Saving Amy

Chapter Four

Amy arrived home with the heaviest of hearts later that afternoon. She thanked her mother for watching Atlas. The two month old was fast asleep, blissfully unaware of the tragedy that had befallen his family. Before Camila could say that it was no trouble, she was quick to take in her daughter's distraught appearance. A silent exchange of condolences passed between mother and daughter as Amy sobbed in her mother's arms.

"I know this won't make things any better, but this came in the mail for you today" Camila revealed, gently placing a manila envelope in her daughter's lap. It was the envelope that contained Amy's fate and the quality of Atlas's future.

"I can't open this. Not today" Amy said, sniffling through the tears that remained.

She then felt a light breeze encircle her. When asking her mother if she felt it too, Camila said no. Despite it being too soon, Amy could have sworn Jake's voice followed. Whether it was the memory of her sergeant's exam result or a true sign was unclear. But in the heat of the moment, she had no time to wonder.

"I'll open it" Jake's voice had said, sending a piercing shiver through Amy's spine.

"No! I've got this!" Amy responded a bit too loudly, awakening Atlas in the process.

Camila placed a gentle hand on Amy's shoulder as the younger mother prepared to rise from her seat. Camila insisted that her daughter remain seated as she, in turn went to retrieve Atlas. As Amy watched her mother disappear into the master bedroom, her heart raced with temptation to open the envelope. However, she felt it wasn't right without moral support.

Camila reappeared no less than five minutes later with a content Atlas in her arms, rejoining Amy on the sofa. He turned his head toward his mother and looked at her with wide, unblinking eyes just bursting with curiosity. That seemed to provide the anxious sergeant with the push that she needed.

"You want to know where we're headed, little lion? Let's find out" Amy said, taking a deep breath as she prepared to unveil her destiny.

She could feel the paper material slipping through her fingers as her hands began to sweat with anticipation. The last time she recalled being so nervous was when she had taken another life-altering test. However, unlike any exam she had ever taken, the answer was determined in just two minutes.

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After working a murdered case, Amy could no longer ignore the waves of nausea that came crashing throughout her body. She and Jake had thought it to be the fault of the chinese take-out they'd had the night before. The detective working the case with her- an eager, bright and easy going man in his early thirties deduced that it was the emotional effects of the murder's aftermath. But deep down, she couldn't help wondering if there was more to it than meets the eye.

Before returning home that night, she made a quick detour to the drugstore. She was in and out like the Flash, picking up the first three pregnancy tests that she could find. Her nerves completely ignored the cashier bidding her "good luck" as she made her exit. On the cab ride home afterwards, she pondered the odds of her actually being pregnant. Following much debate on their one year anniversary, she and Jake agreed to try when they both felt they were ready. But the topic had not resurfaced since then.

Her heart threatened to leap out of her chest as she heard Jake's keys in the door.

"Ames, you home?" he hollered as he threw his keys into the ashtray he had painted like Captain America's shield on their honeymoon.

"Yeah! In the bathroom. Deuces are wild, ya know?" Amy fibbed, a nervous chuckle followed as she engaged in a staring contest with the plastic stick in her hands. Looking over her shoulder at the timer on her phone, she would have her answer in 30 seconds.

"What movie do you want to watch tonight?" Jake asked.

"Ummm... could I let you know if 20 seconds?" Amy replied, urging the result to appear faster as every second passed on the timer.

Jake's dumpster song sent a shiver down her spine, sounding as the alarm on her phone. She cupped a free hand around her mouth and her eyes widened as the results evidently won the 120 second staring contest. Two clearly defined pink lines appeared before her very eyes, confirming the suspicion that had loomed over all day.

With one hand on placed cautiously on the doorknob and the other clutching the pregnancy test behind her back, Amy slowly made her way out to deliver the news to her husband.

"Good news. I think I've found us a movie!" Jake said, holding up the DVD that contained Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. But he was also quick to take note of the worried expression on his wife's face. The redness surrounding her nose was either an indication of her allergies or that she had just finished crying.

"Something wrong?" he asked as Amy prepared to join him on the sofa.

"Please don't freak out-" she began.

"Please don't freak out, title of your sex tape" Jake winked.

Releasing a breath she felt she had been holding for a lifetime, she prepared to deliver the rest of her news; hopefully uninterrupted.

"I don't really know how to do this so I'm just going to be honest with you. I'm pregnant" she revealed.

"Oh my god, Ames!" Jake exclaimed, his eyes widening in shock, his heart racing with anticipation and a hint of anxiety as he wrapped his arms around his wife.

He then stopped to remember the events of the most recent heist; which took place on Cinco de Mayo.

"Wait. Are you really pregnant or is this like the time you told me you were so I wouldn't taser you again?" he asked, raising a suspicious eyebrow at her. His hands still had a firm grip on her shoulders.

"No" Amy chuckled, dismissing an oncoming trail of overwhelmed tears. "I'm really pregnant, here". She then carefully handed him the pregnancy test, as if it were the most fragile thing; knowing that he would look for proof.

"Oh my god! This is huge!" Jake exclaimed, feeling as if he himself was on the verge of tears.

"This is huge, title of your sex tape" Amy chuckled with a nod of her head. "So, you're not freaked out?"

"This is definitely scary, but I'm doing it with you. I know that we can get through anything as long as we're together" Jake responded, leaning in for a kiss.

Amy's trip down memory lane came to an abrupt conclusion as her son's pterodactyl screams brought her back to the matter at hand.

"I think he really wants you to open it, mija" Camila said, nodding encouragingly at her daughter; all the while holding the pacifier in place to soothe her grandson.

"Okay" Amy said, releasing a deep breath as she carefully began opening the envelope.

Bit by bit, Amy began to open the key to her future. Much like the envelope from her last exam, she had half the mind to frame this one. Regardless of the result, she never wanted to forget the moment the lieutenant's exam was taken. Despite being on bed rest, she was determined to take the exam right then and there. Thank god for there being options online.

"The higher your rank, the more control you have over your hours" was her motto all the way through. In just a matter of seconds, she would know if her efforts were worth it.

At the top of the eggshell white page, across from the date were the words she had been longing to read:

Dear Amy Santiago,

You have successfully completed the lieutenant's exam. You have been promoted from your previous position as sergeant of the 99th precinct.

Amy's heart swelled with a mixture of pride and sorrow as she turned to her mother and whispered, "I'm going to be a lieutenant".

Under any other circumstance, Camila would have taken the opportunity to remind Amy of her brother, David's successes. But now was not the time. Additionally, a dork dance in celebration of such an achievement was expected. However, Amy could not find it in her heart to do, seeing as Jake was not with her to enjoy it.

"He would be so proud of you, mija" Camila said, wrapping an arm around Amy, placing a content Atlas in her arms.