I Will Never Let You Go (A Maxcer Fanfic)

Overwhelming Joy.

Spencer squeezed a stress ball in his hand, holding it in the fixed position for almost 40 seconds. Several weeks after his surgery, he'd gone back to work, even though he was not allowed to use his gun or take part in arresting unsubs. Once a week, he started going to physical therapy to aid in his recovery. His wrist had felt stiff whenever his cast was off, so he was encouraged to perform simple tasks with it, like gripping a small object or flexing it up and down. Now after 10 weeks, he was regaining more and more of his strength.
"Very good Spencer. 40 seconds is definitely an improvement. I can also tell that your hand isn't shaking as much." Heather, his PT instructor said.
"It doesn't hurt as much either." Spencer said, flexing his wrist a couple times.
"There may be a dull ache if you overexert it sometimes, but otherwise you should be good to go."
"So does that mean I can go back to doing my job completely?" Spencer inquired, feeling hopeful. He smiled when Heather gave him a nod.
"Yes, I don't see a reason why you shouldn't be able to tackle down bad guys. I would try to avoid it but just sitting with you the few hours that I have you each week, I know that's gonna be hard." Heather said.
Spencer stood and shook Heather's hand, picking up his satchel and brace.
"Keep the brace somewhere you won't lose it; in case it ever starts to hurt pretty bad, put the brace back on for a while." Heather instructed. Spencer nodded, finished the last of the paperwork and was signed off from needing physical therapy. Of course, if need be, he could return if he started to have some setback; but Spencer felt good for the past couple of weeks and his wrist only seemed to be improving.
Max, on the other hand, was having a hard time being in the first trimester again. With Willow, she would throw up occasionally, but afterwards she would be fine for the most part. This time around, it wasn't that she threw up often, it was just that she felt so fatigued and ill. They both took into account that this time they had a 19 ½ month old, but like always, Willow didn't seem like much of a hassle. She had her moments, but for the most part she was very well behaved.
Walking out of the medical center, Spencer spotted Max's car towards the front of the parking lot. She had her head back against the headrest with her eyes closed, only looking forward as Spencer walked around the front to the passenger side.
"Hey." He said cheerfully, sliding into the seat and shutting the door.
"Hi Daddy." Willow said from the backseat. Spencer flipped down the visor and opened up the mirror attached, using it to see the reflection in Willow's mirror.
"Hiii, you ready to go see Grandpa?"
"Yeah!"
Spencer smiled and flipped the visor back up, turning his attention back to his wife. Her face was turned to him, but her head was back against the headrest again and Spencer could see it in her eyes that she didn't feel good. He placed a hand on her thigh and stroked it with his thumb.
"You know, we can cancel if you're not feeling up to it." He said. Things had been going great with William, and so when their schedules didn't line up, it did make all of them sad not to be able to have dinner together. But things had to get done, and in this case, none of them should be feeling miserable during it.
"I'll be fine. I will need to lay on his couch for five minutes though." Max joked. Spencer smiled, then felt his phone buzz in his pocket. Whipping it out, he saw that his dad had texted.

Dad: Hey, have you guys left yet? If you're close to a store, could you pick up some garlic powder and paprika? I seem to have forgotten it.

"Dad asked if we could pick up some spices for him. The closest store to us right now is Uncle Giuseppes." Spencer said, replying to his dad simultaneously. When he looked back up, Max had her eyes closed again.
"Do you want me to drive?" He asked. She immediately opened them again.
"No I got it. Seatbelt."
Spencer buckled himself in and fed her directions, leading them to the store.

