Blake returned from her mystery errand carrying a small brown bag in her hand. Holly, who was sitting at the table writing out the bills looked at her over the edge of her glasses and frowned. "I wish you would have asked me to pick up whatever it is that you needed."
Blake's cheeks turned crimson. "This was of a personal nature mother, but thank you"
Holly shook her head. "Really Blake, I'm your mother. Nothing you could need would make me clutch my pearls in shock or horror. I've probably had use for whatever is in that bag myself" She replaced her glasses and continued to write out the check.
"I doubt it Mother"
"Given your mood, I don't. We used to share everything, Blake, I'm not sure why you feel the need to be so secretive now."
Blake crossed her arms over her chest. "Did you call Maureen back?"
"I did. She has invited us to Thanksgiving dinner."
Blake's face which had been frozen with annoyance fell. "We are not going."
"You may not be, but I am." Holly informed her.
"You're going to leave me here, alone?"
Holly stood, propping herself up on her hands. "As you've pointed out, Blake, you're an adult. You no longer need my supervision nor my company. So yes, should you choose not to go to Thanksgiving dinner with me you can stay here, alone. It's completely up to you."
Blake formed her lips in a pout, and stormed to her bedroom, slamming the door for effect. She collapsed on the bed and pulled the home pregnancy test box from the bag. "How could I let this happen?" she asked the room but got no answer. When her mother knocked on the door, she quickly shoved the box under her pillow. "Come in" Blake said.
"Since you seem to be able to fend for yourself, I'm going to go back to the station. I'm afraid if I leave your father alone for too long that he will move Jenna into my office while I'm gone."
"Alright." Blake sighed.
"Call me if you need me." Holly stepped out and started to close the door.
"Mom" Blake called after her. Holly pushed the door open, surprised when Blake jumped off the bed and wrapped her in a hug.
"I love you. Thank you for letting me stay here."
"You are my daughter; you don't have to thank me." Holly said hugging her back. When she let her go, she noticed that Blake seemed worried about something.
"Are you alright? I know you're not feeling well, but is there something else? Did your father do something?"
Blake smiled. "As much as I wish I could tell you I can't, but no, Daddy didn't do anything. This is all me. Well not all me, but I will figure it out. You better go Mom. I can almost hear Jenna ordering new paint for your office."
Holly wasn't as anxious to go as she had been, but knew that if she pushed Blake, she would shut her out. "Call me if you need me." She said before leaving again.
Once Blake heard her car pull out of the driveway, she pulled the bag from under her pillow. From inside of the bag, she pulled out a box containing a home pregnancy test. She took a deep breath and carried it to the bathroom. Her hands trembled as she read the directions. In three minutes, her entire life could change. "Why do I always do things the hard way?" She asked the ether, but didn't get an answer. She read the directions again so as to not make any mistakes. Three minutes later she had the result, she didn't have the flu and she didn't have food poisoning she was having a baby, Rick Bauer's baby.
Absently she threw the test in the trash and went back to her room. She pulled a small calendar out of her purse. She counted the squares backwards and forward coming up with the same date each way. She was already pregnant when she decided to leave Rick. She picked up the phone on the night stand and started to dial his number, but hung up before she completed it. She shoved the offending book back into her purse. Maybe she wasn't pregnant at all. Maybe the test was wrong. The instructions did say for the most accurate result to test first thing in the morning. She rationalized that it was the stress she was under that were causing her symptoms, so her next step was to call Dr. Sedwick. There was no reason to concern Rick just yet. She picked the phone up again this time completing the call.
By the time Holly got home from work Blake was in bed sound asleep. It was Holly's yell that woke her from it. "Christina Blake Thorpe Lindsey!"
Blake knew immediately what the shouting was about. She silently cursed herself for not being more discrete. Like a child she crept from her bedroom, head hung down so she didn't have to look her mother in the eye.
"Blake, why didn't you tell me?" Holly demanded, hands on her hips standing in the bathroom door.
Blake had two avenues to take, defiance or contrition. She decided on defiance. "Did you leave WSPR for a job with the Tattler, Mother? Or is it just by coincidence that you chose tonight to study the bathroom trash?"
"I wasn't studying anything Blake. In fact, I was cleaning up after you. You left your bath towel on the floor and when I bent over to pick it up, I happened to see a home pregnancy test in the trash. As I can assure you it's not mine, I can only assume that it's yours" Holly shrugged. "So maybe I didn't have to fish it out and look at the result but I did. I'm your mother after all, and I'm concerned." Her tone changed from angry to sorrowful. "Honey, what are you ok?"
Blake immediately started sobbing again. Holly wrapped an arm around her shoulders and proceeded to guide her to the couch. "What are you going to do?" Holly asked.
"I made an appointment with Dr. Sedwick" Blake told her.
"Well, that's a good first step, but what are you going to do?" Holly asked again.
"I don't know, Mom." She looked up at Holly then. "What would you do?" Blake knew she was asking if she had pondered a different outcome with her.
Knowing what she was asking, Holly delved delicately. "Oh honey, it was a different time with different expectations of women, but as you are the only child I'm ever going to have, I can't imagine the outcome being any different." Holly kissed her lightly on the forehead. "Just know that whatever you decide to do that I will support you every step of the way."
