"Now you sit right down there on the couch ..." Ric said as he guided Alexis to the sofa and sat her down. "Here .." he placed a pillow behind her back and lifted her legs up onto the sofa. Alexis just taking in all the extra attention.

"Ric ... I'm not dying or anything .. I'm just ..."

"It's okay, you can say it ..."

"I know I can, I'm just not sure I want to." Alexis replied and Ric chuckled under his breath.

"You're so cute." he replied. "Dr. Webber said he did the tests himself, so I guess we kinda have to believe him now, don't we? I mean he is the doctor."

"Yes I know this .. I'm just not sure my mind has wrapped around the concept of being ... pregnant. I mean you should of seen me the first time, I was a basket case, Ric."

"Yeah well, now you have me. And don't you worry about anything. We're going to take good care of you and the baby." he smiled as he left the living room and walked back to the kitchen.

He peered out from behind the swinging door ... "Honey or lemon"

Alexis turned her head towards him and gave him a confused look, then realized he was talking about what she wanted in her tea. "Lemon ... no, wait .. honey ... no that's not good for the baby .. better make it lemon."

"Gotcha ..." he replied and went back into the kitchen to make her tea.

"Ric .. you don't have to do this, you know. I'm perfectly capable of making my own tea." she said as she got up from the sofa and walked towards the kitchen. She hearing the clanging of pans as they hit the floor and she rushed in finding a few saucepans on the floor that had fallen out of the cabinet.

"I will do it ... as soon as I get the hang of it." Ric grinned and Alexis stood and giggled at his dilemma.

"Yeah I see you're making progress." she laughed.

"Hey ... I'll have the knack for it before the baby comes .. promise." he grinned.

"I don't know if I can survive those 9 months if you're like this, Ric." She went to him as he picked up the last pan that was on the floor and took the kettle that sat on the counter and she filled it with water.

"Here ..." she handed him the kettle and took the pan instead.

Ric put the kettle on the stove and turned on the burner. He turned towards Alexis and pulled her to him quickly. "You're okay with this right? I mean I know it's a shock but ..."

"I'm great with this ... really I am thrilled. I was just a little surprised that's all."

"Yeah you and me both." Alexis replied. "I certainly never expected to become pregnant again. I mean the first time was not planned at all."

"I'm sorry you had go through that alone, sweetheart. But it won't be the same this time. I'm with you now and I'm not going anywhere." he reassured her that he wasn't leaving.

"You know along with this baby comes a whole new routine ... 3am feedings, diaper changing, sleepless nights ..." she rattled on.

"Yeah I know, I'm up for it ... you" he asked.

She bit her bottom lip in decisiveness. "You know it's not all birthday parties and lamby's. There's sacrifices and compromises."

"You don't sound so sure, Alexis."

"Oh I'm sure, I'm just making sure that you are sure." she replied.

"I'm sure. I'm sure that I love you, I'm sure that I want us to have this baby, and I'm sure that you, Kristina and our new family is all I've ever wanted." Ric smiled and drew her closer to him.

"Okay good ... so now that we're both sure this is what we want .. how bout some tea" she smiled as the kettle's whistle began to screech.

"Here, let me get that .. you go out to the couch and sit down. I think I can handle it from here." Ric replied as he reached for the coffee cups on the counter.

She walked slowly towards the swinging door of the kitchen and looked back over her shoulder to see her husband reaching for the handle of the kettle, that was still on the stove.

"You might want to use a pot holder for that." she advised knowing the kettle's handle sometimes gets hot.

He quickly turned around ... "Right. Pot holders ..." he replied and started pulling out the drawers looking for one.

She sighed and went to the drawer where she kept them. "Pot holder." she smiled as she handed him one.

"I knew that." he grinned.

"Yeah ... sure you did." she smirked and then walked out of the kitchen and back into the living room to the couch.

Ric followed with the tray of cups and the kettle, pushing the door open with his foot, he walked through and into the living room where she was waiting for him, getting comfortable on the couch.

"You know, Kristina is going to be thrilled with this ..." Alexis said as Ric sat down the tray on the coffee table.

"I'm sure she'll make a great big sister for him." he emphasized that the baby was a boy.

"Yeah I'm sure she will be ... Did you just say for him" she questioned.

"Did I? Yeah I must of ..." he smiled.

"A boy .. huh? Ya think"

He leaned in towards her and nuzzled her ear. "Yeah I think." Alexis giggled as she felt his soft lips caress her neck.

"Ric ... stop that. That's how we got into this, remember"

"Oh I remember ..." he grinned. "I think it went something like this ..." he added as he began kissing her neck, and then lifted her hair away from her ear and began to nuzzle against it.

"Yeah ... come to think of it ... I think that's ... yeah that's ..." she stammered as Ric's touches took over all her senses and she quickly was at a loss for words.

He leaned further into her and she laid back against the cushions of the couch, he guided her down as his lips found hers, a pleasurable sigh escaped her lips as his caressed hers.

As the two of them remembered how it happened, she suddenly remembered something else. "Wait .. wait... " she said as he backed off just a little, surprised that she stopped him.

"What? ..." he replied reaching his lips for her once more.

"We can't .. not here ..."

"Alexis .. we're two grown adults I think we can do this here on the couch." he replied as he went back to nuzzling.

"Wait but what about Kristina .. I mean I don't want her walking in ..."

"Kristina will be gone for a few hours, remember. We said we'd pick her up after dinner." He looked down at his watch and noticed the time. "See ... it's only 3:30 ... we have plenty of time before we have to go pick her up."

Alexis looked at him and then at the watch as she took a hold of his arm to get a better look at the time. She sat and thought a serious moment. She looked at him and then realized what she was missing if she'd let this moment pass her by, she took a hold of the tie he was wearing pulled him to her.

She gave him a kiss, filled with passion and longing. She pulled back from it .."Okay, but just this once."