"Are you nervous?" he asked Ivy as they waited for her doctor.
" What if there is something wrong?" she asked nervously. " I have being taking the vitamins but still-" she rambled on. "There is nothing wrong," he tried to reassure her. Just then the doctor walked in.
" Sorry to keep you waiting. Okay Ivy, you've reached the end of your first trimester which means that the chance of miscarriage has greatly diminished. Let's take a look," the doctor said as she set up the ultrasound machine. Derek squeezed Ivy's hand and a few minutes later they heard their baby's heartbeat for the first time. To both of them, it was the most beautiful sound they had ever heard.
" Everything looks perfect but we do need to talk about your job. The stress of doing so many shows each week can take a toll on both you and the baby. I strongly advise you to not do performances past the 20-week mark. Don't forget to book another appointment for next month." They thanked the doctor and she left.
"Did you see that?" an ecstatic Derek asked her as they entered the restaurant across the street. She had never seen the chronically-morose director smile so much in a week, let alone in a day and she wasn't the only one who noticed; the waiters at the restaurant, some having experienced Derek's wrath first hand, thought the apocalypse had finally arrived.
" I did; I even have a picture. It's our baby," she said happily.
" We need to tell Tom, Julia and Eileen," she added slightly less enthusiastically, remembering the doctor's words. Ivy had no idea how Tom would react when he found out that his best friend and the person he had once affectionately labeled " the terrible human being" were not only a couple, but expecting a baby.
" If you want you could stop by Eileen's office after auditions and we can tell them together," Derek too couldn't wait to see Tom's reaction.
" That's probably the best thing to do. That way, Tom can yell at you instead," she joked.
" Speaking of Tom, I should have been at auditions 20 minutes ago. Tell Ronnie I said hi," he said getting up. Before he left, he kissed her and added, " I love you, darling."
" Love you too," she said and he rushed to the studio. Ivy stayed at the restaurant and waited for Veronica to arrive. They had arranged to celebrate Ivy's Tony win today since Veronica had been abroad at the time of the ceremony.
" There she is," Veronica said as she approached Ivy who was deep in thought. " Ronnie," Ivy replied excitedly as they embraced.
" I am sorry I couldn't be at the Tonys but we are finally going to celebrate," Veronica said happily as she ordered the best champagne available.
" It's ten o' clock in the morning; it's too early for alcohol," Ivy protested.
" Come on, you won a Tony; you are allowed to drink at any time. Besides, you have to tell me about your next project," Veronica said adamantly.
" Well, I am actually going to take some time off," she said. Veronica looked at her incredulously but before she could say anything, they were interrupted by a waiter balancing a bottle of champagne in one hand and two glasses in the other.
" A toast to Broadway's newest star," Veronica declared, raising her glass. Ivy set hers down without taking a sip and that didn't go unnoticed by the other woman.
" It's just a glass of champagne," Veronica said.
" I am not very thirsty. So, what have you been up to?" Ivy asked, hoping to divert the conversation. Unfortunately for her, her friend sensed her intentions and wondered aloud, 'What's going on with you?" Right then and there, a realization hit her.
" Oh my God...you are... aren't you?" she asked almost incoherently, shock written all over her face.
Ivy's smile betrayed her.
" Wow...ah...okay...ah...congratulations," Veronica exclaimed once she had recovered her composure sufficiently. She moved to hug her friend once again.
" So are you going to introduce me to this new guy," she asked against her better judgement; her curiosity finally overpowering her.
"What new guy?" asked Ivy confusedly. She didn't realize that her friend was not aware of her rekindled relationship with Derek. This time, Veronica looked as if she had seen a ghost. " No way"
" Yep, " Ivy answered smilingly.
" You and Derek?" she asked incredulously," You and Derek are having a baby? We are talking about the same Derek, right?"
Ivy laughed and showed her the sonogram picture as they continued talking.
Meanwhile, a few blocks away, at the audition studio something very alarming was taking place. Derek had come in late and was behaving like an actual decent human being. He had complimented Tom and Julia on the song and abstained from uttering any sarcastic remarks. What's more, he had been nice to all of the staff which had flabbergasted Linda and perhaps most worryingly, had gone four hours without reducing any of the auditioning actors to tears. By lunch, everybody thought he was gravely ill.
" He is nice," Tom exclaimed in astonishment as he, Sam and Julia grabbed lunch."I mean, he is actually nice. He smiles, like a human being." Tom's statement was accompanied by an amusing imitation of Derek's smile.
" I am really starting to worry about him. Do you think he has a brain tumor?", the composer asked only half- jokingly.
" Maybe, he got a lobotomy," Julia quipped.
" Or maybe, he is just nice. Why is that so hard to accept that he can be nice without having a life- threatening medical condition," asked Sam, the only person who knew the real reason behind the director's uncharacteristic happiness. Tom and Julia stared at him.
" Because if I accept that Derek Wills can be nice without suffering from a terminal illness, I would also have to accept that the sky is made of flying unicorns and that the end of days is upon us," said Tom quite dramatically, his words accompanied by grand theatrical hand gestures. Julia nodded her head in agreement.
A few hours later, auditions were over and the composer had finally had enough of Derek's new attitude.
Sprawled on the couch in Eileen's office he exclaimed, " Have you hit your head somewhere recently ?"
" No. Why?" asked Derek nonchalantly, looking at his phone.
"Well, it's just that you managed to go an entire day without making some poor actor cry," said Tom and then added, " I was wondering whether I should take you to a hospital."
Before Derek could respond, Ivy entered the office.
" Ivy, sweetheart, is something wrong?" a surprised Julia asked.
" No, no, everything is fine," she reassured her and taking Derek's hand added, " I...well...we need to talk to you." " What's going on?" Eileen finally spoke up but she had a sneaking suspicion that she knew what was to come. " Well, ah, we ,ah, we are going to have a baby," Ivy finally stammered.
The term "stunned into silence" had never before been used so accurately to describe the atmosphere in a room. Eileen starred blankly; Julia's expression mirrored the one Veronica had worn earlier that day and Tom, well, she was worried the shock had killed him. After a while, Julia and Eileen had regained their composure and exchanged embraces with the happy couple. Tom ,meanwhile, was still seated on the couch, his expression somewhat dazed prompting Derek to ask, " Tom?...Tom, you still with us?"
"I am fine ...I ...ah...I just don't understand...how?", muttered the stunned composer.
"Should I get you a biology textbook?"Derek asked laughingly earning a glare from Tom who got up and hugged Ivy.
" I just don't understand how someone so lovely can end up with someone like...well...you," retorted Tom, looking Derek up and down.
"Believe me, neither do I," answered Derek.
"Okay boys,how about we all go to Table 46 and celebrate?"Eileen suggested.
" That sounds like a great idea," Julia concurred.
" Tom's buying," added Ivy playfully as the merry group filed out of Eileen's office.