AN: I don't own any of the CSI:NY Characters or any of the show's storylines that I may refer to from time to time, but the rest of the plot is mine.
3. Sprout
Laura quickly headed back towards the restrooms before anyone could detain her. Stella and Don sat down again as conversation flowed for a while. He sat nervously on the edge of the bench. His eyes constantly flicked between the group at the table and the doorway at the back of the bar. Stella, already extremely curious at their behaviour, was aware of his anxious looks.
"Is everything ok?" She asked Don quietly. "Want me to go check on her?"
"Yeah, no, she's ok, it's just ... It's just the first night we've been out for a while." He answered looking again at the doorway and seeing her begin to make her way through the crowd. She flashed him a nervous smile and he stood up and went towards her. There would be no escaping questions this time.
Stella watched him move smoothly across the room to meet her. It didn't surprise her to see him slide an arm around her waist and dip his head to kiss her cheek. What did surprise her was the way he slid his other hand across her and rested it on her bulging stomach. The subtle gesture spoke volumes and she almost choked on her drink, bringing the glass crashing down to the table, attracting everyone's attention. Before the rest of the group could comment she was standing up her hands on her hips.
"Donald Flack junior!" She squealed. "What do you think you're doing keeping that from us!"
Laura and Don exchanged guilty glances as the bar fell quiet and everyone looked at them. Laura dropped her head onto his chest, hiding her flushed cheeks as her hair fell around her face. Don rubbed her back and whispered to her before taking her hand and leading her back to the table as Stella stood waiting for an explanation.
"Hey Stella." He greeted cautiously.
"You dare "hey Stella" me? ... Why haven't you said anything?" The rest of the table were staring at the couple mostly with confused looks.
"Flack, what you done to upset her?" Asked Danny, pointing a thumb at Stella as he looked at Don who now had his arm resting around Laura's waist while her hand rested protectively on her "bump".
"Nothing, well except maybe didn't tell her that ... Um Kat's kind of pregnant."
"Kind of?" said Hawkes amused, now taking in Laura's figure. "I think you're past the kind of stage."
"Wait back up, pregnant, as in little Flacks running around?" Asked Danny, still not following the conversation.
"Just one's enough for now." Laura answered.
"So when is it due?" Asked Kendall.
"Mid May." Laura answered as the rest of the table caught on and they found themselves on the end of a barrage of questions.
"When did you find out?" "Why didn't you tell us?" "How are you?" "What are you having?" "Can you still work?"
"We want details, and Flack don't think you're getting off lightly we've got some talking to do here." Stella breezed.
"We wanted to tell you together and the last few months have been pretty crazy with California and Vice giving us little time together, so it had to be now." Don told them.
Laura suddenly took his hand and lay it on her bump, a moment later he looked at her in awe. "Is that-?"
"Yeah, your son or daughter kicking hell out of me." She answered, giving him an encouraging smile, as the table were momentarily silenced as they watched the amazed expression on Don's face.
Don looked at Laura. "So sprout really is in there?" he asked dumbfounded. "... You need to sit down or something?" He asked his mind totally blown away as he felt the ripples of his baby's kicks under his hand for the first time.
"I'm ok, ... you can close your mouth you know, it's not like you didn't see the ultrasound to know it's real." She answered and he grinned at her.
"So how far along are you?" Stella finally questioned, curiosity getting the better of her.
"26 weeks."
"And you kept it a secret this long?" Lindsay added.
"By the time we had got Don's family together to tell them and talked to Dad, we were planning on telling you all the night I got the call from LA."
"And I knew you would want to do all that girly shopping." Don said to Stella.
"Girly shopping? Flack it's a rite of passage, of course we have to go shopping. I can see now why you are so desperate." She replied. "Where d'you want to start?"
"Baby gap is supposed to have this fabulous new line in of clothes." Offered Kendall.
"Oh no, nothing cutsy, it's gotta be the latest Rangers uniform." added Danny.
"Do you know what you're having?" Adam finally asked, struggling to get his mouth open between the rest.
"A baby would be nice." Teased Laura.
"Of course it's a baby! Sex?" Asked Danny.
"Not a chance Messer, I'm not that way inclined!" Don countered quickly, making the team laugh and Danny turned a nice shade of tomato red. Laura was the one to rescue the conversation.
"We don't want to know. It'll be a surprise. Now if I know you guys they'll be some pool or other going by tomorrow, so I'll tell you now, the hospital scan puts the due date at 17th May."
"Have you been keeping well?" Asked Hawkes.
"Pretty good considering. Don got off lightly, most of my cravings and morning sickness were while I was in LA. ... I've had a couple of scans, everything's fine except for the fact that I've inherited his insatiable appetite." She answered tilting her head in Don's direction, then turning to him. "... Talking of which, didn't you promise me dinner tonight?"
