A/N Another piece of "Little Moments Like That" I've been trying to finish this one for a couple days, but I can't take a computer to the beach...but finally it's done! Enjoy!
Disclaimer: I own nothing!
The building exploded just as expected. The threat had seemed valid enough for the police to call for a forced evacuation of the high school. Flack winced as the blast filled the air. He knew his wife would not like the news of his proximity to another explosion, however this time he would leave the scene on his own two feet. Now he would have to interview countless numbers of high school students to find out who thought it would be fun to watch the school go up in smoke. He spun around wondering where to start. The chaos was still settling and debris made the air thick and dark. The uniformed officers were corralling the student into the large soccer field across the street. He watched a familiar department issue car pull up next to him. When Angell stepped out, he was almost livid, but not at her. There was no need for her to be in this mess in her condition. She walked over to him and wrapped her arms around him. She knew it was unprofessional, but she had been worried about him. She needed to know he was ok. Flack couldn't reject her; he needed her as much as she needed him. As he held her he could tell she was shaken up by the situation.
"Baby, what are you doing here?" He asked as she still held on to him.
"Interviews, there are nearly five hundred people to talk to" She mumbled.
"No, you don't need to be here, we've got plenty of people. Who called you out?" Flack wondered.
"I'm not exactly sure, I think it was by request of Mac" Angell told him.
"Ok, well then he knows you don't need to be here. I mean I have no idea what's floating in the air and we're still not sure if that was the only bomb." Flack said talking his wife's hand and went to find Mac.
"Hey, I'm sending Angell back to the station, we can manage without her. I don't know what she could be inhaling in this debris and I don't know if the area is secure yet. I just really don't want her out here" Flack rambled to Mac.
"Ok, yeah, that's fine" Mac allowed. Flack took Angell back to her car.
"Alright, I probably won't see you until I get home tonight. Love you" He said kissing her lightly.
"Love you too, be safe" Angell replied before climbing into her car a driving away.
Flack was exhausted and frustrated; he had interviewed nearly a hundred people and was getting nowhere. Mac walked in to find the young detective sitting at his desk with his head buried in his hand.
"Don" He called, trying not to scare him. A set of tired blue eyes looked up at him. "Go home to your wife" Mac urged. Flack knotted his brow in confusion knowing they were far from done with their work. "There's nothing here that can't wait until tomorrow" Mac assured him. Flack sighed and got to his feet, he nodded at the older detective. He collected his things and headed home.
He walked into the apartment to find it seemingly empty.
"Jess?" He called, noticing the light was off in the bedroom. He wondered if she was asleep.
"In here" he heard her voice from the kitchen. From where he stood, he could see she wasn't standing in the kitchen. This furthered his confusion.
"Where?" He asked.
"In the kitchen" Jess announced. Don ventured into the room. "Down here" She added and there he found her under the table, eating a bowl of cereal. He breathed a light laugh as he forced his tired body in to a squatting position.
"Honey, what are you doing?" He questioned.
"Eating cereal" she answered as if she was doing something completely normal.
"Well, my mom taught me to sit at the table, not under it" Don joked. Jess smiled, but it was weak. He knew something was wrong. He looked around her, it was like she had set up camp under the table and wasn't planning on abandoning it anytime soon. "You want to finish that bowl while I get changed, then meet me in the living room for a movie?" He suggested.
"No, I'm good here" She shrugged, turning her attention back to her cereal. Don was terribly confused, he had no idea if this was a normal part of pregnancy or not. He sighed.
"Alright, I'll be back, I'm going to shower and change" He said, figuring if you can't beat them join them. He knew his only chance of figuring this thing out was to be near her. He jumped in a quick shower and changed into basketball shorts and a clean wife beater. He returned to the kitchen and crawled under the table. She had finished her cereal and set the bowl up on the seat of one of the chairs. "Come here sweetheart" he prodded, extending his arms to her. She slid over and snuggled into his chest.
"Mmm, you smell good" Jess noted.
"Thanks, I'm glad I got to see you at work today, I needed that" He said into her hair.
"I'm glad I got to see you too, that was pretty scary stuff" She replied. Don ran a hand across her back and dropped the other hand to her abdomen.
"Are you going to tell me why we're sitting under the table?" He asked gently. Jess's big brown eyes looked up at him. Fear seemed to be the dominate emotion in them. She just shook her head no. As much and Don wanted to help his wife, he knew he couldn't push it. She would tell him when she was ready. "Ok, well I'm starving, I'm going to order a pizza, are you having any?" He changed the subject quickly. A smile lit up her face.
"Yeah, I could have a slice or two" She giggled. He grabbed her cell phone that was sitting under one of the chairs and called the pizza place. When the pizza arrived, he slowly got to the door and paid the guy. He then collected plates and napkins and returned to the fort. After eating, Don grabbed the laptop and a few DVDs. He and Jess settled into the cocoon of blankets under the kitchen table. He placed the computer on his chest and she set her head on his shoulder as the movie started. "It was scary" Jess squeaked. Don looked down at her. He couldn't ignore the fact that she was on the verge of tears. He slid the computer on to the floor and roll onto his side so they were face to face.
"what was scary?" He saw his opportunity and took it.
"Knowing there was another explosion. There was a second there where I thought you might not come home tonight" She admitted.
