Bones FF by Akarana: Life changing moments (chapter 3)
Chapter 3: Frog and scorpion
"You ok?" he asked her worriedly as she sat down in slow motion, a hand pressed against the small of her back.
"My back hurts," Cam groaned in reply and leaned over, resting her arms against her thighs.
"Isn't it a bit early for you to have back spasms?" Hodgins wondered and wrinkled his forehead.
"Maybe I should start yoga or Pilates and stop running. It's not especially back friendly," she replied.
"And you should stop carrying boxes whenever I leave the house. Now lie down on your stomach, I'm giving you a massage," he told her and pointed to the couch.
"We should take a shower first, we're all sweaty," she protested. They had just come back from their morning run, which they had gone on after breakfast.
"Together?" he grinned and wiggled his eyebrows.
"My back hurts too much to even think about that," she rolled her eyes, but smiled.
"How about I run you a bubble bath and then give you the back rub?" he proposed.
"Sounds like heaven," she smiled and groaned a second later when he helped her off the couch. "You gonna soak with me or you'll take a shower?" she wanted to know then.
"If you'll have me I don't mind smelling like your girlish bubble bath," Hodgins replied and led her up the stairs.
"As if you ever mind smelling girlish. At the crime scene three weeks ago you stole my deodorant and smelled like vanilla all day," she reminded him with a smile.
"Better than the dead corpse smell I had in my nostrils for the rest of the day," he remembered and shuddered as they entered their bathroom.
"Yeah, being dead in a locked room where not even rats get in, that's not too good for the smell," Cam nodded and untied her jogging pants before she pulled them down and stepped out of them. They had both left their shoes in front of the door, because they had been running through the woods that morning and mud was all over their shoes. Her shirt followed and she rubbed the impressions left on her skin once she had unclasped her bra and taken it off.
"They are still getting bigger," Hodgins grinned at her from the bathtub, where he had started the water and was pouring bubble bath into it.
"And you just have to point that out every day," she muttered, still rubbing at the mark underneath her right arm. Her bras were too small already and she knew it, still she couldn't accept the fact that not only were her breasts and stomach getting bigger, but she had started to gain weight and therefore refused to buy new bras.
"God, you're beautiful," he sighed instead of arguing back, sat down on the edge of the tub and held out his hands to her. She rolled her eyes again, but took his hands and stepped towards him.
"I look like I swallowed a soccer ball," she said once she stood in front of him, but smiled.
"We both know that you love being pregnant as much as I love that you're pregnant," he chuckled and then pressed his lips to her swollen belly. "Hey son, you're ok in there?" he started talking to their unborn child. He leaned his cheek against her stomach, waiting for a kick. For about a week now he was able to feel the kicks and punches of his son and if he had a say in it he wouldn't do anything else all day.
"I think the run lulled him to sleep," Cam grinned and ran her fingers through his hair.
"No kicks for Daddy," he sighed disappointedly, placed another kiss on her skin and then stood up. "Check if the water is alright," he told her and started taking off his own clothes.
"Yes, I think it's good. You might think it's too hot though," she knew after she had dipped her toes into it. Then she carefully stepped into the hot water and sighed when she sank into it.
"I know you like the water boiling," Hodgins replied and then got in the tub behind her. He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her closer against his body. "Can you tilt your head, please," he requested and gently pushed her head so her chin was resting against her chest.
"God, that's good," Cam sighed when he started massaging her neck with his thumbs.
"Preview of what's to come," he smiled.
"Oh, junior is up," Cam said and rubbed her ribs.
"He kicked?"
"No, he tickled me under my ribs," she replied. "Now he kicked," she added when she felt her baby move.
"Where?" Jack asked and placed both hands on her stomach.
"No-ho, don't stop," Cam whined when he stopped the neck massage and brought his hands down. Jack just chuckled and started massaging her neck with one hand again, while he kept the other on her belly.
"I'm going to set up the bassinet and the crib tomorrow," he told her.
"They delivered it already?" she asked surprised, because she hadn't been aware that the furniture was already in the house.
"Last night while you were at the meeting," he nodded.
"You think this will work here?" Jack asked her, slowly rubbing the massage oil between his palms to warm it up.
"Why shouldn't it?" she replied and looked over her shoulder at him, already halfway on the bed.
