Everyone is getting ready for the gala dinner, but love is in the air!
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CHAPTER 18.
"Wow, you look… smokin' hot, Gallo!"
Cabe stopped in his tracks. He had just come out of the bedroom and had been about to ask Allie to help him with his bow-tie, but her words had completely distracted him. "Huh?" he queried.
Allie blushed and giggled. "Oh, did I say that out loud?" she asked. She stepped forward and grasped his forearms. "You look great in a tux," she explained. "I'm sorry, but it's true."
Cabe chuckled. "Don't apologise," he insisted. "I'll take whatever compliments I can get at my age." Then he remembered his tie. "Hey, can you tie one of these damn things?" he asked as she released him from her clutches. "Don't see why we all have to get dressed up as penguins anyway."
"Because it's the inaugural West Altadenia Alderman's Awards Gala Dinner," replied Allie. "And we all need to look the part. I'm not putting my dress on until the last minute," she added. "The material wrinkles too easily."
"I was wondering," admitted Cabe, looking her up and down. "You know you look beautiful in anything, even those sweatpants, but you might look out of place in them tonight. Even Happy's got a little black maternity dress to wear."
"She'll hate that," noted Allie, wrinkling her nose.
"She sure will," agreed Cabe. "But like you said, we've all gotta look the part. I just hope all the planning we've done for the last week pays off. I really wanna see Charlie's killer pay for what he did to the poor guy."
Allie nodded in agreement and started to straighten out Cabe's bow-tie. "So, how was your session with Toby this morning?" she asked, trying to sound casual. "Everything OK? I mean, you don't have to talk about it if you don't want to, but…"
"Hey," said Cabe, interrupting her. "If there's one thing I've learned from the Doc it's that talking is good. And the session went well. Toby has a couple interesting theories and we're working on those right now."
"What kind of theories?" asked Allie, looping the end of the tie around to form one side of the bow.
"That photo I carried with me for years," replied Cabe. "Toby figures because I had it with me in Baghdad, looking at it doesn't just trigger happy memories of Amanda, it triggers all the guilt I feel about what happened with Walter's guidance system too."
"Oh," said Allie, as she tried to smooth the bow-tie. "Do you agree with him?"
"I think he's right," admitted Cabe. "I just never realised it before. So now I have a different picture of Amanda in my wallet I'll finally be able to process some of that guilt. That's what the Doc says, anyway."
Allie smiled sympathetically. "It makes sense," she said. "What else did he say?"
"He said I also need to work through my guilt about leaving Rebecca," explained Cabe. "Seems I have a whole lotta guilt to process," he added, rolling his eyes.
"I guess you've been carrying that guilt for a long time," noted Allie. "And that's not good for you. Not good at all. You know if you need to call Rebecca then you should. It might help to talk to her about it."
Cabe hesitated before answering. "That's what Toby suggested," he admitted. "But I… I didn't want to… y'know… I guess I didn't want to do anything that you'd feel uncomfortable about."
"I'm not threatened by her if that's what you mean?" replied Allie. "Cabe, Rebecca lost Amanda too, you both lost your daughter. You'll always have that bond with her and that's important. If Toby thinks you should call her, then call her."
Cabe sighed. "I guess," he said. "I'll think about it for a couple days."
Allie leaned in and planted a tender kiss on his lips. "I love you," she said. "And you know I'll support you, whatever decision you make."
Cabe held her face in his hands and looked deep into her eyes. "I couldn't get through any of this without you by my side," he admitted. Then he pulled her close and they kissed again. "I love you, Allie," he breathed, running one hand through her hair. "I love you so much."
xXxXxXxXxXxXx
"I look like a barrage balloon!"
Toby sighed deeply as Happy walked into the bedroom. She had changed into her new black dress in preparation for the awards gala, but her hair was a mess and she looked far from ready.
Toby knew it was normal for pregnant women to feel low at times, but he was really starting to worry about Happy. He didn't expect her to enjoy every minute of her pregnancy, but since they'd brought the twins home she had been particularly down. Lack of sleep was a big part of it, he acknowledged, but he knew he needed to keep on top of it before her mood got any worse. They hadn't planned to take on so much at once, but circumstances had led them to this point and Toby was determined that in their attempt to fulfil their dreams they weren't going to lose everything.
"Hey, you look beautiful," he replied. He stood up and greeted her with a kiss. He was only half dressed himself, with his crisp white shirt still unbuttoned and bare feet poking out from his smart trousers.
