AUTHOR'S NOTE: Well, so far, Ralph and Melissa have decided to try to have children. Melissa started out feeling extremely confident and felt certain that she would get pregnant within a short amount of time, but as months passed by, her confidence started to wear down as she got her hopes up only for it to be a false alarm. To top it all off, Melissa received the terrible news that her father was dying of lung cancer and had roughly a year left to live. She realized she was soon to be the only living member of her family left alive, and also realized that she was the only hope left for the survival of her family's blood. Stressed out beyond belief, she told Ralph she felt that the two of them would likely never have children. However, Ralph was able to reassure her and convince her that she should keep trying. Shortly there after, Ralph got sick with the stomach flu, and no sooner than he got better, Melissa appeared to catch the flu as well. However, she realized she had missed her period and realized she could be pregnant, prompting her to use a pregnancy test to find out whether or not she was pregnant. That was where we left off last time. You're about to find out what the results were. Will Melissa's wish to have children come true, or will she be crushed again? You'll see right at the start of this chapter...
Now we begin...
CHAPTER TEN: The Happiest Days Of Our Lives
It's a December morning in the Evergreen Forest. It's only a little more than a week until Christmas, and many of the residents are anxious to spend time with their loved ones celebrating the holidays. That, of course, included Ralph Raccoon...
Ralph was sitting on the living room couch, lying back and flipping through the TV channels looking for something good to watch. Normally, he would be asleep at this hour, but, circumstances had forced him to awaken far earlier than he would have liked. "Poor Melissa..." Ralph thought. "She's got the stomach flu. Seeing how bad I had it last week, she's really in for a rough time..." Ralph had been woken from his slumber by his beloved wife this morning, as she shook him awake and rushed into the bathroom where she had proceeded to vomit her guts out. "I hope she'll be okay soon..." Ralph hated for his wife to be sick. "I'm just waiting for her to come downstairs so I can take care of her."
Ralph randomly flipped through the channels, looking for something good to watch while he waited for Melissa. Ralph was hoping to find the news station. "I can't help it," Ralph chuckled. "No matter what, I'll always be a pure journalist at heart..." He always did like to check the news to see what was going on in the world outside the Evergreen Forest. Sure, the Standard rarely ever reported on world events, but if one was big enough, it might make a good story for the next issue..."Well, once Melissa gets better, that is," Ralph quickly said.
Presently Ralph came across a channel featuring a rather comfortable and moderately-well furnished room. A handsome looking lemming came walking towards the comfy-looking chair sitting in the center of the room. He sat down in the chair and turned to the audience, flashing a warm and friendly grin.
"Hello. I'm Lance Lemming," the lemming said to the audience. "You might remember me from such recent sci-fi B-movies such as Aliens Abducted My Brain For Science and The Return of The Mummy's Mummy. And of course, I'm sure all of you remember me from my many movies I once co-starred in with the lovely Miss Ingrid Bellamour. Once we were romantically involved, but we went our separate ways. Fate decided she was to be an environmental activist, while I have gone on to the much more glamorous and high-profile career of TV infomercials. But enough about my past life; today, I would like to talk to you about a new product I have been personally asked to hawk to the masses. I'm sure most of you guys hate the doctor with a passion. Can't stand his attitude? Terrified of needles? Well, worry no more! You never have to worry about visiting the ol' doctor again, when you purchase THIS!" Lance proceeded to pull out a small kit. "The Do-It-Yourself Home Brain Surgery Kit! You will never have to worry about costly surgery again, as the instructions are eas-"
Ralph shut the TV off. "Okay, enough of that. I think we can do without the news this morning," Ralph stated. "I can't believe Ingrid once dated Lance. What did she ever see in him? Someone as friendly and classy as her dating a total screwball like that?" Ralph shook his head. "Then again, I've never understood how Hollywood works...if anything, I think they should have called it 'Hollyweird'. I think that's a good reason the Standard doesn't have a celebrity gossip column..."
Ralph quickly took his mind away from the strange world of Hollywood and turned his thoughts to his sick wife. "I'm already to care for her," he thought. Ralph had already gathered a blanket and propped a pillow so Melissa could rest on the couch. He had brought the trash can out in case she needed to throw up some more. And Ralph had even gotten her some food that would hopefully ease her ailing stomach. "I have some soup and crackers ready for her," Ralph smiled. "That should help her stomach problem out. It was the only thing I could eat when I was sick without puking my guts out." Ralph hoped she would get better soon, as he hated spending an extended time away from his job. But he had promised Melissa he would pay more attention to her. That meant taking care of her when she was sick. "It might be good practice for when she gets pregnant..." Ralph idly thought. He still felt pretty confident that the couple's efforts to have children were going to pay off pretty soon. Sure, he might have been rather overconfident when he told Melissa he felt sure she would be pregnant by the year's end back when he decided they should give this whole business of having children a chance. But he felt certain it couldn't be too much longer. Not this year, but next year perhaps...
Speaking of Melissa, she was taking an awfully long time upstairs. "She said she would be down in a few..." Ralph thought to himself. "Well, it's been more than a few minutes. It's been close to half an hour. I wonder what's taking her so long?" Ralph suddenly started to feel worried for his wife. Was she that sick? "I think maybe I should go upstairs and see if she's alright..."
But no sooner than Ralph had got up from the couch to go check on Melissa, he was greeted with the sight of her coming down the stairs. Ralph noticed something odd...she was dressed for the day. Ralph was expecting her to stay in her nightgown today since she wasn't feeling so well. But instead, she had put on her sweater she wore in the cold winter months. She also seemed to be...grinning about something. Ralph could only wonder what.
Melissa reached the bottom of the stairs where she greeted her slightly confused husband. "Good morning, my dear," Melissa cheerfully said as she wrapped her arms around Ralph and gave him a kiss.
"Erm, Melissa..." Ralph backed away from her.
"Yes, Ralph?" Melissa asked him.
"Aren't you sick? It might not be a good idea to kiss me..."
"I thought that was a perfect way to say good morning," Melissa smiled. She seemed really cheerful. Why would she be so cheerful if she was sick?
Ralph shrugged it off. "I have some soup and crackers waiting for you in the kitchen. I figured that might help your stomach out a bit. You wouldn't mind if I go get that for you, would you?" he asked her.
Melissa shook her head. "Ah, Ralph, I don't think I need it. I still feel kind of nauseated, but it turns out, I don't have the stomach flu after all!"
"You...don't?" Ralph was confused. "Then what was all that vomiting about?" Something was definitely up.
"Sit down, Ralph. I'll tell you," she smiled. The two of them sat down on the couch together.
"Alright, Melissa," Ralph said to her, "now what is it you want to tell me? Why were you so sick just a few minutes ago? What took you so long up there?"
"Well, Ralph," Melissa replied, "I have a little...surprise for you."
"A surprise...?" Ralph was intrigued, but jumped when he realized what she might be trying to imply. "Melissa, what is wrong with you! It's way too early in the morning! And besides, we can't fool around on the couch...Bert would catch us for sure!"
"I wasn't suggesting that," Melissa frowned. "Goodness. Sometimes, you really have a dirty mind, Ralph..."
