Disclaimer: I don't own any of the CSI:NY Characters or any of the show's storylines that I may refer to from time to time, but the rest of the plot is mine.

AN: Thanks to my reviewers and readers and to Lily for the additional comments. As a New Year treat here is a quicker update, hopefully the trend will continue....

21. Need to Know

In the month which passed after the professor's death at Chelsea University things had gone from one extreme to another for the team, first Sid had almost died from radiation poisoning that for several days had everyone on tenterhooks. Don had remained away from home until he felt certain that any exposure he may have succumbed to was not going to be a problem for him or his family. Finally Hawkes had reassured him enough that he went home bearing the good news about the ME's recovery. The next major case had Mac caught mid air with a dead sky cop, well that's was the belief at the time. Later Don and Danny had found the real sky cop dead in his hotel, and eventually they pieced together some robbery plot and got their man, well woman, when they discovered it was actually a flight attendant that committed the murder.

With the end of the academic year shortly after the professor's death, Nikki was on Maternity leave and had been focused on preparing for the arrival of the baby. She loved having time to spend with Amy too and with the summer nights, Don would often arrive home to find his girls still out somewhere enjoying the weather. He loved that they were able to have that time, but it didn't stop him worrying about them, especially knowing that Amy had been born at 36 weeks and that's how far along in the pregnancy his wife was now. While Amy's arrival had been under different circumstances he still worried that things would happen early. He just hoped that sometime soon he would get word on the enquiries he'd made through Mac's contacts and give his wife the news she had craved for a long time. He knew things would move slowly, and for now that suited him as he didn't want anything upsetting her before the baby arrived.

He was working nights again and while he liked the quieter moments around the squad, he hated not being at home in case things happened. That night however it was not going to give him a chance to think too much about home as he got called out to some renegade street party.

----

The case kept everyone on their toes for a while and had half the team working overtime to resolve it. The implications of the victim having been involved with some high profile people and rather more dubious acts had the team battered from all sides, Hawkes was targeted by an old college buddy and Mac came under pressure from Sinclair, but they all stood firm against the onslaught, only to have the information in question, saved on a flash drive disappear from the evidence warehouse.

On a lighter note Danny, Lindsay and Don got to meet some real strange folk. Two men, one of whom was the murderer, who took part in strange activities with dolls. Two of which were seized as relevant to the investigation and that started the banter that lasted a while. Don ended up on the playful side of Lindsay when they seized the first one and she yelled at him in the street. He felt like he wanted the floor to open up and swallow him and the damned doll for that moment of humiliation. He vowed revenge.

Seizing the second doll with Danny was just as entertaining, except this time he delegated a uniformed officer to remove the evidence, ensuring he couldn't get picked on again when he pushed the doll along the street.

The case was a tough one though and he wanted to talk to Nikki, but she was out of town with her mum for a few days, visiting some distant family or something; she had been fairly non committal on exactly who they were seeing, but he wasn't too concerned as she wasn't alone. Amy in the meantime was staying with his brother at their place out of the city so he was home alone for the first time in months. Still it gave him time to plan his revenge on Lindsay, or it would have done if he could decide what to do.

-----

Nikki woke up and looked at the clock. The red letters showed 03.15. The house was quiet and the other half of the bed cold. She lay listening to the quiet for a moment wondering what had disturbed her. Don was working and Amy was sleeping over at her mum's. A week had passed since the Ann Steele case and Don had been brooding over what to do to Lindsay to get his own back for showing him up in public. She smiled to herself, this prank had really got to him as he couldn't come up with a suitable payback.

Closing her eyes to try and sleep again Nikki felt a twinge in her abdomen. She pressed her hand against her bump and turned her head to look at the clock again. A few moments later another twinge, she pushed herself up and swung her feet out of bed; she made it to the hallway before another twinge occurred. For the next half hour she paced around the living room and up and down the stairs, packing her overnight bag, before deciding she needed to call the one person she knew would panic; slowly she reached for the phone.

-----

"Hey Flack, quiet night?" Jessica Angell greeted cheerfully as she entered the squad room.

"Yeah, about time too the amount of paperwork I've had dropped on my desk." Don moaned. "How about you? Saw you bring in an old friend." He indicated the uniform leading a known thug away to the cells.

"Yeah, finally got something to pin on him, he's on his way to arraignment." Jess was pleased it was someone they had encountered several times in the last few months, but he had always managed to slip through their fingers, but not this time.

Don's cell phone rang and he flipped it open. "Hey Princess, you should be sleeping."

