Title: I Cannot Overstate It, I Will Be Overjoyed
Disclaimer: I own nothing.
Author's Note: Thank you so much to everyone who commented on my last piece! I was blown away by the feedback, and I'm glad domestic Danny/Mindy worked so well. Here's another piece that follows in that universe. This turned out super long for a oneshot, but I couldn't stop myself from adding more on. Please comment if you read.
Thank you to AtLoLevad for her encouragement and feedback throughout the writing process, and to devilishdiva84 for her seal of approval upon completion. The title comes from the song "Overjoyed" by Matchbox Twenty. Enjoy!
He finds Mindy in the bedroom rocking Emma to sleep. He cringes when she turns his way accusingly when he unknowingly drops his phone and wallet on the bedside table with a loud clatter.
"Sorry. She asleep?" he whispers, eyeing the baby with fondness, his fingers itching to reach out and brush the crown of soft curls on her head. But he doesn't want to wake her so he stands in place, watching the scene and feeling like an intruder in his own home. The girls are already asleep and he's just getting home.
"Yes." Mindy walks past him to the adjoining nursery to settle Emma into her crib. He can tell she's in a mood, and to he honest, so is he. He throws his dirty scrubs in the laundry basket and goes into the bathroom to brush his teeth. He grumbles under his breath when he notices all her makeup and girly bottles creeping into his side of the counter space again. Well, not even his side. Side makes it seem like it's fifty-fifty, when it's really more like a ratio of ninety-four to six. But dammit, it's the principle of the matter. He's already lost the battle when it comes to closet space, what more does he have to sacrifice?
"Where have you been?" Mindy asks, and sure enough, she's waiting for him when he steps out of the bathroom. "I called you like, five times."
"Work," Danny answers.
Mindy rolls her eyes. "Okay, that didn't really need an answer, it was more to get the ball rolling. But I called before Izzy's bedtime so you could talk to her at least. You were supposed to help her with her coral reef model."
"I know," Danny sighs, a pang of guilt hitting him as it always does after a long shift at the hospital. By the time he gets home, his girls are already in bed and he's left in a bad mood. "I was in surgery. By the time I got out, I knew she'd already be in bed."
"So you just didn't bother calling back at all? Rude," Mindy says, eyeing him with playful disdain as he goes to the closet to pick out his clothes for tomorrow. "I would have liked to talk to you, you know."
"Sorry, I just- I had two emergency C-sections, and I swear, all the patients were being so damn annoying today," Danny complains as he gets into bed and lays down with a groan, turning off the lamp and settling the room into pitch darkness.
"Okay, I actually have something important to tell you, you know. There's a reason I waited up. Well, that and Emma got fussy again." Mindy turns the lamp back on and stares at him from where she's sitting in bed. She rocks back and forth in enthusiasm, shaking the bed, and he has no choice but to open his eyes and look her way.
"What, Mindy? Can't it wait? I'm exhausted."
She pauses for the slightest of seconds, but then forges on with a shake of her head. "No, it cannot wait. It absolutely cannot. Guess!"
Danny rolls his eyes and asks the Good Lord for patience. "Mindy..."
"Okay, fine, I forgot, you hate guessing games cause you always lose at them. Alright, fine, I'll just tell you." She pauses for a moment and he has to widen his eyes to signal for her to continue. Inhaling a deep breath then releasing it in the form of a squeal, Mindy announces, "I'm pregnant!"
Danny stills immediately. Not the good kind either, but more like the kind where you're innocently walking down the street and turn to find the whoosh of air you thought was the wind is really a truck heading straight toward you.
He stares at her in silence for long enough that Mindy pokes his shoulder repeatedly in hopes of a response. "Danny, you awake? Danny?"
"I... yeah, I'm awake. I..." He shakes his head as he tries to wrap his head around the news that came out of nowhere. "How did... you're pregnant? Again?"
All traces of laughter disappear from Mindy's face as she narrows her eyes at his question. "Yes, again, Danny."
