Our Secret
"Her name is Monique Sinclair." Sandra nodded, sitting in her office with Theo and Cassie, the lady at the adoption agency who they had been dealing with throughout the whole process. The lady who had called a few nights ago to tell them the good news, "This is her file for you to have a look at. You can take it away with you but I will need it back eventually." She said, sitting the folder across the desk.
"Do you know why she picked us?" Cassie asked curiously.
"Well… she liked that you were both police officers." Sandra smiled whilst Theo opened up the folder and took a quick glance at it, "She also liked that you had another child. She told me she had an older brother and… he was important to her growing up so… that was a factor." She nodded.
"She's from Tijuana?" Theo noticed on the file.
"Yeah." Sandra nodded, "She still lives there but she's staying with her aunt just now, here in Chicago." She said as Cassie nodded.
"She definitely doesn't want to meet with us?" Cassie asked.
"Definitely not." Sandra nodded, "She… doesn't want to see the baby when she's born either." She added as Cassie looked across at her.
"Is she receiving the appropriate support through all this? I mean… how does it work on her side?" Cassie asked. She was so concentrated on what they had to do that she hadn't even stopped to think about the woman, the young girl, who found herself in a position where she was giving her baby up for adoption.
"She'll be well looked after." Sandra nodded, "I think that's why her parents sent her to live with her aunt here. Chicago have a pretty impression adoption system. For the adopting parents and the women and families who are giving away." She said.
"There's nothing here about the dad." Theo said, closing the folder over after reading little bits of it, "Is he with her or…"
"From what she was willing to share… they met in high school and he left to go to the army." Sandra said, "He supports all of this. That's all I know." Sandra nodded.
"So how does this work? If she doesn't want to meet us… do we just show up at the hospital once she's had the baby?" Cassie asked.
"Yeah." Sandra nodded as Cassie raised her eyebrows, for some reason she expected it to be a lot more difficult than that, "We'll give you a call when she goes into the labour, to give you guys some time to get ready. And then we'll call again when the baby is here."
"It's like picking up a pizza." Theo chuckled a little as Cassie turned to him, "No, I don't mean… it's not like that." He made clear as Sandra smiled, "Just… it sounds so easy now."
"Yeah well… if you can hold on for two more months, you're almost there." Sandra nodded as Cassie smiled, "I will tell you… she was very picky." She said as they both looked at her, "She's been looking through files since she was about four months pregnant." She said, "She said your letter of recommendation was what helped her pick you both." She nodded as Cassie smiled a little.
"My dad wrote it." Cassie smiled, "I didn't even read it."
"That and the fact that you're from Mexico." Sandra looked at Theo, "She said it was important that the baby, this little girl, she grows up and has someone she can identify with." She nodded as Cassie smiled, turning to Theo who smiled to himself and nodded.
"I think that's the first time my race has gotten me something good in life." Theo nodded as Sandra smiled.
"Is there any way we could send her a letter even?" Cassie wondered, "I mean… it feels so wrong to not even thank her or see her in person."
"I could ask her if that would be ok to send a letter." Sandra nodded, "She has made it very clear that she wants no contact with the baby, though. Some women just find it easier." She said as Cassie nodded, "She's off to college after the summer when she goes back to Tijuana." She said.
"Oh, that's good." Cassie smiled.
"Look if you have any questions for me, don't hesitate to call." Sandra nodded.
"You said we can take this away with us?" Theo held the folder with Monique's details.
"Yes, of course." Sandra nodded, "And I'll ask her about the letter." She turned to Cassie who nodded.
"This one is nice." Jude nodded, standing inside a house for sale just a little outside Chicago. They'd been looking all day at houses, but none had felt right yet.
"This one is nice." Sean agreed, standing in the open kitchen, "Come here." He held his hand out as she looked over.
"What?" She shook her head, taking his hand as he walked her over to the kitchen counter, lifting her up and sitting her on it as she laughed, "What are you doing?" She chuckled, watching as he lined his crotch up with hers.
"Just seeing if it works." Sean nodded as she shook her head, watching him look at her with a smile.
"I'd say so." She nodded, wrapping her legs around his waist and her arms around his neck, "Yeah, definitely works for me." She said quietly as he smiled, kissing her softly before she jumped back down.
"You think the girls will like it?" He asked her, "We should have really taken them with us."
"They're too little. They'd get bored." Jude shook her head, "I mean… I'm starting to get bored." She admitted.
"The area is nice here. Probably the best so far." Sean said, "It's a little further out but nothing that would put me off." He said.
"I do love the layout of downstairs." Jude nodded, "This is probably the best we've seen." She said as Sean nodded in agreement.
