I decided to give a double update this week. So here you all go!

I could hear Jem was cracking his knuckles as Ken came through the door with Persis and Yosuke. The trio had been invited to spend New Year's Eve with us by my mother. She had been excited to see Persis after so many years.

"You touched my baby sister, prepare to die," Jem mimics a line the princess bride.

"Jem, we talked about this," I warn him as I come into the room with a bowl of fruit for myself. I set it down before poking him in the chest. "You would leave him alone, I think he's been hit enough by the lot of you."

"I never promised anything,"

"James Matthew!" Faith hollers at my brother, who immediately straightens up at his girlfriend's voice. "It's New Year's Eve, you promised to be nice. So be nice!"

"Yes, Faith," Jem said with a sigh. "I'll get you one day Ford," Jem says to Ken before going back to join the crowd. Shirley is sitting with his girlfriend on the couch, while Nan is sitting next to Jerry. Una and Carl were here as well. Carl looked much like Faith with his golden-brown hair and bright blue eyes. While Una and Jerry were had inky dark hair and the darkest almost black, blue eyes. The only missing person was Walter who had other plans with his boyfriend than to spend time with his family. Or maybe it was the fact that Ken was here and he was still butt hurt over the whole thing.

I nod to Carl who I had seen around school here and there. Una was at college in Charlottetown.

"Persis it's good to see you again," Joy says coming from the Kitchen.

"It is! This is Yosuke my boyfriend," Persis says. She goes on intruding Yosuke to everyone, he bowed to each one, using broken English to convey his pleasure in meeting them.

"So when are you due," Carl speaks up and everyone looks at him for asking the question.

"Oh umm, May 6th," I tell him as I feel Ken sit down beside me.

"It must feel like it getting closer by the day?" Una says to me, her long dark hair shining as it hung around her shoulders

"Rather the opposite," I settle with. "I'm sure the next two weeks will be boring as well. Bed rest, or at the very least. Chill out on the couch and rest."

"You are still allowed to take a short walk once a day," Faith reminds me. "Just don't go overexerting yourself. Otherwise, you will land yourself back in the hospital and I won't be there to keep you company. I'm sure Ken wouldn't want that either for you," Faith says, meaning she had only picked a few shifts at the hospital over winter break before going back to Halifax with Jem.

"It was a terrifying few hours," Ken said agreeing with Faith.

"Well, Father thinks it's good of you to have kept the child," Jerry speaks up as his stepsister finished. Faith swats at him. "He just means you're responsible for your actions," he tries to correct himself.

"Just stop talking," Nan tells him patting his arm and I think back to her confessions from that evening. Jerry didn't know. Jerry was a minister's son, he wouldn't understand. Yet Nan was with him?

I give her a look which she just shrugs at quietly. Both Di and I look at each other with a half frown. I had a feeling that Di had tried to get Nan to talk to Jerry, but it seemed to fall on deaf ears at this point.

"Well, if you something to watch, we can give you some recommendations," Wynnie says to me from her spot next to my brother. Changing the subject at Nan gives me a look of don't start anything.

"I'll have to remember that," I tell her. "Though if you want to watch a romantic comedy without my brother mocking it, you'll know where to find me," I tell her and tease Shirley at the same time.

"Have you thought of names yet?" She asked me and I looked over to Ken.

"Not yet, still really wrapping our heads around this," I tell her. "It's a big decision after all."

"It is and my parents accidentally stuck me with a name from a book series they never read." Winnie laughs. "Lee says you enjoy Lord of the Rings though?"

"I do," I nod my head. "Arwen isn't bad though. She was always my favourite beyond Eowyn, though. Though I think that might be too strange of a name," I say looking at Ken who was listening to us.

"I think it's pretty, while google likes to tell people it is Welsh, it's actually Anglo Saxon. I believe, most people say it Eh-O-Wyn, but I think it's actually said Eh-Awe-Ween," Ken tells me. "It means Horse-Joy." He said matter of factly and we all look at him. "What I majored in history and took a class on Tolkien once. Though knowing it's a girl it will help in the end."

"I had never even seen Lord of the Rings until Lee made me watch it," Winnie said with a grin. It was the second time I heard the name Lee come from her lips.

"Who is Lee?" I asked her confused by the name.

"You do realize the only people who actually call me Shirley, are in this house?" Shirley tells me with a shake of his head. "Most of my friends shortened it to Lee years ago. Wynnie didn't realize my actual name was Shirley until she came over one day."

"You've never said anything," I said quietly looking at my brother. I had always been vocal about my name and nicknames.

Shirley just shrugged. "Makes no difference to me, I just tell people that Lee is fine if they want to shorten it and they usually do."

I nod my head to my brother as I shiver, feeling suddenly cold. Within a moment Ken was passing me the blanket from the basket on the floor and I wrapped myself into it. It allowed me to rub my bump without anyone noticing as she made small movements.

