Author's Note: This idea for the story hit me out of nowhere, and at first, I didn't want to write it because of how sad it was. As I tried to push it to the back of my mind, it simply would not go away! I think it's because of all the IchixHime family fics I've been reading lately. Maybe that's where the inspiration came from? I've been telling myself, "Don't write anymore stories. You can't handle keeping track of them all." Then for whatever reason, I find more things to write about. *sigh* Well, thank you for even clicking. If you can honestly give me you're opinion of this story, it would be great! I just want to know if it's too touchy of a subject (because I worry like that) and if it is, I will take it down. Thank you.

Suggestion: While I wrote this, I was listening to I giorni by Ludovico Einaudi and in another tab typed in 'rainy mood.' If you play them at the same time, I think this will give you the sense of emotions Ichigo was experiencing.

Disclaimer: All characters belong respectfully to Tite Kubo, the creator of Bleach.

Chapter 1 - Death by Night

There had been an eighteen-wheeler truck barreling down the road and she knew what her instant reaction had been because of it. Orihime Kurosaki let out the loudest scream she could possible. If doing that would save her life, if it would somehow miraculously warn the aliens to take her away before impact, she would do it with all the force she could muster in her voice. That was all her brain allowed her to remember.

He had received a phone call from Uryu around seven o'clock during the night. He had expected it to be his wife, who had not contacted him prior to her leaving their small flat two hours ago for an OBGYN appointment. Ichigo had insisted he'd leave work early just for her so she'd be able to have someone not only to drive her to the medical building, but to be there also for moral support. They've only had two check-ups with the doctor since discovering they were going to be parents, and for both of those, the young man had attended with his wife. That was why he had found Uryu's late call to him to be slightly strange. What particular business did he have that couldn't wait for another time?

"Kurosaki am I ever glad to hear you, and that's not saying much," Ishida said huskily into the phone when it was answered.

"Shut your damn mouth, Quincy. If you're looking to talk to Orihime, she's not here," Ichigo grounded out angrily. Instantly expecting a harsh comment, Ichigo waited for the gentleman to make a remark on his part. However, one never came. There was a weighty pause from the other side, almost as if his friend was debating something mentally in his head. Ichigo keenly listened in on the background noise, managing to make out the sound of an ambulance siren. It wasn't too usual.

After all, Uryu's job took place at the local hospital, collaborating along side his father much to his displeasure. He must have been working an extra shift.

"I-I don't know how to tell you this," the Quincy whispered. What the hell was going on? Why was the doctor holding back? Ichigo could feel his heart begin to race as the silence continued to drag on further. He started moving towards the kitchen table - which was only two short steps away - and slid his car keys off the polished surface. His attention briefly shifted over to his shoes that he abandoned since walking through the door moments ago.

"It's Kurosaki-san."

He should have known. His wife tended to trip over her own two feet quite often; this wasn't starting to sound as if it were an emergency. The twenty-four-year-old slowly slipped on his sneakers (just in case) and then came to his door, pausing himself from opening it as he waited for Uryu to talk again. Although, when he thought back to the doctor's few choice of words and how low he had said them, maybe he had been wrong in misjudging his wife's condition.

"She was in a car accident. No, it wasn't a car. Actually, it was a truck. I'm sorry, but things aren't looking so well. You need to come to the hospital right now."

It was as if a ton of bricks had come hurling at him from the sky. Ishida better have been telling the damn truth, or else Ichigo would simply not be able to control himself if it were some twisted form of a joke. A car crash...that was what he had said. It must have been a mistake. His Orihime would never be so reckless, especially when there was new life harboring inside of her. The more he told himself that such an occurrence couldn't happen, the deeper he put himself in denial. His head was spinning in every different direction and he found himself needing a breath of fresh air. The walls of the couple's recently purchased flat seemed to be suffocating him from the inside. The orange-haired man glanced out of the small, square window that was constructed in the door. There was rain and it wasn't falling lightly. Winter had only just begun, all the further explanation for the roads to be fragile as ever. His precious wife, the only woman he ever needed. Where did her life have a place in the world now?

