Disclaimer: see my profile
Warning: see the first chapter and my profile
"What's wrong with Emily?" Morgan asked Reid one Thursday afternoon.
Three months had passed since Reid and Emily had got the news of the successful commingling of their DNA. That's what Reid kept telling himself every time he saw Emily. It was like a job well done on a science project, one that would take another six and a half months to complete.
"How should I know?" He answered back with out hesitating. Morgan always picked up on the hesitation. It was better not to give him an in.
"Because you sit next to her and she's been popping up out of her desk every morning and running to the restroom."
"I hadn't noticed." Reid kept his face in the file JJ had given him the night before.
"Well, she's either developed a very small bladder or she's pregnant."
If he'd been drinking the cup of coffee he'd been dreaming of, he might have choked on it or dropped it. As if was, he was barely able to keep from knocking his stack of files on the floor when his hands jerked.
"P-pregnant," He stuttered, unable to control his mouth.
"Yeah, you know Reid, sperm meets egg. I'm sure you know that "birds do, bees do it, and even educated fleas do it. Let's do it, let's fall in love." He sang.
"Morgan!"
"What's up hot stuff?" Garcia interjected as she entered the bullpen with a stack of files and a cup of tea.
"Hey there baby girl. What ya got for me."
"Nothing interesting…. I've tagged a bunch of addresses for you to check." She dropped a file on Morgan's desk. "I'm sure Detective Small will appreciate it."
"It's nice to have a case right here in town."
"Just be sure not to get blown up. You know I hate when you walk into a building that might blow up in your face or drive a bomb-laden ambulance into the middle of a city park."
"Don't worry mama… I'm just consulting on this. I don't plan on getting in the thick of it. Besides I have a hot date tonight. Why would I jeopardize that for a little explosive?"
"Little! If even half of what I managed to dig up on this guy is true, he's sitting on several pounds of C4 and that's not counting what might be at those addresses."
"I told you… I'm hanging back and letting ATF and DHS handle this one. I've had my fill of terrorists for the next couple of decades."
Emily had come back to her desk while Garcia and Morgan were bickering. She turned her attention to the stack on her desk with her head down as though expecting an explosion.
Reid was mentally cheering Garcia for distracting Morgan when his partner said, "Hey Prentiss, you still trying to kick the stomach flu? I've never seen a case hang on this long. Usually you're as healthy as a horse."
"Yeah, are you okay?" Garcia headed Emily's way and Reid put his head down again.
If they weren't careful, their cover would be blown. Damn it! When would Emily tell everyone?
"Morgan, Prentiss, Reid, I need you in the conference room now."
Reid silently thanked God for a new case. Emily jumped up first and dashed up the steps with more energy than Reid had seen from her in weeks. He wasn't sure that she should be running like that. She was pregnant and even though he knew that there was no danger of the embryo shaking loose or something, it was still freaking him out to see her move that fast.
"Reid," Morgan said, interrupting his thoughts
"You heard Hotch we have a case." Reid made his escape and left Morgan and Garcia looking at each other.
"What's going on?"
"I don't know mama, but I intend to find out."
---
Emily was sitting at the small table in her hotel room wondering if she'd be able to keep down anything at breakfast. She needed the energy as this case was getting to them all. If she went to the doctor in two days looking like she did now with dark circles under her eyes and hands that were shaking, he might make her take enforced time off.
It didn't help that she had to dodge Reid every time he thought they were alone. His endless questions about her health were getting on her nerves. What had happened to the deal they'd made three months ago?
She was about to get into the shower when someone knocked at her door. She pulled on her robe and looked at the clock on the bedside table. No one else but Reid or JJ would knock this early when they were out on a case. She could guess who was on the other side of the door.
"Damn it Reid." She hissed when he stepped into her room.
"Good morning to you too," He said very cheerfully
"Drop the attitude mister. I'm not in the mood this morning."
He was carrying a steaming cup in his hands, and bag of saltine crackers. "I brought you some tea and some crackers."
"I can see that," She snapped as he put the bag of crackers on her bed. "What I don't see is how you don't get that I don't want you here. I thought we had a deal Reid."
"We do, but there's nothing that says I can't be concerned for a friend."
"You're splitting hairs and you know it."
"I'm not… I'm just checking on a sick friend. I brought you something to settle your stomach so that you don't have to run out on breakfast with the guys. Unless you're ready to tell them that you're pregnant."
"No… I'm not ready. I have another ultra sound this week. If everything is okay, then I'll tell everyone."
"I think Morgan already knows."
She rounded on him from her path to the hotel door. "What did you say to him?"
"I didn't tell him anything." Now his voice was beginning to rise in volume. "I can't believe you'd think I would tell him without talking to you first."
"Why not," she flung back at him. "You refuse to get over your obsession with me and the health of our baby."
"You said it." the anger left his face so fast it almost gave her whiplash to watch it.
"I said what?"
"You said 'our baby,' you've been calling it yours for the last three months." "A slip of the tongue doesn't change anything."
"Actually I think that's what is known as a 'Freudian slip,' he countered smoothly.
"You don't take Freud seriously. I've heard you say that he's been discredited. Jung is your expert of choice as I recall,"
"I was wrong!"
"No you weren't, you're twisting things to suit you. Now get out of this room so I can finish getting dressed."