"Sorry, sorry," Ralph apologized. "Well, what kind of surprise is it then?"
"Maybe it would be best if I showed you it," Melissa said, a broad smile appearing on her face.
"Sounds fine to me. Now, where exactly is this surprise?" Ralph wondered. He still wasn't quite sure what she was up to.
Melissa lifted up her sweater a bit as she proceeded to grab her husband's paw and placed it on her stomach. Ralph just gazed at his wife's belly, not sure what she was trying to get at. "Right here, sweetie," Melissa cheerfully grinned.
Ralph removed his paw from his wife's tummy. He had no clue what she was trying to suggest. "I don't get it...?"
"Think about it, Ralph..." she continued to grin.
"You're losing weight...?" Ralph replied, blurting out the first thing that came to his mind.
"Ralph!" Melissa shouted as she slapped him, a scowl now planted on her face. "Are you trying to say I'm fat?"
"No, no!" Ralph nervously replied. Melissa rarely ever slapped him...only if he said the wrong thing. "I think I deserved that. You're still the most beautiful woman I've ever known. I should know better than to make a comment like that..."
"It's okay," Melissa said, as the cheerful smile came across her face once again. "I forgive you. But think just a little bit harder, dear. What have we been trying to do for the better part of this past year?"
"Hmm..." Ralph quickly thought. "We've been trying to conceive, haven't we?"
"Yes," Melissa nodded, her grin growing in size. She had tried to think of a better way to tell him, but she figured it was best to just come out and tell him.
"Wait a minute..." Ralph thought. "Is she trying to tell me...?" He suddenly realized what Melissa was trying to tell him. "Are you trying to tell me...you're...?"
"Yes," Melissa happily said, as she started to choke up, tears appearing in her eyes. "Ralph...I'm pregnant!"
Ralph started to feel excited. "R-r-really?" he asked her.
"Yes, it's true Ralph. I'm really pregnant!" she joyfully said.
"Melissa...that's...that's...That's wonderful!" Ralph exclaimed as he extended his arms. The happy couple embraced each other in a huge hug as Melissa continued to cry tears of joy.
"Isn't this wonderful, Ralph? I'm going to have a baby!" Melissa said through her tears.
"I can't believe it, honey," Ralph said, starting to choke up himself. "I'm really going to be a father. I...I...I can't believe it!" Ralph said as the joyful raccoons hugged each other again.
"Oh, Ralph, I love you," Melissa smiled as she kissed her husband on his cheek. Ralph could not help but smile.
"I love you too," Ralph beamed at her. "I just can't believe it. My wife is going to have my baby."
"Ralph, thank you so much...you've helped make my wish to become a mother a reality..." Melissa said, wiping away her tears.
"I'm glad!" Ralph replied. Ralph was overjoyed himself. Melissa looked so excited, so joyous, so...happy. He had never seen her this happy in his entire life...the only time that really came close was when he asked her if she would marry him; that made Ralph feel happy too.
Suddenly, Ralph became suspicious. "Wait a minute, honey...how do you know you're pregnant?"
"I used a pregnancy test," Melissa smiled. "How else do you think I would have found out?"
"Well, I know that," Ralph responded, "but what exactly made you suspect you were pregnant?"
"Remember how I was vomiting a little bit earlier, Ralph?" Melissa asked her husband.
"Of course. I was all prepared to take care of you today," Ralph nodded.
"It occurred to me that I missed my period," Melissa stated, "and I remembered how Nicole told me how she discovered she was pregnant with Lisa all those years ago. She missed her period and started throwing up in the mornings. This led her to take a trip to her local doctor, where she found out she was pregnant."
"And that's how she and my big brother got married," Ralph added. "Golly. That was a real mess of a wedding they had..."
"I can only imagine," Melissa replied. "I have the test right here if you'd like to see it!" Melissa exclaimed as she produced a pregnancy test seemingly out of nowhere and tried to hand it to Ralph.
"Woah, woah, woah, honey!" Ralph said, stopping his wife. "I know where that thing's been...I don't think I'd like to handle that!"
"Oh, sorry, Ralph," Melissa said, feeling a little embarrassed. "I'm just so excited right now...hehheh...Still, I think you should take a look at it, dear," she smiled as she held out the strip.
Ralph took a good look at the pregnancy test. Sure enough, there were two small red lines. Ralph knew that indicated a positive result. "Huh...according to this test, you're pregnant, alright," he smiled at her.
"I sure am, Ralph. You heard me in the middle of...well, having morning sickness," she chuckled.
"So that's what that was?" Ralph cringed. "Not very pleasant..."
"It's supposed to go away the further along I am into pregnancy," Melissa replied. "Oh Ralph, these next nine months are going to be wonderful. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to become a mother," she smiled as she lightly hugged her husband again.
"Yeah," Ralph smiled. Still, Ralph couldn't help but be suspicious. He was rather suspicious of modern technology in general...and that included pregnancy tests. "What if that pregnancy test is wrong...?" That thought saddened Ralph. That would be even more crushing than the false alarm they had five months previously.
Melissa noticed the slightly concerned look on her husband's face. "Ralph, what's the matter...? This is a happy time for the both of us! Why aren't you happy? I thought you wanted this...?"
"Melissa...you know..." Ralph said, scratching the back of his head as he tried to think of how to tell her, "it might not be a bad idea to stop by the doctor really soon."
"Well, that's understandable, Ralph. We'll be probably be making quite a few visits to the hospital for checkups," she smiled. "I'll probably be on a first name basis with some of the nurses!"
"Yes, but...Melissa, I think you should have a blood test done," Ralph casually asked of her.
"Why's that?" Melissa was curious.
"Well, Melissa...that pregnancy test could be wrong..." Ralph quietly said. "I think we should make absolutely sure."
Melissa was about to disagree with her husband, but then she realized that Ralph had never been all that trusting of new technology such as pregnancy tests. He was a bit old-fashioned and stubborn in his ways. He preferred the word of the doctor over the word of a pregnancy test. "Besides, even though these tests are supposed to be highly accurate, there is a chance they could be wrong..." The thought that the test could be wrong and she might actually not be pregnant saddened her. Melissa cleared her throat. "You know what, Ralph? I think that is a good idea. While these tests are mostly accurate, I suppose it wouldn't be a bad idea to check with the doctor. Just to be absolutely sure."
"Of course," Ralph nodded. "I think we should schedule an appointment really soon."
"I'll be sure to call today," Melissa smiled. She figured that if she truly was pregnant, she would be making quite a few visits to Evergreen Hospital, so perhaps it was best to just get off to a head start.
A few days have passed in the Evergreen Forest. It's now just slightly more than a week before Christmas. Anticipation for the upcoming holiday season is reaching its peak around town, and most of the residents are getting their shopping for the holidays out of the way. Some of the Forest's residents, however, had their minds on other matters...
Ralph and Bert were sitting at their computers in the office of the Evergreen Standard. Both were busy writing up articles. This was the last issue of the year, as they always took the last two weeks of the year off to celebrate the holiday season. Sometimes, that meant they would have a flurry of news upon the arrival of the new year. But right now, there wasn't a lot exciting going on...
