Jake

Jake was fidgety, he had been forced to hold still for CT scan of his arm, then for his ribs and kidney, and now he was having a new cast fit and put on to make sure he didn't move it wrong. He had begged the doctor to let him only have a splint, but one of the breaks wasn't healing as it should, so now he faced an additional month and a half in the cast, which meant either desk work or staying in the apartment. Today was October first and he had barely survived the month at home.

Twice he was caught being out and walking around Brooklyn trying to do something interesting, he reinjured a rib when he fell off a chair replacing a battery in the smoke detector. Amy, Holt, and his mom had an intervention about his behavior, he tried to explain that he had actually been really good, but when Amy showed his Karen the scan of his newly injured rib, she had gone through the roof and he was now being checked up on at home on a regular basis.

He had been allowed to check out a few leads on houses as Amy desperately wanted to move, but it was depressing as everything was either in East Flatbush where he didn't want to raise a family, or too expensive. He could tell Amy was starting to stress out more and more about finding a place she would want to raise a family, she had started a plan and calendar, not to mention binders, so he knew that if they didn't find something soon, the real stress would come.

As Jake left the doctor's office and headed to his car, he heard his name and turned around, "Ames, what are you doing here?"

"Nice to see you too, babe. I wanted to be here for your appointment but got caught in a dispute at the Nine-Nine. Two officers it turns out are dating the same girl, it did not go well."

"Noice, a little drama, like on the tv."

"So, what did the doctor say, I see you have a cast, sorry."

"Yeah, well, it sucks. I'm going crazy, all I do is study for the Sergeant's exam during the day, prep for a baby and test you on the lieutenant's exam at night. I love you and want a future, but this boredom to the extreme."

"You know I have my exam tomorrow, so tonight, we're all about quizzing, just get on board."

"Ames, you kick ass at everything, you're ready."

She smiled shyly, "I know, but Holt is putting his reputation on the line for me, when he becomes commissioner, I have to be ready to lead the precinct with Terry and be ready for JJ Peralta."

Jake couldn't help but smile when the baby's name was said, "The timing for all this is tough, our incidents at work, getting pregnant, then being put on a fast track to promotions with tests, it's a lot."

Amy nodded as she reached out and took his hand, "I know, it is a lot, but it will make our situation better. I get a pretty big pay raise because of my tenure, the courses I've taken, and the promotion. Twenty-five thousand to be exact, and you'll get about fifteen thousand more, to start with, that's pretty good."

"You want that house in Bensonhurst, you showed me the figures, that would be seven thousand a month after we sell your apartment for the down payment."

"Damn, you're sexy when you remember my numbers, but we can do it. We would still have eight thousand a month in take home pay, that would be enough to live, decently."

Jake sighed, "yeah, but my credit, can we qualify?"

Amy laughed, "yeah, because of me. I know all the finance people in the area, we're good. The question is, do you want this?"

Jake had to think, the past month had been difficult, he had become more adult since he had been with Amy, but the past month had been the most adult time of his life, constant studying and preparation for future additions to the family, looking at houses. He was bored and stressed, but he also knew he wanted to give JJ stability, not worry about losing the house like he and his mom. "Let's go for it, it's stressful, but it's not a huge house, it's a good neighborhood, and we can turn the garage into a studio apartment like you said. Okay, ya gots me, I'm in."

When Jake got to the apartment, he didn't notice the man on the steps as he parked the car, as he walked to the door he saw him, Roger, looking nervous and as Roger-like as ever.

"Dad, nice to finally see you, it only took two months for you to visit your son wounded in the line of duty." Jake didn't want to argue, he truly didn't, but whenever he saw Roger, the comments and frustrations that had accumulated throughout a lifetime of letdowns just came to the surface.

"Jake, look, I'm sorry. I've never been a good dad, I get that."

"Really? So you are aware yet still choose the path of douchiness?"

Roger winced, "I guess I had that coming. Can I talk to you for a bit?"

