The skies were still dark, but streaks of orange were peeking over the horizon when they stepped into the elevator, ready to leave the Bureau and head home for some well deserved rest. As the doors closed, Emily saw the sadness in his eyes and the signs of exhaustion on his face. She slipped her hand into his, squeezing it gently. Morgan didn't say anything, but gently squeezed her hand and smiled.
"Rough case, huh?" she whispered, knowing how hard it was on him.
He nodded, running his thumb over her knuckles, resisting the urge to pull her into a tight hug and bury his face in her hair, breathing in her comforting scent. "But it's over," he murmured, "I'm just happy to go home with you already."
"I know," she said softly, leaning in to steal a quick kiss. "It's still early. Do you want to head home first or go straight to the hospital?"
"I don't need to go to the hospital, Em. I'm fine," he said seriously, leaving no room for discussion. "I don't need a brain scan."
Emily rolled her eyes. "I was referring to my ultrasound appointment... But you really should get your head checked – you could have serious brain damage."
Choosing to ignore the last thing she said, he gave a sheepish half-smile. "I totally forgot about that. I'm so sorry. I guess I'm just a little cranky..." Looking in her eyes and giving her a genuine smile, he added, "We can go to the hospital right away."
"And what about you?" she pressed, "Are we going to deal with your injuries?"
"I'm fine, baby," he insisted softly, "I got a couple stitches, but I'm fine. No blurry vision, no headaches, no dizziness."
"And what if you're bleeding into your brain? What if you're just not showing symptoms? It's not like it's an invasive procedure, it'll just take ten minutes and it could save your life..." she argued.
But Morgan remained resolute. "I know, but I know my body better than anyone else. I'm really okay, Em. Don't worry about me, okay? I'm going to be around for you and the little one for a long time."
"God, Derek!" she snapped. "Why do you have to be so stubborn! You can't even get a brain scan to save your life when you've got a family on the way!"
It took a few moments for him to realize that it wasn't just about him not getting a brain scan like the paramedic suggested he should. "What is it, baby?" he asked seriously. "I know it's not just about me not getting the scan. I don't know what's going on in your mind unless you tell me."
She sighed heavily and shook her head. "You know what, you should just go home. I'll go for my appointment by myself."
"No. Baby, don't do this," he murmured, "Please. I want to see Pancake. I need to know that the two most important people in my life are healthy. Please?"
"This is all on you. I need to know that you are healthy and if you can't even do that, then I don't need you there."
"Baby, don't do this," he pleaded, sighing softly. "I swear, I'm perfectly healthy."
"So, get the scan and prove it," she whispered, looking at him with tears in her eyes. "If you won't do it for yourself, do it for me, do it for your child who needs his or her daddy for the next eighteen years. I need you. You're not invincible..."
He sighed, wrapping his arms tightly around her and looking into her eyes. "I know I'm not and I'm not trying to be. I will be here for you and our baby for a long time. You're not getting rid of me so easily. I won't let Pancake grow up without a daddy..." he whispered, resting his hand on her now slightly swollen belly.
Emily kissed him softly, resting her forehead against his. "Get the scan," she murmured, "Do it for me and Pancake. I can't sleep not knowing for sure that you're okay. Please..."
"I hate hospitals and doctors..." he said, sounding less like a stubborn man and more like a petulant child and she knew she was wearing him down. "I hate waiting for results."
"I know..." She squeezed his hand sympathetically. "We've got time before the ultrasound, get it done then and you'll be so distracted seeing Pancake for the first time to worry."
He sighed, burying his face in her hair. "I love you and I'm sorry I made you worry about me."
"I love you too," she soothed, hugging him tightly, "I know you didn't meant to. So, you're getting the CT scan?"
"I guess I have to because Mommy here isn't letting me see my baby until I do," he teased.
"That's right," she said seriously, "You'd better start making me happy now because the hormones and mood swings are only going to get worse from here..."
...
As Emily lay on the exam table, paper crinkling under her as she propped herself up on her elbows, Morgan paced anxiously, waiting for the doctor.