"Orihime's pregnant, Ishida. You of all people have to know by now. We were trying to hold off...," if he kept talking, it would ensure his mind to keep steady for a while. Until, he at least had driven away in his car. Ichigo hadn't even been able to set his legs into motion the entire time since approaching the door. He knew standing and waiting around to discern his wife's situation wasn't an option. It shouldn't have even entered his head. Uryu continued to talk into the cell phone, carrying on how he was fully aware of Orihime's pregnancy - because after all - he was a doctor and all their friends had been betting money for some time on whether or not there was a bun in the oven.

Ichigo didn't care about the bet. Quite honestly, he didn't need the comforting either. He could discern Ishida was only trying to lighten the situation, when he fully knew Ichigo's mind was reeling with questions. For the trembling husband, what mattered most wasn't being said and that notion angered him. If the worst had happened, the doctor wouldn't dare reveal the passing over the phone to his friend. He had the right to know in person. Yet, there was light in Ichigo's heart that wasn't giving up hope. His wife needed all the faith she could possibly obtain.

He couldn't find the inner strength to ask Uryu one more question that the doctor would probably deem the second, most important. However, upon knowing his wife's life hanged in the balance of his friend's hands as they spoke, he let the inquiry slip from the tongue. Ichigo prayed he was wrong in the assumption of not asking about his future child's welfare. The young man could meerly not bare terrible, additional news that had already been given to him.

Glancing back outside into the darkness, the Soul Reaper tightened every muscle in his entire body. Enough of running in circles. Orihime needs me more than ever, he confided. He was going to drive the car as fast as it would let him. The hospital wasn't far from where the Kurosaki's resided and in a matter of minutes, Ichigo would be standing at its automatic doors. Hopefully with the easiness of knowing his spouse was out of the medical hazard zone.

"Do me a favor," Ichigo murmured into the receiver, "Tell Orihime I'm coming for her." Before the Quincy could grumble in the last word, the orange-haired adult pocketed his phone in his pants. Whipping the door aside with a loud thump, Ichigo darted down the upper floor's walkway and preceded his pursuit in the staircase that led to the parking lot. When his shoes hit the slap of pavement, he ran out to his car with the rain pelting his head through the way. Unlocking the driver's side, Ichigo slipped inside and shut the car door as swiftly as possible. After that, he turned the keys in the ignition and the engine of the vehicle growled with power. This was going to be the shortest ride he'd ever take to the hospital.

Uryu Ishida met him at the infirmary entrance with an expression that Ichigo couldn't quite distinguish for himself. Even after all the years of the Soul Reaper knowing the prodigy, the pale-skinned man continued to wear glasses. They were firmly in position on the ridge of his nose, while his mouth assembled into a thin line. Upon Ichigo closely approaching him, he could tell his comrade was worse for wear. The flickering light of the hospital's sign had been overshadowing the doctor's face from the distance. The rain still had not slowed down in the least and besides for the occasional car that whizzed by, a clap of thunder could be heard above Ichigo's head.

The physician stuck out his hand for Ichigo to take and tightly grasped it when the man arrived at the doors. There wasn't an exchange of words from neither adult. A heavy stillness swarmed around them in the dark of the night. The crisp wind of winter crept up the two friend's faces as they stood at the foot of the medical edifice.

Eventually, Uryu coaxed Ichigo inside to the waiting room, where only a few steps away the ER was located. Ichigo - not always the most reliable in finding spiritual pressure - felt a certain pull towards the metal doors that separated him from Orihime.

Then, the dreaded question was spoken.

"How is she?" he asked breathlessly, stuffing his hands into his pockets. In turn, he did not look at Uryu. There was a voice inside his head that told him he should avoid the sympathy stares; at least until he saw his wife for himself. The doctor slipped his glasses off his face and brought them to his lab coat. He grabbed one of the hanging ends and cleaned his lenses with the fabric.

