A/N: This chapter contains descriptions involving medicine and related subjects. Now I'm no doctor, and am not going to pretend to be one, but things described come from research so if there are any mistakes I apologize in advance.

I wont be able to update as often from now on. I will try but until the end of May I will be studying for a huge finale exam. I'm a full time law student so my days will have to go mostly in reading rather than writing. I will post in the meantime but not as frequently. So I made this chapter long. I had so much fun writing this chapter. I think it was enough of drama for now, so I hope you like this as much as I enjoyed writing it.

I hope you like this chapter. As always thanks to my lovely reviewers.

*Edit: Huge thanks to JLCH and IHeartHouseCuddy that pointed out the mistakes.

"You're sure that you can handle this? I'll swing by when we get back just in case."

Cuddy stood on the sidewalk in front of her house, chatting agitatedly on the phone. The morning was sunny and bright, a wonderful morning to take a trip to New York, if it wasn't for the fact that it was really the last thing she wanted to do.

"Cuddy come on if you wont get your big beautiful butt into the car we'll be late. Now get in the car." House shouted at her through the open car window. He drummed his hand irritatingly on the steering wheel. When she didn't respond to him he raised his arm horizontally in the air so she could see and tapped his finger on his watch impatiently.

"Hold on." She muttered into the phone and removed it from her ear.

"House, give me a minute. I have to…"

"Cuddy no matter what you say changes anything. Wilson can handle this, it's just few hours for Christ's sake, your child is in good hands."

Cuddy huffed and placed the phone again by her ear.

"Remember that you can always call me back, okay?" She said anxiously.

"Cuddy, don't worry. Everything's in order." Wilson assured her.

"Okay. I'll hear from you." She said while climbing into the car. House rolled his eyes and waved his hand in sign for her to hurry up.

"Okay bye." She said then put the phone in her purse and sighed.

"Cuddy, he has done this before, it's not like you're totally indispensable."

Cuddy glared at him, and he quickly mumbled something about clinginess and dependability.

"But it's my…" She started but he caught her off.

"Come on live your life a little, you can spear few hours away can't you?"

Cuddy sighed, of course he was right, she could leave for a few hours, it wasn't like she hadn't done it before.

She shifted in her seat and took a glance in the backseat of the car.

"Rachel, are you okay?"

"Yes momma." Rachel replied.

Rachel who had been, unlike her mother, beside herself for the trip the whole week, sat quietly in her chair, watching the display between her mother and House curiously. Cuddy hadn't been all too keen on taking her with them, but there seemed to be no other choice. Marina had a day off every other Friday, so she paid her seventy plus year old neighbor to watch her while she was at work. There was of course no way that she was going to allow her to babysit her for that amount of time when she was at least an hour away. After a considerable amount of reassurance, and dash of persuasion, which mostly came from House, she finally accepted to take Rachel with them.

"Okay I think we're set."

House started the car and drove down her quiet street, and into the highway.

"This isn't so bad is it?"

"Easy for you to say. You hate the hospital." She mumbled and opened the window to allow some fresh air into the car.

"I don't hate the hospital." He contradicted, "I hate people that are in the hospital. Now that's a whole different matter." He insisted.

"If you say so." She replied wearily and flipped through the magazine she had brought with her.

The drive from Princeton to New York was about one hour. That wasn't such a long ride considering that many people drove that route every single day, but to someone as easily agitated and bored as House it was agony.

His agitation began at Montgomery, then he began to toy with the radio, switching between station after station.

Cuddy, however, stayed silent for most of the way. Her thoughts were turned elsewhere. She watched the scenario passing by, the unwelcoming voice of Mr. Krauss echoed in her head.

Women are so easily replaced. The words made her seethe with anger. She hadn't still told House about her encounter with Krauss, and she wasn't planning to do so yet. In truth she wasn't quite sure how he would take it, and she was not going to let him or her get fired by his antics. No, it was best to let this lie.

She wasn't going to let him get to her, so she forced her thoughts elsewhere.

She glanced sideways at House who drummed his fingers on the wheel in beat with the music. He seemed completely devoid of worry; in fact he looked like he was absolutely carefree. Suddenly he looked at her, like he knew she was watching him, and gave a self satisfied smirked, then he glanced in the mirror at Rachel who was singing happily in the backseat.

"Hey Rachel. Are you excited?"

