A.N. For those of you still hanging in, I hope this chapter won't disappoint. It's a love it or hate it chapter, but I hope you'll continue along with me to the end. The feedback has been great and it keeps me going, so please feel free to let me know if you think I'm on the right track.

Chapter 22 – The Wheels Keep Turning

After flip flopping back and forth, wondering if she should set the record straight with Romano about the so-called Mancini kiss, Grace finally decided against it. Call it pride, stubbornness or sheer stupidity, Grace decided that even if Romano had bought into Steven's story, it didn't warrant his harsh reaction. She felt Romano should have known Steven was lying and she simply couldn't erase the sound of his voice as he tore into her, while he questioned her medical fitness and blamed her for the patient's death.

The next day, Romano received a call from Mercy Hospital, looking for a reference on Grace. After overhearing Susan's comment, he had assumed she would move back to Detroit, and was somewhat surprised she was staying in Chicago. He gave her a glowing recommendation, but declined to give a reason as to why she'd left.

Grace started her new job later the same week and settled in fairly quickly. She missed her friends at County, but most of all, she missed Robert. She missed his sarcasm, his rants at the interns and of course, his touch. But each time she remembered how loving he had been, a rush of painful memories flooded back when she thought about the night it all fell apart.

Now working in the same hospital where her own doctor ran a weekly clinic, Grace finally followed up with the tests Romano had recommended after her appendectomy.

"Grace, nice to see you." Her doctor said.

"Sorry it took me so long to follow up with you, it's been pretty busy."

"The life of an ER nurse." The doctor said, smiling.

"So, what's up? You don't usually bring me back in unless you found something. Is it serious?" Grace asked.

"All your metabolic tests came back normal, so I have no concerns about your low blood pressure during the surgery. I think it's safe to say you just didn't respond well to the anesthetic. Your bp tends to be on the low side, but it's still within the normal range."

"Great, so is that it?"

"There was something else."

"But you said I was fine."

"Don't get me wrong, you're healthy, Grace. But I would hazard a guess by your reaction you're not aware that you're pregnant."

Her initial reaction was to laugh. "Yeah, right. We both know that's impossible."

Her doctor was silent.

"I can't have kids, I have too much scar tissue. There's no way I can be pregnant. Run the test again."

"The test is accurate, Grace. We ran blood and urine. I thought you'd be happy to hear the news."

"No, it's wrong. It's just not possible…Oh God!" She said and ran to the adjacent bathroom to vomit. This can't be happening! She thought to herself. Grace hadn't worried too much about using contraceptives. They'd told her years ago that pregnancy was as likely as being struck by lightening and after being married for years without so much as a skipped period, she never expected this. As she began counting the weeks in her head, she realized she had missed her last cycle, but assumed it was due to stress. She composed herself and returned to her doctor.

"Are you okay, Grace? I've got a prescription here for you for prenatal vitamins and I want to see you back in a month. I'll go ahead and schedule an ultrasound in a couple of weeks to see how far along you are."

Her mind was reeling as she tried to figure out what to do next. She knew she had to tell him he was going to be a father. Her emotions the past couple of weeks had been all over the map, and she had tried not to think about all the what ifs. She was trying to move on with a new job and new life, without him. Feeling completely alone, she was desperate to share the news with someone to elicit some much needed support, but she couldn't take a chance telling any of her old friends at County until she'd first spoken to Romano.

Since the day of the doctor's appointment, her morning sickness had kicked into high gear and she decided to wait until it had subsided a little, before contacting him. This was also in part because she was having trouble screwing up the courage to call him, so she chickened out and left him a voicemail on his office phone, when she was fairly sure he wouldn't be there to answer. She couldn't bring herself to talk to him directly, at least not yet.

Romano was beyond surprised and initially thrilled when he got her message, but it was tempered with reserve as he wondered why he was hearing from her now. He called her back and left her a message, telling her to page him whenever she was free.

As she was leaving for work the next day, she paged him and asked him to meet her on the path by the river, across from County. Grace stood nervously as she looked out over the water and was overcome with another wave of nausea. She sipped on a bottle of ginger ale and was thankful for the cool breeze, which seemed to help the feeling to pass. When she finally saw him approaching, she immediately sat down on the nearest bench, suddenly feeling too weak to stand.

Trying not to get his hopes up, he smiled cautiously and tried to give her a hug. "I'm so glad you called, Grace."

"Sit down, Robert. Please." She replied, with almost no emotion in her voice.

