A/N: Again, I want to thank all of you for your amazing feedback. This has been an amazing ride.

Happy new year and I hope 2012 will be wonderful to all of us.

It Happened at Christmas

Chapter 7

Fear held his heart in a tight grip the entire way to Kate's apartment. As soon as she told him she was bleeding, he grabbed his coat, wallet and keys and rushed out the door. All he could think about was that this could not be happening. They could not be losing their child, not now when they were both so happy about being parents. Not now when things were going so incredibly well in their lives.

It would be okay, he kept repeating over and over in his mind. Kate was going to be okay and so was their baby. They had to. It couldn't end like this, he thought as he spotted the small package on the passenger seat. It was his first gift to their baby and he had been planning on giving it to Kate tomorrow morning, but now..

No, he chided himself. He could not think like that. He was still going to give it to her because they were going to be okay.

He parked in front of Kate's building and slammed the car door behind him, rushing to the entrance doors as fast as he possibly could. The elevator seemed to take an eternity to get to the first floor, to the point that he just gave up and took the stairs, two, three steps at a time if he could. When he finally got to the fourth floor, he was out of breath, but he didn't stop until he reached her door and knocked. She opened it immediately, her eyes red-rimmed and smudged with her mascara. She collapsed in his arms, but didn't cry.

"Hey," He touched her cheek, brushing her hair behind her ear and she met his eyes. "We're going to be okay." He pressed his lips to hers, soothing both of them, before reaching behind her and closing her door. "You got everything you need?" She nodded and leaned heavily against him. "Alright, then, let's go."

They made their way to the elevator and Rick said a silent prayer as they stepped into it. The ride down was silent, as he ran his fingers up and down her arm in attempt to keep her calm. She only spoke when they were inside the car and he was pulling into traffic once again.

"I panicked." Her voice came out quietly and she leaned her head against the window. He reached out and took her hand in his, giving it a comforting squeeze. "I'm sorry."

"How bad is it?" He asked, his voice dripping with dread, as much as he tried to remain calm.

"It's not a lot, but it's still bleeding."

"Any cramps?"

"No, but still..." She turned to look at him and he felt her squeeze his hand tighter. "My mom had two miscarriages before she got pregnant with me. Same with her sister. I don't…" He heard her voice catch as she looked down and entwined his fingers through hers.

"Hey, look at me." He said gently and she met his eyes again. "Whatever happens, we're in this together, Kate. We're going to be okay. "

"I don't want to lose the baby." Her voice shook and he felt a knot closing his throat and tears welling up in his eyes.

"We're not. Positive thinking, remember?" They stopped at a red light and he brought her hand to his lips. "We're almost there."

Another ten minutes passed until they finally arrived at NYU Medical Center. Rick parked the car in the first open space he found and they rushed to the reception where they were greeted by a nurse. Kate was immediately rushed inside the emergency room and they put her on one of the exam rooms. Rick pulled a stool and sat next to her bed, taking her hand in his again.

"Did you tell everyone what was going on?" She turned her head to look at him and asked quietly while they waited for the doctor.

"No." He rested his elbow on the bed to her right and his head on his hand. "I didn't know what was going on. We still don't. I'll text Alexis soon to tell her where we are at least. Is that okay?"

"Of course it's okay." The bed was in an upright position, so Kate just leaned in to brush her lips against his, letting out a sigh. She seemed to be calmer now that they were in the hospital. "I'm so scared." She murmured after a minute and he touched her cheek, pressing his lips to hers again.

"So am I." He admitted and rested his forehead against hers. "But we're going to get through this. I know it."

"Miss Beckett?" They heard a female voice and pulled apart, looking at the door where the doctor, a woman who seemed to be in her late forties, was holding a chart. "Hi, I'm Doctor Bennett. I understand you're experiencing some bleeding."

"Yeah, I only noticed it when I got home about an hour ago." Kate explained; her voice sounded firm and calm but the grip she had on Rick's hand betrayed how nervous and scared she really was.

"Alright, and how was it?"

