4

Miranda pushed the wet hair out of her eyes as she looked at the small box in her hand. The instructions on the back of the packet were easy enough to understand. It was the enormity of what she was doing that was difficult. Miranda Preston was not the sort of woman who had ever imagined her self as a mother. She remembered the day in the shop when she had lied to Gary about having two children - Orlando and Bloom. She shook her head. That showed how she was too immature to be a mother. It just didn't seem to fit with her.

"Miranda?" She bit her lip as she heard Stevie call through the bathroom door. "Are you ok in there?"

"I'm fine." She called back. "Wont be long." She frowned. "Where's Gary? Can you ask Gary to come in? Please, Stevie." She opened the door. "Actually, why are you here?"

"I saw you both run in from the shop. I was worried. Penny has been looking for you. Tilly has been texting everyone."

"Oh. I didn't mean to worry everyone. Is Mum ok?"

"She's fine. I called her. Told her you were fine, just that you were forgetful and forgot your phone and Gary is a worrier." She shrugged. "I think she believed me."

Miranda nodded. "Gary?"

"Over there." Stevie nodded to the sofa. "He's not said anything since you ran in there." Miranda grabbed Stevie's hand, looked at her watch before gasping and running back into the bathroom. Stevie sighed before following her. Miranda picked up the little plastic gadget off the lid of the toilet. "Oh. Stevie!" Miranda's face visibly paled. "I."

"Is that what I think it is?"

"Dunno. Depends what you think it is."

"A pregnancy test." Stevie gasped. "Are you? Miranda! Are you. Gary and you."

"Can you get him? I think I should tell him first."

"Oh yes! Husband Gary. Yes, I. GARY!"

The dark haired man bolted from the sofa to the bathroom in a millisecond. "Yes? Are we? Miranda?"

She smiled slightly. "Yes?"

"Yes as in yes we are having a baby or yes as in we were panicking and there's no need."

"Yes." Miranda bit her lip. "The first one."

Stevie squeeled as Gary hugged Miranda. "We are having a baby! You and me." Gary smiled as Miranda nodded.

"Yes. But is that good? I mean what if I turn into my mum? Saying such fun every sentence and what I call? Talking about our sex life and genuinely embarrassing the poor child? No boarding school though. I couldn't send the kitten away so I really couldn't send a seven year old away for weeks."

Gary kissed her, ending the monologue as Stevie clapped her hands in excitement. "It will be ok, Miranda. Just have a little patience." He whispered as she nodded.

"We can do this?"

"Of course we can. And we will muck it up and make mistakes but we will be ok and so will our baby. Our baby." He tested the words again. Stevie smiled, happy for her friends she slipped away, knowing that a mini Miranda or Gary would just be another force of nature. The idea of Penny as a grandmother was something that she knew she wanted to see. It was certainly going to be an adventure.

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a/n not happy with the ending. May be another story soon. x