Disclaimer: I don't own The Middle and never will. No copyright infringement intended.
Author's Note: There are no spoilers out for the season finale yet, but I can't shake the feeling that they're going to spring a surprise pregnancy on Frankie. Shows tend to do that when the only or oldest child is graduating from high school and going off to college so I wouldn't be surprised if it happened here. And the Heck household is really chaotic and this would only add to that. Hope you enjoy!
Frankie paid no attention at first to her missed period – It was irregular, especially now that she was older and had given birth three times. Plus, she and Mike were under a lot of stress with Axl's graduation coming up and she figured it was nothing.
It was the next month, right before Axl's graduating ceremony, when Frankie realized she was late again that she began to worry. What if there was something wrong? She calmed down (just a little) when she realized she was starting menopause. "Mike, this means no more kids. Granted, I'm going to be having hot flashes and everything else associated with menopause, but that doesn't matter. We're in the clear now!" They weren't – It wasn't menopause – but neither would know this for another few days.
Mike sighed. "Great. But aren't you a little too young for that?" He was happy they didn't have to worry about more kids, but he wasn't looking forward to a menopausal wife. He also didn't want to talk about this so he wasn't sure why he was continuing the conversation.
Frankie sighed. "I'm in my early forties, Mike. It's just about the right time for menopause to begin. I'm going to call my doctor and make an appointment as soon as possible." She really didn't want to go but she had to get the appointment out of the way so she could get on with her life.
"I don't want to talk about this anymore. I should go turn the hose on Axl and Cassidy again." Their son and his girlfriend were enjoying the warm weather and its benefits a little too much to their liking and Mike had turned the hose on them several times.
She rolled her eyes and sighed again before calling her doctor's office. She ignored the shrieks of anger and surprise from outside (She didn't understand why they were still surprised every time this happened) and informed the nurse what was going on with her body and why she needed the appointment. Frankie's appointment was scheduled to happen in three days so she had to wait (and not panic) until then. She was just about to lay down for a nap (exhaustion was a constant companion these days) when a soaking wet and furious Axl came stomping in with Cassidy. "Axl, how many times have I told you not to come into the house like this? You're dripping all over the floor!"
"Tell Dad to stop interrupting us every time we're outside! God!" Axl gently grabbed his laughing girlfriend's hand (she had thought to be bring an extra set of clothes) and stormed back out of the horse before Frankie could say another word.
With Sue out with Darrin (They had gotten back together after Axl gave them his blessing), Brick reading a book, Axl and Cassidy out to a movie, and Mike settling down to watch TV, Frankie yawned and then headed to the bedroom for a nap. What was supposed to be a two hour nap turned into five hours and by the time she stumbled out of bed, the house was almost completely dark. Mike was still watching something, but the kids were doing their own thing. "Hey, why'd you sleep so long?"
"Why didn't you wake me up when it was obvious I wasn't going to? Now I'll never be able to sleep in two hours!" she snapped.
Mike looked taken aback. "Why are you so mad? You needed the sleep apparently so I let you. You've been pretty tired lately. Is that a sign of your woman thing?"
Frankie just glared at him. "I told you that I won't be able to go back to bed tonight. I'll be up all night now. What am I supposed to do now, Mike? Tell me."
Mike muted the TV and then stood up. He hugged his wife. "Frankie, calm down. It's not that big of a deal. I'll stay up with you for a little while, how about that?" He wanted to placate her any way he possibly could.
"Fine." Before sitting down on the couch to watch whatever he had on, Frankie first headed to the kitchen to get some ice cream, which she had been craving for hours now and couldn't resist anymore. She grabbed a spoon and the whole container and then plopped herself down next to her husband.
He just stared at her for a second before shrugging and then going back to the movie he was watching. Much to his surprise, after she got done eating, Frankie fell asleep again in less than an hour. He shut off the TV and then covered her with a blanket before heading to bed himself. She wouldn't be happy if he woke her up just to go into their bedroom so Mike left her alone.
The next morning, Frankie complained that her husband hadn't woken up her, but not for very long before the exhaustion settled back in. She was already sick of being so tired and just wanted that particular symptom to stop.
Even Sue commented on her the bags under her mother's eyes. "You've been sleeping a lot lately, Mom, but you still look really tired. Are you sure you're okay?"
Frankie nodded, not wanting to worry her children. "I'm fine, Sue. This isn't anything." She didn't mention her menopause theory and her doctor's appointment. She hurried to the bathroom almost immediately after the conversation ended. That was another thing that was bothering her – She hadn't had to go to the bathroom this much in a long time, if ever. She wondered what was wrong with her bladder now too, and if it was related to the menopause (Frankie tried not to worry about the other horrible illnesses it could be, like cancer, because she didn't want to freak herself out too much).
It was when she returned a few minutes later and grabbed something to eat out of the fridge that she noticed her husband was staring at her. "You look different."
Frankie glared at him. "Come out and say it. Why exactly are you staring at me?"
"I think your boobs are bigger." He wasn't sure if he wasn't imagining that or not, but it was driving him crazy.
She automatically looked down and then back up. "They are not. They're my normal size so shut the hell up."
Mike had a suspicion about what was possibly up with Frankie, but shook it away. There was no possible way he was right anyway so he just let it go. "Whatever you say." But he eyed her (and her boobs) warily as he headed off to work.
When Brick got home from school and caught his mother sleeping again, he decided to say something to her. "You are napping a lot. Do you have some sort of sleeping illness or something?" He'd make sure to check the Internet to see if there was anything he could do to help.
