Next thing I remembered was waking up in a hospital room. My mind was fuzzy, I felt...different. That's when I realized it - I was no longer pregnant. My hands went to my belly, it was still swollen, but clearly, my baby was no longer there. I felt myself begin to panic. Tears invading my eyes. I looked around. I saw my Momma sitting in a chair next to my bed. "Momma? Momma? What happened? Where is my baby?"

She sat up quickly & took my hand. "Calm down, sweetheart. They had to perform an emergency c-section. You fell down the stairs & were knocked unconscious . Your precious baby boy is fine, he's in the NICU, but only because he was early. He just needs a little extra care right now."

I tried to sit up. "Momma, I need to see him. I need to make sure he's okay."

She pushed me back down. "Not now, Laney, you need your rest. The nurse will bring him by in a little while."

I sighed. "What happened to Micah? Where is he?"

She looked down. "He got away, Lane. There are teams searching for him right now."

I closed my eyes & sighed. I just wanted this nightmare to be over. "And Nick? Is he here yet?"

She nodded. "He's in the waiting room with your father. He just got here not long ago."

I smiled slightly. "I need to see him." She nodded & got up to leave the room.

I was crying slightly when I heard the door squeak. I looked over & smiled when I saw Nick peeking in. "You rang?"

I laughed. "Come, sit."

He walked over & stood next to the bed. He reached down & wiped my tears. "I'm so sorry I wasn't there to protect you."

I shook my head. "This is not at all your fault. There wouldn't have been any way you would've made it in time. I still don't know how he found me."

"Well," he took a seat, taking my hand in his. "It's all over now. They're going to catch him, Lane. And until they do, I'm not leaving your side."

I shook my head. "Carter, I can't expect you to do that. You have your career to deal with. I'll be fine."

He gave me a look. "Yeah, that's what you said earlier today."

"Good point." I put my hand back on my belly.

"He's beautiful, you know? Looks just like his Momma."

I smiled & looked over at him. "You saw him?"

He nodded. "I did. It's weird to just call him 'little guy' though."

I chuckled. "Grayson. His name is Grayson."

"I like it."

"I can't wait to see him." I sighed. "I'm just scared that Micah is going to take him from me. I don't think I could handle that."

"Laney, any judge in his right mind would see that he's clearly not fit to raise a child. Besides, once he's found he's not going to be around. They'll lock him up."

I looked down, tears escaping my eyes. "This is not how I ever pictured this day happening. I want Gray to have a father figure in his life. I've already screwed things up in his life & he's only a few hours old."

There was a knock on the door. A nurse came in pushing an incubator. I struggled a bit to sit up. Nick gently helped me up. "Somebodies awake & would love to see his Mommy." The nurse said. I smiled. She picked up the little blue bundle & made her way over to me. She handed Grayson to me. "I'll leave the happy family alone for a bit. I'll be back." She smiled & left the room. I truly wish we were a happy family.

I looked down at the tiny baby in my arms. "Hi Grayson, I'm your Mommy. I wasn't expecting you just yet there, sweetheart." Grayson stretched & let out a yawn. "He's perfect."

"Like I said, just like his Momma." Nick leaned down & kissed my forehead. "And don't you worry about him having a father-figure. I'm going to be there for him & you every step of the way, Lane."

I couldn't find the words to express how I was feeling. I just took a deep breath & nodded. Even though I was going through all of this awful stuff right now, I was still the luckiest girl in the world. Grayson drifted back to sleep & I myself began to drift off. "Carter, what am I going to do?"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, sure, I have enough money to support myself & Grayson, but I don't know if I can go through this alone."

"What did I tell you, Laney? I said I'm going to be there for you both."

"But my home is here, & you're all the way in LA."

He laughed. "Well, then I guess I'll just have to move, won't I?"

I looked at him wide eyed. "Carter, don't be crazy. I really can't expect that of you. Grayson isn't your responsibility."

"I'm making him my responsibility. I want to be his father."

I started to cry. "I don't deserve you."

He smiled and climbed into the bed next to me, putting his arm around me. He leaned into me & put his head next to mine. We both looked down at the sleeping baby I was holding. "At least he got his Momma's good looks. We're going to get through this, Sweets. I promise you that." He touched Grayson on the tip of the nose. "Isn't that right, little man?" He stretched out & let out another huge yawn. "I'll take that as a yes." Nick kissed the side of my head. "I love you, Laney."

I sniffled back some tears. "I love you too, Carter."