=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Prologue:
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Terri Sullivan bumped her right hip against the door of her car, managing to slam it shut without dropping the sheaf of papers she was carrying, along with her bag and a half-finished bottle of orange juice.

It was early in the morning, and the hospital car park had not yet filled up, the only vehicles present being those belonging to the night staff.

Beginning the walk across the car park towards the main building, the Ward 17 NUM attempted to glance at her watch, managing to twist it into her line of view only long enough to note that the hands lay somewhere between 5:30 and 6:00 in the morning.

Terri jumped slightly a moment later as she felt an unusually vigorous movement deep in her abdomen. "Ooh, good morning." She whispered, smiling as she always did, at this evidence of new life within her body.

A smile still on her face a few moments later, the nurse was nearing the main entrance of the hospital, when she felt the stack of papers begin to slip almost imperceptibly.

Her smile faded slightly as she concentrated on righting the pile before it slid any further, stopping momentarily to ensure everything was where it should be.

Finally satisfied that she wasn't going to spill the countless pages all over the car park, Terri began to step forward once more, but a second later her attention was diverted by a roaring noise to her right. She barely had time to turn her head towards the noise before a streak of red flashed by, neatly sideswiping her.

Thrown off balance by the blow to her right arm, Terri finally lost her grip on the stack of papers, sending them flying out in front of her in a dramatic white shower, as the out of control Commodore came to rest with a crash, against a large tree about thirty metres away.

The black bag and bottle of juice were the next items to go, as Terri fell towards the ground. Time appeared to be moving in slow motion, but eventually she reached the hard bitumen surface, her head meeting it with a sickening crack, knocking her unconscious immediately.

As Terri lay prone on the ground, an eerie silence descended over the car park, emphasised by the soft early morning light. The only sound was the hissing of steam releasing from the destroyed radiator of the red Commodore as it lay wedged against the tree, and the only movement was Terri's juice bottle as it rolled away from her crumpled body.

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Part One:
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The staff of Ward 17 were gathered around the nurses station, a hushed silence hung like a veil over the group. Mitch Stevens chose that moment to stride onto the ward.

"Morning everyone! Is Two ready for the detox patients?" His cheery tone rang through the shocked quiet of the ward. The doctor turned to look more closely at the worried expressions on the faces of his colleagues. "What's up?"

No one seemed willing to speak. Von finally took the initiative, realising nobody else quite knew what to say. "Terri was in an accident earlier this morning."

The blood rushed from Mitch's face and he reached out a shaky hand to brace himself against the wall. "What?" The word was little more than a disbelieving whisper.

"She was knocked down in the car park by a drunk driver ..." Von let the sentence trail to an end, hating to see the anguish and terror that had taken over Mitch's handsome face.

The phone rang shrilly, providing a momentary distraction.

"Ward 17. Matt speaking." The normally unorthodox ward clerk's voice was unusually subdued. "Right. Thanks for letting us know." Matt replaced the phone in its cradle. "That was recovery. Terri's out of surgery. They're sending her up here when she's ready."

The relief was almost palpable. Terri was alive. And seemingly well enough to have avoided a stay in the ICU. Yet the unspoken, unacknowledged question still hung over the group. Terri had been pregnant. Was that still the case?

Paula and Nelson exchanged a glance as they moved to return to their duties, Bron making for the drug room. Von was still watching Mitch carefully, finally deciding that the best option would be to herd him into Terri's office where he could enjoy the double comforts of a chair and some privacy.

Closing the door behind them and ignoring the fact that Nelson was likely to be close to snapping, now that he was acting NUM, and not one but two nurses (including Von) short, Von waited for Mitch to open the conversation.

"I just saw her this morning, Von." The woman winced at the raw pain evident in Mitch's voice. "I made her tea and asked if she wanted a lift to work. She said no. She said she needed to get in early to go over some figures. I should have insisted. I should have dropped her off at the door ..."

"Come on mate. Blaming yourself isn't going to help Terri." Von forced a stern tone into her voice.

Mitch closed his eyes. "I know, but-"

"But nothing." The interruption was abrupt.

The agonised eyes opened again. "I'm scared, Von. What about the baby? Why was she in surgery?"

Finally, the most terrifying of questions had been raised aloud. Von allowed some sympathy to creep into her tone. She was worried as hell about Terri and the baby too. "Mitch, I don't know. Nobody's told us anything. Luke'll fill us in when he gets here."

There was a tap at the door and a moment later, Nelson's head poked around it. He took in Mitch's agonised expression, his head hanging in his hands, and Von's palm resting reassuringly upon his shoulder. He could manage without Von for now. "Terri's on her way up."

That got Mitch's attention. Von's hand fell away as he shot to his feet, reaching the office doorway just as Terri was being wheeled through the doors. There was an ugly gash on her forehead that had been stitched closed, and her right forearm and hand were encased in a gleaming white bandage. The presence or absence of any other injuries was obscured by blankets. Her beautiful blue eyes were closed, and for all intents and puposes, Terri appeared to be sleeping peacefully.

There was a moment of indecision as Mitch's gaze followed the bed to room one. The longing to be with his beloved Terri was balanced against his need to know what was wrong with her. The need to know won out. Terri would still be there in five minutes.

Luke strolled towards Mitch, still dressed in his stark blue surgical scrubs. "Mitch."

"Luke. How is she?"

A slight smile crossed Luke's otherwise grave face. "She was very lucky, Mitch. She took a bit of a bump on the head when she hit the ground but there shouldn't be any harm done. Otherwise she's got off with just a fractured radius. We put a pin into the arm, and it should be as good as new with time."

The relief coursed across Mitch's face and he glanced at Von, who had been listening to Luke's report as well. "Thanks Luke. But ..." his adams apple bobbed up and down a couple of times as he forced himself to ask the question. "Luke, you know she was pregnant, right?" The words were cautious. Hesitant.

Luke smiled sympathetically. "Yeah, I know. We got obstetrics in to do an ultrasound and everything looks fine." Mitch's eyes closed again in relief. "Like I said, she was very lucky, Mitch." Luke turned to the nurses station. "She's taken a knock to the head, so I want her on half hourly neuro obs just to be on the safe side." Orders delivered, the surgeon departed.

Mitch stood rooted to the spot for a moment, one hand on hip, the other rubbing his forehead distractedly. A second later the hand dropped and he headed for room one.

Letting himself quietly into the private room, Mitch watched as Nelson put the finishing touches on getting Terri settled in. "Thanks Nelson."

Nelson smiled at the doctor, all past grievances forgotten. "No worries Mitch. I'll get out of your way."

Mitch waited until the door clicked behind the nurse before pulling up a chair beside the bed. Stroking her soft dark hair back from her face, frowning at the short row of neat stitches along her forehead, Mitch leaned in close. "Terri, you sure know how to scare a guy half to death."

He rested his head on the voluminous pillows that surrounded her, one hand still stroking Terri's hair. His eyes drifted closed and Mitch succumbed to the exhaustion induced by his earlier, adrenalin fueled terror.

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Part Two:
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

When Mitch awoke again, he was aware of movement in the room. Lifting his head up and grimacing at the crick that had formed in his neck, Mitch registered that Nelson was back, attempting to take Terri's obs without disturbing him.

Turning his attention to the beautiful woman in the bed, Mitch suddenly realised that Terri was awake. Her azure gaze was turned towards him, a faint smile playing across her drawn face.

"Hey there, why didn't you wake me? How are you feeling?" Mitch was suddenly wide awake and ready to jump back into doctor mode.

"You looked so peaceful over there. I didn't want to disturb you." Her voice was soft and contained a slight inflection of pain.

"Do you remember what happened?" Mitch flicked a stray lock of hair away from her pale cheek.

"Not really. But Luke came down while you were still out of it, and filled me in."

"Luke's been in already? How long was I asleep for?"

Nelson finished the obs and started wheeling the cart towards the door. "You've been out for over an hour, mate."

"An hour? Shit, I need to let Peter know where I've been!" Mitch started to rush to his feet, but Nelson raised a hand, indicating that he should stay.

"Calm down, Mitch. Matt rang the clinic as soon as Terri was brought in, and let them know you wouldn't be in for the rest of the day. They know what's going on, and they sent up their best wishes." The last was directed at Terri, who smiled in acknowledgement.

Mitch blew out a tense breath. "Thanks Nelson."

Alone with Terri once again, Mitch turned back to the patient and took her left hand, careful to avoid the canula that pierced the delicate skin.

