"That would make two of us," Olivia responds.
"Congratulations?"
A terse looks suggests congratulations is not an appropriate response. He stares at the black and white image she has thrown in his direction.
"How about you talk, and I listen? I would prefer not to be shot by my superior today."
"We both know that my service weapon is in my desk drawer."
"And I, am personally, very relieved by that fact."
"I had hoped they could bandage me up, and send me on my way."
Fin nods, "I can see that this trip to the hospital is not going as planned."
"I can't be pregnant. I am old," her face twists in disgust.
"I think that evidence says otherwise. What made them suspect that you were pregnant?"
"Nothing. It is a policy that they have in place. A pregnancy test is a standard lab for all women under the age of fifty five who still have a uterus."
"How long have we worked together? More than twenty years, right?"
"Yes," she nods in confirmation.
"I have seen you less rattled over a gun to your head. Why don't you unpack this a little bit? You know that whatever you say to me doesn't leave this room."
"I don't even know where to start. I am in a state of shock."
"So you didn't know that you were pregnant?"
"No. I guess I should have… I…" she trails off.
"How far along are you?"
She groans, "They placed gestational age at twenty weeks."
"Okay. So you're having a baby, it isn't the end of the world."
"I shouldn't be having a baby. I am closer to the retirement crowd than I am the preschool mom crowd."
"Liv I hate to make matters worse, but who is the other party responsible for this?"
"Fin! I have been spinning out, and I hadn't even considered that yet."
"Olivia take a breath. It's going to be okay. Obviously this was not planned, and you are owning a lot of feelings about it, but you are a great mom. Just pause for a second."
"If I could turn this spiral of negative thinking off I would."
He holds the black, and white image up for her to see. "Listen Liv, I know there is a lot going on in your head right now. There is a lot going on in the world right now. I am not trying to minimize any of that. I do want you to stop for just a second and look at this," he points, "This is your baby. Just take that in for a minute."
She offers a heavy exhale as her eyes remain glued to the image of unborn life stares back at her.
"I have never considered having a second child. There was never another thought about babies after Noah. It was such a process to make his presence permanent I didn't even consider the possibility."
"But this is happening, and now you have to consider what it means."
"That I have completely upended my life," she insists.
"That doesn't have to be true. You can make all of this completely disappear if you choose to."
"I'm not going to do that."
"I didn't figure that you would, but I think you need to know where you stand."
"How am I going to tell Noah?"
"I don't think you have to answer that right away."
"Fin you should really get back to the precinct. I will be fine."
"Have you ever known me to walk away when a man is down?"
"No. It is one of your biggest strengths," she admits.
"And weaknesses," he adds.
"I was not prepared for this. At this point it feels like it would have been a relief if they told me I was having an intracranial hemorrhage."
"What is your plan? Who are you going to tell? When are you going to tell them? What can I do to support you?"
"I don't want to alarm anyone at this point."
"So you're just going to wait it out?" He grimaces.
She shrugs, "I am not unpacking this with anyone else right now. It is bad enough that the two of us are having this discussion."
"I think there is someone else you need to tell sooner rather than later."
"Noah."
He shakes his head, "That isn't who I was referring to. I think you might need to confess this to the person responsible for impregnating you."
Her cheeks sting in embarrassment, "And say what, exactly? That the two of us had too much to drink, and allowed ourselves to get carried away, and now I'm knocked up?"
"I think you could find a more polished way to deliver the news, but yeah."
"I don't think I want to tell him at all."
"You need to get some rest. You're exhausted, and cognitively you are impaired by your concussion. Let's regroup in the morning."
A few hours later she awakens to find Fin passed out, and snoring in a chair near her bed. His feet rest on the edge of her bed. Her head throbs a she attempts to orient herself to her surroundings. The images on the bedside stand tell her that her nightmare is reality. Before she can be too sucked into her own spiral her phone rings.
"Good morning, Noah," she greets the caller.
"Morning, mom. I didn't wake you up, did I?"
"No, sweet boy."
"Are you okay? Fin said you fell, and hit your head."
"I am. They gave me a couple of stitches, so I am probably going to have a fancy scar. I guess I was a little bit dehydrated, so they have been giving me some fluids. I should be able to leave very soon. I am sorry I couldn't be there to get you off to school this morning."
"No worries. I love you. I have to go, Lucy said it is time for me to get in the shower."
"Bye," she hangs up the phone.
