"Hey, Kid, how's your old lady?" Hale asked boisterously when Billy walked into Old Point. The young man dropped into the empty seat at the table, pinching the bridge of his nose.
"Ah, she hasn't been feeling well, stomach flu she picked up at work," Billy shook his head. In the seven months they'd been married, Molly had begun work at a martial arts school, teaching mainly self defense. She liked the work and it kept her active enough, but she could take it easy on her knee.
Reggie, who was sitting next to Barney, frowned deeply.
"So, she kick you out or something?" Hale teased.
"Pretty much," Billy smirked.
Reggie thrust a drug store bag at Molly the next day. The younger woman looked up at Reggie with her dark, bruised over eyes.
"You look like shit," Reggie noted plainly, "Why the hell didn't you take the day off?"
Molly set the bag down and grinned darkly.
"I look red carpet ready compared to last night, Reg. What brings you out here?"
Reggie looked pointedly to the bag. Molly opened it and promptly went pink from her hairline to her chest.
"Jesus, Reggie! What the hell are these for?!" Molly demanded, trying to thrust the bag back to the ginger haired woman.
"I think it's pretty obvious," Reggie scoffed. "Just think about it for a minute, Molly. You've been sick as a dog for the last few weeks, you can't even stomach some of your favorite foods, and, not to make this any more awkward, but you have been getting...Well, bigger," Reggie gestured to her own chest.
"Are you on crack? It's the stomach flu!" Molly protested, her eyes glistening.
"Overemotional," Reggie pointed out, "When was your last period?"
"Reggie, I have a class in ten minutes-"
"You can't remember, can you?" Reggie finally took the tests from her.
"Look, we've been using protection, it's just not-"
"You're not an idiot, Molly. I'm going to leave the tests with your bag, ok? You can teach your class, and they'll be there," Reggie said in a soothing voice. Molly scowled deeply at the older woman, crossing her arms over her chest.
Curiosity gnawed at the back of her mind all through the class. Molly could barely focus on her students, mostly young women and teenagers.
"Alright, I'll see you all later. Have a good weekend," Molly waved at them as they trooped out. She grabbed her bag and went to the bathroom to change.
The white cardboard box taunted her from her bag and it won out in the end.
While she waited the five to eight minutes, she forced herself to get dressed in her jeans and flannel.
She forced herself to look at it. The little pink lines were all it took for her to feel a wave of nausea.
Reggie opened her door and immediately yanked Molly inside the apartment. The younger woman was as white as a sheet as she clutched her bag to her chest.
"So, I took the tests you got me, and then I took about eight more..." Molly's voice was hoarse.
"And?" Reggie pressed eagerly. Molly swallowed hard.
"They were all positive."
Reggie tilted her head.
"You don't seem very enthused," she remarked. Tears spilled down Molly's cheeks.
"Reggie, I would be a shit mother! I never had a good mom, she became a drugged out drunk after I was born. I have no idea how to be a parent!" Molly exploded.
"It comes with time," Reggie assured her calmly.
"And how the f*ck do you know?!"
"Because I thought the same thing, but now, I've got two sons living in Boston. They turned out alright, even after I divorced their dad," Reggie stated. Molly paused.
"You were married?"
"Don't sound so shocked," Reggie smiled thinly. Molly scrubbed the tears off of her face roughly.
"I don't know what to do, Reggie," she admitted in a broken voice. Reggie hugged the shorter woman tightly.
'PREGNANT / POSITIVE,' was what the paper read in the middle of the doctor's office. Molly had to swallow down her bile. Reggie squeezed her hand tightly.
"Well, now you've gotta tell your fella," Reggie said simply. Molly got even paler.
"Jesus, Reggie, how do I do that? 'Oh, by the way, sweetie, I'm pregnant! How was your day?'"
Reggie laughed and ruffled Molly's hair.
"If you do it that way, let me know so I can video tape it. He's going to flip his lid, you know. He'll be really happy," Reggie commented.
"I know, Reg, it's just...Jesus, I'm gonna be a mom."
"Hey, Molls," Billy greeted her with a peck on the cheek. She swallowed hard and rubbed the back of her neck. "You ok?" Concern flashed across his face.
"Uh, yeah, I'm actually still processing," she told him as she offered him a piece of folded up paper. Frowning, he carefully unfolded it.
Molly watched as his blue eyes flitted back and forth across the inked paper. He looked up at her, his eyes wide.
"Is this- I mean, is it-" he cleared his throat roughly. Molly smiled weakly and nodded.
"Yeah, it's legit," she shrugged. Billy pulled her close and swung her around the living room, startling Chinook and Roza. He let out a jubilant shout, his face splitting in a grin.
When he set her down, he kissed her hard.
"You look like you just downed a bottle of happy pills," Gunnar commented when Billy burst into Old Point.
It was true, there was a broad grin on his face.
"If you just got the news I did, you'd be happy, too," Billy said cheerily, dropping down into the seat next to Barney.
That of course, piqued the interest of the team.
"Don't keep us in suspense!" Christmas complained. Lacey fidgeted on his lap. Billy smirked, meeting their eyes and enjoying their eagerness.
"I'm gonna be a dad in about eight months."
There was stunned silence and then the shouting began. The only one who remained silent was Barney, who just grinned and clapped him on the shoulder.
Hale's beer was sloshing out of the cup as he waved his arms around.
For that moment, all was well.
A/N: Eep! This chapter was so much fun to write! :D Thanks for reading and reviewing, fellas!
