a/n: Thanks everyone for all your comments! Since the alerts seem to be working now, hopefully I'll get to deliver some review replies soon.

Thanks for the show of confidence regarding the private practice angle of the story. I do plan on continuing that plot line, but it shouldn't dominate this story. I still want to deliver the right amount of fun and fluff, so this chapter attempts to get back to that. This one is a long one, so dig in!

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"I haven't set foot in a mall in a very long time." Cameron confessed as she scarfed down a soft pretzel. Eating was the first thing on the agenda today and she couldn't resist the smell of the fresh baked item as soon as it hit her nose. She made sure to cake on some extra mustard, but the messy results were proving to be less than flattering.

"Children are supposed to get messy, not mamas." Pamela ribbed, watching in dismay at her friend's less than graceful eating skills.

"You can't eat a pretzel without lots of mustard, especially when I have to lay off the salt." Cameron stuffed in the final part, complete with mustard oozing from the corner of her mouth. Pamela quickly handed her a napkin, reeling from the disturbing image.

Cameron was told the pregnancy would get easier in second trimester and that was so far somewhat correct. She still felt sick often but aromas were becoming less and less repulsive. Actually, they were becoming more and more appealing to where all she wanted to do was eat. The triggers were strong to say the least. "Thanks for finding time from your side project to help me find a new wardrobe."

"Do I have to teach you manners? Don't talk with your mouth full." Pamela actually couldn't have been happier to be there. "It's no problem. I desperately needed a break. I've made a rule today though, no mention of the negotiations. I have a few days to recover after those intense meetings that so far have gone nowhere."

Cameron got an instant look of worry over the mention of the recent activities. Robert looked practically despondent this morning as he headed off for another weekend of work. "Yeah, Robert has been completely out of sorts lately. He's often withdrawn and tired and there's nothing I can do to fix it. Between the meetings, his ridiculous hours, and our family situation I'm afraid a nutty is right around the corner."

"I know," Pamela acknowledged sadly. "I admire how he is putting himself through this for all of us. He's tough though. This is a temporary bump."

Cameron shook off her worry, choosing to be a little more upbeat given that this was supposed to be a fun day. "At least Foreman seems to be faring a little better. His mood at work has been practically jovial."

"I think Eric was enthusiastic over the idea of me working on the business stuff so I would drop the home improvement for now. I suspect he doesn't like what I've done so far."

"No, I didn't get that impression at all." Cameron replied lying through her teeth.

"Liar." She let a sly laugh slip through. "Want to hear a confession? The wall colors are making me sick. I wasn't thrilled with them, but I needed to do something to get Eric to give me some input. Of course I would have never guessed he would respond by taking this u-turn with his career, but that's why I love him. He really can be full of surprises."

Cameron didn't have much of a chance to process Pamela's admission as the sight in front of her distracted her. She stood frozen, completely sucked in by the display that was obviously meant to entice. Pamela first looked at Cameron to see what was going on, and then stood in a trance herself when she took notice of the scene.

"Kids wear this stuff?" Cameron asked in amazement.

"No, parents make their kids wear that. The Baby Gap certainly knows how to reel you in."

Cameron found the entire idea absurd. "Those outfits are adorable, but won't they be ruined by bodily excrements in no time?"

"You Doctors with your fancy terms. It's called spit up and runny poop. That's why they want you to buy three of these things. You'll have plenty on hand for all those costume changes."

"It's like I'm a kid again dressing up my very own baby doll."

"Uh huh. Glad to see you are privy to the evil plan." Another look though and Pamela couldn't hold up her cynical front. After all, she wasn't inhuman like House. "Aw, look how cute those outfits are. How can you turn that down?"

Cameron's heart dissolved as she studied a particular ensemble. "Look at that blue checkered sweater vest, tie and dress pants. It's a mini Robert." They both got a mental picture, then started laughing hysterically.

"Can you picture father and son, side by side, dressed the same?" Pamela barely got her words out in between her gasps for air.

