A/N: Here's another update! I've noticed that these chapters are just a little shorter than some of my previous stories. I hope that's ok. Work has been pretty crazy the last few days, but I believe we're getting a snow day tomorrow! I picked up a new reader who was curious as to whether I'd be continuing "Small Boys and Sandwiches" and in answer to that question- of course! I love that story and I love Gabriel, so as long as I have ideas, I'll keep adding. This story was started on a lark after several people had asked me about a Sherlolly baby story. And I liked the idea of showing how the universe was progressing. Anywhoo... I hope you're enjoying both stories, as I am really enjoying writing them. It's quite a nice stress reliever for me. I look forward to your reviews!
Disclaimer: I own nothing except Gabriel and Katie.
There is a special circle of Hell. One where everything is decorated in pink and blue. Where the lighting is so bright that you have to squint, save for the one that flickers intermittently until you're seizing. Where tiny humans scream at volumes only surpassed by a star at the moment of supernova. It is called the OB/GYN Office. Molly and Sherlock sat side by side in the lobby, both of them looking miserable for entirely different reasons. She was nervous. Despite her profession, Molly had never liked doctors and the thought of the changes her body was about to go through was terrifying. And then they were making her fill out this long form of questions about her health that made her incredibly paranoid about what they might find wrong with her.
"Excess hair loss? What the Hell does that mean?" Molly mumbled, absently brushing her fingers through her ponytail.
"That should be self-explanatory," Sherlock replied. He was sitting extremely still, his eyes fixed on a point on the wall directly across from them. It was as if he was afraid that if he moved, some woman was going to throw up her dress and show him her vagina while a baby shot out of it like a bullet.
"Well my hair comes out all the time," she said. "Is it normal do you think?"
"Do you have a bald spot?"
"Well no."
"Then it's normal." He reached for a magazine, trying to look nonchalant. He opened it up and gasped. Getting Your Groove Back: Beating Feminine Dryness After Pregnancy. "Dear Lord…" he said, snapping it shut and throwing it back on the table.
"What is abnormal vaginal discharge?"
"I swear to God if you don't stop reading that aloud, I'm leaving."
Molly's head snapped up to stare at him. "Look, you helped get me into this situation. The least you can do is not be a child in the doctor's office!" He opened his mouth to protest, but Molly's dilated pupils and thin-lipped snarl made him think twice. "Now, there's questions you have to answer too."
"Me? Why do I have to answer questions? I'm not pregnant!"
"Yes you are! Just because you aren't carrying the baby inside you doesn't mean that you aren't just as responsible," she hissed. "Now… psychiatric problems…"
"I don't have any psychiatric problems!"
"Oh really?"
"Yes, really! I'm perfectly sane."
"OCD… social anxiety… Aspberger's Syndrome… sociopathic tendencies…"
"Mycroft's the one with OCD!"
"ADHD…"
"You aren't writing all that down are you? None of those are diagnosed."
"Technically speaking, I'm a doctor and I'm diagnosing you," Molly said. "The good news is, Gabriel doesn't seem to have any of those so this kid has a fighting chance."
"Have I mentioned lately how much I miss mousey, timid Molly?"
Their sparring was interrupted by the nurse calling from the doorway. Molly stood up and gathered her coat and purse, and started toward the door. Then she realized Sherlock wasn't following. Whipping around she gritted her teeth and jerked her head in a gesture that clearly indicated he should follow.
The nurse led them to a tiny room where she had Molly stand on a scale and then sit so she could take a vial of blood and her blood pressure. "Goodness Ms. Hooper! Your veins do not like being poked at."
Sherlock bent over the nurse as she swabbed Molly's skin, thumping at the vein to make it pop up. "She has really delicate veins. You might have to use a smaller needle." The nurse narrowed her eyes. "Just a suggestion."
"Sherlock, don't be a pain," Molly said with a sickeningly sweet smile. "Come hold my hand. Blood makes me pass out."
"You're a pathologist."
"Just do it!" she shouted, making both Sherlock and the nurse jump. But he did as he was told. The nurse drew a little blood as Molly hid her face in the crook of Sherlock's arm. They made it through the blood pressure cuff, the embarrassing questions about her last menstruation and the announcement of her weight to all the passersby. Finally, they were led into a small room to wait for the doctor. "You'll want to change into a gown, Dr. Hooper," the nurse commented as she closed the door.
"Uggh… I hate these things," Molly sighed, pulling off her jumper. She carried on, stripping off her clothes and pulling the hospital gown on backwards. Sherlock was silent, appearing to read the poster about female anatomy on the wall behind him. "Hey, you don't have to look so uncomfortable. You've seen it all before."
"What? I'm not uncomfortable."
Molly giggled. "Yes you are. And it's okay. I know this isn't exactly your… division."
"I'm perfectly fine."
"You're terrified," she said. "It's okay, Sherlock. So am I." She put her clothes aside and went to him, wrapping her arms around his back and hugging him tight. "But everything will be fine. Right?"
"Why are you asking me?" he chuckled.
"Because," she said, looking up at him in all seriousness. "You're my Sherlock. You always know everything." She snuggled against him, drawing on his strength to keep it together. "But no matter what happens, I'm just… deliriously happy. You're happy aren't you? I mean, it's so hard to tell with you."
Sherlock pressed a gentle kiss to her temple. "Trust me. I'm happy."
"Do you think we were right? I mean, not to tell Gabriel until we'd been to see a doctor?"
"Absolutely."
"Do you think he'll be okay with it?"
"Uhmmmm…. No."
OoOoOo
Gabriel and Katie sat on the floor in his room, playing Turbo Chess. Months ago, Gabe had decided to teach his best friend to play chess, but she complained that it was too slow. That you had to think too much about it. So she and Gabe had come up with a new rule. They'd start a timer and see how long it would take them to play the whole game, trying to break their previous record. They could now complete a game in less than ten minutes.
"Checkmate!" Gabriel exclaimed, making bomb noises as his queen took her king. "I win again!" Katie sighed and kicked the chessboard as she leaned back against his bed. "What's the matter with you, Katie? You usually beat me at least once!"
"I don't want to play chess," she groused.
"Oh. Well we can play something else. I've got lots of games. Or we can take Cat for a walk. Or we can play Doctor Who, but I get to be the Doctor this time." Katie shook her head sadly. Gabe was perplexed. Katie was always so cheerful. It was part of what he liked so much about her. "What's the matter, Katie? You've been moping all afternoon."
She sighed. "My mom's pregnant. And she wants to move back to New York to be closer to my grandmother."
"What?" Gabriel exclaimed. "But… you can't move! You're my best friend!"
"Well I don't want to move!" Katie cried. "Especially not all the way across the ocean!" Soon both of them were sobbing and holding on to one another. After several minutes they broke apart sniffling. "You know, Gabe. You better be careful. Nothing good ever happens when your parents have a new baby. When my baby brother was born, I had to let him sleep in my room! He cries all the time and wets the bed! He always gets me in trouble! Now I'm stuck with him and they're having another. It's not fair!" She sniffled and wiped her eyes with the back of her hand. "Whatever you do, Gabe, don't let your dad and Doctor Molly have a baby."