Blake looked up at her again. "Thanks Mom"
"Don't thank me yet honey because I have one more question and I don't think you're going to like it." Holly pondered how to be gentle. "At the risk of offending you, please tell me that history, both ancient and recent isn't repeating itself. This baby is Rick's, right?" Holly waited for the ensuing explosion.
"Despite what the Mirror has painted me as, Rick is the only possible candidate. I'm sorry but I am so very tired Mother. If it's all the same to you, I'd like to go back to bed."
Holly shook her head and watched as her daughter disappeared behind the closed door to her room. She may have promised not to tell Ed or Roger, but there was one person she absolutely could confide in. She picked up the phone and waited.
"Reade here" he said when he answered the phone.
"Fletcher, it's Holly. I need your help."
Thanksgiving Day found the citizens of Springfield in an array of moods. Blake was still battling her mother about their plans, especially following her appointment with Dr. Sedwick. She not only confirmed her pregnancy but gave her a July due date. Rick was on edge as he unexpectedly received a phone call from his attorney. Both of the DNA samples had come back and the judge set the final hearing date for the following week. All parties who needed to testify would be notified on Monday. The only person who seemed to be excited for the holiday was Holly.
Early in the morning as Blake sat eating dry toast and watching the parade the phone rang. "Happy Thanksgiving" Holly cheerfully said answering it. Blake scowled as she watched her mother.
"Just a moment please." Her tone changed. She held the phone at arm's length. "It's for you. It's your father."
Blake smiled. She hadn't spoken to Roger in a while, so this was a lovely surprise. Perhaps she could join him for dinner. She knew he wouldn't be invited anywhere. "Hi Daddy" She was jovial.
"Hello Chrissy, I wanted to wish you a Happy Thanksgiving."
"Thank you, Daddy." Blake looked towards the kitchen where Holly was reading the baking directions on a bake and take pie she bought. "What are your plans for the day?" She asked hopefully.
"Actually, Jenna and I are flying to New York. She has some friends who live there and they have invited us to the Hamptons for the weekend. The plane leaves in a few hours." He sounded genuinely excited.
Blake did not. "Oh, I see, well have a nice weekend I guess."
Roger didn't notice. "Are you and your mother ordering Chinese food and watching one of those sappy black and white movies she loves so much?"
"Mom's going to Ed and Maureen's."
"That sounds like fun. You should go too. Have turkey, and pie. A regular American way to spend the day. Listen honey I've got to go. Jenna is packing and if I don't add to the pile, I will be wearing this same suit all weekend. Love you!"
With that the line went dead. Blake dropped the phone with a clatter. "What was that all about?" Holly asked.
"He wanted to wish me a Happy Thanksgiving" Blake slunk back to the couch and pouted.
Hours later both Holly and Blake appeared at the Bauer family front door. "I do not want to be here" Blake complained bitterly.
Holly pushed the doorbell "Put a smile on your face, and be grateful young lady" Holly admonished. "You complained bitterly that both of your parents were abandoning you on a national holiday. So, suck it up and enjoy yourself."
Maureen answered the door, her eyes widening. "Holly, Blake, we weren't expecting both of you"
"See Mom, I knew this was a bad idea." Blake spun around but Holly grabbed her arm.
"Oh no, Blake, I didn't mean it like that. Holly told me you weren't coming. Come in, come in." Holly held fast to Blake's arm and drug her into the entryway. She handed Maureen the pie she brought and took off her coat. "I'm going to put this in the kitchen" Maureen announced.
Blake smoothed her blouse over her stomach. "You can't tell, right?"
Holly smiled. "Honey, you have a few months before anyone will be asking questions. Unless you keep doing that, now stop it."
"I wonder if Rick is here?" Blake asked.
"You go find out; I'm going to go help Maureen in the kitchen."
Blake took refuge in the living room, sitting on the hearth of the large fireplace. She picked up one of the photo albums that was stacked on the edge of it. Bert Bauer's image appeared when she opened the book. She flipped through and found images of herself as an infant, and young child. Ed held her up as she placed a delicate ornament on a magnificent Christmas tree in one of them. She was tracing the image with her finger when she heard his voice.
"Hello Blake."
She froze in place, paralyzed for a minute. When she heard Matthew babbling, she looked up. She couldn't help it. "Rick, uhm, Happy Thanksgiving. I hope this is OK" .
"That's why Maureen puts them out, so people will look at them." He nodded.
"I meant that I'm here."
Rick didn't answer her as Matthew started to become vocal. He struggled in Rick's arms. He wanted to get to Blake. Rick put him on the floor and he immediately crawled to Blake, pulling himself up on the stone hearth. "Oh my gosh, he's crawling! When did he start doing that?"
"Last week. I need to get some gates because he's trying to scale the stairs too"
Blake picked the baby up and studied him. "Oh Matthew, you've gotten so big." He opened his mouth and showed her his next surprise, two tiny teeth on the bottom of his mouth. "And teeth, you have teeth." She hugged him into her. He put a few fingers in his mouth and laid a hand on her shoulder. She rubbed his back and hummed to him as Rick watched. From the hallway, Holly and Maureen did the same, unheard and unseen. Both hoping the same, that this moment would be what brought that branch of the family back together.
