I locked the door to the forge at four o'clock like I always did, my grandfather counting down his drawer as if we had made a large amount if sales today. Granted Kai had come in to pick up his Mother's day present for Popuri- a nice ring with their son's birthstone in the setting- just before closing. I'm sure that she would be more than pleased with it. Everything that Kai ever gave her she treasured more than life itself.

Kai seemed to be on a different note this year, embracing his father hood and his duty to watch over his now toddling son. If I hadn't have heard it from his own mouth about a year ago I never would have believed anyone who told me how he had felt. But Kai seemed to have taken Tim's words of wisdom to heart and things were a lot better. As a matter of fact, far from screaming every time he saw him- Kevin was damn near inseparable from his father now. He was getting so big too; I couldn't believe that toddler had been the pudgy baby that I had seen at the end of last summer.

"So when can I expect news of a pending great-grandchild from you?" I heard Gramps say, a hint of amusement to his voice. I balked some, my grip on the tools I was putting away tightening as I took a deep breath. After all, Grandpa didn't know about what I had been going through at home the last year. It wasn't like my wife's and my failed attempts of conception were idle office banter. And work was the only sanctuary I had left from sinking pit of depression that had grown in my home.

"I…I don't know. I mean…we…we were trying but…" I managed out, my voice strained as I forced the words out. I found that I couldn't finish the sentence and closed my eyes painfully.

Claire had been trying her best to handle everything but every month she had to drop that negative pregnancy test into the bathroom trash can she seemed to become a little more withdrawn. And it was killing me.

I didn't know what I could do to make her understand that it wasn't her fault. And I had tried to explain that even if we wanted to have a baby that there were some people in this world that for some reason couldn't have one. That particular conversation hadn't ended on the note I thought it would. I had thought maybe it would help her understand that it just might not be what fate had chosen for us. But I had ended up comforting a sobbing woman, and I think that instead of giving her strength like I had intended that I had done the opposite.

I had broken her….and she had given up.

The past two months there had been no awkward conversations about new methods. No magazine issues offering new positions or schedules and that sort of thing. She hadn't even opened her new box of EPTs and the subject had for the most part been dropped completely. The only time she even brought up children in the last two months was to inform me that we would be taking a certain couples child for the night. We had watched Sonya the most, as she was the most well behaved child and the least mobile. Johnny had also stayed a few nights, but the toddler didn't particularly care for the chickens in the yard- and screamed when he saw them. We were supposed to take Kevin and Rod for Mother's Day to give Popuri and Kai, and Karen and Rick some time to spend together. I personally felt like this was not the best idea in the world, seeing as how Claire had not been herself lately- but Claire had blown my concerns off.

"I see," My grandfather's voice brought me out of my thoughts as he stroked his beard thoughtfully, a sympathetic expression on his face. He didn't say anything for a moment, and then he jerked his thumb towards the door. "Go be with your wife. I'll finish cleaning this up today," he said, taking the broom I had been reaching for and beginning to sweep the shop floor.

"Oh…alright. I guess…I'll see you at supper then?" I asked awkwardly, earning a stiff nod from the man. I sighed and gave the man a thankful smile before leaving, glad that on some level he was being understanding and slightly considerate- even if it was geared more towards my wife than myself.

As I approached the farm I could hear some intelligible squealing from in the house, signaling that the kids were indeed here already. I let my shoulders slump and shook my head. This just didn't feel like a good idea. Not with Claire having felt the way she had been. I didn't know if it was because she was depressed or becoming ill, but she'd been sleeping a lot more recently.

She was just exhausted all the time, and I had been worried about the strain of her doing her regular work- let alone taking on more with the babysitting. And her mental health worried me to. She seemed fine, but after that episode where I had to hold the sobbing woman for an hour I had been leery about if watching those kids was doing more damage than good.

"I'm home," I called out as I entered the house, the familiar scent of grilled cheese sandwiches invading my senses. I took my jacket off and tossed it on the couch as I walked towards the kitchen. Claire was bent down, placing the cut up sandwich wedges on the tiny kids table were Kevin sat, and Rod was already digging into his, a sandwich quarter in each chubby fist as he squealed from his high chair.

