Settling Down

22

July 16, 1993

The telephone gave a shrill ring throughout the bedroom causing Stevie to jolt awake. She was twelve weeks pregnant and she was waiting until her appointment that afternoon to tell the girls It would be her second appointment and Karen was supposed to bring her. They had given Stevie and Lindsey the option to do genetic testing-because of her age-but Stevie refused saying only when the baby started to show a potential signs of a genetic issue like Down syndrome or autism, that one wouldn't come until later, but none the less, when and if they showed up she agreed to a test. However, the three in the morning wake up call was not what she wanted. 

"No." She groans.

"This is Officer Lindsey Buckingham...On my way." 

"What now?" She asks.

"There's a stabbing at a nightclub downtown." Lindsey sighs.

"Lindsey you be careful." She states. After he was shot at the beginning of the year, Stevie was still if not even more freaked out about him being on call. 

"I know Angel, I know...I'll do my best. I'll wake you when I get home." 

"If I'm sleeping." She rolls her eyes.

"You need to...for them." He places his hand on her stomach. She had a small bump forming it wasn't big enough to notice anything yet, but the two of them could tell that her belly was starting to pop out. 

"Yeah but when their daddy 's life is on the line, sleep becomes less important." Stevie states.

"My life isn't on..." He starts but Stevie cuts him off.

"Lindsey, you were shot in the collarbone literally seven months ago...your life IS on the line because if that stupid robber had hit you about five inches over you'd be dead." Stevie growls.

"That's why I have one of these. And Steph getting stabbed is a lot different than getting shot. If I get stabbed it's stitches and I'm sent home." Lindsey states sliding the bullet proof vest over his blue button down. 

"Unless they hit something, or you know...go for the jugular. And that vest is crap because that only protects your heart and ribs." 

"And my internal organs." He pulls his pants and belt on and tucks his shirt in. 

"Not your femoral artery." She shrugs.

"My what?" 

"There's an artery by your groin that has literally most of your blood supply in it. If you're shot there you're going to bleed out in seconds." Stevie points to his legs.

"I'll be fine Steph..." He slides his holster on, "I love you, go to sleep." 

She just huffs and falls back into the pillows. When she hears the patrol car rev up and leave, she grabs the remote from her nightstand and turns the TV on to the news channel. 

***

She didn't think she fell asleep again, but she did because she was woken up to lips pressing against her forehead. 

"There's blood on you." She points out grabbing at his left hand. 

"Not mine...I was clearing the club and there was a victim who had been stabbed in the stomach. He was in the restroom and in and out of consciousness and I carried him out of the club to the medics because we couldn't let them in until we cleared the scene." 

"What time is it?" Stevie asks.

"It's ten, your appointment is in about two and a half hours." Lindsey explains.