From One-shot,. the story has been promoted to multi-chapter, although I'm not quite sure how many more you'll have; Many of you asked for a sequel, and so, I thought about giving a bit more of space to Annie and the marvelous Jisbon romace we're still waiting to see in "reality"...
As always, thanks to everyone who, with reviews, or putting me and the story on alert or on fav, gave me resons to go on with this story.
And, please, keep in mind: I still don't ow the mentalist...
"Do you think I'll be a good mother?"
Laughing, Patrick come back to his place, and looked at her; she was adorable, simply, simply, adorable… "Why aren't you asking me if I'll be a good father?"
"I've seen you with Annie and Tony, and with all the children we have to see for work. Of course you'll be a good father! - She laughed, getting closer to him, feeling better- Patrick, I'm sure she loved having you as her dad. Our kid will, too."
"It's a boy- he stated, out of the blue, his voice a mere whisper as he got lost in Teresa's eyes, extremely serious and with a voice as seductive and soft as never before, like it was of silk – we will have a boy, with blonde curly hair and green eyes, sparkling like emeralds."
"How do you know?" she asked again smiling and happy, almost kissing him, few inches from his lips.
"Because, love, it's what we want. And God knows we deserve it."
"Patrick, you're a straight atheist"
"Or maybe – he said kissing the tip of her nose – Saint Theresa just changed my mind"
"I hate the nickname"
"Well, considering that I focused my life on vengeance for almost years and that you were able to change my mind, I'd say, love, that it's what you are."
"Patrick?" she called few minutes later from the bathroom.
Even if he was past asleep, the panicked voice of his wife awakened him in less than half second; he run into the bathroom, where the voice come from, and found Teresa, standing against the doorframe, one hand on her belly.
"Patrick, I think my waters just broke…"
"Dr. Kensington will join you shortly. He said he is sorry, but he had an emergency in San Francisco, a birthing is taking longer than he thought, but, until then, I'll be at you side." Leaning in her hospital bed, Teresa focused on one thing and one thing only: Patrick's hand, holding firmly her own, and his figure, the man of her life in just a plain shirt, rolled sleeves, no vest, and plain jeans, the one he had used to paint the house few week before, where drops of paint hadn't gone away. When the Kensington's assistant, Abby Kvetch, had come to tell them that their doctor was a bit late, he had turned to look at her, and followed the woman with his eyes around the room, like to try to calm himself down a bit, but, as soon as he felt Teresa's grip becoming stronger and stronger, he turned to look at her again, a small smile, a bit worried, on his face; she didn't like it.
"Why isn't Dr. Kensington here? Patrick, I need my doctor, I'm not going to deliver this baby if he is not here" Teresa's voice was broken by tears and pain, and the raven haired woman was really that close to having a break-down. She hated it, she hated feeling useless, not being in control, and, mostly, she hated how he looked. He seemed so… peaceful and calm! He wasn't supposed to be peaceful and calm, expecting fathers had never been peaceful and calm, why had Patrick to be the first? He was supposed to be unsure and on the verge of a break-down like her, if not worse!
"Teresa, when you went on and on claiming your water just broke, you had just lost a small amount of blood..." he tried to reassure her, massaging her head, with his so calm voice. Did he really think that he was going to calm her? Hell, no!
"I lost blood, Patrick, blood! Do you think it's normal? Well, I don't…"
"Yes, it is- he stopped her with that hideous smile, patting her head like he would a child – it's the first sign of labor. Kensi told us, remember?" Teresa rolled her eyes, while he was grinning, hearing how he had nicknamed their doctor; and he had even been the one who almost chocked his head off, when the poor man had said that she was a bit old for being pregnant for the first time…
"At least soon I'll no longer feel like a character from the Alien movie...- as she abandoned herself in the ocean of pillows Patrick had so diligently procured, she noticed his questioning eyebrows, and the weird looks he was sending her- Alien, Patrick, the movie, don't tell me you never…"
"Of course I did, silly! Teresa, really, how long do you know me? And you still don't understand when I'm joking? – He recomposed himself, the joking expression gone, replaced by one a bit serious – Ok, I may not have seen the movie, but it doesn't mean I don't know anything about it. It's just that I'm not a sci-fi kind of guy"
"It will be last for still a while, right? - she asked suddenly, out of the blue, understanding why he was trying so desperately to talk about the more and the less; Patrick, without letting it go of her hand, took away a bit, so that their arms had to be completely stretched in order of allowing them to hold hands, but, right then, he really thought it was safer that way; after all, he had experienced firsthand that Teresa was a dangerous woman when in a bad mood, gun or no gun – Patrick, how long"
"Best case scenario, since you are in your first pregnancy, 18-24 hours."
