TITLE: This Magic Moment
SUMMARY: New York's Finest have to face the most challenging case of all. Parenthood.
SPOILERS: If it's referring to a past case, I suggest you get caught up on your episodes so I ruin nothing for you.
DISCLAIMER: What's theirs is theirs, what's mine is mine. End of story.
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Purely a work of my tortured imagination. DL, FlackStella, OC's welcome.
RATING: T for terrific!
--
"DANNY? Can you come here for just a minute?" Lindsay's usually calm voice betrayed her as it trembled while calling her husband. Danny looked up from his place on the couch, turning off the Yankee's game before bursting into action. He sprinted down the short hallway to the bathroom door, skidding into the wall due to the lack of purchase his socks had on the wooden floor. He nearly fell over from the impact and backtracked gracefully, holding onto the doorjamb for support. Yeah, let's not do that again. He stopped grinning at his own goofiness when he saw the look on his wife's face. "Linds? Baby, what's the matter?"
Lindsay looked up, her brown eyes wide. On her left hand, her wedding band with the small diamond flanked by the two sapphires sparkled in the bathroom light and Danny almost smiled at the sight. Her right hand, however, held something that gave him chills and butterflies and the willies all at once.
"Is that…?" He didn't have enough strength to finish the sentence. Her scared eyes and quivering lip answered it for him.
She held up the pregnancy test, holding it out for him to see. "Blue means yes," she whispered, displaying the proof like she was at court, testifying in a case. He gulped and nodded, stepping closer to get a better look. "Are you sure?" his voice trailed off at the sudden fire in her eyes.
"Of course I'm sure, Danny! These things really don't lie!" Her hand was shaking but her voice wasn't anymore and she sat down on the toilet, breathing heavily.
"Well, yeah, but they've been wrong before, Linds…" once again, Danny couldn't finish. They had been married for a year, and after six months, children had become a definite want. She wanted kids, he wanted kids; hell, the whole lab wanted kids to happen with the two of them ever since Stella had announced that she and Flack were pregnant four months ago. God, that still sounds weird. I don't care if I was the best man.
Lindsay shook her head, determined. "No. I'm three weeks late, a never for me, and they don't lie five times in a row." Her gaze drifted and he followed it to see five empty boxes in the trashcan. She looked up at him again, biting her lip. "I'm pregnant." Her voice was low and timid, full of questions and hope.
Danny stepped back with the force of those words. I'm pregnant. Was there ever a scarier sentence in a man's life? For years, Danny hadn't exactly been a love - 'em and leave – 'em type of guy, but he had come close. But he had never wanted marriage, never wanted a family, until he met Lindsay. Correction: until he had kissed her on the flight back from Montana after that stupid trial. That's when he knew that he wanted to marry the woman. That's when he knew that all other women had been a waste of his time. That's when he knew he needed to get the family engagement ring from his ma. That's when he knew… everything.
"You're pregnant," he whispered back, running a hand through his short brown locks. Lindsay nodded, wringing her hands. He looked up from the tile of the bathroom floor to focus on his wife. "We're pregnant," he corrected himself, a smile growing across his handsome features. Soon, he was full out laughing, pulling Lindsay into the moment and a giant hug. He kissed her lips passionately, attempting to pull the breath out of her, to show her how he was feeling. Lindsay kissed him back until neither of them could breathe, and then he pulled back to rest his forehead on hers.
"It's a baby, baby," she whispered lovingly, taking one of his hands in hers and guiding it to her belly. Danny's hand stiffened and then relaxed against her flat stomach. He traced a finger up and down her abdomen, feeling her shake with suppressed laughter. "Yeah," he breathed, kissing her nose lightly. "Our baby."
--
"The Greeks are praying for a girl to go along with what the Irish are sure is going to be a boy!" Lindsay blinked in surprise at Stella's greeting the next morning, putting down her coffee cup that held raspberry tea instead of her customary drink. She smiled shyly and returned back to the reports she was scanning over as the older woman made her way over to the younger's desk, smiling like a politician's wife. "Congratulations, kiddo!" Stella pulled Lindsay into a bone-crushing hug that had the young woman gasping for air. "Stella, Lindsay and the baby need to breathe."
Stella let go quickly, her face glowing with excitement. "Sorry. I'm just so happy for you!" She refrained from hugging Lindsay again, instead resorting to kidnapping Danny's desk chair and sitting down slowly. She rubbed her slight tell-tale tummy happily, cracking her neck. "Danny's telling everyone he can get his hands on in the break room. Just thought I should let you know."
