Promises
Rating: R
Disclaimer: See chapter one
A/N: Okay, this chapter's taking me a bit longer than the previous ones, so sorry about that! This takes place about two weeks after the last chapter. Since Calleigh's preggers in this fic, I figured I should include the obligatory morning bathroom scene, so here it is, enjoy :o)
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Eric groaned as Calleigh leapt out of bed, flinging the covers onto him as she hightailed it to the bathroom. He looked over at the clock on their bedside table, it was 6:34 am; they didn't have to be up for another 26 minutes, but Calleigh was already in the bathroom, emptying what was left of her stomach contents. He sighed and heaved himself out of bed, making his way to the bathroom, where he found her, sitting on the rug in front of the toilet, finishing her new morning ritual. Wordlessly Eric kneeled down behind her, pulling her hair back gently and rubbing her back. When she leaned back into him, he pulled her into his lap and stroked her silky hair, kissing the top of her head. "I'm sorry baby", he said, squeezing her softly
"It's not your fault" she mumbled into his chest
He chuckled, "It kind of is…"
She smiled up at him, "It'll be worth it in the end"
He smiled back, "Yeah, for me at least"
She leaned up and kissed him on the cheek, "Good morning"
He smiled, helping her up with an arm around her waist, "Morning Beautiful"
She rolled her eyes, making her way to the sink, "Right, I'm sure I'm really attractive right now"
Eric stood behind her in front of the mirror and brushed her hair over her shoulder, leaning in to kiss her neck, "You're always gorgeous, baby"
Calleigh giggled, "You know exactly what to say, don't you?"
"It's the truth", he said, wrapping his arms around her and placing his hands on her belly, letting her lean into him as she brushed her teeth.
"I'm going to make breakfast" Eric announced, releasing her as she rinsed the toothpaste from her mouth.
"I'm not going to have any" she called as he turned to leave. He stopped and looked back at her, worried, "Calleigh, you need to eat"
She rolled her eyes, "I'm not hungry right now, and I probably won't be able to hold it down anyway"
Eric sighed, "Cal, you're losing weight instead of gaining it. You need to eat more"
Calleigh groaned, "Eric calm down, this is normal. After I get into the second trimester I'll be fine, I'll probably start eating more than you do"
Eric crossed the room and took her hand, "Calleigh," he hesitated, knowing that what he was about to say wouldn't go over well, "Maybe you should take a day and just rest. I think you'd feel a lot better, and you could go back to work refreshed"
Calleigh pulled her hand back and looked him in the eye angrily, "I can still do my job Eric, I'm not handicapped"
Eric sighed again, he'd known this would be her reaction. "You're right honey, I'm sorry. I'm just concerned; I want you and the baby to stay healthy"
Calleigh's face softened and she reached out to reclaim his hand, "I know you want us healthy, and I appreciate it, but don't worry. I know my limitations, and if I need to stop I will"
Eric knew she'd collapse on the floor from exhaustion before she'd willingly take a break, but he also knew there was no use arguing with her. He forced a smile, "Okay, if you're sure"
She smiled reassuringly, "I'm sure"
Eric nodded, he made a mental note to keep an eye on her at work and make sure she wasn't overdoing it.
Calleigh yawned as she made notes on her ballistics findings; she was feeling tired, but she wasn't going to take a break until she was finished. Just as she was turning back to her comparison microscope, she heard footsteps approaching. "What's up Eric"
"How did you know it was me?" he asked incredulously
Calleigh sighed, "Well Eric, seeing as how you've been in here to check up on me every hour on the hour since we've gotten here, I made an educated guess", she turned around in her chair to look at him, "and what do you know, I was right"
Eric put his hands up in submission, "Okay, you got me, but I can't help it! My manly protective instincts are taking over"
Calleigh rolled her eyes, she secretly liked the fact that he was protective of her, but he did take it too far at times. "Do you need something?"
He nodded and grabbed her hand, tugging on it lightly, "Let's go get some lunch"
She took a deep breath, "Give me twenty minutes to finish this report"
Eric started to protest but thought better of it; he didn't want to start another argument, and he figured she could last another twenty minutes without collapsing from malnutrition.
"Okay", he replied, squeezing her hand.
She smiled appreciatively and leaned up to give him a quick kiss before he left her to finish her report. Not two minutes after she'd picked her pen back up the door swung open again behind her. She sighed audibly, "It's going to be longer than twenty minutes if you keep harassing me"
"Well I'm not trying to harass you Lambchop, I just thought I'd pay you a little visit"
Calleigh dropped her pen and turned around, slightly startled, "Dad!"
"How're you doing, sweetheart?", he asked, reaching out to hug her
"I'm fine, dad" she responded, squeezing him briefly before pulling back
"Are you taking care of yourself?", he asked, looking at her seriously
"Yes dad" Calleigh assured him, "What about you?"
"I'm good, really", he grinned at her, "but I miss you. I've only seen you once since you found out about the baby"
"I know, sorry. I've just been really backed up at work", she said, pushing a strand of hair behind her ear.
"You should take it easy Lambchop, it's not good for you to work as hard as you do, especially now"
Calleigh clenched her fists, did Eric and her dad secretly plot to team up on her today or something?
"I know you're trying to help dad, but I'm a grown up and I can handle my workload, okay?"
"Okay well, how about I take you to lunch and we can catch up"
She bit her lip, "Uh dad, I would love to, but I already told Eric we'd have lunch together"
Her father was undeterred, "Well why don't all three of us go?"
Calleigh sighed, she knew her dad made Eric nervous and he wouldn't be too happy to find out Kenwall would be joining them, but it would serve him right for pestering her all day. "Okay, just give me ten minutes. I'll meet you in the break room", she replied, giving him a tight smile
"All right, I'll be waiting", he squeezed her shoulder and exited the lab. Finally Calleigh looked down at her report, her train of thought completely lost, "Why do I even bother?"
A/N: Okay, this chapter was just sort of a filler, the next one should be up relatively soon and hopefully will be a bit more exciting :o)
