A/N: Thank you all for the feedback on this story. Some people asked if I have a medical background, I do. I don't work in a NICU though, but I did a little research and it does have my interest. In the future I can see myself working there.
So, here's the next chapter. This isn't a long one, but hopefully I'll be able to update quickly!
XX
The following two days went mostly the same. Andy still had an infection which meant that she wasn't allowed to see Jesse. She had bargained and pleaded with the doctors, but the risks were just too high. The antibiotics did seem to work, but not at the speed they wished.
Andy was quickly changing into a shadow of herself. She refused to get out of bed to have physical therapy, she barely ate and the only fluids that she engulfed came through her I.V.
Sam was seriously worried about her, but couldn't accomplish anything either. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't get her to eat. All she did was lie in bed with the webcam monitor clutched in her hands.
The nurses tried to talk to her as well. They all told her that Jesse needed her to get better and stronger and that she needed to eat in order to get there. Andy didn't respond though. To her it felt like she had already failed as a mother. She felt like she had abandoned her baby. Even if she didn't voluntarily do it.
The only thing that she did do was pump. Somehow that was the only thing she could do for Jesse, so she did it. Every three hours she needed to pump and she never missed one single time. Everybody told her that it was great that she was doing it. Andy didn't respond though. She just shrugged and carried on.
Sam usually went to sit with Jesse for an hour before going to Andy's room. Then he would go back to Jesse and then back to Andy again. He tried to be with Andy around lunch- and dinnertime, because he knew it was the only way she would eat something.
He went home every night to get a few hours of sleep. Oliver was kind enough to fill out all the insurance papers for the truck. It was a write off, but honestly Sam couldn't care less. Somehow Oliver managed to get him a rental truck without cost the night after Andy's accident. Apparently somebody owed him a favor.
''Mrs. Swarek?'' a friendly voice pulled Andy away from the monitor she was watching Jesse on. He was lying on Sam's chest and Andy couldn't tear her eyes away from the picture.
Andy sat up a little and faced the nurse. She knew that they were only looking out for her best interest, but she just wanted to be left alone. ''I don't need anything,'' Andy quickly said.
''The doctor just called me,'' the nurse continued. ''Your CRP level dropped since yesterday.''
At that Andy perked up a little. She was bracing herself, because she couldn't handle another disappointment. She tried to prepare herself for the worst, but of course a little bit of hope came along with the nurse's statement.
The nurse smiled at Andy and gave her a small nod. ''We'll go see your son today.''
Tears glistened in Andy's eyes when the words left her mouth. ''You're sure?'' Andy asked. ''It's really okay?''
''Your doctor as well as Jesse's gave permission. I'll help you get dressed and then we'll wait for your husband to get here and we'll take you downstairs.''
Andy shook her head and threw the covers of herself. Normally the movements she made in that moment would cost her to wince, but she didn't feel anything besides joy. ''I'll go now,'' she said. ''My husband is with him already and I want to surprise him.''
The nurse thought about it for a moment and then nodded. ''Okay, but first I'll help you shower and bandage your leg again. And you have to eat something.''
''I'll eat after,'' Andy said. She was already pulling off her shirt, but the nurse wouldn't budge.
''Mrs. Swarek,'' she said. ''You're going to be no use to Jesse if you're not taking care of yourself. I promise you that I'll take you, but first we're going to take care of you.''
With a sigh Andy agreed. She showered as quickly as she could and then let the nurse bandage her leg. When she had her brace on again she ate a cracker, but then insisted that she really, really needed to see her son.
She was convinced that she could walk to the NICU. The need to see her son was bigger than any kind of pain or discomfort could ever be, but the nurse insisted that she'd take Andy in a wheelchair.
When they reached the NICU Andy's heartbeat sped up a little. The nurse that worked on Andy's floor called a colleague from the NICU and before Andy knew it Amanda walked towards her.
''Mrs. Swarek,'' she said as she took Andy's hand. ''I'm Amanda. I was with your son for the first two days. I had yesterday and the day before off, but when I got here today I noticed that he's already growing.''
Normally Andy really wasn't rude, but now she just wanted to get things moving. ''Can I go inside?'' she asked.
Amanda smiled kindly and nodded. She took the wheelchair and wheeled Andy towards the door. ''We need you to scrub first and you'll have to sign your name here.'' Amanda handed Andy a list which she gladly signed.
The moment Amanda wheeled her into the NICU her eyes started to search for Sam. She knew he would be there and when her eyes settled on him she looked at the blanket on his chest. Sam had his hand on Jesse's back and his eyes closed. ''Your husband is doing kangaroo care with him right now,'' Amanda informed her. ''One of these days you'll be able to do the same.''
