AN: A few days pass and Katie's still as nauseous as ever… what's going on? Something more than just some food poisoning? You'll just have to wait and see… enjoy! p.s. MY BIRTHDAY IS ON THE 12TH OF THIS MONTH AND I'M KIND OF EXCITED. Can you tell? Lol xx Mariah

Katie has been in bed for five days now. Her stomach bug has not let up at all. Every bit of food she's able to eat comes up within the hour. Like clockwork.

She's gotten restless, tossing and turning in her sleep now. She can't get comfortable, even when Ned would kiss her worries away. He'd make love to her in the dead of night, hoping to help her sleep, but she'd fake it for him. She'd roll onto her stomach and pretend that she could sleep, but she couldn't.

Ned isn't oblivious to the dark circles under her eyes. He knows she's not sleeping. He isn't really either.

He'd get small increments of sleep. A few hours here and there and then he'd take care of Katie when he didn't have to be at work.

He's just gotten back from his shift at four that afternoon when he hears Katie in the kitchen.

"Katie?" He closes the door as he pulls his work boots off, walking toward the kitchen.

He had smelled her cooking before he'd even opened the front door door. He'd just been so surprised to see her up from bed.

"Hi," she smiles at him, looking up from the pot she is stirring.

The color is back in her face and it's the first time that she isn't feeling woozy and she had an appetite.

It was already late when she turned to see that Ned's side of the bed was empty. She'd come down, set on a mission to make a warm comforting dinner for when he got home and she is almost finished when he kisses her cheek.

"You look better," he kisses her neck then, feeling her lean into him.

"I feel so much better," she says. "I woke up hungry. I haven't woke up with the idea of food in my head in a week."

"I'm so happy for you," he smiles, leaning forward to peer inside the pot. "Whatcha cookin'?"

"I thought it would be best to make a big batch of soup. My mom always goes on a soup diet for the first trimester of her pregnancies to help with the morning sickness," she says, stirring the broth. She just needed for it to start to bubble up before she put any ingredients in it. "Hannah brought me over a recipe and fresh veggies from her garden. I even got some baby time. It's definitely hard to be sad while holding a newborn." She smiles at him, turning in his arms. "It made me think of having babies with you… I've always pictured a boy and a girl. A boy with blond hair and brown eyes."

"And a little girl just like you," he smiles, kissing her lips. "Or with blonde hair. Your whole family is dark haired besides Mack."

"It's the dominant gene," she shrugs, smiling at him as he kisses her chin and jaw. "Oh Ned… I love talking about babies with you."

They always talk about their future. About plans, their timeline.

Katie wants to graduate and get settled in working before having a baby. Ned didn't really mind when. He just wants Katie to be ready.

"Oh yeah?" He smiles.

She touches his face, holding it in her hands as she kisses him softly.

"Mhmm," she hums, walking to the fridge.

She opens it, grabbing the fresh carrots and celery that Hannah had brought over from her garden. She'd become quite the gardener since she and Brandom moved home at the beginning of this year.

"I was thinking of bringing a container to mom later," she says, setting the veggies in the sink and rinsing the dirt off of them. She grabbed a knife and walked to the island, setting the veggies on the cutting block, beginning to chop the carrots into small circles. "Dad says she hasn't eaten anything today. Can't keep anything down because of the morning sickness."

"I think I can manage a visit to your folks," he stifles a yawn and itches his head.

"Go catch up on your sleep Ned," she smiles at him, looking up from the carrot as she keeps chopping until the carrot is done. "I know you haven't been sleeping lately because of me." He yawns again and she points her knife at him from across the island. "Go to the couch or else."

He put his hands up in surrender, backing into the living room. She was definitely glad they'd gotten an open floor plan home. It just made the thousand square feet feel so much larger. He nearly bumps into the dining room as he cockily walks backwards and she laughs, going back to chop her second carrot.

He plops on the couch and places the couch pillow over his head.

It isn't very long until Ned wakes up, maybe twenty minutes until he hears Katie curse and the clamor of the knife hitting the counter.

"Something wrong?" he asks, sitting up.

Katie is huddled over the kitchen sink, wincing and cursing under her breath as he comes into the kitchen.