"I'm just a bit afraid we'll crush junior this way," he pointed out, knowing that for the massage she was supposed to lie on her stomach.
"With all these blankets it's soft enough for me to sink in just far enough," she laughed and carefully lay down, testing if her theory was correct.
"And?" he still wasn't too convinced.
"Comfortable," she replied, tilting her head to the side. "Now get in here and get to work," she ordered, which made him smile.
"Wow, you really are tense. Maybe you should stay home from work for a few days. Seems like your back doesn't like you bending over an autopsy table all day long while you're carrying another human being inside of you," Hodgins said when he felt her tense muscles and knots under his fingers.
"I can't. Two more soldiers in my storage since yesterday," she sighed tiredly.
"Taliban in Afghanistan?" he asked her.
"No, friendly fire in Iraq," she clarified and moaned a second later when he dug his thumbs into a particularly sore spot.
"Sorry," he apologized, but put even more pressure on it, causing her to flinch. "Any more brain damage?" he asked her, knowing she had found some abnormalities in the brains of other dead soldiers she had autopsied.
"Will be hard to tell since one of them has a headshot and the other came in pieces," Cam replied and closed her eyes again, hoping the pain would lessen in a second.
"Still, don't overdo it," he insisted.
"I'm only 25 weeks along, still another 15 to go, so I won't get smaller and I can't just stop working," she disagreed.
"Have you at least thought about when you will go on maternity leave?" Hodgins knew that she didn't like talking about it, simply because she didn't want to think about it, but he also knew that if he didn't pressure her on this and, in the end, put his foot down, she would work until the last second.
"Christmas?" she replied and opened one eye, saw him shaking his head in disapproval.
"At least middle of December or I'll have you fired," he decided then and ignored the snort she made in reply.
"Ah, I have to turn on my side. He's kicking my bladder in revenge for me lying on top of him," she groaned and slowly rolled onto her right side, so her back was now pressed to Hodgins knees.
"Since we were just talking about decisions, we still need a name. Have you already peeked in the box?" He waited until she had adjusted and then resumed the massage, concentrating on her shoulder.
"No, but by the way you phrased the question I assume you have," Cam knew.
"Why would you say that? We decided we would look into it together with Michelle. That would be cheating," he defended himself halfheartedly.
"You know the frog and the scorpion?" she asked and raised her eyebrows. "You just can't help it," she added in a stage whisper and smiled when she saw his shocked face, that slowly reddened with embarrassment upon having been caught.
"Ok, fine, I did peek, but I still think we should decide on a name soon, otherwise we'll get so used to calling him ''Junior' all the time, that we'll end up naming him Junior," Hodgins admitted in defeat.
"Yeah, you're right. If he comes early he should have a name," she agreed.
"If he came now, he'd be really early. You're having contractions?" he worried instantly.
"No, we're fine. I guess I'm just a bit freaked out to get the results of the glucose screening test on Monday. I don't think I'll be able to survive this pregnancy on a diet without chocolate," she finally spit out what was bothering her.
"Your blood sugar levels are fine so far, why would something suddenly be wrong? With all the sugar you eat all day, you'd already be in a sugar induced coma if there were a problem," he smiled while he tried to reassure her.
"You're right," she smiled back at him and it widened even more when she felt him coming closer and then kissing her softly.
"Cam? Dr. H? Are you decent and can I come in?" Michelle's voice from the door interrupted them.
"Just a second," Cam called back and slowly sat up. "Can you hand me the towel?" she asked Hodgins, who had already grabbed it. She slung it around her upper body, fastening it on her chest and made sure her belly that was exposed over her sweatpants was covered.
"Come in," Hodgins called when she had covered herself.
"Ew, why does the room smell like an old catholic church?" Michelle scrunched up her face when she stepped into their bedroom.
"It's the sandalwood massage oil," Hodgins informed her while Cam only rolled her eyes.
"So you actually weren't decent," Michelle grinned.
"He was giving me a massage, because my back is killing me. What do you want?" Cam snapped at her a bit harsher than she usually did. Michelle was used to these little outbursts by now and just grinned even wider.
"Then you shouldn't run, it's not good for the back anyway," she had the guts to point out and Cam's look darkened even more. "But on a more cheerful note, while you two were out ruining your backs, I bought this," she went on and handed Cam the bag she held.
