In Flames // 9-1-1 Fox (seasons 1-4)

eighty-six

The paper crinkled under Mariana as she shifted around on the exam table. She inhaled deeply and let it out slowly as Eddie stroked his thumb over her hair to comfort her. The ultrasound technician squirted the cold gel onto Mari's stomach and pushed the wand around.

"Now, it's a bit too early to hear the heartbeat but we can definitely see the baby today," she explained. "All of the major organs have started to develop. When you come in for your next checkup, we'll be able to hear the heartbeat."

Mariana nodded in understanding, her eyes locked on the screen next to the bed. The tech moved the wand to the right and smiled. "And there's baby. You can see their little head and you can actually see their heartbeat move a little."

"Oh," Mari breathed. "She's so small."

"She?" Eddie teased, leaning down so he could press a kiss to her temple while his eyes studied the screen.

"I'm outnumbered already. I need some backup," she joked.

"Alright, how many copies would you like me to print out?"

///

Eddie rounded the truck and opened the passenger side door, offering a hand to help his wife down. Mariana rolled her eyes but took his hand anyways. "I'm pregnant, Eddie, not glass."

"Is that not the same thing?" he asked before he stole a quick kiss from her. "How are you feeling?"

"Good. Really good. But it looks like we're going to have a lot of reading to do." She held up the giant folder stuffed with papers and he gladly took them from her. He needed to run by Barnes and Noble too and grab some pregnancy books.

Eddie had left Shannon to go back on tour when she was pregnant with Christopher and hell, he regretted it. But now he had a chance to do this again and a chance to do it right. He wanted to read every last piece of literature about pregnancy and taking care of babies.

He settled his hand on her lower back as they walked towards the house. Mariana made grabby hands for the folder and Eddie easily slid out the ultrasound pictures and handed them to her. She clutched them tightly, her dark eyes scanning over the small blob in the middle of the image. The front door swung open before they even reached for the handle and an anxious Buck.

"What's wrong? Are you okay? Why are you walking? Eddie, why are you letting her stand on her own?" he blabbered out. "Travis said you were fine. But he could just be telling me that to keep me calm. Are you sick?"

"Yeah, it'll last for about seven and a half more months," Mariana announced. His face drained of color and he grabbed onto the door frame.

"Is it contagious?"

"Oh you sweet dumb boy." Mariana flipped over the picture in her hand to face him and Buck's jaw practically hit the floor. He let out a whoop of joy and pulled her into a hug. Mariana laughed as he pulled away to hug Eddie.

"Man, I'm so happy for you two. With Maddie and now you, I get to be super uncle."

"Wait, why do you have Travis' number?"

"Not important. You should go see the boys." He ushered them into the house, ignoring Mariana's glare. She brushed past him and entered the house where Diego and Chris were seated next to the coffee table and coloring on some paper.

"Mom!" Christopher exclaimed. He pulled himself up with the coffee table and wrapped his arms around her waist. She laughed and hugged him in return, winking at her husband. Kneeling down, Mariana held Christopher's hands as she offered him a gentle smile.

"Hey Chris, can I ask you something?"

He nodded and she gently squeezed his hands. "How would you feel about being a big brother?"

Christopher hummed and then shrugged. "You said you would always love me."

"That's right. Always and forever."

"Can I play video games with them?"

"When they're older," Mari laughed.

Mari held her hand out for Diego and he joined them, looking at his aunt expectantly. She let go of them to grab the ultrasound pictures, holding it up so they could see it. "You guys are going to be big brothers in a few months because there's a baby in my belly. I was a big sibling to Diego's dad and it was my favorite thing in the world. You guys will get to play with them and take care of them and they will be a part of our family just like you two are. They will love you just as much as we love you."

Christopher wrapped his arms around her neck in a hug and she gasped, pulling him into her arms and hugging him. "Are you okay with that, Chris?"

"I'm happy!" he exclaimed. Mari grinned up at her husband who gently laid his hand against Christopher's head and pulled Diego into a hug with the other arm.

///

Mariana shut Diego's door and headed for the living room, finding Eddie seated on the couch with papers spread out in front of him on the coffee table and a laptop open in his lap. She could see the lines of tension in his shoulder from across the room.

"What are you worrying about now?" Mari asked as she sat next to him. He had a website up and was reading through a list of symptoms in pregnancy.

"You should start wearing sunscreen every time you go out," he informed her. "And get enough rest. Do you need new shoes for work? Something with better arch support."

"Amor," she laughed, pulling him in for a sweet kiss. "Relax."

"I'm sorry. I just want to do this right."

Mariana shut the laptop and placed it on the coffee table before scooting over and curling into his side. She brushed her knuckles against the nape of his neck and studied his face with a soft look in her brown eyes.

"What's wrong, boy wonder?" Her voice was gentle and soft and it made his entire chest ache at the thought of anything going wrong with her or the baby.

"I left Shannon a week after she found out she was pregnant. I only came back for the labor and then I left again. I don't know what I'm doing here and I don't want to mess it up," he admitted. She hummed out an agreement and ran her fingers through his hair.

"That makes two of us. I was working a lot through Jess's pregnancy so I have no clue what to expect. We're a team."

He sighed and nodded. "I know. We can do this. Can't really go back now." She smirked at his words and rested her hand on her stomach.

"You're right about that. Little Diaz is stuck with us for the rest of their life."

"When are you going to tell Bobby and Athena? When do we tell my parents? My sisters are still chomping at the bit to meet you."

Mariana picked at a stray thread on the couch and pursed her lips. "I did some research earlier while you were making dinner. I could still work up until late in my second semester...but there are risks. Risks that I'm not willing and I'm sure you're not willing to take. I was thinking about taking a leave of absence and taking on more nursing shifts."

He tucked her hair behind her ear. "If that's what you want. I can't control you and I don't want to. But I would feel better knowing you weren't in the field."

"After being shot, blown up, and practically throwing myself out of windows, I think it's best if I ground myself for a bit. I figured I could do one last shift and tell the team at dinner."

"If that's what you want, then that's what we'll do."

A small smile grew across her face and she laid back against the pillow, staring up at the ceiling. "Today has been crazy."

"A little," he teased, moving to lay next to her, his face level with her stomach. There was a baby growing in there. Their baby. Would it have her smile? His eyes? Eddie leaned forward and pulled up the edge of her tank top slightly so he could see some of her smooth skin. He kissed the spot just next to her navel and rested his hand on her stomach. Mariana carded her fingers through his hair and slid her hand down to rest on his cheek.

"You're an amazing father, Eddie. And I know that you will continue to be one," she assured him.

He really hoped she was right.