Please title this page. (Page 4)

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March 15-20, 01.

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Okay, this is skipping ahead a few months. Carol is just out of her first trimester. My health teacher told me that is 3 months. So, she's a little over 3 months pregnant at the beginning of this. It will progress throughout. The people at work know that Doug and Carol are together but they don't know she is pregnant....yet.

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Carol and Doug walked up to the admit desk, holding hands.

"I need your attention everyone!" Carol called out, looking around at all of her co-workers. It was a rare quiet night. Only two patients were in the emergency room and weren't in need of any immediate care. The staff turned their eyes towards the couple.

"We have an announcement to make." Doug says. Carol grins at him and looks back at her friends.

"Yes. As you all know, Doug's been living with me for about 3 months or so. Well, the reason I asked him to move in with me goes beyond the normal reasons that I love him and I wanted him to live with me." She smiles at the curious faces. "The other reason I asked him to move in with me is because.....I am once again, pregnant." Carol says. Everyone around her looks at the two of them, completely dumbfounded. They had all thought Carol would wait awhile before becoming pregnant again. Carol smiles. "This was also an accident, but when we found out, we were thrilled. I am just starting my second trimester. We wanted to wait until I got through my first trimester until we told everyone, just in case." Carol says. All at once, everyone starts to congratulate the two of them, hugging and laughing as they had done just eight months ago, when Carol had told them she was pregnant the first time. Mark and Kerry stood in the back of the crowd, waiting to congratulate them.

"Didn't they only known each other like seven months before she got pregnant?" Kerry asks, her eyes disapproving. Mark looks at her.

"Kerry, tell me, have you ever been in love?" Mark asks. She blushes a deep pink, looking away from him. "They obviously are in love. I've never seen two people as in love as they are. Time doesn't matter with love." Mark says and looks away from her as he comes up to Doug and Carol. He smiles at them.

"Congratulations you guys." He says, hugging Carol and kissing her cheek. He then pats Doug on the back and smiles once more. Kerry grins at them.

"Uh, I want to wish you luck." She says. Doug and Carol smile.

"Thanks Kerry." Carol says. Kerry grins and hugs Carol then Doug, rather awkwardly. She smiles before limping away.

"Whew!" Doug exclaims. Carol giggles and leans up towards his face.

"I love you, Doug." She says. He grins and kisses her quickly.

"I love you too." He says.

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About a month later Carol was standing at the computer at the admit desk, looking up some information about a patient. Doug was standing a few feet away, writing something in a chart. Carol suddenly stopped what she was doing and placed a hand on her stomach, her face looking slightly startled. Soon enough a huge smile spread across her face.

"Doug!" She exclaims. He looks at her quickly, startled by her outburst.

"What?" He asks. She grins.

"I felt the baby." She says. He looks at her, his eyes quizzical before they light up in realization.

"It kicked?" He asks. She nods.

"Here..." She says, reaching out for his hand and pulling him towards her. She placed his hand on her stomach.

"Right here...Wait a second..." She says, grinning. All of a sudden they both feel the movement.

"I feel it." Doug says, grinning wildly, feeling the soft kicks against his spread hand. He looks up at her, catching her eye. "Wow." He whispers. Mark walks up, looking at the two of them.

"What are you two doing?" Mark asks. Doug grins happily as he looks at Mark.

"The baby kicked for the first time!" He exclaims, his hand still on Carol's stomach as he awaits some more movement. Mark chuckles, remembering when he had felt that first movement against Jen's stomach when she had Rachel.

"That's great you guys." Mark says, smiling at them and walking away. Doug looks back at Carol as he feels another movement against his hand.

"I never got to feel the other baby." Carol says, her voice tinted slightly with sadness. Doug smiles and reaches up with his other hand, touching her cheek gently.

"I know this baby won't replace the other one, Carol, but I promise you that this baby will be okay. I will take care of you and the baby and we won't let anything happen to it. I promise." Doug says. She smiles at him.

"I know you won't. I can't wait to see our little baby, to hold it." Carol says. He grins.

"I can't wait either." He replies, kissing her gently.

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Carol stood in her bedroom in front of the full length mirror. She had her shirt up over her stomach and she was tracing patterns over her swollen abdomen with her fingers. At 5 months, Carol's body was growing rapidly and although she complained about it, she was loving every single minute of it. She was so focused on her stomach that she nearly screamed when Doug's arms slide around her and he smiled at her in the mirror.

