Chapter Six-
The next morning Jordan, Heidi, Dean, Lachie and Lara sat at their desks in the office, waiting for Michelle to come out of her office. She'd asked them to wait, as she had a small announcement. After twenty minutes, she came out, holding a slip of paper.
"Right team, we've re-organised the team pairings for the next few months. Lara, you're now in the base team with me. Dean, you're paired with Chase, Jordan with Heidi and Lachie and Kate together. Everybody ok with that?" Michelle looked up at the team.
"Yeah Michelle, that's fine," said Dean. The turned back to their paperwork and computers. Lara got up, and followed Michelle into her office.
"Michelle, can I talk to you for a few minutes?"
"Sure Lara, make yourself comfortable." Michelle tapped a few more keys on her keyboard, and then faced Lara.
"What's up?" She asked. Lara shifted uncomfortably on the chair.
"I need to ask you a favour. Two, actually."
"Go for it Lara. Ask away," said Michelle, leaning back in her chair.
"Are you free today? It's okay if you're not."
"I'm free, what are we doing?"
"I need to have an ultrasound today. I would have asked Dean to do it, but I'm not easy with him doing that. Can you come with me?" Michelle smiled.
"I'd love to Lara. What time's your appointment?"
"Two thirty. That's not all I need to ask."
"Oh?" Said Michelle. Lara wrung her hands nervously.
"I want you to be my birth partner." Michelle gasped.
"Are you sure Lara? It's a big decision to make." Lara nodded.
"I trust you Michelle. You've done this before, and you're more like a mum to me than anyone else."
"What about Heidi? You two are pretty close." Lara nodded.
"I want you Michelle." She smiled.
"I'd be honoured to be there Lara." She looked at her watch.
"We've got a few hours before we have to leave; you should go and finish some of the paperwork for me." Lara eased herself out of the chair, and went to walk out of the office. She turned and beamed at Michelle.
"Thank you."
Chase skipped work to make sure that Jess was okay. He woke up with her still on his chest, fast asleep. The bruise on her head blossomed beautifully, and her lip was swollen. Chase grimaced as he examined her forehead. She opened her eyes and looked at him.
"Morning," she said sleepily. Her hand came up to her head and her face twisted in pain as she touched the bruise gingerly. Chase kissed the top of her head.
"How bad is it?" She asked.
"It's big, but it should go away after a while. You look beautiful anyway." She tried to sit up, and Chase supported her.
"Can you get my chair? I want to cook some breakfast." Chase smiled at her, and climbed out of bed. He dragged the wheelchair over, and set it next to the bed. Jess transferred herself into the chair, and wheeled forward. She caught sight of the clock.
"Chase, you're late for work! You need to go." He looked at her.
"It'll be ok. I just wanted to make sure you were alright this morning. Michelle will understand." She beckoned him toward her, and he bent down. She leant forward and kissed him. After a few moments, she pulled back, and her face lit up.
"What did I do to deserve you?"
Michelle and Lara sat in the imaging department of the hospital, Lara flipping nervously through magazines. Michelle was cool as a cucumber, enjoying the hospital chatter in the background. Lara's name was called, and she almost jumped a mile. Michelle laughed, and took her by the arm.
"It's only an ultrasound Lara. Calm down," joked Michelle. Lara smiled anxiously.
"I know Michelle, but what if something's wrong with the baby?" Michelle patted her on the arm as they followed the nurse down the corridor.
"Stay positive Lara. Wait until you've seen the baby first." The nurse helped settle Lara on the bed, and instructed her to lift her shirt up. The nurse left the room, and Jenny, the ultrasound technician entered.
"Lara! It's good to see you again. Let's check on how the baby's going." Jenny sat next to the bed, and squirted the cold gel on Lara's stomach. She moved the wand around, and then turned the screen towards Lara and Michelle.
"There's your healthy baby. Everything is going well." Jenny jotted down a few notes on Lara's file.
"Do you want a picture?" Lara nodded, tears of joy at seeing her baby. Jenny printed out a copy, and passed it to Michelle for safe-keeping. She switched off the machine.
"Only a few more months to go now Lara, then you'll be meeting your baby." Michelle stopped her.
"Wait, aren't you going to tell us the gender of the baby?" Asked Michelle. She was dying to know. Jenny looked at Lara.
"It was my understanding that Lara didn't want to know." Lara nodded confirmation.
"I don't want to know Michelle, I want it to be a surprise," said Lara, wiping the sticky gel off.
"Oh. That's alright. We can all be surprised when he or she finally arrives." Jenny left the room, and Michelle hugged Lara.
"Thank you for letting me be a part of this. I'd forgotten what this was like." Lara smiled at Michelle.
"Thanks for coming."
When they got back at the stationhouse, Lara pulled out the photo, and showed it around to the team. Heidi melted when she saw the picture.
"Lara, the baby looks perfect." Jordan and Lachie passed it on pretty quickly, not as interested in looking as the others. Dean held onto the image for longer, staring at the baby's form. A tear slid down his cheek, and he hurriedly wiped it away. Lara looked at him.
"You okay Dean?"
"Yeah, I'm fine," he said gruffly. He passed back the picture, and turned back to the computer. Lara slid her chair over to Dean, and put a hand on his back.
"I want you to be a part of my life, and this baby's life, I really do. But until the psychotic person who's writing those letters is found and put away, I can't do that." She kissed his cheek. He turned to look at her.
"I understand."
Outside, a figure watched through the window. They crumpled the can they were holding and tossed it to the ground in anger. Another letter left on the hood of a car…