Frankie yawned. "No, I do not. Go do your homework and I'll order pizza for dinner." She was not up to making dinner tonight. Her energy levels had been sapped from her and she didn't feel like doing much of anything at all.
Luckily, the appointment date arrived rather quickly and the doctor did a host of tests, which included taking her blood (Frankie complained a lot about that one) and was promised results within a few days. She didn't like having to wait that long, but putting off a diagnosis (because she was terrified it was something horrible and not menopause related) for now sounded like a good idea. In fact, to take her mind off the doctor and whatever he was going to tell her, Frankie delved into planning Axl's graduation party.
The next day, the kids were in school and Mike was working (she had the day off) when the phone rang. A nervous Frankie answered it when the nurse informed her that the results were in, but they wanted to schedule an appointment with her. And since there was an opening because of a last minute cancellation, she should come in now. After hanging out, her hands started to shake and Frankie began to panic. There was definitely something wrong if they wanted her to come in immediately. She decided not to call Mike (even though she wanted him there for support) and headed right in.
Surprisingly, the doctor smiled when he walked into the room. "Hello, Mrs. Heck."
Frankie wasn't in the mood for small talk, however. "Just give it to me straight, Doctor Donaghue. What's the matter with me? Am I dying?"
He laughed. "Sorry to scare you, Mrs. Heck, but no. There's nothing the matter with you. Congratulations. The blood test indicated that you are pregnant."
She had been about to start crying because of stress but stopped dead in her tracks and her mouth dropped open. Frankie stared at him in astonishment for a minute or so before recovering. "Excuse me? What did you just say?"
"You're pregnant, as in having a baby. I'd like to do an ultrasound to determine how far along you are." Doctor Donaghue handed her a gown and then walked out of the room while she changed.
Frankie couldn't believe it. Pregnancy had never once crossed her mind and she felt stupid for immediately jumping to menopause. She had been pregnant three times and hadn't recognized the symptoms? But now that she was thinking about it, pregnancy did make sense. "So you're sure?" she questioned when he walked back into the room.
He nodded. "Yes, we're sure. And after this, I'm going to recommend a high risk obstetrician to you since you're older."
Frankie was about to say something else to him, but was interrupted by the cold gel being squirted onto her stomach. She stared in shock and awe (and maybe a little bit of happiness) a few seconds later when the screen confirmed the doctor's diagnosis. There was definitely a baby in there. "How far along am I?"
"From this, it looks like you're about eight weeks along. I'm surprised you didn't figure it out sooner, Mrs. Heck."
She was surprised, too. A pregnancy had not been in their plans at all. How could she and Mike handle a fourth child, especially since Axl was going off to college in a few months? This was not the ideal time to have a baby. And her age played a huge factor in this. Frankie knew the risk of miscarriage was high now. After taking a copy of the ultrasound, she waited at home in the kitchen (thankful the morning sickness seemed to be non-existent and she could eat) for her husband to return from work. "Thanks, Mike. Thanks a lot," she told him when he walked through the door.
He stared at her, confused. "What am I in trouble for now? Why are you mad at me?"
"Well, the doctor called and I had to go in. You knocked me up. I'm eight weeks." She handed him the ultrasound and then stormed into the bedroom, hoping he'd follow.
He did. "You're pregnant?"
"Yes, I am. What are we going to do, Mike?" She wasn't sure they'd be able to handle the stresses and expenses of a fourth child. They were barely keeping themselves afloat now.
Mike sighed and then unexpectedly pulled her in for a hug. He wasn't totally surprised – In the back of his mind, he had suspected a pregnancy – but he still couldn't believe they were having another baby. "We're going to keep doing what we're doing, Frankie. Another kid isn't what we planned for, but did we plan the other ones? We'll be fine."
She leaned into the hug and sniffled. "Are you sure?"
He nodded. "Yup."
"I'm just so old, Mike. But then again, Halle Berry's pregnant again and she's forty-six. She's older than me. If she can do it, I guess we can too." Now that she had calmed down a little, courtesy of her husband, Frankie was starting to get excited about the baby.
He laughed and stared at the ultrasound picture. "So things are going to be even more chaotic around here. You ready to scar the kids for life?"
She laughed and then kissed him. "Yes, I am. And we're crazy to do this again, but I want to." Frankie and Mike definitely still had to get used to this news, however.
They broke the news to the kids at dinner that night. Axl was the first to recover and his jaw literally dropped. "Ew, that's gross. I don't want to think about what you two are doing and now we have proof!"
"Hey, we know you're doing the same thing with Cassidy and you better be safe. This is what happens when you let your guard down." Frankie hoped she had scared him.
Sue recovered next. "Maybe it'll be a girl and I won't be so outnumbered anymore! And there's so many cute baby dresses. This is so exciting!" She squealed and hugged both her parents before she went back to eating.
Brick just sighed. "I guess I won't be the baby now. This family is doomed. Doomed," he whispered. But he went back to eating.
Several months later, Frankie and Mike's welcomed their fourth child. And Sue got her wish – The baby was a little girl that her (exhausted) parents named Rhiannon Indiana Heck. She fit right in with the chaos at home.
Rhiannon hadn't been planned and they hadn't exactly been happy at first, but the best things in life weren't planned. The Heck family would adjust to these new changes as well as they always did and their life would continue on the way it had been for years. Frankie and Mike embraced the chaos, but made sure another little surprise wouldn't happen again.