"You are the answer to every prayer I've offered. You are a song, a dream, a whisper, and I don't know how I could have lived without you for as long as I have."
― Nicholas Sparks, The Notebook
"You're sure you're okay?" Emily asked as Derek pulled into the parking lot of the OBGYN.
"Emily, we're fine. It's just a consult. You go to your appointment and then take it easy for the rest of the day, alright?" JJ's voice came through the phone. "And then when you come back tomorrow, come with lots of pictures of your beautiful big headed Morgan babies. I love you, Mama."
Hanging up the phone, Emily shoved it in her purse and she gave Derek a smile. "Okay, let's go in."
Their fingers interlaced and he gave her hand a soft squeeze. Her leg jiggled nervously until Dr. Montgomery walked through the door. "Emily Morgan?"
It still sent a thrill through her body when she heard her name called "Emily Morgan" no matter how many times it was said.
Dr Montgomery gave them a wide smile and ushered them into the exam room. "So, how are things going? Any changes since we last saw each other? How are you feeling, Emily?"
Emily hopped up on the exam table and shrugged. "Things are going pretty well, still haven't felt any movement." She said, her hand rubbing small circles on her belly.
The doctor laughed and shook her head. "That's normal, though in the next week or so you should hopefully start feeling something." Turning to the file in her hand, she gave the couple a smile. "So, we're going to take some samples of the amniotic fluid today and then we'll run it for testing. But, how about before we do that we get some glamour shots of these two?"
Grinning, Emily nodded and rolled up her shirt. "Yes, let's get some glamour shots." She said reaching for Derek's hand.
The doctor laughed softly and wheeled the ultrasound machine closer. Squirting some gel on Emily's abdomen, she moved the wand around and smiled. "There is baby A." She said, taking a few pictures before moving the wand. "And here's baby B. Both look good. Strong. Baby A is just moving in there." She commented with a smile. "Baby B seems a lot more relaxed, but it could just be right now. Who knows?" She smiled and took a few more pictures before printing them off and handing them to Derek. "There you go, Daddy."
He grinned and flipped through the pictures. "Thanks." Leaning down, he pressed a soft kiss on Emily's forehead. "You're doing so great, babe."
Emily smiled and looked up at the doctor. "So what's next?"
"Next, I'm going to get you to get changed into a gown. I'll put a topical numbing cream on your abdomen and I'm going to insert a needle into your uterus and into each baby's amniotic sac and draw out some fluid. It will replenish itself in the next 24 hours. We've already gone over the risks and the side effects. You'll probably feel crampy and bloated, but you shouldn't be in pain." Handing Emily a gown, she got to her feet. "I'll be back in a few minutes."
Sitting up, Emily pulled off her shirt and pulled on the gown. "Hey, it's gonna be fine. I've been stabbed enough, what is two more times?" She questioned, grabbing Derek's hand and kissing the palm. "Then we can make sure that nothing is wrong with them."
"I know." Derek replied, shaking his head. "I just don't like to see you in pain."
She laughed again laid back down on the exam table. "Derek, I'm going to be pushing not one, but two of your big headed children out of my vagina. Planning on doing it without drugs. There's going to be pain."
He was about to say something when there was a soft knock at the door and Dr. Montgomery walked through with a nurse following her. The procedure itself was quick. Uncomfortable, but not particularly painful. Once it was over, Emily changed back into her clothes and they walked out together, hand in hand, to book their next appointment.
They picked up some food on the way home with plans to take it easy and cuddle, giving Emily a chance to recuperate. Pulling into the driveway Derek helped her out, his arm around her waist when they both heard a car door slam.
"I CANNOT BELIEVE YOU, TAALA."
Worried glances were exchanged and Derek turned, seeing Mackenzie standing in the middle of the driveway, her hands crossed across her chest.
"Kenzie, it's not that big of a deal. It's just at work." The older woman reasoned, unbuckling Noah from his carseat.
"NOT A BIG DEAL?! YOUR COWORKERS THINK YOU'RE MARRIED TO A MAN!" The younger of the two yelled. "THEY THINK YOU'RE MARRIED TO SOMEONE NAMED KEN. THE LOOK THEY GAVE ME WHEN I ASKED FOR MY WIFE…" She shook off her wife's embrace and took a few steps back. "You're embarrassed of us. Of me." Her voice shook with anger and she stormed off inside.
