Well... At least the wait wasn't the better part of a year this time.
As always, for Rachel.
It's funny when you think about the reason he's alive,
It's all because two people fell in love
-Brad Paisley;
The twisting of her stomach pulled her from sleep far before she was ready. Bare feet slapped against the cold wooden floor as she sprinted from the bed to the bathroom, doubling over just in time to see her dinner in reverse. Nausea was overwhelming and her whole body flushed, a sticky sweat coating her. She sunk to the coolness of the floor and took stock of her situation. She didn't feel particularly ill but her stomach was in a bad mood for sure and exhaustion seemed overwhelming but she'd worked the night shift the night before and had dined on imitation Ray's which surely could explain away her current state.
She stood slowly and washed her face, rinsing her mouth with Listerine while she was at it, before making her way back to the bedroom where she flopped diagonally across the mattress. Her phone was buzzing on the bedside stand and she reached for it wearily. "Hello?"
"Are you mad at me?" It was her husband.
She groaned and raked a hand through her hair. "Did you do something worth me being mad?"
"Not to my knowledge."
"Then why would I be mad at you, Danny?" She sat up on the bed and pulled his pillow to her chest as she curled her legs under her.
He chuckled. "Cause you answered the phone like you do for normal human beings?"
"Sorry, babe." Austin relaxed against the headboard and smiled as her beloved greyhound climbed up on the bed next to her. "I didn't check the caller ID before I answered."
"Ah," he acknowledged. She heard him shuffling papers and a glance at the clock told her he was probably sitting at his desk enjoying his lunch. "You okay?"
"Mmm," she hummed. "I think the knock-off Ray's did me in last night."
"You sick?"
"Just a little."
She closed her eyes and let his voice chase away the last bit of sickness she felt. "Do you want me to go tell Adam that we can't make it tonight?"
"Nah," she promised. "I think it's just a touch of food poisoning. I'm already feeling better anyway. What did you call for, husband?"
"Just wanted to make sure you were returning to the land of the living in time to make dinner."
"Yeah. I've got an hour or so before I have to hit the grocery store. I'll meet you over at Lindsay and Adam's once you're done at work."
"Alright." There was a pause. "Mac is looking at me like he's going to break my phone in two so I'm gonna get off here, Austin. Feel better. Don't die."
"Love you too, jackass." She smirked. "Don't you die either."
Austin closed the phone and looked over at the dog whose nose was nudging at her hip. "Just what do you want, ya mutt?"
Elvis lifted his head and barked softly.
"I love you, buddy." She itched between his ears and pressed a kiss to his wet nose. "You want to go for a run?"
Elvis was off the bed before she could finish her sentence and she knew she would find him beside the door with his leash in his mouth. She pulled her hair into a bun with the tie around her wrist and traded her pajamas for track pants, an NYPD hoodie, and her Nikes before stuffing her keys and phone in the kangaroo pouch. "Alright, Elv, let's roll."
They hit the Brooklyn pavement and immediately slipped into a steady pace. The brindle greyhound was a work of beauty as he ran beside her, long legs stretching and streamlined body practically floating next to her, her perfect pace keeper. He was more than a dog, he was her best friend and her baby and she knew that rescuing him was the best thing she had done with her life.
When she hit the halfway point of her usual course, the exhaustion set in with a fiery intensity. She hadn't been winded quite so easily in a long time but she figured it was from the food poisoning and slowed her pace to Elvis' disappointment. "Sorry, boy," she breathed. "Don't have it in me today."
A shortcut shaved a mile off her usual run and she tried not to feel guilty for cutting out on Elvis' favorite activity. Back at home, she let Elvis off his leash and dropped some fresh food and cold water into his dishes before grabbing a bottle of water for herself. Flopping down on the couch, she opened the bottle and drank half of it in one breath. Her body craved a nap but she knew she had to get going if she was going to make it to Lindsay's in time to help make dinner.
The shower helped her feel more human and raised her energy level immensely. She dressed in her usual Converse, jeans, and Rolling Stones t-shirt. Cursing as she yanked a brush through her hair, she pulled it into a knot on top of her head and, at the last second, pulled on Danny's grandfather's dog tags that she hadn't worn since the day she'd been held hostage. The cool metal felt good on her skin and she found herself playing with them as she walked down the street to the bodega.
Austin Grace Messer was no cook but there was that one single dish she was kind of awesome at – if she was in the mood for confessing things and being stuck making it for the rest of her life. Her best friend had mentioned her favorite store bought spaghetti sauce and Austin had ended up volunteering to make spaghetti for their communal dinner because Lindsay didn't "know good spaghetti sauce from a hole in the ground". She was Italian and there was no fighting that heritage.
"Yo, Ross," she hollered through the door as she kicked at it with her foot, her arms laden with grocery bags. "I got my arms full so unless you want to be responsible for her a tomato massacre, open your damn door."
"Do you do anything with decorum," Lindsay Ross asked as she pulled the door open. "Here." She took a bag and lead the way to the kitchen. "Do I get to help with this or are you gonna take my fingers off like you almost did when I mentioned using jar sauce."
"You can observe," Austin told her. "And make the salad – I hate cutting lettuce."
"Gee, thanks."
Austin smirked and nudged Lindsay's hip with hers. "Trust me. Once you learn to make this sauce and feed it to Adam – it's so good he's gonna thank you with lots of little Adams."
