Prompt #2 :"How long have you been standing there?"
She stands at the mirror, her head tilted to one side as she regards her appearance carefully. Her hair is falling in loose waves about her shoulders, not quite dry from the shower she had taken earlier that morning. She had taken extra care with her makeup, relishing in the time that feeling good for the first morning in weeks had afforded her, and she smiles, proud of herself. Her outfit has been carefully selected; a pair of grey skinny jeans and a loose off the shoulder top in deep purple that she had bought on a whim a couple of weeks ago. She tugs at the bottom of the top a few times, until she is satisfied with the way it sits, her hand absentmindedly coming up to rest on her abdomen. She twists her body slightly and stares at the small bump that has appeared over the past couple of days, a smile tugging at her lips.
She lets her mind wander back to the day her world had turned upside down again. She hadn't allowed herself to feel anything then. She had lived in a constant state of fear, a thousand 'what if's' resounding in her head. Until the eight-week scan. When she had seen her baby, right where it was meant to be, with a strong, beating heart, she had allowed herself to feel, and she had smiled for the first time since she had seen the little pink plus. That was a little over five weeks ago, and now her pregnancy is finally starting to show. A passer-by wouldn't be able to tell, but she knows she isn't going to be able to hide it from her colleagues much longer. She can't keep avoiding caffeine and hiding out in the bathroom during bouts of morning sickness forever, plus she's pretty sure that Brett and Herrmann have already figured it out, and she is grateful for them letting her tell them when she is ready. Rubbing a hand over her stomach again, her smile widens as she thinks that maybe she is ready to tell them.
Movement in her peripheral vision pulls her gaze from her abdomen and she looks up to see her husband in the reflection. He is dressed in casual jeans and a dark green jumper; a gift, she recalls, from Antonio last Christmas. He smiles warmly at her, his eyes twinkling with admiration and she smiles back, watching as he makes his way over to her.
"How long have you been standing there?" she asks.
"Not long," he replies, coming up behind her and snaking his arms around her waist. She leans back into his embrace, closing her eyes and breathing in the familiar scent of his aftershave, relishing in the warmth of his body pressed against hers.
He is quiet a moment, watching her contented face in the mirror, his thumb absent-mindedly stroking her stomach. He chuckles and she opens her eyes, shooting him a questioning look.
"We're actually having a baby." he whispers, amazement evident in his voice, "This is real."
"Yeah," she responds, one of her hands coming up to rest on top of his on her bump, "this is real."
They are quiet once more, both lost in their own thoughts, until Gabby murmurs his name quietly, pulling him back to the present.
"Matt, I was thinking… maybe it's time?" she asks, somewhat nervously, watching as his brows furrow in confusion.
"Time for what?"
"For us to tell everyone," she explains. "I know we were going to wait a couple more weeks, but we're not going to be able to hide it much longer. Besides, I think half of the guys have worked it out and-"
Matt cuts her off with a finger to her lips, and places a soft kiss behind her ear before meeting her eyes once more in the mirror, his smile wide. "I definitely think it's time to tell them. As much as I've enjoyed keeping this to us, it's been so hard not to spill these past few weeks."
"So, we'll tell them today?" she asks, all traces of nervousness melting away from her body.
"Definitely," he agrees, placing a warm kiss on the top of her head before resting his chin on her shoulder and tightening his arms around her body.
They remain that way for as long as possible, both content in the safety of one another's arms, their conjoined hands resting on top of the life they have created together.