CHAPTER NINE

For Iris, the next several days passed quickly as she readied herself to sing a solo in their church's talent show that was to raise money for the youth department. She finally settled on a song and had been practicing often at the church while keeping her song choice a secret from Brass as she wanted it to be a surprise. To her astonishment now at being roughly 16 weeks pregnant, her abdomen seemed to be expanding a little every few days and she was truly "poochy" as Jim called it.

As they were primarily on graveyard shift still, Iris was in their bedroom finishing getting ready for work while Jim was shaving when she let out a whoop of surprise. As he was always on alert anymore, Jim came in pell-mell from the bathroom with a startled look and shaving cream still on his face. He sat down quickly beside Iris, who said nothing but grasped his hand and placed it quickly on her rounded belly and began to move it carefully about. Brass looked at her questioningly when all of a sudden he felt a faint ripple sensation under the palm of his hand. A kick? Another kick? His face became suffused with an expression of wonder as he felt the intermittent activity of one or more of the babies. The movements were strong and vigorous.

"They're starting to really make their presence known," Iris commented as Jim bent to kiss her tummy, causing Iris to giggle at the shaving cream he left behind.

"Yeah, before college tuition and clothes and cars and all that," Jim responded candidly but while at the time feeling suddenly more protective of Iris and their pending additions to the family.

"I can only imagine how you'll be on our daughter's first date. You'll meet the young man at the door with a sawed-off shotgun I would expect." Iris speculated in a teasing way.

"You betcha! He'll have to pass a background check as well as submit to fingerprinting and an oral swab for DNA before he even sets foot in the house." Jim agreed with a smirk.

"Remind me to tell the gang at work again that the talent show at church is Saturday evening and I need all the moral support I can get as well it being for a good cause…" Iris stopped at that moment as she had to make a beeline for the bathroom as her bladder was not as trustworthy as it used be due to her internal expansion.

"Hurry up in there, babe! I'll be waiting out in the car," Brass said to the closed door.

The night shift passed without incident and Iris for once didn't get an assignment from Grissom. He opted instead to have her catch up case paperwork for Nick, Greg and Warrick from the gang shoot-out nearly two weeks prior. The case had resulted in arrests but some suspects remained on the loose. It made Iris heartsick at the lack of regard shown by man for fellow man for life, especially young life.

In Iris' own case investigation of the recent pet shop B&E they had gotten a break when an informant anonymously tipped the LVPD to several of the exotic animals being present at a nearby flea market. Iris had been present with Detective Vega when the animals had been confiscated and two men arrested for the theft. Their fingerprints matched those Iris had lifted at the crime scene but as they no prior record their fingerprints had not turned up as match with any of the computer lab databases. They now arrived at the pet store along with an Animal Control van with the animals to be returned to the owner, Dorothy Armstrong.

"Detective Vega and Investigator King, I truly didn't have much hope at the animals being recovered, especially the reptiles and tarantulas, which are especially popular with the young crowd," Dorothy stated. "If you would like one of the animals, I would be happy to just give you your pick as a gesture of my appreciation."

"Ma'am, we're simply doing our job and your offer is appreciated but we could not accept," Sam told Dorothy.

"Ms. Armstrong, you did have a white German Shepherd here the night of the crime and why they didn't take her I can't understand but I don't see her now," Iris observed.

"Oh, I was keeping her for a local animal rescue group but she was adopted out and I'm afraid I don't know where. Such a sweet young dog and very trusting in spite of what she'd been through." Dorothy replied somewhat sadly.

"Well, I'm sure that dog ended up in a good home," Iris said with a trace of disappointment.

"Ms. Armstrong, let us know if we can be of any further assistance," Sam told her as he nodded his head to Iris as they made ready to leave.

"You really liked that dog, huh?" Sam asked Iris on their way back to the station.

"We had a German Shepherd when I was a kid. She was an awesome pet, so you can understand why I gravitated to that dog. I lost two dogs a while back…" Iris replied as her voice trailed away, memories of Durante and Cyrano fresh still.

"I remember, Iris, tough break," Sam said sympathetically.

Iris' cell phone rang as she saw Jim's number displayed. He was calling just long enough to tell her he'd left early to get his car serviced and would meet her at home. She said she had to stop by the store to get some things for dinner that night and would be home as soon as she could.

"You two seem like an old married couple instead of having been married less then a year and good Lord expecting triplets on top of that! Who'd've thunk it?" Vega continued while giving Iris an encouraging smile.

"If you'd told me I'd be transferring to the Vegas CSI lab, meeting and falling for a detective let alone captain, getting married at my age and then expecting triplets, yes, I would have thought you from another planet. Thanks for sharing the ride, Sam." Iris agreed, as they pulled into the LVPD parking lot.

A little later, Iris was on her way home from the store. Dinner that night would be golden tilapia filet stuffed with spinach, sliced mushrooms and feta cheese, to be topped with béarnaise sauce, with shrimp fettuccini and salad. While Iris didn't consider herself a gourmet, she did love to cook and trying new dishes that challenged her. As she pulled up in the driveway, she saw Jim had beaten her home. Walking into the house with the groceries, Iris didn't see Jim immediately and called out for him. "Hey, Bear, where be ya?"

"I'm on the patio, come on out!" Jim hollered back to her.

As soon as she put what needed to in the refrigerator, Iris promptly headed out to the patio and stopped up short. There Brass sat in her grandmother's rocking chair and sitting quietly beside him was a white German Shepherd…the one Iris had so admired the night at the pet shop crime scene.

Speechless, Iris walked over to Jim as he stood to fold her into a hug. He looked down at the freckled face with brown eyes and upturned nose that captivated him so. Her eyes were full of questions as her brow wrinkled slightly. The dog begged for attention by whining softly and pawing at Jim's leg.

"Down girl," he said simply and she promptly sat and looked up at them expectantly with a cocked face and stand-up ears as only that breed could.

"How did you know? I mean I never said a thing. I would've mentioned it to you but when Sam and I were talking to the pet shop owner she said the dog had been adopted. Oh my gosh, what did Sam say?!" Iris asked in a rush.

"Just that you were so taken with this little lady here, so I called the pet shop and went to check her out and decided we needed a dog again. I know how bad you've missed the other two and it's been too quiet around here, plus I want the kids to have a playmate and guardian to grow up with. I didn't think you'd go against my logic there. I also took the liberty of calling her Snow," Jim replied.

"Cool name, no pun intended." Iris grinned up at him as she patted their new pet that licked at her hand with a furiously wagging tail.

"Welcome to the family, Snow," Brass grinned as the dog capered around them.