Alice picked up the phone absentmindedly as she read a pathology journal - it was a slow day, "Ballarat County Morgue, Dr. Har- I mean, Dr. Lawson speaking."

Matthew chuckled in her ear, "Good morning, Dr. Lawson, are you busy?"

She perked up at her husband's voice (warm and edging on teasing - Alice was still getting used to her new last name), "Not really, has something come up?"

"With Lucien out of town on one of his cold cases, I need a police surgeon… up for the challenge?"

"Of course, Superintendent."

"Good, I'll send Hobart to pick you up."

"I'm glad I wore trousers today," she mused - smiling when he let out a quiet laugh. "Anything I need to know before I leave?"

"We'll discuss the case when you get here, Doctor."

"Alright. I'll see you soon."

Matthew murmured a goodbye as he hung up and Alice set the phone back in its cradle as she quickly pulled out her medical bag (she really needed to put it somewhere higher - it was already getting somewhat challenging to bend over with Baby Lawson in the way). She shrugged out of her white lab coat and into her dark green overcoat - gently soothing the baby when she felt them moving about.

"Easy there," Alice smiled and rubbed her bump. "Your first crime scene, Baby Lawson, try not to get too excited."

A well-placed thump against her hand made her chuckle and stop in her tracks as a sense of wonder went through her - others could feel the baby move now. Matthew could feel them move now.

Suddenly, Baby Lawson wasn't the only one excited to get to the crime scene.

Hobart quietly drove her to the scene - if he noticed her impatience, he didn't say anything, and Alice made a beeline for her husband as soon as the sergeant helped her stand from the car.

"Doctor," Matthew nodded to her - a small smile teasing at the corner of his mouth and Alice returned it.

"Superintendent."

"There's the body, if you could give me approximate time of death and cause, I'll have the ambos take the body to the morgue for you."

She put a hand on his arm, "Just… one second, Matthew."

Matthew covered her hand with his - his brow knitted in concern, "Alice, what is it?"

Glancing around to see that they had a modicum of privacy, Alice smiled and pressed his hand against her bump. His thumb smoothed against her belly as they waited and Alice huffed out a sigh.

"Oh, sure, now you're all quiet," she groused at her belly and Matthew laughed. "I swear the baby was moving, Matthew."

"It's alright, Ali-" A solid kick - harder than any other before - interrupted him and Matthew rubbed her belly in wonder. "...oh."

Alice grinned, "Say hello to Baby Lawson."

Matthew was speechless and simply pressed a kiss to her forehead.

"I… they did it earlier and I know a crime scene isn't the best place to tell you, but I had to."

He chuckled, "They wouldn't be ours if I didn't feel them kicking at a crime scene, sweetheart. Thank you for telling me and we'll… talk more about it after work."

"Okay," Alice nodded and she grabbed her medical bag as Matthew directed her to the body with a hand at her back.

The private moment was over and the two of them slipped easily into the familiar roles of Superintendent and Doctor - trading questions and answers over the dead body and crime scene as Alice got her bearings in the case. The body was sent off to the morgue and Matthew walked her to the edge of the scene.

"Need any assistance for the autopsy?"

Alice shook her head, "No, there's a new district nurse at the hospital and she's interested in pathology so I might let her help me on this one with Lucien out of town. I will, however, need a ride to the hospital."

He nodded, "Right, I'll ask one of the constables to drop you off at the hospital - I need him to take me back to the station anyways. Stop by when you've finished, Doctor."

"I will, provided my regular duties don't interfere. If I can't come, I'll send Nurse Wolfe over with the autopsy results… if that's okay?"

"It is," Matthew smiled. "And, Alice?"

"Yes?"

"Please… please, tell me if you're going to go… investigate something."

Alice squeezed his hand and nodded - knowing how much he worried whenever Lucien went off chasing a lead (and with Lucien's track record of getting injured, Alice couldn't blame him). Matthew cared about his loved ones and while it sometimes came out in abrupt ways when he was stressed (snapped orders, a raised voice, etc), Alice knew he only wanted those he cared about to be safe. Out of respect to that wish, Alice would rein it in while investigating. She was not Lucien - she was Alice Lawson, and she was also pregnant. Alice saw no reason to put her unborn child at risk for the sake of an investigation.

"I will, I'll even drag Hobart along with me if it makes you feel better."

He shook his head with a fond smile. "I just… I need you to be safe."

"And I will be," Alice squeezed his hand again. "You need to stay safe too."

Pressing a quick kiss to Alice's forehead, Matthew nodded, "I will. Now, let's get you to the hospital so you can start on that autopsy. I know you're itching to start."

