*~*6 weeks later*~*

Sadie and Dave sat silently in the doctor's office, hands clenched together while Sadie fought back her nausea. After a week of non-stop binging of popsicles and the climax being her throwing up after oral sex, David picked up a pregnancy test with Sadie's 10th box of icy treats.

"It's going to be okay," he whispered, rubbing his thumb in little circles on the back of her hand. She could only nod and hoped he was right.

Doctor Rothberg entered the exam room, smiling at the couple and shaking hands with David. He powered up the ultrasound machine and slid a stool over to speak with Sadie. "How are you feeling today?"

"Nauseous, like all the time," she replied quietly. "Oh and don't forget I'm allergic to latex."

The doctor smiled kindly. "Alright then...let's take a look and see what we're working with." He spread some gel on her belly and started moving the transducer around. "There's the uterus...and there's the baby." He pointed out the little flashing figure on the screen.

"It's so small," she crooned, resting her hand on her stomach. "Like a little peanut."

"Yes. Everything looks to be in the right place," the doctor commented, printing out some photos and doing measurements.

"How far along is she?" David asked, peering over to the monitor.

"About six weeks," the doctor replied, "give or take a few days." He looked at David and then back to Sadie. "I need to speak to you both about the situation. Sadie, I may not have known you long but I read over your history. If you want to know the downside of this pregnancy with your diabetes and blood pressure..."

"I'm aware of pre-eclampsia, my blood pressure shooting up giving me a stroke, insulin resistance..."

Doctor Rothberg chuckled lightheartedly and handed the couple their baby photos. "David said you're a doctor when he called me. What's your specialty?"

"I'm a Neurologist...my best friend is a Pediatric nurse," Sadie answered and chuckled nervously, "If she was here, she'd be giving you the third and fourth degree."

"I'll be straightforward with you both. There's a high risk of you getting Eclampsia which, as Sadie knows, is potentially fatal for both mother and baby. The risk is also higher for birth defects, miscarriage, and having a larger baby. It's possible you won't carry to term. Are you planning to travel with David?"

David squeezed Sadie's hand and pressed his lips to her wrist. "We're scheduled to leave for the last tour leg in Europe three days from now."

"Sadie, you should stay off your feet as much as possible and take it easy. I want you on a daily dose of aspirin and I'll write you a prescription for magnesium sulfate which is the best way to prevent pre-eclampsia from getting out of hand if it develops."

She nodded. "I check my blood sugar three times a day but I'll add basic vitals to that."

"And if you--"

"Get severe headaches, visual abnormalities, abdominal pain or my limbs go numb, you'll be the first call I make," she said, interrupting the doctor.

Doctor Rothberg's tone became firm. "I'm serious, Sadie. These are all signs of a more serious condition."

"I know, but I also know what to look for and how to handle it."

The doctor put his hand up to quiet her. Medical professionals always did make the worst patients. "I understand you have knowledge about this but I don't think you realize how dangerous this can be, even to someone who knows the risks. I want you to wear a medical ID bracelet and David, you need to make sure she does."

"I will. Thank you for this," Sadie said with a nod.

He cleared his throat. "Also I'd highly recommend letting your nurse friend know so that she can help if needed. Now, about the birth...if all goes well, we're looking at a December due date.

"That's great, right?" David asked.

"Yes, that's great. The earlier the delivery, the lower the risk for birth defects and other complications." He paused and then looked at Sadie with a serious expression. "If you don't want to continue the pregnancy, you'll need to let me know now because I'll have to refer you to an Ob-Gyn for the termination."

He quickly wrote a prescription and handed it to her. "I'll have the nurse come bring your discharge papers. It was a pleasure meeting you, Sadie."

"You too, Dr Mike...Thanks." Sadie's hands were clammy and she felt dizzy as she stood up from the table. She wanted to sit back down but David was holding her hand and gave it a gentle squeeze.

"You can do this, baby," he whispered. "Let's get you back home and relax."

The nurse brought her discharge papers and she signed them, along with a few other forms she knew were just routine for the office to file. Soon, she was out the door with David by her side and the cool breeze washed across her face. "I'm...pregnant..."

"I know, baby, and you're gonna be a beautiful mother," David replied, hugged her close, and kissed her forehead. "Wait here. I'll go get the car."

She sat down on a bench and slowly inhaled. Her breakfast had already made a violent re-entry into the toilet and she was dying for some salty fries.

David drove up to the front of the building, rolling the window down and calling out, "Hey sexy Mama! Need a lift?"

"Oh yes, Papa Bear," she laughed, feeling light-headed once more when she stood.

