Creatures Of Habit

With Kim officially now on light duty due to her pregnancy, Intelligence must make do without her. Turns out they really can't, nor do they want to.

…

Me: I would love for the characters to have more displays of them being friends instead of the constant inter-intelligence dating thing happening. So, that's why this. Also because I hate the trend of shows showing a couple about to have a baby, only to make the audience witness the fallout of a miscarriage. Can't we have just one happy family? :(

And because I love Makayla and do not think Kim and Adam having their kid would have stopped them from wanting to take her in, she is still in the story, so I've played 'Mess Around With The Timeline'. Hope you enjoy :)

Disclaimer: I own nothing!

…

Kim thought she'd dread the day when she had to go on light duty. But when that time rolled around, she found herself embracing the change. Of course, the worry of her career and what this sabbatical would mean didn't fade from her mind completely. Would she have to make the choice between motherhood and career like so many other women before her? Perhaps, but she and Adam would cross that bridge when they came to it, and for now she would appreciate the fact she still had her job and income, and didn't have to spent multiple hours a day on her swollen feet.

Desk duty wasn't as boring as she feared, though in her heart she longed to be back on the streets. Truthfully, her biggest worry aside from being misplaced was that she would be misplaced in the thoughts of her teammates. Intelligence would have to do without her, and they might bring in a replacement. The addition of Rojas to the team may make that not the case, but still, they would get into a grove without her that might be hard to forget once she returned.

All well. Again, she'd cross that bridge when she came to it.

Or maybe not, if her teammates actions were anything to go by.

It started with Jay being throughly confused one morning. ''Where are you going?'' He asked, when they met in the hall and she began going in the opposite direction.

''New office,'' Kim reminded him. ''Remember?''

It took him a minute to. ''Oh, right!'' He exclaimed, eyes darting from her face to her stomach. How he missed the bump she wasn't sure. She was only telling Adam that morning how huge she felt all the time. ''Right…see you later then?''

''See you,'' Kim returned. She watched him walk off, him scratching her head as if not liking this arrangement. She had to admit, it made her feel good. It was nice to know she'd be missed, however briefly.

But then Hailey and Rojas visited her that same afternoon. ''Hey!'' Hailey greeted brightly. ''We come bearing coffee! You can still have coffee, right?''

''Hope so,'' Kim replied, eagerly accepting the cup. ''Otherwise this kid is going to have to adapt.''

''How much longer does this whole pregnancy thing last?'' Rojas asked with curiosity.

''Too long, yet not long enough,'' Kim answered honestly. ''We have nothing done. It's all very chaotic at the apartment…''

''Would a distraction in the form of a case help?'' Hailey asked, flopping a file in front of Kim on the desk.

''Is this even allowed?'' Kim picked up the file. ''You know I'm technically off Intelligence for the time being.''

''You can still give your input.''

''Besides, without you, we're a person short in patrol and I'm not looking forward to pulling double,'' Rojas added.

''Well, sorry for the inconvenience.''

''No inconvenience. Just looking to procrastinate.'' She tapped the file. ''Take, please.''

Once the women continued on their way, Kim reflected on their coming. They always did exchange input on leads, but she guessed she'd never thought of her perspective being of any noticeable value. It was just a habit, asking her. They were probably just being nice, or procrastinating, like Rojas said.

As such, Kim figured she would see less of her partners in the coming days as they all got used to their new routines. She was mistaken.

Adam checked on her multiple times a day. Kevin would poke his head in on the pretext of coming in lieu of Adam because he was busy, which Kim soon caught on being a lie when sometimes they appeared within minutes of each other. Hailey kept bringing her coffee, Rojas would come claiming to want to hide out, and a few times even Voight showed up asking her if she knew where his employees were.

''The office has been so quiet, I thought it was because they were getting work done. Turns out, they just bring the chatting to you.''

Kim blushed. ''Sorry. I can ask them to stop. I don't know why they keep coming in here.''

Voight studied her. ''You really don't, do you?''

Kim didn't know what to make of that. All these interactions made her wonder if she was guilting them into making her not feel left out, or worse, if Adam had asked them to do it. But when she tried to bring up the subject at home, he just looked confused. ''Is that where Rojas went? Huh. I was looking everywhere for her.''

''You didn't-'' she stopped herself. How pretentious would that sound, assuming he'd asked them to include her?

''I didn't what?'' Adam pressed.

''Nothing.''

''Are you talking about the baby?'' Makayla asked, leaning on the kitchen counter. She assumed every subject to be about the baby, and when it wasn't, quickly changed the subject to it. ''What's going on?''

''Nothing,'' Kim replied. ''Why? You have a thought?''

''Yes.'' Makayla straightened up with importance. ''I've decided it's going to be a boy.''

''Really?'' Kim laughed. ''Just two days ago you said it would be a girl.''

''I changed my mind.''

''And what influenced this decision, Oh Wise One?'' Adam asked, standing in front of her.

Makayla shrugged. ''I just know.''

''Good enough for me.'' Adam picked her up and spun her. ''Hear that, Kim? It's decided!''

Kim laughed at her little family.

…

''-We've got patrol going over these streets,'' Kevin said, pointing to the map on the board. ''If the deals going down here, we'll know.''

''But what if it's not?'' Adam asked. ''Our CI insisted that the boss won't be going back over those grounds.''