"Really. How're you doing?" Even though he knew her injuries were minor, Mitch's concern for Terri was still evident.

"Really. Mitch, I'm alright. I'm going to have a lot of bumps and bruises later on, but it's okay for now."

"Much of a headache?"

"It's not too bad."

Mitch nodded. "Well, let Nelson know if it gets worse or your vision blurs."

Amusement flickered in her eyes. "I will."

Mitch paused, detecting the slight edge in her voice, wondering if he had imagined it. "Terri-"

He was prevented from going any further by a tap at the door, shortly followed by the entrance of Matt. "Mitch, it's Peter for you. He says its urgent, or I wouldn't have disturbed you."

Mitch kept his gaze fixed on Terri for a moment, before grudgingly releasing her hand and standing. "I'll just be a sec."


A minute later he was back. "Terri, we're having a bit of a crisis downstairs, I'm going to have to go see what's going on. I'll be back as soon as I can, okay?" His expression was uncertain.

"Mitch, I'll be fine. Just go."

His pained frown was evidence that he wasn't keen on leaving her just yet, but Mitch forced himself to turn and leave the room again, gently closing the door behind him.

The silence of an empty room didn't last long. Mere minutes later the door opened again. Terri turned to identify her visitor, and was pleased when she recognised Von.

"Aah, look at you!" Von gazed crtically at the battered figure in the bed. "And I thought you looked bad when it was just morning sickness."

A sheepish smile seemed the best way to respond. "How's Mitch been holding up?"

Von settled herself into Mitch's vacated seat. "Well, he's a lot better now he knows you're alive." Von smirked slightly. "He was pretty scared when he didn't know what was going on. We all were." Von's voice became soft, and she shifted her gaze uncomfortably to the floor.

"I'm sorry I scared you all. Was he too unbearable?"

"No, we can handle Mitch Stevens." She grinned. "If nothing else, it was a touching exhibition of how deeply he cares about you." The rare mention of emotion by Von was enough to leave Terri without an answer for a few moments.

"I'm just glad this baby is alright." Terri's left hand glided lightly over the blankets covering her gently rounded belly. "I think it'd kill him if anything had gone wrong."

Von nodded in silent agreement. "And what about you?"

When Terri looked up at Von, there was still fear in her eyes. "I think it might have killed me too."


By the time Mitch returned from the clinic, Terri had succumbed to exhaustion and was sleeping deeply, despite her steadfast refusal of any sort of pain relief. Mitch settled himself back into the chair beside her bed for the afternoon, leaving the room only to refresh his cup of coffee and to use the men's room.

"Mitch, maybe you should go home and get some rest, something to eat." Nelson was trying to be sympathetic towards Mitch's concern, but he was quickly growing weary of the worried doctor badgering him about Terri's vitals each time he took obs.

"No, I want to stay, Nelson." Mitch ran one finger softly along Terri's left forearm, watching her stir slightly at the new stimulus, then settle back into her slumber.

Nelson moved to place a hand on Mitch's solid back. "Mate, you're not going to do her any good if you wear yourself out. You'll be able to help her more tomorrow if you get a good night's rest. Go home."

Mitch didn't answer for a long moment. The powerful muscles in his jaw worked as he gazed at the woman he loved, lying injured in the bed before him. Much as he hated to admit it, Nelson had a point. Terri was stable and would be well cared for by Nelson and whoever the night nurse was. It was time for him to step aside for the evening.

Wishing Nelson would leave him alone with the patient, Mitch stood and bent over Terri's sleeping form. He gently stroked her soft cheek and bent to kiss her lightly on the lips. "Don't think you're getting rid of me this easily, Sullivan. I'll be back first thing."

Straightening, he met the amused twinkle in Nelson's eyes, before turning to lead the way from Terri's single room.

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Part Three:
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

A while later, Mitch let himself into the house he and Terri had moved into only weeks earlier. He was glad that if he had to be alone all night, and if he couldn't stay by Terri's side, that he was still able to be surrounded by her things. Beginning to strip off his clothes as soon as the front door was closed and locked, he ducked under the spray of a hot shower, melting away the day's grime and stress, loosening the knots that had formed in his neck.

Ten minutes later he fell into their soft bed, not caring that his wet hair was dampening the pillows. He lay silently for a few minutes, imagining that he could detect Terri's unique, feminine scent on the sheets, wishing desperately that she was here with him, rather than stuck as a prisoner on her own ward. Finally closing his eyes, Mitch allowed sleep to claim him.


What seemed like minutes later, Mitch was pulled from a pleasant dream involving himself, Terri, and a secluded beach hut, by a ringing sound. Groggily checking the bedside clock, he realised it was actually after eight in the morning. Startled momentarily, he forgot about the phone, until the persistent ring once again intruded into his consciousness. Leaning over the edge of the bed, Mitch located his mobile, buried beneath his abandoned jeans.

"Mitch Stevens." He grimaced at the hoarse sound of his voice as he spoke for the first time that day.

"Mitch, it's Matt. Get down here."

Mitch frowned as the line went dead, then threw the covers back and started pulling on the nearest items of clothing he could grab - yesterday's clothes. As he grabbed his keys and pager, he glanced around the mess he'd left in the house, promising he'd clean it up before Terri came home. A moment later the front door slammed and Mitch's tyres squealed briefly as his foot hit the accelerator.


The staff on Ward 17 exchanged glances with each other as Mitch charged onto the ward. Even more dishevelled and unshaven than usual, wearing yesterday's crumpled clothes, Mitch Stevens was the textbook definition of a distraught lover.

"What's wrong?" There was no beating around the bush this morning, despite the unkempt appearance.

Nelson exchanged a loaded glance with Von, then stepped forward. "Mitch, Terri started bleeding this morning."

The world stopped spinning. Time stood still. Mitch thought he was going to collapse, and reached out a hand to steady himself against the bench. "Has she ..." He couldn't finish the question. His eyes slid shut involuntarily, fearing the worst.

"Not yet." Nelson's tone was unusually soft.

Mitch's eyes opened again, devastation held at bay, at least for now.

"It doesn't seem too serious. Obstetrics are hoping it's just some minor spotting, you know it's not uncommon. She's on strict bed rest and she's being closely monitored." Nelson smiled. "She's not letting that baby go without a fight, Mitch."

"Is she here?"

Matt nodded. "No beds down in Obstetrics." He rolled his eyes. "Just for a change."

"Does Peter know-"

"It's under control, Mitch. She's waiting for you." The ward clerk gestured towards room one.

Taking Matt's advice, Mitch quietly let himself into Terri's room. The woman in question was lying still, eyes closed, but as the door clicked shut, her lids opened and she smiled faintly.

"Did I wake you?"

Terri shook her head. "No. I was just resting." Her voice dropped to a whisper. "Did they tell you?" Terri's bright blue eyes were luminescent in her pale face, brightened further by unshed tears.

Mitched swallowed thickly and nodded, taking her uninjured hand in his. "Terri you just need to make sure you stay in bed and don't-"

He broke off as Terri wrenched her hand from his and turned away, annoyance evident on her face.

"What have I done now?" Mitch's voice swam in confusion.

"Mitch, I'm a nurse, I know the drill-"

"Nurses always make the worst patients ..." Mitch quipped.

"I thought that was doctors." Terri turned back to face Mitch and raised one eyebrow. "And not only am I a nurse, I already have dozens of people in here all the time, telling me what I can and can't do. What I need to do to take care of myself and the baby." The fire in her eyes died down slightly and her gaze dropped to the blankets near her hands.

"Okay ..." Mitch's tone was cautious, uncertain about where this was going.

Terri sighed, realising Mitch really had no clue what he had done wrong. "Can't you understand? Sometimes I don't need Dr. Stevens charging in with his handy hints and ready medical advice. Sometimes I just need *Mitch*."

Terri stopped and took a deep breath, tears starting to prickle once again at the back of her eyes. "You know I love that you care. But sometimes I just want a hug, not a diagnosis."

Mitch looked stunned for a moment, then his face softened and an expression of guilt settled over his features. "Terri, I'm sorry. It's only because I worry about you, you know that."

Terri gazed fondly at Mitch for a second. "Mmm, I know. Will you please try?"

"Well, I can't make any promises." Mitch's mouth twitched into something resembling a smile. "But I could start by practicing my hug technique right now, if you wanted ..." he allowed his voice to trail off, then pulled himself out of his chair, and up onto the bed beside Terri.

Terri couldn't help but smile as Mitch shuffled her across to the other side of the bed. "Hey, leave some room for me over here!"

