There was just something overwhelmingly calm about a grocery store. There is a factor amongst the aisles of produce, the racks of vegetables, stacks of canned goods and walls of boxed cereals with their cartoon icons on the front that gave the market a simply peaceful atmosphere. The only worries existing in this building would be long lines, a few careless bag-boys and perhaps a ridiculous grocery bill at the end.
This odd place to find peace was where Eric now found himself roaming, pushing the cartful down each aisle until he gathered everything needed—in this case "needed" translated to "the list of odd food selections Calleigh had been craving"—then of course the necessities (milk, bread, eggs, etc.) and then there was the list of extremely healthy specifics she had been eating over the last nine months. Calleigh had even made little notes to the grocery list such as "be sure to pick up the brand with the lowest sodium content" and "buy the yogurt with twenty percent more calcium." When Calleigh handed him the list that afternoon, he couldn't resist smiling a little at all of her side notes; that was Calleigh, always the perfectionist and wanting everything to be as precise as possible. Eric was certain she would have willingly come to the store herself, though mostly for the pleasure of getting out of the house more than to buy the food, had he not insisted she stayed home to rest. Calleigh's due date was within the next two weeks and needed all the rest she could get. Calleigh had tried to be good about that, reading and watching TV with her feet up, but this stage of maternity leave easily made Calleigh bored and restless, a fact proven to Eric when he returned home one evening to her washing the sheets and blankets from the crib—again.
"What are you doing up?" he asked with a smile, coming up from behind to wrap his arms around her, his arms had become unable to encompass themselves completely around her now, thus he adoringly placed his hands on her very rounded belly, inviting her to lean into him and support her.
"I got bored," Calleigh replied with a shrug as she folded the navy blue blanket patterned with golden stars and moons. "Again."
Eric chuckled and ducked down to kiss her neck, gently nuzzling her. "One of those days, huh?"
She nodded with a heavy sigh and placed the blanket in the basket before letting her hands fall to her belly.
"I'm ready," Calleigh declared. "I am more than ready."
Eric slid his hands over to her smaller ones, intertwining his fingers through hers. "Don't worry, not much longer, Cal."
"I know," she said, her lips curling into a smile at the thought.
Eric himself couldn't resist smiling at moments like those. There was something simply adorable about a heavily pregnant Calleigh and he couldn't get enough; he absorbed every moment as though he were a dehydrated sponge. He found himself constantly thinking about her, worrying about her. Whether he was at work or now when he was at the grocery store, his mind was always on Calleigh and the life she was carrying and how he could get a call at any second to tell him she had gone into labor. Just thinking about being away from her now made him proceed just a little bit faster down the aisles; the distance from her was apparently increasing his anxiety to an optimum level, increased to the extent he felt the sudden need to check on her. Eric realized Calleigh hated it when he did this, but whenever he was too far from him and his worries sank in, he had to pull out his phone and call her.
Eric pressed the call button and waited patiently as it rang. Once….Twice….
"This is the seventh time today," Calleigh stated as she answered the phone. "I'm fine, she's fine, I'm resting and you don't need to worry."
Eric laughed lightly and shook his head at himself, he knew his protective instincts had been kicked into high gear as her pregnancy progressed and she loathed being worried about, whether it be on duty or on maternity leave.
"Is that all you called for?" she asked, slightly appalled.
"And to say I love you," he said, innocently, his lips curling into a smirk, meanwhile picking a loaf of bread from the shelf.
Eric could practically hear Calleigh roll her eyes at the excuse but replied, "I love you, too, but I'd love you more if you quit calling every ten minutes."
"Okay. I'll call you every fifteen minutes," Eric bantered.
"That's all I ask," Calleigh said jokingly, though there was the slightest trace of sarcasm there. "I'll see you when you get home."
"'Kay, see you soon," he said, waiting for her to end the call before lowering his arm.
Eric proceeded down the aisle as his eyes simultaneously read the remaining items on the list.
