Chapter Sixteen

Chapter 9 has been updated.

It got around the lab fast that Horatio couldn't bowl as well as his four-year-old. His only defense was it wasn't as bad as being beat by his two-year-old. The girls had been introduced to the sport as soon as they could walk independently. That could explain Cheyenna Caine's bowling score. Calleigh had called in sick and Eric was more quiet today than usual. He insisted everything was all right. If that was true then there was only one other reason.

"So how far along is Calleigh?" Horatio asked Eric abruptly while they were in the break room.

"We're not su—" Eric stopped himself. Then he sighed. The cat was out of the bag. "We don't know yet. That's why she's off today. Getting the results confirmed. She hasn't called me yet."

"How sick is she, or is she?"

"She's not, so far. I think we conceived the night after the party for Kyle. So she's not very far along." Five weeks ago. "We really wanted to wait to tell everyone but since you have to know,We were at least going to wait till the doctor confirmed the test."

"I understand. Let me know as soon as she calls and we can all talk in my office." Horatio didn't want to give a premature congratulations. If Calleigh was not pregnant she and Eric were going to be very disappointed. If she was and she lost the baby, both were going to be devastated.

By the end of the day it was confirmed that Calleigh Duquesne was pregnant with alittle Delko. From the time Horatio had spent with Eric's family the martial pressure was on now. When he and Aimee hadn't married immediately after their first pregnancy The elder Delkos had trouble not pestering him about when he was "going to marry that girl and do the right thing." Unlike with him there was no hold back button with their only son. That or childcare wasn't the issue Calleigh was worried about suddenly.

Childbirth was.

"It should be," Aimee muttered.

They could have this conversation because Rachel and Cheyenna finished their dinner. They had ran off to eat their cookies in front of The Princess and the Frog. Only she, Horatio and Hunter in the kitchen. Horatio was feeding Hunter rice cereal.

Horatio laughed. Aimee threw a dish towel at him. "I guess you shouldn't 'comfort' her."

"I doubt Alexx will, either. We're only being realistic, darling. I wouldn't say to her it's not worth it-"

"But I should tell Eric to grow a thick skin," Horatio asked.

"I doubt that she can out-curse me but yes," Aimee said.

Seven weeks later…

Calleigh and Eric were not having a baby.

They were having two.

Now at 12 weeks pregnant the doctor had confirmed it. She suspected it earlier with Calleigh's bloodwork. With one sac and one placenta, the babies could be identical. They would have wait longer to find that out. The same would go for the sex. Trying not to focus on what could happen with a twin pregnancy the expectant parents were focused on what they could control.

Childcare times two. Whatever was going to happen during the birth was going to happen though Calleigh wasn't looking forward to it.

Calleigh wasn't going to give her job, her passion totally. She was going to be working part-time after maternity leave. Pregnant officers weren't permitted in the field so Calleigh were lab-bound. So far her sanity was intact. She didn't know what she was going to when she wasn't allowed in the ballistics lab anymore in a few months and before she went on maternity leave.