Cameron held her belly in pain from both the excess laughter and the recent stretching of her abdomen. "I think the baby likes it when I laugh like this. I bet it tickles." A different type of discomfort emerged next and she went through her purse, pulling out a couple of tablets in a roll and popping them into her mouth.

"More pills you need to take?"

"Antacid. Ever since I had to start eating more, the heartburn is terrible."

"That means the baby is going to have a lot of hair."

"That's a wives tale."

"Look at you and Robert. It's got hair and it's gonna be pretty too."

Cameron tried to argue that point, but really couldn't. She smiled at the idea instead. They both took another long glance at the window. Cameron tilted her head to one side, admiring another outfit. "I'm hoping for a girl actually. I really want to dress her up in that adorable laced dress with white tights and the pink Mary Janes."

"Frilly stuff? Really? I figured you'd be more contemporary."

"Doll, remember?"

Pamela grabbed her arm to move her along. "Stay away from the light. You don't need to buy that stuff. We'll make sure you register there for your shower and baby gifts."

"Shower?" Cameron's eyes narrowed in suspicion. "What are you planning?"

"Who me? Nothing." Her shifty look easily revealed the blatant lie.

"Yeah, right. Don't worry, when it eventually happens, I'll pretend to be surprised."

Pamela was the one to stop in her tracks next when they found themselves in front of Sephora. She gave Cameron a huge grin. "Want a full makeover?"

"I thought we were here for maternity clothes."

"A pregnant woman must look her best, and clothes are only part of it."

Cameron shrugged. "Who can argue with that logic?" They happily entered their little toy store for women.

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Chase was supposed to have a long needed day off, but wasn't all that surprised when he got the page. Their patient was taking a turn for the worse yesterday.

"What's the status?" Chase asked the young intern from Internal Medicine that was assigned to this case. Usually on these cases he was randomly assigned an intern and maybe a nurse to help. The rest he had to do himself. Differential diagnosis sessions had gotten pretty boring by himself.

"The patient is in a coma, but stable."

Chase grabbed his temples; otherwise his hands would have been around the young intern's throat. He was uncertain as to why his day was ruined for this. He was certain that a tired state of might could easily justify homicidal thoughts. "Isn't that a development that could have been shared over the phone?"

"I figured you might want to check her vitals."

"Oh yes, I really should do that considering there is an absence in the hospital of, what are they called again, oh yeah, nurses."

The intern gave him a blank stare, obviously not picking up on the sarcasm. "Oh, I already arranged for a nurse to help you."

"Oh, then I'm all set." Chase turned away and muttered under his breath, "It looks like I picked the wrong week to quit drinking."

"Quit what?" The intern asked shocked.

Chase shook his head and headed to the patient room. The kid was so clueless he didn't even recognize a popular joke from Airplane. How old did that make him? He resolved to check on the patient since he was there. He was then going to go to his office and start petitioning medical schools to teach classes in common sense and pop culture references. Both were heavily required to survive in medicine.

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Pamela was giggling so hard she could barely stand up straight. "You look so ridiculous in that thing."

Cameron stared down at the foam strap-on that was meant to suffice for a baby at nine months term. "No one looks flattering in this thing. I dare you to try one on."

Pamela took her up on the challenge. "Okay, I can play let's pretend too." She strapped on her very own false baby.

Now Cameron was the one giggling, but she grabbed her gut again. "Ow, ow. Stop making me laugh. It hurts. Man, if it hurts at fourteen weeks like this, I can't imagine what thirty-four will be like."

Pamela wiped the tears of hysteria from her eyes and handed Cameron the first outfit to try on. Cameron slid on the black slacks and pale blue blouse stretching them both over her false front. She stopped laughing over how ridiculous she felt and stared at her reflection stunned. "This is me in five months?"

Pamela perked up with excitement. "You're adorable! The pale blue really brings out your sparkle over being a mom."

"I'm a person, not a puppy," she scowled before taking another long gaze in the mirror. Then she lightened up a bit. "It is incredible, isn't it?"

