A lot of thanks to the people who encouraged me to post more of the story.
I'm in a good mode so here it is...
Part 3
February 2002
"Harm, "Mac said after she opened the door. A week ago she had told him about her pregnancy. He had been shocked, really shocked and hadn't gotten a single word out of his mouth. She had told him to take some time and think about it and come and talk to her when he was ready to do so. They had worked on separate cases recently so they had hardly seen each other at all. Not that they wouldn't have been able to ignore those things even if they had, they were good at ignoring important things.
"Mac, can I come in?"
"Yeah, "Mac nodded and let him in. He took off his coat and sat down on the couch. Mac went to sit down opposite of him in one of the armchairs. She sat in such a defensive pose, her arms tucked in front of her and her mental wall up high around her. He could see how afraid she was of getting hurt.
"I've been thinking a lot about the baby," he started off looking down at his hands "and I think it would be best for everyone if we got married."
"Why?" Mac said terrified and shocked. She hadn't expected this. However a little hope that maybe he felt the same way about her as she did about him was lit in her heart.
"I think it will be the best for the baby, we can live together and take care of him or her together and..." his voice trailed off. He didn't think that she would want to hear the most important reason for him to want to be married to her. The reason that had nothing to do with the baby.
"You think that's the best for the baby, to grow up in a scam, a fake family with parents who don't love each other. I'm not going to let that happen," Mac said. She had now realized that he was just thinking in practical terms, not at all interested in actually being married to her.
"Sarah," he tried. He didn't want to give this up.
"Don't Sarah me," she snapped.
"I don't want my child to grow up in two separate homes being shuttled back and forth," he snapped back infected by her anger.
"Maybe you should have thought about that a little earlier," she came back at him.
"I thought you were on the pill," he said, not actually meaning to accuse her of anything and realizing too late how it had sounded.
"So now this is my fault. Protection is the woman's responsibility, right?" she said sarcastically.
"I didn't mean that, Mac," he said calmer now. He had come here to propose to her not to fight with her. 'Why do we always end up like this when we try to have the important conversations?'
"I think you better leave now, Harm. I almost ended up in a loveless marriage nine months ago, I'm not going to do make the same mistake again, not even for the baby's sake. I'll draw up some papers for a custody agreement, I assume you want to be involved with the child in some way."
"Mac..."
"No."
Two weeks later Harm found the papers on his desk. He read them through and signed them without trying to change anything about them. He had no idea how the two of them had ended up like that. How everything had gone so wrong.
TBC
Part 3
February 2002
"Harm, "Mac said after she opened the door. A week ago she had told him about her pregnancy. He had been shocked, really shocked and hadn't gotten a single word out of his mouth. She had told him to take some time and think about it and come and talk to her when he was ready to do so. They had worked on separate cases recently so they had hardly seen each other at all. Not that they wouldn't have been able to ignore those things even if they had, they were good at ignoring important things.
"Mac, can I come in?"
"Yeah, "Mac nodded and let him in. He took off his coat and sat down on the couch. Mac went to sit down opposite of him in one of the armchairs. She sat in such a defensive pose, her arms tucked in front of her and her mental wall up high around her. He could see how afraid she was of getting hurt.
"I've been thinking a lot about the baby," he started off looking down at his hands "and I think it would be best for everyone if we got married."
"Why?" Mac said terrified and shocked. She hadn't expected this. However a little hope that maybe he felt the same way about her as she did about him was lit in her heart.
"I think it will be the best for the baby, we can live together and take care of him or her together and..." his voice trailed off. He didn't think that she would want to hear the most important reason for him to want to be married to her. The reason that had nothing to do with the baby.
"You think that's the best for the baby, to grow up in a scam, a fake family with parents who don't love each other. I'm not going to let that happen," Mac said. She had now realized that he was just thinking in practical terms, not at all interested in actually being married to her.
"Sarah," he tried. He didn't want to give this up.
"Don't Sarah me," she snapped.
"I don't want my child to grow up in two separate homes being shuttled back and forth," he snapped back infected by her anger.
"Maybe you should have thought about that a little earlier," she came back at him.
"I thought you were on the pill," he said, not actually meaning to accuse her of anything and realizing too late how it had sounded.
"So now this is my fault. Protection is the woman's responsibility, right?" she said sarcastically.
"I didn't mean that, Mac," he said calmer now. He had come here to propose to her not to fight with her. 'Why do we always end up like this when we try to have the important conversations?'
"I think you better leave now, Harm. I almost ended up in a loveless marriage nine months ago, I'm not going to do make the same mistake again, not even for the baby's sake. I'll draw up some papers for a custody agreement, I assume you want to be involved with the child in some way."
"Mac..."
"No."
Two weeks later Harm found the papers on his desk. He read them through and signed them without trying to change anything about them. He had no idea how the two of them had ended up like that. How everything had gone so wrong.
TBC
