"Frankie, have you heard of Eve Lockhart?" Boyd asked Frankie as he stuck his feet on his office desk and shifted the phone on his ear.
"Eve, of course. She's a bit of a legend in my world. Why?" Frankie now curious as she looked at the open bag and the stack of stuff on the bed she had gathered.
"Felix has resigned, she's her replacement." Boyd sounding rather annoyed at the prospect.
"Resigned, has she said why? You aren't have much luck filing my shoes are you?" Frankie laughing as she heard Boyd grunt.
"Well, I didn't have problems filling some parts of you." The innuendo dripping from his remark.
"Really! Get your mind out the gutter Boyd. Eves good, very good in fact. She has her own body farm, her pet project funded by the home office. I've worked with her quite a few times, she was in central lab last time I spoke to her. I think I'll ring her, have a catch up, fill in her on how to deal with team Boyd." Frankie folding up the tiny baby grow and putting it in the bag.
"Piss off, don't put her off before she even gets through the door. We aren't that bad, you managed four years. She's coming in this afternoon, I'll let you know what I think. What you doing?" Boyd hearing the phone shift as Frankie moved about.
"I decided it was time I packed my hospital bag. It's all getting a little real now." Frankie running her fingers over a small vest and baby grow set, the words 'Daddy's little angel,' written on the front of both.
"Yeah, it is now." Boyd glancing at the picture of Luke on the shelves.
"Are you coming over tonight?" Frankie getting teary eyed as she folded up the vest and baby grow and put them in the bag.
"I can do, if you want me to. I have no idea what time though. You know what it's like here." Hearing Frankie sniffing down the phone. "Hey, are you okay?" The sniff a little louder this time.
"I just, I didn't, a baby, an actual baby." Frankie's feeble attempt at articulating her thoughts and feelings aloud sounding very like the man she was on the phone to.
"That is normally the end result of being pregnant, Frankie. What were you expecting to happen?" Boyd laughing as he Frankie sniff again. "Listen, I'll get away as soon as I can, I'll bring ice cream and chocolate in and we can talk. It's gonna be okay, Frankie, I promise." Boyd offered as a niggle of guilt crept up on him.
"Okay, I'll see you later then." Frankie managed to say as she wiped the tears from her cheeks.
"Bye, Frankie." Boyd now feeling rather guilty for not being more supportive as he put the phone back on the desk.
There was nothing he could about it, other than sulk of course, which he did. Frankie wiped the tears from her face as she slowly packed her hospital bag, the tiny baby clothes and nappies going in beside her own clothes. After checking and triple checking the list she had made, which was a combination of lists she had found on line and in books, she zipped the bag shut and sighed. She was going to have a baby, and she had never been more scared of anything in her entire life.
Boyd made sure to pick up the biggest box of chocolates he could find on his way home, along with a huge tub of Chocolate chip ice cream. When Frankie answered her front door she looked thoroughly miserable, her hand never leaving her back as they walked into the living room. Frankie sat down on the settee and shifted around, no position she seemed to sit in being comfortable for her.
"Have you eaten?" Boyd placing the box of chocolates on the table as he stood looking down at Frankie while holding the tub of ice cream.
"I had a sandwich an hour ago." Frankie moaning as she dug her knuckles into her back to try and relieve the pain.
"Good, I'll go run a bath. Then you can get in and see if it eases that pain. Is it constant or is it coming and going?" Boyd realising that he was wholly unprepared for Frankie going into labour.
"Constant, it's driving me mad." Tears again springing to Frankie's eyes.
"That's good." Realising his slip up as Frankie glared at him. "I mean in the sense that it's probably not labour pains." Quickly trying to dig himself out of the hole he was already in.
"Trapped nerve most probably. The problem is another four weeks of this is enough to make me wish she was here already, even though I am so not prepared to be a mum." Frankie groaning again as she sat forward.
"I'll put this in the freezer before it melts and run you that bath." Holding the tub of ice cream up as Frankie spread her legs and leaned as far forward as she could manage.
Frankie didn't respond, just leaned forward with her bump now between her thighs. She didn't even try and stop the tears as the pain shot across her back, and this wasn't even labour. Her thoughts on a purely natural birth slowly disappearing as the pain just went on and on. When Boyd came back from running her bath he found her stood up, her forehead on the back of the settee as she stood behind it making her body into an L shape.
"Baths ready, come on." Running his hand gently up and down her spine.
Frankie stood up slowly, Boyd keeping his hand on her back as she struggled to get upright. When she was as upright as she was going to get he kept his hand on her back, walking side by side by her up the stairs and into the bathroom. He helped her undress, wiping away her tears with his thumb as he watched her wince with every movement. Helping her get in the bath he watched as the water seemed to instantly soothe her, her face slowly relaxing as the pain in her back eased. Leaving her to soak he went back downstairs and made her tea and his coffee, carrying them both back upstairs and into the bathroom.
