"This is what I hate most about this job. Finding all the spare parts." Detective Tripp mumbled. He was scouring the lake front for missing appendages from their newest victim.
Keats hid a small smile as she watched Tripp duck under branches grumpily and wade through the lake with his knee-high rubber boots.
Keats snapped a few more shots of the body, a young woman that someone was obviously trying to hide.
"Cause of death?" Keats wondered. Alexx shrugged.
"I'm not sure. But it definitely looks like she was the victim of a sexual assault. I can confirm that at the lab." Alexx murmured, stroking the girl's forehead.
Keats sighed and shook her head. She was exhausted. She gently slapped her face a few times and tried to focus on her photos.
"June? Is something wrong, honey?" Alexx glanced over at her worriedly. Keats smiled and shook her head.
"I'm fine. I'm just tired. I haven't been able to sleep for awhile." Keats said. She had told Morgan to leave her alone for the time being, and she had avoided both Ryan and Cooper semi-successfully. She knew she had to take the time to think about her relationships, and each night, without fail, she had stayed awake to figure them out.
And after nearly two weeks of thinking, she still hadn't come up with a suitable answer. She was almost ready to give up and live a life of chastity. Oh, how crappy would that be??? But then again, what choice do I have?
Alexx kept her gaze on Keats, but Keats laughed and told her not to worry. Alexx knew very well that she should and, in fact, would worry.
She would have to keep an eye on her.
Keats flipped through the photos she took at the crime scene and yawned. Eric Delko popped in and stood behind her, smiling his usual bright smile.
"So how was it?" He asked, looking at her pictures. Keats scrunched up her nose.
"Bad. The ones that involve water are always really bad." She said.
"Yeah. I know what you mean. The smell can be quite overpowering." He gave her a reassuring pat on the shoulder.
"It turned my stomach. I feel kind of nauseated, actually. I thought it would go away, but…" Keats returned to her work.
Natalia joined them in the next instant, bringing two cups of coffee with her. She handed one to Delko, and set the other one on the table beside Keats.
"I heard you were tired, K.J. How about a little pick-me-up?" She asked. Keats nodded gratefully.
"Thanks." She put the cup to her lips and inhaled deeply. Her stomach did a flip-flop and she set the cup down immediately.
"What's wrong? Is it too hot?" Natalia wondered. Keats nodded slowly. Eric gave her an odd look but said nothing.
"Well, be sure to get some rest for a change, okay?" Natalia added before leaving.
Eric sat beside her and they re-examined the photos thoroughly. After a few minutes, Eric nudged the coffee closer to Keats.
"I think it's cooled off by now." He said, watching her closely. Keats nodded and tried to drink again. She swallowed painfully and set the cup aside, returning to what she had been doing before.
"You hate coffee now?" He asked her. Keats shrugged.
In the next instant, Keats rushed out of the room and ran down the hall. Eric noted with amusement and anxiety that she had run into the bathroom.
Keats rinsed her mouth out with cold water. She splashed a bit of it on her face and wiped herself dry with a paper towel.
She had no idea why the crime scene from earlier had upset her so much. But she knew that sometimes the body reacted to strange smells. Her vomiting indicated that she should be more careful around watery crime scenes.
Eric was waiting for her when she got back.
"Take the rest of the day off, Keats. Find out what's making you sick and tired."
Find out what's making me sick and tired? What is that supposed to mean? Anyway, I'm thankful for the time off.
Keats sipped her homemade chicken noodle soup and read the paper. It was nice and relaxing, especially since she had made her mind that she would not worry about her love life.
Sloane was in the bedroom taking a nap. Her days consisted mainly of sleeping and eating, so Keats had barely seen her recently.
Just as she was nodding off to sleep herself, she heard a scream.
"Sloane? Are you all right?" She called, running into her sister's bedroom. Sloane rolled her eyes and within the next half hour, they were at the hospital.
"I'm sorry I scared you. But, ouch. I hope childbirth isn't too painful." Sloane said to Keats. Keats leaned against the window and suppressed a laugh.
"I don't know…I'd go ahead and ask for anesthesia now." She replied. Keats felt her stomach rumbling and wished she could have eaten more before she fell asleep at the table.
"They told me it would take awhile. You should go home and rest. I'll call you when things pick up." Sloane suggested, noticing the dark circles under her sister's eyes.
"Are you kidding? I'm not going anywhere." Keats said. She crossed her arms over her chest defiantly.
"Go. You need a nap so you can be of some use to me later. My husband's going to be pretty lame at this, I can tell already." Sloane said. Keats sighed.
"Fine. I'll leave when he gets here." She compromised. She sat down in one of the chairs next to Sloane's hospital bed and waited.
"Why don't you run down to the cafeteria and get some food? Your stomach is really loud." Sloane remarked, flipping through channels on the tv.
Keats did as Sloane suggested. She bought a turkey sandwich and some ginger ale, settling down to eat near a window.
She carefully opened the sandwich and began taking big bites. But after a few minutes, it became clear that she had made the wrong choice in food.
She broke into a run and charged into the ladies' room, heaving up whatever was left in her stomach.
When she returned to Sloane's room, she was more tired than ever, and especially more hungry. But she wasn't about to try to eat again.
"Are you okay?" Sloane wondered. She muted the television set.
"I'm fine. My stomach hasn't been doing so well, though. Ever since this morning's crime scene, I've been throwing up. Every time I try to eat, too." Keats said, sitting at the foot of her bed.
"You don't think…" Sloane began.
"What? Tell me." Keats wondered. Sloane examined her closely.
"Do you think you're pregnant, maybe?" She asked. Keats eyes widened.
"What?" She shrieked. Sloane thought a bit more, then grinned at her sister and laughed.
"Oh, who am I kidding? It's been months since you've had sex. How could you possibly be pregnant…" Sloane laughed. Keats laughed along and shrugged.
She really doesn't know about that night with Ryan, I take it.
"Maybe it's the flu. Or maybe you should take it easy on the field work. It's obviously upsetting you." Sloane said. Keats inhaled sharply.
Pregnant? I have an incredible sensation of déjà vu. Last year I was so worried that Ryan and I had gotten pregnant. But of course, that was nonsense. Sweet, adorable, stressful nonsense.
I couldn't be pregnant. It's too unbelievable. And inconvenient, I might add.
Keats felt her stomach lurch and groaned. She went into Sloane's private bathroom and wretched.
"You should have a doctor give you medicine for that." Sloane called from the main room.
Keats knew she was too afraid to go to the doctor. She was scared to death of what he might say. If she truly was pregnant, then she would have to tell Ryan, for better or worse.
He's probably angry with me for avoiding him. What if he denied that he's the father? Oooh, I'd kill him!!!
Keats balled up her fists angrily at the thought.
But…just maybe…if I ignore it…the problem will go away…
Keats spent the next hour heaving in the toilet and realized she couldn't possibly ignore the problem.
When her stomach had calmed down a bit, she went to find Sloane's doctor.
I have to find out for sure…
