The Next Step

by rookiegirl

As the birth of their baby draws near, Pete realizes that it’s time that he and Jillian take the next step in their life together; it’s time to buy a house. When he surprises Jillian with a house to look at, she surprises him with an eye for scrutiny.

These characters are not mine, only borrowed for the purpose of creating literary entertainment. My thanks to the creators of the Adam-12 characters.

The Next Step

© November 2009

The early morning sunshine was streaming brightly through the bedroom window as a gentle, but crisp, late September breeze was blowing in through the open screen. Pete and Jillian were snuggled close and sleeping peacefully when they were abruptly awakened by Scrappy, who had decided to jump up onto the bed and demand some playtime.

Jillian mumbled in a sleepy tone "Honey, get up, it's the baby."

Pete, who had been laying there still half asleep, suddenly opened his eyes wide and sat straight up in bed, nearly jostling Jillian off over the edge, "WHAT? THE BABY!…NOW? BUT YOU'RE NOT DUE YET!" Pete jumped out of bed, and was scurrying around the bedroom, half crazed, trying not to act as nervous as he suddenly felt, as he threw on some clothes.

Scrappy, who had lost interest in playing, had already jumped off the bed and scampered out of the room in search of other entertainment.

Jillian, fully awakened by Pete's exclamation of surprise, began laughing hysterically when she realized what she'd said, and by way of explanation "Pete! Calm down, everything is okay; I was just dreaming that we had the baby and she was crying…and it was your turn to get up with her."

Pete stopped in his tracks, as if someone had suddenly thrown ice water on him. Giving Jillian a look of disbelief, he wearily sat back down on the bed. "Okay Sunshine, just as soon as my heart rate settles back to normal, you can tell me how we ended up with a baby in your dream, when you're not even due for another couple of months."

"Well, since I've never given birth before, I can't give you those details, but if you come back to bed, my darling husband, I'll show you how we managed to create this little bundle that has me barely able to see my feet from a standing position." Jillian boldly replied.

"Mmm…my pleasure, Sunshine." Pete said as he disrobed and crawled back under the covers, quickly snuggling up to his wife.

Ring-ring, ring-ring, ring-ring….

Rolling over and picking up the receiver, Pete growled into it "Hello?"

"Pete, its Jim. I didn't wake you guys, did I?"

Still sounding disgruntled "No, Jim, you didn't WAKE us…but your timing is just plain lousy!"

Laughing "Oh…sorry about that. Uhm, you can just call me back…whenever…or, well, just…"

"Forget it, Jim, just tell me now." Pete let out an exasperated sigh as he watched Jillian get out of bed and amble towards the kitchen to start the coffee and feed the cat.

"I just wanted to let you know that while I was out jogging this morning, I noticed that the 'for sale' sign has finally gone up on the house down the street and around the corner. You remember the one I told you about…the elderly couple that lived there moved into a retirement community? Anyway, I don't think it'll be on the market for long. I didn't know if you were still interested, or not."

Speaking in a low tone "Yeah, I'm still interested, but I haven't said anything to Jillian, yet. Let's keep it under wraps for now. I want take a look at it, but I want it to be a surprise. Jean won't say anything, will she?"

"Nah, I'll tell her that you want to surprise Jillian about looking for a house. She won't say anything."

"Good…could you do me one more favor?"

"Sure, Pete, anything."

"Could you get me the name and number of the real estate company that has it listed and call me back within the hour? I'd like to see if we can't take a look at it yet this weekend, since I'm off."

"Sure thing; I'll run down there now and give you call in a little bit."

"Hey, thanks. Talk to you in a bit"

Hanging up the phone just as Jillian was coming back into the bedroom, "What'd Jim want this early in the morning?"

"Oh, uhm…he just wanted to…. Uhm…to, uhm…to confirm what time we are picking up Jimmy." Giving her one of his sheepish smiles, "Yeah, that's what he wanted. He said that Jimmy is really excited about going to the park and spending the night with us. Now are you sure you feel up to it?" Oh, she's going to see right through that, I just know she will!

Furrowing her eyebrows together and giving him a skeptical look, Jillian replied "Mmm-huh, of course I feel up to it; but I don't think that's what Jim wanted. You stumbled over your words too many times with that explanation. You're up to something Peter Joseph Malloy…and I intend to get it out of you before I let you out of this bedroom!" And with that, she scooted back onto the bed and snuggled up to him, giggling, "Now, I think the real question here, is whether or not YOU'RE up to it!"

