Disclaimer: See Chapter One.
Author's Note: It's been a while, but here's the second installment. Number 3 should be coming in the next couple of days. Pleae R&R. Enjoy!
Chapter Two
"I hope for your sake that you're writing all of this down, Officer, because I don't intend to repeat myself again," snapped Clarice impatiently as she sat on the edge of the examining table in the local emergency room. Special Agent Clint Pearsall walked over to join the slightly harried police officer taking Starling's statement of the events at Krendler's lake house—the third such statement in an hour.
Her boss gave her an all-purpose smile of sympathy, having rehearsed it enough for it to almost look genuine. "Starling, this will be the last time. But you know how these things go; we have to make sure we get everything."
She gave both men a withering glare, taking a deep breath to calm her frazzled nerves and push down her anger at their tedious questionings. With a brisk efficiency, she recounted the events at Muskrat Farm and told of her actions once she woke at the house, never diverting from the truth until she came to her entrance into the kitchen. "I handcuffed Dr. Lecter to myself after he got the candlestick away from me…."
"Why to yourself, Agent?" interrupted the officer, a look of confusion crossing his ordinary and young face.
"There was nothing else close enough for me to chain him to," she retorted before continuing with her story, the same one she had already told twice earlier. "After a brief struggle in which the doctor dislocated his shoulder, he managed to trap me in the refrigerator." Here she described the manner of her short-lived capture, subconsciously running a hand over her hair. "When I continued to fight him in an attempt to try to detain him, Dr. Lecter bit me. Needless to say, it distracted me long enough for him to pick the lock on his wrist and escape. By the time I had gotten myself free from the refrigerator and the cuffs off, he was already gone. That was when backup arrived." Her eyes were hard and sparked dangerously in a warning against further questions.
An emergency room doctor came up to them then, clearing her throat to break the heavy silence that had pervaded the small room. "Gentlemen, if you would excuse me, I need to check Agent Starling's injuries. I'm sure you can talk to her later." The tall woman watched as the two men shuffled out, waiting until the door closed behind them before turning to her patient. "I'm Doctor Lewis," she said with a warm smile, extending her hand. "I hope you haven't been waiting too long, Agent Starling."
The next three weeks passed in a blur of debriefings, tabloid headlines, and sleepless nights. It was a nice break from her suddenly hectic life when Starling went to her routine follow-up with Doctor Lewis. The first genuine smile she could remember giving since July 4th lit her face when she saw the woman enter the examining room. "Clarice, it's good to see you again. How are you feeling?"
"Just fine, Doctor," she answered brightly.
"Shoulder giving you any trouble?" asked the doctor as she took her blood pressure and pulse.
"Only a little when I raise my arm above shoulder level. Otherwise it's fine."
"Let's have a look, shall we?" Dr. Lewis invited, gently probing the bullet wound and bite mark with her fingertips once Starling shrugged her shirt off of her shoulder and pulled her bra strap down her arm a bit. "Well, it all seems to be healing nicely, no infection." She picked up the folder with all of Clarice's information in it, flipping back a few pages and glancing over the notations there. "Your tests from yesterday's blood work have come back, too. Even though we checked you on your first visit, I wanted to double check the results now." The doctor's face turned serious as she looked up at her patient. "So far, no diseases have shown up in your system as a result of that bite; however, you know that HIV is still a possibility considering Dr. Lecter's culinary inclinations. It might be a good idea if you get tested every six months or so for several years." She waited for Clarice to nod. "There's one more thing, Agent."
Starling stood and began to gather up her purse to leave. "Okay. What is it?"
Dr. Lewis pursed her lips and looked down at her chart one last time then said, "You're pregnant." She watched with growing concern as Clarice's face went blank for a moment then drained of color as she sank into the chair beside the door, purse dropping unnoticed onto the floor. Lewis decided to take the wait-and-see approach.
