One Coffee Coming Up
Jane had just finished making a pot of tea in the kitchenette when Lisbon breezed in. Instead of going for the coffee pot, she came straight toward his teapot with her cup held out and an expectant expression on her face.
"What, no coffee?" he asked his wife, playing up his surprise to a ridiculous level.
"No, I'm going to try cutting down to a cup a day for a while." She smirked, "apparently certain people don't think it's good for me to drink three cups per day," she said, giving him a pointed look.
"It's not, but I highly doubt you'll last a week with only one cup of coffee a day, dear."
Jane's tone was patronizing. Lisbon ignored it.
"Oh, I fully intend to last about nine months, give or take a couple weeks."
With that she walked out of the room, leaving behind a flabbergasted Jane with his teacup frozen halfway to his mouth.
After a few minutes in the same position as when Lisbon had left him, and several strange looks from people passing by, Jane shook himself into mobility and dazedly walked back to his couch.
There were several emotions swirling through his mind. Happiness (of course), surprise, disbelief, and -fear. Fear that he would fail his present family the same as he'd failed his first. But in the end it was happiness and surprise that came out on top.
They didn't really talk again until later in the evening when pretty much everyone else had gone.
Lisbon was still doing paperwork.
He meandered into her office, his casual demeanor a fake. Lisbon looked up from her paperwork with a smile and then went back to her task of writing reports. Jane sat down on the chair in front of her desk and stared at her, waiting, but she didn't pay him any attention. She'd already said what she had to say. He'd have to be the one to start this conversation.
The consultant started fidgeting. Apparently she wasn't going to make this easy for him. The fidgeting continued until finally he blurted out the first thing that came to his mind. "When?"
Lisbon looked up again, not at all surprised by his sudden question.
"Did I find out?" she finished for him. "This morning, but I'd suspected for a little over a week."
"Oh?"
"Mmhm. I was late, and that never happens to me."
"Oh."
"I'm actually surprised you didn't notice," she teased.
To be fair, though, they had been wrestling with a particularly trying case over the last few days.
"Yeah," came Jane's dazed reply.
Lisbon rolled her eyes at him.
"Are you going to cut the monosyllabic replies anytime soon?"
"Sorry."
She face palmed and shook her head at him while chuckling softly. Jane seemed to wake out of a trance; his eyes became more focused and he straightened in his chair.
"I'm sorry, I was just wondering how this happened."
Lisbon looked at him with an amused expression. Jane glared at her with irritation.
"You know what I mean."
Lisbon schooled her features to be as serious as she could manage in the current situation. Jane was nervous and flustered; a laughable and very rare occurrence.
"Women have been known to have kids at forty-two, not very often, but every once in a while."
Jane, who was observing her thoughtfully, spoke up again. "I suppose. Still we're hardly the best age for parenthood."
Lisbon's face became genuinely serious.
"I know, I'm worried too. The possibility of miscarriage is significantly higher after forty, but even with the chance of that happening, I'm still happy."
And she certainly looked it. She was practically glowing. How had he missed that? He must be loosing his touch.
Jane smiled warmly at her. "Me too."
Later that night as they lay wrapped around each other, cuddling really, in bed, Jane placed his left hand over his wife's flat abdomen, absently stroking his thumb over her jersey clad stomach.
"I won't be showing for at least another couple months Jane." Lisbon said, her voice teasing.
He huffed at her. "Yes, I know, you little imp. I'm just -imagining how lovely you'll look when you are."
"You really think I'll look 'lovely' when I'm sticking out so far I can't see my feet?"
Jane smiled. "Of course, most men think the same thing about their pregnant wives."
Lisbon snuggled further into her husband.
"Men are weird."
Jane's smile turned into a full blown grin.
"Men think the same thing about women, love."
Suddenly, she propped herself up on her elbow and looked down at him. In the dim light he could just make out the serious expression on her face.
"I love you Patrick."
Jane leaned forward and placed a soft kiss to her lips.
"I love you too Teresa, both of you," he said, gesturing to her middle. "Always."
Lisbon smiled contentedly and leaned down to plant a warm kiss to his mouth, then lay down and snuggled against Jane's comfortably warm body again.
Just as she felt herself drifting into blissful sleep Jane's, much too chipper for this time of the night, voice pulled her back from peaceful slumber.
"I think we should discuss names. Elizabeth, if the baby's a girl, Michael, if a boy."
Lisbon sighed loudly and dramatically. "What's there to discuss? It sounds like you've already decided."
Jane grinned happily. She was sleepy and irritated. He loved it.
"Well yes, but I thought it only right to let you know."
"How very considerate of you," came her sarcastic response.
"Yes, I thought so too. Now, about middle names. Irene for a girl and -"He was cut off by a low growl from Lisbon as she pushed off of him and rolled so her front was facing away from him.
Unable to stop himself, Jane laughed quietly at the adorable woman now ignoring him. Well, he'd fix that.
He wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her back to his front. Then gave her a goodnight kiss to the back of her neck and cuddled in to fall asleep.
He'd never imagined he could ever be this happy again. He certainly didn't deserve it, but he was grateful for it. His second chance.