"AND THAT'S THE BEST CASE SCENARIO? PATRICK JANE, THAT'S YOUR ENTIRE FAULT! I WANT KENSINGTON HERE AND I WANTED HIM HERE 10 MINUTES AGO! I WANT A C SECTION! I'M NOT GOING TO GO THROUGH THIS FOR 24 HOURS!"
Just when he thought his ears were bleeding and his eardrums gone for good so much she was screaming, he had the brilliant idea of ending the sentence, contemplating the worst case scenario as well. "… Worst case, it can last 72-80 hours" As soon as he felt the noise coming from his wrist, he understood that it hadn't been a good idea; Of course, Teresa was no longer giving sign of being a distant relative of an Irish banshee, but, the way she firmly, too firmly, stroke his hand while looking at him with that expression that usually meant he was in big troubles… he definitely preferred her when she was screaming at him.
"Patrick, listen, now you tell that nice old woman to go call our doctor again- she calmly told him, with a low voice- because I'm going through 80 hours of pain"
"It will not take that long. You've been her for 5 hours now, and your cervix is already dilating, that's why you are experiencing a bit of pain – the female doctor said looking at her, something Teresa hated, because she hated feeling exposed and she hated the idea of someone seeing her intimate parts (there was a reason she had asked for a pitch black room the first times she and her husband had been intimate) – see? It's almost 7 cm, you're almost there. And I bet that contractions are almost regular by now, right?"
"From the way she almost breaks my hand at regular interval, I'd say yes… Ouch! Was that another contraction, honey? Because I think you weren't supposed to have another one yet and… ouch! – he paused, looking jokily at his wife, who was a mask, and not a mask of happiness; that was definitely the look she used to send him when she was mad with him. He was almost expecting the yelling of "Jane!" anytime soon… - Jeez, woman, why always so serious? You think you are the only one who's a mess? Well, I'm a mess as well, only I'm a great performer"
"Patrick – she said calmly and sweetly, looking into his blue eyes – if you want to share the bed with me from now on, you have five seconds to stop to perform and panic or shout definitely up, because if there's something that drives me insane, is seeing you so calm, ok? -. He just silently nodded, as she got back to rest – I'm glad we reached an agreement"
15 minutes later
"Patrick, talk to me" she said between tears. Oh, Lord… as much as he loved this woman and wanted at least a couple of children with her, he really didn't know if he could go through this again… hormonal Tess was a real disgrace for his (fragile, almost inexistent, already once gone, vanishing, shadow of) mental health, and he wasn't getting any younger, that was sure. He really didn't know if he could go through this again… few minutes ago she had asked him to shout up, menacing him, as serious as hell, and now she cried because he wanted him to talk with her? Yeah, God really had a weird sense of humor: turning him on when he couldn't do anything about it (not with her, at least); sending Tess in sexual harassment mode (not that he didn't enjoy it, but it was a bit too much, and, as he had already repeated to himself many, many times, he wasn't getting any younger. Ok, he needed time between performances, it wasn't weird, and any man would, it wasn't his fault if Teresa didn't have any patience at all regarding the topic!), and the mood swings (that weren't supposed to last this long, nobody said they would, why the hell was she exception to any rules?)…
"Patrick, I don't want a C Section, not if we can help it, ok? - She said between tears, although smiling, while listening to her baby's heartbeats and looking at the monitors she had been attacked to in the last minutes – Ehy, can you believe that two messed-up people like us created this? That's the heartbeat of our kid…"
"Son, Tess, that's the heartbeat of our son" he looked at her, that serious but extremely expression she had always loved so much about him, while stroking her belly and holding her hand firmly. Yes, now he knew: he definitely wanted to go through this again, not once, but at least, a couple more of time… everything to see her. Lord, the pregnancy had really made a number on her; Teresa had never looked so beautiful; she wasn't a said, like he had told her just the evening before. No, Teresa was a goddess, point.
