Ruthie grabbed her cell phone, picked out a number and dialed it.

"Enid Tackle and Hunting Shop," came a male voice.

"Is this Jimmy Moon?" asked Ruthie.

Hope was shocked. Him?

"Hi Ruthie, what's up?" said Jimmy.

"Jimmy, this is a very weird thing I am about to ask you. Please don't say no outright, until I explain it, so you know all the details."

"Okay."

"I think you know that Hope, my wife, is expecting a baby."

"Yeah. If I'm not mistaken, the sperm donor ... um, father, is her former administrative assistant, slash lover."

"Yes. Well, here's the thing. It's going to be a crowded house here, beyond what it is with Ruthie and Peter's four children, Felicity and Peter's two with another one on the way, Rod and Shelby's four with another one on the way, Patrick and Tammy's three with two more coming ..."

Ruthie was getting breathless.

" ... and now, David and Sam knocked up their girlfriends, sisters to each other, and there will be three more. There's so much love here at the compound, that I've decided I should have another baby, so Hope's child has a brother or sister ... as well as my kids and Felicity's too."

"Wait a minute, Sam and David are going to be fathers?" asked Jimmy in shock.

"You could have knocked me over when they told me last night," said Ruthie. "They and their girlfriends are getting married here in just two weeks."

"So, you're going to have a baby, or want to be a mother again. So, what did you want to ask me?"

"You pulled your life together after the armed robbery. You studied to be a minister, which you do part-time, and you are a successful businessman. Not to mention, you indirectly brought Peter and Felicity together. Which, in turn, brought me into the arms of Lisa Lumby and made me discover I'm a lesbian.

"So ... I can't ask Peter to be the donor. It's different with Lisa and Brigitte with their formers lovers agreeing to be their donors - they were all living as a family before the girls got married. I know this is crazy, but ..."

"Wait a minute, Ruthie! Of all the guys you know, why do you want me to be your sperm donor?"

"Because one, you're a good friend of mine. Two, as I said, you completely turned your life around. Three, you've been so helpful the last year and a half with the ongoing investigation. And four ... well, like Hope's donor, I want my baby to know his or her father. Maybe pitch in to raise the kid every know and then. You have no kids, no wife or girlfriend right now."

"Let me think about this, Ruthie. This is out of the blue. I'll call you back in the next hour, if not sooner." Jimmy ended the call.

"Him?" asked Hope. "Are you serious? I can think of a dozen guys you met along the way, your family met along the way, who would be better suited. What about the guy who spent Christmas with your family when you were seven? Carlos Rivera?"

"Reporter with the NYT ... in London," said Ruthie.

"Jordan Johanssen?"

"ATF."

"Vincent?"

"He murdered his then girlfriend. Doing twenty-five to life in Maine."

Hope went through the rest of her list. Ruthie offered explanations as to their whereabouts and why it was too inconvenient to ask them.

"I know you're trying to help me, sweetheart," said Ruthie, "but this is my choice of donor. I didn't question your choice."

Hope thought about it. She then said, "It's weird, but it kind of makes sense. If he brought Peter and Felicity together and in the process you got an unexpected best friend - The Other Woman, of all people - then maybe he does deserve at least the offer."

The women headed to their bedroom and made love for nearly forty-five minutes. At minute forty, as Hope was making Ruthie climax by licking her crotch and the peak above it, the phone rang. Ruthie let it ring for a full minute until she came. Then as Hope continue to fondle Ruthie's breasts and kissed them all over, Ruthie finally picked up the phone, trying not to moan from her pleasure.

"Ruthie, it's Jimmy," said Jimmy. "I'll admit I'm stunned you'd ask me, but I would be honored to be the father of your baby. When can I come to Saint Louis and provide samples?"

"I'll fax you how the process works later today," said Ruthie. "Hopefully, we can meet each other again, next week. And Jimmy? Thank you so much. You really are a friend. You would be even if you had said no, but I'll be forever grateful to you. I'll even let you be there when our baby is born."

"No problem. And Merry Christmas to you and your wife."

"Merry Christmas Jimmy."

Ruthie hung up the phone. Hope kissed her wife. They would be pregnant together. They dressed and headed over to the church to help finish the decorations. Ashleigh and Samantha were the most enthusiastic in helping out, and when Shelby asked them if they wanted to be shepherdesses for the Nativity scene, they gladly accepted.