"Jesus H. Christ, Doug, you scared me to death!" She exclaims. He laughs softly, nuzzling her neck.

"What are you doing, beautiful?" He asks. She grins.

"Looking at the baby..." She says. He chuckles.

"Beautiful baby, ain't she?" He asks. She giggles.

"She?" She asks. He nods.

"Well..you want a girl, I want a girl, so maybe if it's a boy, he'll decide to have a sex change before he comes out." Doug says. Carol giggles and looks back down at her stomach in the mirror which Doug is massaging gently. She sighs happily and places her hands on top of his.

"Doug?" She asks.

"Hmmm..." He replies softly.

"We still haven't picked out a name yet." Carol says.

"We've got 4 months. So..since I figure it will take us that long to decide, let's start thinking. Tell me your ideas." He says.

"Girls or boys?" She asks.

"Give me three of each." He says. She nods and chews her bottom lip as she thinks.

"Lindsay, Jennifer, and Kay. Aaron, Joshua, or Andrew." She says. He shrugs.

"None of those really stand out for me. Uhh..Abigail, Leigh, or Jamie. Tyler, Matthew, or Jacob." He says. She shrugs.

"I like Leigh, but none of the others, really." Carol says. He nods.

"Hmm...How about..Carolina or Douglas Jr." He says. She giggles and turns to face him.

"You're silly." She says. He chuckles softly as she presses her nose against his.

"Hmm...Bernadette?" He teases. She laughs.

"Nooo way!" She exclaims. "Bradley is cute." She says.

"Julia?" He asks.

"Mable." She suggests, grinning.

"No way in hell." He says.

"Adam or Eve?" She suggests. He chuckles.

"I do like those names." He says. She smiles.

"Yeah, me too." She says, resting her head against his shoulder.

"Colt?" He suggests. She wrinkles her nose.

"No." They both say at the same time then laugh.

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Doug was laying on the bed, Carol beside him. She was laying back and he was propped up on his elbow, one hand running over her stomach.

"I like Owen." She says. He nods.

"Yeah, me too." He replies.

"Owen Nicholas? Owen Michael?" She suggest.

"Hmm...Owen James?" He suggests. She shrugs.

"Well, we both like Owen......we'll decide on the middle name later." She says.

"Wait a second...I do like Owen Nicholas or Owen Michael..." Doug says. She nods.

"Okay..we'll argue over those two later. Now, what about girls?" She suggests. He grins, knowing she is excited to pick out girl names because she wants a daughter. He spreads his hand across her stomach, lying it still.

"Mable or Bernadette still really catch my interest.." He grins, teasing her. She smacks his shoulder slightly.

"Seriously, Doug!" She protests. He smiles, becoming serious, knowing she is anxious. He traces shapes across her stomach.

"Hmm..Joanna." He suggests, the name just popping out of his mind. She looks up at him and her eyes widen.

"Joanna.." She says, letting the name slide off her tongue. All of a sudden, the baby kicks for the first time since they had began to discuss baby names. His eyes widen and he looks up at her.

"Did you feel that?" He asks. She nods.

"I think she likes it." Carol says.

"I know I do." He says. She grins.

"Jo...Aw, Doug's that's so cute." She says, placing her hand next to his on her stomach as she feels the baby kick once more. "I think she likes it, Doug. Let's name her that." Carol says. He nods and smiles, bending down and kissing her stomach.

"Joanna Michelle....Joanna Kay...Joanna Allison...Joanna Lee......Hmmm..I can't think of anything good, can you?" He asks. She shakes her head.

"No, but that is what I want to name her. Joanna. Please, Doug, can we?" She asks eagerly. He chuckles.

"Sure. I love it." He kisses her belly again. "Do you like it too?" He asks, placing his ear against her stomach. Carol giggles as Doug nods. "Mmm hmm. Good, great." He says and lifts his head, looking up at Carol. "She likes it!" Doug exclaims. Carol laughs and runs her fingers through his hair.

"I have an appointment next week. Are we going to find out then, or are we going to wait to see if we've got a boy or a girl?" She asks. He grins.

"Let's wait! I want to be surprised, and if we find out, we won't have fun calling her Joanna even if it is a boy!" Doug exclaims. She giggles and smiles.

"I really want a girl, Doug." Carol says. He smiles and nods his head. He kisses her stomach briefly before moving up closer to her.

"I know you do. I do too." Doug says. Carol smiles.

"I know I'll be disappointed if it's a boy, but if it is I know I will love him just as much. It's just always been my dream to have a little girl first. I think it's because I always used to look up to my older sisters." Carol says. Doug nods.

