"I'm sorry, what did you just say?"

"Unless your blood is lying, which I highly doubt, you are pregnant. It explains your dizziness, forgetfulness, and all of the other symptoms you've been experiencing. Your HCG levels indicate you are about eight weeks in."

She was stunned. Out of everything that could have possibly been wrong with her, Nicki figured her chances of being pregnant were about half that of her having brain cancer.

"There's just, there's no way," she murmured, shaking her head. "They told me I couldn't… that I shouldn't… I never missed a period. Last time I was pregnant I had morning sickness in the first few weeks. None of this is right."

"I'm sorry that this news isn't exciting for you," the doctor apologized, whose name she still could not remember. "But the test doesn't lie. And as far as your last pregnancy went, every baby is different, henceforth every pregnancy is bound to be different."

The lump forming in her throat was impossible to choke down. Tears threatened to well in her eyes. There was absolutely no conceivable way that she was pregnant. But the proof was right there in front of her, in the hands of a seasoned, knowledgable doctor, who would reap no personal gain from lying to her. A hand squeezed her own, and she snapped her head to the right, alarmed by the sudden pressure that had not been there a moment ago. Tyler. She had forgotten he was there. It took every ounce of courage she had to look at him, and what she saw on his face confused her more than her own thoughts did. It seemed, it looked, like he was fighting back tears. When he lifted a finger quickly to swipe underneath his eye, her suspicions were confirmed.
Nicki hadn't been the only one to notice Tyler's distress, as the doctor rose from his seat and crossed the room towards the door.

"I would love to sit here and try to help, but I have my last patient due in any minute," he explained sincerely, trying to get them to leave without appearing rude or neglectful.

Speechless, Nicki tried to lift herself out of her chair, making it halfway before her body betrayed her. As she collapsed back into the leather seat her world spun around her, as if it had just fallen off of its axis. Everything began to move in a painful slow motion, and at one point or another she found herself in Tyler's arms, which didn't feel nearly as strong as they normally did. They were, however, strong enough to carry most of her weight as he half dragged her out of the office and back into the lobby, where Tyler Brown sat flipping through a children's book.

"Holy hell, what happened in there?" he asked, standing quickly to offer his arm for Nicki to hang on to. "You two don't look so good…"

"We have to go home. I'm sorry, Ty."

Tyler's groggy, nearly inaudible voice only added to his friend''s concern, as made obvious by the expression on his face that had just grown dark and serious.

"Tell me it's not cancer or some shit, man, please," he begged as the two boys made a joint effort to get Nicki out to the car. Tyler Brown ended up doing most of the work, and Nicki wouldn't have been surprised to know that he carried a bit of Tyler's weight, too.

"I'm pregnant," she said, unable to get her voice above a soft, choked whisper.

"I thought you couldn't - "

"So did we," she muttered, falling into the backseat of Jackie's car.

Her Tyler leaned in after her, wrapping the seatbelt around her and shoving it into the buckle. She didn't bother telling him that she was at least composed enough to buckle her own seatbelt, but his act of kindness was too heartwarming to deny. Even with all of the things that were on her mind, all of the fear and the panic and the disbelief, the only thing she could concentrate on was how badly she needed to feel him; to have his arms around her or her face buried in his soft, warm neck. Uncaring of the judgement that may have arisen from their company, Nicki grabbed Tyler by the arm and pulled him back to her as he went to walk away. Thankfully, he didn't fight it. He let her pull him, and climbed into the middle seat next to her. A glance up showed Tyler Brown peering at them through the front mirror, but in his eyes laid not judgement, but sympathy. There would be no teasing about this, there would be no quips or chirps over how immature and obnoxious it was for them to sit in the backseat together.

The arms she needed so badly wound themselves around her, filling her instantly with hope. Nicki had no idea what would be said later that day when they finally sat down and talked about it. She didn't even know where she stood, or what her angle should be. A part of her still believed that the entire thing was just one big misunderstanding. Maybe her blood got switched with someone else's. Maybe they ran the wrong test, and in turn found the wrong results. But, at the end of the day, she knew that she would have to accept that the near impossible had happened, and she didn't have the slightest clue how she was supposed to feel about it.

Suddenly, Nicki felt the driving urge to know everything that Tyler was thinking. What if he had already figured everything out? He could be so good at that, when he needed to be. He had probably already resolved the issue in his head, and was just waiting for some privacy to explain his plan. She was so numbed to thought, she would do whatever he wanted. This would be his call.

** * * *

"Mom, chill out. I'm sorry you weren't there when we left, but we couldn't stay. We had to get home."