It had been a few days since the chaotic dinner at AJ and Punk's. They'd all agreed to cool off and take some time away from each other. Or, more so, they were ordered to do that by Punk.
"What do you think?" Sean asked her as she nodded.
"Yeah, you know… I'm feeling the feelings for this one." She nodded truthfully, "And the garage is huge… maybe I could turn that into a studio." She thought about it. She was surprised at how excited she really was about moving. It was however darkened by the situation going on with Theo and Sean.
"That'd be a good idea." Sean agreed, "Yard is pretty good for the girls too." He said.
"It's ticking a lot of boxes." Jude smiled, "If we have a house warming party, do we invite Cassie and Theo?"
"Yes." Sean shook his head, "We gotta deal with it and figure something out. I'm not gonna be the result of you and your sister not talking." He said.
"It's not like they've handle it gracefully, though, is it?" Jude shook her head.
"No, but I'm trying to put myself in their shoes." Sean said, "Of course it sucks. If I was setting myself up for a job and then someone else came and got it, I'd be mad. I'd be even madder if it was my own family." He said, "I… I didn't think about it very much, clearly."
"Maybe you didn't." Jude agreed with that, "But they clearly were impressed, and they want you for the job, that's nothing you should feel guilty about."
"I know." Sean nodded, "Hopefully with time it just gets easier. I didn't even realise until I was offered the job that I'd be their boss. Which is a little awkward." Sean nodded, "And I moved Cassie to homicide because it's better pay and better work… better things to sink your teeth into." He said, "I was genuinely trying to do something good and she was so mad about it."
"Cassie is mad because of what's happened with Theo. Nothing else. The girl thinks she's hard as stone but there's nobody she loves more than him. Cross him and you end up crossing her worse." Jude shook her head.
"What do you think I should do?" Sean asked as Jude turned to him, "Cause I seriously don't know."
"Do you want to be chief?" She asked him, standing directly in front of him now, looking up.
"I want the challenge." Sean nodded, "And I wanna… do right by the station here." He said.
"Then do that." Jude nodded, "You've worked hard in your career just as much as Theo. Maybe there's a world in which… you can both work together and make the station great. Maybe everyone just needs to calm down." She said, "The board see something in you. So go show them that they made the right decision." She cupped his cheeks.
"You know if you told me to drop the job I would." He told her, "I don't need to cause you any more stress than I already have." He said, placing his hands over hers which were still on his cheeks.
"I wouldn't tell you to do that." She said, "You're gonna be a great chief." She nodded as he smiled.
"I only need you to believe in me and I'm good." He said as she smiled, "So… what about this house?"
"She's beautiful." Cassie nodded, later that night curled on the sofa with Theo as they looked at Monique's folder, learning all about her and the baby. Their baby.
"Would you have wanted to meet her?" Theo asked.
"To thank her, yeah." Cassie said, "I mean she's… she's giving us this thing we've wanted for a while. A thing we can't really get anywhere else." She said, "I'd just like her to know how much it means to us, that's all."
"Are we really not gonna tell anyone about it until the baby is here?" Theo asked.
They'd discussed how they were going to tell their family that they had been picked, and had come to the decision that they weren't going to say anything until the baby had arrived.
"I don't want to jinx anything." Cassie said as Theo nodded.
"Shit." Theo said suddenly.
"What?" Cassie looked at him.
"We gotta crack on with a nursery." He realised as Cassie laughed a little.
"We've got two months." She said, "There's time."
"Yeah but it's gotta be perfect for her." He mumbled seriously as Cassie smiled.
"So… are you gonna tell me her name?" Cassie asked. It felt so surreal to know they were having a baby girl. To speak of her and know she was going to be in their lives in no time. Their daughter.
"You don't wanna wait to know?" He asked her.
"No. This gives me time to disagree with you." She smiled as he rolled his eyes, "Go on. What is it?" She asked. She was nervous that she wouldn't like it.
"Alright." He nodded, "Lena." He said as Cassie leaned her elbow on the back of the sofa, thinking about it, saying the name over and over in her head, "Sanchez." He added as Cassie leaned her head back on the sofa.
"Lena Sanchez." She said out loud, smiling to herself a little, "Is that my baby girls name? Lena?" She asked herself, "Lena." She smiled as she said it again.
"It's cool if you don't like it." He assured her.
"No… I love it." Cassie smiled at him, "She sounds like a movie star." She said as Theo chuckled.
"Well… I don't know about movie but definitely a star." He nodded, "You really wanna keep it a secret until she's here?" He asked.
"Yeah." Cassie nodded.
"Alright." Theo said.
"Lena Sanchez." Cassie smiled, leaning into Theo as he kissed her head, "I can't wait to meet you."