"Wait. Kenzie." Taala jogged after her wife leaving a confused Noah standing in the driveway. He walked over to them, Derek lifting him up.
"Mama mad." He said softly, before his fingers found his mouth and he sucked nervously.
"Yeah, Mama's mad." Derek whispered as he helped his wife inside along with the little boy. "I'll text Mackenzie and let her know that we have Noah." He whispered as he helped them to the couch. They could still hear yelling from over the fence and Emily frowned, hugging the little boy close. "I'll go see what's going on." Walking out back, he watched silently as Mackenzie paced around the backyard.
"I LOVE you, Taala. I've been in love with you since I was 23 and I thought you were in love with me too. We have a son together, we're married and yet you STILL CAN'T TELL PEOPLE THAT YOU LOVE A WOMAN."
"You don't understand. It's harder for me…"
Mackenzie's eyes flashed and her hands clenched at her sides. "YOU CAN'T KEEP USING THAT EXCUSE, TAALA. You're not in the Middle East anymore! We're safe. We're legally married. Noah deserves mothers that are in this together and this new baby deserves one too." Tears streamed down her face and she turned, seeing Derek standing there silently.
"Noah is with Emily." He said softly.
The younger woman nodded as she tried desperately to wipe the tears from her face. Storming past her wife, she grabbed her motorcycle helmet and tore out of the driveway with a squeal of tires. Derek gave Taala a hard look and she sighed, raking her fingers through her hair. "It's not what it sounds like. We just...I…" Tears ran down her face and she shook her head.
"We have Noah. Emily's looking after him." He said softly. "Do you know where Mackenzie would go?"
Taala twisted her hair up before letting it fall. "At the gym." She said quietly. "The dingy one, down on Borden Street."
Derek nodded and turned to go back inside. "I'll go get her." He said quietly. "I'm not sure what is going on, but…" Walking back inside the house, he looked down at his wife who was cuddled up on the couch with Noah. "You okay?"
Emily nodded. "Yeah, we're going to go take a nap pretty soon." She said kissing Noah's head. The little boy nodded slowly, his fingers still in his mouth. "Buddy, can Emily go talk with Derek for a couple of minutes? Then we'll go nap?"
He nodded and focused on the show that was on the TV. Derek leaned down and helped Emily to her feet, his arm around her waist. "What's going on?"
Derek shrugged. "I'm not sure, but Mackenzie is gone and Taala is at home crying. Are you sure you're okay?"
Emily nodded. "Yeah, I'm fine. Just tired and a bit crampy. I'll take Noah to bed with me and just...text me when you come back."
"Alright." He turned to Noah and knelt down in front of the little boy. "Hey Noah, Derek is going to go for a little while. Can you take care of Emily for me? Can you make sure that Emily takes a nap?"
The little boy nodded seriously. "Yeah I do." He stood up and walked over to Emily, taking her hand. "Emmy, we go nap." He announced.
Derek leaned down and gave Emily a gentle kiss. "Go nap." He ordered. "Take it easy." He followed the two into the master bedroom and helped Noah onto the bed. The little boy laid down and gave Derek a smile. Grabbing his keys, he jogged out the door and quickly pulled out of the driveway.
He knew the gym that Mackenzie would be at, not too far from their place. Her motorcycle was parked in the front and he parked alongside it, waking in. Flashing his creds to the kid working at the desk, he walked over to Mackenzie who was at the punching bag, delivering punches to it like her life depended on it. Her shirt was darkened with sweat as she punched, her hands hastily wrapped.
"You're gonna break a knuckle." He commented, holding onto the swinging bag.
She glared and took another wild swing, throwing all of her weight behind it. She was panting, sweat mixing with the tears on her flushed face.
"Come on, kid." He said softly, walking over and holding her softly.
Mackenzie's face crumpled and she dropped to the ground, the emotions breaking through the walls she had built up. "She…she's embarrassed of us." Her voice was small and broken.
Sighing, Derek sat down on the ground with Mackenzie until she regained enough composure to stand. "Let's go back. I'll drive and we can get your bike tomorrow. You need to go talk to your wife."
The younger woman stiffened, but followed Derek to his vehicle. He chose to stay silent, unsure if his words would fan the flames.