Jake rolled his eyes and wished was not happening, "sure, let's go inside."

As they sat down, Roger seemed more nervous than normal. "What do you need, dad?"

"Jake, you have a right to hate me, so don't take what I'm about to do as a way of me buying you off."

Jake looked surprised, his dad had been a classic user, his entire life, so giving was a new thought for his dad to be doing. "You're giving me something?"

"Look, I'm a mess, but my father, he put things aside for you when you were little, I tried my best to get to it, but I wasn't allowed. You were supposed to receive it when you turned thirty, but I kept quiet and let it gain more interest as I'm a dick and wanted it."

Roger reached in his pocket and took out a paper, "I can close out the account and get a check in your name, I thought of forgery, but I have bad luck, so I waited, but you deserve this. Here."

Jake reached out and took the check, he felt his heart explode when he saw the amount, "Dad, this check is for over two hundred-fifty thousand dollars."

"I know, I'm sorry."

Jake shook his head, "hey, Roger, I'm impressed you gave it to me at all."

"I know you must hate me, I'm sorry."

"Roger, er, Dad, listen, I don't hate you. I love you and that's why I act like I hate you because what you did hurt. I worshipped you, I wanted nothing more than to be with you, then be like you, but now, I just feel sorry for you."

Roger looked confused, "really? Why?"

"Because you bounce around, you have kids everywhere, you have drama and hatred in every hub, but me, I may only have one woman and I might be drowning in the boredom of adulthood most days lately, but I have a wife who loves me, and I know my son will love me, and I get to see that and feel that every damn day, you screwed yourself out of that, literally."

Amy

Her stress levels were building, between policing Jake and keeping her officers from fighting over the same woman, her day had been anything but peaceful, not to mention that she was now six months pregnant, her stomach was getting bigger, and she felt exhausted between working and studying for herself and with Jake for their respective exams.

Amy was signing all the paperwork she needed to get in as fast as she could when Rosa knocked on her door, "Rosa, come in. What's up?"

Rosa sat down, her face ashen, "I heard a rumor. I hate gossip, but I have to know, is Jake really taking the sergeant's exam?"

"Yeah, he is. Crazy, huh?"

Rosa looked stunned, "yeah, I mean, this is Jake. Is he doing okay with it, not freaking out or being more immature?"

Amy sighed, "a little, he's Jake, he likes freedom, but he'll have that once he does this exam. I don't expect him to go any higher, but he's good at what he does, and he understand people's strengths and weaknesses in a way that few people do. You know what I mean?"

Rosa nodded, "yeah, I do, it's just a shock. I thought about the exam, but I have an issue."

Amy blurted before she could stop herself, "your temper?"

Rose glared and then softened, "yeah, my temper. I hate it, I tell everyone to just stop being a dummy, but I can't stop being one. Does that make me a bad cop?"

Amy shook her head, "no, it makes you a good one, it means you care about the work. You care that others do their jobs correctly, that justice is served. That's good."

"It might be if I didn't threaten other cops all the time."

"Rosa, do you want to be sergeant?"

Rosa shook her head, "no, that's the thing, I really don't. I think that's why Jake maturing so much bothers me though, he's improving and I'm still Raging Rosa or Deadly Diaz. I used to think it was hilarious, but I don't want to be a bully, I just want the job done well."

Amy smirked, "then you have the opportunity to do it. If Jake does become sergeant, if he is over the detectives, he will need your input, he will need your eye to detail and the things you notice, the faults, the mistakes, those are important. He depends on you and respects you a lot. A lot."

Rosa was quiet, "I just hate emotions and examining myself, but I don't want to be the bitter old cop either."

"I get it. I used to think I would just always be the goody two shoes cop who everyone hated, but then I fell in love with a slob whose paperwork was abysmal, and we ending up helping each other, we became a team."

"So now I have fall in love with an overly happy cop?"

Amy laughed, "no, but you have a chance to be a team, Jake would be an idiot to not make you head detective. You can work together and use your strengths and weaknesses to learn and improve."

