Paige did an ultrasound on Marty before her surgery here's a picture in case you want it, the baby's a girl by the way."

John could only nod at his brother who handed him the ultrasound photo. He sat back down in one of the plastic chairs and stared at the ultrasound, at his daughter's picture and wondered just what the hell he was supposed to do with this.