"How was work?" Claire asked, standing up and then shaking her head slightly, a small smile on her face. I raised an eyebrow at her as I took off my hat.

"Fine. Honey are you alright?" I asked, concern lacing my voice. She looked paler than usual, and somewhat…distant.

"Oh I'm fine. Just…tired," she mumbled, turning and walking back to the kitchen. That had been her answer for three weeks now. Just tired.

"You need to go to the damn doctor about that," I muttered, pushing my hair back in frustration.

"Gray! Language," she chided as she opened the oven and pushed in the pan of prepared corn.

"You've been feeling that way for awhile and you're sleeping later and going to bed earlier." She closed the oven and went to stand, faltering some and gripping the oven handle. "Claire?" I called out, not sure what was wrong. I closed the distance in between us, pulling her up straight. I released her but she leaned somewhat limply against me, causing me to grip her shoulders. "What is it?" I demanded, no longer willing to buy the 'just tired' excuse.

"I…I'm not sure. I just felt dizzy all of a sudden," she murmured. I narrowed my eyes and scooped her legs out from under her. She let out an outraged squeal and it was echoed by that of Kevin who thought is was funny to watch me carry the woman. I carried her to the couch and sat her down, forcing her to lie.

"Stay there," I demanded sternly, just as the door opened.

"What is this about?" Grandpa chuckled, earning a glare from me and a blush from my wife.

"She isn't feeling all that well," I stated, standing up and making my way to the kitchen. I began pulling out the plates and setting the table, glancing over at Claire every so often to make sure she was still laying on the couch.

"Well did the doctor give you any medicine?" Gramps asked Claire, looking her over as if examining her himself.

"I haven't been to the doctor," Claire began, only to earn an all too familiar disapproving glare.

"And why not?"

"Because the stubborn woman won't go," I interjected, my tone boarding on annoyance and amusement. It was amazing that there were times when my wife could be just as stubborn as me.

"You're lucky you aren't my wife. I would have taken you kicking and screaming, thrown over my shoulder," he began to chide, and I could practically hear Claire's eye roll. I opted to stay in the kitchen, washing the dishes that were soiled and cleaning up Rod's high chair when he got done smearing what was left of his grilled cheese across the top of it.

I turned to go back to the kitchen when I tripped on something, causing me to stumble into the counter rather hard and I let out a choice curse when I slumped over it, hand coming to my tender gut. A sudden high pitched scream had me jerking my head back to behind me, seeing that it must have been a toddling Kevin I had tripped over. His high pitched scream caused Claire to jump up and she quickly took two steps towards us before hesitating, swaying slightly as her eyes became unfocused.

"Claire," I managed out, though it came out strained as I tried to stand up straight, my recently abused midsection protesting the movement.

"G-Gray…" she mumbled out, collapsing to her knees. Grandpa had caught her before she could fall all the way to the floor, and he looked down at her and then back to me as I forced my unwilling body to move into the living room.

"It's alright boy. She's just fainted I believe," he said calmly, doing his best at trying to keep me calm as well. Call me over dramatic but when my wife just randomly passes out for no apparent reason it freaks me out just a little bit. Who the hell just faints anymore? This isn't the 1800's.

"Can you watch these kids so I can take her to the clinic? Or at the least…" I mumbled, not sure if the kids would appreciate being left alone with such a scary looking guy they hardly knew. "take them back to Poultry Farm and tell their parents what happened."

"I'll take them back," he said warily, evidently thinking along the similar lines of what I was. "These rugrats don't know me and I'm not in the mood to sit here and listen to them scream until you get back."

I nodded at him, scooping up my wife bridal style, and frowning at how light she felt. I had a suspicion she had been losing some weight, but this was ridiculous. I had come to learn early on in our marriage that Claire didn't eat much when things bothered her. The last several months with her hope dwindling I had noticed her eating less and less. This fainting thing was probably from malnutrition.

"I'll come by and let you know what is going on after everything settles down," I mumbled, shifting Claire as I reached the door so I could open it. Grandpa picked up Rod and grabbed Kevin by the hand, leading him out the door as well.