"I thought you were on the pill." Danny winces as soon as he says it, and starts to realize how bad his reaction sounds. But the words hover in the air and Mindy's eyes widen in shock. "Wait, wait, I didn't mean it like that." He sits up quickly in bed and tries to reach for her hand, but she climbs out of bed and stares at him, arms crossed and face livid.
"Are you kidding me right now? There were two people involved, you know, it's not like I managed this by myself!" she exclaims, throwing an angry look his way. "You and your penis played a part."
"I know, I know-" Danny begins to say, but he's interrupted once more.
"Why are you being such an ass? It's not like I planned this either!" Mindy tells him. "We're doing fine with Izzy and Emma, it's not like I had any thoughts about expanding the Castellano family tree. It just happened. I thought you'd be happy about it, though."
Danny feels a flash of pain hit him square in the chest as Mindy's voice begins to waver and her eyes fill with moisture. She doesn't let the tears fall, swallowing them back and remaining strong. "Mindy, babe, I didn't mean it-"
"Of course you meant it. Your initial gut reaction is always what a person means. Just watch You've Got Mail for once and the scene where Kathleen Kelly tells off Joe in the restaurant. The words might come out nasty, but it's the truth."
"No, it's not! And we're not fighting bookstore owners, okay?" Danny repeats for the millionth time over the course of their relationship. "You just caught me off guard."
Mindy chuckles sarcastically at his excuse. "Oh, I caught you off guard? I'm so sorry for the imposition, Daniel. Do you have any idea how it caught me, since you know, I'm the one the baby's actually living in." She gestures toward her midsection for further emphasis. "Talk about being caught off guard!"
"I didn't mean for-"
"Okay, you know what, just undo," Mindy says with a fake smile, making the time-out sign and taking a deep breath before speaking again. "Your reaction doesn't matter anyway because you're not even the father. It's actually Paul Walker who I slept with when he was in town promoting the tenth Fast and the Furious movie. You're off the hook."
He rolls his eyes at her and comes around the bed to her side. "Mindy, come on, I'm sorry."
"It's fine. Doesn't matter." She resolutely looks down at the bed and picks up her pillow, grabbing her phone and Emma's baby monitor from the table. "I think I'm gonna sleep downstairs in the den."
"What? No," he counters as he puts a hand on her arm to stop her. He can see her biting her lower lip through the curtain of her hair and knows that means she's going to burst into tears any second now. Shit. He is the worst. "Don't leave, let me explain."
Despite his pleading, she heads to the door, clutching the pillow against her chest tightly like a shield. "Nope. All good. You don't have to explain anything, I got it. Good night." She turns back to add, "I have this," she waves the baby monitor, "but get to Emma if you hear her first. Please," she adds respectfully as if it's necessary when asking him to care for his own daughter.
"Mindy..." Danny takes a step toward her again but she refuses to listen. He stares after her in silence until he can't hear the sound of her muffled footsteps on the carpeted stairs.
He texts her to come back upstairs but she ignores that too. She probably called Gwen for an emergency girl talk session about how horrible her husband is, and is trash talking him on all of her social media accounts. He almost considers making a Twitter and a Facebook account to see what she's posted, but the exhaustion of the day hits him and he falls into a restless sleep.
He somehow manages to sleep through his alarm, and only wakes up when Izzy climbs on top of him.
"Daddy! You're home," she exclaims with surprise, as if the fact that she hadn't seen him before she went to bed yesterday means that he wasn't home all night long. Her smile is bright with joy at the sight of him, and Danny's heart melts as he pulls her into a hug under the covers.
"Hey, baby. Yeah, I'm home. Sorry I couldn't help you with your project yesterday. We'll work on it today, I promise," he assures her. He tries to keep his eyes open as he yawns, but it's a losing battle.
"It's okay. Mommy said you had to help people have babies because you're such a good doctor. How many babies were there, Daddy?"
