Author's note: Everyone's reviews always make me smile. Just receiving suggestions, questions, and comments of all kinds restores my desire to continue this story. So consider this my thank you for everything. I hope this chapter answers the questions I've gotten in my inbox and the review box. I look forward to knowing what everyone thinks.
It had been two months since that night. Casey's first assailant, the suspected ringleader, had agreed to the deal after some hesitation. He had provided his friend's name quickly, and it wasn't the fact that the name checked out that shocked the squad. It was just who the name belonged to.
Casey's second attacker had been someone she, at least, had once known intimately. It was an ex boyfriend of hers. She had left him years ago to focus on her career, but had quickly fallen in love with Charlie. According to Matthews, he met this man at his job and convinced him to help him seek revenge for his brother's false imprisonment, and had shown his friend a picture. The latter had quickly realized just who he was expected to help punish, and had jumped at the chance, according to Matthews.
Unlike Matthews, his friend suffered a full trial. It was deemed high priority because of the victim involved, and he was eventually found guilty. The judge sentenced him to twenty years in prison.
As for Casey, she had finally started to heal properly. Under Olivia's insistence, she had been in therapy for three months, and this time, when she quit, it wasn't because it wasn't helping, but rather, because she truly didn't believe she needed it anymore. She was finally sleeping through the night, and though what had happened to her would be in her mind for the rest of her life, she had reached the point where she was lucky if she thought about it once a day.
There was only one loose end to tie up. Casey had, of course, wanted to know which of her assailants had fathered her baby, so they had arranged a paternity test to answer that very question. Casey felt that it was the one last thing keeping her from fully moving on. If she knew just who had done this to her, regardless of her feelings towards it, she would know, in a way, who to invest more effort into forgiving.
Casey woke early in the morning. For once, it was because of her alarm, and not because of her nausea. Seeing Olivia's side of the bed empty, and unable to find the usual note, Casey sat up. "Olivia?" she called out. "Are you there?"
The bedroom door opened, and Olivia entered, a tray full of breakfast in her hands. "Good morning, beautiful," she said, smiling as she placed the tray on the bed and kissing Casey softly. "How did you sleep?"
"Very well," Casey answered, meaning it. She propped herself up on the bed, smiling. "This all looks delicious," she murmured. Olivia had cooked everything just the way she liked it. Her toast was just a little burnt, for extra crispiness. Her eggs had been whipped into an omelet, smothered in cheese and accented with a hint of salt and pepper. And her bacon was cut into tiny pieces, which were used to form the words "I love you." Casey smiled. "I love you too, babe." She smiled at her girlfriend and kissed her softly.
Olivia sat beside her, grabbing a strawberry from the little porcelain bowl. She chewed it silently, but Casey could feel her watching her out of the corner of her eye. Casey smiled, and realized how hungry she actually was. And they did have a long day ahead of them, after all. She grabbed a fork and cut a tiny piece from her omelet, practically swooning as it hit her tongue. Olivia had prepared it with the perfect amount of seasoning, and her favorite cheese. It was, in a word, perfect. Once she had finished her first bite, Casey smiled softly. "How about you? How did you sleep?" Not that Olivia ever slept for more than four hours per night.
Olivia shrugged. "I slept," she answered. "Oh, by the way, I have good news for you."
Casey raised an eyebrow curiously. "Good news?" she repeated, smiling. "And what might that be?" She could practically feel her nerves tingling with anticipation.
Olivia fed her a piece of bacon. "Well, let's just say I have taken steps to ensure that I'm off for the entire day. One simple day. No phone calls, no interruptions, and hopefully no emergencies. Fin is in charge in my stead, and I can at least trust him to keep the building standing." The brunette smiled. "Therefore, you are stuck with me for twenty four hours."
"Oh, I'll try to cope," Casey joked, grinning. She took a sip of her orange juice. "Wow...imagine one entire day of no interruptions. Just imagine what we can do..."
Six hours later, Casey and Olivia sat alone in the room assigned to Casey for her appointment. Casey was more nervous than she wanted to admit. She had never been pregnant, of course, but beyond that, she had never been in a situation where she would even need a paternity test if she did become pregnant. She had always passed it off as something needed for other women, not her. She sighed softly, leaning back against the pillows. Olivia squeezed her hand comfortingly. "It'll be okay. I promise."
"I hope so," Casey murmured. God, she really hated needles, and having one injected into her abdomen was especially frightening. She hoped, by some miracle, that the results would actually be something other than what they expected, but she knew the odds of that happening were slim to none.
The doctor entered, smiling. Her name tag read Dr. Nicolae. "Good morning, Casey. How are you feeling?" she asked as she set to work checking all of Casey's vitals. She checked her chart, nodding. "So we are here to conduct a paternity test, is that correct?"
