Boomhauer's parents were planning on another Christmas cruise, so they came to Texas earlier that month to visit before departing. Boomhauer's mother was beyond thrilled about the baby. She was a bit disappointed Boomhauer and Leah had gotten married without a real ceremony, but was still excited nonetheless.
"First your brother teases me with an almost-wedding, then you go off and have one in some quickie chapel. But I suppose can't be too upset when I'm finally getting the grandbaby I have always dreamed about!"
They were at Boomhauer's grandmother's house, which was decorated cozily for the holiday. Patch was late, as usual, but eventually barreled in with a bottle of spiced rum.
"Hi, sis," he grinned at Leah. He then tried to muss up Boomhauer's hair, but was twisted into a headlock.
"Your little belly is so cute!" Boomhauer's mother gushed over Leah's rounding stomach. "Isn't it, mom?"
His grandmother agreed. "You're carrying low. You're having a boy."
"You think so?" Leah asked, amused. She herself felt the baby was a boy. The energy of the life growing inside her felt boyish, in some way.
"He'll be a fourth, of course," Boomhauer's father looked at his son pointedly from above his glasses.
Boomhauer and Leah had briefly discussed it already. Boomhauer was Jeffrey Dexter Boomhauer III, and he had no inclination to carry on the tradition. It was an annoyance, having the same name as his father and grandfather. Legal documents and mail had been a nightmare. And Leah brought up a point he vehemently agreed with: the baby should have his own identity.
Boomhauer didn't want to disappoint his father, but the decision was made.
"If it's a boy, Jeffrey will probably be his middle name."
"You're not proud of your full name?"
"I want my son to have an identity of his own."
my son…
"Being a fourth is his identity. That tradition has been carried down through three generations, you can't give that up now!"
"Dear, just be happy we're getting a grandchild at all," Boomhauer's mother tried to mitigate. "You'll still be getting a Boomhauer to carry on the name."
His father grumbled, but seemed to accept it.
"I get to be the cool uncle!" Patch declared, and gulped down a healthy portion of spiked eggnog.
Boomhauer wondered if he wanted his brother anywhere near his child.
The Hills' were going to throw their annual Christmas party shortly before the holiday. All the neighbors were invited, and people Hank and Peggy knew or worked with. Even Mia was invited, despite not being with Bill anymore.
To everyone's relief, Bill had finally had enough and broke up with Lenore. He desperately wanted Mia back, and was first trying to work on himself to be better for her. Mia agreed to talk to him at the Christmas party, for the first time since they had broken up one month ago.
The morning of the party, Leah heard a knock at the door. Standing there, fidgeting restlessly, was Bill.
"Hi, Leah," he said quickly. "I know you probably don't want anything to do with me-"
"Why would you think that?"
He paused. "Um, because of what I did to Mia."
While her friend getting hurt did displease her, Leah knew Bill was aware he was wrong and was actively trying to change.
"What do you want?"
Quickly again, he said "Will you read my future?"
"What?"
"You know… With your cards."
"I don't-"
"Please."
His eyes were rounded with pleading. Leah sighed.
"What do you want to know?"
"I'm going to see Mia tonight, at Hank's Christmas party. I just want to know if it's going to go well."
Leah shook her head.
"I won't do readings about other people without their knowledge."
"It's not about Mia, really, I guess mostly I want to know if I'm going to mess things up when I talk to her. It's a reading about me."
She gave him a searching look. He was so eager, so hopeful, so worried. She decided to give him a nudge in the right direction, especially for Mia's benefit.
"Alright," she agreed, and Bill jumped up with relief.
"Oh, thank you, Leah, really-"
"I'm mostly doing this for Mia, okay?"
"Right, of course."
He followed her to her bedroom where she kept her crystals, stones, and tarot cards.
They sat facing each other on the floor. Bill watched her with curiosity while she readied the deck.
