A kindergarten classroom is no place to be when recovering from a concussion, so the principal gives Laura the week off from school to recover. She and Bill visit an obstetrician first thing Monday morning, the same doctor that confirmed her pregnancy two days before Bill was to return from his mission. An ultrasound is performed just to be sure the fetus wasn't harmed when she collapsed from her fainting spell. Bill is mesmerized by the image on the screen, the tiny fetus doing backflips in the womb.
"Can you determine gender yet?" he asks the technician.
"No, Bill, I don't want to know," Laura interjects before the sonographer can answer.
"We can't determine gender yet anyway. The doctor will join you shortly if you'd like to get dressed," the technician says.
"Did you see that? She's so active already!" he exclaims. "She's going to have Cheryl's energy!"
"Ohhh, boy," Laura replies with a reluctant smile. "We're going to have to be in peak shape for that! And why do you keep saying 'she'? Hoping for a girl?"
"Not necessarily, but I have a feeling."
The doctor reports that the fetus is healthy and active, heart rate normal. Laura likely got pregnant early in the honeymoon, possibly the first night, based on the precise measurements the sonographer took. She reminds her to follow-up with her primary care physician regarding her concussion, and Laura is happy to share that her appointment is Friday. The doctor advises her to take advantage of her disability leave and get as much rest as possible. She schedules another visit in exactly four weeks.
On Tuesday, Jean joins them at the loft for dinner. She arrives with a bottle of wine, offering to chill it in the fridge before they eat. When Laura tells her she won't be able to have any alcohol for the next several months, a look of realization spreads across her face.
"Are you? Really?" she asks hopefully.
When Laura smiles and nods her head, Jean pulls her into a warm embrace, congratulating her. She gives Bill a kiss on the cheek, carefully avoiding his banged-up shoulder.
"This is such good news!" she exclaims. "I'm so incredibly happy for both of you!"
"Do you want me to open the wine, Jean? I won't be able to have any, either - because of the pain-relievers I'm taking," Bill says.
"No, maybe I'll just take it home with me. I feel kind of silly now. I should have brought dessert or something."
They dine on roasted chicken and asparagus, Laura careful to eat healthy. She has noticed an increase in her appetite recently and is trying to avoid filling her stomach with junk food, which isn't easy since she seems to be craving sweets. A fruit salad filled with strawberries, grapes, and melon will hopefully satisfy that craving.
"How's work at the firm?" Laura asks her friend, knowing that she has spent some very long hours in the office.
"Busy. That's the best word to describe it. Busy. I'm lucky if I get to my spin class during the week."
"But do you like it?"
"Mmm, so far. It's not as exciting as I thought it might be. But I haven't been working all that long, and I'm still learning the ropes, so I'm sure that will change," she states confidently.
"Seeing anyone? Or are you too busy?"
Jean doesn't respond, instead smiling at her friend before taking another bite of food.
"You are seeing someone! I know that look, Jean!" Laura exclaims happily.
"There is someone I've seen a few times, but like I said, I'm very busy. He's also extremely busy, so we're taking things kind of slow. But I like him," she says quietly before taking another bite of food.
"And how much older might this gentleman be?" Laura presses.
"I don't want to discuss that," she replies coyly.
"What's his name? Where'd you meet?"
"You're full of questions, aren't you? Like I said, it's early and I don't want to jinx it. I've known him for…let's just say a while. We didn't get romantic until recently."
"Is he hot?"
"Of course he's hot! He has these really cute dimples that I can't take my eyes off of," she replies with a faraway look in her eyes while she thinks about him. A blush creeps up her neck as she stares into space with thoughts of her new beau.
"Hmmmm, you have quite a look in your eyes right now, Jean. I think this could be serious."
"Alright, no more talk about him. Let's just say I really like him. He's been a pleasant surprise in my life."
Before she leaves for the evening, she makes Bill and Laura promise to call her if they need anything. "I know I told you I'm busy, but I'll find the time if you need something. I don't want my career to cause me to lose track of the people I love."
"Oh, you love me, Jean?" Laura sniffles. Jean can't tell if her best friend is pretend crying or if her pregnancy hormones have already kicked into gear.
"I do, Laura. I love you. And I love you, too, Bill. Take care of yourselves. I'll call you in a few days if I don't hear from you before then."
"Don't forget your bottle of wine," Laura says handing it to her.
"I got it," Dave says, walking into the foyer to answer the door. Cheryl is busy in her room working on a computer program while Sandra sits on the sofa trying to finish a book for one of her classes. As soon as he pulls the door open, a woman steps inside and flings her arms around him in a firm embrace.
Sandra raises her eyebrows as the woman places a kiss to his cheek, hoping this might be someone her father is dating, but then she sees that it's Jean.
