Maddie sat with Shayla in the waiting room at the doctor's office, reviewing insurance forms and making sure her information was up to date while she waited for the nurse to call her name.

"You sure Danny's comin'?" Shayla asked, peeking around her foster mother at the door. "He should be here by now…"

"He'll be here if he can," Maddie told her. "If he can't make it he'll call. He always does, right?"

The girl nodded and went back to the parenting magazine she had been trying to read in an effort to fend off the boredom of the waiting room. Every few seconds, though, she'd look up and glance at the door.

"Madeline Messer," the nurse called out from the sign in window.

Maddie grinned unconsciously at the use of her married name and rose from her seat. "Wait here for a few minutes and see if Danny makes it," she told Shayla. "If he doesn't I'll have the nurse come get you before we do the ultrasound…we should be able to hear the heartbeat of your little brother or sister already."

Shayla grinned as widely as Maddie at that thought. "Okay."

The mother-to-be disappeared into the back of the office and Shayla sat fidgeting in the waiting room a while longer. Finally, though, Danny burst through the door and hurried over to his foster daughter.

"Did I miss it?" he asked breathlessly. "Did they do the ultrasound?"

Shayla's smile was laced with relief. "No, they didn't do it yet."

"Shall we, then?" he asked, offering her his arm.

She took it and walked back with him, pausing momentarily to ask the nurse which exam room Maddie was in. They knocked on the door and were rewarded when the doctor swung it open.

"Just in time," he smiled. "We just finished up the exam and were getting ready for the ultrasound."

"Perfect," Danny congratulated himself, moving toward the exam table to kiss his wife hello. He gestured to Shayla to come over, too, and the two of them stood beside Maddie as the doctor lifted her gown up and covered her abdomen with ultrasound gel. She winced at the temperature of the goo and Danny grinned.

"Cold?" he asked with a smirk.

She swatted him playfully. "Yes it's cold. Would you like to find out for yourself?"

The doctor smiled amusedly and continued with his work, firing up the ultrasound machine and moving the wand toward the exam table. "Ready?" he asked.

Maddie and Danny shared a happy look, then shifted their eyes to Shayla who nodded excitedly.

"You better believe it," Danny grinned.

The doctor planted the ultrasound wand into the gel and maneuvered it around, trying to get a clear shot of the baby. A rapid pulsing filled the room, and an accompanying image flashed onto the screen revealing a small curled figure with tiny buds for arms and legs. A little heart fluttered in time with the pulsing, and the doctor pointed out the makings of ears and eyes.

Shayla gasped. "Is that…"

Maddie nodded, her blue eyes sparkling brightly. "…the next little Messer," she finished.

Danny didn't say anything for a moment, unable to tear his eyes from the monitor. He reached over and took his wife's hand and squeezed it, smiling softly when she squeezed his in return. He cleared his throat gruffly and shook his head a little. "That's him…"

"…or her," Shayla reminded him.

He laughed a little and slid his arm around her, his eyes still riveted to the screen. "Or her," he confirmed. "That's our little one…"

The doctor slid the ultrasound wand around some more to get a view from a different perspective, examining the baby from every angle possible. When he was satisfied, he punched a button on the monitor and printed off a couple of still pictures for the parents-to-be.

"Everything looks great," he told them with a smile. "And here are the first pictures…"

Shayla took the sonograms from the doctor and clutched them tightly in her hands, her smile softening with love.

Danny managed to tear his gaze from his unborn child and shift it to his foster child, squeezing her shoulders affectionately as he kissed her hair. "Protective already, aren't you?" he grinned.

Maddie laughed lightly and reached for her family, releasing Danny's hand to take Shayla's, leaning into his embrace as her husband's arm slid around her. "Look at the heart beating…"

The three continued to concentrate on the ultrasound monitor, memories of the first ultrasound they had seen invading the two adults' thoughts. That one had looked healthy, too, right up until the end of the pregnancy. Shayla saw it in their eyes, knew they were remembering their first child, and said a silent prayer for them and for the baby they had lost.

The doctor allowed the little family their moment, then broke up the party gently by sliding the ultrasound wand off Maddie's abdomen and sponging some of the gel away. He handed her a few more paper towels with a smile. "So remember—no caffeine, no alcohol, keep up with your prenatal vitamins, and make sure you get plenty of regular exercise."

"Yes sir," the mother-to-be replied with a wink.

The doctor took his leave, and with another round of hugs and quick kisses, Danny and Shayla followed him out so Maddie could get dressed. Foster father and daughter waited in the lobby, walking out toward the car with Maddie when the post-appointment paperwork was completed.

When they arrived at Maddie's vehicle, Danny hugged Shayla tightly and kissed her hair again before she climbed into the passenger seat. "Take care of her, okay?" he smiled. It was one of the many things they had bonded over, looking after Maddie together, and they always reminded each other of it.

"You got it," the girl replied with a grin, pecking him on the cheek in return before bouncing into the car.

Danny turned his attention to his wife, slipping his arms around her waist and pulling her close to him. "You take it easy today," he instructed, running a hand over her back.

Maddie smiled. "Relax," she replied, resting her arms around his neck. "Shayla and I are going school shopping today, and then the only thing I'm doing is getting ready for our first interview for the adoption application."

"Okay," he replied, "but that's it."

She grinned. "If you're this protective now, what are you gonna be like when school starts?"

He brushed a hand over the soft skin of her face and smiled gently in response. "I love you, ya know."

"I know," she told, kissing him softly. Her fingers threaded through his hair as his arms tightened around her. When they drew apart, she smiled again. "I love you, too."



