Wow, an update in the same month as the last one? Wild, I know. But it IS Wega Wednesday, and I do want to get this fic finished soon.


"She really thinks that those wounds from years ago are going to be what kills her one day?"

Wylie had been told how much Wayne Rigsby could eat. He supposed he should have noticed before; he'd been in the same place as both the former agent and food on several occasions, but never one on one. Despite the seriousness of the conversation – and despite how serious Rigsby was taking it – Wylie swore that he hadn't taken but one breadstick out of the basket of six. A basket that was now empty.

He nodded in response to the older man's question. "She has some persistent medical problems. We're in and out of the hospital, and she keeps thinking about David Hubert Gunby."

"That name sounds familiar."

"One of the victims of the University of Texas Tower Shooting in 1966. He died in 2001, but of lingering complications from that day."

"Oh, right." Rigsby nodded. "I know there have been other situations like that, too."

"Yeah. She's so incredibly happy to be alive. You can tell, even on the bad days. But this pregnancy has been terribly difficult for her."

"And the appointment the other day is when she started getting weird about the c – section?"

Michelle, Wylie said, you heard what the doctor said. It's 'possible' you will need a c – section. It's only because the baby is measuring on the large side.

I can't, Jay, she said firmly, setting her jaw. I can't have a c – section.

"Yeah," Wylie said. "I mean, she'd made a few offhand comments before, but it's been consuming her the past few days. And it worries me, you know. She often thinks of herself as a failure."

"Well," Rigsby said, "Grace will hopefully be able to help."

"Grace is confident she can help." Wylie looked up and smiled as the redhead slid into the booth next to her husband. "Hey, Wylie. Sorry, there was a line in the restroom."

"No worries. Michelle isn't here yet, though she should be any minute."

"Gosh, it's been so long since I've seen her," Grace said. Her eyes lit up, and Wylie turned around to be able to view the doorway.

"Hey, hey, hey," Vega said, grinning as she approached the table. Grace stood up and the two women hugged. "Good to see you again, Grace. You too, Rigsby."

He shook his head and turned his palms upward. "I swear to God," he said in a joking tone.

Wylie grinned. For pretty much their entire relationship with the Rigsbys, they'd called him Rigsby and her Grace, despite his insistence that they call him Wayne. He wasn't sure why.

"I told you," Grace said to her husband, "When Teresa and I became close friends, they both got used to my first name."

"It's still weird that you call Lisbon Teresa."

"Her last name isn't even Lisbon anymore."

"She hyphenated."

"Anyway," Grace said with a smile as she and Vega slid into the booth, smiling across the table as Wylie slipped his arm around his wife, "just a month to go now, right?"

"Just a hair under," Vega said.

"Gosh, you guys must be so excited." She linked her arm with Rigsby. "I remember that feeling when we were waiting for Maddie to come."

"You had a c-section with Maddie, right?" Wylie asked. He half expected Vega to tense up beside him, but she didn't.

"I did. It wasn't the plan but she was positioned really weird. She had a leg up, so her foot was against her forehead, and they couldn't get her to shift. So we had to go with that. Safer."

"Must have been kinda scary," Vega offered. "Excuse me," she said to a passing waiter who Wylie knew just happened to be theirs, "can we get more of this bread?"

"Sure thing. Are you guys ready to order?"

"It'll be another few minutes," Grace said with a smile. "Thank you."

"Of course."

Grace looked back across the table. "It was a little scary," she said, "because you plan for things to happen a certain way, and you generally don't run through c – section scenarios in your head. But it's empowering in its own way. You can get doctors that really do a lot to bring the emotion and brevity back to the moment. Wayne even got to cut the cord."

"That's pretty cool," Wylie said, glancing at Vega. She was still listening; she even still had eye contact with Grace, but her eyes were dulled. He could tell, even not looking directly into them.

"Yeah. And I have the scar, of course," Grace continued, "but I actually like looking at it. It's a sign of Maddie's existence that will always be with me."

"Very cool," Vega said, nodding. Her voice was flat. "I suppose Jay told you about me probably having to have one."

"He…" Rigbsy trailed off, glancing at Wylie, clearly wondering if he was supposed to deny it.

"Don't worry," she said, waving a hand dismissively. "I don't mind. My medical history has basically been public record for years, at least among this circle of people. And Cho already knows, too."

Cho knew? Wylie didn't know she told Cho. He pushed the pang of jealousy into the back of his mind. It felt like years ago that he was upset with her for confiding in their boss. It wasn't like he didn't know about what the doctor said. He was with her. Cho was a father figure to Vega, and he had to accept that.

"We just…" Grace glanced at Rigsby. "I've been through it. And I know that some pieces of crap on social media talk about how you're not a real mother if you have a c – section, or you didn't really go through labor, blah, blah, blah, okay? It's not a competition of who is the most badass. If you're a mother, you're a badass. You give birth no matter how the baby is born. If you have a c – section, you're still a warrior."

"I know," Vega said. "I know, it's just…"

Wylie looked at her. She bit her lip and shook her head. "It's not that. I don't really want to talk about it." She smiled. "But I appreciate it. I know how lucky I am to have people that care about me this much, and you guys barely know us."

"Doesn't matter," Rigsby said. "You're Jane and Lisbon and Cho's family, and that means you're our family, too."