There was a few drops of blood on the counter, where the last celery stock is halfway through being chopped.

She'd just added the chicken and carrots to the bubbling broth and he could smell how delicious it already way. He looms over it, taking in the strong savory smell before turning to Katie.

"Babe?" He kisses her shoulder and looks in the sink to see her finger bleeding. "What happened?" He pulls her hand up, looking at the cut across her pointer finger. "You're gonna need stitches."

The small slic across her finger pulses as he applies pressure to it and she cries out as he runs water over it.

The pain throbs through her whole body, it's deep and warm, but not in a nice way.

"Let's get you to the ER," he says, grabbing a hand towel and wrapping it around her hand tightly. "I'll call your dad."

"Are you sure I need stitches," she winces. "I just nicked it."

"Yes, that's why I ran water over it. To make sure." He says, grabbing his phone from his back pocket.

"I really don't want my dad to freak out," she sighs. "He's always so over the top."

"He's your dad," he smiles.

"Just bring me in," she says, putting the phone in his pocket again. "No need to worry him if he's at home. He'll find out the second I check in if he's at the hospital."

Ned nods and they set off for the hospital.

They'd been there for a half an hour before Katie starts to get restless.

She just wants to go home and finish her damn soup.

"Maybe we should've called your dad," he says, looking about the emergency room waiting floor. There had to be twenty people waiting to be seen.

"Maybe," she sighs, feeling her finger pulse across her whole body. "I just wish my finger would stop pulsing."

"Yeah," he rubs her back, kissing her shoulder.

A wave of nauseousness floods her and she groans. Her head begins to pound and spin as she leans into Ned.

"No," she mutters. "Not now…"

"Do you need something to drink?" He asks, grabbing a water bottle he'd gotten earlier.

"No," she shook her head and presses the cold bottle to her forehead. "I'm getting woozy and all nauseous again.'

He rubs his hand up her back before standing up. He walks to the nurses station, where one sits at the computer.

"We'll call your name when we're ready for you sir," the woman smiles at him. She must be new, he didn't recognize the name on her scrubs. "Sorry about the wait. We're a little understaffed in the ER today. The chief is starting to call some people back along with the on-call residents."

"I just need something for my wife," he says, motioning over to her. He thought about dropping the daughter card, but remembers that Katie hadn't wanted him too. "She's not feeling too good."

The nurse peeks at Katie, who is looking a little green and grabs a plastic basin for him.

"If she needs another one just holler," the nurse says.

"Thank you," he turns and hears a familiar laugh from behind a curtain.

Jim is here somewhere.

"Harper," Jim comes from behind the curtain and to the nurse's station as Ned sits back with Katie, rubbing her back softly. "Where's the next chart?"

"Right here sir," the young woman says, handing him a file.

Jim opens the files and begins reading. He looks up the moment he reads her name, finding their faces in the crowd.

"Katie?" Jim walks over just as she throws up in the basin, choking on the bile. She'd only ate a sandwich before they'd left. "Why didn't you just call me? You wouldn't of had to wait so long."

She looks up to met his eyes, wiping her mouth. "I don't need special treatment," she whispers and he helps her up.

"Isn't that point of having a dad who runs the hospital?" Jim grasps her other side, helping her walk to the nearby clear bed. "Is this the stomach bug? Has it gotten worse?"

He goes about to turn on the blood purse machine, wrapping it around her arm. It is normal. He goes to check her breathing, interrupted by her stomach lurching. SHe just wants this to stop.

He hadn't completely read through her chart, but he'd noticed the rag tied tightly around her finger.

"It didn't let up until this morning, but it looks like all I get is half a day off because its back and better than ever," she sighs, but raises her hand. "But that's not why I'm here. I cut my finger open chopping celery." She pauses, gripping Ned's hand with her free hand as she throws up again. "I'm sorry," she whispers as he wipes off her face.

"Don't be..." He says kissing the top of her head. "She's burning up."

"I'm gonna run some tests after I take a look at this," Jim grabs his glasses from his pocket and places them on his face, taking her hand carefully and unwrapping the rag.

The rag had soaked through with blood in some places, but it had clotted and stop bleeding some time ago.