"Now, tarot cards don't predict the future. They can tell you what might happen, and what guidance you need to either meet it or avoid it."
She passed a quartz crystal over the cards, cleansing them for Bill's reading.
"It's best to ask an open-ended question, rather than a yes or no."
"Okay…" Bill thought about what he wanted to ask. "How about… How can I make my talk with Mia tonight go over well?"
"That's good," Leah smiled. She shuffled and cut the deck. "Draw one card."
Bill ruminated as best as he could, scrutinizing the spread out deck, and choosing the card that spoke the most to him.
Leah flipped it over.
"Eight of wands," she announced.
"Is that… good?"
"Well, it depends on how you let it guide you. Eight of wands is about freedom, and space, and a high level of energy. It's about going with the flow and not resisting. Use the energy to reach your goals; don't be afraid of it, and don't try to slow it down."
Bill sat back, thinking deeply, though he looked very confused.
"So...how do I apply that to talking with Mia tonight?"
Leah shrugged. "Just talk. Say what's in your heart. Say it all and don't hold back."
He considered that for a moment, and nodded in understanding.
"Okay, but… what if I say the wrong thing?"
"Whatever's in your heart is the right thing. That's what she's going to want to hear."
She could tell Bill was hoping for something more concrete, but he thanked her profusely anyway.
When she showed him out and watched him leave, she hoped dearly he would take the advice. She missed seeing Mia happy, and Mia was always unquestionably, irrevocably happy when she was with Bill.
When the party began later that evening, Mia met Leah at her house and the two of them crossed the alley together. The Hill house was incredibly festive, decked with twinkling decorations and sounds of Christmas music.
Boomhauer was already there, drinking beers with Hank and Dale. He kissed her when she walked in.
Mia hovered nervously beside Leah in a corner. Leah knew Mia was anxious, but she could also detect the notes of yearning in her energy.
"What do I even say to him?" Mia wondered. Her eyes kept darting nervously to the door, waiting for the moment Bill would arrive.
"I think you'll mostly be listening at first," Leah ensured, "But when you want to say something, tell him what you want him to know."
"I want him to know he broke my fucking heart."
Leah nodded supportively. "He does need to know that. But I think he's at least aware."
Luanne came over to them, a spiced sangria in hand. "You look great, Leah! You're positively glowing. Your hair is really thick and shiny, too."
"Thank you! Gotta love these hormones."
Mia suddenly went wide eyed and darted out the back door.
"Is she okay?" Luanne wondered, looking after her.
"She's fine. Bill just walked in."
Leah continued to talk with the other guests as the night went on. She received many compliments similar to Luanne's, about how radiant she looked and how cute her belly was. She kept one eye on the sliding glass doors where Mia and Bill were talking. It looked as though things were going okay. Eventually she looked back and they both were gone. She wondered if they went elsewhere to talk.
The next morning she found out she was correct. Mia and Bill had gone somewhere quieter for a while, and emerged as a couple again. Leah was ecstatic, though she figured they would find their way back to each other one way or the other.
Leah also found out she was correct about the baby's gender. She and Boomhauer went to the ultrasound appointment a few weeks later, and were overjoyed when it was announced they were having a boy.
Boomhauer hadn't given much thought to whether or not he wanted a boy or a girl. He had gotten used to Leah referring to it as a boy and never really considered otherwise. But now it was official, it was a boy, and he was going to have a son.
Mia was much happier again, much like how she used to be. Bill was trying hard to better himself, even seeing a therapist and throwing himself into the business selling barbecue sauce with his cousin, Gilbert. He was working on his confidence to be sure he would never ruin things between him and Mia ever again.
When Mia's birthday came around, Leah took her out to celebrate. They did some shopping and then went out to eat at a little vegan bistro. Leah could certainly see a change in Mia's field of energy, the same change she saw in herself when she realized she was pregnant.
Leah didn't mention it, however… It was the sort of thing you needed to find out on your own.