I looked around the room, Nan and Jerry were quietly discussing something. Di was showing pictures on her phone to Faith and Una.

I twisted myself around trying to find a comfortable way to sit, it was so uncomfortable to curl up in a ball as I was used to. In the end, I ended up twisting myself towards Ken, who is checking his phone, trying to ignore the looks that Jem was shooting him.

I shoot him a glare as I cuddle into my blanket. Everyone was talking around me now, Persis talking for both herself and Yosuke by translating things here and there for him. I look at his smile.

"Oh! Is there that little gift shop still in Charlottetown that all niche and kitschy things?" Persis speaks up. "We need to get some souvenirs for our co-workers at home, a thank you for covering us as we went on a holiday," she explains to everyone. "Doesn't need to be expensive, but we each have a few co-workers so it adds up fast." I learned the Persis worked in a real estate company, while Yosuke had some sort of office job and was waiting on a promotion.

"Maud's Closet of Dreams?" Joy asks from her chair as she sat in Matt's lap.

"Yes!" Persis nods her head enthusiastically. "Few of my friends would love something from there, it's still around? Is the old lady still there?"

"She is, her daughter runs it mostly though," Joy tells her. "When I go, she always looks at me and hands me something she knows I will love. Then again I've been shopping there since I was fourteen years old."

"You showed me the place when we were visiting one summer or was it when we were living out at the cottage?" Persis' brow furrowed.

"It must have been the summertime when you were about ten or eleven. I was babysitting you and your brother and took you there." Joy said thinking back. "You were thirteen when you moved here I believe, Ken was sixteen when you left. I remember carding him as a joke at my wedding two years later and not letting him drink. You were already in Japan at that point." Joy laughed. "Your gift was lovely though you did get my thank you card did you not?"

"I believe I did," Persis nods her head.

Mom came in with a plater of food, while Dad and Mr. Meredith were talking about theology or some sort of mumbo jumbo I didn't understand. Mrs. Meredith was holding a bowl of peach punch she always made for occasions as the adult joined into the party. More chairs were set up everyone made room for everyone as Dad turns on the television, see we can see the countdown.

I'm fighting to stay awake at this point and there is still almost an hour and a half until the ball drop. I was warm and tired as I shut my eyes trying to block out some of the noise and games everyone was playing and at some point. I must have fallen asleep leaning into Ken.

It was Ken who was shaking me awake as I open my eyes to see him looking at me. I blush once more realizing I was curled against the side of him.

"It's almost the new year," he tells me.

"Oh!" I say blushing. "I'm sorry I used you as a pillow," I tell him quietly when I realize I can feel the warmth of his hand that was settled on the curve of my stomach. He was about to move it away, making some excuse that it was better than me laying out it. Instead, I moved it over slightly and pressed down with it. I looked up at him as I felt her squirm, his hand firmly against the spot. A questioning look in his eyes as I nodded to him, ignoring all the other people in the room in our own little moment.

The countdown ends, as my siblings and the adult's room cheer. We were at a loss as everyone hugged and kissed each other. I blame it on the hormones running through me as I quickly kiss him, really it was more a one-second peck before I move away from him blushing furiously. I make a joke about it being New Year's after all. No one could get mad at tradition, could they?

Dad pulls me into a hug, kissing the top of my head. While my brothers each thumping Ken on the back harder them necessary to remind him they were still watching him. My sisters hugging and giving me a gentle rub on my stomach. Four months practically, four months and this would be over with and starting all over again.

"Rilla?" Ken says my name quietly as I find myself beside him once more. He looks like he wants to say something but decides against it. "Happy New Year," he settles with.

"Happy New Year," I repeat back to him as I feel my phone buzz. We stare at each other for another moment before I look at my phone with a sigh.

It was Olivia telling me Happy New Year's, to which I responded instantly, and I saw that I also had a message from Joy who sends a photo of me sleeping next to Ken. I must have pushed off the blanket as you see me cradle my bump, holding his hand in a place where it was resting on it as well. Dozing with his eyes closed as well. I hide my phone quickly from his view and blush looking away from him.

The new year was cold and quiet, the twins went back to Halifax for school. I wander around the house, watching tv and lightly cleaning around the living room. I was starring up at the ceiling when the doorbell rang when I wasn't expecting anyone this morning. Mom was at the school, catching up on paperwork and making sure everything was set for the student's first day back. While Dad was working emergency at the hospital. Shirley was spending the day at Wynnie's which I figured was code that her parents were at work so they have the place to themselves.

I sighed and went to open it.

"Aunt Marilla!" I exclaim seeing her with a large shopping bag.

"I brought you something to work on." She told me as she took off her boots and heads towards the kitchen. She starts by filling the kettle for some, and looks in the fridge and sees the lunch mom had left for me still in the fridge.

