(A/N): Ah, here I am again with another Harry/Nikki fic, set in s16, so we get Jack and Clarissa and Leo as well. Also I think certain people in this fandom might just try and make me the next body on the slab if I didn't post this soon. You know who you are. Anyway, Harry still leaves at the end of s15, but he leaves Nikki pregnant. That is the basis of this fic. Read on and enjoy. I own nothing except what I called the baby.
Change is Good
Chapter 1
Nikki Alexander walked tiredly into the hotel room, suited up and kit in hand. Six months, she mused sadly to herself. Six months since Harry had left for New York. She'd always imagined that she'd be rather composed whenever he decided to leave, but in reality, it involved a lot of heated words on both sides, mainly Harry's, and a vow from the dark haired man that he was going and she wouldn't see him again. Since then, she and Leo had been covering the workload for all three of them, despite the ever increasing worried looks she was getting from her boss and father figure. Trust Harry to swan off and leave her with nothing.
Nikki entered the room as a tall man with a severely bruised face looked up from the body, a dark blue suit suggesting forensics rather than pathology. "Pathologist?" He asked, nodding to her.
Nikki found herself nodding back at him. "Forensics."
"Victim." The man paused for a moment, glancing down from her face before looking back up. "Uh, you know you've swallowed a bowling ball, right?"
Nikki glanced down, her free hand involuntarily moving to rest on her six month protruding bump. Okay, so maybe Harry hadn't truly left her with nothing; he'd left her pregnant.
…
She processed the body fairly quickly, nothing definitive jumping out at her to indicate murder or foul play, not that the forensic scientist she'd met at the scene had any of her reservations at labelling it a crime scene. He had been nice enough though to grab hold of her hand and help her to a standing position as the police officers attached to the case entered the room.
"Good morning." The dark haired SIO greeted them both before introducing herself. "Detective Sergent Sita Gold, this is DC Gus Cook." She introduced the younger, greener looking man behind her.
"Nikki Alexander." Nikki introduced herself, reaching out to shake the SIO's hand.
"Forensics?" DS Gold asked.
Nikki instantly shook her head. "No that's…" She looked over at the tall man at her side.
"Jack Hodgson." He introduced himself.
"Nice face." The SIO commented. Nikki bit back a smirk. She'd meant to ask him about how he'd gotten the wounds to his face, for to her eyes it looked like a fight of some sort, but hadn't had the chance yet. DS Gold ran through the usual questions of if he was staying alone and his next of kin before reaching for a caramel looking sweet on the counter.
"It's a crime scene!" Jack protested. Nikki bit back another smirk. He'd been labelling it as a crime scene for the last hour, despite Nikki pointing out everything that could reasonably explain things that didn't involve murder.
"I'll decide if it's a crime scene." The dark haired woman returned swiftly.
"Drug use?" The younger police officer asked in an obvious attempt to divert the conversation and hopefully calm the situation down a little.
"No visible-"
"No paraphernalia."
Nikki and Jack spoke at the same time to answer the detective before Nikki glanced at him and back to the body. "I'll know more later."
"Kinky sex?" DS Gold asked, turning round to face them. Nikki raised her eyebrows at the woman as Jack shifted uncomfortably. The policewoman glanced at Nikki's obvious baby bump. "Well, now I know what counts as kinky."
"Found by the chambermaid?" The younger policeman tried to intervene again, crouching down. "Blunt force injury to the head?"
"He fell." Jack stated stubbornly.
"I'll know more later." Nikki repeated herself. She really couldn't give out conclusions until after the post-mortem and even then that would be more down to luck than anything else. The forensic scientist was starting to irritate her though, not a good thing with her currently hormonal mindset. She tried her best to stay calm as the two police officers continued to converse with them both and the forensic scientist stubbornly stated that it was a murder, despite the lack of evidence. Nikki shrugged as DS Gold turned to her for her opinion.
"She'll know more later."
"Are you insinuating something?" Nikki asked testily. She'd had just about enough of Jack's snarky comments already.
"Not insinuating at all. You're a doctor. You won't go out on a limb. You'll wait for a consensus and then agree."
"Now we know why his face looks like that." Nikki replied glibly.
"I like you." DS Gold smiled.
Nikki just about managed a smile in return. "I won't be able to give you a definitive cause of death until after the post-mortem."
…
"Tell me you didn't."
"Good morning to you too Leo." Nikki rolled her eyes as she slung her coat and bag over the back of her desk chair. Leo had caught the tail end of the last argument between her and Harry and had been none too subtly worried about her since the dark haired pathologist had left. That concern only increased two months later when Nikki had stormed into his office in tears and thrown a positive pregnancy test in his direction. Nikki sighed. There was probably a better way to tell him she was pregnant, and their various new assistants probably thought Leo was the baby's father after that exchange, but she couldn't find it within herself to care. Her hand moved to rest on her swollen stomach as she manoeuvred to lower herself into her chair. "What is it I've done this time? And how was your meeting?" She asked tiredly as Leo sat himself into Harry's old chair.
"We agreed no more scenes once you hit the six month mark." Leo admonished gently, moving the chair round until he was sat at her side. "We were pushing it with six months as it is. Bad, by the way. Funding review."
"Leo." Nikki knew she couldn't stay mad, especially when Leo rested a hand gently on her baby bump. Knowing he was looking out for both her and the baby was sometimes difficult to remember when she was frustrated with her current limitations. "You were in a mandatory meeting with the Dean and they needed a pathologist as soon as possible. I'm guessing the funding is going down."
