A/N: We're not really moving forward here, but well... There are some things that I believe can't really be omitted... Well, I hope you're going to like this chapter while I'll try to update again as soon as possible.
Later that day, Jack and Sue entered the hospital with the intention of paying Darcy a visit. They both knew that the woman had to stay there, and they both felt a little bad that it was their whole knowledge about her state. Jack was too focused on finding Emily to pay attention to Bobby and his girlfriend when they were inside the warehouse, while Sue just wanted the two of them out and with her and in result, didn't even register that Crash and Darcy were out before she heard the sound of an ambulance and Tara told her that it took the two to the hospital. It was obvious, however, that whatever happened to her wasn't just a minor thing because then, she wouldn't be staying there. They were very surprised, when they left the elevator at the floor they were told she was at, and found out it was gynaecology. They exchanged glances, and then looked around for anyone who could point them to the right room, but instead of nurse or a doctor, they noticed Manning standing on the corridor in company of the man they have never seen before. Neither of them was sure what to expect, definitely not an ecstatic reaction of their friend when he noticed them, but he barely nodded his head in acknowledgment of their presence.
"She had a miscarriage..." he finally said, his eyes filling with tears, breaking the longer while of complete silence. They didn't want to push him into telling them what happened, they knew that he would do it if he wanted them to know and they were right. Sue looked at her husband, unable to judge the way he told those words and Jack understood her questioning look with no problems. He shook his head, because there was absolutely no blame in Bobby's voice, what she was afraid of. She was just about to say something, when the door to the room opened and the doctor left, telling them that they could go in. "Go to her, Sue. She'll be glad to see you."
She did as he told her and slowly stepped into the room. There were two beds inside, both occupied. The first one, standing closer to the door, was occupied by the woman she didn't know, at whose side she noticed the same man, who was outside with Bobby. She went further inside, her eyes landing on the other bed. Darcy was lying on it, with her head turned in the direction of the window. She was a little pale, there was a bandage on her head and dark circles under her eyes. She jumped slightly, when Sue gently placed her hand on her forearm to give her a sign that she was there.
"Sue, hi." she said quietly and a forced smile made its way onto her face. "How's Emily?"
"She's perfectly fine, how do you feel?" Darcy shrugged in response.
"Did Bobby tell you?" Sue nodded and Darcy sighed. "The doctor says that it was an ectopic pregnancy and no matter what, we wouldn't have this baby..."
"But it still hurts." finished Sue and got a nod from her companion. She gently squeezed her forearm, wanting to give her at least a little support, let her know that she was there for her if she needed her.
"If it wasn't for the complications, I wouldn't even know I was pregnant... I was so lost in my work lately, that I didn't even notice the symptoms..."
"I didn't realise I was pregnant until my mom forced me to make a test at about nine weeks... I didn't have any nausea, and I just blamed stress and fatigue for everything else... Sometimes it just happens this way, and it's not a reason to reproach yourself..."
While she was inside, both men were sitting on the chair outside the room. Jack wasn't sure if he has ever seen Bobby in such a state, and even though the man told him it was inevitable and it was obvious he was aware of it, it still pained him. He never struck anyone as a kind of guy who would want to settle down and have a family, he was actually showing everyone the exact contrary of that and he wasn't sure it was something for him. He might have started to finally grow up or it was just the influence on spending so much time with Emily and seeing how much joy a child could bring into life, and having one on his own would probably be even greater experience, but he really started to think about family more and more serious. And just two days earlier, when he and Darcy were taking care of Hudsons' daughter, he got certain that yes, he really wanted to have a treasure like this, too.
The consciousness that there was absolutely nothing he could do to make her feel better, that he could only be there for her but that was it, didn't make it easier, quite the contrary. He could see that she was reproaching herself, even though they both knew that it wasn't her fault in any way, that there was nothing she could do to prevent it but it seemed to be meaningless. Whenever he told her, that she shouldn't blame herself she only started to cry more, and he held her, biting his tongue afraid that anything he might say was only going to make it all worse.
She wasn't the only one, who couldn't stop feeling guilty. Even though he tried really hard not to show it, and somewhere deep in his mind he understood that he didn't have any influence on it, Jack still felt bad and Sue could see it very well. She didn't say anything, though, not until they arrived at home after a short stop at Lucy's to take their daughter. The girl immediately ran to them and clung to Sue; she wasn't sure if it was caused by the terrifying experience or she simply had a worse day, but she was very clingy, what happened to her very rarely. She wasn't happy when they brought her to Lucy, deciding that it was better for her to stay there instead of accompanying them to the hospital, and for the first time made a huge scene. Lucy and Bobby were the two, who Sue always liked to leave Emily with because she knew, that the girl wasn't going to have problems with it and was very surprised by her outburst, when she and Jack were to leave.
