Chapter Twenty-Eight

Early March 2021

Ten-and-a-half Months Old

Logan arrives home from the base Friday evening filled with apprehension. He needs to talk to Veronica, but he's not sure she's going to be up to any big discussions yet. After he and Abi got sick with that nasty stomach bug last week, it looked like Veronica, with her seemingly strong immune system, was going to be lucky and avoid it… until Wednesday morning, when he woke, feeling fully recovered and ready to go back to work, only to find she was now the one hugging the toilet bowl. She's been home sick since then, with Heather still coming by to look after Abi, so Veronica can rest and recover.

Opening the front door, he shrugs off his jacket and kicks off his shoes, then heads for the living room where he finds Heather playing on the floor with Abigail. Logan smiles as he watches Abi pull herself up and hold onto the coffee table as she takes a couple of unsteady steps sideways, before her knees give out and she drops back down to the floor.

"Good job, Abs," he says encouragingly, moving further into the room.

"Hey, Logan," greets Heather, as Abi turns her head in his direction and rewards him with a big smile.

Sinking down to his knees as Abi crawls towards him, he scoops her up into his arms. He blows a raspberry against her neck and she starts giggling uncontrollably, which makes him laugh out loud. Who knew hiccupping baby giggles could bring such joy into one's life?

"How's Veronica doing?" he asks a moment later, a smile still playing on his lips.

"She's feeling a little better, I think," says Heather. "She was up for few hours earlier, but she's taking a nap right now."

"Good. She needs the rest." Logan nods. "And thanks for being here this week. I know Veronica likes to think she's invincible, but she's been in no state to take care of this little one by herself."

"Of course." Heather smiles. "It's what you pay me for, right?"

"Right." Logan flashes her a grin.

"Well, if you're all good here, I'll make a move," she says, standing up.

"Sure." Logan stands, still holding Abi, and sees her to the door. "Enjoy your weekend."

"And you." She leans forward to kiss the top of Abi's head. "See you guys Monday."

Logan closes the door behind her, and shifts Abi in his arms as he makes his way down the hall to the master bedroom. Gingerly opening the door, he finds the room dim, Veronica snuggled under the bedcovers. He's about to close the door again and let her sleep, but she shifts in the bed, giving a soft groan.

"Logan?" her voice is groggy and sleep-filled.

"Hey," he says softly, entering the room and closing the door behind him. "Sorry, didn't mean to wake you."

"You didn't," she says, slowly pulling herself up into a sitting position and hugging the duvet to her chest. "I was just dozing."

Logan crosses the room and perches on the edge of the bed, leaning over to turn on the bedside lamp.

"How're you feeling?" Holding Abi with one arm, he rests the back of his hand against her forehead. "You don't seem to have much of a fever anymore."

"No, I think I'm getting better," she agrees. "The frequency of bathroom visits has lessened greatly. But I'm exhausted; I barely even have the energy to stand up."

Logan frowns in concern. "Are you up to eating anything?"

"Ugh." Veronica makes a face, shaking her head. "No, I don't think so."

"Are you sure? Maybe you should try some dry toast or something?"

"No, I'm good." She reaches for the Gatorade bottle on the nightstand and holds it up. "I have fluids."

"Okay." Logan nods. "Well, I'd better go fix something for Abi and I. You gonna be okay in here? You need anything?"

"I'm fine," she tells him. "You go ahead."

A couple hours later, when they've eaten and Logan's given Abi a bath, read her a story and put her to bed, he slips back into the bedroom. Veronica's lying on her side in the bed again, though she's reading a book now. Logan takes a shower, then pulls on a t-shirt and sweatpants and slides into bed next to her. Propping himself up against the pillows, he reaches for his laptop and opens it up.

The room is silent for a few minutes, the only sounds the turning of Veronica's book pages and the tapping of his fingers on the keyboard. Eventually, Veronica lets out a sigh and closes her book, placing it back on the nightstand and turning over to face Logan.

"What are you doing on there?" she asks, sliding her hand under her cheek on the pillow.

"Just some research," he says absently, eyes scanning the webpage on the screen.

"What kind of research?"

