54. I'm His Favorite

       Reuben twirled his bat around a few times, hitching it up on his shoulder. Nicole gave Jax the 2-4 sign, their signal for an inside curveball. He wound up at the pitcher’s mound, firing a 70 MPH curveball towards them. 

       DING!

       Nicole stood up, lifting up her mask as she followed the ball with her eyes as it shot out into left field, Callum pedaling as fast as he could towards the back wall. It was no use. That ball was gone far past the fence. She did a slow clap as Reuben rounded the bases. “Atta way!” She smiled, giving him a fist bump as he crossed home plate. 

       They had been doing a lot of scrimmages lately, for Marty saw it as the one of the best ways to show the boys’ skills and what they needed to work on. But really. There wasn’t a whole lot. They were 7-0 right now in their season. And Regionals was in 11 days. They were strong in almost all areas and Nicole and Marty couldn’t be happier. 

       Trey stepped up to bat, tapping the end of his bat on the plate. “50-50,” Nicole mumbled, smacking his back foot. He looked down at his legs, letting out a huff as he shifted his stance to make it more equal. She gave the pitcher a signal and he pitched it. Trey tipped it. The redhead shot up, throwing her mask off as she sprinted over to the right side of the fence by the home team’s dugout, jumping and sliding on her stomach, reaching out and catching the baseball before it could hit the ground. 

       “Coach Officer!” Miguel cheered as she got up and tossed the ball to him at first base. 

       “That was hot,” Wynonna smirked from outside of the fence. Her appointment was at 4 so Nicole had picked her up on her way to practice at 3. She’d have to leave early, but at least she was getting a little time in with the team for the day. 

       “That was your birthday present,” she winked as she walked away. 

       “I would’ve preferred a lap dance!” 

       Nicole spun around with wide eyes. “Earp!” She hissed through her teeth, shooting her a warning look. She could hear some of the boys snickering in the dugout. “Watch your damn mouth, jeez.” 

       “Look who’s talking,” she mumbled with a smile. Nicole rolled her eyes as she turned, walking back over to home plate. 

       She continued on for about 20 more minutes with the team before Wynonna shouted at her that they needed to get going. She told the boys goodbye, heading out to her cruiser. “You actually are good at that,” the brunette mused as she buckled herself up. 

       “Wow, who knew?” Nicole mumbled, pulling away from the park. 

       “What’s Waves doing today?” 

       “She was sleeping when I left,” she answered, heading out on the highway. 

       “Oo, did y’all have a busy night or somethin?” Wynonna smirked, bumping her arm. 

       Nicole rolled her eyes at her. “No. She’s got cramps.” 

       “Oh,” she mumbled, sounding a little disappointed almost, for she couldn’t tease her about anything. She crossed her arms behind her head. “I’m glad I don’t have to deal with that anymore.” 

       “I think pushing a baby out of your hoo-ha is gonna hurt a lot more, Wy,” the Officer pointed out. 

       Wynonna shook her head around. “ Don’t !” She whined. “That’s nasty!” 

       “What do you mean that’s nasty ?! You’re gonna have to at some point!” 

       “Well, I don’t want to think about that right now.” 

       The redhead sighed. It was a rare occasion that she understood this girl. And right now was not one of those occasions. They rode in silence for a few minutes, Nicole watching the other girl make disgusted faces at the window every so often, most likely when she thought about it giving birth again. 

       Wynonna finally broke the silence. “So when do you and Waves plan on hopping on the baby train?” 

       The redhead almost spit her water back into the bottle. She wiped her mouth, looking towards her incredulously. “Wynonna!” 

       “What?” She asked, seeing no reason why that was an odd question. “You’re telling me you haven’t even talked about that yet?” 

       She blinked at her for a beat. “Well, yea, we have . But we haven’t even been together for 6 months!” 

       “And?” 

       “And that is something that will be talked about after we are married because I think we are on the same page as of now ,” she informed. 

       “Hold on, married ?! You’re gonna marry my baby sister, Haught?!” 

       Nicole blinked at her again, mouth falling open in confusion. “That’s the plan, Wynonna.” 