"It never gets reviewed up. They said the way I do things is old fashioned." Leo tipped his head back with a sigh, both pathologists ignoring the curious glance of one of the assistants as they walked past. They both knew the rumours that were floating around and neither cared. The pair of them knew the truth and that was enough. "Have you called him?" Leo asked, his hand on the bump enough to indicate to Nikki just who he was referring to. Harry.
Nikki shrugged. "Are you fishing for compliments? And yes I have. Yesterday. No answer, as usual." She had tried to call Harry as soon as she'd taken her fourth pregnancy test, the same day she'd thrown said test at Leo. He hadn't answered her call, nor the one after, nor the one after that. She'd then taken to trying to call him once a week, but he never picked up the phone, never called her back. Nikki blinked back the tears welling in her eyes. The second biggest argument between them had been the catalyst for them falling into bed together in a tangle of limbs, just three days before Harry was due to leave. The biggest argument was the morning after, when Nikki had hesitantly broached the idea of a relationship between the pair of them and Harry had told her in no uncertain terms that he was still leaving and no matter what she did, he wouldn't be coming back. She knew he was avoiding her calls thinking they were her attempts at trying to get him back. At this point, she wasn't even sure she wanted him back. "Will you come with me to the scan this afternoon?"
Leo nodded instantly. "Of course I will. Are you finally going to find out the sex?" She'd refused so far to find out the sex of the baby, stating that knowing made everything too real. Leo hadn't had the heart to point out that her protruding stomach and bouts of cravings and morning sickness already proved just how real her situation was. He'd lost count of the number of times already that she'd called him in the middle of the night, upset because she didn't have the food she so desperately craved in her house. And each time he'd rolled out of bed and got her whatever it was she wanted. He hadn't told Nikki about the email he'd gotten two weeks earlier from Harry, asking how she was. His only response had been 'talk to her, please'. But clearly he hadn't, otherwise Nikki wouldn't still be making her miserable weekly phone calls. "I thought I was doing a good job."
Nikki bit her lip for a moment before nodding decisively. "Yes, it's time. Plus I need to know what to buy them and what colour to paint their room and all of the fun things I've been putting off." She smiled at him, covering his hand on her stomach with her own. "You're not just doing a good job Leo, you're doing a brilliant job. There's no one I could learn more from, no one I'd rather work for. No one I'd rather have as this baby's grandfather." She added with a trembling smile.
"You mean that? I'd be honoured Nikki, really." Leo shook his head in mild exasperation, despite the look of wonder all over his features. "You are not painting anything, by the way. I'll do it, just let me know when."
"Thanks Leo. I have no idea what I'd do without you." Nikki pressed a sweet kiss to his cheek, tears in her eyes all over again for a different reason this time. "Now, I think you need to think up imaginative ways of diversifying what we do and I need to get things ready for the PM on a sixty five year old man this afternoon."
"Nikki!"
…
Nikki strode into the lab as quickly as her added load would let her, her mind full with everything the daughter of the deceased had said to her during the viewing. She quickly checked her watch. An hour until she and Leo needed to leave for her scan, she deduced, looking up in an attempt to see whereabouts the honorary grandfather had gotten to. Instead she paused in her tracks as she found Jack sat at Harry's desk, lounging and reading a newspaper. "How did you get in?" She asked, glancing at the definitely closed doors to the lab.
"Loading bay." Jack shrugged. "Door was locked. I'm nearly done with this." He held up the newspaper he was reading. "Want it?"
"Reading that is like sniffing glue. Why would I want it?" She made her way over to her own desk, managing to sit down without too much difficulty. She'd probably need Leo's help to get back up again though.
"Might absorb something if your waters break." Jack smirked at her. "I'm reading up on Briggs, it's quicker than asking the detectives. Apparently 'we're doing everything in our power'." He quickly descended into a chat about their victim liking escort girls and wondering just how the press got a photograph of the woman supposedly going to meet him that night.
"You like conspiracy theories?" Nikki nearly laughed as she handed the newspaper back to him.
"I wouldn't say I like them. When's the post-mortem?"
"This afternoon, as soon as I get back from a scan." Nikki shrugged, placing a hand on her stomach. "Why?"
"My theory is falling apart." Jack continued to lament everything falling apart around him, only half listening when Nikki tried to point out some of the massive flaws in his argument for murder.
"Do you know how bad you look?" She finally asked, unable to hold off on commenting on his face any longer.
"Yeah. I'm guessing that's why your security guard wouldn't let me in." The pair continued to talk through everything as Jack complained at the lack of evidence anywhere and Nikki suggested sampling the carpet for DNA. Jack stood abruptly, grabbing his coat from the back of the chair. "I've got to go do something." He managed a smirk at her. "Don't go swallowing any more bowling balls or you might burst."
She simply shook her head at him as he left, setting about gathering up her things just as Leo walked in, file in hand. "You ready to go? We'll only be a little early if we leave now."
Leo nodded, placing his file down on her desk and helping her up and into her coat. "I'll just grab my coat and keys and we'll be off. Nikki, I won't stop you doing this PM but please, be careful?"
"You worry too much, Leo." Nikki grabbed hold of his hand tightly. "But I'll be careful, I promise. Now, let's go see how the baby is doing."
…
Nikki lay on the bed, fighting the urge to shiver at the freezing cold gel on her lower stomach. Leo was at her side holding her hand and she'd long gotten over her modesty where he was concerned. Only once had anyone asked if Leo was the father of the baby. Nikki had firmly stated that he wasn't, but was there to support her. After that, a note had been placed in her file and no one had asked anything else about the baby's father.