"Oh no, no way," Cam exclaimed once she had looked inside.
"Come on, it'll be so cool," Michelle insisted.
"What's that?" Hodgins, who had just come out of the bathroom again where he had washed his hands, asked.
"Body paints so we can paint on Cam's stomach and then take funny pictures of it," Michelle told him when Cam remained silent.
"I like the idea," he nodded with a smile.
"Didn't you two just hear me say 'No'?" Cam asked them and stood up from the bed so she would at least be the same height as them. Maybe they would take her serious then.
"Spoil sport," Michelle pouted. "You liked it when I told you Paris had pictures like that of herself."
"You mean of her mother's pregnant belly," Cam muttered.
"I bought the same blue and green tones as the wallpaper. It would match," Michelle tried to change Cam's mind.
"No," her legal guardian insisted.
"Can you give us a second?" Hodgins asked Michelle.
"You don't need to send her out of the room so you can sweet talk me into giving in. No colors on my stomach," Cam now turned on him.
"Ok, then let's peek inside the name box instead," he offered.
"Fine, we can do that. After I wash the oil off my back," Cam grumbled, went into the bathroom and pointedly closed and locked the door behind her.
"She's in pain. Give me a few days and we'll talk about the paint again," Hodgins told Michelle with a wink and the two conspiratorially bumped fists.
"It was your idea after all," Michelle grinned.
"Don't tell her," he laughed, knowing he would never live it down if Cam knew that this cheesy idea came from him- not for the next 15 weeks at least.
"Ok, next," Hodgins said after he was done writing down the last name they had pulled out of the box.
"Caleb," Cam read aloud and put the piece of paper down.
"Next," Hodgins said once again.
"Joel," Cam went on and opened the other pieces as well, one after the other. "Samuel, Joshua, Noah, Eli, Benjamin and Sebastian," she finished. "Not what I expected," she added then with a smile.
"Why? What did you expect?" Michelle asked curiously.
"More craziness. More Neos and Edwards or Jacobs," Cam laughed knowingly.
"Jacob was in," Hodgins laughed as well, looking down at the list. "But that one is out, since Cam and I agreed we're team Edward," he said with a cheeky smile.
"Oh, come on, she so belongs with Jacob. Edward is boring," Michelle shot back. They all knew which team she was on, since she hadn't stopped talking about it after she had read the books and had made them watch the movies as well. All three were also aware that while Cam pretended not to care, she was just as hooked on the romance novel as her daughter. In her opinion the sappy love story made up for the lack of steam and passion and she would never admit it, but she had probably never cried as much reading a book, except for "The lovely Bones", which had her reduced to a sobbing mess from start to end. While reading it two weeks ago, Jack had taken it from her at one point, saying that it wasn't wise of her to read such a sad book while she was pregnant and hormonal. Only the threat of bodily harm had made him give it back.
"Hey, are we here to discuss werewolves versus vampires or to pick a name?" Cam interrupted them, but laughed at the fact that her boyfriend was discussing teenage romance novels/movies with her daughter.
"Ok, so Jacob is out. And I don't like Caleb or Eli," Hodgins went back on topic.
"Not fond of Hebrew names?" Cam raised her eyebrows.
"Caleb is overused and I had a bully at school who was named Eli," he told her.
"I don't like Benjamin or Sebastian," Michelle joined the name talk again and crossed the two off the list just as Hodgins had done with the names he disliked.
"Why?" he exclaimed and made it obvious that the suggestions had come from him.
"I don't like Joel," Cam said when it was her turn.
"So we're down to Samuel, Joshua and Noah," Hodgins said when he looked down at the name list in front of them once again.
"We could combine two. One first name, one middle name," Michelle suggested. "Noah Samuel... sounds strange," she thought out loud. "Samuel Noah sounds just as weird..." she went on and thoughtfully looked down at the list, unaware that Cam had moved closer to Jack and was whispering in his ear. He listened intently, smiled and kissed her in agreement. "Hey, are you even listening?" Michelle asked them when she saw them make out and grin at each other.
"Name talk is over. We have a winner," Hodgins announced.
"Which one?" Michelle asked surprised.
"How about we tell you once he's born. That way you'll at least be a bit surprised and we spare ourselves further discussions," Cam grinned at her.
