Dov was about to explode. "What am I supposed to do?" he wondered incredulously to himself.
He had barely moved since he picked up the ultrasound picture from where it had fallen out of Marlo's folder. Her look of shock left him with no doubt that it was hers. He still couldn't believe it.
He had immediately asked her who the father was, though, intuitively he knew it had to be Sam's. She had sheepishly admitted it to him, knowing there was no way out of the situation now. However, when Dov then asked her when she was planning on telling Sam, she inhaled sharply.
She went on to explain how she didn't want to mess up Sam's life anymore. Dov had argued that he deserved to know. They went back and forth for a while before Marlo departed in a rush, begging Dov once more not to say anything. Dov knew that Marlo was planning on going back to her division tonight.
Dov had never been good at keeping secrets and hell, this one was a doozy. He had no idea what he should do.
He swung around in his chair a couple of times before getting up and pacing around the room, still littered with photos from the latest case they had been working on.
He knew in his heart that Sam had a right to know about this child. Sam was a good guy and would step up. He understood where Marlo was coming from, but he still remembered how hurt Chris had been when he learned that he thought he had a son that he had known nothing about.
Dov glanced up at the clock. Surprisingly, not that much time had passed since Marlo had left him there. His eyes zeroed in on his cell phone resting on the desk.
He braced himself, taking a deep breath and reaching across the desk to pick up his phone. After finding the number he was looking for he made a call, hoping that one day, everyone might be able to forgive him for what he was about to unleash.
"Sam, where are you going?" Andy tried to sit up in the bed, but her whole body was aching thanks to the evidence room being blown to bits with her in it.
She was so confused. One minute, she and Sam had been lying in bed, kissing and cuddling. The next, after a very cryptic and rushed phone call, Sam had jumped out of bed, getting dressed in seconds.
"Don't try to sit up," he scolded her, taking a minute to make sure that she was comfortable in bed once more. His face was very pale and he was acting very strange. Andy narrowed her eyes at him.
"Stay here. I'll be back soon," he promised and with a light kiss to her forehead, he was gone.
Andy heard the front door to his apartment slam shut and then silence, save for the soft pattering of the rain on the windows. She was completely shocked that he had just left her like that. It was that suspicious phone call. Something was wrong. Sam should have known her better than to simply sit around after the fact that he left with no explanation.
Despite the enormous pains that rocked her body, Andy threw on her leather jacket over her dark sports bra and grabbed the keys to her car on her way out the door, thankful that she had insisted on driving herself over.
She stayed hidden as she watched Sam's truck disappear around the corner and then hopped in her own vehicle, prepared to follow him. She would find out what was going on, one way or another.
Marlo was still in the locker room, not sure what her next move was going to be.
Oh, no. She still wasn't going to tell Sam; she was set on that decision. Though, she had to admit that some of the things that Dov had said to her in that room really got her thinking. However, she did not want to be the one to mess up Sam's life again. He looked so happy with Andy and she wasn't going to take that away from them. He didn't need this kind of baggage.
Granted, she knew that she was not to blame. Andy and Sam were not together at the time. She and Sam had been two consenting adults and so she didn't have to feel guilty on that account. Still, she wondered how she could be so stupid for not using protection when she and Sam had sex. Especially since she couldn't be on birth control at the time because of all the switches in her medications to treat her bipolar disorder. All it took was one time, in the heat of the moment and that was it.
However, Marlo was fairly certain that she could handle taking care of her baby on her own. She was strong and although she didn't think she had a maternal bone in her body, she knew she could do this.
It was unsettling to her, though, that Dov knew. She had been hoping that she would be able to come to 15, solve this case, and then go back from where she came without anyone being the wiser. She had been so stupid for keeping that ultrasound with her but... she couldn't deny the little bubble of happiness that she had every time she saw the grainy picture. And there was also a little part of her that might have wanted to tell Sam, but she had effectively pushed that thought out of her head once she had seen how perfect Sam's life had become once she was no longer in it.
Marlo knew that once one person knew that news of her pregnancy with none other than Sam Swarek's baby would spread like wildfire. She didn't even blame Dov. It was clear that he thought she should tell Sam but she just couldn't do it. She simply wanted to escape back to her district before anyone else found out.
Finally, Marlo picked up her bag and slung it over her shoulder. Before she made it out the door, she caught sight of herself in the mirror. Though the locker room had poor lighting, she looked radiant - almost glowing. She turned to the side, her baby bump slight and not yet noticeable. She had a journey ahead of her, but she already had such love for this baby that was only roughly the size of an apple.
Sighing, she pushed open the locker room door and made her way toward the back of the precinct so she could get her car and get out of this hell hole.