Out of the corner of his eye, Tyler peeked over at Nicki, who was subconsciously rocking back and forth in the chair next to him. He reached out a hand and placed it on her knee, giving the reassuring squeeze that always seemed to soothe her when she was upset. Her eyes raised to meet his, and as always, he could see right through them. She was terrified; more so than he'd ever seen her before. Those pretty round eyes of hers had grown slightly wider, yet more tired.

The anxiety attacks that rattled through her the entire flight home must have exhausted her, and he wanted nothing more than to hold her in his lap and let her sleep for days.

"Do you want me to fly out there?" his mother asked, sounding nearly as worried as he felt.

"No, there's no reason for that."

"But honey, I don't know what to do with myself over here. I can't just sit around and wait while you deal with this all over again."

Tyler sighed loudly, making sure his mother could hear it through the phone, hoping she would take the hint and leave him alone.

"How do you think I feel, mom? Please, just stay put. I will let you know when I know more."

There was silence on the other end of the line, and guilt began to spread over him as he realized that he probably made her cry.

"Is she okay?" she whispered, like she was afraid Nicki might hear her through the phone.

He took another moment to look at his wife, emotionally battered and mentally scarred, doing everything she could to hold herself together.

"I don't know," he admitted, figuring he at least owed her the truth. Nicki was just as much a daughter to her as his sisters, and he understood her desire to know what was going on. But there was no way he could explain things to her when he himself wasn't sure of anything. "Listen, I gotta go. I'll call you later."

"Sweetie, you stay strong for her," she ordered sharply. "Don't you leave her like last time. It would ruin her, Ty."

"I know," he mumbled. "Talk to you later."

Before she could say anything else, he ended the call and slipped his phone back into his pocket.

He could feel Nicki looking at him, searching for any kind of console. He met her gaze, and held it in place, not permitting her to look away.

"I love you," he reminded her. "I'm staying right here, no matter what happens, no matter what they tell us."

Tyler finished off his promise with a tender kiss on her forehead, which felt alarmingly warm. He boiled it down to all of the stress she had been dealing with the last five hours.

A small smile crossed her otherwise empty face. "I love you too, Ty."

After wrapping his arms tightly around her shoulders, he lowered his lips to her ear and whispered, "That's my girl. Just try to keep smiling."

When he leaned back into his seat, he saw that the small smile had grown a bit wider, and a little warmer. Tyler still hated himself for leaving her that last time, no matter how distraught he'd been.
It was so easy for him to cheer her up. All it took was a few words, a hug, and a kiss. Although he didn't forgive himself, he had learned from his mistakes. Nothing was worth losing her over, not even a child.

On the other side of the Emergency Room, a nurse dressed in much too bright neon scrubs emerged through a set of double doors. She looked nearly as drained as Nicki did, and Tyler imagined she was probably on her second or third straight shift.

"Nicki?" she called, glancing around the room, waiting for someone to claim ownership to the name. "The doctor is ready to see you."

Tyler rose from his seat and stood in front of Nicki, making sure she wouldn't try to get up on her own. Between the dizzy spells and the temporary loss of her ability to do things for herself, she was unstable at best, and there was no way he was going to let something happen to her due to his own neglect. She lifted her hands for him to grasp and he pulled her easily out of the waiting room chair. After stumbling a bit she seemed to gain her footing, but Tyler never dared to release the arm he had slung around her back. If not for physical support, he doubted that she would mind the emotional support.

They followed the tiny blonde nurse down a somewhat familiar hallway; they had both grown quite acquainted with the Mass General Emergency Room and its amenities. She brought them to a room near the end of the blindingly lit hallway, in which a very familiar person stood.

"Dr. Baker, I can't thank you enough for coming in after hours. I'm not sure we could have waited until morning," Tyler said quietly, shaking the man's hand.

"If you remember correctly, Mr. Seguin, I did offer my services whenever they should be needed, whether it's day or night. Please, both of you, take a seat." They did as he asked, and Tyler made sure that Nicki was safely in hers before he sat down next to her. "Can you tell me what happened?"

Tyler jumped in to answer his question. Normally he would let Nicki take the reins, but she was in no shape to be discussing the confusing events that had occurred.

"She's been getting really dizzy lately, and at first she didn't think it was a big deal. We were caught up with the playoffs, so I couldn't pay as much attention to it as I would have liked. We were planning on spending some time at my mother's house in Toronto, so I brought her to my old doctor there. He ran a bunch of tests, and apparently, she's pregnant."