"Light, I think. Just spotting. I've got a pad on, but I haven't checked it since I got here." She said and turned to look at him, seeking reassurance. He pressed a kiss to her temple and whispered his love for her in her ear. "We came here as soon as I saw it." She added and they watched as Dr. Bennett wrote something on her chart. "Is it…" He looked back at Kate in time to see her bite down on her lip nervously. "Am I losing the baby?"

"We'll do a full exam to check it, okay?" Dr. Bennett went to the door for a moment and they heard her request a portable ultrasound to a nurse. She walked back into the room when a young nurse handed her the ultrasound. "Do you know your due date?" She asked, pulling a stool to Kate's left side as she prepared the machine.

"No, we only found out about it a few days ago. I have an appointment with my gynecologist on the 27th." Kate said and the doctor nodded and told her to lift up her shirt.

"This will be a little cold." She warned as she squirted gel onto Kate's abdomen. Rick held his breath and squeezed her hand when Dr. Bennett touched the device to Kate's skin. "Alright, let's see." She searched around for a moment, sliding the probe on her belly and Rick had to resist the urge to close his eyes in fear. "Oh, there it is." The doctor said suddenly with a somewhat cheerful voice. That could only mean good things, right?

"Is it okay?" He heard Kate ask and without even looking at her, he could tell she was crying. He touched his forehead to her temple and took a deep breath, before looking at the portable monitor the doctor was holding.

"It seems to be. But I want to do a full checkup to be sure. Oh, hey, listen to that." The doctor said with a gentle smile and Rick let out a breath in relief, emotion taking his breath away. He looked down at Kate and smiled at the awed look in her eyes.

"Is that the heartbeat?" He asked, his voice choked up.

"Sure is, nice and strong." Dr. Bennett smiled at them as he took a deep breath, trying to get his emotion under control. "It looks like you're eight weeks along, Miss Beckett." She explained and Kate nodded, squeezing his hand.

"Does that mean the baby is okay? I mean, with the heartbeat and everything?" She asked, insecure and Rick brought her hand to his lips once again.

"It's a good sign, yes. We'll run a blood test and I want to check your cervix, but everything seems to be okay for now."

Kate thanked her and the doctor called in a nurse to take her blood and right after that, she asked Kate to change into a hospital gown so they could do the exam. After a quick checkup, Dr. Bennett announced that everything was just fine, but they would take a look at the blood test and would likely keep her overnight for observation. They moved her into a room upstairs and while Kate got settled in, he stepped outside to call his daughter. Alexis picked up after only one ring, concern clear in her voice.

"No, pumpkin. Everything is okay now." He reassured her when she asked what had happened to Kate.

"Where are you guys?" She asked and she could hear her moving around on her side, the voices in the background sounding further and further and then silence. She probably went into the office.

"NYU Medical Center. She was bleeding." He closed his eyes and leaned against the wall just outside Kate's room. "We thought she was having a miscarriage." He told her quietly and heard his daughter gasp in surprise.

"Wait, she's pregnant?" She all but shrieked into the phone and Rick chuckled.

"She still is, thank god." He sighed looked around, watching doctors, nurses and patients walking past him in corridor. "They're going to keep her overnight to make sure everything is fine, but the doctor said the baby is okay."

"Oh, my God, Dad." She breathed and Rick nodded, even though he knew she couldn't see him.

"I know, honey. I know."

"Why didn't you tell us?" She asked and he could detect a hurt tone in her voice.

"She just found out a few days ago. I've known for only a couple of days, really. We were going to wait until her first appointment at the end of the week." He explained and let out a heavy breath. "We're not telling everyone just yet, especially not now. But she said we at least had to tell you guys after today."

"Can we go see her? I mean, it's Christmas Eve."

"I'll talk to her. Can you tell everyone we're okay and that it was just a scare?" He asked and she acquiesced. "Alright, I'll talk to you later."

"Dad, wait. What about the dinner party? Everyone is supposed to be here soon." She said and Rick let his head fall back against the wall, running a hand through his hair.

