Chapter 10: A Falling Angel
The months flew by and they celebrated their second anniversary. They went out to dinner in a quiet restaurant then headed back to their apartment. Flack poured them each a glass of wine while Adrianna put on some music. "Two years and counting" Adrianna smiled holding her glass in her hand.
Flack switched on the radio and held out his hand to her. "Like to dance?" he asked.
"Yes please" she smiled placing her hand in his and standing up. The first song they listened to was quite upbeat the song which followed was much softer. The song was This I Promise You by Ronan Keating. They danced to the music whilst wrapped up in each other's arms. "I'll look after you Adrianna" he said softly. "I promise you". She smiled softly at him then rested her head on his shoulder and closed her eyes. Inside her head she said a silent prayer. "Please let me be happy. Please let me have this"
After a while they stopped dancing and rested down on the sofa. Adrianna looked at him before snuggling into his chest. "Have you ever thought about having children?" she asked quietly.
"Not really" he shook his head "Well actually recently I have"
"Really?" she frowned. He nodded. A smile spread across her face.
"Have you?" he asked.
"Of course I have" she nodded. "But I've never wanted it until now. My grandmother used to tell me that I should wait until I found someone special. Not rush into it with someone I barely know. To wait until I had my head screwed on and knew I was in a stable, loving partnership. And I love you. I love you like I've never loved anybody before in my life. You're the only person that makes me feel worth anything. I know that is everything I need. Because you mean everything in the world to me"
"And you mean everything to me" he smiled softly. "I want to be with you for the rest of my life because I love you"
She smiled, her eyes slightly watering. "I never want to be with anyone else. You make me feel so safe. That's why I know I want this with you and no one else. I want to have a family with you. Do you?"
"Yes" he replied "I do". She reached up and kissed him on the lips. "How about we start now?"
"Really?" she asked, smiling brightly.
"Yeah" he smiled. He stood up and held out his hand to her. She looked at it and smiled before placing her hand in it. He led her into their bedroom and pushed the door to a close. She pulled open his bedside drawer open and reached inside. She took out the packs of condoms inside. "What shall we do with these?" she grinned.
"Flush them" he smirked. She ran into the bathroom and dropped them into toilet bowl before flushing them away. She went back into their bedroom where she stripped off to her birthday suit. He stripped off too and they fell into the bed. They wrapped themselves in each other's arms and kissed each other passionately. They were soon rolling about the bed making passionate love to one another.
The following day she made an appointment with the gynaecologist to have her IUD removed then threw her birth control pills in the bin. A week later she underwent the removal of her IUD and looked forward to becoming pregnant with her first child. Something she both wanted and desperately needed.
They soon celebrated Christmas together and enjoyed it alone. They exchanged gifts, had a small Christmas lunch then snuggled up together in front of the TV to watch Miracle on 34th Street.
In early February Adrianna's maternal grandfather, Pierro, died and the funeral was to be held in his hometown in Athens, Greece. She decided to go alone. Her mother, who had gone out there two weeks before he'd died, asked her if she would come a week before the funeral and stay for a fortnight as she'd need to be there for the reading of the will. She agreed and packed her bags to head straight there.
There she stayed in a hotel as she and her mom were not on the best of terms at the moment. Two days after arriving she woke just after five am with the extreme urge to vomit her guts out. She bolted into the bathroom and fell to the floor in front of the bowl before hurling into the toilet bowl. She vomited several more times before it passed.
This continued to happen over the next few days. The day before the reading of the will she finally realised what it might be. Feeling a tingle of excitement she headed to the nearest chemist and purchased several pregnancy tests. She headed back to her hotel room where she did all three of them. After waiting five minutes she turned them over. She saw two blue lines of each of the tests. She picked one up in her hand and stared at it. It was positive. She was pregnant. She smiled slightly and rested her other hand on her flat stomach.
