"Mia?"

Mia's nervously widened eyes snapped to the nurse appearing in the doorway and she scrambled to her feet.

"How are you today?" the chipper nurse asked her.

"Fine," Mia cracked, betraying her anxiety and the sickness in her stomach.

The nurse smiled in understanding and motioned for Mia to stand on the scale.

Not underweight anymore, Mia noted. She lost a lot of weight again after Bill broke up with her, due to a complete lack of appetite. But now she was eating normally again, and hopefully gaining back muscle since picking up jogging and the gym.

The nurse took Mia into an exam room and took her vitals, then placed a plastic cup in her palm and pointed out the bathroom across the hall.

Mia swallowed hard as the door behind her shut, and indignantly produced a sample.

She crept back to the blindingly bright exam room to await the news, feeling wound up tightly, like she would burst apart at any moment. She looked at the posters on the walls, diagrams of the inner workings of a woman's body, reminders to stay up to date with vaccinations, information about various birth control methods...

The minutes crawled by. Her throat felt dry, and her heart felt like it wasn't beating properly. She knew Bill should be here, but for some reason she was too… Nervous? Scared? to tell him…

There was a knock on the door and Mia felt a jolt of nerves. The doctor entered, a petite, smart looking woman, with rounded glasses, her black hair pulled back into a tight bun.

"Hello!" the doctor beamed, "So nice to meet you. I'm Dr. Johanssen."

"Hi," Mia managed in a small voice.

"Well, your results are in," the doctor began, her tone upbeat. Mia held her breath. "You are definitely pregnant!"

Mia knew she shouldn't be surprised, as she had peed on two at-home tests already, the second blue lines unmistakable on each. Yet the world still seemed to come to a screeching halt.

Mia had accidentally stopped taking her birth control after Bill broke up with her. It was left at his house, in her forgotten bag of makeup and toiletries, so therefore out of sight, out of mind. And with her depression too great for her to even think about her basic care, it completely left her routine. Once the habit of taking it daily was broken, she forgot all about it… That is, until suddenly remembering about the pack in Bill's closet last week. How could she forget to take it? She never forgot things like that...

The bubbly yet direct doctor spoke in depth about what things would be happening, what things Mia should be doing, and how the next 30-odd weeks would go. She gave Mia pamphlets and booklets, options and advice, and then the next appointment was made.

Mia hadn't fully taken in all of the information explained to her. She still barely registered even walking through the door and now it was time for her to leave.

She slowly left the doctor's office, her mind spinning, feeling confused and nervous and strange.

But was she happy?

She wasn't… unhappy… but she didn't expect this to happen, at least not now.

She didn't know what she wanted to do. She didn't know how exactly to tell Bill. Somehow it didn't seem like the sort of thing you just blurted out, but Mia wasn't really one for beating around the bush. The one thing she did know what she wanted right now was an iced coffee, but she wondered if caffeine was bad for the baby so she thought against it. Instead she aimlessly drove home to sit with her thoughts, trying so hard to focus on a plan, but her mind kept drifting all over the place.

Calling Jackie or Leah might have helped, but she wanted Bill to be the first to know. It was his baby, after all…

Mia had left work early for her appointment, so she had to spend more time waiting for Bill to finish his full work day. It gave her a lot of time to decide how to tell him. It was probably best to just get it out, before she imploded from her nerves. Finally the clock rolled over to about when Bill usually would be getting home. Mia couldn't wait any more, so she hopped in her car to his house. She liked having a plan, even if it was only one box on her checklist...go to Bill's.

His car was thankfully already in the driveway. Mia pulled in beside it, and with a steadying breath trudged up to the door. Bill must have just gotten home a few minutes ago, as he will still in his fatigues, though the jacket was now unbuttoned.

"Mia! I didn't expect to see you over so soon," he grinned after he answered the door.

"Hope that's okay," she mumbled uncertainly, ducking past him.

"Of course… I always want you over…" His smile faded after watching how tensely she sat on the couch. "Are you okay?"

Mia shrugged, rapidly working out how to tell him, but her mind was failing her.

"Mia…" He dropped beside her and put an arm around her shoulders. For some reason he expected her to shrug him off, but she didn't. "What's wrong?"

"Um…" she drew in a breath, "I'm pregnant."

Bill started to say something but stopped short. He wasn't expecting that… nothing like that. He blinked a few times, trying to clear his mind, trying to absorb what she just said.

"Really?" was the best he could manage.

She nodded stiffly.

"How do you, um-"

"I saw a doctor today."