"Sure did babe, you ready?"
"You're gonna drop the bombshell and disappear on us?" Asked Mac. "You insisted Stella bring me, the least we can do it wet the baby's head." He continued. Everyone agreed and within minutes a couple of bottles of champagne had appeared. As Mac filled the glasses, Stella and Laura agreed their plans for the next day's shopping trip. Kendall and Lindsay helped pass the filled glasses around the group and Mac passed one to Laura and Don quickly took it away from her.
"Oh No, Mac you got something non alcoholic?"
"It's one small glass Flack, she'll be fine." Stella argued taking the glass from him and giving it back to Laura.
"You can't have a toast and exclude the mother to be." Continued Mac handing Don his own glass.
"I'm outvoted here aren't I?" He conceded and everyone agreed.
"Better get used to it, this baby is gonna have you twisted around its little finger." Whispered Laura as Mac turned to the group holding up his glass.
"Family is very important to all of us, we may not have the biological bonds to tie us together, but the work of this team and the personal challenges we've all faced over recent years has brought us together more and formed bonds which are undeniable, some of those have been forged closer than we realised at the time and now our little family is moving forward to celebrate new life and we should cherish this moment. I'm sure I don't speak only for myself, but for the team when I say that we are delighted with the news that our next generation is coming to two people who I'm sure will make wonderful parents. ... And I'll just add a word of warning, .. you'd better get used to baby Flack having lot's of aunts and uncles to spoil it, ... just keep it out of the lab." Mac smirked at Laura and Don as he delivered the last sentence.
"Are you kidding? There's so much cool stuff for them to play with." Whined Danny.
"Forget it Mess, no child of mine is coming near that lab with all those chemicals and stuff." Don replied.
"Down boys." Soothed Stella.
"I know you both have families who will spoil this child, but although it's banned from the lab won't mean it isn't loved and cherished by everyone here. To baby Flack!"
"Baby Flack" everyone chorused and sipped their drinks. Don looked at Laura, who had tears running down her cheeks. She put the glass down on the table and stepped over to Mac and hugged him.
"Thank you. That was really sweet."
"You're welcome. Congratulations." He answered as Stella came to hug her.
"You ok kiddo?" She whispered.
Laura pulled back and brushed her hand across her face wiping the tears away. "Fine, hormones you know. ..." She smiled.
Stella turned to Don and hugged him tightly. "I am so happy for you. It's fantastic. Just make sure you look after them or you're gonna get your butt kicked."
"Don't worry Stell, I'm doing all the right stuff. ... I think anyways." He replied looking across at Laura as the rest of the team crowded around them. "It's just amazing that we did something like that ya know? ... I'm gonna be a dad!"
"Yeah, and you'll do just fine." She reassured him.
"Flack! You got any names yet for your kid?" called Danny as he came towards them.
"Hey, that's my son or daughter you're talking about have some respect!" Don countered. Somehow the reference to "kid" didn't sound right. Not for something as amazing as watching this new life develop inside the woman he loved.
"So if it's a boy is it Donald Flack III?" Asked Danny.
"No way would I ever give my son that hang up. I know what it's like."
"So have you picked out any names?" Stella asked.
"We've got some ideas, but we've got time." He shrugged
At that moment several pagers beeped calling people away and allowing Don and Laura to finally extract themselves to go for dinner.
--
Stella and Laura entered the diner at lunchtime the next day loaded down with shopping bags. After ordering their food and Laura making another trip to the bathroom they were sat with drinks at their table.
"Now you can tell me all the details." Said Stella.
"What do you want to know?" Asked Laura.
"Everything of course!" She replied enthusiastically. "Start at the beginning. How did Flack take it when you told him?"
"He's been so excited. It all goes back to when I had a false alarm before the wedding. ... When we found out I wasn't and then he ended up in hospital we talked. We decided then that we were ready to start a family right away, so it wasn't exactly a surprise when it did happen. He's been so good, he hasn't missed a doctor's appointment, you saw him last night when he felt the baby kick. He was just the same at the ultrasound."
"How did he manage to keep it to himself for so long?"
"Our lieutenant has known for a while, he needed to let off steam, he'd go to him. He nearly told you all a hundred times, but he was adamant he wanted us to do this together. Timing just hasn't been on our side."
"While you were in LA I thought he was just edgy because he couldn't be there with you. Now it makes more sense."
"He was a nervous wreck when I got back. He wants to be there, do all the stuff his father didn't."
"So how is he doing?"
"Sometimes a little OTT, but he means well. I think he's read every book available and spent hours on the internet finding out about everything. You want to know about pregnancy ask him."
Stella laughed. "He's really serious then?"
"Totally committed, even to the point of being at the birth."
"Flack in a delivery room, that has got to be a first!"