A pang hits Danny at the words and he looks over to the other side of the bed. Mindy's pillow isn't there, and it hits him all over again - her news, his big mouth, the fight, and her sleeping downstairs. A ball of nerves forms in his stomach and the sour taste of regret chases away any possibility of going back to sleep. "Where's your mom? What time is it?"
"Making my lunch. She said not to wake you but I wanted to see you," Izzy says sweetly, staring into her father's eyes with the same intensity that he stares at his loved ones.
Danny smiles at that and leans in to kiss her cheek. She giggles at the feel of his morning stubble and squeals as Danny holds her closer. "Making lunches already? It's only..." He looks over his shoulder at the alarm clock on the nightstand. The time glaring back at him is all it takes for him to wake up entirely. "Shit! It's already eight?"
"Daddy!" Izzy scolds, shaking her head in horror at the swear word.
"Sorry. Bad word. I gotta-" He makes a move to get out of bed but stops when he hears Mindy's voice coming up the stairs.
"Izzy, let's go, honey." Mindy nearly passes the master bedroom to head for Izzy's room, but she stops when she notices the five-year-old snuggled in her father's arms. Her heart melts at the sight. She steps into the room, and looks Danny's way, nodding formally in greeting as if they're strangers, not lovers. "I can take Izzy to preschool today since you're running late."
Danny nods at her offer, fighting the urge to drop to his knees and beg for forgiveness. She looks beautiful in one of her color coordinated work outfits, her hair pulled back and her makeup impeccable. And she's holding a sleeping Emma in her arms. She looks so... motherly. After the fight they'd had, she still let him sleep in and would drop Izzy and Emma off in the morning before work. God, she's all sorts of perfect.
And he's a jerk.
"Thanks." He turns to Izzy and scoops her into his arms, pausing to grab her book bag from the sofa by the bed. "Mom's gonna take you today, but I promise I'll be there to pick you up, okay?" He follows Mindy down the stairs, inhaling the scent of her familiar body wash and perfume, aching to wrap an arm around her and pull her into his arms for a warm hug and a long kiss.
Shit, did he even kiss her when he got home last night? She announces that she was pregnant with their child and he hasn't even managed to peck her on the lips.
He is such a jerk.
Izzy's still in his arms and brightens at his promise of picking her up at the end of the day since that's usually Mindy's task. "Really?"
"Absolutely." He kisses her and sets her on her feet at the front door, and turns to give Emma a kiss on the forehead. The baby moves in her sleep at the feel of his lips, but doesn't wake up, still breathing evenly in the safety of Mindy's arms. He locks eyes with his wife, and tries to tell himself they don't look more puffy than usual, that she surely had not cried last night over an asshole like him.
But he can tell by her face and the extra layer of make-up around her eyes that she had.
"I'll see you at work, okay?" he says softly, knowing Izzy's listening to every word.
Mindy only nods and turns away, leading Izzy to the car and leaving him to return upstairs and get ready for work.
Mindy startles in her seat when he barges into her office an hour later. She looks back at her computer screen with an air of haughtiness and says, "I'm working right now, Dr. Castellano, you can send me an e-mail if you have a business matter to discuss."
"Cute. Let's go." He stops in front of her desk and points over his shoulder towards the doorway, as if that's all it's gonna take for her to follow his bidding.
He has another think coming.
"No."
"Min..."
"Don't Min me, you son of a bitch. I'd like you to leave my office immediately." She opens a patient file and pretends to be immersed in reading the patient's history.
"Mindy, if you don't come with me right now, I'm gonna let Izzy loose in your closet with her art supplies and a pair of scissors," he threatens. His voice is low and his eyes are serious as he looks down at her.
Mindy stares at him in horror, but maintains her cool. "Izzy wouldn't touch a thing. She's more well-behaved than that."
"Yeah, but I'm not," he reminds her with a smirk. "Get up."
"You wouldn't."
"Oh, I'm a real son of a bitch, babe. Trust me, I would. Let's go."