"Hey, stranger," a familiar voice greeted from behind him. Eric turned around to see Alexx giving him a wide smile, caring a basket of groceries at her side.
"Hey, Alexx," he replied, pausing to give her a one armed hug. "What are you doing here?"
"Oh, just picking up some odds and ends for the weekend," she shrugged, gesturing towards her basket. "What about you?"
"I'm on grocery duty," he grinned as they continued down the aisle.
"Now, is it grocery duty or craving pick-up?" Alexx asked, kiddingly, as she grabbed a packet of hamburger buns from the shelf.
Eric chortled and admitted, "A bit of both."
She laughed a little and shook her head. "God, I remember those days; it feels like it was just last week I was pregnant with my kids."
"How are they?" he asked. "I haven't seen them in ages."
"They're doing fine, baby, just fine. And you'll see Jamie on Sunday if you stick around long enough at the baby shower. Speaking of which, how's Calleigh doing?" she inquired.
"Good," Eric smiled. "I mean, she hates being on maternity leave, but other than that she and the baby are both doing great."
"That's good. And when's she due?"
"In about two weeks, but her doctor said she can go into labor at any time," Eric replied, unable to suppress the excitement in his voice.
Alexx chuckled. "You sound like you're ready."
He shrugged one shoulder. "Just a little bit."
"Well, just tell that baby to wait until after Sunday," she smiled as they entered the refrigerated aisle of the store, a light chill running through them as goose bumps rose on their arms. "So, Calleigh is getting restless?" Alexx was clearly able to see Calleigh sitting around and resting only to quickly find it tedious.
"Yeah," he nodded. "And it makes me worry."
Alexx cocked an eyebrow. "Honey, it doesn't take a lot to make you worry about Calleigh," she pointed out.
"I know, but I come home and she's usually cleaning, doing laundry or something. I swear if she were allowed to lift things right now, she would have rearranged the house," he sighed, the image of Calleigh waddling around their house came to his mind and worry and anxiety overcame him once again.
"Sounds like Calleigh," Alexx grinned as she picked up a gallon of milk. "She's not happy if she's not working on something."
"I just get worried that one day she's going to overwork herself," he said as he reached passed Alexx to grab some milk himself.
"Well, I'll put your mind at ease. Calleigh may want to move around a bit and work a little, but when you're eight and a half months pregnant, you can only do so much before you have to sit down and do nothing….And since when do you buy skim milk?" Alexx asked, noticing the pink colored lid on the milk jug.
With a half-smile, Eric showed Alexx the insanely detailed grocery list that specified that Eric purchased skim milk, the word skim having been underlined twice.
"Damn," Alexx chuckled as she shook her head. "Someone has been eating healthy."
"Well, she does most of the time," he grinned, glancing down at his list and his eyes falling onto the foodstuffs Calleigh normally liked to snack on when her body began to crave something that wasn't exactly classified as healthy.
Alexx smiled. "It's nice that you're taking such good care of her, though, baby. When I was talking to her on the phone the other day she was telling me how great you've been throughout this whole pregnancy."
"Well, she's been pretty incredible herself," Eric said, his lips pulling up into his lopsided smile. Eric meant that; yes, he teased her every now and then about being restless and working, but Eric knew Calleigh would always rest if she felt she had pushing herself too hard, for Calleigh realized it wasn't just herself she was pushing. The second anything concerning their baby came up, Calleigh would be her usual logical self and think of what would be best for the baby, no matter the affect it would have on Calleigh. Had their doctor ever told Calleigh she needed mandatory bed rest, perhaps Calleigh wouldn't be overjoyed by it, but would participate in bed rest willingly if it meant their daughter would remain safe.
"Do you two have everything ready?" Alexx asked.
"Yeah, I think so," Eric nodded as he picked up a gallon of ice cream (cookies and cream, to be exact) and placed it in the cart. "Just counting down the days now."
