(For disclaimer, etc. - see chapter 1)

Chapter 20

"I don't know why I'm nervous," Mac admitted to Dick in a whisper from the side of her mouth. "Seriously, what is wrong with me?"

"It's probably normal, right, doc?" Dick said loud enough for the radiographer to plainly hear. "Aren't all parents totally nervous when they get this kinda scan?"

"Some of them are," she admitted, smiling kindly at first Dick then Mac, "but there's really nothing to worry about. Your previous scan showed no problems and you've reported no obvious abnormalities. Of course, there can be issues, but it's rare. There's a very good chance that your baby is perfectly fine and healthy, and in a few moments, we're going to confirm that fact. Try to relax," she advised, just as she squirted cold gel onto the swell of Mac's stomach, making her shudder.

Taking a deep breath in and letting it out slow, Mac really did try to find her calm and not freak out. She honestly wasn't sure what it was that was bothering her. It was probably as much excitement as nerves. Today, twenty weeks into this pregnancy, they were going to find out if they were having a boy or a girl. Not that Mac really had a preference, but it was cool to know they could find out, even if she couldn't have said why she thought so.

Perhaps all the nerves were for what came after the scan. Much like the previous trip to the hospital for the initial sonogram, Mac had plans to see her family after. It wasn't specifically arranged exactly, it just seemed to work out that way. Mac didn't have the heart to turn down either of her moms when they asked her so nicely if she would please come over.

Knowing she would have news about the grandchild just made her feel all the more obligated to go share. Honestly, it wasn't even just the obligation. She wanted to share the news too. She knew how happy it would make both her mothers to hear it, her dads too, and it would make her happy to tell them.

On this occasion, it would be 'just the girls', as Ellen put it (Mac couldn't quite bring herself to think of her as 'Mom' yet, Natalie still had that privilege) and the only real concern was that Madison might be there too. Mac couldn't believe she would be. Sure, her birth-switch partner would be the last person interested in her pregnancy, but she didn't know for sure if she would be at the house. Lauren would be there, along with Ellen and Natalie, and that Mac could handle. If Madison was there too? Well, maybe it was considering that horrible thought that was making her that much more nervous than today's scan really required.

"Okay, here goes," said the radiographer then, beginning to press the wand into Mac's bump, as all three of them watched the monitor with interest.

Mac glanced away from the screen only once to see what Dick's expression might be. He was practically on the edge of his seat, staring so very intently at the picture forming in front of him. She had no idea what it was he was hoping for. She did ask once, would he like a boy or a girl, but he only shrugged and said it didn't really matter to him. She agreed she felt much the same, which was true, but she had to wonder if it would be different when they actually found out for sure. Would she be even slightly disappointed to get a child of one gender or the other? Would Dick?

"Okay, so everything looks good here," said the radiographer. "Strong heartbeat, two arms, two legs, everything in order, and a pretty clear indication of the sex. Would Mommy and Daddy like to know if the little one is a boy or a girl?"

"Mommy would," said Mac definitely nodding her head.

"Me too," Dick agreed, actually going so far as to raise his hand as if they were black in a school classroom.

The radiographer smiled. "Okay then. I'm pleased to tell you, you're having a perfectly healthy baby girl."

"Woah, a girl!" Dick gasped, looking very blurry to Mac as her eyes filled with tears she really hadn't been expecting. "Babe, if she looks anything like you, she is going to be totally gorgeous."

That was a very sweet compliment, but honestly, Mac could hardly take it in, never mind thank Dick for the kindness or even feel flattered. She was having a baby girl, a daughter of her own, and she was thrilled. Beyond thrilled, she didn't have words. It was an amazing revelation to realise that it was exactly what she hoped to hear today. She couldn't have been happier with the news.

"I mean, I know it probably seems like I'd want a boy, you know, Dick 2.0 or whatever, but dude, when the scan lady was all, 'It's a girl,' I was so happy. Like, who doesn't want a little Macky running around, you know? She is gonna be so perfect."

Keith smiled so wide his cheeks ached with the pressure, but he couldn't help it. Seeing Dick Casablancas so elated at the idea of being a father to a girl was so very surprising but it was also wonderful to experience. Never in his wildest dreams could Keith have even imagined the boy growing up to be a decent kind of man, but to see him being an excited expectant father like this, it was something else entirely.

"I'm very happy for you, Dick. However, you should know that raising a daughter, as rewarding as it is, it's not without its challenges."

The piles of folders that Dick had been removing from the file cabinet to hand to Keith suddenly slipped a little in his grip, just as the smile slipped similarly from his face. It seemed to Keith that maybe his newest associate at Mars Investigations might just have been focusing on all the joys of parenthood without properly thinking through the trials that came along with. The way he suddenly sat down heavily in Veronica's chair as if every breath of air had been sucked out of him all at once spoke volumes.