Lindsay grinned. "I figured he might. He was so excited last night and this morning. It was like he was walking on clouds." Her grin grew bigger at the memory. "He called his parents, and mine while I was asleep. It was so embarrassing when my mother called me this morning to talk to me and tell me that my husband is far too – overeager." She laughed and leaned in, motioning Stella closer. "Mom told me to issue him on diapers for the first six months and see how enthusiastic he is then."
Stella chuckled appreciatively and nodded. "Ma Flack told me the exact same thing. You remember how Don was when we found out?"
Lindsay nodded, smirking. "Same reaction as Danny, I seem to recall."
Stella grimaced. "At least Danny didn't put banners up around the office."
"Shh, he might hear you. Don't give him any funny ideas." The two women laughed at the happiness of their husbands, loving every minute of it.
As her laughter died away, Stella's green eyes suddenly became serious. "So, how are you feeling? Honestly," she added severely, knowing how Lindsay could be when she wasn't telling the whole story. Lindsay grimaced at the tone of Stella's voice and leaned back in her chair. "I'm… a nervous wreck, Stel, to tell you the truth." Lindsay sighed, running her fingers through her hair. "This is April, which means I'm going to be pregnant through the summer and into winter, which won't be a whole lot of fun for Danny. And then there's the question of my age." She lowered her voice so Stella had to practically stand to hear what her colleague was saying. "I'm twenty-nine years old, Stel. Danny's going to be thirty-one in August. My mother was twenty-five when she had me, and I'm the second youngest of seven!" Lindsay's eyes were panicked. "I don't know if I'm ready to have a baby!"
"Lindsay, listen to me." Stella's kind eyes were comforting and Lindsay could feel some of her panic rush away. "I'm four months pregnant and so excited I can barely stand it. I'm also thirty- seven years old. Don's thirty, which is an even more odd age difference than anything I've ever heard of before." She stopped, thinking. "Well, not really, but it's a lot bigger span than you and Danny. I'm not entirely sure either, but what new mother is?" She reached across the desk to gently encase Lindsay's hand in her own. "Sweetheart, Danny loves you from the bottom of his soul. There's nothing, and I mean, nothing, that man wouldn't do for you." Stella smiled. "You're ready."
Lindsay sighed, twisting her hand so it was holding Stella's. Soft brown eyes met warm green and she smiled. "I know you're right."
Stella nodded certainly, patting Lindsay's hand twice before pulling away. "That's the spirit. As the Greeks say," she thought for a moment before grinning. "That's terrible, I can't even remember it in Greek. But I know what I'm saying. Wonder is the beginning of wisdom." Stella's eyes lit up at Lindsay's confusion. "What I mean is, you're scared now. You don't know and you're just starting out. But have faith, and soon all will be right."
"Wow, Stel, that's beautiful, really." Danny's voice came out of nowhere, startling them both. Lindsay pressed a hand to her chest as she turned to look at her husband, giggling with surprise. "Danny! You scared me!"
He crossed the room, leaned over, and planted a gentle kiss on her lips. "Sorry." He pulled back, grinning that half-grin of his that had the power to make Lindsay melt. "Flack found his old 'It's a Baby!' banners stuffed in an old locker, so we're gonna cross out 'Flack' and replace it with 'Messer'." He grinned devilishly and grabbed the box of thumbtacks on Lindsay's desk. "We might even sneak into Mac's office and put one in there." He winked at Stella, kissed his wife again, and ran quickly out the door. Lindsay looked at her friend dazedly, shaking her head. "My God," she muttered under her breath, taking a sip of now cold tea. She made a face and Stella snorted. "Lindsay, wonder now. With that one, you're gonna need all the wisdom you can get."
The women's laughter drifted down the hall and into Mac's office where Danny and Don had been caught and were being assisted by Mac himself to hang the sign. The three men stopped and listened; Danny's smile growing wider with every passing millisecond. Mac shook his head and held his end up a little higher. "I hope this won't affect your work," he told his detective, raising a critical eyebrow.
Danny shook his head and firmly taped the sign on the glass of Mac's office. "Gimme today, and I'm a happy man," he replied, grunting with satisfaction when the sign stayed. Don clapped him on the shoulder and stepped back to admire their handiwork. "What are you hoping for, Messer?"
