Chapter 3: Pregnancy

Nikki awoke the next day and ran for the bathroom. She headed out and managed to get down a cup of coffee, and a few saltines. Then, she got dressed and headed for the pharmacy.

Once there, she went down each of the aisles until she found the one she was looking for. She looked at each pregnancy test, and decided on three. One could be false, two is a coincidence and three is an answer. She went to the check out counter and gave the woman there the three tests.

" My, my, my. Are these all for you?", the woman asked.

" Yes. I just want to be sure of the answer before I panic", Nikki replied.

" That'll be 22.50", the cashier said. Nikki handed her the money and grabbed the bag.

" Thanks", she faintly smiled.

" Have a nice day", the cashier continued, " Hope you get the answer you're looking for."

Nikki smiled and then walked out the door. It scared the living hell out of her about being pregnant, she kindly hoped she wasn't.

Danny looked down at his sleeping wife. She looked like an angel when she slept. He could just lay there all day and watch her. Unfortunately, he had to be at work in an hour.

He got up and headed for the shower. He thought about Nikki and sincerely hoped that she was alright, wherever she was. He still had no idea, and he'd been planning to look. He didn't think she'd run off.

He shook his head but couldn't help thinking, after what happened between her and Flack, she wouldn't run away. But, then again, she was never one to settle down in the same place.

He smiled when he thought about memories of the past. She could never stay still when she was younger. He remembered his mom always saying that she would probably never settle down. But, then again, he'd said the same thing about himself, and so did their mom. Yet, he settled down.

He knew that Nikki probably wouldn't want a serious relationship with anyone right now, but she had to move on, Danny knew that. He settled into the hot water and remembered all the times from being a little girl to now. She was a full-grown woman who could make her own decisions. But, he was worried about her, like he always was, and no amount of leaving could get him to stop.

Don took a long look at his bed. He remembered feeling Nikki there in his arms, responding to him and making him feel things that he's never felt before. Feeling love.

He stood in the doorway with one of his suits on, holding a cup of coffee. He had his badge and his gun strapped on. He felt that same empty feeling, the hopeless feeling. She wasn't there, she was not there. He couldn't get over that. He did have one regret though. He wanted so much to tell her that he loved her.

His phone rang then, and he answered, " Don Flack."

" Hey", Danny said.

" Hey, what's new?", Don asked.

" Nothing much. I just wanted to see how you're holding up", Danny answered.

" Well, I'm ok. I guess I just feel empty, almost like I did before she left, or whatever she did", Don replied, moving into the kitchen.

" Now what do you mean?", Danny asked.

" I mean, it almost feels like life was empty before I met her, but once she entered my life, suddenly, it wasn't empty anymore", Don replied.

" Oh, I see", Danny stated.

" I feel like my heart went with her, wherever she went", Don said.

" Ok, now you're getting mushy with me. You're getting soft, Flack", Danny smiled.

" That's just great. The worst thing in the world, and you're worried about me getting soft?", Don chuckled.

" As a matter of fact, I am", Danny chuckled, despite trying to keep a straight face.

" Nice one, Messer", Flack said, picking up his car keys, and headed out the door, locking it safely behind him.

" You leaving for work now?", Danny asked.

" Yeah, I am. I spent most of the morning staring at the bed, I nearly had to drag myself out the door", Don stated.

" Wow", was all Danny answered with.

" What?", Don asked, reaching the front door of his apartment building.

" Nothing, it's just, why the hell were you staring at your bed?", Danny asked, barely restraining a laugh.

" No reason", Flack blushed.

" Okay, then. Well, I'll see you at the lab", Danny said, hanging up.

Flack chuckled, and then got into his car and drove off.

Nikki sat on her couch and waited for the timer to ding. She was very nervous. But, what if she was pregnant? What would she do? She'd never been one to stay still, so she'd definitely have to settle down. More importantly, how would she raise a baby by herself? Hold on, I'm getting ahead of myself. I might not even be pregnant, Nikki thought.

The bell dinged and she took a few deep breaths before walking over to the test. Before she looked at it, she took another couple of deep breaths, and then picked it up. She opened her eyes, and looked straight into a positive sign. She almost panicked, before she thought that it could just be faulty.

