Chapter Twelve

"What's the doctor's name again," Ryan asked Marissa for what might have been the fifth time that afternoon. He was driving her crazy.

"Seagal," she answered, continuing when she saw him start to ask a question, "and before you say it, no, she's not related to Steven Seagal, so don't ask her."

It was a few days past Christmas, and because of the holiday season and cramped bookings, their appointment had to be squeezed in. Rushed, the nurse had already started some of the tests before the doctor came in to see them. Although Marissa had been perfectly content to wait a few weeks for an appointment, she had already called and gotten herself a prescription for prenatal vitamins, Ryan had insisted that they see a doctor immediately. She found his over-protective nature to be absolutely adorable and endearing while at the same time totally exasperating.

Tearing Marissa out of her thoughts, Ryan's anxious voice once again filled the air. "And it's normal for them to draw blood and ask for an….," he gulped slightly uncomfortable with the terminology he was being confronted with during his first trip to an OB-GYN's office, "urinalysis?"

"I'd be worried if they didn't do those tests," she attempted to assure him. When his eyes still appeared apprehensive, she continued. "If you think this is scary, you should have been here when I came in for my first appointment with Garrett. They took so many tests I was positive something was wrong with me, but, at this point, with my third child, everything is pretty routine."

She had been sitting up on the exam chair with Ryan seated beside her, holding her hand tightly the entire time, so when he suddenly stood up and kissed her gently, letting his free hand fall to her stomach, she was slightly surprised for a moment before falling into his embrace. He didn't pull away until they were both breathless. Leaning his head against hers, he looked into her eyes before speaking.

"I wish I would have been here with you then … when you had Garrett and Cooper," he clarified when she looked slightly confused.

"Me, too," she whispered gently before smiling up at him, "but you're here now, and that's all that matters."

For the next few minutes they sat in comfort with each other, talking quietly and simply enjoying the fact that they were at their first doctor's appointment for the baby Marissa was carrying, the child they conceived out of their love. When the door suddenly opened without any warning, both jumped slightly but neither had a chance to say anything as the person entering began to talk even before they turned around to face them. With her back to them as she looked over Marissa's charts, the doctor was completely oblivious to the second person in the room.

"I must tell you, Marissa, how surprised I was to see your name in the appointment books for one of these exams. It's been a while. How old are the boys now?"

"Garrett is ten and Cooper is eight," Marissa answered, a smile forming on her face at the thought of her two sons. "And I was just as surprised as you when I put two and two together and realized I was pregnant. It took me a while."

"I see that," the doctor laughed softly to herself. "The nurse wrote down that you think you're about two and half months along already. Didn't you notice any symptoms before now?"

Sighing and chuckling softly, Marissa answered, her voice slightly self-deprecating, "well, it's been an interesting past few months, so at first, no, I didn't notice, and then I just dismissed them as stress, but eventually…."

"You put two and two together," Dr. Seagal finished for her. "I hope it was at least a pleasant surprise."

Although the doctor could not see Marissa turn to face Ryan as she talked, she did recognize the change in her tone. "You have no idea how good of a surprise it was," Marissa answered her honestly, leaning into Ryan to kiss his lips softly. Just in that moment, the doctor finally turned around.

"Well then, let's get...," her voice trailed off as she finally noticed Ryan. "Who are you?"

Ryan laughed, stood up, and offered his hand to the shocked doctor as he introduced himself. "Ryan Atwood."

"Anne Seagal," the flabbergasted practitioner replied back to him, shaking his hand for several seconds after she introduced herself still so surprised she was not functioning correctly. Finally remembering who she was and where they were at, she regained her ability to talk. "And you're Marissa's….."

"Fiancé," Marissa clarified for her, retaking Ryan's hand in her own as he sat back down in the chair beside her.

"And Mr. Carnahan….I can't think of his first name right now…," the doctor continued to question, her curiosity over the situation overriding her professionalism.

Marissa stunned both Ryan and the doctor with her response. "I fell in love." Turning to Ryan, she squeezed his hand before continuing. "We're getting divorced.

Smiling at the exuberant couple, Dr. Seagal approached them motioning for Marissa to reposition herself so she could begin the physical exam. Already weighed and with her blood pressure checked, the doctor was left with examining her heart, lungs, and breasts. "Well I must tell you, so far, Ryan is definitely doing a better job. He's shown up for an appointment; that's already an improvement over your ex."

