I blinked open my eyes just to slam them back shut, harsh white lights shined back at me. There was a faint beeping sound somewhere behind me. I didn't recognize where I was and I started to panic, my breathing and heart rate picking up. I tried to lift my arm and was met with extreme pain.

"Chris?" I started to cry as I spoke. Nurses from either side of me appeared and tried to comfort me but it was no use.

"Chris!" I sobbed harder now, the next moment the door slammed open and Chris came rushing in with Eric right behind him.

"Larkin," Chris breathed out as he reached me, kissing my forehead and taking stock of me.

"Oh baby, I'm so sorry I didn't get there in time."

"Why is he here?" Eric demanded to the nurses, "that is my wife and daughter" he said pointing at me

"I want him removed. Now."

"He's the only one she's asked for," the nurses responded looking confused.

"So now you want to be a husband?!" Chris yells back, turning to face him. I tried to lift my arms again and was met with more pain, I started to whimper pulling Chris' attention back to me giving Eric the chance to come closer.

"I said I want him removed!" Eric yelled at the nurses. Chris spun around and started to charge toward him when the doctor walked in.

"Whats going on in here?" He asked in a commanding voice.

"I want this man out of here, I'm her husband, it's my baby he has zero business being here with her." Eric informed the doctor, crossing his arms over his chest.

"She's my girlfriend, they are in the middle of a divorce, she called me when the accident happened and I was on the scene with the ambulance." Chris also told the doctor. Hearing that warms my heart, I didn't know he was there and with me the whole time. Looking toward me the doctor asks me if I want Chris to be removed and I shake my head no. He then looks toward Eric and raises his eyebrows in question. I nodded my head yes and he nodded his understanding.

"Sir, I need you to step into the hall for me." The doctor says turning to Eric. His face turned red with rage, the veins in his forehead becoming more prominent.

"Are you fucking kidding me!?"

"Afraid not sir." The doctor replied, "Do I need to call security?" Eric glared at me then stomped out of the room. Keeping his eyes on me the doctor continued after the door closed.

"Young lady you really did a number on yourself.” He says pulling up his iPad with my chart.

"My name is Dr Voss, I was the attending when you were brought in a little bit ago. Do you remember what happened?”

"I was in a car accident."

"A pretty serious car accident, you have a broken rib, severe friction burns on top of both your arms from the air bag. a concussion...."

"How's the baby?" I cut him off. Chris stroked my hair and leaned down to kiss my forehead again. He hadn't stopped touching me since he came in.

"She seems to be ok for the time being, we are closely monitoring her as well," he indicates a set of screens showing Vivienne's numbers and heart rate. "during the accident your placenta started to detach. Should it rip all the way away from your uterine wall we only have minutes before she would suffer permanent brain damage or even death from lack of blood flow." Tears formed in the corners of my eyes.

"What can we do about that?" Chris asks for me, I don't think I can even speak at the moment.

"Well I'm recommending a cesarian, if you went into labor naturally there's too great a risk of the placenta not making it through the delivery, also the longer we wait with it like this the better the chances are it will rip away on its own. How do you feel about having a baby in 2 days?"

"In 2 days?" I numbly ask back.

"Yes, you'll have to stay here of course, we need to be close to the operating room if anything happens in the meantime. I want to try to give your body a little rest from the accident before we put it through major surgery but we can't wait any longer than that." He finishes lightly tapping my foot though my blanket. 

Chris looked down at me and smiled softly, "It'll be ok, Larkin, I promise. We'll figure this out, just one step at a time." I could only nod in agreement, I felt a headache starting and closed my eyes.

"I think that's enough for now, do you have any other questions for me?" Dr Voss asked, preparing to leave. I shook my head no, big mistake with a concussion, and he headed for the door. Chris pulled up a chair and still holding my hand began to kiss each knuckle, careful of moving my burnt arm.

"You scared the shit out of me," he whispered. "I love you so much I don't know what I would do if I lost you now." I begin to cry softly

"I love you too, Chris, someone made me wreck it wasn't an accident...."

"I know I already told the police when I got there, they want to talk to you as soon as you can, I know you don't feel good but do you remember anything about the car?" I think back to the drive and the accident.

"It was red," was all I could remember at the moment.

"Ok that's good, was it a truck or a smaller car?" He asked me.

"It was small." I answered, but my headache flared and I squeezed my eyes shut at the same time.

"Ok that's enough for now, just try and sleep. I'm going to call the detective and tell him what you remembered. I'm not going anywhere, don't worry." He kissed me again and settled into the chair, pulling his phone out.

"Where are the boys?" I suddenly panicked.

"They are at my mom’s, she's planning to bring them up tomorrow to see you. She also called your dad, he'll be here... the day Vivienne is born actually." He said thinking about it. I closed my eyes and tried to sleep but it was in vain. 

Not long after I drifted off the nightmares began. Back in my car but each time the scene changed and I crashed in different ways. Into water, off a cliff, into more trees. Each time I jolted awake he was right beside me offering comfort. By the fourth time I woke up in a sweat Chris changed tactics.

"Move over, I'm coming in on your good side, and you can lean your head on my chest." He whispered. The 'space' I made for him was a few inches at best.

"You won't get any sleep like that." I said to him.

"I'm not the one trying to grow a human after a major car accident." He replied and settled on a pillow.

"Come on, head right here," he said, patting his chest. I laid my head and instantly calmed, I soon found myself drifting off listening to his steady heartbeat. Everything about him was steady. Chris kept the bad dreams away for the next few hours.