"I just came from Laura and Bill's place! Congratulations!" she says. "I'm so happy for you!"
"Thank you! Come in - let's go upstairs and talk."
"Hi, Sandra! Are you excited to be an aunt?" Jean asks when she spots her studying on the sofa off the entryway.
"Definitely. What brings you by?" she asks curiously.
"I had to stop over when I heard the good news. I'll see you later," she says following Dave up the steps.
A few minutes pass before Sandra hears Jean laughing loudly from behind the closed door of her father's office. Her laugh is followed by her father's laugh, something she realizes she hasn't heard very often since her mother died.
"Glad someone's having fun tonight," she mumbles as she looks at the three remaining chapters she must read before bedtime. Ten minutes later, Jean and her father come down the steps, broad smiles on both of their faces. They go to the kitchen, removing two bottles of water from the refrigerator, then speak in low tones to each other. Occasionally their conversation is punctuated with a chuckle from Dave or a giggle from Jean. Sandra sits quietly on the couch pretending to read while she strains her ears to hear what they're saying, wondering when this friendship between her father and her sister's best friend developed.
"I'll call you in a few days," Dave whispers to her in the kitchen. "But I'm free again Sunday evening if you are."
"NO WAY!" Sandra thinks to herself as her eyes about pop from her head. If she wasn't within earshot of them, she'd be pacing the floor mumbling to herself as her head spins at the possibility that her father is seeing Jean. "NO FRAKKIN' WAY!" she screams inside of herself.
"You're going to make a wonderful grandfather, Dave," Jean compliments him as they walk to the foyer, then pulls him into another hug. "Make sure you spoil that baby rotten," she instructs before she leaves.
"Hey, kiddo, how's the homework coming along?" Dave asks, taking a seat next to Sandra after locking the door.
"So much reading. I'll be up late but at least I'll have the book done so I can start on the report tomorrow. You know, daddy, you sure have an awful lot of lipstick on you all the time for a man that's not dating anyone," she says wiping her finger down the smudge Jean left on his cheek. "I think that's four times now? The collar on your polo, the mysterious lipstick on your cheek from your so-called work meeting, JJ the other night, and now Jean. It's like women can't keep their lips off you," she teases, examining the lipstick on her index finger. It seems to match the shade from the work meeting last month.
"There are perfectly good explanations for all of those. Don't let your imagination get the best of you."
"I'm waiting for the night you come home with lipstick smeared all over your mouth. Can't wait to hear your explanation about a work meeting when that happens."
"That's not going to happen, and you need to stop obsessing."
She decides to try a different approach to get information out of him. "Daddy, I know you said you aren't ready to date, but when you do decide you're ready, what kind of woman will you go out with?"
"Oh, gosh, I don't know," he says shrugging his shoulders.
"Will she be closer to your age, or younger?"
"I suppose I'm open to a range of ages."
"How young would be too young?"
"I don't know."
"Like, would you date a college student?"
"No," he replies immediately. "That's too young. I can't imagine we'd have anything in common."
"What if it's someone that recently graduated from graduate school? Like a new doctorate?"
"Possibly, but I'm not really seeing that, either. We'd have to have some sort of mutual interest."
"What if you knew some of the same people?"
"Why all the questions, Sandra?"
"Just curious. I want you to be happy, daddy. But I think you should be careful. It's important to consider how Cheryl, Laurie, and I might feel about the person."
"I'd never date anyone that wasn't kind to you girls. Where is this coming from?"
"Just keep our feelings in mind when you date. That's all I'm asking. I never really thought about it much before, but I think it's important."
"You three girls are the most important people in all the colonies to me. And a grandbaby will make that four important people in my life. Nothing will ever change that."
"I know that. I just wanted you to know how I feel. I need to get back to reading now."
"BOO!" says the voice from over her shoulder causing Sandra to jump.
"What the actual frak?!" she exclaims in a loud whisper, turning to find Jeff standing behind her with a giant grin on his face. She's been in the library for the entire afternoon trying to work on her book report that's due at the end of the week, although she's been distracted with thoughts of what her father could possibly be doing with Jean, and then there's the matter of the sex book regarding the scrolls of Aphrodite that she keeps sneaking peeks at. "What do you want?" she asks angrily.
"Your dad thought you could use some water," he says handing her a bottle.
"Thanks," she says suspiciously, wondering why he's still standing beside her. "Anything else?"
"Yeah. I missed your birthday. How was it?"
"I spent my birthday sitting on a toilet shitting my brains out while I puked in a bucket. It was not a good birthday in any way."
"Yikes," he grimaces, and she wants to wipe the stupid look from his face. "That stomach bug was a bitch, wasn't it? That's no way to spend a birthday."
