"You are coming, aren't you?" Frankie asked as she stood staring at the toaster.
"Of course I am. I said I'd be there." Boyd replied, coming to stand beside her as he placed two cups beside the kettle.
Frankie looked up at Boyd, her guard dropping unintentionally, just enough so he could see how much this meant to her.
"Frankie, I told them I was taking the morning off, my phone is switched off, nothing will stop me being there. I keep my promises." Turning so he was facing her.
"I know, it's just, I'm bloody terrified, Boyd." Finally admitting what was wrong.
"You're not the only one. This is just as big for me as it is for you. I know I've said this before, and I'll probably say it again, but you, the baby, I'm going to get it right this time Frankie. I walked away once, I won't make that mistake again." Taking her hand in his and bringing it up to his lip.
He placed a kiss to each knuckle, then placed a finally kiss to the back of her hand before tugging her towards him so he could slide his arms around her waist and hold her. Frankie seemed to merge with him as she fitted perfectly against his chest. She closed her eyes as she settled her head on his chest, his heart beating steadily under her ear. She would never get sick of listening to that sound, the sound that proved Boyd was alive and well. She had thought on a few occasions over the years that she would never get to hear the sound again. He had been beaten up, stabbed, shot, even ran over, yet somehow he had managed to pull through, keeping fighting even when the odds were stacked against him. The toaster picked that moment to send the toast jumping into the air as the timer finished.
"Breakfasts ready, and you both need to eat." Boyd commented as he kissed Frankie temple before letting her go.
"I have to disagree with that statement. I need the breakfast, they can share." Taking the two slices of toast out the toaster and putting them on the plate she had set aside.
Boyd watched as she carried the plate and jam to the dining table. He redirected his attention back to the coffee, making hers and his. He left them on the bench as he placed more bread in the toaster. He went and put the coffee cups on the dining table before going to the fridge to get the butter.
"You want anymore toaster before I sit down?" Seeing Frankie had nearly finished hers.
"Ohhh, yes please." Frankie answered as she watched Boyd take out the two slices that had just popped up and put two more in.
"Here, take these ones." Passing the still hot toast to Frankie.
Frankie took them and set about smothering them in a mix of butter and jam, something that Boyd always found disgusting. She was halfway through the first slice when Boyd joined her, placing his plate on the table and reaching for the butter.
"I see you appetite has come back." Seeing Frankie finish the first slice and start on the second one.
Frankie just glared at him, her mouth full of toast so she couldn't answer him. When she swallowed the mouth of toast she had been chewing she picked up the cup of coffee and inhaled the steam still rising from it. Coffee was not normally Frankie's thing, unless it was some flavoured rubbish from a Costa or Starbucks. She preferred tea, or a bottle of pop. Yet since she became pregnant she had a thing for coffee, all coffee, flavoured or not. At least once a day Boyd found himself on a coffee run to get Frankie her daily dose of Costa.
"You need to take anything with you?" Boyd quired as he finished his toast and picked up his coffee.
"Just a full bladder." Seeing the puzzled looked on Boyds face at her answer. "Helps them see better as it makes the," laughing as Boyd held up his hand to stop her talking.
"Okay, Frankie, let's leave it at that. I don't need a pathologists explanation, my ordinary girlfriends will do." Seeing Frankie smile as he said girlfriend.
"Sorry, in my defence I was a pathologist first. That is how we first met, remember." Watching as Boyd started to laugh.
"Ohh, I remember alright. You walked onto my crime scene like you owned it and started barking out orders. I had two coppers come and ask if they ever had to work with you again." Seeing Frankie get that far away look in her eyes as she recalled that day in her mind.
"What did you expect? You asked for a pathologist to process the scene after your lot and their sizes tens had trampled all over everything. It was a complete nightmare." Finishing her coffee and placing the cup back on the table.
"It wasn't that bad, and you got there in the end. You and your remarkable skill sorted it all out." The flattery evident in his voice.
"I did, after nearly a week living on pre packed sandwiches and no sleep. I didn't go home at all that week." Remembering the events of her first meeting with Boyd.
"And I appreciate it. That's why ever time I need a pathologist I asked for you." Smirking as Frankie looked at him.