Jess watched out of the corner of her eye as she saw his expression change almost instantly in response to whatever his wife was saying. It didn't take long to figure out that they thought she was in labour as he hurriedly scattered more files across his desk as he searched for his keys. She smiled sweetly as she headed for his desk and prised the phone from his hand. "Don breathe, you've done this before, take a minute, get your head on straight. I'll talk to her." She put the phone to her ear. "Nikki? Hi, how are you doing?"

"Jess, I'm glad you're there. Tell him to calm down. ... Nothing is really happening, I'm just restless and having a few twinges, but I don't think anything is happening immediately."

"You sure?"

"I'm sure, it doesn't feel the same as with Amy. I think I'll know when it gets real. Tell Don to stay put, I don't need him here fussing."

"Angell, my phone now!" he barked, she nodded.

"Nikki, I gotta go, he wants the phone, but call us if you need anything."

"Thanks Jess, I will."

Angell handed his phone back and watched him scrape his hand over his face and chin as he spoke. "I told you Nik, I'm coming home. .... But- ... You sure about this? ... Alright, but if anything else happens you call me OK?"

A moment later he cancelled the call and dropped his phone onto his desk and sat with his head in his hands. Jess rested her hand on his shoulder. "How far apart are the contractions?" Slowly he looked up at her, the confident detective look obscured by the concern of a husband and father doused with a touch of anticipation.

"5-10 minutes, but she says they're not regular, that its not time yet. She wanted me to know what's happening in case I need to go, but says there's no need at the moment."

"So trust her, I'm told women know when it's time and she's been there before."

"I know, how am I going to concentrate on all this?" He waved his hand over his desk.

"One file at a time, but first you're taking me to get coffee. You look like you could use some." Jess took his hand and pulled him to his feet.

He looked at her and nodded his gratitude. "I don't know what I'd do without you keeping tabs on me." He added with a grin as they walked out.

-----

Mac pulled his SUV into the slot next to Don's and climbed out. Making his way towards the detective he noticed that Jess was also at the scene. Catching them comparing notes he grinned at them.

"What's this? You two tag teaming again?"

"Someone has to in case he has to bail," replied Jess pointing at Don.

"Something happening I don't know about?" Prodded Mac glancing between the two of them, he waited while Don rubbed his face and forced himself to breathe.

"Nikki called about an hour ago she's having twinges, says it's nothing serious, but I should know."

"And you're still here?" Mac was a little taken aback, he figured if there was the slightest possibility of her being in labour there would be no stopping Don from being at her side.

"She won't let me go home, says I'll only be fussing over her, that she's fine and she'll call when the contractions are more regular." Mac chuckled a little, that sounded like Nikki.

"Okay so I guess we better get on with this then and deal with the scene before you get a call."

Mac turned to the victim as he pulled on a pair of gloves, Angell stood next to him. Don's phone rang, and he pulled it from his pocket, Mac noticed the anxious glance at the caller ID before he put the device to his ear.

"Yeah babe, how are you? ... You sure about that? ... Alright, well you try and get some sleep, I'll try and get off early .... yeah I got it and Nik, you call me if things change, ... I mean it, you don't have to tough it out on your own, I'm here."

Mac had more of an ear on the conversation than what Jess was starting to tell him, so when Don rejoined them he looked over. "Everything alright?"

"She says it was a false alarm, everything stopped about half hour ago." Mac could tell that the younger man was still itching to go home and check on things for himself, but his camaraderie with his partner was showing through and she wasn't about to let him off the hook lightly.

"Get used to it Flack, apparently my mom had about four false alarms before I arrived." Jess commented with a wide grin.

"Four?" Mac smirked at Don's shocked outburst.

"It can happen Don, and technically Nikki's still got two weeks before her due date." Jess teased.

"I'm gonna be dead! I'm not sure if I can stand another hour like the one I just had." He complained.

"Flack, you're tough, you'll do just fine and we're all right behind you."

"Does that count with three AM feeds?" He quipped.

"Alright enough you two, we've got a dead body to deal with." Mac interrupted what he felt was going to be a bantering war between the two.

"Ah Mac, you spoil all my fun." Jess replied with a smirk before launching into the report on the case so far.

----

A couple of days later things were quiet again, but an air of anticipation followed Don as he tried to prepare himself for what could happen for real at anytime. He was working through one of the files on his desk when an older uniformed sergeant stuck his head in the squad room. "Flack, I think you're going to want a piece of this one. Some guy out here is looking for you with a baby."

"Come on Jerry, that ain't even funny, my wife still has 2 weeks to go." The officer looked at him with a pained expression. "Alright, I'll talk to him."

"I knew you would." Jerry answered as he turned and left.

Don put the file down stood up and grabbed his jacket, slipping it on as he headed to the door.