"No, it isn't. But that's kind of how my year has been. Why haven't you left yet?" she asks closing the book in front of her and sliding it under her backpack, hoping he didn't notice that she was reading the sex history book her father loaned her.
"I have a present for you," he says proudly.
"You already gave me the bottle of water. Now run along like a good little puppy back to my dad," she says waving her hand.
"I have something else," he mumbles, rummaging around in his backpack until he produces a square box wrapped in shiny red paper. "Here."
"Oh. Thank you," she says in a surprised tone.
"Go ahead, open it."
"It's not something gross is it?"
"No," he replies with a confused look.
"Did my dad tell you to do this?"
"No. Well, he did tell me you didn't get to celebrate your birthday, and I felt kind of bad, so I bought you something. C'mon! Open it!"
She pulls the loose end of the bow to untie it, then carefully slides her fingers beneath the tape. "It's drawing pencils," she says, stunned.
"Yeah. Your dad said you like to sketch, and I figured you could use these."
"Are you sure he didn't buy these and tell you to give them to me?" she asks suspiciously.
"No, why would he do that?"
"Hmmpf, no reason. Thank you, Jeff. Um, why are you still standing here?"
He leans in close to whisper in her ear. "Chapter eight might be the best chapter in that whole book."
Friday night is the quarterfinals of the professional pyramid league and Cheryl has a front row seat since she's still the record holder at the arena. They allow her an extra ticket so that an adult may accompany her, and she chooses her father to attend. Dave's relieved given the week they've had together, Cheryl acting kind of rambunctious and snarky with him.
Sandra is invited to spend the evening with Bill and Laura, who has been cleared by her doctor to start working half days again the following week. They decide to have a quiet night at the loft given that Bill is still recuperating and very protective of his wife and their future child. Sandra doesn't mind, happy to not have to sit home alone where she'd probably watch Viper Squadron II by herself for the millionth time, having memorized all of Rebound's lines and saying them with his character whenever he appears in the movie.
They dine on lean steak and salad, Laura determined to eat extremely healthy during her pregnancy. For dessert they have berries with a small dollop of whipped cream on top, to satisfy her growing craving for sweets.
"I'm liking having friends and family over for dinners," Laura comments. "It's a nice, relaxed way to spend time with everyone without breaking the bank and going out to eat."
"How was dinner with Jean the other night?" Sandra asks.
"Good! She's seeing someone now."
It's music to Sandra's ears. There must be another reason her father is spending time with her sister's best friend. "Is he another lawyer?"
"I don't know. She was very mysterious about him and wouldn't tell me much," Laura replies before helping herself to another serving of dessert.
"Really?" Sandra swallows hard. "So, do you know anything about him?"
"Not a whole lot. She said they've known each other for a while but didn't get romantic until recently. They're taking it slow since they're both so busy. Oh, and she said he's really handsome and she can't take her eyes off his dimples."
"Interesting," Sandra says, her mind trying to convince herself that the man Jean is seeing is not her father.
"I think she was out with him the night of our dinner party after our honeymoon - that's why she wasn't here."
"Huh," Sandra grunts, her mind racing with different non-romantic scenarios to explain both her father and Jean's absence that night. But the lipstick on her father's cheek – it was similar to Jean's lipstick when she stopped by the other night to congratulate him. And why exactly has she come to the house recently and spoken with him in private? Why did he tell her he was available Sunday night, again? Again? Again means they've seen each other before. Maybe this has something to do with her father's work. He did say it was a work meeting that Sunday of the dinner party. Maybe it has something to do with the university. Jean recently graduated – could there be some big alumni gathering they are helping to plan? That doesn't sound like anything her father would be involved with, though. Why are they so friendly towards each other? Why were they whispering in the kitchen? Maybe it was because she was studying, and they didn't want to disturb her. Maybe there's some other completely platonic reason for all of this, maybe…
"Sandra? Where are you? I've been talking for the past minute and you're just staring," Laura says snapping her fingers in front of her face.
"Huh?"
"Your brain is in overdrive right now. What's going on?"
"Nothing," she replies, blinking a few times then forcing a smile to her face.
"Sandra," Laura grumbles, setting her fork down and crossing her arms on the table, leaning across toward her sister. "I know that look on your face. What's up?"
"I was just thinking, that's all."
"Duh! Your brain went down a rabbit hole and got lost. What has you so distracted? Does it have something to do with Jean?"
"Um," she stammers glancing at Bill, who is looking at her intently. "I – I don't know. Forget about it."
"Oh, sis. I know that look on your face. You think you know something. Spill it."
"I'd rather not," Sandra replies, glancing at Bill again, desperately trying to convey to him that he should bail her out. Her stare doesn't go unnoticed by Laura.