"She...I'm pregnant. I went to talk to her at the hospital and they asked me if I was a sister of her husband. Since Noah is black, they assumed that her husband, Ken, was also black." Mackenzie picked at her nails before looking out the window. "She's never told anyone that we're married. It's why she never came to any appointment with Noah, or any classes. She's embarrassed of who we are." Her nails were shredded by the time they got back. "I...I can't talk to her. Not right now." Sighing, she stared out the window as they pulled into the driveway.
Derek looked over at her. "You don't have to."
She shrugged and wiped her face with the collar of her shirt. "I'll call base housing and I'm sure they can get me into officer's quarters for a few days." Her fingernails dug into the palms of her hands leaving small half moon shaped indents in the skin.
They exited the SUV and walked inside. The house was still quiet and Derek stole a peek, happy to see Noah and Emily sleeping soundly.
"Or you could stay here." Derek reasoned as he gave her a bottle of water. "It's close, you can get your uniforms and stuff…" He shrugged. "Just a thought."
Her fingers raked through her curls and she nodded. "Alright, I'm going to go home and grab some stuff." Her eyes flitted around and she took a deep breath.
"You can do it." He gave her a smile.
Eyebrows arched and she sighed.
"Mackenzie, you're a Marine for crying out loud, you can face your wife." Derek teased.
She shot him a glare and shook her head. "Derek, it's not just that. I love her so fucking much that I would do anything for her, but…" Exhaling loudly, she stared up at the ceiling for a few moments. "Alright." She walked out the door, shutting it softly behind her.
He sighed and went and set up the spare bedroom before walking out. Emily gave him a smile, her cheeks rosy from sleep. "Hey beautiful."
Blinking a few times, she rubbed her eyes. "Did you find Mackenzie?"
"Yeah, she's going to grab some stuff and stay here for a while. You okay with some roommates for a bit?"
She took a few steps towards him and wrapped his arms around his neck. "You're a pretty amazing man, you know that, Derek Morgan?"
A smile crossed his face and he leaned down for a soft kiss. "I have a great role model. My wife. She's pretty amazing." He smirked against her lips. "And she's so beautiful. And smart…" He punctuated each sentence with a soft kiss.
"I love you too." She said laughing softly.
Mackenzie returned a little while later, a few bags in her arms. Her face was tired, her eyes swollen and red. Derek gave her a look, his eyebrows arching and she shook her head. "I'm going to go into the office for a few hours." She said quietly. "I'll take Noah to daycare on base for a few hours." She twisted her hands in front of her.
"He can stay…" Emily started before Mackenzie looked at her, defeat in her eyes.
"No, he's can't. You've done enough helping for today." She said rubbing her eyes. "I'll take him," Without another word, Mackenzie went into the spare room and returned moments later in uniform with files under her arm. "Uh...thanks for this. We'll be out of your hair as quickly as possible." She muttered going and scooping up Noah who was still sleeping. "And...uh...don't worry about supper. Like...don't worry about us at all. We'll do our own thing. There's a cafeteria there…"
Emily shook her head and gently reached out and placed her hand on the younger woman's arm. "Mackenzie, you're family. You're welcome here for as long as you need to be here and you don't owe us anything, okay?" She gave her a smile.
The younger woman nodded weakly before turning and heading out the door. Emily watched her hand rubbing her belly.
"Do you know what went on?"
Derek shrugged, wrapping his arm around her and leaning his chin on her shoulder. "Apparently Taala hasn't told anyone where she works that she's married to a woman and Mackenzie found out."
Emily frowned, her arms crossing her chest. She exhaled audibly, shaking her head. "I can't believe her." She whispered, venom in her voice.
His hands rested on her stomach, spanning over the small bump. "Emily, your blood pressure."
She huffed and attempted to wiggle out of his embrace. "Derek, that would be like you not telling anyone that we were married. In fact, if someone assumed that you were single...you not correcting them. I would be SO angry with you, like...I'd kill you and then divorce your ass."
"Whoa whoa whoa. Back your cute pregnant little behind up. I would never lie about being married to you, in fact, if I could get it tattooed on my forehead I would." Derek said turning her in his arms so they were facing each other. "So calm your little ass down, okay?"
Emily growled and leaned her head against his chest. "I hate you sometimes."
"No, you love me."
She stayed silent and sighed.
"Hey, I even have your signature tattooed on my chest."
"Shut up." She muttered, the venom in her voice gone.
"I love you too, beautiful."
