Okay, here's the next chapter. Let me know what you thought about it. And thank you so much for reviewing, you guys totally rock my socks.

Disclaimer: The characters are not mine.

"My doctor's appointment is Thursday, did you want to come?" Kirsten asked Sandy the next morning. Caleb had insisted that she take off the rest of the week, and so she was still in bed curled up with a book. Sandy was almost done getting dressed. As he fixed his tie, he turned around to face her. He hated that she had to ask if he wanted to come. Pre-Rebecca, Kirsten would have just told him that he was coming and leave little room to argue with her. Not that he wanted to argue with her, he wanted to be there. He wanted to be there every step of the way.

"I'd love to come, if that's okay with you?" Kirsten nodded. Sandy pulled on his jacket and was torn between going to give her a kiss goodbye, and wondering if that was overstepping his boundaries.

Screw boundaries, he thought to himself. He crossed the room and leaned down and placed a small kiss on the top of her head.

"Get some rest today," he said softly. She watched him walk out of their bedroom and let out a sight. To say that things were awkward between them, and that it would take awhile to get back to normal would be an understatement. She wasn't sure if they would ever go back to normal. Would they ever be truly happy again?

Sighing, she threw her legs over the side of the bed and headed down to the kitchen to make herself some breakfast. Seth and Ryan hadn't left for school yet and were standing at the counter drinking coffee and reading the paper.

"Morning Kirsten," Ryan said glancing up and giving her a smile.

"Hey Mom, how are you feeling?" Seth asked.

"Better," she told him opening the refrigerator and pulling out the apple juice. She gave Ryan's arm a squeeze as she passed on her way to grab a glass. "Why don't you boys take my car to school today?"

"Really?" Seth asked.

"Sure, I'm not going anywhere today," Kirsten said shrugging.

"Besides," Hailey said as she came into the kitchen. "I'll be her chauffer today."

"Great," Ryan said as Kirsten grabbed the keys from her purse on the counter and handed it to him. "Thanks."

"I think she meant to give those to me," Seth said holding out his hand to take the keys.

"No, I really don't," Ryan replied with a grin holding tightly to the keys. "We better go. Thanks again Kirsten. Take it easy today."

"Have a good day guys," Hailey called and Kirsten laughed as she heard Seth argue all the way out the door that he should be able to drive. Hailey turned her attention back to her sister. "How are you feeling?" Kirsten had a feeling that she was going to hear that question for at least the next seven months, and she was already sick of it.

"Okay," Kirsten shrugged. "I mean, I kind of feel like my husband cheated on me, I found out I was pregnant, I almost lost the baby, I let my husband move back in, and now neither of us are willing to talk about what happened, preferring to pretend that it never happened, which it did and we both remember that every time we see one another, and so it's…."

"Awkward?" Hailey supplied.

"To put it simply, yes," Kirsten said.

"Well, then I think you are doing fantastically. Because that's hard for anyone to deal with." No kidding, Kirsten thought bitterly. Every time she closed her eyes she saw Sandy with Rebecca. She saw him running his hands through her dark hair, and she saw him kissing Rebecca in all of the places that were supposed to be reserved only for her. She was the only one that he was supposed to hold closely, supposed to touch, supposed to make love to. It killed her that he had done it with someone else.

Kirsten shook the thoughts out of her head. The doctor had told her not to get too worked up. Easier said than done, sure, but it would destroy her if she lost this baby. Kirsten took a deep breath and let it out, and gave her sister a small smile.

"When are you going back to Japan?" She asked. Hailey shrugged.

"I guess I should get back soon, but I wanted to make sure that you were okay before I left," Hailey explained. "And of course I'll be back in seven months to see the new baby." Kirsten couldn't help but grin. "Oh! That's what we should do today!"

"What?" Kirsten asked confused.

"We should start baby shopping."

"Don't you think that it's a little early to start shopping?" Kirsten questioned. But she couldn't help but feel excited about the prospect of going baby shopping. Buying tiny little outfits and those itsy bitsy little shoes that she had loved picking out for Seth.

"It's never too early to start shopping," Hailey scoffed. "Are you going to find out if it's a boy or a girl?" It had been a surprise with Seth, and Kirsten had to admit she had been slightly disappointed. She had really wanted a girl, but she had fallen in love with her tiny baby boy the moment that she laid eyes on him. The surprise had been one of the best parts about being pregnant. But she was older now, and she wanted to be able to prepare. Pick out the perfect name, and decorate the nursery perfectly for either a boy or a girl.

"I think so," Kirsten said. "I think I want to know."

"Well, I'd want to know," Hailey confessed. "I mean, I read the last chapter of the book first because I can't stand the suspense. I open Christmas presents weeks early and then rewrap them."

"I thought that's what you did!" Kirsten exclaimed. That explained why her wrapping jobs never seemed as neat when it came to Hailey's present.

"Yeah, well, I was never much one for waiting," Hailey shrugged. "So shopping? What do you think?"