Clarice's thoughts were in a large jumble that revolved around one word—pregnant. Several beats after the doctor's words registered, she remembered to breathe again. Oh my God, she thought. Pregnant? I hadn't even thought about that being a possibility. Who would have thought that it would only take that one time to…. Suddenly, she blushed deeply, thinking back to just what exactly had put her in this predicament. I wonder what Hannibal will think when he finds out. I wonder what the FBI will think. I would love to see Pearsall's face if he finds out who the father is. That particular thought caused her to laugh out loud and startled Dr. Lewis to no end.
With an amused shake of her head, Clarice Starling stood once more and walked out of the doctor's office and headed for her car, an extra spring in her step. She realized she should probably be more concerned about the entire prospect of carrying Hannibal Lecter's child, but found she couldn't quite muster the indignation to do so. For some inexplicable reason, she was actually rather pleased with this unexpected turn of events.
She drove for a while on the highway, turning up the volume on the radio, the windows down. It was freeing, streaking along the asphalt at 80 mph, letting her thoughts go where they pleased without trying to constrain them. Am I ready to me a mother? I think so. I have a home, a fair amount of money put into savings, a good job. She chuckled a bit at that. That is if they don't decide to fire me. But then, how long can I do my job if I'm pregnant? I can't very well go charging into drug raids with gun firing. If I stay at the FBI, I'll be stuck behind a desk as long as I remain there. Even after I have the baby, I still couldn't afford to put myself in dangerous situations like I have before.
A sigh escaped her lips as she pulled into her driveway, surprised to find herself at home, not realizing that had been her destination until she put the car into park. She went through her front door, dumping her purse on the bench as she passed it on her way to the kitchen. Clarice fixed herself a quick supper and sat at the table with a glass of iced tea, chewing slowly as she continued to mull the situation over in her mind. She finished eating and cleaned up the kitchen, making sure the doors were locked and turning out the lights before going to bed.
Clarice walked into Ardelia Mapp's side of the duplex early the next morning, a cup of hot tea in her hands. She found her roommate sitting on the couch, a muffin in front of her as she watched the morning news. Her friend smiled up at her and moved over a bit, making a place for her on the soft cushions. "Sleep well?" Ardelia asked. "When I came in last night you were already asleep, so I figured you needed it."
"Yeah," she nodded, sitting quietly. "Anything interesting this morning?" she indicated the television.
"Not a thing unless you count the weather," came the light reply. Ardelia turned her brown face to look at her friend, concern ghosting across her features. "What's the matter, Clarice? You're quieter today than usual."
A chuckle left Starling's lips as she leaned back. "You sure know how to cut to the chase, don't you." Taking a deep breath, she set her mug on the coffee table, not sure she wanted to do this. "Well, I have a newsflash for you."
"I'm not gonna like this, am I?" Mapp asked with certainty.
"Probably not. Since I'm not sure how to ease into this, I'll get to the point. I'm pregnant." She watched as Ardelia's mouth opened and closed twice before any sound came out, finding the sight absurdly funny.
"You got to be kidding. Tell me you're shitting me," she gasped, sure she heard wrong.
Shaking her head, Clarice grinned. "Nope; I'm gonna have a baby."
"Damn woman. You gotta be about two months to know, right?"
This was the moment she knew was coming and had prepared herself for. "Yeah. The doctor confirmed it yesterday."
"Who's the father, Clarice? You haven't been dating anyone that I know of." She was utterly confused by then, wondering why she didn't know that her best friend was involved with someone.
Starling shrugged. "A tourist I met at a bar one night. We hit it off, had a few drinks, I got a bit drunk and went back to his hotel with him. It was a one-time thing. He's long gone by now," she finished quietly.
"That doesn't sound like you, Clarice. What were you thinking?" Mapp fixed her with a worried gaze.
"I've done a lot of things lately that don't make much sense," she muttered. "There's nothing I can do about it now, Ardelia. I'll manage somehow, especially with you for a friend." Her smile was hopeful as she looked at her one steady support in life, the tears finally making their way to the surface.
The hug caught Clarice off guard, the distance between them swiftly closed as Ardelia enveloped her in long slender arms. "It's okay, baby. I'll be here for you. I promise." She held her longtime friend close, rocking her gently as the tears fell. It was the second time Mapp had ever seen Starling cry.