Disclaimer:
I created Adam O'Riley, Fast Eddie and any others that don't sound familiar to you. Everyone else is owned by Disney. These stories are written for pleasure, not for profit. Please don't sue me. Oh pretty please?
3-"Showing"
Elisa Maza awoke from her slumber on a chilly February morning, clutching onto her warm comforter, and shivering. The sun was blazing into the room through the wooden blinds which hung upon her window frame. Resolving at once to get up, she stretched her arms as far as possible without straining herself, pulled the covers back and jumped out of bed, dashing to the back of her door where her red terrycloth robe hung. Quickly blanketing herself in the robe, she walked into her bathroom and shut the door. Only a piping hot shower would help her to feel warm, since the cold could be felt, she was sure, down to her bones. Standing before the full-length bathroom mirror, she removed her robe, and hung it behind the bathroom door behind her. She removed her pyjama top and let it drop upon the floor. Bending slightly, she pulled her pyjama pants down and kicked them aside. Glancing up, she saw her complete figure in the mirror. Her skin was slightly blotchy; nothing a little foundation wouldn't even out, though she would have to ask Beth how exactly to use that stuff. She gazed lower, to her breasts, which were steadily expanding every week. She noticed today that the skin surrounding her nipples was darkened and also seemed to be expanding. Great, she thought. The 'twins' will be unstoppable soon… Her eyes then focused upon her ever-expanding belly. Though she was only 3 ½ months along, her tummy was about the size of a grapefruit, which was the normal size for a woman's first pregnancy, according to Dr. Alban. Seeing her belly, and the impending growth she was to experience, she knew that someone would not mistake her tummy for simply her lack of exercise. She exhaled as she turned to see the full silhouette. She also realised that she would soon have to reconsider her normal attire of jeans and her tight black t-shirt, and trade them in for maternity clothes. Placing her right hand upon her tummy, a gesture she was carrying out more frequently as the months progressed, she spoke to her child aloud.
"I won't be able to keep you a secret for too much longer, Little One. I Guess I'll have to come clean to the Captain tonight." With a content smile on her face, she walked towards the shower and turned it on before stepping in. She had to pick her mother up for a breakfast date, and wasn't going to look as if she had just climbed out of bed.
Elisa and Diane Maza were seated in a timely fashion at their favourite café in Manhattan later that morning. As Elisa was looking over the menu, her hunger growing as she read and reread the names of the dishes on the menu, her mother smiled at her.
"Elisa, how are you feeling this morning? Have you been throwing up lately?" Her mother asked.
"Actually, the morning sickness has slowed down. But I was really, really cold this morning." Elisa replied, looking up from the menu.
"Elisa, it was 21 degrees this morning. It's understandable that you were cold. After all, it is the middle of February." Elisa made a noise of understanding.
"I know." She replied. "Mom, how were your experiences with pregnancy."
Diane giggled, as she reminisced about her three pregnancies. She knew this day would come, where her eldest daughter would be asking about pregnancy and what to expect, using her mother's experiences as a gauge. Laughing, she answered, counting on her fingers when she named another Maza child.
"I was always quite cold when I was pregnant with Derek, and craved salty things. With Beth, I hardly ever threw up, and I always wanted chocolate for some reason. With you, though, I was sick the entire pregnancy. I became repulsed by everything that had a distinct smell. Even cooking made me nauseous. Derek and Beth were a joy compared to carrying you, Elisa." She chuckled. Elisa couldn't help but laugh, too, at the torment she must have put her poor mother through while she was pregnant.
"Ouch, sorry mom!" Elisa giggled. The waitress came by, took Elisa's order of eggs, pancakes and 2 milk, Diane's order of hash browns, sunny-side up eggs and coffee, and left them to continue their conversation.
"Dear, it's alright. I would do it over again. Look at the woman you've become. You are strong and intelligent and determined, and your father and I are so proud of you. Those nine months of constant throwing up helped to produce the incredible daughter I'm looking at right now." She placed her hand over her daughter's on the table. Elisa became misty eyed. Damn hormones, Elisa thought.