"Dick?" Keith waved a hand in front of his staring eyes. "Dick, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to freak you out, I was just-"

"It's cool," said Dick flatly, shaking his head in the next moment and finally refocusing his eyes on Keith's own concerned expression. "Seriously, I'm good. I guess I just wasn't... I mean, my childhood was cool, in some ways. You know, all the toys and a pool and all that stuff, but it also sucked in other ways. Logan went through so much too. I mean, Macky had her problems, but at least her parents are decent. I guess I was just thinking our kid would be like her, smart and cool and happy and everything, but when you said how it can be tough, I started thinking about Ronnie. Dude, she's been through some sh-, some crap," he corrected, clearing his throat.

"That's true." Keith nodded solemnly. "But you know, Dick, there's no preferred gender or sexuality or any demographic really that makes a life better or worse. We all have our good luck and our bad luck, our trying times and our good times. Veronica and I, we've both been through our fair share of problems, but as you said, so have you, so has Logan. I don't think there's a person alive who hasn't suffered in their life, but that doesn't mean it's all they know. Besides, this little girl you and Mac are having, she's already got a very good start in life. She's going to have a mother and father who love her to no end. Plus, a built-in best friend in Veronica and Logan's kid, I'm certain."

As he sat there nodding his head, his happy expression beginning to return, it seemed clear that Dick did believe what Keith was telling him. A few moments later, he was even saying as much.

"You know, you're totally right? You're a smart guy, Mr Mars."

"Well, thank you, Dick, but I'm sure we already agreed you were old enough by now to call me Keith."

"Keith, right." Dick nodded. "I'm sorry about the freak out. This whole father thing is kind of a big deal."

"Don't I know?" Keith agreed easily, "But I'm sure you'll get used to it before long. And, you know, if you ever need any advice, I'd be happy to help where I can. I can't say I have an answer for everything, but I do have some experience, as you know."

"Sure, right. Yeah, I might just take you up on that, but I figure right now we should be doing this whole work thing," Dick considered, eyeing the folders that were now splayed across the desk, then pulling them back into an orderly pile. "Honestly, this is all kind of new for me too. I mean, I'm not totally stupid or anything, despite what you heard, but I just never needed to work before."

"Well, I appreciate you making the effort to help out here. I mean it, I really do. Let's face it, I'm not as young as I used to be, much as I'd like to pretend that I am, and after everything that happened..."

"Trust me, I more than get the whole life and death experience."

"I know that you do, Dick." Keith nodded. "Certainly does put things into very clear perspective, doesn't it?"

"Hell, yeah!" Dick agreed, flipping open the first folder in the large pile in front of him. "So, what exactly do you guys do here anyway?" he asked, staring at the paperwork with a frown.

Keith smiled. "Let's start with the basics. This right over here is the coffee machine..."

"A little girl. Oh, it's wonderful, Cindy, absolutely wonderful," Ellen enthused over her coffee cup. "Not that I would've minded a grandson, of course, but a little girl."

"I have to admit, it's what I was hoping for too." Natalie smiled.

Mac felt a sigh of relief brewing, not just because both grandmas seemed happy with the results of the scan, but also that they were here, on either side of her on the couch with cups in their hands and smiles on their faces. Everybody was getting along. It was almost more than she could've hoped for.

"I don't know why anybody's surprised." Lauren rolled her eyes. "A girl was almost guaranteed. We're practically all girls in this family. Eight cousins and seven of them are girls, and I swear little Cousin Jordy is adopted anyway, so..."

She seemed to realise her mistake a beat before her mother said her name too sharply and Madison's cup clanged hard against it's saucer. Mac's eyes went straight from her sister to her birth-switch partner and she winced. They were an odd family unit, but it kind of worked, until anyone actually mentioned how they all got into this muddle in the first place. That always brought the awkward and no-one seemed to feel it more keenly than Madison.

Muttering 'excuse me' she got up from her seat and all but stormed out. It seemed to be her raison d'etre of late, but this time, Mac wasn't letting it go. This time, she went with her instinct and got up to give chase.

"Sweetie..." the woman she still called mom began to say.

"I should go," said Ellen, at the same time, trying to rise from her seat.

"No, please," Mac insisted, shoving her cup on the table and shaking her head. "It has to be me," she said definitely, moving to the door as quickly as possible.

There was every chance Madison would be long gone, behind some other door in a large, labyrinthian house, where Mac would stand no real chance of finding her. It was what she expected, what a small part of her even hoped for, in spite of her determination to chase Madison down. It was a surprise to find the person she was looking for, sitting half way up the stairs with her face in her hands.

"Hey," said Mac softly as she reached the bottom.

Madison made a startled sound as she looked up, hastily wiping tears from her cheeks. She looked so much younger than her near-thirty years, which almost made Mac smile. After all, weren't women like Madison always trying to look as young and beautiful as possible, even as the years rolled by? She suspected bawling like a kid was not a usual path to retaining youth, but right now, it was working.

