Staring down at the blonde headed woman who was lost in a deep sleep he smiled. She looked so young with her hair tousled against the pillow. Her left arm was bent with the back of her hand resting against the pillow. The bruises on her cheek and temple had swelled to angry and no doubt painful lumps.

He reached forward and with two fingers gently pushed some errant strands of hair from her closed eyes. Before dropping his arm he lightly caressed her cheek with the back of his fingers. She sighed deeply at the touch but didn’t wake.

Not having anything to do until Rudy returned from surgery he settled into a bedside chair with arms crossed at his chest and legs crossed at the knees, watching his friend get a well deserved sleep.

On the lower floor of the medical center the atmosphere was tense in the operating room. Rudy scrubbed up in record time, only giving his team the ten minutes he had promised to prep their critical patient. He held his hands out for his nurse to slide on the latex gloves and looked down at the still form on the table. The experienced trauma surgeon had an educated guess as to what had caused the internal bleeding. He hesitated a moment hoping it was the correct assumption as he only had minutes left to open up the abdomen, find the bleeder and stop it.

A glance at the monitor told him Steve was already on shaky ground. His blood pressure was almost non-existent and his breathing and heart rate were much faster then normal. Rudy brushed off the anger that entered his chest at Steve’s disregard for his injuries in order to protect Kayce. His choice putting him in the life-threatening position he was in at this moment which could have been avoided.

“Scalpel.” Rudy ordered with his hand out, palm up and felt the smooth, thin instrument placed securely by the nurse. Placing the sharp tool on the abdomen, which was stained yellow from the solution used to kill off any bacteria, he took a cleansing breath to calm his anger and anxiety. The large, bright light from above the table glinted off the stainless steel instrument that sliced through the taut skin.

Moving through the layers of skin, fascia and muscle the blade broke through to the abdominal cavity, instantly spurting blood 8 inches upward and staining the front of Rudy’s smock. The surgeon didn’t even flinch, keeping his focus on the task at hand. The nurse swiftly applied suction to clear the cavity for Rudy to work.

He saw the two broken ribs and moved from there. Placing his gloved hand on Steve’s liver he felt along for the cause of the bleeding. “Come on……come on….” He knew time was ticking off, the anesthesiologist calling off the dropping blood pressure. “Dammit!…. I need more suction!” He ordered as the blood began to obscure his view again. “It has to be here….it has to be.” He was beginning to think he had guessed wrong and now there wouldn’t be enough time to explore other options.

The masked face at Steve’s head called out calmly. “He’s bottoming out. I can’t get a diastolic pressure. Heart rate’s irregular.”

“There!” He exclaimed feeling a laceration approximately four inches long on the underside of the vital organ. “Give me the sutures quick!”

“Doctor, I’ve lost his pressure. He’s going into heart failure.”

Rudy kept working. His inner voice shouting, 'Bringing your baby into this world is not going to be the last thing you do on this earth if I have any say in it.'

Oscar heard the door behind him quietly open and close before he felt a gentle hand on his shoulder. Seeing the physician’s bloodshot eyes and the slumped shoulders made his chest tighten.

“Rudy?”

The doctor gave him a sullen expression before explaining what had occurred in surgery. The men turned to look at the sleeping woman.

“Does she even know Steve was injured?”

“I don’t think so. The paramedic said Steve was able to appear fine until she was taken away. Then he collapsed.”

“When are you going to tell her?”

After a glance at his watch he replied, “It’s almost morning. She should wake up anytime. The sedative I gave her last night was very mild. I’ll explain then.”

“I’m glad I’m not the one who has to tell her.” Oscar confessed.

“Well, I think over the years they have both considered the possibility that they might one day have to raise their children without the other.”

“Yes but considering the possibility and living it are two completely different things.”

Rudy nodded in agreement. Both men froze when the form in the bed began to stir. Rudy padded up to the bed and Oscar, in show of support, stood at the foot of the bed.

“Kayce?” A gentle hand was placed on her shoulder.

The eyelids rose but fell instantly from their heaviness. Slowly they opened again and stayed half open. “Rudy….. how’s my little girl?” She asked remembering the events of the previous night.

“She’s doing just fine.”

The blue eyes looked around her. “Hi Oscar… Where’s Steve?... Is he with Kyle?” She asked to no one in particular.

Oscar replied, “Kyle’s still with Cassie. I called her last night. Don’t worry the two of them are having fun together.”

“Oh, good.” She turned to Rudy still groggy. “Is Steve with the baby?”

“No. He’s resting right now.”

