"...the baby, had no eyes...and no ears...just these awful, scarred-up holes...and then I...I saw Roseanne...and she was just staring at me...smiling."

Propped up on the exam table in the ER, Tea shudders...partially from recalling the nightmare, and partially from the freezing-cold gel being squeezed onto her bare skin. She looks down at her belly, watching as the ultrasound tech dunks the wand into the pile of goo, smearing it around.

"Okay...let's see what we can see," the tech says casually, as she pops a tape in the VCR and tweaks some knobs on the machine.

Tea looks around, wondering where Todd and Joely ran off to. Absentmindedly, she goes to rub her belly...then remembers where she is. The tech looks over at her, as she moves the wand around some more.

"I know this is hard...but try to relax. Let me know when you feel another cramp."

Tea gives her a halfhearted nod, sighing. The tech's face softens...then she smiles, as a muffled, underwatery sound comes through the speaker. She reaches back and turns up the volume.

"Here, just listen to that...those strong, healthy heartbeats. That should help, hmm?"

Then the tech lets out a delighted gasp. "Ohhhh...twins! Wow. Y'know, even though I do this every day, I'm always amazed at what you can see. Oh, wow. Check 'em out, Tea...they're beautiful."

Despite everything, Tea smiles as she gazes at the monitor...the twins' tiny heads, hands and feet more obvious to her now. She closes her eyes, letting the rhythm of their heartbeats calm her. She feels the wand moving around, pressing in, then moving again. When she feels relaxed enough to start drifting off, she opens her eyes, feeling the beginning pangs of another cramp.

She looks at the tech. "Here it comes," she says, as she sucks her breath in, bracing.

The tech moves the wand, watching the monitor. "Okay...just breathe..."

Tea shakes her head, her eyes squeezed shut with the pain. The tech looks over at her, just as Todd comes back in. He runs over to the exam table, grabbing Tea's hand.

"I know it hurts, but you can do this. Come on, concentrate...just blow it out..."

Tea squeezes Todd's hand, listening to the tech's voice...it takes all her strength to exhale. The tech nods at her, then looks at the monitor.

"Good! Good...now take a deep breath in."

Todd watches as she does what she's told, inhaling...but with difficulty. She opens her eyes and looks at him...then at the monitor. Tea relaxes her grip on his hand, as the cramp subsides.

"Are they alright? Do you see anything?" she asks.

The tech tips her head toward the speaker, listening to the sound that hasn't changed. Then she looks at the monitor closely...shaking her head.

"Well...I'm not your doctor, but...I can't see anything unusual. So that's a good thing."

Both Tea and Todd nod at that, glancing at each other. The tech wipes the wand off, then Tea's belly. She pops the tape out of the VCR, scribbling on the label...then grabs Tea's chart as she stands up.

"Alright, Dr. Wolek'll be in in a minute."

Todd speaks up, albeit quietly. "Can't she have something for the pain?"

The tech shakes her head guiltily. "I'm sorry, no. We---"

"---can't medicate until they know what's wrong, right?" Tea finishes.

The tech nods back. "Hang in there. You're gonna be fine."

Todd sighs, as the tech leaves the room. He looks at her face, shining slightly from all the sweat...her chest heaving, still recovering from the pain. He reaches out and gently pushes her hair back from her forehead.

"Sorry."

Her eyes linger on his face a moment. "They look good...I could really see them."

Todd smiles a little at that, but says nothing. Tea rubs her thumb across their entwined fingers.

"I was just remembering that dream...that stupid dream."

All he can do is make a face...feeling a wave of fatigue washing over him, his head drops, and his eyes close. Tea lets go of his hand to stroke his hair lightly. Everything around them seems to stop...and for a brief moment, they sit there in that peaceful silence, the one that's all their own.

Then a sound, barely audible, creeps into their space...a sound almost like...water flowing. Still stroking his hair, Tea does a take...feeling movement inside her, and a strange warmth between her legs. Todd opens his eyes as she looks down at herself.