"Is there something wrong, you didn't sound like yourself when you called? Did your test results come back?" He said, sounding genuinely concerned.

"Yes, they ran the tests and something did come back positive. Something I never expected in a million years."

"What is it? You have me worried sick."

"Robert I came to tell you something, something I feel is only fair for you to know." He looked into her eyes and she could feel herself melting inside.

"Whatever it is, you can tell me." He said quietly.

She turned away, a tear giving way from the corner of her eye. He took her hand and gently turned her face back towards him.

"Please tell me what it is, Grace. You look so pale."

"I'm pregnant."

Silent initially, he was completely stunned by her news. "You're pregnant?"

She nodded, unable to speak and hanging by a thread as she waited for his reaction.

"But I thought that was impossible?"

"I know, I thought so too. But here I am. Here we are." She said, averting her eyes as her hands started to shake.

"Is it mine?" He challenged.

The words tore into her as she looked up at him. "Did you really just say that?"

"I think it's only fair for me to know if the munchkin has my DNA or Mancini's."

"Of course it's yours!" She yelled. "I can't believe you actually think I slept with him and hey, newsflash, you were the one I was in love with!"

Her use of the past tense didn't go unnoticed. "I know he spent the night with you. I saw him leaving your apartment, the morning after you quit."

Looking confused, she replied, "You saw him? Oh for God sakes, Robert. He slept on the couch…I knew this was a mistake. I never should have called you!" She added, rising from the bench and turning away from him.

"Hey! You don't get to just walk away again!"

"Watch me." She replied.

Grabbing her arm, he stared directly into her eyes and asked her the pressing question. "So you didn't sleep with him?"

"No…and I didn't kiss him either, I pushed him away. You believed all his lies, because you didn't have enough faith in me to trust what I was telling you."

He closed his eyes, knowing she was right and replied softly, "I was afraid of losing you."

"Well you did anyway. Look, I just came here to tell you, I don't expect anything. But in the end, you'll have to decide what you really believe." She said quietly.

"I know I fucked up, royally. I did, I admit it. But I love you, Grace. I miss you and I want you, and I beat myself up thinking about what I had with you. This is a sign that we that we deserve a second chance."

"This doesn't change anything." She reminded him, still hurt from the thought that Steven's biting words held true.

"It changes everything." He replied bluntly.

"We're obviously not compatible, you don't trust me, I can't trust you and we're both moving on."

"No. I won't let you walk out of my life again, do you hear me?" Finally breaking down, tears were running down her face as Romano took her into his arms, and held her tightly. "I know nothing about 'us' has been easy, but that's why we need to keep trying, until we get it right. We can make up for what we've done to each other and give this kid a fighting chance. Please, Grace. Won't you give us another chance?"

Wiping her cheek, she cleared her throat and pulled herself together, putting on a brave face. "I have to get to work, Robert. I have an appointment for an ultrasound next week, if you want to come."

"Just tell me when and where. Gracie…"

"Just give me some time, okay?" She finally had the nerve to look back up at him and couldn't help but smile back at him. Hopeful, he returned her gesture and stroked her cheek.

"Are you feeling okay? Are you taking vitamins? Are you…?"

"I'm okay. I know what to do."

"Of course you do."

"The appointment's at Mercy on Wednesday. 8 am, 6th floor. Look, if you want, I can ask for an in-utero paternity test."

"I believe you Grace."

"Okay, so, I'll meet you there, unless you aren't able to make it."

"Are you sure you don't want a ride? What if your car…"

"It's fine, Robert." She said and sat back down on the bench for a moment and ran her hands through her hair. She felt emotionally drained and nauseous again. "I guess it's kind of a relief to have finally told you. To be honest, I was a bit terrified about how you'd react."

"How did you think I would take the news?" He sounded defensive.

"Come on, you don't exactly exude parental qualities. Neither do I for that matter, and I know you never planned on having kids."

"I'm glad you called me, Gracie. What made you do it?"

She smiled, "It was the right thing to do. But just so you know, I debated tossing you into the river when you starting acting like a jerk about the whole thing."

He grinned, knowing her sarcasm was a positive sign. "It's great to see you, Grace."

"I look like absolute crap."

"Not to me."

After a few silent moments, Grace added. "I'm scared, Robert."

He looked at her with more tenderness and warmth than she'd ever seen from him before. "Don't be, Grace. You know Rocket Romano never lets anything happen to pretty girls like you."