Chapter Text
Nobody expected Bobby Nash to survive.
The virus spreading through his body had moved too fast, too violently. By the time they pulled him out of the lab, half the hospital already looked at him like a dead man walking.
For a week, Bobby never opened his eyes.
Machines breathed for him.
Monitors tracked every fragile heartbeat.
Doctors moved in and out of his isolation room with grim expressions and careful voices.
And outside the glass walls, Athena Grant waited.
She practically lived at the hospital.
Hen forced her to eat.
May cried quietly against her shoulder at night while Athena kept her eyes fixed on the monitor showing Bobby’s room.
Nobody could physically enter because of the virus risk.
Not for the first two weeks.
Athena could only watch him through cameras and glass while terror slowly hollowed her out from the inside.
Sometimes in the middle of the night she would press her palm against the barrier separating them and whisper prayers she was not even sure she believed in anymore.
Just stay.
Please.
Just stay.
Then somehow—
Miraculously—
Bobby survived.
The morning he finally woke up, his eyes were unfocused and heavy with pain, but the first thing he did was search the room frantically.
The nurse tried calming him.
“Mr. Nash, you need to stay still—”
“Athena,” he rasped weakly.
His voice barely worked.
The nurse quickly turned the monitor toward him.
Athena appeared on screen immediately from the observation room next door.
The second Bobby saw her, relief flooded his exhausted face so intensely it nearly broke her.
“There you are,” he whispered.
Athena burst into tears right there in front of everyone.
“I’m here,” she choked out. “I’m right here, baby.”
Bobby looked at her like seeing her was the only thing keeping him tethered to earth.
And maybe it was.
—
Recovery was hell.
Even after Bobby stabilized, the virus left devastation behind.
His lungs burned constantly.
Walking exhausted him.
Some days holding a glass of water too long made his hands shake.
He stayed in the hospital another month while doctors monitored complications and kept him isolated.
Athena stayed through all of it.
Every day.
Every night.
Even when Bobby insisted she should go home and rest.
“I’m not leaving you here alone,” she told him firmly.
He smiled weakly every time she said it.
But sometimes Athena caught him watching her with guilt in his eyes.
Because Bobby remembered the things he said before the lab incident.
The symptoms he hid.
The exhaustion he ignored.
The way he kept insisting he was fine while his body quietly failed him.
And worst of all—
He remembered the lab.
Remembered Athena crying.
Remembered himself saying the words that now haunted both of them.
*“My time in LA was borrowed.”*
At the time he meant it differently.
Bobby had spent years believing happiness after losing his family was something temporary. Something he did not deserve to keep forever.
But he never realized how those words sounded to Athena.
Never realized they planted fear inside her that would continue growing long after he survived.
—
When Bobby was finally discharged, Athena extend her leave from work immediately.
For weeks she stayed beside him constantly.
She managed medications.
Drove him to therapy appointments.
Cooked meals he barely had energy to eat.
Helped him shower when dizziness made standing difficult.
Sat awake through nights when coughing fits left him breathless and shaking.
She cared for him with terrifying devotion.
And Bobby loved her for it so much his chest ached.
But slowly, he started noticing something strange.
Athena was there constantly—
Yet somehow felt far away.
She kissed him.
Touched him gently.
Curled beside him every night.
But sometimes Bobby woke in the dark and found Athena staring at him with an expression that made his stomach twist.
Fear.
Grief.
Like she was already preparing herself to lose him.
Then she would notice him awake and immediately force a soft smile.
“Go back to sleep,” she’d whisper.
Bobby told himself it was trauma.
Of course it was.
He nearly died.
Athena nearly watched him die.
But the feeling never fully disappeared.
And as the second month of recovery began, Bobby noticed other things too.
Athena looked exhausted lately.
Paler.
She came home from work drained to the bone.
Twice he caught her barely touching dinner before claiming she was too tired to eat.
And every morning lately—
She got sick.
The first time Bobby heard her vomiting in the bathroom, panic nearly stopped his heart.
“Athena?”
He ignored the ache in his body and followed her immediately.
Athena knelt beside the toilet breathing hard afterward while Bobby crouched beside her, terrified.
“Baby, what’s wrong?”
“I’m okay,” she insisted quickly.
“You’re obviously not okay.”
“Probably just a stomach bug.”
But then it happened again the next morning.
And the next.
By then Bobby knew something was wrong.
Deeply wrong.
“Athena,” he asked quietly one morning after she rinsed her mouth at the sink, “are you..?”
Athena froze.
Only for a second.
Then she shook her head too quickly.
“No. I’m just exhausted.”
Bobby studied her carefully.
She would not meet his eyes.
And suddenly dread settled heavily inside him.
—
Three days later, Athena left the precinct early.
She sat inside her car gripping the steering wheel so tightly her knuckles hurt.
Then finally she texted Bobby.
"Got caught up on a case. Probably gonna be home late tonight."
His response came immediately.
"You okay? Home safe."
Athena stared at the screen until tears burned behind her eyes.
"Yeah. Just tired. Home safe."
Lie.
Another lie.
—
The doctor confirmed the pregnancy within twenty minutes.
“Congratulations, Mrs. Nash,” the woman said warmly. “You’re pregnant.”
Athena cried immediately.
A baby.
Their baby.
At fifty years old.
A miracle.
And terrifying.
“What are the risks?” she asked quietly through tears.
The doctor explained gently.
High-risk pregnancy.
Possible complications.
Miscarriage risk.
Premature labor.
Potential danger to both Athena and the baby.
Athena listened silently while fear wrapped tighter around her chest.
“But there’s still a chance for a healthy pregnancy?” she whispered.
