A/N: Hold on tight. It's gonna be a bumpy ride. Thanks..Soccer-Bitch, Paly Messer Stokes and Katydid13 for the reviews. Much appreciated.

By the by...Go Wings! One down, three more to go to the Finals! Yes! Tigers won too. Busy day in Detroit.

Tess stirred slightly and snuggled closer to the warm body next to her. Her eyes snapped open and she sat bolt upright. Don tumbled out of the twin bed and onto the floor with a loud bump.

"What the hell?" he mumbled. "Tess, you okay?"

"You can't be in my bed."

Don groaned. "Yer kiddin' me, right?" Don stood up, stretched slightly and scratched his head. "I think it's a little late for that, Sweetheart."

"That's not what I mean," growled Tess. "You cannot be in this bed with me."

"Well, it is a pretty tight squeeze, but we were doin' fine until…" Tess could hear the grin in his voice.

"Don't be dense, Don."

He chuckled. "Yer dad's been back for hours. He very well knows where I am right now."

"Oh, God," groaned Tess.

Don sat down on the edge of the bed. He took Tess' hand and rubbed her knuckles. "Sweetheart, I think we're a little past foolin' yer dad about yer virtue." Don reached out and ran his fingers across her cheek. "I'll bet I'm the first guy that's been in this bed."

"Well…"

"'Scuse me?"

Tess bit her lip to keep from laughing out loud. "Truth?"

"Tess…," growled Don.

Tess burst into giggles. "I'm sorry, I couldn't help it." She laughed again. "You just sounded so proud of yourself. I had to punch a hole in your ego."

"Oh, yer sooo funny." Don stood up. "I'm just gonna go. I'll be more comfortable somewheres else."

Tess grabbed Don's arm. "Stop pouting. I'm sorry." Her stomach growled.

Don grinned at her. "That's not all ya are. Come on. We'll go downstairs and get a snack."

Tess glanced at the clock. "It's the middle of the night. We'll wake someone up."

"Anybody who'd wake up woulda when ya shoved me outta bed."

"I didn't shove you out of bed."

"Yeah. Ya did."

"Not on purpose." Tess' stomach growled again. Don snorted. "Maybe I could go for a snack."

"Mm-hmm." He held out his hand. Tess got out from under the cover, got out of bed and took it. She grabbed her glasses off the nightstand and started for the door. Don pulled her back into his arms and buried his face in Tess' hair. "So, am I the first guy ever in this bed?"

Tess groaned and tried to pull away. Don held her fast. Tess sighed and looked up at him. She rocked in his arms. "Is it that important to you?"

"Maybe." He kissed the end of her nose. "Maybe I'd like to be the first something in your life."

Tess pulled his head down so his ear was next her lips. "You're the first guy I've had a baby with." Don's head shot up. He took a half step away.

"Well, I'd hope so!" He could feel Tess shaking. "Yer laughing at me," he said indignantly.

Tess tried to stop. She struggled until she finally brought herself under control. "I'm sorry. I can't help it." She turned his head, holding his face between her hands. Tess could just see Don's eyes shining in the moonlight. "Would it make you happy if I told you no other man has been in that bed with me?"

"No boys either?"

Tess shook her head. "No boys either."

"Yes."

"Yes, what?"

"I'm happy."

Tess rolled her eyes and gave him a quick kiss. "I don't believe you."

"No, really. It makes me happy," Don deadpanned. Tess punched him in the shoulder. Don caught her hand. "I wish ya wouldn't do that. It hurts, Sweetheart." Don opened her palm and kissed it. "Ya know what else would make me happy?" He blew on the damp spot. Tess snatched her hand away. Don drew Tess closer. "I'd really like to be the first at something else in that bed with you too." Don carefully pushed Tess toward the bed. Tess tried to push him away.

"Don, stop it," she hissed. "My father is right down the hall. So are Adam and Christine." Don pressed his lips against her collarbone. Tess drew in a ragged breath. "Don…"

"Shhh. Ya'd better be quiet or they'll wake up," he whispered in her ear before he kissed his way down her neck. He ran a feather light touch along her ribs. Tess' stomach growled louder than ever. Don sighed in frustration.

"I'm sorry," she whispered honestly. Don just grunted and stood up. Tess caught his hand and tried to tug him back. "Don't get mad."

"I'm not, Tess. But we'd better git ya fed. It's kinda a mood killer." Tess stood up. Don pulled her close again. "But once yer fed…" He gave Tess a hard, deep kiss.

"Mm. You think so, do you?"

Don buried his face in her hair. "God, yes, Sweetheart."

Tess pulled his lips to hers. She pushed Don towards the bed. "I'm not really that hungry."

"Yer stomach says otherwise."

"Ignore it." Tess crawled up on the bed on her knees. She tugged on Don's t-shirt, so he stood in front of her. Tess ran her hands up under the shirt, then just under the edge of his sleep pants. Don drew a ragged breath and stilled her hands.

"Yer dad's down the hall. And yer brother. My eye's still smartin'."

Tess slid her hands lower. Don gasped. Tess grinned. "Then you'd better be quiet."

