Chapter 10: Preparing
The team helps Toby and Happy prepare for the arrival of their baby.
Note: Thank you to everyone who is sticking with me and continuing to read this story, even if I'm really bad at updated consistently. I really appreciate all your encouragement. I hope you enjoy this latest update! Comments and reviews are much appreciated!
Toby was nervous - he couldn't seem to shake the butterflies that had grown in his stomach. He continued his pacing, trying to control his breathing as he looked out over the city from the roof. From up there, everything looked so small; the lights from the cars speeding on the highway, the lights turning on as people got home for the night, the hustle and bustle of the city. It was comforting in a strange way, but he still couldn't push aside what he was feeling. He had almost lost Happy again that day, shaking him to his core.
She and Walter had to board a plane mid-flight in order to stop a potential terrorist attack. Happy had to disable the bomb in the luggage compartment, while Walter worked to get rid of the virus that entered the plane's computers, allowing the terrorists to control all mechanics on the plane. Walter had been able to gain control, allowing the pilots to land the plane and evacuate everyone, even before Happy could take the bomb apart. However, something happened and the hackers regained control, taking both Walter and Happy, along with the bomb back up into the air.
For the half hour Happy was stuck up there, Toby had never been more scared. He could hear how terrified she was, but she continued to put in every effort to keep a level head. Toby had to talk her down a few times, his voice in her head helping her to focus on her task of disabling the bomb. By the time she was finished, and they were sure the bomb couldn't go off, Walter and Sly had regained control of the plane. Toby let himself breath a little easier once a trained pilot came in and guided the plane back to the runway via a modified simulator they had created out of an old gaming system.
The second Happy stepped foot in the garage, she ran to Toby, wrapping her arms around his waist, burying her face in his chest. He pulled her close, holding her as tightly as her could. For a long time, they just stood there, neither one talking. He would press the occasional kiss to the top of her head, as her silent tears soaked his shirt.
Eventually, though, they pulled apart. Toby swept the hair off her forehead before kissing it gently.
"Are you alright, sweetheart?" he asked quietly.
She nodded and said shakily, "I am now. But-" she bit her lip, "but I was so scared, Doc. I didn't think we would make it. I never would've seen you again."
He cupped her face and forced her to look into his eyes, "But you're here now. That's all that matters."
She nodded again, giving him a small smile, "Thanks for being there with me today. Talking to me."
"Of course," he whispered, pulling her to him again, "I will always be here for you. I love you," he murmured before he kissed her gently. "Meet me on the roof in 15 minutes?"
"Okay," she said with a small smile. Raising up on her tiptoes, she kissed him one more time, then turned to head to her desk, paperwork already waiting for her.
"God," Toby thought, the honking of a car in the distance returning him to the present. He ran his hands through his hair, "What if today hadn't worked out? What if they hadn't come home?" That thought alone crippled him. He knew he couldn't go a day without Happy, let alone the rest of his life. She made him whole and the thought of losing her was more than he could handle.
"Hey," Happy said in a soft voice from behind him, wrapping her arms around his waist. She pressed a kiss to the center of his back. "What are you thinking about so intensely?"
He turned in her arms and smiled lovingly down at her, "Today, you, us, life," he answered slowly, placing his hands on her hips. "I'm just so glad today turned out okay for us. I was scared to death."
"Me too," she admitted, resting her head on his chest, taking in a deep breath. His scent and strong, steady arms were two of her favorite things in the world. She always felt safe and loved when she was standing with him like this.
Toby pushed her back and took a few steps away from her, inhaling slowly, trying to calm his fast beating heart.
"Toby, what's wrong?" she asked, suddenly concerned.
He gave her a small smile and shook his head, "Nothing's wrong, babe. Don't worry. I just-" he stopped and thought for a second about what his next words were going to be. "I just have something I need to do. I've been wanting to do for awhile now." He chuckled to himself, "This definitely isn't how I thought it would go though."
"What are you talking about, Doc?" she asked, stepping towards him, needing to be close after the day she had.
He grabbed her hands, kissing the back of them, before locking their fingers together. "I've been thinking about this for some time now. I thought maybe I could hide it in your toolbox and then ask for your help building something, but we both know I would never build anything myself, I'd just have you do it for me." He grinned, "I even considered putting it in a cake, but knowing our luck, you'd eat it."
Happy had no idea what he was talking about, but couldn't help but laugh along with him. They both knew her love of sweets had no end.
Toby continued, "I tried to think of something romantic and cheesy, but I knew you'd hate that. And I don't know, this just feels right." He squeezed her hands, "After today, after almost losing you," he rolled his eyes, "again, I realized that I can't go another day without you. Life is too short to wait for the perfect moments. You have to grab the moments you have and make the most of them." He leaned in, giving her the gentlest of all kisses. "Happy, I love you and I never want to be apart from you. I want to grow old with you and just be with you everyday for the rest of my life."
Happy gasped, realizing what was happening. She stared in to Toby's eyes brimming with love. Everything else disappeared from sight and thought. There was only her and Toby, on the roof of the garage where they worked. The place they met each other, where they became friends, and then eventually fell in love. And now this moment was happening. She could barely contain her grin. Raising on her toes, she kissed him excitedly, "I want that too, Toby."
"Would you be quiet?" he laughed, "Let me finish."
She blushed and nodded, pulling her lips between her teeth so she wouldn't say anything else and ruin the moment.
"God, I love you, Happy Quinn," he murmured, wrapping one hand around the back of her neck to pull her to him. He kissed her deeply, moaning into her mouth.
She pushed him back, slightly out of breath, and looked at him expectantly.
"Right," he said, shaking his head, "I was in the middle of something."
