To celebrate, Mort took Alex out for dinner.  After getting Julia situated in her high chair, the couple continued to gush over their future child.

"I can't believe I forgot to ask how far along you are," Mort said, feeling badly about it.

"Nothing to worry over.  I'm about six or seven weeks into it."  Alex smiled at him.   "I think…Well, I'm pretty sure that it was the morning after I…the morning I didn't go to work."

"Some reunion," he chuckled.

Tell her now.

Now?  Why now?  Now's happy...

Trust me.

Mort found himself feeling the need to get everything out in the open.  "Alex, I don't want to spoil tonight, but I need to tell you what happened at Dr. Harris' office today."

"Are you all right?" Alex asked, her voice flooded with concern.

The faster, the better.  "My medication's been changed and Dr. Harris wants to, well, he wants us both to attend my therapy sessions."  Alex looked puzzled.  "He says I have a few symptoms of schizophrenia, but he doesn't think I necessarily have it…and now you're carrying…if you don't want to have it and…"

"What?"  Alex sounded appalled.

"Well, I just mean that…I'd understand if you want me out of your life now and…"  Discreetly, Alex reached across the table and slapped Mort – not harshly, but enough to bring him back to reality.  He looked stunned and grateful all at once.

"Are you back?" Alex asked.  "For a minute, there was some crazy person in your body."

"Let's not phrase things like that, O.K.?"

She took Mort's hand.  "I have every intention of bringing your child into this world, Morton Rainey.  I love you.  Whatever Dr. Harris thinks needs to be done…"

"How can you be so fine with this?"

Alex's face grew noticeably sad.  "You asked me that before, remember?"  Mort nodded silently.  "I don't know what kind of a relationship you had with Amy, but…I'm not her.  I'm not going to give up on you – especially not now."  She sighed.  "I don't want to sound like some Lifetime movie or anything, but I mean it.  I love you and I know that we can work through whatever's wrong together."

Keeping his voice low, Mort said, "I'm scared of something happening to one of us."

"What do you mean?"

"I don't want either of us to get hurt."

"Hurt?"  Alex looked confused.  "Emotionally?

"Emotionally, physically…I - I don't know."  Mort suddenly looked and felt helpless.

"Mort?"

"I've seen him, Alex," he blurted.  "I've seen John Shooter as clearly as I see you right now.  He says things…threats.  At first it only happened when things were falling apart…when I was depressed, but things were fine when I missed that damn pill and…"

"You saw him then?"  Mort nodded.  "You see him?"

Suddenly, part of Mort's mind felt blocked.  There was something else he wanted to tell her.  Shooter.  Shooter had trapped Mort inside of his own body and "taken" Alex – but something was preventing the memory from coming to Mort's conscious mind – he couldn't tell her.  He couldn't even remind himself of it.

You'll lose her.  Mort's voice of reason?  Was that too so desperate not to be alone that it was blocking things from him?

"Mort?" Alex said, pulling him back to her.

"I'm sorry," he said softly.  "Are you ready to run now?"

Alex put her hand on her stomach.  "No."  She locked her eyes with his.  "I won't tell you that I'm not worried about you, but you haven't given me a solid reason to…"  Her voice trailed off.  "I refuse to push you away again.  What good would that do either of us?  I mean, especially now.  I…I'm not perfect by any means, so what would give me the right…"  She struggled, unable to find the right words.  With a deep sigh, she gave up and switched the subject slightly.  "I'll go to therapy with you.  I'll do whatever I can to help you."

"What if…"

Alex shook her head, dismissing his "what if" before he could even ask it.  "Have you ever, um, seen things when you were alone with Julia?"

"No."

"With me?"

"Well, no…"

"Then I'm not worried.  I mean, I'm worried about you, of course but…Ugh, I'm just digging a deeper hole for myself to talk my way out of.  I promise you that if my outlook on any of this changes, if I do get scared, I'll tell you.  I love you, Mort.  I won't run away from you again."

Mort felt himself fight to keep from breaking down.  He lost.  Tears flowed freely from his mocha eyes; Alex lovingly wiped them away.  Amy would never have been so understanding, so supportive…so brave.  Brave?  Well, Mort was seeing someone who didn't exist and she refused to turn away from him, even after he voiced his fear about something bad happening.  He couldn't help but think what his life would have been like had he met Alex first.  He could have avoided all of this.  He could have, possibly, been free of so many issues.  Life didn't happen that way though, and he was grateful for having her now when he needed someone the most.

Mort's hand reached across the table in search of Alex's.  As he gently squeezed it, the only words he could get out were, "Thank you."  The love between them was understood wordlessly.