"Oh, come on Sullivan, you don't take up that much space!" The teasing tone helped to take their minds off the seriousness of Terri's condition.

"I need more than a few centimetres, Mitch."

Grumbling, Mitch inched back, increasing the space afforded his companion. Raising his right arm, he draped it around Terri's shoulders, and pulled her head down to rest on his chest. "How am I doing?" he whispered in her ear.

"Mmm, not bad ... I'll need more time to properly assess your skills, though. Just leave it with me." Terri couldn't keep the smile out of her voice.

"If you think it's necessary, Sister."

"Oh, I do." Terri grinned as a laugh rumbled in Mitch's chest, directly under her left ear. Raising her face up, she gave Mitch a good look at the first twinkle in her eyes since she had been admitted the previous day.

Mitch was enchanted and relieved, all at once. The Terri he knew was on her way back to health. Bending slightly, he caught her lips with his, waiting a moment before deepening the kiss.

Groaning slightly, he pulled back. "I missed you last night." He whispered, his lips still close enough to hers that his breath brushed lightly against the sensitive, slightly swollen skin.

Terri smiled, leaning forward to press another kiss onto his mouth. "I thought you might have stuck around a while last night."

"You were sleeping. I wanted you to get some rest." Mitch resisted the temptation to pull her lips into a third brief kiss.

"I still would have liked to say goodnight." Terri's resistance against the temptation was not as strong, and she pressed her lips against Mitch's once more.

Nelson chose that moment to stroll in. "Sorry to break up the party here, guys." The warm twinkle in his eye negated the smirk on his face.

Terri blushed slightly, pulling away from Mitch's grasp. Mitch reluctantly let her go, shooting Nelson a murderous glare at the same time.

"Terri, your presence is requested in Obstetrics for another ultrasound." Nelson began moving around, readying Terri for transporting.

Mitch reluctantly swung off the bed, smiling sadly at Terri as reality fell back into place, the playful mood of minutes earlier all but gone.

An orderly arrived, ready to take Terri for her precautionary ultrasound.

"I might just duck down to the clinic and take care of a few things, okay? I'll see you when you get back." Mitch squeezed Terri's hand reassuringly.

"Are you sure you don't want to come along with me?" Terri looked nervous.

Moving in closer, Mitch forced the orderly out of his way. He leaned down to Terri's level, grasping her hand more firmly, yet ever-mindful of the canula. "Terri, I would love to go along and be with you, but right now I just want to let the experts take good care of you. I don't want to be in the way." His other hand came up to trail delicately down the side of Terri's worried face.

"I'm scared." The word was barely more than a whisper.

Mitch's breath caught in his throat. This was Terri Sullivan, super woman of Ward 17. His Terri, who never admitted to any weakness if she could help it. This admission of fear was the ultimate declaration of trust. He couldn't remember a time when Terri had been so open, her expression almost childlike in its raw vulnerability. Terri had always been passionate in displaying her affection and love towards him, but deeper emotions like fear had always been kept well hidden, even from Mitch.

He returned the compliment. "So am I." Mitch's tone matched hers.

Nelson cleared his throat. "We really need to get moving."

The moment gone, Mitch brushed a kiss across Terri's forehead, holding her gaze with his eyes as he pulled back from the bed, standing and watching as they wheeled her from the room.

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Part Four:
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

A few minutes later, Mitch strolled out of Terri's room in search of human contact, needed to stop his thoughts driving him mad. He was amused to find Matt and Bron involved in an impromptu game of cricket in the cramped nurses station.

"Nelson not back yet, I take it?" Mitch shot them a quizzical look.

Matt swung around, brandishing the plastic cricket bat high above his head. "Not yet, thank God!" He stopped, noticing Mitch's gaze following the bat. "Some kid left it behind." He shrugged, dropping the bat below the desk suddenly as Nelson returned.

Bron quickly stuffed the wad of paper that had been doubling as the ball into the bin, and hurried off to check her patients.

The acting NUM looked around the scene suspiciously, but spotting Mitch, didn't comment on Matt's guilty expression. "How're you holding up?"

Mitch ran a hand across his brow. "Oh, I'm fine. I'm just worried about how Terri is." His troubled expression confimed the words.

Nelson nodded. "Well, she's hanging in there, you need to do the same." He patted Mitch on the arm and made to leave, before turning back. "Oh, maybe we should have thought about it yesterday, but is there anybody else we should be calling to let them know that she's here?"

Mitch thought for a second. "Her mother would probably want to know ..." He trailed off.

Nelson looked at him carefully. "Do you want me to get onto that?"

Mitch's head jerked up. "No! No ... No, I'll do it. Thanks." Preoccupied, Mitch started walking. "Mind if I use your office?"

"It's all yours."


Falling into Terri's chair, Mitch rested his head in his hands, elbows propped up by the solid desk. He ran one hand through his short hair, considering the options. He and Terri hadn't even got around to telling Terri's mother about the pregnancy. They hadn't been sure how she'd take it. Or rather, Terri hadn't been sure. She had been afraid that her mother would think less of her. That she'd no longer be the perfect daughter, or that she'd be seen to have fallen down to an inferior level. A level she had joined the convent in order to avoid.

Mitch sighed. Suddenly it all seemed very unimportant. Eileen deserved to know.

Flipping through Terri's telephone directory, he stopped at the number he was after, dialled, and waited.

"Eileen? Hi, it's Mitch ... Good, how have you been? ... Well, actually that's what I called about ... Terri's in hospital ... No, she's fine ... Look, why don't you come down here, I can explain properly then ... Okay, see you in a while ... Bye."

He replaced the phone in its cradle, wondering if he'd done the right thing. Terri might not appreciate her mother being brought into this. Mitch doubted whether Elieen had even been told that he and Terri had finally reunited. He blew out a breath between his teeth. If she hadn't been told, she was about to find out in a big way.

He was snapped out of his reverie by the sound of the ward doors slapping open. Jumping up, Mitch hauled the office door open in time to see Terri being wheeled past the NUM's office and back towards room one.

He waited until she was safely installed in her room before intruding. "Hey ... How'd it go?" Mitch settled back into his place at the side of her bed.

Terri reached out her left hand to gently cup his cheek, tenderly stroking the rough, stubble covered skin. "Same as before. Hana said that I've gained a little more weight in the last couple of weeks than she would have expected, but other than that, everything seems okay. They're even talking about discharging me."

Mitch's brow furrowed up in concern. "Home? So soon?" Much as he wanted her to be at home with him, he desperately wanted her to be well taken care of. It seemed such a big step to release her from constant medical supervision.

She nodded, dropping her hand back to the bed and stroking the doctor's fingers. "I'll have to take it easy for a few weeks, of course."

"Of course." The concern still hadn't left Mitch's eyes.

"But I know you won't be able to help keeping an eye on me." Terri's tone was teasing, a stark contrast to the anger that his doctor attitude had provoked earlier.

She smiled, noticing the confusion in her lover's eyes. "Yes, I'll let you take care of me this time. But don't think I'm going to make a habit of it." She warned, her playful voice taking on a slight edge.

Mitch's eyes crinkled up as he smiled. "I guess I'll just have to take advantage of it while I can, then, won't I Sullivan?"

"Looks that way." She grinned. "But if you get too much to take, don't think I won't kick you out."

Mitch laughed. "Fair enough." A moment later he was serious again. "Terri, you and the baby are the two most important people in my life right now. I worry about you. Sometimes I get so scared that putting on the professional front is the only way I can keep functioning." Mitch's voice had dropped to a whisper.

Terri's eyes welled up with bright tears. Touched, she leaned into kiss the pain away from Mitch's expression. Turning his chin up so she could look into his eyes, Terri pressed another kiss onto Mitch's lips. "It's okay." she said simply. "I love that you care."

"I've always cared. Even when I was-"

Terri quickly pressed her lips to Mitch's a third time, silencing him mid-sentence. "Shhh. Don't say it." They both knew that their feelings for one another had endured through relationships with other people, but it would not do for them to dwell on the details of where Mitch's affection had been placed throughout his marriage. Rose deserved to retain at least some semblance of marital dignity.

Mitch drew back slightly, attempting to pull himself together. "I uh, I called Eileen earlier." As soon as the words were leaving his mouth, he wondered if it was a mistake. Maybe it would have been better to just wait until she arrived, then pretend one of the nursing staff had called, instead.

"Oh!" Terri was momentarily stuck for words.

Mitch relaxed slightly. Terri didn't seem too upset ...

