Before the sun even rose, Natalie woke up in just the way she'd dreamed of for so many lonely years. Safely tucked in Adrian's arms. Her dreams had been pleasant, and as she snuggled closer, she felt a warm pair of lips on her forehead.

"Good morning, sweetheart. How are you feeling?" Adrian asked her as she stretched, and he ran a hand over her hip and up her side.

"I'm fine, Adrian, I promise. I will call the doctor this morning." It had been so long since Natalie had felt cared for and loved; the feeling was both wonderful and alien at the same time. She reveled in it and moved lazily under Adrian's wandering hand, which came to rest gently on her breast.

Adrian now realized, for so many years, Natalie had worried about him and Julie but had no one to worry about her. He was ultra-worried now, trying to make up for all the years she'd devoted to his well-being. He leaned in to kiss her, and their desire flared to life. This would remain the constant between them for the rest of their lives together. The flame burned constantly, ardently, and blazed at the merest touch, at the slightest glance. It was intoxicating, exciting, and utterly fulfilling.

Natalie called the doctor's office at precisely 9 am. They fit her in for a 3:30pm appointment. Angry, Adrian wanted to call back and argue for an earlier time, but Natalie stopped him by saying she was hungry. He jumped to make her breakfast so she wouldn't have to do it for both of them. They filled the hours unpacking more boxes to pass the time until Natalie's appointment. He was in his new study, occupied by organizing his books, and she was in the kitchen with the glassware and dishes. Once again, Adrian admonished her to take breaks, stay hydrated and rest if she felt tired or overwhelmed. She took his reproach with the love it was intended.

The first thing she did was empty the boxes onto their new kitchen table and discard the boxes in the garage for Adrian to deal with in his particular way for garbage recycling day. Then, she filled the dishwasher and started the first of what would be many cycles. Her next task was lining the cabinets and drawers with clean white contact paper, carefully measuring and trimming the way her husband-to-be preferred, and folding, not sticking it to the shelves and in the drawers. Her engagement ring would flash in the overhead lights every now and then, catching her eye as she worked. It made her smile, and her heart soared. However, Natalie was exceedingly tired after these two jobs and fell asleep instantly when she sat on the comfortable couch.

That's where Adrian found her when he came to see if she was almost ready to go to her appointment. He leaned on the archway leading to the family room. First, he smiled softly, watching her sleep. Seeing her so vulnerable moved him in a way he couldn't find words to describe. His second thought was they had a family room, a study, and so many other rooms. In a blink of an eye, he went from a "one-bedroom bachelor" to a "whole house family man." Finally, he woke her gently with a touch on her shoulder and a smile. Her sleepy smile in return warmed his heart. They got ready and left quickly.

Natalie had been seeing the same doctor for as long as she'd lived in San Francisco as an adult. Dr. Rhodes was an excellent diagnostician, and Natalie had sent her records from the accident, and subsequent visits to specialists to her office as Dr. Rhodes required of her patients. As a result, Dr. Rhodes had Natalie's complete medical history, from her eye and dental exams to her most recent visits to the gynecologist and physical therapist. She was very thorough and expected a lot from her patients in their pursuit of good health and long life.

Adrian escorted Natalie to the exam room when she was called inside. "Two minutes late," he grumbled. Then, as Natalie changed into a gown, he bashfully looked away, forgot his irritation, and tried to remain calm.

"Are you getting shy on me again?"

"No, it's just that we're – we're in public!"

"Not exactly public."

"Well, not at home."

"I'll give you that; we're not at home, but the room is private, and the door is closed."

Adrian nodded, still uncomfortable.

Dr. Rhodes knocked and entered quickly. When Natalie introduced the doctor to Adrian, they nodded to one another politely as the doctor washed her hands with antibacterial soap. They made some small talk, and the doctor brought up Natalie's accident. Next, they discussed her recovery and her new and sudden symptoms. Dr. Rhodes ran through a series of standard and usual questions, especially in a woman's physical exam, but were embarrassing to Adrian. First, she took blood, which he had to look away from, although he held her other hand tightly. Next, the doctor listened to her lungs and examined the areas where the broken bones seemed to be healing perfectly. Natalie didn't even wince when the doctor pressed the site where the broken rib had been.

Finally, Dr. Rhodes said, "You seem quite well, Natalie. I'm certainly pleased with your recovery from the accident. We'll wait until tomorrow to see your blood test results, but if the dizziness continues, I think I'll send you to a neurologist. It's possible that you sustained an injury that didn't present on the day of or the days after the accident." Adrian started to respond with panic in his eyes.

The doctor caught the look, "Adrian, there's nothing to panic about quite yet. It could be dehydration, exhaustion, or just Natalie's body telling her to get a little more rest than she's used to requiring until she is completely recovered. Generally healthy people don't rest enough after a big accident; they think they can get up and get better immediately. Unfortunately, internal healing doesn't work like that."

Adrian's expression of panic turned to one of agreement, and he nodded and patted Natalie's hand. He'd said much the same thing to her. They left the office confident that the doctor was correct in her assessment of Natalie's health.