Yet another smile drew up on Alexx's face as her heart swelled with happiness. For years she and her former colleagues had stood on the sidelines and watched as Eric and Calleigh's relationship slowly and steadily grew before them. She thought of them as members of her family and it gave Alexx such joy to know they were safe, happy, in love and that the pending arrival of their new baby would only strengthen their bond. So many times had she seen the two of them become heart broken or wounded that Alexx often worried about their futures as far as settling down, somehow they a managed to find each other and it was a sweet ending to an all too long story; with that knowledge, the worry she had for them decreased.
"I'm really happy for you both," Alexx beamed as they reached the end of the aisle where they had to head in separate directions. "Well, I have to get home. You take care, baby, and tell Calleigh I said hello," she grinned as she gave Eric a final hug.
"I will," he promised. "I'll see you on Sunday."
"No—baby—until—then," she warned, prodding Eric with her finger, each motion emphasizing a word. Eric laughed as Alexx proceeded towards the checkout line, while he took a left down to the aisle that contained canned items.
Eric returned home from the market just as the sun began to vanish on the horizon and the street lights had switched on. He pulled up into their drive and grabbed as many grocery bags as he could carry before heading inside. The lights inside the house were on, however the blinds were drawn and Calleigh was nowhere in sight.
"Babe?" he called out quietly, not daring to raise his voice higher in case she was asleep down the hall; a theory that was likely seeing as Calleigh didn't reply. Eric was sure to be as silent as possible as he placed the bags of groceries carefully on the counter and putting the contents away silently. He took note that the sink had been removed of all the dirty dishes that were in its basin that morning when he left for work and that the counters were immaculate; Eric shook his head in disbelief as he put the remaining groceries.
Finally he was able to head down the hall and Eric entered the bedroom to find his wife asleep in bed, she lied curled up on her side, one hand resting adoringly on her belly and the sheets kicked away into a pile at the foot of the bed. Eric removed his shoes and crossed the room to occupy the space in bed beside his wife, lovingly looking down at her as she slept contently, her nose twitching slightly as she dreamed and Eric's lips pulled up into a smile that wouldn't relax. He tenderly wrapped an arm around her middle and rested his hand over hers, giving it a light squeeze to indicate his presence, she subconsciously released a soft sigh, but otherwise didn't stir.
He rested there beside her, completely content with just being beside her and watching her sleep. Many a night had he lied beside her, observing Calleigh as she drifted into her dreams. She always seemed so content and peaceful when she was asleep, the weight of the world being lifted from her when she nestled into her pillows and allowed her eyes to close.
However, that peace she was presently in was disrupted when Eric felt a sharp nudge strike his hand as the baby began to kick excitedly in Calleigh's belly.
"Take it easy in there, baby. Your momma needs to sleep," he whispered, caressing the area their daughter kicked.
"It doesn't matter," Calleigh mumbled with a smile as she, with mild difficulty, shifted onto her back. "I'm up now."
Eric chuckled as he propped himself up on his elbow and leaned down to kiss her. "Are you still fine?" he asked, recalling their conversation on the phone earlier.
Calleigh ignored his quip and nodded. "Yeah, I'm just a bit achy….But I told you I can rest," she added, smugly.
"It's not so bad, is it?" Eric smirked.
She merely rolled her eyes and otherwise didn't respond. "Did you get everything?"
"Sure did. Why, are you hungry?" he asked, half teasingly and half seriously as he wrapped an arm around Calleigh to pull her towards him.
"Getting there," she admitted.
"Want me to fix you something?" he offered.
"No," Calleigh sighed. "Just lie here with me awhile."
Eric chuckled. "Not a problem."
Calleigh snuggled closer to Eric, completely comfortable in his arms and she allowed her eyes to flutter closed.
"How was work?" she asked, tiredly.