"Shut up." Lindsay shoved her playfully. "It's too soon for that talk."
"You've got some time line I don't know about?"
"No," Lindsay shook her head as she pulled out a bowl for the salad. "I... We... just want to be solid in all of this before bringing a kid into this messed up world of ours."
"Cognitive baby making," Austin nodded. "Never a bad thing."
Lindsay smirked as she watched Austin chop tomatoes. "What about you and Danny? You guys ever think about bringing a little hellion into this world?"
"I'm not going to lie and say we haven't talked about it, that I haven't kind of wished for it in the back of mind since I was seventeen and decided I was gonna marry that idiot, but I don't know." Austin shook her head as she dumped ingredients into the biggest pot she could find. "A kid with my hair and his eyes, my taste of music and his charm, I'm not sure the world could handle that much awesome."
"Austin."
"Yeah. I worry about becoming my father."
Lindsay reached out and laid a hand on her arm. "I know you don't like to talk about it but I think... if you can acknowledge that you don't want to be like your father then you have a good shot of not actually being like him."
"Thanks, Lin."
She busied herself with the boiling liquids, adding spices here and there. She hummed along as Lindsay sang a Johnny Cash song softly and they danced around each other in the way that friends do when they've reached a certain level of comfortableness. She didn't know Lindsay's kitchen like the back of her hand but what she couldn't find Lindsay was pretty good at inferring and finding it for her. Austin covered the pot and let out a big yawn as she leaned against the counter.
"You getting old on me, Messer?" Lindsay cocked an eyebrow at her.
Austin shook her head and cringed as her jaw popped. "I ate some Ray's that wasn't original last night and it came back to bite me this morning. I couldn't even get all the way through Elvis' run this morning and I just feel like taking a nap now."
"Gee, Aust. You sure it's food poisoning and you're not knocked up?"
Austin froze.
"Austin?"
Her face turned pale and her heart raced as she tried to remember when her last period was. They were always so careful – more than careful, really – she wasn't ready for this. And then she remembered because it was right before Christmas. Shit. She was late. More than just coincidentally so. Before she could stop herself, she was flying toward the door. "Linds, I've got to go. Enjoy the sauce. Raincheck on dinner?"
"Sure," Lindsay called after her retreating form. "Are you okay? Austin!"
"Fine," she hollered over her shoulder as she slipped out of the apartment and broke into a sprint.
Everything seemed to be a blur as she sprinted down to her car, crossing the city back to her neighborhood, and screeching to a halt in front of the bodega. She ran in, panic overwhelming her, and heading for the feminine supplies. She found a whole rack devoted to the tests and before she could even begin contemplating which was the best, she slung at least one of each into her basket and raced up front to stand on line. Her heart thudded annoyingly in her ears as she placed the purchase on the emergency credit card – if ever there was an emergency it was now and why were the damn tests so expensive anyway?
At home with hands shaking and a gallon of water beside her for fuel, she began taking the tests and tears filled her eyes when time and again they came out positive. She wanted this, she did, more than anything but fear was overwhelming and it stole the breath from her lungs. She sunk to the bathroom floor for the second time that day and was greeted with Elvis' long tongue lapping the tears from her face as she dialed her husband.
"Hey Graceless," he greeted her. "I'm just finishing up. I'm like five minutes behind Adam, okay?"
"Can you come home," she whispered with a voice thick from crying. "Please, Danny."
"I'll be right there." She heard him shuffling and then his shoes slapping against the tile floor of the lab. "Are you okay? Austin. Baby. Are you still sick? What do you need?"
"I'm fine. I just... I need you. Please, Danny."
"I'm coming, baby, as fast as I can get across town." He pleaded with her, "Just tell me what's wrong, sweetheart."
"Nothing's wrong, I just have something I need to tell you."
"Are you sure?"
"Danny!"
He sighed. "Alright. I'll be there soon."
"Stay on the line," she begged.
"Of course."
They didn't speak as she listened to him cross through Manhattan traffic and the sounds of the taxis as he slipped into one and rattled off their address with the quickest route. He wasn't wasting any time and it made her heartbeat slow some.
When the front door clicked open, she jumped up from her spot on the floor and sprinted out to him, throwing herself into his awaiting arms. He wrapped himself around her, lifting her off her feet slightly as he pressed kisses to her hair. "Talk to me, Austin."
"I'm scared," she spills the confession into his ear and wraps her arms so tightly around him like she's afraid he'll disappear. He counters her touches with his own and anchors her to the moment like he always has.
"What do you have to be so afraid of?"
He's right. It shouldn't be this terrifying. This should be the most joyous thing they've ever done and she just needs to let herself feel that. Let herself tap into that immense joy.
"Let me show you," she whispered and took his hand in hers and pulled him down the hallway, through their bedroom, into the bathroom, to the counter where the tests are lined up one by one. His body collides with hers as he stumbles at the sight and she can feel his breathing quicken against her neck but then his arms are locking around her and kisses are dropped to her shoulder. "You're happy?"
"We're having a baby," he breathes and spins her around, kissing her in that way that makes her knees weak. "We're having a baby, Austin!"
"Yeah, we are." She smiles then and the joy wells up inside her. She can face anything with him beside her – parenthood included. "We're having a baby."