Baby Just Say Yes

"Who's calling at this hour?" Rayleigh asked in a quiet voice later that night as she and Brian sat in the living room of Papa Gates and Suzie's home watching House reruns. Suzie shrugged.

"I don't know," she said in a bored tone. “Why don’t you answer it, dear?”

Rayleigh got up and grabbed the phone. "Hello?" She asked.

"Mrs. Haner?" Alex Cabot's voice came in through the other end of the line. She sounded slightly disturbed, and Rayleigh frowned as she cleared her throat before answering.

"Yes...?" She asked, fearing the worst.

"There's a new development in your father's trial," she sighed, obviously upset. "It's going to take awhile longer to indict him."

"Why? Did I do something wrong?" She asked. Brian moved behind her and wrapped his arms reassuringly around her waist.

"No, no. You were great on the stand. The jury saw your emotion, and now the ball's in our court. But, your father—"

"What did he do this time?" She asked coldly. "Pay off a guard to get out?"

"No. He's in the hospital." She told Rayleigh.

"Why?" She asked again.

"He....he tried to commit suicide, Rayleigh .Although, not very hard. The guard who found him thinks it was just another one of his ploys.”

"He's doing it as a way to prolong the trial, and thus, my misery, isn't he?" Rayleigh asked in a tight voice as she pulled a hand up to her mouth, blocking the sob that wanted to fall out of her mouth as Brian wrapped his arms tighter around her.

"Most likely. Court has been adjourned until the doctor deems him well enough to appear in the courtroom. That could take anywhere from two days to two weeks."

"There won't be a mistrial, will there?"

"No, nothing like that. He will be put in jail, no matter how long it takes. I can assure you of that. But now it may be more difficult to get him into an actual prison instead of an insane asylum. Which is probably what he's aiming for. It's easier to escape from an institution than a maximum security prison."

"That won't happen though, right? I mean, he won't be institutionalized?"

"No. Just rest easy, Mrs. Haner. I thought you should know this, is all. Take the day to relax tomorrow. Have some fun. Plan for your baby."

"Thank you, Ms. Cabot. I really appreciate all you've done for me."

"It's no skin off my back." She told Rayleigh.

"Goodnight." Rayleigh said, hanging up the phone.

"What was all that about?" Papa Gates asked worriedly. Rayleigh turned and looked at her in-laws.

"My dad tried to kill himself." Rayleigh told him, her voice breaking as she turned and buried her face in Brian’s chest, her tears no longer threatening to fall out as they began soaking his shirt.