Ralph was thinking about the past few days. Yesterday, the two of them had gone to the Evergreen Hospital where Melissa had a blood test performed on her to determine whether or not she was pregnant. Ralph knew beyond a doubt this was a close to 100% surefire way to let them not whether or not they would be having their first child. They had been told that it would take about a day for the test results to come back from the lab. Ralph had tried not to let Bert get suspicious as he preferred that Bert not tell everybody in the Forest, so he had told him that he and Melissa were going for a nice walk through the winter wonderland together. About a half hour ago, Melissa had gotten a call that her test results had come back from the lab and she had headed off to the hospital. Now Ralph was just waiting for her to come back. It was a slow day at the Standard, and while Ralph was waiting, he was actually slacking off on his work-for once. He was playing a game of Minesweeper on the computer. Ralph had decided to see how the games on the computer actually worked, and so he decided to randomly play Minesweeper.
Unfortunately, Ralph wasn't good at Minesweeper at all. He clicked on a mine, causing the happy raccoon face at the top of the screen to turn into a dead raccoon face as he lost the game. Ralph had lost about twenty games in a row.
Bert glanced over from his computer at Ralph, and noticed his old pal playing Minesweeper. "You're slacking off there, Ralphie boy," Bert joked, "which is funny. You always criticize me for slacking off and playing games. Not so above it all, are you?"
"Erm, ah," Ralph tried to cover himself, "it's a slow day. I just figured I'd see how these games work. Funny, there always seems to be so many mines. Can you actually win this game, Bert? It doesn't seem to be possible to me."
"You want to know if you can win Minesweeper?" Bert placed a finger to his chin. "That's probably my least favorite game on these computers. I think you can, but I haven't done it. Of course you can if you cheat..." Bert winked at his buddy.
"That's not for me, Bert. You might cheat a bit at these games, but I can't do that." Ralph was bored of Minesweeper anyways, so he exited out of the game he was playing, which he had just lost.
Bert had a question he wanted to ask Ralph. He was a bit confused by their behavior the past few days. "Ralph, what was that phone call Melissa got all about, anyways? She said that was her father calling her, but I don't think that was..."
"It was her father, Bert. You know poor old Mike is dying of cancer; he just wanted to spend some time with his daughter. I let her out of work early so she could go spend the day cheering up her father," Ralph fibbed. He was trying not to let Bert catch on.
"Huh. Sure didn't sound like him...You two have been acting a little weird the past few days. Something you're not telling me, Ralphie boy?"
"No, of course not. Everything is perfectly fine," Ralph shrugged, feigning ignorance.
To his surprise, Bert actually bought it. "Eh, whatever, I guess..." Bert said as he sighed heavily. His thoughts had just turned back to the rather painful rejection he had recently received from Lisa. No matter how much he tried to cheer himself up, his thoughts just seemed to keep coming back to her...
Ralph noticed the sad expression on his old friend's face. "Bert, what's the matter?" Ralph asked, a little concerned.
"Nothing..." Bert said, failing to hide the sadness in his voice at all.
"Bert, are you thinking about Lisa again?" Ralph asked him. He knew Bert had really had his feelings hurt when Lisa rejected his love...he felt pretty bad for his friend.
"Yeah...I just don't understand, Ralphie boy. I just don't understand. I did so much for her. I helped her adjust to the Forest when she first moved here. I kept her off cigarettes. I helped keep her out of trouble. I was her close friend. And, for all I did, she didn't love me. I don't understand..." Bert sighed.
"Well, there are plenty of other fish in the sea, Bert," Ralph said, trying to cheer his friend up from his gloomy state. "Lisa's not the only woman in the world, you know!"
"But I don't think anyone will ever love me..." Bert moaned. "I just don't. Do you remember that bachelor auction we had a few years ago?"
"I sure do," Ralph nodded in reply.
"Do you remember who actually bought me?" Bert asked.
"Annie Ringtail, wasn't it?" Ralph vaguely remembered.
"Yeah, and I actually had to pay her to go on a date with me. But it was only Annie who bought me. I got bought by a little girl, not a woman. When I told them I wanted a 'peanut butter' date, that didn't catch the interest of any of the ladies. They all turned their noses up at me. Ralph...I think I've realized...I'm not the kind of guy women want..." Bert sadly remarked.
"Why would you think that, Bert? I'm sure there's a woman out there who would love to go out with you. I think there's someone out there for everyone, you know," Ralph smiled. Right now, Bert was reminding Ralph of what he had once been like when he was younger...he himself had once worried that no one could ever love him. That was, of course, before Melissa came along...
"I don't think that's true, Ralph..." Bert sighed again. "If that were true, there wouldn't be so many people alone in the world like me..."
"Well, maybe that's just because they haven't found their special someone yet?"
"No, Ralph...let's face it. I'm just a big ol' goofball. That's not what women want. They want mature men, men who can take care of them, handsome men. Not anything like me...I'm probably the last guy women would want to date..." Bert lamented.
"Bert...I'm sure there has to be some woman out there who would be more than happy to go on a date with you. You're forgetting there are plenty of lonely women around the Forest, too. Melissa gets letters from them seeking love all the time. Maybe that Maxie Ringtail might want to go out with you? I don't know her all that well, but Melissa tells me she is pretty lonely herself. You two are good friends, right?" Ralph was trying to think of anything that might cheer his friend up.
It didn't work. "Yeah...but that's all we are, friends. I highly doubt Max would seriously think about giving a goofy guy like me a shot...I mean she's a responsible single mom. Could we even possibly work out together?" Bert had no clue how oblivious he truly was...
"Well, you never know, Bert..."
"I doubt it, Ralphie boy..." Bert sighed again.
Ralph thought maybe getting Bert out of the office for a while might do him some good. "Bert, I think we need an interview with Lady Baden-Baden for the Standard. You know, about the Christmas festivities and such. Think you could do that?"
"Sure thing, Ralphie boy..." Bert said as he picked up his pad of paper and left the office, still feeling quite sad.
"Poor, poor Bert..." Ralph sympathized with his friend. "Lisa really hurt him...I sure hope he manages to pull himself out of his depression..."
Ralph's thoughts quickly turned away from Bert, and back to his wife. "Oh, I really hope those test results are positive and that pregnancy test turned out to be right..." he said aloud. "I want Melissa to be happy. She wants a baby so badly...I want her to have that chance." Ralph crossed his fingers. He felt pretty confident she would test positive again, but then again, he couldn't be entirely sure..."She should be back any second..."
Ralph suddenly noticed, to his horror, a blue screen had appeared on his computer. "What the?" Ralph quickly read what the computer screen told him. "An error has occurred..." He almost jumped out of his chair. "Oh no! I think I broke the computer!" He quickly panicked. "What did I do? I broke the computer! Oh...oh dear!" Ralph started to frantically race around the office. While Ralph was hardly anything close to an idiot, he was still a computer novice, and knew nothing about the Blue Screen of Death. "Is the computer going to blow up? No! Oh, what do I do? What do I do?"
Ralph continued to panic as he came to a quick decision. "This thing might blow up; I'd better do the safe thing and unplug it!" Ralph hurriedly reached under his desk and yanked the cords out from the power strip...
...just as Melissa came back. She was puzzled at her husband's bizarre behavior. "...Ralph?"
