Firsts

The couple had been each other's 'firsts.' Kiss, sexual experience and first black eye. The one creature in life, big or small, poisonous or not that Emily was petrified of was snakes. This had got Ryan his first shiner when they were fourteen.

They were goofing around in a field with friends and the teenage Ryan decided to pick up a harmless garden snake and chase Emily with it. She ran screaming, loudly, to the amusement of all there. After Ryan had put the reptile down and Emily was absolutely sure it was nowhere nearby, she socked Ryan.

Frank and Horatio got to hear this story when at the baby shower Frank said the two got along so well that Emily probably never even hit him before she was pregnant and her hormones kicked in.

"Oh yes, she has!" Ryan said.

He told the two the story about the snake in the field

"And she never even said she was sorry!"

"That's because you deserved it! You're lucky I only hit you once!"

One of Ryan's buddies took the rap for the black eye, saying it happened during horseplay. Emily's parents had only found out the true story when she and Ryan reunited. The younger couple letting it slip, not remembering they had lied years ago. To this day Ryan thought the experience was "too funny" and to this day, Emily wasn't one bit sorry for giving him a black eye.

As for their "first time" that was weeks later when they were both fifteen and since Ryan's parents didn't care what their son did, or whether or not he and his girlfriend were left alone in the house till one or two in the morning, the two had sex for they left alone in the evening and late into the night, till Emily had to leave to be home for her 1:30am curfew. Ryan walked her home. Since he was fourteen, Ryan's mother had left condoms in Ryan's sock drawer. They couldn't be bothered by their son, they certainly didn't want a grandchild. As far as Emily's end of the birth control, ever since he got her cycle at the age of thirteen, it had been problematic and irregular. Her doctor placed her on birth control to fix the issue. The primary purpose of the pill was a bonus, she was could have sex and not worry, or worry less about becoming pregnant. Young Emily may have loved Ryan but a baby at this point was something she did not want. She was diligent about following the instructions on the label. Emily was sure her parents weren't stupid. Her parents had to know when she and Ryan had become sexually active. And Vanessa and Harry knew they couldn't depend on Ryan's parents to help "supervise" the teen couple. They figured they had done their part by making sure Ryan's always had condoms.

The moment they heard the couple was reunited, the last thing Vanessa and Harry wanted was for Ryan and Emily to have access to condoms.

Two more weeks and the couple would "graduate" from their prenatal class. The same week Emily was going on maternity leave. That would be thirty-three weeks, still too early for the baby to be born. Though she didn't intend to return to work but she didn't plan to formally quit till her maternity leave benefits ran out. She was considering freelancing her photography service after the baby was a year old. Her mom and dad were happy to babysit periodically. Ryan was fully supportive of his wife being a stay-at-home mom to Bella, and Emily was very much looking forward to the experience.

Calleigh was almost into her second trimester, at eleven weeks pregnant now. She admired Emily Wolfe's "beautiful" baby bump. She said she couldn't wait to have one like it. Emily smiled, thinking how "beautiful" could be very uncomfortable.

Horatio knew he had sent the wrong CSIs to re-interview a witness, the moment Eric and Ryan stepped back into the lab, looking very pale. But then again it would probably be wrong to send any man. The woman was a veterinarian and she was in the middle of doing the equivalent of a human vasectomy on a dog. Both looked on in horror as the woman talked and nonchalantly tossed the Labrador's removed testicles in the trash can.

"He wouldn't miss it," she shrugged.

They both begged to differ and hoped their women didn't have the same done to them in the months to come.

Emily almost lost her breath she was laughing so hard at the expression on Ryan's face and complexion, or lack there of when he told her the story during dinner.

"She just yanked them out and tossed them in the garbage!" Ryan exclaimed. "I hope I don't nightmares tonight!"

"Relax, honey," Emily said, getting a breath between laughs. "I don't know the procedure but I know that's not the way it's done on humans."

Along with the prenatal class, the Wolfes were enrolled in a week long newborn care class. In his "Bootcamp for New Dads" course, Ryan got to hold an infant girl for the first time. Two-month-old Anya was the child of Adam, one of the two dads teaching the course. Anya was a fraternal twin, her twin sister Laura was across the hall, with her mom Leah, who was teaching the class for moms. Adam and Leah also had a five-year-old son. The CSI never had the thought that holding a newborn could feel so...soothing. Babies were very cuddly. Ryan was pleased to hear that you couldn't give a baby too many hugs and hisses. Adam and the other teaching dad, Ray, who had his three month-old daughter, Cori-Rae there, complimented Ryan seemed to have a way with babies. Anya definitely took a liking to him, crying when she was passed back to her father. Although he was surprised at his skill with babies, Ryan's wife wasn't when she heard about it when the two groups were bought back together at the end of the class.

"You think we're ready for this?" Emily asked.

The certificate in her hand stated that she and her husband had successfully completed the prenatal class. It was recommended that the couple practice the breathing and relaxation exercises daily. The two had taken to doing this in the bath tub at night. Ready or not, Emily at least was glad the course was over.

"As ready as anybody can get," Ryan said squeezing her hand.

In some ways she couldn't understand Emily was glad she wasn't due for another six weeks yet. She was feeling Bella move much more and enjoyed the sensation. Having her baby in her arms and seeing her in the flesh would be much gratifying, Emily thought she would miss at least this part of pregnancy.