"Damn, I forgot about that. It's just supposed to be Lanie and Esposito, anyway. Tell them what happened and that we'll do it some other night." He decided and opened the door to Kate's room, offering a smile when she looked up at him.

"Alright. Love you, Dad."

"Love you too, pumpkin. I'll keep you posted."

He hung up and walked to Kate's side, pocketing his phone. She scooted over to her right and patted the bed for him to sit next to her. Taking off his shoes, he quickly hopped in and pulled the blanket over their legs, throwing an arm around her to pull her close to his side. Pressing a kiss to her head, he heard her sigh and snuggle closer, her arm encircling his stomach.

"Just a scare." She eventually said, breaking the silence. He looked down at her with a smile and nodded, his hand joining hers on her bump.

"Just a scare." He repeated her words and touched her chin to pull her in for a kiss. "Told you we were going to be okay." He brushed butterfly kisses on her cheeks, threading his fingers through hers, and she nodded.

"Did you hear his heart? It was so strong." She marveled and he chuckled with a nod. He had forgotten how amazing it was to hear your child's heartbeat for the very first time. Tears welled up in his eyes just thinking about it.

"His? Do you know something I don't?" He teased and she reached up, brushing away a stray tear that apparently had escaped from his eye. Leaning up, she kissed him slowly, just a soft brush of lips against lips with an overwhelming wave of emotion behind it.

"Just a feeling, I guess." She shrugged when they broke apart after a minute. "I was so scared, Rick. I didn't think I'd want a baby right now, but I really want this. Really, really want it." She rested her forehead on his and he could feel her breath on his skin.

"Me too, love. I'm so glad you're both okay." He confessed and she rested her head on his shoulder. "I don't ever want to go through something like this again." He whispered and felt her nod.

"We'll try to be good from now on." She smiled and caressed her bump again. They were silent for a few minutes.

"Marry me." He blurted out after a while and Kate turned to him with wide eyes. He hadn't meant for it to come out like this, but it was something that he'd been thinking about for a while now, even more so after she told him about the baby.

"What?" She gasped and he covered her hand with his.

"That didn't come out the way I wanted to." He frowned and she stared at him in shock.

"You can say that again." She quipped and he chuckled nervously. "Did you seriously just propose?"

"Yes?" He chanced a glance at her and found her biting on her lip, like he knew she always did when she was nervous or thinking or both. "It doesn't have to be right away. I mean, with the baby and everything, we've got our hands full. But maybe… after the baby is born?" She still didn't say anything and he started to get worried. "Or maybe you could just move in? So, you know, today doesn't happen again, or at least you won't be alone if it does?" Everything he said kept coming out as a question and he wanted to kick himself because this was so not how he had planned to propose to her. He didn't even have a ring, for Christ's sake. "Or we can just keep things like they are now if that's what…"

"Yes." She touched his lips, silencing him, and he stared at her in confusion. What was she saying yes to?

"Yes?" He asked and she grinned at him, nodding. "To which option?" He swallowed hard and closed his eyes, almost afraid to hear her answer. This had gone all wrong. She closed the distance between them and pressed her lips against his in a soft kiss.

"All of the above." She whispered against his lips and he felt a smile tugging his lips up.

"I don't even have a ring." He confessed and she laughed quietly, kissing him again.

"You can get me one later." She murmured and burrowed her face into the crook of his neck, her breath tickling his skin. He tightened his hold on her and kissed her forehead, the love he felt for her almost too much for him to bear.

"We're really getting married?" He whispered after a few minutes and felt Kate chuckle against his neck.

"Yes. Now shush. Baby and I want to take a nap." She mumbled and he chuckled, running his hand lightly over her baby bump. "I love you." He heard her say sleepily and smiled, reaching behind him to turn the light off.

"Love you too, Kate. Both of you." He told her, but only her steady breathing greeted him.

Closing his eyes and finally allowing himself to relax, he soon succumbed to sleep.

A/N: There might be a companion/sequel to this in the near future. What can I say, I've become attached to this universe. If I do write it, it'll most likely be one-shot, though. Hope you guys liked it! Don't forget to tell me your thoughts on it.