Chapter Seven: Who, How, and Why…

Elisa paused outside the door of Chavez's office taking a deep breath and letting it out slow. She had been mulling over when to tell the rest of the precinct. She had thought that telling the clan their news was going to be the hardest part of all this. She was more nervous now than she ever was that night. Elisa could only say that it was the idea that she had to edit the information that she told these people. She wondered offhandedly just how her family was going to take it when it came to telling them.

Taking another breath she knocked on the paned door, "Come!" she heard from inside the office.

Elisa walked in and made a beeline for Chavez's desk seating herself opposite her boss, "Chief," She started but faltered much as Goliath did telling the clan.

"What is it Maza?" Chavez said irritably.

"Well," She said looking away a moment, "I wanted to update you in person…um…regarding my absence a couple weeks back."

Chavez now regarded her with her full attention setting aside the paperwork that she had been reviewing, "I'm listening."

Elisa cleared her throat, "Well…It has recently been confirmed that I'm…" Elisa faltered again.

"Pregnant," Chavez finished for her, clasping her hands in front of her on the desk.

Elisa looked up at her with wide scared eyes, "What? How…"

Chavez smiled maternally, "You think I don't recognize those kind of signs? I am a mother myself, and the signs are easier to see in other people when you have seen them in yourself. I was just wondering how long it was going to take you to actually tell me about it."

"Um," Elisa said starting to fluster, feeling some need to explain herself.

Chavez raised a hand to stop her, "Maza, all I need to know is when you're expecting to deliver. Beyond that the details are yours to keep, it's none of my business."

"Yes, well…I am going to need…" Elisa started.

"Your transfer to a desk is already in the works, Maza. I wouldn't want to risk your child in this kind of work."

"T…thank you Chief," Elisa said incredulously slowly rising from her seat, "You don't know how much I appreciate the support."

Chavez nodded smiling, "You just take care of yourself."

"I will."

She walked out the door a little struck by the conversation and the ease in which Chavez had taken the news. Elisa had been expecting Chavez to be disappointed in her for allowing herself to get pregnant.

She could only wish the rest of the day had gone as smoothly. Her transfer to a desk came through about an hour later and it was then and there that the questions started. There were quizzical looks from most of her compadres, and all asked why she was being put on the desk. That was usually reserved for officers under investigation or ones who were on medical hold before going out into the field again. She didn't look sick or lame in any way, and none knew of any investigation into her work practice. She had kept quiet at first, trying to ignore the questions and the odd looks she got most of the night. It was soon unbearable and she was unable to concentrate on the papers in front of her. She felt obligated to explain her condition to them hoping that would quell the rumors that were going around after only an hour. People were shocked at the truth that Elisa was pregnant, more outlandish to most minds than anything their imaginations had come up with. Elisa had sighed thinking that would put a stop to it and allow her some peace to work. She was wrong.

Now the rumors and questions centered on the details of her pregnancy. "Who's the father?" and "How'd this happen?" she found were the two favorite questions of the day. She could only answer with, "No one you know," and "How it usually happens."

Near the end of her shift, the popular rumor was that Matt was the father, after all partners often end up lovers, right? Many had broached the question directly to her, some had been so bold as to ask Matt about it directly, congratulating him on fatherhood. The only thing that saved her was that Matt knew the truth, and was gracious enough to keep it a secret for both of them. Matt took it with good graces smiling sheepishly and shrugging. That and her decided silence about the subject had the precinct in an uproar by the time Elisa went home. She couldn't seem to convince them otherwise, and when she gave up trying to argue the matter they took it as a confirmation of their theory.

By the end of the day she was worn through with answering the questions both tactful and tacky. Her frustration showed when Goliath arrived several hours before dawn. She was moody and didn't speak much. In fact she hardly looked up from her reading when he let himself into the loft. Goliath stopped short, just inside the window, feeling the tension rise off of her.

His head cocked to one side as he regarded her sitting on the couch with her legs folded under her, her nose stuck pointedly into her book, "Are you alright?"

Elisa merely grunted. She didn't even look up at him

"Elisa, you must tell me what's wrong."

Elisa slapped the book into her lap looking up at him with anger written over all her features, "It's work!" She growled flinging her hands into the air helplessly.

"Chavez did not take the news well," Goliath said shaking his head slowly side to side.

"No," She said in a tone that told him that she wished that was the problem, "Not her, she took it really well actually. She moved me to a desk, and happily told me to take it easy for a while."

"Then what is it?" Goliath pressed moving closer and sitting back on his heels in front of her.

