The next day, Serena woke up quietly and left Darien to sleep. He'd been at the hospital until 5 a.m. so she wanted him to sleep. Serena took a shower and dressed as quietly as she could. She would be taking the bus just in case Darien needed the car that day. On the way out of the apartment, Serena grabbed a granola bar and her purse. When Serena reached the boutique, Mina was already there.
"Serena, what are you doing here so early?" Mina asked. "The store doesn't open until 9:00."
"Well, it's only 8:30," Serena said. "And I didn't want to make any noise and wake Darien."
"Was he on call last night?" Mina asked.
"Yeah. He came home around 5:00 a.m.," Serena said.
"Holy moly! That must be rough on him," Mina said. "I mean, a pregnant wife and his schedule at the hospital."
"I'm sure he'll be okay as long as he gets some sleep," Serena said.
"Oh, how was your ultrasound yesterday?" Mina asked.
"It was fine," Serena said. "There are no problems with the baby."
"That's good," Mina said. "Did you find out if it's a boy or a girl?"
"Yes, but I want to wait so I can tell you and the other girls at the same time," Serena said. "When do you think we can meet?"
"Well, I told the girls I'd try and talk you into coming to the temple after work," Mina said.
"Well, I guess I'll come," Serena said. "I'll have to phone Darien and let him know."
The day went by in its usual routine. After Serena and Mina got off, the two climbed into Mina's car and drove to the temple.
"Hey, Amy," Serena called as she climbed out of the car.
"Hurry and get inside before you freeze," Amy said. Reminder it is the middle of November here.
"I'm fine, Amy," Serena said.
"Get inside anyway," Amy said.
"Okay, okay, don't rush me," Serena said. Amy and Mina ushered Serena into the temple and into the living room. The lights were off.
"What' going on?" Serena asked. "Why are the lights off?" Amy then flipped on the lights.
"Surprise!" the girls shouted. Serena's friends were all there. Including Amara, Michelle, Trista, and Hotaru. The room was decorated with pink and blue streamers and balloons. And there was a cake and a big pile of presents on the coffee table.
"Oh, my gosh! I can't believe you're all here," Serena said. "I would have only expected Amy, Raye, Lita, and Mina."
"Well, we couldn't resist coming, Serena," Hotaru said.
"Yes, when Raye called us and told us that they were throwing you a baby shower, we just had to come and see you," Michelle said.
"You guys are too much," Serena said.
"Enough chatting, you guys," Mina said. "Come on, Serena. Open your gifts."
"You guys didn't have to go to all this trouble," Serena said.
"We wanted to," Lita said. "You're one of our best friends."
"Thanks," Serena said and sat down in an armchair. Hotaru handed Serena her gift first. When Serena opened it, there was a little figurine of a mother holding her newborn baby.
"Thank you, Hotaru," Serena said. "It's beautiful."
"This one is from Michelle and me," Amara said, handing Serena a box. Serena tore off the wrapped and opened the box. Inside was a yellow baby blanket with different designs sewn in.
"Thanks, you guys," Serena said. "The baby will love it."
"We didn't know whether it was a boy or a girl so we got the blanket in a neutral colour," Michelle said.
"That's okay," Serena said. The gifts from the other girls included baby clothes and toys.
"You guys are too kind," Serena said.
"How did your ultrasound go yesterday?" Lita asked.
"It went fine," Serena said. "There are no problems with the baby."
"That's wonderful," Amy said.
"Oh, we also found out that it's a boy," Serena said.
"That's great," Michelle said.
"And you wanted so much to give Darien a son," Raye said.
"Trista, I have to ask you something," Serena said. "If this baby's a boy, how will this effect Rini in the future."
"I will tell you that your next child will be a girl and she will be named Rini," Trista said. "As for this child, he had already appeared in the future."
"That's good," Serena said. "I was afraid that Rini would be erased from existence because of this baby."
"There's nothing to worry about, Serena," Trista said. "This baby will be born and then you and Darien will have Rini."
"Okay, now that the gifts are all opened, let's eat," Lita said as she began cutting slices of the cake. The girls ate and ate until the cake was gone.
"Thank you so much, you guys," Serena said. "But I'd better be going or Darien will wonder what happened to me."
"I'll give you a ride," Mina said.
"Thanks," Serena said.
When Serena arrived home, Darien was in the kitchen.
"What took you so long?" he asked.
"Well, the girls threw me a surprise baby shower," Serena said. "Amara, Michelle, Trista, and Hotaru were there, too."
"Well, that was nice of them," Darien said.
"Oh, and I also talked to Trista about this baby and she said that our son has already appeared in the future and that our next child will be Rini," Serena said.
"That's good," Darien said. "We wouldn't want Rini erased from existence."
"Yeah, I'd miss her," Serena said. "I'm glad she'll be okay." That night, Serena and Darien sat in the living room and watched TV. They went to bed happy that night. Happy that they would have a son and a daughter to look forward to in the future.