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Skalany followed him and grabbed his upper arm. "What the hell was that all about? Threatening a suspect in front of his attorney wasn't the smartest thing you've done all day, and you nearly took my face off when you slammed the door! What's with you?"
Raking a hand through his hair, he shook his head and rubbed at the tense and aching muscles in the back of his neck. "Damned if I know, Skalany. I've just had this bad feeling in my gut ever since I left home this morning."
Skalany kept her hand on his biceps, feeling the tension there. "You mean you're seeing visions again, Partner?"
He shook his head slowly, the frown deepening. "No-o-o. More like a-a-a premonition or something." He forced a laugh. "I'm probably just jumpy because the captain hasn't said anything about my being late this morning. This is like waiting for the other shoe to drop. I saw her look at me, and then at the clock, and back at me. She never said a word. Just shook her head and walked back into her office muttering."
Skalany flashed her trademark grin, glad for the opportunity to change the subject and try to lighten Peter's dark mood. "Hell, she probably took one look at your face and figured what was the use in saying anything."
"What-what-what do you mean by the look on my face?" Peter flushed a beet red.
Delighted with his discomfort, she teased, "The look you get when you've spent 'quality time' with your wife. You did this morning, didn't you?"
Peter's jaw dropped. "You are joking, aren't you? I mean, I mean, you guys can't really tell when I…I mean when Kacie and I, we've… I mean…oh shit, tell me you're joking."
She laughed right out loud. "You mean I'm right?"
He closed his mouth again quickly and blew out a deep breath in exasperation. "Some times, Skalany! Some times!" His eyes suddenly twinkled and he shared excitedly, "Kacie felt the baby move this morning. First time." His eyes softened at the remembrance. "Mary Margaret, I wish you could have seen the look on her face." He grabbed her into an impulsive hug. "We're halfway there, Skalany. Less than five months before there's a new little Caine in the world."
"Partner, I don't know if the world is ready for another…Caine?" Her voice trailed off as it took on an inquisitive note.
Peter's eyes followed the direction of her stare, and he saw his father approaching, a relieved light in the elder Caine's eyes.
"Pop. What are you doing here?" Peter raised his eyebrows and regarded his father curiously.
Caine shrugged one shoulder. "I have felt unsettled all this day. I sensed that you needed me. I am happy to see that I was mistaken. You appear to be all right."
"I'm fine, Pop. Sorry you wasted a trip down here today."
Caine gripped his son's shoulder firmly and smiled. "Any time I can see my son is time well spent."
Peter ducked his head, grinning with pleasure at his father's words. Looking up again quickly, the smile on his face broadened. "Pop, you'll never guess what happened this morning."
Caine's smile was like a sunrise. "Kacie felt your child move within her."
Peter instantly deflated. "Pop? How did you know?" He held up a hand as though to ward off the answer. "Never mind. Don't tell me." Glancing at his wristwatch, he looked up at his father again and grinned. "Hey, Pop, why don't you come home with me for dinner? We haven't had you over in awhile, and I know Kace would love to see you, too."
A slow, answering smile appeared on Caine's face, and his eyes lit up. "It would give me great pleasure to spend the evening with you both. But are you sure that Kay Cee would be pleased to have an unexpected dinner guest?"
Peter looked vaguely surprised. "You're not a guest, Pop; you're family. That's different." Laughing, he went on, "If I know you, you'll pitch in to help cook, anyway. You're no extra work. Besides; we've missed seeing you." Grabbing up his jacket, he shrugged it on. He added as an afterthought, "Mary Margaret, have you got plans for tonight? Why don't you come over, too?"
Caine raised an eyebrow in surprise and stared at Peter, and Mary Margaret gawked in open-mouthed wonder at this unexpected invitation.
"What? You two act like I just started talking Swahili or something." Peter reddened before speaking a trifle defensively. "I've been a pain in the ass to Skalany all day today, and I haven't seen my father in two weeks. What's so strange about asking the both of you home for dinner?"
Recovering slightly, Skalany started to demure, "Well, this is very nice of you, Partner, but won't this be a lot of extra work for Kacie?"
"Nah. I'll stop at the market and pick up some steaks to broil, and the makings of a salad. Kace always keeps good stuff on hand to go with it, and Pop here can make something out of nothing. We'll play it by ear. If you feel like you're imposing, I hereby declare that you get to do the dishes."
Skalany's face split wide with a happy grin. "You're on. While you're busy being so nice to me, can I bum a ride to your place? My car is in the shop again."
Peter snorted. "When isn't your car in the shop? Sure, no problem. We'll just have to sit friendly."
Caine tucked Skalany's hand under his arm and commented dryly, "I can do friendly."
Peter winked at Caine, feeling unexpectedly happy at the sight of his father looking so warmly at Mary Margaret. He shrugged mentally. {Hmm. Having a baby sure changes the way a person looks at things. It might be nice to see Pop in a relationship with someone like Skalany.} "Let's get a move on, then. I wanna get home to see my wife…and break the news to her that we have guests."
"Why don't you call her and warn her?" Skalany asked reasonably as Caine helped her into her coat.
"No way." Peter shook his head vehemently. "This is when she's taking her nap, and if I wake her up too soon…well, let's just say that she's less than cordial the rest of the night."
"Hormones, eh?" Skalany teased.
"More like a roller coaster ride." Peter chuckled ruefully, shaking his head. "Sometimes she's happy and loving and wanting to cuddle all the time, and other times she threatens me with great bodily harm if I come anywhere near her."
"But you are happy, my son, are you not?" Caine looked a little worried.
Peter laughed out loud, good humor restored. "Pop, I never dreamed I could ever be so happy. Roller coaster it might be, but man, what a ride!" His grin faded and he shifted his weight uneasily. "Let's get going. Maybe once I get home with Kace I can stop feeling like a goldfish swimming in a tank of piranhas."
"They're both yours, aren't they?" Skalany responded with a grin. "What difference does it make?"
"We've always parked in the same spots, ever since we've been married," Peter noted. "I'm on the left; Kace is on the right. She even commented on it once, that the right side is 'her' side, even in bed."
The three climbed out of the Stealth, Peter reaching in back for the sack of groceries he'd picked up. Walking over to the Camry, he peered inside, noting an empty Styrofoam coffee cup lying on the floor. "What's that doing there?" he wondered out loud.
Skalany stood beside him and looked at the container. "So? You leave coffee cups in stranger places than that."
Peter frowned, a growing sense of anxiety building deep in his gut. "Kacie doesn't drink coffee. Never did. She won't even drink a can of pop with caffeine in it. And she's an absolute fanatic about keeping her car clean. It's not like her to leave trash lying around." The trio started for the elevator, Peter casting frequent backward glances at the pine green car. "Something's just not right here."