Mindy takes her time logging off her computer and organizing her desk just to spite him, but he waits patiently without saying a word. She heads out of her office, grumbling under her breath about chauvinistic men getting their way. She stops in front of reception to declare dramatically to the office, "I am being kidnapped against my will. I don't know when I'll return. Please send a search party for me if I'm not back by three, and pick Izzy up from preschool, Morgan."
Morgan stares at her in confusion. "I don't get it. I only see Dr. C. Is it someone invisible?"
"She's fine," Danny reassures the office with a wave of his hand. "Don't worry about it."
Mindy stands on the opposite side of the elevator from him and stares resolutely at the buttons ahead, refusing to make eye contact. There's a cab already waiting for them out front. She gets in and slides all way to the other end of the seat, then gets out her phone and ignores him for the whole ride. Danny eyes her with a mix of amusement and nerves, but remains silent, knowing the time for speaking has not yet arrived.
The moment does arrive when the cab stops in front of their destination. Mindy looks up and immediately begins shaking her head in protest. "Nope. No, no, no. I refuse. Absolutely not."
"Mindy," Danny begins, but he's interrupted when Mindy leans forward and speaks directly to the cab driver.
"Take me back to the office immediately. Immediately!"
"No way, lady."
"I'll triple the fare."
"Okay," the cab driver agrees enthusiastically, not bothering to look Danny's way for confirmation. He cranes his neck to look over his shoulder to merge back into traffic and Danny knows he has to act quickly.
"No! Please, Mindy. Please."
He knows he's won when she hesitates, even if she maintains the outward expression of debating her decision just to torture him. Still not looking his way, she concedes. "Fine. Only because you begged."
So, they wait in line. Danny fidgets impatiently and mutters about tourists taking time off in the middle of the workweek, while Mindy ignores him and texts Gwen every minute for updates on what Emma's doing. That, and debating whether or not Bradley Cooper deserved that Oscar after he took part in All About Steve. Mindy is all for forgiveness, I mean, hello, look at him, but Gwen can really hold a grudge. Plus, hey, Sandra Bullock got one, it's only fair.
Finally, they make it into the elevator and arrive at their true destination. It's a beautiful summer day and the view from the top is amazing, as it always is. It's New York, it's never not amazing. Mindy finds a secluded corner away from chattering tourists, then turns on Danny with her gaze narrowed. "Great, you brought me to the Empire State Building. It doesn't mean I'm going to forgive you."
"I know it doesn't," Danny tells her honestly. "But I need all the points I can get."
She stares at him in silence, her heart melting the slightest at that. He looks tired, like he didn't get any rest even if he was the one who took the bed. He also looks really, really hot, all rugged and masculine against the New York skyline, the wind ruffling his hair like it had the night he'd brought her up here to propose.
That had been an amazing night.
She refuses to think about that right now because the bonus points system does not go back that far.
"I had patients, you know."
"I had Betsy re-schedule."
She gives him another point for planning and strategy. "Hmm. Sneaky."
"How about romantic?" he suggests instead, raising an eyebrow and sending a charming smile her way. He knows her too well.
"No, sneaky," she repeats, shaking her head and refusing to be charmed so early into his romantic maneuver. He hasn't even properly apologized yet. "Okay, you have me here. Now what?"
"Now, I owe you an apology," Danny declares as he leans against the railing next to her, staring into her eyes as intensely as only he can. It's the same way Izzy looks at her when she's reading her a bedtime story, so very much like her father with that serious stare and deep, brown eyes.
"Let's hear it then."
"I just did it," he jokes, but she doesn't smile at their familiar apology banter, not this time. So he wipes the smirk off his face and continues seriously. "I'm sorry, Mindy. I was having a really bad day, and I know that's not a good reason, but it's true. Mrs. Eisenberg had complications-"
"Oh, gosh, is she okay?" Mindy hurries to ask. Yes, this may be all about her, but she does have a heart when it comes to their patients, especially such a sweet one as Mrs. Eisenberg who takes the time to gush over the new pictures of the girls on Mindy's phone when she comes in for her appointments. The genuine excited and interested your daughters are angels gushing, not the polite that's nice, everyone has kids, can I go now? fake kind.