"You can't know, silly, or did you see or read something you weren't' supposed to? - Even if she was in pain because the contractions were already extremely regulars, she didn't want to let it go if the moment; Patrick was happy, she had waited for years to see him happy, and wanted to enjoy every single instant of that happiness, sharing it with him; that was the reason that, even if she was biting her lips hoping he couldn't notice the pain she was in (yeah, like it was even possible, hiding something to the great mentalist…), she was smiling at her husband. – I know we want this child to be a boy, but, promise me that, in the eventuality we'll have a girl, you'll love her like you would a boy." Oh lord, he thought as he passed the hand that had been on her belly on his face, here come hormones back…
"Ehy, you know I would – he said smiling, stroking again gently her belly- but I don't see the pint of having this conversation, since we're going to have a boy"
"Oh, yes, because you and your intuitions are never wrong, right?"
"Ehy, I always catch the bad guy at the end, don't I?"
And, again, Teresa started to cry, while looking into his blue eyes, and holding his hand for dear life. This, it didn't have to do with the baby, not completely, at least; paying attention to not move anything, Patrick left his chair, and went to seat on the bed, to be closer to her, while using his thumbs to wipe away the tears that were leaving trails on her face. "I'm so sorry Patrick, if I didn't believe you back then…" she said hugging him, holding to him like her life could depend on this. He didn't understand what she meant, he knew he had hurt her in the past, many, many time, and he had made so many promises that ended being empty, but the important ones, he had always respected them, always maintained them; like she had read his mind, she went on, explaining him what she was talking about.
"When we… when we remained blocked in that crate, you remember? You told that you weren't going to let me down, to abandon me. You told me that, no matter what, you were going to always be there for me, to save me. I'm sorry I thought it was an empty promise…"
Ok, now he really didn't know if he was supposed to cry or to laugh.
"Tess, please, tell me you don't think I kissed you just to prove a point to Annie – he was grinning, that kind of grin he usually reserved to the bad guys when he found out their darkest secrets, and now he was doing it at her, he was doing the mentalist thing she hated so much on her, his wife! Jeez, the man really had a death wish. Or maybe he simply didn't care too much if he was going to be banned by their bedroom until doomsday – Ok, I did it to prove a point, but not to Annie. I wanted to prove something to myself, I wanted – he said looking away, massaging the back of his neck, nervous – I wanted to show myself that it was only physical attraction, that, once we… once given up on instincts, I'd be fine"
"So, to prove yourself that we were just animals in heat, instead of coming to my place an handcuffing me to my bed – he lifted his eyebrows, almost enjoying the mental picture of Teresa, naked, handcuffed to their bed (as soon as she was allowed to be satisfied again, he absolutely need to try this one…), while Abby, although young, become as red as Snowhite's apple - asked me put on a date and waited for more than two months before to sleep with me? Bullshit, mentalist. You were head over heels for me"
"You were crazy of me as well. Do you think I didn't notice your knees turning into jelly every time I touched you?"
"What did they give you?" Abby asked worried, checking on them, eyes wide open, worried that the nurses had done something they weren't supposed to, or not told her about it.
"Oh, no, bickering with me has this effect on her. You'd never said anything like that in a normal relationship, right? But, ehy – he said with that smile that was supposed to send cloud nice women and not heterosexual men- where's the fun in being normal?"
"If I find out that you hypnotized me, you're as good as dead, Jane"
"Teresa, your dilatation is now of 10 cm… you're ready. – Abby looked at her, coming between the couple – even if you are petite and the baby is quite big, you're not going to have a difficult delivery; I looked at the scans, and the child seems well proportioned to you."
"If you'll pass out, you're as good as dead, Patrick, you hear me?"
There was such a need in her voice, that he really couldn't do something like that, even if part of him wanted to; besides, her had done the mistake of not witnessing this once, and he wasn't going to do it all over again. He knew he had failed his first family, but he wasn't going to fail Teresa or this baby; he had promised, that fateful night in the crate, to never let her down, to always save her; that night, he had come to the conclusion he had been given a second shot at life, and had decided that, one day, he was going to act on it. He wasn't going to let that promise become an empty one.