The nurse offered her a gentle smile as she pressed the ultrasound wand on her stomach and moved it round until the pathologists could see the foetus on the screen and hear the fast whooshing of the heartbeat. Nikki squeezed Leo's hand tightly at the sound. No matter what happened, she'd never get used to that sound. Leo had confided that he had never gotten used to that sound either, a miracle every time he'd heard it.
"Are we finding out the sex today?" The nurse asked kindly, smiling as Nikki nodded. "Alright, well, there is a margin of error but I've a pretty clear picture right here. Congratulations. It looks like you're having a baby girl."
"A girl?" Nikki asked faintly before turning her head to Leo. "I'm having a girl?"
"Let's just hope she's not nearly so stubborn as her mother." Leo pressed a kiss to Nikki's forehead in a very fatherly gesture, pride shining in his eyes. "Yes, a girl Nikki, your little girl. Who is going to have the most loving mother in the world."
"And the most wonderful grandfather she could ever hope to have." Nikki squeezed his hand again, happy tears spilling over onto her cheeks as the nurse printed off some sonograms for them. She was having a baby girl. It was real.
…
Nikki nearly laughed as she saw Leo's bored expression through the glass window of his office. He'd talked of interviewing replacements for Harry for the past few months, particularly as she'd have to go on maternity leave for at least six weeks and up to a year. The department couldn't survive on two pathologists alone, especially not when one was pregnant and not allowed near any health and safety risks. So reluctantly, she'd agreed that he should start looking for Harry's replacement. It wouldn't be the man currently in there though, if Leo's pleading expression with her was anything to go by.
Barely hiding her smirk, she knocked on the door and opened it, her bump on full display in the knitted dress and boots she was wearing. She'd tried jeans but the button had decided to dig in uncomfortably that day, so she'd quickly changed it to a dress. "Sorry." She offered the applicant half-heartedly before looking questioningly to Leo, who made a mime of shooting himself behind the applicant's back. "Leo, I need you to run a test for me as soon as possible." She motioned down at her pregnant frame. "I can't, for obvious reasons."
"I'll be right there." Leo agreed with no small relief as she closed the door again, just barely hearing him apologise for her to the man applying for Harry's old job, blaming it on the added workload her pregnancy caused. Things mustn't be going well if he was using her to end interviews.
She hid in the corridor leading up to the mortuary as Leo saw the applicant out, the older man finding her almost immediately as she smirked at him. "Using a pregnant woman to get out of an interview, Professor Dalton? Scandalous."
Leo shook his head with a laugh, twisting her round by the shoulders and gently pushing her in the direction of the locker room. "I think you'll find that was all your doing, thank you very much. That will only work for another two months or so, you know."
"And then I'll be able to blame things on having a newborn at home." Nikki pointed out. "Are you going to invite me to interview with you?"
"Of course, when I get it down to a shortlist." Leo agreed easily. "Not everyone can just hijack the lab and integrate themselves so much that they get asked to stay." He grinned at her as they entered the locker room.
"It wasn't intentional." Nikki rolled her eyes. "Anyway, your life would be so much more boring without me here."
…
"Fancy a drink?" Jack asked as they both pored over maps together. Nikki glanced up with wide eyes.
"I'm six months pregnant and no offence but it's definitely not yours." Nikki stated, eyeing him as though he'd lost his mind.
"I didn't mean like that!" Jack hastened to assure her. "Orange juice and a game of pool?"
…
"If anything happens to my daughter because of you, I will murder you and Leo will declare it an accident." Nikki stated as she followed Jack down the overflow pipe. She'd tried desperately to think of all the books she'd read on the topic of her pregnancy and all the information Leo had practically forced her to absorb, but unsurprisingly, there wasn't a section on what to do when a crazy forensic scientist drags a pregnant pathologist down a sewer in search of a dead girl's phone. So she was being as careful as possible, but her curiosity had gotten the better of her and so she'd followed him anyway.
"I promise to let the rats eat me first." Jack promised insincerely, drawing a wonky cross over his heart with his finger. "Should be down here somewhere." He directed them both in the same direction the police had claimed the signal was coming from.
"What happens if there's an overflow?"
"Then you go in front of me and we run as fast as you can." Jack assured her, glancing down at her stomach before looking back at her face. "If you don't mind me asking… It's not Professor Dalton's, is it?"
Nikki snorted in amusement. "No, it's not. You're not the first to think that and you probably won't be the last. He's going to be her grandfather. And godfather, but he doesn't know that yet."
"So the father?"
"Long gone." Nikki shrugged, trying to ignore the overwhelming sadness. "And no, Leo hasn't killed him on my behalf or anything like that. He's got no clue about any of this." She motioned down at her stomach miserably.
"Alright." Jack nodded. "Thought I'd ask, make sure you weren't just trying to smuggle a watermelon. Where the hell is this phone?"
"Hang on, turn your light out. I've got an idea." Nikki fished her phone out of her pocket and dialled the number as Jack turned out his torch. Sure enough, further up the tunnel, a phone lit up and started ringing. Progress.
