"Deeply in my core tellin' me to go and see if there was anything more, I was gonna go back home, I was gonna go back home, I was gonna go back home,"

On the fifteenth day Holly sent the final draft of her article in. Her brother called her up and said he was taking her out for drinks to celebrate. She told him she didn't want to jinx it; they could go out when, no, if, it was actually published. Nonsense he said, the work she had put into it deserved to be celebrated even if they didn't publish it right away; she deserved it. He was taking her out. Evan asked about the article and made her promise she'd sign a copy for him. He told her all about his summer internship at the Crown Attorney's Office. He worked long hours but he really liked the work. Their mom was in the same building, bummer sometimes, but she took him out to lunch every once in a while. Holly enjoyed catching up with Evan, but she didn't feel much like celebrating. He got her a little drunk none the less.

"What do you think about milkshakes for lunch, Peck?" Noelle had her feet propped up on the chair from the desk between them.

"I think yessss," Gail finished the report she had been typing and smacked 'print'. It was the sixteenth day.

"I'll call," Noelle removed her feet from the chair and planted them on the ground before easing herself up. The delivery menus were in the kitchen. She hissed and planted her hand on her back when she came to standing.

Gail looked up at her skeptically, "are you okay?" This made her nervous.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Noelle waved her off and headed to the kitchen. Gail moved on to her next report and began typing away. "Peck," Noelle was back, standing behind Gail.

Gail continued working on her report, "uh, chocolate for me. A large. Wanna get those curly fries they have?"

"Peck."

"Fine, fine, just regular fries I guess. Onion rings?"

"Peck!" Noelle hissed urgently.

Gail spun around in her chair to face Noelle, "you don't have to eat them."

"Shut up," Noelle rolled her eyes and sighed loudly. She leaned down and whispered, "my water just broke and you need to take me to the hospital. Now."

"Shit!" Gail leapt up from her chair and reached for her phone on the desk, "I'll call Frank."

"No!" Noelle clenched her eyes shut, "he's giving that presentation at HQ today. Just, let's go, now."

"Okay, okay," Gail ran to get keys to a squad car.

Gail flipped on the lights and sirens as she pulled out of the parking lot. She adjusted her grip on the steering wheel nervously. This was seriously not how she had expected to be spending her afternoon. Definitely not. She just wanted a milkshake.

"Are you sure you don't want me to call Frank?" Gail paced awkwardly around Noelle's hospital room.

"Don't call Frank," Noelle adjusted the pillows behind her, "he's not speaking until four. I don't want him to cut out before. I probably won't even have the baby until after that anyways."

"Famous last words," Gail snickered.

And boy, was Gail right. Hannah Abigail Best was born at 4:06 P.M. weighing in at eight pounds, seven ounces. As a nurse handed her off to Noelle, Gail left her bedside to inquire about a bag of ice for her hand. "Hey Peck," Noelle called softly, "you don't want to miss this."

Gail turned around and cautiously approached the mother and daughter. The newborn was all bundled up, just hanging out, looking around.

"She's cuter cleaned up," Gail remarked. Noelle rolled her eyes.

"You wanna hold her?" Noelle smiled, raising the swaddled baby a little. Gail bit her lip in trepidation. "Put your hands out," Noelle commanded softly, "you deserve it. She hasn't even pooped yet."

Gail stretched out her arms to accept the infant, "I guess I better hold her before I have them cut off my right hand."

"It was worse for me than it was for you," Noelle wasn't joking. She reached for the phone to call Frank while Gail bounced around with the baby. She wasn't crying, which honestly surprised Gail. Her eyes were wide, looking up at Gail and the new world around her. Her eyes said 'who are you? What are you? Where am I?' They were wondrous. She seemed to get tired of wondering and let her eyes close lazily. Gail felt a hand on her left shoulder blade. She looked to her left and the nurse from before was smiling up at her. Gail couldn't help but think how short that woman was.

"I said, we need to take her over to the nursery for her check up now," the woman reached for the infant gently.

"Oh, yeah. Sure," Gail passed her over carefully, trying not to jostle the now sleeping baby. Don't babies never sleep? Gail turned to face Noelle, "I'm gonna grab some ice," she pointed over her shoulder towards the door with her thumb, "I'll be right back. Are you good here?" Gail motioned around the air in front of her waist with her palms, "can I get you anything?"

Noelle dropped her head back onto the pillow, "yeah, you can tell my MIA husband who won't answer his phone to pick his daughter up at daycare and get his ass over here."

Gail shot Noelle a double thumbs up and a huge grin, "you got it," and slowly backed out of the room. As soon as she turned the corner into the hall Gail whipped out her phone, tapped away at the screen, and put it to her ear. No answer. She called again.

"Gail?" her mom picked up on the fourth ring and sounded overly chipper but her tone quickly changed to concern, "I'm kind of busy right now. Is everything okay?" Gail never called her mom.

"Yeah, mom, everything's fine. Noelle just had her baby and she didn't want to call Frank before his presentation and his phone must still be on silent or something. Is he still there?"

"I'll track him down dear," Gail could hear a crowd in the background.

"And you need to tell him he has to pick Olivia up at daycare."

"Okie dokie," Elaine's voice was high and chipper. Gail wanted to get off the phone ASAP.

"Thanks, mom, talk to you later," Gail kept her eyes peeled for a nurse or ice machine.

"Is that all, Gail?" Her voice suggested something but Gail ignored it.

"Yup, thanks mom," Gail squeaked out.

"Alrighty then. I'll track Frankie down. Bye dear."