He took the antiseptic wipe and wipes the blood clean off her finger. He kisses the cut, even with the antiseptic and she winces as the wipe stings around the cut.

He examines the bruised finger, with a perfect slice down the middle. She'd nicked herself good.

"Just gonna need to stitch this up," Jim says. "Won't take long. I can give you a painkiller to help."

She nods and holds onto Ned's hand as he readies the needle. She'd never been a fan of needles, remembering the many times she'd begged her father to not make her have to get shots.

He'd been able to compromise and done them at home, but she'd still hated him for the entire day after. And that was the most six year old Katie could ever hate her dad for.

He carefully stitches her finger closed and she winces as he pulls for the final time, cutting the sutor at the end. He wraps a bandage around her finger and kisses it before smiling at her.

"There," Jim says and moves around, throwing away the wipes and needle. Grabs a vile from behind the bed and a swab. "Now I'm gonna run a few tests to see what's causing this stomach bug, so open wide." He swaps the inside of her cheeks and kisses her forehead. "Have Harper page me if you need anything. I'll be right back."

"Okay," she says as he pulls the curtain around her, giving her some privacy.

She lies back against the pillow as Ned settles in next to her, kissing her cheek.

"Feel any better?" He asks.

"Not really," she curls onto her left side, lying her head on his chest as she pushes himself more on the bed now. "I just want to go home."

Just then, a woman enters the makeshift hospital room in green scrubs, her black hair tied low in a ponytail.

Katie sits up a little more to get a better look at her.

"Intern," she mouths and settle back into bed.

"How do you know?" He mouths back to her.

"The color of her scrubs," she mouths again and rolls her eyes.

The intern is Indian looking with large brown eyes, neatly lined with black eyeliner. She has the lithe movement of an athlete and the easy smile of one visiting a dear friend.

"Have you been helped?" The woman asks.

"Yes," she says. "The Chief just came through and stitched my finger up."

"That's awfully lucky of you," the woman went about toe check her heart rate with the stethoscope, the cold ran through her body and she breathes in and out as she asks. "He doesn't just do that for anyone."

"I know,he's a very busy man." she says, a laugh taking over the end of her sentence. "He's also my dad."

"So you're one of the Clancy crew," the woman's smile grows as she logs into the computer beside her, typing away. "I've never met any of his kids. Just heard stories. Lots of stories come out during late nights."

"I bet," she closes her eyes then, her head pulsing at the harsh light above her.

"Your dad's a superman around here," the woman continued to talk, but it only made Katie's headache worse. "Always running around."

"Yeah, he's always been like that." She mutters, squeezing Ned's hand as her head throbs. "I'd love to keep talking… but my head."

"Your head?" The woman turns to her. She presses the back of her palm to her forehead and pulls back. It was hot to the touch. "I'm going to take your temp." She places a cold stick against her ear and it beeps. "Slight fever. 100.3." She goes back to typing as the curtain is pulled back.

"Katie... how you feelin sweet pea?" Jim says, sitting at the foot of the bed and presses his hand against her forehead. "The tests should be back any minute now. I see you've met our new floor nurse Rose."

"She was telling me about the stories you tell her," she says, opening her eyes. Her dad still wore his glasses, the tiredness of the shift is in his eyes more than anything. He always had a smile on his face when he works, her mom says it causes miracles to happen. "What stories dad?"

"Oh all kinds," he laughs. "It gets boring sometimes around here you know." He pauses, thinking of one. "I remember telling her about Jelly Bean earlier. Once she lost a leg and I had to stitch it back on to get you to stop crying."

"Oh Jelly Bean was my favorite," she laughs, feeling better almost instantly at the sound of her favorite toy. "How's mom?"

"Mom was doing better when I came in at three," he says. "Aaron is taking care of her. You know how these things go."

"Yeah, the first three months of all mom's pregnancies are terrible. She mopes around and can't eat anything." She pauses, just as her stomach lurches and she looks at Ned. "Just like I am right now."

"What?" Ned squeezes her hand and smiles at her. "What's going through your mind?"

She didn't know how to say it, but the first thing that pops in her head didn't want to be said outloud yet because it might just be true.

What if she's pregnant?