"Is the name you picked even on the list?" Michelle asked suspiciously.
"Maybe," Hodgins laughed and pulled Cam into him, after wrapping his arms around her.
"Not fair! That's totally against our agreement," Michelle exclaimed and started to pout.
"How about you get those body paints and you and Jack go crazy. It was his idea after all," Cam offered and made Hodgins gasp.
"How did you know?" he gaped at her.
"Frog and Scorpion?" Cam asked him for the second time that day and made Michelle giggle.
"He just can't help it," Michelle knew the conclusion of the story and went up to get the body paint.
"Dr. Sweets, you look... different," Michelle commented when she let him into the house the next afternoon.
"I thought I could try a new look," he said and stroked over the beard he seemed to be trying to grow. His hair looked suspiciously uncut as well and his clothes had nothing to do with the suits he usually wore. Over a white T-shirt he wore a black leather vest. His feet were stuck in chucks and the black jeans were too long and the seams around his ankles already ripped from walking on them.
"Cam told me you, you are just a part time psychologist now," Michelle nodded knowingly, because she had already been told that Sweets had obviously lost his mind after Daisy had left. "Speaking of nut jobs," she went on, "the two are upstairs in the nursery. Turn left and then it's the last door on the right," she instructed and went into the living room herself to continue working on the picture frame she was making with the pictures of Cam's painted stomach.
"Dr. Sweets, you really came," Cam said surprised when she saw him entering.
"Of course. I told you I would help you," he shrugged modestly.
"Thank God you're here," Hodgins groaned from some piece of furniture he was lying under. "She insists on helping and won't listen," he told him.
"He told me to sit in the rocking chair to test if it's stable, but I know it's just his way of getting me to sit still and let him build the changing table the wrong way," Cam told Sweets her version of the story.
"Let me help you," Sweets said to Hodgins when he saw one of the boards slip and slide towards Hodgins. He caught it at the last second and made Hodgins sigh once again in relief.
"And I'm supposed to just sit here while you nearly kill yourself?" Cam asked him. "I didn't plan on raising this kid by myself."
"You won't have to, baby," Hodgins told her and got up from the floor to get another screwdriver. On the way back he stole a kiss from her. "Why don't you go and help Michelle?" he suggested.
"At least you can't send me into the kitchen to cook you men a meal. You wouldn't survive it," Cam muttered and pushed herself out of the comfortable rocking chair.
"No, I won't. All I want from you is for you to look out for yourself and our son," he stressed and wrapped an arm sideways around her waist. "Ok?" he asked and placed a kiss on her temple.
"Ok," she nodded and pecked him on the lips before she left the boys alone with the furniture.
"Ok, ok, keep your eyes closed," Hodgins instructed excitedly as he led Cam into the now furnished nursery and Sweets led Michelle in.
"Don't you think you're making a really big deal out of setting up three pieces of furniture?" Michelle asked them slightly unnerved, while she tried to fend Sweets' hands off her eyes so she could see where she was going.
"Spoilsport," Hodgins replied teasingly and stopped Cam in the middle of the room. "You're ready?" he asked her.
"I think we both are," Michelle answered in her place and made Hodgins huff in annoyance.
"Ok, then: open your eyes," he finally said and took his hands off Cam's eyes. When she opened them she saw the wooden floor that had already been laid down and the blue, white and green striped wallpaper that Hodgins had put on the walls a week before. Now underneath the window the changing table was set up, a cover already on it that matched the green and blue color concept of the room. The rocking chair in which Cam had sat before was now standing in the left corner of the room, while the crib was set up in the right corner. A large rug was placed in the middle of the room with a blanket already spread out. A Shelf with wooden baby toys, stuffed animals and all kinds of books was standing on the same wall as the bed and on the other side a closet completed the ensemble. All of the furniture was made from the same wood, and even the curtains and the rug matched the colors of the wallpaper and sheets on the bed.
"Wow, you really did a great job," Cam complimented once she had taken it all in. "Thank you." She kissed Jack softly before she went to hug Sweets.
"You're welcome," Sweets grinned when she pecked his cheek.
"Where can I put the picture frame?" Michelle asked them and looked around.
"Over the bed?" Cam suggested.
"You have nails and a hammer?" Michelle asked.