8888888888888888888888888888888888888888888

A hard knock sounded on Tess' door. "Teresa? Wake up." Tess sat straight up at the sound of her father's voice. Don hit the floor again. Tess' eyes widened. She clutched the sheet around her body as she grabbed Don's boxers and threw them at him.

"I'm awake, Daddy."

"Good. Your grandmother Sophie is coming by to make breakfast."

"Nagymama is coming here?" squeaked Tess.

"Soon."

"Um. Okay. Thanks, Daddy." Tess held still until she heard her father move down the hall to knock on Adam's door. Tess slid out of bed, still clutching the sheet. Don glared at her from the floor. "What?"

Don rubbed his elbow. "Ya gotta stop doin' that." He looked Tess up and down. "And exactly why are ya doin' that? It's not like I haven't seen ya naked." Tess rolled her eyes at him. Don tugged at the corner of the sheet. "Ya can drop the sheet."

Tess shook her head. "Not when you have that look in your eyes." Don just sat grinning at her. "Don, stop it. We've got to get dressed." Tess walked over to her suitcase and started to pull things out.

"Spoil sport."

Tess glanced over her shoulder at Don. "I would have thought you'd gotten enough…" Tess jumped as Don kissed her bare shoulder.

"Never, Sweetheart." Don wrapped his arms around her. He rocked her back and forth. Don slowly lowered the sheet and caught Tess' eyes in the mirror. What she saw took her breath away. "Never enough, Tess." He briefly caressed her bare skin, then pulled the sheet back up. He kissed her shoulder and caught her eyes in the mirror again. "Better git dressed. Yer gran's gonna be here soon." Don turned away, leaving Tess blinking.

8888888888888888888888888888888888

Tess walked slowly into her mother's room. Veronika smiled slowly at her youngest daughter. Tess smiled back.

"Morning, Mama."

"Hello, Teresa. Feeling better? You looked very tired yesterday."

Tess frowned. "How would you know?"

"Just because I'm in the hospital doesn't make me not your mother. Besides, your father said you had gone home to get some sleep. I'm guessing you slept well."

Tess looked away. "Um. I did."

"So?"

Tess tilted her head to the side. "So?"

"Tess. Are you going to introduce me to you boyfriend or not?"

"How?"

Veronika waved her hand. "Your father said he was here. And Stephanie." Tess looked worried. "I had to remind your father that we had talked about your Don before." Veronika shook her head. "He's gotten more forgetful recently."

"He's been under a little stress the past couple of days, Mama."

"It's more than just the past couple of days, Tess." Veronika shrugged. "Anyhow. I'm sure it's nothing. He's always been a little forgetful." Veronika glanced at the door. "Why do you leave him out in the hall? Bring him in here." Tess nodded. She went outside and led Don back into the room. They stood awkwardly there holding hands. Veronika looked Don up and down. She paused on his black eye. "Well, that answers the question about Adam's hand." Veronika pinned Don with an intense gaze. "So, why would Adam hit you?" Don and Tess looked at each other. Tess reached up and tugged on her braid.

"Um. Well, Mama..." Tess looked at her mother. Veronika stared back expectantly. Tess took a deep breath. "You see…" Tess looked over at Don, then back at her mother. "I'm pregnant."

Veronika looked at Don. "I see why Adam hit you." She looked at Tess. "How long?"

"The baby's due in August."

"How long have you two known each other?" Veronika looked at Tess. "You and Alex just broke up in June." The door opened. Everyone turned and looked at Tess' father. "Joe. Tess just told me she was pregnant."

"You could have waited for me to arrive."

"I'm sorry, Daddy," mumbled Tess.

"We're going to be grandparents." Veronika looked back over at Tess and Don. Don wrapped his arm around Tess' shoulder and pulled her close to him.

"We're getting married. We haven't set a date or anything, but…"

"You're having a baby and you're getting married." Veronika reached out to her husband. "Joe could you pour me some water?" Joe poured her a cup and passed it to her. Veronika sipped it. "Grandparents." She looked up at the trio. "Sit down all of you. Stop hovering. And start from the beginning, you two."

888888888888888

Tess was walking toward the cafeteria with Don, her arm looped through his. Tess smiled up at Don.

"Well, that didn't go too badly."

"I'm just glad it's over. Good thing yer uncle called."

"I don't Uncle Stash's intent was to rescue us."

"Probably not. " Don looked down at Tess. "You never mentioned yer uncle was a priest."

Tess shrugged. "He is. When was I supposed to mention it?"

"I'm just saying…" They arrived at the cafeteria. Tess looked at the menu and wrinkled her nose. "Let's go out. I'll treat you to lunch at a Toledo institution."

"Institutional food. Yum."

"Not that kind of institution. I'm talking Tony Packo's."

"Who's Tony Packo?"

"Come on. Only the best hot dog joint in the world. And stuffed cabbage. Dumplings Paprikas." Don was giving her a funny look. Tess frowned. "Don, it's world famous. Jamie Farr, Corporal Klinger's from Toledo. He mentioned on M*A*S*H several times. Tons of celebrities have eaten there. Presidents, all sorts of people. You had to have heard of it." Tess closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "Fried pickles."