"I can see that," Dr. Baker said, flipping through the results that had been faxed to him. "To be quite honest, I'm a bit surprised. The way things looked last time we met, this shouldn't be possible."

"How could this happen?" Tyler asked, leaning forward in his chair.

"My best guess is that her uterus healed enough to conceive. Eight weeks is somewhat far along for someone with this condition." He turned his attention to Nicki, and briefly Tyler wished that he could answer every question for her. He felt an overwhelming need to protect her, but from what he had absolutely no idea. "Have you noticed any changes in your body? Increased or decreased appetite, weight loss or gain, aches, pains, anything that could be a sign of pregnancy?"
She shook her head slowly, never taking her eyes off of the hands folded in her lap.

"I just lost the weight from the last pregnancy," she explained, her voice was like a knife piercing through Tyler's chest. She sounded depressed, confused, and a bit frazzled. Worst of all, she sounded afraid. "Other than that, no, there's been nothing. No morning sickness, no cravings, just the dizziness. And trouble remembering things."

Dr. Baker nodded as she spoke, somehow managing to make Tyler feel like everything she was saying was okay.

"While that isn't completely abnormal, it also isn't very common," he said, still focusing on Nicki.
"We're going to have to run some more tests, as unappealing as that sounds."

"Now?"

The second he heard her shocked question, Tyler shot his hand into her lap, covering both of her hands with his palm. It took but a moment for her fingers to start working, nervously playing with each of his. There was only so much she could take in a day. In order to preserve her wellbeing, he was completely willing to put aside his anxiety and his questions just to get her home and into bed.

Dr. Baker chuckled a bit, before becoming grave again. "Well, that depends. I sincerely hate to ask you this, but have you discussed what you're going to do?"
Both of them remained utterly silent. They hadn't spoken about it once. Tyler was scared to bring it up, as he had no idea how she might react. He didn't even know how he would react. A thin, fragile string was the only thing holding him together, and the responsibility of being there for his wife. It had taken a long, long time, but he was finally understanding the value of the title she held. She was the woman he loved, the one he treasured and cherished and absolutely could no go on living without. It was his one, true job to take care of her, and it was a job he hadn't been performing so well. Now, if ever, was the time to step up. To prove that she had made the right choice, trusting him with everything she had.

"What are our options?"

As soon as he asked, a teary eyed Nicki glanced over at him. More than anything, he wanted to know what was on her mind. What she thought about this entire, horrifying mess. But before they dove into a conversation, he wanted to be well informed. Nothing like this had even happened to either of them, and neither understood it well.

"Ultimately, you have two options," Dr. Baker began hesitantly, with the utmost respect for the fragile feelings in the room. "You can abort, which from a medical standpoint, is your best option. If you do so, we'll run a thorough examination afterwards to attempt to find out how and why this happened. Once that's done, I would recommend having a tubal ligation - "

"You want me to get my tubes tied?!" Nicki nearly shouted. "I, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to explode like that."

Tyler held her hands more firmly in his grasp, hoping to settle her down. She was obviously on edge. Unfortunately, usually when she was upset, she was masterful at hiding it, at faking smiles and pretending to be okay.

"It's perfectly understandable. Please, don't feel sorry. This is shocking news, and a very difficult decision to make."

Before he could say anything further, Tyler jumped in. "What's the other option?"

"I'm going to ask you to be very mindful of the possible risks," he said carefully, making sure they were fully away of how important it was. "If you really want to, you can attempt to carry the child. I know it sounds like a dream come true, but I regret to inform you that it's anything but. It would genuinely be miraculous if you were able to deliver, and even if you did, it would most likely be a very painful nine months. Your uterus isn't equipped for development the way that it should be, and it could be difficult on both you and the child. There's a strong, strong possibility of underdevelopment and premature birth, which could mean any number of defects for the baby, as well as the chance that it may not live long after being birthed. Since we performed that procedure after your miscarriage, there should be minimal risk to you. But please, I have to ask you to consider the emotional risks you might be taking."

Once he finished his lecture, Tyler took a dozen long, deep breaths, trying to find some kind of clarity. He had never felt such mixed emotions, never had so many conflicting thoughts.

"Here's what I want you to do," Dr. Baker continued. "I want you to go home, spend the rest of your evening trying to relax, and give yourselves a day or so to figure things out. No matter what decision you make, there's no rush. The most important thing to me is that you make the best choice for you. Whether it be A or B, I'll be here to guide you through it. Before I kick you out, do you have any questions that you need me to answer?"

As Tyler opened his mouth to turn down the offer, Nicki blurted out, "What are the chances that I could have the baby?"