"Good you haven't eaten lunch yet," she said as she pulls out a container that was what looked to be her famous plum puffs. My mouth waters while my head tells me no, if I was on bed rest it meant no large amounts of sugar or wasted calories. Healthy meals and snacks.

"Come sit," Aunt Marilla tells me before she pulls out another bag filled with clear bags. Bags filled with pre-cut pieces. Sorted by colour, all in shades of pink. She brought me a quilt to work on, of course, she did. This was Aunt Marilla, she would teach me how to crochet or knit if I had the patience to.

"I thought it give you something to do, keep your hands and mind busy enough to distract you from overthinking things," She tells me, which is her way of saying. Follow doctor's orders and don't try and be sneaky.

"Olivia coming to visit sometime today," I tell her.

"And Kenneth Ford?" Aunt Marilla asks me.

"He's around when I need him to be," I say with a shrug. "He's been setting up his apartment and his sister is here so he's busy. He offered to take me to my appointment next week though," I explain to her as she gets up and passed me a plum puff.

"Eat," she instructs me. "Then you can have your vegetables." I shake my head, only she would make vegetables a reward with me. I eat my plum puff under her watchful eye before she allows me to eat the salad that mom left for me. When I finally finished, we settle on a pattern for me to piece together. As she digs out mom's old sewing machine and sets it up in the corner of the living room.

"What is this for?" I ask Aunt Marilla.

"Most likely be donated to the church," She tells me which somehow makes me sad. "For someone who needs it," she adds on. I nod my head as I yawn looking down at my phone. We had been sorting through bits of fabric for almost two hours.

"Are you staying for dinner?" I ask her.

"Oh no, it's bingo at the centre tonight," She shakes her grey head. "Rachel would never forgive me if I didn't show up." She says.

"It's really sweet that you are still friends with your best friend," I blurt out.

"We lived through a lot together," Aunt Marilla says to me. "Well, I will leave you for today, remember to relax and don't overdo things." She reminds me as she kisses my cheek and pats my stomach. "Though Olivia sounds much like a friend you wish to keep around."

"She's nice," I say with a small smile. "She plans to introduce me to Buffy the Vampire Slayer this week. Apparently, it's a tragedy that I have never watched it, despite it was on during Joy's lifetime and not mine."

"I'm sure you will have fun," she said. "Tell your parents hello for me and that I will be over for Sunday dinner." She said before bustling out the door.

I put my plates in the dishwasher looking around for something else to keep busy with. I look at my phone, frowning at the lack of messages. Part of me still worried that New Years' scared him in some sort of way. I don't have time to think about it as I hear Olivia knock on the door, the one she created for me. "It's unlocked!" I tell her as I wipe off the counter.

"I have six seasons of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and some healthy snacks for you," Olivia greets me her hands full of things. "You promised me you would watch it with me and since we have a week before school, even if you won't be there next week. We might as well start now!" She tells me pulling off her boots and jacket and hanging it up on the pegs by the door.

We settle in the living room this time as she loads the first DVD for us. I think Olivia doesn't want to tempt me by putting me near my beloved dance floor. When I told her about being put on bed rest she told me she would keep me company.

"Prepare to be amazed," she tells me.

"You sound like Shirley," I tell her as I lay across the love seat.

"I'm just preparing you for epicness," Olivia laughed as she hit play.

I watched diligently for the first episode and as I ponder to my teenage crushes of who I thought was more hot Angel or Giles. Clearly, I would never admit the second one to Olivia.

"So Giles is rather a fine piece of man meat isn't he?" She says with a grin as if she was reading my mind.

"I didn't notice," I say trying not to give myself away.

"So anything since New Years'?" She asks me as she shoves a cookie into her mouth with the same grin on her face

"Will I regret telling you about that?" I feigning regret.

"Of course you will, now tell me the details," she grinned back at me, I shake my head at her, but smile.

"I don't know what came over me," I tell her. "This isn't that bad of a show, I don't know what I was expecting, but I thought it be cheesier?" I say.

"Buffy is timeless, and I know what came over you," Olivia gave me a look. "All those hormones running through you? How could you not kiss him as you did?"

"I don't know," I tell her. "But I thought for a moment he was going to remind me that it wasn't appropriate, but he just brushed it off."

"A New Years' peck is innocent, it's not like you had your tongue in his mouth. I mean you probably have before, obviously and objectively speaking you had a lot of him in you in the first place for you to end up preggers." She smirks at me and I throw a pillow at her.

"You can't say stuff like that!" I shriek, my face going red.

"Tis the truth though," Olivia reminds me.

"Still, you don't realize what it likes being almost six months pregnant, they say the second trimester is the easiest one. Except no one tells you that it's also where hormones flip around and it can make you, well in the mood at a flick of a switch!" I say looking at her.