Pamela pulled out her camera phone. "Smile!" Cameron got off a smile just a split second before Pamela took the picture and started pushing some buttons.

"What are you doing?"

"Sending this to Robert."

Cameron laughed. "Oh, he'll die over it. What words are you typing?"

"You did this to me."

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Chase felt the buzz of his phone while he and a nurse were finishing with the patient. The patient was holding her own, so there wasn't much for them to do right now.

Chase's eyes grew bright and big when he saw the picture sent to him. Part of him was overjoyed, another turned on, another just blown away that this is what his wife would look like in a few short months.

The nurse noticed his intense reaction. She had never seen his face sparkle like that before. "What is it?"

"A picture of my wife."

"A dirty picture?"

Chase smiled. "No." He turned his phone around for her to see.

"You're wife is pregnant? She looks like she's due any minute. Why didn't you tell anyone?"

Chase paused, wondering why he didn't tell anyone. Maybe because there wasn't anyone to tell that needed to know. He hadn't formed friendships there like he did at PPTH. "She's only 14 weeks along. She's trying on maternity clothes."

"Congratulations. Your first?"

"Yes."

"Man, your life is going to change."

"So I've been told." Chase turned away from the nurse, typed a reply and hit send. He could only muster one word. "Wow."

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Cameron grabbed a large shirt that was hanging in the dressing area and tossed it over to Pamela. "Your turn."

Pamela threw on the shirt over her padded middle and got very tickled over her strange appearance. "I look like I swallowed a watermelon whole."

Cameron took her turn to flash a picture while Pamela was distracted in amusement by her reflection.

"You aren't sending that to Eric, are you?"

"What do you think?" Cameron said giggling while pushing buttons on her phone. Oh, I forgot to tell you something. "Who knows, maybe I'll give him some ideas."

Pamela let her smile down a little, but not enough to show any type of real remorse. "Allison, I can't have children."

"Oh Pamela, I didn't know."

"It's okay. We are fine with it. I wouldn't allow myself to goof around like this if I wasn't. Eric will get a huge kick over the picture."

Sure enough, there was a quick message returned from Foreman. Cameron broke out in hysterics after reading the message.

"What does it say?"

"Did you swallow a watermelon whole?"

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Wilson didn't know how he ended up at the mall with of all people Cuddy, but she was leaving the hospital and invited him to lunch. He could hardly refuse, even if the restaurant was in such a public place. After all, they had been having lunch in the cafeteria lately, so he was sure people were already talking.

He was walking along when he glanced to his right, noticing Cuddy was no longer beside him. He turned around and saw Cuddy behind him, mesmerized by a window display. His eyes popped out of his head when he turned back and saw its contents. "Kids really don't wear this stuff you know."

"This is…sick. I can't believe anyone would actually put this on a child. Why would they want to look like adults?"

"It's the adults that want to make them look like mini adults. I'm sure the kids would be happier running around in nothing but a diaper."

Cuddy laughed. "I'm sure that would be House's choice as well."

Wilson shook off that disturbing image and they continued to examine the display further. He got a revelation and pointed. "That one dresses like Chase."

Both of them chuckled cheerfully. "All the more reason to ignore this stuff. I'd hate to think that two human beings in this world would actually dress that strangely. Anyway, I'm getting far too ahead of myself. Come on, I'm hungry."

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"Try this one next."

Cameron put on the sundress held up by two thin straps. The red floral pattern was a bit loud, but the cuteness of the style more than made up for it. Pamela looked at it with all angles, shaking her head in uncertainty. She pulled out the phone again. "I need an expert opinion."

What do you think? She typed the message into the phone and sent it along with the picture. "If the man don't like it, then what we think is a moot point."

A minute later the response came through.

"We have a winner!" Pamela declared.

"What does it say?"

"Thud, floor." She noticed Cameron move onto the next item. "Ooh, you trying that lingerie next? I'm warming up the camera again."

Cameron yanked the camera phone from her hand. "There has to be some surprises involved. Besides, I can see him getting in trouble at work because his wife sent him soft porn while he was trying to treat a patient."