"Bastard, I thought it was just bad luck. You really asked for me every time you rang up?" Not sure if he was telling the truth or not.
"Of course, it was an instant attraction, professional of course." Making them both laugh at the last part.
"Professional, right! So was it professional when you cornered me in that warehouse after everyone had gone and stuck your tongue down my throat?" Seeing Boyd shake his head Smirking.
"It wasn't like that, it was, it was," seeing Frankie look at him, one eyebrow raised as she waited for his explanation. "Fine, it was like that, but you didn't exactly fight me off with a stick." Turning the tables and seeing Frankie blush.
"Yeah, well, maybe I didn't want to. If I had we probably wouldn't be where we are today, would we." Feeling Boyd wrap his hand around hers as she looked at him.
"No, we probably wouldn't. I'd still be a twice divorced workaholic, with a dead son and another I never see. And you, you'd be happily chopping up dead bodies somewhere, doing what you do best." Turning his hand over so his fingers slotted through Frankie's.
"I still chop up bodies and do what I do best, I just have you setting me impossible tasks, expecting me to perform miracles at the click of your fingers." Trying to steer away from Luke being dead and the fact he never see Matt.
"I do not!" Boyd shot back indignantly, then smiled. "Okay, maybe I do, but only because I get some impossible tasks, and I can always rely on you to give me solid, stand up in court answers. Answers only a doctor could give. And speaking of doctors shouldn't we be making a move?" Looking at the clock on the wall.
Frankie looked at the clock and her grip on Boyds hand tightened, her palm suddenly becoming sweaty.
"Yeah, and we need to park when we get there." Going to stand up but finding Boyd still holding her hand.
"Frankie, calm down. I am sure everything will be fine. That baby is made of strong stuff. If they have your determination and grit and my temper and stubbornness they be giving us hell as soon as their born. Come on, I'll drive. And parking isn't a problem, I'm a high ranking police officer, or have you forgotten?" Seeing Frankie shake her head as the fact he was going blag free parking.
Frankie was silent the whole drive to the hospital, the unease setting in the closer they got. By the time Boyd had parked the car she was sure she was going to be sick, the churning in her stomach seeming to heighten as she got out the car and looked up at the hospital. Boyd got out the car and came round to the passenger side, slipping his hand in Frankie's as she looked up at the hospital. She turned her head and looked at him, a nervous smile on her face.
"You got everything?" Seeing her nod her head at his question. "Good, now let's go see our baby." Hoping to inject some of his confidence and hope into Frankie.
Boyd never let go Frankie's hand, even when she booked in at the main desk, to sitting in the waiting room, then being called through to the scan room, he held on, grounding her, giving her silent support. He also had his own slightly more selfies motives for keeping a hold of her hand. He was very aware of the looks he was receiving from others sitting waiting. He was no spring chicken, his grey thinning hair only adding to the looks. He wasn't sure if Frankie was aware of the way people were looking at them, a beautiful young woman like her sat with a man old enough to be her dad. If she was she didn't acknowledge it, just sat silently looking at the various posters on the wall. When the midwife called out for her she was so focussed she jumped at the sound of her name. They both stood together, Boyd giving her a huge smile as he squeezed her hand.
The scanning room was quite small, a small sink, a bed, the scanning machine and one chair beside the bed for a partner or relative to sit in. Boyd felt huge standing in the small room, especially seeing Frankie looking so small beside him. The midwife asked Frankie a couple of questions, which he admitted he wasn't taking any notices of. It wasn't until he heard her ask Frankie to get up on the bed and expose her lower abdomen did he tune back in. Frankie let go of his hand and got on the bed, lying down before rolling her t-shirt up and undoing the button and zip on her jeans. She opened her jeans, a slight hint of red knickers visible at the bottom of the zip. It was then Boyd noticed the screen attached to the ceiling above the bed, obviously placed for parents to see their unborn child.
"This will probably be cold, no matter how much we try to warm it up it never works." The midwife said as she squeezed a generous amount of clear gel on to Frankie's abdomen.