"You're not going to be sick again, are you?"

"I don't think so." She took a deep breath and exhaled. "Okay, I'm good...but I do need something to eat. Blood sugar is low, I think."

He helped her into the car and they were on the road. She rested her head against the door and closed her eyes, their finger entwined in her lap. "McDonald's sounds okay?" David asked.

"Pregnant women are supposed to eat crap, right?" she asked, trying to smile.

He held her hand in his and kissed it. "You're beautiful no matter what you weigh, Sades." His eyes met hers. "You know that, right?"

She nodded slowly and looked out the window as they pulled into the fast-food restaurant's drive-thru. He ordered her simple chicken nuggets and fries with Sprite while indulging in a Big Mac meal for himself and food for the kids. Fast food wasn't something he had often, but sometimes it just felt right.

"You got quiet all of a sudden, baby," he said once they were on the road again.

She looked down at her lap and bit her lip. "I'm just scared."

He reached over and took her hand in his. "Of course you are. I am, too." He squeezed her hand. "But we're in this together, right?" She looked up at him and smiled. He could see the tears welling up in her eyes. "Hey, don't cry, baby. We're gonna get through this."

"I know," she said, sniffing. "I just...I want this to be perfect, you know? For us and our baby."

He took his free hand and wiped the tears away from her cheek. "It's going to be perfect because we're in this together." He kissed the back of her hand and then returned it to his lap.

They pulled into the driveway and went inside. She kicked off her shoes and curled up on the couch, resting her head against the arm.

"Kids! Lunch!" David grabbed their bag of food and brought it into the living room. He set it down on the coffee table and handed Sadie her nuggets and fries.

Sadie took hers and unwrapped it, taking a bite of the chicken nugget. He set his own meal down and scooted closer to her on the couch. He wrapped his arm around her shoulders and she leaned against him, taking another bite of her nugget.

"I love you, David," she said.

He kissed the top of her head. "I love you, too, Sades."

They finished their meals and David went to throw away the trash. When he came back, she was laying on the couch, her eyes closed. He sat down next to her and brushed the hair out of her face. "Sades?"

"Mm?" she hummed.

He smiled. "Are you asleep?"

"Hmm." She opened her eyes a little and looked up at him. He could see the exhaustion written all over her face.

"I know Gabby and Colton wanted to have some of their friends over in case you'd wanna go crawl into bed or sack out on the couch in my studio," David offered, dropping sweet kisses along her hairline.

"Studio," she muttered and slowly got to her feet. David helped her down the stairs and hall to his studio, getting her cozy on the sofa with a soft knit blanket.

David sat at his computer and keyboard for the next few hours, working out issues with two new songs and checking on the kids upstairs. When he'd told them to stay out of the basement to give Sadie some quiet, Lily insisted that she'd be good if she could sit with Sadie.

The little girl ended up snuggling into Sadie under the blanket and napped with her. He went back to work and kept glancing at Sadie and Lily in the window's reflection. He didn't know what he'd do without her. He'd probably be a wreck, going through the motions of life without anything to live for, just as he'd been after Lexi's passing.

He'd been so broken up after she died. He couldn't even write for years. His friends had tried to get him to join them for dinner and drinks many times, but he just hadn't been up for it. When he had finally accepted an invite, he'd sat at the table alone.

The guys had all tried to cheer him up, but it hadn't helped. Even when they brought up old times and told him stories about Lexi, he'd just sat there staring into his drink with a frown on his face.

It had been that way until Sadie showed up at the Tampa concert. She was the only person who could truly make him smile and laugh again. She was his light in the darkness. She saved him just as he'd saved her. And now she was pregnant. But high risk...just like Lexi was.

He sat at the computer and started to play the intro to 'Desert Rose'. He could almost hear Lexi sing it. The song had been one of her favorites. He closed his eyes and just listened, imagining that she was in the room with him.

"You wrote this for me, didn't you?" a voice said behind him. He spun around in his chair and saw her standing there. She had a big grin on her face and her familiar blonde hair fell in waves around her shoulders. She was wearing the white dress he always liked, the one that made her look like an angel.

"Lex," he breathed, standing up to approach her. He reached out to touch her and his hand went right through her. "You're a dream. A vision. An angel."

"I'm all those things and more," she said, putting her hands on her hips. "I'm your muse."

"Always were. You've been gone so long, baby. I miss you."

"I know,...I miss you too," she said, looking at him through lowered lashes. "You never wrote another song. It broke my heart, you know."

David couldn't tear his eye from her. "I couldn't. I didn't want to write songs about someone who wasn't here to sing them with me."

"So why now?" she asked, tilting her head to the side.