"Here, tea." His voice was low as he placed the cup on the corner of the bath.
"Thank you, for the tea and this." Her fingers splashing on the top of the water.
"Has it helped?" Boyd taking a sip of his coffee as he saw her smile.
"God yes, the pain is just about gone now. The problem is I don't want to get out in case it comes back again." Frankie going to back to looking miserable again.
"Four more weeks, it's not long really. You've done eight months, one more and it's all over. Did you manage to finish packing your hospital bag?" Boyd changing the subject on to something other than how close Frankie was to giving birth, and him becoming a father again.
"All done. I just need some snacks to eat if it's long labour, which I'm going to get when I go shopping. What did you think of Eve?" Frankie now moving away from the scary reality where she was going to be responsible for another human being.
"She's okay, but she's not," Frankie raising her eyebrow as she waited for him to finish his sentence, knowing exactly what he was going to say. "Don't look at me like that, she's not you." Boyd just watching Frankie smile.
"I should hope not unless you shag all your forensic pathologists." Frankie's mood considerable brighter now she wasn't in pain.
"I did not shag you, I, I," Boyd trying to think of a better way to term the drunken post-Mel's death memorial service sex Frankie and he had had. "I participated in a mutual physical act of shared attraction as we explored each other's bodies." Seeing Frankie choke on her tea as she started to laugh.
"Yeah, right. We shagged each other senseless, fell asleep, then did it all again the next morning." Frankie looking down as her bump rippled and shifted.
"Fine we did shag, but look what we did." Both of them now watching Frankie's bump as a foot appeared against the taut skin.
"She knows we're talking about her. Anyway, getting back to Eve. Give her a chance, she's better than me, way better than me. Her body farm is cutting edge, I've read about it but never been. It's fascinating stuff, watching bodies decomposing under different environments. I'd love to take a look one day, have a tour of the place." Boyd shaking his head at how enthusiastic Frankie was about Eve's body farm.
"You and I have very different ideas on what's fascinating. Fascinating to me is watch you sleep, watching our daughter move about, seeing your face as I slide into your body and you close your eyes." Smirking as he saw the involuntary shudder ripple through Frankie's body.
"Bastard," Frankie replied, her voice deep and husky.
"Is the water still warm enough?" Boyd moving to kneel beside the bath as he slid first his hand into the water then his arm up to the elbow.
Frankie watched Boyd as his hand slipped into the water, momentarily surprised at how much of his arm he got wet until she felt his fingers on her body. She closed her eyes as she felt his fingers press against her, her body trying to shift to give him better access. She was always ready for his ministrations, her body always on edge, her sex drive ramped up to maximum permanently. Boyd watched in total fascination, Frankie's body so supple, so ready for his fingers. He focused completely on her, on her needs, on making her come. When she did he was surprised she didn't get water everywhere, her whole body going rigid as she rode out her orgasm. When she relaxed he took his hand out the water and stood up to reach for the towel, Frankie opening her eyes and following his movements. After dying his hand Boyd picked up the huge bath sheet from the warm radiator and opened it up.
"Time to get out, before you get cold and shrivel up more." Frankie pouting at the prospect of getting out.
Between them, they got Frankie out of the bath and dried. Frankie stood brushing her hair, yawning as she dragged the brush half-heartedly through it. Boyd pulled the covers back on the bed and Frankie climbed in, turning on her side as she felt the niggle start again in her back. She shifted one of her legs hoping it would help, and it did but not for long.
"What's wrong?" Boy seeing Frankie move about.
"My back, my legs, my whole body." Seeing Boyd grabbing a spare pillow from beside her head and moving to where she was lying.
Fluffing up the pillows he eased them between Frankie's legs, raising one leg higher so her hips were more in line.
"How does that feel?" Seeing Frankie smile as she adjusted her leg slightly.
"Why didn't I think of that? That feels so much better. Are you stopping tonight?" Frankie mumbled sleepily.
"No, I should get home. I'll ring you tomorrow and we'll arrange a night. Go to sleep." Pulling the cover over Frankie and tucking her in.
"Okay. Lock up on the way out. Use the spare key out the kitchen drawer where the cutlery is." Boyd grinning like an idiot at the thought of having a key to Frankie's home.
"Night, Frankie." Boyd kissing her forehead as he switched the lamp off and the room went dark.
Going downstairs as quietly as he could he cleaned up the few dishes that were lying about and finally found the spare key in the drawer. Opening and closing the front door as quietly as he could, he locked the door and put the key on his keychain with his own house keys. As he started the car's engine and went to drive home he looked up at Frankie bedroom window, his throat restricting at the thought that in just over four weeks he would be a father again.