The car ride to the hospital was hell. Cassie was doubled over in pain, and traffic seemed to be moving as slowly as possible. When they finally got there she was all but screaming, and her sweatpants were already soaked through with blood. He was barely able to park the car before stumbling out of the car onto her side. Quickly, the attendants came to his assistance with a wheelchair and before they knew it, Cassie was in the examination room and Sid was in the waiting room, pacing. She was unstable, the doctor explained.

He'd have to wait outside. He resisted the urge to cuss out the doctor and break through to Cassie. Then he dialed his Mom. "Sid? Good morning!"

"Mom, could you come to the hospital?" He was having trouble getting the breath out of his lungs in order to say the words.

"What's going on? Is Cassie okay?"

"No. I don't know. Just. Please!"He was having trouble breathing now and had to sit down and put his head in his arms.

"Okay, love. Okay. I'll be right there."

He just sat like that until he heard her voice and he stood right up. She met him though, with that big bear hug that was uniquely hers. And he gave up, clung to her like he'd just fallen off his bike or something.

"What is it, Sid?" He just shook his head, and let her rub his back. He planned, when he was getting Cassie dressed, to prove to his Mom what a man he was and that he could handle a crisis. But right now he was fucking terrified.

"Mr. Jenkins?" His mom released him, stood beside him and took his hand. The doctor held the clipboard against his chest and looked directly into Sid's eyes. Sid nodded.

"We're very sorry to report that there was a miscarriage." Sid felt like cussing him out. No shit, Sherlock? Think I haven't figured that out yet? I am the one who yelled at her last night.

"Not all of the tissue was excreted with the bleeding, so we had to remove it…"

Sid felt nauseous, and started looking about the room. His mom squeezed his hand, rubbed his back with her other hand. She took over for him.

"….due to caloric restriction, we started her on an IV and will be keeping her overnight to make sure we can feed her enough to make her stable. Right now she's meeting with a Psychiatrist to determine the level of treatment that's…"

Sid closed his eyes, rubbed his forehead.

"We'll come and get you again when she is stable."

He nodded again and sat down.

"Sid?"

"Fries."

"What?"

"I need fries."

"Sid?" In response he got up, walked, drone-like, down the hallway, following the sign that said 'Cafeteria.' His mom followed him, he could hear the click-clack of her heels. She didn't say anything, reprimand him. He looked at her as they were in the line, looking down at the plastic-wrapped selection of food, and him looking specifically at the heated dishes holding wonderfully greasy french fries.

She selected a sandwich, he went straight for the fries. Piled his plate high, like always, like the first time he ate with Cassie. Well, he ate. She talked and juggled her apple. His mom paid while he was reaching for his wallet, and he sat down, immediately began scarfing. Part of it had to be the hangover.

But most of it was his mind going, 'holy shit holy shit holy. shit.'

"Don't tell…um…Cassie I'm eating french fries."

Elizabeth smiled, reached across and grabbed his hand.

"I yelled at her." He pushed his plate away.

"You both are having a hard time. Fights are bound to happen."

"Mom. I made her miscarry."

"Sid, you know that's…"

"I yelled at her because she wouldn't get help and then I walked out."

They both sat in silence.

"It's not your fault."

He looked at her incredulously. "Mom. If I wouldn't have yelled she'd still be pregnant."

She squeezed his hand. "The doctor said it was because she had been fasting. It wasn't you, Sid. Go to her, kiss her. Hold her. Apologize to her for yelling, Sid, but don't hold this guilt on your heart that you think you are the reason you lost your baby. You aren't."

He shook his head, and they remained silent for a while. "Thank you for the fries." She smiled and winked at him.

"I do wish you'd eat a bit healthier sometimes."

"I know, I know. You and everyone else."

They got up and walked side by side back to the waiting room, where the doctor met them, and ushered Sid back to the room to see her. Cassie looked…weak. Hooked up to an IV, so tiny in the big bed. He knelt by her bed immediately and kissed her hand around the IV. She smiled down at him. He released the ramp on the side of her that didn't have wires, and, as gently as he could, crawled in beside her. "How are you feeling?" She nodded at him.

He kissed her cheek, stroked her hair that was hopelessly tangled. "I'll have Mom bring us a brush." She laughed, although she could barely do that. The nurse came in with an Ensure shake, and Cassie grimaced, turned her head into Sid's neck to refuse it. "Oh come on, Darling," the nurse said, the lack of patience she had evident on her face. "This is going into you either the easy way or the hard way. And trust me. After the morning you've had, you want it to go the easy way."

Sid grabbed Cassie's hand and looked at her, kissed her cheek. "It'll only take a few minutes. You can get it down." Cassie sighed, and the nurse handed the can to Sid, but stood aside to watch, make sure he didn't drink it for her. She took a tiny sip, grimaced as she swallowed it. He rubbed her shoulder, moved the can toward her.

"The bigger sip you take, the sooner it's over with and you can just let me hold you…" That seemed to convince her. She took the can from him and upended it, taking a sizeable gulp. "That's my girl," he said as he took the can from her. Half of it was gone. Cassie laid her head back on the pillow and closed her eyes tight- Sid squeezed her hand. She managed to swallow all of it, to let it travel down her stomach, and she sighed.

"I don't think I can finish this…" To that, the nurse gave her a look.

"Come on, Cass. One more big gulp. That's it." She groaned and took the can from him again, took another generous gulp, put her head back again. When he took the can back from her it was empty, so he gave it to the nurse, who, without a word, left. He cuddled her and kissed her cheek and she whimpered, nestling her face in his neck. "I'll go get a brush from Mom, then I'll be right back." She nodded, and he slowly got up, walked out into the waiting room.

"Her hair is horribly tangled, but she's okay. The nurse just made her drink an Ensure shake, so you know she has..well…something inside of her."

Elizabeth smiled and dug into her purse, giving him a small brush. "Ask them if you can wash her hair, or something. It might soothe her a bit if you could get her hair wet and gently brush the tangles out, you know?"

Sid gave a smile and kissed her cheek. "No. I don't. I never brush my own hair." He then smiled and took the brush from her, and, with the simple request, after Cassie had an hour's nap, the nurse helped get her in the bathroom, and get the top of her undressed.

She smiled at Sid as he knelt beside her and gently washed her hair. It took him a half and hour, but he gently combed the curls out of her hair, and then he helped her get dressed again. The nurse helped him lay her in the bed, and he curled up beside her, stroking the long, blond hair he's always loved about her. "Feel better now that you're all clean?"

She sighed, happy. He closed his eyes as he kissed her forehead. In that moment, that's more than all he could ask for, her being slightly content, for her to forget about why she was there, what happened, why she was bleeding. He wanted her to, for the moment, only be aware that her hair had just been washed, now she was all clean, and now he was holding her. He wanted that to be all she would need. Because, frankly, neither of them would be able to handle what would come next.