"Sometimes I think he's more into this baby than I am." Said Laura as she rubbed her hand across her abdomen feeling the baby move under her hand.
"So what names have you come up with?"
"A few, but definitely not family names, at least not Donald Flack III ... he's determined his son, if it's a boy will not be saddled with the Flack heritage in that way. He says there's too much expectation to live up to or be better than the father. He wants him or her to be able to make their own mark. He knows what the pressure is like."
"I never figured he would name his kid after himself, he's not like that."
"... Now you can dish the dirt ... What's been going on in the lab? Don doesn't tell me much."
"You know about Danny and Reuben Sandoval?" Asked Stella.
"Yeah, .. what happened with Danny and Lindsay, Don says they broke up and Danny turned up at our place the other night in a bad way. I know he feels guilty about Reuben but this was way beyond any of that." Replied Laura.
"Danny's distanced himself from everyone recently, Lindsay has tried to reach him, hell we all have, but he's pushed everyone away. Flack is kind of the last resort to get him straight before Mac has to make it all official and I know he doesn't want to, but its affecting the lab and we need it resolved before we're inspected in a few weeks."
"Inspected?"
"Reaccreditation, has to be renewed every 5 years. Our time's up."
"Oh, ..." Laura's mind went blank as the waitress walked by to the next table with two steaming plates of food. She tried to contain the sudden nausea which threatened to engulf her. Stella watched the colour drain from her face.
"Laura? Everything ok?" She asked concerned as Laura reached for the glass of water in front of her.
"Sorry, ... Can't stand the smell of mushrooms at the moment. ... I'll be-" She put the glass down quickly, got up and hurried to the bathroom. When she returned their food had arrived and she eased herself back into the booth. "They should post a warning notice for me when those things are around." She joked as she picked up her fork and took a mouthful of her own food.
"You're ok?" asked Stella amazed, she had thought that Laura wouldn't want to eat now.
"Fine. You don't want to know the details, ... let's just say sprout's hungry and I need to eat."
"Sprout?"
"Yeah, Don started it. The first ultrasound we had, it looked like a bean-sprout, Teresa called her kids bean, so he started calling this one sprout." Stella grinned with amusement.
"I will so have to tease him with that. ... We've still got a couple of hours after this what do you want to do? We've got you enough work clothes, what about something for the Mayor's fundraiser. You are going aren't you?"
"Can't get out of it. I got orders, something about it being part of my commitments to the last taskforce. Hobnob with the rich and famous." Groaned Laura. "Would you be nice and call me out to a crime scene that night."
"Are you allowed?"
"... no, but it won't stop me trying. ... I'm confined to interviewing witnesses and doing paperwork for 2 months."
"It'll be worth it in the end."
"I know, I'm just so used to being in the action you know. It's just going to be hard taking that back seat for a while."
"You thought of changing jobs?"
"I did say to Don once I'd look at moving to the Academy to become a trainer, but there's nothing going right now and I really like what I'm doing here, I'm not ready to move again yet, so we struck this deal. I know it's for the best, but I just feel like I'll be paper pushing." Laura moaned.
"... Flack doesn't know how you feel does he?"
"No and I'm not going to say anything either. I have to deal with this, it's department procedure and I know it's for the best really. I just don't like it."
"He should still know."
"Please Stella don't say anything. It will only make him worry more."
"Alright, but I think he needs to know."
--
Laura entered the squad room several hours later to find it bustling with activity. She paused for a moment at the door while she took in the new layout. The department had grown in her absence and they had had to move things around to squeeze more desks in. Resting her hand protectively over the "bump" she made her way across the room to Don's desk where he was talking to Mac. She greeted them and Don gave her a quick kiss, before pointing at the desk next to his.
"I'll let you two get sorted, call me if you get anything from those files." Mac told them, directing his last comment to Don before leaving.
"You plan this?" Asked Laura indicating the proximity of their desks.
"Maybe." He answered with a slightly guilty look, as he helped her off with her coat.
"Hey Stevens! Welcome back!" Yelled Murphy, from across the room.
"Stevens? I haven't been that in months. Forget my name while I've been gone?" She asked as he came over to them.
"No, just that we've only had one Flack around here for a while to worry about." He answered. "You're looking well." He commented as he looked her over.
"Watch it Murph, my husband's watching." She replied.
"Oh and congratulations." He walked away.
"You told him?"
"News travels fast. It was all round here when I got in. ... Fraser broke it at roll call this morning. Announced you were coming back riding a desk until you go on maternity."
"Well I'd better go check in and get my orders." She sighed before heading for their lieutenant's office.
AN: That's their secret. I haven't decided if they will have a boy or girl yet and no names ... I'm open to suggestions. So please review and give me your ideas.
AN2: Don't forget the FF awards, go to the CSI:NY forums to find it and vote.