       “Do you even have a ring yet?!” 

       Her eyes bugged out of her head. “WHAT?!”

       “What?!” 

       “WHY WOULD I HAVE A RING, WYNONNA?!?” 

       “Well, you said you’re gonna marry Waverly!” 

       Nicole shook her head at her. “NOT RIGHT NOW , JESUS CHRIST!” 

       “Oooooh! I thought you meant, like, tomorrow or something,” she mumbled. 

       The Deputy sucked in a deep breath, trying to calm her racing heart from even the thought of that topic. “We’re not moving that fast,” she breathed. 

       “I wouldn’t put it past you,” she mumbled under her breath. Nicole shot her a look. 

       She pulled into the driveway of her garage a few minutes later. Wynonna looked over at her with a cocked eyebrow. “Why are we here?”

       “Because.” She climbed out of the cruiser and walked up to the door. Wynonna slowly followed. She unlocked it and pushed it open, hitting a button on the inside wall to make the left garage door open. 

       The brunette’s eyes widened as she watched her walk over to the Harley. “Nuh-uh!” 

       The redhead threw her a wink as she tossed her a helmet. “Is this better than a lap dance?” 

       “ Yes !” 

       The Deputy chuckled as she pulled the helmet onto her head, flicking the visor down when she swung her leg over the seat. Wynonna smiled ear to ear as she slipped her own helmet on, scrambling on behind the redhead. Nicole fired up the engine, revving it a few times to get the juices flowing. “Ready, Earp?” 

       “YES!” 

       Nicole walked the bike out of the garage and slowly rolled out of the driveway. There was a 3-mile stretch of straight backroad before her garage, for it was basically in the middle of nowhere. So she often took that to her advantage. Pulling out onto the road, she quickly gained speed, looking down at the speedometer as she frequently pulled the clutch. The purr of the engine increased to a roar as she easily hit 100 MPH. “I LOVE YOU, HAUGHT SHIT!” Wynonna exclaimed, looking around her head with a humongous smile. 

       “You better,” she smirked, topping it off at about 120. The brunette whooped and hollered on the back of the bike as they sped down the road.

.  .  .

       “Earp?” One of the nurses called from the door. 

       Nicole stood up, looking down at the brunette, seeing that she had dozed off in the waiting room chair. She smacked the side of her head. “Wake up.” 

       The brunette startled awake. “I wasn’t asleep,” she stammered as she traced her eyes around the room, landing on Nicole’s face. 

       “C’mon,” she grumbled, grabbing her arm and yanking her out of her chair. 

       They followed the nurse to a room. “You can go ahead and get on there, Ma’am,” the lady said with a smile, gesturing to the scale. 

       “How do you know I’m the pregnant one?” She grumbled, stepping onto the machine. 

       Nicole scoffed, lifting her shirt. “Because I have a six-pack and you have a baby bump.” The nurse chuckled as she wrote her weight down. 

       Wynonna gagged, stepping off and hopping onto the bed. “I can still see those fucking hickeys.” The nurse moved beside her to take her blood pressure.

       The redhead snorted, dropping her shirt and taking a seat next to her bed. “You’re just jealous,” she sighed. 

       “Jealous that you’re banging my sister?” She asked, scrunching her face up. 

       “ No , ew . That I have a six-pack.” 

       “Oh . . . Well, I call you Haught Bod for a reason.” 

       “Mhm,” she smirked. 

       The nurse cleared her throat and the girls turned their attention towards her, Nicole’s face blushing slightly, somewhat having forgotten that she was in the room during all of that. “Uh, your doctor should be in soon,” she said with a smile as she opened the door. 

       “Mk, cool,” Wynonna nodded. She left the room, leaving the girls to themselves. 

       “Are you excited?” Nicole asked. 

       “For . . .?”

       “You’re finding out if it’s a boy or a girl!” 

       “Oh,” she mumbled. “. . . Yea.” 

       “Wynonna, come on,” she groaned. “You have to be at least a little curious.”

       The brunette shrugged, crossing her ankles. “I guess I am.” 

       “Cause now Wave can finally buy our Super cool Aunt of an even cooler Niece or Nephew shirts,” she informed. 

