Disclaimer: If I owned them, there would be new eppys on right now ... so guess who doesn't own them!

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CHAPTER THREE: GOOD NEWS, BAD NEWS ... SHOES DROPPING ...

Do You Want The Good News Or The Bad News?

Ring, ring ,ring … Christ! Who could be calling at 7 A.M.? We're new parents with triplets for God's sake.

"Goren."

"Mr. Goren? So sorry to call you so early, this is Felicia from Dr. Ahmad's office. He wants to see you right away. Can you be at his office in St. Ann's Hospital by 9?"

"This morning?"

"Yes Sir."

"Fine, if it's important."

"Yes Sir, it is." Life or death.

Dr. Ahmad's Office 9 A.M.

"Detective Goren, Bobby, I have set up a brain MRI for you this morning. I'd like to start with that."

"What's going on Doc?"

"I would like to run this test before I give my diagnosis."

"Okay Doc."

"So … all of you test result are back."

"Is this where you say … do you want the good news or the bad news first?"

"I'm afraid there is no good news, Detective. You must have thrown a blood clot at some point and its now a time bomb in your brain. It's inoperable … I'm sorry … you'll not live to see Christmas."

"Bobby, Bobby, wake up! Honey, you're having a bad dream. Bobby, babe, please … wake up!"

Bobby bolts upright in bed but is pulled back down by a pink furry hand cuff. Alex had her way with her husband the night before. He refused to touch her because of Liz's note but Liz's note didn't say anything about Alex touching Bobby. She touched and tortured him all night long or at least until the babies woke up at 2 A.M. She never did un-cuff him and he never told her about his visit with the Doctor so she kept him under house arrest.

"Oh, thank God. It seemed so real."

"What was the dream about."

"I don't want to talk about it."

"Then, I don't want to un-cuff you."

He puts that devilish Bobby smirk on.

"Forget it! Talk or the ice queen comes out to play."

"Alright … I dreamt that I was going to die. Okay … happy!?"

She stares at him motionless. She reaches behind his head and un-cuffs him then embraces him. She puts her head on his chest and starts to sob. He wraps his arms around her and rubs her back and places gentle kisses on top of her head.

"I'm sorry … I didn't mean to snap. Things are too good for me. I have you … which is a miracle in it self … but to have those beautiful little babies … real honest to goodness miracles and they're mine … ours … I have this wonderful life Alex. My life isn't … never has … wasn't meant to be … this good. I'm waiting for the other shoe to drop. That feeling of doom must have crept into my subconscious."

"Bobby, our life together is meant to be that good. Those little miracles are proof positive of that. Love conquers all. Your life … your past is over … only love exists in this house!"

"Hmm, yeah I almost believe that … I do believe that but it's still me and I have this black cloud over my head and now it's over you and the three G's."

"I thought you were through with the self doubts."

"That was before I saw Wally Stevens."

The Goren's got up to begin their day. Thanksgiving was two days away and Bobby needed to do the grocery shopping so Liz was coming over to help out with the babies while Alex cleaned the house. Bobby was in the kitchen putting his menu together and matching that up with his list when Liz rang the bell.

"I'll get it. It's probably my sister!"

Bobby continued his task, meticulously matching list to items needed.

Alex pulled Liz aside so Bobby couldn't hear.

"Liz, look … Bobby had to go see his Doctor yesterday and he had a bunch of test. He might be really sick so lay off!"

"What do you mean Lex … sick how?"

"We don't know yet. Just don't give him a hard time. This holiday is going to be hard enough, he'll be thinking about his Mom and how she would have loved to see the babies and his brother … oh God … his brother. Shit! Just be nice."

"I love Bobby, the whole family does, you know that."

"No teasing him … you know … about … sex."

"Oh for crying out loud … like I would."

Alex just looks at her sister. Liz starts to laugh and walks in the kitchen to see Bobby, Alex follows behind. Bobby is engrossed with what he is doing when Liz wraps her arms around him to give him a kiss on the cheek. She wears the same perfume as Alex, he grabs her and she ends up on his lap.

"Okay Bobby we share a lot of things but not husbands!"

"Aw come on Liz … give me some sugar."

"Alright, who are you and what did you do with my brother-in -law? He's a cop you know!"

Bobby smiles and releases Liz from his grasp. Alex takes her place on Bobby's lap and kisses her husband.

