Lucy stared at herself in the full length mirror and tucked her fingers hands into her waistband. She pulled the band away from her stomach and let it snap back gently. It was the first time she was wearing elastic, maternity pants to work and she wasn't thrilled about it.

"Do you want to try that new Cuban restaurant downtown for dinner?" Tim asked as he emerged from the bathroom with nothing but a towel around his waist. He still had some water droplets cascading down his toned chest. Lucy caught his reflection in the mirror and she immediately turned to look at him.

"That's seriously not fair," she told him off.

"What?" He asked, looking around to see if he had missed something.

"You. You get to stay looking like that," she said, gesturing at his torso, "and I can't even fit into my work pants anymore."

Tim chuckled. The serious look Lucy gave him told him that wasn't the right reaction.

"Babe, you're pregnant. You're literally growing a tiny human."

"I feel fat and I'm only going to get fatter."

Tim walked up behind her and put his arms around her so that his hands were on her stomach. He could feel that her stomach had grown. The thought made him smile.

"You are so beautiful. I don't think you realize just how damn sexy it is that you are carrying our child. Yeah, you're going to gain a little weight, but it doesn't matter. And even if you weren't pregnant, you would be beautiful no matter how much you weigh."

"You always know the right thing to say."

Tim kissed her on the cheek before retreating to the closet to start getting dressed.

"How are you feeling this morning?" Tim asked as he pulled on a shirt.

"Fine. According to the pregnancy blogs I've been reading, I'm one of the lucky ones. Just a little nausea every once in a while. I've only puked twice in the last couple of months. So far, minus the pregnancy pants, this pregnancy has been a breeze."

"Does that mean this little one will have a brother or sister in the future?"

"Let's get this one out of my body before we start talking about another one."

"Deal."

"I'm going to head in," Lucy said. "While you are stuck doing sergeant's paperwork this morning, Aaron and I are teaming up on patrol today."

"Be careful."

"I always am."

A few hours later, Lucy and Aaron were sitting at a small outdoor cafe table finishing their lunch. Lucy threw away a container that still held half of her salad and looked longingly at the cheeseburger Aaron was chewing on. She knew she had to eat healthy for her unborn child, but it didn't mean she had to like it.

"So, Tim's really ok with you being out on patrol?" Aaron asked, wiping his lips with a napkin.

"Why wouldn't he be?" Lucy asked.

"Well, seeing as how you're pregnant."

"A lot of patrol officers work when they're pregnant," Lucy explained. "Angela and Nyla certainly have."

"I know. And I'm all for a woman's right to choose what to do with her body. Tim just seems like the kind of guy who would have an opinion, that's all."

"We talked about it. But ultimately it was my decision. Being pregnant doesn't mean I can't perform my duties."

A call came over the radio. "We have reports of a domestic disturbance at 111 Acorn St."

"We're right down the block from there," Lucy said to Aaron.

"Show us responding," Aaron said into the radio.

Dumping the rest of his lunch in the trash, Lucy and Aaron raced to their patrol car. They pulled up to the address less than two minutes later. It was a duplex with a front porch. With their hands on the butts of their guns at their waist, Lucy and Aaron climbed the five steps to get up to the porch. They both listened at the door, but heard nothing. Aaron banged loudly.

"LAPD! Open up!" He shouted.

The door opened almost immediately. A woman, with a bloody nose and a bruise clearly forming over one eye appeared.

"Ma'am, are you alright? Do you need medical attention?" Lucy asked.

"No, I'm fine," the woman answered, dabbing at her nose with a tissue.

"What happened? Who did this to you?" Lucy continued with her questions.

The woman didn't answer.

"Is he still here?" Aaron asked.

"No, he went out the back door."

"You're sure? Are you alone in the house?" Lucy questioned.

"I am now."

"I'm going to check around back," Aaron said. "You good?"

"Yeah," Lucy answered. Jogging back down the steps, Aaron went around the corner of the house. Lucy turned her attention back to the victim. "What's your name?"

"Alicia," the woman answered.

"Alicia, my name is Officer Chen. I know this might seem scary right now, but we can help you. I…"

WIthout warning, the door swung wide open. Before Lucy could fully comprehend what was happening, a large male, taller than her by at least a foot, came barrelling towards her. Lucy instinctively reached for her gun, but didn't have time to take it out. As Alicia screamed, the male body slammed Lucy, sending her flying down the porch steps. She felt each step below her as she tumbled. She landed on her stomach on the bottom, her head snapping against the concrete and then she blacked out.

At his desk in Mid Wilshire, Tim was just finishing signing some reports when he heard the call come over his radio.

"Officer down!" Aaron's voice shouted through the radio. "I repeat, Officer down!"

Tim immediately got to his feet. Having heard the same call, Grey came out of his office.

"This is Sergeant Grey, I want a status report now," he barked into the radio as he and Tim practically jogged through the hallways towards the parking lot.

"Officer Chen is down," Aaron reported over the radio. "She fell. She's bleeding from the head."

Tim wasn't sure if that news was better than what he was thinking or worse.

"Dispatch, roll an ambulance to Officer Thorsen's last known location," Grey commanded.