"No, no nails. I can hang it up later," Hodgins told her and took the picture frame from her. "It's really nice," he said appreciatively when he saw what Michelle had done. In the same colors as the room she had decorated the picture frame with four pictures that showed Cam's progressing pregnancy, with only one picture of her painted stomach. The rest were from the beginning until now and the fifth and sixth slots were still empty so they could add another picture of the pregnancy and a picture of the baby once he was born.
"Glad you like it," Michelle shrugged, but blushed a bit upon hearing the compliment.
" I have to say I like it as well," Cam agreed and hugged Michelle to her with one arm. "You're staying for dinner Sweets?" she turned to the younger man in the room.
"If you don't mind," he shrugged.
"What's for dinner anyway?" Michelle asked and raised her eyebrow, already suspecting that the answer wouldn't be to her liking.
"Whatever you're making," Hodgins grinned at her, making it obvious that he wasn't going to cook. "Because I am going to take a shower now," he added.
"Then you're helping me," Michelle turned her head to look at Cam who still had one arm slung around her daughter's shoulders.
"I need a chocolate milkshake and a pee break first, not necessarily in that order," Cam replied, basically telling her that she wouldn't help either.
"Then order out, 'cause I'm not cooking alone," Michelle decided and held her chin high in determination.
"I'll help you," Sweets jumped in good heartedly.
"See, Sweets will help you," Hodgins laughed, satisfied with the outcome.
"Don't be too happy. It'll be your turn tomorrow," the teen grinned back and then left the room, pulling Sweets out with her by his shirt sleeve.
"I really can't believe you have a real Steinway piano just standing around in your living room. I always dreamed of just touching one," Sweets gushed and dreamily stroked over the wooden surface of the instrument again. He had found it after dinner, when they had gone to the big living room, the one with the TV in it - the one they actually used.
"You can play if you want." The owner of the expensive instrument wasn't impressed. "I can barely play For Elise."
"Really? Awesome!" Sweets exclaimed and had opened the piano before Hodgins could think about it again. Then he sat down, stroked over some of the keys and then pressed some. Suddenly his fingers flew over the keys and played something that sounded strangely familiar.
"I know that from somewhere," Cam mused out loud and Hodgins nodded.
"Yeah, me too. But I can't quite place it."
"Never heard it," Michelle shook her head. Suddenly the quick erratic melody stopped and Sweets hit accords.
"That's Baba O'Riley," Cam said with a smile, proud that she had figured it out.
"Very good, Cam," Sweets complimented before he sang the first few words of the lyrics with the melody he played.
"That's the CSI: New York theme," Michelle knew and made the adults groan.
"A total classic and you know it because of some scientifically incorrect TV show," Hodgins snorted.
"I like the show," Michelle protested and looked to Cam, seeking help.
"Sorry, but I don't need more dead bodies a day than I have at the lab, not even on TV," Cam held her hands up.
"You know this one?" Sweets interrupted their spat and played a slower song.
"Now I've heard there was a secret chord that David played, and it pleased the Lord, but you don't really care for music, do you?" Hodgins sang along with more enthusiasm than correctness.
"Hallelujah," Cam smiled. "John Cale."
"I actually think someone else wrote the song and Cale just covered it," Hodgins knew and then quieted when Sweets sang the first verse and the refrain in-tune, unlike he'd done.
"That's pretty," Michelle sighed quietly when the psychologist had stopped singing and just kept playing the melody. "But can't you play something that I might know as well?" she requested. Sweets stopped playing and thought for a moment. When he started playing again it took Michelle about three seconds until she yelled out the answer. "Love the way you lie - Eminem feat Rihanna." She grinned and held her hands up, showing the victory sign.
"Keep it down Missy, just because you knew one song," Cam rolled her eyes while Hodgins made the 'loser' sign in front of Michelle's forehead.
"You want a real contest? Ok, I'm game," Michelle challenged them.
"Sweets?" Cam asked their private musician if he even wanted to play along.
"I'm in, this is fun," he nodded.
"Let me get the snacks and the drinks, then we can start. I'll bring you beer," Hodgins said and got up.
"I don't want..." Sweets started to protest against the beer, but Hodgins was already gone. Seems even as their personal jukebox he still didn't have many rights.