"What is your problem?" Madison snapped.

Mac didn't even flinch. She had been expecting hostility. She never got anything else from Madison before, she couldn't see things changing now that she was effectively taking pieces of her life from her, however inadvertently.

"Funny, that was going to be my line," she said instead, leaning heavily on the post at the bottom of the handrail. "You know, I didn't do this to you. I didn't ask to be switched at birth any more than you did, or not switched back when the parents realised the mistake. The only reason I let everybody know that I knew the truth was because... well..." she trailed off, her arm curled around the bump of her pregnancy.

Madison stared at her a moment, then turned away, looking decidedly green about the gills. Mac wasn't sure what bothered Madison most; feeling she was losing the family that raised her or knowing that Mac was giving all the parents a son-in-law and grandchild when she wasn't. Either way, it didn't really seem fair, Mac knew. In fact, she was the only person who knew better than anyone else.

"Say what you want, you must be loving all this," said Madison, every inch the petulant child she should have stopped being more than twenty years before.

"Do I love that I'm not keeping a huge life-altering secret anymore? Yeah, you got me, I absolutely do love that," Mac admitted freely, almost amused by the expression of shock on Madison's face when she looked at her then, her mouth a perfect circle somehow. "But if you really think I love all the pain and confusion this thing has caused, then you're even dumber and crazier than I ever thought you were," she said without pause, done playing nice, so very much done tiptoeing around the issue.

"Madison, I know we're never going to be friends, certainly nothing like sisters, no matter what our collective parents think," she continued, rolling her eyes at the ridiculous hope she knew the moms, as well as maybe the dads, were probably holding onto, "but let's at least learn to be civil and adult about this situation, okay? Now, if you want to be angry about this forever, you have every right. You can be mad at the hospital staff who made the mistake. You can be mad at the parents for making the decision to not switch us back and never telling us what happened. What you can't do, what I'm not going to allow you to do, is make me feel bad, or my kid feel bad, for something that was no more in my control than yours."

She dared her to argue, dared her to find any reasonable counter to what she said, because Mac was pretty sure there wasn't one. She spoke the truth to Madison, because she had nothing to lie about. None of this mess was either of their faults and it was so stupid to take any of it out on each other. Mac wasn't allowing it to happen, she had decided, and she was sticking to her guns, no matter what.

"You know I'm starting to wonder now if you bugged me so much in high school because you reminded me of my mother when she was being constantly and annoyingly right."

Madison seemed like she was trying to make it sound like an insult, but something akin to a smile more than anything else pulled at her lips. She was trying to fight it pretty hard, resulting in a weird grimace that was less than attractive. It made Mac smile herself, she just couldn't seem to help it. Heaving a sigh, she moved to lower herself down onto the stairs, a couple of steps below Madison, but turned to the side a little so she could still see her.

"Look, I know you haven't had as much time to adjust to this as I have. I know it's weird and you feel like your entire world is upside-down right now, but I do know it can get better, if you let it. You know your mom and dad, the Sinclairs, they still love you, and also, the Mackenzies love you too. Now, you have a sister and a brother. What I'm saying is, you shouldn't look at this as a loss, you know? You actually have more family now than you ever had, and as a bonus, they're all good people. They all want what's best for you... and for me, I guess. Not everybody is that lucky."

She was thinking of Dick when she said it, not to mention Veronica and Logan and Wallace, though she doubted Madison had any idea about that. She certainly wasn't about to say it. No doubt she had her own examples that she could think of. People like Gia Goodman maybe, or even other friends that Mac wouldn't know at all. It didn't matter. Whether you lived in the 09 zip, or the 02, or anywhere in between, nobody's life was perfect, not ever.

Madison huffed out a sigh, her gaze settling very much on Mac's expanded belly, or maybe it was her left hand laying on top of it, with the ring that sparkled in the light. "So, he finally grew up. I swear I didn't think Dick could ever do that."

"Hey, finally something we agree on." Mac grinned, unable to stop herself. "He was never exactly prime candidate for responsible adulthood, that's for sure, but yeah, he's changed. He had to. When you go through something profound and life-changing like he did - like we all do at some point in our lives, I guess - you don't really have a choice but to fight your way through it. Then, when you get to the other side, sometimes you realise you're never going to be the same, but that that's okay too. Change can be good," she said, meeting Madison's eyes. "Honestly, it really can."

She nodded her head, so slightly Mac was sure she would've missed it if she hadn't been actively looking for some sort of reaction, but it was there. Madison understood. It was possible she might even be prepared to really try and adjust to her new situation. Mac hoped so, not so much for her own sake, but for all the parents, for Lauren and Ryan, even for the baby that was growing inside herself. The smoother things could be within the hybrid family, the better it would be for everybody. After all, hadn't they already been through quite enough already, without adding further drama?

To Be Continued...