"An ambulance is already on its way," the dispatcher replied.

"Aaron, is she ok?" Tim practically yelled into the radio. He didn't receive a response. "Aaron!"

"She's breathing," Aaron finally replied.

Tim got behind the driver's wheel of one of the police vehicles and Grey got in right beside him. Tim turned the sirens on and pulled out of the spot wildly.

"What's their location?" Tim asked as he sped out of the parking lot. His head was racing. He just wanted to get to Lucy.

Before Grey could answer, Tim's phone rang. He answered it immediately even though he knew he shouldn't when he was driving.

"It's Aaron,"

"How's Lucy? What the hell happened?"

"She's conscious. The ambulance just got here."

"What about the baby?" Tim asked.

"I…I don't know. She…she fell down some stairs. Hit her head pretty hard. Tim, I think…I think she landed on her stomach."

Tim felt like he couldn't get any air in his lungs. It sounded like Lucy was most likely ok, but what if something happened to the baby? Grey took the phone from Tim.

"We'll meet the ambulance at the hospital," Grey said before hanging up the phone. Tim's eyes were focused on the road, but his brain wasn't. He just wanted to get to Lucy. He needed to get to Lucy.

"It sounds like she's ok," Grey stated, trying to comfort Tim.

"But the baby might not be."

"Try to stay positive."

They drove in silence the rest of the way to the hospital with the sirens and lights flashing. Tim pulled up right in front and hopped out of the car, without even bothering to close the driver's side door. He raced into the emergency room and ran to the desk.

"My name is Tim Bradford. I'm looking for my wife. Lucy Chen-Bradford. She would have been taken in on an ambulance. She's a police officer."

"They're just pulling in now," a nurse told him.

Tim turned and saw two EMT's pushing a gurney through the automatic doors. Aaron was right behind them. Tim jogged over to where Lucy was strapped to the bed. She had a neck brace on and although it was covered with gauze, her head was bleeding profusely. Her right wrist was taped up between two pieces of plastic so she couldn't move it. She didn't look good, but her eyes were open.

"The baby," Lucy said when Tim grabbed her left hand as he looked over her face so that she was able to see him.

"We're going to make sure the baby's ok," he said, trying to sound reassuring even though he was dying inside. "I'm here. I've got you. You're going to be ok."

"Sir, we need to take her to a room and examine her," a male doctor said as he took hold of the handles to the gurney.

"I'm her husband."

"And you need to let us do our jobs," the doctor insisted.

"She's five months pregnant." Tim informed them.

"We've got an OBGYN coming down to evaluate her. But you need to let us help her."

Tim gave Lucy one last look and then reluctantly let go of her good hand.

"I'll be right here. I love you."

"I love you, too," Lucy called out as the doctor and EMTs rolled her away.

Tim stood in the middle of the hallway, watching the set of doors close in front of him.

"She's in good hands," Grey said from behind him. Tim turned and saw Aaron and Grey both standing there.

"What happened?" Tim asked, not accusatory, but desperate to know how Lucy had ended up in the position she was in.

Aaron answered Tim's question, explaining how he and Lucy had taken the call, approached the house, made contact with the victim, and how Aaron had gone around back based on the victim's statement.

"I wasn't there when she fell," Aaron said. "I should have been there."

"You followed protocol," Grey assured him. "Neither of you had reason to believe that the perpetrator was still inside the home."

"Did they catch the guy after he ran?" Tim asked.

"Another unit on patrol caught him a few blocks over," Grey answered. "He'll be charged with assaulting a police officer. They're bringing the victim in. Lopez and Harper are going to talk to her. Try to get her to press charges."

"I don't want Lucy on patrol anymore," Tim stated.

"Let's worry about that after we make sure everything is ok."

"I'm serious, Wade. It's too dangerous. It's…"

"It's not up to you," Grey stated.

"I know. And maybe it's chauvinistic or…or whatever you want to call it, but she's carrying my baby. Her life. That baby's life. That's all that matters to me in the world."

"I know," Grey said, putting a hand on Tim's shoulder. "I remember when my wife was pregnant. She didn't even have a dangerous job, but I worried about her constantly. I didn't even want her driving herself to the grocery store. Something changes when you're about to be a father and bring a life into this world."

The doors leading to the emergency room opened and a nurse approached Tim.

"Mr. Bradford?" She asked.

"Yes," Tim responded.

"You can come back and see your wife."

Tim didn't need to be told twice. He followed the nurse through the doors and down the hall. She led him to one of the small emergency room rooms. When Tim saw Lucy sitting up in the bed, he nearly wept with relief.

"Hey, how are you doing?" He asked, immediately going to the side of her bed.

"I'm ok."

"She's a little banged up," the doctor who had taken her back answered. "A head laceration that we'll sew up, a mild concussion, possibly a broken wrist. We'll be taking her to X-Ray soon."

"What about the baby?" Lucy asked, desperation in her voice.

"That would be my area of expertise," a female doctor said as she came into the room followed by a nurse pushing an ultrasound machine. The doctor was older, probably in her early sixties with graying hair. She had a warm smile that helped put Tim at ease just a little.