" Don't worry about it…If you need to come in late tomorrow I'll understand," he muttered out, visibly wincing when Rod yanked on his beard. I gave him a curt nod before making my way out of the farm and walking as fast as I could towards the clinic. I kept glancing down at Claire, hoping she would wake up, but it seemed she wasn't coming too any time soon.

"You need to start taking better care of yourself," I muttered darkly as I passed the library, a relieved sigh leaving me as I saw the clinic come into view. I didn't expect a reply from the unconscious woman, but I did think back to something I had read once since we'd been trying to conceive. Claire needed to be healthy at her age, otherwise her body wouldn't be able to handle a pregnancy.

"Hey Doc," I called as I entered the clinic, hoping that Elli didn't mind her Mother's Day being slightly over crowded. She was sitting at her desk, little Sonya in a play pen next to her. She girl squealed when she saw me, raising her arms up in a gesture to be picked up. "Sorry Sonya, my hands are full right now," I managed out, taking Claire into the side room, Elli trailing in after me, clip board in hand.

"What happened?" she questioned as I laid Claire in the bed.

"She's been sleeping a lot- fatigued. Tired all the time. Then today she was feeling dizzy. She stood up quick and fainted," I mumbled, taking my hat off and twisting it nervously. Elli nodded and grabbed some pillows from the other bed, lifting Claire's feet and putting them on it.

"When ever someone passes out like that, it's best to elevate there feet so proper blood flow returns to the head," she explained as Tim walked in, and she moved out of the way so he could begin his examination. Tim poked and prodded at Claire, checking her blood pressure and her heart rate and all the normal things he did when I found her passed out in her field. But this time something was different.

"Gray…we're going to do some blood work on her."

"You aren't sticking me with any needles," came a weary voice from the bed. I shook my head and walked up closer to her, ruffling her hair and leaning down.

"You just collapsed in the house for no apparent reason. If I have to pin you down they're taking the test the need to find out how to make you better."

"But there is nothing wrong with me," she began to protest, which only resulted in my covering her mouth with my hand.

"When it comes to your well being, you will never win that argument with me," I said firmly, not moving my hand until her muffled protest silenced. Needless to say Tim got his blood sample, be it willingly or not.

-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-

"I want to go home," Claire repeated for what seemed like the hundredth time in the last hour. I stood up from my chair, really wanting to leave this place myself. That had to be the most uncomfortable chair in the world.

"Are you still feeling dizzy?" I asked, ignoring her complaint all together.

"I'm feeling extremely agitated and am seriously considering consulting a divorcee attorney," she snapped back, kicking the hospital sheet off of her in frustration. I turned around, scowling at her and clearly not amused with her comment.

"Am I interrupting something?"

I turned to Tim, slightly relived that he had come in. I was in no mood to explain to my wife that her contemplating divorcee because I was concerned about her health was just ludicrous.

"No. Claire just wants to go back home," I said, reaching up to pull my hat brim down only to realize it was still sitting on the edge of Claire's hospital bed.

"Well everything came back alright. She'll be free as soon as you two sign all the paper work and pick up some prescriptions," he chuckled, looking down at his clip board and shaking his head. "You finally proved me wrong, didn't you?"

I blinked at the older man, somewhat confused, and evidently my face showed it since he rolled his eyes and stepped into the room, sitting on his stool and smiling down at Claire.

"You're a very lucky woman you know. A lot of women would love to have the symptoms that you do." It was Claire's turn to blink at him with confusion. He chuckled some and handed her his clip board, flipping the first page and pointing at something. Claire looked at whatever was written there, her eyes widening and one of her hands coming up to her mouth.

"Oh…Gray," she whispered, her eyes not leaving the chart. I felt my stomach tightening, not exactly positive if whatever was on there was good or not. I released a breath I didn't realize I had been holding when she finally smiled at me, and hesitantly walked up to her. Claire handed Tim back the chart, her hands coming to scrub furiously at her face.

"Why…why are you crying?" I said, slightly panicked, squatting down next to the bed and trying to remain as calm as I could considering my wife seemed to be having a nervous breakdown at the moment.

