Thank you to everyone who is still reading. Your support means the world to me. Only one or two more chapters will I end it. Hope you enjoy.

And thank you to everyone who left their ideas for the baby's gender in the reviews. I really appreciate it. I was going to do the birth with weight of the baby but I decided against it. thanks to those who put a weight guess in the reviews. They weren't too far off.

I thought long and hard about the gender and came to this decision. Hope you enjoy.

Chapter 32: Preparation

Ian cut a piece and pulled it out. The cake was Blue.

"It's a boy?" I breathed.

I felt my heart jump in my chest and looked up to see Ian smiling as he set the cake down on a plate.

"It's a boy!" He exclaimed. And before I knew what was happening I had been lifted off the floor and was in his arms. "It's a boy!" He exclaimed again.

Ian was happy. I couldn't help but feel excited myself. We were having a boy. And, not that I had a preference, that's how I wanted it. I wanted a boy. Our group needed more men around but if Ian and I had another child in the future and we happened to have a girl she would have a big brother to protect her.

I was smiling and laughing with everyone else. I was accepting congratulations and let a few people pat my stomach fondly.

I was having a boy. I was carrying on the O'Shea name with my son. A part of Ian would live on through our son. And I hoped that a part of me would live on though the way that I teach my son to behave.

I started thinking about how I would teach my son. I would teach him the ways of the souls, of course, but he would grow up human. That much I knew for sure.

I would NOT be giving him up to the souls as a host. I want my son to grow up as his own person and as the individual who can make their own choices. Not the small adult 'always make the right perfect choice.' I want to know who my son is.

I sat there thinking about our life as people around me congratulated me and passed me a slice of the blue cake.

Mel could tell that my mind was somewhere else and that I wasn't actually here in the moment with everyone. She grabbed me and pulled me aside. "What is it Wanda? Aren't you happy?"

I looked at Mel and nodded, "Yea Mel everything is fine. I'm just thinking about being a mother." I paused, "There's really so much to think about in a few short months."

She sighed, "Wanda. You're not due for another 4in a half months. We have time to think about that stuff. Plus you'll only be changing poops, feeding and burping the kid for at least 4 months after he's born. So like I said you have time."

I nodded, "I know. Your right. But it doesn't mean that I don't think about it."

Mel smiled at me and led me back to the group, "Its ok Wanda. Every woman gets nervous when they're about to have a baby."

After I found out that I was having a boy, Ian and I talked more about names. I conceded that we could name him after his dad and then put his middle name as Walter. So at least he could live on in some aspect. So we decided on the name James Walter Brandon O'Shea. I wanted to add Brandon in there, not just because he is my body's father but because I feel close to him and I wanted him to be in there too.

"I think it's a great idea." Ian had said one night while we were discussing names. "Then your father will have the same grandfatherly claim on our son as mine does."

I nodded, "And if we ever have a girl I want to put Brittney's name as one of her middle names." Ian looked strained, "What is it Ian?"

He spoke slowly, "Look Wanda. Little James here was an accident. A happy accident and I wouldn't take him back for anything but…." he took a deep breath. "I don't know that we should have more kids." I opened my mouth to speak but he stopped me, "At least until we know we can be safe here and that nothing is going to happen."

I smiled. "It'll all be ok Ian." I thought about it for a minute. "We don't have to have more right away. I mean I'm still pretty young so I'm not in any rush to pop out a bunch of kids right now. We can wait and test the waters with one."

That seemed to calm his worries and he calmed down and didn't say more about it.

In the weeks that followed my baby boy announcement the house, our house was almost completed. The basement needed some more work but everyone was in a rush to get the upstairs done so we could get the nursery ready for the baby in time before he arrived.

Jared had come back with another two batches of people from the caves.

"I think Jeb has come around." Jared told us over dinner the night he came back. "Said he wasn't sure but when I showed him the pictures I'd taken of the woods, the gate and the surrounding area I think he's started to see the brilliance of it all."

"Knew he would." Landon said taking a bite out of his roll, "He's a reasonable man and can see farther than past his own nose." he chewed and swallowed it, "Not sure if everyone will share his and our sentiment though."

"They'll see reason." Mel said, "When everyone is gone and there's no one but them, they'll see that it's not only a great idea but the only thing they can do besides stay there and die alone and sad in the desert."

Apparently I'd looked so horrified that she'd had to assure me that we weren't leaving anyone in the desert to die. I really did hope that the rest of them wanted to come. I didn't know what we would do if we separated, us here comfortably and them still there in the hot desert with nothing but sand, a semi-extinct volcano and heat to keep them hidden.

When the baby's room was done but Ian and I's room and a few of the others still needed painted and cleaned up; Ian, Landon, Mel and I went on a raid to get some baby things.

"Again Wanda I'm SO glad that there's no money anymore or we'd never be able to afford this baby." Mel said putting bags of wipes and diapers into one of our carts.

"Yea. I work all day but have no money to pay for any of this." Ian says in a casually soft voice.