Rachel looked up and gave him a toothy grin. "Yeah." She said happily.

"Are we going into the big candy store?"

"Yay." Rachel clapped her hands together excitedly.

Cuddy watched the display before her. House had become such a huge presence in her life. She felt like they had been together for far longer than ten months.

He had changed so much, or maybe this side of him had always been there, she had just been too blind to see it. But even though he had changed for the better there was always this dark cloud above them that threatened to ruin everything. Her fears of him relapsing were always there, and she knew that those fears would never fully disappear. House was an addict. Not he or she could deny that.

"Cuddy!"

House's voice brought her back from her dark thoughts, and she looked at him dazedly.

"What?"

"I was just asking you whether you want to eat before or after the appointment?"

"Oh." Cuddy muttered.

"Umm, just whatever you want."

"Cuddy, are you okay? You've been acting weird all morning."

"Uh yes I'm fine, just tired, that's all."

House didn't question her further, and for several minutes they remained silent.

"Mommy, mommy look." Rachel suddenly cried out and pointed at the window. In the distance right ahead of them was the clutter of skyscrapers and buildings that formed the city of New York.

"Yes Rachel, this is where we're going."

"Wooow." Rachel breathed out.

After about fifteen minutes they had reached the city. The drive through the city was long and frisky. Cuddy had never been a huge fan of driving, and weaving through the heavy traffic of Manhattan was not her cup of tea. Thankfully House seemed to know his way well, and wove through the arenas skillfully.

When they finally parked she let out a sigh of relief and looked in the backseat at Rachel who was half asleep.

"Okay let's go."

Dr. Emily Rossetti's clinic was on Madison Avenue, merely five minutes from the main building of hospital. Cuddy had never met the doctor in person, but she had heard plenty of things about her, and of course she had read her three published books: 'Twenty things women don't know when they expect'; 'What to expect when you're expecting'; ' Work Vs. Children- How to be a working mother and a doting worker'. But her latest popularity with the female population did not shadow her earliest articles in the weekly Medical Journals, and her notorious work both in teaching and working for several of the most prestigious hospitals in the world. Dr. Emily Rossetti was easily one of the best Ob-Gyn's out there, and her talents had been noticed around the world. Her work in Japan, Australia, France, England, Switzerland and Brazil had been exceedingly well perceived.

Therefore it had come as a surprise that House knew her. He had told her very little about their previous encounters. They had attended Johns Hopkins together, and up until his expulsion, they had been friends, or belonged to the same group of friends. According to him they hadn't met for fifteen years, but they had remained on e-mail terms, and from time to time exchanged medical advices. It did seem odd to her that he had never mentioned her, not once. But then again there were many things they hadn't spoken about, at all.

They had been walking for about ten minutes when she felt House's hand on her arm.

"I need to make a quick stop here. I'll be just a second." He pointed towards a small sign that said Rodolfo's: est. 1923.

"I thought we were going to eat after the appointment."

"Yeah we are. This is just a quick stop."

She followed him into the small place, and waited for House to place his order. While he waited he leaned to whisper into her ear.

"This is the best kept secret in New York. These are the best sandwiches in the world."

After the sandwich had been sliced, wrapped and ready to go, they stepped into the sunny street and walked slowly towards the clinic.

"Okay here we are." House muttered, and pointed with his cane at the four story brick building, that was nestled between two considerably taller buildings. They walked up the few steps that led to double doors. On a gilded plague was a number of the house; 1362, and below in a formal script stood; The Obstetrician and Genecology clinic of Mount Sinai Hospital Center. Under that were four names.

Dr. Henry R. Adler M.D., Dr. Chloe M. Fairfax M.D., Dr. David Florentine M.D., Dr. Emily Rossetti M.D.

House opened the door and held them for her and Rachel who had buried her face in her mother's sweater when she stepped into the clinic. The foyer was small but comfortable. The atmosphere was warm and welcoming, by the far end was a reception desk where a blonde woman sat; she gave them a welcoming smile as they stepped inside.

"Hello."

"Hi. I'm Dr. House. I had an appointment with Dr. Rossetti." He said casually and leaned against the counter, propping his cane casually on the edge.

The woman looked at him confusedly, then shrugged it off and looked at the computer screen in front of her.

"I'm sorry Dr. House, but you aren't on the list for today's appointments."

