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It was not true.

Standing in the express line at the shop with Mia, Allie had eight different pregnancy tests in her basket. Eight might be a bit much, but when each of them came back negative – which they would, she told herself firmly – her mother would know that she was most certainly not pregnant.

Shifting forward in the line, her daughter inspected the lollies strategically placed on the shelves near the checkout. When her face turned up to hers hopefully, Allie shook her head slightly. Mia sighed knowingly and then turned her attention to the man lining up behind them. She looked in interest at what he was buying – milk and bread – before she looked past him and saw two more people join their line, a woman and a boy that looked like he was her age.

The line shifted forward again and Mia belatedly realised that when the man almost ran into her. Quickly moving up to her mother's side, the rest of the line shifted up. Noticing that they were now at the front of the line, Mia looked at the two checkouts and wondered which customer would finish first.

Her contemplation was interrupted when the young boy two spots behind them suddenly threw a tantrum. Turning, the six year old saw that the boy held a Mars Bar in his hand and was refusing to let it go. He began screaming when his mother tried to pry it from his fingers. When she did, he threw himself onto the ground and banged his fists against the floor.

Tugging at her mother's leg, her eyes not off the scene before her, she whispered loudly. "What is that boy doing?"

Allie looked back in the direction that Mia was pointing and saw the woman flush in embarrassment. She prepared to answer her own child when an impatient voice sounded in front of him. "Hello, next please."

Stepping up to the checkout, Allie placed the basket in the designated spot. Mia stood with her back to the wall next to her mother as she watched curiously as the woman tried to pull the boy up so that they could move forward in the line, only for the kid to then become a deadweight.

Wondering at the behaviour, she turned around and propped her head up on the checkout as each thing was slowly removed from the red basket, scanned several times over until it read and then placed in a plastic bag. Mia wasn't the only one wondering at the slow pace of the worker.

It is a Sunday for goodness sake, Allie muttered to herself. People got paid double to work this shift, so come on girly, double time.

After what felt like an eternity – but was more likely just two minutes – the total popped up on the screen. "$72.49," said the cashier in a bored tone.

"Mummy, I want to pay," said Mia.

The checkout girl looked at Allie, then Mia and then at the contents of their purchase. The look on her face said everything as Allie ignored her and handed Mia her card to swipe. The six year old reached up high to place it in the machine and then stood back as Allie finished everything off.

As Allie took the bag and receipt and they left the shop, Mia looked up at her mother with a question on her lips. "Why did you buy so many boxes with big tummies on them?"

Seven positive tests, one negative test, three meetings with the toilet, disbelief warring with inevitability, several knowing looks from her mother, countless reassurances to her husband that she was not sick and 27 hours later, Allie stepped off the elevator onto the Homicide floor. She held a file in her hand, a tight smile plastered on her face.

Making her way over to where her old teammates were working at their desks, she responded to their greetings with a swift "hey".

Nick had his back to her, his hands clasped behind his head. Realising they had a visitor, he tilted his neck to the side. "Hey hon."

Allie slapped down the files on Matt's desk – "The files you asked Dom for" – before turning to her husband. "Nick, a word?"

Nick readily rose from his chair and followed his wife into the break room.

"This is all your fault," declared Allie without warning as she turned and braced herself back against a cupboard. "All yours."

"Okay," said Nick slowly. "What is it that I'm supposed to have done?" He refrained from adding this time. He didn't think it would help matters much.

"I took eight tests," said Allie, evading the question. "Eight tests Nick and they're all telling me the same thing." She looked at him expectantly.

"Ah, eight tests for what Al?" asked Nick, concern starting to grow. "Give me something more to work with here."

"Eight pregnancy tests," said Allie succinctly. "Well, technically only seven returned a positive, so the eighth one must have been a false negative, but when you consider my mother picked it up, then that probably makes it an even eight and..."

Her voice trailed off.

She hadn't exactly come here with a speech prepared on how she was going to tell Nick that they were going to be parents for a second time, but she had expected that his reaction was generally going to be one of surprise and joy.

It wasn't.

Nick's face was white and he took a step backward. Allie opened her mouth to question him, to ask what was wrong, but he turned from her. In the doorway, his hand gripped the doorframe as he stopped momentarily, his back to hers. Then came the last words she heard from him before he left altogether.

"I can't do this."

Next chapter:

Nick goes missing.