He glances over at her, noting her pale skin and the dark circles under her eyes with concern. "It can wait until you're feeling better."

"No." She shakes her head, shifting again and slowly pulling herself up to sitting. "Tell me. I want to know now."

"Veronica, I'm serious," he turns to her. "It can wait. You need to rest."

She opens her mouth to protest, but then seems to think better of it.

With a sigh, she concedes, "Okay. But you'd better not wait too long to tell me. You know me; I have the need to be in the know at all times."

Logan smirks. "Don't I know it."

She narrows her eyes and tries to shoot him a glare, but the effect is ruined when she yawns widely.

Logan smiles affectionately. "You really should get some more sleep."

"Yeah, I really should," she agrees, shuffling back down under the covers again.

"Can I do anything?" he offers.

"Snuggle with me?"

"Of course." He nods, closing the laptop and placing it on the nightstand before shifting in the bed and making himself comfortable beside her. He holds out his arms. "Come here."

"So?"

It's the next afternoon, Abi's gone down for her nap, and Veronica is curled up on her side on the couch, her feet in Logan's lap as he massages them.

"So… what?" he asks, his hands stilling on her feet.

She's tempted to protest the fact that he's stopped the soothing massage, but she's more interested in getting information out of him.

"So, what were you researching last night?"

Logan lets out a soft sigh. "I thought we agreed we would wait until you were feeling better to discuss it?"

"I am feeling better," she argues.

Logan frowns. "Veronica, you still aren't keeping any food down, and you've already run to the bathroom twice this afternoon."

"I'm feeling better than I was two days ago," she insists, carefully pulling herself up into a sitting position. "Please? The suspense is killing me."

Logan eyes her critically for a moment, before nodding slowly. "All right. We'll talk now."

"Thank you." She smiles tiredly, before adding an expectant, "So?"

"So," he starts, "we have some decisions to make."

"What decisions?" she asks, feeling a twinge of dread in her belly. Well, that sounds vaguely ominous.

"Decisions about what's going to happen when my shore rotation is up in October," he tells her. "Which happens to coincide with the end of my eight years of mandatory service."

"Oh." Veronica blinks, straightening in surprise. "Right. Of course."

She's gotten so used to him always being around that she'd conveniently forgotten he only has a few months left of shore rotation.

"I need to decide what I'm going to do," he says. "Whether I'm going re-enlist or not. We need to decide. Together."

"Okay." She gives a slow nod. "So, what do you want to do?"

Logan rests his head back against the top of the couch, eyes flicking to the ceiling as he gives a sigh.

"I don't know," he murmurs, sounding a little lost. "I love my job, Veronica. It gives me focus and meaning, and I'm good at it. I'm doing good in the world, you know? I don't want to give it up. But I also love you and Abi, so much. I can't give you guys up either."

"Well, Abi and I aren't an and/or situation, Logan," she cuts in. "We'll always be here, you know that."

"You know what I mean," he says. "After this shore rotation is up, I'll be back on sea duty, which means more deployments. It means spending months at a time away from you both."

"Right." She nods slowly, as that sinks in. "Of course it does."

"What do you think I should do?" He turns his head towards her, his expression imploring.

"I think—" She stops, her mouth snapping closed as she thinks better of it.

Logan frowns, looking concerned. "You think what?"

"I was going to say the first thing that came to mind," she admits. "Which was that you can't leave us again. I need you here, Abi needs you here."

"I know. I know you do." He nods, giving a despondent sigh. "I need you both, too."

"But, Logan, I also know it's not that simple," she says softly. "I know how much the Navy means to you. It gives you purpose; hell, it practically saved your life."

"It did save my life," he corrects.

"Exactly. And I can't take that away from you either." She sighs. "Look, I just want you to be happy, Logan, and I couldn't live with myself if I was the reason you weren't, because I insisted you stay here with us. I can't take your dreams away from you."

Logan nods, before reaching over to take her hand.

"Thing is, I want you to be happy, too," he says sincerely. "This isn't just about me anymore; this is about us. All three of us."

Veronica studies him thoughtfully for a long moment, before giving a resolved nod.