"Barely stabilized, much to the staff's efforts. After I ended the call with you, we were able to jump start her heart with the AED," he briefly explained the mayhem that had just occurred in the hospital. With every muster of energy Ishida still owned, he worked diligently to save Orihime's life, and the baby's for that matter. Not only was she a dear friend to him, she was a person who poured her very heart into making everyone else happy. The woman also had a dedicated husband who would do anything for her. Thus, Uryu's efforts were only ten times more urgent.

That was all Ichigo would need to hear. He picked up his head and ran a sweaty hand through his unruly hair. He could still feel the interior of his body shaking at the mere thought of losing his Orihime. No one would ever be able to replace her - if that's what the outcome had turned out to be. His tongue tasted dry as he opened his mouth once again to question the Quincy.

"I want to see her. Can I see her?"

Uryu placed his glasses back onto his nose and cleared his throat of the instant lump that was forming. Conflicted. He was trying to stray away from that word. When officially a doctor, being at odds with yourself was one of the worst issues that could happen. They needed to be fast on their feet and never waver from their judgment, even it were the wrong one.

There was no movement. The only sound that could be heard in the empty hallway was the buzzing of the ventilation system. Occasionally, the rain would brush against the building until it settled back down to a little patter. Ichigo's patience had reached it's limit. Who was he kidding? He didn't need permission to leave! He turned from the man and began to rush towards the emergency doors.

"Kurosaki," Ishida called as his comrade descended farther from him, "Come back here."

He couldn't tolerate the wait any longer. He needed to move through the doors and head in the direction of the nurse's station. Ichigo didn't have the time to listen to more bad news from Ishida.

Without glancing over his shoulder, Kurosaki barked, "What is it now?"

This time, there was no missing a beat. As much as it pained the doctor to finally tell the man the truth.

"It's about the baby," the educated physician retorted.

Somewhere inside of him, there was a crack. A throbbing one that traveled throughout his entire body. He had sworn not to give up hope. Hell, he never believed in that sort of magic before Rukia appeared to him on that fateful night his life was altered. His wife always told him to remain optimistic, even when he found it very hard. The sheer thought of something happening to their unborn child didn't even seem possible. Then again, Orihime getting into a car wreck also wasn't avoidable. Dammit! He felt so useless, as if he were trapped in a corner with a wall blocking him from the outside world. It was as if he was being tested. Maybe to show how weak he really was and that he wasn't a suitable protector for anyone - especially the woman he was so deeply in love with.

Still facing the doorway to the emergency room, Ichigo said slowly, "Not now. I need to know if Orihime's awake first."

Before the substitute Soul Reaper could even budge an inch from his position, Uryu interrupted him from the reunion he so desperately anticipated.

"Don't you think she'll ask?" the doctor snapped. Throwing his eyes angrily in the direction of the voice, Ichigo stalked towards Ishida with a fierceness that frightened even the Quincy. Grabbing the man by the collar, Ichigo's face contorted slightly as he studied his friend's appearance. He seemed a little shaken, much thanks to the scare Ichigo had just given him, yet he remained completely professional. That was all that it was to him, Kurosaki bitterly thought, a job.

"What are you implying?" he spat. The grip around the doctor's jacket did not loosen in the slightest.

Truly, Uryu was wishing he could disappear from underneath the wrath of Ichigo's intense glare. Who was he to decide who lived and died in this world? Who had the better chance of survival? It was the perceptive which, was examined every day. He wasn't playing in a form of God; he was only doing his job. He also had been getting too close to the fire. The task of saving Orihime Kurosaki and her unborn child had become personal. If there had been some way to hear the woman's cry for help or to sense a single tremor in her spiritual pressure, the exhausted individual would have known. Alternatively, at the very least, been aware of such a dilemma.

Nontheless, ever since Orihime's friends and himself had started to presume she might be pregnant, Uryu found it very hard to keep track of her. If such a task was difficult for him to accomplish, he could only imagine the stress Ichigo was under to be assured his wife remained safe. Even then, as the hot-tempered adult had him by his coat and was practically on the verge of threatening him, Uryu did not feel the hate against him materialize. Instead, in the ember eyes Ichigo owned, there was fear. His pupils were more dilated then before and his frame shook from head to toe.