"Yeah, she's fine. It was just... touch and go there for a few minutes," Danny admits with a shuddering breath. "Then I had to walk in on Jeremy and that one redheaded nurse in the doctor's lounge-"
"Crystal?" Mindy shakes her head in disappointment. "I really thought she'd be able to resist him. Guess she's not as strong as we thought."
"And some nurse made some idiotic comment about... well, it just reminded me of... when I had to deal with you and Jeremy sneaking around." Danny lowers his voice in embarrassment, because of that stage in Mindy's life and because of his own feelings when he's forced to think about it.
The confession softens Mindy's stance entirely and she reaches out to touch his hand. "Danny, that was ages ago. Why are you even-"
"I know, I know. Just, a bad day, I guess. Then Dr. Wren was late and I had to cover the start of his shift, and by the time I got home, Izzy was already in bed and I had told her I was gonna help her with her science project."
"Of course she was in bed, it was after eleven," Mindy points out. "It's okay, you can help her tonight. She gets it."
"I know, but I hate it when the girls are asleep by the time I get home." He sighs again, long and weary, but turns to her with purpose and says, "I'm sorry about how I reacted. It was only because of a shitty day, but that's no excuse. So, can we just start over? Tell me your news again."
"Danny." Mindy shakes her head even as she reaches to hug him. "It's okay. It's not necessary."
"No, Mindy, please. Come on, you get to tell me your news, whatever news it may be," he interjects casually with a shrug, "on the top of the Empire State Building. How romantic is that?"
Mindy smiles at his repeated effort and decides to give in. For his sake, of course. She takes a deep breath and says, "Thank you for bringing me here, Danny, love of my life, father of my children, guy I share an office with. I have huge news."
He smirks and plays along. "Yeah, what kind of news? Cause I've had a really bad day and could use something good."
"Didn't get much sleep last night, huh?"
"Nah. Can't sleep without my hot wife in bed." Danny stares right at her when he says it, all traces of joking gone as he takes another step closer, invading her personal space in one smooth move. He's good at that.
Mindy doesn't mind. She sighs in delight when he wraps his arms around her waist and pulls her against him. The most perfect view of New York is to their left, the big, blue sky up above, and a handsome man who's totally crazy about her looks at her with clear adoration on his face. How can it not be romantic?
"The news is..." She leans in closer so their foreheads touch and she can wrap her arms around his neck. "The news is... that I am... I'm pregnant." She can't stop from smiling as she, excuse the OB/GYN pun, delivers the news.
In return, the grin that breaks out on Danny's face is genuine and real, beginning with his eyes lighting up and ending with the laugh lines clearly displayed on his face. His hands tighten around her in unrestrained joy. "You're pregnant? For real?"
"For real, for real," Mindy answers back. "I noticed I was late, but it's been a stressful few weeks, what with waiting for The Voice finale and Emma teething, so I went to Dr. Sanders and took a blood test, and... a baby is the culprit. I'm five weeks along."
"That's amazing. We weren't even trying-"
"I know. But I guess the best things happen when you're not even trying for them, am I right?" Mindy's voice is filled with wisdom and Danny knows she's talking about the two of them. Talk about a surprise no one saw coming. "You're happy, right?"
Her question comes out timid and he quickly tightens his hold on her as if to squeeze away her doubts. "Yeah, of course I'm happy. I'm really, really happy."
"Yeah?" She grins wide, a true Mindy smile of happiness and joy as she leans in, her lips nearly brushing his but not quite. "Are you sure cause-"
Danny covers the distance to kiss her into silence, and she can do nothing but stop talking and use her lips for something else entirely. She releases a quick gasp, then moves her hands into his hair to pull him closer. He kisses her again and again, without letting her break for air and trying so hard to convey his apology for yesterday and his joy of today. Finally, he breaks the kiss and his hands delicately cup her face so she can't look anywhere else but at him. "I'm really happy. I love you." His voice comes out low and serious, the hidden passion in it making her knees tremble.