"Emily…"
She was about to say something terrible that would have made him hate her, but her stomach picked that moment to rebel. She shoved past him, ignoring the surprised look on his face, and made her way into the bathroom.
She didn't hear the door open after she slammed it, or hear the footsteps approach as she knelt in front of the porcelain god she'd been worshipping for far too long. Gentle fingers found her back and other fingers held her hair. The circles he was rubbing on her back began to relax her more than she wanted, but she was powerless to make him stop.
He was talking to her in a low quiet voice that was soothing and gentle in her ears. She stayed on the tile floor despite the pain in her knees and the acid aftertaste in her mouth and throat. The toilet flushed, but she didn't hear it. He helped her to her feet, but she didn't remember initiating the rise from her knees.
"Thank you." She said reaching for the glass next to the sink.
"You're welcome. I'm here because I care for you Emily."
"Reid…"
"I'll go now if you want me too. I can tell everyone that you're not feeling well."
"Stop treating me like I'm made of glass." She jerked away from the hand that was still on her back. "I don't need you to go running off to Hotch or anyone else."
"Emily…"
"Look Reid, I really appreciate what you did. Thank you."
"I'm sorry if I upset you."
"I know you are. I also know that you can't help yourself, but I want you to listen to me now. I need you to promise me that you'll stay away."
"I can't Emily. I was wrong to agree to just back away. I'm going to be father. I refuse to leave my child without a parent."
"You promised!"
"I know! I was wrong. I can't do this anymore."
"I don't want to do this with you Reid. We have a case that we need to work on."
Reid left the bathroom and went to the door that led back to the hallway. "If not now, when, I'm tired of the excuses not to talk."
"I'm not trying to hurt you Reid. Why can't you understand that?"
"Because every time someone says that to me, I get hurt," She saw tears jump into his eyes before he turned back to the door.
He left, shutting the door quietly instead of slamming it like she had expected. She went back to the bed and sat. "Nice way to handle things Emily. Why don't you go find a puppy to kick right in front of him?"
---
Emily took a seat in the waiting room. The table in front of her had new magazines for a change, but she didn't want to read them. The fight with Reid and the subsequent silence that had fallen between them bothered her more than she wanted to admit. It was supposed to have been so simple and now everything had gotten messed up.
"Hi." Someone said.
She looked up to see the same blond woman she'd been seeing here since the first time she'd come to the clinic. The woman had a small baby bump. The man with her sat down to the left of Emily.
"Hi," She said, wondering if they had actually met and she had forgotten.
"I'm sorry to bother you," The blond said. "My name is Jessica Davis and this is Eric."
"I'm Emily Prentiss."
"See Eric, I knew it was her."
The blond sat down on the other side of Emily. "I'm sorry… I must sound crazy to you. I've seen you here before and I've seen you at the Russian embassy. My husband is a translator there. We met at a party for some function or another."
Emily smiled vaguely. "I'm sorry, I don't remember."
Jessica laughed. "There's no reason you should, I can't remember half the people I've met at some of those functions. I imagine it must be worse for you as the daughter of Ambassador Prentiss."
Emily felt her shoulders relax. "Yeah… It is hard to remember everyone."
"Is this your first baby?" Jessica asked."
"Jess… Leave her alone," Eric pushed back his dark hair from his face with the hand that wore his gold wedding band."
"It's okay." Emily said. "This is my second pregnancy."
"Congratulations."
"Thanks. So is this your first child?"
Jessica's face fell and Emily was about to apologize when Eric said. "No… We have a son. We used a surrogate instead of in-vitro. She changed her mind and we lost custody of the baby last year."
Eric swiped at tears that ran down his cheeks. Her heart constricted at the sight. How horrible to lose a child that way.
Eric swallowed with an audible click. "It was really hard. We trusted this woman and she took advantage of us. I never get to see my son now and it kills me every time I think about him. I'd give anything to just hold him once."
Jessica jumped up and went over to the other side of her husband. "We were so happy when I finally got pregnant. It took three tries with in-vitro. It finally worked for us. Eric was so strong during all of this, but I know how much losing our son to the woman hurt him."
"Jess…"
"No!" Her blue eyes were flashing in anger. "You didn't deserve to be left without our baby and neither did I."
"What about going to court?"
"We already tried that…. Then our lawyer advised us to let it go. If he didn't believe in out chances, then how could we?" Eric said, but his eyes told a different story.
For a minute, his dark eyes reminded her of Reid. The same look that was in Eric's eyes was present in Reid's, and she hadn't seen it because she was selfish.
"Emily. Are you okay?"
"Yes," She shook her head. "I was just thinking. I'm sorry."
"It's okay. Let's not bore her further." Eric said and the pain in his eyes retreated a bit, but not enough to make the guilty pit in her stomach go away.
The nurse came out and called Jessica and Eric back. "See you later Emily." Jessica stopped to give her a hug and then the perky blond and her husband disappeared down the hallway.
Emily put down the magazine that she'd been going to read. The guilt was growing in her stomach and making her sick. Eric seemed like a nice man who'd been badly used.
Like someone else you know, only you're the one that's using him. You're making him feel like a prize stallion at a stud farm.
She pulled her phone out of her purse and hit the speed dial. "Hi Reid…" She said when he answered. "Yeah… I'm okay. Listen, would you mind coming up here. I'm having another ultrasound and I could use the company…