Her sleepy eyes closed; her weak body unable to pull beyond the leftover sedative still in her system. “Oh… okay.” She mumbled. Rudy swallowed hard, hating himself for not just telling her the truth. Suddenly the glassy blue eyes flew open, the voice a little stronger with emotion.

“Rudy what’s happened? Steve doesn’t just rest unless he’s unconscious or sedated!”

The doctor took in a long breath and tried to keep her calm as he explained. She became more and more agitated. “I need to see him!” She tossed off the blanket and swung the long legs off the side of the bed before Rudy could react.

“Kayce, wait!” He placed a gentle hand on each of her shoulders. “You have a concussion. Let me just check you over first before you try to run down the hall.” He efficiently checked her over finding her still dizzy and weak from the head injury. He bent forward to get a good look at her face. “Stay right here and don’t even think about moving. I’ll get a wheelchair.”

“But Rudy…”

“Don’t ‘BUT’ me. You are in no condition to be walking around right now. A few feet and you might end up on the floor now STAY PUT!” He left and Oscar handed Kayce a cotton robe, helping her slide it over her gown.

“Thanks Oscar.” She said softly, suddenly too tired to move, too numb to think.

“You’re welcome.” He replied and the two sat in silence until Rudy returned.

As soon as the young wife and mother was wheeled into Steve’s room she stood, with a hand on the bedrail, to walk tentatively to the right side of his bed, the tears already cascading down her face, one after the other. Seeing his grayish complexion she realized when Rudy was explaining the situation he was not being pessimistic or giving up on Steve, he was just being realistic and it tore at her heart. She stood over him and spoke softly.

“Hi Steve….Rudy said… he said… you might… be… going soon.” She choked on the words as the stuck in her constricted throat. Ignoring the wetness that poured down her face she continued. “I don’t know how that could be when there is so much here you have yet to do….. and God wouldn’t be that cruel.” She rested her right hand on his bare chest between the electrodes that were monitoring his heart and spoke through her tears. “I mean… if you go….. who will teach Kyle to ride his bike…. and throw a football?.... Who will teach him to shave?..... Who will teach him how to drive and…how to be a dad?” There was no response from the unresponsive form under the crisp white sheet. A hand came up and Kayce swiped it over the warm moisture on her face but more continued to fall unimpeded. “And then there’s our little girl.” Her voice cracked at the thought. “You only got to hold her for a second but I’m sure she stole your heart right away. If you go….. who will teach her to ride a horse…..or teach her how to dance on her 16th birthday?..... Who will give her away at her wedding?” She closed her eyes letting the warm, unending tears stain her face.

She leaned closer to the still face, her hand tenderly caressing his thick chest hair. She looked at how young and handsome he was with his broad shoulders and his muscular chest. “You have such a big heart in there and I can’t believe it will soon just stop…. Don’t you understand Steve?..... If you go… then I go too. Our hearts are intertwined…..you’ll take mine with you and I’ll just die too.” She sniffed back the tears as they fell faster.

Falling silent she felt it beginning and couldn’t stop it, like a dormant volcano erupting. Her anger burst forth surprising the two men observing her. They had never seen her really angry and it was the last thing they expected.

“How could you Steve?” Her pleading voice cried out in pain, sorrow and helplessness. “You promised remember? You promised we would grow old together and now… now….” She lost it. The hand on Steve’s chest fisted and hit him softly. Then without warning both hands fisted, rose to her eye level and struck his chest weakly as she screamed at him. “You promised Steve! You promised!”

Oscar, who was standing behind Kayce, immediately threw his arms around the hysterical woman and pulled her back, the sobbing now uncontrollable. Rudy quickly stepped to opposite side to check his patient. The physician was both relieved and disappointed that her unsolicited attack did not have any affect, positive or negative, on the unconscious patient, telling him he was too far from consciousness for the stimulation to reach him.

Oscar held her tight as the tremors shook her whole body, her face buried in her hands. Finally she calmed enough to speak. “I’m sorry. I am so sorry Steve.” She took a few breaths, her heart pounding in her chest. “Oh God, I didn’t hurt him did I?”

“No. He’s the same. I don’t think he even felt it.” Kayce swayed a bit, exhausted and overwrought, and the Oscar placed her in the wheelchair. She looked at Rudy in disbelief. “I can’t believe I just did that.”

Rudy sighed, his emotions running high too. “It’s okay Kayce. Your hormones are going wild after having the baby. Your moods are expected to swing without notice.”

“Still it’s no excuse.”

She sat, helpless, with her elbows on the armrest, her face in her hands, unable to face what was going to happen to the man she loved more then life itself. After a few moments of silence, that Oscar and Rudy spent glancing at one another, the door opened.

