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This is the next chapter! I love this one! It was very fun to write and I am pretty excited to post it! Enjoy!
Mai woke that morning, rather early, to sharp kicks against her and her ribs. She placed a hand on her stomach and smoothed it over the roundness. Being almost eight months pregnant had taken a toll on her. She was able to gain a few more pounds, but her figure looked too small to be having a baby.
Attempting to sit up, and succeeding, Mai shifted to stand on her feet to get ready for work. She had a meeting at ten and before that, she had some debriefing to do with her team. Not being one to waste time, Mai made her way to the shower and started her morning routine.
After putting on one of her looser-fitting dresses, she paired it with some low-heeled shoes and a blazer. She made her way to her kitchen and put the kettle on top of the lit burner while she got oatmeal ready for her breakfast. Waiting for her water another hard kick took the breath out of her lungs. Doubling over, Mai held onto the counter, her knuckles white from gripping so hard.
Breathing through the pain in hard exhales, she slowly lifted and closed her eyes. She wouldn't let a few painful kicks get in the way of her day. There was too much to be doing, and too much to worry about.
The kettle was the next thing to knock a little breath out of her when it started her after whistling. Turning the burner off, she poured a little bit of hot water into her mug with some loose tea leaves in a strainer, and onto her oatmeal. She ate her breakfast at her home office desk and looked over a few reports that she had a few investigators compile together.
By the time she had gotten to the office, she had about an hour to kill. Opening up the web, she looked at a few last things she needed for the baby. The crib had already been put together, cutesy of Maki's boyfriend, and she had the movers help her move in the changing table and dresser. A majority of the things she needed had already been bought, but there were a few things she needed. Purchasing a few articles of clothing, burping blankets, and a few toys, she had managed to buy herself a few minutes before Maki came bursting into her office.
"Good morning, Mai and baby!" Maki strolled into Mai's office with complete comfortability. In her hands were two cardboard cups with plastic lids. Setting one down on Mai's desk, Maki stood back and looked at her.
Mai glanced at the cup. "I didn't ask for this."
Maki laughed. "Well, I know you didn't! You hardly ask for anything." She moved around to sit in the chair facing Mai's desk. "How are you and baby?"
"Fine," She wrapped her hands around her cup and brought it up to her mouth. Smelling a specific smell, she put it back down. "Coffee?"
Maki rolled her eyes. "Of course, it's decaf." She watched as Mai took a sip and looked back at her. "So, when are we going to see this kid? I know the due date, but have you felt anything different?"
Mai sighed. Maki had a caring and concerning personality when it came to her, and now her unborn child. Mai had told Maki with complete seriousness that if anything were to happen to her or the baby during the birth that she was to tell the doctor that Mai wanted the baby to live. Looking at it from this perspective, Mai could understand being diligent.
"We're both fine. Nothing has changed and I've still got a week before I go on maternity leave, so I'm not at all sure I will be having this baby anytime soon."
"If you say so." Maki looked to her watch. "What time are we supposed to meet up for this debrief?"
"About eight," After looking at her desk clock Mai stood. "We should make our way to the conference room now."
Grabbing her coffee and a folder, Mai let Maki exit first before she walked out of her office. They started walking down the hallway when another set of kicks had her leaning against the wall for support. A few curse words were muttered under her breath, and she took a few even breaths to calm her racing heart. Mai pushed herself off of the wall and over to the conference room that Maki had just entered.
The room was loud with side conversations, and when Mai walked into the room, it quieted. Everyone took a seat at the table and looked towards her, waiting for her to start. Mai looked around the table and checked off names on a mental checklist of the team. All five members were there, not including her.
Aside from Mai and Maki, there was one other female presence on their team. Kana Mori was the last female member on the team. After just turning 22, it made her the youngest on the team, and being fresh from University offered a contemporary perspective on cases. She had plane looks, black hair, and brown soft eyes, but her personality made an impact. While relatively sweet, her witty and sarcastic antics made a few people on the team laugh, which was rare considering their job. She often had regular banter with Luca Rizzo.