Instead of looking at her, his eyes remained straight ahead, waiting impatiently for the doctor's answer.

"I'm sorry, I can't give you anything statistical until we perform a full examination of both you and your uterus. If you simply wanted me to guess based off of my prior knowledge of your situation, I would say your chances are very slim. You'll have to determine how good the odds need to be to consider it worth all of the risk. I'm telling you this as a fellow human being, not as a doctor." He paused, leaving them curious as to what he was about to say. "I don't think the chances are good enough."

** * * *

Nicki followed Tyler through the front door, where they were instantly greeted with deep, excited barks and a wagging tail. She gave Marshall a pat on the head, then stood awkwardly in the middle of the foyer, trying her hardest to come up with something to say. As Tyler turned to let him outside, she said the only thing that came to mind.

"I need a bath," she murmured, sliding her hand across the railing on the set of stairs closest to her.

He nodded to let her know he'd heard before disappearing into the kitchen with Marshall. She hung her head as she climbed up the stairs, feeling unbearably guilty. Her mind was completely made up. And she got the feeling that the conversation they had ahead of them was not going to be an easy one. Was it too much to ask for their relationship to be stable for more than a day?

When Nicki reached the bathroom, she unclothed herself with ceremony, letting everything that covered her fall the floor. After turning on the Jacuzzi tub to let the water run, she cautiously stepped in front of the grand mirror that hung over their double sinks. Her eyes traveled to her flat stomach, which she had been working so hard on for the past few weeks. It had been cleansing for her, losing all of the pregnancy weight. It made her feel fresh and new, helping to put the past behind her and look forward to the future. Slowly, she was adjusting to the idea of never carrying her own child. She had been so close to recovery.

She became so overwhelmed so quickly, there was nothing she could as she was hit with another terrorizing dizzy spell. Her hands reached for the edge of the sink as she stumbled, but it was no use. For the first time, Tyler wasn't there to catch her, and the wind was knocked from her lungs as she crashed onto the tile floor. For a frightening moment, her eyesight went black. Nicki heard her name echo through the house, not once, but twice. She opened her mouth to reply, but no sound would come out. Unable to figure out whether or not Tyler was on his way to her, she took a few steady breaths and tried to sit up. Somehow, she got her arms behind her enough to prop up the rest of her body, and she squeezed her eyes shut attempting to rid herself of the fog that clouded her brain. She couldn't tell if it was from the fall or from the dizziness, and prayed she hadn't hit her head.

Seconds later, Tyler was on the floor by her side, holding her up with his strong, supportive hands. With her own hands free, she instinctively reached to the back of her head to check for blood.

"Please don't tell me you hit your head," he begged, craning his neck to get a better look.

"I… I don't think I did."

"You don't think?"

"I can't remember," she admitted, feeling both foolish and embarrassed.

Nicki felt the hot saline on her cheeks before she realized that her eyes had become moist. Compared to the way she had been just ten hours ago, she was now a train wreck. Her insecurities were back, and she was sure Tyler was kicking himself in the ass for getting involved with someone who needed constant attention. The more she thought, the more tears poured down her face. Eventually, the unavoidable sobs began to shake her, and Tyler reacted in a most unexpected way.

After kissing away each of her tears, he gently wound one arm around her midsection and the other around her head, ensuing a feeling of safety like she'd never quite felt before.

"Let it out, babe," he encouraged, bringing her head to his chest.

It shouldn't have come as a surprise to her that he knew she wasn't crying over an injury, but she was baffled nonetheless. It would make sense; she fell, hit the floor hard, and was in pain. But he also knew that she never cried when she was in physical pain. She cried when she was in emotional pain. Figuring that it was okay, Nicki did as he asked and let out all of the insanity that she had been bottling up all day.

"Tyler," she started, ready to apologize for being so incredibly unstable.

When she spoke, he did nothing but shush her and squeeze his arms even tighter around her. Whatever made him decide to be so nurturing was a mystery to her, but she was more grateful for it than anything in her entire life. She gave up trying to be a good spouse and let loose in his embrace, crying out every single tear she had. He stayed there with her, on the cold, hard floor, until the trembling stopped and the sobbing ceased. Once Nicki tuckered herself out, she allowed her body to go completely limp in his arms, knowing he would always hold her up when she needed him to.

"You still want that bath?" he asked softly, brushing her hair back out of her face.