"Thanks, mom." She smiled. As if she just remembered something she had forgotten, tapped the table lightly with her hand. "I think I'm going to tell Captain Chavez about the pregnancy tonight before my shift starts. I'm already beginning to show." Diane Maza seemed ecstatic with this news.
"That is great, Elisa. I didn't show when I was pregnant with you until I was nearly five months along…it's probably because you are so fit. With Derek and Beth, I began showing at around the three month mark like you are now. You will need to get some maternity clothing soon…" Diane Maza had a light-bulb moment, and her eyes lit up instantly. "After breakfast, let's go to this maternity shop in Soho. What do you say?" Elisa smiled graciously.
"Sure mom, but let's stay away from the expensive ones…remember that I have to supply this kid with unlimited diapers for the next two years at least!" They shared a laugh until the meal arrived. Elisa, being famished by then, ate everything in ten minutes flat, while her mother was still picking at her hash browns. After Diane paid for the meal, to two got into Elisa's Fairlane and sped to Soho to do some more mother-daughter bonding at a maternity clothing store.
"Elisa, what did you want to see me about?" Captain Maria Chavez asked as Elisa sat in the chair opposite the Captain's desk. She cleared her throat.
"Well, Captain, I don't know how you'll take this news, but I'll just go ahead and say it…" Maria waited as Elisa paused dramatically.
"I'm pregnant." She stated simply. Maria instantly smiled.
"That's fantastic, Elisa! Congratulations! How far along are you? And I didn't even know you had a boyfriend…" Captain Chavez began. Elisa cut her off.
"I'm actually about 3 ½ months along…" She waited for Maria to put two and two together using the timeframe. It only took her a few seconds to realise that Dracon was the father.
"Oh God." Maria looked shocked, then regretful. "I didn't know, Elisa. I'm sorry." Maria apologised mournfully. This implied that Elisa had been raped. Elisa shook her head.
"Don't be, Captain. He didn't…it was while I was there, but he didn't do that. It was artificial insemination. He is…was the father of my child, though." Elisa confirmed. Maria looked incredibly relieved that Elisa hadn't been raped, but still found it perplexing that Elisa would keep that criminal's child. She wasn't, however, in the practice of asking questions of her detectives about their private lives unless they allowed her to, so she didn't ask Elisa anything further about Dracon. She simply smiled heartily, rose from her chair, and walked around to where Elisa was sitting. Elisa also rose from her chair to meet Maria.
"Detective, you seem thrilled about this, and honestly, that's what matters. I'm so happy for you." Elisa smiled at her Captain. Maria extended her arms and, in a show of friendship, Captain Chavez hugged Elisa. After the hug, Elisa wore a pleased smile.
"Thank you Captain. Now, my question is what's to be done with me." She laughed. Maria nodded.
"Of course. Well, I understand the nature of your job, especially night shift. If you want, I can either reassign you to day shift, or I can put you on desk duty until you are put on maternity leave. Either way, this is effective whenever you feel that you can't do your regular duties anymore."
"Well, I'm still a night-owl, so I think I will prefer to be on night desk duty. But I think I'm still capable of working the beat with Matt and Adam for now."
Maria put a hand on Elisa's shoulder.
"Are you sure, Elisa? It isn't a crime to want to be on the safe side, you know"
Elisa shook her head decisively.
"Trust me, I'm alright for now. I'll let you know when I can't work the beat anymore." Maria nodded.
"Alright, Elisa. It's your decision. Just say the word and you're on desk duty." Maria shook her hand as Elisa turned towards the door to her office.
"Thank you, Captain. I'd better tell Matt and Adam now, though. Otherwise they'll have my ass on a platter!"
"What! That's incredible! Wow!" Matt exclaimed as Elisa shared her news with him and Adam a few minutes later in her car at a red light. Adam beamed in his good-hearted way at the news and added his two cents in.
"That's quite incredible indeed! You'll make a fine mother, Elisa." Adam said from the backseat. The street light changed to green, and Elisa slammed her slender foot on the gas pedal, causing Matt and Adam to jolt in their seats.