"I'll be here for all of them," Ryan spoke up before Marissa had a chance. When she went to protest that it was not necessary, he stopped her. "Every single one."

"That's what I like to hear," the doctor spoke up for him, outnumbering Marissa and making her roll her eyes and grin despite what her protests were going to be. She wanted him there with her, but unaccustomed to the support, she did not know how to accept it easily.

The three of them continued to speak effortlessly with each other, Ryan asking questions the entire time throughout the physical and pelvic exam, something Marissa found slightly humorous, and the doctor happily answering them for him.

Pushing her chair away from the end of the exam chair, Dr. Seagal went back to her desk to take a few notes, speaking the entire time. "You can go ahead and sit up, Marissa, and you were right on the money. It looks like you're exactly ten weeks along, putting your due date right around the first week of July. You could be having yourselves a little patriotic baby."

"All I want is a healthy baby," Ryan answered, his tone soft yet full of emotion, bringing tears to Marissa's eyes and even making the doctor smile warmly at him.

"So far, so good; Marissa is doing excellently," Dr. Seagal complimented. "You don't have to worry too much about this one though," she went on to tease, "as I've told her before, she's a regular baby machine. She loves being pregnant."

Looking at Ryan, Marissa let go of one of his hands and gently placed it on his face, cupping his jaw tenderly. "I already told him that, months ago, before I even became pregnant." Addressing him privately, her voice low and soothing, she playfully ordered, "quit worrying."

Observing the couple's intimate moment, the doctor waited until Marissa sat back up in her chair before talking again. "You're far enough long. Would you like to listen to the heartbeat?"

Ryan just sat on and stared, astonished this was possible already; Marissa wasn't even showing, while Marissa merely shook her head excitedly and pulled Ryan's hands up to her lips and kissed them while the doctor got the doppler ready.

"It's going to be really fast, the heartbeat," Marissa warned Ryan, not wanting him to panic when he heard it for the first time. The doctor merely laughed at her explanation.

"You're lucky Marissa is warning you, Ryan. I forgot to tell her that the first time she heard Garrett's heartbeat. She nearly fainted she was so scared." Marissa blushed at the memory as Ryan chuckled to himself. "She might like to play it cool now, but you should have seen her with her first pregnancy, alone, scared, and nervous about everything. She might have been even worse than you at this same stage all those years ago."

Before Ryan could go and respond, join in on teasing Marissa, the sound of their baby's heartbeat filled the room, completely eradicating any thoughts he had in his head up to that point. Marissa listened silently, eyes glistening with tears of joy, a wide, beaming smile on her face, but Ryan couldn't move. The tiny, rapid, amazing noise filling the room was the most perfect sound that had ever graced his ears and he sat there astounded, enraptured, and in awe of it.

After a moment, Dr. Seagal stood up and quietly excused herself, telling Marissa she would see her in a few weeks for her next check up and that she could get dressed whenever they were ready. Ryan never heard a word that she said, completely moving on autopilot as he helped Marissa zip up her dress and walk out of the room, agreed to without even comprehending the date and time of the next appointment, thanked the receptionist for the list of books he had asked for, and walked with her to his truck.

Without even putting up a fight, he let her drive them home. While Marissa watched on in silent amusement at her fiancé's state of shock, Ryan continued to replay the miraculous sound of their baby's heartbeat in his mind over and over again. Twenty minutes after they arrived home, Marissa entered the kitchen to find Ryan going through the cupboards and fridge. While she had puttered around the house, letting Q out to go the bathroom and switching the laundry, Ryan had sat in the living room starring fixedly into space. Although she was relieved to see that he was once again functioning, his frantic, almost desperate movements scared her slightly.

"What are you doing, Ryan," she asked him softly not wanting to startle him while he rummaged away.

Without turning around to face her, he answered, "looking for something I can fix you to eat."

"Ryan," Marissa complained slightly, unable to not roll his eyes at how ridiculous he was being, "I'm not hungry. I had lunch a couple hours ago, a nice, large, healthy lunch, and I'll cook dinner later."

"Yeah, but you're eating for two now," he argued, stubbornly refusing to give in.

"Me and a two inch fetus," Marissa pointed out, the mocking tone evident in her voice. "It's not I'm carrying a full grown man inside of me."