"That bad?" Olivia says with a giggle.

"You try being horny, single and on bed rest where your doctor stressed that any sort of sex or stimulation is off the table?" I give her a look, and I see her face contort into a half-smile, half horror. I give her a look before I look to the doorway to see Ken standing next to my father as if they had come home at the same time.

"You weren't answering your phone," Ken says awkwardly. "Persis wanted to know if you wanted to say goodbye to you before she left tomorrow? We can stop by after breakfast?"

"Oh, yeah, sure I guess. Sorry, we were watching Buffy the vampire slayer." I say refusing to look at him and my father.

"I will let her know," Ken said. "Well, I will leave you two to your uhh, show." He settles before leaving the same way he came in.

I watch Olivia burst out laughing as he shuts the door. "Oh my god, that is the funniest thing I have seen in so long."

"It's a rather common side effect of pregnancy," Dad says offhandedly as he placed his bag on the coat rack. "I am going to go wash up from being at the hospital." He tells me, as I look at him, he has the familiar look of what tell us that it wasn't a good day shift at the hospital.

I look to Olivia who was watching us.

"I think dad lost someone today," I say quietly as I hear the shower turn on.

"Do you need me to go?" She asks and I shake my head.

"No no, but he may be quieter than usual" I explain and I hit play on the episode once more. I know well enough by now, that he just needs a moment to himself more than anything.

I dig out my phone from the cushions of the couch to see five missed messages and two phone calls from Ken from the past hour. I shake my head, everything was just confusing between us it seemed. He had been relatively quiet since New Years' and now I was mortified knowing he heard us talking as we did. This baby may have come from us having sex, but that was not a topic we had yet to talk about since the day he showed up. Still, he seemed worried enough that I didn't answer his texts or calls enough to come to check on me?

Olivia left just before dinner as she usually does, waving goodbye to my mother on the way out.

"I didn't feel like cooking so I thought greek food would be good for tonight. I got you a greek salad," she tells me as she places the food on the counter. "Pita as well, and there's some baklava for dessert."

"Aunt Marilla stopped by with plum puffs," I say instantly, trying to excuse myself from eating the dessert. Mom looks at me with a sigh.

"Then don't eat the baklava, just eat dinner Rilla," She tells me sharply. "I'm sorry I just have a headache and don't want to get into any arguments right now." She tells me.

I shrug and grab my salad container and fork from the drawer. "Can I eat in my room then? I have some homework to write up that needs to be sent in by Monday?"

"Sure, just don't leave food up there," she tells me waving me off as she swallows two pills.

I had my dinner mostly eaten as I sat on the floor of my room with my laptop I used for school.

"You should be resting," Dad calls out from the doorway. He's looking less ghostly but somehow something is still bothering him it seems from what happened today.

"She said bed rest didn't mean actually bed rest," I tell him as I roll my feet with a massage ball. "I'm sitting down, I'm relaxing, plus homework is still a thing for me."

"Of course, but I don't want to you fall into the routine of doing things you shouldn't be. A massage ball turns into stretching, which turns into a full-on yoga or pilates work out etc," he tells me.

"So did you come up here to tell me to behave, or is there another reason?" I ask him curtly.

"Your mother and I have been talking," He says as he sits down at my desk looking impeccably like a Doctor at that moment. I knew whatever was coming I wouldn't like.

"About what? I ask him trying not to look away from my computer screen.

"We think that seeing a therapist might benefit you," he comes out and says it so casually. It's always rather frightening how he's able to be so non-judgemental or biased over something.

"I don't need a therapist, I'm fine," I stress to him.

"We just think it would be good for you to talk to someone, to process things more maybe? To be able to talk about things? There has been a lot of changes and more to come, it might be beneficial for you?" He tells me.

"I don't need to talk to anyone," I repeat loudly. "I'm not some head case that needs to talk to a shrink who will never understand me, but pretend that she does?" I retort. "Do I even have a choice in the matter, or is this you telling me I'm going?" I look at him with the hazel eyes that I got from him.

"Rilla," My dad starts.

"Do I have a choice, or is the choice already made for me?" I ask pushing my computer to the side and kick aside my foot massager before I stand up.

"You always have a choice," Dad said looking back at me. "We are just trying to help you if you would just consider it?" he tacks on like the father he was.

"I'm not going," I tell him with a shake of my head. I watch him sigh and slowly stand back up.

"Well, don't stay up too late. Just because you don't have to go to school doesn't mean we want you up all night," he tells me before leaving my room without shutting the door.

I huff as I sit down on my bed, legs drawn up to my chest as much as they will go. Still angry and annoyed at the suggestion. I stewed for a long moment before I received a shark kick at how I was sitting.

"Fine, Fine, I will sit nicely for you," I tell my bump as I re-situate myself for her comfort.