I'm In Trouble Deep

Eating For Two

"Really?" Danny smiled widely.

"Yes, but I don't want anyone knowing. Not until we reach the mark, okay? I mean, by the time I actually get an appointment, we might be past that mark!"

"Linda."

"I know, I know... you forgive me for the hell I gave you?"

"Yes. You forgive me for my misogynistic pig headedness?"

"Oh, Danny, you're not misogynistic. But yes, I forgive you. But I really don't want anyone knowing. Not until after that appointment, okay?"

"Okay, fine."

"You can keep a secret, I trust?"

"I'm keeping one now!"

"Right. Take me to bed?" She ticked an eyebrow up, holding out her hand.

**********

It was March seventh, a chilly Tuesday afternoon in New York. Linda was at her doctors, getting the tests done. She had wanted Danny to come, but he was called out on a case very last minute. She didn't want to go it alone, so she asked Mary to come.

"I'm so excited for you two, dear!" Mary talked quietly in the waiting room. "It's going to be a beautiful baby. I knew you'd make the right choice."

"Let's not get our hopes up," Linda wanted to be practical about this. What if she got attached to her baby, and he or she died just like Ella? "It is possible I can't ever carry to term."

"That only happened once."

"And before that was eleven years of possible diseases."

"Linda, you were never diseased. You just have a hard time during that time of the month."

"Yeah, and all the research I did said if I can't physically move, and it's interfering with daily life, something is wrong. But nooooo. No one believed me, like always." Linda hated how her blood family and the doctors treated her. They didn't want to do anything for her, claiming she was just 'overreacting' and was 'too sensitive'. "At least Danny respects me during that time, y'know? Bringing me chocolates, letting me cry, not taking anything I say personally."

"As he should."

"Linda Reagan?" The nurse calls.

She blows out a breath and stands up, hoping all is well.

*********

Danny was stuck listening to a confession that was so thin, he could see right through it. "Imma stop you there," he interrupted the man sitting in the box. "Exactly how stupid do you think we are?"

"What?" The man, who's name was Scully, feigned confusion.

"We know you're lying."

"I'm not lying. How could you say that?"

Danny shrugged, "fine. Then we'll just call your wife. Tell her you've been runnin' round the city all hours of the night, raping young women then killing them."

"You can tell her that, if you want. But I'm tellin' you, I'm not the guy."

Danny was about to say something when his phone rang in his pocket. He looked at it; Linda. She's supposed to be at the doctors, so she must be calling about how it went.

"Do you need to take that?" Danny's partner asked.

"I can call her back."

************

Linda groaned when Danny's phone went to voicemail. "Ugh, voicemail."

"He's probably busy right now," Mary assured her daughter in law. "But he'll call you back."

"He will." Two minutes later, Linda's phone rang, displaying Danny's name. "Hey, babe."

"Hi, honey. Everything go well?"

"Mhmm. Turns out I'm more pregnant than I thought. I'm about twelve weeks pregnant."

"That's what? Two and a half months?"

"Yeah. So I figure in about three weeks we can tell the family."

"Sounds like a plan. I gotta go now, though. Love you."

"Love you more."

"Love you most."

***********

Three weeks later, the family was gathered for Sunday dinner. Only Mary, Linda, and Danny knew about the blonde's pregnancy, so it was a surprise to everyone how much food Linda was taking.

"Isn't that too much?" Jack Boyle wondered, ticking an eyebrow.

"Not if you're eating for two." Oops, that was supposed to be a secret a little longer.

"What?" Joe looked up from his plate.

"No way!" Erin smiled widely.

"For two?" Jamie echoed.

"Really? A baby?"

Linda and Danny nodded, with big smiles in their faces.

"How far along are you?" Frank wondered, happy to have another grandchild (hopefully a boy this time).

"Almost sixteen weeks. We wanted to wait to tell y'all in case anything... happened."

"Congratulations!" The family congratulated the parents to be, and all at once started asking questions.

Linda talked over them, making them shut their mouths. "Thank you. We don't know anything yet. We don't know if it's a boy or girl- nor do we want to. We don't have any names in mind, or color schemes for the nursery, or anything."

"The first hurdle was getting past the mark," Danny explained, leaving out the main reason for keeping it secret. "We'll jump the rest when we get there. Right now, all that matters is that Linda and the baby stay healthy."

Linda agreed, "Since I do have a history of complications, we're taking all the precautions. We're taking it slow, one step at a time."

"Even though we want to do most of it by ourselves, we won't oppose any help."

"It's going to be tough since we're both working, but we made it work while I was in school, so we can make it work now."

The dinner conversation was dominated with baby talk, with Mary and Erin giving suggestions. Linda nodded and tried to take it all in.

**********

"So. Are you glad you decided to keep our baby?" Danny wondered as they laid in bed that night.

"Yes, I'm very happy."

"You don't sound too happy."

"Danny," Linda turned to face him. "I need you to know that I'm thrilled- I'm ecstatic that we're having this baby, but I'm also scared. Ella was born without a heartbeat, and I had a terrible pregnancy with her. I just... I don't want this baby suffering the same fate. So I'm so very happy, but so scared too."

Danny pulled her into a hug and kissed the top of her head. "I understand. I'm kinda scared, too. But we have to take it a day at a time."

"Step by step."

"If you start Singing, I'm gonna kill you." He pointed a finger at her.

She feigned surprise, "and hurt our baby?!"

They laughed and fell asleep in each other's arms. Linda was still scared- as she would be unlit the baby was born- but she knew she could do anything with Danny by her side.