       Wynonna looked towards her with a small smile. “Is she going to start buying me a whole shit-ton of baby stuff now?” 

       Nicole let out a raspberry, leaning back in her chair and throwing her foot over her knee. “You didn’t hear this from me, but one of the bedrooms upstairs already has all kinds of shit in it. We can’t go to Target without her buying something for the baby anymore.” 

       She smiled, picking at her fingers. “She’s really excited for this, isn’t she?” 

       “We all are, Wy. You’re the only one who’s not.” 

       “Wait, how is she buying stuff if she doesn’t know if it's a dude or a chick yet?” 

       She pursed her lips, clearing her throat, getting herself ready for a Waverly impression. “ Boys can wear pink and girls can wear blue, we are not forcing gender stereotypes on that baby !” 

       Wynonna snorted, shaking her head. “That was good,” she laughed. 

       “Thank you,” the Officer said with a small bow. “But yea. Most of its just unisex stuff.” 

       There was a knock at the door. Wynonna’s doctor peeked her head in. “Hi!” She smiled, walking into the room. 

       “Wassup,” Wynonna greeted. 

       “How are we?” She asked, heading over to the ultrasound machine.

       “I’m awesome when this one’s not being an asshole,” she muttered. 

       The doctor let out a little laugh as she got the machine turned on. “Well, if it makes you feel any better, now that you are working into your 2nd trimester, your symptoms should slowly start to go away.”

       “Really!?”

       “Really,” she nodded with a smile. “The worst of it is mostly over.”

       “Oh, thank God .” 

       Nicole shook her head at her, watching the doctor pull her shirt up and rub some jelly on her stomach. “So. Are we learning the gender today or are we going to wait?”

       “Um . . .”

       “We’re learning the gender,” Nicole butted in, throwing her a look. The Doctor looked to Wynonna with her eyebrows raised, wanting her confirmation. 

       “I guess,” she mumbled. 

       The redhead stood up and walked over to the brunette’s side, watching the screen as she placed the reader against her stomach. The picture showed up on the screen and a smile formed on her face. The last time she had been in here during it she had only been 6 weeks, so the baby had been nothing but a little blob. But now she was almost 14 weeks. It actually looked like a baby . It had a head and little hands and feet. 

       She looked down at the brunette to see that she was looking away from the screen. “Wy, look,” she coaxed. She looked up at her with nervous eyes. Nicole grabbed her hand. “It’s ok, look,” she soothed, running her thumb across her knuckles. 

       Wynonna swallowed, slowly turning her head towards the screen. Her eyes widened but were soft as she traced over it’s features. “ Woah ,” she breathed. Nicole smiled wider, hooking her chair with her foot and tugging it closer so she could sit right next to her. “ That- That’s my baby .” 

       She looked up at her, holding her hand close to her face. She could tell that it was this very moment that the brunette realized that she was having a child . Seeing her baby looking like a baby was all it took to get her to come to terms with it. 

       The doctor pressed a button on the keyboard, pausing the screen. It was a side view of the baby, all body parts visible. She moved her mouse around on the screen, using it as a pointer. “Well. Baby’s got all 4 limbs,” she said with a smile. 

       “That’s always a plus,” Wynonna mumbled, still in awe of the sight in front of her. 

       The doctor took a picture of the screen and continued on, slowly moving the reader across her stomach towards her side. “Let’s see . . .” The baby’s bottom came into view. “Do we still want to know the gender?” She asked. Wynonna shifted her eyes towards her, looking over to the redhead before back to her. She nodded slowly. “Alrighty.” She moved the reader around some more, trying to get some clearer views. The baby’s hands were moving around at the top of the picture, blocking her view. 

       “It’s trying to flip you off, Doc,” she smirked. 

       The Doctor tutted, pausing the screen again once it was clear.  “I think you mean . . . She’s trying to flip me off.” She typed on the screen I’m a Girl before taking a picture and unpausing it. 

       Wynonna’s eyes widened, mouth falling open slightly as she looked towards Nicole. “ Girl .”

       “You’re having a daughter, Wyn,” she said quietly, pressing a soft kiss into the back of her hand. 

