Lea woke up feeling very sore and uncomfortable. She had slept in Roman's daughter's bed the night before. His daughter, Jasmine, had slept with them.

Roman's wife, Monique, had opened her home to Lea for as long as she needed. Of course, Lea planned to make other arrangements sometime today. She refused to inconvenience Roman and his family indefinitely.

Standing up, she felt her back crack and pop. If she had been in a better mood, she would have laughed. Right now, she just stood there snarling at the bed she had praised Jesus for the night before.

Lea had told Roman that she would be ready to leave for the hospital at 10am. It was 8:45 now. She had just enough time to get ready.

Forty minutes later, she walked into the kitchen. It was so homey. Soft yellow paint on the walls with green and red accents. She could tell this room was the central hub of the house.

Monique swatted Roman's arm as he imitated Lea's slight waddle.

"You know I'm going to start calling you Penguin now."

Lea's snarky reply was cut off as she spotted Jasmine's head on the otherside of the island. She shot him a look that promised retaliation later.

"So, after breakfast you still want to head out?"

Lea nodded as she bit into her pancake. Soon she was too busy scarfing down Monique's fluffy pancakes to talk. They were the best pancakes she had ever eaten.

Jasmine came over to the table and sat down next to her. Propping her chin on the edge of the table. Staring at Lea's bulging belly.

"Are you having baby?"

Lea smiled at the beautiful little girl and wiped her mouth.

"I am. Do you want to touch my stomach? The baby likes to kick early in the morning."

Jasmine nodded her head eagerly and walked over to stand next to her. Lea placed the girl's hand on her stomach.

Once the baby kick, Jasmine jumped back startled.

"Does it hurt when it kicks you?"

"Sometimes. She moves around a lot."

"How do you know that it's a girl?"

Lea looked at Roman and Monique. She didn't want to cross any boundaries. Roman nodded his head.

"My doctor has this little wand that she rubs across my belly. Then we can see the baby. She saw that it looked like a beautiful baby girl. Like you but much smaller because you are a big girl. Would you to see a picture?"

Lea grabbed her purse and pulled out her ultrasound pictures. Monique came over to look at the picture too.

"I can't resist ultrasound pictures. Or any kind of baby picture to be honest."

Twenty minutes later, Roman and Lea were on their way to the hospital. Lea wanted to talk to Roman. She knew that both Roman and Seth had lost some respect for her. Seth had made his opinion very clear last night.

She wanted Roman to clear the air. Yell at her if necessary. But this uncomfortable silence was unnerving for her.

Once they arrived, Lea laid her hand on Roman's arm. Seeking to gain his full attention.

"I need you to get what you are feeling and thinking about me off your chest. I can't bare to think that I've lost one of my best friends. That you don't consider me a sister anymore."

Roman closed his eyes and sighed heavily. He had known this conversation was coming. He had just hoped it would be at a later time.

"Let me say this. I love you. You will always be family, my little sister. I just don't understand why you chose to leave the way you did. You snuck away without telling anyone. Did you even care about how this would affect everyone? Not just Dean. What about Seth and me? Hell, what about Drew?"

Lea knew Roman was just getting started. She had hurt him more than she had thought.

"I know. I didn't think about anyone else. I could only focus on getting away from it all. I felt like I was smothering. You're right. I didn't care about anyone else. I couldn't afford to think or care about anyone besides my baby and me."

"Bullshit. All you had to do was pick up your phone and call any of us. Let us know that you were struggling. You chose this path because you didn't want help. You wanted to run away and not confront the real reason you were struggling."

Lea began to grow angry at his accusations.

"Fuck you. Yeah I had a reason I didn't call Dean. Do you know what it's like to have someone manipulate you into doing what they want you to do? Dean doesn't listen. If I had told him I was leaving, he would've guilted me into staying. Wait until he got home. So he could make it all better. Like I need him to swoop in like Superman and rescue me. I love him with every breath in my body, but sometimes I resent him. Resent his hold on me. The ability he has to make me go against everything I want and abide by his wishes. So yeah, I had ulterior motives."

Roman stared at Lea. She had become a different person. She had always seemed so happy with her life. A woman who was in love and free. He felt like he was getting a peek into the real Lea. Unmasked and unedited.

"Look Lea, we all know Dean isn't perfect. He has a lot of issues. But that man, he loves you. He is completely in love with you. He just tries to protect and take care of you the only way he knows how."

Lea squeezed Roman's hand.

"I know. Usually I overlook it. But there are times when I really felt like a puppet on a string. Waiting for him to direct my every move. I can't live like that anymore. Things have to change if this relationship is going to survive. If it can."

Roman pulled her close and hugged her.

"I can't believe you thought I didn't love you anymore. Let you sleep in my house and still questioning me."

Lea chuckled and wiped the tears off her cheeks. She was recovering from an emotional rollercoaster. Knowing she was about to walk into another one.

"Listen, we both know Dean is going to go ballistic the moment I walk into his room. So why don't you see him first. I'll be in the waiting room."

Roman eyed her for a moment then finally agreed.

"I won't visit long. They walked inside and once on his floor, they parted ways. Lea towards the waiting room. Roman headed towards the patients' rooms.

True to his word, Roman texted her fifteen minutes later. He was going to stick close in case Lea needed him.

Lea slowly walked towards Dean's room. Outside of his door, she paused and took a deep, calming breath. Then she slowly opened the door.