She grinned and nodded again, rocking back on her heels in excitement.
His hand moved to her face, gently tracing his fingers down her face and neck. "You are so beautiful," he murmured to himself. Then clearing his throat, he began again, "Life without you is empty and meaningless. You've shown me what it really means to love someone and have them love you in return, mistakes and all. We've been through so much together and we've come out stronger on the other side. I want to continue doing that. I want to face life and it's challenges with you." Stepping back, he knelt down on one knee.
Happy let another gasp escape, tears suddenly filling her eyes.
Toby grabbed her hand in one of his own shaky hands, the other going to the pocket of his jeans. His thumb lightly rubbed over her knuckles, before pressing his fingers against her pulse point, feeling how fast her heart was beating, it was in time with his. Looking up, he grinned, happy tears of his own filling his eyes, "So Hap, will you marry me?"
"Yes," she whispered, pulling him up to kiss him deeply, "I love you, Doc."
"Love you too, sugar pie," he whispered back. His grin was splitting his face as he slid the ring on her finger. "Everything's perfect now."
She grinned up at him, "I never thought that could happen to me."
"Me either, baby. Me either," he murmured, pulling her close again for another toe curling kiss.
Toby's eyes flew open, a grin lighting up his entire face. He sat up quickly and looked around for Happy. He had laid down on the couch earlier, fighting a headache, while she was napping herself. He didn't see her, but he needed to find her.
"Happy!" he yelled out through their apartment.
He heard something fall to the floor from the second bedroom, followed by a "Damn it". He chuckled as he stood up, hurrying towards the bedroom, running into Happy as she came shooting out.
"Damn it, Doc, what's wrong?" she asked, quickly giving him the once over.
"Nothing," he reassured her, "nothing's wrong."
"Then what do you want?" she asked, placing her hands on her hips.
It was then that he noticed what she had on. She was wearing an old t-shirt of his with a pair of her oldest sweatpants. Both were covered in some type of goop. On her hips, hanging just below her constantly growing baby bump, was her tool belt.
"What the hell were you doing?" he asked with a laugh, wiping off more of that goop from her face.
She crinkled her nose at him and hit his hand away, "I was working on the baby's room. I took everything on the walls down and was filling the holes, while your lazy ass slept. Did you forget the team is coming over later to help paint?"
Toby smiled gently at her. Reaching out, he squeezed the top of her arms and gently rubbed them, "Babe, we have time still. You need to stop worrying."
She pulled out his grasp, "We really don't have that much time, Toby. I'm already at 22 weeks. That's over half the time. And we've done nothin, zlich. We don't even have furniture or bedding for her yet. All we have is that elephant. So tell me why I shouldn't worry?"
He fought his grin as he bent over. Holding on to Happy's hips, he brought his mouth close to her stomach, "Hey baby girl, your mommy's going all crazy today." Happy tangled her fingers into his hair, while he pressed a kiss to her stomach.
In the past month, not only had Toby and Happy gotten back to where they were before in their relationship, but Happy's bump really started popping out. She went from a small, barely there, bump to an obviously pregnant belly. They would get smiles and the occasional "aw" from a random passerby, which always caused her to blush. And Happy always grumbled in the morning, saying she had nothing to wear or that she looked like a bowling ball. But Toby thought she looked beautiful and he told her that every day, while reminding her that she was only going to get bigger before their daughter was there. She would roll her eyes at him and tell him that she hated him, to which he would respond by kissing her gently and then talking to the baby. Every chance Toby got, he would talk to the baby. If he wasn't doing that, then he was kissing her stomach or gently running his hands over her bump.
"But don't worry, little bug," he continued, "when you get here, she'll be as cool as a cucumber. You're gonna have the best momma out there."
Happy pulled gently on his hair, leading his head to her hers. She smiled gently and kissed him softly. "Be as cute as you want," she murmured against his lips, "but you're still going to have to help out in the room later."
"You can plan on it," he breathed against her lips, kissing her again, "I don't want you overdoing it, especially as you get further along. So from here on out, I'll do anything you tell me."
Smiling, she stepped back, resting her hands on his chest, tapping out patterns with her fingers, "Anyways, you interrupted your pregnant fiancée with a scream while she was trying to get ready for your daughter. What was that about?"
"Oh," Toby said excitedly, eyebrows raising to his hairline, "Oh, guess what?"
"What?" she asked with a chuckle.
"I remembered our proposal," he grinned, sliding his hands over her hips.
"Well, I hope so," she said with a smirk, "It was just last month...in our bed."
"No," he said shaking his head. He kissed her swiftly, "No, our proposal. The proposal, on the roof, after the case where you almost died on the plane."
"Oh," she said quietly, "The proposal. Wait," a grin grew on her face, "Our proposal. The one over 5 months ago?"
He nodded quickly, unable to hide his grin, "I remember everything about that night. Your heart beating with mine. How beautiful you looked with tears ready to spill over at any minute. How terrified I was when you were in the plane. How happy I was when you said yes. Everything, Hap. I remember it."
"You remembered," she whispered, a tear of happiness falling to her cheek.
"I remembered."
"I can't believe it," she mumbled, wrapping her arms around his waist, hugging him tightly.
He rubbed his hands up and down her back, "It's happening more often now, baby. I'm getting back more memories."
She looked up at him, resting her chin on his chest, "Does this- Do you think this means they will all come back?"
He smiled down at her, "I don't know, but I hope so."
"Me too," she said quietly, raising up to kiss him. She stepped back again, wiping her cheeks, "Okay," she said with a light tone, "as great of news this is, we need to get back to the baby's room. The team will be here in a few hours."