"What did you tell her?" Her light tone belied a slight nervousness, evident in her eyes and the way she was suddenly working the blanket between her fingers.

"Just that you'd been admitted. I wasn't sure how much you'd discussed with her ..." Mitch trailed off tactfully, still cautious.

Terri shrugged. "I haven't talked to her much lately. I wasn't sure what to say. I guess it's time to come clean, hey?"

"Do you want me to make myself scarce while you tell her the shocking truth?" Mitch's characteristic teasing sparkle had returned to his eye, and he leaned in conspiratorially to deliver the question.

Terri couldn't help but laugh. "No way! You're as much to blame as I am, Mitch Stevens! I'm not facing her alone!" Terri was no longer laughing, but the slight smile that remained indicated that she wasn't upset.

"I guess I should just be glad your father's not going to be there. He might have beaten me up for corrupting his precious daughter!"

Terri took in a sharp breath and her face immediately closed off, her body turning almost imperceptibly away from Mitch.

It took Mitch a second to realise what he'd said, and immediately wished he had Matt's plastic cricket bat on hand to hit himself over the head with.

"Oh God, Terri, I'm sorry. I didn't mean it that way. Forgive me ... I just meant that a father would be protective of his daughter. I was kidding, I'm sorry, it was out of line." he stroked her left forearm gently, anxiety creasing his face.

Emotion played across Terri's profile, and Mitch watched guiltily as she blinked back tears. Finally, Terri turned her face back towards the man beside her. There was still pain in the crystalline depths of her vibrant blue eyes.

"I'm sorry ... Terri, I know you know how I felt about Ryan, but you also know that I'd never intentionally say anything that might hurt you." The constant pressure on Terri's arm continued.

Finally, Terri's gaze softened and her posture became less defensive. "I know."

"You know me, always forget to think before I open my big trap." Mitch slid his hand down Terri's arm and gently intertwined his fingers with hers.

"My messed up hormones probably didn't help." Terri turned her hand slightly to allow Mitch better access to her slender digits.

"Yeah, I don't know ... These pregnant women. Always overreacting. Who needs 'em, hey?" Mitch nudged Terri's leg slightly with their joined hands.

The bedridden nurse tried her best to stop the smile from appearing, but failed spectacularly. The last shreds of the offense she had taken to Mitch's ill-considered comment were blown away, allowing Mitch to breathe a sigh of relief. A crisis had been averted.

"So how do you think your mum's going to take all the news?" Mitch reluctantly turned the conversation back to the topic that they had been discussing prior to their unfortunate misunderstanding.

Terri sighed, settling back further into the voluminous pillows. "I wouldn't like to say. She is one of your biggest fans, of course."

A smile tugged at the corner of Mitch's mouth. "What is it with all you Sullivan women? Can't get enough of me!"

Terri smiled, resisting the temptation to laugh, but declining to comment.

Fortunately she was saved by having to formulate a response, by a soft knock at the door. A second passed, then Nelson's head poked through. "Ah, Terri, your mum's here to see you."

"Thanks Nelson, send her in." Terri removed her canulated left hand from Mitch's grip. Her companion took the hint and raised himself from his chair, moving to take up a position by the window.

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Part Five:
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

Before long, Eileen Sullivan rushed into the room. "Oh, Terri, what happened? They said you'd been hit by a car!"

"Mum, I'm fine. Really. Look, just a broken arm." Terri waved her bandage swaddled right arm in front of her, wincing at the pain induced by the sudden movement of the fracture site.

"They've got you in hospital for a broken arm?" Confusion and concern competed for position on Eileen's face.

Mitch took the opportunity to step forward and announce his hitherto unnoticed presence. "Well, it was a nasty break. She had to have surgery to insert a pin and plate."

Eileen turned swiftly at the unexpected sound of Mitch's voice behind her. "Oh, Mitchell! I didn't see you."

Worry was still evident in Eileen's expression, but Mitch could still see that she was pleased to see him.

"How are you, Eileen?" Mitch strolled back towards the bed to lean on the end of it, no longer keeping his distance.

"Good, thank you. I'm so glad you're here taking care of Terri."

Amused, Mitch glanced past Eileen's shoulder to where Terri was rolling her eyes. "Well, you know me, I live to serve." He flashed his cheekiest grin at the two Sullivan women. "Anyway, I'll leave you ladies to it."

"Aah, Mitch?" To somebody who knew Terri Sullivan's voice as well as Mitch Stevens did, an ominous warning was evident in her tone. "Could you stay for a minute? There's something I'd like to chat to mum about."

"Are you sure you want me to stay?" Mitch faked ignorance and innocence.

"Yes, please."

"Okay, no problem." Standing out of Eileen's line of vision, Mitch shrugged and tossed Terri an apologetic grin, as if to say 'hey, it was worth a shot!'.

"Mum, there's another reason I'm being kept in hospital." Terri was uncertain of how to begin. She had given a great deal of thought to what she would actually say to her mother when this moment came, but hadn't come up with any reasonable possibilities.

"Another reason?" The concern that had begun to disspate from Eileen's features suddenly descended again, as her gaze flickered from her daughter's face, to the nearby doctor.

Seeing the uncertainty on his beloved Terri's face, the said doctor stepped forward to take the heat off Terri for a second. "There was a slight complication this morning. They need to keep an eye on her for a while, that's all."

"What sort of a complication?" Concern was swiftly becoming compounded by confusion once again.

Mitch glanced at Terri, saying nothing. It was up to her now. Father of the child or not, it wasn't his place to break the news to Terri's mother. To Terri's devoutly Catholic mother. Mitch groaned inwardly at the thought, which had not seemed quite so terrible until that moment. Resisting the urge to flee, Dr. Stevens stood his ground and waited for Terri to find the words, and the strength to utter them.

Disconcerted for a moment by the sudden feeling that Mitch was about to run from the room, Terri paused for a second, then hurriedly started to speak, afraid that if she didn't just open her mouth and start talking, that the words would never come.

"Mum, the doctors are afraid that I might be at risk of having a miscarriage." Terri forced herself to stop at the end of this momentous sentence. Forced herself to wait for the implications to sink in.

Mitch's eyes closed briefly as Terri spoke the word 'miscarriage'. He repressed the terror-filled and shuddering response that the mere sound of the word coming from Terri's lips evoked. It was the first time the actual word had been spoken in his presence with reference to Terri's condition. He didn't want to even consider how terrible it would be if it ever occurred.

"A miscarriage?" Eileen whispered. "Terri?" her voice was incredulous.

"I'm pregnant." Terri looked nervous, afraid of how her relationship with her mother would be changed by those two enormous words.

Silence reigned in room one for what seemed like an eternity, until Mitch noticed Eileen sway slightly, and he rushed forward to ease her down into his previously vacated chair.

Terri glanced at Mitch in concern, but Eileen pulled herself together slightly, recovering from the initial shock.

"And where's the baby's father during all of this?" Eileen's voice was faint.

Terri's eyes flickered to Mitch's. The question had to be his cue, it was time for him to play his part.

Clearing his throat, Mitch prayed his voice would stand up to the small challenge. "Ah, that would be me, Eileen ..."

To her credit, Eileen kept her composure, but at the same time she looked as if somebody had just told her that the moon was actually made of green cheese.

"Well! I didn't realise you two were ..." Mrs Sullivan trailed off, then changed tack. "I hadn't heard that your marriage had ended, Mitchell."

Mitch nodded, his response subdued. "Yes, earlier this year."

Eileen nodded silently, her expression still betraying her shellshocked state.

Terri bit her lip, wondering what best to do. "Mitch, maybe it would be better if Mum and I just talked for a bit."

Mitch nodded in understanding, and no small amount of relief. "I'll drop by later on, okay?" He waited for Terri's slight nod and her small, reassuring smile, then leaned to rest a gentle hand on Terri's mother's shoulder. "See you later."

"Bye, Mitchell." Eileen's smile appeared genuine, if a little forced, as she turned to bid him goodbye.

Mitch let himself out the door, easing it shut behind him. Breathing a sigh of relief, he headed for the nearby nurses station, glad that the initial ordeal, at least, was behind him.

"Are you alright?" Paula glanced at Mitch in concern as he leaned heavily against the high bench, breathing deeply.

Matt hung up the phone and spun around on his chair a couple of times before sliding nearer to examine Mitch's drawn face.

"Yeah, I'm fine, thanks. We just had to tell Terri's mum about the baby." He raised his eyebrows at the gathered staff members, then thrust his hand into the nearby lolly jar, tossing a couple of jelly beans into his open mouth. "Mmm, sugar. Thank God."