…
Leo trudged into his office tiredly. Nikki was now eight months pregnant and the workload was taking its toll on both of them. He'd banned her from all scenes and all but the simplest of autopsies, which she'd protested until both Jack and Clarissa had backed him up and the latter had threatened to tie Nikki to her office chair until she gave birth. Leo really didn't want to find out if Clarissa was bluffing or not, but if he had to guess he'd say not. As the pregnancy progressed, Nikki's sickness subsided, but her cravings for odd food in the middle of the night increased. At two o'clock that morning, Leo had ended up in a twenty four hour supermarket buying her chocolate ice cream and carrot sticks, as well as a bottle of lemonade and a box of orange ice lollies. He had been left trying to hide his disgust as she used the carrot sticks to spoon out the ice cream and eat them together along with some marshmallows she already had in her house, telling him animatedly about a onesie she'd found that had butterflies on it earlier that day. He'd ended up sleeping on her sofa for a couple of hours before dragging himself home to change and shower for work and was only just there on time. Thankfully, he'd reduced Nikki's working hours, so instead of working 8 to 6, she worked 10 to 4 and would stay late only if she was absolutely needed. That had only happened once when they'd desperately needed a facial reconstruction, something she could do safely from her desk. Leo had spoken to the coroner as well and they had drafted in a temp pathologist to work with Nikki for the last couple of weeks before she was off giving birth, to cover her whilst she was on maternity and then to help her get back into the swing of things once she was back. They were due to start any time now, but the coroner hadn't specified when exactly.
"Leo, I need to warn you. Where's Nikki?"
Leo paused at Clarissa's words, his hand on the handle to his office as he turned to face the technician. "Nikki's sleeping, or she was when I left."
"Cravings?" Clarissa smirked. She'd watched Nikki mix a bar of milk chocolate in a packet of salted crisps just yesterday and eat them both together. Even she had to admit the combination wasn't as bad as it sounded, having sampled some when Nikki offered to share.
"There's chocolate ice cream in the freezer right?" Leo practically begged, sighing in relief when Clarissa nodded. "What about carrot sticks?"
Clarissa pulled a face at the combination but nodded all the same. "Jack left a bag in the fridge a couple of days ago. I'll tell him they're off limits to him now."
Leo smirked. Nikki had nearly taken Jack's fingers off the one and only time he'd tried to take food from her. Really, trying to take food from Nikki was hazardous to one's health at the best of times, but it had gotten ten times worse with her cravings. "At least she's not so sick now. Anyway, what are you warning me about?"
Clarissa motioned cautiously towards his office. "The temp is in there."
"Okay, why did I need warning for that?" Leo laughed out, opening the door despite Clarissa's protests only to stop stock still in shock, his mouth falling open involuntarily. "Harry?"
…
Leo swallowed heavily, practically falling into his office chair and staring at the dark haired man sat opposite him. To his knowledge, Nikki still kept up the weekly calls and not once had Harry ever called her back. It had been eight months. Eight months since he'd all but vanished on them and now he'd shown back up. Leo closed his eyes briefly. There was no chance that this wouldn't be a shock to the blonde woman's system, and he could only pray that the shock wouldn't induce an early labour. That would be all they needed, her waters breaking in the middle of his office. "You're… you're the temp?" He managed to croak out, hastily trying to figure out how long he had before Nikki was due in. She sometimes showed up early unannounced after all despite her reduced working hours. It was Nikki. "But… New York?"
Leo watched carefully over his desk as Harry rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. "The… the politics wasn't for me and… I missed it. I missed this place, you… Nikki… I missed it all." Harry shrugged. "I'm temping until I find a permanent position, probably teaching, but it'll take another couple of months at least before I learn if I've gotten any of those roles. More than enough time to temp for you, even if the coroner wouldn't tell me why you needed a temp."
Leo bit back a curse. The coroner had been informed of Nikki's pregnancy as soon as the blonde couldn't hide it with baggy shirts any longer and had guessed who the father was without ever having it confirmed by either Leo or Nikki. Clearly, they'd also decided that Harry should find out from either of them two as well. "Ah, right. Well, I'll be perfectly honest in that I don't know how long I'll need a temp for. Not yet anyway." He hadn't discussed properly with Nikki how much maternity leave she wanted, wanting to instead wait until she'd given birth and had a better idea how much time she'd need. "We've diversified in your absence. There's Clarissa, who I think you may have met already, our forensic technician, and Jack, our senior forensic scientist. Who is late, again, but I'll forgive him if he's where I think he is." Leo knew that if Jack was late for work, it was because he'd decided to do something for Nikki. Sometimes it was picking her up and driving her to and from work, sometimes it was buying stock in whatever she was craving, sometimes it was even presenting her with something for the baby he'd spotted on the way to work.
"And… Nikki?" Harry asked awkwardly, shifting his eyes about the room. Leo felt himself glance down to the most recent sonogram propped up against his computer monitor. Nikki had asked him to every scan so he had sonograms of every visit, the latest one being only a week ago. Placed so he could see it but anyone the other side of the desk couldn't. A blessing under the current circumstances. "Does she still work here?"
"Nikki still works here." Leo admitted slowly, not sure exactly what he should say about the blonde woman given everything that had happened between her and Harry. "I'm guessing you still haven't spoken with her."
"I meant to, but the longer things went on, the harder it was to pick up the phone." Harry admitted lowly. "So, why exactly am I a temp here? It sounds like you've got everything sorted."
Leo opened his mouth to answer but was interrupted by Jack bursting into his office without warning, his arms laden with bags of carrot sticks, marshmallows and tubs of chocolate ice cream. A big bag of ready salted crisps tucked under one arm. "Leo, can I use one of the morgue freezers? The kitchenette one just isn't big enough."
Leo let out a chuckle. Clearly, Jack had already spoken to Nikki that morning, as he hadn't mentioned the marshmallows to Clarissa. He must've been to at least two different supermarkets to collect as much as he had. "Fridge three is currently empty and should keep everything cold enough." He confirmed with a smile. "Have you spoken with Nikki this morning?" He asked lightly, trying to keep the fact that the odd shopping list was actually for her from Harry.