"Fried pickles? Sounds like a pregnant woman's dream. Ok. I'm in."

Tess grinned at him. "Great. Come on." She led him away from the hospital cafeteria and towards the parking garage. They were just about to leave when Stephanie and Adam came bursting through the door.

"Where are you going?" demanded Stephanie.

Tess looked at her confused. "We were going out for lunch." Adam brushed past without a word. Tess turned to stare after him.

"Your phone isn't on," accused Stephanie.

"No. We were just upstairs. I was going to turn it on when we got to the car. What?" Tess' eyes widened. She shook her head hard. "No. Nothing could have happened. We were just up there. Mama was fine." Tess started to race after Adam. "Steph?"

"I dunno. Daddy called. She crashed."

"Nooo. We were just there. She was fine. We told her about… She was laughing." Stephanie didn't answer. They caught up with Adam at the elevators. John and Christine jumped on just before the doors closed. Everyone rode up in silence. Tess looked over at Don, her face stricken. He pulled her against him and rubbed her back. The doors finally opened and the group practically ran down the hall. A nurse caught them and directed them to a private conference room. Their father was sitting there all alone staring forward into space. He didn't look up as they came in. Tess clutched Don's hand. Adam stepped forward.

"Dad?"

He turned and looked at them blankly. "We were talking. We were just talking and she fell back." Tess crouched down next to him and took his hands. He looked at Tess, eyes damp and reddening. "Teresa, she was happy. So happy about the baby. Then she just fell back."

"Daddy, we just left," protested Tess shaking her head hard.

"It was so quick. We were talking. She was smiling." Stephanie burst into sobs. Tess shook her head harder.

"Noooo, Daddy. Noooo," wailed Tess, laying her head on her dad's knee. Joe absently stroked her hair. There was a knock on the door and a doctor came in.

"I'm sorry. Mr. Nagy?" The doctor stepped further into the room. "I'm Dr. Graham. I need to go over some things with you."

"These are my children. You can talk in front of them." He kept stroking Tess' hair. Soothing himself as much as her.

The doctor nodded. "From what we can tell right now, Mrs. Nagy…"

"Veronika. Please, you do not need to dance around. What happened to my wife?"

"Um. Yes. Well, sir, the short answer is that a blood clot formed…"

"I thought you had my mother on blood thinners to keep that from happening." Adam broke in.

"We did, but sometimes… Well, a clot did form and it broke free."

"And killed my mother," sobbed Stephanie.

"Um. Yes, ma'am. We would like to perform an autopsy…"

Joe shook his head. "No. You just said that a blood clot killed my wife."

"Well, sir, we could get a definitive answer…"

"No. I am sorry. I am satisfied with your answer. You don't need to cut open my…my…Veronika just to satisfy your curiosity. I am sorry. I will not give permission."

The doctor nodded. "That is your right, sir." He stood still for a couple of moments just in case Joe changed his mind. "Okay then. Someone will be in soon to talk to you." The doctor left. Joe stroked Tess hair a few more times, then patted her hand.

"Teresa, Stephanie I need you to go home…"

"But Daddy…" Both girls protested.

"Please. I need you to make phone calls. You need to see Stash…Sophia…" Stephanie nodded. She reached down to help Tess up. Tess clung to her father's hand.

"We'll make the calls, Daddy." Stephanie reached down and squeezed her father's free hand.

"The funeral home…"

"We'll start working on things. Tessie, come on." Tess looked helplessly between Stephanie and her father. Joe squeezed her hand.

"Adam and Christine will be here with me, mezem." Joe held her hand out. "Don, take care of Tess please." Tess didn't budge. "Teresa. I need you to go home and get together clothes for your mother. The aqua dress…" Tess' gaze flipped to Adam briefly and back to her father.

"The dress she wore to…" Tess' throat closed up. Her mother wouldn't be at her wedding. Wouldn't see her baby. Stephanie dropped her father's hand, reached over and firmly gripped Tess'. A stricken look passed between them. She wouldn't be at Stephanie's wedding either. Tess cleared her throat. "And her diamond earrings." Joe nodded, not trusting his voice.

"We'll find it all, Daddy," assured Stephanie. Joe just nodded again.

Stephanie clutched Tess' hand as they slowly turned and walked out of the room. John and Don trailed silently along behind as the sisters walked stiffly through the hospital. The women didn't notice the wide berth and looks of sympathy and pity that they earned as they marched along. When they got to the car, Tess and Stephanie slid into the back seat together, leaving Don and John to sort out who was driving. Don glanced in the rear view mirror at Tess who was leaning against Stephanie.

"Tess? Sweetheart, you're gonna have at give me directions." Tess nodded slightly. She sat up.

"We should go by St. Stephen's first. We need Uncle Stash before we go to see Nagymama Sophie. We…we should call. Make sure they aren't coming down here." She looked over at Stephanie. Stephanie was already pulling out her cell phone and dialing. Tess caught Don's eyes. "Head out and I'll get you there." Don nodded and started the car.

888888888888888888888888888888888888888888