When they were just a feet away from Sam he opened his eyes. He didn't know that Andy was coming and looked really surprised. ''Andy,'' he said. ''Are you okay?''
Amanda wheeled Andy next to Sam and then immediately left, giving the new family a moment together.
''I'm perfect,'' was Andy's answer. She looked at the small boy that was on her husband's chest. He was sleeping and looked incredibly peaceful, even though he was so fragile.
''What changed?'' Sam asked. ''Are you sure it's okay for you to be here?'' Of course Sam wanted his wife with him, but he was also concerned for Jesse. Any kind of infection could be fatal for him.
''I'm doing better,'' Andy promised. ''My CRP level is lower and the neonatologist gave the all clear for me to be here.'' While she was talking to Sam her eyes never left Jesse's body. ''Hey sweetie,'' she told him as she reached out with her hand. ''I'm your mommy and I missed you so much.'' Her voice broke again. She couldn't count the number of tears she had shed over the days. ''But I'm never leaving you again, okay? I love you so much.''
Sam watched Andy as she got introduced to her son for the first time. He couldn't stop his eyes from getting a little misty as well. He swallowed away the lump that was forming in his throat. ''You can put your hand on his back,'' he told Andy. ''He likes that.''
Carefully Andy reached out and put her hand under the blanket. She closed her eyes when she made contact with Jesse's skin. ''He's so perfect,'' she cried out.
''I know,'' Sam said. ''He's our son.''
Andy laid her head on Sam's chest so she was almost nose to nose with Jesse. After a few minutes he slowly stirred and opened his eyes.
''He's waking up,'' Andy whispered. ''Hey Jesse. We love you so much buddy, yes we do.'' She ran a finger over his hand and lifted her head to look at Sam. ''He looks like you.''
Besides from the dark hair Sam didn't see much of a resemblance, but he nodded along anyway. ''I think he has your nose,'' he said. ''He's really beautiful Andy.''
''He is,'' Andy agreed. She sniffed and whipped away the tears that were on her face. ''We have to make a deal, okay?'' she asked Jesse. ''Mommy promises that she'll get better quickly if you promise to get stronger. And then we'll all go home. You, daddy and me. Like a real family.''
''We are,'' Sam said with a smile. ''This is our family.''
''It's perfect,'' Andy sighed out.
About two hours later Andy was exhausted. All the emotions were catching up with her and over the days she hadn't slept much. Jesse was back in his incubator. Andy had a hand on his head while he peacefully slept. She kept a close eye on his vitals, but they were really stable.
''Andy,'' Amanda said when she joined the young family. She had helped them with getting Jesse back in his incubator and Andy insisted that she used her first name. ''It's time for you to go back to your own floor. You'll be able to come back tomorrow or maybe even this evening.''
Andy shook her head without looking away from Jesse. ''I'm fine.''
''Andy,'' Sam said as he put a hand on his shoulder. ''You're exhausted. Come on, I'll bring you to your room and I promise we'll come back as soon as we can.''
''I just want to sit with him for a few more minutes,'' Andy argued. ''I've already missed so much. I don't want him to think that I don't love him.''
''Andy,'' Sam said again. ''Nobody thinks that, okay? Everybody knows that you're crazy about him, but we have to think about you too. It's time to lay down for a moment, eat something and you need to have physical therapy. They told me you skipped this morning.''
''I didn't want to,'' Andy said. ''I was looking at the monitor and I wanted to watch you two together. I can do physical therapy tomorrow. I'll do it twice as long.''
''It doesn't work that way and you know it,'' Sam said. ''No discussion, we're going now.''
Andy took a deep breath and inched a little closer to Jesse. ''I'll be back as soon as I can, okay? We love you buddy.'' Reluctantly she pulled back her arms. ''You'll let us know if anything changes, right?'' she asked Amanda. ''Doesn't matter what time it is.''
''I promise,'' Amanda answered.
XX
When they reached Andy's room they first ate something together. Andy didn't feel how hungry she was until she was eating. For the first time in days she ate a proper meal. As soon as the food was gone she laid down on bed and closed her eyes. ''Come lay with me,'' she told Sam. ''I miss you.''
Sam was tired too and was happy to obey. He kicked off his boots and crawled into bed next to Andy. The space was limited, but neither of them cared. They just wanted to be close again.
''Sorry I've been so difficult these days,'' Andy apologised. ''Things will get better now, I promise. I just missed him so much that it felt like I couldn't breathe. I know it wasn't fair to you.''
Sam kissed her forehead and rested his chin on the top of her head. ''It's okay,'' he promised. ''I get it.''
