Wing Yee's Year 3

Author's Note: And the stories continue…this year was a hard one. She's pregnant with Tom's baby. Ugh. I'm pretending her birthday is around the Drexel ep.

PPPPPPP

Donald Ressler was surprised by her phone call and, although he knew the date, thought she'd spend her birthday with Tom this year. She was, after all, carrying the man's child even if he was still in the hospital recovering. No, Don wasn't bitter. Not after all he and Liz had been though, not him.

"Hey," Ressler said as he walked toward her sitting in Wing Yee's. It was a busy night, and it looked like they were lucky to get a table. "Happy Birthday."

He handed her some flowers and she stood and kissed him on the cheek.

"Thanks for coming," Liz said.

"And miss your birthday? Not me," Ressler said. "It's just you and me?"

She sensed he was a little too chipper, a little too happy, possibly that he was faking his happiness for her benefit, but she decided not to get into it. It was her birthday and she just wanted to sit with the man she considered her best friend and eat.

"Well, technically it's a party of three," Liz said as she placed a hand on her stomach.

He looked at her stomach almost uncomfortable with its presence and gave her a quick small smile.

"Sit," Liz said as she sat down on the bench, and he pulled out a chair across from her. "Long day?"

"Yeah, we're wrapping up the Drexel case and the paperwork for it," Ressler said. "You spend all day at the hospital?"

"Yeah, I'm a little sick of the beeping from all his machines," Liz chuckled. "I'm not sure I've ever seen this place this busy, or loud."

"Yeah, it'll take some getting used to," Ressler said as he looked around at all the tables filled with people.

The waiter showed up with water for them and they quickly ordered their favorite items and a beer for him.

He looked across the table at her and sighed; there were so many things he wanted to say that he never had the chance to say because they were never alone. He wanted to tell her that she would be a great single mom and that she didn't need to be with Tom to have his kid. He wanted to tell her that she glowed. He wanted to tell her that he and everyone else would support her if she did decide to give her baby up, but he thought it would break her if she did. He wanted to tell her he missed her.

"My mom was a single mom," Ressler said. As soon as it came out of his mouth it sounded weird and off, so he tried to correct it. "She was amazing. As much as I wish my dad was still around, there was something about being raised by a strong woman that…I don't know…made me the man I am."

Liz smiled at him and nodded.

"I think that your mom must have been pretty special to mold the Donald Ressler I see in front of me," Liz smiled at him.

He dropped his head, bashful, and smiled. "Well, thank you. But there were times I am sure she wanted to kill me and Robbie."

"I am sure there are still times," Liz chuckled.

"All I'm saying Liz is…" Ressler started.

"I'm keeping the baby," Liz interrupted him.

His face was a picture of surprise and then a smile slowly crept across his face. "You are?"

"Yeah, I…I thought I could give her up but…"

"Her?" Don asked, catching the sex of the baby that Liz said she didn't know.

"Oh shit," Liz said as she covered her mouth. "You do not know that!"

Ressler looked at her confused.

"At the last sonogram I found out," Liz said. "No one knows and I'm pretending I don't."

"Why?" Ressler asked.

"At first it was to make the baby less…real?" Liz said as she looked at him with a contorted face. "Then it was because I had started to change my mind and I think I needed to make it more real. I know that doesn't make sense but…"

"No, it makes perfect sense," Ressler said as he leaned across the table a little more. "So, it's a little girl?"

"Only you and I know, and you can't tell anyone else," Liz smiled at him.

"Tom doesn't know?" Ressler asked, surprised.

"I just told him yesterday I wanted to keep the baby," Liz offered. "I'm not sure what that means for us. And he's always been a big proponent of the surprise."

Ressler nodded.

"Honestly Ressler, I feel like a hormonal mess," she said her eyes getting watery. "I don't know which decisions that I am making are based on clear thinking and which are based on a crazy chemical imbalance that's happening in my body."

Ressler reached for a napkin on the next table and offered it to her as she cried.

"Liz…" Ressler said softly. "I think you're doing a great job."