"Yeah, she said she'd be here in less than ten minutes." Jack shrugged as well as he could under his shopping haul. "Something about feeling bad for keeping you up most of the night so she's coming in early to make it up to you. She's mental, I swear." With that, he turned and left Leo's office in the direction of the mortuary to store the ice cream and carrot sticks at the very least.
"What on earth is going on?" Harry asked incredulously. "I know you said you diversified, but I didn't realise that meant you'd turned into an ice cream shop. Was that Jack?"
"Yes that was Jack and we haven't branched into selling ice cream." Leo shook his head. "Also don't touch anything food wise unless it has your name on it."
"What if it doesn't have a name on it?"
"Then it's already been claimed and you're taking your life into your hands by so much as breathing on it." Leo sighed, running a hand through his hair. He hadn't had nearly enough sleep for this. "Harry, you'll be temping for Nikki."
"What? But that guy said she was in today, right? Is she sick?" Harry rattled off the questions in one breath, his eyes wide and panicking.
Leo shook his head softly. "No Harry, she's not sick. You're here to work with her for a couple of weeks or so, then to cover for her whilst she's off, and then help her return to work." He managed to make it as vague as possible. How on earth was he meant to say that technically, Harry was also entitled to time off for paternity leave, when he didn't even know he was going to become a dad? And that was assuming Nikki let him anywhere near her child. She hadn't really spoken of her child having two parents in weeks. "I'm just hoping the shock of seeing you isn't too much for her."
"What do you mean? Why would the shock be too much if she isn't sick?" Harry's voice hadn't lost his panic one bit. Leo's head shot up as the door buzzer sounded and Nikki let herself in an hour and a half earlier than she was due in, looking positively dwarfed by her stomach and nearly wilting under the heavy bag perched on her shoulder. She'd taken to carrying her hospital bag everywhere with her just in case and no one had been able to convince her not to. She had on maternity jeans and heeled boots, though honestly no one in the Lyell could understand why she was still wearing them instead of trainers or comfy flats. Her flowery maternity blouse was flattering, but did absolutely nothing to diminish the size of her bump.
Leo could only watch as she dropped her bag by her desk and made a bee line for his office. She'd also picked up the habit of checking in with him every day as soon as she got into work. Usually a blessing considering Nikki's reluctance to talk about herself, but today Leo found himself wishing for something to distract her. No suck luck unfortunately, as Nikki walked straight in without seeing Harry sat in the visitor's chair, smiling for Leo happily. "Morning Leo. Is Jack in yet? He promised me ice cream."
"It's half past eight in the morning." Leo pointed out rationally, but Nikki only pouted at him.
"Time doesn't make a difference anymore; you know that, Leo. I'll just go find Jack; he's still scared of me enough to give in." Nikki smirked.
"Nikki." Leo shook his head fondly at her. "You threw a scalpel at Jack, which is why he happens to be wary of you."
Leo bit back a whole host of swear words as Harry span round in his chair, the younger man's eyes automatically drawn to the large baby bump sported by his former best friend. "Nikki?" He whispered, his eyes still focused on her stomach.
Leo instantly jumped to his feet and rushed round his desk to Nikki's side, just in case. "Jack!" He called out as he felt Nikki sway dangerously, her eyes locked on Harry as though she'd seen a ghost.
Jack came running almost instantly, skidding into the office with a look of panic, Clarissa not far behind looking just as worried. "What's wrong? Is it the baby?"
"Help me hold Nikki up." Leo commanded, knowing he wasn't quite strong enough to hold Nikki up on his own. Jack nodded, flanking Nikki's other side as both men gripped her arms and back to hold her upright, praying she wouldn't go into labour then and there. "Nikki, don't you dare have your waters break now. I only had this carpet cleaned last week."
"Harry?" Nikki whispered out in shock, her eyes full of tears as soon as she registered who was sat there with Leo. She turned slightly to face her boss, pale and shaking under his and Jack's hands. "Leo, what's going on?"
"The coroner, in all her wisdom, sent Harry to be your temp maternity cover." Leo explained quickly. "I only found out myself fifteen minutes ago."
Nikki nodded slowly, obviously trying to both process everything and keep herself calm at the same time. She then turned to Jack with wide eyes. "Jack? Did you get me the ice cream and carrot sticks?"
Jack nodded immediately. "Yes and yes. I also got you marshmallows and crisps. I'm surprised your tastebuds haven't gone on protest yet."
"The baby wants what the baby wants." Nikki narrowed her eyes dangerously at the forensic scientist. "Are you going to say no to that?"
"I'm not that stupid." Jack forced out a laugh, the worry in his eyes still shining through. "Come on, I put it all in the morgue. Let's go make you the most awful ice cream sundae going, okay?"
Leo shot Jack a grateful look over Nikki's head as the cage fighter managed to both hold Nikki upright and manoeuvre her from the room in the direction of the morgue, Clarissa promising to be along in a couple of minutes with a bowl for the sundae. He turned to Harry with a sigh, taking note of the stunned expression on the dark haired pathologist. "That's why I didn't want the shock to be too much for her." He said quietly.
Clarissa moved closer to the two men, eyeing Harry with a glare. "Even think of hurting that woman again and you'll be wishing for death." She threatened menacingly before offering Leo a wide smile. "I'd better take them the bowl before Nikki throws another scalpel at Jack. Not that that isn't funny as well." She smirked before leaving in the same direction as the other two.
Harry turned shocked eyes to Leo. "Nikki's pregnant?"
