Rita squeezed her eyes shut to block out the doctor's words though she was aware what his diagnosis would be. She prayed she was wrong as he settled back at his desk. Oh please God, don't let this be happening. If you just save me this once I'll never ever ever…

'When were you planning on letting the father know?'

A hot tear slid from her eyes and she bit her lip. 'There's definitely a baby, then?' she whispered.

'Most certainly,' the doctor assured her as he passed her the box of tissues. 'I'd say you're around three months pregnant.'

She nodded, blowing her nose. 'Three months and six days,' she muttered unhappily. 'It was the only time…It was just that once.' Why is this happening to me? What did I do to deserve it? Things were just starting to work out. She pressed her ring tight in her hand as it swung on a chain round her throat.

'Once is all it takes,' he reminded her gently. 'Rita, find the baby's father. You'll need to know where he stands if you're planning on keeping it.'

An icy shiver ran through her and her fingers tightened round the ring. 'Oh God,' she groaned. 'He'll be horrified. He won't want to speak to me again!'

'Nevertheless you owe it to him to inform him of the baby,' the doctor insisted. 'The majority of men experience a mild shock the first time. Not that it's any of my business, but have you discussed this with your family?'

Cheeks scarlet, she shook her head. 'No.'

'You might think about that too. You might find they'll be supportive should you wish to keep the infant. Discuss the situation with your parents and the child's father separately. A surprising number of men stand by their girlfriends and accept the responsibility of a child. Should you decide that option is not for you there are other alternatives.'

'Other alternatives?' she whispered, the world spinning around her.

'About the baby. Should you decide against keeping him there are certain agencies that will ensure a suitable adoptive family…'

Shocked, she shook her head, fresh tears pouring from her eyes. 'I can't lose my baby! And no, before you say anything else listen to me! He's mine. He stays with me. I want him.'

'You got a while to consider all your options,' the doctor assured her. 'There's no hurry to reach a decision. Don't neglect the consideration of your own quality of life. A newborn takes a considerable amount of time.'

Rita nodded, sobered into silence as she left the surgery. Oh God what did I get myself into? I don't know the first thing about babies! How will I know if I'm doing okay? What if I raise a nutcase? What if the child is sick? What if… She paused, shaking her head. Stop worrying, Rita. You'll do fine.

The lakeside park was crammed to capacity with young families as she climbed from her car needing a little while undisturbed. Excited children swung on swings and kicked balls to each other. A blue eyed toddler held a collie's leash as he struggled to keep up with it. She wondered what her own child would look like. Definitely not blue eyed! He'll have eyes like yours and with any luck he'll inherit Marco's wavy hair. Marco! What in the world is he supposed to think? He's just beginning to write A-grade assignments and earn enough to have fun every weekend, and send some home. He's been sending some home ever since he got the job as a tracer though he's unaware you know about it. There's no way he'll be able to afford to raise a child at the moment, though, not on a part time wage. She walked blindly down the path tracing the route she and Marco had followed three years previously. Settling in her favorite spot she rested her chin in her hands and stared at the swirling water. Maybe if Mama and Papa agree to help us this year just till he has a chance to graduate… It would only be for nine months and that guy promised him a position the moment he's qualified. We could rent a small apartment then and save for a house. I'm so sorry, sweetheart, she paused, aware her hand rested on her stomach as though shielding the child she carried. You need a garden to play in, and you'll get one. I'll make sure of that. Wearily she shut her eyes, counting the days till Marco's return. Two more. So who should I ask for help first, him or mom? She rubbed her eyes warily. If only I could tell Marco mom would help out he might not catch the same train back…

The sun dipped behind the row of trees as she sat motionless praying for the best.

In the end the simplest solution presented itself to her. She resolved to keep her secret another two days till Marco's return before confronting her parents with an addition to the family. It was the coward's way out but as she sat in the dining room struggling to force down her dinner she sensed it was also the safest.

The Torres residence changed into a hellhole on the morning of the second day. Rita finished a large breakfast and gathered the dishes to place them in the dishwasher when Catalina raised her head. 'Come back a minute. Javier wishes to invite you out on his yacht tomorrow evening. See that you're home by five.'

Rita prayed for courage as she faced her mother. 'I can't go with him, mom,' she said softly.

'Don't be a fool,' Catalina snapped. 'You'll certainly come. It's unfortunate you were so sick on the Greenland cruise but this is only a lake! It's about time you tried to attract him, you'll be finished with college this year.'

'Mom, there's something you should know,' Rita whispered, averting her eyes as she returned to the table. 'I don't love Javier, I love…'

'You love that flea infested Mexican I forbade you to see,' Catalina snarled. 'Don't think I'm unaware you're still seeing him. It's going to stop once and for all. This year he will also graduate and he'll disappear back to wherever he came from and we'll never hear from him again. You, on the other hand…'

Rita wiped the first tears from her face. 'You don't need to sound so pleased about that, mom. He's probably going to run for it a lot sooner than that,' she sniffed.