Mindy smiles at him and whispers, "I love you too. Thank you for my baby, I love him-slash-her already."
Danny hugs her and swallows back emotion, because it's something she's said to him each time they've found out they were pregnant, and it still takes his breath away, completely flooring him, even at the third time he's hearing it. He nods into the side of her neck, inhaling the scent of her, and says, "Thank you for having him-slash-her."
"Oh, we're not there yet!" Mindy laughs and tugs him by the shirt to look at him. "We've got eight months to go, mister. You ready?"
"Of course. A real man can handle pregnancy."
"Yeah, we'll see how you how do the third time around." She looks out at the view, taking in a breath of New York air and feeling the sunshine on her skin before she turns back to him. "Hey, Danny? Thanks for bringing me here. It was pretty romantic."
"Yeah?" He grins in success, wrapping his arms around her from behind and dropping a kiss on her cheek. "We have a couple hours until we have to pick Izzy up. Let's get some frozen yogurt or something."
"You cleared the whole day?" Mindy asks in surprise. When he only smiles and shrugs, she smiles at him radiantly and sing-songs, "Danny! You romantic."
"Well, we have to celebrate."
Mindy grins back. "We definitely have to celebrate."
"Danny," Mindy moans in protest as his hand trails down her waist again, "let me catch my breath here. Pregnant, remember? Lack of oxygen would not be good for the baby."
Danny smirks but stops the play of his fingertips against her skin to simply pull her closer under the covers. "Right, sorry. It's just..."
"The news of my pregnancy releases all your alpha male tendencies and you want to mark me as your own?" Mindy teases with a smile, and Danny shrugs at her mostly true explanation.
"Maybe." He smiles at her when their eyes lock, and brushes aside a few strands of hair from her forehead. "You feeling okay?"
"You mean besides breathless from the invigorating round of celebration sex?" Mindy sighs with pleasure and drops a kiss on his chest as she nods. "Yes, I feel fine."
"I hope it's a boy," Danny comments.
Mindy whips her head up to stare at him in horror. "Bite your tongue, Castellano! What about my dream of four girls?"
"I can't take another girl, Min, I'm outnumbered here. And I know you want Izzy and Nathan to get together one day," he accuses. "It's a little obvious from the way you're always inviting him in for cookies and to watch TV when you see him playing across the street."
"But, Danny, he's so sweet!" Mindy tells him with a laugh. "He calls me 'Dr. Lahiri' and even made me a card for my birthday. I'm just trying to be a good future mother-in-law."
Danny groans at her presumptuous use of the title. "No, Mindy, he's too old for her."
"He's seven! Two years won't matter when she's twenty-two and he's twenty-four."
Danny groans again at her thinking so far into the future, and puts a hand over Mindy's mouth to stop her line of conversation. "No, we are not talking about this. Not yet, no."
She playfully licks his palm so he moves his hand and she can speak again. "You better have given my baby an X chromosome or I'll be mad."
"No promises," Danny responds with a grin.
"You're going to ruin my dream!"
"No, I'm not, babe, I'm making all your dreams come true."
He means it as a joke but Mindy nods solemnly and her eyes melt as she stares at him from her pillow. "That's true, you are." She moves closer so there's not an inch of space separating them and kisses him sweetly, her hands wrapped around his neck to run her fingers through his hair. "And stop wasting your time thinking about whatever me and Jeremy did way back when. You're so dumb."
"I wasn't," Danny denies quickly. "It was some idiot nurse who mentioned it, and-"
"Well, he's an idiot," Mindy reiterates with a shake of her head. "And anytime you do start to think of it, just think of this." She grabs his chin and pulls him close, their lips meeting immediately as she kisses him senseless. It's long and slow, deep and passionate, and this time he's the one left a little breathless. She breaks the kiss to smile down at him, and he swallows audibly, trying to find the ability to form words again.
