In the end of the race

Chapter 4

Emily sat on the porch and looked outside, hoping to see a familiar truck to stop by, but then again she had been secretly hoping for that for the last three days. Still, she stayed calm, having very recently got control of her emotions. Her hormones were a whole another story, but she would take what she could get at this point.

Patting her stomach and smiling as her little girl kicked in response, sensing her mother's needs. "You know daddy won't disappear too long, don't you? Being a father means the world to him. His wife, mommy, appears to be an exception though." She told her little unborn bundle of joy.

She still felt strange talking to the air, when she was aiming for the child she carried, but both mother and child seemed to be connected more than the physical. It knew things Emily didn't; things she denied and declined.

"I'm sure Lucky is dying to see you." Sonny told her from behind, over hearing the private conversation.

"Yes, dying so much I haven't had to go to the hospital to see him." Emily said sarcastically as Sonny sat down next to her. While their was no way "dad" was going to pop out of her mouth, they were at least civil, gone and buried the past, for the most part. Michael and Morgan were two annoying and obnoxious kids, but she still had a close bond there.

Sonny laughed at her comment. "He is catching that burglar, seeing that you and his little son safe." He insisted.

"One, I highly doubt that burglar is too chicken to try again, two never call her a him again." Emily advised him, then frowned at the once controlled temper came out again.

"Her? How do you know?" Sonny asked curiously.

"Mothers intuition, that's what mom said when I asked about her pregnancy with me. She said that to trust that and you can't go wrong. And so, this," Emily stopped as her daughter gave a rude awakening. "Darling but very annoying child is a girl."

"Kidney shot?" Sonny asked, as Morgan did it often with his mother during her pregnancy.

"Yes, and I swear if she doesn't stop with them she's going to have one very cranky mother." Emily informed Sonny as if she wasn't cranky enough.

"Usually children this early don't kick that much." Sonny commented.

"I know, but tell her that when she knows that her father doesn't want to see her mothers face, that I'm angry at her father and that her parents are going to be fighting for custody of her home soon if someone doesn't show his face." Emily replied bitterly.

"So you are saying that if that son in law of mine shows his face you'll be happy but willing to do bodily harm." Sonny concluded, guessing with Emily's emotions.

"As long as he is alive, yes," Emily agreed shortly.

Smiling, he noticed a dark vehicle approaching. Somehow he sensed it was an welcome but yet unwelcome guest. "Yes, well, I need to get the boys tucked into bed, so, night." He said shortly as Emily almost noted on his strange behavior as she saw what he did.

Glowering with pure hate and annoyance, Emily watched silently as he got out and walked slowly to her. "Is it safe to go any farther?" Lucky asked as he came a few feet closer.

"I don't know, do you dare test the limits? Is your child or even your wife worth anything these days?" Emily asked, supposedly, thinking though Lucky knew those answers right away.

Taking the rest of the steps he sat down next to her. "You know that answer Em, and so does our child. Would it be here if it was otherwise?" Lucky asked calmly, expecting a little more of her temper and anger though.

"It seems so impersonal, like a child is a thing not a person." Emily said as she winkled her nose in annoyance.

"I'm sorry, it just came out. How would you like me to address the baby?" Lucky said, trying to be more sensitive towards Emily's feelings.

"I don't know; use the baby, the child, our child, anything but it." Emily requested of him, laying her head on his shoulder. She was too tired to hurt him at the moment. She would scream and do the physical injuries later.

"Alright, is there any difference between him and her then?" Lucky asked, smelling her perfume freshly for the first time in days. He had missed her so much but was determined to make sure their home was safe before they could return. One thing Emily didn't need was to worry about whether or not she was safe, or the child for that matter.

"Well, that depends if you want to know what my maternal instincts are screaming." Emily murmured.

"Do tell it might help with the decorating." Lucky joked, but curious on the other hand.

"What shade of pink do you think then?" Emily smiled coyly at him from below.

And as much as Lucky loved the thought of a little girl just as much as a little boy, it was his turn for his nose to wrinkle. "How about yellow instead, pastel shades like Easter times?" He proposed.

"Did you think I would disagree there?" Emily laughed, as she didn't care for the color of pinktoo much anyway. Linking their hands, she asked. "But seriously, when is there going to be a home to go to?"

"Soon, I promise." Lucky told her, smiling at their linked hands and the gold bands they both had. "Something tells me the guy is going to try again and when he is caught, we can start arguing about wallpaper as we decorate our little girl's room."

"You do realize that I'm going to name her Paige right, no matter how many times you bring up the subject?" Emily asked him, determined about that.

"How about we make a deal then?" Lucky asked, knowing he would agree anyway. "You can name her Paige if I can pick the middle name." He compromised.

"All right, but under two conditions: one, you can't change a boy name into a feminine version, and two it has to flow evenly." Emily explained.

"Deal," Lucky agreed, regretting though that he had to leave. This felt so right. "But in order for us to talk more about this, our intruder has to be caught." He told her as he lifted her head from his shoulder, moving about reluctantly.

"You could stay you know, pay the mother of your child a little attention." Emily murmured, silently.

"Yes, well, this mother and child pair will get as much attention when they are not sleepy." Lucky reasoned as he stood up, bringing Emily up with him.

"Lucky, I'm pregnant, I'll always be sleepy." Emily reminded him.

Lucky took a second to ponder that. "Point taken, but still I've really got to go. Is Sonny taking you to work in the morning?" He asked her.

"I think so; it really depends on whether your daughter liked dinner and wants to digest it." Emily told him sarcastically.

Lucky laughed, remembering how his mom was with Lulu. The morning sickness was always a problem. "Ah, morning sickness," Lucky said.

"Don't remind me, I have another week to go as it is." Emily insisted and walked to the front door, away from Lucky.

"Hey, don't I get a goodbye kiss?" Lucky asked, stepping up one stair.

"No, you will not get much of anything from me until I'm not barred from my home, from my husband of all people." Emily announced stubbornly and went in the door, slamming the door as she went.

Author's note: No, I'm no doctor and no I don't ever want to get married much less have a child, so any knowledge of pregnancy and all is from romance books, TV and assumptions. Don't take what I'm writing about it as a grain of very important salt. I really have no idea what I'm talking about but I'm trying to make it sound realistic anyway. Review and feedback welcome.