"It's… It's the others!" she blurted near tears, "They all wanted to know 'who, how, why?' I mean I didn't get a bit of work done. They asked me and when they weren't satisfied with my answers they went to Matt."

"Matt?" Goliath asked his brows furrowing, "Why Matt?"

Elisa blushed furiously, "They think…they think that he's the father."

Goliath laughed heartily, "Do they?"

"It's not funny!" she said half heartedly, trying not to laugh herself.

"What did he do?" Goliath asked with mirth.

"Well he didn't confirm it," She said her mouth thinning, "But he didn't out and out deny it either. Now they're sure he is the father. It is embarrassing."

"Well it seems a small matter, really," Goliath said shrugging and rising, "He is keeping the secret and covering for us. I would think you owe him a 'thank you'."

She looked down nodding minutely, "Yeah, I guess you're right."

One month later:

Xanatos was as good as his word, something that still surprised Elisa. There was always a part of her that did not trust him. He had been the bad guy way too long in her mind to easily swallow him turning over a new leaf.

Yet here it was, her own private delivery room. One large room in the castle had been set up as a combination of doctor's office and for the future the delivery room. Elisa had been impressed despite herself, for it was state of the art, and actually had been made to look homey and warm. It was a feat that was hard to do considering the walls of stone and the medieval tapestries and decorations that permeated the castle. They had gotten everything up to and including an area for emergency surgery should it come to that. She grimaced hoping that it would not go that far.

Doctor Morton had contacted her just a week ago, after Elisa had given up on the hope that Xanatos would keep that promise. By the tone of the doctor's voice on the phone he must have been bouncing on the balls of his feet at the thought of meeting her, and for getting to take this case. She had reluctantly set an appointment with him for her next day off. She brought in her records taken from the doctor who had originally found her condition and the "defects" that her baby possessed. She sighed not knowing what to expect.

She opened the doors to the designated room and stopped short. Doctor Morton was a short man, portly and balding. He had a large smile on his face as he closed the distance between the door and his desk, moved here from who knows where. Elisa was a little chagrined to see that it was the same doctor who had treated Goliath's injuries several month's prior.

"Ms. Maza, it is good to see you again," He said warmly, "Please come in and sit down." Slowly Elisa followed him sitting at a large and most comfortable chair just across from his own. Before she could say anything, Doctor Morton went on, "Are those…your charts?" He asked leaning over his desk with eagerly outstretched hands. Elisa nodded handing them over to the Doctor.

Doctor Morton sat back slowly going through the charts and her previous doctor's notes. She heard him snicker and mutter "Defects" and "Moron". She was forced to hide a smile behind her hands. He paused on several occasions making notes of his own and then watched with avid interest the included tape of Elisa's ultrasound. His eyes were round saucers of excitement as the fairly short clip concluded.

He looked at her again smiling, "This is absolutely fascinating," Doctor Morton said.

"I'm glad you think so," Elisa said, her mouth pulling down into a grimace. There was a sinking feeling in her gut at the man's exuberant attitude, it was a little too happy. She looked down at her hands and then back up again, "To be honest with you, you're giving me the creeps. I don't want to be treated like an experiment here. I could have done that with my other doctor."

"No," the Doctor said looking stunned, "I would never do that. Forgive me dear, I must have been carrying on like some mad scientist," Elisa couldn't help but agree with that assessment, nodding energetically at the statement, "I'm sorry, its just that I have a certain soft spot when it comes to Gargoyles. David has been very indulging of my hobby. I have helped to treat several of the Gargoyles injuries over the past year. Though I will say that this is a first for me. I have never even dealt with Gargoyle eggs, much less a case of cross breeding. I don't think that any other doctor could claim that."

Elisa blushed furiously.

"Oh dear, I'm doing it again," Doctor Morton apologized, "Let's go ahead and give you a baseline exam, just so we know where we stand, shall we?" He stood up and Elisa followed him to a curtained area where they had set up the examination room.

An hour later Elisa had a little better feeling about the doctor than when she had first walked in. He was certainly more competent than she had given him credit for. He had performed a full series of test on her and on her baby to get an idea on both of their overall health. The baby had grown considerably since even her last visit and the gargoyle markers were much more prominent than before. The size of the fetus was nearly double what it had been the month prior.

She was no longer able to delude herself into thinking that she was going to fit into her normal clothes. She had been making do with some oversized sweats for the past several days while she was on her days off. And she had been forced to spend some of that time shopping for maternity clothes. She knew without a doubt that she was going to need them and soon.