It started with a cramp.
Not sharp, not excruciating but low and steady and wrong.
Tiana sat up slowly from the couch, pressing a hand to her belly. The baby had been kicking all day. She'd even laughed earlier when a well-aimed jab knocked her tea off her stomach.
But now… nothing.
She stood, walked a few steps, then paused, willing herself to breathe through the rising panic.
Maybe it was just gas. Or stress. Or Braxton Hicks. She Googled it once false alarms weren't uncommon.
But the absence of movement made her legs feel like paper.
She called her OB-GYN's office and was patched through to the on-call nurse.
After a few calm but direct questions, the nurse said, "You should come in, just to be safe."
Tiana hung up. Her hands were shaking.
Without even thinking, she called Leo.
"Hey," he answered on the second ring, voice warm with surprise. "Everything okay?"
She didn't mean to sound so small when she said it: "I'm scared."
He beat her to the hospital.
When she stepped into the waiting area, she saw him standing near the front desk, still in work clothes, coat half-zipped, eyes scanning every person who walked through the doors. The moment he spotted her, he was moving.
"Hey," he breathed, cupping her shoulders. "What happened?"
She swallowed. "The baby's not moving. Not like earlier."
Leo's expression changed alarm flickering, but he didn't let it break him. "Okay. We're here. You're doing everything right. Let's just see what they say."
His calm steadied her more than the nurse's voice or her own inner mantras.
They were ushered into triage quickly.
A nurse hooked her up to monitors.
The whoosh of the fetal heart rate kicked in like music to both of them.
Leo let out a breath like he'd been holding it for years.
The nurse smiled. "Heart rate looks strong. Let's see if we can wake them up."
Tiana lay back, breathing slowly.
A few seconds later there.
A soft jab. Then another. Her eyes filled with tears she didn't know she'd been holding back.
Leo leaned over, his hand finding hers.
"I didn't know how scared I could be until right now," he said, his voice low.
Tiana turned her head. "I didn't know who else to call."
Leo's gaze locked with hers. "I'm glad you called me."
They sat in silence, the monitor beeping steadily beside them.
The moment stretched between them thick with adrenaline and something else neither of them wanted to name yet.
"Still think Zeppelin's a terrible name?" Leo asked quietly, trying to lighten the mood.
She smiled through the tears.
"One emergency doesn't earn you naming rights, Callahan."
"Worth a shot."
Later, as he walked her out to her car, the air cold and sharp, Tiana stopped by the door and turned to face him.
"Thank you," she said. "For showing up. For being here. For not freaking out."
Leo studied her like he wanted to say something more. Something big.
But he just nodded and whispered, "Always."
And for once, she believed it.