Toby reached out, pulling her to him with a smirk on his face. Leaning down, his kissed her neck teasingly. "Well, that means we have time," he whispered seductively into her ear, biting it gently. "A hour or two to celebrate, an hour or two to get the room ready."
Happy rolled her head to the side, exposing more of her neck to him. "Toby," she sighed.
He lifted his head, knowing that tone. She wasn't going to give in to him. Her mind was elsewhere - this time on the room.
She cupped his face, "I want to, I do. I can't even tell you how happy this makes me and how much I want you right now. But..."
"I get it," he said with a reassuring smile, "you're worried about the room."
She nodded and looked down, playing with her hands, "I just want everything to be perfect for her. Give her everything I didn't have. And that's what this room is. It's silly, I know, but I never had a room to myself, one that was designed for me by someone who loved me." She looked up at him, "I want her to grow up always knowing how much we love her. Because I do, Doc, I love her so much already."
Toby hugged her and kissed the top of her head, "I know you do. I do too. She's most definitely going to know that." Taking her hand, he started leading her to the soon-to-be nursery, "Let's get going then."
"Thanks, Doc."
"Anytime," he smiled and pushed open the door, "So what all do we have to do?"
He stopped in his tracks when he saw the room.
"I know it looks bad," Happy said, walking around him with a nervous look.
"Happy," he groaned, "it looks like a bomb went off in here. What the hell happened?"
The bed that used to be in there was taken apart, the pieces strewn across the room. A chair was tipped over the in the corner near an end table. Everything that had been hanging on the wall was piled in the center of the room. Boxes filled with all of the extra junk stored in the room covered the rest of the floor.
She shifted and looked around, "I was trying to be organized about it, but I had forgotten just how much junk we had in here. Once I moved one thing, I found something to be packed up. And well now," she sighed and threw her hands up in frustration, "now I'm so over my head that I don't know what to do. Which is why I started repairing the walls. I know how to do that," she looked down at her hands resting on her stomach.
"What aren't you telling me?"
"Uh," she swallowed hard, "promise you won't get mad at me?"
Toby crossed his arms, "It depends. What did you do?"
"Well, like I said, I was repairing the walls, but some of the holes are too high to reach, especially with this stomach in the way. So I got a chair and-"
Toby groaned and rolled his head back, "Don't tell me that you fell off."
"I did," she admitted quietly, "The stomach threw me off. I can't bend like I used to be able to. And you distracted me when you called out. I thought something was wrong, so I was startled and lost my balance."
"Happy," Toby drew out slowly, giving her a firm look, "Are you okay? Is the baby okay?"
She rubbed her stomach, "Yeah, we're both fine. I sort of caught myself on the way down. My arm slammed into the end table, breaking the fall some." She lifted up her arm to show Toby, "It's already starting to bruise."
Toby sighed again and moved closer to examine her arm. "You're lucky nothing more happened, Hap. Why didn't you come get me?"
She shrugged, "You were sleeping. I didn't want to bother you."
"Happy," he said, placing his hands on her shoulders, "you know I love you, so please take this in the best way. But you've got to stop being so damn independent. You have me, we're about to start a family. You're not alone any more, so please, for my own sake, if not for yours, let me help. Force me to help."
She glared up at him, "Well then stop saying we have time. If don't know if you've noticed, but I'm kind of freaking out here. Everything needs to be perfect before she arrives."
"And it will be," he murmured, pulling her into his arms. "Now you're going to put ice on that arm and relax."
"But Toby," she began to protest.
"I know, I know. The room." He spun around, looking at everything that had to be done. "I don't know what we're going to do with all of this stuff."
They thought for a moment.
"What about the garage?" Happy suggested, lighting up, "There's an empty room near my workshop. It's been empty for years. We can store our stuff there for the time being."
"Perfect," Toby said, pushing her towards the door, "Now ice and relaxing. I don't care where you sit, but just sit somewhere. And you can supervise me picking up the mess that is this room."
Happy laughed, knowing that they would somehow work this all out and their daughter would have the perfect room, "Deal. I like bossing you around."
"Don't I know it," Toby muttered under his breath, picking up the first box.
"Toby, did you move everything to my truck?" Happy called out, throwing her hair up into a messy bun, coming out from their room. She had changed into different clothes since the team was coming over at any minute. She put on a shirt that Paige had bought her that showed off her stomach a little more than normal. Paige was always bugging her about showing it off and not hiding it, and since she was coming over to help, it was the least Happy could do.
"Yes, dear," Toby said, annoyed. She had asked him that five times already.
Happy stopped in front of him and glared up at him, "No need to be snarky. I was just making sure."
"You've made sure five times now, Hap. You don't need to keep asking," he said, cracking his knuckles, a clear sign he didn't want to talk about it anymore.
"I don't want everyone to come over to a mess," she continued, clearly not ready to let it go.
"Hap, dearest," Toby said in a sugary sweet voice, trying to stay calm, "They been over here a hundred times and it's never really bothered you before."
Happy absentmindedly ran her hands over her stomach, "It's different this time. They're not coming over just to hang out. They're coming over to help us get ready." She looked down, "I don't want them to see how unprepared we are."
Toby could help but laugh, to which she looked up at him with a glare on her face, "This isn't funny, Toby."
"Sweetheart, yes it is. You're overthinking this whole thing. The team isn't going to think anything like that. And we have time, so please, please stop getting so anxious. It's not good for you or the baby."
"I don't know what I'm doing here, Toby."
"And there we go," he said with a smile. Taking her hand, he led her over the couch, "That's your real problem. You get uncomfortable when you don't know how to do something, so you try to put on this face, pretending that you know exactly what you're doing. But, baby, this is your family we're talking about. They know that even Happy Freakin' Quinn doesn't know how to do everything."
