The main characters don't belong to me but to the creators of CSI NY tv series. But Maria Kostopoulos is totally mine! And Dr. Irene Samaras too.

Thanks to Lily Moonlight for helping me so much. Have I ever said it?

I Can't Say Goodbye

Chapter 14

The attempts to follow Stella's message to its source were unsuccessful again. Her name was blocked in the search engines, as well as all her personal data. All traces of her message were lost on a totally inaccessible server in Washington, with access keys set to the highest security level.

Mac resigned himself to hoping that she would tell him where she was when she was ready. If not, he would simply wait for her return. Stella had answered his message, saying she was going to print the words he had written, in case he was ever so angry with her that she had to remind him of them... "Everything coming from you interests me, and I will always care about, and nothing you have to say will overcome the last sentence of your message. Nothing could happen to change that.

S'agapó, Agapi mou"

Mac reiterated to her that nothing could happen to upset him, not even the wait until she felt ready.

Mac's messages had a soothing effect on Stella. She was exultant. She had a man who loved her waiting for her, and she was going to have his baby. What more could anyone want? Of course, the optimism as the result of pregnancy hormones, meant her happiness alternated with periods of crying and sadness thinking about how she would organize, after the return from Europe, her next adventure in New Orleans. That would be far more difficult. And with a baby. What would Mac say if his child had to grow away from him? Would that "Nothing could happen to change that... s'agapó agapi mou" be kept then?

Stella had got an appointment at the Practice of "the best gynaecologist in Athens and all Greece," said in Betty Connor's exact words. Betty had attended there for her first pregnancy three years ago, and now, too, for her second. Her eldest son had been born in Athens and now her daughter would be, too. She had total confidence in the doctor. In addition, she explained to Stella, the doctor spoke fluent English, which was a bonus. Although that point wasn't a priority to Stella, Betty told her that during her first pregnancy she was newly arrived in the country and she didn't speak a word of Greek, so, the fact of finding an excellent doctor that could understand English was very important for her. Betty recommended Stella to the appointments nurse and first thing on Tuesday morning Stella went to the Practice.

Dr. Irene Samaras was an energetic woman, very solid. Her mere presence and deep, though gentle, voice inspired confidence. At that first consultation, she almost scolded Stella. She couldn't believe that Stella hadn't noticed her pregnancy until then. She asked the date of Stella's last period, and Stella almost blushed to confess she didn't remember exactly. But the doctor laughed when Stella added that, however, she knew exactly the date on which her baby had been conceived. "Good data," the doctor joked. She had begun to write down everything in Stella's medical history. As Stella had explained that at the end of the year she would have to return to America, Dr. Samaras wrote the file in English to make the transfer to Stella's doctor in New York easier when she returned.

Stella had brought her medical history, but she explained to the doctor the circumstances of her life and she didn't know about her family medical antecedents. Blood samples were taken and she had to give a urine sample. She was measured and weighed, her blood pressure was tested and when the doctor finished with Stella, it was the father's turn. Stella had expected that, and she had the data. The night before she had accessed Mac's medical records (privileges of her new rank, which allowed her access to any official record and all police staff) and she was well informed.

Without consequences, Mac had passed through all the common childhood diseases. His health was excellent and in his last medical examination, four months ago, his blood pressure levels and other indicators in the analysis were perfect. His RH factor was the same as Stella, so it wouldn't be a trouble. The doctor also noted his height and weight.

"Well, Ms. Bonasera, now that we have all the data, we'll do the first examination and ultrasound. At this point our little one has grown from embryo to fetus, and you will see that it is well defined, although it only measures about four inches, if the development is normal for almost fifteen weeks."

Stella had to remove her clothes and put the gown the nurse gave her, while the doctor started to calibrate the scanner. Then, when Stella was ready, Dr. Samaras put the gloves on and carefully proceeded with the examination. Her softness made Stella finally relax, because at first she was a little tense. The doctor reassured her, nothing was unusual. Finally, she applied the gel to Stella's abdomen and went on to perform an ultrasound, sliding the probe in search of a good image. The first thing that startled Stella was the sound. She looked at the doctor.

"Yes, you're listening to its heartbeat. Loud and strong, perfect"

Stella felt the tears came to her eyes. She wished Mac was there with her and they could share this moment.