"She said that she was going to make an exception." He said firmly.

"I'm sorry sir, but Dr. Rossetti does not make any exceptions she…"

She was caught off by the swift opening of the door that separated the foyer from the offices inside. Out walked a tall, slender woman in her fifties, whose red wavy hair could have been noticed from miles away. Her steady, piercing gaze fell on House and Cuddy. Her red painted lips formed up in a smirk as she regarded them.

"Well, well, well. If it isn't the infamous Greg House." Her sardonic reply made House smirk as he stepped forward.

"Hey Gingerhead" he retorted and limped towards the woman who gave him a brief hug.

"And this must be the unfortunate lady who succumbed by your devilish charms, and let's not forget, your gentlemanlike manners." She turned to look at Cuddy who was careful to stand slightly more upright than usual.

"Hi, I'm Dr. Lisa Cuddy," she said and walked forward with her outstretched hand.

Her grin widened as she shook her hand firmly.

"Emily Rossetti." She replied and turned to House with raised eyebrows.

"Goodness Greg. Is this the woman you have been whining about for the last twenty years or so?" She elbowed him in the ribs and smirked. "Good for you."

She stepped back to look at the couple, her emerald green eyes searching and speculative.

Suddenly she turned her head to the receptionist.

"I will be with a patient for the next hour so I don't accept any phone calls in the meantime." She retorted curtly.

"Yes ma'am." The receptionist said quickly and scribbled something on a post-it note.

"Okay follow me Doctors." She opened the door and held them for them before she stepped ahead of them and marched down the hallway. Her heels clacked loudly against the wood floors as they walked past door after door. She finally stopped by the end of the hall and opened her office door.

House and Cuddy walked inside and sat in the two guest chairs by a handsome desk. Dr. Rossetti sat on the other side, she placed dark rimmed glasses on her nose and read quickly over a file that lay on her desk, then she clasped her hands together and watched them intently.

"All right." She said with a businesslike tone. "First things first. I believe we had an agreement." She turned her steady gaze to House who immediately reacted and put the plastic bag he had been holding onto her desk. She snatched it away and dove into the bag pulling up the wrapped sandwich. To Cuddy's surprise she turned her head down and sniffed.

"The usual with double ham, extra sauce, minus lettuce?"

"Yup." House quipped seemingly unfazed by her behavior.

"Excellent."

She placed the wrap down and turned her gaze to Cuddy. There was something unnerving about her gaze, like she could see through her soul.

"So. Dr. Cuddy. I believe you are the reason my comrade called me, demanding an appointment even though I'm booked until oblivion. Am I right?

"Yes, I believe so."

"Excellent. I have heard great things about your hospital."

"Thank you."

"So, Greg sent me a copy from your blood test. I, of course will have to take a blood sample too, it's just my general procedure. You understand. How have you been feeling? Any dizzy spells, nausea?"

"Uh yes. I have been feeling nauseous and dizzy, but it's fine." She said casually.

"Humph." House huffed from her side. She kicked him under the table. She could handle a simple nausea.

"What was that?" Dr. Rossetti looked at House questioningly.

"This is a bit of an understatement. She has barely been able to hold any nutrition, and her dizzy spells have been giving her a hard time." He kicked Cuddy under the table in return.

"Have you tried Emetrol?"

"Yes, and it doesn't work. I prescribed some Phenergan, but she has been reluctant to take it." House muttered.

Cuddy glared at him sideways. Dr. Rossetti, however, merely smiled knowingly.

"Dr. Cuddy I understand perfectly. When I was pregnant I was very reluctant to take any medication. Sometimes our motherly instincts go before our medical knowledge, I would know."

"This is your first pregnancy, am I correct?" Her eyes darted to Rachel who sat in her mother's lap silently.

"Yes." Cuddy patted Rachel's hair from her face instinctively. "Rachel is adopted."

"If I wouldn't have known better I could have sworn that she isn't adopted." She said astonishingly.

"Actually she resembles you quite a bit." She pointed at House who snorted.

"That's a first."

"What? It's true. She could easily be yours."

House didn't say anything, but Cuddy could see his gaze fall on Rachel who sat silently in her lap.

"According to your file you tried in-vitro?"

Dr. Rossetti had and odd way of switching between business mode to casual one. But she was grateful that she had changed the conversation, even though she had difficulty talking about her failed attempts in having a child. But she answered them as calmly as she could.