"You mean you hadn't told her yet?" Von's tone was as dry as ever, but her eyes gave away her slight disbelief.

Mitch shook his head sheepishly. "Ah, no."

Von smiled a little. "Mitch ... How far along is she?"

Mitch felt like a naughty schoolboy. "Nineteen weeks." He sounded almost sulky.

"And just when were you planning on letting Eileen know that she's going to be a grandmother?" The tone of voice was typical Von.

"Ah, well I was just leaving it up to Terri, you know." Mitch attempted to inject some authority into his voice, not liking the feeling of being scolded.

Von smiled thinly as she started to stroll towards room four. "Uh huh. And did Eileen know that you and Terri were seeing each other at all?"

Trying to keep the squirming tone out of his voice, Mitch replied. "Well, now that you mention it, no ... I don't think she did ..."

Von nodded knowingly, the teasing edge present in her keen eye. "Right."

"Anyway, I think I need a coffee. Excuse me." Mitch glanced dryly at Von before stuffing his hands into his pockets and quickly making a getaway.

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Part Six:
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

Mitch was hiding in the tea room, consuming a mug of strong black coffee when Peter found him.

"Mitch." Peter's gaze was stern as usual, and the clinical psychologist moved to pour himself a cup of cofee.

"Hey. How're things downstairs?"

"Everything's running smoothly. How's Terri?" Peter's respect and admiration for the Ward 17 NUM had added an air of concern to his features.

"She seems alright. She's pretty worried, I think. We both are." Mitch shrugged. "There's talk from obstetrics about sending her home." he gazed into his coffee cup, hoping that the secret way out of the mess everything seemed to be in would be revealed in its swirling, murky depths.

Peter sipped at his own steaming brew. "How do you feel about that?"

Mitch raised his eyes from the mug to glance at Peter in amusement. "Always the shrink, aren't you?" He grinned. "I don't know. I want her at home with me, but I like her being taken care of here."

"Are you worried you won't be able to take care of her at home?" Peter's tone was casual, almost indifferent, as he examined a chip in the rim of his mug. Mitch sensed it was a ploy to make him feel like the question wasn't too deep, to trick him into saying more than he otherwise might.

"I don't think it's that." He rubbed his right hand over his tired face. "Oh, I don't know, maybe it is. It's just that if something went wrong at home, and she lost the baby, I'd always feel like it was my fault, you know?" He grinned ruefully. "If she loses it here, I can abuse somebody else about it."

"Now, how would it be your fault?" Peter gazed quizzically at the doctor.

"I don't know ... I'd just always wonder whether there was anything else I could have done. Whether there was any way I could have got her to the hospital quicker." He shrugged. "Lots of things."

"Strikes me that Terri wouldn't put up with you blaming yourself forever." One eyebrow was raised above the rim of Peter's spectacles.

Mitch laughed despite himself. "Yeah, you're not wrong there." He glanced towards the open doorway. "Her mother's with her now. We just had to tell her about, well ... about everything, really. I'm not sure how she's taken it." Mitch once again appeared to be searching for the meaning of life in his coffee cup.

"Ah, well, I hope for your sake she comes around. And don't worry, mate. They're both going to be fine." Peter drained the last of his black coffee and deposited the empty mug into the sink, then thumped Mitch on the shoulder as he headed to the door. "Don't you dare start falling apart, Mitch. She needs you to hang in there with her." Peter shot one final, significant stare at Mitch before departing.

Sighing, Mitch hid in the tea room until the final dregs of his coffee had become cold. Venturing back onto the ward, he noticed Terri's door still firmly closed.

"Eileen still in there?" He gestured to room One with his thumb.

Nelson glanced up from the file he was absorbed in. "No ... She headed off a few minutes ago. I'm not sure where she went."

"Thanks Nelson." Mitch pushed off the wall and strode towards Terri's room, tapped lightly on the wood and let himself in.

Terri was much as Mitch had left her. "Hey ... How'd it go?" He eased himself back into his usual seat, taking Terri's hand.

"She's surprised ... Shocked, maybe." Terri stroked Mitch's hand. "I think she understands though. She's not upset."

"Really?" Mitch's voice betrayed more surprise than he intended.

Terri laughed at the stunned man by her side. "Yeah, she's okay. I think she'd prefer it if we'd done things in the more traditional order, but she understands." Her voice had taken on a more playful tone.

"Phew, well that's lucky. I wasn't looking forward to having to avoid your mother at all the family functions in the future." The cheeky grin was vintage Mitch Stevens.

Terri laughed and turned Mitch's chin up for a kiss. "Hey, you can't fool me. You were worried, weren't you?"

Mitch smoothed down Terri's hair where it had been mussed up by the pillows. "Maybe. Weren't you?"

"Maybe." Terri shuffled over in the bed so she could drap her good arm around Mitch's neck, leaving the injured limb resting carefully on her lap.

"So ... Where is Eileen?" Mitch's eyes had taken on a dangerous glint.

"Cafeteria. I think she needed some time to take it all in!" Terri used her now strategically placed arm to start pulling Mitch up onto the bed beside her.

"So I take it you don't want me to chase after her and engage her in a future-son-in-law/future-mother-in-law heart to heart?" Mitch settled in beside her, and surreptitiously slid his right arm around Terri's waist, pulling her towards him, leaning her so that her head rested against his.

"Hmmm, charming as you can be, no, I think I'd rather you stayed here." Terri's voice was muffled by Mitch's neck and shoulder.

Mitch suppressed a smile as Terri's breath tickled his neck. "So ... once you get sprung from here, how long do you reckon it'll be before we can ... get things back to normal?"

Terri burst out laughing and pulled back from Mitch. "Well, you're supposed to be the doctor. You tell me!"

"Oh, so that's how it is, is it Sullivan? I'm only an expert when you don't know the answer, huh?" Mitch flashed a devastatingly sexy grin in Terri's direction.

"Now you're getting the hang of it!" Terri replied teasingly, leaning back to feather a couple of light kisses across Mitch's waiting lips.

Smiling fondly, Mitch trailed his left hand across Terri's expectant belly. "So, do you think your mother would be very shocked if she came back in here and found us in a compromising position like this?"

"Probably." Terri's hand snaked through a convenient gap in Mitch's shirt, triggering a chuckle from her victim.

"Sister Sullivan, I think I'm appalled!" Mitch's dancing eyes told a different story. "Can I take this unusually bold behaviour to mean that you're feeling better?"

Terri's hand slipped out of Mitch's shirt, leaving an expression of slight disappointment on his face. It disappeared as he glanced at Terri, who had moved away from him, shifting uncomfortably in the bed.

"You okay?" Unconsciously, Mitch's hand stroked Terri's pregnant bump, offering silent reassurance to both Terri and the baby.

Shaking her head slightly, the look of concentration disappeared from Terri's expression, and she forced herself to smile at the doctor beside her. "Oh, I'm fine. My back's just aching a little, that's all."

Concern appeared on Mitch's face. "Your back's aching? Is that all? Do you have any pain anywhere else?"

MItch was already climbing off the bed as Terri answered. "No, nothing else, just a dull ache in my lower back."

Mitch forced himself to smile in what he hoped was a reassuring way. "Okay, that's good. I'm just going to go out and talk to Nelson, I'll be right back, okay?" He gave her a brief rub on her shoulder, then disappeared out the door.

He strod over to the nurse's station. "Matt, can you page Terri's obstetrician? I'd like her to come up and have a look at Terri."

Nelson turned from where he was seated, writing some notes in a patient's file. "Everything alright?"

"I'm not sure, Nelson. Terri's complaining of lower back pain. It's probably nothing, but I just don't want to take any chances." Mitch raised his eyebrows as Matt hung up the phone. "Thanks, Matt."

Afraid of alarming Terri unnecessarily if he went back to her room, Mitch hovered around outside, until a few moments later, when Hana Lawson, Terri's obstetrician, arrived on the ward.

"Mitch. I got your page, what's going on?" Hana was all business, and her air of calmness helped to reassure Mitch, who had been pacing the ward, gradually working himself up towards a minor panic attack.

"Like I told Nelson," he gestured to the blue clad nurse exiting room 2. "it's probably nothing, but she's been complaining of an ache in her lower back, and I'd just feel a lot better if you checked her over and told us it was nothing to worry about." A faint grin played on Mitch's features.

A second later, a sharp buzz alerted the staff to a call from a patient. Looking up at the array of lights, the origin of the buzz was quickly identified as Terri.

