After everyone left, Shawn and Angela laid in bed, wrapped in each other's arms.
"That went better than expected." Shawn said.
"We have the best friends in the world." Angela said, snuggling into Shawn's chest.
"Yeah we do." Shawn said, kissing her head. "This kid isn't going to grow up like we did. He's going to grow up with a mom and a dad and a big extended family."
Angela picked up on one key word. "He?"
Shawn smiled. "I never really pictured myself having kids, but now that I am, I'd kind of like a boy."
"And why is that?" Angela was curious.
"So I don't have to see my daughter hurting after she falls for a guy like me." Shawn said, remembering back to the guy he used to be before Angela came along.
"You're not that guy anymore, Shawn." Angela turned over and stared directly into Shawn's eyes. "You've changed so much since I've met you and I know you're going to be an amazing father."
"I hope so." Shawn smiled. "Hey, all I really have to do is take everything my dad did as a father and do the exact opposite. I know I'm not going to be perfect, but what parent is, other than Mr. and Mrs. Matthews?"
"I'm sure they even have their slip-ups every once in a while." Angela replied.
"If they did they never showed it." Shawn said. "I've known them since I was a little kid. I never once saw them be anything less than great parents in the last almost twenty years. Even when we were rebellious teenagers who got caught drinking, they still tried to help both of us, rather than just letting us fail and disowning us. Other than Feeny, they are the only other reason I'm alive."
Angela snuggled back into Shawn's chest. "Well I guess we have something to strive for then. It's going to be difficult to compete with that though."
"I know." Shawn wrapped his arms around her tighter. "But if we take it day by day I think we can handle it."
"I hope you're right." Angela said. "So why don't we start day one by coming up with some kind of plan. Mr. Feeny and the others were right. We need to figure out what we are going to do once this kid gets here."
Shawn turned his head to look over at his clock. "Well since day one is pretty much over, and this kid isn't coming tonight, what do you say we make a plan over breakfast tomorrow? My treat."
"Sounds perfect." Angela whispered, half asleep.
Before Shawn could say another word, he felt Angela fall asleep on him. The love of his life, carrying his child, was asleep in his arms; that's exactly what he wanted his life to be. His hand grazed her stomach and he began to speak softly to his little one.
"Don't worry little one, daddy's got you. Mommy and I will figure this out. I love you so much already."
Soon Shawn fell asleep as well. He dreamed of what life would be like with his child. He couldn't wait for his new life to start.
Angela woke up to the smell of maple syrup and bacon. She followed the smell into the kitchen to see Shawn making a big breakfast: blueberry and chocolate chip pancakes, bacon, eggs, toast, the works.
Shawn looked up from cooking to see Angela sitting at the island. "Good morning beautiful. Breakfast as promised."
Angela leaned over and kissed him good morning. "I know. I'm impressed. I didn't know you could cook like this."
Shawn explained as he continued cooking. "Well when I first moved in here with Jack, he wanted to do some family bonding crap. We tried pretty much everything but nothing seemed to stick. Then one Sunday morning I saw him making himself some breakfast and asked if he could make some for me too. Well rather than making me breakfast he said 'why don't you get in here and help me make it.' And after that it just sort of turned into our Sunday morning thing."
"Aw. That's nice. Does that mean Jack is going to be showing up here?" Angela asked.
"Not likely." Shawn assured her. "Him and Eric are doing some kind of Godfather movie marathon today. So it's just the two of us."
"You mean the three of us." Angela smiled, rubbing her now flat stomach. It wouldn't be that way for much longer.
Shawn smiled and handed Angela a plate. "Speaking of…here's your breakfast. You need to eat good to keep that kid cookin."
Angela giggled. "Is that why you gave me the blueberry pancakes while you're eating chocolate chip?"
Shawn spoke with his mouth half full of pancakes. "What? I figured eating healthier would be better for the baby."
Angela smiled as she took a bite of her pancakes. She loved how protective and 'fatherly' he was being already.
"Well then daddy, why don't we do something that'll be really good for the baby and make a plan."
Shawn went into the junk drawer and grabbed a pen and a pad of paper.
"Ok, so first we will probably need to get a calendar and write down all of your doctor's appointments. And I'm sure we don't have to do it today, but once we get our schedules for next semester we should sign up for one of those baby classes. And since Jack said we could stay here at least we don't have to worry about a place to live. And of course we're going to need clothes and diapers and a crib, and…"
Angela giggled as Shawn feverishly wrote everything down.
"Are you going to take a breath and have another bite of breakfast?"
Shawn took a deep breath, put down the pen, and took a bite of his bacon. "Sorry. I'm just trying to plan as much as we can. The more we plan ahead the better off we'll be. Oh my god when did I turn into Topanga?"
Angela laughed. "Being a new parent will do that to you. But here's another pretty important question: how are we going to pay for all of this?"
Shawn knew she was right. Before they could get or do any of these things, they needed the money to pay for it.
"I have some money saved up from my work-study program last year. It won't cover 18 years' worth of stuff, but it's a start." Shawn said.
Angela added, "I also have some money in a trust my dad created for me. He wanted me to be taken care of even when he couldn't be here."
"Ok, so if we combine my savings and your trust fund, do we have enough money to at least cover the first few weeks? I know 18 years is impossible, but a few weeks should be enough to get us started on the right foot."
Angela grabbed a calculator and did the math.
"Ok since I'm still covered under my dad's military medical insurance, all of my doctor's appointments and the hospital stay and everything for the birth should be covered. You said Jack's dad was covering our apartment costs. That just means we'd need money for the other stuff, like clothes, a crib, diapers, and whatever else this little one is going to need, as well as childcare for when we can't be there. With the money we have if we get everything as cheap as possible we could potentially be covered for the first two months of his life. That at least buys us some time to save up some more money, at least until we graduate and get real jobs."
"Sounds like a plan." Shawn smiled. "And speaking of your dad, you should probably call and tell him before he starts getting all the insurance bills in the mail and wonders why you're going to the fancy lady doctor so much."
Angela giggled. "First off, the fancy lady doctor is called an obstetrician. And second, I know I have to call him. I just don't want him freaking out the way the Matthews' did. You've met my dad. He can be a bit scary."
Shawn remembered her father well. He took the term 'drill sergeant' to heart. They were just barely on good terms the last time he left. Shawn didn't want this news to be the thing that Sgt. Moore killed him for. He also knew that Angela needed her dad and didn't want to be the one to stand between them.
"Hey, I'd rather him find out now and kill me than wait and find out later and have him kill me for not telling him sooner." Shawn said, trying to make Angela feel better.
She stood up for her man. "Oh my dad is not killing the father of my child, not if I have anything to say about it! But yeah I guess I'll call him."
"Good. Why don't you call him while I clean up the kitchen." Shawn said.
Angela got up and kissed Shawn. "How did I get so lucky to find the most amazing man in the world?"
Shawn replied, "I'm the lucky one."