Breaking News

"Mr. Haney!" Oliver yelled, tying his robe as he walked out the closet and into the yard. Eb followed, knowing he would enjoy watching this interaction. Lisa watched from the open bedroom window. "What do you think you're doing?" Oliver asked Mr. Haney.

"Why I'm just helping you with things for the little one…now take this antique rocking…"

"Lisa honey, you need your rest, go back to bed." Oliver said, catching that Lisa was watching from the window.

"Darling, I'm fine." She giggled.

"Well good morning, Mrs. Douglas, aren't you a vision of loveliness. I hope the baby's a girl so she can look just like you."

"Oh that's so sveet." Lisa thanked him.

"My wife is going to go to New York to get things for the baby." Oliver informed. Lisa smiled, excited by this news.

"I'm just joshing with you. Now I knew you weren't telling the truth when your mother was here. Mrs. Douglas was obvious yesterday."

"Shee (see) I tried to tell you then!" Lisa said, glad someone had understood her hints the previous morning.

"I just came to offer my congratulations, and to give you this." Mr. Haney

handed Oliver a cigar. Oliver smiled, that was actually very nice of Haney, he couldn't think of anybody in the city who would have done that for him, even his law partners wouldn't have cared enough about his impending fatherhood to extend such a kindness.

"Thanks Mr. Haney, that's very…"

"That'll be $1.49."

$1.49!" Oliver was outraged.

"It's a Cuban!" Haney whispered.

"Cuban? Here, take your cigar, and..."

"Well that's not very neighborly of you…"

"Neighborly of me!" Oliver yelled so loud, it startled Lisa a little bit. "Asking someone to pay for a gift! Now who ever heard of anything so…"

"And I wanna deliver your paper…that'll be 14 cents…"

"Get out!"

"But…"

"Out!" Oliver yelled, grabbing the paper, shaking it at Haney.

Haney shook his head.

"Some people just don't know the meaning of good will."

Lisa and Eb watched as Haney drove away and Oliver opened the paper. Lisa could tell he was surprised when he saw the front headline, it read: Douglas's Expecting Baby.

"Oh for the love of…" Oliver sighed.

"Vhat?"

"Wow, the baby made the news!" Eb informed. "I wonder if they're going to close the schools." Lisa and Oliver looked at Eb like he was crazy.

"Eb, would you let me tell her?" Oliver was very angry, Eb simply didn't reply again. "It says: Douglas's Expecting Baby. Mr. and Mrs…." Oliver began to read the article, but was interrupted by the sound of loud snorting and squealing at his feet.

"Oh hello there Arnold." Lisa called cheerfully to the little pig, who had a small bouqet of roses in his mouth. He squealed loudly in reply to her greeting, indicting he'd brought the roses for her.

"Vhy thank you Arnold! That was sveet! Eb?"

"Yes ma'am?"

"Could you take the roses and put them in a vase for me?"

"Okay." He said. Arnold squealed as Eb took the roses from him.

"No Arnold," Lisa replied, "the baby von't be here for a vhile, but when she's big enough you can come to play!"

"Oh no you don't! I've had enough my kid isn't playing with a pig!" Oliver was fed up with this rediculousness. Arnold squealed loudly in offense.

"Oliver! You hurt his feelings, and after he did such a nice…" She was aghast

and appaulled by his attitude.

"Lisa, I don't care. Get dressed."

"Vhy, vhere are ve going?"

"To Druckers'. I want to see what made him print this article."

"Lisa, I want to ask you something." Oliver said as they drove down the road. He'd calmed down considerably.

"Yes darling."

"Are you very sure you're pregnant?"

"Yes."

"How do you know? Did…"

"Vell, she's growving already." She said hesitantly, not wanting to admit that she'd already gained weight.

"No, I mean, did you see a doctor?"

"Yes. In New York, vhen I vent back to close the penthouse." Oliver felt like he might loose control and slide off the road, knowing now, without a doubt, that this was real. "Vhy do you ask, don't you believe me?"

"Of course I do, darling. I just want to make sure before I talk to Mr. Drucker about his paper." He explained as they pulled up in front of Drucker's General Store.

"Joe put that down!" Sam Drucker rolled his eyes. He was standing precariously on an old wooden latter that was breaking apart, trying to get something off a high shelf. Even so, he knew that Joe had just taken a bottle of soda. Joe Carson never stopped trying to get something for free: he was almost as bad as that shyster Haney.

"Good morning." Oliver said as he and Lisa walked into the store.

"Congratulations." Mr. Drucker said simply. "What can I do for you folks this morning?"

"You can tell me why-" Oliver began, lifting up the paper.

"Wait a minute, can I have a cigar and charge it to you for the occasion Mr. Douglas?" Joe asked.

"Mr. Carson!" Oliver was outraged, but decided to be sarcastic instead of angry this time. "I mean I already let you date my Mother. I don't think I need to go buying you anything."

"Joe, leave em' alone!"

"Mr. Drucker." Oliver took a deep breath. "Why did you print this story, how did you even find out about it?"

"That's vright, you see. I didn't tell Oliver abvout the baby until very, very early this morning. No vone could have known."

"It's all over town, everybody knows it. Haney told me." Sam replied.

Joe was upset. He thought Oliver should've given him a cigar.

"Mrs. Douglas. I sure hope it's a girl, so she'll be as pretty as you." Lisa smiled greatfully as Joe left the store.

"Why does everybody say that?" Oliver asked, almost talking to himself.

