Disclaimer: Not mine

Let me start by apologizing for the delay in posting this chapter. Not only did I leave you with a cliffhanger, I left you for almost two weeks. My life turned into a Fan fiction story last week and I needed some time to get my head straight. Thank you for your words of encouragement and for your understanding. It was greatly appreciated!

And now...on with the show!

Chapter 21

SPOV

When I was little, my mother and I had a routine. She would tuck me in and listen as I said my prayers and then she would read to me a story from my favorite book. I had every book in the collection of Aesop's Fables. They were my favorite things to read because each story held a nugget of a lesson. When I was little, I didn't always pick up on them; but years later, I still remembered some of those stories and the lessons that they shared.

One in story, in particular, filled my mind in the weeks following my mistake with Mark. "The little reed, bending to the force of the wind, soon stood upright again when the storm passed over." The lesson behind that was important to me. If you try to stand against the wind, then you will get blown over if you're not strong enough to face the force of the wind. But if you bend with the wind and wait for the storm to pass, then you'll be safe. That was exactly what I intended to do too because the storm of life was raging around me and I didn't feel strong enough to survive it's wind.

After the morning that I woke up with Mark, I threw myself into deep denial. Mark found an apartment two days later and moved out of my house which I was extremely thankful for. He and I remained partners at work simply because I didn't want to cause the guys to suspect anything. I was terrified to tell the Merry Men what happened because I honestly thought they'd look at me differently. They were Les' friends first and they'd take his side if or when we decided to split. It was selfish of me, but I needed my friends, so I kept what happened hidden. But, the big issue for me was I was sure that NOTHING happened that night.

Mark and I didn't talk about that night at all and I put my engagement ring back in its proper place. I refused to believe that I betrayed Les like Mark suggested. I didn't see myself doing what he said I did. I loved Les with every ounce of my being and wouldn't ever cheat on him. I didn't drink that much that night, so he couldn't use the 'you were drunk' excuse. He still claimed it all happened just as he said, but he didn't push me about it. We worked together and that was it. The guys suspected nothing. I thought everything would work out, but I was wrong.

About a month after Les left, I came down with a stomach virus. I spent most of my mornings in the bathroom praying to the porcelain god. Even though I'd sleep all night, I was still exhausted and had to fight myself from crawling back into my bed. But since I had client meetings lined up, I made myself get up and go into the office every day. After a week of the same routine, Bobby knew something was wrong and called me to his office one afternoon.

"Tell me what's going on, Steph. You look like hell and you practically fell asleep in the meeting this morning." I did my best to cover up the dark circles, but nothing worked. I was sleeping, but I was always tired. The puking every morning didn't help my appearance either.

"I'm okay. Just have a little stomach bug. It will pass and I'll be back to normal." I tried to smile, but his frown told me that he didn't believe me.

"Why didn't you tell me that you were sick? I need to make sure you're not dehydrated. Have you thrown up? What are your symptoms?" Bobby was firing questions at me at warp speed while he gathered stuff to take my blood and vitals. I sighed and decided since he was the medic, he needed to know what was going on.

"It started about a week or so ago. I puke in the mornings and sometimes in the evening. The worst is just how tired I am. I sleep, but I'm still exhausted." He nodded and drew my blood. After he checked my vitals and listened to my heart and lungs, he wrapped the stethoscope around his neck and sat in front of me.

"I'm going to run these tests and I'll call you later. Drink some Gatorade and try to eat something." I nodded and hopped off the exam table and left his office. I got a bottle of Gatorade out of the gym refrigerator and made my way back up to my cubicle where Mark was waiting for me.

"Is everything going okay, Steph? The guys said that you went to see Bobby. Are you sick?" His look was caring, but his posture and tone was almost eager. It was liike he was almost excited that I was sick.

"I'm fine. It's just a bug. How are the searches going?" A look of disappointment crossed his face, but he masked it behind the blank look. Tank had me training Mark to do the more advanced searches. He'd caught on surprisingly well and was almost as good as I was.

"They're going good. I'm almost done with one and then I'll pass it to you to look over." I nodded and sat in my chair to get busy with the client's contract who I had met with this morthe day. The client wanted some additional security features added, so I needed to amend the original paper work. I felt Mark just standing behind me and got really annoyed.

"Was there something else?" My tone was sharp and bitter.

Mark let out a sigh and leaned down to whisper into my ear. "You can't hate me forever, Tigress. You'll come to your senses soon." Mark's words caused me to burn with anger and I turned to yell at him, but he was gone. Tank was standing in his place and looked at me with a raised eyebrow.

"Trouble in paradise?" He honestly thought everything was perfect in our partnership.