"Okay, what are our options? If you re-enlist, how long would it be for? Would you have to deploy again right away?" she asks. "And if you leave the Navy, what would you do?"

"That's what I was researching last night," he says. "I'm still trying to figure it all out."

"So, what are we looking at?" she asks, trying not to push, but also impatient to know how much her life is going to change in a few months' time.

"Well," Logan says, starting to count off on his fingers. "Option one: I re-enlist. The Navy is in need of fighter pilots right now, so they're offering incentives to those who re-enlist, and essentially, I can choose how long for, though the minimum is three years."

Veronica nods. That's better than she feared. "Three years isn't so bad."

"No, it's not," Logan agrees. "But, Veronica, I told you once that when I joined up, I intended to stay in for the long haul."

Veronica stills, watching him warily. "And now?"

"Now, I have a family to consider," he says simply. "I didn't back then. It changes things."

Veronica swallows as he shoots her an emotion-filled look. "It does."

"But I'd be up for promotion next year," he continues, almost to himself. "Lieutenant Commander. Nine years of hard work in the making."

His tone is verging on sad, and Veronica's heart sinks at the implication in his words. He really doesn't want to leave.

"Logan…" she starts, leaning forward to place a hand on his arm.

He shakes his head, then clears his throat, changing the subject, "Option two: I leave the Navy. Become a civilian; get a regular job."

"What would you do?" Veronica asks curiously, dropping her hand.

Logan shrugs helplessly. "I don't know. It's not like I had any career goals before I enlisted. And, honestly, I can't imagine doing something where I can't fly."

Veronica frowns. "There must be normal jobs where you can fly, though, right? Like commercial airlines?"

He nods. "There are, but those pilots travel constantly too. If I went that route, I'd hardly ever be home."

Veronica exhales slowly, studying Logan's profile as he lowers his head and looks down at his hands. It's obvious what he really wants to do.

"Look, Logan…" she says softly. "If re-enlisting is what will make you happy, then do it."

"What?" The look he shoots her is a combination of confusion and surprise. "But what about—?"

"We'll work it out, okay?" she assures him, though really, she has no idea how yet. "We'll find a way."

"Really?"

The look of both joy and relief on his face is all the indication she needs to know it's the right decision.

"Really." She nods, sounding more confident than she feels. "I mean, all the other Navy officers with families do it, right? And they manage to survive."

Logan studies her intently for a moment, his expression awed. "Veronica, I—"

"Look, I'm not saying it won't be hard, or that it's not going to suck when you're away, but the Navy is so important to you, Logan," she explains. "it's a massive part of your life, and I can't be the one to take that away from you." She gives a shrug. "Besides, it's not like it'll be forever."

"God, I—" He stops, swallowing harshly, before finally continuing. "I love you, you know that?"

She manages a soft smile. "I do."

He leans forward, reaching out to cup her jaw in his hand, before leaning in and kissing her gently.

"Thank you," he murmurs sincerely, resting his forehead against hers.

Veronica just smiles in response, though internally, her stomach is twisting up in knots at the thought of having to live without him for months at a time, raising Abi alone, when she's had him all to herself for almost three years.

He moves to kiss her again, but then her stomach twists for a completely different reason and she pulls away and jumps up off the couch, muttering a quick 'sorry' as her hand covers her mouth and she runs for the bathroom.

Mid-March 2021

Almost Eleven Months Old

Six days later, on Friday morning, Veronica wakes up alone in their bed. She can hear Logan puttering around in the bathroom, while the sound of Abi chattering to herself in her room filters through the baby monitor.

She smiles at the domesticity of it all, before stretching and then sitting up in bed. Swinging her legs over the side, she starts to get up, intent on joining Logan in the bathroom, but she sinks back down onto the edge of the bed again, sudden waves of dizziness and nausea rolling over her.

"Ugh." She gives a sigh. "Being sick sucks."

"Everything okay?" Logan pops his head around the doorframe, toothbrush in hand. His expression turns to one of concern when he sees her. "You all right?"

Veronica shakes her head.

"I'm dizzy and nauseous, and I still have no energy," she admits. "I can't seem to shake this bug."