"Bye mom," Gail hung up as soon as she could. She spun around, spotting the nurses desk and beelined for it. The nurse behind the desk told her to wait a minute and she'd be back with some ice. Gail turned around and leaned her back against the desk. She hadn't noticed before, but the desk was right across from the nursery. She took a few steps forward and splayed her arms wide onto the thick wooden railing in front of the window. There must have been been fifteen babies in there, each in their own bassinet. Gail spotted Hannah towards the back. She was between a 'Jeremy' and a 'Natalie.' There was a 'Richard' below her. Who names their kid, 'Dick'? This kid can't be more than a few days old and he's got the name of a 47 year old.

"Which one is your's?" Gaill looked down and to her right. A little boy, no older than seven, had snuck up next to her. He was wearing a deep green polo, and khaki shorts that he reached down to pull up higher on his waist. He had deep, dark hair with a bowl cut. Who gives their kid a bowl cut anymore? Steve had a bowl cut once, Gail almost laughed out loud at the memory of him.

"Oh, um, none of them are mine."

The boy got on his tip toes to look over the railing, "is one of them in trouble?"

What? Gail looked back into the room and then back down at the boy. That's when she noticed her shoes; her duty shoes. She was still in uniform. "Oh. No, none of them are in trouble. How could they be?" She asked him with a smile.

"I don't know," he shrugged while still holding onto the railing.

"I'm just here for a friend," hopefully that would placate him.

"Cool," he chirped. "That's my little sister." He pointed at the glass but it was impossible for Gail to tell which bassinet he was referring to.

"Which one?" She asked.

"In the front," he answered matter-of-factly, "Sarah."

"Cute," Gail could see the same dark hair peeking out where her hat had started to ride up at the side.

"I got to help pick out her name," he reported proudly. Wow, that could have gone terribly wrong. Gail was pretty sure that if Steve had had any say she would have been named 'Poo Poo Peck.'

"Alex!" Gail turned around and saw a man toting a three or four year old approach the boy. "I told you to wait with me for the next elevator." Nice work, kid. Gail couldn't help but smile a little. "I'm so sorry, Officer. What kind of trouble did he get into?" Damn. This guy was a mess. His hair was poking out every which way and he clearly hadn't shaved in a couple days, and not in the cool stubble kind of way.

"Oh, no," Gail shook her head, "he's totally fine, I'm just waiting for the nurse. We were just shootin' the breeze." The man sighed in relief and, as if on cue, the nurse appeared with a bag of ice.

"Here you go, Officer," she smiled and Gail said her thanks and excused herself to go back and find Noelle.

It wasn't long before people started to trickle in. Frank arrived with Olivia just after Noelle's sister came along. Celery showed up shortly before Oliver did, and Traci, Sam, Andy, Dov, Chris, Chloe and Nick weren't close behind. Gail couldn't help but think back to their wedding. Weddings were so fake. Such a show put on for other people who were more concerned with their date and their dress. But this actually seemed real. Everyone seemed actually happy for them. Everyone wanted to hold the baby and look at her and make stupid faces. Everyone laughed with glee when her little hand grabbed their sausage fingers. Losers, I held her first. Gail could tell this was a little bittersweet for Chris but he laughed when Dov make Hannah cry. Olivia, even though she was only two, was so proud of herself. Everyone was so authentically happy. And then all the sudden it was too much, she had to leave. Everyone was really truly happy. That is, everyone but Gail. She had to go. She had to get out of there. She nudged Chris and told him she had to go.

"You okay?" He asked.

"Yeah, I gotta get the squad car back though."

"Oh, okay," Chris nodded his understanding, "do you need a ride from the station?"

"Nah, I drove in today. But can you give Dov a ride? Or make sure he has one with Chloe?"

"Yeah, sure," Chris smiled and nodded. Gail checked her watch and slipped out of Noelle's room; down the hall, into the elevator. Out of the elevator and into the lobby. Out of the lobby and into the parking lot. Out of of the early evening sun and into the car. Out of the parking lot and onto the road. Off the road and into the parking lot. Out of the car and onto the pavement. Gail swallowed hard and steeled herself as she yanked the heavy glass door open. She kept her eyes open and her brain shut as she weaved through the lobby and down to the labs. Her paced slowed as she got closer. Gail kept her head straight ahead, but strained her eyes to the left to eye the lab as she reached the glass wall before the doorway. She turned sharply as she reached the door, but still couldn't see the brunette. Weird. Gail tried the door. It was locked. Weird. She scoped out the other labs in the hall but to no avail. She checked her watch again. It was only 5:45. Holly never left work before six. Gail turned around and headed back toward Holly's office. It was dark and locked. Weird. Gail decided to make a quick escape back to the squad car. She slid into the seat and zoomed out of the parking lot. She screeched to a halt in front of the flower shop four blocks away. They close at 6:00 but it was only 5:54. Gail stormed in and looked around the shop like a small child who'd lost her mother. She never really liked flowers; a lot of them just made her eyes puff up, and sneeze a lot. She grabbed the biggest bunch she saw. They were bright and summery; happy like Holly, but deep and earthy too. She hustled back to the car and gently placed the flowers in the passenger seat. She made it to Holly's in record time. It was 6:18. That was so not legal. Gail stepped out of the cruiser and walked with purpose up the walkway and through the lobby. Into the elevator; up, up, up; out into the hallway, past Globetrotter's door, across from Rich McHotty's, two heavy knocks. Gail could hear heavy footsteps coming her way. She heard the deadbolt click out of it's slot. She heard the handle turn. She heard the door open. She saw Holly.

"Deeply in my core tellin' me to go and see if there was anything more, I was gonna go back home, I was gonna go back home, I was gonna go back home,"
- Donovan Woods "Put On, Cologne"

A/N: Phew.
So, what's next I wonder...what do you guys thing?
I've written these few chapters out of order so you should have to wait too long for the next one to be up :)