Rosa nodded and stood up, "Thanks, Sergeant, too many emotions, but I appreciate it."

Amy and Jake

Jake was deep in thought with his dad's check was in front of him. It was a huge help, but it also had him thinking about himself. His dad took forever to give it to him, it was good timing now, but Roger had also been a tool and thought of himself, not his son. Jake couldn't help but feel guilty, he had focused on how the exam, the studying, the changes were bothering him, not how it would help the family as Amy pointed out, he hated being a true adult, but he didn't want to be like Roger and only do it out of guilt or despair from time to time and then resent his kids because of it like his dad did.

Jake looked around the apartment, everywhere there were little notes, calendars, and papers Amy had done to help them both. He knew he would never be as ambitious or together as Amy, but he also knew she did so much for him because she loved him, he would do anything for her, so why not this, why not truly buy in and not be a dick?

The door opened, and he realized he had been staring at the check for nearly two hours. "Ames, so, some interesting news. I put in a bid on the house, I lowballed them, but told them we could do half of the offer in cash once the apartment sold, and they immediately accepted it."

Amy nearly dropped her things, "Jake, we can't do that, my apartment will sell for two fifty, maybe three, which will give us two hundred thousand for the down payment."

Jake nodded, "I know. It turns out my grandpa Jerry put a bit of money away for me when I was born, Roger tried to take it, but finally gave it to me," he held up the check, "this is a check for two-hundred and fifty-seven thousand dollars."

"Shut up!"

"No, it's true. I called Manuel, he said the sellers were in need of quick cash to get a house they wanted, so that the amount we could offer before escrow and all that would be enough. He has a buyer lined up to buy our apartment in cash, if we agree to two-hundred sixty."

"Jake, that's perfect. You look uneasy though."

Jake chuckled, "first, it's shocking that we are having good luck happen to us, but I also realized that I was being like my dad."

Amy sat next to him on the floor, which was a struggle, and she insisted despite Jake's protests, she then put her arm around him, "no, you are not."

Jake smiled and nodded, "I was, not in the worst ways, but in a way that drives all that. Roger never grew up, he never wanted to. I'm like that, my diet, my reluctance to move forward at work, I didn't want to be a grown-up, I thought it would make me boring and unlike my many cinematic idols."

"And now?" Amy looked on the verge of tears, her pregnancy had done that to her.

"Now? I look at Terry and Holt, they're my idols, they do good work, fight for real changes, important things, they are committed real adults while my father refuses to grow up and will be a seventy-year old man with an earring and cheap-ass sports car to impress the ladies. That's not who I want to be, so I get it. I can still be a good cop, but I will commit and take the exam and I will pass it."

"You would have failed on purpose?" Amy looked shocked.

"No, not on purpose, but I think I wouldn't have tried my hardest, you know, given it my all, but I have two weeks to do that and make sure I kill it, Amy styles.

Amy

The following day, Amy came home smiling from her exam, she informed Jake it was easier than the seven different practice tests she had made herself. Jake was deep in studying for his exam now, which was made easier as Amy's test was out of the way. Jake felt calmer about things, he knew he still had at least two weeks of at home rest and then physical therapy for his arm once it was out of the cast, but things felt right.

Amy was on cloud nine as she walked into her office two weeks later, Jake had just informed her that he knew every question and scenario on the exam, that he thought it was way easier than it should have been, Amy felt proud, for them both. Their apartment was sold and Jake's mom and Charles had helped pack up the apartment, ready for the move next week. Amy's smile soon changed and she fell down to earth when she read her email, Holt had sent a message asking her when she would officially exit for maternity leave, that while he was not her, he would want to be as careful as possible and do it sooner than later, especially since the NYPD had excellent leave and she had accrued a lot of days, and they gave her more after her kidnapping months earlier.

Amy replied, as vague as possible, which she hated to do to her mentor, but she had been doing well at work, she was hardly in the field, she was in no real danger, and she didn't relish relinquishing control of her squad to someone else during her leave. She was in the middle of texting Jake about all of this when she heard a commotion from the bullpen.