Ignoring her voice of reason, he continued to ransack the cupboards making Marissa wince as she realized she would have to reorganize them later when he was asleep or distracted. Leaving him alone in the kitchen, she went into their bathroom determined to pull him out of his strange, obsessive mood.

Ten minutes later and completely ready for him, Marissa called out, "Ryan, can you come here for a second, please."

She did not have to wait long for him. He was in the bathroom, breathless and worrying, in less than thirty seconds. "What, what is it, what's wro…" As soon as he saw her, completely immersed in a fragrant bubble bath, hair swept up and a content smile on her face, he stopped dead in his tracks.

"What are you doing," he asked her, the confusion evident on his face.

"Getting you to relax," she answered him, a sly smile playing across her lips. "Now get in."

He did not need to be told twice. Stripping his clothes off in record time, he was sitting behind Marissa in the tub, her body fit snuggly against him, calm and stress-free within a matter of moments. Enjoying the feeling of his pregnant fiancé in his arms, they lingered in the water long after the warmth had left it, their bodies keeping the other warm.

The next evening rolled around, New Year's Eve, to find Marissa lazily lounging around the house waiting for Ryan to return from a mysterious errand he had left to run a few hours earlier. He wouldn't tell her what he was doing or what he was getting; all she knew was that it was for her. The idea of a surprise made her even more anxious for his return.

Although she initially had coaxed and cajoled Ryan into taking her dancing, the idea of her body moving intimately with his on a dimly lit floor the only thing which had convinced him it was a good idea, she had called him an hour before and cancelled the plans, asking him to pick up something from the store to make for dinner. She was exhausted, had heartburn, and, just in general, did not feel well. On second thought, an evening in, alone with Ryan, was exactly how she wanted to spend her New Year's Eve. Only the appearance of two other people could make it any more perfect.

Despite the fact that she had not felt well, Marissa had kept herself quite occupied that day. Very quickly, she was turning Ryan's bachelor pad into a family home, adding personal touches and warmth to it. Hot inside of the house and because it was such a beautiful, sunny day out, she and Q had spent the afternoon working in the yard, pulling weeds and planting, as she told Ryan, very masculine flowers. The work had been strenuous but satisfying, giving her pride in what she had done and making it feel as if she was living in their home and not Ryan's house.

After coming back inside, Q had quickly fallen asleep on the couch in the living room, leaving Marissa alone. She had taken a shower, changed into a pair of Ryan's boxers and a tank top, and wandered back out to the living room to curl up on large, leather chair and indulge in a big bowl of Oreo ice cream and a marathon of Sisters. Until Ryan got back, she would just have to entertain herself.

Bowl practically licked clean and set aside so that she did not have to hold it, completely relaxed in her chair, Marissa was just about to doze off when there was a loud, insistent knock on the front door, the person, whomever it was, annoying her immediately. Dragging her feet and walking towards the door as slowly as possible, she finally reached it, unlocked it, and opened it slowly to reveal her soon-to-be ex-husband glowering at her and Garrett and Cooper standing silent and cowering behind him.

"Took you long enough," Gerry complained, annoyed and sarcastic. "It's not like this place is that big that it would require a lot of moment to reach the front door."

Completely ignoring him, Marissa bent down onto her knees and opened her arms wide for her sons, who, though hesitant at first, ran into them, hugging her as tightly as they could. After a moment, they pulled away, finally smiling, and speaking over each other.

"Where's Ryan, Mom," Garrett asked first. "I brought my new bat so he could pitch to me. Do you think he will, Mom, do you?"

"And what about Q," Cooper added in. At the sound of her name being said by Cooper's voice, the lazy dog launched herself off of the couch and ran towards the little boy, practically pushing him over as she jumped up on him, making Cooper giggle excitedly, a blessedly beautiful sound to Marissa's ears. Gerry sneezed.

"Cooper, why don't you take Q into the backyard and play with her for a few minutes while I talk to your father." While her younger son ran off with dog, eagerly talking to Q the whole time, Marissa turned to Garrett. "Ryan will be home soon. He had to run an errand, but I'm sure he'd be more than happy to play with you later. In fact," she teased him, "there just might be a pitcher's mound in the backyard now." Garrett needed no further encouragement to run outside along with his brother, making Marissa laugh at his predictability. Gerry's voice brought her out of the moment though.

