Sorry to keep you waiting for this brief update. I am hoping to be able to give you a longer one soon. In the meanwhile I hope you enjoy this little bit of fluff.
Once again, many thanks for all of your support! Your comments, reviews, PMs, tweets and tumblr posts are what keep me writing!
There is no more hiding or denying it, at twenty-three weeks your baby belly has officially popped making you feel like even more like an overstuffed sausage than you already did. A grumpy, slightly unevenly over heated, and partially frozen overstuffed sausage; your ankles and feet are swollen, your belly is sticking out, your back is aching, and you are bundled within an inch of your life in down, and wool, and Gortex with a red, running, chapped nose and scarlet cheeks. As the temperature drops and you are stuck doing crowd control in the freezing rain outside of Kresge Auditorium. Fucking former US President Jimmy Carter! Fucking global warming and its impact on poverty in the Third World symposium! You would like to say a thing or two to him about global warming right now, as your feet turn into two numb blocks of ice in spite of the heavily insulated snow boots that were issued to you last week, and your wool sox. The only consolation is the mind numbing Christmas music they are playing inside isn't being broadcast out here. You know you shouldn't be in such a bad mood, but no one had better do anything to piss you off today! The sleet continues to batter you, coming down in sheets that are beginning to be mixed with clumpy wet snow, finding its way under your collar, running in icy drips and tiny rivers down your back. Nifty.
It happened at the end of your eighteenth week, right before Steve left. One day your waistline was simply thicker and then the next morning – pop – you were obviously pregnant! You hope the bulky sweater under your even bulker police coat disguised it sufficiently for him not to notice. With one look at the photos of you, you have a feeling Traci will figure it out, even if Steve can be an idiot. You brace yourself for the questions that don't come when you talk with her the week after Steve's visit, not sure if she's holding back or if you're just being paranoid. But you're pretty sure she knows and is barely holding back, waiting for you to tell her. She has that tone in her voice you've heard before when she works at coaxing things out of you, and out of her son, and out of murder suspects.
Bobby saunters back down the line of waiting attendees to hand you a hot paper cup of coffee. You grip it tightly allowing the warmth to permeate your mittened hands before you take a grateful sip. Bobby you can deal with. He's someone you have come to count on, someone you actually like. He's someone who doesn't try to scold you or stop you from still drinking coffee.
"Kate says you and Holly should come to dinner again this week." He says as he looks off across the foggy field, coming to stand shoulder to shoulder with you.
"Oh really." You smile into your coffee, "I'll see what I can do."
Holly has been away for a week in Miami earning Continuing Medical Education credits, and hanging out with her medical school friends. And as much as you don't want to admit it, you miss her and you hate it that she's gone.
"Katherine said to tell you how much we enjoyed having the two of you for Thanksgiving." He continues, before taking a sip of his own coffee. "It was fun!"
You can't help your smile getting bigger at the memory.
"She says I am to be sure to make you come for Christmas." He continues, looking sideways at you this time.
"You know I'm working" You shrug.
"I know. I'll be working with you." He states simply.
"But your family…! Come on Bobby, I can't ruin your Christmas for you!" You turn, eyes wide with surprise.
"What would ruin my Christmas is having Katherine make me sleep on the couch for a week if I let you take that shift without me. What would ruin my Christmas would be eating Christmas dinner alone at McDonalds when Katherine kicks me out of the house for not bringing you home with me." Bobby shrugs. "So you see, you have no choice."
"I guess not." You feel a warm glow of affection spreading in your chest as you pretend to scoff, "Well I guess we can't have that."
"No, not at all." He continues to look out the dismal weather, scanning the increasingly cold and wet crowd that is still patiently waiting for Homeland Security to clear the Auditorium. You know that this assignment is kind of a big deal, but you wish the honor had been bestowed on someone else this time. Your stomach grumbles loudly. You hope your hunger isn't enough to wake your unborn child and send "the kid" as you've started calling him or her into another flurry of acrobatics. You are always hungry these days, and tired. Yawning into your mittened fist, you wonder where the department's stupid rookie intern has gone so you can send him off to get you a snack!