"That never stopped House." Cameron began to lecture her with her eyes. "Okay, I'll let you have your surprise. Don't pay too much for that though. I have a feeling it's going to get very little wear."

Cameron felt her stomach twinge and checked her watch. "Come on, we've done enough damage here. I need a snack before we move on."

"What do you have in mind?"

Cameron paused to remember what she passed at the food court, and then the strong craving hit her. "Boardwalk fries, pizza and Haagen Dazs."

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Chase wearily headed back to his office, hoping that he would finally get some time to unwind. His office was small and lacked a window, but Princeton General wasn't all glass like PPTH, so he could hide easily by just shutting his door. He wanted to hide away and never be seen again. Or at least until he's had some rest. The pager would assure that would never be possible.

He pulled out his phone out from his pocket as he slumped down behind his desk. He couldn't take his eyes off the first picture Pamela sent to him. It affected him way more than he thought. It wasn't just the glimpse of what was to come. It wasn't Allison's charming smile and broad eyes that were cautiously optimistic about what lied ahead. It was up until now they hadn't had time to grasp the reality of the situation. They had been going through the motions, doing all the things that expecting couples were supposed to do and not truly realizing the magnitude of what was facing them. That was a little person inside of her and it was growing fast.

He lightly brushed his thumb over the picture, feeling lucky to be married to the most beautiful woman in the world. "You're having my baby." He whispered with an excited smile.

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They stared at the grueling scene of mass chaos in front of them. Their jaws were slack, their eyes wide, their hearts filled with terror. "What is that?" Cameron asked horrified by the sight.

"It's called a play area. That is where mothers of young children let their kids loose while they stand on the sidelines with their Starbucks, trying desperately to get a fix to so they can make it through the rest of the day without losing their sanity."

"These children, they're so…uh it's…how can they be so…"

"Hyper?"

Cameron grabbed her stomach and turned a bit pale. "I think I'm going to be sick."

Pamela jumped in with concern. "Do you need your medication? You only ate a half hour ago."

"No, it's not the sickness. It's repulsion. How in the world will I ever be able to do this? I'll be sitting there, afraid of every bump and bruise that my kid could get, not to mention the plethora of germs and bacteria the other kids are smearing all over those surfaces. How will my kid ever survive?"

Pamela put her hands on her hips, not at all impressed with the paranoia. "How did you survive? Back in our childhood there was no such things as car seats and bicycle helmets and playgrounds were on the hard cement. Those play areas are made of soft plastic. They are safer than anything we ever had."

"So our generation has grown more fearful? Now I'm really scared."

Pamela laughed. "Fear is the heart of love."

"What exactly does that saying mean, anyway? I never got it."

Pamela didn't have a chance to respond as they heard the intense screaming of a small child just to the right of them. They looked over to see a three-year-old girl who had fallen off the play horse she climbed on. She was holding her elbow. The mother had rushed over and picked up her child, but was still rather frantic about the pain the girl was in. The security guard had come over to help, but didn't know what to do.

"I'm a doctor." Cameron said rushing over to the woman and the crying child. "Can I look at it?" she asked the child with her warm and gentle face.

The worried mother nodded, while the child looked at her hopefully with her large blue watery eyes. Cameron moved the elbow ever so slightly and the child let out a little scream. "It's slightly dislocated. I can easily fix it." She gave the child a sweet reassuring glance. "Ow, then it's over, okay?"

The girl nodded and Cameron gave the elbow a little tug. The child let out a small yelp, but then let a huge smile burst through her wall of tears when she realized the pain had gone away.

"All better?" Cameron asked. The little girl gave her a timid nod and buried her face in her mother's shoulder. Cameron tried to reassure the mother. "You may have to put some ice on it if there is swelling, but otherwise she will be fine."

"Thank you so much," the woman said clutching onto her little girl for dear life. "I'm so glad you were here."

"No problem." Cameron gave a huge smile to the child. "Bye sweetie."

