A/N: For everyone's weekend. And thanks for all the new follows and faves :D

As always, enjoy.

Two weeks later, Tuesday 1st March 2016, 3.43pm, Dr Perry's Office, Amsterdam Ave, Manhattan

'A detective, a fugitive and a retired nurse turned Samurai-shade thrower walk into a doctor's office…' sounded like the beginning of a corny joke to be told at a dingy bar over beer and peanuts. But this was the life of Jocelyn Carter; 17 weeks into a pregnancy with a man who did more with a 22. pistol before 12 than most people did all day. Maybe she was self-conscious but since her belly officially 'popped out' about a week ago, they couldn't hide their stares at the Precinct because most of her co-workers didn't know she was dating or who the lucky man was. And John was lucky, because he was able to do what no man in her life came close to; charming Evelyn just enough to unload a few bullets from her verbal shotgun. Case in point; he was thirteen minutes late to the appointment but with a bag of strawberry bonbons and a flash of his blue eyes all was forgiven. The pad around Joss' arm tightened again, taking another blood pressure read, and Dr Perry made another long humming sound at the chart on her screen. The square glasses on her nose aged her by about two years, making her look just old enough not to get carded.

"How much exercise are you getting?"

Joss looked guiltily from side-to-side. "Twice a week?" She lied unconvincingly.

"Shame the devil, Jocelyn." Evelyn advised.

She avoided eye contact and stared at a monkey on a children's height chart across the room. "Okay; twice at the gym, once at home and on the job."

"And food, how often do you eat?"

"Twice, maybe three times a day." She could feel John's glare and Evelyn's eye roll. "I try, okay? I'm busy."

Dr Perry sighed a bit louder than she wanted to. "I know; she never did listen." Evelyn told her. "Always thought she was smarter than everybody."

Joss hated being spoken about as though she wasn't there, and was annoyed John wasn't defending her even though she was in the wrong. "There's something you're not telling us. What is it?" John asked, observing that Joss' stubbornness was making her doctor look flushed.

The doctor took the diplomatic approach. "You can find out the twins' gender today, if you'd like to."

"I'd like to. Very much." Evelyn spoke clearly so they were aware there were no other options; she hadn't learnt how to use her smartphone camera for nothing.

"Not until you tell us." John decided, locking eyes with Joss in a way they never had before. "What's going on?"

Her most recent seminar advised on how to tell a patient they had cancer, diabetes, HIV, dementia, schizophrenia or MS, leaving her completely unprepared. "I'm concerned about you, Ms Carter."

"Call me Joss. Everybody else does."

She took a deep breath. "Okay, Joss, you have gestational hypertension or PIH."

"What does that mean?" John asked.

"Pregnancy induced high blood pressure. That's being heightened by your lifestyle."

Evelyn shook her head. "I told you; you never know when to stop."

"Tell me about it." John co-signed, vying for the title of the biggest hypocrite in human history.

"If you don't slow down, you'll increase your chance of preterm labour and we don't want that. Especially with twins."

"We sure don't." Evelyn led the chorus like she did at church.

There was no diplomatic way to drop the hammer. "So…I'm putting you on bedrest until your readings come down."

"You're what?" Joss asked, as if she was hard of hearing.

"No offense, Joss, but I can't trust that you'll make the necessary changes if I don't." She was expecting Joss to explode at her and blame it on the hormones, but her elevated heartbeat showed she was in distress. The distress of losing control of the situation. "In the meantime, please get more rest, more sleep, less exercise, eat little and often and take your blood pressure every two hours."

Benched. Benched, benched, benched, benched, benched; is all she heard. "Fine." Her tone said the opposite but her heart rate started dropping slowly.

"Let's review your progress in three weeks." Joss' mumbled acceptance wasn't lost on the tag team that didn't know what to do with her. "Are you ready to know what you're having?"

The petty place in her heart wanted John to suffer by making him wait but her curiosity overwhelmed her. "Yeah, I am."

"Great." What happened next was a blur, and before she knew it her stomach was covered in ultrasound gel and Evelyn was asking about a DVD. "Turn to your right," Dr Perry said gently, bringing her back into the moment. She shifted and felt the pressure in her side. "There's Baby A."

Joss blinked. "Is that the arm?"

"And the head, some babies cover their faces…and this is definitely a boy."

"So he's camera shy? Must've got it from his dad."

Joss' inside joke hit the spot. "Told you, Joss." John gloated.

"John-Something." They said in unison, making Evelyn misty.

She coughed. "You know, Dr Perry, my allergies are terrible this time of year."

"I can imagine." She humoured the woman because she liked her. "Let's try lying on your back for Baby B."

"Is it supposed to feel like this?" Joss felt out of breath again.

"Uncomfortable? Yes. It won't be long."

John held his breath as the screen turned into a black and white kaleidoscope and the heartbeat of their second twin became more pronounced. They were all so transfixed on the screen that it hadn't dawned on him that he could be holding her hand or rubbing her back. But either way she was more relaxed, he could tell as her eyes searched the screen; trying to make out body parts in the sac. And it became clear that this was his family with the opinionated mother-in-law to boot. Dr Perry was quiet for too long.

"What's happening?" John asked.

"She's looking, John." Joss reassured him, soothed by the heartbeat that said everything was okay. "Tell me a story."

He looked at her mom. "I can't."

"You can." She prodded. "Misadventures of a teenage delinquent."

He did it because it helped her relax. "Fine. When I was almost 18, I got into a fight and the judge said it was either jail or the military." Evelyn's allergies were suppressed by her nosiness and keen ear. "But I never told you what it was about. There was this girl named Hillary Fontaine."

Joss shook her head. "Always with the names."

"She was from the rich side of town." He explained.

She spotted her mom taking mental notes and got in on the game. "And you were from the 'wrong side of the tracks', right? Sounds like a B-movie."

"You like B-movies."

Those damn blue eyes had her going again and she felt the flutter of the babies moving. "Here." John placed his hand at the top of her bump and could barely feel a thing. "They like your stories."

"I can see the head and two long legs, right here." Dr Perry distracted them from this dance they were doing; the dance she remembered from the last time. "There's the neck. You've got two healthy boys there, Joss. Let's keep them that way?"

"I told you so." John said without reservation. "I've never been more right than I am right now, since the day I met you."

Evelyn would never miss an opportunity to dig for information. "And how did you meet, again? I love that story."

"In cuffing season." John fed her a line to keep her busy. "Right?"

On a day like this, she could agree to anything. "Right."