When Cam walked into her office the next Wednesday she found her phone blinking rapidly in red, signaling that she had messages on her answering machine. She first pulled open the blinds though and switched on the lights. Sometimes, like today when it was a beautiful September day outside, it annoyed her that her office didn't have windows to open. Still it was better than most autopsy rooms that were hidden in the basements of police stations or hospitals. Next she took off her suit jacket, suddenly feeling hot and placed it on the backrest of her chair. Pulling at the hem of her shirt she made sure that it covered everything it was supposed to cover, even if she was showing a bit more cleavage than usual. She would have to change into lab clothes before the next autopsy anyway and the dead bodies in the freezer sure wouldn't mind the look.
Starting her computer she next pressed the button on her phone to listen to the message she had received.
"Hey Camille, it's me, Booth. One of the guys I trained got caught in a crossfire last night and didn't make it. I don't know why... I don't know why he wasn't able to shoot or duck for cover. Maybe he wasn't ready or ... I don't know," she heard Booth's sad voice. "Anyway, I just wanted to let you know that I made a deal with some guys in Washington and they agreed that you could do the autopsy. He'll be flown out with the next flight to D.C. which will be Sunday, meaning he'll arrive at the Jeffersonian sometime Monday. I'll make sure you get the incident report in your email. Hope you're ok and everything is fine with little Hodgins. I have to go. Bye Cam, take care." The message ended with the obligatory beep and Cam sank into her chair with a heavy sigh.
"You're never gonna join the army, baby, you hear me?" she said quietly and stroked over her rounded belly. "Not that your father would ever let you with all the conspiracies going on there," she added and then turned her attention to her computer to check her emails. She found the report Booth had talked about on the phone. She quickly looked over it, scanning the info so she could prepare herself for what would come her way next Monday.
"Saroyan," she answered the phone that rang just as she had read the report and closed the file.
"Dr. Saroyan, it's Caroline," the attorney's distinctive voice came through the speaker.
"Hello Miss Julian," Cam replied with a smile. No matter what the attorney said it somehow nearly always amused her, simply by the way she said it.
"I'm glad you're still working, because I heard you got yourself knocked up," the attorney commented not really politically correct.
"It wasn't so much myself as Hodgins, but yes I'm pregnant and still working," Cam replied, quietly chuckling.
"Well, good, honey, because I need a damn good pathologist to take a look at a case for me and then testify on behalf of my client," Caroline came to the point of her call.
"Tell me what it is about and I'll take a look at it. I can't promise though that I'll be able to testify for your client afterwards," Cam grinned.
"We'll see about that. How fast can you look at the old autopsy files?" she wanted to know.
"Depends on how long the autopsy report is and what exactly happened," the coroner shrugged.
"Good, then I'll expect the result before the weekend. I'll send over the ten boxes with paperwork. Bye doll and congrats on the pregnancy," Caroline said as quickly as she could and hung up before Cam could protest.
"Did you hear that? Seems like brain damage isn't limited to veterans," Cam grumbled, not realizing that she was once again talking to her unborn son - which was an improvement considering that years of working alone on dead bodies usually made her talk to herself or no one at all.
"Cam, are you already done with the woman, so I can start extracting the particulates from her wounds and the huge gash in her stomach?" Hodgins asked when he hurried into her office later the next day.
"No, I just finished on the police officer, our Jane Doe is still in the freezer," she replied without looking up from her PC screen.
"And the soldier?" he pressed.
"No, just the police guy. I've been trying to sort through these ten boxes of paper crap that Caroline sent over," she told him angrily and did look at him this time.
"You want me to duck and run or help you later when I'm done with my stuff?" he asked, unsure about which would be the wiser decision.
"I need to finish the report first so I can send it off and the funeral home can pick up the body. Then I'll get back to this," she said and pointed to the boxes that were stacked all around her desk.
"You're not moving or lifting them on your own. Get me or get a security guard or anyone else," Hodgins told her when he realized just how much stuff Caroline had sent over.
"Yes, Dad," Cam rolled her eyes unnerved.
"I'm being serious," he said and turned her around by the back of her chair so she was looking up at him. "If I see you lifting any of these boxes I'll find ways to make you stop working all together and if I have to I will lock you in the basement," he told her, but didn't smile this time.
"I didn't lift them. I called Stan from the entrance each time, knowing that you'd go into crazy protective mode again," she muttered the truth.