As the news began sinking in, Bill became ecstatic. He was grinning wildly, he felt like he was floating with elation, like the entire room was filled with a beautiful beam of sunlight. He had dreamed and yearned, for over half of his life, to be a father, to have a family, but never expected it to be realized. This might so far be the happiest day of his life…

But his joy stopped short upon seeing Mia's neutral face, who didn't seem to share his unbounded enthusiasm.

"What's wrong?" His brows creased together in concern while he held his comforting arm around her.

"I don't know. Nothing. It's just… a lot to take in. I didn't really expect...this."

"Do you, uh…" He wanted to ask if she wanted to keep it, but the question seemed too crass or insensitive somehow. He cleared his throat and tried again. "Well, I'm here for whatever you want to do."

"What do you mean?" she asked blankly, then immediately realized what he was implying. She shook her head. "I um, want to have it. I'm excited, really. It's just a big change, you know?"

"Yes, I know. But I'll always be here for you. For both of you," he nudged her in a comforting playfulness. She cracked a small smile.

"I've always wanted to have a baby…" she murmured. She was starting to warm up to the news now, feeling much better than she had all week.

"Me, too." His grin was creeping back. He was unable to keep his happiness inside for long.

"I'm due in September."

"That's a good month to have a birthday," he nodded. Mia smiled.

Bill's mind was racing with thoughts of the future. Of setting up the baby's room, building a toy chest, going for bike rides and camping, his mind reeling with an endless slideshow of possibilities.

Mia, on the other hand, was thinking of how she would balance work and childcare, what parenting classes she'd need, and how much she didn't know anything about babies at all.

But it was Bill's fiercely delighted energy emanating the room that calmed her worries and doubts.

"I would have come with you today," he told her soothingly.

"I know...I just wanted to be sure before I told you, I guess."

"You can always tell me anything. You don't have to do things alone."

"I know." Perhaps she had just gotten so used to doing things by herself over the years. But Bill was and always would be nothing but supportive and attentive, and always by her side. "My next appointment is in a few weeks, if you want to come with me."

Bill was thrilled. "Yes! I'd love to. I will always want to go with you."

Mia smiled. She was beginning to feel better and better now, no longer in a cage of stress. Her genuine excitement was beginning to creep in through the cracks of her breaking wall of anxiety.

Bill looked at her hopefully. "So are you-, I mean, do you want to move in? With me?"

"I do...If you want me to," Mia smiled.

"Of course I do!" he burst, and jumped to his feet. He pulled her up to stand and buried her in a hug. "Come on, let's go plan the baby's room!"

Bill spoke quickly, with an almost manic euphoria, as he showed Mia the spare room he would convert for the baby. He brought up paint colors for the walls, new carpeting for the floor, cribs, rocking chairs, toys, it all flowed out of him like a colorful stream. Mia had known that Bill would be happy to have a baby, but she did not expect a reception like this.

"Are you hungry? What do you want me to make? Do you want to order something? Should we go out?"

Mia laughed. "How about spaghetti or something?"

"Yes, great idea! I think I have everything for homemade meatballs!" He bounded away to the kitchen, busying himself with dinner.

Mia fed Pierre and watched him nip at the pellets. Bill was singing a traditional Cajun song as he chopped and sliced at the counter, his joyous mood infectious, filling the house with warmth and well-being. Mia felt incredibly at peace now, so very glad that this was going to be her life, and towards the end of summer she would be holding her baby, their baby, the baby they both always dreamed about.

Later, after a wonderful dinner, they sat together and continued talking about the baby.

"I can't wait to tell the guys!" Bill said excitedly, his eyes flicking out towards the empty alley where they would be convening soon.

"Um…" Mia hesitated, "I wonder if it might be too early to tell people still."

"What do you mean?"

"I think people usually wait to announce it until the second trimester."

"Oh."

The silence hung in the air between them.

"But maybe we can tell some people…" Mia slowly began to yield, "I don't know how I can keep this from Leah or Jackie."

"Mia, I'm going to be honest, I'm not good at keeping secrets."

She laughed.

"Alright...when you go tell them, I'm going to go tell Leah."

Twilight had not quite began ascending over the horizon, but the sky had already started painting its canvas bright, tranquil colors of red and orange. Dinner must have ended for the rest of Bill's friends, too, for they all began heading out their back doors to the alley; Dale with a cooler in tow.

Bill kissed Mia goodbye and hurried outside to join them. Surely his joy radiated throughout the alley, bouncing off of the cars and houses and even the trash cans. But as he, Hank, Dale, and Boomhauer all settled into their usual line along the fence, he first needed that initial sip of beer before he explained himself. They all pulled back the tabs on their cans and drank simultaneously, kicking off the start of a wonderful weekend.