"Everything's fine. I just don't feel well." I turned back around so Tank couldn't see the tears in my eyes. I didn't know why I was so damn emotional.

"Bobby called me and asked me to bring you down to his office. He needs to talk to both of us." Shit. Surely he didn't have the lab tests done that fast. It had only been about an hour since he had taken the blood.

"Okay." I let out a long sigh. "I'll meet you down there. I need to stop at the restroom." Tank looked at me and brushed a tear off my face and smiled at me. I assumed he thought the tears were caused by Les being away. I didn't correct that assumption.

Tank left me at the restroom and headed down to Bobby's office without me. I did my business and cleaned up my face as best I could before going down. I wasn't sure I really wanted to hear what Bobby found.

I found Tank and Bobby deep in conversation when I entered the office, so I hopped up onto the exam table and waited to hear the results of my tests. Tank walked over and stood behind me. He rested his big hand on my shoulder and gave it a squeeze.

Bobby sat on the stool in front of me and looked directly into my eyes. "Steph. Are you on any form of birth control?" My eyes got huge and one thought raced through my mind. 'Oh please, God, no!'

"I get the shot every three months. I'm due to go in next week for another one. Why?" Bobby bit his lip and handed me a report of the blood work. I had no idea what I was looking at.

"Just tell me what's going on Bobby." I handed the papers back to him and he glanced at Tank.

"Congratulations, you're pregnant." After hearing that, I welcomed the darkness.

"Stephanie, open your eyes, Honey. Please. Shit, Les is going to kill me." Tank's voice was frantic and I felt a blood pressure cuff tighten around my arm. My eyes fluttered open and I saw a worried looking Bobby and then an even more worried Tank. I'd never seen them so panic stricken before.

"What the hell happened?" I tried to sit up, but Bobby pushed me back onto the bed.

"You passed out. Do you remember what we were talking about?" I tried to think, but it hurt a lot to use that much brain power. I shook my head and Bobby sighed.

"I told you that you're pregnant and you passed out. Tank caught you before you fell off the table, but I'm still worried." Wait, did he say pregnant? I couldn't be pregnant. I was on the birth control shot.

"No birth control is one hundred percent." Bobby read my thoughts and answered my question before I ever asked it. I rolled my eyes and then something hit me.

"I drank a month ago. It was the night that we celebrated the end of the newbies probations. I only had two shots, but do you think it hurt the baby?" Bobby looked to be thinking. Then another thought passed through my mind. What if the baby wasn't there then. What if the baby was Mark's? No...I didn't sleep with him. The baby was Les' baby.

"I doubt two shots would cause any problems but we'll schedule an appointment with your OB/GYN soon so they can check stuff out." Bobby and Tank looked at me as I bit my lip and had another internal conversation.

"Will they do an ultrasound then?"

"I can request they do one. Is there something you're worried about? Something we're looking for?" Bobby questioned me with a raised eyebrow.

"Not really. I was Just curious about the date of conception. Les and I spent that week before he left practically attached." Bobby and Tank both smiled at me.

"The ultrasound should be able to give you an idea of the conception date. I'll call your doctor now and hopefully get you in tomorrow. I don't like that you passed out." Bobby left to call my doctor. Tank stayed behind and just looked at me. I sat on the table biting my lip and thinking. I was praying the baby was Lester's.

"Are you sure everything is okay, Steph? You know you can talk to me about anything." Tank looked at me with genuine concern. Suddenly, the news of the pregnancy, the exhaustion, and the whole Mark thing just became too much for me to handle and I broke into tears. Tank looked shocked for a second and then pulled me into his massive arms.

He held me while I cried and stroked my hair, shushing me occasionally. He would whisper encouraging words in my ear and when he said 'it will be okay', I knew that it wouldn't. I broke for a second time and sobbed out everything that happened that night with Mark. I just couldn't hold it in anymore. Tank stiffened when I told him the story and soon the comforting was gone. He stepped away and walked out the door without a backwards glance.

I cried harder when I realized that I'd just lost his trust and Tank as a friend. He'd been my support system since Les had been gone and I'd just lost that. Bobby had entered the room and heard me tell the story to Tank. He didn't approach me on the table and I could imagine the look of disgust on his face. I didn't have the courage to look at him. I felt his arms come around me and he began to comfort me. I didn't deserve his comfort. I didn't deserve anything. I was a horrible person that probably got pregnant by a man who isn't her fiancé. I tried to pull away from Bobby because I was too ashamed, but he just held me tighter and tried to calm me.