'Thank God for small mercies,' her mother said unkindly. 'Now…'

'Mom, I'm pregnant,' Rita interrupted in a low voice; half hoping her mother had failed to hear her confession.

Catalina's face darkened. 'You're what?' she gasped. 'Margarita, what did you say?'

'You heard,' she sniffed.

'My God! What did I raise? Who is the father, if you even know the answer to that?'

Rita's face darkened. 'Of course I know. What kind of person do you think I am?'

'The type that gets pregnant before marriage is a whore, and that's the only way to describe you. WHO IS THE FATHER?'

Rita chewed her lip and stared her down. 'Marco.'

'Oh Lord. Out of all the young men in college it had to be that penniless Mexican! He took you for a fool, my daughter, and you fell for the oldest trick in the book. He thinks he'll get his Green Card now. Well he won't. If it's the last thing I do I'll make certain he'll never qualify. People like him don't belong here! Look at the trouble he managed to cause. Why are you still sitting there? We're going to deal with this problem at once. You're getting rid of that thing….'

'I won't,' Rita contradicted, beyond fury. That her mother was outraged had come as no surprise, that she had termed her a whore had. That the baby she was beginning to consider a real person had been named a 'thing' was too much. 'I want this child.'

'You're insane. The whole world will you see with that mongrel…'

'Don't you ever call my baby that again,' Rita hissed.

'I'll call it whatever I choose. You're getting rid of it today. I believe Tia Elena knows someone who once assisted her daughter Maria in a similar situation. I'll call her! You realize what a lot of money you're costing us?'

Rita rose and shook her head. 'I'm not going anywhere. This is my baby and I've decided to keep him!'

Catalina rose to glare at her. 'Then you're out of this house. Think about that. I refuse to pay your tuition for the year. Where will that leave you, ah? No degree, no home, no health insurance. You'll be out on the street with that bastard, not that you could possibly bring greater shame on me if you lived there.'

'You know what, Mama. I'll go pack a few things and I'll move out,' Rita choked. 'I hoped you'd help us like any other mother would but I can see you just don't care.'

Catalina grabbed her arm in a rage. 'Don't imagine you're taking a single thing from this house,' she hissed, beside herself with fury. 'You'll leave with nothing. I haven't got a daughter anymore.' She pushed Rita before her across the hall and unlocked the door. 'Get out.'

Rita stared at her startled before she nodded. Wordless, she turned and walked down the path, shaking violently.

'I'm telling you now, Rita, that man won't stay with you! He just used you!' her mother yelled behind her.

'You don't know him. He'd never do that. He loves me and we'll raise this child together, you'll see!'

'That you won't,' Catalina yelled louder, following her down the path. 'I'll make certain, if it's the last thing I do, that that mongrel will never live in this country! You'll be out on the streets alone, like you deserve, ungrateful whore!' The reverberating slam of the front door sounded ominous to her ears. The street had never seemed as quiet as it did that morning. Tears coursed down her cheeks as she set off in the direction of the bus stop. Only after the doors slid open did she realize that she was in effect penniless. A sympathetic old man lent her the fare to the station.

Welcome back, Marco. I hope you had a great vacation, coz it's over now. Everything's over. She blinked back what threatened to be a torrent of tears, giving way to them once she reached the station. A handful of relatives occupied the few benches, forcing her to stand at the end of the platform. Rita shook her head and forced further tears in as the train was announced. Pull yourself together. You're here to say goodbye. She pulled her palm across her tear stained face and tried to ignore the disembarking passengers who pushed past her.

'Hey, querida. What's wrong?' a tender voice asked and familiar arms enveloped her, lifting her for a kiss. 'Gimme a smile. Rita,' he begged, growing anxious. 'You're not sick, are you?'

She shook her head, gulping. 'I…My mom threw me out,' she began, unable to continue for the fresh flood of tears.

Marco stared at her startled. 'What?' he inquired in disbelief. 'Where are you staying then, princess?'

She shrugged. 'I got to find a job today,' she muttered, gazing at his shoes. 'Right now, while I still have my old address. I don't even know where I'm going…'

'Hey,' he interrupted, frightened. 'You gotta start at the beginning, sweetheart. Why would your mother throw you out? She's probably just mad about something. She'll calm down by tonight.' Please don't let it have anything to do with me.