"So, where is lover boy, really, Marissa, sick of you already? It does look like you're putting on a few pounds," Gerry taunted her. "You might want to be careful of that. I'm sure there are plenty of our whores, skinnier and more attractive than you out there that could catch his eye."

"What do you want, Gerry," Marissa asked tiredly. "Not that I'm complaining here, because I always want my boys with me, but you were pretty adamant that I would not see them."

Disgustedly, he spoke while working on his blackberry. "Do you know how hard it is to find suitable child care on New Year's Eve?"

"No," she replied with a smirk on her face, "unlike you, I don't try to pawn my children off onto others." When he didn't say anything back, she changed the topic. "How long do I get to keep them," she asked, unable to keep the hope out of her voice.

Turning his back to her, he walked off without even bothering to look at her while he spoke. "We'll see. My secretary will call you with the details." And with that, as quickly as he appeared, he was gone, which was not necessarily a bad thing.

Just as she went to shut the door, out of the corner of her eye she caught Ryan's truck returning. Unable to keep the smile off of her face, she just stood in the doorway, leaning against the jam, and watched him pull into the driveway, park his truck, and get out, a grin plastered on his face. She noticed his hand did not leave his pocket the whole time, but as soon as he stopped in front of her and kissed her hello, she forgot to ask him what he was holding.

"Was that Gerry just leaving now," he asked her, as he shut the door, his arm wrapped around her waist holding her to him, but before she could say or do anything, there were too very animated boys running at them, throwing themselves around Ryan's legs. No longer tired, her previous discomfort forgotten, Marissa made her way to the kitchen, talking over her shoulder.

"I'm going to go and start dinner and let you men catch up." When they didn't even seem to hear her, she just laughed and went on her way, leaving them to their talk of sports and didn't notice Ryan whispering to the boys and sneaking off to their bedroom holding in his hand his surprise for Marissa.

"Can we open up our presents now, Mommy," Cooper asked, his mischievous face cloaked with the expression of childish innocence and enthusiasm.

Dinner was finished, and Ryan had already volunteered his and the boys service in washing the dishes for her, so Marissa had only three things left on her mind. First, she was dying to know what her surprise was. Ryan had been tight lipped and refused to budge an inch and give her any clues. She also wanted dessert, the fruit salad she had made was calling her name from inside of the fridge. Lastly, she wanted to put her feet up. Swollen and tired, they were currently killing her. Ryan however had other ideas.

"Actually guys," he started while looking over at Marissa and grabbing her hand under the table, giving it a gentle squeeze, looking for her reassurance, "your Mom and I have a couple of things we need to talk to you about."

The four of them moved into the living room, sitting on the couch together, the boys in between the two adults. Curious, the boys remained quiet while Ryan and Marissa began slowly, starting with the safest of topics.

"Well, I guess," Marissa started, her voice displaying her anticipation, "the first thing to tell you is that I got a job. I start working at the hospital in a week."

"Are you going to be a doctor, Mommy," Cooper asked, the awe apparent in his eyes.

"Not quite," Marissa and Ryan both chuckled together, their eyes locking before she continued. "I'm going to be a nurse's assistant, but I'll sometimes help the doctors."

Thinking quietly, Garrett looked at her in wonder. "Will you wear those pajama looking things like the doctors wear, Mommy?"

"Scrubs," Ryan filled in for him, the humor evident in his voice. Garrett shook his head yes. "Yeah, she'll wear those," Ryan answered for her.

"Is that all you have to tell us," Cooper questioned, his eyes straying towards the large pile of presents underneath the Christmas tree that was still up and betraying his desire to open them.

"Actually, no," Ryan continued, unsure of how much Marissa wanted him to say in this situation, but she merely smiled at him and motioned for him to go on. "There are two other things we have to tell you. First of all," he swallowed, slightly nervous, pausing slightly to see the boys both watching him curious, "I asked your Mom to marry me."

"And I said yes," Marissa clarified for them as they turned to her for an answer. Her response brought a large smile to Garrett's face and slight confusion to Cooper's.

"So, then Ryan will be our…."

"Stepdad," Garrett finished for his younger brother. Turning to Ryan, he leaned into his side and gave him a brief hug before turning back to his Mom waiting to hear the last piece of news. The moment did not go unnoticed by Marissa though, and the simple act of a hug gave her the confidence to know that her children would be alright with their last piece of news.