"It's been, what 10 days now?" He frowns. "That's a lot longer than Abi and I had it. Maybe you should go see the doctor?"

"Oh, no," she says quickly, "that's okay. It's probably nothing."

Logan just fixes her with a pointed look. "Veronica, you don't have to pretend you're fine and try to soldier through it, okay? Just go to the doctor."

She looks at him for a long moment, her lower lip jutting out in a pout, as if that will persuade him she's fine, but he just raises an eyebrow expectantly.

"Okay," she concedes. "I'll make an appointment today."

"Good." He smiles, giving a nod of satisfaction before disappearing back into the bathroom.

Six hours later, Veronica sits in the waiting room of the doctor's office, Abi squirming in her lap as Heather sits beside her with the stroller. She tried to assure Heather earlier that she would be fine to drive herself to the appointment, but when she promptly lost her balance trying to get up off the sofa, Heather insisted on taking her car. So, here she is, her baby and her nanny in tow—oh God, has she become one of those mothers?—waiting to be called in by the doctor.

Abi starts to fuss, trying to wriggle out of her arms and slide down onto the floor, so Heather turns to Veronica, holding her arms out in invitation.

"Why don't I take her for a walk around the block?" she suggests. "Leave you in peace for your appointment?"

Veronica nods, handing Abi over to her. "Thanks, Heather."

"It's no problem." Heather smiles, crouching down to fasten Abigail into the stroller. "If you're done before we get back, just give me a call."

Veronica's eyes follow Heather as she steers the stroller out of the building, before she turns back to gazing around the waiting room. She picks up a magazine and starts flicking through it.

"Veronica Echolls?" the receptionist calls her name. "The doctor will see you in examination room three."

"Thank you."

She nods, putting down the magazine and slowly standing up, exhaling through the nausea curling in her belly. She makes her way down the corridor to the examination room and opens the door.

"Ah, Veronica," Doctor Williams gives her a smile as she gestures towards the chair on the other side of her desk. "Good morning."

"Hi, Doctor Williams," she says, taking a seat. "Thanks for seeing me today."

"Of course." The doctor smiles. "What can I do for you?"

"We've had this stomach bug going around our house the last couple weeks," Veronica says. "My husband and daughter came down with it first, and they recovered quickly, but I caught it about ten days ago, and I just can't seem to shake it."

"Okay," says Doctor Williams. "What kind of symptoms are you experiencing?"

"Well, the diarrhoea has passed, but I'm still feeling sick to my stomach," Veronica tells her. "I've also been getting dizzy spells, and I feel exhausted. I've barely had enough energy to get out of bed this week."

"All right." The doctor nods. "Well, those symptoms are fairly common for a stomach virus, though usually they disappear after a few days. Have you been experiencing a lot of stress lately?"

"Some," Veronica admits. "I've been working full-time, and I have an eleven-month old at home."

"Well, it may be that you were overdoing things before you got sick and now your body is just taking a bit longer to recover than it would normally," says Doctor Williams.

"That makes sense."

"But we will do a couple of tests to just make sure there's nothing else going on."

"Thank you."

Twenty minutes later, Veronica is sitting back in Examination Room Three, having had a blood test and given a urine sample.

The door opens and the doctor steps into the room, carrying a clipboard.

"Okay, Veronica," she says, taking a seat, "it'll take a couple of days for results of the blood test to come back, but I did find something in your urine sample."

Veronica sits up anxiously. "There's something wrong with me?"

Doctor Williams shakes her head and gives her a warm smile. "Not at all. In fact, it seems congratulations are in order. You're pregnant."

"I'm what?!" Her voice comes out strangled as she feels the blood drain from her face.

Her eyes widen and her mouth drops open in shock, as her heart starts pounding frantically in her chest.

No, that can't be right. It's impossible… right?

She starts shaking her head. "No, no… I can't be. It's not—"

The smile slips from the doctor's face. "I'm sorry. I take it this wasn't planned."

"No, it's not that…" Veronica continues to shake her head, unable to comprehend what she's hearing. "It's… I just… I can't be."

Doctor Williams looks puzzled. "Okay, well, when was your last period?"