It was the nurse from the nursery, the newborn cradled in her arms. Kayce looked up with a reddened face, in shock realizing she hadn’t even gotten a good look at her daughter yet. Her heart ached to see her baby, to hold Steve’s last gift to her.

“Oh please, let me hold my baby.” She held out her arms and the nurse handed her over to the distraught woman.

“I’m sorry to interrupt but the pediatrician said she could be out of the incubator for an hour today and I thought you would want to hold her until she has to go back.”

Kayce uncovered the infant and gazed lovingly at her. Her words were soft at she looked over the little baby. “This is the first I’ve really seen her. I gave birth in the dark then began passing out in the ambulance on the way to the hospital. If it wasn’t for Steve’s bionic eye we would have both been working on feel alone.” She paused touching the soft skin and eyeing her tiny button nose. “Steve saved her life you know?” She looked at the two pairs of brown eyes, wet with unshed tears, as she finished. “The cord was around her neck. He saw it with the infrared lens and untangled it before she was choked.” Her puffy, reddened eyes looked back at her daughter. “That’s right little girl, your daddy’s a hero… yes he is, he saved your life.” She fell silent an idea coming to her. She stood and began walking around the bed to the left side. “And I bet, being his daughter, you would want to return that favor huh?”

Rudy stepped aside out of her way. “Kayce what are you doing?” He asked wondering why she walked all the way around the bed.

“I’m hoping this little girl will get her daddy’s attention.” She moved Steve’s left arm away from his body and placed the infant in its hollow. Oscar was curious. “Why are you putting her over there instead of right here?”

She glanced at the scientist. “No offense Rudy, you did an incredible job with our bionic hands but…”

”But what?”

“Well, so much emotion can be communicated with just a touch that when Steve and I touch each other or our children we, consciously or unconsciously, always use our human hand.” She looked down at her husband and daughter. “That’s why I put her over here on his left side.”

It was only a moment longer before the infant began to wail, obviously unhappy about lying still. Kayce stood over her and just observed making Oscar and Rudy concerned that she wasn’t trying to comfort the baby.

“Kayce, don’t you think we should pick her up?” Rudy asked.

She turned as saw their confusion. “No.” She responded simply and returned her gaze to the bed.

“But Kayce she’s obviously distressed.”

“Yes she is but she’ll be fine.” She replied without looking at them “I’m her mother and I know what I’m doing.” Her voice had grown in strength since her earlier outburst.

The movement was very subtle and Oscar almost missed it until Rudy pointed it out, seeing the heart rate change slightly. Kayce smiled as Steve’s head turned ever so slowly towards the crying newborn. Then his left hand, which had been lying flaccid on the bed, bent at the wrist to hold the bottom of the swaddled blanket. Kayce’s eyes filled again with tears, tears of joy that this might be what would keep Steve from leaving them.

Leaning forward Kayce lifted the light bundle and smiled at her daughter. With her left thumb she stroked the baby’s right hand until it straightened the infants tiny little finger. “Yes, little one, you have your father wrapped around this finger already.”

Before daybreak the following day Rudy ambled down the hall reviewing Steve’s chart as he went. Entering the dimly lit room he stood over his patient just shaking his head. He had thought his friend would not live another day and now his vitals signs had improved overnight enough to make him confident that Steve would recover.

Placing his stethoscope against Steve’s chest he was relieved at what he heard. He silently checked the pulse in the patient’s left wrist as he slept on without stirring. Pulling down the sheet he palpated the tender abdomen causing Steve to groan in protest. The doctor was surprised to see to blue eyes slowly appear below the laden lids.

“Sorry Steve. I wanted to check your incision.” He pulled the sheet back to his patient’s chest.

The voice, hoarse and low, responded with a scrunched brow. “Incision? What incision?” His eyes fell shut and he tried to gather his strength.

“Do you remember anything from the accident?”

“Sure.” He asserted. “Kayce had the baby… a baby girl.” A lopsided grin curled the right side of his mouth. Rudy smiled along with the proud father.

“Yes she did and she’s beautiful.” The doctor replied.

“Of course she is.” His voice began slurring from fatigue. “You’ve seen her mother.”

Rudy saw him relax into the pillows and grinned. “Well, because of your stubbornness, I had to perform emergency surgery….” The light voice became serious. “You almost bled to death Steve.” His tone caused the eyes to open again.

“But I was fine after the accident. A little dizzy from hitting my head and my ribs hurts.” Rudy nodded. “I didn’t think it was that serious. I didn’t want Kayce worried….. she had enough to worry about.”