Later on in the day, Oliver was out in the tomato (or what would soon be the tomato field) by himself, thinking. He was tired and overwhelmed, not by his wife's news, but by the town's varied and insane reaction. On the other hand, his life would soon change completely, and he was well, a little overwhelmed. After all, fatherhood was no small responsibility. Suddenly he heard a noise that went; "Psst!" and called his attention. He looked everywhere around him and saw nothing, thinking of course that he was beginning to hear things.

"Pssst." It came again. "Hey, yeah Mr. Douglas, over here."

"Oh Mr. Watson hello, you startled me!"

"Oh I'm sorry. I hear congratulations are in order."

"Yes they are, thank you." Oliver smiled, at least people cared enough to

congratulate him.

"I thought you might like to buy some property."

"What?" He asked, angry for a second. He hadn't realized that having a baby

met that everyone was going to ask you to buy something from or for them.

"Well, my wife and I've been thinking of leaving you know, going into

retirement, and with your wife expecting, I figured you might want to have…a little bit bigger of a place." Mr. Watson chose his words carefully, not wanting to insult the hovel…house that the Douglas's currently resided in. Surely they didn't think they could raise children there.

"The house too?" Oliver asked.

"Yes, that too."

"I might just be inclined to take a look then."

"Well then, step on to your land." Oliver did not hesitate to walk onto Mr. Watson's property when he dismantled the small section of fence standing between them. This gave Oliver a very clever, sweet idea.

Up at the house, Lisa was sitting with her fourth set of visitors of the day. First there had been Arnold, then Alf and Ralph, Mr. and Mrs. Ziffel, and now Kate and Bobby Jo Bradley had come to see her, and brought her first baby gift…gifts, actually.

"This is too generous of you Mrs. Bradley." Lisa was overwhelmed by what Kate and Bobby Jo had brought her. "I don't know how I could ever thank you."

"Oh you don't need to thank me. That's what neighbors and friends are for."

"But won't you…"

"Need all this stuff?" Kate laughed. "No. You see my girls outgrew all of this a long time ago." Lisa smiled, looking up at one of the cute little dresses they'd brought her.

"Oh my, this is so tiny and so cute!" Lisa smiled, she'd never really handled baby clothes before. "And the rocking chair, are you sure you vant to part vith it?"

"Well, you need it more than we do right now."

"Oh thank you so much, it's the most darling thing I've ever seen."

Lisa had kept the Bradley's rocking chair on the condition that she would return it whenever the first Bradley girl had a baby.

"Hello darling." Lisa smiled, wrapping her arms around Oilver's neck when he came home. "I have a surprise for you."

"And I for you." He kissed her sweetly.

"Me first, come on darling." She laughed flirtatiously, taking his hand in her own and leading him into the living room.

"What is it?"

"It's our first baby gift, on loan from Mrs. Bradley and her girls. There!" She

gestured toward the rocking chair. "Look Daddy, because you have a beautiful voice to sing people to sleep with!"

"Oh Lisa it's wonderful. It makes it all so much more real." He wrapped his arms around her and held her tight. She squealed as he swept her off her feet. The next thing she knew she was on his lap, in his arms. She kissed his cheek.

"What makes it more real, I remember, they don't allow children in the penthouse."

"No they don't."

"Not even one little baby girl?"

"Nope."

"Not even a very good little girl, vith your eyes?" She nuseled him, pleading as though it were his decision.

"Nope. I'm sorry Lisa." He kissed her softly.

"Not even Oliver Vendell Douglas Jr?"

"No." He laughed, hugging her tightly. "Many penthouses simply do not allow children."

"Vhat about here?Ve can't have children in such a dangerous house?"

"Children?" He asked.

"Yes…children. Vell, I think our baby should have a sibling. At least vone."

"I agree."

"But Oliver…vone baby or three, I don't think that this house is a safe place for children."

"I agree with you."

"Really?" She was shocked.

"Yes. That's why I have a surprise for you."

"Oh I love surprises Oliver!"

"I know you do." He smiled, handing her a very small package. "Here, open it."

"It's not a minks?" She asked, clearly disappointed.

"No. But I think you'll like it much better than a mink."

"Alvright darling." She said as she began to tear at the package. "Vhat's this?" She asked, holding up a single key.

"It's the key to the house we're going to raise a family in."

"Oh Oliver!" She was overwhelmed as ears came to her eyes. She threw her arms around him and kissed him.

"Vhere, Vhat?"

"I bought the Watson's house, and all his land….and his apple orchards…."

"Oliver, that sounds beautiful. I love that house, I can't think of a better place around here for a baby. Vhen do ve move in?"

"Well, Lisa, that's kind of the thing."

"Vhat…"

"Well, we can't move in for a while, actually not for another six months."

"Sixs months?"

"Yes, the baby will be just a few weeks old."

"Alvright, that's better than nothing."

"Oh Oliver, I love you."

"And I love you." He replied as they began to kiss again, she ran her fingers through his hair.

"Can I have a room? That place is huge!" Eb interjected.

"Get out!"

"But…"

"Go to bed!" Oliver yelled.

"Yes sir! Gee Mrs. Douglas, I sure hope it is a girl so she'll be as nice and as pretty as you, not a sorehead like him!" Eb bolted from the room.

"Why, I-" Oliver was outraged. "Why does everybody say that?"

"Darling!" Lisa said sweetly.

"Hum?"

Lisa giggled. Guiding his chin back toward her and throwing her arms around him, they went back to their kiss.