"She's pregnant," Tim stated quietly, slapping my back as he laughed. I stared at the crisp white sheet of the clinic bed for a moment or so, the information sinking in and still not quite registering. I looked up at Claire, who was beaming brightly at me, evidently waiting for my reaction. I gave her a weak smile before turning back to Tim.

"But…why did she pass out? I mean…don't women usually just throw up?" I muttered out, confused as to how a fainting spell could be diagnosed as a pregnancy. "Is…is something wrong?" I asked, rubbing the back of my neck nervously. What if this was going to be a normal occurrence? Was she was going to have complications like this the whole nine months?

"Her blood circulation is altering itself, as the uterus needs more as it grows with the baby. As long as she takes her time getting up and does it slowly she shouldn't pass out. If she does you just need to lay her down and elevate her legs," he began explaining and I shook my head, scowling at the floor.

"But if she falls it can hurt the baby," I muttered under my breath, rubbing my hand over my face in agitation. "And the fatigue?"

"That should actually not last too much longer. After the first trimester she'll probably be over energized," Tim continued to explain as I sat on the edge of the bed and slumped slightly. I glanced over to my wife, her happiness from a few moments ago absent. She was looking at me with a hurt and worried expression on her face.

"Is she…is she going to have problems?" I asked, turning back to Tim. He raised his eyebrows and looked over at Claire and then back to me before answering.

"Her physical condition could be better, but I feel that with a healthier and more nutritional diet than her current one, and the prenatal vitamins and care, as well as bi-weekly check ups, she should have a healthy and relatively normal pregnancy." Tim finished and wheeled his stool closer to Claire. He grabbed her hand and patted it, closing his eyes and taking a deep breath.

"You are going to have to be extra careful now, and not do some of the things that farm work requires," he began to explain. I watched them out of the corner of my eye, grateful that Tim thought to explain this to her. Claire nodded and reached out, gently tugging on my arm.

"You're mad about this, aren't you?" she asked quietly, her eyes falling to her lap. I opened my mouth to speak, thought better of it and shook my head.

"No…I'm not. I just…" I stopped, unable to find the words I wanted to say.

"He's more concerned about your health," Tim offered, and I nodded, giving him a grateful smile.

"I don't want anything to happen to you, or the baby," I added quietly, moving more up the bed and pulling her into a hug, my chin resting on her head. I smiled bitterly into her hair and shook my head. "I've read so much about what can go wrong…I just…" I stopped talking and held her tightly, my eyes shutting as I tried to will myself to be calm. I heard Tim's shoes on the tile floor as he left the room, leaving us alone.

"Gray," Claire began, but I simply squeezed her tighter, hearing her let out a groan before I loosened my grip.

"I don't want to lose you. Either of you," I muttered into her hair, feeling her small arms circle around my torso, her hands rubbing my back soothingly.

"Don't think like that, alright?" She murmured out finally, breath brushing over my neck. I let out a sigh at the suggestion, but she continued on. "This is supposed to be a very happy moment. And so help me I will have your grandfather beat you if you don't give me at least one smile."

I couldn't stop myself from chuckling at that, pulling back some and doing my best to give her a smile. I let my gaze flicker from her face and down to her belly, and I could feel my smile falter.

"What…what if they don't like me?" I muttered out, scratching my head as my wife just rolled her eyes.

"Goddess, Gray, I'm fairly sure your own flesh and blood will like you on some level," she muttered out, huffing and crossing her arms over her chest. "I don't call you being this insecure before we were married."

"I was," I said truthfully, my fingers reaching out to graze over her lower tummy. There…was life in there, huh? I wonder when it would move around and we could feel it. "I just didn't tell you about it." I pressed my hand flat against her belly, a sudden giddiness filling me as I pressed my lips against hers for a moment. "Happy Mother's Day," I mumbled out, chuckling when her face flushed as she registered the words. She giggled some and nodded her head, one arm wrapping around my neck and pulling me closer so she could kiss me again.

"So it is…" she mumbled against my lips.

So it was.