Sharing a glance, Mitch and the obstetrician turned and headed for the single room, closely followed by Nelson.

Opening the door, Mitch was not prepared for the sight of an almost hysterical Terri, tears pouring down her face, with the sheets held out away from her body. She looked up as the group entered her room, Mitch rushing immediately to her side. "I'm bleeding again, Mitch. I'm bleeding, and it's worse than last time!" The sentence amost wasn't finished as the usually strong nurse dissolved into tears once more.

Mitch gathered Terri into his arms, tucking her head into his neck and stroking her hair in comfort, as Hana started to examine her patient.

"Terri, do you have any pain anywhere?" Hana lifted up the blankets and glanced at the red stained sheets below for a moment.

Terri sniffed, trying to pull herself together. "My back was aching before, so Mitch went out to see Nelson, and then there was a sharp pain across my abdomen right before I started bleeding." Her statement was punctuated by a small hiccup as she gulped for air between her words and the gradually slowing tears.

Mitch closed his eyes for a second, willing himself not to think about what could be happening. He distracted himself by gently wiping Terri's tear stained cheeks with the sleeve of his green shirt. "Shh, it's okay. Just try and stay calm so we can figure out what's going on."

Terri looked up gratefully, flashing him a small, fearful smile.

"What about now? Is it still hurting?" Hana was listening to Terri's chest with her stethoscope.

"Just my back, but the ache is worse now than before." The worry was obvious in Terri's teary responses.

Nelson, who had been occupying himself by taking Terri's BP, moved towards the door. "Do you want me to get a portable ultrasound in here?"

"Yes please, as soon as you can." Hana didn't turn away from Terri.

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Part Seven:
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

The other members of the ward were huddled around the nurses station as Nelson exited Terri's room, an air of tension covering the entire ward.

"What's going on? How is she?" Paula's voice had a slight waver in it.

"Can't talk now, I've got to get down to obstetrics for an ultrasound, I'll fill you in when I get back." The last was thrown over Nelson's shoulder as he hustled his way towards the stairs.

They were still looking at each other worriedly, attempting to focus their mind on their duties, when Nelson returned a couple of minutes later, wheeling a portable ultrasound unit before him. He didn't stop to talk as he moved straight past them to Terri's room.


The room was much as he had left it minutes earlier with the exception that Terri had been readied for the arrival of the ultrasound machine. Hana took control of the unit immediately, and within moments a picture was visible on the screen.

The volume on the machine was also turned up, and a few moments later, Mitch turned to Hana in disbelief. "Is that ..."

Hana smiled. "Yes, I think so. I told Terri this morning that she was gaining more weight than I expected, but I couldn't come up with anything on the ultrasound. I still can't see it on the image, but that's definitely two heartbeats I'm hearing."

Mitch turned to Terri, the fear forgotten for a few seconds. "Did you hear that, Sullivan? Twins." He cradled her head gently between his hands, gazing into her tear-filled eyes.

Terri pulled away, burrowing her head into Mitch's neck once again as another pain, similar to the one that had heralded the initial blood flow, ripped across her stomach. When she spoke, her voice was muffled by his shirt. "I'm still bleeding, Hana. Please just help them."


A moment later, Nelson gently closed the door behind him, knowing that his colleagues must be wondering what was going on. As he moved into the drug room, gesturing that Bron should accompany him, he could feel all eyes watching him. "Terri's carrying twins."

Four jaws dropped in synchrony. "Twins?" Von found her voice first. "Did they know that?"

"Nope. Hana thought Terri had put on more weight than was normal, but the second baby must have been playing hide and seek during all the ultrasounds. She only picked it now because she caught a second heartbeat."

"Well, are they okay?" Matt's affection for his boss showed in his concern for her.

Nelson glanced around the group. "I don't know. Terri's bleeding. A lot. She's also started having contractions, so Hana wants to run in some salbutamol, to try and put a halt on all this.

Bron double checked the vial of liquid that Nelson had removed from the shelf, and signed off on the sheet. "Give Terri our best, Nelson."

"Will do, Bron." With that, he ducked back into Terri's quiet room.

Fear was evident on the faces of everyone on Ward 17. Things hadn't seemed too bad when Terri simply had a broken arm and a seemingly healthy single pregnancy. Now all of a sudden she was in danger of miscarrying twins. It seemed like the day was just spiralling further and further out of control.

Von looked uncomfortably towards room one. "I'll go and see how Mitch is doing, see if he needs anything."

Charlotte chose that moment to arrive on the ward. "Why all the long faces? Is Terri alright?"

"She might lose twins." Bron's voice was low and subdued, but then she shook her head, pulling herself together. "Alright, well I guess we should try and do some work."

As if to emphasise her remark, the phone rang, and a patient buzzed from room four. Bron and Matt glanced at each other, Bron running her hand over Matt's shoulder as she passed.

Charlotte frowned in disblief. "Twins? Oh God."


For a short while, a sense of normality returned to Ward 17 as everyone tried to keep their minds off Terri's condition. However, they all knew it wouldn't last, and nobody was surprised when Terri's door was eventually flung open, and she was wheeled quickly towards the lifts by Hana and Nelson. Mitch and Von followed at a more sedate speed, Mitch running his hand through his short hair. Von watched him sympathetically.

"I'm going to go with them, Von. I'll be okay, you stay here. I'll call when I know what's going on." Mitch looked at Von sadly, a look of utter devastation on his face, then turned and headed for the lifts as well.

With Mitch and Nelson off the ward, the attention turned to Von as a source of information. "They're taking her to obstetrics. They're running in salbutamol, but she's dilated, and they're afraid she might deliver if they can't stop the contractions in time.

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Part Eight:
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

Mitch tried to keep a brave face, as Terri's good hand clutched at his fingers, as another contraction gripped her belly. Watching his beloved Terri in such agony, and consumed by such terror, he wanted to just yell for it all to stop. For everything to just go back the way it had been the previous morning. But he was afraid that if he started yelling, he might never be able to stop. He couldn't afford to lose control right now, not when Terri needed him to be strong.

The foetal monitor positioned next to the bed was keeping track of the babies' heartbeats, as well as the contractions taking place in Terri's uterine wall. Mitch was struck by a sense of unreality. This wasn't supposed to be happening to them yet. They were supposed to have months left to prepare for all these things.

And now here they were at nineteen weeks, fighting for their babies lives. Mitch knew that at nineteen weeks, the twins were too young to survive on their own. Their only hope was if they could somehow prevent Terri going into labour. Even if she could just hold onto the babies for another month or even better, two, it would make all the difference in the world to their chances.

Hana entered the room, a grave look on her face. Terri looked up at her nervously. "What's wrong?"

"We've looked at the results of the tests, Terri, and I'm afraid one of the babies isn't doing so well. He or she's in distress, and I'm worried that the placenta might be tearing away. I'd like to do another ultrasound to have a look at what's going on."

"That's fine." Mitch spoke for the shellshocked woman in his arms. "Terri?" he whispered. "It's going to be okay. We'll sort this out."

Nodding, Terri moved away from Mitch as Hana lifted up her gown, exposing her round abdomen. Terri barely reacted as the cold conductive gel was spread over her exposed skin.

Hana's attention was focused on deciphering the murky image on the screen. "I'm afraid it's like we suspected. The placenta is tearing away from the uterine wall." She turned to face the couple. "I'll be honest with you, I don't know if we're going to be able to save this baby."

Terri drew in a sharp breath, and felt Mitch shudder slightly beside her. "What about the second baby?" She started slightly as she spoke, barely able to recognise her own voice, so distorted was it by fear and grief.

"I can't say for certain. Like I said, we may end up having to deliver the first baby, but they do have separate placentas, so if we can stop the contractions after the first twin is born, we might be able to hang onto the other one a bit longer." Hana watched in concern as Terri was struck by another contraction, then turned her attention to the foetal monitor. Looking up from the dizzying array of statistics, Hana inclined her head slightly, indicating to Mitch that she wanted to speak with him privately.

"The foetus is getting weaker and weaker, Mitch." Hana stated, once the two of them were at a safe distance. "I don't think it can hang on much longer. What do you want me to do?"

"Whatever you have to do, Hana. Just make sure Terri's alright, okay?" Desperation had become evident in Mitch's distressed countenance.

Hana nodded sympathetically. "Like I said, we can try and stop the labour once the first baby is born, but I can't make any guarantees. It's possible you may lose the two of them today, you both need to be prepared for that."

Mitch nodded. "I'm sure Terri realises that, but I'll talk to her."