As if guessing Stella's thought, the doctor told her, "We're recording it, and I'll give you a disc copy, with the image and sound. So the father may also enjoy it if you want to... Look, I have a good picture here"

Stella looked at the screen and gasped. A little one, shrunk and with a big head, had appeared in a perfectly clear image. Even the features of its little face could already be distinguished! Betty had told Stella that Dr. Samaras' practice had state-of-the-art equipment, but this was incredible. Dr. Samaras maneuvered around the screen, marking and measuring, nodding to herself.

"As I expected, it will be big. Both, father and mother, are higher than average, so that's normal. It is nearly five inches long now. Well... how can we call it? The name we'll give to the fetus, the baby, in its own record. Baby Bonasera?"

Stella corrected her immediately.

"Baby Taylor, the name will be Taylor".

"Taylor it is, then". The doctor wrote Baby Taylor, the date and the weeks of pregnancy, and sent images to the printer, while she archived a copy of the entire sequence of images.

The printer finished and the doctor gave Stella the copy. She couldn't stop looking at it, it was so tiny... and it was growing inside her, this little being that Mac and she had created...

"As for the sex, would you want to know? Is still a little early but I would venture to tell you it, the position is good..."

"No, I don't want to know," Stella said hastily. "Not without the father present, I want us to discover that together at least."

The doctor smiled. She was pretty sure it was a baby girl, though she said nothing to Stella. She wrote on the file "Sex: Female". "The mother doesn't want to know yet". The nurse cleaned off the remaining gel and helped Stella to re-dress after the examination. When she was ready, the doctor told her the latest recommendations for diet, wrote her a prescription for a supplement of vitamins and folic acid and told the nurse to fix with her an appointment for the following month, if the test results were normal. The nurse asked for Stella's address, phone and e-mail, and for her next of kin, just in case that another person had to decide for her if some emergency situation happened. That would be Mac, of course, Stella stated, and provided his e-mail. It couldn't be denied that they were very careful and provided for all possible contingencies.

Thrilled with the image of her baby in the bag, Stella Bonasera went out of the practice as if floating on a cloud. On the way, she bought the prescribed medication and she arrived at her office in the Embassy, determined to work without stress. Not that it was easy, given the commitments they had to face. Everything should work as a machine composed of perfect gears when in late November (and a little over two months and a half were left), the US' President two-day visit would be the big test for the security plan that Stella had designed, although it would have its first test the following month, when the Vice-President would make a short visit to Athens, after an International Conference in Moscow. The first test, it was hoped, would overcome any possible obstacles to the security transfer of the official delegation from the airport to the Presidential Palace, then to the US Embassy where a dinner would be offered, before the short return trip to the airport, meaning that when it came to the presidential visit, all would flow smoothly.

At the end of the week, Stella received an email from Dr. Samaras' Practice with the results of her tests. Everything was normal; Stella Bonasera and Baby Taylor seemed to share a model pregnancy. Stella had to control herself to not to tell Mac what was happening. Some days she decided she was going to tell him right away... returning soon to her initial thought of waiting to see him face to face.

Meanwhile, her belly grew visibly every day. Her medical appointment the following month generated a new set of Baby Taylor photos, this time with the baby face looking right to the probe's direction, providing a frontal view. Stella could swear that the round cheeks came from its father. She hadn't had the slightest discomfort, and the pregnancy posed no obstacle to her work. At the Embassy, no one had dared to ask about the father, who or where he was, although there was some speculation and betting for all possibilities.

At home, Maria was more concerned in all going well than even Stella herself. She cooked meals rich in protein, vitamins and minerals, she warned Stella not to forget the vitamins and folic acid, she wouldn't allow her to lift more weight than a spoon... When Maria got angry because Stella had caught something heavy, or she had climbed something to take a book from the highest shelf, or she had run and slipped, or she hadn't eaten everything... then Maria just talked to the baby, to the belly. But they were short angers. Stella had already showed her all the photos of Mac, which were in a small album that she had brought, and also those that Lindsay sent every Saturday, the pictures taken when Mac picked Lucy up. Maria liked Mac more and more, but she couldn't understand why he wasn't there with her. When Stella told Maria that she hadn't told him she was pregnant, Maria was shocked. Poor man, and she was blaming him. He didn't know anything! This time, Maria spent two days talking only to the baby. "Tell your mother..." she used to begin every sentence that was meant for Stella.

In early November, Stella's pregnant belly was more than evident. And the coincidence of a series of tangled events, led Mac to some unexpected discoveries. All in one day.

(*) ("S'agapó, Agapi mou" means "I love you, my love" in Greek)

To be continued...