"Um…" She frowns in concentration as she tries to remember. "Well, it was supposed to be… maybe two weeks ago, but Abi was sick, and I just—" She stops, eyes widening again in realisation. "It was the last week of January. Oh, God."

"Well, in that case, I'd say you're probably about six weeks along."

Veronica stares at her in incomprehension.

"But you don't understand. I can't have any more children," she insists in a panic. "I had PID. My tubes were blocked. I had to have a laparoscopy." The words come out in stilted sentences as Veronica struggles to think straight. "They said there was an eighty percent chance the blockage would reform within six months."

The doctor nods again, in understanding now, and gives her a sympathetic smile. "But that also mean there was twenty percent chance it wouldn't."

"Right, yes," she murmurs faintly. "But, I just… I don't understand how this could have happened. I mean… we haven't even discussed having more children; we didn't think it was possible. And we've always used protection—" She stops, straightening as something occurs to her. "Except…oh God, except that one time."

Of course. Valentine's Day. That afternoon on the yacht, when she fed Logan strawberries and chocolate sauce, and they made love out in the open… without a condom.

Her breath catches in her throat, as she feels panic rising in her chest.

"Veronica, are you all right?" the doctor's soothing voice cuts in. "Just, stay calm, okay?"

She manages a nod, though she's struggling to make sense of everything right now.

"What am I gonna tell Logan?" she mutters to herself. "What are we gonna do?"

"I understand this is a bit of a shock, but I'm sure you'll work everything out," says Doctor Williams in sympathy. "And if you'd like any outside help or advice, I can give you some leaflets and information to take home with you."

"Right. Thank you."

"I can also prescribe something safe for the nausea and dizziness, since the stomach bug may still be in your system."

"Thank you, doctor."

Veronica leaves the examination room in a daze. She doesn't even know what to think. She and Logan haven't even considered the possibility of having another baby, let alone made any plans for one. And now she's pregnant, and she doesn't have a clue how she's supposed to feel about it.

Spotting Heather sitting in the waiting room again, entertaining Abi with a fabric book, Veronica quickly stuffs the pamphlets the doctor gave her in her bag and pastes a smile on her face, trying not to show anything's wrong as she makes her way over to them.

"All done?" Heather asks when she sees Veronica approaching.

"Uh huh." She nods faintly. "The doctor gave me something for the nausea and dizziness."

"That's good." Heather stands, placing Abi back in the stroller again. "Shall we get home then?"

This time, Veronica is happy to let Heather drive them home. In fact, she spends the entire journey staring out of the window, feeling lightheaded and out of sorts. She doesn't even register Abi chattering away in the backseat.

When they get back to the beach house, she tells Heather she can handle everything for the rest of the day, and sends her home early. In truth, she just doesn't think she'll be able to spend the next couple of hours with the girl without giving away that something's on her mind.

The house is quiet when Logan arrives home from work, the only light in the main part of the house coming from the corner lamp in the living room.

"Veronica?" he calls, hanging up his jacket and heading down the hall to their bedroom. "You here?"

Pushing open the bedroom door, he finds Veronica sitting in bed, propped up against the headboard, with Abi nestled on her lap. She's turning the pages of a wooden book, reading aloud to their daughter. The picture they make causes his chest to tighten with affection. These are his girls. His family.

"Hey," he announces his presence, stepping fully into the room.

"Logan, you're home." Veronica looks up, giving him a smile, though it doesn't seem to reach her eyes.

She looks tense, and a little pale, and he frowns in concern. "Everything go okay at the doctor's?"

"Sure," she says quickly, avoiding his eyes and turning back to the book. "It was fine."

"Veronica…"

"We'll talk about it later, okay?" she adds, still not looking at him. "When Abi's asleep."

"Okay." He's not convinced everything is fine, but he'll play along for now. "Well, I'm starving. What's for dinner?"

Veronica winces. "Sorry. Dinner slipped my mind. Why don't you order take-out?"

Logan nods. "You want anything?"

"Nah. I'm not hungry."

She's still avoiding his eyes and he's not entirely sure what's going on right now, but he nods anyway, and says, "All right, then."