The child broke from her mother's comfort, reached out and gave Cameron a big hug. Cameron felt just about every bit of her heart melt inside. When the hug was broken, they went their separate ways. Cameron let a few tears well up in her eyes once they were a few steps clear of the area.

Pamela smiled sweetly at Cameron. "Motherly instincts. Check. Able to emotionally connect with small children. Check. Sucked in by a cute little face. Check."

"I get it. I'll stop worrying now." Cameron stopped in her tracks and twitched her nose upward, taking in the irresistible scent. "Ooh, Cinnabon."

Pamela reluctantly went along, not being able to resist the idea of that luscious, rich, sugary, and extremely fattening baked good melt in her mouth. "I thought you were the one that was supposed to gain weight."

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"So, have you been feeling alright?"

Cuddy smiled, actually touched by his simple concern. "Actually, I've been great. I get tired a little quicker, but as long as I keep eating all right I haven't been getting sick at all. The cravings aren't even bad."

"You're only six weeks along. It's still pretty early for all the symptoms to be hitting. You look wonderful by the way." Wilson's sincere smile while delivering the compliment was hard to resist.

Cuddy shyly smiled in return. "Luckily you're the only one to notice. I'm shocked I've still been able to keep House in the dark."

"Don't worry about him Lisa. So what if he figures it out? You know he won't want to play a role in this time of your life."

"No, he'll just harass me silly so he can stay amused. Anyway, it's still too early to talk about it. Things could still go very wrong."

Pamela stopped in front of the seafood restaurant, taking in the delightful smell of whatever was cooking. She looked at Cameron, baffled as to why she wasn't going for another chance to stuff her face.

"Sorry, seafood is one of those smells that still makes me want to puke. I also have to watch seafood and fish because apparently the trace amounts of mercury are dangerous to expecting mothers-"

Cameron let the last words fade as she stared into the restaurant trying to verify if she was seeing correctly. As soon as she realized it was who she thought it was, she covered her mouth with her hand trying to hide the laughter.

"What do you see?"

"That's Dr. Wilson and Dr. Cuddy. Seem a little cozy, don't they?"

Pamela looked real hard, and then got the same smirk. "Why yes it is. Should we go say hello?"

"We can't do that."

"If they didn't want to be seen, they shouldn't have gone into a public place."

Cameron again couldn't find any fault in her logic. "Okay, why not?"

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Cameron barely had enough energy to get the key in the door. Shop until you drop wasn't so hard for a woman in her condition. As soon as she closed the door and put down the bags, she felt arms wrap around her from behind. A chin gently rested on her left shoulder. "You scared me. I'm surprised your home."

"The patient is in a coma. I told them to only call me if she dies." Chase still held onto her for dear life, not wanting to ever let her go.

"Robert, is something wrong?"

"No, everything is right now." He let out a huge sigh of relief.

"Come on, I'm supposed to be the emotional one."

He pulled his hands down to her abdomen and cupped them over the slight and firm protrusion. She couldn't avoid closing her eyes and smiling in sheer comfort over him holding their baby. She felt a couple drops of moisture run down her left cheek, but it took a few seconds for her to realize they came from his and not her eye. They lost themselves for several minutes treasuring this complete family moment.

"Are you going to tell me what is wrong now?"

Chase broke his hold and led her over to the couch, all while wiping his eyes with his hand. "I'm just exhausted, that's all. Physically, mentally, and emotionally exhausted. I saw that picture and you were stunning. It reminded me of my priorities. We are having a baby and right now that is all that matters. Everything else is crap."

Cameron gingerly took his hand and intertwined her fingers with his. "We're in this together. We'll get through. I'm really tired too. How about we curl up tightly in our bed and sleep the troubles away?"

Chase leaned over, lifted up her shirt, pulled her waistband down slightly and softly brushed his lips against her bare solid abdomen. "Care to give this baby some gentle rocking first? I'm sure we'll all sleep better that way."

She leaned forward and kissed him ardently, loving the sweet sentiment used over what was basically an invitation to sex. "We can try gentle rocking. Usually we are giving it a roller coaster ride."