The doctor heeded a sigh. There was no further use in putting off the death. With his neck being pressed against by the palm of Ichigo's hand, Uryu managed huskily to get his words out, "I'm telling this to you as Kurosaki-san's friend, as your friend, that what happened to your wife will severely break her in more ways than one."

"Spit it out already, dammit!" the husband lashed bitterly.

Uryu silently asked for forgiveness for what he was about to do.

"She miscarried. It would have been you're first son." It was the truth. He couldn't have put it in a more simpler way. His comrade - who once he had declared his enemy - emerged before him defeated.

The young husband couldn't even begin to imagine the innumerable pain his wife would suffer over the course of the upcoming months. The loss would absolutely tear her apart. Ichigo could distinctly picture the gorgeous and wide smile Orihime had glued on her face when he had come home from work two months ago with shocking results. Of course, however, he had been confused. After all, the following mornings leading up to it were harsh on the woman. She'd wake almost every sunrise and the Soul Reaper would hear her extracting unknowns into their toilet. They hadn't been trying to get pregnant. Although if the couple had conceived, a new addition to their small family wouldn't change a thing.

"No, you're not making any sense," Ichigo whispered briskly.

Nothing about today exactly had any logical meaning. He could have never foreseen Orihime inhaling almost her last breath. Or even that his first "child" (he wasn't sure if he had the right to call the fetus the name) would be killed alongside in the chaos. His life wasn't completely over, although it may had seemed like it was at the time. He still had Orihime Kurosaki, his beautiful wife of two years and who had been his girlfriend for five.

"It was the force of the trauma she encountered. Her body simply could not support the stress of it," the Quincy solemnly explained. The pressure around the doctor's neck had ceased for the moment. Ichigo had pulled away from him and swayed his head at the man's words. It was the truck driver's fault, every part of it.

If there were a name suggested from the crash site, he would make sure he had it for the coming months. His wife needed justice, just like anybody else who had found themselves in his shoes. For a brief second, he wondered if he should call his father and let him know what had occurred during the night. However, he then quickly decided against it. He only desired to be with Orihime for the time being.

"I knew, had a suspicion if you would. I was just too cowardly to ask," Kurosaki confided.

Uryu nodded his head once in understandment. He quickly readjusted the collar on his coat that had been ruffled from Ichigo's hard force. There wasn't much left to say in regards to the entire ordeal that had changed the lives of his two close friends. It was a tragedy and the misfortunes, which followed with it, were heartbreaking.

"I'm deeply sorry."

Once again, Ichigo continued his action from earlier, when he first arrived at the hospital. He avoided Ishida's cerulean blue eyes. The gaze that targeted him only could be described as suffocating. He didn't want to be in the presence of the man who looked like he could pass out any second. Turning on his heel, Ichigo slowly walked to the entrance of the emergency room. He planted a single hand firmly on one of it's metal twin doors and allowed himself to swallow in a breath of anguish. On the other side, he would find only one person. The person being Orihime. No longer did a child exist in her womb. She was simply herself, back to who she was two or three months ago before she ever became pregnant. Although, she wasn't completely what she used to be. There was no doubt in Ichigo's mind that she had broken bones and lacerations on her body.

He'd seen it all before. She's been scarred countless times by unknown spirits.

However, the attackers had been hollows. A supernatural phenomenon that he could mostly control and eliminate.

This time it was different. It was a human who had caused this pain on his new family and for that, he was at a loss of words. Could he murder someone in cold blood for what had been done? Was he inhumane as the rest of the world?

Ichigo Kurosaki pushed the door aside and lodged one foot into the opening. He suddenly remembered Uryu's condolences, which had only happened moments ago. It already felt like a lifetime. He slightly glanced over his shoulder, giving the doctor a sad smile.

"Please tell Orihime in person. She'll need everyone's support."

Then he turned and ran down the hallway of the hospital's main floor. He didn't look back. Instead, he looked ahead - just as he would in the next half year.