"Ah, I am getting through," he grinned proudly.
"That's my line. Now get out, you're keeping me from work and I have enough of that already," she replied, still pouting slightly.
"I'll be back once I'm done with my stuff. Behave," he warned her, pecked her lips and then left the office so they could both go back to their work, after he had found a reason to check up on her again. It was something that he did at least twice a day and it was especially hard to come up with a new and believable reason each time. She hadn't exploded yet or yelled at him, so he figured she wasn't suspicious yet and he had done a good job so far.
"Hey, did you take the laundry out of the machine?" Cam asked Jack that evening when she came into the living room after having checked the laundry room in the basement. He was already sitting on their new couch, dressed in his grey sweatpants and green T-shirt, his feet propped up on the table.
"I did. I hung up the underwear and put the rest in the dryer so I wouldn't risk shrinking the lacy goods," he replied and said the last part with a small smile, knowing she would freak if he ruined another set of her underwear.
"Thanks," she replied and sat down next to him on the couch, glad that she wouldn't have to care about the laundry anymore that evening. With a sigh she put her sock clad feet up on the table in front of her and leaned sideways against him. Without looking up from the TV guide he was just flipping through he wrapped one arm around her shoulders and let her relax against him.
"Biggest Loser or crime series?" he asked her.
"Biggest Loser. I don't want to think anymore today, just mock people," she decided and rubbed her baby bump.
"Ok," he nodded and changed the channel. "I put the washed stuffed animals back in the nursery," he added then randomly, thinking about their laundry conversation again.
"We still have to get new curtains for the bedroom. The old ones don't really go with the new wallpaper," Cam randomly changed the topic again with what came to mind.
"Right now, all we need to do is sit in sweatpants and T-shirts on the couch, eat gummi bears and watch while they try to lose weight on TV," Hodgins protested and refused to think about any more tasks they still had to do. Getting everything ready for the new addition to their family and having parts of the house renovated while they were both working full time was exhausting and he sometimes wondered how Cam was able to do it while their son grew inside of her and needed her energy as well.
"I'd like chocolate ice cream better," she said tiredly against his shoulder and nuzzled her nose against his shirt for a moment.
"I can get you some from the kitchen," he offered and managed to finally pull the hair band out of her hair, so that her long strands fell freely down her back.
"No, stay," Cam shook her head. "I'm too comfy and I don't want you to get up." She was silent for a moment and stroked both hands over her swollen stomach while he kept playing with her hair, both watching the show on TV. "It will be a nightmare getting my figure back after the birth, but honestly I couldn't care less right now," she broke the silence.
"I never thought I'd hear you say that, but I actually do believe you," Jack replied, wrapping a strand of her hair around his fingers.
"I don't know if it's you and your damn compliments or simply hormones, but I like this. I feel... I've never felt more like a woman than right now, you know what I mean?" she asked, not sure how to explain it.
"Since I'm not a woman and I've never been pregnant I obviously don't, but I get what you're trying to say," he chuckled quietly, nearly afraid to break the cocoon of the quiet conversation they were having by laughing too loud.
"Idiot," Cam shot back, but grinned.
"Seriously," he said then as a start and actually turned serious, "You have the glow that everyone was talking about and I never saw in any pregnant woman before. You seem to be more comfortable in your own skin than I've ever seen you before. I love it," he told her and brushed his lips against her sleeve, without actually kissing her.
"Must be nature's way of keeping formerly good looking women from jumping off a cliff when becoming fat," Cam smiled.
"It's beautiful," Jack smiled back at her and this time he kissed her softly on the lips.
"Wait until everything is wobbly and hanging after I give birth, doubt you'll find it beautiful then," Cam disagreed with him, but pressed her lips to his again for another soft kiss.
"Not even 4 months anymore," he sighed and slipped his hand underneath hers on her belly, causing her to sigh quietly when warmth radiated from his palm over her skin. "Can I ask you something without you taking it the wrong way?" he said then and made her look up from their joined hands to his face.
"Guess you have to ask to find out," she said so quietly she nearly whispered and kissed him lingeringly again, not knowing if she would be upset with him in a moment or not.