“Yes,” the doctor assured softly. “With careful monitoring.”
Athena nodded slowly and rested a trembling hand over her stomach.
She wanted this baby already with overwhelming intensity.
But fear poisoned the joy before she could fully hold onto it.
Because all Athena could think about was Bobby in that lab.
Exhausted.
Ready to sacrifice himself.
Talking like death was waiting for him somewhere peacefully.
And maybe worst of all—
Part of her feared Bobby still wanted it.
She loved him desperately.
But sometimes love was not enough to keep someone alive.
And Athena could not let her child grow up fearing every goodbye.
She could not survive watching Bobby choose death again.
If Bobby eventually decided he wanted peace more than this life with her…
Then maybe loving him meant letting him go.
The thought shattered her.
—
Rain fell softly by the time Athena arrived home.
The house lights still glowed warmly through the windows.
And Bobby was awake.
Waiting.
The second she stepped inside, Bobby stood carefully from the couch.
Recovery still slowed him down. Pain still lingered in every movement.
But his eyes locked onto her immediately.
Worried.
“You were gone five hours.”
“I told you I got stuck at work.”
“No,” Bobby said quietly. “You told me that because you didn’t want me asking questions.”
Athena’s breath caught.
Bobby stepped closer.
“You barely eat.”
Silence.
“You look exhausted all the time.”
Athena looked away.
“You keep getting sick every morning.”
Her throat tightened painfully.
“And now you come home looking like you’ve been crying.”
His voice softened.
“Athena… talk to me.”
She couldn’t anymore.
The fear was too heavy now.
Bobby noticed the medical papers clenched tightly in her hand.
His expression changed instantly.
Slowly he reached toward them.
Athena’s fingers tightened instinctively.
And Bobby understood immediately.
His breath caught sharply.
“Athena…”
Tears spilled down her cheeks.
“I’m pregnant,” she whispered.
For one heartbeat Bobby just stared at her.
Then his entire face transformed.
Not fear.
Not panic.
Pure overwhelming joy.
“You’re pregnant?” he repeated breathlessly.
Athena looked startled by the emotion in his voice.
Bobby laughed suddenly—soft, disbelieving, emotional all at once.
“Oh my God.”
His eyes immediately filled with tears.
“Athena…”
Before she could react, Bobby cupped her face gently and kissed her like he could not help himself.
Careful because he was still recovering.
Careful because she was crying.
But so full of love it stole the breath from her lungs.
When he pulled back, he rested his forehead against hers, smiling through tears.
“We’re having a baby.”
The wonder in his voice shattered something inside Athena.
Because he sounded happy.
Truly happy.
Like this was the most beautiful news he had ever heard.
Bobby let out another shaky laugh and pressed one trembling hand carefully against her stomach.
“Our baby,” he whispered.
Athena started crying harder then.
Not from happiness alone.
From fear.
Because now she had something precious enough to destroy her completely.
Bobby noticed immediately.
His smile faded into concern.
“Hey,” he whispered softly. “What’s wrong?”
“You almost died,” Athena admitted brokenly. “And I keep thinking what if next time you stop fighting?”
Confusion crossed his face.
“When you were in that lab,” she whispered, “you sounded ready to leave me.”
Realization hit Bobby all at once.
“Athena…”
“You said your time here was borrowed.”
Pain crossed his face immediately.
“And maybe I can survive loving someone who keeps risking himself,” Athena whispered. “But I can’t let our child grow up wondering if their father secretly wants to die.”
Bobby looked devastated.
“Oh, baby…”
“I know you loved them,” Athena cried softly. “Your wife. Your children. I know they were your whole world.” Her voice shattered. “Sometimes I think part of you still belongs with them more than with me.”
“No.”
The force behind the word stunned her.
Bobby cupped her face carefully with trembling hands.
“No, Athena.”
Tears filled his own eyes now.
“When I lost my family, I thought my life ended with them,” he admitted quietly. “For years I stayed alive because I didn’t know what else to do.”
Athena stared at him silently.
“Then I met you.”
His voice cracked softly.
“And you made me want to live again.”
Fresh tears spilled down her cheeks.
“You didn’t replace them,” Bobby whispered. “You saved me.”
Athena shook her head weakly. “But the lab—”
“In the lab I was terrified,” Bobby interrupted. “I was exhausted and in pain and scared I wouldn’t make it back to you.” His eyes burned with emotion. “That doesn’t mean I wanted to leave you.”
He rested his forehead against hers.
“Athena, if I had the choice between another moment with my past or an entire lifetime with you…”
His voice trembled.
“I would choose you.”
Athena broke completely.
“Every single time,” Bobby whispered fiercely. “In this life and the next one too.”
A sob escaped her.
“You are my home,” Bobby said. “Not death. Not grief. You.”
His trembling hand slid carefully to her stomach again.
“And this baby?” Tears escaped down his face now too. “This baby is proof I still believe in tomorrow.”
Athena stared at him through tears.
Bobby kissed her forehead gently.
“If there’s another life after this one,” he whispered, “I’ll still find my way back to you.” His eyes locked onto hers with absolute certainty. “And I’ll still choose you.”
For the first time since the lab incident—
Athena believed him.
—
Later that night, rain tapped softly against the windows while Athena rested curled against Bobby beneath a blanket on the couch.
His hand stayed protectively over her stomach.
Neither wanted to move.
The house felt warm.
Safe.
Alive.
Athena listened quietly to Bobby’s heartbeat beneath her ear.
Steady.
Strong.
Still here.
And for the first time in months, Athena finally allowed herself to imagine something beyond fear.
A future.
Their future.
Tomorrow again.