"Oh!" Ralph remarked, noticing his wife had returned. "Heheh...Hi, Melissa..."
"Should I even ask what that was all about?" Melissa remarked, raising her eyebrow.
"I...thought the computer was going to blow up..." Ralph sheepishly remarked.
"I won't ask any further..." Melissa said, deciding this was not a subject that should be delved into any further.
Ralph also decided to change the subject. "So, what did the test results say, honey?"
Melissa instantly smiled. "Guess what, dear? That pregnancy test was right this whole time. My blood test results were positive-so it really is true. I'm officially pregnant!"
"Whew!" Ralph felt relieved knowing now, for certain, that he and Melissa had successfully managed to conceive. "I feel kind of silly making you go through that blood test now...I should have trusted the pregnancy test..."
"Don't feel silly, Ralph. You just wanted to make absolutely sure," she smiled. "Ralph, I'm so glad we're going to get to be parents. I thought we never were," she smiled as she kissed him.
"Oh, I know. You were really stressed out there for a while," Ralph laughed.
"I know," Melissa nodded. "But we actually did it, Ralph. We beat my biological clock!"
"We sure did," Ralph chuckled.
"I have a few more things I'd like to tell you, sweetie," Melissa smiled as she sat down across from her husband.
"Go on, tell me."
"Well, they said I'm a little over three weeks pregnant," Melissa grinned as she quickly draped her arm around Ralph. "Do you know what was a little over three weeks ago?"
Ralph thought for a minute. "A little over three weeks ago...that was...your birthday..." Suddenly, it dawned upon Ralph. "We must have conceived on your birthday!"
"I think so," Melissa grinned.
Ralph had to laugh. "I remember I told you I had a 'special' surprise for you that night. Boy, I sure didn't think it would be that big of a surprise!"
"It's the best birthday present you've ever given me, Ralph," Melissa said as she placed her paw on her belly. "A little miracle of our love; a gift we can treasure for the rest of our lives. And it's growing in here right now, thanks to you."
"I'm glad you like the 'present' I gave you..." Ralph smirked.
"I love it already," she smiled. "Do you know what nine months from now is...?"
"Let's see...we conceived right at the end of November...it's mid-December...nine months from now is...September!" Ralph became excited realizing that. "Melissa...does that mean that...?"
"It sure does!" Melissa beamed. "Our child could be born on your birthday, Ralph! How cute would that be if your child shared the same birthday as you?"
"Now that would be something," Ralph chuckled. "Guess we're going to have to mark September on our calendars, huh?"
"Looks that way!" Melissa grinned.
"There's just one thing bugging me, Melissa...how exactly do we tell all our friends we're expecting a baby?" Ralph wasn't sure how they should tell everyone.
"I thought we could keep that our secret for a while, Ralph?" Melissa asked.
"With Bert...that will be very difficult to do," Ralph sighed. "A part of me would like to keep it our secret for a while too, but we already let everyone know that we were trying to have a baby...and now that we are going to have one, we're going to have to tell everyone that as well. What exactly should we do?"
"Hmm..." Melissa thought. Ralph was right; it would be hard to keep it a secret until later on. She knew she was going to be gaining a lot of weight over the next nine months...it wouldn't be too much longer before Melissa would be sporting a 'baby bump'. Their friends would definitely end up catching on that she was pregnant. It was better to let everyone know as soon as possible. An idea quickly dawned upon her. "Oh, I know Ralph! We can announce it to everyone at our Christmas party tomorrow! Do you think that sounds like a good idea?"
"Christmas party...?" Ralph was confused for a moment, but suddenly it hit him. He had agreed to host the big Christmas party this year...and he had forgotten about it until now."Oh, damn! The Christmas party's tomorrow and we don't even have the Raccoondominium fully decorated yet. Oh no!"
"Don't worry, Ralph," Melissa smiled. "We can get all the decorations up in time before the party tomorrow, I'm sure!"
"Well, alright. I suppose I'll have to help you out there, though?" he asked her.
"Well, the doctor advised me not to lift anything too heavy, so, yeah, I guess you'll have to..." Melissa nodded. "I guess that means I'll have to give the eggnog a skip too..."
"That's a good idea. We don't want to risk hurting the little one," Ralph smiled as the expectant couple hugged each other. They were embarking on a new chapter in their lives. With Ralph's help, a new life had begun developing inside of Melissa. And Ralph and Melissa couldn't wait until September when that new life would likely enter the world. But for now, they could hardly wait to tell their friends...
It is late in the afternoon in the Evergreen Forest. The grown-ups of the Forest are heading home from work for the day. That, of course, includes Bert Raccoon...
Bert was wandering aimlessly through the Forest. Today, he and Bentley were supposed to meet up at their old clubhouse where they would work on their increasingly bizarre novel. But today, Bert just didn't see the point. He was still feeling rather gloomy...
Bert was still thinking about Lisa. He just didn't quite understand why she would reject him. Why would she do that? After all he had done, how could she do that to him? Sure, being considered an older brother figure was nice...but Bert wanted to be more than that. "I suppose I can understand why she might not be interested in dating..." Bert sighed. "I mean, she's been eye candy for almost every guy around here. I can see why she would be uncomfortable with dating..." But still, Bert didn't fully understand. "Still, I just don't understand. Why couldn't she have given me a chance? I would have been a lot more satisfied if she'd have given me just one chance...and she didn't even give me that..."
Bert was still thinking about Ralph's words. Ralph felt confident Bert would find a nice girl who would love him and give him a fair chance. But Bert felt doubtful. He knew most women wanted someone who was either very handsome or very wealthy-perhaps both. But Bert knew he had neither of those. He had never been wealthy...and as much as he might imagine it, Bert knew he probably never would be much richer than he was right now. He didn't have his own house...he still lived with his childhood pal and his wife. Women weren't too keen on someone like that...many probably considered him a free-loader. Plus, he had been a womanizer in his youth...although those days were behind him, he wondered if the reputation he had gained from that was an influence too. To add to that, Bert knew he was nothing outstanding appearance wise. He was no Mr. Universe. He was about as average-looking in appearance as they came. "What woman would actually find me attractive?" he wondered. To top it all off, Bert had an active imagination...and all signs seemed to point to that being a huge turn-off for women as well. Women seemed to like men who were more firmly grounded in reality. "Hell...everything about me seems to be a huge turn-off to the ladies..." Bert heavily sighed. "I have all the qualities to make me a woman's worst nightmare when it comes to dating..."
Bert was so depressed he didn't even realize where he was going. "OOF!" Bert grunted as he bumped into the front door of the old clubhouse. He rubbed his nose, which was a bit sore from bumping into the door. Bentley opened the door.
"Bert, there you are! You always seem to be a bit late lately. What's the matter with you?" Bentley asked his pal.
"Oh, not much..." Bert sighed.
As Bert stepped into the clubhouse, Broo greeted him. Bentley frequently brought his dog along with him when they hung out at the clubhouse. "Ruff, ruff!" the little dog barked at his former master, his tail wagging.
"Oh...hi, Broo," Bert sighed again as he stooped down and petted Broo. Bert then proceeded to sit down and rested his head on his paws as he stared down at the floor.