When he reached the sergeant's desk he was standing with a couple of female clerks engrossed with something on the bench by the desk. "What have you got Jerry, I ain't got all day." He asked looking around for someone out of place.

"Guy over there with the baby." He pointed to the smartly dressed man who looked to be about 40, his stature indicating he kept himself fit. His upright posture reminding him of the times he had seen men in uniform. The baby was sleeping in a car seat at the side of him.

"Got a name?"

"Andrew Michaels."

Don nodded and walked towards the visitor. "Mr Michaels? I understand you're looking for me."

Michaels looked up a little confused. "Actually it's Major Michaels, Don Flack?" He confirmed, holding out his ID.

"Yes, how can I help you?"

"You contacted the Marine Liaison Service at the Navy Yard?" Flack eyed him warily.

"A couple of months back, I was doing some research for my wife."

"Is there someplace we can talk in private? What I have to tell you is going to be hard to explain and come as quite a shock."

"This way." Flack lead him into an empty interview room bringing the baby with him which he set on the table between them as they sat down.

Michaels held Don's eyes as he spoke "I'm here from the Marine Liaison Service, you were making enquiries about a British Marine James Palmer. Is that correct?"

"I was, have you found something?" Don had taken little notice of the baby, his focus on the man before him.

"We ran the DNA profile you sent us against our database, it was a long shot, we don't usually keep details of friendlies we pick up in the field, we have one or two though especially when they're dual nationals, like James Palmer, except we didn't know at the time that was his name."

"You've located him? He's alive?" Don felt his stomach lurch as he pictured himself telling Nikki and her mum.

"Not so fast detective." Major Michaels maintained a stern expression.

"What?" Don felt his chest crush.

"I have news of James. ... unfortunately it's not good."

"He was killed in Kuwait then?"

"He wasn't. ..... He was thrown clear of the blast that killed his unit, he was badly injured and lost his memory. It was a remote part of the country and he was on an isolated patrol. A local doctor and his family took him in and nursed him back to health, when the reconstruction began he found work with some of the crews, his memory was fragmented for years, he moved into Iraq at some point and came to the attention of one of our patrols during 2003," Michaels paused Don's mind was whirling.

"Why didn't anyone contact his family tell them he'd been found?"

"No one knew, he was going by the name of Jake Nicholls, all he knew was construction, when the team questioned him about his background they picked up a few fragments, enough to know he'd been military or closely linked to it. His dog tags had long gone, he'd suffered severed scarring from the burns he suffered during the bomb blast. He was brought back stateside to the VA hospital in Virginia where he underwent reconstructive surgery and therapy. All efforts to trace family failed as we couldn't identify his nationality, we sent out feelers to all the allied forces, but none could connect him with an open file."

"So where is he now? How much does he know?"

"He left the VA hospital last year and married a local girl, he was still living under his assumed name, he came in about 5 months ago wanting to know more about finding his past, finding any family. His memories had always been intermittent and non specific, but he was seriously bothered by a news item he'd heard, he kept telling his therapist that he knew the detective that was injured, at the time everyone thought he was creating memories."

"And now?" Don's head was still spinning with all the information coming at him. "What does he know now?"

"I'm afraid that's why I'm here, Jake and his wife were killed last week in an accident on the I-95 near Philadelphia. They were on their way to New York to see family." The baby started moving, indicating he was awake. Michaels turned his attention to him for a moment, dragging Don's attention too. "Hey squirt, you be a good boy for just a little longer OK."

"You've brought him a long way, you visiting family when you're done here?" Don asked sombrely as he battled internally with the devastating news he now had to impart to Nikki. He tried to give himself breathing space by asking about the Major's plans, assuming he was the baby's father

"Actually, I'm booked on a flight back to DC tonight. Whether this little guy is with me is up to Jake's family. From your details I understand you're married to his sister?"

"I am, ... what I don't get is she's tried a few times to find out what happened, but no one would tell them anything, said they had no new information-" Michaels looked between Don and the baby.

"Unfortunately with Jake's injuries it was impossible until a few weeks ago to find out any details from him. Until then no one knew his real identity, one which we had to confirm with the British authorities before we could come to you. I understand his mother is still alive and probably living in the city too."

"She is."

"I'd like to see her, speak to her about custody of the baby."

"Custody?" Don asked perplexed. "Why?"

"I obviously haven't expressed myself very well, Cameron here is Jake's son. Jake worked with his therapist to identify why he felt so strongly about that NYPD detective, but it wasn't until his wife gave birth last month that it all came back to him. After Lisa gave birth and he held Cameron everything came back to him. ... They were on their way here for a family reunion."