"Okay, I'll give the two of you a few minutes, then I'll come back and get things moving. We'll take good care of her." Hana patted Mitch's arm reassuringly, then walked away.

A few deep breaths later, Mitch found himself back by Terri's bedside, smoothing her damp hair away from her tearstained face.

"Are you angry with me?" Terri's voice sounded very small and fragile in the silence of the ward.

Stunned at the question, and experiencing an odd sense of deja vu from the night Terri had broken the news of her pregnancy to him, Mitch moved himself around so that he was facing Terri, able to look into her eyes.

"Angry? I'm angry that this has happened to us, yes, but mostly I'm afraid. I'm definitely not angry at you, Sullivan, now you're being silly, this isn't your fault." Mitch kept his voice as light as he could.

"I know I'm being silly. I can't help it, I'm so worried Mitch. I'm so scared that they're both going to die." She leaned forward slightly so that her forehead was resting against Mitch's. "At the very least we're going to lose one of them."

Mitch felt tears pricking at the back of his eyes, and moved slightly so that he could tuck Terri's head in under his chin, shielding her from the sight of his unusually bright eyes. "I know. But let's just concentrate on making sure that the other one survives all of this, okay?" As he finished speaking he pulled back, hands on Terri's shoulders, giving himself a good look at her.

"Do you think we should think of some names?" Terri's quiet question hit Mitch like a freight train. Names. Suddenly the babies would seem less like theoretical concepts, and more like real people.

"We don't know whether we're having boys or girls." Mitch pointed out, settling himself back at Terri's side.

"Well we know that one of them is a boy, don't we? What do you think of Finn?" Terri seemed to be using the discussion as a way of distracting herself from the real situation.

Mitch laughed. "A good solid Irish name. I like it."

Terri smiled up at him. "Well, there's one out of the way."

But before they had a chance to turn to a second name, Hana returned to check the foetal monitor again. "The healthy baby is still looking nice and strong." She smiled at the woman in the bed. "That's good news, Terri. Unfortunately the other baby is still getting weaker."

Hana looked like she had more to say, but before she could, an alarm on the monitor started beeping, drawing the attention of all three occupants of the room. "Okay, that's it, we have to get moving right now. We've lost the second heartbeat."

Before Mitch had a chance to fully register what was going on, several nurses swept into the room and Terri was quickly wheeled away.

Hana lingered for a few seconds. "Mitch, change into some scrubs and I'll see you in there." She waited for a nurse to appear at Mitch's elbow, then turned on her heel to follow Terri down the corridor.

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Part Nine:
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

Mitch changed into the regulation blue scrubs as quickly as he could, but even so, by the time he was reunited with Terri, much of the drama seemed to be already over.

The tiny brunette was lying in the centre of the room, surrounded by sterile blue drapes. Her eyes were closed, Mitch noted in alarm.

Seeing Mitch's eyes widen in concern, Hana hurried over to update him on the situation. "When these things happen, they tend to happen quickly, Mitch. Terri delivered the first baby - a little girl - but she was already dead, there was nothing we could do for her, she was just too young. I'm sorry."

Mitch lowered his eyes to the floor, the loss of their daughter stabbing through him as a physical pain. "It's okay, I know it was too early. What about the other baby?"

"We're pushing another dose of salbutamol through the IV line now, to try and stop the labour." Hana referred to the asthma drug that acted to relax uterine muscle when administered intravenously.

A nod from Mitch. "Okay, thanks. When will we know?"

"It's hard to say. We'll just have to sit it out and see what happens." Hana's voice was soft.

"How is she?" Mitch's gaze was drawn to Terri, worry and sadness obvious in every expression of his face.

"Terri? She's doing okay. She's tired and she's trying to come to terms with everything, but she's okay. Go and sit with her Mitch, she needs you right now."

There was a chair nearby, which Mitch grabbed and shifted so he could sit beside Terri's bed. Trying to ignore the milling throng of medical personnel still inhabiting the room, Mitch moved his chair closer to the bed, close enough for him to rest his hed beside hers. Lifting up his right hand to trail down the side of her face, Mitch noticed he was trembling, the stress and exhaustion of the last couple of days finally taking their toll. Ignoring the tremor, he gently smoothed his index finger along the damp skin of Terri's pale cheek. "Hey there, Sullivan." His voice was lowered to a soft whisper next to her ear.

Stirring slightly, Terri's head turned slightly towards the newly introduced stimuli. A second later, Mitch found himself fixed firmly in the gaze of Terri's beautiful blue eyes.

"Hey." Terri's voice was no louder than Mitch's. "Where've you been?" There was no accusation in her tone, merely a question.

"They wouldn't let me in until I changed. I got here as soon as I could." Mitch's right hand rested on the side of Terri's face, smoothing back stray strands of her silky brown hair. "You sure didn't waste any time getting on with things." He smiled fondly at the woman in front of him.

Terri smiled faintly. "Yeah, well, you know me. No hanging around."

Mitch leaned over and brushed a soft kiss across Terri's cheek. "How're you doing?"

"I'm okay. Did Hana tell you it was a little girl?" Fresh tears sprang into Terri's eyes.

Mitch winced as a vice-like grip enclosed his heart. "Yeah, she did. Our little girl." He leaned in again to press another kiss into Terri's cheek, as tears welled in his own eyes. "You know, we never got a chance to think of a name."

"Maybe we should do that now." Terri sniffed and tried to stem the flow from her eyes.

"Okay. Do you have any thoughts?" Mitch was still maintaining the reassuring motion of his hand over Terri's hair.

"Not really. I thought we were just having a boy. I haven't had a chance to think of girls names yet. Do you have any suggestions?"

"I don't know. I always liked Grace." Mitch mused, tearing his gaze from Terri's face for a few moments to stare off into space.

"Grace." Terri rolled the name over her tongue. "I like it. It's a beautiful name. Grace Stevens. It's perfect."

"Grace Stevens, huh? You know I kind of like Grace Sullivan." Mitch's face fell easily into his usual teasing smirk.

Terri found herself smiling, despite everything. "Uh uh, it's Grace Stevens. That's not even a point up for debate."

Mitch grinned. "Alright, I know better than to argue with you when you're in one of your stubborn moods."

"Good, I'm finally getting you trained." Terri lifted up her left arm, still pierced by the harsh canula, and cupped Mitch's cheek in her hand, feeling the roughness of his two day old stubble.

Eventually her hand dropped back to the bed, and Mitch lowered his head so that it rested next to hers on the pillow, his forehead pressed against her temple. The nurses in the room, monitoring Terri's condition, shared an indulgent look, as they smilingly watched the couple, who were so obvlivious to everything going on around them. Of course they knew about Mitch Stevens and Terri Sullivan, and they were pleased to see them together, looking so cozy.

Terri and Mitch lost track of how long they lay that way, but eventually Hana returned, pulling them out of their silent reveries, each worried about what news she would bring them.

But there was a smile on her face. "Terri, Mitch, how're you both feeling?"

"Been better, to be honest, Hana." Mitched grimaced as he tried to work a knot out of his neck.

Terri summoned a smile. "I'm okay. So what's the story?"

"Well, it looks like things have settled down for now." Hana smiled as both breathed a sigh of relief. "You're not out of the woods yet, but I'm hopeful we've managed to stop the labour."

"Thank you." Mitch's gratitude was simple and heartfelt.

Hana nodded in reply. "We've cleared a bed for you on the obstetric ward. Now that you've stabilised, I want to move you back there, so we can keep a close eye on you for a few days.

Mitch grinned at Hana, then turned to press a gentle kiss to Terri's lips.

"So where do we go from here? I mean, what are the chances that I'll go into early labour again?" Despite the relief she was feeling, Terri was still troubled about the future of her remaining child.

Hana shrugged. "It's hard to predict. Like I said, we're not out of the woods yet. The next few days are going to be really important. You both know that I can't say you definitely won't go into labour again before you're ready, but by the same token, quite a lot of women actually miscarry one twin, and then go on to carry the remaining twin to term in a perfectly normal pregnancy." Hana paused for a moment. "I am confident that we've got things under control. I'm hoping that we'll be able to send you home in a few days and you won't experience any more complications, but I can't make promises. We just have to take each day as it comes."

Terri nodded. "I understand. Thank you for everything, Hana."

Mitch pulled himself out of his chair and stood, offering his hand to Hana. "Yeah, thanks. We appreciate everything you've done today."

The obstetrician smiled. "No problem. Terri, I'll be in to see you later on after you're settled on the ward, okay?"