"Think of that, huh? What else should I think of?" His voice is low and husky, his eyes ablaze with desire, and Mindy knows the time for joking is over. They're entering R-rated territory once more.
"Think of Izzy, and Emma. And..." She grabs his left hand and lays it on her stomach, shivering slightly at the cold of his wedding band against her bare skin. She covers his hand with her own and says, "Think of him-slash-her."
Danny rolls over to be the one on top, never moving his hand from under hers. He drops a kiss near the hollow of her collarbone, murmuring, "I'll think of him. It's gotta be a boy."
Mindy chuckles. Well, attempts to, but his hand's sliding further south and she's turning into a pile of putty in his hands. "Danny," she says, not sure if she was going for scolding or inviting. It turns into more of an invitation as she parts her legs instinctively and wraps them around him, her hands tugging him closer. "That was not on my list of things for you to remember."
"Yeah, I know." Danny gives her a proud smirk, not halting the direction of his fingers the slightest. He drops a kiss on her forehead when she releases a quiet moan at his ministrations. "It's on my list though."
"Everyone, quiet down! Everyone, eyes up here! Oh, Ryan, you can stay, this is an announcement for everyone," Mindy says to the intern, grinning proudly as the whole office comes to a stop and everyone turns her way. "I have news. Huge news. Big news. Great news!"
"Wrap it up, Min, I have a conference call in ten," Danny says from his spot at the counter. But he can't hide the grin on his face as he waits for her to reveal their news.
Mindy throws a secretive smile his way before turning back to the staff. "Right, the news." After enough of a dramatic pause, then an additional one because she loves dramatic pauses, she declares, "I'm pregnant!"
Morgan cheers and rushes up to hug her while the rest of the nurses clap and yell out well wishes in the background. Betsy squeals and jumps up and down, forming a line behind Morgan to hug her next.
"That's great, who's the father?" Jeremy asks from where he's leaning against his office door.
Danny punches him in the arm as he walks by. "Can it, Reed." He watches with a small smile as Mindy gets hugs from everyone, and twice from Morgan, and assures them that she'll get right on putting up the bulletin board for them to leave suggestions for names and begin the baby guessing games. He steps into his office when he hears the phone ring, then looks up fifteen minutes later to see Mindy enter the room, flustered and beaming from being the center of attention.
"They done out there?" Danny asks.
"Yes, for now." Mindy sighs dramatically even as the grin remains on her face. "I had to tell them to get back to work. All that excitement is not good for the baby."
"Uh huh." Danny smirks because she's not fooling anyone, least of all him. "You love it."
"Maybe." She comes around his desk and moves aside the paperwork he's working on to flip his desk calendar to next month, grabbing a highlighter and circling the fifteenth. "My next appointment with Dr. Sanders. So you don't forget."
"I won't forget," Danny assures her. When she only throws him a look, he corrects his statement to, "There's no way you'll let me forget so I won't forget."
"Exactly. Still happy?"
"Yep."
She drops a kiss on his cheek as she heads for the doorway. "Great. So, I was thinking since you're so happy and I'm the one doing the actual heavy lifting," she points towards her abdomen where their baby is hardly the size of a blueberry, "you can tell Izzy the good news."
Danny's eyes widen in panic at her suggestion. "Wait, what? Me?"
"Yes, you."
"But... Mindy," Danny stutters, hands flying in agitation, "she's probably going to ask where babies come from!"
"Yeah, probably, she's so smart," Mindy brags. "Good luck with that, Castellano."
"Mindy! No, that's not fair." Danny gets out of his chair and hurries after her, trying to grab her as she weaves in between people in the hallway to avoid him.
"Of course it's fair. You tell Izzy, I'll tell Emma."
"It's still not fair!"
end ~