The following day she attended the reading of the will with the rest of the family. Her grandfather's lawyer read the will, reading off what they'd all been left. After an hour he'd finished and she was in silent tears. He'd left her absolutely nothing. Of course he'd left something to Marla as she was his only daughter; he'd left money to Elena, Sofia and Alex too. He'd left money to Pax, Christianos and Phoenix. He'd left money to his two sons, their wives, their children and grandchildren. He'd even left money to Kyron. But he'd left absolutely nothing to her. She was the only one to get absolutely nothing. That hurt. She knew he was very much like Marla in his beliefs towards her life and career choices but the fact that he hadn't left her a thing stung. Even in death he was making it clear what he thought of her life choices.
She didn't hang around the family after the lawyer had left Pierro's house. She didn't want to be there. She headed for the front door but a hand grabbed her wrist and spun her round. "Where are you going Adrianna?" Marla demanded.
"Back to my hotel" Adrianna replied shaking Marla's hand away from her wrist. "I'm booking myself on the next flight home"
"Why?" Marla asked folding her arms.
"Because I want to go home" Adrianna sighed.
"Come on stay and have a drink with us. Toast your grandfather's memory" said Marla.
"No, I don't want to" she shook her head. She couldn't either because she was pregnant but that wasn't the point. "I want to leave"
"You are so rude" Marla hissed. "Your grandfather has died and all you can think about is yourself"
"I don't want to be here" Adrianna stated firmly.
"Why not?" Marla challenged.
"He didn't leave me a thing!" Adrianna snapped "Not that I wanted his money but that isn't the point. He left money to everybody else. Even to Kyron. But he didn't leave me a thing and do you know what? That stings like hell. I know he hated me for going my own way in life like you do but even in death he has to stick it to me that I'm not acceptable!"
"You are such a self-centred little bitch" Marla sneered "Go on maybe you should go!"
"I will" Adrianna huffed before leaving. She took a taxi back to her hotel where she booked herself on a flight home. She packed her things and took another taxi to the airport. Two hours later she boarded her flight home.
She arrived home to New York nine and half hours later, where it was eight o'clock in the evening. She took a taxi home and let herself into her apartment. The apartment was empty so she flopped down on the sofa and flicked on the TV. Not long after the door opened and Flack came inside. "I thought you weren't flying back for another three days?!" he exclaimed slightly.
"I got an earlier flight" she replied.
"Did something happen?" he asked sitting down beside her on the sofa.
"Sort of yeah" she sighed. "I went to the reading of my grandads will and found out he didn't leave me a thing. He left money to my mom obviously, both of my sisters, my brother and their children. He left money to mom's brothers and their families. He even left money to Kyron but he didn't leave anything to me. I was the only one he didn't leave money to. And it hurts"
"Why would he leave you out?" Flack frowned.
"Because he's just like my mom" she looked down, tears in her eyes. "He hates me for doing what I wanted in life. He just wanted to stick it to me. It's not like I wanted anything from him but it just really stings that I was the only who didn't get a thing. It just made it clear how much they all hate me. My grandmother was the same before she died. But I did get some good news"
"What's that?" he asked. She stood up and went over to her suitcase. She unzipped it before reaching inside and taking out one of the positive pregnancy tests. She walked back over to him, sat down on the sofa and handed it to him. "I'm pregnant" she smiled.
A soft smile spread across his face. Then they hugged each other tightly and kissed each other passionately. Things were falling neatly into place. So what if their whole relationship was a complete secret from everyone they worked with and so what if people didn't like her and would judge him for being with her if they found out they had each other. What they had was perfect for them, it was right for them and that was all that mattered.
I love you, not
Because you are perfect
But
Because you are
Perfect for me
She went to see the doctor a few days later who told her she was about eight weeks pregnant and booked her in for her first proper obstetrics appointment at twelve weeks.
So four weeks later she, along with Flack, went to her first scan. The nurse squirted the gel on her stomach. "That's cold" she whispered shivering slightly. The nurse smiled before placing the probe on her stomach. She slowly moved it around before picking up a gentle, but incredibly fast, thudding sound. Their baby's heartbeat and it was incredible. They both stared at the screen, at their baby and smiled. "Is it healthy?" Adrianna asked.