They drove home, and Adrian insisted he would handle dinner and settled Natalie on the couch with a blanket and a glass of iced water. Inspired, she drank her water and took a nap. Also inspired, Adrian made his grandmother's sauce and chicken cutlet parmigiana. He liked to cook for someone else. He'd forgotten that. Usually, the cooking mess distracted him to the point that he couldn't finish. But, apparently, it didn't bother him when he was doing it for someone else's benefit. So while dinner baked, he quietly set the table and cleaned up the mess he'd made. Then he sat on the chair adjacent to Natalie and watched her sleep for a few minutes. She must have sensed him, and she woke with a smile.

"Hi there," she whispered, not yet fully awake. "I was dreaming about you."

Adrian was by turns flattered and amazed. How could he be so lucky and so happy? Wasn't he supposed to be miserable and lonely? He had no words. He simply smiled at her in return. Completely in love.

Natalie sighed happily, stretched, then sniffed the air. "Something smells amazing."

"Chicken cutlet parmigiana," Adrian said in a cute Italian accent. Natalie giggled.

"You're so adorable." She leaned over to kiss him soundly as he helped her up, and the phone rang. "I'll get it," Natalie said as she rose.

"Okay, I'll finish putting dinner on the table," her husband-to-be replied.

"Hello," Natalie fairly sang into the telephone receiver.

"Hello, Natalie?"

"Yes."

"Hi, it's Dr. Rhodes."

"Oh, hi! Is everything okay?" Natalie wandered further from Adrian, so she wouldn't make him worried if there was a problem.

"Yes, fine. I wanted to give you your test results right away. They came back more quickly than I anticipated."

"Is that good?"

"Yes. Are you sitting?"

Natalie froze. "Is it bad?"

"On the contrary, your symptoms make sense now. I'm happy to tell you, you're pregnant."

"What?" Natalie needed to be sure she'd heard correctly.

"You're pregnant!"

"Oh my god!" Fifty thoughts flew through Natalie's mind at once. The first of which was all the medicine she'd been taking. "Dr. Rhodes, I've been taking so much medication. Will the baby be okay?"

"Yes, I looked through all your records before I called you. Nothing you've taken since the accident will hurt the fetus."

"The test I took right after the accident didn't come up positive, Dr. Rhodes. And we weren't able to, uh, be intimate since the accident until the other night."

"Well, Natalie, the earliest a blood test can detect pregnancy is between six and eight days. So maybe it was just too early at that point."

Natalie thought about it. The first day she and Adrian had made love was Friday after Thanksgiving. The accident had been Monday, four days later. It probably had been too early. Today it was… what? She estimated sixty-one days after Thanksgiving. Plenty of time for the test to be correct.

"Natalie?"

She'd forgotten Dr. Rhodes. "I'm sorry, I was just lost in thought."

"That's quite all right. It's big news. I'm happy for you and your fiancé. Make sure you schedule an appointment with your OB as soon as possible."

"I will. Thank you. Thank you so much!"

"Have a good night."

Natalie didn't know whether to laugh or cry as she pushed the off button on the phone. She walked towards the kitchen in a daze.

"Who was it, sweetheart?" Adrian was so busy puttering around in their kitchen, getting dinner on the table, straightening, rearranging, putting things in the dishwasher, and putting other things away he hadn't looked at her face.

"Um, it was Dr. Rhodes with my blood test results."

Adrian's head whipped around faster than his body, and he nearly fell over. He grabbed a chair to keep his balance. Natalie sat, and he sat too. "Tell me," he said with worry creasing his brow, bracing for the worst. No doctor called with test results this quickly and with good news.

Natalie took his hand in hers, "My symptoms finally added up to an answer, honey." He gripped her hand harder, and she patted his with her free hand. "I'm pregnant."

Adrian's eyes were squeezed shut, and his hand gripped Natalie's in a death vise in preparation for the horrible news he was sure was coming. Natalie sat patiently and waited for him to let the words sink in. She watched as one of his eyes opened, then the other. His hand relaxed its grip. His expression changed from one of terror to one of everyday fear.

"Wha-what did you say?" he stuttered.

Natalie smiled joyfully and repeated, "I'm pregnant."

Adrian's look of fear was replaced with a look of joy and confusion. "But how? We haven't even been able to… since your accident…until yesterday…."

"It seems like I was pregnant at the time of the accident. It was just too early for a pregnancy test to pick it up. This is one strong little human we're growing in here," she patted her belly.

"I can't believe it. I'm shocked. Amazed. Scared. Thrilled. Confused. Worried."

"Me too. I think it's normal when you get unexpected news like this."

"But what about all the medicine you took after the accident?" The lines on his forehead became deep with concern.

Natalie smiled at the way their minds worked in tandem. "That was the first thing I asked Dr. Rhodes. She said nothing would hurt the baby. He or she will be just fine."

Adrian exhaled a held breath in relief. The smile he gave Natalie was one she hadn't ever seen before. One of complete joy and complete love.

"Natalie, I thought there was no way I could feel any more love for you than I already did, but I was wrong. Instead, I find that I'm just overwhelmed and dazzled by how I feel about you."

Natalie stood and drew him up with her, and they embraced tightly. Adrian pulled back to kiss her with a fiery passion that he'd only recently discovered lived inside him. He broke his lips from hers and murmured against her cheek, "I love you, sweetheart, more than I could have ever imagined I could. Thank you."

"I love you, too, Adrian. What are you thanking me for?"

"Giving me a life I was missing out on and wasting time alone and miserable."

"You will never have to worry about that again. I promise."