She took the second pregnancy test, and headed for the bathroom. A few minutes later she walked out and let the timer go again. She drank some water and news of the first test wash through her.

She looked at the timer a couple of minutes later and blew out another breath. It was just about time to face the second result. She sat back and drank another glass of water.

When the bell dinged again, Nikki felt her heart race and sweat bead on her forehead. She picked it up and again looked into a pink positive sign. She just about screamed in frustration more than panic. Then, she drank another glass of water, and got ready to head to the bathroom one more time.

A few minutes later, she walked into the bathroom with the third and final test. A few minutes later, she walked back out. With the timer set, she let it go again.

When she got up on the final ding, she took a few more deep breaths, and looked at the test. Once more, she stared into a pink positive sign. She sat down on the couch again, and cried until she fell asleep.

Hotch arrived home that night to find Nikki sleeping on the couch. He looked at her and then headed for his bedroom to put his stuff away. He came back out and she was sitting there, staring at nothing.

" Nikki? Are you alright?", he asked, softly.

She didn't answer. Just kept looking at the wall.

He walked over to her and sat down next to her. " Nikki? Are you ok?", he asked, again, this time still gentle, yet not as soft as before.

He didn't think she'd answer, so he got up and headed for the kitchen. " No", was all she answered with.

He stopped. He couldn't help it. He turned around and walked back to the couch. He sat down beside her, and asked, " What's wrong?"

" I'm…I'm…pregnant", she answered, quietly.

" What?", he asked, shock clearly registering on his tight features.

" I'm pregnant", she answered again, as if trying to get used to the idea.

" Are you sure?", he asked, gently.

" Three pregnancy tests later…", she looked at him finally, " Yes, I'm sure."

" What are you gonna do?", Hotch asked.

" Get an appointment with an obstetrician was my first thought after I woke up", she answered, looking down at her hands, " I guess I'll see how far along I am, so I can figure out who the father is."

" You mean, you don't know?", he asked.

" Oh, I have a couple of theories. Although, I'm kinda hoping for the second one rather than the first", she replied.

" Who are your theories?", he asked again.

" Jeremy Evans, and Detective Don Flack", she answered. She looked up at him again, and he tried to give her a reassuring smile, " Will you come with me?"

" Where?", he asked, confused.

" To the obstetrician's", she replied.

" Yes, if you want me to", he answered.

" You know, I knew that my life would be difficult, but this is ridiculous", she smiled. She gently put her hands on her abdomen, and smiled even wider.

" Why are you smiling?", Hotch asked, smiling as well.

" I never thought I'd have kids, yet here I am, pregnant", Nikki giggled.

" You know, I'd been meaning to ask you why you kept putting your hands to your stomach, besides trying to keep food down. When you weren't nauseas, you had one had on your abdomen quite frequently", he stated.

" Are you serious? You mean, unconsciously, I knew I was pregnant?", Nikki asked.

" Yes, I think you did", Hotch replied.

" I'm scared to find out who the father is, Hotch. If it's Jeremy's baby, I don't know what I'd do", Nikki stated, sadly.

" And if it's Detective Flack's?", Hotch asked.

" If it's Flack's, I'll keep it probably. I love him, you know", she stated, proudly.

" Then, why the hell are you here and not there?", Hotch asked.

" Because, when we had sex, we were both drunk", she answered, " And not terribly drunk, but enough."

" Just because you guys were drunk doesn't mean that he doesn't care about you", he replied, pushing a strand of hair back from her eyes.

" I'm sure that I'm not his type", Nikki stated, quietly, with sadness edging her voice.

" Then what exactly is his type then?", Hotch asked.

" Blond haired, blue eyed, with a nice ass and great breasts", she replied.

" Who says you don't have a nice ass?" he asked, barely restraining a chuckle, then added, " Look, you're a brown haired, brown eyed woman with more sense than a blond woman will ever have. You are beautiful. Any guy to reject you is a jerk."

She smiled at his reassuring words, and then he pulled her against his chest until she fell asleep again.