As she left her office she saw Officer Simmons struggling with a perp who looked drugged out of his mind, she then noticed Officer Lou on the floor, looking groggy from probably being kicked in the face, she hurried to help Simmons when the perp, a tall, stringy guy with wild looking hair and a face tattoo slammed the officer back and kicked hard, connecting with Amy's stomach and knocking her backwards.

Instant pain and cramping hit Amy, she felt faint and then realized she had vaginal bleeding, she felt so stupid, an instant had changed her plans. She wanted to stand up and beat the crap out of the perp, but after he had kicked her, Simmons and Lou regained control and wrestled him and cuffed him while informing him he now got to add harming an officer and unborn child to his long list of offenses.

Terry was soon there and told her an ambulance was on the way, Amy protested, she could walk, but Terry reminded her she needed to play it safe for two people, just not herself. As the ambulance pulled up to the hospital and she was lifted out the back door, she heard Terry say Jake's name, she turned and saw a fear-stricken Jake.

"Ames, this was not in the plans, I mean, holy fuck, are you okay?"

Amy winced, "I think so, I just feel so stupid, I was texting you about how dumb they were for wanting me to start my maternity leave soon, and this happens and makes me look like the dumb one. I hope our baby's alright," as she said this, the emotions hit her and the possible severity of the situation.

Jake held her hand as she was wheeled into the hospital, Jake was fighting his own tears, things had been so good and they both thought they were on a lucky streak. Very little was said as tests were run, a CT scan and stress test, they were both lost in their thoughts and regrets when Amy's OBGYN entered the examination room.

"Amy, Jake, this was not on our schedule." She was a middle-aged woman, very tall and Jake found her intimidating, but she was highly recommended, and Amy liked her, a lot. "I rushed over when they called me, I like to be involved in these matters, it tends to relax the patient when their regular doctor tells them the news."

Amy and Jake both nodded numbly, the doctor looked at the file again, "there is good news bad news here, the good news is that the baby is healthy, protected by amniotic fluid. You are in pretty good shape, but because of the force of the kick you received, there is unfortunately a partial abruption. Now, before you start to worry, knowing you, you have read all about these, yours is extremely small and I think a few weeks, just a few weeks of bed rest will heal that. I hate to recommend bed rest because there is no evidence of it helping except in cases of partial abruptions, so sadly, you will need to start your maternity leave now, and come see me in a week, and then once a week for the remainder of your pregnancy, but I think that in a few weeks, you can have a normal routine, at home, not working, but you won't be bed ridden."

Amy cried, but felt a huge relief that things weren't worse. "Okay, so the baby's okay, for sure? No danger of premature birth or weight issues?"

The doctor smiled, "I knew you had read about this, yours is minimal, there should be no problem of premature birth, there's no guarantee, but the numbers are on your side."

After the doctor left, Amy sadly tugged on Jake's shirt, he was staring at the ground, "hey, our good luck streak is over. Sorry."

Jake forced a small grin, despite the gravity of the situation, he was still relieved, "Ames, nothing to be sorry about, sadly, again, our job is never one hundred percent safe, you tried helping an officer, it happens, it sucks this happens, but we're still lucky, the baby is fine and I get you home with me."

Amy gave a small crack of a smile, "I guess so, I just wish we could steer clear of these things."

Jake sat on the edge of the gurney she was still on, "Ames, we're cops, and good ones, we help when we're needed, without hesitation, we'll get hurt, but so far, nothing overly serious. To quote your favorite movie even though you deny it, "tis but a flesh wound."

Amy laughed, "Holy Grail is not my favorite movie."

"Really?"

"Really, but it is number three behind Fargo and the original Taking of Pelham One Two Three."

"Both good movies, your dad finally convinced me about Pelham, it's up there on my list now too."

"Jake?"

"Yeah?"

"I change my mind, we are lucky. The good kind."