"I don't like this feeling, Doc," she whispered, laying her head on his shoulder, "I'm always prepared for everything, but right now, I feel so unprepared."
"But that's why you have us, to help. I said it earlier and I'm going to say it again, you aren't doing this alone. You'll be fine." He kissed her forehead and stood up, "Heck, after tonight, our baby will have a painted room. That's a step in the right direction."
She smiled and took his outstretched hand to stand up, "You're right. I don't like it when you're always right."
Toby laughed, "So we're good now? No more trying to overcompensate and ask me things like 20 times."
She shoved him gently, "It was only five times."
"Ah ha," he exclaimed, "you did know what you were doing."
She just rolled her eyes at him and crinkled her nose when he kissed the tip of it. Before either of them could anything though, there was a knock at the door. They went to answer it, welcoming the team in.
"Hey guys! Ralph's sorry he couldn't come, but he got invited to a sleepover and I didn't want him to miss that," Paige exclaimed walking through the door, a large smile on her face.
"We brought pizza," Walter grumbled, balancing three pizza boxes in his hands.
"You didn't have to do that," Happy said, "I could've sent Toby out for it."
"But Toby totally doesn't mind that he doesn't have to go out now," Toby spoke up, taking the pizza from Walter and setting it on the coffee table.
"See?" Walter said turning to Paige, "I told you it was unnecessary."
Paige rolled her eyes, "Walter, I told you already, when there's a gathering, it's proper manners to bring something. And since we're here to help out for the baby, it's only nice to bring dinner. Happy and Toby are under enough stress as it is. They don't need to worry about providing dinner for us on top of it all. It's called being friendly, Walter."
Walter opened his mouth to protest, but Cabe interrupted him, "And I brought beer."
"My man," Toby clapped him on the back, taking the case from him. He gestured for everyone to take a seat.
Happy peaked inside the pizza boxes as Sly passed out the napkins and plates, "What kind did you get?"
Sylvester spoke up, "We made sure to order something for everyone. Half veggie, half cheese for me and Paige and meat lovers for the guys."
"So the third?" Happy asked excitedly.
Paige nodded, "Pineapple, onion, and feta for you."
Happy took a piece out and took a large bite, moaning in delight, "You're the best."
"I hope that whole pizza is for Happy," Toby said with a laugh, "or else we're in for a grumpy Hap tonight."
Happy flipped him off, her mouth too full of pizza to say anything.
Paige smiled, "Yes, it is all for her. I remember the cravings I had from Ralph's pregnancy. If anyone got in the way of me and my food, it was game over for them."
Happy laughed and hummed in agreement, nodding her head.
"I don't understand why the whole thing is for her though," Walter said, "It's not like she's going to be doing any work tonight."
Paige set down her pizza and stared at him icily, "What do you call growing a person in your body then, Walter?"
He shrugged and took a bite of his pizza, speaking around it, "Just doing what nature intended her to do."
Happy choked on her pizza, "What the hell, Walter?"
"Oh, you're in for it now," Toby muttered, taking of sip from his drink. He reached his hand out to pat Happy's thigh, hoping it would keep her quiet. It did - she was in shock about what Walter had said.
"Can we not do this now?" Sly said, "This is supposed to be a happy night."
"Walter, I swear," Paige exclaimed, "you can be so stupid sometimes."
"What did I do?"
Paige groaned and threw down her napkin, "You can't insult a pregnant women like that. Happy comes in to work day in and day out and does her job without any complaints. She's saving your ass daily, all while being exhausted and sore from her pregnancy. Yet all you do is make jerky comments directed towards her. Do you have any idea what it's like being pregnant?"
"Well, studies say-"
"I don't give a crap about what the studies say. I want to know if you, personally, have any idea what it's like being pregnant."
"Well, no. Of course not," he responded, flustered.
"Well I do," Paige stood, gathering the empty plates, "And honey, you have no room to speak. I'm going to go throw this away and by the time I get back you better have apologized and everything is back to normal. Got it?"
He nodded and looked at Happy sheepishly, "I'm sorry, Happy. I didn't mean to infer-"
"Whatever," Happy interrupted him sharply, "I don't want-" But she was stopped by a knock at the door. "I'm gonna go get that," she said, standing quickly.
As she walked away, she heard Toby say, "Well Mr. 197, she may not want to hear it, but that's my fiancée you insulted, so you can apologize to me. Man, that's never something you do to a woman, pregnant or not."
She didn't hear the rest of it as she opened the door.
"Dad! Hey, you made it," she said, giving him a hug.
"Of course I did," he smiled, "It is my grandbaby we're talking about. I'm sorry I'm late. I got held up at work and then I got halfway here, just to remember I forgot something at home."
"It's okay. I'm just glad you could come."
"How're you feeling?"
She smiled and laid her hands on her stomach, "Good, really good. A little tired and a lot worried, but overall good."
"I'm so glad to hear that."
"Patrick, hi," Toby said coming up behind Happy, reaching out to shake his hand, "Good to see you."
"And you as well. How are you doing?"
Toby wrapped an arm around Happy's back and smiled down at her, "I'm great. How could I not be?"
Patrick laughed, "Good answer."
"Dad, there's some pizza over there. Help yourself."
"Thanks, I just might do that." He smiled fondly, "You know when your mom was pregnant with you, she always had a craving for pineapple, onion, and feta pizza. I never understood that."
Happy was stunned speechless while Toby laughed out loud, "Haps here craves the same thing. It's so strange."
Patrick laughed along with him, saying before he turned to join the team, "Yeah, personally, I'm just a pepperoni man. I don't get it."