Nurse Wolfe showed great promise as she helped Alice with the autopsy - she caught on quickly to Alice's routine and moved efficiently around the morgue. She wasn't afraid to ask questions - for clarification or just out of her own curiosity. She reminded Alice of Mattie O'Brien in her tenacity and she could see the young nurse getting roped into more investigations in the future. Nurse Wolfe (Alice found out her first name was Leah within ten minutes of the autopsy) wasn't squeamish around the dead body (or cutting it open) and Alice was thankful for that - the last thing she needed was a fainting assistant.

Alice had continued her work in the morgue after finding out she was pregnant - the smell sometimes getting to her in the earlier months (a surgical mask helped some back then). As the morning sickness subsided upon entering her second trimester, Alice found she was practically back to her old self - that familiar spring in her step at the idea of a brand new mystery to solve.

(Though, the stomach contents still sometimes made her queasy - she left that to Nurse Wolfe, guiding the young woman through it from across the table)

Baby Lawson seemed to like the sound of their mother's voice as she and the nurse traded theories and explanations - and a small smile stayed on Alice's face throughout the autopsy as she felt the baby move. She and Nurse Wolfe wrapped up the autopsy as efficiently as Alice and Lucien did - the nurse finishing up the paperwork as Alice neatly sewed up the body.

"If that's all you needed help with, Dr. Lawson, I'd better get back upstairs," Nurse Wolfe smiled.

"Yes, thank you, Nurse Wolfe, you were an enormous help today."

"You're welcome! I enjoyed it," the young woman ducked her head and scuffed her foot on the floor. "If you ever need help again, please don't hesitate to ask."

"With Dr. Blake taking on more cold cases in his spare time, I'll probably have to hold you to that," Alice smiled. "So long as it doesn't interfere with your duties upstairs or out in Ballarat; I can always get the Superintendent to loan me one of his men."

"You might have to step over them after they faint."

Nurse Wolfe's sly remark startled a laugh out of Alice and she took the paperwork off the smirking nurse's hands.

"They've got to get used to it one way or another."

"True. Have a good rest of the day, Dr. Lawson!"

"You too!" Alice smiled as Nurse Wolfe left her to finalize the report. She sat at her desk and read over the paperwork, finished the report, and readied the samples to send off to the various labs while Baby Lawson squirmed around.

"Pipe down in there for a minute, please," Alice laughed as she rubbed the bump. "It's hard to concentrate with you dancing around."

That got her a swift kick to her side - furthering her amusement as she signed the report. Gathering up the samples and report, Alice dropped the samples off upstairs with instructions and then left the hospital for the police station. She pulled her coat further closed against the wind on her walk to the station - the weather was starting to warm up as spring approached, but winter still held Ballarat within its clutches.

Alice nodded to the constable at the front desk as she entered the building. A small girl sat in the waiting area in between the front desk and the bullpen; Alice frowned for a second - wondering what she was there for - before she approached Matthew and Sergeant Hobart.

"Autopsy results, Superintendent. Cause of death was exsanguination from a severe laceration across the throat, severing the carotid and jugular arteries, the victim would have bled out within a few minutes."

"Hm…" Matthew read over her report. "There was a severe lack of blood at the scene."

She nodded as she shrugged out of her coat and draped it over the back of a chair. "That was likely just a dumping site, yes."

"Fantastic," he sighed and put the report to the side. "Thank you, Doctor. So we've got a slashed throat, an unknown murder site, and a silent witness."

"Witness?"

Hobart nodded out to the waiting area - where the small girl was still sitting on the bench. "She supposedly saw something, but won't speak to us. We don't even know her name."

Alice looked down the hall at the girl. She sat quiet, avoided eye contact - any contact altogether really, and wouldn't be coaxed by anyone. Alice took in the odd stillness to the girl, her hunched shoulders, and the way she watched everyone warily. Decades ago, that had been Alice.

She had her suspicions on why the girl stayed quiet, but only acting on them would prove if they were true.

"Might… might I give it a go?" Alice asked quietly, her hands resting on the swell of her belly absentmindedly - their child would be loved, Alice vowed.

"You want to?" Matthew's eyebrows rose. At Alice's nod, Matthew sighed, "I'll take all the help I can get. Maybe she'll talk to someone who isn't a police officer."

"She's probably been taught not to trust them… my parents tried that with me and my sister."

He squeezed her shoulder, "Give it a shot, Dr. Lawson, and let us know if she says anything."

"If it doesn't work, we could always call in Jean."

Her husband laughed softly and even Hobart ducked his head at Alice's joke. She reached down to hold Matthew's hand tight and steeled herself for the tricky conversation ahead.

"Sure you're up for this, sweetheart?" Matthew murmured as Hobart walked away from them.

"I have to try at least, Matthew. She… I see Peg when I look at her and…" Alice took a deep breath. "I want to help."

He leaned in and pressed a kiss to her forehead, "I'll be here if you need me."