Laughing, he said, "I can assure you Sunshine that I am definitely up to it. And as for you getting it out of me what else I'm up to, well, you can try all you want, Jillian Rose Malloy, I promise that I won't stop you…but I won't tell you what I'm up to, either."

"Oh! You are absolutely incorrigible…but I wouldn't haven't any other way…I love you, Pete."

"And I love you, Jillian." The two shared a tender kiss…

Lingering awhile longer, it was nearly nine-forty-five when they finally decided to get out of bed and start their day.

Jillian was thankful that she had done most of the food preparation for the picnic, the night before. Pete was thankful that Jim hadn't called back as quickly as he had said that he would, but he was even more thankful that when Jim did finally call, he was able to talk freely, as Jillian was in the shower.

Quickly gathering the information from Jim, Pete was able to call the real estate office and speak with the listing agent. After a few minutes, he hung up the phone and called Jim back.

"Reed residence" Jean answered.

"Jean, its Pete. How are you?"

"Fine, Pete. Is everything okay?"

"Oh, yeah. I just needed to speak with Jim a second; is he there?"

"He's right here, Pete. Just what are the two of you up to anyway? Jim has been running in and out of the house and down the street all morning and I think that you know why!"

Pete began laughing and by way of explanation, said, "I'll let Jim be the one to tell you, but believe me, it's nothing bad…on the contrary, I think it will be very welcomed news, all around."

"Okay, okay, I can take a hint…I'll find out when you and Jim are ready to tell me. Anyway, tell Jillian not to bring any dishes or silverware. I picked up some paper plates and plastic ware at the market, so I'll just send that along with you guys for your picnic. We really appreciate you guys taking Jimmy for the night so we can celebrate our anniversary."

"Oh it's our pleasure, Jean. We're really looking forward to it. Jillian says that it will be good practice for me!"

Jean laughed with him and then said, "Well, here's Jim; we'll see you guys in a little while."

"Okay, thanks Jean."

"Hey Pete, what did you find out?" Jim's voice came over the line.

"I called and believe it or not, we actually have an appointment to see the place at eleven o'clock this morning! We might be a little late getting to your house; thought I'd better let you know in case we are."

"Hey, that's great! How are you going to get Jillian out of the apartment that early? After all, I think she and Jean worked it out that you wouldn't pick Jimmy up until he woke up from his nap at twelve-thirty.

"I'll just feed her some line about the traffic being heavy on Saturdays, and that we should leave a little early to get Jimmy. I'll tell her that this way if you two want to get on the road a little early for your trip up the coastline, you can."

"Hey, that's pretty good, Pete…you're wife's cleverness must be wearing off on you." Jim snickered.

"Funny. Listen, we'll be over right after we look at the place. Tell my godson to bring his kickball!"

"Will do. See ya in a while." He heard, as Jim hung up.

********

"You really think that Jimmy will be up early from his nap?" Jillian inquired of Pete, as they walked out to Pete's car.

"Oh sure…He's excited about going to the park with us and then spending the night. I wouldn't be at all surprised if he doesn't take a long nap at all this morning."

"Well, I guess if he's up early then we'll have more time at the park. Do you think it will be crowded?"

"Nice weather like this, you never can tell. Better to maybe get there early than to risk not getting a spot by the pond."

Looking thoughtfully at her husband, and noticing how nonchalant he was trying to be "I still think you have something up your sleeve," and then seeing a twinkle in his eyes "and before you respond to that, I mean something other than your arm!"

"Ouch! I need to change tactics with you, woman; you're starting to read me way to well for my own good."

Jillian couldn't help but laugh as she opened the car door and got into the passenger seat of Pete's little sports car after putting her camera in the back seat. They had packed up the cooler with the food and some ice and put that, along with the picnic blanket, in the trunk. Pete had also grabbed a frisbee and a football, and threw those in the trunk as well.

"Pete? You do know that Jimmy is only three, don't you?"

"Yeah…why?"

"Do you really think that he's going to be playing football and frisbee with you?"

Giving her a sheepish smile, "It's just habit to throw those in there whenever we go to the park."

