AN: I don't own any of the CSI:NY Characters or any of the show's storylines that I may borrow from time to time, but the rest of the plot is mine.
Sorry for the delay in updating this, my plot bunnies were running riot with my other fic, in between real life!
6. It's what we do
Later that night Laura, Lindsay, Stella and Heather were all gathered in Laura and Don's apartment surrounded by interior design and baby magazines.
"So what do you want?" Asked Stella exasperated that Laura had shot down her latest idea.
"I told you something simple and neutral, pale yellow, plain walls with a border which we will choose whenever I can get Don to go shopping."
"So when's the baby shower?" Lindsay questioned.
"Teresa's handling all that. Sometime before the baby's born."
"Do you really not know what you're having?" Stella pushed.
"No, we're kind of old fashioned that way, we want to be surprised."
"How could you not want to know?" Sighed Lindsay. "If it were me I'd have to know. You can't plan properly."
"Oh look, that guy's going to try for the million bucks." Said Heather drawing their attention to the TV which had been playing in the background.
"Oh look there's Danny and Flack!"
"Looks like they're having fun."
"That's good, it's been an intense few weeks." Commented Stella.
"So what will happen to Gerard now?" asked Heather. "Everything's been kind of buried under your Cabbie Killer case"
"He's been charged with premeditated murder. His daughter's devastated. DA's pushing to get it in court soon. Get the publicity over and done with. It's gonna be big when it does go to trial, a deputy inspector conducting his own vigilante justice. And we thought Clay Dobson was bad."
"Think he'll make the shot? He doesn't look so good." Noted Lindsay, bringing their attention back to the TV screen.
"I've no idea Linds, but I wouldn't put it past the guys to make a little wager." Said Laura.
Their focus for the next minute was on the TV. With the ball thundering through the hoop a number of comments went around the room when suddenly the camera zoomed in to the body on the floor in the centre of the court.
"That doesn't look good." Said Laura stating the obvious. "Looks like they just picked up a call out." She added as Don and Danny entered the frame and Danny crouched down to the body. At that moment the network decided to cut to a commercial, a few minutes later Lindsay's phone rang.
"Monroe ... Yeah I got it. Not sure how long it will take me, but I'm on my way. ... Will do." She cut the call and stood up. "The guys dead, Danny thinks some form of poisoning, they want me down there, apparently I'm the closest."
"OK Linds take care, you got your car?" Asked Stella.
"Oh yeah, I read Mac's memo about not taking cabs. ... Laura, Flack says he'll call you later and not to wait up, he thinks it could be a long night."
"Is it sad when without TV coverage you still know what's going on down at the stadium?" Asked Laura about an hour after Lindsay left.
"Very, but I guess that's the job. ... I'm sorry to bail, but I need to go, I got an early shift." Replied Stella.
"Goes for me too, my training officer's a pain in the ass if I'm late and we're back on the cab search line tomorrow." Heather sighed. "I hope you guys catch him real soon."
"Heather, I'll drop you off. ... You be ok Laura?"
"I'm fine, I'll just head to bed and try and get some sleep while I can."
--
Don crept into the apartment around 3 am, trying to be quiet. The dim lamp in the lounge leaving him enough light to see by. The voice from the shadows surprised him. "It's ok you don't need to tiptoe around."
"Kat! Geez! .. nearly gave me a heart attack!" He gasped crossing to the couch and leaning over the back, running a hand across her swollen stomach as she lay stretched out resting. "Keeping you awake again?"
"Not so much, ... I just couldn't sleep without you. ... How are things?"
"The usual. Seems the guy was poisoned, don't know how or why yet." He stood up and stretched before skirting the couch and helping her up and kissing her tenderly. "I'm gonna hit the sack, you should too babe." She nodded. He turned off the lamp and taking her hand lead her down the dimly lit hallway to the bedroom.
Wrapped in each others arms a short while later neither were asleep, his mind going over the evening's events, while she was kept awake by the pounding currently going on in her stomach. "You know we haven't really thought about names."
"Huh?"
"Names, we haven't discussed any, we can't use sprout forever."
"Why not, it kinda grows on you?" She couldn't see his face, but the smirk he wore came over in his voice. She swatted his chest lightly. "Ow! ... OK, so what do you want?"
"Madison for a girl and Cameron for a boy. Your turn."
"Dominic and Alexandra."
"I like them, but have you tried to put those with Flack, poor kid would never be able to say their name until they're 18!"
"Never thought about that ... I like Cameron."
"I like Megan and Heather, but your parents already have the scoop on those."
"At least we're agreed that we're not using Donald."
"Definitely."
"So we decided, Madison and Cameron?"
"No! ... they're just ideas, there's hundreds of names out there. Besides when they're born the names we have in mind might not suit them so it's always good to have several ideas."
"Who would've thought picking out a kid's name would be so hard?"
"You obviously never spoke to Teresa when she was pregnant, she told me they had all sorts of issues trying to name Pippa."
Don groaned at the thought as much as the kick he felt from Laura's bump pressed into his side. "Maybe I'll just let you decide, you're good at that kinda stuff."
"No way! This is your family too, its all part of the process of growing up and taking responsibility, so suck it up and do your part."
"Thought I already did that!" He chuckled.
"Takes two Tiger, you're fifty percent responsible for my current condition so its time to take fifty percent responsibility for the consequences."
An unintelligible grunt emanated from his lips as they began to doze.
--
Entering the squad room the next day they found the place buzzing. "Hey Laura! ... You're wanted upstairs, Taylor and Bonasera picked up another body this morning. Same MO as your Cabbie Killer."
"Thanks Murphy, are they back yet or still on scene?"