"Hmm, what was that for?"

"Just because I love you Robert Goren."

"Ooh yuk … please, sister in the room! I'm going up to see my nieces and nephew. You two … behave!"

Liz went up to tend to the babies and Alex kept up with the kissing … the door bell rang. She got up to get the door and the phone rang, it was Bobby's Doctor's office calling.

He had his back to Alex and Lewis when they came in to the kitchen.

"Yes this Robert Goren … yes I can come in this afternoon. My wife? Well no, we … ah she … just had triplets … oh, thank you … yes they are beautiful, thanks. I'll be there. Thanks for calling."

"Bobby?"

He spun around to see Alex and Lewis standing there.

He held the phone up. "Doctor's office … test results are back, he wants to see me this afternoon. I'm going to go grab a shower."

He walked right past Lewis, acknowledging him with a pat on the back and headed up to their bedroom. He looked in on the triplets and saw Liz coochy cooing them and continued on to his bedroom. He saw the pink fuzzy cuffs and smiled then went into the shower. Alex went up after him … she had thought about the other shoe. He had even said those very same words … he thought his life was one big "other shoe." If it was going to drop, she was going to be there to catch it before it hit the ground. She asked Liz if she would stay and she gave Lewis Bobby's intricate Thanksgiving Day shopping list. He felt like he was entrusted with the Holy Grail. He would do Bobby a solid and get everything on his list right down to the Italian Flat-Leaf Parsley … whatever the hell that was.

When Bobby was finished getting ready he saw that Alex was dressed in "real" clothes as apposed to the sweats that she had been living in.

"Where are you going, Als?"

"With you. Liz is going to baby sit and Lewis is going to do the grocery shopping … oh, don't look so worried, you wrote down the name of the store and what aisle each item is in."

"I didn't want to waste time away from you and the kids. Are you sure Lewis can handle that."

"Bobby, your list was like a road map. Do all geniuses make mundane tasks into major projects?"

He rolls his eyes and walks into John's room … he needs a diaper change and for some reason, "the genius" can't figure out how to change his diaper. He can but it pisses him off when Alex calls him or refers to him as a genius so in turn he pisses her off and acts like he can't figure out a simple "mundane" task. She comes in to change the diaper and he kisses her.

"Thanks for coming with me."

He goes downstairs to give Lewis implicit instructions on the art of grocery shopping. Lewis wants to cry he's so scared … this is the most pressure he's had since he had to rebuild the engine to John Eames 61 Chevy Impala … supposedly the car that an Eames was conceived in. Guess which one.

Dr. Ahmad's Office … no, really

"Mr. and Mrs. Goren, please come in and have a seat. I have your test results back. So, do you want the good news or the bad news first."

Bobby goes ashen … Oh my God … my dream … my life is over! He leans forward and puts his hands over his face.

"Bad news … just get it over with!"

"You need to lose 30 pounds and stop smoking."

"You haven't stopped smoking yet!?"

"I've cut back … Doc? That's the bad news?"

"Yes … your test came back pretty good. Your blood sugar is a little high but with diet and weight loss, I'm confident that we can control that without any medical intervention."

"What about the fainting spell Dr. Ahmad?"

"Well Mrs. Goren, knowing your husband's history, there were a lot of factors that came together there. His blood pressure was low, he hadn't eaten that day. The prison was very hot and then there's the Post Traumatic Stress … it can rear it's ugly head at anytime, especially when stressors… like physical stress come into play. It was the right recipe for that outcome."

"And his heart?"

"Stronger than a Timex … I couldn't find any irregularity and his EEG came back normal as well."

"So basically, I just need to lose weight and stop smoking and that's it?"

"Yes, actually … I would have told you that on your yearly visit. I am concerned about the blood sugar but I think diet will take care of that. Thanksgiving Day is not a day to diet but I do expect you to watch your intake through the holiday season. Watch your alcohol and don't overindulge."

"Okay, thanks for everything Dr. Ahmad. Especially for not making us wait for the results."

"No problem and I hear that you just had triplets? That's so wonderful, congratulations. What a wonderful time of year to be celebrating new life!"

"Yes it is Dr. Ahmad … yes it is."

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Okay, so Bobby's heart is fine but he's still smoking! Next up: Did Lewis get everything on Bobby's list? Thanks for reading!! Please give me a shout ... Judeey:)