"Mmmm…I see."

"Well, here we go Sunshine…today we practice at having a little one under foot." He pulled out onto the street and headed toward Jim and Jean's neighborhood.

"Yes, my love, we practice today…and tonight. At least Jimmy is passed the two a.m. feedings, though!"

"You're not nervous, are you? I mean, you haven't spent more than a few hours at a time around little ones ever since you moved away from your nieces and nephews. You might be out of practice at having a little one around for the night."

"Pete, he's three years old, and he's a very well behaved little boy. I think we can handle having him for the day and overnight! Besides, it hasn't been that long since I've been around kids for an extended period of time. Now quit worrying!"

"Okay, okay…I know everything will be fine."

Jillian noticed that the street that Pete turned on wasn't the usual route to the Reeds' house. "Pete, I think you turned too early. Don't we usually take Spring to Elmwood, and then turn?"

"Oh, I just thought we'd take a more scenic route, today?"

"A more scenic route? Really now, Pete, do I look that gullible? After all, it's a residential area…how 'scenic' can it possibly be? I still think that you're up to something!" Jillian shot him a look that said 'you're gonna have to do better than that!'

"Does anything ever get by you?"

"Is that your way of saying just sit back and relax and leave the driving to you?"

Delivered with a smooth look in her direction, "That's precisely what it is!"

Wanting to distract her, Pete changed the subject to photography. He knew beyond a doubt that she'd get so caught up talking about it that she'd hardly notice which way they were going.

"So, do you have a plan of action laid out for pictures in the park?"

"Well, pictures of Jimmy, of course! And pictures of you and Jimmy…tossing the football." She barely got that out without snickering.

Pete turned the corner onto Ashwood and pulled over to the curb, shutting off the ignition. He tried to ignore the inquiring look that he was getting from Jillian. Finally, she leaned over, tapped him on the shoulder and asked, "Are you trying to tell me that I need more exercise? Shall I walk to Jim and Jeans' house and get Jimmy? Or maybe there is some other reason we are two blocks from the Reeds' house? Perhaps there is something you'd like to share?"

Laughing at her mini inquisition, "No, I don't think you need to exercise more…if anything, you need to sit still once in awhile. And as for why I pulled over here…well, uhm, we have to meet someone… for an appointment…in about five minutes…to look at that house, right there." He was pointing to the brick ranch that they were parked in front of.

Did I hear him right? "To look at it? Why?" Jillian was perplexed.

"Well, the way I see it, buying a house is just naturally the next step in our life together. It's for sale…and we're having a baby in a little over two months and we'll need more room…and you won't have to go to the laundry mat and…"

"To buy? We're looking at a house, to buy? A real house…one with closets and a yard for the baby to play in, and, and…OH Pete! A real house…a home…OUR home?" Jillian could barely contain her excitement as she leaned over and threw her arms around his neck and gave him a big hug and kiss.

Her excitement was contagious and he was returning her affections with equal vigor when there was knock on the drivers' side window, causing both Pete and Jillian to draw back with a start. Pete quickly got out and shook hands with the gentleman and then walked around to the passenger side to open the door and help Jillian out of the car. After introductions, the three went into the house so that Pete and Jillian could look around.

As they entered through the front door, into the foyer area, Jillian immediately felt 'at home' in the house, thinking, This is it…this is the perfect house for our family. It feels so…so…right! Not wanting to give away her feelings, she kept her best 'poker' face on as the threesome proceeded on into the house.

There was a large, airy kitchen, a dining room, den, large family room and three bedrooms. The house also had two full bathrooms, a small utility room, big enough for a washer and dryer, a two car attached garage and a shed off to one side of the house. The fenced back yard was well kept, as was the unfenced front yard. There were several mature trees strategically placed to offer cool shade during the hot summers. The house had both a front and back wooden deck. In Jillian's eyes, it was the perfect place to raise a family.

Pete and the realtor watched her as she walked into each room, taking in details. While Pete did visual checks in each room, Jillian took the more 'hands on' approach as she checked windows and doors for snugness and draftiness. She flushed both toilets, turned faucets on and off, looked under sinks for signs of water leaks, opened and closed every door and drawer in the house, from closets to cupboards. Satisfied that all was in working order in those aspects, she started flipping light switches and checking wall plug receptacles for any signs of wear.