Adam laughed a little harder. "One thing I ask, though…don't teach the child how to drive please! Leave that to a professional!"
Meanwhile, back at the Precinct…
Ed Kane, 'Fast Eddie' to his friends and the underbelly of Manhattan's crime scene, sat in the interrogation room in the 23rd precinct house, awaiting his lawyer to come at get him out of this mess—a mess caused by that bitch, Elisa Maza.
She was the one who broke up that mugging that he and his buddies were planning on that stupid old tourist in Battery Park about a month ago. They would have gotten away if it weren't for those damned monsters that caught up to them and beat them senseless. Fast Eddie had the upper hand against Elisa, though. He had seen that chick on the news, and recognised her once he regained consciousness, and then he saw that she was buddy-buddy with the tallest of those gargoyles. Buddy-buddy was actually an understatement—he heard that monster call her 'imy love/i'. A wave of repulsion swept over him at the thought of that cop hooking up with that…thing. He knew what he had to do when he got out of here: go straight to the Quarrymen and tell them about her. That would definitely help in getting rid of the gargoyles, and Fast Eddie would get his revenge on her in the process. As he was mulling the idea over in his head, his lawyer came in, escorted by the Captain of detectives, Maria Chavez. His lawyer sat down beside him, shook his hand and placed his briefcase firmly and loudly atop the table before him. The Captain took the seat in front of them and stared at Fast Eddie.
"Listen, Chavez, you and your officers have nothing on my client here. Your supposed witness is nowhere to be found, and your detectives have no evidence other than their 'convenient' stories. I suggest you release my client before I call in a favour at the D.A's office. Margot Yale is a personal friend of mine…" The lawyer smiled confidently at Chavez, then patted Fast Eddie on the back in premature celebration. Chavez exhaled, looking frustrated, but calm.
"I see, Williams. Here's a tip: Calling in favours will never get you a good reputation in this city."
"Maybe not, but I will have a winning reputation with my clients, and that's what counts. Now, this conversation is over. My client has a life he'd like to get back to." The lawyer rose from his seat, motioning to Fast Eddie to rise as well. "If you'll excuse us, Captain..." Chavez could do nothing but allow them to leave. Grudgingly, she followed Fast Eddie and his scumbag lawyer out of the interrogation room and silently pointed to where the criminal had to sign release papers.
About 15 minutes later, Fast Eddie was once again free and already seeking revenge against the cop who had wasted a month of his life. As he descended the front stairs of the precinct, he raised his hand and hailed a taxi. "Take me to Liberty street in Queens."
"Friends, thank you for joining us again tonight. We have been criticized for our militaristic take on the extermination of the vermin that infest our city! I am here tonight to say that our cause is a noble one! Our struggle is benevolent! Our justification is right! We must make our streets safe again! We cannot allow these monsters to intimidate us into submission! We must fight against them! Fight until the last gargoyle dies!" The lean blond man standing at the podium shouted. He had a Hitler-esque way of commanding this crowd, and fanning the flames of hatred that burned within each member's dark heart. A chorus of accord rose up from the crowd at the Quarrymen's meeting this night. The old dance studio was now filled with voices of ignorance and thoughts of murder. Every one of the dozens of chairs were filled with men and women, clad in navy blue garb—the Quarryman's uniform consisted of navy blue jumpsuit with a circle and hammer on the front, and a navy blue hood, which most of them had on during the meeting. The blond man turned towards the man standing to the left of the podium. He pointed to him. "This man, Fast Eddie, has something to share with you all! He has learned of the identity of a traitor to humanity!" The blond man then pointed directly in front of him, to another man working a computer.
A white screen fell behind the blond man and suddenly the image of a news broadcast on CNN was displayed. The headline: "Detective Maza Found Alive". Immediately, there were distinct sneers from the crowd, as they recognised her. Most of them had been relieved that she had been found safe, but their perceptions of her had instantly soured. The other man standing beside the speaker walked up to the podium.
