Chapter 19

He was angry again, and the woman had his head absolutely spinning. But this time, Bobby went home.

Alex looked over as the door shut, pausing with glasses in her hands as she unloaded the dishwasher. "Hey," she said, her tone cautious, but friendly.

His face was tortured, but he wrestled his emotions down. Bobby walked into the kitchen silently, and kissed her temple. Then he stared at the floor tiles in front of the refrigerator. "I'm uhm… I've got a lot to think about," he muttered, and padded down the hall to the bedroom.

Alex put the glasses in the cabinet and folded her arms, but she smiled. It seemed like something good was coming out of therapy after all.

Alex caught the cold, but nothing like what Bobby had. She had a stuffy nose and a sore throat, but never got much of a cough at all. He, on the other hand, was still susceptible to coughing fits.

It was Saturday, and they finally had the weekend free. Bobby was on call, but a full 24 hours had already passed without the phone ringing, and there was a good chance he might not get called in at all.

He insisted that she stay in bed. She snuck out to the couch, where she sat sideways with her feet braced against the crack between the cushions.

"What are you doing?" he asked.

"I can't stay cooped up in that room any longer, Bobby. I'll pull my hair out, I swear."

He gently took her feet in his hands and lowered them to the smooth center of the cushion. Then he tossed the throw blanket over her and tucked it against her body.

Alex smiled at him, drew in a breath, and sneezed.

He quickly retrieved the box of tissues and handed it to her.

"Thanks," she said.

Bobby sank onto the couch beside her feet. He snuck one out from under the covers and massaged it with his hands. Alex moaned with pleasure.

Bobby studied her smile, and then turned his attention to her feet again, his own grin spreading wide across his face.

"I have an appointment Thursday," she told him.

"For the baby?" he asked.

Alex nodded. "It's at 2 in the afternoon. I was… hoping you could find a way to come with me. But I know, you'd have to make up the time at work and Ross…"

"Ross doesn't have to know."

She held the tissue against her nose and then slowly dragged it over her upper lip. "Bobby," she said, shaking her head.

"I can make it up the same day. I'll go with you, and then I'll go back to the squad and work late. Ross doesn't have to… to know why." His body was wracked with a coughing episode.

Alex sat up, and held her hand against his back until it was over. As he sat trying to catch his breath, she said. "Maybe you should see somebody about that."

When his color returned to normal, he gave her a wink. "Maybe I'll go on Thursday."

"You seem very happy today," Dr. Tenorio said.

"I… I am happy."

"Why?" Bobby said it at the same time she did, and she laughed.

"I went with Alex to her appointment the other day. They did an ultrasound, and I got to hear the baby's heartbeat."

Tenorio said nothing, just smiled and waited for him to say more.

Bobby still hadn't found a seat. He paced as he spoke, his hands gesticulating. "It was… awesome. In the true sense of that word. Until now, my thoughts of the baby were… academic. Now…"

Suddenly, he stopped pacing and he looked at the Doctor. "There's me, and there's Alex, and now I know somewhere deep inside her is another. Another human being, completely separate from both of us."

"It's real to you now."

"It's real. I heard… I heard the proof."

Lewis and Bobby had taken over the living room. The basketball game was on, and the coffee table was littered with all the signs of a good game: leftover pizza, empty beer bottles, and a bowl full of mixed snack chips.

As Alex came in, the two men were shouting joyfully, arms high in the air. She smiled to see them having fun. She walked past them to the kitchen, got herself a glass of water, and saw Bobby's pill bottle in the same spot as when she left. She snatched it up and took it to him. Without a word, she held it out.

Bobby took the bottle and shook out a capsule into his hand. Then he borrowed her water glass to wash it down. Without a word, he gave the bottle and the glass back.

He'd almost taken all of them, and the cough had already gone away. After she returned his medicine to the kitchen, she sat on the recliner and watched the two on the couch. "I guess we're winning?"

"56-49, Knicks!" Lewis shouted.

She put her chin in her hand and divided her time between watching the game and their reactions to it. This was a side of Bobby she rarely got to see, a glimpse of the little boy that was inside him.

When the game ended, the two chatted cheerfully about it and about the future for their team. Finally, Lewis got to his feet. "Thanks for having me over, man. I'll return the favor sometime."

Bobby stood and gave Lewis a hug, and Alex did the same. "Good seeing you."

After he left, Bobby finally turned toward Alex. He opened his arms and held her, pausing only for a kiss and to greet their baby with a touch of his hand.

"How was it?" he asked her.

"Oh, you know, okay," she said. "Liz is still Liz. She tried to talk me into buying this ridiculous baby swing that does everything, I think. It rocks, it shakes, it spins… Who knew a kid would need all that?"

"It rocks, like this?" he asked, holding her in his arms and swaying back and forth.

"Mmm-hmmm," Alex said, with a content smile.

"I can spin, too, watch." He adjusted his hold on her and they danced their way around in a circle. When she smiled again, he hugged her. "And… I can… shake!" he cried, holding her tightly and vibrating his arms up and down.

Alex laughed and extracted herself from his grip. "See?" she said. "I told her we wouldn't need it."