"It's sweet, salty, and a little tangy," Happy grumbled under her breath as he walked away.
"Eat whatever you want, cupcake," Toby laughed, kissing her head.
"Mmm, cupcakes," Happy licked her lips, grinning up at him.
"Later," he grinned back, "because right now, you have to go tell a bunch of weirdos how you want the room painted."
"Think they'll like it?"
Toby shrugged, "Who cares? As long as we like, that's all that matters."
"So, Happy," Paige called from the couch, "how are we doing the baby's room?"
"Oh, I was researching the best way to paint, and they say the best way is to go in a 'W' motion until the first layer is on. Then to go back over a second time, smoothing out all lines," Sly said excitedly.
"I'm sure that's right, son," Cabe said with a smile, "but I think Paige was asking more about colors. Am I right?"
Paige nodded and laughed as Sylvester blushed, "Yeah, but that tip is very helpful."
"Are we all going to be in the room painting?" Patrick asked.
"Well, I'm not," Haply said.
"I think it would be very inefficient if we were to all be in there. We'll each paint differently and go at different speeds," Walter spoke up.
Paige rolled her eyes. "Walt, it's not about efficiency, it's about working together to help our friends. We're here to have a good time and celebrate the baby."
"Okay, good times. I can do that," Walter said with an awkward smile, trying to not cause any more problems, "Well then, let's get going." He stood and started walking to the second bedroom.
"Whoa, not so fast, muchacho," Toby said, grabbing his arm, "You don't know what we're doing yet."
"Oh right, I just assumed you'd go with pink. Don't most people who are having a girl go with that color?"
"Well, yeah," Toby said slowly, "But we're not most people."
"So, what are you doing then?" Paige asked, barely able to hold in her excitement.
"Let me show you," Happy said quietly, heading towards the room.
Once they got there, she and Toby went to the closet and pulled out the paint, brushes, rollers, and tarps.
"So," Happy began, almost nervously, "I wanted to keep it kind of simple."
"And I told her, the simpler, the better for us. We may be geniuses, but the more complicated the task, the more complicated the solution we come up with," Toby laughed, pulling her into her side.
She rolled her eyes, but let herself sink into his side. "Anyways, we found this elephant at a store, so we pulled the colors from that. The walls are going to be a light grey-"
"Grey?" Paige interrupted, sounding disappointed.
"Yes, grey," Happy said. She pointed to three of the walls, "These walls will be solid grey and the last wall with be grey and light lavender stripes. Cabe and Dad, I'm putting you two in charge of the striped wall. Toby will make a mess, Sly will try too hard making it perfect, and Walter will just make it way more complicated than it has to be. I don't trust them."
The team laughed in agreement and started making moves to paint.
"So your colors are purple and grey?" Paige said, "I like it. It really suits you guys."
Toby grinned, tightening his hold on Happy, "Yeah, those are our colors. Well, that and pink."
"A very light, pale pink," Happy corrected him.
Paige clapped her hands, "I knew even Happy Quinn couldn't stay away from pink for her daughter."
"Yeah, yeah," Happy grumbled, pulling away from Toby's arm, "Are you guys going to get started?"
"Just waiting for you to leave the room," Sylvester said, "We don't want the fumes to affect you in any way."
"You do know short term exposure to the paint fumes is fine. It's not like I'm going to be huffing it or anything."
"We just don't want to take the chance of anything hurting you, Hap," Toby whispered in her ear.
"You know," Walter said, "I'm sure we could create a high powered fan that will dry the paint faster."
"Don't even think about it, Walter," Paige admonished.
"Hey, Happy? Toby? Can I talk to you guys for a second?" Patrick said from behind them.
They turned, "Yeah?"
"I have something for you two in my truck. Well, only if you want it," he said nervously, "Can you come down with me, so that I can show it to you?"
"Sure," Toby said with a smile. They followed Patrick out of the room, leaving Sylvester's cries behind.
"Paige, no, that's too much paint. You're doing wrong."
"So what do you have, Patrick?" Toby asked, never one to let his curiosity simmer.
He laughed, "Just a little something that you might want to use for the baby." He shook his head in disbelief, "I still can't believe you're having a baby. I'm going to be a grandpa. I never thought that would happen to me." He stopped and hugged Happy suddenly, "Thank you for everything. I know I don't deserve you after what I did, but I'm so grateful to be back in your life."
"Me too, Dad," Happy whispered.
The continued the trek to the truck in silence, no one sure exactly what to say. Once they got to the truck, Patrick cleared his throat and opened the end of it.
"Like I said, you don't have to take it if you don't want to." He and Toby climbed up in the bed of the truck and placed the item he brought on the ground.
It was old fashioned, wooden changing table. It was beaten up, but still beautiful. Happy ran her hand over it, bending down to check the stability and craftsmanship of it.
"Dad," she breathed out, "I love it."
He hopped down from the truck and started wringing his hands, "I know it's not in the best shape. But with a little sanding and a little paint, it could be as good as new."
"It's perfect, Patrick. Thank you," Toby said, emotion filling his voice. He pulled Happy into his side, "Our girl has her first piece of furniture."
Happy nodded and raised up on her toes to kiss Toby quickly. Then moved to her dad to give him a hug. "Thank you, dad. Even when she gets older, we can make it into shelves for her or something. Where did you find it?"
"Uh, it was actually yours, Happy. Your mom picked it out."
"Really?" she asked, stepping into Toby's side again.