"I don't," insisted Happy. "At least the backache's gone, you're pretty good as massages, Doc," she added with a smile.
"See? I have my uses," grinned Toby.
"Do you think Dad'll be OK with the girls?" she asked. "He's never had them overnight before."
"He'll be fine," Toby tried to reassure her. He didn't tell her he planned to call Patrick at least ten times throughout the evening to check on them himself.
"I think I'm gonna go change," said Happy, turning away from her husband. "Those new black pants I bought will be OK with a shirt. It's not a fashion parade, we're trying to catch a killer."
"Wait," urged Toby, reaching out and grabbing her hand. "Don't change, the dress is perfect."
"I don't do dresses, Doc," insisted Happy, shaking herself free. "I've got a job to do tonight, I need to feel comfortable."
"Agreed, but when you tried on those new pants you said the elastic dug into your side," he reminded her. "In fact, you said all your clothes are uncomfortable right now. Maybe we could hit the mall tomorrow?"
"I don't wanna shop!" snapped Happy. "I just wanna… I wanna…" but she trailed off and turned away from him.
"Hap, talk to me," Toby urged, taking her by the hand again and leading her towards the bed.
Happy reluctantly allowed him to steer her across the room and they sat on the edge of the bed together. "I… I hate the way I look," she said quietly without making eye contact. "There, I said it. I don't understand why I feel like this and… and it sucks." She lifted her head and Toby wrapped her hands in his. "I waited so long to get pregnant, Toby and now… now it's driving me crazy. I've never cared about how I look before, I just pull on old jeans, a pair of boots and a sweater and I'm good to go, but now this…" she trailed off and ran one hand over her expanding baby bump and sighed deeply.
"Darlin', listen to me," said Toby, gently. "It's OK to feel this way, it's OK to be afraid of what's happening to your body."
"I'm not afraid," she insisted. "I… I…"
"Don't fight it," he urged. "Use it. Fear is the most powerful emotion and I know that out of all of us geniuses, you struggle the most with fear. The trick is not to let it overwhelm you."
"I… I don't know how to process the way I feel," she explained.
"That's because your low EQ has suddenly been flooded with pregnancy hormones," replied Toby. "And you've never experienced anything like it before."
"So what do I do?" asked Happy, fighting back tears.
"You listen to your wise old husband," replied Toby with a grin. "If you're struggling you've gotta tell me and we'll struggle through it together. I've never done this before either, remember? Let me help you, sugarplum. If I could carry our baby for you I would."
"No you wouldn't," replied Happy and the corners of her mouth twitched into a smile. "You're a wuss. You'd never have made it through the morning sickness and there's no way you could give birth. There's a reason why it's women who have to go through this, it's because we can."
"Hmmm, a little sexist there, don't you think, darlin'?" offered Toby with a wink.
"I've seen you get a paper cut," Happy pointed out.
"Fair comment," shrugged Toby. Then he kissed her again. "Here, let me show you something."
He stood up and hauled her to her feet. Then he spun her round, placed his hands on her shoulders and pushed her gently so she'd take a few steps across the bedroom.
At first Happy had no idea where they were going, but then she realised they were heading towards the full length mirror. "No, no, Toby, don't," she said, turning her head away and trying to resist.
"It's OK," he insisted. "It's OK. Just a quick look. I promise you it'll be OK."
"I don't want to," she replied and she closed her eyes defiantly.
Toby stood close behind her and rested his chin on her shoulder. His hands slipped down her arms and he gripped her fingers. "I want you to take a look in the mirror and tell me what you see," he said in a calm voice.
Happy sighed and resigned herself to the fact that he wasn't going to let this go. Her eyes flickered open and she looked in the mirror. "I see a stupid moron standing behind me," she said.
"I think you mean 'handsome doctor'," replied Toby and Happy rolled her eyes. "Now, come on, lovebug. I want you to look at you."
Happy let out a slow breath. "I… I don't know what you want me to say, Doc?" she admitted. "I just see a short, fat person with bloodshot eyes."
"Shall I tell you what I see?" he offered. "I see the most incredible woman whose body is doing the most incredible thing, making a baby. Our baby. But I also see my wife, the genius engineer I fell in love with trying to deal with a lot on her own when she doesn't have to. Adopting twins and being pregnant, we're doing those things together. You're not alone."