"I'm Dr. Wong. I'm an OB."

"I'll be back when Dr. Wong is finished," the male doctor said, making his way out of the room.

"Well, Lucy, how far along are you?" Dr. Wong asked as she put on a paper gown and gloves.

"Five months," Lucy answered, her voice quivering.

"And have you been having regular checkups with your OBGYN?"

"Yes," Lucy answered. "He said everything is good. It's been a pretty easy pregnancy so far."

"And is this your first baby?"

"Yes."

"When you fell, did you bang your stomach or pelvic area?" The doctor asked as she began preparing the ultrasound machine.

"I…I don't really remember. It was just a few stairs, but I got pushed so hard, I banged my head and passed out. I woke up on my stomach. I must have fallen on it. I…"

Tim could tell Lucy was beginning to lose it. He was impressed she had kept it together for so long. He squeezed her hand.

"Have you been feeling your baby move at all?"

"No."

"How about before the fall? Have you felt the baby move yet at all?"

"No," Lucy answered quietly.

"Is that bad?" Tim asked.

"No. That's completely normal. Especially in a first pregnancy, some women don't feel the baby moving until 24 weeks. Let's get an ultrasound and find out what's going on."

After the nurse slowly rolled up Lucy's hospital gown to reveal her stomach, the doctor squirted a goopy liquid on Lucy's skin. Grabbing the wand for the ultrasound machine, she began to press it and move it around Lucy's stomach. A blurry, black and white image appeared on a screen. Tim couldn't make heads or tails of it. He kept his hands in Lucy's. A few seconds later, a thumping sound could be heard. The doctor smiled.

"That is the sound of a strong fetal heartbeat," the doctor said.

"Oh thank goodness," Lucy cried out, tears falling down her cheeks. Tim let out a breath as well.

"The baby looks good," the doctor said, staring closely at the monitor. "The placement is good, the heartbeat is strong. I think this little one is going to be ok. We'll keep a fetal heart rate monitor on you for a few hours and most likely do another ultrasound, but everything is as it should be. Assuming the next few hours go well, we'll send you home tonight. You should follow up with your regular OBGYN."

"Thank you," Tim said.

"Of course," Dr. Wong said with a smile. "I'm not sure if you have spoken to your OBGYN about this yet, but would you like to know the sex of the baby?"

"You can tell that?" Tim asked.

"Yup. You're right at twenty weeks. That's when it starts becoming easier to tell. And the baby is in the perfect position. So, mom and dad, do you want to know what you're having?"

Tim and Lucy locked eyes. They didn't have to verbalize anything to know what the other was thinking.

"I think we could use some good excitement today," Lucy said. "What are we having?"

The doctor pointed to a small area on the screen. "Congratulations, you're having a little girl."

Tim leaned down and kissed Lucy on the forehead being careful to avoid the gash in her head.

"A girl," Lucy whispered.

"A girl," Tim repeated, still processing it.

Lucy laughed, but then regretted it. She was pretty banged up and laughing hurt.

"Now that my work here is done, I'm going to find Dr. Edwards," Dr. Wong said. "We'll get that X-Ray done and take care of that wound on your head. And I'll have my team give you a fetal heart rate monitor. I'll be back in a little while to check on you."

"Is the X-Ray safe?" Lucy asked. "Since I'm pregnant?"

"It's perfectly safe. They will only be X-Raying your wrist. It won't be anywhere near your baby."

"Thank you," Lucy said. "Sorry for all the questions, I'm just…"

"Overwhelmed?" The doctor filled in. "That's completely understandable. You got lucky today. I have a feeling in your line of work that it could have been much worse. I'll be back in a few moments."

As she and the nurse left, Tim gave Lucy a proper kiss.

"You scared me to death today. Lucy, when I heard Aaron call over the radio, I…"

"I know. I'm sorry. I should have been more careful."

"Aaron told us what happened. It sounds like you both did everything right. You had no way of knowing that the suspect was still inside the house. I'm just glad it wasn't worse."

"I want to be taken off patrol," Lucy stated. "I know I said before that I could do it while pregnant, but I can't. I can't take the risk. I'll do a desk job or…or whatever Grey assigns me to do, but I won't risk our baby again. I'm sorry that I ever was stubborn enough to think that I could or should do it."

"Hey, hey, no. This was not your fault. I get it. Being a cop is who we are. You going out there to protect the community is who you are. And I wouldn't want it any other way. But I'm not going to pretend that I'm not elated that you're making that choice. If it were up to me, I'd wrap you in bubble wrap for the next five months and not let you out of my sight."

Lucy laughed. "Don't make me laugh. It hurts."

"Sorry." Tim brushed some hair away from her face. Thinking about what the doctor had just told them, a smile creeped onto his face."Hey, I don't know if you heard what the doctor said, but we're having a girl."

"We are."

"We're going to have a daughter."

"We are. You're not…disappointed are you?"

"Disappointed? To bring another strong woman into this world like her mother? That's anything but disappointing."

"I have a feeling she is going to have you wrapped around her little finger from the moment you lay eyes on her."

"Just like her mother," Tim said as he leaned in to kiss her.