       “I’m having a daughter,” she repeated, tears welling up in her eyes. The Officer smiled sweetly, cupping her cheek as they looked back to the screen, watching the doctor take a couple more pictures that show them different parts of her body. 

       After she was sure the baby was developing properly, she printed out the pictures, giving the multiple ones to Wynonna, and a copy of the I’m a Girl one to Nicole. They gathered their things and headed outside. 

       “Can I drive?” The older Earp questioned. 

       Nicole looked towards her timidly. “Uhm . . . If you don’t kill us.” 

       Wynonna slid her helmet onto her head. “I’ll be careful, Haughty, I promise.” 

       Nicole sighed as she strapped her helmet to her head tightly and climbed on the back of the bike, gripping her arms around Wynonna’s waist. She was already terrified. 

       Wynonna directed them out of the parking lot and got them onto the main drag. A smirk worked its way up her face as she sped up, quickly climbing over the speed limit. “Wynonna,” the redhead warned. Wynonna ignored her, speeding around a line of cars. “Wynonna!” 

       “Chill!” She continued on, picking up speed as they flew down the busy highway, swerving around cars left and right. 

       “Wynonna! You’re gonna kill us!” Nicole shouted, tightening her grip around her body. She almost screamed as they drove down the centerline in between the two lines of cars on either side of them. “WYNONNA!” They were easily going 100 in a 60 zone. Why she had thought this was a good idea for a second, she didn’t know. “I SWEAR TO GOD I AM GOING TO BEAT YOUR ASS, SLOW THE FUCK DOWN!” 

       The brunette let out an evil laugh as she continued on, not listening to a word she was saying. The cars turned into a blur as they zoomed past them, multiple horns being honked in their direction as they swerved across the four-lane. 

       Nicole’s head twisted around as she heard sirens quickly approaching behind them, seeing Nedley’s cruiser easily hitting 80 to catch up to them. “GODDAMMIT, WYNONNA! PULL OVER!” 

       Surprisingly, the brunette listened this time, and she slowly slowed to a halt on the side of the road. Right as they stopped moving, Nicole clambered off the back seat, falling to all fours on the ground as her heartbeat thumped in her ears and her stomach tumbled over itself a few times, threatening to crawl up her throat. She yanked her helmet off of her head, swinging it at Wynonna’s leg as she screamed curses at her. 

       “ HAUGHT !” Nedley growled, stepping out of his cruiser. She snapped her head towards him, wide-eyed. Wynonna stepped off the Harley, removing her helmet and looking towards him. “ WYNONNA !” 

       Nicole pushed herself off the ground, walking towards him, throwing her arms out. “SHE WOULDN’T STOP! DON’T LOOK AT ME!” 

       “ YOU LET HER DRIVE!” He yelled, face red with anger. 

       “I DIDN’T THINK SHE WAS GONNA DO THAT !” 

       “Have you met me, Haught?” The brunette laughed from behind her. 

       The redhead spun around, shoving her shoulders. “YOU COULD HAVE KILLED ALL OF US!” She screamed, jabbing a finger into her stomach. Wynonna’s mouth fell open as she flicked her eyes between the redhead and Nedley. “YOU’RE NOT JUST LIVING FOR YOURSELF ANYMORE! DO YOU EVEN TAKE A SECOND TO THINK ABOUT THAT KIND OF STUFF?!?” 

       The brunette looked down at her stomach, mouth still hanging open as she pressed a hand to it, slowly raising her eyes up to the redhead’s. She took a quick step towards her, curling her arms around her shoulders as the tears fell down her face. Nicole let out a shaky sigh as she slowly reciprocated the hug, cupping one of her hands on the back of her head. “I’m so sorry,” Wynonna whispered as she gripped the back of her jacket. 

       “It’s ok, Wy,” she soothed, rubbing her hand up and down her back. 

       “No it’s not,” she blubbered. 

       “Shh, yes it is. You’re ok. She’s ok.”

       The brunette choked back a sob as she buried her face in her shoulder. Nicole gently rocked them back and forth as she took a minute to calm herself down. She slowly pulled away, wiping her eyes. “Ok, I’m good,” she mumbled. 