''We should go both ways in case,'' Rojas suggested.

Jay shook his head. ''No, too few people spread out means we could spook this guy, and then he'll go back into hiding.''

Hailey leaned on the desk. ''Okay, we don't have enough time to debate. Here's what we'll do-'' She stopped, trialing off at the sight of Kim in the doorway.

Kim cocked her head at them all gathered. She slowly looked from them, to the cork board, to the door of her new office, and back. She shrugged. ''I'll just… use the upstairs office then,'' she suggested slowly, ''since you guys are all set up here.''

She retreated, thoroughly confused. She was in the midst of dropping off papers to Trudy, who noticed her expression. ''What's wrong with you?''

Kim glanced back the way she had come. ''My new desk is crowded,'' she explained.

Trudy scoffed. ''Is that where the cork board went? I was wondering where Jay and Rojas were carrying it too.''

The image of the tall muscular Jay, and the muscular yet much shorter Rojas awkwardly transporting the cork board down two flights of steps and down the hall flashed though Kim's mind. She hoped Voight wasn't looking for it. ''I don't know why they did that…''

''Don't you?'' Trudy asked. ''Why don't you easy up on that love potion you're giving them and see if that helps?''

''Excuse me?''

Trudy leaned across the desk and enunciated. ''They. Are. Obsessed. With. You. They miss you, and don't want to work without you.''

Kim blinked. ''No. They just…I mean, it's habit, us working together. I don't think-''

''No, that's your problem, isn't?'' Trudy shook her head sadly. ''How can one of Chicago's brightest detectives be so dumb?''

She walked away then, leaving Kim to ponder over that statement. Miss her? Her teammates, the brightest, strongest, most trustworthy people she knew- missed her?

Ridiculous, she thought. Honestly, who was she, anyway? Just simple Kim Burgess. Trudy was mistaken. She wasn't important. There was no cause for anyone, let alone Intelligence, to give any thought to her.

…

The only time the hospital waiting room had so many cops in it was when there had been shootings of one of their own. So this was the conclusion Will jumped to upon seeing them all gathered, and his mind immediately leapt to Jay. He scanned the crowd, and it was only when he spotted his little brother that his heart resumed its normal pace. "Jay!"

Jay noticed him and walked over. "Hey, what's going on? What's happened?" Will pressed.

Jay looked worried. Will braced himself for the news. "Kim's in labor."

"She's-" Will startled. "Well, that's…that's great! Right?"

"We haven't heard anything yet."

"Haven't…" Will again looked around the room. "Wait, so no one's been shot?"

"No." Jay frowned at him. "Why would you think that?"

"Why are you all here?"

"Hey, one of our own is in here," Kevin piped in from where he sat next to Hailey, Makayla on her lap. "We're not leaving until we know she's okay."

"Plus some of us have money riding on the whole gender thing," Rojas added honestly.

"But it's mostly the former," Hailey reminded her.

Rojas shrugged. "Eh."

"I guess that's sweet…" Will trailed off upon noticing another face, coming from the direction of the vending machines. "Voight? You too?"

"Can't miss a good spectacle," the Sargent stated with a smile. He raised his steaming cup. "Coffee, doc?"

Will shook his head. Just as he was considering another quip about them all being here, asking if there was a cop actually on duty in this city, everyone's attention snapped to the doors as Adam walked in.

Even he blinked in surprise at seeing them all. "For gods sake guys, she's not shot she's having a baby."

The officers all offered various remarks at this second stating of Will's opinion. "And did she have it?" Kevin's question was loudest among them all.

Adam's smile broke out. "It's a boy," he answered.

The cheer that went up among the officers was a pleasant change from the usual sighs of relief that they gave upon hearing news. Kevin and Hailey went to hug Adam, Makayla alternated between exclaiming she was right and asking to see Kim, and Rojas and another officer starting collecting on their bets.

Will saw Jay was all smiles. "Something to celebrate," he commented.

"Yep." Jay turned towards him. "We were due for it, you know?"

…

If Kim had time to think that once her maternity leave began she would now see less of her friends, she would have again been mistaken.

Kevin often came back with Adam at the end of the day, playing with Makayla and volunteering to run errands. Hailey went out of her way to bring her coffee, sometimes first thing in the morning, sometimes very late at night, which the sleep deprived parents were forever grateful for. Jay and Rojas were currently embroiled in a contest to see who could buy the most ridiculously large, and frankly, flat out ugly stuffed animal for both Makayla and the new baby. Rojas had been wining with a purple stuffed owl, but Jay had recently pulled ahead with a walrus missing a tusk. It was at this moment acting as a chair for Makayla to watch TV in.

''Why do your's and Adam's friends always bring us stuff?'' Makayla asked, leaning out of her perch to rest her chin on the armrest of the couch, gazing up at Kim.

Kim got up, the baby in her arms, to sit next to her. ''Well,'' she said, removing one arm from the baby to wrap around Makayla. ''I think it's because they like us very much.''

''That's nice,'' Makayla smiled.

Kim nodded. ''Yes, it really is, isn't?''

Makayla traced her finger along the baby's cheek. ''Rueben thinks so too,'' she informed her.

''Then he would be correct,'' Kim replied.

…

Me: I feel accomplished. If you have the time, please leave a review! It means a lot!

Happy Writing!