“You fractured two ribs. Sometime between rolling the car and losing consciousness, your fractured rib moved and lacerated your liver. You were bleeding internally for awhile before they got you here. I honestly thought you wouldn’t make it past today.”

Steve became quiet realizing how close he had come. His energy was spent and slowly he dozed off.

Kayce had a chance to sit with Steve for a little while in the morning, watching him sleep peacefully. By lunch Rudy insisted she go to bed and rest herself, promising her she could visit again in the afternoon. Reluctantly she left, still being pushed in a wheelchair.

That afternoon, benefiting from a full day’s rest Steve was more alert and Kayce brought her little angel with her to visit. Rudy was checking Steve over when she appeared.

“I have a visitor for you Steve.” The crying of the infant was echoing off the walls. She reached up and placed her on Steve’s lap and he grinned, the fingers of his left hand caressing her face quieting her instantly. Rudy smiled at the gesture, understanding that Kayce had been right about the human hand versus the bionic hand. It was something he had never noticed before.

Steve looked up and accepted a tender kiss from his wife. “What’s her name?”

“She doesn’t have one yet.”

“Well, don’t you think she might need one?” He joked lightly.

“I wanted to wait until you could help, you too, Rudy. I’ve come up with a few but I wasn’t sure you would approve.”

Bending his knees up, Steve rested his head back and stared at the perfect tiny human on his lap, his left thumb sliding into the newborn’s right palm, the miniature fingers reflexively wrapping around it. “Well Rudy, got any suggestions?” The brown haired physician leaned over to get a good look at her face, her glassy blue eyes trying to see the objects moving above her.

“I’m at a loss.” The doctor confessed. “What did you have in mind?” The two men looked at the young woman who was desperately trying to maintain a serious expression.

“Well, first I was thinking of ‘Libby’.” She waited for a response and got one quickly from her spouse.

“Where did that come from? Is it a family name?” Steve asked with a furled brow.

“No. I was just thinking it was short for ‘Liberty’ as in the USS Liberty…you know where we…”

“Yeah, yeah, yeah, I remember.” Steve quickly interrupted her explanation. He cocked an eyebrow at Rudy’s muffled chuckle before looking back at the pretty woman. “What else did you have in mind?”

“Well, there’s always Mercedes. It’s a good Italian name.”

“My daughter is not going to be named after the car she was born in.”

“Why not?” Kayce asked.

“Because I don’t want people to think she was conceived in the back of a car.”

“Well then, I guess there’s always the other option.” She commented with feigned exasperation

“What’s that?” Both men asked in unison.

She grinned and fingered the pink baby blanket, watching her child, now sleeping. “Well, it’s sometimes customary to name the child after the one who delivered her, especially in an emergency.” She looked at Rudy then at Steve. “I was hoping we could name her Stephanie.”

“But Kayce you did the hard part I just caught her.” He reminded her with a smile.

“Yeah but you were there when it really mattered….” She chuckled, “at the beginning and the end.” She caressed his cheek with her right hand. “I couldn’t have done any of this without you. We’re a team, remember?”

“Is it really that important to you?” Steve asked searching her eyes for affirmation. She grinned and nodded. “Well Rudy, I guess I should introduce you to Miss Stephanie Austin.”

Rudy scooped her up and held her. “And she is beautiful.” He ran a gentle hand over the platinum blonde hair that covered her head.

Kayce laughed, “What did you expect? We don’t make ugly babies. Do we Steve?”

“Absolutely not.” He agreed with a crooked grin.

The three laughed and played with the baby for a few moments when Kayce’s thought shifted to their other offspring. “Rudy, didn’t you say Cassie would be bringing Kyle by today?” She asked, her elbow resting on the bedrail and her head resting on her fisted hand. A sleepy Steve looked up from his little girl wiggling on his lap.

“Oh, I forgot to tell you. Oscar called this morning and said he had to send Cassie on assignment last night.”

Two pairs of blue eyes stared wide-eyed at the doctor. Kayce spoke quickly, “Assignment! Then who has Kyle?” She asked, almost panicked.

Rudy lifted a hand and explained, “Now don’t you two worry. Oscar went to your place last night and has been watching him.”

Kayce and Steve shared an anxious glance that turned amusing. Steve chuckled, “You mean Oscar is babysitting Kyle?”

“Yeah, why?”

Kayce grinned, “Oh nothing. Is he still bringing him here today?”

“Yes, He said he would be in after dinnertime. He had some work to do at his office.”

