"Girls! I need you!" Susan is frantic as she enters, rattling Rebecca from her brain fog.
"Not now, Susan!" Elaine snaps, sitting on a high top barstool, "Rebecca needs our energy."
Rebecca takes an inhale and resumes wiping down the table, "Sorry Elaine, I don't mean to be such a downer when you're bein' so nice to come see me."
"Honey, your world has been flipped onto its side. You're allowed to stress out about the future."
"Yeah well,' she rubs her forehead, 'Gosh. I don't know what I'm doin', keeping this baby. I want to I'm just. You know, Brian said-."
"You are pregnant?!" Susan nearly spits the sip of coffee stolen from her sister, "You better name your little girl after me!"
"Stay with us, Susan!" Elaine glares and takes her mug back.
Rebecca scoffs, wringing the towel in between her hands and checks over the tables she's responsible for from a distance, "I haven't had a minute to think that far ahead just yet."
Marge passes with a bowl full, commenting on her way to the kitchen, "Blueberry? Is that still what you're craving?"
"Thanks," Rebecca hesitates momentarily, taking a handful.
"Cravings, huh? What is that like?" Elaine asks curiously, finally removing the hand that's been rubbing Rebecca's shoulder.
Rebecca half laughs, "Why, are you thinking about having a baby too?"
She shrugs, "Not for a while. I have to meet and play with yours first! Couldn't you just picture it, though? Our little babies, the best of friends? I bet your little one will have quite a mind. And when you're ready for your second…well. I can just picture their career paths."
Rebecca reaches for a French fry, "I'll be grateful as long as this baby is healthy."
"And is your baby healthy? Do you like your doctor?"
Her face drops, "No, yes! Dr. Erik- I mean. Selvig. Dr. Selvig. He's been fabulous."
"Now you all wait just a minute,' Susan sits up taller, 'who gets to raise these babies should something awful happen to you too?! I have no intention of raising a bunch of little girls-."
Elaine steals the now stolen French fries from her sister's grasp, "It's innappropriate to steal things you haven't paid for! And so is wishing us dead."
"I am not wishing you dead! I'm just saying," Susan groans, "And I understand that Rebecca's baby is high priority but I've got a situation too and it's been eating from the inside out so can I please talk about myself now?!"
Rebecca lays her chin on her hand on amusement, eyeing Susan with a half smirk, "What would you like to share?"
"Okay!" She shifts excitedly, immediately lighting up, "You know I've been working at the beauty salon."
"Have you though?!" Elaine mumbles, her eyebrow lifting.
"Yes I have! And I'm doing a real good job of it, too!"
Elaine Walters lifts her hands in surrender, drumming the countertop.
"Anyways,' Susan turns to better face the duo, 'Last week this man walks in-."
"Oh, HERE we go again! Let me guess, he thought you were so beautiful and you found him irresistible so you made a rash decision to go out and on this date, you discovered that he's a married man with two kids-."
"That was one mistake and I know you'll never let me live it down but would you please let me finish my story! He's a nice respectable young man who asked me out on a date,' she eyes the counter, and folds her hands humbly, 'He's not married. I asked him this time."
Rebecca answers first with a smile, "That's wonderful. What's his name?"
"No! No it's not," Susan frantically looks between them, "I haven't gone shopping in two weeks! I have nothing to wear."
Rebecca covers her mouth to hide a laugh.
"Oh my lord," the older sister shifts on her stool, looking her sister up and down, "You have a closet the size of my bedroom. What do you mean you have nothing to wear?!"
Susan glares, hand on her hip to emphasize her point, "Lainey, a man of his stature looking down at me?! I'm gonna need a nice pair of heels just to have my eyes level with his shoulder if you know what I mean."
"Oh now wait just a minute; are you bringing this up just so you can ask to borrow my nice red heels?"
She softens her tone, "It's an emergency-."
"Noooo!"
Rebecca looks up toward the café door, standing taller when she sees a familiar face as he makes his way inside.
Upon awkward eye contact, Erik dodges and loops back around.
Rebecca tucks her chin and frantically reaches for a towel to fake clean an already pristine area of the countertop.
The bell over the door rings again, and her assumption of Erik's return is made truth when she hears his throat clear and a weak greeting;
"Hello Rebecca."
"Dr. Selvig," she lifts her eyes momentarily, shoving a menu in his direction.
"Oh no, that won't be necessary, I already know what I'd like, thank you," he fusses with his tie.
She wipes her hands on her apron, ignoring her sisters in law;
"And what can I get you?"
"Black coffee," he dodges eye contact.
She needlessly holds her notepad, "Anything else?"
"No! No, that's it. That's good. Thank you…Rebecca- Mrs. Banner."
"Right," she offers a coy smile, finding his fumbling adorable and moves to address her pot.
"Becky? Tell her she can't just borrow my stuff when she pleases!" Elaine calls out.
Susan crosses her arms in a huff, "What's the point of having a sister if she can't share?!"
Elaine glares, "If it were left up to you, we'd share just about everything except for Morris."
"Morris isn't my type."
Rebecca hides another laugh, entertained by the duo.
Elaine stands and grabs her purse, "Let's. Go, Suzy. Becky needs to return to her customers."
Erik and Elaine share a glance, with the latter looking him up and down and then back toward Rebecca.
The waitress waves, eager to be rid of them before Elaine can ask any questions.
"I saw Brian this morning. At the laboratory."
"Oh?" Rebecca questions without moving her eyes or changing her pitch.
"I'm surprised he didn't let you take the car to work."
She looks up, inhaling and huffing her exhale with a stoic expression.
"That's none of my business. The bus is just as nice," Erik clears his throat once more, "Anyway. How are you feeling, Rebecca?"
"Oh fine," she lifts a broom from behind the counter after refilling a pitcher of water, "But um. We don't have to talk about it during your lunch break."
His eyebrows lift, "For you I'm…I'm all ears. You may call me anytime of the day…with questions or…concerns."
Rebecca looks around the café, before trying to find eye contact, calming herself back down, "I hope this whole thing isn't too awkward, for you."
"Oh no, no ma'am. All part of the perks of having two jobs."
She nods, reaching for the coffee pot.
"Uh, you?" He asks, delayed in the question.
"What."
"I hope this isn't…awkward."
She shakes her head 'no', eyeing the coffee as she admits reluctantly, "You put me at ease, Dr. Selvig."
"Well,' he reaches for the mug, 'that's good to hear…Thank you."
She clashes her pot with his cup in a 'cheers', looking up over their playful act, "Sure thing."