"Yes, I had three. Two of them failed, and I miscarried after the last one."

"I'm sorry about that." She really seemed to mean it, but her solemn expression soon changed to amusement.

"So it only took few turns with the asshole over there." She pointed at House.

"Yep, it only needed some help from little Greg." House said triumphantly.

"Ha! Little Greg." She giggled. "You named your penis little Greg? That is so you."

"I distinctly remember a woman who I met a looong time ago who dated a guy that named his penis King George."

"Ha oh yeah. That girl must have been wild in her younger days." She laughed and brushed a strand of hair out of her face. She shook her head defiantly.

"Ugh, enough of this silliness." She said abruptly.

"I'm sorry Dr. Cuddy. It seems that you're boyfriend draws out the worst in me."

She stood up, and smoothed her dress.

"Why wont you go to Exam room 1. Before I take an imaging scan I'm going to take a few tests. Meanwhile he can take your little girl to the playroom so you can have some privacy."

House nodded his head and took Rachel from Cuddy's arms.

"I'll be back." He reassured her.

"Greg the playroom is just down the hall. You'll see it immediately. We are going to the second floor."

Cuddy took a deep breath and followed Dr. Rossetti out of the office, and up a flight of stairs. The second floor consisted of four exam rooms, few chairs and a table sat in the far corner of the room where two couples sat. She watched one woman flip through a magazine, her belly indicating that she was well on her third trimester. She followed Dr. Rossetti into exam room 1, and sat on the exam bench.

"All right. Why wont you put this on. I'll be right back, I think we were running short on the 21 Gauge needles." She murmured thoughtfully. She handed her a hospital gown and left the room quickly. Cuddy sighed and removed her shirt and jeans. She slid on the gown and buttoned it in the back. After she had dressed she sat on the bench and waited for her to return.

In her years as a doctor she had always disliked to go to a doctor herself. It had always been a rather unhappy experience for her. She heard a knock on the door before it opened immediately and to her relief it was only House. He stepped in, and closed it quietly behind him.

"Hi." He muttered and limped to her. She took his hand, and sighed.

"Nervous?"

"A little." She admitted. He squeezed her hand.

"It will be fine. How do you like Emily?"

"She's…uh, just like you. Did you get separated at birth?" She asked teasingly.

"Not that I know of." He chuckled. "She was always rather… prominent, at school, and in life come to think of it. We're not that much alike."

"I like her. I really do."

"I know she strikes as odd at first, but she's the best."

She wanted to ask him a question that had been burning on her mind but was interrupted by the opening of the door.

"Sorry. Henry has been stealing away our needles, that bastard, but I found them." Dr. Rossetti said triumphantly. She breezed passed them and placed some of the needles on the counter behind them until she returned again and took Cuddy's arm.

"Okay this is going to sting a little." She said. Cuddy felt a small sting in her arm, and flinched a little bit when the needle punctured through her skin.

"So…when did you two start dating?" Dr. Rossetti muttered while she worked.

"It's actually our nine month anniversary today." She replied, and winced slightly when she removed the needle.

"And how long have you been in love with each other?"

Cuddy's mouth fell agape at the straightforward question.

"Common it's all over your faces. Yes, even yours!" She directed her gaze at House who looked completely flabbergast recovered and glared at her.

"Uh, don't be like that. Don't think that you're not as pathetic like the rest of us."

She didn't wait for him to comment back and turned her attention to Cuddy.

"Are you ready to see your baby?"

Cuddy nodded her head and looked at House whose even façade could not quite hide his excitement.

"Okay, now lie down." She instructed. Cuddy lay down on the bench and looked upwards at the sonogram. She was took a deep breath when she felt the cold transducer touch her skin, and squeezed House's hand.

Dr. Rossetti peered at the screen, and moved the transducer slightly further up.

"Here we go. Can you see it?" She said and put her finger on the screen where a small dot was visible. Cuddy nodded her head; she could feel the tears threaten to spill, and she was glad that everyone's attention was on the screen. This was their baby.

"Everything looks fine. The fetus seems healthy, and there is no sign of any abnormalities given how early it still is into the pregnancy." She squinted her eyes slightly, and looked at the small fetus intently.

"It's a little bit early to say how many weeks you are in, but I would say that you're about five weeks along by the size of the fetus."