The Kid is part of what has been ruining your sleep lately. It is just your luck that you are sure your kid is going to be a drummer, or a gymnast, or a kick-boxer! Just over two weeks ago you awoke in the middle of the night with a gasp and a start, feeling your kid move for the first time. Your OBGYN nurse told you to expect to start feeling your baby move, and all of the things you read about that said to expect feel first movements like tiny bubbles or tickles inside your belly, but nothing prepared you for this! It was like someone was using your bladder as a trampoline! Your jolt to consciousness awakened Holly, who quickly went from worried, to completely enchanted as you moved her hand to feel the pitter patter of little feet kicking against your abdomen wall. By five in the morning the novelty of it all had definitely worn off. To make matters worse, you can tell that Holly finds your grumpy, sleep deprived, slightly rumpled state due to this development completely adorable! Geesh! You shift your weight from one frozen foot to the other, crossing your arms with a soft huff, and a tiny smile at the thought. It's weird, but you miss her, no matter how annoying she can be sometimes.
Bobby looks at you sideways with a smirk of his own, "She's coming home tomorrow, right?"
"What? Who?" You say a little too aggressively, startled by his question.
Bobby starts to laugh at you. Laugh! At you! Laugh! You give him the look of death, which only makes him laugh harder. You scowl at him and huff louder.
"Come on Peck! Don't give me that! I know you miss her." He says smugly.
You sigh and close your eyes, because you do. It's ridiculous, but you do. Bobby nudges you jovially with his shoulder. The barbed comment sticks in your throat as you turn to see pure affection glowing in his eyes. You open your mouth but no words come out.
Your shift was almost over when the kid began to poke you in the ribs, and proceeded to have a dance party on your kidneys. You are thrilled, really you are, that your child seems to be healthy and strong. You only wish she wouldn't decide to wake up the minute you sit down or try to go to sleep. You are so exhausted you even turned down Bobby's invitation to come eat meatloaf with his family in favor of going home to Chinese leftovers and a cold bed. You haven't heard from Holly all day, and as much as you hate to admit it, that's making you grumpy too.
The hot water running over your body and thick steamy air almost lull you to sleep on your feet in the shower when you hear the bathroom door open and a cool breeze snap you back to being full alert. You know your shower brush won't be an affective weapon against an intruder, but it's all you got so you reach for it anyway. The curtain opens and Holly slips in beside you, pulling you into her arms and into a kiss that makes you forget how tired you are. She's not supposed to be back until tomorrow evening!
"Holly!" You stutter against her lips, "What are you doing here?"
"I missed you." She practically purrs into your lips. "Hello Baby!" and then sliding down to crouch in front of you, her hands resting gently on your swollen belly "Hello baby!" She kisses that too.
"Holly!" You whine as her lips inch lower, making you forget how to breathe properly.
She looks up at you with a mischievous grin, "When you thought I was an intruder, what were you going to do, scrub me to death?"
"Maybe…" You blush as you realize you are still gripping your scrub brush like a weapon. "I'm glad you're not though." You say with a little laugh.
"Mmmm… me too." She stands up, taking you into her arms again. "I'm sorry if I freaked you out."
"I'm glad you're here!" You sigh, leaning in to kiss her again.
"Mmm Humm…" She hums as she presses her body into yours, pushing your back up against the cool tiled wall. "You are so beautiful!"
All you can do is gasp as her hand runs a neat trajectory down your side to find it's way between you. She chuckles softly at your immediate response as every drop of longing and missing her pools between your legs. She strokes you gently at first, watching you closely as you lick your lips and feel your knees begin to buckle.
"I want you," She whispers, "I have been fantasizing about touching you for days."
Her admission sends you rocketing toward the edge, setting you on fire, even though she has barely touched you yet.
"Oh really." You manage, before her fingers probe deeper, making you shutter and cling to her. She holds you steady you as you cum suddenly, and then grins and laughs as you snort and sputter the water you inhaled out of your sinuses.
"Come on!" She says with a cocky grin, "Let's get you to bed before you drowned."
With any of your previous lovers you would have found a biting, defensive comeback. But with Holly, you simply let her turn off the water and wrap you in a towel, happy that she's here, happy to follow her compliantly off to bed.