"I know," Alice stole a quick kiss and squeezed his hand one more time before she let go and walked over to the girl.

She sat down on the bench close to her, but hopefully not close enough to frighten her - noting the fading bruises the peeked out from the girl's collar and sleeves. Alice caught the wary look out of the corner of her eye and she willed herself to relax - the longer she sat by the girl, the more comfortable she'd become around Alice (hopefully). Resting her hands in her lap, Alice leaned back against the wall and waited.

She heard fabric shift next to her and felt the girl move closer to her as Alice watched the normal hustle and bustle of the Ballarat police station for several minutes. Rubbing her belly, Alice smiled when Baby Lawson kicked.

"You're gonna have a baby," the girl remarked.

"I am," Alice answered softly, turning her head towards her - hoping she wouldn't startle the girl.

"Is it gonna be a boy?" the girl flinched instinctively after asking the question and Alice's heart wrenched at the motion. The witness relaxed when she realized Alice wouldn't clout her around the ears for being curious.

"I don't know yet."

"I think it's gonna be a girl," she said with a firm nod, her voice barely above a whisper. "Do you… do you want a girl?"

"I think a girl would be nice to have."

"Good, girls are better than boys… boys are mean."

Alice bit back a laugh, "They are, aren't they."

She rubbed her belly again, noticing the girl watching with rapt attention.

"The baby's moving around… would you like to feel it?"

"I can?"

Alice nodded and the girl scooted closer to her on the bench. She put her hands on the bump and smiled when she felt Baby Lawson move; Alice smiled at the girl's joy and refrained from touching her - even in a soothing motion. She remembered what it was like, to flinch and tense whenever someone strange touched her (she still did) - her body not differentiating between the heavy hand of her parents and the soft touch of a friendly hand on her shoulder; the flight or fight freeze continued even after she got out of her parents' house - her foster homes varying in degrees of warmth and kindness, and wandering hands that started young.

"My name is Alice," she said instead. "Would you like to tell me yours?"

"Hazel," the girl answered softly, her eyes still on Alice's baby bump as Baby Lawson moved around at Alice's voice.

"Do you have a last name, Hazel?"

"Jones."

"Thank you for telling me," Alice smiled and Hazel looked up at her. "Are you alright if I ask you some more questions?"

Hazel looked around and then nodded, "I like you. You make me feel safe."

Alice nearly burst into tears at that and she had to blink them back as she understood the weight of Hazel's proclamation.

"Would you be alright if one of the nice policemen were to sit with us and ask some questions of their own?" When Hazel hesitated, Alice gently rested her hands on top of Hazel's - in full view of the girl, so she'd know what she was doing. "I promise you, Hazel, you'll be safe and they want to help."

"If you're with me, then yes. Just… not the grumpy one, please."

Alice smiled - she'd have to ask Hazel just which one she meant as both Matthew and Hobart could come across grumpy. "That I can do, Hazel. Please stay here while I go get the non-grumpy one."

"The one with the stick seemed nice."

"He is," Alice's smile grew wider. "I'll be back, okay?"

"Okay."

She left Hazel on the bench, glancing at her over her shoulder as she walked back to Matthew waiting in the bullpen.

"How'd it go?"

"Her name is Hazel Jones," Alice told him and watched as he wrote it down. "I didn't ask any more than that, but she's agreed to answer more questions with you, provided I'm there with her."

Matthew smiled, "Well done, sweetheart."

She smiled back - feeling it wobble a little as tears gathered in her eyes.

Matthew's demeanor shifted and he gingerly rubbed her upper arm, "What is it, Alice?"

"Nothing," Alice shook her head and wiped away some of the tears that fell, "damned bloody hormones."

"Hazel hitting a little close to home?"

She nodded, "She's so scared and… I just want to help. Someone's abusing her, Matthew, she has bruises."

"We'll figure out who after we get what she saw out of her, okay? Let's go interview her and then… maybe take her to Jean afterwards for a good, solid lunch."

"Are we allowed to do that?"

He shrugged, "She'll be safe and out of trouble. And regarding Welfare… what they don't know won't hurt them for now."

"Thank you, Matthew," Alice leaned in and kissed his cheek; she wiped away the faint lip print with a smile.

"You're welcome," he smiled. "You've worked a miracle with her."

"I know what it was like… I never got to the point Hazel is with policemen, but I distrusted them for a long time."

"Well, I'm glad you trust them now."

Alice muffled her giggles with a hand at Matthew's grin, "Of course you would be."

"You're good with her, though, I mean it."

She hummed and nodded, "Maybe… maybe I'm cut out to be a mother after all."

"I think you are."

Alice just squeezed his hand with a fond smile.

"Now, Superintendent, to the interview?"

"To the interview, Dr. Lawson."