I know it's been a bit depressing, but I promise it will pick up! Slowly…

Three weeks later

"Greg, I don't care how experimental it is. My sister-in-law will die if you don't do anything, there is… yes, she will! There is no way you can harm her more, just… try it. Please, Greg. For old times' sake, please. I promise there will be no problem from our side. Just try to save their lives. Thank you." Linda closed her eyes and sighed. "He'll talk to her tomorrow. If Beth and Jamie agree the therapy will be started at once."
"You're the best." Danny wrapped his arms around his wife from behind, rocking her gently. "I knew that before, though" he whispered at her neck, and Linda laughed as she turned around to kiss him. "I hope it works" she murmured, "I… I'm so worried about Jamie. If Beth doesn't make it, then…" She stopped herself before the sentence had the chance to finish – one of the first things she had learnt in her marriage was the ability to stop "what-ifs" before they could unfold.
Reality was hard enough.

Danny buried his face in his wife's hair, enjoying the intimacy. After a moment he looked up. "Should I call him?"
"Before Greg talks to them? I wouldn't, Danny. But you can call him and invite him for dinner."

Jamie's cell buzzed silently, waking him from an uncomfortable slumber in the visitor's chair. Automatically he reached for Beth's hand, making sure it was still warm. She was on pain medication for a week now, and while tests showed that it didn't hurt the baby, it tired her out. And the sepsis won over day by day.
"Hey, Danny" he whispered, stroking his sleeping wife's hand, her face. "What's up?"
Danny sighed. "That's what I wanted to ask you."
Jamie swallowed. "Nothing different. Both of them." He quickly looked at the only monitor that made him smile: the one showing his son's heartbeat.
"Yeah… I meant you, kid. How do you feel?"
"I'm… I…" Jamie closed his eyes. He had changed to office duty last week and was taking hours off as much as he could to be with Beth, even though she had protested against it.

He knew it was not a good sign of trust and hope to spend every waking (and some sleeping) hour at the hospital, but he couldn't help it. He had planned to spend his life with this woman, and even as a cop he had hoped for thirty, maybe fifty years. Was it that hard to understand that he wanted to savor every moment he could get?

"I'm afraid I won't have the chance to say goodbye" Jamie finally admitted, knowing that Danny would understand. The suddenness of Joe's death had devastated them, not only his loss but that it happened so soon, so unexpected.

Danny closed his eyes. "I know, kid. But you will. And maybe…" he shook his head. Linda was right, this was not his job. If there was a possibility to save both Beth and Thomas, surely Jamie should hear it from the one person who would do it. "But you have to get out of here. Come over for dinner. Your nephews miss you."

Beth opened one eye sleepily. Noticing it, Jamie squeezed her hand. "I… Danny, I can't. Thanks, but…" he smiled at his wife, "I already have a wonderful date for tonight."
Beth frowned, shook her head and pointed at the phone. Dizzy as she was there was a faint flicker of light in her eyes. Obediently, Jamie handed his cell over.
"Hey… Danny? Great idea. He's on his way." She listened for a minute, then chuckled weakly. "Course I will. Hey, I've got nothing to do here anyway… sounds good. Thanks. Don't let him come back to soon, alright? How are the boys? Tell them… yeah, tell them I want to read their ghost story before Christmas. Okay."
She hung up and closed her eyes for a moment, then gave the phone back to her husband. "Go."
"Beth…"
"Please, Jamie. Go." Her glance softened as she saw the expression of confuse and hurt. Gently she moved her fingers over his face. "I know you don't want to leave me alone, but you promised me you'd live. And I'm not the only one who needs you. Your siblings need you, your father and grandfather need you. Nicki, Jack and Sean need you, and you need them. Hey, your life with Thomas is not going to be easy at the beginning. And probably not later, either. You'll need every help you can get. And you need to get out of here." She bit her lips as he frowned. "I know I said I don't want to be alone, Jamie. I don't want to. I don't want to die alone. But I'm not going to die tonight. Promise. I'm sorry I didn't push you away earlier, since that's what I'm supposed to do as a good wife, making you getting on with your life, but I'm doing it now." She shook her head as Jamie wanted to protest, "I want you to eat and have fun, and I don't want you to come back tonight. Or tomorrow before your shift. You can call me, I'd like that, but I don't want to see you till tomorrow night. Understood? We should both be stronger."

Jamie shook his head. "You're incredible, you know that?"
The smile she threw at him was almost her old self, and joy and anger both jumped at Jamie, ripping him apart. Joy that this woman was his, and anger that she was taken from him, and that he was helpless against it.
"Yeah, there was this handsome guy telling me about it."
"What guy?" he mocked, bowing forward to kiss her.
Beth breathed in deeply as he embraced her, taking in all the strength and support he was for her. "The best man I've ever known. I love you. I would never have done this – any of it – without you."
Jamie felt his throat tighten. "I love you too."

Two hours later Danny heard his brother laughing for the first time in what seemed a year as he was battling his nephews on the computer. "Where did you get your driver's license, uh?"
"I don't have a driver's license!"
"Then get off the street!"
"You get off!"
Linda shook her head, smiling. "I've missed that" she muttered as she watched her sons and their uncle rolling around on the floor.
"Me too" Danny smiled. "I think I should join them, though. Look at what those kids are doing on the road! Someone should…"
"Oh, of course." She nodded, then reached for Danny's collar as he wanted to go over. "But not now." She frowned. "You could ask him if he wants to stay overnight, though."
"Linda! He's my brother, not my son!"
"And he's terrified of being alone, Danny. He always was."
"He always was afraid of the dark."
"Only when nobody was with him. I think part of the reason he spends the nights at work or at the hospital is that he doesn't want to come home into a dark loneliness."
"And so you want him to stay here?"
Linda shrugged. "I want my sons to go to bed so they won't fall asleep in school tomorrow. And I've got better chances with that when I can promise them that uncle Jamie will be here for breakfast."
Danny shook his head. "You're incredible, you know that?"

Jamie's shift started at midnight, but Danny saw the gratitude in his eyes as Linda offered him to com whenever he wanted. When he turned to his brother, guilt crept up into Jamie's eyes. "I won't leave them. Never."
Danny smiled as he hugged his brother. "I know. It will be alright. You'll see."