Chapter 1: The News

"Rob, Rob, oh Roooob!" Laura Petrie called as she ran daintily in the front door of her quaint house on Bonnie Meadow Road. She practically leaped over the ottoman and darted to the bedroom.

"Rob darling, are you in here?" No response. She tried the kitchen next, hoping he was just getting himself a snack. He wasn't in there either.

"Richie!" She went to his room, but he was nowhere to be found..

Now she was upset. She needed and wanted to talk to her husband. It was noon on a Saturday, where on Earth could her family be? She put one meticulously manicured finger in the rotary and waited for the dial tone.

"Hello?"

"Millie, is my son over there?"

"Yes, he is. He and Freddy are out back playing in the yard. Don't worry, he's in a pair of Freddy's old overalls so his clothes won't get dirty."

"Alright uh...do have any idea where Rob might be?"

"Why, no...Laura is something the matter?" Millie asked noting the distress in her friend's voice.

"No, Mil I just need to tell him something..."

"Laura! What is it? I'm your best friend in the whole world aren't you going to tell me?"

Laura sighed. "It's hardly the sort of thing that can be discussed over the telephone."

"I'll be right over!"

"Wh-no, Millie-I..." Laura trailed off as she heard the connection break.

Not even a moment later Millie dashed in the door. "Laura what is it?" She demanded, a wild look in her eyes.

"Millie, whose watching the boys?!"

"That dumb awful, Jerry. Come on now will you please tell me what's going on before I have a heart attack?"

"Well," Laura started. "I'm not going to tell you what it is exactly, but I guess it wouldn't hurt to give you a hint..." she started to giggle.

"What, Laura? You're scaring me!"

"Okay, okay...what am I doing?" she asked as she made an arc in the air with her hands starting from her waist down to her pelvic bone.

"What are you...you're-Laura! You're having a baby!"

Laura nodded and let herself be embraced by her friend.

"Oh! Are you just ecstatic? I bet you're just ecstatic! I bet you'll have a little girl."

"Oh Millie, do you really think so?" she grinned.

"I bet so, it's usually the other after you have one, well at least in my case...Laura, I did tell you that Jerry doesn't think we should have any more children didn't I?"

"Why, no! Why ever not?"

"He thinks we have too many can you believe it?"

"Do you want another baby?" Laura had thought Millie was glad that her children were growing older ,and she had more time to herself.

"Yes, I do," Millie sighed. "I just feel useless now that I don't have anyone that relies on me for everything," her face fell. "But I'm so happy for you, Laura!"

"Oh thanks! I need to find Rob though," she said suddenly.

"I don't blame you, why don't you try calling Buddy? He'll probably know where he is."

"Good idea."

"Oh and Laura, how far along are you?"

"Oh uh sixteen weeks."

"Sixteen weeks and you're just now finding out?"

"Well, yes..."

"Wow! Okay well congratulations! I'm going to go tell that dumb awful Jerry, and maybe give him a hint...it is okay that I tell Jerry right?"

"Millie, please don't you know he has the biggest mouth in the neighborhood..."

"Alright, alright say no more. I won't say a thing, I'll be on my way." She left the way she'd come in and Laura was grateful.

She took a deep breath and called up Buddy.

"Hello?"

"Hi Buddy, it's me...Laura, Laura Petrie."

"Oh hi, Laura! You lookin' for Rob?"

"As a matter of fact, yes."

"Don't worry, he's here with me."

"Well uh-" Laura bit her tongue because she didn't want to seem too anxious. "Do you think you could ask him to head this way?"

"I can sure give him the message, is anything the matter?"

"Oh, no it's nothing," she was getting good at this stretching the truth thing. "Could you please just tell him to hurry home for me?"

"I will, take care."

"Thank you, goodbye."

"Bye."

Buddy hung up the phone and turned to Rob. "That was your wife."

"Laura?"

"No, Brigitte Bardot...of course Laura, she wants you to go home."

"Did she say why, I mean I just got here,"

"No, but she sounded pretty concerned, I think you better go home, Rob."

"Well, alright. Sorry I have to leave so suddenly."

"It's fine, Rob," Buddy said, handing Rob his hat and coat. "See ya later."

"Yeah, see you..."

Rob got in his car and drove toward home. He was annoyed. He had worked all week to deserve a little "man time" with his friend. Why did Laura need him to come home? They had spent nearly every night of the week together. He had noticed over the last couple of months that Laura seemed different, somewhat fragile. He hoped she wasn't coming down with something. He also noticed that she'd been taking multiple trips to the bathroom during the night and after meals. He hoped she wasn't causing herself to throw up...no he couldn't even think about that.