Less than few minutes later, changed in sterile clothes, Patrick was again at Teresa's side; his wife had been transported to the delivery room, and was looking deeply into Patrick's eyes, although she found it quite difficult to see them; his eyes were full of tears, tears of joy nonetheless, but still tears, that made his irises look darker than usual. Crying as well, but in silence, Teresa smiled at him, and kissed rapidly his hand, like he had done with her many times.
"You'll pass out" she whispered to him, almost sure that her husband had done some number on her, one of those hypnosis sessions or whatever he called them.
"You're simply great, Teresa, and I love you, and you know that, right?" he said massaging her hair. He loved them. He really wanted to have a child like her, a mini Teresa, a copy of Annie…
"I want to have other children, Patrick, and I want you to tell them about their sister. I know – she said between tears, as she almost collapsed into her chest – I know that we'll have to wait before to tell them about what happened to your family…"
"You are my family, Teresa, you, this child, and your brothers, Claire and Annie and Tony…"
"I know we'll have to wait until they'll be almost adult to explain them exactly what happened, and I know you're an atheist, but… - she sniffed, while pushing and holding him – but I want them to know that their older sister in an angel now, and will always look after them, no matter what…"
"Teresa, you have to breathe – Abby told her, smiling- You need to make the breath exercises and pushing, ok?"
"Please, Patrick, promise me that you'll allow me to…"
"Of course, honey, of course, just, do as Abby told you to, ok?"
"It's important for me, Patrick. I've been raised a catholic, my mother always talked about the angels with me, when I was a kid and… I don't want our children to be atheist like you. Besides you've been the one who said God was going to hear our prayers and give us a healthy baby…"
"I'm seeing the head, Teresa, just few pushes and you'll be all right!"
"Marry me again. Promise that you'll marry me again. I loved our wedding but I want to big, white wedding my mother always talked me about. Please, Patrick, promise me that you'll marry me in a church in front of a priest…."
"Teresa, we need you to push"
"Ok, ok, -he said looking from Abby to his wife – anything, just… they… we need you to push, ok? Our baby can't wait to meet us all…"
"Ok, one more time, Teresa. You have to push with all your energy; the baby is almost out, but we need you to do this last effort, ok? – while Teresa did as she had been said, Abby turned to Patrick, holding him a pair or surgical scissors – Mr. Jane, the baby will be out in few seconds. Would you like to come here and cut the cordon?"
Patrick, even if not willingly, let it go of Teresa's hand, and went to Abby's side, without stopping to look into his wife's eyes. "Name?" a nurse asked them.
"Patrick and Teresa Jane" he answered her, without stopping to look at Abby, who already had the head of his child in her hands.
"We need the name of the baby, Mr. Jane. We're well aware of who you are."
"Oh, right, sorry – he paused, and looked at Teresa, remembering a night, few months before, when they had discussed names with Annie and her parents – eh, it was… Lucas Edward Jane if it's a boy or Julia Teresa Jane for a girl"
"Let me guess, your wife didn't want to know the sex until birth... – Abby smiled, and, few instants later, grinned – Janet, write on the papers that Lucas Edward Jane was born at 36 past 3 pm on September the 17th!"
"It's a boy! – he said while crying, while Abby took his hand in hers and guide him through the cutting process, that caused the first cry of their child to be audible and resonate in the room - Teresa, it's a boy… I just saw his eyes while he was crying and…"
"Why do you always have to be right?" she whispered, almost asleep, as Abby come back with the baby in her arms, a soft blanket around his small body, a body that had been already cleaned.
"He is blonde. Lucas in blonde just like you, Patrick…his has your same hair… I've always pictured him with blonde curls…" she said crying while holding her baby in her arms, helped by a more crying Patrick.
"He has your eyes as well. He had blonde curls and green eyes…he is our perfect mix…People will think he'll be Tony's younger brother!" he said, laughing while crying at the same time, noticing that she had, meanwhile, fallen asleep.
"Mr. Jane, your wife needs to rest, and we need to check on the baby – Abby said while she was at his side, ready to take the bay in her arms to take care of him - You family and friends are all waiting outside; do you want to go to talk them?"
Kissing the both of them, he left, while looking at the personnel guiding Teresa back into her room, from the opposite direction.
"Lucas is as healthy as his mum - he said in front of Mick, Rigsby, van Pelt and Cho; Hightower hadn't been called yet, since they were both already on leave, Claire was with the children back home and the other 2 brothers hadn't been able to come yet, since they both lived on the opposite side of the country. – we have a son!"