A fresh flood of tears greeted his words as he squeezed her hand. 'She's mad about the baby, that I won't get rid of him,' she wept, her voice so choked he had difficulty making out the words. 'She called me a whore and said she hasn't got a daughter anymore and…'

'Baby, what baby?' he interrupted, a sick feeling creeping over him. 'Rita, talk to me.' She sniffed, choking incoherently. Desperately worried he searched his pockets for a clean handkerchief, passing it to her. 'Blow your nose, querida. Tell me what baby.'

Rita took a while rubbing her face while he fought against the urge to yell. 'We made a baby that night at the lake,' she admitted, eyeing the empty tracks. 'It's okay, Marco, I'll find a job and raise him…'

Marco drew a deep breath unsure whether the sudden pounding in his skull was due to shock or the next train racing to the neighboring track. Seeing her look of desperation he grabbed her arm at the last moment and pulled her to him. 'You mean you and I, that night…'

She nodded unhappily. 'Yeah. That one night.'

He raised his eyebrows in disbelief. 'It didn't take us long,' he muttered, squeezing her hand reassuringly. 'Now don't cry, princess. You'll come back to my room and we'll think about what to do from here. It's gonna be okay,' he assured her, lifting his backpack. 'Come on.'

'So you're still talking to me?' she questioned, cheered by his calm acceptance of the news.

Marco stared at her startled. 'Why wouldn't I?' His eyes searched her forlorn figure in distress. She's taking the entire blame for this on herself… His heart ached as he pulled her closer to him. 'So what would you like, boy or girl?' he inquired, hoping to cheer her.

'A boy,' she sniffed, clutching his hand. 'We might have a chance to survive together, him and me. A girl in a rough place…'

Marco stopped and pulled her to a halt. 'What rough place?'

'I won't be able to work once he's born,' she sniffed. 'I got no one to help. It's gonna be real bad for a while.'

'Come here,' he insisted, laying the backpack on the ground and wrapping his arms round her. 'What do you mean, no one to help? And why should you work? You got the most important job either of us can ever get. You'll be a mommy! I'll support us all, don't you worry about it!'

Her eyes widened as the full implication of his words sank in. 'You're not mad?'

Marco shook his head slowly, amazed at the sudden warmth in his heart. 'No querida,' he said honestly. 'I'm not. I'm glad.' And he was. The more he considered the unexpected news the happier he felt.

'You're crazy,' she whispered, at peace again.

'Sí. You're probably right.' He took her hand, kissing her warmly. 'Now let's go back to my room, mommy, and put this stuff down and then I'll call my boss and let him know I'll be working for him full time from now on, and then we'll go pick an apartment.'

'What about college?' she pressed, shocked at the thought of him quitting. 'You can't just leave.'

'I won't quit, princess, but I'll need to change to part time,' he explained, walking her towards a cab. 'I won't be able to work full time and finish an entire year's work together. It's okay, I'll do it in two. You mustn't worry anymore, Rita, that's my job.' She leant her head against his shoulder worn out by the arguments of the morning. Marco ran his hands through her hair, his heart aching in sympathy. Strict as her parents were she loved them and to be disinherited was worse than anything he could imagine. His own parents would have plenty to say to him, he was certain, but they would conclude their lecture by insisting he bring Rita and the baby to meet them.

He led her upstairs to the apartment he shared with two other students and unlocked the door, leading her into his room. He settled her comfortably on the bed while he poured her a juice and made a sandwich, carrying them back to her. They ate together in compatible silence watching the other to gauge the depth of their commitments. 'Now querida, you had a rough day. Try and sleep a little and let me go sort out my enrollment,' Marco told her, tucking her into his bed. 'I'll be back as soon as I can.' He knelt beside the bed kissing her lips. 'I love you,' he assured her as he left the room.

You're going to be a father, Almeida. He had to force himself to walk rather than skip. Chicago had never seemed as beautiful to him as it did that afternoon.

The first glitch came as he stood in the familiar office eyeing his boss. Mr. Adams regarded him speculatively. 'Let me get this right, Almeida. You need over twice as many hours and you wish to be paid in cash. That sounds a little odd to me.'

Marco remained silent, eyes on the table. 'Sir, you said there's plenty more work tracing.'

'There's always plenty of work tracing, but are you certain you're allowed to do any more hours. I thought foreign students were limited.'

Marco chewed his lip. Limited, yes. They changed your enrollment at the college but they warned you not to consider working extra hours if you wished to avoid deportation. 'I'll hand this request in to go part time. It might not be accepted, though. We've never had a foreign scholarship winner who wished to reduce his hours. They might not go for it.'

Marco had pleaded with him until the man changed his enrollment, eyeing him dubiously. Mr. Adams was worse. 'How much of that would you need in cash?' he inquired casually knowing he had the young man cornered.

'Half of it,' Marco replied, without batting an eyelid.