Frankie's hand shot out towards Boyd, which he took, covering her hand with both of his. She turned and looked at him as the midwife placed the metal wand on her abdomen and started to press down. Boyd looked between Frankie's face, the midwife, and down at Frankie's abdomen. After what felt like an hour the midwife finally spoke, the screen above the bed flicking on as a grainy black and white image appeared.
"There's your baby, see." The midwife pointed at the screen above the bed as she smiled.
Boyd didn't look at the screen, he kept his eyes on Frankie, watching as she slowly turned her head and looked at the black and white image on the screen. He saw her blink a few times, taking in every little detail she was seeing. A smile started to spread across her face as she looked at the screen, her fear being laid to rest as she finally saw the baby.
"Peter, look!" She exclaimed, the use of his first name jarring him enough to look at the screen above the bed.
He looked at the screen, having no idea what he was looking at. This was the first time he had been to an ultrasound, even though this was his third child. Ultrasounds were a new thing when his first wife was pregnant with Luke, plus he was always working. Then with Jen, he was again always working, but she had shown him pictures, explaining what he was looking at. He looked at Frankie and smiled, if Frankie was smiling then it was obvious all okay. The midwife spoke then, making him look back at the screen.
"There's the head." A little mouse cursor appearing on the screen and stopping over a black and white circle type shape.
Boyd squinted, turned his head slightly, then watched as the small object on the screen moved and he finally saw what he was supposed to be looking at. There in tiny detail, was a skull, the small gaps obvious where eyes, a nose and mouth were. He then felt himself grinning like an idiot, just as the cursor moved and stop on a tiny thin white line.
"There's a thigh bone, and there are the lower leg bones." The midwife pointed out moving the small arrow.
Boyd was then so focused on the screen he didn't see the small tear that ran down Frankie's cheek until she reached to wipe it away.
"Everything looks just as it should be for thirteen weeks, and if everything on here works, I should be able to flick this switch and." The midwife flicking a switch on the scanning machine and the sound of a very rapid heartbeat filled the room.
Frankie and Boyd listened as the sound of their baby's heartbeat filtered through the machine, both still looking at the image on the screen.
"Is that really coming from," Boyd asked as he pointed to the place on Frankie's abdomen where the metal wand was still being held by the midwife.
"It is, that's your baby heartbeat, and it's perfect. Would you like some pictures printed out?" The sound of the baby's heartbeat disappearing as the midwife looked at Frankie as she removed the wand from her abdomen.
"Yes please," Frankie replied, looking at the midwife as she answered.
Boyd was still sat looking at the frozen black and white image on the screen, the sound of the baby's heartbeat still filling his ears even though it had been switched off. It was when he saw Frankie moving that he broke out of his trance and looked at her. She was wiping the remains of the gel from her abdomen as she partial sat up, her top still tucked under her boobs. He knew he was still sat with a huge grin on his face, watching as Frankie finally sat up and did her jeans up as well as pulling her t-shirt back down.
Frankie went to get off the bed, feeling Boyd's hand on her arm as she climbed down. She looked at him and nearly started to laugh, a huge grin still plastered on his face. He looked like a small child on Christmas Day after opening that one present he had been asking for all year. She felt him take her hand again, his fingers slotting through hers as he stood up. The midwife passed Frankie her maternity notes back, a small envelope of the top. Frankie thanked her and headed to the door, Boyd following very close behind her.
They were both silent on the walk to the car, both still lost in the experience of the ultrasound. It wasn't until they stopped at the car that Boyd broke the silence.
"Frankie," her name coming out thick and full of emotion.
Frankie turned to look up at Boyd, the sun in her eyes making her squint. Boyd moved just enough so his head blocked the sun from shining in her face. He reached up and brushed a few a strands of her dark hair behind her ear, his thumb coming to rest on her cheek.
"I love you, Frankie." He finally said, feeling Frankie lean into the hand he had resting on her face.
"I love you too, I suppose I always have, but you know that already don't you." Her own hand coming to rest on top of his on her face.
"Let's go home. We have a baby to start making plans for." Boyd's smile again growing as he mentioned the baby.
"And we still have to tell the others, and my mum, and the home office." Frankie started to say, the list of people growing and growing.
Boyd wasn't really listening, the baby was doing well, Frankie was doing well, and that was all that mattered. The rest they could deal with, one day at a time.