"No, she swallowed a beach ball." Leo shook his head, half in irritation and anger at the man sat before him and half exasperation at unintentionally quoting Jack, who liked to tell Nikki how big she was looking by telling her what it looked like she'd swallowed. It was currently a beach ball. "You're a doctor, Harry. You know what a pregnant woman looks like."
"How… how far along?"
"Eight months." Leo confirmed reluctantly. "Talk to her Harry. Just… don't push her. That's the last thing she needs right now."
…
Nikki sat cross legged on the floor of the cutting room, eating from a large mixing bowl Clarissa had produced for her. In the bowl was chocolate ice cream, carrots and marshmallows, though she did keep dipping crisps in it as well from time to time. She'd had to get out of there before she lost it, even if she knew Leo would have told Harry enough for him to work out who the father of the baby was. It didn't matter. Harry had made it clear she was a one night stand to add to all the others and she refused to have him shackled to her just because she was pregnant. It wasn't fair on either of them. She glanced up, finding Jack and Clarissa both sat a few feet away watching her in a mixture of worry and curiosity. "Yes," she told them round a mouthful of her concoction. "He's the reason I currently look like a whale."
"What happened?" Jack blurted out before he could stop himself. Clarissa shot him a glare as Nikki laughed.
"Well first of all, we had to take our clothes off…" Nikki giggled as Jack groaned dramatically and threw a hand over his face.
"No I know how sex works thank you very much!" He headed her off before she could get any more graphic. He wouldn't put it past her anyway. "I meant what happened between the two of you?"
"Sex, Jack, obviously." Nikki motioned down to her bump before shrugging soberly. "We were friends, best friends, for a long time. He was leaving and we were fighting over it. One thing led to another and next thing I knew we were in bed together." She shrugged again, spooning in a large mouthful of her snack and ignoring her colleagues' winces at the odd mixture.
"And he decided to leave anyway?" Clarissa finished for her, nodding sombrely when Nikki's eyes filled with tears. "Would you like me to poison him for you?"
Nikki managed a watery laugh. "No, but thanks anyway Clarissa. I just… I hoped I meant more than his one night stands, hoped that we'd get somewhere, only to find I was just like all the rest of them all along. Good for a night of sex and that's it." She placed a hand protectively on her bump. "This is my baby and that's how it's going to stay. I'm not lumbering Harry with a child he doesn't want and a woman he doesn't love. This baby is going to have the best grandfather, aunt and uncle they could ever need." She smiled proudly at them both.
"Uncle Jack." Jack mused, grinning back at her. "Bagsy being the one to scare off any potential boyfriends or girlfriends. Especially if she ends up looking like you."
Nikki managed a laugh, just about. "Deal. Between you and Leo, I don't think anyone is getting anywhere near my daughter until she's about thirty."
Clarissa rolled her eyes. "Please. That child will bat her eyes for the first time and have both of them wrapped round her little finger for life. She's going to need her Aunt Clarissa for a little bit of normality. And cake."
All three of them laughed, none of them seeing Harry stood in the darkened viewing room, tears streaming down his face as he listened to every word.
…
Harry sat at his temporary desk situated beside Nikki's desolately. He'd had no idea of the state he'd left his best friend in and couldn't help but berate himself for ignoring her phone calls, which in hindsight made a lot more sense if she was calling him to tell him she was pregnant. After all, why would she wait two months before calling him to yell at him or ask for a relationship between them? He ran a hand over his face. Though he hadn't intended on sleeping with Nikki, she'd never been one of his one night stands and he'd thought she'd known that even though he couldn't have a relationship with her. He'd thought it unfair to begin a relationship with her as he hadn't intended on returning to London and long distance relationships were notoriously difficult. Clearly, he was an idiot.
He looked up as the doors leading to the morgue opened to reveal Jack, who was carrying Nikki bridal style in his arms, and Clarissa close behind carrying a mixing bowl.
Leo appeared at the door to his office quickly, concern radiating from him. "What's wrong?"
"Nothing." Nikki rolled her eyes. "Worry wart here decided to be my personal chauffeur today. Something about my shoes being wholly inappropriate. Personally I'm waiting to see what will happen when I need the loo." Her smirk was downright evil, Harry noted, as Jack blushed red but held his ground admirably.
"Then Leo can carry you," Jack decided as he deposited her gently into her office chair. "Grandad needs to work for his title."
Harry just watched in astonishment as Nikki burst into giggles and Leo had to present a front of mock offence. Things had definitely changed in his absence, and not just the protruding bump he was still having trouble wrapping his head around. Nikki raised wide eyes to Leo. "I need the toilet Leo."
Leo groaned even as Nikki giggled again. "Jack might be able to carry you but I can't. Take yourself to the loo and call if you fall in."
Nikki pouted but managed to heave herself out of her seat to waddle in the direction of the bathroom, sticking her fingers up at Leo as she passed.
Clarissa placed the bowl at Nikki's desk. "Jack told her she couldn't eat her latest concoction down in the cutting room all day and carried her up here when she protested," She informed Leo with an eye roll. "How was it she blackmailed you into not starting her maternity leave early again?"
"Have you tried saying no to her?" Leo deflected. "Plus, if she's here I know where she is. Nikki has a habit of wandering into trouble, or trouble finding her. Please tell me that's not more ice cream and carrot sticks."
"What time did she call you this time?" Jack asked with a grin, finally appearing to realise Harry was even in the room as he turned to the pathologist. "Nikki has Leo wrapped round her little finger. One time he walked out of a briefing because a bee outside made Nikki cry."