"Yeah, this bitch is a cop, but she's chummy with those gargoyle things. I seen them together!" The crowd was furious at the notion of a human consorting with the enemy. The blond man nearly pushed Fast Eddie out of the way to regain his podium.
"I need some volunteers to check this out before we decide about what will be done about this deceitful detective." Hands shot up sporadically among the crowd. The blond man picked a few at random and motioned for them to join him at the front of the room, one of them being Ray, the short and stout man who had met Robin at one of the first Quarrymen's meetings. Once Ray and the other nine volunteers reached the podium, the man began again.
"We will gather the necessary evidence to prove that she is a traitor to our species. Once we have it, we will remove her from the equation. If she is a traitor, she will lead us directly to the gargoyles! Wish these brave men and women luck, everyone. They will embark upon a noble quest on behalf of all of mankind!"
Roars of support rang from the old dance studio. The meeting was adjourned, and the people began exiting the room. The blond man and Fast Eddie still stood at the front of the room with the volunteers.
"Thanks, mister. That was awesome. We're really gonna take her out, huh?" Fast Eddie asked the lean man.
"As sure as my name is Jon Castaway, we will eliminate her if we find she's a traitor."
Meanwhile, back on patrol with Matt, Elisa and Adam…
After stopping in at a coffee shop (for Matt and Adam), and then chasing after a drug dealer on foot, Adam offered to drive. Elisa was exhausted from chasing the dealer, so she gratefully allowed him to take her first love, her car, for a test drive around Manhattan. Needing to fill up the tank after about an hour of patrolling, Elisa handed him some cash, and he got out to fill the tank for her, leaving Matt alone with Elisa to ask her the burning question he had been dying to ask since she announced her pregnancy.
He turned to his partner, inhaled deeply and began.
"Elisa, I have to know: Who is the father of this kid? It isn't…"
"Yeah, Matt, it is Dracon. Don't worry, please. I know what I'm getting myself into, and I have completely thought this through. That's partly why I waited until I was 3 ½ months along before telling the Captain or you. I wanted to make sure of what I would tell you guys, but honestly, I felt the truth would work just as well as some made-up bullshit. You know, Matt?" Elisa replied. His face still showed signs of concern, but he knew that Elisa set her mind to this, and would not allow herself to be swayed to the contrary by anyone.
"Yea, I get it, partner. I'm worried about you, though. I mean, this job is not the best one for someone who's pregnant. What will happen when you really start to bulge?"
"Hey!" Elisa retorted. "When I start showing more, I will ask Captain Chavez to put me on night desk shift. That way I can still check up on our 'friends' after my shift." She smiled at her cleverness. Just then, Adam got back into the car, holding a receipt and gave it to Elisa.
"What were we talkin' bout, then?" Adam asked good-humouredly.
"How we…" Elisa's face distorted in pain suddenly. "Ooooh." She said painfully.
Worriedly, Adam turned to look at her in her seat beside him.
"Elisa, what is it? What's wrong?" Adam asked, nearly pleadingly.
"Yea, Elisa? What is it?" Matt chimed from the backseat.
"Oh God. Cramps…" She said through waves of pain originating from her abdomen. "This doesn't feel right." Adam and Matt's eyes widened in horror. They looked at each other, searching for the answer to the question that was on both of their minds, "What do we do?" Elisa hunched over in pain, clutching onto her stomach. There were now tears in Elisa's eyes from the pain shooting from her stomach. Adam instantly turned the car on, snapped the siren on the top of the car, started the siren wailing, and sped off towards the nearest hospital.
"Elisa, hold on. We're almost at the hospital." Matt soothed, holding her shoulders with both hands. She was moaning in pain now. Adam drove almost as badly as Elisa on a good day, trying to get Elisa the medical help she obviously required. Good thing the siren made everyone get out of their way, otherwise Adam would have had to dodge in and out of the lanes.
The hospital came into sight. Siren still blaring, Adam stopped the car in front of the emergency drop off. Putting the car into park, he put his hands on Elisa's shoulders while Matt stepped out of the back seat, slammed the door, and opened Elisa's door, shouting, "Help! Someone help us here!" He bent down, held Elisa in his arms, with her still holding her stomach in pain, and ran with her to the doors, where there were paramedics responding to his cries for help. They placed her on a wheeled stretcher.