Arriving back at the lab, Danny noticed Don standing in a secluded corner with his head slightly bowed, talking on his cell phone. His words were professional, but Danny instantly recognized the look on his friend's face and knew who he was speaking to.

"Hi Aiden," the CSI called as he approached.

Don whipped around, an angry frown etched on his face. "Hey Messer, do you mind?" he barked. Going back to his conversation, he returned to his corner and listened for a moment. Then, sheepishly, he called out, "Aiden says hi." Danny laughed, but Don continued, "She wants to know how the ultrasound went. Yeah, hey, how did that go?"

Danny smiled proudly and pulled one of the sonograms from the manila envelope he was carrying. "Look for yourself."

"All I see is a blob…" Don returned, squinting at the image.

Danny could hear Aiden laughing on the other end of the line and joined in. "Yeah, but that blob is my healthy child. Did you hear that, Aid? He's doing just fine so far."

"He?" Don asked. "How do you know it's a boy?"

The smile faded a bit from Danny's scruffy face and took on a slightly sad quality. "I don't…you can't tell for a few more months yet. I guess it's just an old habit from last time…"

Aiden heard the comment, becoming silent on the other end of the phone, and Don nodded slowly. After a few moments he patted Danny's shoulder. "We got our fingers crossed for this one," he said quietly.

Danny bowed his head and nodded back, glancing at Don out of the corner of his eye. "Thanks." The silence lasted for a minute more before he spoke again, sighing and clapping his hand on Don's back. "Listen, man, I gotta get to work. You're still helping me build that bookcase for Maddie this weekend, right?"

The young detective grinned. "You 'n me building a bookcase in the middle of your apartment after consuming several beers? I wouldn't miss it."

"Good, 'cause someone's gonna have to explain to my wife why her bookshelf looks like a three-year-old built it," Danny grinned in return. He headed down the hall, calling out "'Bye Aid!" as he moved toward Mac's office.

One more thing to take care of, he thought to himself, before I get back to the Moretti case.

He found his boss in his office leafing through the nine case folders that sat on the edge of his desk, the cases that were his own personal cause now. Danny knocked on the open door. "Hey Mac, you got a minute?"

The older man looked up. "Sure Danny. What's up? Is that the M.E.'s report on the Moretti case?" he asked, gesturing to the manila envelope the younger CSI was still carrying.

Danny shook his head and sat down in a chair on the other side of the desk. "Nope. It's the O.B.'s report from the Messer case," he winked.

"Maddie's ultrasound," Mac smiled. "How did it go?"

Danny pulled one of the sonogram pictures from the envelope and handed it to his superior. "Doctor says everything's fine so far, with Maddie and with the baby."

"That's good news," Mac told him, studying the sonogram as though he knew what he was looking at.

Maybe he does, Danny thought. He seems to know everything else… Out loud he replied, "Yeah. It's real good news. Now as long as it stays good news, we're all set."

Mac handed the sonogram back. "Well, you know if there's anything you need…"

"Actually, there is one thing," Danny confirmed. "Our first interview for the adoption application is tonight, and they're gonna ask to speak to our friends and family. Since Maddie's family is all in Michigan and my family, is…"

Danny's voice trailed off and Mac nodded, understanding the implication.

"…we were hoping you and Stella might be willing to be character references for us. You two have known me for a while, and you met Maddie even before I did. You both know us so well…"

"Of course we would," Mac responded seriously. "Stella and I both would be honored."

The two men talked for a few more minutes, moving from personal issues to Danny's current case load. Then, glancing at his watch, Danny stood. "I guess I should get back to work. Don't forget, I'm outta here at six o'clock tonight, Mac. If you need me after seven thirty just give me a call, but I gotta be at that interview on time."

"Another personal errand?" Mac replied. "That's two in one day!"

Danny didn't see the twinkle in his eye and began to get defensive. "Come on, Mac. I told you about this two weeks ago and you approved it on the spot…"

The elder detective broke into a grin. "I'm kidding. You're off at six tonight, and not in again 'til tomorrow afternoon. Go home tonight and spend some time with your family."

Danny smiled sheepishly back. "I will."



At six o'clock exactly, Danny trudged tiredly into the locker room to change quickly and gather his things before heading out to meet Maddie and Shayla for the first step in the adoption process. He opened his locker and set down the manila envelope he had carried with him all day, pulling out one of the sonogram pictures of his unborn child and taping to the inside of the locker door with a smile. He admired the picture for a moment, hoping for the millionth time that this pregnancy would end happily, then turned his attention to his clothes. Stripping off the polo shirt and jeans he was wearing, he exchanged them for a plain white dress shirt and black slacks, something he rarely wore anymore. With a sigh he reached back into the locker and pulled out an article of clothing he had always hated, a silky blue tie that he draped around his neck and reluctantly began to tie.

Another CSI wandered into the locker room at that point and chuckled. "Hey Messer, are you wearing a tie?" she asked incredulously. "I've worked with you for three years, and I've never seen you wear one."

Danny finished knotting the tie and cinched it up loosely, leaving a little bit of breathing room between his neck and his collar. "I have an appointment to keep," he replied a little shortly, more out of dislike for the tie rather than his colleague.

"And you're wearing a tie?" the CSI repeated, trying not to grin too widely at his obvious discomfort.

He checked himself out in the little mirror inside his locker and smiled, remembering the care that Maddie and Shayla had taken to select that particular tie for him to wear to the adoption application interview. "Yeah," he replied rather proudly, getting ready to use a phrase he had been trying out lately. "My wife and daughter picked it out for me."

My wife and daughter, he thought. Danny smiled again. Yeah, I kinda like that.