With that, she left Terri in the care of the nurses, who started moving around, getting ready to transport her back to the obstetric ward.

"Mitch, everyone will be wondering what's happening. You should go down and fill them in while I get settled." Terri was unconsciously stroking her swollen belly. The sight made Mitch feel like crying again. Tears of grief for the daughter they would never know, and tears of joy for the son who still had a chance.

"Are you sure? I want to make sure you're comfortable ..." Mitch wasn't keen on letting Terri out of his sight again.

"Mitch, the nursing staff will take good care of me. Go down to Ward 17 and talk to everyone. You need a break from all this anyway."

"I don't see why, since you don't get a break. But I can tell that this is one of those stubborn moments where I'm not supposed to argue with you, isn't it?" Mitch's eyes showed a hint of their usual sparkle.

Terri laughed faintly, a sound that had become all too foreign in the last few hours, and a shadow of her usual laugh, but a step in the right direction. "See, I told you you were starting to get the hang of it!"

Mitch grinned. "Alright Sullivan, you win, but only because you're in hospital and I'm not." He stepped forward and dropped a brief kiss onto Terri's forehead, just before the nurses threw off the bed brakes and started wheeling her out of the room. "I'll see you later, okay?"

Terri nodded and touched her fingers to her lips, blowing him a soft kiss, before she rounded the doorway and was gone, leaving Mitch alone in the delivery room.

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Part Ten:
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When Mitch finally made his way back through the familiar doors of Ward 17, the staff of the ward were starting to prepare for the handover to the night shift. At first nobody noticed the unshaven man in blue surgical scrubs, hovering near the doorway to Terri's office, but a few moments later, Nelson glanced up.

"Mitch?" He asked, somewhat unnecessarily. However, it did the trick and captured everybody else's attention. Suddenly Mitch found himself surrounded by good friends.

Suddenly exhausted, Mitch moved so that he could lay his arms across the top of the nurse's station desk, propping his chin up on top of them. "Hey guys."

"Mitch? How is she?" It was Von, unable to bear the not knowing any longer.

He rubbed his eyes absently. "Um, she's okay. They're moving her onto the obstetrics ward as we speak."

"And the twins? How are they?" Nelson's question was quiet.

Mitch was silent for a long time, looking at nothing in particular, just staring vaguely at a point in space. Finally he pulled himself together and spoke. "The placenta tore away. We lost little Grace, they just couldn't stop it, it was too late." He rubbed his hand over his face, impressed that he had managed to get the words out there without breaking down.

Matching pained expressions occupied the faces of the members of Ward 17. Mitch may have kept it together long enough to tell them what had happened, but the raw grief and devastation was so obviously played out across his features that it was impossible not to be moved.

"What about the other twin, mate?" Nelson was still using that same low tone of voice.

"Ah, they managed to stop the contractions once Grace had been delivered. They're going to keep Terri in for a while, to keep an eye on things, but I think Hana's quietly hopeful that Terri should be able to carry Finn to term after all of this has settled down."

There was a collective sigh of relief at this news. Everyone had been fearing the worst, and though one twin had been lost, they all knew it would have been so much worse if neither had survived.

"Finn and Grace. They're nice names, Mitch." Charlotte commented, as she smiled supportively at her dishevelled colleague.

Mitch brightened visibly, a sheepish grin completing the picture. "Yeah, well, we had a few spare minutes in between all the excitement. We thought it might be time to have a chat about names. We hadn't really talked about it before, we thought we had plenty of time." Mitch sighed. "It was hard, giving them names. It made it more real, somehow. Like we were really talking about our children, you know?"

Again, pain was evident on Mitch's face.

Charlotte nodded. "It'll help you both to deal with it better in the long run though."

"I know. I feel better knowing that little Grace has a name, even though we gave it to her after she had already died." Mitch ran his right hand along the edge of the desk, his mind with the daughter he would never hold, never know.

"How's Terri holding up?" Bron spoke for the first time, interrupting Mitch's thoughts.

"She's been better." he shrugged. "It'll take some time. She isn't too bad though. I think Finn has helped with that. She still has something left to hang on to, to focus on. We haven't lost everything just yet."

Everyone stood in silence for a few moments, absorbing all the new information, finally daring to hope that Terri was going to be alright, and that, even more miraculously, one of the babies might yet survive.

"Alright everyone, let's get handover out of the way. It's been a long day, we all need some rest." Nelson dragged everyone's attention away from Terri. But though his gruff tone was standard Nelson, it contained a sutble note of sympathy that Mitch didn't miss.

Mitch nodded in gratitude to Terri's 2IC, now acting NUM, who had grated against him so badly at the beginning of his time at All Saints. "She should be allowed visitors, but just don't all show up at the same time." A slight smirk brightened his face.

Von patted Mitch affectionately on the shoulder. "We'll stop by tomorrow. I think tonight it'll be you she wants to see, not us." Von smiled at her old friend. "Go and be together. Take care of each other."

Mitch smiled. "Thanks Von, I will. See you in the morning." The last was directed at the group in general, and in return they variously wished Mitch a good night, raised a hand in farewell, and offered their best wishes to Terri.


By the time Mitch had finally been directed to Terri's new bed in obstetrics, the woman in question had succumbed to the drama and exhaustion of the day, and was sleeping peacefully, her left hand cupped protectively around her round belly.

Mitch stood in the doorway for a couple of minutes, content simply to watch her sleep, the cares that had creased her face during the day finally wiped clear. Her face was smooth and open as she slept, and Mitch felt his heart swell with love for this amazing woman, who had endured so much in the last two days.

As he watched, Terri stirred slightly, shifting position in her sleep. Mitch smiled as he moved around to the far side of the bed, looking down at the face he loved so much. Careful to disturb her as little as possible, he slowly climbed up beside her on the bed.

Terri woke slightly, looking up into Mitch's face through sleep clouded eyes. She smiled slightly as the doctor leaned down to press an achingly delicate kiss onto her waiting lips, then her eyelids fluttered closed again as she huddled closer to him, her head resting on his shoulder.

Mitch's hand drifted to Terri's swollen belly, still hooked up to the foetal monitor. He felt a slight movement under his hand, and satisfied by this final, tangible reassurance that Finn was alright, Mitch finally fell into a deep sleep, the two most important people in his world safely cradled in his arms.


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The End.
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Author's Notes:
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If you've reached this point, I think you with all my heart for staying with me through this journey. I know it's been a difficult one, and at times it was hard to write, but I hope that you found it to be worth it in the end.

This story obviously came into being before a lot of things happened. Before Terri miscarried (I started writing this before we even knew Terri was going to lose the baby), before the clinic burned down, before Peter and Mitch fell out. Before a lot of things. But I think that's okay. It exists outside the realm of the show, and that's exactly where it belongs. This is my take on the events surrounding Terri's pregnancy. This is, in fact, the only way Terri could have suffered a miscarriage and I would have been okay with it.

I'd like to say there is a huge list of people I have to thank for contributing to this story, but in truth, there isn't. My first major thank you goes to Hales, who read a draft of this story when it was in its very early stages. The story has changed and grown a lot since then, but in essence it's the same, and Hales, thank you for your encouragement to keep on writing it. Secondly, thank you to Nadine, who knows how much I hate thinking of titles, and helped me narrow it down from the three final choices I'd come up with. That's about all there is to say, really. Oh, but thank you to the members of the ASR board, who are always entertaining, especially those who have become friends.

In addition, I apologise for any medical inaccuracies (or inaccuracies in general, for that matter). I may have picked up various bits of medical knowledge along my way, during lecture series' with the med students, and my clinical placements in the public hospitals, but I'm not a doctor. I'm not a medical student. I'm a physiotherapy student, and we don't exactly deliver babies very often. ;) I've done my best to keep it medically accurate, but in the end it's intended as entertainment, and any errors are my own, made with poetic licence.

I was tempted to mess with it by adding an epilogue, to balance the prologue at the start, but I really liked the place it decided to end, without adding something potentially unnecessary. My stories tend to write themselves, I have very little control over what happens. I can't take things out once they're written, and I can't add things once a scene has been finished. It's like a complete package, and for better or worse, the initial product is generally the end result, except for minor changes to spelling and grammar.

Anyway, these notes are turning into a novel of their own, so I'll leave this now, by saying once again, thank you for spending the time to read this story. I hope you enjoyed it, and I'd love to hear what you thought. Feedback is always welcome at jenny@blue-unclouded.net. Thank you.

Jen