"It's ok. At least you won't be stressing out about not being able to get your baby things." Landon says putting a soft blue blanket and a little lion stuffed animal into the other basket.

Mel and I had so much fun looking at different outfits and things that the baby may not need right away but may use in the future.

Turns out I know nothing about dressing in any sort of style but Mel will not let my baby be humiliated in front of everyone we know wearing stripes and plaid in the same outfit.

We got more than just clothes and accessories, we got kids house stuff too like something called a diaper genie, baby monitors with camera, a body pillow to help me sleep, a mattress and a crib, a rocking chair with a stool, a stroller and baby carrier set, a car seat, curtains, a fan, a side table for the baby, a changing table with storage and a mountain of baby clothes ranging from warm to cold.

It baffled me how much you needed for a baby and I found myself thanking my lucky stars that I didn't have to pay money for this all. Though when we were checking out and the soul at the counter asked me about my partners calling and what I did in the community I had a very hard time thinking of something. Of course Landon, Mel and Ian were really good at putting words out there and making them stick while I was a little unnerved.

The soul behind the counter seemed satisfied though, even though she was just being friendly. And it was great to breathe a breath of fresh air when we got back in the car and were driving towards home.

Ian and I were able to put our nursery together even before we could move in ourselves. He helped me put up the crib and other furniture, ok he put it up and I sat in the rocking chair and watched. And then when everything was put together he went to help the other men in building the other houses while Mel and I organized things and put them where they needed to go. Ok I watched and told her where I wanted things and she did the organizing. I just put clothes on hangers and put them in a pile so Mel could hang them up.

The coddling got worse as I got bigger. By the time I was 6 months pregnant I couldn't do anything even if I wanted to. The reason Jared had approved my new body, because of its delicate and truthful appearance no one wanted to let me do anything. The times that I got to do the most was around Mel and Britney, though it wasn't anything more than sit and fold things or hold this while you sit.

I was trying to get my arms to be stronger since I wanted to be able to hold my child when he came into the world and want to be able to take care of him on my own without help.

Though whether or not I wanted it I would have a tone of help. Brandon and Britney worked hard to get mine and Ian's room ready as well as their room in the basement so that when they baby came we could live in our own house.

Burns ordered any and all of the medical equipment that Doc could want and made him a hospital area in the other big building across from our eating building right by all of the fun new things we get to do whenever we want. There's basketball, tennis, bad-mitten, mini-gold, a BIG field that can be used for soccer or football. There's also fun things for the smaller kids like a cowboy town, a pirate ship play place and a place for arts and crafts. Tones of things that you could get hurt playing in. I ended up doing a lot of exercise in the pool that was a short hop skip and a jump from the hospital set up. Doc had an "operating room" that would double as my delivery room when the time came. Of course we had tons of clean 'inside and out' and heal for the occasion but we had every available medication at his beck and call.

When we brought Doc and Sharon to the new place and Doc saw his new work place he almost broke down crying in happiness. He felt to much better at having a proper doctor set up that he kissed me and Landon (on the cheeks of course) but he all but lost his head at all his equipment and his medications, including some human ones that they boys had seen being ready to throw out.

Before the caves where empty Jeb demanded that as there were so many of us we needed to have a garden out here too, like the one in the caves. So in addition to a large field that had to be plowed and nurtured into being farming land they men building took a week or two maybe three off of building houses and build a greenhouse. It was beautiful and they started to order seeds and plants, so that people could get started when Jeb got there. All the men would work on the houses and the women would work on the plants and in the greenhouse.

By the time that I was 8 months pregnant or 32 weeks pregnant I was basically on house arrest in less I needed to see Doc. I'd been back to the healer for my checkups but because I had Doc near I wasn't worried. Doc would give me an ultrasound every two weeks as my 'pregnancy checkup' but nothing he could see or the healers could see was wrong. My baby and I were in perfect health. I didn't feel in perfect health. My feet and ankles were swollen all the time and I got so tired just by walking 4 steps that I'd have to lean on something or sit down.

The best day for me is when all the furniture for my house arrived. My house including Brandon and Britney's basement apartment. Mel, Jared and Jamie were staying in our house with us we had two extra rooms besides the baby's room so we decided to let them stay.

There were three almost four houses built already, though they weren't being furnished quite yet. Ian and I were the exception since I was expecting so we took priority but everyone wanted to wait and order furniture in bulk so we would only have one batch of several semi-trucks coming in to drop off furniture.

Things were coming together and my family was safe and happy once more.

As my due date approached I knew that it was almost time. Time for my life to change again.

Sorry to end on a cliffhanger but this is the final chapter. I know, I know. "What happens next kir-girl24? What happens next?" I'm already writing a epilogue that takes place 8 years later. So just you wait for that. My decision to do such a jump is because I think we all know how crazy birth is. And its about time this story comes to an end.

Please leave a review and let me know what you think about my story. And thank you for reading, it means the world to me.