"She must have been terrified..." said Lucy, when they were getting ready to leave. "She has always had someone with her, someone she trusted and even if it wasn't always you, you were always a phone call away... Imagine how she must have been shattered, when she was completely alone and the only people coming to her were complete strangers..."
"I don't even want to, Luce." was the only thing Sue managed to say.
She knew that her friend was right. She did everything she could to protect her daughter from the evil of the world, always made sure that she had what she needed, as well as was and felt safe. Even though she tried not to, she sometimes heard that she had the tendency to be overprotective; she cared more about not spoiling her daughter too much than about it, but she tried to ensure that she wasn't crossing the line with this as well. Yet, the sole thought of what Emily had to go through was horrible for her; the thought how terrified the girl must have been made her only hug her tighter. If this was what she needed, the closeness, her presence, she was going to give it to her.
"What is it, Jack?" she asked, when she left Emily's room after the girl finally fell asleep. On the previous evening, the fatigue had to make its magic and allowed her to rest when she dozed off, but now it wasn't so easy and Sue was pretty sure that their little girl was soon going to walk out of her bedroom. "It's not your fault that Darcy is in the hospital. It would have happened even if she wasn't taken with Emily..."
"That's not it..." he sighed, looking up at her. "I... My supervisor called me when we were at Lucy's..."
"What did he want..?" Sue's curiosity was raised high, and she sat down next to him.
"He told me that Steve's remains were found... And I agreed to meet with him tomorrow to discuss things further but... He said that the safest thing to do to prevent those people from another attempt to hurt us would be to disappear, at least for some time..."
"What..?! Jack, but... You can't leave us... You promised..!"
"And I am not going to break this promise. It's not only about me, it's about all three of us... They know how you look like, they know where you live, neither of us is safe here anymore... They might not strike soon but as long as they're somewhere out there, we're never going to be safe..."
"Does that mean that they want to put us into the Witness Protection Program?" she asked, afraid of what his answer was going to be.
One thing she was certain about was that she didn't want to see an affirmative answer from him. As much as she knew that they didn't really have much choice, and if it was the only way to ensure that they won't be harmed, she would agree to this, she just didn't want to think about it. She knew what it meant really well, and she couldn't imagine that she would be forced to leave everything and everyone behind, including her whole family, and maybe never see them again. She knew that he didn't feel any different about it; he never even had the chance to introduce the two of them to his family and she knew, that it really mattered to him. He mentioned so to her, and she agreed that when they would have the chance, they were going to go on a trip to Wisconsin, so she and Emily could finally meet his family. It didn't make her feel any better, when she saw him shrug in response, but it was still better than a yes.
"I don't know, he didn't tell me much details... He wants to talk about that face to face, but I'm afraid that's what he might suggest..."
She didn't manage to say anything more, because just like she suspected it would happen, Emily walked into the room. Knowing that it was probably the only way the girl would get some rest that night, she carried her to her own bedroom and placed on the bed, assuring her that she was going to go to sleep soon, too. She was actually surprised by the sight of him, standing close to the door, all ready to leave.
"Where are you going...?" was out of her mouth quicker than she managed to think about it, and he looked at her a little taken aback.
"To my place..?" he watched her walk closer to him, felt her cup his face with her hands and place a gentle kiss on his lips.
"Jack... I might have not done the best work in showing you that, but... Your place is here, with us... Isn't it?" he nodded, of course it was and he actually felt a bit ridiculous to doubt she might feel this way for this short while. "Don't ever doubt that." she knew from experience, that those doubts were absolutely stupid.
She kept doubting them for what was quite short time, but now seemed horribly long. She tried to find reasons why they didn't belong together, why they shouldn't be there only to see, that it was exactly what was right for both of them. She didn't think he wouldn't see that it was like this for her, but she knew that despite his attempts not to show it, he was affected by everything that happened during his time away and perhaps, those doubts were just a part of this. She knew, however, that she was going to make it clear for him, that there was nothing he should have doubts about. She might have been hesitant at first, but it was gone now and she really wanted the things between them to be the way they were before he left, as much as it was possible.
"Come on Jack, Emy needs us and we could both use some rest as well..."
Soon, the whole family was asleep, all cuddled to each other, taking comfort and whatever they needed from each other.