"I want to run something by you, that had been on my mind for a while now, and I just can't find the right time to bring it up... and now we're here, relaxed and happy, so..." he babbled and stopped only when she squeezed his hand and laced her fingers through his, signaling to him that he should just say what was on his mind. "Ok, so... we have talked about getting married a few times already, like a hypothetical option," he started and looked at her closely, relieved when he saw that she didn't look panicked because of the topic. "You know I want to marry you," he stated, then suddenly looked unsure when she didn't react in any way. "You know that, don't you?" he asked.
"I do know that," she confirmed, still sitting as relaxed as before.
"And we both know I haven't really proposed yet." She nodded again. "I will propose to you, but I think that I know you pretty well, so I'm nearly certain that you wouldn't have appreciated me proposing after we found out about the pregnancy. Neither would you like getting married while being pregnant and because I'm aware that you're a very complicated woman I think it wouldn't be wise either to propose to you directly after you have the baby," he looked at her again, this time not seeking her confirmation, because he knew he was right. He was so right that it made Cam smile at how well he knew her. "Taking all that into account means that it'll probably be at least another eight to twelve months before I can even think about proposing to you and even longer until we could get married. That has me worried," he admitted, stroking over the back of her hand with his thumb.
"Why?" she simply asked, astonished at how calm she was while they were talking about such an enormous thing as marriage.
"I know you know I'm rich, you know the words billionaire and billionaire times over, which is what… a gazillionaire?" he tried to joke. "It's just a difference knowing this and living it. I don't want to change anything about us or the way we live. But we're gonna have a son together and I want to make sure that if anything happens to me that you three are taken care of." He held up one hand when she opened her mouth to protest.
"I know you can care for yourself and the kids, but I have money. Lots and lots of money that only in the right hands can be put to good use. It brings advantages and responsibilities, but he'll just have to deal with it, because he's my son. I'm not talking about giving a fourteen year old enough money to go crazy and buy a plane, but about being prepared and getting everything legally in order," he clarified. "I want us to set up everything legally necessary that nobody will ever have a chance to doubt in front of any court in this world that he's the rightful heir to all of this, no matter if we ever get married, die, break up or live happily ever after in concubinage," he finished explaining.
"Ok," Cam nodded with tears in her eyes, that she didn't let fall, even though her shaky smile alone gave away how much his little speech had touched her. "Have your lawyer call my lawyer and I'll sign whatever they come up with."
"We have the same lawyer, because you don't really have a lawyer," he pointed out.
"I know, but it sounded cool," she grinned and bit her tongue to keep from giggling.
"So you're ok with this?" he wanted to make sure.
"As long as there's a paragraph in it, stating that if anything should ever happen to me you will get full custody. The thought alone that my family could raise my child makes me cringe," Cam told him and scrunched up her face at the thought. "And I know that you would get custody if something happened to me, but I just don't want to take any chances."
"That's another thing: I want us to have joint custody from the second he's born. Since we're not married we'll have to get this stuff legally sorted out before," he requested.
"I want you to have custody right from the start. I also want Michelle to be his legal guardian if anything ever happens to us, which means we'll have to name a legal guardian for her if she's under 18. How about you call your lawyer next week and tell him to set everything up and check if we missed anything?" she asked.
"Thank you," Jack said relieved that she had taken it all so well.
"You're welcome. Can we watch them torturing themselves now?" Cam grinned and snuggled more into him when he wrapped his other arm around her as well.
"Sure," he grinned happily and placed a kiss on her hair, then rested his cheek against it. Now that he had talked to her he felt a lot calmer than he had ever since she had told him she was pregnant. The worry about what would happen if something would happen to her, to him or to them was eased now that he knew she wanted him to have every right and every obligation as well. He would never have to struggle for time with his kid like Booth had, nor would he be able to punish her by taking everything away from her if things ever got bad- not that he would ever do that, even with his anger management issues. Their son would always have both of them no matter what and if they weren't around anymore he would know that they had cared enough to plan ahead and make the necessary precautions to assure that he would always be cared for and looked after.
"Jack?" Cam asked and brought him out of his reverie.
"Mmh?"
"Can you get me the chocolate ice cream after all? Our son really wants some," she smiled without taking her eyes off the TV.
"Anything for you," he chuckled and pulled her into a long kiss, then placed another kiss on her belly before he went off to get the salve for her cravings again. He just couldn't help it.
TBC