Disclaimer: I don't own the characters of CSI:NY
All Stella and Flack wanted was to enjoy their Sunday off together, but early in the morning it became clear that they were not destined for a peaceful day. At four in the morning Stella felt the horrible stirrings of nausea and bolted from the bed. Flack struggled to stay awake and when she returned folded her comfortingly into his embrace.
"I can't afford to get sick," she moaned, resting her head wearily against his chest.
He kissed her hair as he tightened his arms around her. "It'll be fine. Just try and get some rest."
Rest wasn't on the agenda. By eight Stella had been up and down several more times. When she collapsed into the bed again she held out her hand to hold off Flack. "What if I'm contagious?" she asked.
Flack didn't think she was contagious. He knew that what he had in mind would scare her to death, but in this case he couldn't spare her; not with what he was thinking. "I'll take the risk," he told her, pulling her into his arms. "Stell is this the first time this has happened lately?"
"I've felt a little nauseous all week but it's only gotten worse."
"Stell, I'm going to say something and I don't want you to panic." Blue eyes met green and judging by the nerves he saw there, she probably knew where he was going and she was terrified. "I don't know a lot Stell, but this sounds like morning sickness."
Stella pulled out of his arms and sat bolt straight. "It couldn't be."
He sat up next to her and shook his head. "It could be. Things happen sometimes, and we can't be sure."
She wrapped her arms around her body and shook her head. "We've always been careful."
Flack scooted closer to her, putting his arm around her somewhat cautiously. "We're careful Stell, but sometimes careful doesn't guarantee anything."
"Oh God," she whispered. "We've got to find out."
"I'll go to the drugstore." He kissed her softly before he rose to pull on jeans and a t-shirt. He paused at the door and turned back to her. "Whatever happens, I love you; and we'll handle whatever comes at us."
Despite the fears and worries that were engulfing her, her heart filled to bursting as it always did when he told her. "I love you too."
When he'd been gone five minutes Stella found she couldn't sit any longer. Questions were running through her head. What if she was pregnant? What if she was and she and Flack weren't ready? What if he didn't want a baby? What if? She got up and pulled on a pair of Flack's sweats and a cotton wife beater and tried to find something to keep her occupied.
Down the street from their apartment Flack stood still as a statue in front of a variety of pregnancy tests. He didn't have any idea what to get, so for the moment he was just staring. Then all of the sudden, it hit him. Depending on what one of those ridiculous little sticks said, he could be preparing to be a father.
"Holy shit."
When Flack returned to the apartment he found Stella sitting on the couch sipping a glass of ginger ale. "You ready for this?" he asked.
She took a deep breath. "I think I'm as ready as I'm going to be." She stood and walked to him, letting him gather her in his arms. "I'm sorry about earlier. I hate losing control like that but…"
Flack pulled back enough that he could cup her face with one hand. "It's scary Stell, really scary. You're entitled to be scared. Hell, I'm terrified; but we'll handle this. Whatever the outcome, we'll make a decision and we'll deal."
She hugged him fiercely and the plastic grocery bag swinging at her back was a reminder of what was waiting for them. "We will. I'll be back." She disappeared into the bathroom for a few minutes; when she came back out she found Flack sitting on the couch with a glass of juice in one hand. He was doing more staring than drinking and when Stella came into his line of sight he set the glass down on the table and looked up at her. "It'll be a few minutes," she told him.
She sat down next to him and he took her hand. "You doing okay?"
"I'm still scared Don. What if the tests are positive?"
"Then we make a decision. I guess the question is do you want a baby?"
"Well," she sighed. "You know about my history with men, so you can probably understand what I'm about to say." She pulled her hand from his gently and started lacing her fingers together, playing with her hands. Flack knew that was a sure sign that her mind was working in overdrive. "I never thought after Frankie that I'd never be in a situation to have a baby. I thought for a long time that other than the occasional date I'd just be by myself. Then there was you, and we fell in love so fast and moved in together so fast; and for the first time in my life everything felt so right. For the first time it felt like a perfect fit. I let myself start thinking about the future and forever. I know that I want forever with you."
Flack leaned over and kissed her fiercely. "Forever and everything that comes along with it?"
She nodded. "Do you want forever Don?"
"Yeah, I want forever."
He stroked a hand over his hair. "Okay, so let's go find out if we're getting everything that comes along with forever."
Hand in hand they walked into the bathroom. Flack stood a step behind her as she looked at the four tests she'd taken. The room was deadly quiet for a moment; then Stella's breath expelled in a soft whoosh and she turned to sit down hard on the floor in front of the sink.
Still standing, Flack felt his heart clench. "Is that a yes or a no?"
"Holy shit," she whispered.
The strong expletive coming from her mouth was completely unexpected and made his spirits soar. Grinning, he dropped to the floor next to her. "Considering that's the first thing I said when I was standing in front of the tests, I'm guessing you're pregnant."