"Oh no..." she whispers.

Todd's eyes widen at the water, spreading out underneath her, staining her gown.

Panic overtakes Tea as she starts breathing faster. "Todd..." she whispers again.

He looks up at her...then jumps up and runs out of the room, nearly knocking a few people over in the hallway.

"Somebody get in here, NOW!!!"

The ultrasound tech and Larry Wolek both look up at him from the nurses' desk. They exchange glances as they sprint over to him.

"What is it?" Larry asks, as he enters the exam room. His eyes fall on Tea, sitting there helplessly on the exam table, her water broken and running all over the place. He runs over to her, yelling back to the ultrasound tech, standing in the doorway with Todd.

"I need nurses in here now!!! Find out where the hell Parker is!! Get her down here, hurry up!!!"

The tech nods, pushing past Todd and running down the hall to the desk. Todd finds himself getting caught in a wave of medical personnel, all washing in at the same time. The air in the room becomes filled with noise, as they start buzzing around Tea. He tries to fight his way over to her, but an orderly starts to push him back.

"You'd better wait outside."

Todd moves past him like he wasn't even there, working his way toward the table. The orderly starts to follow him, but Larry speaks up.

"It's alright. Todd---"

Todd gives him a loaded look. "Don't you tell me to leave. I'm NOT leaving her."

He nods. "Fine...then you stay THERE. DON'T get in our way."

He turns his attention back to Tea, who has started to breathe rhythmically, hard and fast.

"Okay, Tea..."

She looks at him with panic-stricken eyes. "Too soon...it's too soon..."

He nods, as he checks the veins in her hand. "I know, I know it is...Beth's on her way. But what we have to do in the meantime is stop these contractions. You're gonna feel like bearing down, but DON'T. DON'T push...are you listening to me?"

She nods back. "Where's Todd?"

"He's right over there, don't worry. Just lie back, try to relax," he replies, as he works to start an IV in her hand.

Through the swarm of people and machines, Todd catches a glimpse of Tea's belly...but since she's lying down, he can't see her face. He can only hear her, crying out occasionally with the pain. He closes his eyes, feeling his stomach knotting up. Soon, the noise in the room gets so loud and thick, it starts to suffocate him...and before he knows what he's doing, he walks out, quickly. He leans against the far wall, covering his face with his hands.

Joely gets off the elevator with two cups of coffee. She sees him standing there...and then she sees people running in and out of the exam room where Tea is. She walks over as quickly as possible, putting the coffee down and stepping in front of him.

"What happened? What's going on?"

Todd doesn't answer her, so she turns and looks toward the exam room. Listening to the general commotion, she picks up some of the words...and understands.

She sighs. "She's going into labor, isn't she?"

No answer. Still hiding behind his hands, Todd slides down the wall until he's sitting on the floor. Joely gets down on the floor with him, and without another word, she wraps her arms around him. He doesn't move, but he doesn't push her away, either. She rests her head on top of his and hugs him tightly.

Just then, Beth Parker gets off the elevator and walks over to the nurses' desk, where the ultrasound tech sees her.

"Dr. Parker! Dr. Wolek needs you in exam one, now!!"

Beth drops her things behind the desk and starts down the hall. She stops short when she sees Todd and Joely sitting on the floor.

"Ohhhh, sh---" she starts, finishing her thought as she hauls into the exam room.

*****

About a half hour later, Beth and Larry come out of the exam room. They see Todd, still on the floor, and Joely, who's pulled up a chair beside him. Beth and Larry exchange glances...Larry makes a face, sighing. He pats Beth's shoulder and heads for the nurses' desk. Beth looks at Joely, then down at Todd again.

"Todd, honey..."

He finally drops his hands at the sound of her voice, looking up at her with eyes so heartbreaking, she sighs.

"...let's talk for a sec."

He sniffs, wiping his face roughly as he stands up. Joely watches as they walk down the hall, to a quieter spot.

