"WHERE'S MY WIFE?!" Kisame bellowed as he burst in through the double-door entrance. Patients and nurses cried out in surprise as papers flew up into the air. His hands curled into fists as his expression was taken over by maximum rage. He looked purely demonic.

A petite woman chuckled softly as she boldly approached him, clipboard and medical chart in hand. "Well…she wasn't kidding about your temper."

"Where's Ritsuko?" He demanded as he naturally loomed over her.

She frowned disapprovingly and tapped her lips to motion for silence. "Right this way," she said as she walked down one of the hallways. He quickly followed after her. Her small heels clicked against the tiled floors but she remained silent with head forward and shoulders back. Her silence worried him to the point of hysteria.

"What happened? Is she alright? Is the baby ok? WHAT HAPPENED?!"

"Mr. Hoshigaki!" She snapped as she turned to face him. Despite her height, her eyes blazed with an authoritative air. In that moment, she seemed to tower over him. "If you cannot keep your voice down I'll have you removed by security!" He made a bit of a face but remained quiet. She softened with a nod. "Thank you." She turned to continue. "To answer your question, your wife was in a car accident. It was a hit and run by someone who ran a red light." His temper flared and he nearly exploded. Instead he stopped to take a deep breath to try in vain to calm down. He felt a rush of emotions: panic, fear, anger, revenge, hopelessness, helplessness… The nurse continued on delicately. "The car was broadsided but the damage wasn't too extensive." He found it difficult to swallow. "She is alright," she quickly reassured him. "Her injuries were minor and while the trauma did induce labor we managed to stop them."

He let out a huge sigh of relief. "But they're ok now right?"

She nodded. "She's just resting at the moment. Come this way." She silently led him to the room.

There he felt the wind knocked out of him as he saw her propped up in bed. There was a large bandage around her head and her beautiful face was bruised and covered with a few stitches on the left side. She lay there hooked up to IVs and surrounded with all kinds of monitors. She looked so small and vulnerable in her frumpy hospital gown. "Oh Suko," he murmured breathlessly.

She stirred at the sound of his voice and looked up to see him staring from the doorway. She lowered her gaze and fidgeted with the blanket. "I know, I know," she said wearily. "I should have been more careful."

He slowly sat down on the bed. "How do you feel?" He asked softly.

She grimaced. "Like hell," she growled. Then she looked worried. "You're…not mad?"

His right eye twitched as he frowned darkly. "I'm friggin' PISSED! But definitely not at you. If I ever get my hands on that jerk I'm gonna-" He stopped mid-rant as her eyes filled with tears.

"I'm sorry," she whispered in a trembling tone.

"It wasn't your fault," he reassured her, but his gaze dropped down to her stomach. In reality it didn't matter who had been at fault. The baby would have been in danger either way.

Her gaze followed his and she gently rubbed her swollen stomach. "I'm sorry," she repeated.

He gently raised her chin to look into her eyes. "You're both safe now, that's all that matters."

"Oh Kisa…" her bottom lip trembled as a tear fell at last. "I was so afraid that we'd lost…" her voice cracked and she was unable to finish.

Even he got misty-eyed as the thought of miscarriage terrified him as well. To lose their child…would be just as terrible as losing his wife. Both meant more to him that anyone else and he'd risk everything for their safety. He wished he'd been there to protect them. He had failed them…it hurt so badly to acknowledge that. He hugged her tightly and she clung to him, crying hard into his shirt.

As her cries softened to quiet sobs, a doctor entered the room. He wore a sympathetic smile. "You're very lucky, Mrs. Hoshigaki. Things could have turned out very differently. But you're not out of danger just yet."

"What do you mean by that?" Kisame accused. Ritsuko looked worried as she rested a hand instinctively on her stomach.

"The placenta that supports and protects the baby is damaged slightly."

"Slight? How slight?" Kisame growled and she punched his arm to shut him up.

"Nothing too serious," the doctor reassured them. "But I recommend that she quit her job and remain on bed rest for the last two months of her pregnancy."

She made a face at that but didn't protest. Two months of boredom was a small price to pay for their daughter's safety. Kisame noticed her disgruntled expression. "Don't worry Doc; I'll see to it that she stays put."

She glared at him. "I hardly need your help to stay in bed!"

"We'd like her to stay overnight, just in case," the doctor added.

Kisame nodded. "Sounds like a good idea." He stood up to shake the doctor's hand, thanking him for his hard work. Then he turned towards his wife. "I can bring a few things from home if you'd like."

She nodded. "Yeah, bring some DVDs; they've got a TV here."

He bent down to give her a kiss. "I'll stay the night as well."

"But don't you have to go to a study group tonight for your discourse analysis?"

He gave her a dry look. "Yeah, like I totally wanna ditch you to hang out with a bunch of nerds."

She giggled but as he walked away he realized that with school he couldn't make sure that she'd actually stay in bed. She was such a restless girl…always on the go. He quickly pulled out his cell phone to make a quick call.