"So far everything looks healthy" the nurse smiled "He or she has a strong heartbeat. That's good"
After wiping the gel off the nurse handed them a picture of their unborn baby and they left. "I want this baby more than anything in the world" she admitted as they headed back to the car. "The moment I heard the heartbeat I felt something ignite inside me."
When they got home that night Adrianna stuck it in the middle of their fridge and smiled. She was so happy right now. But she knew someone who wouldn't be.
She couldn't wait to tell her mom about her baby news. Sure they hadn't been seeing eye to eye at all lately because her mom disapproved her choice of men. And by that, Flack in his entirety. She wouldn't even try to get to know him because he wasn't like them, he wasn't their class. He was working class, from a working class family and it didn't faze him. Whereas Adrianna was from a wealthy background, therefore a high class family. However she wasn't proud of it at all and lived as a working class citizen. Her mom had always had trouble accepting Adrianna just didn't like being rich or from a rich background and that she wanted to work to earn her keep. And she had always disliked the idea of her being a cop. She had always told her if she wanted to work she should be a lawyer or a doctor, high earners. But she'd always been determined to make her own choices and had always wanted to be a cop. Adrianna was a big girl now and it was déjà vu all over again. With Flack. Marla had liked Ben because he wanted to be rich and she didn't like that Flack didn't want to be rich because all money brought was problems and greed. She loved him, he loved her. They were happy and they were having their first baby together, they were looking forward to it and planning ahead.
Flack didn't much care for what her mother thought of him, although it irritated him that she could be so hard on her own daughter for her choices in her own life and that Adrianna was so desperate for her mother's approval. He got on with her brother, Alexander and his two sons. Elena and her husband, Marco were not keen on him and the idea of him and Adrianna being an item. He didn't know what Sofia thought of the situation, Adrianna had told him Sofia thought he was cute but would never date him because he was a cop. Her stepfather gave him such mixed feelings on the situation that he just didn't know what he thought of it at all. Now he knew how Adrianna felt. She was barely accepted by her own family and no one where they worked really accepted her, because she was different. Her family didn't really accept him because he was different to them.
She was now out of the danger period and it was time to tell people. Her mom and stepdad were in Greece and she wanted to wait until they were back. Telling people at work would be a nightmare. So she told her brother then she and Flack went to his dads to tell him in person. He let them in with his key. "Hey dad" he said.
"Hey son" a voice replied from another room.
"Where are you?" Flack asked.
"I'm in the bedroom" the voice replied. So he and Adrianna went into the bedroom where they found his dad, Donald flack senior, rooting through a wardrobe. "Dad what are you doing in there?"
"Looking for your baby photos" he replied
"Why? They're all embarrassing" replied flack
"Your grandmother wants a load of them. Don't ask me why. I don't know" replied Donald senior.
"It's easier just to go with it with gran anyway" said Flack.
"So did you two come round for any specific reason" he asked standing up.
"We just came to tell you you're going to be a granddad" said flack casually. The older man stared at his son in disbelief.
"You've finally done the deed" he said finally a smile on his face.
"I hate it when you call it that. It's as embarrassing as those pictures" Flack groaned slightly "But yes"
"If your mother were still alive she would be hugging you and Adrianna to death" said Donald senior "She always wanted more than just you, your brother and your sister. She wanted to be a grandmother before she died"
"I know" Flack sighed.
"So how far gone are you?" Asked Donald senior
"About fourteen weeks" smiled Adrianna patting her tummy "Here" she handed him her phone, showing a picture of the scan she'd had done two weeks ago.
"I remember when you were this small" he said in Flacks direction.
"Oh dad no. Don't." Said Flack.
"You were small for ages then you grew and now you're taller than me" said Donald senior handing Adrianna her phone back. "You have morning sickness?"
"Yes' she replied exasperatedly "I hate it. I have to lock him out of the apartment so he doesn't see. He's such a worry guts this one. I swear he sleeps with his gun under his pillow"
"When my wife had him she didn't stop throwing up for the first five months of her pregnancy. It was horrible. I had to lock his brother and sister in their rooms to stop them making it worse" said Donald senior "she threw up over me so many times"
"I haven't done that. Yet" she smirked it Flacks direction.
"Don't even think about puking on me" he rose his eyebrow.