With one last concerned glance in her direction, he heads down the hall to the kitchen for take-out menus. She said they'll talk later, so he's just going to have to be patient and wait her out.

An hour later, after the take-out has arrived and Logan's eaten his fill, Veronica appears in the living room.

"Abi's down," she announces, taking a seat beside him on the couch.

"That's good," he says. "There's some leftover Alfredo if you want."

She glances the half-eaten carton of pasta on the coffee table, longing flashing in her eyes for a moment, before she seems to think better of it and makes a face, straightening up.

Logan frowns. "Since when do you turn down Italian take-out?"

"Since I've been sick and lost my appetite," she responds, a slight bite to her tone.

"Yeah, about that…" Logan shifts so he's facing her properly. "What happened at the doctor's today? You seem out of sorts."

She looks down at her hands for a moment, before sighing and reluctantly looking up at him.

"I don't really know how to say this…" she starts, but he cuts her off.

"Shit, it's serious, isn't it?" he says in alarm. "What's wrong?"

Veronica shakes her head, her eyes snapping to his in surprise. "Oh, no, it's nothing like that."

"Well, what is it then?" he asks impatiently. "Don't keep me in suspense."

She sucks in a deep breath, as if steeling herself and for a moment, he's not sure he's gonna want to hear what she has to say.

"Okay. So, the doctor ran some tests today, and she said that…" she trails off, looking down again, seemingly unsure how to continue.

Logan leans forward, sliding his hands in hers. "She said what?"

She finally looks back up at him, and he's surprised to see that her eyes are watery. "Logan, I'm pregnant."

He freezes, staring at her in shock. She can't have just said what he thought she did, right?

"You're what?!" is the first thing out of his mouth. "But, I don't… I mean, how?"

She gives a helpless shrug. "I'm right there with you, buddy."

"I don't understand," he continues faintly, his head spinning with the news. "How can—?"

"I don't know," she admits, before backpedalling, "I mean, I do know… best I can make out, it happened Valentine's Day, on the boat."

She shoots him a look, one eyebrow raised, and as he thinks back over the events of the day, he realises what she's talking about.

"Shit…"

"But, I don't know why," she says. "I mean, after everything, it shouldn't be possible… the chances were, like, miniscule."

"This is…" Logan murmurs, trying to get his head around it. "I mean, wow. It's incredible."

"Is it?" she responds, looking unsure. "I mean, we haven't even talked about having another kid. I just assumed this was a 'one and done' kind of thing for us, you know?"

"Yeah." Logan nods. "Me, too."

"I mean… another baby…" She shakes her head, looking a little overwhelmed.

Logan studies her thoughtfully for a moment, saying seriously, "Veronica, I know this is all a shock, but is it something you want?"

"Honestly, I feel like I'm in a daze right now," she admits. "I never even considered the possibility, and now it's happening, just like that."

"I know."

"But, after everything we went through to conceive Abi," she continues. "After thinking she was our only chance, this kind of feels like a gift."

"It kind of does, doesn't it?" Logan nods, excitement starting to curl in his belly now as he grasps her hands in his. "So, you want to do this?"

"I think so," she confirms, before straightening up, her eyes widening in alarm. "But, Logan, the baby's gonna be due in November… what about your re-enlistment? What if you're deployed by then?"

"Well, this changes things, of course," he says, with a nod. "I'm not missing the birth of my child, and I'm not leaving you alone to raise a newborn and a toddler by yourself either."

"So, what are you going to do?"

"I don't know, yet," he admits. "But I'll figure something out."

Veronica gives him a watery smile, leaning forward a little. Her voice is soft, and filled with wonder, as she murmurs, "Logan, we're having another baby."

A wide smile spreads across his face and he closes the gap between them, kissing her tenderly.

"We are."

Author's Note:

Okay, so I know in one of my Promptober stories, I showed Abi as a teenager, with no mention of her having any siblings... but I did put a disclaimer on that one-shot that it may not end up being strictly canon within the Slides universe - because at the time, I hadn't decided on all the details of this story yet (and also I didn't want to give away any potential spoilers :P).