"Bert, what's the matter?" Bentley felt concerned for his friend.
"It's nothing little buddy, it's just...I don't think I want to work on our novel today. Matter of fact..." Bert hesitated, "I'm not sure I want to work on it anymore."
Bentley was surprised. Bert had been so eager to work on this novel and he had planned to see it through. Now he wanted to give up? "Why, Bert? Why do you want to quit?"
"Let's face it, Bentley...this whole novel was a dumb idea anyways. Who would want to read it anyways?" Bert griped.
"You don't really think that, Bert...do you?" Bentley asked, worried for his buddy.
"I don't know what I think..." Bert shook his head as he glanced up at the ceiling.
Suddenly, it dawned upon Bentley why Bert would be so upset. "Bert, are you still upset about my sister...?"
Bert almost immediately nodded his head, a distressed look across his face. "Yeah...I am...I can't believe she rejected me..."
Bentley felt bad for Bert. But then again, he remembered Lisa had once told him she saw Bert as a brother-like figure to her. He knew this was probably going to happen. Still, he felt sorry for his pal. He placed a paw on his depressed friend's shoulder. "Cheer up there, Bert. At least Lisa's still your friend, right?"
"Yeah, but that's all she is gonna be. My friend. I wish she was more than that..." A tear slid down Bert's face.
"Wow...he's really taken it hard..." Bentley idly thought. He felt he needed to cheer up his friend. "Well, you might feel bad right now, but I'm sure things'll get better!"
Bert's frown grew. "I just don't know, little buddy...I've never had my heart broken before...in fact, I had the reputation of breaking girl's hearts when I was your age. D'you think this might be my punishment for my womanizing ways when I was younger?"
"Bert, no," Bentley shook his head. "Don't think like that!"
"Well, I can't help but feel it's all my fault...if I were better than what I am, maybe she would love me..." Bert continued to pathetically lament.
"Bert, it's not your fault. It's not Lisa's fault. It's nobody's fault, really. You are who you are, Bert. You can't be someone different to make her love you. Maybe you two are better off as friends?" Bentley tried to encourage his friend.
"Maybe..." Bert sighed as he dried his eyes. "I just wonder if anyone will ever love me...I mean, I'm nothing much at all, really...nothing special..."
"Well, I might be considered a big nerd at school," Bentley groaned, remembering times he was bullied at school for being intelligent. "But Annie doesn't care. She loves me for who I am...even if I can be forgetful sometimes...I should have remembered her birthday. But I'm going to make it up to her for Christmas! Anyways, Bert..." Bentley cleared his throat as he continued, "as I said, Annie likes me for who I am. She doesn't care that I'm a, well, 'nerd'. I'm sure someone will like you for who you are!" As a matter of fact, Bentley did know someone who loved Bert for who he was..."I know Annie's mother loves him," the young raccoon thought. "Still, I hope Bert finds someone other than her...I can't help it. They just don't seem to go well together to me..."
Those words did make Bert feel a little better. Hell...they probably were the wisest words he'd ever heard of his little buddy's mouth. "Well, I know you're always behind me, little buddy...Thanks."
"No problem, Bert. You've cheered me up when I was sad before! I should probably do the same for you once in a while..." Bert gave Bentley a small hug to show thanks.
"Ruff, ruff!" Broo barked at his ex-master. Bert understood what Broo was saying...he knew that Broo had said "It'll be okay, Bert!" Bert really did feel a bit better knowing his friends were on his side.
"I guess you're right, Bentley...I guess I'll get over Lisa at some point...I guess we can be just friends. Still, I hope someone will appreciate me for what I am..." Bert sighed, still not feeling his best.
"Ah, I'm sure they will!" Bentley smiled. He just hoped it was someone other than Maxie Ringtail...
"Here's hopin'..." Bert lightly smiled back.
"I'm sure it'll happen soon. Besides, you shouldn't be sad. It's Christmas! They call it the 'most wonderful time of the year' for a reason, don't they?" Bentley laughed.
"You're right, it is Christmas," Bert chuckled right back. "My favorite holiday!"
"I know that, Bert. You've told me all about it how many times," Bentley replied.
"What d'you think you'll be getting this year, Bentley?" Bert asked his friend.
"Oh, I don't know. Probably just money and clothes from Mom and Dad. Lisa'll probably get me something...I know Annie'll have something good for me!"
"Go figure...she's your girlfriend," Bert rolled his eyes. He decided to change the subject. "Ya know, your Uncle Ralph and Aunt Melissa are having the Christmas party this year...you excited about that, little buddy?"
Bentley had some bad news for Bert. "Bert, I hate to tell you this, but...I'm not going to be at the Christmas party. You know Cedric and Sophia had their twins, right?"
Bert instantly nodded. "I sure did. Cute little devils, aren't they?"
"I guess, but you see, they wanted to go to the Christmas party, and they felt they couldn't leave Cecil and Sylvia home alone with the pigs," Bentley informed Bert.
Bert had to laugh. "I don't blame them. Those three? I feel sorry for their mother! Imagine...she had to raise all three of them!"
Bentley laughed too. "Poor Mrs. Pig. Well, anyways, guess who volunteered to look after the twins?"
Bert thought for a moment. "You did?"
Bentley shook his head. "No, Annie did. You know, she really likes babies, so she thought she would look after them. And she thought it would be a good idea if I came along with her."
"Hah, well, you like kids too, don't ya, Bentley?"
"Not as much as Annie does! While you'll be having fun at the Christmas party, I'll be learning how to change diapers. That's not how I wanted to spend my Friday night!" Bentley groaned.
"Ooh. That doesn't sound like a whole lot of fun, little buddy!" Bert sympathized with his young pal's plight.
"I'm not fond of the idea, but it's what Annie wants to do. I guess if it'll make her happy...I gotta do it," Bentley said. "Sometimes we have to do things we really don't like for the ones we love!"
"You know Bentley, when you're my age, you'll probably be as wise as your Uncle Ralph," Bert chuckled.
"Maybe one day?" Bentley wondered.
"Who knows. Ya know, the funny thing is your aunt and uncle have been actin' kinda weird lately..." Bert was wondering what they could be up to.
"Weird, huh? How have they been acting weird?" Bentley asked.
"I couldn't say, really..." Bert had trouble explaining it. "Just the way they've been acting. Melissa's still been coming into work even though I remember I saw her...you know...throwing up the other morning."
"She and Ralph are really dedicated to the Standard, aren't they?"
"I guess so! Yesterday, she and Ralph took the day off from the Standard to go for a walk through the snow together..."
"I thought you told me they were trying to spend more time together?" Bentley asked. "That wouldn't be that unusual for them, I wouldn't think..."
"Well, no, but Melissa got called out of work this morning by her father. You know, he's dying of cancer, and Ralphie boy let her have the day off to spend it with him. But it didn't sound like she was talking to her father on the phone, and she came back to the office awfully fast..."
"I don't think she was there today, Bert. Annie was there this morning looking after Mr. Mulligan," Bentley informed Bert. It was true, Bert realized. Annie had offered to help Melissa out by looking after Mike when she had free time, since Melissa didn't feel she could spend all the time she would have wanted to with him. "You know, it's funny Annie is thinking about studying journalism, Bert. I'd think with all this looking after helpless people, she'd be considering a career in nursing!"
