Chapter Two

Rudy took Steve down to his office, closed the door and got out his secret stash...of brandy. "You're worried about her," he noted, handing Steve a glass.

"It'd be different if she was a secretary or a file clerk..."

"Would it?" Rudy questioned.

"Yes! This job is too dangerous for her right now. Period." Steve took a healthy swig of the brandy, and then another. "She could make one wrong move – and get shot!"

"Like Jaime said, she's very good at this," Rudy reminded him.

"Yeah, but you told us this is a high risk pregnancy, right? Jaime should be home, resting."

"You need to ease up on her, Steve – make sure you're not stressing her more by hovering."

"I do not hover!" Steve insisted. Seeing the doctor's raised eyebrow and doubtful expression, though, he had to admit it. "Alright, maybe I'm a little over-protective -"

"A little?"

"I'll try and stop hovering."

"Doctor Jeffries and I are keeping a very close eye on things," Rudy promised. "And Jaime knows what she can and can't do; she'll handle herself just fine."

---

Jaime eyed the security fence from behind the safety of a small hill off to one side of the building. Her first thought was to jump over – it wasn't that high (and wasn't exactly jumping off of a roof) – but she took a few extra minutes to consider her options. When the back door guard went around to the front to confer with his cohort, Jaime made her move. She'd seen one of the men lean against the fence, so she knew it wasn't electrified, and working quickly she sliced an opening for herself, slipped through and bent the wires back into place so they were almost unnoticeable. Thanks to her detailed Intel map, she found the safe right away and within seconds had the file in her hand.

Jaime heard the guard's footsteps as he returned to his position at the back gate, so she ducked out the side door (very happy she'd cut an escape hole rather than jumping) and ran as fast as she dared, through the hole, across the field and past the small hill to where she was completely out of sight. "We did it," she whispered, softly rubbing her belly before pulling out her datacom to call the chopper. As she made her way to the arranged pick-up zone and her adrenaline returned to normal, Jaime realized that suddenly she was very tired.

---

"Excellent work, Babe," Oscar said, placing the retrieved file in his safe. "How do you feel?"

"Aw, not you too!" Jaime sighed. "I get enough of that with Steve asking me every five minutes."

"Then I won't ask again for at least another ten," Oscar chuckled.

"Actually, I am more tired than I thought I'd be, for a simple assignment," Jaime admitted. "Is Rudy still here?"

"He's downstairs with Steve. Don't worry – they're just talking." Oscar picked up the phone. "I'll let him know you're coming. Jaime...?" Oscar called as she turned to go. "You'll make an excellent Mommy; congratulations."

---

"Wow – that was quick!" Steve exclaimed when Jaime walked into the lab (where he and Rudy had settled in for a few hands of poker).

Jaime shrugged. "It wasn't far – piece of cake." She leaned toward Steve as he stood to embrace her...and promptly collapsed into his arms. "Guess I'm a little tired," she said softly.

Steve scooped her up and – before she could argue – laid her gently on the bed, where Rudy was already waiting. "Let's have a look at you," Rudy told her, swinging immediately from friend into full doctor mode. "Are you having any pain?"

"No...just tired...and a little woozy."

"What's wrong with her, Doc?" Steve asked, hovering anxiously.

"Her blood pressure is too high and she's exhausted. Did you use your bionics at all, Honey?"

"Only a little...mostly to run."

Rudy knew about the adrenaline rush that flooded an agent's system while they were working – good operatives thrived on it. "That may have been a little more stress than your body was ready for. Steve, I'll keep her here overnight, just to be on the safe side, and have Doctor Jeffries look at her tomorrow." He patted Jaime's hand. "Until we know exactly what happened and why, I'm afraid there'll be no more missions for you, Young Lady."

This time, Jaime didn't argue.

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