Chapter 39

Alex's family took turns staying with her. She usually had about an hour a day when she was truly alone. Bobby put in as many extra hours at work as he could, hoping to be able to flex time out when the baby was born rather than take leave without pay.

It was hard on him, but he'd spoken to her about it, and she agreed. He called her when he could throughout the day, and he went with her to all of her appointments.

Alex was responding to the treatment. Her blood pressure was much lower, and her other symptoms had subsided. The steroid shot had been administered and the obstetrician was optimistic about their progress. As another precaution, she'd begun doing nonstress tests on Alex and the baby at every appointment.

One piece at a time, Bobby had gotten the baby's things into Alex's spare bedroom. It was cramped, but functional. They even had a small bassinet in the master bedroom, thanks to a surprise baby shower thrown by her sister.

So every morning, Bobby got up at 6 and worked until sunset or just after. Most nights he came home by nine, but some nights it was midnight before he came home. He was determined to do what he could, to provide for his family, but Alex could see that between that and his natural tendency towards insomnia, it was slowly wearing him down.

Tonight was a late night. He went through his bedtime ritual and crawled in beside her, lying flat on his back. He didn't even greet her.

"You okay?" Alex asked.

"Yeah," he breathed. "Why? Did I wake you?"

"No. Never mind."

"Alex, are you all right?"

"Yeah. Tomorrow's June."

"Yeah, that's right."

"37 weeks is next week."

"Yeah."

"Tomorrow we see the obstetrician."

"Yeah."

"Are you ready, Bobby?" She was relieved when his hand found hers in the darkness.

"Are you?"

"Oh, I'm ready! I may sleep on the couch for the first three months, just because I can."

"You're assuming you'll be getting any sleep."

"Very funny."

"I'm just pointing out the obvious."

"I want you to slow down."

"Huh?"

"You're working too hard. You're exhausted."

"Alex, we agreed about this."

"Did you clear it with Ross?"

"N-no, not exactly."

"Bobby!" There was no mistaking the exasperation in her tone. "Then for all we know, you're doing it for nothing."

"Either way, I'll be with you and our little girl. They can fire me if they want, I'm going to be there."

"I can't believe you didn't talk to him about it."

"I'll talk to him."

"Well, you'd better do it soon."

"I'll talk to him tomorrow." He hadn't intended to, but he snapped at her. They lay in silence, but he refused to let go her hand.

Finally, she broke the cool stillness of the room. "Maybe I should call him. Or maybe Logan said something."

"Logan?!"

"He is your partner, Bobby. He knows why you've been putting in all the extra hours."

"He knows his place is not in my business," Bobby grumbled. He let go of her hand and rolled out of bed. "I… I forgot something. I'll be back."

He padded to the kitchen and opened the cabinet on the end, where they kept their odd bottles of medicine. Bobby held the orange bottle in his hand and read the label, wondering if he should take one or not.

Finally, he shook one into his hand and gulped it down with a glass of water. Her appointment was in the morning. He didn't want to feel gritty and short-fused for it.

Bobby walked down the hall and joined Alex in bed again, pausing this time to kiss her good night.

Alex came out of the shower and he was still in bed. "Bobby, get up, hon, we have to go to the doctor."

He mumbled something and rolled to one side.

She finished dressing and eased her hips onto the mattress beside him. She was worried about him. She knew last night that he was exhausted, and she hadn't seen him this groggy in the morning since before she was put on bedrest. Alex let her hand fall against his shoulder. She massaged him gently. "Bobby, wake up."

He sighed and mumbled again.

"What? I can't understand you."

"I'm just… give me a minute."

"You've already had 20. If I wait much longer, we'll miss my appointment."

He forced himself to sit up and rubbed his eyes, hard. "Sorry," he said. He really seemed out of it.

"I'll go make you some coffee," Alex said. The one thing she looked forward to on appointment days was being allowed to move around, if only for a few hours. It gave her some of her freedom back. "On your feet," she ordered, and she watched him get out of bed before she left the room.

In the kitchen, she set up the coffee pot and started it. Alex glanced around, wanting to see the shape her apartment was in since she had been unable to care for it. She scanned the living room and then the kitchen.

There was a prescription bottle on the counter. She picked it up, reading the label.

"Sleeping pills? No wonder," she said to herself. She waddled back down the hall to find him.

"Bobby?"

"Yeah," he called from the bathroom. She heard him spit and rinse before he opened the door.

"You're taking sleeping pills?"

"First time," he said. "I… I thought I needed one."

"Oh," she said. "Well, the coffee's on. Are you okay to drive?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," he replied. The truth was, he felt foggy. He combed his hair and got dressed, determined to shake the drugged feeling.

Alex brought him a cup of coffee and he drank it gratefully. "You're walking around a lot," he observed.

"Oh, don't, Bobby. It's the one day I get to."

He nodded and sipped the coffee in silence. They walked out of the apartment together.

He dropped her off at home and drove in to work. The sleeping pill was finally wearing off. He promised himself he'd never take another one.

She was upset with him for not talking to Ross, and he supposed he deserved that. He hadn't known how to handle it, really. Because they weren't married, he had no right to take family medical leave for himself. He thought moving in with her was a major accomplishment; he knew asking her to marry him would never fly.

And when it came down to it, Bobby just assumed that Ross would do the right thing. The man knew the extra hours he had been putting in. He could put two and two together. He was a detective, after all.

But she was right, he'd have to talk to him. Bobby parked the car and rode quietly up the elevators. He went straight to the Captain's door and knocked.

Ross waved him in with a smile. "How is she?" he asked, genuinely interested.

"They, uh, they're going to induce next week. I have to check her in at the Hospital Tuesday morning."

Now Ross' grin was even bigger.

"Captain, I… I know you're aware of the extra hours I've been putting in."

"You and Logan have cleared more cases this last two months than any other team."

"Captain, I was hoping… I could flex that time when… you know, when…"

Ross' mouth curled on one side. "I can't relieve you from all your responsibilities. You'll have to check in with us every day, and if we catch something big, I may have to call you in… but I'll do everything I can, Goren. A man deserves to be with his family when his child is born."

Bobby finally allowed himself to smile. "Thank you, sir."