"I think that it's just what I need to get my mind off of everything," Kirsten replied smiling at her sister.

Four hours and a massive credit card bill later, Kirsten and Hailey plopped down on the couches exhausted.

"So much for resting today," Kirsten said laughing.

"I'm such a terrible influence," Hailey told her. "But we got some really great things."

"That we did," Kirsten agreed. "And I have the entire rest of the day to rest." She glanced at her watch. It was almost one in the afternoon, which meant that she had two hours before the boys got home from school. And she had heard Ryan say something about hanging out with the girls after school, which gave her a few more hours of peace to herself. "What are you going to do for the rest of the day?" She asked Hailey. Hailey shrugged.

"Maybe lay out by the pool? I didn't really think about it that much." Lying out in the sun poolside with a book sounded like heaven to Kirsten.

"That's a good idea," Kirsten said. "In fact, I'm going to change and join you." Kirsten went upstairs to her bedroom and pulled out her bathing suit. She had started gaining weight, but it was still barely noticeable. She hadn't told many people yet, and she and Hailey had run into one of the Newpsies while shopping, and had lied and said that they were picking up a present for one of Hailey's friends. Taryn had bought the lie, and even went as far as to tell Kirsten that she looked fantastic.

"You're glowing, really," Taryn had said. Then she had winked at Kirsten. "Good night with Sandy I'm guessing?" Kirsten had swallowed the large lump that had formed in her throat and managed to laugh.

"I never kiss and tell," she replied and Taryn had laughed, had Kirsten promise to call her soon so that they could lunch, gave Hailey a small wave, and disappeared. Good night with Sandy. She hadn't one of those in…well, she supposed it would be almost eight weeks. She placed a hand on her stomach. The bathing suit wouldn't fit for very long, she thought to herself with a smile. She grabbed the book she was reading from her nightstand and found Hailey already relaxing in one of the lounge chairs with a drink. When Kirsten sat down, Hailey wordlessly handed her sister a water bottle.

"Thanks," Kirsten said as she settled herself in.

"You comfortable? Do you need anything else?" Hailey asked removing her sunglasses to study her sister.

"I'm fine," Kirsten said enjoying the warmth. She looked out onto the glittering ocean, and sighed in content. These were the times that she wondered how she could have lived anywhere else but Newport. Berkeley schmerkely. Berkeley had nothing on Newport right at that moment. And for the first time in days, she was fine. And she knew that it couldn't stay like this, but she hoped for just the time being that it might be able to. She knew that in a couple of hours, Sandy would come home, and there would be that silence between the two of them. She knew that the boys would come home, and continue to shoot the dirty looks to Sandy that she knew that they thought that neither her nor Sandy saw. She saw them, and she was fairly sure that Sandy did as well. She knew that night she would have to fight back the urge to cry as Sandy climbed into bed next to her. She knew that he would sneak into the bathroom when he thought she was asleep and she would be able to hear the muffled sobs.

But that was hours away, and for the time being, she wanted to pretend that none of it had happened. She wanted to pretend that Rebecca didn't exist, and had never slept with her husband. And as she sipped her water and read her book, for a few hours she got her wish.

When Sandy got home from work that day, he found Kirsten fast asleep in bed, and Hailey starting dinner.

"Hey," he said placing his briefcase down in the kitchen. "Is she sleeping?"

"Yeah, we went shopping today, and then spent some time poolside," Hailey said.

"How is she?" Sandy asked as he poured himself a glass of water.

"She's good. Happy. I saw her smile today more than I have in a while." Sandy felt guilt wash over him. The reason that his wife wasn't smiling was because of him. This should be one of the happiest times of her life, and instead he knew that she wasn't fully enjoying it, and he hated himself for that.

"You must hate me," Sandy said. With Kirsten in the hospital, he hadn't had a chance to talk to his sister-in-law yet.

"No, if Kirsten doesn't hate you, then I have no reason to hate you either," Hailey told him honestly. "You aren't my favorite person right now, and I don't understand why you did it. You have the most amazing woman in the world as your wife, what else could you possibly want or need?" Hailey had always looked up to her older sister. Growing up all Hailey had heard had been, "Why can't you be more like your sister?" or "Kirsten was never like this." Kirsten was perfect, and though Hailey had rebelled and convinced herself and others that she didn't want to be anything like Kirsten, the truth was that she was always jealous of her. Kirsten was beautiful, and incredibly smart, and loving, and definitely far more selfless and kind than Hailey could ever hope to be. So who could even come close to that? What could this Rebecca chick have that her sister didn't have?

"I know," Sandy said. "She's amazing, and I don't deserve her."

"Not right now, no you don't," Hailey agreed.

"I just…we haven't…we've been having a tough time lately," Sandy admitted. "Since the summer. Since the boys left. We got the boys back, but we never really got our groove, so to speak, back. And Rebecca came along…and I don't know." He paused and looked up at Hailey. "Do you think she's ever going to really forgive me?"