He smiled, "Yeah. It was the first thing we bought after we found out about you. We were walking around this old antique store and your mother saw this. She fell in love right away. But we didn't have a lot of money and it was too expensive for us. Your mom tried to put on a brave face and pretend like it didn't bother her, but I could tell it did. So the next day, I went back and managed to talk the owner into setting it aside for us, then for the rest of the week, I stayed late at the garage, earning enough money to buy it. Grace was so excited when I brought it home. She fixed it up and got it all ready for you." He sighed and wiped at his eyes, "Even after everything, I couldn't bare to part with it. I didn't know why, but I kept it. And now I do know why. I was saving it for you. I want you two and my grand girl to have it."
"Thank you," Happy whispered again, "Seriously, thank you."
Patrick cleared his throat, holding back his own emotions ready to come out, "Well, Toby, why don't you help me get this inside then?"
"Of course," Toby said with a smile.
"I know just what I want to do with this," Happy said excitedly, following the two back into the apartment building. "We found this really cool antique looking dresser online that I wanted to fix up. We could paint this and that dresser in the pink paint we got. What do you think, Doc?" she asked, resting her hand on his back as she stood next to him in the elevator.
He turned his head and kissed her forehead, "I love it. It'll go great in the room."
"Perfect," Happy murmured, stepping out of the elevator, "I'll go ahead and order that dresser then and start fixing this changing table up."
She opened the door to their apartment to shrieks coming from the room.
"No, Walter," Paige yelled, a laugh in voice, "Don't you dare."
They went to the bedroom to see what was going on. Sylvester was staring at Paige and Walter in horror, while Cabe was doing a poor job of hiding his laugh. Paige, covered in streaks of paint, was holding Walter's wrist, who was holding a paint brush, trying to smear more on her. He was covered in paint as well.
Slowly, Toby crept in, grabbing a roller from the pan on the ground. No except for Happy and Patrick saw him, as they were too distracted with what was going on between Paige and Walter. Carefully, he sneaked up behind Cabe, rolling the the roller down his arm, covering it in grey paint. Cabe whirled around, a shocked look on his face. Toby ran away, towards Sly, before Cabe could retaliate.
"Kid, watch out," Cabe called out, but he was too late. Toby had already covered Sly's hands in paint.
"Toby!" Sly whined, immediately going for a towel.
Toby dropped the roller back into a pan and bent over laughing, holding his sides.
"Son, you shouldn't have done that," Cabe said with a smirk, walking slowly toward him, paint brush in hand.
Toby glanced over at Walter and Paige, who had stopped fighting each other and were also walking his way. A quick glance to Sly showed he was too preoccupied with getting the paint off his hands that he didn't know what was going on. Happy, in the doorway, was hiding her laugh behind the back of her hand, her father right behind her with a grin. Quickly, Toby raced across the room, grabbing Happy around the waist, placing her between him and the rest of the team.
"Hey," Happy yelled in protest, a laugh in her voice, "You can't use the pregnant lady as a shield."
Toby laughed and ducked behind her, his hands on her hips holding her still, "Yes, I can, and I will. They won't go after you. You're pregnant and they're too nice."
"That's not fair, Toby," Paige called out.
Happy nodded, trying to remove his hands, "It's not, Doc."
"You're my fiancée," Toby exclaimed, "you have to protect me."
Happy sighed and continued to wiggle, but wasn't getting out of his grip.
"Don't worry about it, guys," Cabe said, "We'll just wait him out. Eventually he'll have to let go of Happy."
Toby stood up and kissed the back of her neck. "No, I won't baby," he whispered in her ear.
At that, Happy relaxed back into him, looking over her shoulder to smile up at him. Toby release his grip on her hips to run his hands up her sides, momentarily forgetting the team surrounding them. He leaned down to kiss her, but just as his lips brushed against hers, she slipped from his grip, running behind her dad.
"Happy," Toby yelled out, a whine in his voice.
He held his hands in front of his face, as Walter, Paige, and Cabe covered his arms in paint.
"Okay, okay," Paige said laughing, stepping back, "I think we got him."
Happy fell over on to the couch with laughter, as Toby turned to face her, a mock glare on his face.
"How could you betray me like that, Hap?"
"You gotta do what you gotta do," she managed to get out through her laughter, "You should see yourself, babe. I think they got it in your hair."
As she was talking, Toby slowly stepped towards her. When he got close, he leaned over the back of the couch, standing directly over her, "You should see yourself, sugar pie, you got something on your face."
Her eyes flew open and widened when she saw him above her. "You wouldn't," she gasped.
"Oh, I would. I'm not as nice as them. You're not off limits to me," he grinned, placing his hands on her face, transferring the paint from him to her, despite her squeals of protest.
Eventually he stopped and everyone put their paint brushes down, calling a truce. It was then that Sylvester came out of the room, having finally thoroughly cleaning his hands.
"What the heck is going on out here?"
"Oh, nothing," Toby shrugged, "The brushes just slipped."
"But, but-" Sylvester stuttered, surprised by all he missed out on.
"We need to clean up," Paige announced, "and then we need to finish the room."
"Toby," Happy said turning towards him, "you need to get a shower. It's in your hair." She looked to Paige and Walter, "I'll get you two clothes."
Fifteen minutes later, everyone was paint free. Happy and Paige were in the living room, working on sanding down the changing table, and everyone else was painting the baby's room. Toby came out whistling a tune. Stopping behind the couch, he placed his hands on Happy's shoulders and leaned over her, kissing the top of her head.
"Love you," he mumbled, then stood up and continued to the kitchen to grab drinks for everyone.
"Well that was sweet," Paige smirked, nudging Happy with her elbow.
Happy shrugged and continued with her sanding, "Yeah, I guess."
Paige set her paper down, "You guess? Come on, Happy. I've never seen you two act like this before in front of us. Don't you like the attention just a little?"