"Heh, Annie probably would make a good nurse," Bert agreed. "Still, it'll be nice to have her aboard at the Standard. Always nice to have a fresh new face!" Bert changed the subject back to what they were discussing before. "So Ralphie boy lied to me...why would he do that? Who did Melissa have to see?"
"Beats me, Bert," Bentley shrugged.
Bert thought for a moment. He knew his housemates were trying to have kids..."I don't suppose Ralphie boy finally got her pregnant?" Bert wondered. That seemed likely to him. But, Bert felt it would be best not to pry too much into their situation. They would probably let him know in due time..."I guess I'll find it soon enough."
"I suppose you will. I think I gotta get going...I think Mom probably wants me back home by now," Bentley said as he got up and headed for the door. "You be sure to tell me all about the party, okay, Bert?"
"I will Bentley. Have fun with the twins," Bert said as Bentley and Broo left the clubhouse.
"That's going to be a fun experience for Bentley," Bert chuckled. He was feeling better after his talk with his little buddy. But he still felt a little empty inside...
It's the Friday before Christmas in the Evergreen Forest. The holiday season is almost upon the Forest's inhabitants and they are eager for the much-anticipated holiday to arrive already. That, of course, includes Bert, Ralph, and Melissa Raccoon...
Bert was reclining on the couch as Ralph and Melissa were putting the last ornaments on their Christmas tree. Tonight, they were holding their big Christmas party. Tonight's big Christmas party is a special occasion with all their closest friends being invited. Ralph and Melissa were especially excited about tonight's party, as Melissa could hardly wait to announce to all their friends the news of her pregnancy. It was funny. She and Ralph had been together just shy of fifteen years and had been married for what would be thirteen years. And only now, she was finally carrying the couple's first child. Well, it probably didn't look much like a child just yet, seeing as she was only a few weeks pregnant. But she knew it was there. She was still delighted that her wish to have children would be coming true. She was eagerly awaiting the arrival of their guests...
"I think that should be the last of it," Ralph said as he placed the star on top of the tree. "Any more ornaments, honey?"
"No, Ralph, I think that's all of them. I think we did a great job decorating this year!" Melissa beamed.
"We sure did," Ralph grinned. "This place looks fantastic, if I do say so myself."
"I concur," Bert agreed from the couch. "I think I did a great job stringing up the lights!"
"Yeah, after you got tangled up in them," Ralph chuckled.
"Heheh...I can't help it," Bert laughed. "I think I might lose my own head if it weren't screwed on tight enough."
"You seem to be in an awfully good mood today, Bert," Melissa noticed. "You were pretty depressed yesterday. What's up?"
"Eh, I figured I shouldn't think about such depressing things so close to Christmas-my favorite holiday, y'know," Bert smiled.
"We know, Bert," Ralph said. "You're always really excited about it."
"Heheh, I can't help it," Bert lightly chuckled. "I guess I'm just a big kid. I love Christmas-and everything that has to do with it! Besides, Ralphie boy, I guess Lisa and I can still be friends. Doesn't have to be anything between us, does there?"
"No, I guess not," Ralph replied.
"I'm sure you two will still remain really close," Melissa said.
"I'd like to hope so," Bert said as he laid back, placing his paws behind his head. Secretly though, he still felt quite sad that he had failed to win her heart and still was wondering if any woman could ever truly love him...
Bert had a few questions for his friend. "Say, Ralphie boy, I got something to ask ya and Melissa..."
"Oh? What's that now, Bert?" Ralph wondered.
"Why have you two been acting so...oddly the past few days?" he asked the raccoon couple. "It's been buggin' me."
"I don't think we've acted any differently than we normally have," Melissa quickly said, "have we, sweetie?"
"Oh no, no! Not at all. We're just the same as always..." Ralph put on a suspicious grin.
"You two aren't fooling me..." Bert said, suspiciously. "I know! You're keepin' something from me, aren't ya?"
"Okay..." Ralph admitted. "You got us, Bert. We haven't been entirely truthful, as there's something we haven't told you."
"Ah, I knew it!" Bert exalted. "So what have you two been keeping from me?"
"We can't tell you right yet Bert," Melissa fielded that question, "as it's...well, a bit of a surprise. But don't worry, you'll find out later tonight..." she fondly smiled.
"Ah, I knew it!" Bert mentally noted to himself. "I knew it. Ralphie boy and Melissa are going to have a baby! I can tell just from how she said it." Bert felt proud of himself for having figured that out. Still, he figured it was best not to pry further and get them to reveal that information right now. "Well, I can't wait to hear it. Hey, I just realized Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer might be on! I love that Christmas special!" Bert eagerly flipped through the TV channels, trying to find Rudolph on TV. "Aw, they're only showing The Year Without A Santa Claus..."
A knock soon came at the door. "That must be our first guests! I'll get that!" Ralph opened the door to find his older brother George and Nicole greeting them. George was carrying a Christmas turkey with him.
"Ah, George, Nicole! Glad you could make it," Ralph smiled at his elder sibling and sister-in-law.
"Glad to be here, little brother," George grinned. "Boy, you really got this place decorated nicely for this party, huh?"
"We sure did, George," Melissa smiled. "Hi there, Nicole."
"Oh, hello, Melizza. It iz alwayz nice to zee a friend of mine," she smiled at Melissa.
"Bentley's not with you?" Melissa curiously asked.
"No, I am afraid not," Nicole shook her head. "You zee, he and Annie are off at Zneer Manzion looking after Cedric and Zophia's twinz. That iz awfully nice of them, wouldn't you zay?"
"I see," Ralph said.
"Yeah, Bentley told me that earlier," Bert piped in, "and he's not all that excited about having to change diapers!"
"Well, it will be good for him in caze he haz children himzelf zomeday," Nicole remarked. "I would like to have grandchildren..."
Soon, the rest of their guests came in. Next to come were Cedric and Sophia, who had brought their usual Christmas cake with them. Next to come was Schaeffer, followed by Maxie Ringtail, and finally, last but not least, Lisa arrived. Bert was still not too happy with how she rejected him, but he didn't want to appear bitter with her, so he decided to greet her.
"Hey there, Lis," Bert said as Lisa came in.
"Oh, hello there Bert," Lisa smiled. "Merry Christmas. Hope you have a good one."
"Hope you have a good one too, Lisa..." Bert remarked.
Soon, everyone was gathered in the living room of the Raccoondominium.
"Alright everyone, gather 'round!" Ralph announced to their friends.
"We have some rather important news we'd like to tell you," Melissa smiled. She knew they were about to tell everyone she and Ralph were parents-to-be.
"What have you got to tell us, little brother?" George asked. "Don't suppose it's something to do with the Standard, is it?"
"No, it has nothing to do with the Standard." Ralph cleared his throat. "As you know, this past year has been pretty up and down for Melissa and I. We've had some hard times, and some...good times, too."
"Don't I know it," Maxie remarked. "I remember when Melissa came to visit me when she was depressed all those months ago!"
"Yes," Melissa added, "and as you all know, earlier this year, we both decided we wanted to start a family. So we decided we would try to have children."