       “You sure?” Nicole asked, furrowing a concerned brow. 

       “Yea, I’m just . . . hormonal.”

       The Officer pursed her lips as she turned away. “Mmhm.” She walked over to Nedley, sticking her hands in her pockets as she shifted nervously on her feet. “So . . .-”

       “How far along is she?” He asked.

       Nicole’s head snapped up to meet his eyes. “Uh . . . 14 weeks,” she said quietly.

       He nodded, letting out a small chuckle after a few seconds. “I figured much,” he sighed. 

       She cocked an eyebrow. “Huh?” 

       “We haven’t had one disturbance call about her at Shorty’s for almost 2 months now. I knew something had to be up.” 

       She looked down at her feet with a laugh, shaking her head. “Yea . . .” She looked back up at him. “Just write her ticket off to me, it’s my bike, I’ll pay it.” 

       The Sheriff tutted. “You’re not getting a damn ticket, Haught,” he grumbled. 

       “What? Why not?” 

       He tucked his thumbs in his belt. “Well, I’ve never written any of my Deputies a ticket before, I’d rather you not be the first. And my shift is about to end and I want to go home.” He let out a small huff. “Plus, if I heard word around the station correctly, it’s somebody’s birthday,” he said with a small smile, looking past her. 

       She smiled, looking behind her at the brunette drop kicking rocks into the field next to the highway. “Thanks, Sheriff,” she sighed as she turned her attention back to him. 

       He turned, heading back to his car. “I put a fresh stack of paperwork on your desk,” he said with a cheeky smile, closing his car door. She shot him a look through the windshield, shaking her head with a sigh as she walked over to Wynonna. 

       “No ticket?” She asked with raised eyebrows as she watched him pull away. 

       “Nope,” she confirmed, popping the p. “I’m his favorite,” she smirked, pulling her helmet back on and climbing on the front of the motorcycle. 

.  .  .

       Nicole pulled up at her house in her cruiser after she dropped the Harley and Wynonna off. She quietly unlocked the door and walked into the house, just in case Waverly was still asleep.

       Though, she probably would have rather woken her up than looking at the sight in front of her. 

       Waverly was laying on the couch sideways, curled up with her knees to her chest and her arms hugged around her, holding her heating pad in place. The curtains were drawn, but the small amount of light was illuminating the silent tears rolling down her cheeks. 

       “Oh, Baby,” she breathed with a frown, hanging her keys up and toeing her sneakers off. She walked over and kneeled in front of her with worried eyes, gently wiping her tears. “Still no better?” She gave a slow shake of her head, closing her eyes. Nicole exhaled sadly. “I’m sorry, Love . . . Did you at least get some sleep?”

       “Only an hour or two,” she mumbled. 

       The redhead gently brushed her fingers through her hair. “That’s good,” she said with a small smile. “What about food? D’you eat anything?” 

       The brunette pushed her head into the hand that was still cupping her cheek, letting out a whimper as her body twinged painfully, tears threatening to pour out of her eyes again. She let out a breath after it subsided to a reasonable amount, Nicole wiping the one tear that fell. “I can’t keep anything down,” she sniffled. 

       The Officer clenched her jaw, pulling her feet out from under her so she was sitting on her butt and rested her chin on the couch cushion in front of the smaller girl’s face. “Is there anything I can do?” She asked in a whisper. Waverly just gave her a shrug. “I can run you a hot bath?” She looked up at her with tired eyes and a small nod. “Yea?”

       “Mhm.” 

       Nicole pushed herself off the floor. “Alright, Love. I’ll be right back.” She gave her temple a gentle kiss before making her way to the bathroom, sitting on the edge of the tub as she turned the water on and held her hand under the tap until it got to a desirable temperature. She dropped a bath bomb in the water and walked to the bedroom, opening their closet. She pulled out one of her Rangers hoodies (that Waverly liked because it was really soft) and a pair of the brunette’s sweatpants.