Beth takes off her scrubs, chucking them into the "used" can. She rubs her face tiredly, taking a deep breath. Still feeling weak, Todd steps back and leans against the wall. Beth walks over and stands just in front of him.

"Okay. Here's the deal...looks like we've been able to stop her contractions for the moment---"

"---for the moment?" he repeats.

She nods. "Her water's broken, Todd. She WILL go into labor again, it's just a question of when. I was really hoping she'd hold on longer...but with everything she's been through, I'm not terribly surprised...and besides all that, twins often deliver prematurely anyway. But hopefully, with the meds she's getting now, we'll be able to keep them in the womb for another twenty-four to forty-eight hours...and when she goes into labor again, my guess is we'll deliver by C-section."

His shoulders sink at that, and he sighs heavily. Beth reaches out and gently touches his arm.

"Oh, baby. I know. You guys have been through a hell I couldn't POSSIBLY imagine...but it's gonna be okay. We can do SO much more for preemies now than we could ten years ago. I mean, we could deliver right now and with the technology we have, odds are they'd be just fine. But if we can keep them in the womb a little longer, it'll help them that much more."

He stares at her for a moment...Beth just stands there, waiting. Finally, Todd steps away from the wall, stepping a little closer to her.

"Actually...I'm not worried about the kids so much. I mean, I AM, but...I..."

She jumps in. "You're MORE worried about Tea."

He nods. "It's like...she's just been in this...constant state of pain, y'know? Different kinds of pain, but it's like it never lets up. If there's one thing in the world that gets to me, it's seeing her...hurting...especially when *I* can't DO anything about it. I gotta tell you, doc...I dunno how much more of this I can take."

Beth stands there speechless for a second, taken aback by his openness...then she smiles.

"Well...she's gonna be tired, sore as hell and may never want to have another kid AGAIN after this, but...she's strong, Todd. Even though she's not where she should be physically..."

She taps the side of her head. "...mentally...baby, she is TOUGH. Trust me on this...just hold her hand, and she'll be FINE."

Something about her tone...resonating with confidence, like she just KNOWS EVERYTHING...it usually annoyed him. But right now, it affects him very differently...it makes him feel better somehow...like a little bit of weight was just lifted off of his shoulders.

"Can I see her now?"

"You better."

In an unusual gesture, Todd reaches out and gently chucks her arm. Beth smiles, somewhat sadly, as she watches him walk back toward the exam room. She stands there looking after him for a moment, then turns and walks the opposite way.

Joely stands up, waiting for him as he approaches. Todd makes eye contact with her as he opens the door to Tea's room. He tips his head back, signaling her to come with. She grabs her coat and purse and disappears into the room with him.

*****

Starr quickly unbuckles herself when Blair stops the car in the hospital parking lot. She jumps out and goes running up onto the sidewalk, as Blair hurriedly gathers her things.

"Oh, lord...sweetie, WAIT!!"

Standing outside the entrance, Todd turns at the unmistakable sound of his ex-wife's twangy voice, booming all over the parking lot. Starr stops, tapping her foot impatiently...then she looks around, and spots him by the door. Without a second's hesitation, she runs over to him. Todd crouches down, scooping her up into his arms and giving her a big kiss on the cheek. Blair sprints over to them, stopping to catch her breath.

"Hey," she says, between breaths, giving Starr a look.

Todd nods at her, then looks at Starr. "Look, I'm sorry about not being home when you came over, but...you know."

Starr nods, biting her lip. "It's okay. Where's Tee? Can I see her?"

"We'll see what we can do," he replies, then starts to head inside.

Blair follows, tossing her purse over her shoulder. "So what happened? She okay?"

Todd walks over to the elevator. "Here, press the up button."

Starr punches the button, then he turns them both around to look at Blair.

"She...she started having these cramps. Ambulance brought her here and then...her water broke."

Blair tips her head, making a face. "Ohhhh...oh. Is she in labor?"