He took her hands and used them to smooth down the shiny black material of the dress so it clung to her curvaceous torso. "There, look," he said in a soothing tone. "Baby Quintis."
A tear ran down Happy's cheek, taking her completely by surprise. "Our baby," she half-whispered.
"And sometimes Baby Quintis is going to make you feel things you didn't know you could feel," continued Toby. "They're your feelings and they're real, but just remember that I love you and I will always be here for you. You in that dress, or in your greasy overalls, whatever, I don't care, I'll be here."
Happy nodded. For a moment she couldn't speak, she just turned around and fell into Toby's arms. She'd never needed him more. He was right, of course, the adoption and her pregnancy had become too much and she'd tried to pretend she was fine when she wasn't. "It's like, I've never been so happy in my life before, Doc," she said. "But at the same time I just want to scream and throw things."
"I know," he replied, planting a kiss on the top of her head. "I know."
"How can I be mad at an unborn baby I want so badly?" she asked.
"You're not mad at the baby," Toby tried to assure her. "I promise you, you're not."
Happy nodded. "I'll wear the dress," she said. "I'm proud to be making this baby, I don't need to hide it under a sweater."
Toby smiled. "I love you so much," he said. "Don't you ever forget that."
"How can I?" retorted Happy. "You tell me, like, a hundred times a day."
"Do you want me to stop?"
Happy smiled. "Never. And I love you too, you big goofball. Now go find your bow-tie, we've got a stupid gala dinner to get to."
"Y'know, when we get home tonight don't take off that dress straight away… will you."
"Perv!"
xXxXxXxXxXxXxXx
"You don't have to come you know." Sylvester stood in front of the tiny mirror in his bathroom and tried to smooth his hair as he spoke.
"And miss the chance to walk into a gala dinner on the arm of a handsome Alderman? Just try and stop me!" replied Kimberley. She was watching him through the crack in door and she smiled as he adjusted his bow-tie for the fifth time. "I've never seen you in a tux before," she said. "It looks good on you."
"I hate formal occasions," sighed Sylvester. "Especially fake ones. If I slip up tonight we might never catch Charlie's killer. I'm so nervous."
"Hey, relax," urged Kimberley. "Remember what Toby said about breathing."
"Toby's exact words were 'remember to breathe and try to forget someone in the audience is a murderer'," quoted Sylvester as he walked out of the bathroom. "Not very reassuring."
"OK, well just forget the part about the murderer," replied Kimberley. "All you have to do is give your speech and hand out the awards. Let the others worry about the murderer."
"Can we stop saying that word? Please?"
"You mean 'murderer'? Oh... sorry."
"Can I run through my speech with you again?"
"Sylvester! You've done that five times already!" Kimberley exclaimed. "Why don't we just sit down and try to relax instead?" She took his hand and half-dragged him towards the sofa. "Now sit!" she ordered.
Sylvester immediately did as he was told. It was only then that he realised she was already wearing her evening dress. It was gold with tiny sleeves and a sweetheart neckline and it shimmered in the light. "Oh... oh..." he stammered. "You... you... I... I..."
Kimberley giggled. What?" she prompted, innocently.
"Your dress," said Sylvester. "It's... nice."
"Nice? It cost me almost two hundred bucks!"
Sylvester looked horrified. "What?" he exclaimed. "Oh my, you didn't have to... let me pay for that."
"No way!" she answered. "I never get to wear anything like this, I feel like a movie star. It's worth every cent."
Sylvester smiled. "I'm the luckiest Alderman in the world," he said. He lifted her hand and pressed it to his lips.
Kimberley blushed hard and smiled back at him. "I'd like to... to kiss you," she said. "Is that OK?"
They'd kissed before, of course, but Sylvester knew she wasn't talking about chaste kisses on the cheek, or even those few times their lips had met. She wanted more... and so did he. "I'd like that," he breathed and before he could say anything else Kimberley's lips were on his.
He brought his hand up to gently caress the side of her face as they kissed and she slipped her fingers into the curls at the back of his neck. Sylvester allowed his emotions to take control and he deepened the kiss, closing his eyes and committing every moment to his eidetic memory.
Suddenly Kimberley broke away and he almost yelped with disappointment. "What is it?" he asked.
"I just wanted to make sure you're OK with this," she said.
"Why? Did... did I do it wrong? I... I don't have a lot of experience."
Kimberley giggled. "No, silly, you did everything right. At least, it felt right to me. I don't have a lot of experience either."
