Mort couldn't hear Shooter's thought – who knows what he would have done if he had. Instead, he made it to the pharmacy, picked up his prescription, and headed home. He would tell Alex all he could and she would decide their fate. The thought made his heart ache and his head pound.
One more time with her. Would that be so bad before I told her?
You'd be putting off the inevitable. And there's nothing saying that she'd want that.
I need her. One more time.
You shouldn't be thinking this way.
She has a little girl. A little girl that shouldn't be around someone…unstable.
The medication and therapy could…
Mort found himself standing in front of the door to Alex's – his – home. The brass knocker mocked him, still reading "Liedy" in large, bold letters.
Will this ever really be my home?
You live here, don't you?
I sleep here. Mort was beginning to have doubts about everything. Sure, Alex had asked him to live with her, and yes, she trusted Julia being in his care…but did he deserve any of that? Was he worthy of a life that, at least on the outside, seemed so blissfully perfect?
Why are you doing this to yourself?
"Preparing for the worst, I suppose," he muttered. He took a deep breath and put his key in the lock. When he got inside, he found the ground floor of the house empty. He walked up the stairs and could hear the shower running. Careful not to make to much noise, he peeked into Julia's room and saw that she was fast asleep. Looking at his watch he saw that it was, indeed, time for her nap.
Mort then walked into Alex's – no, his – bedroom. Why can't I accept any of this as being mine? The door to the bathroom was cracked and he could hear Alex humming, slightly out of tune. He couldn't help but smile when he heard her, despite all of the negative thoughts running through his mind. He pushed the door open a bit further.
"Mort?" In spite of the water, Alex heard the door squeak.
He took a step back, but couldn't leave. "Yeah," he said, sounding distant to himself.
"Did things go all right?"
Just one more time before it's over… He couldn't answer – more importantly, he didn't want to, not yet. Mort shed his clothing and pushed back the shower curtain. Alex was rinsing her hair, her eyes closed, and either didn't notice, or else she didn't let Mort know that she was aware of his presence. His hands gently ran down her stomach, causing her to smile.
"I was expecting a 'yes' or 'no', but I like this better." She pulled Mort under the comforting stream of warm water and kissed him. When she broke the kiss, she softly said, "I'm sorry that I didn't tell you where I was going."
Mort put his finger to her lips. "In a while…please?" His eyes pleaded with her and she understood that words were not an option at the moment. Alex wrapped her arms around Mort, holding him close to her. His lips began to wander her skin and the couple became lost in the water and its steam. Without a word to each other, they began making love in the shower – however, they eventually wound up on the bedroom floor.
Mort's back was against the foot of the bed. Both he and Alex were clad in towels and nothing more. Alex's head was resting in Mort's lap and his fingers were tracing along her back. Eventually, Alex sat up and cupped Mort's face.
"Can we talk now?" she asked sweetly.
Mort swallowed. "Yeah," he whispered. "Why don't we get dressed first though?"
Stall much?
Mort and Alex dried and dressed, then Alex sat on the bed and began to talk. "I should have told you where I was going, Mort."
He sat next to her. "You have a right to your privacy," he said nervously. "And if you had reason to go to Dr. Harris…"
"Dr. Harris?"
"I knew I freaked you out yesterday and…"
"Mort, I didn't go see Dr. Harris," Alex said softly.
"You…you didn't? But you were leaving his building."
Alex blushed. "True, but…Mort, I have another doctor in the same building – up a couple of flights."
Mort suddenly forgot his own problems. "You do? Are you all right?"
"It depends on you, really."
"Me?"
Alex looked down and twisted the comforter in her hands. "I know that you…well, you seem to adore Julia…"
"Like she's my own," Mort said softly.
"But you were supposed to have your own…"
"Maybe I wasn't," Mort said, interrupting. "Stuff happens for a reason, right?"
Alex smiled, suddenly feeling better. "You really believe that?"
"I guess. I mean, you have to believe something, right?" Mort watched as Alex's eyes began to well with tears. "Alex?"
She smiled. "You're getting a second chance, Mort."
"Wha…" He couldn't put things together right away, after all, he had expected to hear about Alex going to Dr. Harris, not to a… Finally, it hit him. "You went to…Oh, my God…"
Immediately Alex began to panic. "Oh, God…you're upset."
"Upset?" Mort took Alex into his arms. "No, baby…Oh, God, no." He kissed her. "I am jumping to the right conclusion, right? We are having a…"
Alex nodded. "Yeah. So…you're happy?"
Mort smiled and let his hand wander to Alex's stomach. He gently lifted her shirt and caressed her skin. "A baby," he said softly. He leaned down and kissed her just below her bellybutton. For the time being, everything that he's been worried about faded.
"I was so worried," Alex confessed. "I didn't know whether you'd be happy or…"
"Happy isn't the right word." He realized how self-centered he was being. "You…Alex, how are you with this?"
She smiled. "I knew I wanted more than one child, I just didn't know it would be so soon…but I couldn't be happier." The heat between she and Mort began to rise again as their lips met. Alex found herself unable to keep her hands off of Mort. "I love you."
"You've no idea how much I love you, Alex." I need to tell her. I have to be honest with her. I swear, I'll tell her everything before we go to bed tonight.