Casey nodded silently. Having a third party confirm it made it..embarrassing, in a way. She couldn't help but feel a little ashamed of even needing one, but she knew Olivia had probably informed the doctor of all of the circumstances of the situation when she had set up the appointment. "Yes," she confirmed out loud.
The doctor covered her up and lifted her gown, which Casey had been instructed to change into. She covered Casey's belly in ice cold gel, and smiled as the redhead winced at the frigid contact. Even the doctor's hands were cold. As the doctor rubbed the transducer along her belly, Casey tried her hardest to take her mind off of her racing nerves. Dr. Nicolae smiled after a few moments. "There's your baby," she stated, gesturing to the image that had just come up on the little screen.
Casey and Olivia both looked over at it. Casey could just make out the baby's head and body, and what looked like one long rope where the legs would be. "It's beautiful," she murmured. "Um, do we get to know what gender it is?"
Dr. Nicolae examined the image for a moment. Then she shook her head. "I can't get a clear view of the fetus's genitals, but we can find out definitively through the paternity test and include it in your results. That is your option."
Casey and Olivia shared a look. They had already discussed knowing beforehand, so now, they simply nodded. "Yes, we would like to know," Olivia chimed in. "Also, do you know approximately how long it will take for us to get the results back? I realize every lab is different."
Dr. Nicolae sat back on her stool. "It shouldn't take more than four business days," she answered. She glanced again at Casey's ultrasound picture. "Well, Casey, your baby looks very healthy. Are you on any prenatal medications?"
Casey nodded. "Yes, I am taking vitamins," she replied. She looked back at the image, transfixed. She couldn't believe that was her own baby, her own womb. It was incredible. At least one good thing had come from this appointment.
A few days later, Casey had just re-entered the apartment after getting the mail. She flipped through it, annoyed to see how much junk mail they had gotten. Ads from places they never shopped stared back at her. Political pamphlets urged her to vote for this person or that. God, she hated the year before elections. And then, just as she was about to throw everything away, Casey reached the last envelope in the stack. She immediately recognized the return address.
It took everything she had not to tear it open and read the results right away. Casey held her breath, practically running into the bedroom, where Olivia was just getting dressed after a shower. "Olivia, it finally came!" she exclaimed.
Olivia opened the bathroom door, still wrapped in her towel. "What came?" she asked, toothbrush in hand.
"The results, of course!" Casey usually wasn't so excitable, but this was different. This was very different.
Olivia smiled. "That's great, honey, but can I rinse out my mouth, and, you know, put some clothes on before we read them? It's a little drafty in here, and I have toothpaste stuck on my tongue."
Casey grinned sheepishly. "Yeah, okay," she replied, sitting on the bed, and waiting as patiently as she could for Olivia to finish getting dressed. She placed the envelope beside her on the bed, glancing at it periodically. It was like being a little kid at Christmas, and being so tempted to open presents early just because one's parents were asleep.
The envelope was driving her crazy, so Casey turned it over, placing her hands in her lap, and waiting. Just when she thought she couldn't take the anticipation any more, the bathroom door opened, and Olivia stepped out, dressed in her usual uniform of black slacks and a button down blouse. She smiled, sitting beside Casey on the bed. Casey inhaled the scent of her girlfriend's cologne, smirking to herself. It was a scent she loved more than any other.
Olivia picked the envelope up and turned it over. She took Casey's hand. "Okay. No matter what this says, you know that I'm here for you through thick and thin. Nothing in this envelope could ever make me stop loving you."
Casey nodded. "I know," she said, knowing in her heart just how true Olivia's promises were. She held her breath. "Olivia, can you open it? I'm too nervous, and I'm afraid that I would probably wreck it, somehow."
"Are you sure?" Olivia asked, looking at her curiously. When Casey nodded, Olivia smiled, and slid one finger beneath the flap of the envelope. She opened it slowly, retrieving the letter from within. As she unfolded it, Casey leaned in to read along with her.
The first several paragraphs concerned their rights, and the rights of both parents involved. Casey shuddered briefly at the thought of the baby's father coming anywhere near it, whoever he was. The first thing listed was the gender. Casey smiled. "Oh, babe, look, we're having a baby girl."
Olivia nodded, kissing her softly. "Now I have two girls to care for. Boy, am I in for it," she joked.
Casey didn't want the excitement to be overshadowed, but something compelled her to keep reading. It was almost like a magnet, drawing her gaze farther and farther down the paper, until...Casey gasped, having to read the name on the parchment multiple times before it sank in. She had actually expected Matthews to be the father, because, by the sheer law of probability, he had technically been more likely, she figured, since he had technically finished first. But it wasn't him. It wasn't either of them. Casey gasped, sitting back on the bed. "Oh my god," she murmured. And just like that, all of her worries floated away. The name on the paper was one she had never been so happy to see in her life.