Luca was from Italy and enjoyed the sassy side of Kana. They had a good back and forth and it was usually entertaining. He was alike to Kana in the sense of what they found funny. Otherwise, Luca was a unique presence on their team. He had dark hair and bright green eyes and long lashes that made him extremely handsome. Much to Kana's dismay, Luca was happily married with a lovely daughter that had occasionally come to visit the office and her father's team. At five years old, she had an extreme curiosity about Mai and her pregnancy, which made for awkward conversations.
Arata Yamamoto was a much more logical and quiet presence on the team and throughout the office. He would rarely be willing to speak up unless necessary, and a person would have to typically ask him directly to get him to talk. This way of thinking made Arata an asset to the team with logical direction and a lack of emotional interference. Mai could count on one hand the number of times she had seen the man smile. That aside, he had light hair and hazel eyes which made him stand out from the crowd. That and the fact that he was extremely tall.
The last member of the team was fairly new to the scene. Ken Sano had joined about three months ago and was hired due to the upcoming leave that Mai would be going on. However, his position would be permanent. He was a strong mix of Arata and Kana. He was the calmest out of all the members, being able to defuse any stress amongst teammates and with relatives that had to be interviewed. It was strange to see someone with his type of outlook working in this business, but Mai wasn't surprised. She joined with the same mindset and it quickly left her with every case they took on.
"Good," Mai started off sitting in the chair. Even a short walk down the hall was enough to make her feet and back hurt. "I'm glad to see you all here."
"So, what's going on, Mai?" Luca spoke what was on everyone's mind.
"We have received word from the correctional facilities what we assumed." She opened up her file. "As you all know, we closed this case almost a year ago. However, it seems that we may be dealing with a repeat."
This case was one of Mai's least favorite. After the death of countless children, all ages under five and varying from toddler to infant, Mai had to have Maki look at the crime scenes for her. Granted, just finding out she was pregnant did not help her emotionality and growth of empathy, but the suspect had also been an interesting one. After detaining him and getting him into a room for interviews, Jett Stone admitted to the death of nine children. They had only been made aware of four out of nine deaths, so they had to continue interviewing him to gather the data they needed to lay the other children to rest.
When being brought into the police station, Stone immediately became preoccupied with Mai. He would only speak with her, and purposefully told her gruesome details of some of the murders. Needless to say, it didn't take him long to figure out Mai's condition. The constant visits to the bathroom and the ginger ale that she sipped on was a 'dead giveaway', as he put it.
"You come in here looking green as grass, you're obvious, agent." But he didn't stop there, he always had to say more. "I can see how what I've done has bothered you. Do you think your child will be next?" He eyed her stomach with a sickening stare that had haunted Mai's dreams for months. "Of course, we'll have to wait to meet."
After watching the recorded interview, Kado Tanaka had deemed Mai off the case. Arata had been there through each interview and thus, was the one to overtake Mai's interview of Stone.
"Jett Stone, 42 years old and current whereabouts are unknown. Last seen at Abashiri Prison last Monday for cell checks."
"Last Monday? So, you mean Stone has been gone a whole week and they're just telling us now?" Mai could understand Kana's outburst.
She nodded her head. "Apparently there were 'communication issues', they hadn't known he was missing for quite some time."
"I'm honestly surprised that we're getting this request anyway," Ken said looking at Mai with concern. "I thought Kado didn't want you anywhere near this case."
Mai was about to reply when the aforementioned man walked into the room. "That is correct, Sano." Section chief Kado was looking at them all from the doorway. His grey suit looked as solemn as his expression. "Mai will not be on this case."
Her mouth fell open. "You've got to be kidding me?" Mai couldn't help but feel anger. She wanted to be the one to put this guy behind bars. "I leave in a few weeks anyway, why not just let me help as much as I can?"