"Jane, I'm so happy for you!" Grace said as Rigsby, a plant in one hand, held Cho few bills, again, clearly a bit annoyed.
"Yes, Jane, congratulations to both you and the boss" Cho said in his usual tone.
"Yeah, that's for you all – Rigsby said giving him the ceramic pot – It was Grace's idea. She said that flowers weren't going to last, and that a real plant, instead, could grown with the baby."
"It's a fichus Benjamin, Jane. It doesn't need too much to live, and when your son will be an adult, he will still have it."
"How's Terrie?" Mick asked, while looking at his brother in law, who was still a bit dreamy.
"After having blackmailed me in marrying her again in a religious ceremony, she has been brought back into her room; Lucas should already be there with her…"
"How does he look like? Did he take after you or after the boss?" From Grace's tone of voice and jumping, everyone got the idea, and Rigsby in particular, that her boyfriend was in danger: the woman loved too much children, it was a matter of fact before she was going to ask him to work on one…and she probably was going to ask him once seen Lucas.
"Why don't you go see it by yourself? - Jane turned, and found, at his side, Abby, the young doctor, assistant to the one who was supposed to deliver Lucas into the world, who was putting a hand on his arm, like to calm him down, to reassure him of something – your wife is back awake, and the baby is with her. If you'll be too noisy, I'll allow you inside"
"Is the baby here yet? I want to see it! - Abby smiled, as she looked down at her feet, and found that the voice belonged to a baby girl who looked like Teresa Lisbon-Jane, who had decided to entangle her arm in Jane's legs. – Please, Uncle Patrick!"
"Oh, I knew we were going to be late! I'm sorry, I had to leave Tony with Mrs. Ramones, our sitter wasn't feeling well today…- Abby kept looking at the scene, amused, as another woman joined the club; in her late twenties, she was blonde, and, as soon as she had come, hugged Patrick with tears in her eyes –Oh, Patrick, I'm so happy for you and Tess! How is the baby? Is it a boy or a girl? What name did you chose?"
"I think I'll have to repeat myself, for once- Abby said, smiling – you can go and see it yourself, just, be quick. Teresa needs to rest"
Quickly, the group followed Patrick inside a single room, where, from the bed, where she was sitting, an half awake Teresa was looking at the crib at her right, while playing with her mother's beloved crux she had, in the meanwhile, put back in the place it belonged to, around her neck.
"I brought gift" he said kissing her on the temples.
"I'm glad you are here. Hey" she said as, one by one, she was hugged by everyone.
"May I hold the baby? Dad didn't allow me to hold Tony when he was born; he said Aunt Tessie had to do it first..."
"Uncle Patrick will help you, though- Teresa said as she looked, amused, at the scene, her husband helping the 6 years old girl into holding the baby boy, before to find, at her side, her favorite brother and his wife – he is wonderful, isn't he?"
"He is the perfect mix of us – he clarified, almost crying – there's so much of her mum in him, and of me as well. He has blonde curls, and... And green eyes. He seems to have taken after me in the muscular structure, but it's a bit early to say, although I'm quite sure he'll come out just like me. He has Teresa's voice, though; you should have heard him crying… - he paused, smiling and crying at the same time… he is prefect, simply perfect, our little miracle…"
"Physically, he is a bit like… - Teresa looked at open mouth and wide eyes at her brother, hit by a realization – Mick, when you come to me that morning how did you recognize Patrick?"
"Well, you always talked about him…. And – he paused, a bit embarrassed – and you may have told Claire about… well, how he looked like."
"Mick, you didn't give me Tony because he had blonde curls and green eyes and wanted to see me admitting my feelings for the man, right?"
"No, I didn't! – he paused – Claire did, though."
"You know, people should really stoop to bet on my private life, because I think it's getting really annoying and…"
"Daddy, can you give me a sister or a brother instead of the pony?"
Ah! as always, jane was right...it was a baby boy! and, for the ones of you who wonder why of all the things in the universe I decided to give Teresa a ficus Benjamin... well, when, 18 years ago, my mother had my brother, her best girlfirends gaver her such plant, that was only 40-50 cm high; now, 18 years later, we still have it, and it's almost 3 m...
