[hockeypreg2]

"It's not time to meet him yet," Zach said gently. "I don't want to meet him yet either. He needs to stay where he is and get bigger so that when it is time to meet him, he's ready."

Dr. Evans patted Caleb's leg. "That's normal. I don't want to deliver this baby now. So let's keep him in as long as possible. What happened today? Was anything unusual before this started?"

[Sam260]

Caleb shook his head against Zach's shoulder as he looked back to Dr. Evans "We were setting up the nursery, and I was starting to feel those uh... uhm... Braxton-Hicks contractions... or... At least I thought thats what i was feeling... and then..." Caleb took a breath and let it out slowly "This really strong one just... wrapped around me. I nearly fell with the impact... Had it not been for the crib and Leo being there, I would have fallen... again." Caleb frowned and looked down.

"I don't like falling... I've fallen close to ten times since my sixth month and that's not good..." Caleb said quietly, reaching down to rub one of his knees that had taken a lot of the damage over the past month.

[hockeypreg2]

Dr. Evans frowned at that. "Are you falling because of dizziness? What happens when you fall?" She brought her stethoscope up to listen to Caleb's heart, still frowning. "Did your previous doctor say anything about your heart or your blood pressure?"

Zach frowned a little as well. "We just thought he was falling because his balance was off. Is ... is it unusual to fall as much as he has been?"

"Yes," Dr. Evans said bluntly. "I am not surprised you went into preterm labor if you've been falling so much. I definitely need to look at the ultrasound now. I need to make sure the placenta hasn't detached." She reached out to squeeze Caleb's hand. "I'm not mad at you so don't get upset. I'm worried. I know I sound upset right now."

[Sam260]

Caleb close his eyes against the tears that threatened to fall, taking several deep breaths to keep himself calm and in some sort of control "He said that he was worried about my heart beating a little too fast, but that it may have been normal because of how small I am and all the stress I've been putting on my body with the pregnancy..." Caleb kicked his feet back and forth slowly and frowned heavily.

"But he told me that the falling... that it sometimes happened... because I was 'center-heavy'... I didn't... I didn't know..." Caleb whispered.

[hockeypreg2]

Zach pulled him close, wishing he could make everything better and protect Caleb and his son. What was the point of money and fame if he couldn't do anything when it really mattered?

Dr. Evans spoke with Debbie when she returned and within minutes Caleb was hooked to an EKG and more labs were drawn to run more tests. Once that was done, she started the ultrasound up, turning it slightly so that Caleb and Zach could see.

"Say hi," Dr. Evans said as she showed them their son's face. He was sucking on his fist and he looked like he was sleeping. "He looks nice and relaxed right now. That's good. He doesn't look to be in distress and his heart rate is good."

[Sam260]

Caleb nodded and smiled, reaching out to trace the outline of their son - even though he couldn't reach the screen from his position, he still traced him in the air "I think he has your nose and your eyes..." Caleb said with a smile as he looked up at Zach "What do you think?"

Of course, he was still worried about what the doctor would find in the lab work and inside of him, but seeing their son always made Caleb smile and feel like he could take on the world.

[hockeypreg2]

Zach had only seen him once before and it was so amazing to see him again. He looked like a real baby now and to know that he was inside of Caleb right now, sucking his fist and napping, curled up in a ball - it took Zach's breathe away. He wiped at his eyes and pressed a hard kiss to Caleb's head.

"He's so beautiful."

Dr. Evans moved the wand around, studying the placenta and the rest of his womb intently. She kept looking, moving the wand an inch at a time. When she was finally done, she moved it back to the baby's face so they could see him again.

"Okay, so the placenta is intact but there is an area that looks suspect. I'm going to have to insist that from here on out you are on bed rest. I don't want you falling anymore and I don't want to risk dislodging the placenta. If that happens you will go into labor again and we will have to deliver."

[Sam260]

Caleb frowned at that but nodded his head, his eyes still stuck on their son as he napped away comfortably. He didn't like the idea of being stuck in bed for the next two and a half months, but if it meant that their son had better chances of survival - he would do it. "And uh... What about..." Caleb blushed and looked down "Things like showering? And... and sex... I mean..."