'Half your wage tax-free! Tell me why I would wish to risk getting caught paying an employee cash!'

'Because I trace better than your other employees, sir, and there's no way you'll get caught,' Marco replied steadily. 'No one can know how many drawings you give me. You can't lose, sir.'

Adams nodded slowly. 'I can't, but you can. You realize if the IRS discovers you're working illegally you won't just get deported. They're a little touchy about this kind of thing!'

Marco nodded. 'I'm aware of that sir, but it's got to be this way for a coupla weeks, just till I sort other things out.' Just till you get your Green Card, Almeida. In the meantime you got to find an apartment and buy some things for this baby!

Adams met his steady brown eyes. 'Alright, don't say I didn't warn you. I'll give you enough drawings to cover an average working week. Normal pay applies to the legal hours.'

Marco raised his eyebrows. 'What's that supposed to mean, sir?'

'You don't expect I'll pay the same amount for the cash jobs? You'll get a dollar for each drawing.'

'Sir, it takes me around half an hour to trace something accurately,' Marco protested, meeting his boss's eyes without a hint of intimidation. 'You're giving me around two dollars an hour that way. The reason I need to work extra hours is because I really need the money.'

'Take it or leave it,' Adams shrugged.

Marco narrowed his eyes. 'I'll take it,' he agreed reluctantly.

'Great. You can start on that pile right away.' Adams actually beamed as he showed him to the door.

Marco left the office heavy hearted, aware he would not be able to afford the type of apartment he had counted on renting. Rita won't be happy. She's never lived in a poor neighborhood in her life. She's going to be stressed and that's the last thing she needs right now. And what are you going to do about the doctor? He rubbed his face vigorously. Maybe she's got health insurance for the year. Please God let her have health insurance for this year.

His next stop was at the church where Rita was christened. The priest blatantly refused to marry them. Catalina would kill him, he assured Marco. He refused to alienate the most influential family in his church. He urged Marco to try some smaller church on the outskirts of the city.

It took him the rest of the day. Around evening he found one priest who was a little less hostile than the rest. 'Tell me again, son, why this marriage is so urgent?' he inquired, sensing something.

'We got a baby due in six months,' Marco admitted, chewing his lip. 'Look padre, before you refuse, hear me out. This baby is innocent. If anyone is to blame, it's me. I take full responsibility for my actions. All I'm trying to do is fix them. I want to get married and raise this child. Please, padre, don't force us to go to a registry office. Rita wouldn't accept that. My parents wouldn't accept that.'

The priest sighed. 'You appear to have repented,' he decided. Marco nodded wordless. 'Son, have you any idea what a wedding involves?' He shook his head. 'I thought not. Now quite apart from informing the guests and getting a dress…'

'Padre, there's no one in the entire city who's willing to come as our guests, so that solves the problem,' Marco interrupted. 'And right now I'm using all the money I can get to get us an apartment, so there won't be any special dress either.'

The priest winced. 'Apart from all that there's a matter of paperwork. I'll need both your birth certificates, any baptism papers and the government requires a form from the pair of you stating that neither of you is currently married.'

'Sir, my papers are all in Mexico. I can assure you I never married anyone before,' Marco pleaded in gathering despair. 'This baby will be born by the time I get hold of that document! Can't I just hand it in later?'

'Son, that's out of my hands. If you wish to wed the mother of your child I urge you to hurry with the paperwork. Seeing you're not real popular I'll marry you the day you receive them.'

Marco left, thanking him.

He found Rita in the kitchen stirring a pot of rice with some delicious smelling sauce. Mouth watering he pulled her into his arms, kissing her forehead. 'How are you?' That's lame, Almeida! How would she be so soon after being thrown out of her home? Anxious eyes searched hers.

She nodded, her face composed. 'I'm okay. I made you dinner.' Her eyes refused to meet his as he lifted the lid of the pot, nodding in appreciation.

'Smells great. Listen, querida, there's something I need to ask you.' He settled beside her, removing the ring from her necklace. 'Will you put this on for me?'

Moist brown eyes met his own. 'What are you saying?' Rita breathed, determined to prevent bursting into tears.

'Will you make me the luckiest man on this whole planet and marry me?' he questioned, terrified at the possibility she might not now that the moment was upon them. Rita threw her arms about his neck sobbing aloud. Marco waited in terror, stroking her hair. 'Hey, querida, I know I'm not exactly the most desirable man you've ever met, but I promise I'll love you and this baby for the rest of our lives.' Gentle fingers lifted her face from his shirt. 'What do you say?'

'I don't deserve you,' she whispered, smiling at him through her tears. 'Marco Almeida, there's no one in the world I'd rather spend my life with. I'd love to make a family with you.'

'We already have, querida,' he told her, grinning in heartfelt relief.