Happy stopped sanding and looked over at Paige, a smile growing on her face, "Okay, yeah, I admit, I love it. I never knew I could be so happy."
Paige squeezed her arm, "I'm glad for you. You two deserve it."
She smiled and turned back to her sanding, "Thanks. I'm just glad everything's turning out okay for us."
"Me too," Paige whispered. She cleared her throat, "So, have you and Toby come up with a name yet?"
"Not really," Happy said.
"Yes, we have," Toby refuted, walking back past them.
Happy rolled her eyes at him, but smiled, "We sort of have."
"Sort of have?" Paige questioned.
"Mmhmm, we're debating between two names. But we both agree that we'll wait until we see her to make a decision."
"Oh, I've heard of a lot of people who do that," she remarked less enthusiastically than she had been the entire night.
Happy realized something was wrong, "What did I do?
"Oh, nothing," Paige chuckled, "It's just, well I found something online that I want to get her, but I need to know her initials. It's these letters that have different designs on it. They can make them in any colors you choose. I think you'd really like them."
"Her initials are MGC," Toby said, walking past them again.
Happy turned around, "Way to let that out, loose lips."
He grinned and bit into an apple, "Hey, I didn't tell her the actual names we're thinking of."
"So her name starts with an M? Oh, I can't wait to hear what it is! Wait, so both of the names start with an M?"
Happy nodded and hummed in agreement.
"You have to tell me," Paige said, looking expectantly at Toby and Happy.
Toby just shook his head and zipped his lips, heading back to the nursery.
Paige's head whipped to Happy, grabbing her arm, "Is it Margaret? Or Mary? Oh, or what about Madison?"
Happy chuckled, "I told you, we're not saying anything until she's born."
"Ugh," Paige groaned, sinking into the back of the couch, "I hate you."
"Good to know."
They worked in silence for a few minutes, listening to the laughs and conversations coming from the baby's room. It made Happy feel comforted hearing that. She was in her home, surrounded by the people she loved. She couldn't remember a time from her earlier years where she felt this much at home. Scorpion changed her life for the better. Without it, she never would've met Toby or be expecting this baby or even reconnect with her father. And Toby, he was getting better. He may not remember everything yet, but he was reforming the relationships he had from before. That alone made Happy happier than anything.
"Want to go shopping tomorrow?" Paige asked, pulling Happy from her pondering.
"Hmm?" she asked.
"I asked if you wanted to shopping tomorrow."
"For what?"
"Well, I noticed you didn't have any baby stuff yet, aside from what I got you guys. I thought we could go look and find some stuff for her. Bedding, room decorations, car seat, whatever you want."
Happy grew quiet, then eventually said slowly, "I don't know."
"I know you don't like shopping, Happy, but you're going to have to go out eventually. Miss M is going to need some things."
Happy set down her sand paper and started playing with her fingers. "It's not that. It's just-"
"You want to do it with Toby," Paige said coming to the realization on her own.
"I'm sorry, Paige," Happy mumbled, looking over to her, "I know you want to help out. It's just that Toby and I have been looking at things online and we already know what we like. And well, we want to do this ourselves. It-" she sighed, "We've been looking forward to this for awhile now, but we just haven't had time to go out. I'm sorry."
"Happy," Paige said, grabbing her hand, "don't be sorry. There's nothing to be sorry about. I get it. I do. This is a special time for you two. You guys should enjoy it together. I keep forgetting that you're not in the same situation I was in with Ralph. I didn't have anyone but a few loyal friends. I just want to be there for you, like they were for me."
"Thanks," she said, smiling at her, "And I promise, once Toby and I get the big items out of the way, we can together. I'd like your opinion. We all know I'm not the most girly."
"Deal," she said, pulling Happy into a hug.
"Thanks for coming over tonight," Happy mumbled, turning back to the changing table, "and for everything else. Thanks for being here."
"Anytime, Happy. Scorpion is a family. We'll always help each other out."
"Best family I've ever had," Happy said, almost to herself.
"Me too."
"Well," Toby said, sighing, "the walls are done."
Happy leaned into his side, wrapping her arms around his waist, "They are and I love it. It looks better than I thought. Hopefully she'll like it."
He chuckled, "She won't like anything but eating, sleeping, and cuddling for a little while."
Happy yawned and closed her eyes, "You're right again. I hate it."
"Go get ready for bed, sweet pea. It's late," he said into her hair.
"Mmkay," she agreed and started shuffling to their room. Stopping she turned around, "Hey, since we have the day off tomorrow, want to go shopping? See what we can find for her?"
"Sure," he smiled gently at her, "Let's plan on it."
"Good. Are you coming to bed?"
He nodded, "I'll be there in a second."
Turning she left the room. Toby took a second to take everything in. It was all overwhelming, but amazing. That night showed him what it was like to have a true family; laughing, talking, being surrounded by people who actually cared in their own way. He had been told that this was what it was like before his accident, but it had really been the first time he experienced it. This team was his family. And his family was helping Happy and him get ready for the family they were creating together.
Walking around the room, a grin formed on Toby's face. Their baby girl was going to be in this room in just about 18 weeks. It seemed so far away, but he knew they would pass by quickly. He couldn't wait for her to get here. She already had him wrapped around her little finger, just like her mother. There were still times he was scared to death about being a dad, but one look from Happy had him instantly calming down. They could do anything together. And he was determined to give his daughter everything she ever wanted and love her unconditionally, just like he was going to with Happy.
"Toby!" Happy yelled from their bedroom.
Toby quickly ran to their room. This time he was the one worried about her yell. When he got to the room and saw Happy, his heart started slowing back down to normal. She was laying on the bed in sleep shorts and his t-shirt. She had the shirt pulled up to her chest, her stomach exposed to him. Her hands were gently running across her stomach. She looked up with a grin, her eyes twinkling like Toby had never seen before.
