Written for the het_bigbang on on Livejournal. Thanks to Karlamartinova for beta-reading.
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She needed to talk with someone. Clear her head. Know that she hadn't done yet another mistake- she really wanted to, but Georgie couldn't bring herself to open her mouth, but after one week of hell, she needed someone else's opinion.
That was why Loretta was a life-saver.
"I think, Miss Newman, that a word with Special Agent Pride may be in order… you, my dear, have no business being here now." Loretta chuckled knowingly as she looked at the younger woman, tsk-tsking her like she knew a secret- which she probably did, because Loretta Wade embodied the spirit of New Orleans, and at times, seemed that the city's magic, its traditions, were just part of her being.
Some people called it a sixth sense. Others, a woman's intuition. Which it really didn't matter- because when it came down to it, Loretta simply knew what to say and when to say it.
"How far are you? Thirty-six weeks?" Georgie nodded, tried to smile- and was well-aware that her smile wasn't reaching her eyes. "You should be home resting."
She shrugged, hands in the pockets of her maternity jeans, the posture empathizing her not-so-big- pregnant belly under the cloudy fabric of her yellow camisole. "That's ok, I'm just running some errands to pass the time. Besides, I've already read all the books that I've got at my place, like, twice, so…"
Loretta shook her head, sighing, and briefly turned to look at Sebastian, busy looking at a screen at her back, the same thing he had done for the last fifteen minutes or so.
"Sebastian! You think you'll be done soon with the analysis of the compound?"
"Not really. I think it may be another half an hour, an hour maybe. The components were extremely degraded, and the system has to rebuild them working on all the possible hypothesis. Which, by the way, are quite fascinating. Because I've never seen anything like that. And by seen, I mean heard of. Which brings into question if…."
"Sebastian!" Loretta called him back, firmly, and yet with sweetness and mirth in her voice and her eyes. "As you are currently stuck, why don't you take a few minutes off and go grab Miss Newman a chocolate bar somewhere?"
Georgie wanted to laugh- it was so Loretta finding an excuse to have a face-to-face – but she decided to go along with her, as she felt she would be soon hearing the words of advice she so desperately needed in that moment.
She pretend to sniff. "Yes, please Sebastian. My baby and I crave some dark chocolate. Oh! With hazelnuts!"
"Well, all right?" Sebastian followed the women's orders, but still looked at them quizzically- he could be naïve, but he had the distinct feeling the ladies just wanted some alone time. He normally would have tried to eavesdrop, but he had already been at the receiving end of a pregnant woman, and he knew they could be vindictive.
(Plus, he was scared of Newman. She was, he was told, a good shot.)
"Sweetheart, you look like you didn't sleep a wink- and I fear it may not have to do with anything fun." Georgie bit her lips, and quickly checked the door, just to make sure Sebastian wasn't back yet. "Relax. Dark Chocolate with hazelnuts is hard to come by in our vending machines…"
Grimacing a little, Georgie took a seat in the corner, her lips in a tight line; immediately, Loretta was right before her, arms crossed over her bright blue jacket, her gaze demanding.
It was now or never- and there was no turning back, and yet, she couldn't bring herself to break the ice.
Loretta smiled sweetly at her, and took hold of Georgie's right shoulder, rubbing it kindly and yet with strength; she looked down at her, no judgment in her eyes. Just understanding there- from a fellow woman. A fellow mother.
"Georgie, all this stress isn't good for you or the baby. You can't keep it all bottled up…"
Georgie grimaced again, and rubbed kindly her belly, feeling her baby moving; she closed her eyes, and then, when she opened them, she looked at Loretta, regretting almost each and every decision she had taken since moving to New Orleans.
"I did something… awful." She sighed. "I slept with Christopher."
Loretta chuckled, obviously finding it funny. "And that would be awful? If that's your problem then it's wonderful news! You two finally found your way to each other! That boy has always been crazy for you!"
Georgie bit her crimson lips. "Yeah, well… not so wonderful if I pushed him away afterwards."
Loretta sighed, sounding like a disappointed, and exasperated, parent. "Georgie…"
"I know! It's just that, he fell asleep, and instead I stayed awake the whole night, and my mind went into places, and once I start thinking about bad thoughts there's just no turning back, so I just… literally pushed him out of the door and it's been over a week and he is being… all nice and casual with me like nothing happened at all!"