"Baby, stop pacing, you're making me dizzy," she scolded, grabbing his sleeve as he passed her and pulling him into the chair next to her.
"I'm sorry, I'm just nervous and excited all at once," he murmured, kissing her apologetically, then kissing her slight baby bump. "You're not even here yet and you're making Daddy nervous."
"You're getting nervous, I'm just getting nauseous," she muttered, then plastered on a smile when the doctor entered the room. After a routine round of questions, the doctor instructed her to pull back her shirt, smearing her stomach with the ultrasound gel.
The two parents-to-be unconsciously held their breath as the doctor started moving the transducer, trying to get a clear picture. Almost immediately, there came a faint sound like the far-off galloping of horse hooves. Pausing for a moment, the doctor asked, "Do you hear that?"
Eyes glued to the screen, Morgan murmured absently, "Is that the baby's heartbeat?"
"It is." Smiling slightly at their reactions, the doctor then changed the screen to another view, the image changing to what looked like two shadows, like reflected commas. The shape on the left moved its arm, then the slightly smaller one on the right squirmed and floated head up.
"Oh, my God..." Emily breathed.
"What?" he asked, turning to look at her worriedly, obviously oblivious to what Emily saw. "Is everything okay, baby? What is it?"
"I... It's..." she stuttered, still in shock, "Twins..." That was the closest thing to a complete sentence that she could manage.
Derek looked to the doctor for confirmation and she smiled. "Yes, you're having twins. Congratulations."
He took a moment to process his thoughts, then stared at the screen again. "Are you saying there are two babies inside my wife right now?" The doctor nodded and for several more moments, they didn't know what to say or feel.
"Two babies..." Emily echoed as the doctor pointed to one tiny form, then the other, labelling them Baby A and Baby B.
"Wow..." Morgan breathed.
The doctor smiled, obviously used to the kind of reactions the parents-to-be had. "You'll be happy to know that both babies and Mommy are completely healthy." And with that she left the surprised parents alone.
"Two babies..." he murmured, smiling softly. "We've waited so long for one and now we have two on the way. I don't know what to say..."
Emily, who was still in shock, could only stare at the two tiny life forms on the screen, unable to wrap her head around the idea of having twins. "I'm really going to have to give birth to two babies... I know we talked about the possibility, but I didn't think it would actually happen. It's like a dream come true," she whispered, "And scary as hell. Can we do this?" she asked with a hint of worry.
"We have to...we can't just have one and not the other, right? They're both our babies..." He smiled softly, interlacing their fingers, and leaned down to kiss her baby bump. "Daddy loves both of you." He then kissed her gently, stroking her cheeks. "It's going to be scary and we're going to need double of everything, but we can do this. I'm sure Mama will be more than happy to help."
She nodded, "You're right. Sorry, I'm just freaked out..." Taking a deep breath, she smiled faintly, "We can do this. I'm just worried...it's already a high-risk pregnancy, but with twins there's a lot that could go wrong."
"I'm sure we'll be fine. The doctor said it herself, babies and Mommy are perfectly healthy. We can keep it that way." Morgan smiled, squeezing her hand gently, "A lot of women have babies in their late-thirties. It's no big deal, baby."
"You're probably right." She wrapped her arms around him, nuzzling his neck. "I just want everything to go right...we've waited for so long." He smiled and kissed her softly, she smiled into the kiss, sighing softly. "I'm sure it'll be fine. I have you with me." She was quiet for another moment, staring thoughtfully at their babies. "If one baby is Pancake, what should we call the other one?" she asked.
"I don't know..." he said, smiling brightly as he rested his hand on her baby bump. "Pancake and Cookie?"
She looked at him with complete seriousness in her eyes and said, "Cookie is a stripper name. I think baby number two should be Waffle," she grinned, resting her head on his shoulder.
"Pancake and Waffle?" he asked, laughing softly. "It's perfect. I love it. I love you," he added, kissing her lovingly. "When you told me that I'm going to be a Daddy, I thought I couldn't be happier, but I was wrong. Now, I couldn't be happier. I don't think I'll be able to stop smiling..."
"Me either"