"I don't know," Hailey shrugged. "Truly, honestly forgive you? I'm not sure. I think that she'll at least convince you and everyone else that she has, but I don't know for sure if she ever will actually forgive you." That was what Sandy was afraid of. He would always wonder too, if she really had forgiven him. "Listen, she always forgave our dad, so there's hope for you." Sandy gave a small laugh at that.

"Oh good, I'm being compared to Caleb now," he said. "He doesn't know, does he?" Hailey shook her head.

"Kirsten was afraid he'd kill you."

"He probably would." Sandy didn't doubt that if Caleb found out his ass was grass.

"Dinner's ready, why don't you go get Kirsten?" Hailey suggested. "I'll set the table."

"Okay, thanks Hailey," Sandy said. He walked up the stairs to their bedroom and smiled at the sight of Kirsten curled up on her side. He crossed over to the bed and sat gently on the edge. He ran a hand over her cheek. Leaning down, he gave her a soft kiss on the forehead, and she stirred slightly.

"Hey," he whispered. "Baby, dinner's ready." Kirsten's eyes fluttered opened and she gave him a lazy smile.

"How was work?" She asked.

"Oh it was…work," Sandy gave her a smile back. "How was your day? How are you feeling?"

"My day was fine, Hailey and I went shopping," she gestured to the pile of bags by the table in their bedroom.

"How bad is the credit card bill going to be?" He asked.

"Oh, well, bad," she grinned. "But I got the cutest little things. Hand me those bags." She sat up, and he obliged. For the first time there was very little awkwardness between the two of them. For the first time, they were almost…normal. It was wonderful.

"All yellow?" Sandy asked peering into the bags.

"Some pink," Kirsten confessed. "I really want a girl this time."

"I know, sweetheart, I do too," he leaned over and gave her a kiss. "A beautiful little girl who looks like you." As he leaned in to give her another kiss, Kirsten saw him kissing Rebecca in her head and tried to block the thought. She was having such a good, Rebecca-free day. Kirsten pulled back and Sandy looked confused.

"We should probably go eat," Kirsten said suddenly. She threw her legs over the side of the bed. She was wearing his sweatshirt that smelled like him and was way too big on her. He always loved it when she wore his clothes.

"Yes, eat," Sandy said trying to paste on a smile. The awkwardness returned with a vengeance and he wondered what he had done wrong. He followed her down to the kitchen to find that the boys had gotten home awhile.

"Hey guys," Kirsten said smiling and giving each a kiss on the cheek. "How was school?"

"Eh," Ryan said.

"It was awesome," Seth replied with a grin.

"Awesome?" Kirsten questioned. "I've never heard that reply from you before."

"That's just because he and Summer spent most of the day, sans the time they were in class, making out in the hallways, in the library, outside in the quad, should I continue?" Seth shot Ryan a dirty look and Kirsten suppressed a giggle.

"It just so happens that I aced the history test that I had been worried about for a week, and that was the root of my claim that school was awesome today, and it had nothing to do with this supposed tonsil hockey that you claim to have seen Summer and I partaking in throughout the day," Seth argued.

"Right," Sandy said as sat down at the table. Seth didn't respond. He didn't argue back with his father like he would have two weeks before. Instead he just let the subject drop and turned his attention to his mother. They all felt the shift of the atmosphere and Sandy berated himself for saying anything. Ryan, on the other hand, made a mental note to talk to his pseudo-brother after dinner, and let him know that while he understood where he was coming from, Seth needed to start to drop the humongous grudge that he had against his father, because it was only hurting Kirsten. She had been grinning and now she was focused on cutting her food, and the tension in the air that they all felt certainly wasn't good for her.

"How was your day Mom?"

"It was good, thank you Seth," Kirsten said offering up a small smile. Luckily, Hailey started telling stories about her new job in Japan, and the rest of the meal went by without incident. Kirsten stood, and when she tried to help with the dishes, Ryan snatched them out of her hands.

"Go lie down," he instructed. "Seth is going to help me with the dishes." Kirsten raised an eyebrow at this, and followed instructions. As she left the kitchen she noticed the mail sitting on the counter and picked it up and flipped through.

"Bill, bill, bill," she said placing them down for Sandy to take care of. It was then that she spotted the letter, addressed to her, with no return address. Taking it and leaving the kitchen, she went out on the back patio and opened the letter and her eyes immediately went to the bottom of the page where the signature was.

Sandy saw Kirsten disappear and spotted her sitting staring at the ocean with a strange expression on her face.

"What's the matter honey?" He asked as he stepped outside.

"I got a letter," Kirsten's voice was flat and Sandy moved closer to her.

"From who?" He asked. She simply set the letter on the table and Sandy leaned down to look at it.

"Rebecca."

So again, press that little button and let me know what you thought, and that would make me so very happy! And you want to make me happy right? I have to miss tonight's episode, and I'm setting up two VCRs to tape it, just in case, and I've been informed that makes me pathetic. Oh well. Anyway, review please!