It's taking him some time, but Nico is going to figure this out. I have faith in him.

Nico made sure he was early for the 9AM Monday morning meeting with Coach. He wanted to get settled and be there before anyone else. He wasn't sure what to expect from her today. He hadn't spoken to Dani since he had left her house 2 days ago.

"I just think that marrying you right now, without really thinking it through might be a mistake." Dani had said.

He wasn't sure what to expect her to say, but her words threw him. He knew she had some reservations about marriage, but he thought it was more nerves than anything else. But a mistake? That was something entirely different.

She had seemed hurt when he talked about responsibility, but wasn't that what she wanted? Someone responsible? Hell knows that Ray hadn't been responsible and even Dr. Aldridge, who on paper was very impressive wasn't exactly being responsible for wanting Dani to go off to the Congo for a month and leave her family and her patients.

He knew that wasn't enough for a marriage to work, but that wasn't all they had. Staring at a spot on the floor, his thoughts focused on Dani.

He's never been with someone like Dani. He had thought that he had fulfilling relationships in the past and he had loved Gabrielle. But with Dani, being with her, loving her, making love to her was something he had never experienced with anyone else, which had to count for something?

And he really liked just being with her. She was smart, funny, beautiful and kind. Her kids and even her Mother, strange as that seemed were a big part of wanting to get married. He liked being part of a family.

He needed to talk to her, but she said he needed time. He knew he had been pushing her hard since the Dr.'s appointment, but felt like if he let too much time go by, Dani would back out and back away from him and he would lose this chance for a family with her.

Nico sensed her presence in the room. When he looked up he found her looking at him, with such a look of sadness and regret in her eyes he hurt for her.

Nico stood up to come to her.

"Dani?"

Dani looked away from him and just then Coach and Matt came in and with a quick hello launched into the antics of the new linebacker who all the sudden didn't want to hurt anyone on the field.

"Dr. Dani, you need to get it into his head that he needs to hurt a person, that's his job."

"Coach, has anything happened on the field recently that would have brought on this behavior?"

Matt jumped in.

"Well he nailed someone pretty good and they had to be taken out on a stretcher. As the guy was taken off the field, Lenox saw his 10 year old boy holding his Dad's hand when he got into the ambulance. But the guy was fine, just a mild concussion."

"That's all it could take Matt. Lenox saw this boy with this Dad and maybe he feels responsible. I'll talk to him. When can I see him?"

"Today at 2PM" Nico said, causing Dani to look at him for the first time since the meeting started. "I'll bring him by."

"Actually Nico, I was hoping Matt could do it. I just want to make sure that there are no physical injuries that could be causing this, so Matt will come in handy, if that's okay with you Matt?"

"Sure, I'll bring him by."

"Thanks." Without looking at Nico, Dani grabbed her purse and left the room.

Dani was almost to her car when Nico's voice stopped her.

"Dani? Please wait."

Dani turned to him. "What Nico?"

"I just want to make sure you're okay."

"I'm fine Nico."

"Well I'm not. Somewhere Dani I took a wrong turn and I'm trying to figure out my way back. I don't want you to be mad at me."

"Nico, I'm not mad. I'm hurt. I'm sorry if you read one emotion for another. Can we just not do this today? I need to get ready for Lenox, okay?"

"Sure."

As he watched Dani drive off, he couldn't help but feel like he was losing her and for the first time in Nico's life, he didn't have a damn clue on what to do next.

Later that night, Matt was surprised to find Nico sitting at the bar around the corner from the stadium. After dropping Lenox off, he had decided to stop in and grab a beer before heading home.

"Well Nico, this is a surprise. This didn't strike me as your kind of place."

Nico's eyes narrowed.

"Well Matt, even those of us who live in the basement need to come out for drink sometimes."

"C'mon Nico, I didn't mean anything by what I said. What has you upset? Anything to do with Dani?"

"Matt, I m not discussing Dani with you." With that he downed his drink, threw a $20 on the table and turned to leave.

At Matt's next words, Nico stopped.

"Nico, I know she's pregnant. And I know that for whatever reason, you were the one she picked to sleep with so that makes you the father."

Matt continued.

"And I also know she's miserable right now and I have a feeling that you are the cause of it. Look Nico, I know we aren't friends, and I still don't expect to be after this, but when you take everything else away, Dani is a friend of mine and I don't like her being hurt. And, based on how you look, you may just need a friend right now too"

Nico hesitated and then sat back down at the bar. Matt ordered him another drink and one for himself.

After a few minutes of silence, Nico started.

"I just don't know what I did. I thought things were going fine and we were on the same page with the baby and getting married and then she did a 180 on me and I'm not sure what happened or what I did to cause this, and she won't talk to me"

"Nico, you had to have done something. I've learned that it's usually us guys that cause the problems by what we say or don't say. What was the last thing you were talking about?"

"The baby. And that I felt responsible for them and wanted to have her answer about getting married."

"And?"

"And that's it. It went downhill from there and she said that it wasn't enough and by the time I had realized what had happen, I was outside and back in my car."

"Let me get this straight. You told her you felt responsible for her? Geesh Nico, for a smart guy, you can sure act stupid."

"I don't follow"

"Nico, women don't want to be told you want to be with them out of responsibility, they want to know you are there because of Love."

"Love? Dani knows how I feel about her."

"How? Have you told her?"

Nico was silent for so long that Matt thought he hadn't heard him.

It was then that Matt realized that for Nico, saying those words might make him vulnerable. And that was something that Nico was not. Thinking about his next words, Matt turned to Nico.

"You know Nico, loving someone is easy. But saying the words, man that can be hard. But it's saying the words out loud that make it real. Maybe, that is what Dani is waiting for, to hear the words."

"What if it's not? What if it's too late? What if it's something else and I lose her. Matt, I don't need anyone, I never have, but I need her."

"It's a risk Nico, but one you have to be willing to make. I lost Dani Nico; I don't think I ever really had a chance. But with you it's different and if I was a betting man would say she loves you too. I guess it's up to you to figure out how important that is to you."

With that Matt finished his beer and left Nico at the bar. Love? He cared about her, needed her like he needed no other women. But Love? Dani must know how he felt about her? The way he made love to her had to prove that…..But if he had this one chance to prove to her how he felt, he had to try.

Picking up the phone, Nico punched in a number and began talking as he left the bar.