"You two have been trying for quite a good while now..." Cedric noted.
"Yes, but as of now, Melissa and I are no longer trying to have children," Ralph smiled.
"Why iz that? Did you two decide to give up?" Nicole curiously asked.
"No," Ralph grinned.
"Ralph and I are no longer trying, because we are going to have a baby! You see...I'm pregnant!" Melissa beamed as she hugged Ralph, causing him to blush.
Almost immediately, everyone decided to offer their congratulations to the couple.
"Wow, that's wonderful, Melissa!" Sophia said in her typical bubbly voice. "I can't wait to see your baby! How far along are you?"
"Well, I'm a little more than three weeks pregnant," Melissa smiled. "Close to a month."
"Congratulationz, Melizza," Nicole smiled. "I know how much you have wanted to have children thez pazt year."
"I'm glad my wish is coming true," Melissa smiled.
"Congratulations there, Melissa," Maxie offered her support for her friend. "I told you you still had time left to have kids, didn't I?"
"You were right," Melissa smiled. "Thank you."
"Congrats, both of you," Bert smiled. "I kinda figured it out when you two said you had a surprise, though..."
"We made it that obvious?"
"Yeah, you did. But anyways, congratulations, you two. I know you will make great parents."
Bert then did something surprising...he stooped down on his knees and placed his head close to Melissa's stomach as he spoke to it: "Hey there, little guy! Can you hear me in there? It's me, your Uncle Bert. How are ya doing? Is it scary in there?"
Melissa couldn't help but giggle as everyone laughed at how childish Bert was being. "Oh Bert!" Melissa heartily laughed. "You know, the baby's not even close to halfway developed yet. Even if it was, I don't think it could hear you!"
"Never know..." Bert chuckled. "You'll still be able to come to work, right?"
"Of course!" Melissa nodded. "Although I don't think I'll be out on photo assignments as often as I usually am...I have a feeling I'll be spending a lot more time in the office."
"Congratulations, Uncle Ralph and Aunt Melissa!" Lisa was the next to chime in. "It's going to really be something having a new little cousin..."
"I'd be honored if you taught our child, Lisa," Ralph smiled.
"So...it only took you fifteen years, little brother," George laughed as he nudged Ralph, "but you finally managed to knock her up. I'm proud of you-" Nicole proceeded to lightly punch her husband in the arm. "Ah! Honey, what'd ya do that for?" he said as he rubbed his arm.
"What did I tell you about watching your mannerz in public, dear? That iz not appropriate converzation for a time like thez," she growled.
"Sorry, sorry, honey," George sheepishly replied. "Still, I'm glad to see you're going to be a Dad, Ralph. I can't wait for the little guy to arrive."
"You'll see it soon, big brother..." Ralph answered George.
"Congratulations, Ralph and Melissa," Schaeffer was the next to speak. "I know you two have wanted children for a little while now, and I think it is always nice to see fresh faces around the Forest."
"Thanks, Schaeff," Ralph smiled.
Last to speak was Cedric. "Well, Ralph, I guess you're the next one to become a Daddy. I'm really glad to know our children are going to grow up together."
"Me too, Cedric," Ralph nodded. "I bet they'll be good friends like we were."
"I would like to hope so," Cedric replied.
"Here's to Ralph and Melissa and their new baby!" Bert said in a toast. "Let's hope 1997 is a good year for them!" The couple could not help but smile at how everyone was supportive of them.
A couple of hours had passed and the party was winding down. Per usual at parties around the Forest, everyone had gathered around to chat with their friends. Sophia and Lisa were having a conversation with each other in the corner of the living room. Bert, Maxie, and Schaeffer were talking to each other in the kitchen, while George, Cedric, and Ralph were discussing things at the kitchen table. Melissa, meanwhile was sitting on the couch as Nicole came to sit beside her.
"I know I zaid thez before, Melizza," Nicole began, "but again, congratulationz. Thez really iz going to be the start of the bezt experience of your whole life. Take it from a mother with more than twenty yearz of personal experience!"
"Thanks...Sis," Melissa smiled, calling Nicole "Sis" as she had long thought of Nicole being like a big sister figure to her. "You know, I was really starting to feel frustrated and I was almost ready to give up on ever having children. But I'm glad I stuck with it!"
"It will all be worth it in about nine monthz," Nicole smiled. "Zho, tell me, Melizza. How long have you known?"
"Oh, a few days," Melissa grinned. "You see, Ralph and Bert had the stomach flu pretty bad last week, and I started feeling a little nauseated too. Fact is, I've been feeling nauseous just about every morning for the past week, almost."
"Go on," Nicole remarked.
"So, Monday morning I woke up to find myself vomiting. I actually had to shake Ralph out of bed to make it to the bathroom. Then, I realized I missed my period, and I realized I could be pregnant. So I decided to use a pregnancy test. I was worried it was going to be a false alarm like last time, but lucky me, I tested positive! So Ralph suggested I have a blood test done just to make sure, and sure enough...I'm going to be a Mom!" Melissa still beamed talking about it.
"Ah...that iz the zame way I found out I waz pregnant with Liza," Nicole smiled at her close friend. "Well, we didn't have pregnancy tezts back then...but anyways, I am glad for you. I am juzt curious, Melizza. What do you think you will have? A boy or a girl?"
"Me?" Melissa replied. "Well, I have a feeling I'll probably have a girl...but if you asked me, I would love to have a boy. I've seen the strong bond Ralph has with his mother. I would love to have that kind of bond with a son of mine."
"Oh, I know. I love Bentley. I love Liza too, but Bentley iz my favorite child," Nicole smiled, remembering some of her favorite mother-and-son bonding times she had with Bentley. "Oh, I am really going to mizz him when he goez off to college next year...he'z planning to stay at the dormz..."
"I'm sure he won't forget his mother," Melissa responded. "I don't really care too much on whether I have a boy or a girl, though. I'll be happy no matter what we have."
"Az I zaid, Melizza, I would be glad to help you and Ralph babyzit, if you like."
"That would be fine. Although Annie offered to help as well back when we were still trying..." Melissa trailed off.
"I zuppose we could split time between uz," Nicole mused.
"That could work."
"Hello there, Mel. Hello, Nicole," a slightly tipsy Maxie said to her girlfriends. "You don't mind if I sit here, do you?"
"Oh, no, not at all, Maxie!" Nicole said as Maxie took a seat on the opposite side of Melissa.
"Nicole and I were just talking about my baby. We were wondering what gender my child might be," Melissa informed Maxie.
"Well, I'm sure you've already heard this way more times than you might like, Melissa, but once again, congratulations," she congratulated her friend. "This is what you wanted, right?"
"Of course it is!" Melissa smiled.
"I am sure you will do just fine as a Mom. If I can do a good job as a mother, then you'll do phenomenally," Maxie smiled.
"Nice to have your support," Melissa nodded.
"Of course. But, you do know you're only three weeks pregnant, right? You're still shy of a full month...and it takes nine months for most babies to be born," Maxie remarked.
"I know, a lot could happen in that time span," Melissa nodded.
"Maxie iz right, it iz a long wayz away..." Nicole added. "I am zure everything will be just fine, though!"