"I want a little girl because I think it'll be cute to have a little Carol running around." He says and reaches up, fingering one of her curls, grinning. "She'll have hair just like you and it'll bounce when she runs. Boys will tease her at school and always pull her hair, but only because it's so intriguing." Doug says. Carol giggles slightly and touches his cheek with her fingers. He smiles at her. "And she'll play with dolls and when she gets older she'll play either softball or basketball....or maybe she'll dance." Doug says. Carol smiles, enjoying listening to him. He smiles at her. "If we don't have a girl this time, I promise we will eventually." He says. Her eyes widen slightly and he nuzzles her neck. "I love you, Carol." Doug says.

"I love you too." She says, kissing his cheek. He pulls Carol up and into his arms. She laughs slightly as he sits her on his lap, her back against his chest. He wraps his arms around her and rests them on her stomach. "What do you suppose she'll be when she grows up?" Carol asks.

"Mmm..Maybe she'll go into the medical profession. Or maybe she won't. But she'll be smart and we'll be proud of her." Doug says. Carol grins and lays her head back on Doug's shoulder.

"Doug..I know that people make promises to each other all the time and they don't always keep them. But....Promise me that you will never leave me." Carol says, looking up at him. "I don't want to go without you. I've never felt like this before." Carol says. He grins and kisses her gently.

"I promise I'll never leave you. Never. I want to see you when your curls are gray...then white." Doug says. Carol laughs and hits his leg playfully and he chuckles, burying his face into the back of her neck, smelling her.

"I'm going to dye my hair even when I'm a hundred years old just so you can never have the satisfaction." She says. He chuckles.

"You'll get tired of dying it eventually and you just won't care anymore and you'll let me see it." He says. She giggles softly against his chest.

"I suppose, only if it will make you happy." She says, smiling. He grins.

"You make me happy." He whispers into her ear. She grins and turns back towards him, pressing her lips to his gently. He brings one hand up to her face, stroking her cheek gently and presses his lips further into hers.

"Doug.." She murmurs against his lips.

"Hmm?" He asks.

"I want some pickles." Carol says, pulling away from him and looking into his eyes seriously. He bites back a smile.

"Do we have any?" He asks. She shakes her head.

"No." She says.

"Do you want me to go get you some?" He asks. She grins.

"Would you?" She asks. He smiles and kisses her gently as he removes himself from underneath her.

"Sure. Sweet or dill?" He asks.

"Dill. Oh, and could you get the flat slices? Not the spears." She says. He chuckles slightly.

"Sure, honey. Anything else?" He asks. She shakes her head, smiling at him.

"Nope." She says. He grins, shoving his tennis shoes on.

"Okay, I'll be back in a little bit." He says, kissing her forehead before leaving the room. He waits until the door is closed behind him before he laughs to himself.

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Doug walked back into the house. He placed the pickles down on the counter and made his way back to the bedroom.

"Carol?" He says softly as he walks into the room. He smiles at what he sees. She is lying on her side, one hand under her cheek and the other curled against her stomach. She is sleeping soundly. He watches her for a few seconds before heading back to the kitchen. He takes the pickles out of the plastic sack and places them in the refrigerator. He throws the bag into the trashcan before making his way back to the bedroom. Doug gets some fresh boxers out of the dresser and goes into the bathroom.

After his shower, Doug headed back into the room and smiled at Carol's still form. He moved around to his side of the bed and pulled the covers back. Since Carol was laying atop the covers, he managed to get them out from under her without stirring her much. He pulled the covers over both of them and Carol turned in her sleep, as if she sensed him with her. She reached out for him and when she found his chest, laid her hand upon it. He grinned, slightly amused. He scooted closer to her, wrapping his arms around her waist and drawing her to his chest. She snuggled in closely, never waking. He kisses her forehead gently and felt the baby move against him.

"G'night baby." He whispered quietly and soon he too fell asleep.

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Carol stood at work, one hand on her back, helping support the weight of her stomach. At six months pregnant, she was feeling pretty grumpy. She sighed and pushed her hair out of her face with her free hand as she looked at Chairs. She slowly made her way up to the desk.

"Randi, what's wrong with all these people?" Carol asks.

"Various things." Randi replied, snapping her gum carelessly, never taking her eyes away from the mushy romance novel she was reading. Carol rolled her eyes and her gaze was caught on Doug as he moved towards the admit desk, having yet to spot her. Even though she saw him everyday, it still made her heart skip every time she saw him. His gaze met hers and he smiled widely, making his way towards her.