Nicki gave a pathetic nod and gasped as she was suddenly lifted off of the floor and placed on her feet. The dizziness returned briefly, but subsided when she realized that she didn't have to panic. Tyler still had an arm securely around her waist, and she knew that he would never let her fall. Not if he could help it. He managed to hold on to her while she stepped into the bathtub and lowered herself into the water, kept warm by the heaters that were customary with their kind of luxurious tub. Her head fell back comfortably onto the padded headrest, and she closed her eyes and concentrated on her breath as the calming water relaxed her.

A rippling in the water caused her eyes to reopen, and she watched as Tyler's hand traced circles over the surface. She kept her attention on it as it moved towards her, eventually coming to a rest on her shoulder. His touch conveyed all of the love and care that she could handle, and when he removed his hand from her, she was only left wanting more.

"Come in," she beckoned, giving the water around her a weak splash.

Tyler stood up from where he sat on the edge of the bathtub and moved out of sight. Before she could scan the room to find out where he went, there was a tender set of fingertips on her jaw, turning her head to the left. Nicki let it happen, she didn't fight it and she didn't try to move. Her eyes followed the path ahead of her, and soon enough she was just inches from his face. She could feel his breath as it hit her skin, making her shiver, even with the temperate water that surrounded her. Her gaze caught his, getting tangled like a fly in a spider web. She challenged him, daring him to look away before she did. Eventually he caved, letting his eyelids flicker shut as he moved to close the short distance between them. For a reason she couldn't understand, she kept looking at him until his lips hit hers.

All too soon he'd backed away, leaving her deeply unsatisfied. So far that night, his kiss had been the only thing that eased her heartache and settled her racing thoughts. Nicki continued to observe his every move, finding herself unable to look away. He was back in her range of vision, and held her wondering stare as he undressed, breaking contact only when he pulled his shirt over his head. When he reached for the button of his jeans, her heart began to pound in her chest. The sensuality was overpowering, but not in its usual way. She wanted him differently than she normally did. She lusted not after his body, but after his being. She craved the sensation of his support, of his kind words and gentle love.

She inched forwards, taking her time due to the fact that she was still unsure if she had any injuries from her fall. There was rustling in the tranquil water around her, signifying that Tyler had finally made himself present. His hands gripped her sides and pulled her backwards, and she melted into his body. Every part of her fit perfectly with every part of him, leaving no spaces between them. As she had expected, the hands on her hips timidly made their way to cover her stomach. She moved hers over them, tracing across his raised veins and bumpy knuckles.

"Ty, we have to talk about this," she said, feeling the nerves return to her gut.

The same, soft lips she yearned for pressed against her cheek, making her head loll back against his shoulder. She could never recall a time when he had been so affectionate with her, and she felt smothered in the most comforting way.

"Only when you're ready," he replied quietly.

Nicki exhaled a long breath. It was now or never.

"I want to do it."

"You want to try," he stated flatly. "I knew you would."

"You don't?" she asked, afraid that her worst fear was about to come true. When he didn't respond, her voice became shaky. "You don't."

A long, heavy sigh came from behind her. "Nicki, it's not that I don't want to. I want this to work, more than anything I've ever wanted in my whole life. But you have to look at it realistically. Can you honestly tell me you're ready to face all of that pain again? We still haven't come back from it."

She knew that he was right. He was thinking logically, and she was caught up in a whirlwind of hormones and emotions. But her stubborn feminine nature wasn't about to let her back down. While she attempted to conjure up a reply, he started talking again.

"I hate to remind you of this, but it nearly ruined our marriage. And I'm not blaming you, because it was mostly my fault. Just take a minute and try to remember that night. The way it felt when you looked down and realized he was gone. How can you willingly risk putting yourself through that?"

"I don't know," she snapped, feeling the tears brewing in her eyes again.

Tyler dropped his head to her shoulder and began to rock her back and forth, so slightly that she could barely tell she was moving. He must have noticed her doing it in the waiting room earlier. It had been a subconscious source of comfort for her since childhood, and when she was ravingly upset the way she was earlier, she did it without even realizing it.

"I'm not trying to upset you babe, I'm sorry. I just…"

He trailed off mid-sentence, leaving her to wonder what he was thinking about. Obviously something was eating away at him, and he was having a hard time getting it out. He left kiss after kiss on her shoulder and the side of her neck, and she waited patiently for him to finish whatever he'd been about to say. Another sigh came from his parted lips.

"I don't think I can live through that again," he whispered, his voice dark and rattled.

There wasn't a single thing Nicki could think of to say that could possibly alleviate any of the agony he'd just let out. The honesty in his words pierced through her. Somehow, he had made her do the unthinkable.

He had changed her mind.