Consequences can be scary.
Nate was sitting at the kitchen table looking through some files in search of their next victim who needed help. Sophie came down the stairs slowly. She had spent the night and after they both had a lovely breakfast in bed, Nate , since he was already washed and dressed, went downstairs to work while Sophie relaxed a bit more in bed and then took a nice long hot shower.
"Hey" Nate lifted his head from the file when he heard her approaching " Could you help me with these, please?"
"Nate, " she sighed "I'm late"
Nate was a bit taken aback, where does she have to go?
"OK, I won't keep you. Where do you need to go so urgently?" He asked curiously.
"No, Nate. I'm late" She said more firmly hoping he understood.
"OK, I got that. You're late." He was frustrated now. Why did she keep telling him that she was late.?"Go and stop arguing with me, if it's so important!"
Sophie was annoyed now too. "Men," she sighed "Nate, I'm late as in my period his late."
"Oh" He stood there shocked when her words finally hit him. "Oh… How sure mmmh, "he stumbled with his words "How sure is it?" he asked a bit embarrassed.
"That I'm late? Definitely, It's been five days now. That I'm pregnant? I haven't took a test yet. I was going to wait until today to go to the pharmacy. " She paused waiting for his response "Nate?"
"Yeah, do you want me to come with you?" He was very nervous. All different kind of emotions were hitting him all at once.
"No, there's no need to, but I would like you to be there when I take it."
"Of course. I'll wait for you here."
Sophie nodded a bit more relaxed now since she knew that she wasn't going to be alone in this.
She took her bag from the chair and exited the apartment.
Nate heard the door closed behind him and breathed heavily. He was nearly 50, how can he have found himself in this situation? A baby? The word felt strange in his mind. He's already gone through this. Sam was expected. With Maggie they decided to add another member into their family. But this baby was totally unexpected. It wasn't supposed to be a real relationship, but he knew that after a few weeks he was hooked and wanted more, even if Sophie was still living in the "friends with benefits" fantasy. But a baby meant a family, a new member to the strange unconventional family they've created with the team. A baby? He was probably going to be a father again. He went for the bottle of whiskey that he kept under the kitchen sink. He didn't bother with a glass and drank straight from the bottle. He needed to clear his head. Will he do a better job this time around? Will he look at this baby and see Sam and run away because it would hurt too much? After a couple of swallows he put the bottle away. As much as he wanted to, now it wasn't the time to get drunk. He needed to be there for Sophie. He might be panicking for nothing. Yes, it's probably nothing.
Sophie was standing in the middle of the local pharmacy in front of a long pile of different pregnancy tests. How many are there? She gave a small chuckle, it was ironic, she was in her mid-forties and she looking at the pregnancy tests scared of them like a teenager. She knew that birth controls weren't 100% effective, but still…
She finally took one and went to the counter and gave a small embarrassed smile to the young lady working there who was looking at her strangely. A baby? She never thought she was ever going to be a mother, even when things with Nate became serious. Was she the motherly type? Yes, sometimes she felt protective for the younger members of the team, but that was just friendship. But a baby? That's different. You need to take care of them, give them stability and that was something she was definitely not good at. If things got difficult her first instinct was to run away. Plus there was Nate. A baby meant that there was going to be something in this world that would tie them forever. She smiled at that thought. Well that wasn't so bad after all. She opened the door of the apartment waiting to see what fate had in store for her.
"How long has it been?" he asked for what seemed the hundredth time.
"30 seconds since the last time you've asked." She answered exasperated. "The timer will tell us when it's ready. Nate, I'm already nervous I don't need your anxiety as well"
"Sorry" he apologized. There were sitting on the bed waiting for the results of the test. He put an arm around her and she laid her head on his shoulder receiving a bit of strength from his embrace.
"What if it's positive?" she whispered. He stayed silent and she was getting more anxious with every passing second.
"Then we'll be great parents to a lovely baby" He answered
"Really?" she looked at him surprised and relieved.
"Really." He smiled "I mean, I am scared but I'm not going to lose another child, And yes, it might be difficult at first because of Sam, but I promise you and the baby that I'll do my best"
"Good, because the more I think about it and the more I'm ready for it . I never thought I'll be a mother, but I kind of like the idea. And a baby between us would be just perfect. Your looks with my intelligence." She smiled.
"Don't you mean my intelligence and your looks?"
"You don't think I'm smart?" she asked faking indignation. "However I would like it to have your blue eyes, boy or girl, not your hair through. They're too difficult to tame" She passed a hand through his knots.
"There's nothing wrong with my hair." And he patted it back down" And you know you can't just choose what quality you want."
"Yeah, yeah. I know it will be perfect either way."
And then there was the ring from the timer.
"It's done"
"OK" She sighed and turned around the test.
"So?" he waited
"It's negative." She still looked at it hoping the answer would change in front of her eyes.
He could hear the disappointment in her voice and her eyes started to tear up. "Sophie" he held her in his arms trying to comfort her. He realized that he was a bit disappointed too. He might have been shocked an hour ago, but he was slowly starting to like the idea.
She dried her eyes with the back of her eyes. "It's okay. We weren't even expecting it, can't miss something you weren't supposed to have from the beginning, right? I still need to go to the OBGYN, but…"
"It's okay to feel sad about it, we were already making plans about it and starting to get used to the idea. It doesn't mean we can't try again , this time for real."
"I don't know. We're not exactly living a child safe life, maybe this is for the best." She tried to make excuses so it wouldn't hurt so much. Nate knew that.
"Sophie" he turned her around, put his hands on her shoulder and forced her to look at him in the eyes. "If you really want a baby, then we will try" he said with confidence. "If not now, then in a couple of years. I promise"
Sophie just nodded with a small sad smile, gave him a quick kiss and hugged him. "Better now or we might get scared again" she chuckled against his chest.
He laughed too. "Want to start on this baby making then?" he asked mischievously.
She lifted her head and eyed playfully. "You know it doesn't really work like that, right?"
"Well, it doesn't mean we can't practice" he grinned and kissed her passionately