Cuddy wasn't really listening; her eyes were fixed on the screen, at the tiny dot that would soon be their child. She looked at House who had an equal expression on wonderment on his face.

"It's extraordinary isn't it?" She whispered. "This is our child."

He didn't say anything but Cuddy could see a ghost of a smile on his face. He was happy.

They returned back to the office minutes later. Dr. Rossetti wanted to have a word with them before they left. She sat in her chair and ticked something on her computer.

"I think it should be best that you come again after about five weeks." She looked over the rim of her glasses. "Unless you want another doctor that is."

"Common Emily you know you're the best."

"Unlike most men, women do actually care about such things." She said pointedly.

"No, I'm in." Cuddy assured her. Even though the doctor wasn't the most ordinary doctors out there she knew and trusted that she was the best, and she wouldn't settle for anything less.

"Excellent." Dr. Rossetti piped. "How about Friday, 30th of June at…let me see, how does five sound? I need to squeeze you in between, and I'm overbooked until then, and I definitely wouldn't wait any longer than that."

"Sounds great." They said in unison.

"Okay, five it is." She muttered and typed down.

"Here you have my card. My cell is here so you can call me whenever you want. If there's any problem don't be afraid to call me." She handed Cuddy the card.

"And here's your sonogram. Next time you will get a proper picture, but this is just for your scrapbook or whatever people do with these pictures."

Cuddy took the picture and placed it along with the card into her purse.

"Oh and another thing. I'm going to put you in what we call the green list. It's mother's who are in potential high-risk pregnancies. We put every mother who is over forty on that list, it' just standard, but given your history I don't want to take any risks okay?"

Cuddy nodded her head.

"I also recommend you to try to stay as relaxed as you can. I know you have a very stressful job, but really try to take breaks in between, okay?"

Cuddy nodded her head and stood up along with House.

"Thank you so much." She took Dr. Rossetti's hand who shook it gently yet firmly.

"No the pleasure is all mine. Everything looks fine, and as I said, don't hesitate to call me."

She released Cuddy's hand and gave House a hug who returned it reluctantly.

"Thanks for the sandwich you old fart."

"Thanks for the favor Gingerhead."

Dr. Rossetti smirked and flipped her hair over her shoulder.

"Until next time."

Five minutes later they stepped out of the building. House carried Rachel on his side and held on his cane with his other. Cuddy breathed a sigh of relief. This had been quite the experience and she was glad that it was finally over.

She grasped House's hand and together they walked over to 5th avenue.

"I'm starving." House grumbled.

"Where do you want to eat?" She asked him still feeling giddy after seeing the first glimpse of their growing child.

"What do you want kid?" He asked Rachel who looked excitedly around.

"Candy." She said happily.

"We'll get candy later, but first we need to eat real food." He told her gently.

They walked for a while until they found a quiet little restaurant by central park. They ate by a round table chatting about carefree things, both too happy to care about anything or anyone around them. After they ate they took Rachel to the zoo, who was beside herself with glee. She dragged them between places, jumping up and down ahead of them.

"Don't you think this one looks like Wilson?" House pointed at a monkey that sat by the glass wall looking at the air dumbly.

"Oh stop it House." She swatted his arm playfully, and dragged his arm to the next glass wall where a group of lions lay sleepily.

"This one actually reminds me of you." He pointed at an exceptionally pissed looking lioness. Cuddy glared at him.

"See. Exactly the same." He pointed at her. She stuck her tongue out at him.

"Howse." Rachel muttered when they were walking out of the zoo.

"What?"

"Candy." She said demandingly.

"Nah, that can't be."

Rachel's lip stuck out and she folded her arms stubbornly, she patted her small foot against the pavement, and looked at him stubbornly.

"I want candy."

House leaned down and picked her up easily.

"Okay ye bloody scallywag." He said with a pirate like voice. Rachel giggled and clapped her hands together.

They jumped into the next cab that drove them to 3rd Avenue. When Rachel saw the candy store she gasped out.

"Candy!" She yelled and dragged House and Cuddy inside. When they stepped inside Cuddy half regretted allowing them to go into the store. There were hundreds of candies in all the colors of the rainbow. The funny thing was that House seemed just as excited as Rachel whose face had reddened up considerably with excitement. Cuddy sighed dreadfully but allowed the two of them to have their fun. She was thankful that the two of them hadn't gone alone like she had planned originally, there were several stores she wanted to go to before going back home, but when House was about to pay for a lollipop the size of Rachel's head she was grateful that she had listened to her instincts. They finally ended with their separate bags of candy. They indulged on the sweet treats while they walked back to 5th Avenue.