He shakes his head. "They're giving her drugs to hold it off."

Just then, the elevator arrives, and they step on. Todd hits the button for their floor, and the doors close. Nobody says anything for a moment, then Starr looks at Todd.

"Dad...is Tee gonna die...or the babies?"

Blair rolls her eyes. "Staaaarrrrr. Don't say that...of course they're not gonna die. They'll be okay."

Starr looks at her mom, then back at Todd, who hasn't said anything yet. She picks up a strand of his hair and starts wrapping it around her finger.

"But...you have that sad look on your face...like something bad's gonna happen."

Todd just stares back at her, a million awful thoughts rushing through his head...but a couple in particular...

"All she said was...that if I somehow manage to carry to term, the babies wouldn't live to see two..."

"...the baby, had no eyes...and no ears...just these awful, scarred-up holes..."

Blair does a take, seeing what little color he had draining from his face. "God, you're pale all of a sudden. What is it?"

The elevator bell rings, and the doors open. Todd steps out without answering, walking down the hall. Blair stares after him for a second, then follows, shaking her head. Todd stops outside Tea's room, checking to make sure none of the nurses are looking. Then he opens the door and steps inside with Starr. Blair catches up, peeking through the door...but decides not to go in. She sighs, sitting down outside, resting her head against the wall.

*****

Starr's eyes widen, as she looks down on her sleeping stepmom, propped up on some pillows. She follows the tube coming from Tea's arm, up to the bag on the hook...watching it drip. She looks at all the wires running to the machine beside the bed, beeping rhythmically and spitting out long sheets of paper.

"What's that?" she asks, pointing to it. Todd walks them over to it, glancing down at the tiny pen moving up and down, up and down.

"Heart monitor for the twins," he replies, as he steps over to the bed. He sets Starr down on the edge, and she scooches on. Todd stands behind her as she takes hold of Tea's hand, squeezing it gently.

Tea opens her eyes, slowly...then turns her head, and sees them both. She gives Starr a tired smile.

"Hey...how'd YOU get in here?" she whispers.

Starr just giggles. Todd smirks at that, sitting down at the foot of the bed, stretching out over Tea's legs, propping himself up on his elbow. Tea looks at him, then back at Starr.

"Oh...that's right...you were supposed to sleep over tonight," she says, making a clicking noise with her mouth. "Sorry."

Starr shrugs...then she looks at Tea questioningly. "Did something bad happen to the babies?"

Tea and Todd exchange glances at that...then Tea shakes her head, squeezing Starr's little hand.

"No...nothing bad, I think they just want out."

Starr tips her head, counting silently. "But...they're not done yet...or are they?"

Tea cracks up. "No, you're right. They're early...it happens sometimes."

"Can't you keep them from coming out?"

"Well...not really, Starr. I mean, we're trying to right now, but...it's pretty much up to them."

"Oh."

Tea reaches out and brushes some of her hair back. "Hey...don't worry, okay? Everything's gonna be fine."

Starr wrinkles her brow. "But Daddy has a really sad look on his face."

Tea glances down at the foot of the bed again...and sighs. She looks at Starr again.

"I don't think it's sad so much as tired. Look," she says, pointing. Starr turns and sees her dad stretched out at Tea's feet, eyes closed. She turns back to Tea, grinning...then she reaches out and hugs her. Tea squeezes her tightly...then holds her away.

"Listen...think you could help us pick out some names?"

Starr's face brightens even more, as she gasps. "Can I?"

"Absolutely. We've been so busy lately, we haven't even thought about it."

"Ooooh...Mommy has one of those name books at home. I'll make a list," she says, giggling.

Just then, Blair sticks her head in. "Uh...hi."

Starr waves her over. "Mommy...Tee wants me to help pick names!"

Blair walks over, cautiously. "Oh...that's great, sweetie...we'll have to find that name book," she says to her, then looks at Tea.

"Are you okay?"