Meanwhile, Laura was pacing up and down in the living room. She was trying to think of a cute way to break the news to Rob. "Congratulations, Daddy!" she said out loud. No. That sounded ridiculous even to her. "I'm pregnant," nope, too forward. She could always go with "the rabbit died" again, but somehow she thought that would be bad luck. Uhg, why didn't men carry the babies? A disturbing thought. She needed to calm down. She heard the key turn in the lock and froze.

Rob entered the room and put a smile on his face, he decided to find out what was going on and get all the facts before he blew his top.

"Hi, honey. Buddy told me you needed me to come home?"

"Yes, Rob...I uh," this was it. She had to tell him something.

He came in close to her and wrapped his arms around her torso. She moved one of his hands onto her stomach and looked up at him expectantly.

"What is it, sweetie?"

He was not catching on. Darn. "I could really go for some Moo Goo Gai Pan now, Rob."

"Is that what this is about? You're mad because I haven't taken you out in awhile?" he practically yelled. "Well, I work all week long and during the week you're "too tired" to go out, now you decide you want to go? I'm sorry, but I work long and hard. I should be allowed one day with my friend."

Laura burst into tears. "Rob, that's not wh-what I meant at all! Do you really think I'm that selfish? Do you honestly not remember the last time I had a craving for Chinese? And yes, I am tired Rob,because I'm throwing up every other hour because I'm going to have your baby," she huffed.

Rob felt like an idiot. So she was pregnant? Oh boy, did he ever have a foot to put in his mouth. He grabbed onto her shoulders. "Sweetheart, I am so sorry for jumping to conclusions without getting all the facts-y-you're having a baby...okay um that's not what I was expecting..."

Laura pulled away from him. "You hate me don't you?" her face contorted as she tried to catch her breath.

"Laurie, baby I love you. I'm just concerned for you, I mean, I don't want you getting your hopes up..."

"Getting my hopes up?! Rob, you'll never know what it was like...if I can even think about another baby, you should be supporting me."

She thought back to that horrible day several years ago when she had miscarried.

She had awoken thinking that something wasn't quite right. She got up, made breakfast, and decided that she should probably go to the doctor. If for nothing else other than to know that her baby's heart was beating. She dressed herself, sent Richie over to Millie's and drove to the doctor's office. She hadn't made an appointment so she tried to explain to the receptionist what was wrong with her. She couldn't form the words she just knew something was wrong. Luckily, the clinic wasn't too busy that day, and she was able to get in fairly quickly. He examined her and told her that "it" wasn't going to make it.

She was so confused and angry. She didn't drink, hardly smoked, and never ate to excess, why was her baby not going to live? She was terribly relieved that neither she nor Rob had told anyone yet. The doctor told her to go home and eventually nature would take its course.

She was amazed that she even made it home. Her vision was blurred from the blind rage that she felt. She did not cry. When she arrived home, she went into the bedroom, carefully changed back into her nightgown and laid down on her bed. She dosed off and awoke to a sharp cramping in her lower abdomen. That's when she felt that her life was really over. She as the doctor had said, "let nature take its course" and cleaned up afterword. She was heading to the bedroom when the phone rang. She answered assuming that it would be Rob. Instead, it was Millie.

"Laura guess what? I'm pregnant!"

She threw the phone down and finally allowed herself to cry. Huge racking sobs riddled her body. She went into the bedroom and curled up into a ball. She was numb to the blood and the pain. The only thing she could wrap her brain around was that her baby was gone.

Rob was also thinking back to that dark day.

He had come in to find her in bed. He sat down on the edge of the mattress and stroked her hair softly.

"Honey, what's the matter?"

"I lost the damn baby," she mumbled into her pillow. "...and oh Rob, it's all my fault!"

He shifted so that she was in his arms.

"Shh, sweetie. No one loved that baby more than you."

He then said that he's always be there for her. He held her there letting her cry and scream obscenities. She felt so light to him, like the baby she was carrying such a short time ago.

Rob looked down at his miserable wife. Poor kid, he thought. He had to make sure that he chose his words carefully.

"Laura, I love you. I have always loved you. I shouldn't have brought it up and I'm sorry and no I don't know what it felt like from your perspective, but seeing your wife overcome with such grief over the loss of your child..." he tried desperately not to cry.

"Rob, it's okay. I'm just scared and I didn't want to think about it, but we should be ready in case-something happens again," she let him hold her close to him.

"Sweetie, will you start over? Tell me you're pregnant."

Laura didn't know what he meant. "Rob what are Earth?"

"Just say it."

"Darling, I'm pregnant. You're going to be a daddy. The rabbit died."

He swooped in and scooped her up in his arms and twirled her around the room.

"I love you, okay?" he whispered in her ear as he kissed her. "And everything's going to be alright."

She couldn't help but smile and hope he was right.