"He was a nightmare baby that one" continued Donald senior "had his mum in and out of hospital like a yo-yo. Then he wouldn't come out"
"Dad!" He exclaimed.
"She was in labour for thirty two hours. I have never heard anyone scream that much in my life" he smiled "I don't what took him so long"
"He was probably chiselling a NYPD shield ready for his future career" Adrianna laughed.
"Very funny" said Flack.
"Looking at him now you wouldn't think he was only five pounds when he was born" said Donald senior.
"No you wouldn't" she agreed "you're how tall?"
"Six foot three" he replied.
"Ok now I want to see his baby photos" smirked Adrianna.
"Oh man" flack groaned. He was pleased they got on because it made up for mother and some members of her family disliking him, and her, so much. His dad fished out the pictures and they spent a while flicking through them. "Seriously you were small" she said looking at a picture of him as a tiny newborn "even I was bigger than that"
"Really?" He asked.
"Yeah I was fat and had a big head. According to my mum. She said I was her worst because I was the biggest and had a big head so I almost tore her a new one"
"She told you that?" Flack raised his eyebrow.
"When I was twelve" she replied shrugging "but I didn't do much growing. I faltered at five foot two and thought great. Born the fattest ends up being the shortest"
"They didn't have epidurals back then" said Donald senior "They have lots of fancy technology now."
"I know. Lucky me" she laughed.
Eventually they left and headed home.
Two weeks later she and Danny were put on a case. The suspect was a big ruthless thug and they both tried to restrain him but it resulted in him kicking her hard in the stomach. She went into his bathroom and saw spots of blood in her knickers. She started freaking out. She left and went over to Danny. "Danny I need you to drop me off at the hospital" she said getting into the car.
"No" he shook his head "He didn't kick you that hard and I gotta get this murderous son of a bitch back to the precinct"
"I'm bleeding" she said.
'No you're not' he shrugged.
"I am." Her eyes pointed down.
"Probably just your monthly" he shrugged again.
"No it's not" she shook her head "I'm pregnant"
"Oh" Danny gulped. "Fine I'll make a detour and drop you off on the way"
So he drove her to the hospital and left her to get checked over. The nurse performed a scan. "Have I miscarried?" She asked.
"No" the nurse shook her head "listen" so she listened and felt so relieved when she heard the baby's strong heartbeat "he or she's got one of the strongest heartbeats I've ever heard"
She looked at the screen and listened to her baby's heartbeat pounding away. She placed a hand on her small bump and sighed a massive sigh of relief. The baby was ok.
The nurse cleaned her up and she returned to work and told Flack what happened. She was a bit scared after the attack so she was put on lighter duties. She wasn't allowed to deal with any arrests hands on. She could be there but somebody else would have to catch and restrain the suspects. She was ok about that. She just wanted her baby to be ok.
One night when she was about eighteen weeks she was cooking dinner in the kitchen she felt a strange sensation in stomach. It only lasted a few seconds then disappeared again. She shrugged it off and carried on cooking. Then half an hour later she felt another similar pain. For a split second she was worried she might be going into labour but then she realised what it was. The baby was moving inside her. Their little one had moved for the first time. A smile flooded across her face and she couldn't wait to tell Flack when he finally got home from work.
About an hour later he finally returned home from work. She plated dinner and they sat down to eat. "I've got something to tell you" she smiled.
"What?" he frowned.
"The baby moved" she replied, a huge smile upon her face. "I felt the baby move inside me!"
"Really?" he asked, smiling too.
"Yes!" she nodded happily. "It was really weird!"
Later when they were watching the TV the baby became active again. She quickly grabbed his hand and placed it on her stomach. "Feel that?" she asked "That's our baby moving"
He nodded, smiling. Then he placed a gentle kiss on her lips. Could they finally have a life together? This little baby wriggling around inside her gave them hope.
At twenty weeks she went to the hospital for a scan. They had decided to find out the sex of their baby. The sonographer squirted the cold gel onto her growing bump. She giggled slightly. The gel always gave her a very tingly feeling. Then the sonographer gently placed the probe on stomach and carefully guided it around. Soon they could hear the baby's heartbeat pumping away at an incredible speed. The sonographer carefully studied the screen. "My" she smiled. "Your baby certainly is an active little one. Do you feel much movement?"