Kado looked at her. "I'm sorry, but that's not going to happen. For all we know, you could be who he is going after next. We cannot put an agent's life in jeopardy. This team is going to apply themselves to a different case." It was then that Mai noticed the file he had in his hand.
Another kick shot through Mai and again her breath was taken from her. She waited for it to pass, but it didn't. Breathing through the pain, she could barely hear what her chief was saying to her and her team. She could feel tears prick her eyes. It was a weird feeling, something kicking you from the inside, but it was also paired with sudden back pain. It radiated from her back to her front in a few more waves and then gradually got better. She was able to relax again, but now all eyes were on her.
Maki and Kado stood at immediate attention.
"Mai, are you okay? Is it the baby?" Maki touched her shoulder.
She could feel sweat beginning on her forehead from the pain. "I'm okay. We're okay. Just really painful kicks."
Maki relaxed but Kado stepped forward. "Have you been having these all day? For the last few days?" He leaned forward with a curious expression.
Mai was so grateful that the pain had stopped that she didn't care what she said at that point. "It wasn't this bad before, but I think that it happens when they get bigger. I guess harder kicks."
Kado threw the file on the table. "Mai lets go,"
"What?"
"I think you're going into labor." He didn't hesitate. Her team looked at him in shock.
"No, there's no way," She reasoned. "My water hasn't broken, and I'm not due for a while."
"Mai," Kana spoke up. "Only about ten percent of women have their water break early in labor."
Mai's mind focused on the part that wasn't crucial. "Why do you know that?"
Ken, bless his heart, gave a happy answer. "We all took a CPR class for children and we also looked up a few tell-tale signs of labor, just in case."
Suddenly feeling slightly emotional, Mai smiled. "That is so sweet," Her breath caught for another few harsh kicks to her body. She briefly wondered if she would have bruises. "I really am happy that you all cared enough to do that."
"Are you seriously ignoring the fact that you might be going into labor!?" Maki had her hands up as if touching or moving Mai in any way would cause her to have more pain.
"Maki's right, Mai let's go," Kado offered her a hand. "We need to get you to the hospital."
"Oh! I'll drive!" Luca said jumping out of his seat. They all looked at him, confused by his enthusiasm. "What? I think you all know I'm the fastest driver here."
"While that may be true, Luca, I really am fine." Despite this, Mai grabbed onto Kado's hand. He had an easy time lifting her to her feet. The movement positioned her just enough to increase the feeling of the cramping.
Doubling over and crying out, Mai held her stomach. She could hear a few shouts being said but nothing much got past the discomfort.
"Alright, Mai, Luca is pulling the car around, you, me, and Maki will be riding with you," Kado said his hand in Mai's. She hadn't realized that she had been squeezing it.
"Oh, your hand," She had finally had a break from the thick wave of pain. "I'm so sorry."
"Think nothing of it," He led her out into the hall, stopping a few times until another wave of agony settled. "Do you have everything you need?"
Mai thought for a moment. "I have a to-go bag in my office, and I need my purse."
Maki appeared walking out of her office. "I've got them! Let's get to the front!"
Kado leaned closer to Mai while Maki walked ahead, clearing a path. "Do you want to call anyone? Let anyone know?"
Mai shook her head. "No, no, everyone is here that I want to be. But if it isn't too much trouble, could you call Hina and my doctor?"
Kado smiled. They had finally made it to the front and could see a back suburban driving towards them.
"Has my wife worked her way into your heart?"
Mai strangled out a laugh. "Hard for her not to when she calls every day."
"That is true," He nodded.
The car pulled up to the side and Kado opened the door for Mai, who gently worked her way into the backseat. Maki slid in after her, threw the bags on the floor, and helped Mai buckle up.
When everyone was settled in, Luca looked back. "Are we ready to go?"
"Good God, Lucas!" Maki said. "She's killing my hand, please just drive!"
There you have it! If it was not obvious, this was a chapter that is about Mai's past! The next chapter will be a continuation of the present! Leave me a review and let me know what you thought! See you all next week!
Cheers!