       She set the clothes on the sink and walked back into the living room. “It’s ready, Babe.” Waverly looked up at her, slowly pushing herself to a sitting position and flicking off the heating pad. Nicole held a hand out and she took it as she stood up off the couch with a groan. 

       “Do we have any more of those sooth-y bath bombs?” Waverly asked. 

       “I just used the last one,” she informed, looking down at her with a smile. 

       She wrapped her arms around the redhead’s, leaning into her as they entered the bathroom. “What would I do without you?”

       “I don’t know, man,” she sighed. Waverly threw her a look, opening the bathroom cabinet, pulling a bottle of ibuprofen out. “When’d you take that last?” Nicole asked, placing her hand on top of the bottle to still her hands. 

       “I dunno, like 2, right before I went to sleep earlier,” she shrugged. 

       Nicole pursed her lips, leaning her hip against the counter. “You shouldn’t take them without any food in you,” she mumbled. 

       She let out a tut. “How am I supposed to eat if my uterus feels like it’s being shredded to bits?”

       The Officer tipped her head. “That’s what the bath is for, Waves.” 

       She sighed, looking down at her hands before setting the bottle back in the cabinet. Nicole smiled, moving towards the door. “I’ll whip up some dinner, alright?” 

       Waverly nodded, taking a step forward and leaning up to give her a soft kiss, sliding her hands down her unzipped Blue Devils jacket. “I love you.” 

       “I love you, too,” she smiled, leaving the room and shutting the door behind her. 

.  .  .

       Waverly walked out of the bathroom a half-hour later, wandering into the kitchen to find the redhead at the stove. She turned her head at the sound of her entering. “Feel better, Love?” 

       The smaller girl took a seat at the island. “Yea,” she answered with a small smile. 

       Nicole turned around, pushing a bowl of vegetable soup in front of her. “Good.”

       She blinked down at the bowl, then up to her. “Did you make this from scratch, Nicole?”

       “Yea, why?” she asked with a small shrug, sitting down next to her. 

       Waverly huffed. “You could have just made . . . ramen or something.” 

       Nicole shoved a spoonful of food in her mouth. “There’s ramen in here,” she said with a crooked smile. 

       She shook her head at her. “You are too much.” 

       The redhead threw a hand out with a laugh. “I made soup , Wave. It took like 10 minutes.” The brunette rolled her eyes, sticking her spoon in her mouth. She looked over at her, a small smile fighting to curve her lips. “Is it good, Honey?” Nicole asked. 

       “Maybe,” she mumbled with a small smirk. 

       “You are ridiculous ,” she laughed. 

       Waverly twirled her spoon around for a few seconds, leaning her head on her arm. “Some would say soop-endus ,” she added quietly. Nicole closed her eyes, taking in a deep breath and letting it out slowly as she glared playfully at her. The brunette smiled proudly. 

       They continued to eat in pretty much silence with the casual bashful glance and bumping their feet as they swung them in their chairs. Nicole was taking a drink of her water when a thought shot into her head, almost making her spit it everywhere. She had been too worried about Waverly to even put a think to it earlier. She pulled the paper, folded in half, out of her pocket and slid it towards the brunette, twisting her chair to face her. 

       Waverly cocked an eyebrow as she picked it up and unfolded it, eyes widening. She snapped them up to the redhead, mouth opening into a wide smile. She let out a squeal as she kicked her legs around, looking back down at the picture. 

       Nicole smiled, rubbing her hand on her knee. “Wynonna gets it now,” she said softly. 

       The smaller girl stopped moving. “What d’you mean?” 

       “She called her her daughter earlier.” 

       The brunette’s eyes softened. “ Finally .” 

       “And I think it was even more so when we got . . .” She swiveled her chair back forward nervously. “pulledoverontheHarley.”

       “YOU WHAT !?!!?”

       The redhead was about to explain herself but wasn’t able to. 

       Their front door smacked over, rattling the pictures on the wall. Nicole jumped up and spun around, standing in front of the smaller girl. She flicked her switchblade out, palming it upwards in her hand, pressed up against the inside of her wrist. 

       “ OFFICER HAUGHT !” A familiar Georgian drawl barked as he stormed angrily into the house, sporting a familiar line of pictures in his hand.