Tea nods...Blair gives her a little smile, then smoothes Starr's hair. "Well...give Tee and Daddy a kiss. We gotta go."

Starr looks up at her. "Ohhhh, why?"

"Uh, excuse me...you've got homework to do. Besides, you're not even supposed to be in here. We'll get in trouble if the nurses catch us, so, come on. Say goodbye."

Starr makes a face. Blair makes one back. "We'll come back tomorrow. Now, go on."

With that, Starr sighs. She hugs Tea, who whispers to her. "Work on those names."

"I will," Starr replies, then moves down the bed to Todd, who, surprisingly enough, hasn't stirred.

She kisses his cheek. "Bye, Daddy."

Then she jumps down off the bed. Blair waves to Tea, then takes Starr's hand and leads her out. Starr looks over her shoulder at them, then disappears through the door. Tea stares after her for a moment, then back at Todd. She settles back into the pillows, looking at him for a long time...knowing she's witnessing a rare event. Her eyes move over him, from the hair that's covering his face, moving ever so slightly as he breathes in and out...to the long legs that are hanging awkwardly over the edge of the bed.

Tea grins to herself, at her first thought...then wags her eyebrows, amazed that she even HAD that kind of thought. For the longest time it seemed like she would never be able to talk to him, let alone want to jump him. She laughs a little...then lets her head drop back, and her eyes close. She rubs her belly soothingly, as she drifts off and the room grows still...with just the sounds of their breathing and the beeping of the monitor.

*****

Somewhere in the depths of New York City, a waitress gathers several bottles of hard liquor and some clean shot glasses. She puts them on a tray, and wades her way through the nighttime crowd to the back of the joint. She checks behind her, then proceeds down the narrow hall where the bathrooms are. A huge, balding Hispanic man with way too much jewelry on stands at the end of the hall, guarding a door. He sees her and nods, yawning, opening the door and holding it for her as she passes through.

The waitress walks through the thick cloud of cigarette smoke to the table in the middle of the room...where five young, casual-but-well-dressed men sit, playing poker. From the looks of the pile in the middle of the table, the game has been going on for quite some time. Without a word, she distributes the glasses and pours shots for them all. Each man nods at her and throws a bill on the tray. She smiles politely, then turns and leaves.

Just then, the muffled sound of a cell phone ringing cuts through the music. They all start digging in their pockets for their phones at the same time. Finally, one of them flips his open, getting up from the table...a tall man, with dark skin and dark hair slicked back.

"Yeah."

"Hey...what up, bro?" a nervous voice answers.

The man rolls his eyes, taking a drag off his cigarette and blowing it out. "Oh, man...where the hell you been? You were supposed to call me yesterday!"

"Yeah, I know. Sorry...but I don't always get my phone call, y'know?"

The dark-haired man checks to see what's happening with the game. "Whatever, man. So what's the deal...we still on for tomorrow?"

Dean turns around quickly, checking to see if anyone is listening. He leans against the wall, talking quietly.

"Yeah...yeah. I've been watching these clowns, got their schedule down. It's gonna be a cakewalk, dude...total cakewalk."

"Mmmm-hmmm. That whole kidnapping fiasco was supposed to be a cakewalk, too, remember? I dunno...you sure about this, bro? I mean, maybe it's not worth it, y'know...maybe it'd be easier to just do the time."

Dean laughs, humorlessly. "Yeah, well...I've had plenty of time to think it over, and I'll tell you what. Fuck that shit. I don't care WHAT kind of deal they hand me, there's no such thing as easy time in Statesville. I'm not doin' it."

There's a silence, then Dean sighs, running a hand through his hair. "Besides, like I said. It'll be easy. These friggin' hick cops are so lax about everything, we'll be LONG gone before they know what hit 'em."

The dark-haired man takes another drag, shrugging. "Alright...alright. Look, I gotta game to finish, man. I'll see you when I see you."

Dean smirks. "Don't be up too late," he says, then hangs up.