Loretta didn't say a word. She just kept looking at Georgie with her glare. She needed more. Wanted for the woman to just admit her issues. Understand them. Then, and only then, she would have given her advice.
"All the men in my life have disappointed me. They've given me hope, and dreams, and then… then my father and my husband died, and Don cheated on me, and even Keith, he couldn't break up with me over dinner, nope, he went and slept with me and then he remembered that he wanted to get back with his ex! Why should I believe that Christopher will be any different, uh? What if… what if he gets bored of playing family and gets to resent us? He is a commitment kind of man! He would probably prefer a lifetime of misery to divorce. Which would make me feel miserable and resentful, therefore ruining my child's life!"
Loretta chuckled again. "Georgina Newman, that man loves you and your baby. Probably wondered how to get you to stay and be his the moment he shook your hand months ago, if I know him- which I do."
Georgie pouted. "Awful things were said. By me. Very awful things." She paused. "I may or may not have said that I believed the only reason he wanted me was because… he would be a father without actually fathering the baby."
"Georgie…." Loretta sighed, her eyes closed, massaging her forehead.
"It's not my fault! He was the one who told me about the whole genetic lottery thing! I told you that bad thoughts it's my mind's setting! I was a major crimes investigator! It's in my nature to always see the worst in every situation! And knowing that, he should have never brought it up!"
Loretta smiled, and hugged the younger woman, ruffling her brown hair. "Georgie, do I think you have messed up big time? Yes. But Chris isn't a stupid. He's gone through the same things. I'm sure he isn't going to hold it against you."
"And if he does?"
"Then, my dear, you'll have to charm your way back into his life. But trust me. That's not gonna happen. Christopher was a goner the moment you crossed paths a long time ago."
Georgie smiled kindly, reassured, and then, a stab hit her full force, and she gasped, hot tears burning her eyes as she barely kept from screaming out in pain.
"Ouch. Braxton Hicks. Gotta hate them." She tried to laugh, but failed, as once again she felt a stab of pain in her abdomen shortly after the previous one; Loretta looked at her, her eyes huge and worried, and took a big breath, entering into battle-mode, turning from friend to doctor in the blink of an eye.
"Georgie, how long have had them?" She asked, concerned, studying the younger woman with clinical eye.
"Last night? But I can't have contractions yet! It's… I'm only thirty-six weeks along, and babies are considered full terms when they are born between thirty-seven and the forty weeks. Which means that they have to be Braxton Hicks! Right?" She was ranting- something she would have never done in everyday life, on the job, where she was focused and controlled; she was barely taking any breaths between words, all the books read, all the pieces of information acquired since knowing she was pregnant running through her head, flowing right before her eyes.
(She should have listened to her Doctor. Listened what she told her instead of going for all those bloody self-help books.)
"Honey, Braxton Hicks would have been long gone by now. I'm afraid this is the real deal. Whether you want to admit it or not, your baby is coming."
"And here it comes our hero! And I'm not talking about RPG, I mean real hero. I had to fight my way to get my hands on the last dark chocolate and hazelnuts bar in the building. And gotta tell you, Diana from accounting wasn't happy about it. But I didn't gave up. I also gave her five dollars, but, ehy…" Sebastian stopped his monologue, chocolate bar in hand like a trophy, and looked at the two women, Newman on a stroll and Loretta kneeling before her. "Am I interrupting something?"
Loretta smiled. "No, dear, but you should call 911. Our Georgie here is going into labor, and if they don't get here soon, she'll give birth into my autopsy room."
Loretta smiled and cupped Georgie's face, and yet, despite the medical examiner's reassurances that everything was going to be all right, Georgie shivered at her touch, fear engulfing her whole being.
It was too soon.
The baby needed at least another couple of weeks. And she needed time to fix things with Christopher; she thought she could do it all on her own. Now, she felt in the deep of her heart that she couldn't. She needed- wanted- Christopher LaSalle in her life. Hers and her baby's.
She gripped like for dear life the medallion around her neck she kept hidden under her shirts, the same one he had taken off before making love to her just a few days before- like wearing it could have been disrespectful towards Savannah; he had left it at her place, and yet, she had been unable to give it back to him- holding onto it like it was the last straw connecting her to his namesake.
Saint Christopher once held a child, and helped him cross a huge river.
She hoped he would protect her child as well, and help it getting into the world.