"Well, gosh, this is kind of sudden..." Jo stammered.

"Just say yes, so I can stand up!" Doug chuckled. "My arthritis is killing me!"

"Arthritis? You have arthritis in your knee?"

"In both knees, but will you please hurry up and answer my question?"

"Well, yes, of course I will...our baby will need both a mother and a father..."

"That's more like it!" Doug stood and embraced her.

"But Doug..."

"What?"

"There's just so many things we're gonna have to work out..."

"I know there are, but we'll work them out together." Doug gave her a reassuring kiss on the cheek. "Well, I was gonna take you out for lunch, but I guess it's a little late for that."

"Not if we hurry."

He took her through the McDonald's drive-thru for a burger and fries and then back to the office. She hurriedly ate her lunch and then told her boss, Dr. Hanson, that she needed to be examined.

"But I just examined you in September." Dr. Hanson frowned. "Is there a new problem?"

"Well, it's just that...I took a pregnancy test, and it came back positive."

Dr. Hanson just stared at her, shocked.

"It isn't a problem with me working here, is it?" Jo was suddenly anxious that she'd just put her job in jeopardy.

"No, of course not, but..." Suddenly her face showed that she understood. "The guy who came for you at lunchtime?"

Jo nodded. "His name's Doug Norman. He's really nice." Jo had never before discussed her personal life with her boss, and now she wondered whether that had been a mistake.

"Well, if you're able to stay for a few minutes after work today, I suppose I could fit you in then."

"Oh, thank you, Dr. Hanson!" Jo exclaimed.

Fifteen minutes after she'd clocked out, Jo lay back on an examination table with her feet up in stirrups while Dr. Hanson gave her a pelvic exam. "Well, congratulations," the physician said. "It looks like you're pregnant, all right. From the size of your uterus, I'd say you're about four weeks along. I'll do an ultrasound in a couple of weeks. We'll be more sure of your due date then."

"Why can't you do an ultrasound now?"

Dr. Hanson laughed. "Right now your baby's about the size of the fingernail on your pinky. We'll be able to see much more detail later on."

"I'm really too old for this, aren't I?" asked Jo.

"Apparently not, since it happened." The physician chuckled. "There are increased risks of complications such as gestational diabetes and eclampsia, and there's also a chance your baby could have a chromosomal abnormality such as Down's syndrome, but we'll check for all of that later on. Everything looks fine so far."

Jo felt a mixture of terror and excitement as she drove back home. Because of one careless mistake, her world was about to be turned upside down. What would life with Doug and a baby be like? Would she be able to continue working? If not, could Doug support a family of five? How would Clay and Jamie react to the news?

Jamie was in the middle of doing her homework when Jo entered the apartment. "You're late," she remarked without looking up.

"I know. I'm sorry." Jo sat down in the recliner with an exhausted plop. "I've got big news for you, Jamie. You're gonna be a big sister."

Jamie looked up, mouth agape, then began to dance around jubilantly. "I knew it! I knew it!" she sang. "I knew Doug was gonna knock you up!"

Jo frowned. "Jamie, that's not a very nice thing to say."

"I hope it's a girl," Jamie replied. "I've always wanted a baby sister."

Jo smiled indulgently and shook her head.

Doug called after dinner. "Are you all right, babe?"

"I'm OK, I guess. You?"

"I'm fine." He chuckled. "Don't worry about me. Did you talk to the doctor yet?"

"She examined me after I got off work. Said I was about four weeks along. She's gonna do an ultrasound in a couple of weeks."

A moment of silence followed.

"Doug?" Jo asked.

"I'm sorry, babe." He chuckled. "I guess I'm still trying to digest the news. Never in my wildest dreams did I ever imagine I'd be a father again some day."

"Neither did I. That I'd ever be a mother again, I mean."

"You tell Jamie?"

"Yeah. She says she wants a baby sister. You tell Clay?"

"Not yet. It's kind of awkward, you know. Here I've been lecturing him about not getting sexually involved, and now this happens...I'm afraid I'm gonna look like a real hypocrite."

"No reason for you to. You are a lot older than him, you know."

"Yeah, well I'm gonna have to tell him soon. I'll just have to think of the right way to do it." He paused. "Are you sure you're really all right, Jo?"

"Of course I am. Why are you so worried?"

"I guess it's just that..." He sighed. "Well, I know there are certain risks involved..." He didn't mention her age, but she knew that was what he was thinking about.

"I'm under a doctor's care, Doug. There's nothing to worry about. This is the twenty-first century, you know."

"Yeah." They talked at length about other topics, then said good-night. Jo was lying in bed that night when it occurred to her that he hadn't said anything at all about setting a wedding date.