"Yes" Adrianna nodded, smiling "Usually when I'm trying to sleep. I can always feel little one moving about."
"That's a good sign then" the sonographer replied. "Would you like to know the gender of your baby?"
They looked at each other then, Adrianna nodded. "Right" the sonographer smiled. "I'm just going to take a good look. Will you stay still?!"
"What?" Adrianna asked, looking slightly startled.
"Your baby keeps moving about, all over the place!" the sonographer laughed. "Won't stay still long enough for me to see… oh nope got it!"
"And?" Adrianna asked hopefully.
"You're having a little boy" the sonographer smiled.
The nurse printed a picture off for them before they left. They headed to their car and headed home. "You must be chuffed" she said looking at Flack.
"What me?" he smirked "You can have a girl I mean not now in the future"
"Am I hearing this?" she asked "Are you suggesting after we have our little boy we try for another one?"
I don't know? Am I?" he replied "Maybe"
"Ok when we get over this one" she smiled softening up.
They were aware they would have to come clean about the relationship once the pregnancy became obvious because people would question who the father was.
Several days later Sofia called to say Marla and Kyron were home from Greece after a three month stint over there. "I should probably go alone" she said "She'll be pissed enough that I'm pregnant"
"She won't be pissed" said Flack.
"Yes she will" Adrianna sighed "Even if it is her grandchild"
"She won't be that annoyed about it" he frowned. Surely Adrianna was exaggerating how badly her mom would react? Unfortunately he was wrong.
That night after work she went to visit her mom and stepdad. "Mom you look amazing" smiled Adrianna
"Thanks. It was wonderful. We might move back permanently" gushed Marla "I forgot how much I loved being there"
"Really?" asked Alex.
"I don't know maybe" said Kyron "Being there made us realise how much we miss being there"
"All your grandchildren are here" said Elena.
"Greek men are so fit" said Sofia "Can I come with?"
'If we go' smiled Marla.
"Mom" said Adrianna "I have something to tell you"
"You've broken things off with that cop" she said hopefully.
"No I haven't and that's cold" Adrianna snapped slightly. "Mom I'm twenty weeks pregnant. I'm having a little boy."
"You're what?" she scolded "Tell me you're playing a joke on me."
"Of course I'm not" tears welled in her eyes.
"It better not be his" Marla sneered.
"Of course it's his mom" said Adrianna, tears stinging her eyes "Who else's would it be? I've been faithful"
Marla stormed from the room and Adrianna went after her. "Adrianna no" said Sofia but she just went after her mom.
"Mom please" said Adrianna
"No Adrianna I can't believe yourself to allow yourself to be impregnated by a working class cop from queens" sneered Marla "He doesn't deserve you"
"Why not?" Adrianna demanded
"You're meant to be with someone of your own class and he's not your class" said Marla. "With somebody who has as much money as you do"
"That's it! You don't like him because he doesn't have money!" said Adrianna "I don't want to be high class it sucks. Money doesn't make me happy. It never will. I want to be working class and he's working class. He's my class"
"He wants your money" said Marla.
"No he doesn't. He loves me" replied Adrianna.
"He probably doesn't even want that working class baby you've produced" sneered Marla "He'll run off soon. Hopefully to be with someone of his own class"
"This baby was planned. We wanted this baby. He wants the baby just as much as I do" Adrianna seethed "Ask him mom ask him and he'll tell you. He will be a better dad to this baby than dad ever was to me"
"Kyron has been a dad to you" said Marla.
"I know he has" said Adrianna "He's been a good dad to me. A better dad than dad ever has been or will be."
"You haven't been a good daughter to him" Marla snarled.
"He raped me!" Adrianna exclaimed "He touched me. I don't want anything to do with him. He's evil"
"Your father never raped you!" Marla hissed "Don't lie!"
"Yes he did" Adrianna cried "Why don't believe me?"