Caleb cleared his throat awkwardly and squirmed on the bed "We're... well... still... and I..." He could hardly discuss their private sex life with the doctor, and she had been all up in Caleb's insides just moments ago "Showering... Will I still at least get to clean myself?" he settled on asking that more firmly -- if he couldn't have sex, well then he'd survive somehow, but going without a shower for two months or so? Unacceptable in his book... He liked bath time with Zach.

[hockeypreg2]

"No sex. Ordinarily there is no problem having a healthy sex life as long as you are comfortable, but not in this case." Dr. Evans said firmly. "You can shower - with help. You can go to the bathroom - with help. I don't want you walking anywhere without help. If Zach isn't there to help you, someone else has to or you don't get out of bed. Get ready to catch up on Netflix, read some books, do a lot of coloring."

Zach felt himself turn red at the implication by their doctor - a middle aged woman who reminded him of his mother - that they had sex. "Got it. No walking without help."

[Sam260]

Caleb huffed grumpily and stared at Zach "Your baby is too big for my body... I should blame you for this." There was a smile curving the corner of his lips though, which meant he was teasing Zach "And now because he's too big, you took all the fun away from our nights... and other times of the day."

He loved seeing Zach go redder with embarrassment and giggled as he reached out and smoothed the little wrinkle between Zach's eyebrows "Oh stop being so embarrassed, I'm pretty sure the doctor knows all about sex... she is a obstetrician after all, she knows how babies are made, and she definitely knows all about my body."

Caleb turned back to Dr. Evans and smiled - he was starting to feel a lot better now, knowing that their baby wasn't in imminent danger "I don't like the idea of bed rest - You know I'm an active busy body who likes to be nosy... So it'll be hard to stay in bed all day, but perhaps I could sit outside on the porch? the couch? Things like that as well - this way I'm not just stuck in bed?"

[hockeypreg2]

Zach turned redder and hid his face in Caleb's shoulder. He was not good at all with anyone teasing him about his sex life right now. He wasn't used to anyone knowing he *had* a sex life to be honest.

"As long as you are resting and not moving, you can sit outside and on the couch. And someone has to bring you there," Dr. Evans said firmly. "I still want to have you further checked out and have someone look at this EKG because if we have to worry about your heart during labor, that might change your birth plan."

[Sam260]

Caleb nodded his head and rested against the top of Zach's head "Okay, sounds good..." Caleb said quietly - he didn't like the idea of changing their birth plan from a natural birth to anything else, but it went back to that 'if it's good for the baby' thing - he would do it. "Can you tell, just by looking at the EKG now, if there's something wrong with my heart? I've never noticed anything before... I mean... I was a runner before I got pregnant... Track & Field - i never had a problem with my heart."

Caleb set a hand against Zach's back and gently rubbed up and down, he kind of felt bad now for having teased him so much and he wanted to make it up to Zach - but that would have to wait... until they were released and back at the house.

[hockeypreg2]

"These are not my area of expertise," Dr. Evans said. "I don't want to say but I do see a few things that could be questionable. And it might just be that the extra stress of the pregnancy is causing the problems. It might be something that stops after the baby is born."

Zach sighed a little and let Caleb soothe him for a little while. He was scared that this pregnancy was harming Caleb's health. This was going to be their only child. He wasn't going to let Caleb do this again.

[Sam260]

Caleb nodded and smiled at Dr. Evans "Well, find the expert and we'll talk then..." Caleb said and watched as Dr. Evans and Debbie left, pulling the sliding glass door and the privacy curtain closed.

Caleb sighed and turned to look at Zach, lifting his boyfriend's face up to his own. He pressed a tender kiss to Zach's lips "I'm sorry for embarrassing you so much... I sometimes forget that you're not exactly comfortable with people knowing about your sex life... or that you even know what sex is." Caleb said quietly, rubbing the tip of his nose against the tip of Zach's nose.

[hockeypreg2]

"Obviously she knows we have sex," Zach said, his face red still. "But it's still so new that anyone knows that I'm gay. It's weird to just talk about it openly."