"She's about 3 months pregnant. She just started getting cramps about seven minutes ago." Matt said to the paramedic who had brought the stretcher. Adam, meanwhile, had driven the car to a place slightly out of the way of the ambulances and emergency room, and ran to catch up to Elisa and Matt. Once there, he saw Elisa crying out in pain and Matt holding her hand. The paramedic was writing something on some papers while another paramedic was taking her vital signs. Adam felt helpless. There was nothing he could do to help her except pray. That's it, he thought. That's what I can do for her. He approached her, and held her hand in his left. With his right, he reached for his Michael the Archangel pendant on the chain that hung around his slender neck. He slid the chain up over his head, opened her hand and put the chain and pendant in it.
"Elisa, be strong. Both your guardian angels are watching over you. Be strong."
Just then, the paramedics needed to take more tests. They hurried Matt and Adam away from Elisa, and pulled curtains all around her. She would remain in this room for the remainder of her shift.
three hours later…
Matt phoned the precinct to tell Captain Chavez of their location, and Elisa's condition. In truth, they hadn't told him or Adam much, except that the baby was fine, and that Elisa was resting comfortably. Captain Chavez was extremely worried for Elisa, but Matt reassured her that Elisa was out of danger, as well as the baby.
Another phone call needed to be made, though Matt was dreading it. He knew it had to be made, though. Elisa was, as the doctors said, out of danger, but she probably wouldn't be able to see the gargoyles that night unless she awoke in the next hour.
The stoic voice of Owen Burnett answered the phone.
"This is Matt Bluestone. Elisa is in the emergency room. Can you please tell the gargoyles? She is fine, but she almost lost the baby…"
"Baby?" Owen sounded rightly confused. Matt smacked his head at the realisation that she hadn't yet told Xanatos or Owen.
"…uh, yeah. Can you please tell them that I will be taking her home once the doctors release her? That won't be for a few hours, so unfortunately she won't be visiting tonight."
"Certainly, detective. I will deliver the news to them. They will most likely wish to know which hospital she is at."
"We're at St. Vincent's."
"Thank you, detective. Please extend our wishes for a speedy recovery." Owen answered politely.
"Will do, thanks, Owen." Matt replied. As he hung up, the doctor approached him.
He turned to face him, and shook his hand.
"Detective Matt Bluestone?"
"Yes, Doctor. What is going on with Elisa Maza?"
"She must have just been under stress of some kind, because there was some bleeding. We were able to stop the bleeding, but she will have to take the rest of her pregnancy easy. That baby she's carrying is one strong kid, though." He joked, causing Matt to crack a smile, too. He breathed a sigh of relief at his words. "Is Detective O'Riley in with her"
The doctor nodded.
"One more question, doc. When can I take her home?"
"Let's give her another hour of rest, then we will assess her before releasing her. She should be ready to go in a few hours or so."
"Thanks, doc." Matt replied gratefully. He hated hospitals, and this had been a very long night.
Adam stood beside Elisa's bed, smiling when he noticed she was waking up.
"Hi there, missy. You gave us quite a scare, you did."
Elisa yawned gently. "I scared myself, actually. I was in so much pain. It rivalled when I was shot." Shuddering, she felt something in her left hand she had been gripping while she slept. She opened her hand and saw Adam's chain, and the pendant of Michael the Archangel, the fluorescent lights above shining brilliantly against the pendant. She grinned.
"This is what saved my child. Your prayers and this angel. Thanks, Adam"
Adam bowed his head in humility.
"You're welcome, dear. I saw you going through so much anguish, and I knew that Michael would watch over you and relieve you of that pain. Whenever I am in pain, I turn to him and he comforts me. I told you before, Elisa, he watches over us police officers. He knows what he's doin'." He chuckled. She took his hand in hers, and placed the chain back into his hand.
"I believe this belongs to you. Thanks for the loan, Adam"
"Anytime." Adam replied.
