Chapter ten: Tammy's shocking surprise

Linda's POV,

Father stumbles backwards holding onto his jaw in stunned surprise. Mother, she is the image of furious as she slams her elbow into his stomach, causing him to double over! "You," she spits out with so much venom that everyone draws in a collective breath. "keep your hands off me."

Father, I'm sure now, is wracking his brain for any crimes that he may have committed. "Tammy," father gasps out tightly, a tinge of worry painting his words. "calm down."

"Don't tell me to calm down!" She shrieks. "I am never letting you touch me again William Sherlock Scott Holmes! Not after what you did to me! Keep your hands off me!"

Mother stomps towards their bedroom. "What did I do?" Father asks. "Considering this is the first time I've seen you since I sent you off to see John, I believe I'm entitled to an explanation."

She stops, turns on her heel and shouts. "I'm pregnant!" Everyone gasps and father's mouth falls open and his eyes bulge out in shock. "Thanks to you!" Mother spins around and slams the bedroom door shut.

Everyone stands there in shock, father, isn't blinking. He's completely frozen in place. But after a moment, he blinks rapidly, shaking the shock off. "I see." He inhales, exhales and then moves towards the kitchen. "All right….you guys go on, do your thing, I need to talk to Tammy alone."

"How?" Sherlock asks. "How can mother be pregnant? I thought the doctors said that she couldn't-

"She shouldn't be pregnant, but…if John says she is, then she is." Father says as he pulls out a hot chocolate packet. "But then it makes sense for her mood swings. Doctors have been wrong from time to time." He smirks slightly. "I should have known. Your mother is too lively and young to stop having children."

"But still," Sherlock says cautiously. "you two must have been going at it-

"I will not discuss my sex life with my children. What I do with your mother is none of your business." All of us choke and chuckle quietly at our father's bland statement. "Besides, if you did know what I did with her half the time, ou'd be properly horrified. Now, all of you, out."

"What are you going to do?" I ask.

"I am going to make her a hot chocolate, unlock the door and talk with her."

Scott frowns. "I don't think that's a good idea Dad."

"I've been married to your mother for twenty-years."

"Legally eighteen." Alexander adds. "You were absent for two."

Father glowers at him. "I know what's going on inside her head. She's in bed, in one of my shirts, feeling miserable now." I walk over to my bouquet from David and hand the single red rose to father. He frowns. "This was yours."

"Keep it. You need it more than I do."

Father shakes his head. "Thank you but, as I said before, your mother would know I was up to something. The moment I walk in, she is going to sit up in bed, start crying and ask me to forgive her."

John snorts. "No way."

Tammy's POV,

I was pregnant. HOW COULD I BE PREGNANT!? I was 44! Women my age shouldn't be pregnant! I should be a grandmother by now! But now, I was going to be having another baby. When John told me, I wound up falling to the floor in shock. Then, I sat in the taxi in complete shock, wondering how I was going to deal with this. Then, I saw Sherlock and….I just lost it. I actually punched him in the face! I couldn't believe I'd done that.

I flipped onto my back, sniffling back the tears that wanted to fall. I pull the shirt back down around me as I run my hand over my stomach. I inhale as I think about how I punched Sherlock in jaw. It was and it wasn't his fault that I was in this condition. But, I was so upset, frightened and shocked about this that I just exploded all over him.

The door knob clicked and I looked over as Sherlock opened the door. I could see a faint bruise on his jaw from where I'd hit him. In his hand, he held a mug of cocoa for me. "Hey," he said softly as he closed the door behind himself. "I thought you might need this." My lips trembled and the tears began to break free. I began crying. Sherlock put the cocoa to the side and pulled me into his arms. "Shh," he said gently. "easy."

"I hit you!"

"I'm fine." He assured me, pressing a kiss to my brow.

"I'm sorry."

"It's ok, honest Tammy. Now, I need you to calm down and breathe easy." I sniffled loudly and he pulled away from me. He handed me the tissue box and I wiped my eyes, all the while under his perceptive eyes. He kicked off his shoes, removed his coat and crawled under the covers with me. He wrapped one arm over my shoulders and pulled me into his chest. "Now, that you're somewhat calm, why don't you tell me…what's troubling you?"

"I'm 44!" I wail as I take the cocoa he's handed to me. "I should be a grandmother! Not a mother!" I set the cocoa on my nightstand and glower. "What are people going to say? John was already having a hard time to keep from laughing at me!"

"John always was an idiot."

"What if I get mistaken for the child's grandmother instead of their mother?"

"What if a bomb falls on us and we die this instant?" I glower at him. Sherlock reaches up and tenderly strokes my cheek. "Hey, you knew you were in for a crazy ride when you married me the first two times. This is just another part of the road."

"I feel foolish. The magazines are going to have a field day when I begin showing."

"Ignore them, I'm sure I can have it arranged that you're allowed your privacy." He runs his hand down my neck, down my throat, between my breasts and down to my stomach. "And you're not too old, you're perfect, just the way you are." He shakes his head and exhales as he finds the small lump. "You know….you looked lovely on our wedding days and I adored you madly. But for me, you're the most beautiful and radiant to me, when you're pregnant." I bite my lip as he leans forward and kisses my neck, just below my earlobe.

"I-I," I struggle to collect a breath. Damn him and those kisses! They're always distracting me! "I look terrible most of the time."

"You look the most beautiful then because you're not trying to look beautiful. You're unconsciously beautiful. You're a very special woman and I'm glad that I married you." He chuckles quietly. "Marrying you was the smartest thing I ever did."

I can't help but smile. "I love you."

"I love you too." He leans over and kisses me with all the passion that got me into this situation in the first place. After enjoying his attention for a few minutes, I pull away. "Now," he runs his hand down my cheek. "why don't you take a nap and we'll go out to dinner tonight and celebrate?"

"Will you stay with me?"

He rolls out of bed as he removes his shirt. "Do I look like I was planning on going anywhere?"

I laugh. "No."

He stands up and begins to shed his pants. "So, what are we having? A boy or girl?"

I sip my cocoa. "I don't know. I didn't stick around long enough for John to tell me. I'm afraid I freaked him out."

Sherlock pulls his phone out, texting John as he crawls under the covers with me. "Doesn't matter, he doesn't mind after putting up with me for so many years. Besides, he's a father too remember?" I nod as Sherlock exhales. "You know, I'm rather excited for this one to be born."

I laugh. "Naturally, to show the world that the great Sherlock Holmes can cause his infertile wife to become pregnant at the age of 44. Doctors around the world are going to be asking how you managed it."

He snorts. "I just have a wife that can't say no."

"Sherlock," I whisper. "what if I loose this one, like I lost Elise?"

"You never lost Elise. She was stolen from us and murdered. It wasn't your fault." He tilts my face up. "Hey, now, we've got another one on the way. If it's a girl, it'll be a second chance for us." His phone goes off and he glances at it, his brows knit together. He glances down at me. "I don't suppose you'd like to know that you're having twin girls…right?"