''You've been running around between the two of us for days,'' Andy continued. ''Just know that I really appreciate that, okay? I love you and without you I probably would have lost it already.''
They laid together in silence for a while. Soon sleep took over Andy and Sam followed not much later. Finally they had a little peace, finally they had the family they had been dreaming of for so long.
Andy startled awake when she heard an alarm going off. It was her I.V. that gave off an alarm. Slightly annoyed she pressed the call button and waited for a nurse to come in and change the bag. Sam slowly opened an eye too and yawned. ''Okay?'' he asked.
''Just a stupid alarm,'' Andy said. ''They'll switch the bags in a minute.''
Sam nodded and closed his eyes again. ''Best sleep I had in a few days,'' Sam admitted. He had slept at home, but he couldn't get comfortable knowing that Andy and their son were in the hospital.
''Me too,'' Andy agreed. ''I feel a lot lighter now that I've seen him.'' She shook her head and laid her head back down on Sam's chest. ''I still can't believe everything that happened. If only I would've kept my eyes on the road.''
''Don't,'' Sam quickly said. ''The guy was running a red light, you couldn't have prevented this. This situation isn't ideal, but we'll get through this, okay?''
Andy nodded. The nurse came in and looked at the couple on the bed. For a moment Andy thought that she would ask Sam to get off the bed, but she didn't say anything. When the alarm was off she left again in silence.
''What I don't get,'' Andy said. ''You said you took the truck home. Is it fixed already?''
''It's a write off,'' Sam explained. ''Oliver filled in all the forms. I only signed the papers and then he went to the garage and got me a rental. When everything quiets down I'll go look for a new one. Traci has your car for now. Hers broke down and she needed one to bring your clothes.''
''I'm sorry,'' Andy said. ''I know you love that thing.''
''I honestly don't care,'' Sam answered. ''I didn't even think of the truck until Oliver gave me those papers. All I could think about was if you and Jesse were going to be okay.''
It wasn't until then that Andy realised what Sam went through. Of course she was the one that had the accident, but Sam was the one that had spend hours in fear of losing them both. Sam was the one that spend hours in a waiting room, unsure of what the future had to offer.
''Were you scared?'' Andy asked.
''Terrified,'' Sam answered. ''Never been more afraid in my life. They did the C-section and then I got to see Jesse, but you were still in surgery. It was surreal. I didn't know if I should be happy for becoming a father or sad because my wife was still in danger.''
''I'm okay now,'' Andy promised. ''And he's going to be okay too. We have to believe that.''
''I do,'' Sam answered. ''In a few weeks we'll take him home with us and then we can really start our life as a family.''
''I feel sad for Boo,'' Andy said. ''He must feel like we dumped him with Sarah for no good reason.''
''I wouldn't feel sorry for him,'' Sam chuckled. ''Abby and Joshua are probably spoiling him rotten. I think he'll be sad when we pick him up again.''
''He loves us,'' Andy protested. ''Of course he wants to come home again, but it's probably better if he'll stay there for a while. We'll probably spend all of our time here.''
''Yeah,'' Sam agreed. ''Already talked to Sarah about that. She told me that he can stay for as long as we need. She figured that this would be home for us for a while.''
''I want to go back to Jesse,'' Andy said as she sat up. ''I don't like the idea of him being all alone there.''
Before Andy could get out of bed Sam grabbed her arm. ''Physical therapy first,'' he warned. ''You can't play with your health like this Andy. I know you want to be with him, but you're helping him more by getting better. I know you think that you're strong enough, but you need the therapy right now.''
Andy sighed and looked at Sam. ''Fine,'' she said. ''I have to pump too, I'm late already.''
''Doesn't that hurt?'' Sam wondered.
''It feels weird,'' Andy answered. ''Not hurting, but also not really comfortable. If it's best for Jesse I'll be glad to do it though.''
Sam stayed with Andy until after the physical therapy was done. He was impressed with how strong she had become in just a few days. She managed to walk to the end of the hallway and back. When she reached Sam's arms again she was breathing heavily and looked to be in pain.
Sam suggested she took another pain killer, but Andy didn't want that. She wanted to go to Jesse.
Together they spend another two hours in the NICU.
That night Sam went home feeling lighter than he had in a week. The look on Andy's face when she first saw Jesse was the most wonderful thing he ever saw. He was so glad that his family was finally together again. And they would be okay, he finally believed it too.
XX
A/N: Just a little chapter to keep things moving. I'm going for a little time jump with the next chapter, because I don't want to drag out the time in the hospital. I think that would be just more of the same.
Please review, they make my day!