"How are you?" He asks quietly.

"Hot." She replies. He chuckles softly and brushes her hair away from her face.

"You should go rest in the lounge." Doug says. She shakes her head.

"I'll be fine." She says and the two of them look at Chairs.

"I should get some work done." Doug says, picking up a chart. He flips through it. "Want to join me with this 5 year old with a possible wrist sprain?" Doug asks. She forces a grin on her face.

"Sure, why not." She says. He chuckles, noticing her fake enthusiasm.

"Just a few more hours, baby." He says. She nods.

"I know." She replies, following him to Chairs. He nods at a woman who is carrying a struggling five year old. The woman smiles at Doug, strained as she tries to control her son.

"Matthew!" She exclaims, obviously exasperated. Carol smiles politely as they walk into Exam Two, listening to Doug talk to the woman.

"Mrs. Lyon, why don't you sit down here on the bed and hold Matthew in your lap." Doug says. She nods.

"Okay." She says.

"No!" The little boy exclaims, hitting his mothers arm. Doug and Carol both notice how he is favoring his other arm, knowing he really is hurt.

"Matthew! Stop!" Mrs. Lyon says.

"Let me go!" He whines, obviously rather frightened by the prospect of Doug and Carol.

"Hey pal, it's going to be okay." Carol says gently as Doug gets ready to examine him. The little boy sticks his tongue out at Carol.

"Matthew, tell the nurse you're sorry!" His mother exclaims.

"I'm not!" He exclaims, still struggling against his mother. She looks up at Carol apologetically.

"I'm sorry." She says. Carol smiles softly.

"It's okay." She says, hoping to God her child doesn't act this way in public one day.

"Carol?" Doug asks, pulling her aside. She goes willingly. "I need to give him this shot. Do you think you can do it?" Doug asks. She smiles.

"Sure. I'll try my best." She says, taking the syringe from him. Carol tries to hide it as she comes up to the child.

"I'm going to have to give him a s-h-o-t." Carol says, explaining to the mother. Her eyes widen.

"Oh God." Mrs. Lyon replies. Carol smiles.

"If you could just try to get him to look away and hold him as still as possible." Carol says. Mrs.Lyon nods, glancing over at Doug quickly, who has his back turned away from the trio. The woman tries to turn her son away and manages to get his attention elsewhere. Carol moves in to press the needle into the boys flesh, but he turns his head just before she can do it. He sees the needle and immediately moves, his foot coming out and kicking Carol squarely in the stomach. She gasps slightly, dropping the syringe and clutching to her stomach with one hand. Doug turns at the sound of Carol's gasp and looks at her. She glances at him quickly, frightened.

"Oh my God, I am so sorry. Matthew Paul!" The mother exclaims. The child is still, his eyes wide, realizing he had hurt the woman.

"Doug..." Carol mutters. He pays no attention to the woman and her son as he gathers Carol close to him. He pulls her, stumbling, out into the hallway. He spots Kerry down the hall.

"Kerry?!" He calls out. She looks up. "I need your help!" Doug says. Carol has tears in her eyes, one hand on her stomach, the other clutching Doug. Kerry comes limping as quickly as she can down the hall.

"What happened?" Kerry asks.

"A little boy kicked Carol in the stomach. We need to get her a gurney and I need someone to go back in with the kid." Doug says. Kerry looks beyond Doug and Carol and spots John Carter.

"Carter!" She yells. He turns to look at her.

"Yeah, Kerry?" He asks, coming towards them.

"I need you to take this little boy." Kerry says, motioning towards the Exam Room. Without waiting for his answer, she and Doug help Carol up onto a gurney. She is breathing hard, biting her lower lip as she tries to fight the tears. Mark comes around the corner.

"What's going on?" He asks.

"Carol got hit in the stomach." Kerry says, turning her attention back to Carol. "Are you feeling any contractions?" She asks.

"No.." Carol says, looking up at Doug, frightened for their child. He smiles softly at her.

"It's going to be okay." Doug says as he, Mark, and Kerry wheel Carol into another empty exam room.

"I'll go get an ultrasound machine." Mark says immediately, exiting the room. Kerry begins to check Carol through.

"Doug.." Carol whispers. He looks down at her, squeezing her hand gently.

"How do you feel?" He asks.