"What's the last thing you have to tell us, Mommy," Cooper asked, no longer able to sit still, fidgeting constantly as his hands practically itched to open his presents from Santa.

"Well, do you know how you asked for a little brother a couple of years ago for your birthday, Cooper?" The little boy nodded his head to show that he remembered. "You might just get one." Comprehension of the meaning of her words began to set in and the younger boy stopped moving completely, his mouth falling open in shock while Garrett's eyes became extremely large as he looked back and forth between the two nervous, embarrassed adults, Ryan so bewildered by the conversation that his ears were a bright red and his brow was covered in beads of sweat. "I'm going to have a baby, in July," Marissa clarified for her children.

Presents suddenly forgotten, the boys just sat there in shock unsure of what to say, questions bombarding their minds. Noticing that they were slightly overwhelmed, Marissa stood up and held out her hands to them, pulling them up after her and walking them into the hallway which led to the bedrooms. "I think I can help you understand this a little better. Come on, I'll show you a picture of what the baby looks like so far and exactly what is going to happen." When Ryan just stayed in his same spot, unmoving, Marissa stopped walking and turned back around towards him. "Are you coming, Ryan?" Giving him a gentle smile, he relaxed and stood up to follow the three of them into their room to get onto the computer. There they remained for well over an hour looking at pictures, answering questions, and talking about the baby together….as a family.

Later that night well after the boys got to open their presents and Marissa got to eat her fruit salad, she was getting ready for bed alone in their bedroom while Ryan read the boys the first chapter out of the Ted Williams' biography he had gotten them for Christmas.

Coming out of the bathroom, teeth brushed, face washed, she went to pick up Ryan's clothes from the day, he had changed quickly so he could read to the boys, and went to put them in the dirty hamper when she felt something heavy on the one side of his pants. Curious, she stuck her hand in his pocket to pull it out and immediately had to sit down, luckily the bed was right there, when she pulled out a small, black, velvet jewelry box. Unable to help herself, claiming in her mind that she would just take a small peak and then put it back where she found it and Ryan would never be the wiser, she opened it to reveal what was undoubtedly her surprise, an engagement ring. It was exactly what she had been secretly hoping for.

It was nothing like her former ring. Sure, large, diamond solitaire rings were beautiful, but they were just too pretentious, too Newport for her. She wanted something simplistic, personal, meaningful, and that's exactly what Ryan had picked out her. It was a dazzling sapphire and diamond wedding band, and when she slipped it on her left ring finger, it felt as if it was made for her hand.

"You weren't supposed to find that," a voice startled her. Looking up, she saw Ryan smirking at her as he walked into the room and sat down beside her. "You couldn't just wait five more minutes could you?" Teasing her, he continued to talk while gently rubbing the back of his hand against the side of her face. "And you wonder where Cooper gets his impatience."

Her eyes filled with tears of love and joy, Marissa cooed out softly, "it's beautiful."

"I know it's not like what you had before, but this just seemed…more you."

"Do you want to know a secret," she asked him laughing quietly. He just nodded his head to show her that he did. "I might have been shopping around a little online, just for fun," she excused herself when he smirked at her, "and this is exactly what I picked out for myself."

"And these blue stones…."

"Sapphires," Marissa answered for him.

"Do you like them," Ryan asked her, his nervousness on full display, "because if you don't we can get something else. I promise you won't hurt my feelings."

Climbing on top of his lap, Marissa giggled before leaning in and kissing him greedily, her arms circling around his neck tightly. "They….are….my….favorite….stones….ever," she answered, punctuating each word with a kiss. Pulling away from him, her playful nature disappeared to be replaced with a stern one. "And if you dare take this ring off my finger I'll never forgive you."

Unable to help himself, Ryan laughed out loud, falling back on their bed and taking Marissa with him. As she just rested on his chest, watching him, he ran his fingers down her sides to hold her by her hips. "I guess you really like that ring then, don't you?"

Without a word, she climbed up off of him, making Ryan frown slightly until he realized what she was doing. Tiptoeing to their bedroom door, she shut it softly and locked it behind her before turning around and grinning at him. Slipping her robe off, Ryan sucked in his breath when he realized that she had nothing on underneath it. Climbing back on top of him and taking his mouth in hers, Marissa's hands, in a flurry of activity, started to undress him desperately.

"I really, really love the ring," she answered him, and for hours that night, she proved it.