"It felt right to me too," agreed Sylvester. "Can we... can we do it some more?"
Kimberley nodded and in an instant his lips were back on hers. Sylvester leaned back against the cushions and Kimberley moved with him, pressing her body against hers. He ran his hand down her back, enjoying the closeness and losing himself in the overwhelming sensations.
"Sylvester," whispered Kimberley as their lips parted. "I think I could get used to this."
"Mmmm," agreed Sylvester, wrapping his arms around her tightly. His heart was pounding and he could feel his breath quickening, but it didn't matter. Nothing else mattered in that moment. "Me too," he said. "Me too."
xXxXxXxXxXxXx
"Now, you remember the plan, don't you?"
"Yes, Walter!" exclaimed Paige. She was wearing nothing but a robe and she was waving her hands around, fingers spread wide, to dry the freshly applied nail polish as she spoke. "We've been over it a hundred times. I get talking to Captain Sanders and wait for a signal from Toby. If Sanders is clean I move onto Doctor Sametti. What I don't understand is didn't we already decide both of them are innocent?"
"We decided neither of them killed Charlie," Walter corrected her. "But they're far from innocent. I just wish I could piece this puzzle together."
"Hey, you're a genius, not a detective," Paige reminded him. "Now, where's your tux? We're leaving in an hour."
"Paige, it doesn't take me an hour to get dressed," retorted Walter. "But I assume you intend to apply numerous beauty products before we go, so you're welcome to use the bathroom first."
Paige smiled. It was good to see Walter back at full strength again, a week of taking things easy had almost driven them both crazy. "When we get back later, maybe we could… y'know," began Paige, sucking her lower lip in between her teeth and biting down seductively.
Walter smiled and reached out to her with one hand, tenderly stroking her arm. "You mean you think we should make our first attempt at insemination?" he asked. He leaned in to kiss her, but she spun away from him.
"Walter!" she exclaimed. "Please don't say it like that! I'm not a barnyard animal!"
Walter's brow furrowed in confusion. "I… I didn't say you were?"
Paige took a deep breath and tried to calm down. She actually didn't mind the various charts that had appeared on the wall over the last few days – just as Toby had warned her they would - she didn't even object to the twenty six links he'd emailed her to various scientific studies about pregnancy and conception – although she hadn't read any of them – but she refused to be 'inseminated'.
"I know, I'm sorry I snapped," she said. "It's just… people make love, Walter. Horses and cows are inseminated. I want you to make love to me, I want it to be beautiful… I want it to be special when we do this, do you understand?"
Walter's face fell. "Isn't it always special?" he asked her quietly.
"Oh, Walter, yes!" she exclaimed. She took his hands in hers and squeezed them affectionately. "Of course it is, but that's exactly my point. Ever since we decided to try for a baby, the whole process has become just that… a process. And we haven't even started yet because you've been recovering."
"S…s…so you want to simply continue with our intimacy as before and… and leave pregnancy to chance?"
"Yes… no… no, I don't mean it like that," she tried to explain. "Look, I'm taking folic acid and I'm going to start eating all those foods you suggested and it makes sense to keep a track of my cycle, but… but none of that should take away the romance. I love you Walter and our baby, if this works, will be made with love."
Walter frowned again. "Our baby will be made with a single spermatozoa and…"
"No!" Paige let out an exasperated sigh. "I took biology class, I know about all of that, but what I'm trying to say is for now, please, can we just forget about science? Please?"
"Forget…" Walter slowly began to understand. "I… I think I can do that," he said.
Paige smiled. "I know you can," she said.
Walter pulled her towards him and planted a lingering kiss on her lips. "I'm sorry about the insemination thing," he said as they broke apart.
Paige laughed. "Good," she said. Then she ran her fingers through his hair, forgetting about her nail polish. "So… um… how quickly can you put on a tux?" she asked. "It's just that I think I can get my beauty routine down to fifteen minutes so I figure we have, like, a half hour to kill at least."
Walter's pulse quickened. "N…n…now?" he queried. "Y…y…you want to… now?"
Paige shrugged and pressed herself against him. "Oh," she said, raising her eyebrows. "I think all that rest was good for you," she said in a low, husky voice.
Then before she had chance to say another word, Walter swung her into his arms and carried her to the bed. "I'm fully recovered," he confirmed as he gently lowered her onto the pillows. "Let me show you."
To be continued…