"Jack, if you don't kindly shut up I'll take a leaf out of Nikki's book and throw a scalpel at you." Leo shook his head, glancing in the direction of the toilets. "I'd better see what's taking her so long." He barely even glanced in Harry's direction as he strode after Nikki, the younger pathologist biting back a sigh. Returning was a lot harder than he imagined, and the road to travel had only just begun. Another thought popped into his mind, sending ice shooting down his veins. How the hell was he supposed to tell his mother she was to be a grandmother in roughly a month's time?
…
Nikki bit back a few choice words as she sensed Harry enter the cutting room. It had been three days since he'd reappeared out of the blue and she'd done her best to limit her time spent with him, despite the whole reason for him being there was to work with her until she had her baby. She could still read him somewhat, could see that he wanted to talk to her and his near constant staring at her middle section didn't leave much doubt as to what he wanted to discuss. She'd taken to hiding with Leo wherever possible and when that didn't work, with Jack or Clarissa. However, that morning, Leo and Jack had been called out to a scene and Clarissa had the day off, so she'd taken herself to the cutting room in a bid to hide from her former best friend. Nikki sighed, placing her pen down on top of her report as Harry sidled into her line of sight, his eyes once again focused on her bump. "Leave me alone." She growled out, placing a hand protectively on her stomach.
"Nikki, please," Harry practically begged, moving closer despite her warning. "Talk to me."
"What do you think I was trying to do with those phone calls for the last six months?" Nikki scoffed, rubbing her belly slightly in a bid to get rid of the sharp discomfort. She'd been feeling it off and on since the previous evening but hadn't said anything to Leo, who had stayed over to put together a changing table she'd ordered, not wanting to worry him when she was fairly certain it was nothing. Just Braxton Hicks, as usual.
Harry's face fell and he ran a hand over his face. "I… I messed up, I know that. I should've answered your calls, called you back." He sagged against the counter next to her. "I'm sorry."
"Forget about it." Nikki shook her head. "You were doing a good job of it until you came back. Hopefully, my maternity leave won't be too long and you can go and live your life again."
"Nikki. Unless there's something you need to tell me, I know there's a very good chance that baby is mine." He motioned to her stomach, barely an inch from touching her but not quite daring to take that leap. "Do you honestly think I'm just going to leave you both and swan off into the sunset?!"
"Why not?" Nikki stood up, her irritation overriding her discomfort and exhaustion. "I swore blind when I was staring at the positive test that I wouldn't be asking anything of you. You chose to leave, you chose to ignore my calls. I chose to keep my baby.
"Harry, you made it very clear that that night meant nothing to you, as well as your thoughts on there being anything between us. I'm not about to lumber you with me and a child you didn't want! I'm not having this baby to trap you into anything; I'm having this baby for me." Tears streamed down Nikki's face freely, both hands resting on her bump. "So yes, I do think you're going to leave once my maternity leave is up and you'll find some wonderfully uncomplicated woman to love and settle down with and you know what? I truly wish you happiness Harry. Just… don't make this harder than it already is. Please."
Harry felt the tears fall down his own face as he watched Nikki's forlorn, desolate features, trying to work out just when he'd screwed everything up so badly. Probably from the moment they'd woken up together, naked and entwined in her bed. He couldn't bring himself to regret sleeping with her, never, but he did regret how it had happened and his actions afterwards. The entire Lyell Centre had made it abundantly clear in the last three days that they all held him accountable for Nikki's misery and current predicament and he actually agreed with them in terms of culpability. "Nikki, listen to me. This baby, our baby, is not unwanted. Not even a little bit. I regret a lot of things in life, but I definitely do not regret the night I spent with you, creating that little one in there." He motioned to her stomach, this time lightly grazing the bump with the very tips of his fingers. Nikki shivered under his touch, but he couldn't tell if it was a good or bad reaction.
"Harry…"
"Nikki, please. I'm not going back to New York and I'm temping until I land myself a permanent teaching role in London. I'm not going anywhere."
"What about the hospital?" Nikki's face contorted in a mixture of pain and horror.
"What?" Harry tried to read her expression but was distracted by the sound of liquid hitting the cutting room floor. Glancing down, he felt his eyes widen almost comically at the sight of the puddle surrounding them that hadn't been there before. "Did… Did that…"
"My waters just broke." Nikki confirmed, glancing down at her soaked jeans almost as though she was blaming them for her current predicament. "We need to get to hospital, now."
"We?"
"Well, believe it or not, I don't think it's a good idea to drive myself under the current circumstances and you're the only other one here." Nikki was already stepping out of the puddle in the direction of the office where her keys and hospital bag were before Harry's brain truly caught up with him and he hurried to her side, one hand on her back and the other on her arm.
"I'm going to be here Nikki, for you and our baby, no matter what." Harry murmured into her ear. "I promise."
…
Harry knew he'd promised to be there for Nikki and their baby, but he didn't think that quite involved being sat in the driver's seat of his car listening to her cursing his name with every contraction. Somehow, they'd hit rush hour traffic despite calling ahead to the hospital and no matter what he tried in terms of light flashing and horn beeping, they weren't making it through the traffic quickly enough for his comfort. Or Nikki's for that matter. He'd done his best not to look as she'd divested herself of her sodden jeans ten minutes earlier, her maternity top just long enough to be considered a dress of sorts.
"Harry, pull over."
He glanced at her from the corner of his eye as he overtook another car and ignored the yelling he could faintly hear from the driver. "Not a chance. We're nearly there, Nikki, just hang on."
"Harry, we aren't going to make it!" Nikki sounded much more urgent now and he chanced a longer glance at her, finding her watching him with wide, terrified eyes and her hands hidden from view beneath her top turned dress. "Pull over!"