It was just after dinner and Rudy was only a little surprised when he stepped into Kayce’s room to find it empty. ‘I should have known.’ He thought off-handedly and headed to his other patient’s room. Opening the door he smiled and asked with feigned annoyance. “Why is it every time you two are in the hospital you are in bed together?”

Kayce and Steve, snuggled together on the small bed, were careful not to open Steve’s wound. They smiled at the doctor’s question. Steve responded after a glance at his wife, “What can we say Rudy it’s our favorite place to be.” Kayce lightly smacked his arm. “Steve!” she cried out in disbelief that he would say such a thing.

“What?” He replied innocently.

“Well, at least I know where to find you and know your at least trying to rest.”

“Have you heard from Oscar?” Kayce inquired, concerned for her son’s welfare and Oscar’s sanity.

“Yeah, he’ll be here any time now with Kyle. He said if you two were to be laid up longer he would have called Jamie in California but since Kayce, at least, will be discharged tomorrow he said he’d handle the situation.”

“I can’t wait to hear how it’s going.” Kayce commented with a glint in her eye.

Rudy chuckled. “He said it’s just like handling Steve only on a much smaller scale.”

“That’s my boy.” Steve shot Kayce a crooked grin at his son’s behavior.

It was less then 15 minutes later when Oscar knocked on the door and peeked in. “Are you up for some visitors?” Oscar inquired in an excited voice.

“You bet.” Steve replied as Kayce moved off the bed to stand beside it, ready to greet her little boy. Rudy looked to the door along with the couple in time to see Oscar, dressed in his dark blue suit with attaché case in hand, enter followed by Kyle surprisingly also dressed in a dark blue suit with a smaller brief case in hand.

The eyes of both parents widened in shock, seeing the little man at Oscar’s side. Rudy held the laugh that desperately wanted to burst forth. Steve was the first to recover. “Oscar, who is this boy and where is my son?” Oscar smiled proudly and looked at his protégé.

Kyle giggled and stepped to the bedside. “Daaadddd, it’s me Kyle.”

Steve looked at the blue eyed boy and teased, “Are you sure because my son usually wears sneakers, blue jeans and t-shirts?”

Kyle giggled and, with Rudy’s help, scampered onto the bed. “But I am Kyle!” By this time Kayce had a hand over her mouth trying not to laugh seeing Kyle’s blonde hair pasted down smartly with a side part. He really did look like a very short government employee.

“So why are you wearing a suit buddy?”

“’Cause Uncle Oscar hired me to work for him for the day. Dincha Uncle Oscar?”

“That is absolutely correct.” Oscar replied with pride.

Steve groaned as his head fell back on the pillow. “My God, the OSI got my son too.” Lifting his head he eyed Oscar. “Does this mean you want my daughter too?”

“Over my dead body!” Kayce exclaimed while giving Oscar the evil eye.

Kyle looked at his dad and asked, “What’s a daughter?”

Kayce and Steve shared a smile. “Well buddy, having a daughter means you have a sister? The baby that was in mommy’s stomach was a girl.”

“A sister? Dad, what are we going to do with a girl?”

“We’ll figure something out don’t worry.” Steve assured his son with a kiss on his head.

Kayce smiled at the pair. “How would you like to meet her?” The boy’s eyes sparkled as he nodded enthusiastically. Rudy chimed in, “I’ll go get her.”

Kayce looked Oscar over. “So you don’t look any worse for wear. Did Kyle behave himself?”

“We had lots of fun didn’t we Kyle?”

Steve chuckled, “Oscar I didn’t know you knew how to have fun.”

“Very funny.”

“Well here she is!” Rudy ambled in with the pink bindle in his arms. He handed Stephanie over to her mother who leaned over Steve to give Kyle a peek at the slumbering infant.

“Kyle, this is Stephanie your baby sister.” The blonde head lowered as he took a good look at the newborn. Without a word he sat back on his heels and looked seriously at his father, “Dad can we take her back and get a boy?”

The corner of Steve’s mouth turned up. “No Kyle, we can’t return her or exchange her.”

“But she’s too little to play with.”

“Don’t worry son, she’ll grow.”

“Are you sure?’

“You were that size once and you grew.”

Kayce smiled at her boy, “Come on Kyle why don’t you hold her.” He slid off the bed and onto a chair. Kayce carefully placed the fragile bundle on his lap. The boy who shared his father’s profile stared at her for a few moments and the adults watched in silence. The baby squirmed and her tiny eyelids parted, her glassy blue eyes looked up at her big brother holding her securely. He smiled at her curled lips before leaning down to place a soft kiss on her forehead. “Hi Stephanie, I’m Kyle. I’m your big brother.”