"Not sure, Taylor left a message asking you to call him when you got in."
"OK" She turned to Don. "I'll see you later."
"I'll be up myself soon, I'll bring lunch."
"Now I know why I keep you around."
"And I thought there were better reasons." He grinned at her and as he waggled his eyebrows.
"Maybe you can show me later." She turned and headed to the door.
--
Laura spent the rest of the day cross checking the information from the latest case with the older ones. Mac, Stella and Hawkes dropped in and out of the conference room frequently.
Mac returned from a press conference rather dejected.
"Hi, I saw Reed button hole you. He's just trying to get a story, but if its any consolation I would have said the same things. I know the mayor's office are riding you hard on this one, but we've still got a job to do. We mess this up and he'll get to walk, he's too dangerous for us to take that risk."
"I know. ... How are you holding up?"
"Apart from being chained to a computer running every conceivable database search? ... I'm OK Mac. Stella and I have run just about every database we could looking for this reference and come up empty every time."
Stella entered the room and dropped her file on the table and herself into a chair. She sighed. "Whatever his code is we just haven't cracked it yet."
"Alright, then let's step it out again." Mac replied turning from one of the giant screens to face both women with his hands on his hips.
They spent the next thirty minutes or so talking through all the cases again. Finally Stella held up a magnetic button in an evidence bag. "I did find this, it was in two pieces, I'm guessing it came apart in the water, lead composition so it's probably old, nothing pops up in any souvenir search thus far, but I'm thinking it could be tied to our killer."
"Maybe he tracked it in with him when he dumped the body in Brill Park."
"I'll keep following it see where it leads us." She offered as her phone rang. As she answered it Mac left the room. Hanging up a moment later she turned to Laura "Hawkes is taking me on a field trip, you ok here?"
"I have to be, Don would have a fit if I so much as step outside without him. Leave the magnet thing I'll run some searches, see what I can find while you're out, it'll be a break from the code."
"Tell that husband of yours to take you out for dinner someplace nice, you deserve it"
"Are you kidding, he's barely taken me anywhere since he knew I was pregnant, I thought he worried before, that was nothing to the protective streak he's on now."
"Next time I see him, I'll tell him ok?"
"Thanks, Stella."
--
Danny and Lindsay were across the hall analysing the lipstick prints Sid had pulled from their victim, when they realised that one of them had traces of Atropine in it forcing a colour change, so they decided to call in all the cheerleaders to take further samples so that they could try and match the partial print to a person.
Danny and Don were standing in the observation booth while Lindsay took charge of the girls on the other side of the one way glass. All provided a sample as requested and amused they boys when they used the mirror to reapply their lipstick again after. Lindsay turned and stared through the glass. Danny noticed the irritated expression she wore as Don grinned at one girl using the mirror and pouting to ensure she had succeeded in her task.
"There's one time I would have considered that sexy, but not anymore. I'll tell you though it sure as hell could be dangerous." Don scoffed.
"So Laura doesn't do that for you?" Danny asked, hinting at the sexy pout the girl behind the glass had given.
"Sure she does. That's why all these women do nothing for me now."
"You got your own-"
"Don't go there Mess, she could still whoop your ass, ... Don't tangle with a woman overrun with hormones ... dangerous."
"So she already whooped your ass then?"
Don grinned a little in reply. He kind of liked her having the upper hand sometimes, but he wasn't about to admit it to his best friend. He'd let him work that feeling out for himself, if Lindsay ever forgave him.
--
Stella entered the conference room as Laura eased herself into a chair. "Laura?"
"Hi Stella, ... just give me a sec." she breathed hard rubbing her stomach.
"You ok?" She asked with a concerned look. A moment later Laura looked up.
".. Fine. Braxton Hicks, some of them just catch me out a little. ... You got my message?"
"Yeah, what have you got for me?"
"That magnet, .. it's actually a cab company dispatch button, used by Zenith Cabs, they're the only place still using the old magnetic boards. All the others have gone high tech and use GPS locators now."
Stella checked the electronic pad she was holding. "That's great, the same company uses the tyres we identified from the treads found at the fumigation site at Kings College. ... I'll tell Mac and it looks like it's my turn to take Hawkes on a field trip!"
"Good luck, I'll have another bash at that code."
"Take a break first. Go get a change of scenery. Go home, you've done enough today."
"I'm fine Stella. ... You know, you're beginning to sound as bad as Don?"
"We're family it's what we do ... worry about each other. Besides you think he's hard on you, think how hard he'll be on us if anything happens to you."
"... I guess you have a point. ... you better go find Hawkes and take your trip."
Stella grinned and left the room. Laura decided to follow Stella's suggestion and got up. A change of scenery would be good and she had a huge craving for an ice cream milkshake.
--
It was late when Stella and Hawkes appeared to have a break in the case and they entered Mac's office with a pile of files from the Mannix Asylum which had been closed down a year before.
Reviewing the files they found someone who seemed to fit the profile for a sadistic killer like they were after. Mac reeled of various aspects of the profile. "This one looks pretty good for it what's his name? ... John Doe. ... So even with all this information at our fingertips we still don't have our killer's name" They all stared at each other for a moment. Mac tossed the file onto his desk and took a deep breath. "Alright, enough is enough, I want both of you, Danny, Lindsay, Adam, Sid, every last person in this lab on this, if we have to work double overtime and around the damned clock, as far as I'm concerned every other case goes to the bottom of the pile until we track this cabbie killer down and permanently put him out of business." He snapped.
Not sure when I'll get the next chapter up, but will try not to keep you waiting too long.
Don't forget the poll on my profile page for the sex of Don and Laura's baby. Or do you want them to have twins? Voting is really tight at the minute! Please help me.