Hank sighed contentedly. "Ye-"

"I'm going to be a dad!"

Bill's announcement reverberated throughout the alley. His three friends stared at him in disbelief, their jaws all dropped.

"You-"

"Wait-"

"What-"

Bill nodded rapidly, smiling widely, almost jumping up and down with excitement.

"Well, all right, Bill!" Hank cheered.

"Congrats, man," nodded Boomhauer.

"Holy shit…" Dale muttered in disbelief, yet looked pleased.

"I've never felt so happy in my life."

"It sure is something, being a father, I tell you what," Hank reminisced.

Dale lit up a cigarette. "I can't say I ever… ever, thought this day would come."

"You said the same thing about Boomhauer," Hank pointed out.

"I can be man enough to admit they both proved me wrong."

"So is Mia moving in, then?" Boomhauer asked.

Bill finished his sip of Alamo and sighed in satisfaction. "Yep."

"This street is really turning out great. Once Leah's house sells, though, I hope we get another decent neighbor. We've had quite a few giblet-heads there over the years."

They murmured their agreements with Hank.

"Anyway, Bill, I'm really happy for you. We all are."

"Thanks, Hank."

Dale butted in. "And to think barely even a year ago you were as fat and lonely as you ever were. Now you're less fat and you're going to have a family. If that's not proof of willful determination, I don't know what is."

"You're right. Those few times I came close to ending it...if I really did go through with it, I never would have had any of this." He thought of Mia, and that she would soon be moving in with him, building a life together with him, and he thought of the future baby, his child, who his mind hadn't quite materialized features for yet. He hoped to God it would look more like Mia.

"We're glad you're still here with us, Bill," Hank assured, "And hey, now you have someone to pass the Dauterive legacy onto; I remember that used to be important to you."

"The heir to the barbecue sauce throne!" Dale declared.

It surprised Bill that he hadn't considered that yet. Hank was right, he did wish he had someone to pass the Dauterive legacy to, someone to share things like the family recipes with to keep them going in the world. He could teach them to speak Cajun French and play football, and Mia could teach them Spanish and painting. This kid was going to be very well rounded, Bill had to say.

And best of all, the baby was going to be dearly loved and cherished, and would never know anything else.


Mia had slipped out the front door to go over to Leah and Boomhauer's. She didn't feel like discussing the news of her pregnancy with Bill's friends just yet. Before she left she had sent Leah a text saying she was coming over, so Leah was expecting her arrival when she knocked on the door.

"Come on in," Leah greeted, "I'm just getting settled in with tea and something to watch on TV."

Mia looked around the room while Leah finished up in the kitchen. Mia had never been inside Boomhauer's house until Leah moved into it, so she didn't know what it looked like before then. She was always under the impression that Boomhauer lived his life as a contemporary playboy-bachelor, and while she could still see some of that present in the house, there were a lot of Leah-inspired influences that brought it more down to Earth. There were lots of primitive art pieces, like a spindly wooden totem in the corner, and framed paintings created by Leah herself.

Leah poured an extra cup of peppermint tea for Mia in a mug shaped like a fox's head. The two of them sat together on the couch and put on a show they both liked.

"So, I have some news!" Mia began, smiling brightly.

"Ooh, what is it?"

"I'm pregnant!"

"That's wonderful!" Leah cheered. However, Mia could tell she wasn't surprised.

"You already knew, didn't you?"

"Well… Sort of."

"My aura?" Mia looked over at her plainly.

Shrugging sheepishly, Leah said "I noticed on your birthday."

Mia gasped. "If you knew then, why didn't you say anything?"

"That's the kind of thing you need to find out yourself. I can't imagine it would have gone over very well if I was like, 'Happy birthday! Oh by the way, you're pregnant!'"

"Yeah, I suppose you're right," Mia sighed, "It's so cool how you can do that."

Leah looked pleased.

"Anyway, congratulations, that's so exciting! I mean, are you excited?"

"Yes, very...at first I was more nervous and in shock. But once I told Bill, I started feeling a lot better about it."

"That's great, I'm so glad he is so supportive of you!"

"Me, too, and... I'm going to be moving in!"

"Yay! Oh, this is going to be so wonderful!"

They talked for the next hour about what life would be like living next to each other, and having kids the same age. Leah gave Mia tips and advice to keep in mind over the next several months of baby-growing.

Mia was eager to return to Bill's house later that evening. She felt so light now, so ecstatic. When she reflected on how she was feeling even just hours ago, when she still felt scared and nervous and stunned, it was like looking back on the experiences of a completely different person. It was thrilling, thinking about the future, a future with her and Bill and their baby. September seemed so far away..