Chapter 21

It was the end of the workday, and Stef watched as Mike began packing up in the locker room once they both finished their shift. She kept turning towards him as she stood by her own locker, contemplating on whether or not to actually say anything. He went completely unaware of her nervous movements as he continued to go about his business.

And in her mind, she was still trying to convince herself that this information could be saved for another day. That it wouldn't matter if she told him today or a few days from now. But her paranoia kept getting in the way of her illogical plan to chicken-out.

The possibility of the damage that could happen or the change of attitude he might have if somehow he had gotten ahold of the information beforehand. Their friendship would definitely be over and things would just get all the more awkward in the workplace. Stef didn't want to risk that.

"Bye, Stef. I'm out," Mike said with a wave before he started walking away from her.

"Mike," Stef raised her voice a little so that he would definitely turn around.

"Yeah, what's up?" Mike asked while turning around to look at her.

"Um, can I talk to you for a sec?" Stef started nervously. How else was she supposed to start the conversation?

"Yah?"

"Oh no. Not here. Outside," Stef confirmed. The only other people besides Lena who knew by now were her mom and the captain. The last thing she needed was for someone else to walk in and tell the whole squad about their business... Her business.

Mike furrowed his eyebrows for a split second but quickly nodded and started to follow her out of the place. Once they were both all the way outside, Stef moved a little far off to the side of the building, something that had confused Mike even more than he already had been. When Stef finally turned around to look at him, she pressed her hands together and placed her mouth in formation as if she were about to speak.

"Stef, what's all this about?" Mike asked abruptly.

"Uh," she finally began. "So I... Well, we," she tried to correct but then she changed her mind, "... I mean I am... I'mmm preg-nant." Stef stopped to stare at him nervously for a few seconds. But those few seconds turned into longer than she had expected, and Mikes face remained the same throughout most of them. Completely emotionless and with a slight air gap between his top and bottom lip that he wasn't even using for air at this point. After what felt like the longest 20 seconds of Stef's life, Mike's expression finally changed to one of confusion now as he furrowed his eyebrows again, opened his mouth a little more and shifted his entire weight to one side. Stef gulped hard but quietly as she tried to patiently wait for his response. "What..." He stopped to stare at her, "What did you mean by we?"

Stef couldn't bring herself to respond to him right away. She hadn't remembered the last time she ever felt this nervous around him. And then she did... It was the day she told him that she was a lesbian.

"The baby... is yours too, Mike."

"Excuse me?" Mike tried to smile as if it were all a joke. When he saw Stef's expression didn't change the smile stayed but his attitude didn't. "You've got to be kidding me, right? You think you're pregnant? With my baby?" He stopped to give her a short and sarcastic laugh. "Stef, I don't know much about pregnancy, but I do know we haven't...had sex in like what... Three four months? There's no way that—"

"I'm four months pregnant," Stef interrupted.

Mike had to turn his attention away from Stef's face because all of this was too overwhelming for him to deal with. He couldn't look her in the eye while he processing all of this at once. And as much as he hated to say it, a thousand alternatives and explanations kept rolling in his mind about what Stef had just admitted to him. His eyes faced the ground for what felt like a lifetime until he finally found the nerve to ask the next question. "Are you sure?" He asked with his expression the same while he stared at Stef.

"Well that's what the doctor and my growing gut has told me."

"No," Mike interrupted. "I mean, are you sure that it's mine?" Mike corrected as he crossed his arms over his hips and stared at the blonde.

Stef's facial expression and posture immediately changed at the end of his question. She went from being nervous to being irritated in a flash. "Are you serious?" she asked sarcastically.

"Yeah, I mean... I don't know who've you been with since—"

"Mike, what part of I'm a lesbian don't you understand?" Stef tried to remain calm but an instant snappiness was heard through her question.

"I know that. I'm just... How do I know that you haven't been with other men while you were with me."

"Excuse me?" Stef stopped him in a forceful voice as she crossed her arms over her chest.

Mike knew that he had said something wrong but he couldn't help but feel justified in his own question. "Look, no offense, Stef but I already know you've been with other women while you were with me. So how do I know—"

"One woman!" Stef yelled angrily. "And Lena and I were nowhere near together until I told you the truth."

"Sure, Stef," Mike continued in a sarcastic tone. "And you didn't sleep with any other women before you decided to leave me."

"No I haven't, Mike!" Stef voiced her frustration with him even further. She took a deep breath when it was obvious that she couldn't convince him otherwise. "And even if I did, which I didn't, but even if I did, last time I checked I couldn't get pregnant that way."

"I know that, Stef," Mike answered bitterly. "But how do I know that you didn't sleep around with..."

"Men?!" Stef wailed as she kept her eyes focused on her idiot ex-husband.

Mike had to glance down at the floor. Something he always did when his wife scolded him for one thing or another.

"Wow, Mike," Stef mumbled while shaking her head disapprovingly. "You have got to be by far the dumbest man on the face of this earth."

He lifted his gaze at her comment. "Why? I'm sure you dykes sleep around with everything before you pick a side?"

Stef's face froze at the man's comment and for a second she couldn't believe that he was seriously saying all of this to her. He had never shown such a strong and opinionated reaction toward her decision to leave him for a woman. She figured that he of all people had understood her, that he had understood why she had to leave. Stef was now beginning to think that he had pretended to understand it all and took her leaving harder than she had thought… Or avoided the truth to begin with.

The blonde forced herself to glance away from the man in front of her. "You know what, Mike? …I didn't want to even tell you in the first place. And from you're reaction, I obviously shouldn't have. But I did my part here. I told you the truth. Think about me what you wish. You want to be an arrogant prick and make up lies just so you can convince yourself of them and be in denial, then fine. But don't say I never told you and that you didn't know this. I don't have to hear from you ever again for all I care!" she voiced with obvious rage in her tone.

They both stared at each other for a long time afterwards while Stef was just waiting for Mike to challenge her.

But he never said anything.

Stef didn't even bother to stay for his late and unneeded comment as she turned away from him and began walking toward her car, just thinking about how unprepared she was for his reaction.