Gail paced excessively outside the glass door of Oliver's office. It was early, not even 8 am, but she knew he'd be here soon. She picked at the skin on the side of her thumbnail until it bled, which distracted her momentarily from the panic creating footprints on her brain.
When she found out, last night while sitting on the couch shoveling cheese puffs in her mouth and watching horrible reality shows on Bravo, her first reaction was sheer elation. She jumped off the couch, dumping her bag on the floor, and ran to her wife standing in the hallway outside the bathroom. Gail grabbed the pregnancy test from her hands, momentarily forgetting that it was saturated in Holly's pee, and double checked the results.
They were pregnant.
They'd only done two rounds of IVF, using Holly's eggs and the sperm from a guy who looked strikingly like Gail down to the blonde locks and baby blue eyes. The experts told them not to get their hopes up, that usually it can take 3, 4 or even 5 rounds before an embryo would stick.
They celebrated at Holly's favorite Italian restaurant, Gail claiming they needed to fatten her up, and then again at home with mind blowing celebratory sex, Holly claiming that her hormones were already raging. As Gail lay in bed after, Holly already sleeping curled into her side, the elation lead way for panic and the panic to fear. They were going to have a child. She had no idea how to be a dad, she could barely remember to take care of herself never mind a very small creature that would look a lot like this beautiful woman next to her. She pulled herself from Holly's grasp and wandered into the kitchen, resigning to the fact that she wouldn't be sleeping much that night.
Now, she glanced at her watch for what must have been the 10th time, waiting for Oliver to come in. She needed the advice that only he could provide, knew that only he could calm the raging storm of panic in her chest.
Staff Sergeant Shaw had been lagging this morning, knowing what awaited him in his office when he got in was a large stack of paperwork. One of the lovely perks of being a white shirt. He missed the days of patrolling the streets with his coworkers and friends, where he actually felt like he was making a difference. Being Staff Sergeant may have satisfied his wallet, and his new wife Celery, but it didn't satisfy Oliver's need to help others. He smiled to himself as he remembered shifts spent eating, laughing and tackling bad guys with his rookies, who were now all successful TO's and detectives themselves.
He was remembering a particularly fond memory of a grow-op and promises of weapons and shoes as he entered the front door of 15 division, and recognized the petite blonde bobbing her head around his office.
"Hey kiddo! Come on in. I was just thinking about you," he chuckled as he walked up to Gail and his office door, opening it for her and himself to walk in, "I'm pretty sure you still owe me some shoes."
"And weapons!" Gail replied eagerly, shaking the nervousness from her hands.
"Right and weapons," Oliver laughed moving to sit at his desk and put his bag down, "What can I do for you, darling? Or were you just in the neighborhood?"
"Ollie," Gail started, taking in a staggered breath, "break out the cigars. I'm gonna be a dad."
"You're gonna…wait what?" Oliver replied, raising an eyebrow in confusion.
"I knocked Holly up, I'm gonna be a dad," Gail replied with a laugh walking over to the chair opposite Oliver and sitting down. "Well, a giant syringe knocked her up, but I'll be doing all the dad stuff."
"Gail, this is awesome news! I didn't even know you guys were trying to get pregnant!"
"Yeah, well. We didn't think it would happen this quickly. We didn't want to jinx it. But here we are. Pregnant. With child. There is a fetus with Holly's perfect DNA. And DNA from some blonde guy who looks amazingly similar to me. But I'm gonna be that kid's dad, Ollie. Crying and pooping and asking me to play ball. Depending on me. I'm gonna have a kid, Oliver," Gail rambled, finally spilling all of the thoughts that had been running through her head since she was left staring up at the ceiling the night before.
"You're going to be a great dad, kid. In fact, I've been saving this for you ever since you and the doc got married," Oliver's smile grew as he reached into the bottom drawer of his desk and pulled out a plain white box taped closed and handed it over to Gail. She opened it with a swipe of her finger and lifted the lid.
"What's this, Ollie? My mug? You're gifting me my own mug?" Gail laughed as she pulled out the mug that had sailboats underneath the word DAD in big, blue, childish letters.
Oliver laughed and shook his head, "You mean MY mug right? The one you stole from me? I took that back months ago, you didn't even notice it was gone. No, this is your very own dad mug. I had a feeling you'd be earning it soon enough."
Oliver pulled out his own mug along with a bottle of whiskey from his bottom desk drawer. He poured himself a shot, ignoring the fact that it was 8 in the morning, grabbed Gail's new mug, and poured her a shot as well.
"My only advice to you, kid, is to follow your gut. You're going to have a beautiful little girl or boy and that kid will look at you like you put the stars in the sky. So love and accept them and you'll be the greatest dad that kid could ask for. The rest will come easy. Also, the next 9 months will be pretty nuts for your wife. I suggest you get used to late night ice cream runs and sleeping on the couch when you forget she's into rocky road now and not mint chocolate chip." Oliver laughed sliding her mug across his desk.
Gail was starting to feel better, knowing Oliver was right. There was still something that bothered at her mind, however.
"Oliver what if our kid resents us for sticking him with two moms. What if other kids make fun of him?" Gail worries, waving her arms around involuntarily.
"Darlin, your kid's life will be so full of love and light, you know what they'll say to anyone who dares make fun of his two moms? He'll say, 'You'd be a lot happier and less full of hate if you had two loving and open-minded parents like mine, and I feel sorry for you.' That's what he'll say because you're gonna raise a superstar, Peck."
Gail was smiling now, and felt a hot ball of emotion rise from her chest and up her throat. As she choked back tears she looked Oliver in the eyes and said, "Thank you, Ollie. I only hope I can be half as good a dad as you have been to your kids. And me. Because you've been like a dad to me, and I owe a lot to you. I wouldn't be who I am if it weren't for you."
Oliver raised his mug then and leaned in towards Gail for a toast. Gail followed suit and clinked their mugs together softly.
"To the two best looking dads around. And Holly and that beautiful baby growing inside her," Oliver toasts. They downed their shots and placed their mugs back on the table side by side, "And might I add, Oliver makes a great baby name if it's a boy. And for a girl...little Olive of course!"
Gail just laughed and beamed at the man in front of her. New exciting emotions raging inside her, she couldn't wait to embark on this new chapter, with her perfect little family.
That night, as Holly was in her pajamas reading in bed, Gail walked up to the bed, wiggled up the mattress and lifted Holly's shirt. She leaned in close to her stomach and patted just above her belly button.
"Hello there little tiny Peck-Stewart baby. My name is Gail, and I'm going to be your dad. I hope you're ready for me because I am so excited to meet you," she whispered into Holly's stomach as the woman below her giggled.
"Babe, you do realize that scientifically speaking you will technically also be our baby's mom right?" Holly questions running her hands through Gail's hair as she talks.
"No way, I'm gonna be the best dad ever. I already have my dad mug, now I just need an apron with some corny pun and a pair of loafers," Gail replies kissing Holly's belly before moving up to lay by her side and snuggling in closer, "I'm not gonna let our kid miss out on the terrible dad jokes either."
Holly just laughed, not bothering to question Gail anymore, and knowing in her heart that she would definitely be the best dad ever.