"Steph, you need to calm down, Sweetheart. Being this upset isn't good for you or the baby." Hearing that didn't make me feel better. I actually felt worse. Not only was I a terrible fiancé, but I was also a bad mom, too. I tried to calm down and get my breathing back under control, but it was hard. I was just too damn upset. We sat for who knows how long, Bobby holding and comforting me while I cried.

Finally, after I'd calmed down slightly, Bobby's voice broke the silence of the office. "Tank isn't angry at you, Steph. He left to take care of Mark, because he took advantage of another man's woman. That won't be ignored. All of the guys are going to want a go at him when they find out." I looked up at Bobby with panic in my eyes.

"No, please don't tell anyone else. I'm so ashamed! I don't want the guys to know what I did. I won't be able to face them. Please, Bobby, don't tell them!" Bobby pulled me back into his arms and stroked my hair.

"No one will look at you differently. Mark took advantage of you. If you can believe him, then he knew you were intoxicated. He shouldn't have let that happen." I shook my head frantically.

"That's the thing, Bobby. I wasn't intoxicated. I had one shot early in the evening with the guys and then another one hours later after everyone left and before I went to bed. I'm a lightweight, but that's ridiculous." I hoped Bobby caught onto what I was saying. I couldn't come out and say that I thought Mark drugged me. I didn't want to accuse him of something like that.

"We'll work it out, Steph. You need to calm down, though. I can feel your heartbeat racing. You need to slow it down." I sat in Bobby's arms trying my hardest to calm myself more. I knew that panicking wasn't good for the baby and I honestly didn't want to harm it.

Even though I wasn't ready to be a mom, the second I heard that I was pregnant (well, the second time) I started falling in love with the life growing inside me. I knew in my heart that the baby belonged to Les. I knew that we created that life the week before he left on his mission.

Several minutes after his hasty exit, Tank came storming back in with a beaten and bruised looking Mark. I suppressed a giggle and then felt bad for Mark. Tank pulled me out of Bobby's arms and sat down with me in his lap. Bobby looked Mark over, none too carefully, and then stood in front of the broken man.

Mark took in Bobby's aggressive stance and my tear stained face. Tank was still radiating rage, but I knew that it wasn't directed at me.

"You got something to say to Stephanie?" Tank's booming voice from behind me made me jump, but he held me tighter. Mark looked at me and winced. The guys didn't know him like I did, so they didn't see the gleam in his blue eyes.

"I'm sorry I took advantage of you Stephanie. Even though you came on to..." Bobby stopped that statement with a punch to the face.

"You don't get to blame her." Bobby yelled at him and punched him again.

"I'm sorry. All I meant was that I thought she wanted it just as much as I did." He looked at me and smiled.

"Do you have news for me?" I felt my stomach roll. I didn't know if it was his or not and I refused to tell him anything before I figured it out.

"You don't get to speak to her ever again. You will be reassigned a partner and you will stay as far away from Stephanie as humanly possible. Understand?" Mark's eyes hardened as he looked at Tank.

"If she's knocked up, then I have a right to know. I take my responsibilities seriously." I scoffed and rolled my eyes. Bobby punched him again.

"Tank asked you a question and you will answer him without spewing more of your shit. Yes or no? Do you understand Tank's orders?" Bobby was slightly pissed and I saw understanding dawn on Mark's face. He understood that he needed to back off for the time being. Both of those men could kill him in a matter of seconds.

"Understood." Bobby and Tank looked at each other and had a silent conversation. Whatever was decided wasn't mentioned to me. Bobby gave Mark some painkillers and dismissed him from his office.

When it was just Tank, Bobby and I in the office Tank stood and sat me back on the table. He took his position behind me with his hand on my shoulder. Bobby sat in front of me on the little doctor's stool again.

"Steph, do you think Mark is the father?" Bobby's voice was calm and quiet. Gone was the angry man who'd just beaten the shit out of Mark. I honestly didn't know how to answer that question. I thought I was protected from this shit. I couldn't speak, so I just shrugged.

"I honestly don't think Mark and I even had sex that night. I can't remember anything and I didn't feel sore the next day. I just can't figure out why he's lying about it." I caught a glance between Tank and Bobby, but chose to ignore it. I felt horrible about what I allowed to happen and the tears started to fall again.

"It will be okay, Steph. We'll take one day at a time. Your appointment is for tomorrow at 1420. I'll clear our schedules and I'll go with you." I was thankful for Bobby's support.

"Trust your instincts Steph. Les and Ranger believe in them. and you should too." Tank squeezed my shoulder again. I turned and gave him a sad smile. I had no idea what I did to deserve their friendship and support, but I knew that I couldn't survive without it.