"We will make it, just ten more minutes, okay?" Harry beeped the horn again loudly, leaning out of the window. "Woman giving birth here!" Thankfully, it did get a couple of cars to move over just enough for him to get through, him nodding his thanks as he drove past.
"I don't even think I have a minute." Nikki groaned in pain before her eyes widened and she looked at Harry again. "Harry?" She cut herself off with a pained moan.
"What?" Harry barely tore his eyes away from the road in front of them, his brain short circuiting as several things happened at once.
Nikki's pain-filled moan ceased. Her hands reappeared from under her top. A baby began to cry.
Nikki brought her baby up to her chest, holding the child gently as she wrapped it up as well as she could in her cardigan that she'd brought into the front seat of the car with her. Harry barely managed to look back at the road again to concentrate on driving as he hit a thankfully empty stretch of tarmac. "Is that… Did you just give birth in my car?"
"I think I did, yes." Nikki managed a weak laugh, borne of relief and surprise. "What's the time?"
"Eight fifty three." Harry told her after checking the clock on his dash. He chanced another look away from the road to take in the sight of Nikki holding her baby to her chest. "We're five minutes away."
"Call the hospital; let them know to expect us." Nikki instructed, not lifting her eyes from her newborn for even an instant. "We can call Leo, Jack and Clarissa when we get there."
…
The hospital must deal with surprising births a lot, Nikki decided as she sat in the hospital bed with her baby lay on her chest sleeping. They'd been remarkably calm when Harry had called them, promising that they'd have people waiting for their arrival. And they had, three nurses, a midwife and a doctor all waiting outside the building with a wheelchair for their arrival, whisking her off quickly to cut the cord and deliver the afterbirth. They'd even found a car pass so Harry could abandon his car outside the front of the building in the no parking zone and follow her and the baby inside. He'd definitely need his car cleaning professionally, that was for sure. Then again, it wasn't like she'd planned on giving birth to her daughter in his car. Looking back on it, Nikki could see that she'd actually started labour the day before and had just brushed it off as was her usual way. Leo was going to kill her for not saying anything.
She glanced up as Harry let himself into the small side room she'd been placed in, lowering his phone from his ear. He'd offered to call the three people she needed to inform whilst she was getting sorted out and she'd accepted. "Well?" She asked in a near whisper, conscious of trying to keep the newborn infant asleep.
"They're on their way." Harry confirmed, sitting down on the edge of the bed with a tiny smile. "Leo said you're in trouble for not telling him before they left for the scene, Jack said it sounded like a very you thing to happen, and Clarissa said she'd run me over if I wasn't looking after you adequately enough, but she does know someone that can clean my car for me."
"Leo's going to kill me."
"Why?"
"He was helping me with a changing table last night and noticed I was in pain." Nikki confessed in a tiny voice. "I told him it was nothing."
"You told the grumpy grandfather that it was nothing when you were actually in labour?" Harry huffed in amusement and amazement.
"Well I didn't think I was in labour! It's not like I've done this before."
"Leo won't kill you. He'll take one look at that tiny miracle in your arms and melt." Harry assured her softly. "Did you think of any names?"
"Some. I'm torn between two at the minute. Elizabeth and Morgan. Both sound good but I can't decide. Lizzie Alexander or Morgan Alexander." Nikki shrugged ever so slightly. "Leo likes the name Lorna Alexander for some reason and Clarissa and I banned Jack from suggesting baby names after he said the baby should be called Marshmallow Alexander." She noticed Harry's face fall as soon as she mentioned the child taking her last name but ignored it. After all, she'd spent nearly seven months going through everything herself, well nine months really, but she hadn't known those first two months, and she'd always planned on going it alone, so it only made sense that her baby had the same last name as she did.
"What was Clarissa's suggestion?" Harry asked softly, his hand coming up of its own volition to run a gentle finger up and down the newborn's back.
"Sara. It's nice, obviously I like the name, but it doesn't seem to suit her."
"What about Emma?" Harry suggested. "Emma Cassandra Alexander?"
Nikki's eyes immediately filled with tears. Leo would be over the moon at her, their child being named after his daughter. She looked up into Harry's eyes, searching them for something she wasn't even sure she could put a name to, only that she needed to find it. "Are you sure this is what you want? You only found out three days ago."
"Nikki, yes, I'm positive. It was a shock, but not a bad one. I want you and I want this baby. In whatever way you're willing. I'm not going to push you." Harry told her softly but firmly, their intimate moment interrupted as the door opened to reveal Leo, Jack and Clarissa, all of whom beamed at the little family on the bed.
"Congratulations." Leo grinned. "Do we have a name for this little beauty?"
Nikki glanced at Harry before looking back at her daughter and up at Leo. "Emma. Emma Cassandra Alexander-Cunningham."
Both Leo and Harry stared at her in shock whilst Jack and Clarissa smiled and congratulated her.
"You mean it?" Leo whispered, his eyes focused on the tiny bundle resting on Nikki's chest. "You're naming her after Cassie?"
Nikki nodded with a smile. "Of course. Now, does Grandad Leo want a hold?" She passed the baby up to Leo, who held the infant as though she was made of finely spun gold.
"Alexander-Cunningham?" Harry murmured in shock. "I thought it was just Alexander."
"You promised to stay." Nikki shrugged. "I thought I'd give you the chance to prove it."
"What's wrong with Marshmallow?" Jack complained, awe covering his features as he watched the baby from over Leo's shoulder. "Never mind, I'll call you Marshmallow no matter what insane name your parents have called you."
To Be Continued