"I'm just going to check into Saks for a sec so be good." She told House who twirled a red lollipop lazily.

"Yeah sure."

She gave him a pointed look, and stepped into the lavish store. She welcomed the cold air conditioning and walked through the isles of the store ogling the items on the racks. From time to time she went to Saks for a fashion spree, she was a woman of great taste and just like any other woman liked to indulge once in a while. She walked through the shoe department, and stopped by a pair of five-inch Prada heels. She raised a pair of the black heels and checked the price tag.

"You think it's wise to walk in these while pregnant?" House asked behind her; she turned around and glared at him.

"I wont be pregnant forever, besides look how gorgeous they are."

"Not as gorgeous as your ass." He whispered huskily in her ear. She gasped and turned around to whisper in his ear.

"Think about it like this. These heels, La Perla, me and your wildest dreams."

He growled and grabbed her butt appreciatively; she turned around to see if anyone was watching, which was the case. She blushed when a woman nearby watched them observingly the pair of shoes she was holding completely forgotten.

"House." She said warningly, but he held her possessively against him.

"You are my wildest dreams." He growled and nibbled her ear. She let out a slight moan but stopped herself abruptly and moved away from his embrace.

"I'll take these." She said a little too loudly. A saleswoman who had been gaping at the couple hurried to her and took the heels. Cuddy walked to the counter, and leaned against it.

"You are a one lucky woman." She suddenly said and looked at House admiringly.

"You have no idea." Cuddy smirked and handed her the credit card.

The woman smiled and took the card from her hands.

Five minutes later House dragged her to the underwear department. She eyed the lacy underwear carefully when she felt a hand tap her back; she turned around and saw House smirking devilishly. She raised her eyebrows but almost dropped her mouth to the floor when House revealed a little bit too sexy lace lingerie piece.

"Uh, don't you think this is a little too extreme?"

"Since when is anything too extreme for Lisa Cuddy?"

She smirked and took the hanger from his hands.

"In your dreams." She replied and walked away to return the revealing lingerie.

She ended by buying a couple of bras and panties. House sulked a little bit in disappointment but soon his playful side came again and between soft caresses and occasional butt grabbing they made their way through expensive clothes.

After couple of more splurges they finally decided to call it quits and head back home to Jersey.

The way back home was silent. Rachel had fallen asleep in the backseat, exhausted by the events of the day. When House parked the car in the driveway of her house it had become dark. House carried Rachel inside and together they dressed her out of her dress and dressed her in her nightgown. Cuddy kissed the top of her head before walking into her bedroom where House sat on her bed, waiting for her to return.

"Hey sexy." He drawled.

"Oh I'm so tired, aren't you tired?" She yawned, and tried not to smirk when House whined miserably. She ignored his whining and went into the bathroom. She had managed to sneak the shopping bags into the bathroom when House had been getting Rachel out of her seat. She cut the price tags of the delicate lace, and removed her clothing. After she had dressed herself she rummaged through her makeup and found her red Chanel lipstick. She applied a thick coat and added mascara on her eyelashes; finally she ran her fingers through her hair. She opened the door and walked seductively into the bedroom. House's expression did not disappoint. His eyes bulged out of his head and his mouth fell agape when he saw her attire.

"You…you bought the lingerie." He said astonishingly. She looked down at the very revealing lingerie that House had picked out before.

She walked over to him, careful to sway her hips a little bit more seductively than usual. She leaned against him and brushed her lips against his.

He opened his mouth and kissed her greedily.

"You naughty, naughty girl." He whispered and flipped her under him. She yelped but he silenced her quickly with his lips.

"Oh you'll be the death of me." He murmured, and ran his hand along her thigh.

She couldn't think of anything witty to say, instead she moaned into his ear and removed the remaining clothing off his body while his teeth removed the strap off her shoulder. After that they completely lost themselves in the sensation of each other's touch, no words were required.

After their lovemaking they lay in each other's arms, both completely contempt and satisfied. His hand rested on her stomach protectively where their tiny offspring lay peacefully under its father's soft touch.