"Fine, still not quite the same without you," Eric said. A piece of the team was definitely missing with Calleigh being on leave, their Crime Lab family was definitely missing a critical element and it was a void the replacement lab tech in Firearms couldn't feel. The longing for their beloved Bullet Girl was apparent in all the team members; they craved for her level-headedness, her wit, brains and her uncanny ability to brighten everyone's mood despite the bitterness of the day.
"I miss working there," Calleigh willingly admitted.
"You probably won't be saying that in two weeks," he pointed out as his eyes rested on her rounded abdomen.
A smile graced Calleigh's lips as she opened her eyes and she shook her head in disbelief. "Wow, I can't believe we only have two more weeks."
"If that," he said. "Speaking of which, I ran into Alexx at the store."
"Oh, yeah, how's she doing?" Calleigh asked, curiously.
"Fine, but," Eric paused to caress her belly. "She wanted me to tell this little one to stay put until after the baby shower."
Calleigh laughed and laid her hand over his. "You hear that, baby? You need to stay put for Alexx, okay?"
Eric leveled his head with her belly and whispered. "I know that might be hard because your momma is always working and walking around on the verge of inducing labor, but-."
"Hey," Calleigh cut across him. "I'm resting now."
"After making our kitchen the cleanest in Miami-Dade County, maybe even Florida," he shrugged a shoulder.
"A husband that complains that his wife did the dishes," Calleigh playfully gasped. "I feel like I'm in an episode of The Twilight Zone."
Eric rolled his eyes and touched his lips to the fabric that covered her bump. "And Momma wonders why I worry about her," he mumbled into the material.
Calleigh laughed and ran her over the roundedness of her stomach. "No, it's just that Daddy is the biggest worry wart on the planet."
Eric glanced up at her. "Okay, I'll admit to that," he said as he softly rubbed her belly. "But it's only because I love both of you."
"I know," she grinned, looking at him lovingly as their fingers intertwined. "We love you, too. And we both missed you today."
Eric smiled and gently squeezed her fingers. "I missed you both, too." He shifted back up to press a kiss to her, gently caressing her lips with his own. He could feel her lips reciprocating with their own actions, but she abruptly paused and he heard her taking a sudden, sharp breath. Calleigh shifted uncomfortably in his arms and Eric could feel her muscles tense up when she moved, though she tried to keep any sign of discomfort off her face.
"Are you okay?" he asked, concerned.
"Yeah, I'm fine," she assured him. "Just a little bit sore, I slept in the wrong position earlier today."
"Well, would a massage fix that?" Eric suggested, softly.
Calleigh grinned a little, her eyes lighting up. "Really?"
"Mm-hmm," he nodded.
She let out a weak sigh as she smiled. "You have no idea how wonderful that sounds."
Eric's hands gently assisted in laying her on her side, facing away from him. He could feel the stiffness of her back muscles and how rigid and uncomfortable she must have been. Eric pressed the heels of his hands into her back while applying light pressure with his thumbs, relieving the tension of the muscles in her back; Calleigh let out a grateful sigh as her head rested on her pillow.
"Better?" Eric asked as he continued to rub her back.
"Much," she breathed as Eric laid a kiss behind her ear, causing her to lightly shiver. "Thanks."
"No problem," he assured her.
She lied there for a moment and felt her muscles slowly unravel under his touch, her ability to relax was heightened and her eyelids fell closed; she faintly heard Eric chuckle.
"Still tired?" he asked, his hands yet to stop massaging her body.
"A bit," Calleigh sighed.
"Go back to sleep," Eric whispered, softly.
Calleigh smiled a little and reached up to take one of the massaging hands, ceasing it's movements as she interlocked her fingers through Eric's and pulling his arm over her body to wrap around her, allowing their hands to rest on her belly.
"You'll still be here when I wake up, right?" she mumbled, tiredly.
"Of course," he replied, kissing the top of her shoulder; whether Calleigh heard him or not was a mystery to Eric, for her body had already relaxed itself and she had escaped into a deep slumber, sleeping peacefully in her husband's arms.