Danny shrugged, jumping off the chair he was standing on. "A healthy baby, I guess."
Flack snorted and shook his head. "Male or female, Messer? Guy or girl? Ragazzo or ragazza? Colleen or…"
"Whoa, Flack man, I get the point." Danny held up his hand to stop his friend. "Frankly, I'm really not caring. I just want a healthy baby." He took off his glasses, pinching the bridge of his nose. "And I hope Lindsay makes it out okay."
Mac clapped Danny on the shoulder, very much like a father would to his favorite son. "Lindsay's strong, Danny. She'll be fine."
Flack nodded. "Yeah, and the kid will be a combination of you two, so I'm thinking really tough with a lot of pig-headed thrown in." He had to move quickly to dodge the punch Danny threw at him and even Mac chuckled at the look on Danny's face. "Seriously though, Messer," this time, Flack held up a hand to stop the blows, "If it's a girl, and this is hypothetical," he minutely moved a few inches away, gauging his distance from the door, "can my son take her to Prom?" He was out of the room before either Danny or Mac had realized what he had said, and the look of dawning that crossed the former's face even scared Mac a little. The older detective motioned to the door as Danny looked at him and the young man bolted for the door, chasing down his best friend. Mac just shook his head and sat back down at his desk. This is gonna be an interesting year.
--
Nine months and several interesting memories later, Lindsay was lying in a hospital bed, her hair laden with sweat and her face contorted into a grimace of pain. Her breathing was labored and Danny winced as she squeezed his hand. "Squeeze as hard as it hurts," he had told her and while she had rolled her eyes at the sentiment before, she was using the offer now. Danny watched in awe as his wife screamed bloody murder several times at the top of her lungs and pushed, expelling a human creature from her body. A nerve-wracking moment and a shrill cry cut through the air, sending Lindsay into tears. Danny kissed her forehead and then her lips, his eyes never leaving the small pink bundle now being bustled about by a nurse. Lindsay's eyes were tired and her smile was weary, but at least she was smiling. "Go tell everyone. I'm not going anywhere," she said to him, resting her head against the pillows behind her. He nodded and kissed her hand once, resisting the urge to hold on forever as he left the room for the reception area.
The whole New York Crime Lab looked up in surprise as Danny came bursting through the hospital doors covered in scrubs and blood. He searched wildly around the room, not really seeking anyone, just wanting to be heard. "It's a girl!" he announced, beaming from ear to ear.
There was a jubilant shout that echoed throughout the room as the news was processed by all present. Don came up to shake Danny's hand, the two men grinning knowingly at each other, like they had a big secret no one else knew about. Stella hugged the proud father, being careful not to jostle baby Jason in her arms. "Congratulations," Mac told him as he shook Danny's hand and Peyton smiled and offered her arms for a hug.
Danny held up his finger and bolted back into the delivery room, anxious to find his wife and new daughter. He almost missed the room Lindsay had been moved to, and when he spotted her, he stopped suddenly, unable to breathe.
There she was, smiling like an angel at the small bundle wrapped in pink in her arms. Lindsay's smile was nothing short of beatific and she carefully moved the blankets to see her daughter better. Danny's heart discontinued to beat for a moment as he contemplated the scene before him. I'm a father. A real, live, honest to God, sure-as-shit father. He blew out the breath he had been holding, grabbing the door handle too keep from falling over. What kinda dad am I gonna be? Will I be good at it? This is the one thing I'm not sure about. He looked up to see Lindsay studying him through the glass. But I'm sure about her. His gaze fell on his infant daughter. And her. He smiled and pushed through the doors to his wife's room. Yeah, I can do this.
Flack and Stella observed the family through the window in the door. "They look so happy," Stella whispered to her husband. Flack looked down at her, and smiled. "So do you," he pointed out, rubbing her back softly. Stella smiled and looked down at the small bundle in her arms. "The pair of them are going to make quite a team."
Flack nodded and rested his head on the top of his wife's. "Jason Donald Flack," he looked through the window at the happy Messers, "and Meghan Marie Messer." He shook his head slowly, suddenly apprehensive. "What if they end up being like Bonnie and Clyde?"
Stella just laughed and pulled her husband away by his tie.
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A/N: So… tell me what you think and I'll give you a cookie! Not really, but I'd love some nice, warm, gooey feedback anyway!