"She's moving, baby," she whispered, "You'll be able to feel it. She's kicking up a storm."
At hearing that, Toby raced over to the bed, quickly jumping by her side. He reached out, placing his hand by Happy's. After just a few seconds, he felt something press against his hand. A few second later, he felt it again.
He looked to Happy, tears filling his eyes, "Happy, I felt it. I felt her kick." Leaning over, he kissed her. It was full of emotion - happiness and amazement. "Thank you, Hap, for everything you've done for me. I love you."
"I love you too," she murmured, kissing him again.
When they pulled apart, Toby shifted down the bed on his stomach, his face even with her belly.
"This is amazing," he whispered while continuing to move his hands around Happy's stomach, hoping to feel her move again.
"Hi baby girl," he said to her stomach, "Your Aunt Paige calls you Miss M. I kind of like it." He kissed Happy's stomach, "I just felt you move. Keep on doing awesome things like that little one. I love it. It makes your mommy and I very anxious to meet you."
"But not that anxious that you come early," Happy added quickly, feeling the baby move again.
Toby laughed, "No, not that anxious. You stay in there as long as you need to grow big and healthy."
"We painted your room tonight," Happy continued, moving one of her hands to tangle in Toby's hair, "It's beautiful, baby girl. I can't wait to show it to you. Your elephant finally has a place it can fit in." She looked at Toby, a smirk on her face, "But I'm not too happy with your dad right now. He put us in danger by using us a shield tonight in a paint war."
"Hey, I knew they wouldn't come after you two," he said, tracing patterns on her bare skin, causing goosebumps to rise.
"But you did."
He smirked, "Yeah, I did. But don't worry, little bug, we'll protect you when you get here."
"Forever and ever," Happy whispered, "We love you."
Toby kissed her bump one more time, "That we do. More than you'll ever know."
With that, he rolled off the bed, heading to the bathroom to get ready for bed. When he came back out, 10 minutes later, he fully expected to see Happy asleep. But instead, she was sitting against the headboard, legs pulled up to her chest as much as possible, and she was pulling at her bottom lip with her fingers.
"Hey, what're you think about so intensely, bunny?" he asked, climbing on the bed.
"Nothing really," she muttered.
"I don't believe that," he said quietly, throwing an arm around her shoulders.
She shifted, curling into his side, nuzzling her head into the crook of his neck. "Honestly, I was thinking about your memories. I keep trying to figure out why only certain ones are coming back."
Toby sighed, "I've been trying to figure that out for weeks now. I originally thought they came forward from some type of event that reminded me subconsciously of it. But now I'm not so sure. We talked about our engagement over a month ago, so why would that memory just come back today?"
She tilted her head to look up at him, "Do you think they're starting to come back? Have you remembered anything else?"
He shook his head, "I think they are starting to come back, but I haven't had any more memories today. At least not specific memories. But I'm starting to remember feelings, kind of like a deja vu type thing."
Happy furrowed her brow at that.
He kissed the crease on her head, "Actions and words and looks are familiar now. I can almost predict exactly what someone will say before they say it because it seems so familiar."
"But you're a behaviorist, Doc."
"I know that, but this is different. The stuff that I remember isn't something I could have picked up this quickly. I don't know, it's hard to explain. Like for example, I can almost remember Walter pining away over Paige, but too afraid to say anything. But it's more like a feeling I have. I don't remember it specifically, but when I catch a certain look or name or word from someone, it's a reminder that I've encountered it before."
"I guess I get it. But it doesn't mean it makes sense. So if I were to mention Quincy Berkstead...?"
Toby frowned, "No idea who he is, but I don't like him." He scrunched up his face, "Ugh, who the hell is that guy? Just his name makes me mad."
Happy laughed and reached up with one hand to cup his face, pulling it down to kiss him. "Don't worry about him. He's a jerk. But I get what's happening to you more now. The memories are in there somewhere, just waiting to come out."
He nodded in a daze, kissing her again. When she pulled back, she shifted to lay down, pulling Toby with her. She curled into his side as much at her bump would let her, laying her head on his chest. They laid there quietly for a few minutes, both of them lost in their own thoughts about the situation. Both finding comfort by gently running their fingers in patterns across each other's skin.
"Hap?" Toby eventually asked, breaking the silence.
"Hmm?"
"This may sound stupid, but do you want me to get my memories back?"
Happy stiffened in his arms and was quiet for a few seconds. Turning her head, she kissed his chest, right over his heart, then looked up at him. "I do. I want you to be able to remember everything, to not have a huge hole in your life. I want you to remember everything that we've experienced together - the good, the bad, the ugly, all of it. It's what shaped us into what we became, what we are now."
"But?" he prodded.
She sighed, "But I have to admit that I'm scared to get my hopes up that you'll remember everything. I don't want to be disappointed if it doesn't happen. As thrilled as I am that you're getting some of your memories back, I can't help it think that it's too good to be true. So much good is happening right now, us, the baby. I don't know if it's possible for everything to go our way."
"So if I don't get my memories back fully, you'll still be happy?"
She shifted to kiss him sweetly, reassuringly, "Of course. This is all I've ever wanted. You, a life with you. I don't care if you don't remember our beginning, because we got a second chance, a second beginning. And I am more than happy about that. If anything, your memory loss has taught me how to cherish our time together even more. If this is all I have for the rest of my life, as long as I have you, memories or not, and our baby, I'd die a happy girl."
"We're gonna be alright, no matter what, huh?"
She grinned, "You bet your ass we are."
"God, I love you."
"Love you too, Doc."