"Bill, do you know something?"
"No. How could I? I was gone for two weeks and then I've been home all this week. I don't know anything."
"Bill, can I talk to you in private?" Sandra asks, her eyes pleading with him.
"You two are not keeping secrets from me. I won't allow it," Laura says, narrowing her eyes at both of them in that expression she has perfected as a schoolteacher. "Tell me what's going on, Sandra."
"I'm sure there's a reasonable explanation for everything," she replies, trying to soothe over a tense conversation.
"Maybe there is, but we won't be able to figure it out until you tell me what you know," Laura reasons.
"I don't want to upset you. You're still recovering from your concussion and you're pregnant. Nothing good can come of this conversation. Bill, please. I know you don't want me to upset Laurie. Please."
"Laura, let me talk with her first."
"But, Bill-"
"It won't hurt anything if I talk with her. I don't want to see you worked up about this. Sandra's right, you're still recovering, and we have a baby to think about. We're just gonna talk."
He motions for Sandra to follow him to the guest bedroom where he pulls out a chair by his desk for her to sit on.
"What's going on? You look like you're about ready to run all the way home."
"I probably should. In fact, that's an excellent idea. If you distract Laurie, I can slip out and be home in five or ten minutes. I'll call you when I get there so you know I got home safely. Will you do that for me?"
"You want me to help you run away from your sister?"
"Yes. It really might be the best option."
"Sandra, tell me what's going on. Who is Jean seeing?"
"I don't know for sure. There has to be a good explanation. There just has to be!"
"Sandra! Tell me!"
"Daddy! I think she's seeing daddy!" she blurts out.
Bill stares at her with a frown on his face, not speaking for a full minute. "Oh," he finally says. "Why do you think she's seeing Dave?"
Everything Sandra has been holding in suddenly comes spilling out, from the lipstick on Dave's cheek the night of the post-honeymoon dinner party, to Jean stopping by the house twice, to her overhearing her father making plans with her again.
"And then when Laurie said she's known him for a while but it didn't turn romantic until recently, plus he's handsome and has dimples. Oh, Gods! There has to be another explanation, right? I mean, daddy wouldn't be interested in Jean, would he? Wouldn't he know better? And why would Jean be interested in somebody so old? It's crazy, isn't it?"
"Maybe not," he says quietly. "But I have to think they wouldn't do something like this. Especially your father."
"But why would Jean be interested in my dad?"
"Because she's had a crush on him since she was twelve years old. But you didn't hear that from me. It bothers your sister, bothers her A LOT. I saw them get into a bad argument about it once. Jean assured her she would never act on it, though. I don't think she'd lie about that."
"So what's going on between them?"
"No idea. I thought he went out with someone from the gym once, but it didn't go well, and he didn't ask her out again. I think it was just coffee."
"What are we gonna do? We can't tell Laurie. She'll be so stressed out about this."
He considers all the options before speaking. "I hate to say it, but I think you should run home. While I'm not a fan of running away from problems, I think this is an exception. You have your key, right?"
"Yeah. Maybe you can tell her I have a lot of homework or something."
"Homework, big test Monday."
"Good idea and not a total lie. I've already studied for it, but she doesn't know that. I'll text you when I get there. How are you going to distract her?
"I'll get her back to the bedroom, then you run for it."
"What are you going to say when she asks what I told you?"
Bill lets out a resounding sigh. "I don't know. I hate lying to her. I'll think of something."
At intermission of the game, the Picon Panthers lead the Delphi Legion 10 to 8. Cheryl has been cheering hard for her favorite team, grumbling at the refs, and talking smack to some of the opponents. She's thirsty and asks if they can get something to drink from the concession stand. While they're standing in line, Cheryl hears her name being called.
"I thought that was you," Jean says approaching them from where the restrooms are. "I didn't know you two were going to be here."
"I have a free ticket because I'm the arena record holder," Cheryl announces proudly.
"Yeah, I remember your sister telling me about that. It's good to see you again, Dave," she says touching his arm. "Where are you sitting?"
"Front row!" Cheryl exclaims.
"Those are some good seats! Would you be interested in sitting with me the second half? My firm has box seats, and all the food is free. There's plenty of room available. Am I tempting you?"
"What d'ya say, honey? It's hard to pass up free food, isn't it?" Dave asks, hoping Cheryl agrees to Jean's offer so he doesn't have to pay ridiculous prices for concession food.
"They actually give you all the free food you want?" Cheryl asks in disbelief. "Just because you're a lawyer?"
"Well, because my law firm pays a lot of money for the box," Jean laughs. "We also have our own soda machine that you can help yourself to."
"Let's go!" Cheryl eagerly exclaims.
"Come with me, Dave," Jean says, leading him away by his hand.