"You must have looked at quite a few houses, Mrs. Malloy; not too many women are this concerned with the basic working order of things." Jillian spared the man a quick smile and the realtor continued, "I have found that when looking at a listing, most women are more concerned with how their furnishings will look inside the house…you know cosmetic appearance. Perhaps that would be something more interesting for you to concentrate on while your husband performs the physical inspection?"

Pete glanced over at Jillian, catching a brief spark of fire in her eyes. Uh-oh…I don't think he realizes his faux pas…this is going to be good!

What kind of 'fluff' does this guy take me for? Jillian decided not to acknowledge that comment, but rather, she smiled, and in return asked, "Basement, crawl, or slab?"

"Crawl space, full house, four-foot deep. All of the pipes are accessible from under there…but that's not something that you would need to concern yourself with." The realtor replied in a tone that bordered on sarcasm.

"I'd like to see it, please. I'd like to see if it's a dry crawl space, especially with the unusual amount of rain that we've had lately. Oh, and do you know how old the sump pump down there, is?"

The realtor shot a look towards Pete, who merely shrugged his shoulders, indicating that if Jillian wanted to see the crawl space, it would behoove the realtor to show it to her. Pete was enjoying watching his wife as she went through the house, performing each inspection with care. He noted that she was checking things that he hadn't thought to even ask about. He was really looking forward to the verbal interrogation that he knew was coming next.

After finding the crawl space opening in the back of one of the closets in the master bedroom, the realtor lifted the wooden cover and then hurried out to retrieve a flashlight out of his car. Coming back in, he handed the flashlight to Jillian, who in turn handed it to Pete so that he could look into the dark space.

"Looks pretty dry, Sunshine." He smiled up at her from where he was kneeling.

"Satisfied now, Mrs. Malloy?" The tone in the realtors' voice was slightly impatient.

"Tell me about the house…give me particulars; year built, square footage, ages of the roof, furnace, water heater; when was the fireplace chimney last inspected; electrical and plumbing? Any sewage or water pipe problems in the past? Ever had a house fire? You know, give me the kind of maintenance and upkeep details that a potential buyer would be interested in."

The realtor, patience growing thin, flipped through his notebook and gave Jillian and Pete all of the information that Jillian had asked for. Then in the most congenial voice that he could muster, the realtor said, "I trust that you are satisfied with all of the answers…and have no more questions?"

"Thank you for the information; I do have another question, though. Is there an attic?"

"Just a very basic, full house attic, non-finished, of course; access to that is through the garage, but you would have to use a very tall ladder to get to the access panel, and quite frankly, in your 'delicate' condition… humph…well, I wouldn't recommend it." If he noticed that Jillian blanched at the mention of climbing a ladder, he didn't let on. Pete saw it though, and he knew what was coming next.

"Pete's not in a 'delicate' condition…" and then turning to Pete, "You'll go look at it, won't you, Honey?"

"Of course I will." And then to the realtor, "Lead the way."

The realtor shot Jillian a nasty look, causing both Pete and Jillian to look away and silently chuckle as they made their way to the garage. Though she was enjoying this just a little too much, she could also tell that her inquisitiveness was growing thin with the man. Even so, as a potential buyer, Jillian wasn't about to let any detail slip through the cracks. Add to that the attitude of the realtor and Jillian thought that maybe she was actually being a bit too easy on the man.

Nearly an hour after arriving, Pete and Jillian were finished looking at the inside of the house.

"Well, Mr. and Mrs. Malloy," shooting a look toward Jillian, "What do you think?"

Pete knew that Jillian wasn't going to let the overly exaggerated inclusion slide so he stayed silent, letting her answer the realtor's question. "I think we'd like to look around outside…at the roof, foundation, outside water spigots and such."

"Of course you would…right this way, please." His sarcasm wasn't lost on Pete or Jillian as he led the couple through the rear door and out into the back yard.

Looking at the outside took only a short amount of time. Jillian and Pete could see that the foundation looked sturdy and secure, the roof appeared to be in good shape, and the outside spigots worked fine. The fence and gate were in good repair as well, and both outside decks were stable and free of splitting or weather weakened wood.

They thanked the realtor and told him that they would think about what they had seen and give him a call in a day or so.

