Chapter Three

Rudy shook his head in disbelief. "Five years? This was going on for five years? Wow!"

Oscar and Jaime were beaming. They were finally wearing their wedding rings, and Oscar held his wife in his arms - right out in the open - for the very first time. "How...um...far along is she, Rudy?" oscar asked.

"Still very early: only about five or six weeks."

"Everyone but you is being told we eloped last night," Oscar explained. "It's a lot simpler all around."

Rudy nodded. "Mum's the word."

"You mean Mom's the word, don't you?" Jaime quipped, then suddenly grew serious. "Rudy, will I be able to carry this baby to term?"

"Absolutely. Your bionics won't affect gestation one bit."

"What about my power source? Will that be dangerous for...the baby?" She was still a little in awe when she said that word: baby.

Rudy smiled at her. "Shouldn't be a problem. I'll be monitoring your condition very closely. We'll be seeing a lot of each other in the next eight months."

"Good," Oscar agreed.

"And Oscar, your job is to make sure she eats right, takes the vitamins I'm going to give her, gets plenty of sleep and avoids stress as much as possible."

Oscar touched Jaime's cheek and kissed her softly. "I'll take good care of her, Rudy. Of both of them."

"I know you will. Jaime, I want to see you a week from today for a check-up and an ultrasound." Jaime nodded. "Stop and see Linda on your way out, and she'll have your vitamins. And she'll take blood samples for me."

Linda's eyes grew wide when she saw Oscar coming down the hall with his arm around Jaime. Where was Steve? Rudy's entire staff was too well-trained to ask personal questions, so she gave Jaime the vitamins and took a vial of her blood. Oscar rolled up his sleeve and offered his arm. Linda was confused.

"Am I taking your blood?"

"Yep," he answered. Linda noticed their wedding rings and began to stammer.

"You...you're...married?" They smiled happily at her. "Well, congratulations!"

Two days later, the rest of DC knew as well, when their wedding announcement was printed in all the local papers.

Oscar took a week off from work (his first in years) and he and Jaime spent a joyful week receiving visitors, taking congratulatory phone calls and opening cards. Oscar enforced every one of Rudy's edicts, plus a few of his own. He made sure his wife spent ample time resting in the easy chair while he brought her tea, juice, toast and anything else he thought she might want or need. He massaged her back, ran bubble baths for her and ignored her protests that he was spoiling her; he loved taking care of her.

On the other side of the city, one man in particular was overjoyed when he opened the newspaper and saw the announcement. "Well, what do we have here? Harry, Raj - you gotta see this," he called into the next room. Two tall, husky, well-armed men joined him, reading the paper from over his shoulder. "Look what we have here: the illustrious OSI Director has taken himself a wife. Goldman's got a weak spot."

"Damn pretty one, too," Raj added.

"It would be awfully bad manners to ignore this momentous occasion," Tom told them. "In fact, I'd like to give the bride my best wishes in person. I want the two of you to make that happen."

"Gotcha, Boss," Harry confirmed. "Consider it done."