Max held Willow as they walked into the store, forgoing a cart since they were only grabbing two things. Her stomach felt uneasy, but she felt okay to move around. She followed Spencer through the store until they came up to the spices aisle. On the way, they passed the fish and meats section, which made Max feel queasy. Once they stopped in front of the spices racks, she put Willow down and put her hands on her hips, aiming her face at the ground and closing her eyes. She breathed in deeply, trying to control the nausea that was building up in her stomach.
Spencer found the brand for paprika that they normally got, but was having a hard time finding the garlic powder. For the most part, the rack was in alphabetical order, but somewhere along the line it lost track. He looked down at his feet, seeing Willow running circles around him, literally.
"What are you doing crazy kid?" He asked, scooping her up. He gave her the paprika to hold and looked over at Max, who had picked her head up and was now focusing on the racks as well. Somehow it didn't take her as long to find the other seasoning, and she gave Spencer a teasing look. They deliberately took a different route to the checkout line, just so they didn't pass the fish again.
As they exited the store, Spencer said "Give me the keys, I'll drive," holding out his hand. Max complied and got in the passenger seat, resting with her eyes closed for a moment while he buckled Willow in her carseat. As he started to pull out of the parking lot and was turning onto the main road, her nausea snuck up on her again. She rested her hands on her abdomen, rubbing small circles over the small pudge there, hoping to soothe the storm.
Spencer noticed in his peripheral vision that Max was having a hard time again, so he reached over and placed a hand over hers, reminding her that he was there to comfort her if she needed. Suddenly, she removed her hands and opened up the glove compartment, sifting around until she found a box of plastic bags. He quickly recognized them as the barf bags she bought when she was pregnant with Willow, having not used them in a long time.
Spencer grimaced as he heard his wife gag, throwing up into the bag as he drove. He had to keep his eyes on the road and his hands on the wheel, so there was nothing he could do to help at the moment, and that killed him.
When he came to a red light, he turned to Max, who was tying the bag and wiping her mouth with some tissues from the glove compartment. He brushed a piece of her hair behind her ear, watching Max as she steadied her breathing. She leaned her head back and groaned.
"I'm sorry." She murmured.
"What is there to be sorry for? Intense smells and motion can make anyone sick, and you're pregnant."
"I know, it's just...I don't want to put a damper on things." Max said, running a hand through her hair.
"Babe, you're not putting a damper on anything. I just feel bad that you don't feel well and I don't wanna put you through anything that may amplify it."
"I'll be okay Spence. I just need to sit and let my stomach settle." Max said, putting a hand on his. He gave her a smile, then looked back at the road in front of them as they continued on to his dad's house.
Originally he lived in an apartment, but he'd since moved into a small house not too far from his job. Unlike his apartment, it had two stories, a basement, and a backyard. He was able to keep a guest room and his home overall didn't seem as crowded.
As they pulled into William's driveway, he emerged from the front door with a smile. Spencer waved at his dad with the grocery bag in his hand while Max retrieved Willow.
"How are you guys doing?" William asked.
"Pretty good, except someone is experiencing some nausea." Spencer said, tilting his chin in Max's direction as she approached them with Willow in her arms.
"Aw that's no fun. I have Gatorade and ginger ale in the fridge if you'd like some."
"That would be great, thank you." Max said, following them inside the house.
The two went to the kitchen to finish preparing dinner while Max and Willow stayed in the living room. There was a bucket of toys that William kept for his granddaughter, for nights like these where they'd have dinner together as a family. Max let Willow down on the floor and watched her run over to it, pulling out some of them while she sat herself on the couch. She kicked her shoes off and curled up her legs just enough so she wasn't squishing her stomach. With her head resting against her fist, she closed her eyes and allowed her body to rest. While Spencer was at physical therapy, she had been running around the house cleaning, since the next couple days she was booked with programs. She knew she would be exhausted by the time she was finished with all them, so she made an effort to get all the cleaning done, that way she'd be able to relax once they were over. In hindsight, she may have overdid it and caused her body to lash out.
"Here Max, this should make you feel a little better." William said, making Max open her eyes and accept the 16 fl oz bottle of ginger ale. She gave him a smile in thanks, then unscrewed the cap and took a sip. She laid her head back down and felt the bubbles in her stomach, somehow making her feel less nauseous.
Willow brought a puzzle over to the coffee table in front of the couch. Max didn't move, but made an effort to look at the puzzle her daughter had picked out. It was one of those wooden puzzles where there's recesses with pictures in them and you have to match the pieces into them. This one had different sea animals.
Willow held up a starfish piece, looking between it and the board, then tried matching it to the appropriate spot. It was the right one, but she seemed to be having a hard time getting it positioned correctly.
"Mommy help." She said, looking at her mom and handing the piece out to her. Max sat up and took Willow's little hand in hers, which still held the piece.