Once they were back in the car, out of earshot from the realtor, Jillian's face lit up like a fourth of July fireworks display, "Oh Pete! I loved it…it's perfect! Can't you just picture raising a family in that house? And the kitchen…and did you see that family room…Oh Pete, the house is just perfect…Oh, and Pete…" Suddenly Jillian realized that Pete was just sitting there, smiling at her, eyes twinkling as he was caught up in the moment and watching her excitement.

"What?" She asked, calming down just slightly.

"Nothing…I'm just enjoying the show. Five minutes ago you could've bluffed your way through a poker game with nothing but a pair of deuces…your expression was totally unreadable in there…and now, well, if that realtor could see you now, he'd be out planning how to spend his commission!"

"Did you like the place, Pete?" Jillian's eyes did nothing to disguise her excitement.

"I did...I do! And I know that you do, too. Do you want to look at any others, or do you want to make an offer on this one?" Pete already had a feeling that he knew the answer to his question.

"Let's make an offer…I mean that is if you really like it, too. You didn't really ask any questions about it or anything."

Pete couldn't stop the laughter that bubbled forth, "I didn't have to, you had all of the bases covered; that reminds me, which one of your five brothers should I be thanking for that little show?"

"Leon, the housing contractor. He fills in for the building and code inspector when the guy goes on vacation and I've been on a few inspections with him from time to time. Leon would inspect while I would take a few pictures and jot down the notes and then I'd type them up afterwards for the report. Or, you could thank Joe…he's a construction contractor, and while he doesn't do housing inspections, I have been out on a few job sites and pounded a few hundred nails with him a time or two.

"Well, remind me to thank both of them next time we talk to them. You certainly looked into a few more details than I would have even thought to ask about. How about if we give the realtor a call later this evening and let him know that we are interested?"

"Are you sure we can afford it, though? I mean, you know, with the baby coming soon and all of the added expenses and…"

"Sunshine…we can afford it; stop worrying and start planning which room you want for the nursery."

Jillian put her hand over her tummy, getting a far off dreamy look in her eyes, "Pete, we're going to be new parents and new homeowners…all before our first anniversary, even!"

Pete reached over and placed his hand on Jillian's tummy, next to her hand, "It has been quite a year, at that, hasn't it, Sunshine?"

Not one to be left out these days, the baby chose that moment to practice a field goal kick, bringing a huge smile to both Pete's and Jillian's faces.

"I love you, Pete." Jillian sighed.

"And I love you, Sunshine."

******************

Two months later…

Pete flopped down on the sofa, next to Jillian. "You okay, Sunshine; you look exhausted." They had just said goodnight to the last of their friends that had helped them with the grueling task of moving into their new home.

Most of the guys on Pete's shift, as well as their good friends Roy and Leah, along with Jim and Jean, had turned out to help the couple move. Johnny and April had wanted to be there, too, but April had just given birth to their little daughter a couple of days before. Afterwards, they had ordered a few large pizzas for dinner and everyone relaxed and visited for bit before leaving.

"I'm too tired to answer that right now." Jillian replied, slightly opening her eyelids. "I can't believe that took all day! How'd you ever have so much stuff in that apartment?"

"Well some of that 'stuff' was your stuff that we had stored in the basement of the apartment complex, remember?"

Jillian laughed quietly, "Oh yeah…I forgot. You know, I thought that was really nice of all of the wives to pitch in and help me with unpacking the boxes as you guys brought them in. I was really dreading that part of moving, especially with how slow I seem to be waddling these days."

"Well my beautiful little duck, that's what friends do, they pitch in and help each other."

"If I wasn't so tired, I'd ball up my fist and give you a 'love punch' for that lame duck 'quack'."

"Ooh, Sunshine…that was really bad." Pete chuckled. "But you're right, that was really nice of them to help you get everything unpacked and put away.

"I've said it before, and I'll say it again, Pete; we are certainly blessed with a wonderful circle of friends."

Pete drew Jillian into his arms in a tender embrace, "Yep…and in just a few short weeks, we're going to blessed with a wonderful little bundle of joy!"

The End

My thanks to all that have read, and continue to read, the Pete/Jillian series. Stay tuned…they will have the baby soon! I promise. As always, I welcome all reviews, critiques and suggestions.