My appointment came entirely too fast the next day. Bobby and I drove to the doctor's office in silence. I prayed that the date matched up to what I thought it should be. I stayed up late the night before checking when my last cycle was and when my ovulation time was supposed to be. According to my calculations, the baby was Les'. I just prayed the doctor said the same thing.

Bobby stayed with me as the doctor did his exam because I didn't want to be alone. After all the measurements were taken and he had done a thorough exam, the doctor removed his gloves and sat down on the stool in front of me and grabbed my chart.

"Okay, Ms. Plum. You are, in fact, pregnant. From the dates of your last period and from the measurements I got from the exam, I'd say you're about five to nine weeks along. The note in your chart says you are concerned about some spotting. Was this before or after you got pregnant?"

"That's what I'm not sure. You said I was between five and nine weeks pregnant?" The doctor nodded and my heart fell. That wasn't enough information for me. "Is there any way to narrow

that down to a closer date?"

The doctor looked at me and smiled. "We can do an ultrasound if you'd like, but it's going to have to wait. Our technician is out this week due to a death in her family. We can schedule you to come back in next week when she's back and then she can give you a more definite date of conception. Spotting can happen, and should be monitored so just let me know if you have any more problems, okay?" I nodded and after a few more helpful words of advice, the doctor gave me a prescription for prenatal vitamins and said he would see me the next month.

I felt numb walking out of the office building. Numb, sick, and a little lost. Bobby had left me standing in the front while he went to get the SUV, so I was standing alone when I suddenly felt a presence behind me. I recognized his scent before he ever spoke and my blood ran cold when I felt his hands on my stomach and heard his whispered voice. "I knew yesterday that you were pregnant and seeing you out here confirms it. You're not going to keep my child away from me, Stephanie. I have every right to be part of its life."

Knocking Mark's hands away, I turned around and shoved him back a step or two away from me. "This baby is NOT yours and you were told to stay the fuck away from me."

The sneer that covered Mark's face made me take a step back and instinctively cover my stomach. His voice was cold and when he took another step closer to me, I felt his anger when he spoke. "This baby IS mine and I will make damn sure that it and YOU are taken care of. I will not let you deny me this."

Before I could respond, Mark was gone and the noise of the SUV pulling up beside me snapped me back to reality. Bobby smiled when he opened the door for me, but that quickly fell away when he saw how visibly shaken I was. "Steph, are you okay?"

I simply shook my head and climbed into the vehicle. Bobby let out a sigh and jogged around to the driver's side. He looked at me before pulling away and while his words were meant to comfort, they only made my heart hurt more. "Les is going to be thrilled about the baby, Steph. Don't worry about it. He's wanted kids for a long time."

The next week passed so slowly. Mark, thankfully stayed away from me, but he was never far from my mind. I was certain that he and I didn't have sex that night which meant the baby was Les', but doubts crept in and fear ate at my soul.

The morning of my ultrasound, I was a complete mess. I spent an hour hugging the toilet and barely made out to the front of my house to meet Bobby. He looked at me speculatively when I first got into the SUV, but I brushed him off and he left it alone. Before I knew it, we were both at my doctor's office and were waiting patiently for the technician.

After waiting what seemed like an eternity, the ultrasound tech came into the room and she smiled at Bobby. When her eyes fell on me, though, she narrowed them and I caught a look on her face, almost like she was jealous. I knew Bobby caught it too because he squeezed my hand that he was holding.

"Hi. My name is Janice and I'll be doing your ultrasound. The doctor said that you are looking for a conception date?" She seemed friendly, but there was a harness in her words.

"Yes. Is that possible?" My voice was full of hope.

"Should be. We'll see what's going on." She smiled and squirted the ice cold gel on my stomach. I felt the wand move around against my skin, but my eyes were on the small screen beside me. I watched as she pointed out a little bean looking blob and told me that was my baby. It was too early to hear the heartbeat but she did some measurements and then typed some information into the computer.

"According to the size of you baby, I'm going to say that you are around six weeks pregnant." She printed the picture and wiped my stomach off.

Six weeks? My heart fell. Bobby calculated too and I felt his head drop behind me. Six weeks would make the baby Mark's. Les has been gone almost seven weeks by that point in time. The technician handed me the picture and then left the room. Once the door closed, I collapsed into tears. My worst fears had just became my reality.

Sitting in that doctor's office with Bobby holding me, my mind wandered back to that reed blowing in the wind of the storm. I was bending while the winds roared around me, but just like that reed I had reached my breaking point. I'd seen reeds snap because they bent too long. I could only assume that I was the same way. I knew I could only stay safe from the winds for so long. Eventually the wind will get rough enough to break me. I just prayed that I have the guys to help put me back together.

A/N - I hope it was worth the wait. I'll have the next chapter out on Wednesday, like normal.