"Because I know you're lying" Marla retorted. "Now I don't want to hear any more about your father raping you or this baby"
"Please mom" she said rather pleadingly.
"No. If it's his I want nothing to do with!" Marla snapped.
"Please mom, just look at the picture" Adrianna pleaded holding her twenty week ultrasound image out to her mother. But she refused and knocked it out of her hand. "I don't want to see that filthy baby. Now go away"
"I almost had a miscarriage" Adrianna tried to appeal to her mother's better nature. But she realised she didn't have one.
"I don't care" Marla shrugged. Adrianna kneeled down and picked her ultrasound image up as tears welled in her eyes. "Get rid of it"
Adrianna burst into tears and ran back to her car. She climbed in the driver's seat and buckled herself in. She started the engine and pulled out of the driveway as the tears flooded down her cheeks. How could her own mother be so cruel? How could she ask her to get rid of her child? She was so upset she could barely breathe.
Through her tears she didn't see that she moved to the other side of the road until headlights almost blinded her. She served back to the other side of the road but went too far and crashed into the traffic barrier. Then it all went black.
Ambulances and police were called to the scene. CSI was also called to work out who caused the collision. Mac headed over to Adrianna's car, not realising it was her car, and looked in through the driver's side window. He soon recognised her. "Adrianna?"
As they prised the door open Adrianna came to and started freaking out. Mac got in the passenger side and kept her calm until they got her out. "Can you call Don" she sobbed.
"As in Don Flack?" Mac frowned.
"Yes" she replied "He's my boyfriend"
"As soon as they get you in the ambulance" Mac nodded.
"I'm pregnant" she told Mac suddenly.
Soon they got her out of the car and put her on a stretcher. They loaded her into an ambulance and took her to hospital. Mac then called Flack who was watching TV.
Relaxing in front of the TV with a cold beer was usually his idea of a good night in but tonight was somewhat different. He was dreading what Adrianna's mom would say about her pregnancy. Adrianna had said she wouldn't be happy but she wouldn't be that unhappy surely? Unfortunately he didn't know that he was wrong and that her mother had caused her to accidentally almost kill herself.
His cell started to ring. He paused his programme and picked it up. Seeing Mac Taylor on the caller id he hit call and held it to his ear. "Mac"
"You need to go to trinity general" Mac replied.
"Why?" he asked sitting up.
"Adrianna crashed her car" Mac explained "She's conscious and talking though. She asked me to call you"
"I'll go straight there" he replied before calling off. He switched the TV off, put his shoes on and grabbed his car keys. He drove straight to the hospital where he was directed to resus.
After having several x-rays which confirmed nothing was broken and that she only had a few cuts and bruises and a minor concussion she was taken up to a ward as they wanted to keep her in overnight. Once there he asked what had happened. "What happened?"
"I was crying" she admitted "I ended up on the other side of the road then I saw a car heading in my direction and I swerved to avoid it"
"Crying?" he frowned. "Why?"
"My mom" she looked down as tears welled in her eyes "She told me to get rid of the baby. I told her I almost had a miscarriage and she said she didn't care". Then she burst into tears. She told him everything her mother had said to her, which angered him. "She hates me" she sobbed. "My mom hates me"
"It's her loss" he sighed.
She was kept in overnight for observation then discharged the next day. She then had to take a week off work to recover.
Soon people at work noticed the pregnancy and asked Adrianna who the father was all thinking it was some rich geezer who had a gazillion bucks in his back pocket. Not one of their fellow detectives. Even Danny joined in on this. She told them he wasn't a rich millionaire geezer, just a regular guy. Then they said they didn't care and she didn't end up telling them it was Flack who had in fact impregnated her.
After finding out the gender of their baby they started buying things for him. They decorated his nursery pale blue. Then they started filling it with things. They put a wardrobe and chest of drawers up. Then they headed to the baby store and bought a crib and Moses basket for him. They started filling his drawers with clothes, blankets and nappies. They also bought a buggy that could fit a car seat. They were looking forward to being a family.
Then three weeks after she had told her mother she was pregnant she received a call from her mother telling her to come round. So she did. But what her mother had planned was far from pleasant…