She turned to look at him with tears shining in her eyes. "That would be a yes."
"Wow…" he said quietly. "Oh wow!"
Their eyes met and they both burst out in joyful laughter. They got to their feet and embraced fiercely. "We're having a baby!" Stella laughed.
Flack kissed her soundly and pulled her tight against him. "We're having a baby."
Later that week it was official. Stella and Flack had been to the doctor and were officially worried and excited parents to be. The next task at hand was to tell Mac. Only two days after her doctor's appointment Stella was waiting nervously in the lab for Flack so they could speak to Mac. She had spent a good deal of time pacing and was forcing herself to stand still when Lindsay walked up.
"Hey Stella."
"Hey kiddo. Have you seen Mac?" she asked.
Lindsay nodded. "Yeah, he and Danny have been out at a scene. They should be back any minute. You okay?"
She nodded. "I'm good. Flack and I just need to talk to him," she murmured.
Curiously, Lindsay looked the older woman up and down. She took in the nervous look and the hand resting low on her abdomen and her eyes widened. "Oh my God, you're pregnant."
Stella's head snapped back to look at Lindsay; she looked down at her hand and very deliberately moved it to cross her arms. Still, she smiled. "Yeah, I am."
"Congratulations!" Lindsay cried, throwing her arms around Stella. "How are you feeling?"
"I'm fine," Stella laughed as Lindsay pulled away. "I'm excited and a little scared and a little nauseous."
Lindsay smiled. "Is the nausea morning sickness or having to tell Mac?"
"Maybe a little bit of both," she admitted. "I know he'll be okay with it but it's not a conversation I thought I'd ever have with him."
"I'm so excited for you Stella. How's Flack?" she asked.
Stella grinned. "He's deliriously happy, we both are."
"It's so wonderful. Are you okay if I tell Danny?"
"Of course, Flack would be telling him anyway, and I wouldn't ask you to keep something from your fiancée kiddo."
Lindsay's eyes widened again. "The wedding. We'll have to change the plan for the dresses."
Stell saw Flack come off the elevator and waved him over. "You don't have to change the dresses for me, really."
"Don't be ridiculous, you're the Maid of Honor, you should look beautiful and be comfortable. You'll be showing by the wedding so we'll just go with an empire waist dress." She glanced down at her watch. "I've got to go, but we'll talk soon."
Stella watched Lindsay walk away and grinned when the younger CSI threw her arms briefly around a slightly bemused looking Flack. When he reached her she took a deep breath. "Mac should be here any minute."
Flack looked briefly over his shoulder. "He's here now."
Mac came around the corner and headed for his office. Only a few seconds after he was through the door Stella and Flack knocked lightly and walked in behind him. "Hey Mac, you got a second?" Flack asked.
He nodded. "I've got to head down to autopsy but I've got a few minutes. What's going on?"
Stella and Flack shared a look before she decided it was best to jump in with both feet. "I'm pregnant Mac."
He stilled and for a moment his poker face was firmly in place. Neither Flack nor Stella was sure what he was thinking. Then he smiled. "Congratulations you two. How far along are you Stell?"
She smiled. "Three months. I'll start showing soon."
Mac nodded. "I know better than to even consider asking you not to work, but I do have some conditions."
Flack smiled. "I'd be willing to bet that this conversation is going to go a lot like the one we've already had."
Stella nodded and looked over at Mac. "I can understand there being conditions."
"Okay," Mac said. "You won't be working with anything chemical for the next six months."
"That's a given," she told him.
"I'm not done yet. You won't be chasing after any suspects, and I want another CSI or detective with you at all times. You won't be working any cases by yourself."
She sighed. "I can understand that."
"There's more. Your last two months you're not going out in the field at all. I want you in the lab. You get tired, you sit down. You feel hungry; you eat something without putting it off. I don't want you working shifts until four in the morning and if I tell you to go home and get some rest, you're going to."
Stella blew out a hard breath and looked first to Flack and then back to Mac. "It baffles me how you both managed to come up with almost exactly the same conditions," she said.
Mac smiled and walked back towards the door with the other two following behind. "He's going to be a father and I'm a friend. We're going to worry for the next six months." He paused by the elevator and looked over at Flack. "Take care of her Flack," he told her as he stepped into the elevator.
"At least he didn't add ballistics to the list," she huffed to Flack.
"I didn't think of that. No ballistics!"
"Are you like this with every pregnant woman who works here?" Stella asked as the doors closed.
Mac grinned before his face disappeared from view. "You're the first."
Note From the Author: Okay, so this story has been rolling around in my head for a while and I decided I had to put it down somewhere. I don't expect it to be absolutely fantastic so CONSTRUCTIVE criticism is welcome.