"I bet it'll pass by before I know it," Melissa replied.
"Well, you know since you're over thirty-five, you're more at risk for health problems right? You have a higher chance of...you know..." Maxie didn't finish, as Melissa realized what she was trying to say.
"Oh no, you're right! I am at a higher risk for miscarrying!" Melissa didn't even want to think about what would happen if her baby died before it was even born. She knew in that situation she would be heartbroken. She and Ralph would have gone to all that trouble of trying to conceive, finally gotten lucky as she got pregnant...and still not have gotten their chance to be parents. Melissa was well aware this might very well be her and Ralph's only chance of having children..."Oh no...I hope that doesn't happen..."
"Maxie, you are scaring Melizza," Nicole frowned. "Thez iz zupposed to be a happy time for her. She iz expecting to be a mother. You don't need to put thoze thoughtz in her head!"
"I'm sorry," Maxie apologized. "I think the alcohol from the eggnog's getting to me a bit...I hope that doesn't happen either, Melissa. I hope you make it through all nine months just fine."
"I hope so too..." Melissa said, a bit nervous.
"You cannot really worry yourzelf about that, Melizza. Whatever happenz, happenz. You juzt have to ride thoze nine monthz out," Nicole calmed Melissa down.
"That's fine...I am really excited now that I know I'm pregnant...but...I'm also kind of...scared knowing I have a child growing inside my belly," Melissa admitted as she placed her paw on her stomach. "I'm going to be spending the better part of next year with it developing in me..."
"You will be fine, I'm sure," Maxie informed her, "but you do know you're going to be going through a lot..."
"Oh...I know..."
"Maxie iz right. All we have told you about the experience of pregnancy really izn't a good zubztitute for the actual experience," Nicole agreed.
"You'll be gaining a lot of weight. It'll wreak a lot of havoc on your body. I know. I was a bit of a looker before Annie came along...and...I never even lost all the weight I put on from being pregnant with her."
"Well, Sophia seems to be losing her baby weight just fine," Melissa replied, although she was fully aware what was ahead of her. She knew she was probably going to get quite big as a result of the baby growing larger inside her...she was sure to gain a lot of weight.
"You might be able to lose that weight...if you're lucky," Maxie forewarned her. "And just you wait until you start feeling the baby kick..."
"Well, that's a sign it's healthy, isn't it?" Melissa asked, though she knew she wasn't particularly likely to enjoy that sensation either.
"Yez, but it iz definitely not a lot of fun..." Nicole added.
"Let me just say, by the time you give birth you'll have gained an understanding for what life must be like for a football," Maxie remarked.
"This sure isn't going to be fun..." Melissa sighed.
"It izn't a lot of fun," Nicole agreed. "But you will still be excited az you wait for the little one's arrival. It'z all worth it for that."
"I know...like I said...I am willing to put myself through that..."
"You might have it better than me," Maxie said. "At least your husband will help you. He did promise to help you out through this...didn't he?"
"Of course he did!" Melissa smiled. "I know Ralph'll help me every step of the way."
"It will make things a lot eazier for zure," Nicole nodded.
"Speaking of Ralph, I wonder what he, George, and Cedric are talking about?" The three women listened in. They could clearly hear George telling Ralph he was in for a rough ride the next few months and was forewarning him that his love life was about to come to an end for a long, long time, while Ralph was trying to shrug it off and Cedric was trying to tell Ralph it wasn't as bad as George made it out to be.
"Oh, go figure with George," Nicole rolled her eyes. "I have been telling him not to scare hiz little brother on thez whole buzinezz of becoming a father. But he didn't lizten to me," she sighed. "I will alwayz love him, but sometimez I wish he would lizten to me better..."
"Sometimes, I don't understand men..." Maxie added in, as she was thinking about Bert and the fact that he never seemed to notice her painfully obvious crush on him. She was still wondering if Bert would ever give her a chance.
"Yeah," Melissa remarked. Her focus was more on what the next nine months would bring. She knew her and Ralph's lives would never be the same...but there was no turning back now. They had conceived like Melissa had wanted to and she knew they could not forget about the child she carried within her. She knew that while the next nine months would be an exciting time filled with anticipation, they would also bring some pretty difficult times to the both of them...and she also could not help but worry if her ailing father would live long enough to see her child born.
"All I can say is this...1997 is going to be a very interesting year..."
END CHAPTER TEN
AUTHOR'S NOTE: And there's Chapter Ten...a very big chapter indeed. Our cliffhanger is answered...Melissa is indeed pregnant! This is definitely a radical change from how I originally envisioned this story...the original idea I had in mind was a grim tale in which Ralph and Melissa were unable to have a child as Melissa found out she was incapable of carrying children. But I thought that would be far too heartbreaking to actually write that. So, I ended up being a lot nicer to them. Yes, I actually decided Melissa should get pregnant. Ralph and Melissa are a rather responsible and nice couple who I feel would definitely be actively involved in potential children of theirs' lives (unlike many, many modern parents who prefer to let the TV be their child's guide to the world), so I thought it would be nice to actually reward them. It's nice to see the happy couple expecting their first child considering some of the stress they've had to go through in this story. Just a couple of notes this time:
Ralph reacting to the Blue Screen of Death on his computer...Ralph does seem to be like the type to be a complete novice at modern technology. I might have went a little far in having Ralph go to the point of thinking the computer might explode and yank the cords out, but I can definitely say I think he would have been panicking for sure. I can say when I was a new computer user, I definitely panicked when I got the Blue Screen of Death for the first time...I actually did think the computer was broken (I didn't think it was going to blow up, I just thought I destroyed it somehow and got upset). The Blue Screen of Death probably is the most terrifying thing a new computer user can encounter...
As for Ralph playing Minesweeper...I did want to show Ralph is not always so above it all. He might criticize Bert for acting childish sometimes, but deep down I am certain there's probably a part of him that wishes he could be more like Bert...somewhere. As for my thoughts of Minesweeper...I am not entirely sure why this game still comes automatically with the Windows operating system to this very day. I have never liked Minesweeper. The game is just about impossible to beat. I know it can be beat, but that requires a certain amount of time and effort I feel could be put to better use elsewhere. The only way I've ever won Minesweeper is by cheating and actually designing the board myself. (You actually do have an option to do that...) Why they got rid of Pinball and kept Minesweeper is beyond me...especially since Pinball got replaced with two games, Inkball (a game not much better than Minesweeper), and Purble Place (an extremely childish (I mean way more childish than should be necessary) game).
And for why Bentley now owns Broo instead of Bert...I dunno, I could see that happening. I got the feeling at the end of "The Wrong Stuff" that Bentley and Broo were going to grow closer to each other after that episode. They seemed to have begun bonding with one another. Maybe one day down the road, Bert would give Bentley Broo as a pet. That would be an awfully nice gift, wouldn't you say?
Well, that's Chapter Ten. Next up is Chapter 11, as we start the third and last part of this story, as Ralph and Melissa go through the pregnancy experience as Melissa is in the early stages of her pregnancy. Meanwhile, Bert continues in his quest for love...and Maxie Ringtail feels more depressed than ever. You'll see it in a couple of weeks...