"It's sore....But it's not a sharp pain. It's just a dull ache from his kick." Carol says. He nods, stroking her forehead gently as he watches Kerry. She listens to the baby's heartbeat through her stethoscope.

"I think I hear the pulse." Kerry says, just as Mark wheels the machine back into the room.

"Okay...are we ready?" Mark asks, giving Carol a comforting smile. She nods, still fighting the tears as she grasps to Doug's hand.

"What if I'm spotting?" She asks suddenly, the thought just occurring to her. Mark, Kerry, and Doug all look at her.

"Do you want Kerry to check?" Mark asks then. She nods.

"Yes." She whispers. Mark looks at Kerry who nods. Mark begins to work with the machine, turning it on, as Kerry manages to get Carol's scrub bottoms off and a sheet over her. Carol is too worried to be embarrassed as she watches Kerry, her stomach churning. When Kerry looks up, she meets Mark's eyes instead of Doug's or Carol's.

"Kerry?!" Carol asks frantically, noticing the look on her co-workers face.

"Kerry, what is it?" Doug asks, his nerves pumping. She looks at them.

"There's some spotting." She says. Carol lets her head fall back to the pillow and lets out a strangled moan. "But there's not much. It doesn't mean anything, yet, Carol. Don't panic." Kerry says.

"I'm ready to do the ultrasound." Mark says. Carol looks at him quickly, nervous and impatient, tears threatening her eyes.

"Hurry..." She whimpers.

"I'm going to call Dr. Coburn." Kerry says. The three of them nod at her, before turning back to the machine. As Kerry steps towards the door to dial up to obstretics, she sees the staff outside at the admit desk, looking towards the room curiously, wondering what is going on. She turns her back towards them as she dials the number.

"Okay, Carol. This'll be kind of cool." Mark says, spreading the gel over her exposed abdomen. She barely feels the cold as she waits for him to continue. He places the handle on her stomach. "Okay..here we go." He says as the image flickers onto the screen. Although Doug is worried, he can't help but feel that sharp jump of his heart when he sees his child. Mark grins slightly, pointing to the screen.

"There's the heartbeat." Mark says. Carol and Doug nod. "It sounds nice and steady. It doesn't look like the baby's been to disturbed." Mark says, looking back at Doug and Carol. They nod and Doug squeezes her hand gently just as Kerry comes back. to the bedside.

"Coburn said to send you up." Kerry says, looking at the screen. "That's looking good, Carol." Kerry says. Carol nods, letting out a half relieved sigh.

"Should I get her strapped to it so we can get her upstairs?" Mark asks. Kerry nods.

"Sure." She replies.

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Within minutes, Carol was upstairs in a different bed, Doug still by her side. Kerry and Mark were replaced with Dr. Coburn who was checking Carol over.

"Everything checks out okay. The spotting was just a normal reaction. The baby is fine. I'm going to send you home, no more working for today. And if you feel any contractions at all I want you to come into the hospital right away." She says. Carol and Doug nod. "Do you have to work tomorrow?" Janet Coburn asked Carol. She nodded.

"Yes." Carol replies.

"Good. After your shift tomorrow, come in and I'll give you another check-up. If everything checks out okay, I'll just see you again for your regular check-up in a couple of weeks." Janet says. Carol nods.

"Thank you." She says. Dr. Coburn nods as she gets ready to leave.

"Take it easy tonight." She says, smiling, before leaving the room. Carol sighs in relief and looks up at Doug. He smiles.

"Everything's okay." He says. She nods, smiling weakly.

"Let's go home." She says. He nods.

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Doug and Carol walked to the bedroom, holding hands.

"Do you want to get a lukewarm bath?" Doug asks. She nods.

"Mmm..that sounds good." She says. He nods.

"Okay, you get ready and I'll go start your bath." He says, kissing her forehead before walking into the bathroom. She stays behind, getting changed into her robe. He fills up the tub with warm water, making sure it's not to hot, as it could damage the baby. Within minutes the tub is filled and Carol is walking into the bathroom, the robe on, but untied, showing her nakedness beneath it. He smiles at her as she comes in. He wraps his arms around her and kisses her gently.

"You're so beautiful." He says. She grins and leans her forehead against his for a few seconds before pulling away from him and getting into the bath. Doug got down behind her in the tub and massaged her shoulders softly, her head lolling forward in enjoyment. She sighs, content.

"You have wonderful hands." She says. He chuckles.

"Feel good?" He asks. She nods.

"Amazing." She replies and he smiles, kissing the back of her head gently as he continues massaging.

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