Iris

2. Daddy Issues

Dr. Linda Martin sat behind her desk one sunny early-afternoon while she finished up paperwork from the morning's clients. She wasn't expecting anyone else until around three.

Then a series of knocks rapped at her door.

"Come in!" Linda called in confusion.

Lucifer opened the door and made his way to the couch with out any invitation from her.

"Ah, Doctor. Good. We need to talk." He started.

Linda wanted to scold him for barging in without an appointment or a heads-up that he was coming, but just one look at her most fascinating patient told her to hold her tongue.

His shirt and pants were wrinkled and his jacket remained unbuttoned. His normally perfect hair was sticking up in random places. He had dark circles under his bloodshot eyes, and dry lips, like he didn't sleep a wink last night. Said eyes were wild, and it scared Linda. The last time she had seen him this undone was when he asked her to come over to the penthouse to show her his devil wings.

"Have a seat," She invited gently as she made her way from her desk to the seat on the other side of the coffee table that was reserved for her during sessions.

As soon as Lucifer sat down, it looked like he wanted to jump back up again. His legs bounds anxiously and he fingered his knuckles and his black ring. His shoulders were very tense.

To help him transition into the session, Linda supplied, "You seem extremely anxious today. Is that what you'd like to talk about?" She crossed her legs and interlocked her fingers in front of her knees.

He took a deep breath that she could hear rattle around in his rib cage.

"I don't know what to do, Doctor," He began. Linda thought it very interesting that she heard fear and panic in his voice already. It normally took her many sessions on a particular topic with him in order to break down his walls. She knew that whatever was bothering him had to be serious.

"The detective seems equally as nervous about it, but last night she couldn't stop smiling after we found out the results, and I didn't have the heart to tell her how I was feeling, nor did I know how to even put them into words-"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa. Lucifer, slow down." Linda interrupted him, raising her hands in front of her in a stopping motion. He looked like a wild animal that had just been backed into a corner, but he stopped.

Linda only got about half of what he just rambled off with lightning speed, so she repeated, "You said Chloe was nervous about something, but seemed happy all last night? What do you mean?"

Lucifer stared intensely through the glass coffee table. He didn't say anything at first as his lips had pressed into a thin, firm line. He grabbed the water pitcher from the table and poured a glass for himself. Linda patiently waited him out. He brought the half-full glass into his hands. He raised it high enough so that Linda thought he was going to take a drink before he continued, but just before the glass reached his lips, he said in a dark voice that seemed to lower the room temperature twenty degrees.

"The detective is pregnant... with my child."

Linda shivered at his tone.

He took a drink of water and set the glass back on the table with a bit more force than he probably should have.

Linda sat in shock for a moment, but then a smile cracked at the corners of her lips.

"That...that's" She was about to say wonderful news. One of her best friends was going to have a baby, and it was a baby like Charlie. Charlie's cousin, even!Linda's heart fluttered. She stopped herself when she noticed her patient's dark expression.