"I reunited with someone who inspired me to write again." He looked over his shoulder and saw that she was no longer in the room. "No! Lex, you can't go yet! I need you!"

"I'll always be here," her voice echoed and he shivered as her ghostly hands swept over his cheeks. "In your heart. She's a good one. Protect her. Let her inspire you as well, David...David...David..."

"David?" He woke with a start, his neck cramping painfully. Sadie stared down at him in concern. "Whoa baby, you okay?"

He stretched and shook himself wide aware, pulling Sadie closer and resting his forehead against her belly. Lifting her shirt a bit, he kissed where their baby would be snuggled. "Never been better, babygirl. I guess I ended up nodding off while working."

"You were talking in your sleep. Something about a muse," she told him, her hands in his hair. "Are you sure you're okay?"

He looked up at her and smiled. "Better than ever. What time is it?"

"Close to 10pm. I already put Lily to bed and the twins are heading that way now," she replied, playing with his blonde curls.

"Shit, I've been asleep for two hours?"

"You obviously needed it, darlin'," Sadie cooed. "If you're hungry, I can go make you something."

David shook his head and stood from his chair, towering over her in the dimly lit room. He slid his arms around her waist, hands cupping her ass. "Not hungry. Feeling up to a little celebration?"

Sadie laughed and kissed him. "I thought you'd never ask."

David's hands roamed over her body and he pulled her shirt up and over her head, tossing it aside. Her hands went to the button on his jeans, sliding the zipper down and peeled them down his legs.

She pushed him gently until he sat on the sofa and dropped to her knees in front of him. Her warm mouth wrapped around his cock as she cupped his balls in one hand. Her tongue swirled around the head and he groaned, laying back against the pillows.

His hands went to her hair as she bobbed up and down, sucking him to full hardness. He tangled his fingers in her dark locks and fucked her mouth gently. She moaned and the vibrations made him grit his teeth.

Sadie pulled her mouth away with a wet pop and spit in her hand before working him harder. She looked up at him as she rolled her palm over the head of his dick. "I want you inside me when you come, David. I need to feel you," she whispered, breathless.

"Come sit on Daddy's lap, baby," he groaned, pulling off his shirt and tossing it away.

She stood and shimmied out of her pajama pants and crawled up to straddle him. He grabbed her ass and squeezed as she rocked against him, their lips mingling together. "I love you, D," she moaned, her hips gyrating into his.

"I love you too, darlin'." He lined himself up with her slick opening, rubbing the head up and down her wet heat as she sank down, moaning. She whimpered and tilted her head back, resting her hands on his shoulders as she slowly took him inside her.

"God, you feel so good inside me," she moaned, kissing along his jawline. "I love when you fill me up, it feels so right." She ground down on him, whimpering as she dug her nails into his shoulders.

David groaned and pushed up into her as she sank down on him again and again. He kissed her hard, thrusting up into her as she met his hips with hers. He wrapped his arms around her, holding her tight as she tossed her head back and forth.

"You're so fucking beautiful." He kissed down her throat, over her collar bone to one breast, sucking the nipple into his mouth as he fondled the other with his hand. She moaned and tossed her head back, grinding down on him.

"Yes, David, fuck me!" she panted. Her nails dug into his shoulders and she whimpered, kissing along his jawline to his lips.

He let her slam down on him as he thrust up into her tight heat, her tongue sliding into his mouth and he thrust up into her as deep as he could go. She broke the kiss with a moan, tossing her head back and he felt himself start to come undone.

"I can't last much longer," he groaned.

"Come with me, baby," she pleaded.

He gripped her hips and held her down on him as he thrust up into her as deep as he could go, shoving into her over and over as she screamed his name. She threw her head back and he wrapped his arms around her, holding her tight as she clung to him.

"Fuuuuuuuck," David moaned. Her inner walls clamped down on him and he shuddered, groaning as he let go. She whimpered and bit her lip as she came undone against him and he filled her with his release.

She slumped against him, her body going limp in his arms. He held her close and laid back against the pillows, bringing her with him so she could rest her head on his chest. "If I wasn't so tired I'd fuck you again," she panted, kissing along his jawline.

"Easy there, mama," he laughed and pulled her closer, wrapping his arms around her. "I can't wait to watch you grow round with our child."

"Are we gonna tell the kids tomorrow?"

"I think we should. I know it'll be hard, but it'll make things easier in the long run. They'll be happy to have a sibling." She laid her hand on her belly and smiled as she cuddled against him. He let her rest until she started to doze off and carried her upstairs to bed, laying her down to sleep and wrapping his arm around her.