Thankfully, as she passed the room that she and Dov had been working in, she saw that it was empty, the sensor lights clicking off as she left the room behind. She was glad that Dov had already left; she didn't think she could handle seeing him again. If she heard all of his reasons for telling Sam that he was the father one more time, she might finally cave.
As she made her way to her car at the end of the parking lot, rain pelted her exposed skin. It felt refreshing, like she was finally getting a new start and leaving 15 division and all of its cops behind once and for all.
She had just placed her hand on her car door handle when an all too familiar truck came bombing its way into the parking lot, blocking her exit. Crap.
Sam flew out of the car, not caring enough to shut the door behind him or even taking the time to shut it off.
Though Sam had been in such a rush to get to 15 division after he had gotten off the phone with Dov, all of a sudden, now that he was here, he froze, halfway between her and the truck. The rain had started coming down harder and began to drip down his stoic face.
Marlo didn't know what to say either. She stood there, equally as still, waiting for his reaction. He must already know, or else he wouldn't even be here. Thank you, Dov.
"Is it true?" Sam's voice reached her, muted against the rain. His chest was heaving.
Marlo looked at the ground, which was probably all the answer Sam needed. She had a sudden burst of confidence though and now that the cat was out of the bag, there was no turning back. She looked up and met his eyes. In a calm, clear voice she said, "Yes, Sam. I am pregnant. And you are the father." Finally saying it out loud made it real and she gasped to herself.
"What?"
Sam whipped around and Marlo craned her neck to see Andy, leaning against the side of Sam's truck for support.
Marlo turned her face away. Andy's fallen and crushed face was clear, despite the sheets of rain that separated them.
"You're pregnant with Sam's baby?" Andy's voice cracked. Her heart was shattering once again; the pain she was experiencing right now made the pain from being in the explosion ebb away.
"Andy, please…" Sam started in a pleading voice, but Andy cut him off with a sharp shake of her head. Sam could tell she was struggling to hold it together, but, despite the rain, he could tell she was beginning to cry.
Without saying another word, Andy straightened her spine, held her head up high and ran to her car, ignoring her body screaming in protest. Once in her car, her wet hair plastered to her cheeks and sobs finally making their way out of her body, she peeled out, barely able to see through her tears.
"Andy!" Sam's anguished cry chilled Marlo to the core, much more than the rain was. Sam struggled internally for a second, not wanting to abandon the mother of his child, but also wanting to salvage his relationship with the woman he loved. Finally, he turned, starting to dart back towards his truck.
"Sam, wait!" Marlo cried, jogging to catch up with him. She wasn't mad that he was choosing to go after Andy, leaving her there standing in the rain. She understood and she didn't blame him at all. They could talk about this some other time, but between what had happened earlier today and this shocking news, Andy should not be out on her own right now.
Thankfully, Sam spared a minute and paused to turn toward her. She reached in her bag, pulling out the folder that had started this shit-show rolling and handed Sam something. Swiftly, she turned and made her way back to her car, enclosing herself in its warmth and silence.
Sam jumped in his truck, preparing to go back to Andy. He slammed his door behind him, not caring that he had left it open and now the entire driver's side of his car on the inside was soaked. However, before he put threw his car into reverse, he glanced at the slip of paper that Marlo had handed him.
It was the ultrasound of her...his…their baby. He was momentarily awestruck at the tiny outline of the person that he had helped create. He peered through his windshield at Marlo, who was already in her car. She gave him a slight nod and it snapped Sam out of his reverie.
With care, he lifted the flap of the visor on his ceiling and placed the ultrasound picture up there, pressing it closed and keeping it safe. Then, he sped off, hoping that he wasn't too late to repair things with Andy.
Marlo watched as Sam flew off to go find Andy, but not before she watched him look intently at the ultrasound that she had given him and placed it delicately under his visor. She wished him the best of luck and hoped that she hadn't just torn them apart when they were finally happy. She had to admit that she did feel slightly better now that Sam knew. It was a huge weight off of her shoulders to share it with the other person who was in this situation with her.
But now, she just wanted to go home and get some rest.
She was about to back out of her parking space when her phone rang shrilly, making her jump. Glancing at the caller ID, she picked it up. "Cruz."
She listened intently and then hung up the phone with a sick feeling in the pit of her stomach that had nothing to do with morning sickness. She thumped her head on her head-rest and her eyes stared blankly at the ceiling.
Her boss had just called to tell her that she would need to stay at 15 Division for the time being.
Looks like Marlo wasn't going anywhere.
I am so happy to be writing again and am impatiently awaiting the start of season 6! I don't know how the writers are going to portray Marlo being pregnant, but I wanted to try writing a story focused on this story line and see how it goes. I don't like when Sam and Andy's relationship is in trouble, but I hope it will all work out. Anyway, I hope you liked what I have written so far and I will be updating soon! Let me know what you think :)