"You gotta be gentle. Like this." Max said, guiding her hand over the spot and helping her put the piece in place. Willow smiled and grabbed another piece, one that looked like a dolphin. She repeated her process of looking from the piece to the board and quickly found the spot, taking care in positioning it. Without any help, she got it in.
"Good job Willow--hey, do you know what that is? That's a dolphin."
"Doh-fin." Willow repeated, making Max go wide eyed. From the kitchen, Spencer heard them talking and peeked from the side wall. Max looked at him, seeing the amazed expression on his face. He came and sat on the floor next to Willow, watching her do the puzzle. As she put the rest of the pieces in with some assistance, Max and Spencer went back and forth asking her to say different names of marine animals.
"Can you say manatee?"
"Mana-dee."
"Can you say whale?"
"Whale."
"Can you say seahorse?"
"Dee-horse."
"You gotta work on your Ss and Ts sweetness." Max said, placing a kiss on Willow's head. She was over a year and half old and her speech was improving everyday. Spencer had pointed out at one point that some letters were just going to take longer for her to master.
William called them to sit down at the table and Spencer grabbed Willow's little booster seat from a closet. Max spread the plates on the four place settings, Willow's plate being plastic and sectioned while William placed the chicken and sides in the middle. The adults each took a seat and got settled with their food, then Max put some on Willow's plate and cut it up for her, handing her her small fork.
"Oh Spencer I forgot to ask, what did the doctor say about your wrist?" William asked, pausing cutting his chicken.
"They said everything seems good as new. I can go back to working completely and I don't have to wear the brace, unless the need arises." Spencer said, taking a bite. His dad's cooking was way better than his, he soon realized, and he hoped to one day learn his tricks.
Spencer turned to Max, who was eating a tiny bit faster than the two men. He smiled.
"You feeling better?" He asked. Max nodded as she chewed.
"William, your cooking always seems to do the trick." Max joked, pointing at him with her fork. He chuckled as he took a bite of his mashed potatoes. He looked over at Willow, watching her do the same.
"What do you think? Is that yummy?" He asked.
Willow nodded and took another bite, bouncing gleefully in her seat. Max had given her a little bit of everything: chicken, mashed potatoes, corn, broccoli, but she only really seemed to eat the chicken and mashed potatoes. Max pointed to the broccoli section on her plate and said "Take a bite of these. It's good for you."
"No."
"But they're yummy--see Mommy, Grandpa and I are eating them. Try it, you might like them." Spencer added.
"Nooo." Willow whined as Max tried to put a small piece of broccoli on her fork.
"Hey Willow, you can have a cookie after dinner if you take a bite." William tried, leaning down to her level. She had a pout on her face as she stared at him, understanding what was at stake. With her free hand, she picked up a small piece of the florets and put it in her mouth. She chewed for a few seconds and twisted her face up, spitting out the small piece. Max quickly caught it in a napkin, and Willow started to cry.
"All done." She whimpered, as she tried to unbuckle herself from her booster seat. They were all pretty much finished as well, having cleared out most of the dishes, so Max and William gathered the plates while Spencer took Willow to the living room. She was still bawling and he sat on the couch with her in his lap as he consoled her.
"I'm sorry you didn't like it. Did it feel weird in your mouth?"
"Yeah." She replied, confirming Spencer's theory that it was a texture thing. Neither of them were worried at the moment that she wasn't eating healthy, because she ate all sorts of fruits and vegetables all the time; they'd just been slowly adding others into the mix and for one reason or another she didn't like some of them.
"That's okay, we just wanted you to try it. You were a big girl, I'm proud of you." He said. He held up his hand for her to high five, hoping it would cheer her up, but instead she leaned against his chest and he patted her back.
Max came back into the room with a box of Nilla Wafers and shook it to get Willow's attention. She looked up at her, then at the cookies and reached her arm out towards them. Max pulled two from the box and handed them to her, watching her munch on them happily. Spencer wiped the few tears that were left off of Willow's cheek and brushed her hair back, that way it was somewhat safe from the crumbs. Max gave some to him as well and took a couple for herself, going back into the kitchen to finish helping William clean up.

They stayed for another hour talking about adult things and played with Willow, then as she started to doze off in Max's lap, they thought it was best to start heading home. They hugged Spencer's dad and bid him goodnight, buckled a sleeping Willow into her carseat without waking her, then Spencer started the car and drove away from the house.
Once they were home, Max put Willow in her crib, deciding to just leave her in her clothes so they didn't wake her. Spencer had changed into his pajamas by the time she got back and was headed into the bathroom to brush his teeth. They traded places after she was finished changing, and Spencer lounged on the bed with a book. When Max reappeared in their room, she was smoothing her shirt over her belly, emphasizing the bump there. Spencer noticed and once again felt the overwhelming joy from her being pregnant again flood his senses.
He placed a hand over her bump after she laid down next to him, careful not to press too hard. It was still too early for him to feel kicks, but Max had reported feeling flutters every now and then. Instead, it just amazed him how he could love a person so much without even meeting them.