"When I started this, I never expected for it to end like this. What do I tell my wife now?" Don's mind was whirring, he had no idea how he could even begin to explain everything, but one thing was certain he was terrified of what the news would do to the family, after waiting so long to hear, for them to find out he had been alive all that time and now before they could find out he had gone again, this time for good. Under other circumstances he would let them live in blissful ignorance, but the baby changed things. Nikki would never forgive him if she ever found out that he knew about him and never told her. He figured he knew her well enough to know that there would be no question of him being cast into the welfare system, she would take him in; that then posed the next question... silence had descended as he recoiled at the thoughts racing through him. Michaels had calmed the baby a little, Don frowned as he spoke again.

"If you like I'll talk to her and her mother, explain the procedure for them to claim permanent custody."

"No! ... I appreciate the offer, but it will be better this comes from me, ... my wife's 8 months pregnant, I need to do this, I'd kind of hoped if anything came of it I could tell her after the baby's born." He hoped the Major would agree, but the head shake that accompanied his next sentence crushed that thought. Don felt sick; Nikki was tough, but to hear all this so close to having their own baby he wondered if she could really take it.

"I'm afraid this can't wait. If you don't decide in the next week on filing for permanent custody Cameron will be taken into the welfare system and a new home sought for him. We've already held them off longer than we should have to give you some time."

"So what happens now?"

"We need an answer about the family filing for custody,... I'd like to see this young man stay with family, but if he goes back to DC with me he's in the system, if he's lucky he gets adopted if not he-" The thought of another kid in the system when there was a possibility of stopping it caused his abrupt interruption. He also thought about Stella, she had been the one success story he knew about, but she still found it hard not knowing about her parents or where she came from.

"Yeah, I get the idea. ... You're sure about this story with her brother?"

"I'm sorry detective we have no doubt."

"But it's been 15 years," Don stressed, hoping that somehow the news was wrong, that the Marine Officer was wrong.

"I know, it's hard to take in and this is an extreme case, but I can assure you we have triple checked everything. Cameron is Jake Nicholls son and we've proved a DNA match to Nicole Palmer Flack, from that sample you sent us for your wife."

Don sat back and rubbed his hand over his face, his eyes darting between the baby and Michaels as he struggled to take in everything, the other man must have realised as he softly suggested a first course of action. "Would you like to spend some time with Cameron, perhaps it will help you decide what to do?"

"Do we have a choice?" Don struggled to stop himself from snapping at the Major, in his mind there already was no choice, somehow they would take the baby; no way would Nikki or her mother allow baby Cameron to be anywhere other than with them. They had already lost too much with James, they wouldn't risk losing his son too.

"We all have choices detective, some are just harder than others to make." Michaels sympathetic tone suggested that no one would think badly about them for chosing the easier option, of letting the baby become someone else's problem, which Don knew was not an option; what concerned him most was the emotional effect it would have on the family so close to their own child being born.

"I'm just wondering how I tell my wife that her brother has been alive all this time and she never knew, I don't know what it will do to her or our baby."

"I'm sorry Detective, I wish the timing could be better for you, but I can't control this much longer." Michaels kept his tone low and even, Flack almost believed him. Almost. One nagging thought at the back of his mind that this was all some cruel hoax.

"Yeah, ... Look leave it with me, let me think a while, I'd like to take some advice." He wondered for a moment what he could do to get to the truth.

"Of course, I'll call you later to see what you would like to do." Michaels stood up and reached for the car seat. Watching the move Don realised the answer was staring him in the face, the baby would hold the key, the Major had said they'd proved a match to Nikki, well what would stop him from having his own second opinion, he figured someone in the lab would help, even if he had to go to Mac for permission.

"Actually can you leave him with me, ... If I have to talk to Nikki it may be good to have him around." Don commanded gently, his stomach churning at the fact that his life had just taken a new direction, one he- one none of them had expected that morning.

"Are you sure detective?" Michaels was a little hesitant, Don couldn't blame him, so far he had been a little reticent about the news, he nodded and answered honestly.

"No, but I guess we need to start somewhere and I hope hormones will ease the blow." He half said it in jest but in some small way he hoped it would be true.

Michaels nodded in acknowledgement and headed out the door. Don watched him go, then turned to the carrier still sitting on the table, his stomach constantly flip flopping as he really looked at the baby for the first time and wondered what the hell he had just done. Fighting his nerves, he attempted to keep an even tone as he spoke to the mesmerised baby.

"OK buddy, looks like you and me have a bit of explaining to do to a very important lady, but first we're gonna take a trip to see a friend of mine. I need to know if what that guy said is true and that you are related." He tentatively reached out and took the handle of the carrier and lifted the baby from the table, along with the bag that Michaels had also left behind.

AN: Please review and let me have your thoughts, they are always welcome.