He put a hand on Caleb's belly. "I am keeping my schedule clear until he's born. I am not taking any parts and I'm not going to any premiers or anything. Jen will handle it. I'll put a statement out. I'll do another interview with Sam if I have to. I'm staying with you."

[Sam260]

Caleb laughed and shook his head, grasping Zach's hand and bringing it up to his lips. He kissed each of Zach's knuckles and sighed "I don't want you to do that, Zach. I want you to keep working... Maybe not out in the middle of nowhere, but if you could stay in LA... then fine..." Caleb sighed and rubbed his forehead against Zach's hand "Remember what you told me about the relationships you never got into?"

Caleb paused a beat and then smiled "I need my independence, just as much as you do - We can't be around each other twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week. We would start hating each other, regretting each other or feeling remorseful, or... something!" Caleb huffed and sighed "We still need our 'me' time, as well as our 'us' time - Keep your schedule, as long as you're only doing shoots in LA... We'll hire a nurse that can help me to and from places... and then at night, you can take over for her, but otherwise... keep your life just the way it is... Don't change for me, or your son."

[hockeypreg2]

"No parts," Zach said firmly. "I don't think I could concentrate on learning a part right now. And this isn't forever. Just until he's born. But, you're right. I'll do the other stuff I need to do as long as it is in LA. We'll hire someone for when I'm not home. I just ... Caleb, I want to be with you. I want to be the one to help you during this time. He's my son too. I can't do anything else."

[Sam260]

Caleb nodded and kissed Zach softly "Okay... Okay. I won't stop you from being there with us - but you do still need to make appearances at places... If you want to do a press conference or interview, or whatever it is you do, about why you won't be taking any parts in the coming months, you do that..." Caleb sighed and kissed Zach again "I love you."

After a few minutes, Dr. Evans came in with a older balding male in a lab coat and Debbie once again "Caleb, Zach, this is Doctor Simmons. He's the resident heart expert and surgeon - He has looked over your chart, your medical history, and some of your EKG read-outs..." Dr. Evans introduced the man and moved to stand in the corner - where she could keep a close eye on everything, but be out of the way of her colleague.

[hockeypreg2]

Dr. Simmons walked over to the bed and shook Caleb's hand and then Zach's. "Pleasure to meet the both of you. I've taken a look at your chart and at your EKG readings. There are a few indications that your heart is under stress because of the pregnancy. I, like Dr. Evans, believe that you are falling because your blood pressure is actually dipping and causing you to lose your balance. She's informed me that she's placed you on bedrest for the remainder of your pregnancy and I'm in agreement with that. I want to keep you on a monitor overnight tonight so I can get a good look at about 24-hours of readings to get a good idea what is really going on. We'll get started on admitting you and getting you a room upstairs."

Zach looked worried, but nodded. He squeezed Caleb's hand tightly. "Just for one night?"

"Most likely. I - I assume you would prefer a private room?" Dr. Simmons asked, looking at Zach.

"Please. I can pay for it," Zach said with a nod. "We'll provide our own security so the hospital doesn't need to worry about that. My manager will work on clearing out the media outside."

"Good to hear." Dr. Simmons shook Zach's hand again before turning back to Caleb. "We'll figure out what is going on and get you through the rest of your pregnancy. My team will take good care of you."

[Sam260]

Caleb frowned heavily and sighed, wrapping his arms around the top of his stomach "Now I really don't like you, Dr. Evans." Caleb teased, but the frown was still in place as he plucked at the hospital gown he was wearing, he turned to Zach and pouted his bottom lip out "Do you think Jen could find me something... more... fun to wear? This is sooo drab and depressing!"

The doctors and Debbie shook their heads and laughed, "We will see to getting you a room soon, just sit tight." Dr. Simmons said before the three medical staff left the room.

Caleb huffed and resigned himself to the fact that there would be no leaving for the night - he hated being in hospitals overnight and his mantra of 'It's for the good of my baby' was slowly starting to falter and crack under the pressure. A tear slipped down his cheek and he slowly turned onto his side, facing away from Zach. His good mood was falling apart again, and it was all his fault that he wasn't strong enough, his body couldn't handle this... He wanted more kids with Zach, but not at this high price...