"I know, but I'm fine, no one got hurt this time" He stated "And you saw me right afterwards" He added. Tears began to roll down her cheeks as she pulled herself into his body. "I need you to know my goal is to always come home to you" Don consoled his wife.
"It's the job; I know that but today was the first time that I really realized if something happens to you I'm not the only one you're leaving behind."She sobbed.
"Jess" Her name was all he could think to say at the moment. She moved so she could look up at him.
"I know it's stupid. I just got to thinking about the last time. I know I really didn't know you that well and clearly you survived or we wouldn't even be in this situation, but I distinctly remember your life hanging in the balance and I know all to well how easy it could be to be back in that position again, especially in our line of work." She cried.
"Honey, it's not stupid, it's completely normal. In four months we are becoming parents and it's scary to know that our jobs could take that away from us. But the truth is we can only do the best we can. We just have to be cautious." Don's voice was soft as he gently brushed the hair out of her face. "I love you so much sweetheart." He whispered softly kissing her.
"I love you too" She replied, rolling over so her back was against his chest. He couldn't resist placing an arm around her belly.
"Do you want a boy or a girl?" He ventured to ask.
"I don't know really, but I do know I want it to be a surprise" She said thoughtfully.
"That's fine with me, you're doing all the work here, the least I can do is please you" He laughed.
"Please me, you say?" Jess turned to look at him.
"Yes ma'am" He joked, sending her one of his heart breaking smiles.
"In that case you can get me one of those lemonade popsicles from the freezer" She ordered. He did a log roll to free himself from the confines of the table then went to the fridge. He returned with a popsicle in each hand.
"There you go Miss Jessica" He said, handing her one.
"Why thank you Donald" She giggled. The couple sat under the table staring at each other while they enjoyed their snack. "Donnie, will you hand me my phone" Jess asked sweetly. Don smiled and reached for the small device. As he turned away from her, she stole a huge chunk of his popsicle.
"Hey! That was mine!" He gasped.
"Blame your child, they wanted it" she shrugged. Don rolled his eyes and quickly finished off the rest of his popsicle. He leaned in a kissed her slowly. The kiss tasted of lemon as their cold tongues collided. While she was distracted by the kiss, he gently removed her unfinished popsicle from her hand. In one swift movement, he broke the kiss and swallowed down the rest of her popsicle. She gaped at him then scowled.
"Sorry, sympathy cravings" He grinned.
"Oh shut up and kiss me again, you dork" She demanded, grabbing a fistful of his wife beater.
Don could tell she was tired and was so close to sleep. After their snack they settled into pleasant conversation about the coming addition to their family.
"What do you say we go crawl into the big bed at the end of the hall and call it a night?" He suggested, stirring her slightly. He instantly felt her body go rigid.
"No, I, please, I feel safe under here" She protested. Don still couldn't figure out why she could leave to go to the bathroom, but couldn't get into bed or go anywhere else, but he wanted her to feel safe. If she felt safe under the table, he would humor her.
"Ok, if you want to stay here, we'll stay here" He allowed, pressing a kiss into Jess's temple. She soon fell into what seemed to be a peaceful sleep. Don watched her. As she slept the worry seemed to drop out of her features and he loved how she constantly had a protective hand on her abdomen. Her hair was wild and unruly and she looked down right adorable in his old YMCA shirt that no longer fit perfectly due to her expanding midsection and a pair of his basketball short she had commandeered sometime in the last month. He reached for her discarded cell phone and set the alarm so he'd be up in time for work.
Don greeted the day looking at the underside of his kitchen table. Jess was still dead to the world beside him; the alarm had done nothing for her. He didn't mind though, she needed her sleep. He carefully slid from her gently grasp and readied himself for work. When he returned, she was still sleeping. As much as he hated to do it, he slowly woke her up.
"Jessie" He said softly. Her big brown eyes opened. "Can I convince you to come out from under the table and get some real sleep in our nice comfy bed?" He wondered. She nodded and he helped her out from her safe haven. Don led her down the hallway after he gathered up what bedding had been used during their camp out. She was not quite conscious enough to be sure of her footing, so she stumbled over her feet a little. As she climbed into bed, he tucked her in, kissed her lightly and left for work, but not before telling her he loved her.
The first chance he got, Flack took full advantage of the couch in the CSI's break room. He stretched his sore body out on the piece of furniture.
"Flack you look like hell" Stella commented, pouring herself a cup of coffee.
"Yeah, rough night, you mind pouring me a cup?" He grunted, sitting up. Stella brought him the steaming cup. "Thanks, I spent last night on my kitchen floor" He sighed, sipping the warm liquid.
"Well that either means you were having wild sex or a bad fight" She assumed. Flack laughed.
"Not quite, when I got home from work last night, Jess had taken up residence under the kitchen table." He started. Stella cocked and eyebrow.
"Odd" She said simply.
"I think I figured out that that's where she feels safe and the crime scene yesterday rattled her. It brought up some fears about the dangers of our job." He explained.
"Yeah, I guess that can get scary now that you have the little one to consider" Stella understood, a small smile playing on her face.
"Exactly, so to make her feel better, we talked it out a stayed where she felt safe. Now she's our bed sleeping and I'm stiff and sore, but over all I think it was worth it" Flack smiled.
"You're a good husband, and you're going to be a great father" Stella mused, kissing him on the cheek and heading back to work. As she left, Flack made himself comfortable once again, waiting for his next call.