"Really?" Liz hiccoughed. "Because I feel like a complete fat mess."

"What?" Ressler asked as she looked at Liz wiping snot from her nose. "Nothing is more gorgeous than a pregnant woman."

"Well, pregnant women definitely don't feel gorgeous," she chuckled.

"Well, you glow," Ressler said with a smile as he reached for another napkin and handed it to her. "And if anyone tells you different, I'll smarten them up."

"Look at you going all big brother on me," Liz said as she wiped at her eyes.

Ressler swallowed hard and felt his stomach drop. She saw him as a brother. Not a man, not a man she could be involved with. No, he was a protective older brother in her mind. Fuck.

Luckily, the waiter showed up with their food and filled the vacuum of silence that had fallen over the table with her brother comment.

They ate out of the many bowls that were between them and Ressler listened to her talk about her plans for her daughter, all the things she needed to buy, and how crazy it was going to be that she, Liz Keen, was going to be someone's mother. He asked the right questions, nodded and agreed as needed, and ate as quickly as possible. He couldn't have this shit night end fast enough—birthday or not. He needed to go home, hit something, and drink hard to forget that the woman he loved had just told him she thought of him as her brother.

The waiters brought out some Chinese steamed sponge cake with a sparkler in it and he tried to sing on key with them. It was not even 8pm when they were exiting the restaurant each with a container of leftovers.

"Did you drive here?" Ressler asked as he looked for her car.

"Yeah, I'm just over there," Liz said as she pointed with her bouquet of flowers. She could feel her baby moving inside, possibly from the Chinese food. She had been quiet all day until now.

"I'll walk you," Ressler said as he noted the dark parking lot where her car was.

She decided not to argue, and they walked in companionable silence to her car where she opened the passenger door and put down her flowers from him and her leftovers before she walked back to the driver's door where he was standing.

"Happy Birthday, Liz," he said with a soft smile.

"Oh my god," Liz said as he grabbed his hand and placed it on her belly. He was so caught off guard he didn't know what to do she he just stood there with his hand on her.

"What's going on, are you…" Ressler started, suddenly worried she was unwell. "What the?!"

"You felt it?" Liz looked at him all smiles.

"Uh yeah it was like a soccer pla….Jesus Christ, Liz," he said in awe of the little girl inside her that seemed to be kicking up a storm.

They waited in silence and nothing happened. He started to pull his hand away and she held it in place.

"Liz, I think…holy," Ressler said as another swift kick rocked her belly.

"I think she likes your voice," Liz said.

"Has she been doing this all night?" Ressler asked as there was another boot.

"No, not until it was just us," Liz looked between her belly and Ressler amazed. "She kicked on occasion but this is crazy!"

"Does it hurt?" He asked as he felt a shove.

"Sometimes, but not badly," Liz smiled. "I would take more kicks over no movement."

Ressler nodded.

"Keep talking," Liz encouraged him.

He looked at her confused, not knowing what he should say.

"You're a little spit fire, aren't you?" Ressler asked Liz's belly and got more rolling and Liz chuckling. "You are going to give your mummy a run for her money, aren't you?"

The waves of movement continued.

"Well, you better listen to her or you're going to have to talk to…" he hesitated, did he want to go there? Acknowledge his place in Liz's life as she saw it or hold out hope she'd see him as something else one day? "Your uncle Donnie."

He looked at Liz and a couple of tears fell from her one eye as she smiled at him. And, before he knew it, his hand was crushed between them as she pulled him in for a tight hug and cried against him.

"Liz, are you okay?" Ressler asked her, concerned.

"Hormones," Liz said in a muffled voice from buried somewhere in his jacket.

Ressler wedged his hand out from between them and returned the hug. After a few minutes she pulled back and kissed his cheek before she wished him good night and drove off. Ressler walked the short distance to his car and got inside, befuddled by all that had happened tonight. Liz was keeping the baby, she wasn't sure if Tom was part of that deal, only he knew she was having a girl, Liz thought of him as her brother, the spitfire baby of hers liked his voice. What did it all mean?

The end.