Episode 12

"Daddy Issues"

I don't own these characters, but it would be nice if I did.

Wait...In this story, I created some of the characters, so I will actually own them.

Anyways, I do promise to keep them true to themselves.

And as to the ones I create, who they are is up to me, so...

London's Penthouse

London could only sit there in shock as she stared at her friend while her eyes almost bulged out of their sockets and her jaw almost hit the floor. After the bomb Maddie had just dropped on her, she couldn't have said anything if she had wanted to. Which actually worked out since London had no idea what to say even if she could have formed the words. Maddie was pregnant? That was the last thing London had ever expected her to say right then. Yeah, the absence of Trevor had made her think that maybe they were having a fight or a problem of some kind, but certainly not this.

Shaking her head, London hoped that would help her clear her mind and allow her to gather her thoughts, but it wasn't helping any. All her ears and mind could hear was Maddie telling her that she was pregnant, and it kept echoing around her skull over and over. The part that was really confusing London was that it just didn't make any sense to her. Wasn't Maddie the good Catholic girl? London could admit to herself that she didn't know much about the dogma of that denomination, but she had a pretty good feeling that nuns at Our Lady of Perpetual Sorrow would be just as shocked as she was. Shaking her head again, London was really hoping that she had heard Maddie wrong or something along those lines. Finally, she regained her voice.

"Maddie...Did you just say that you were..." She paused. "...that you were pregnant?"

Maddie just nodded at her sadly. "Yeah, I did. So, while I do appreciate your willingness to help, London, I'm pretty sure this is something you have no idea what I'm dealing with right now. I mean...unless I've missed more while I've been away than I've been told, I don't think you have any idea of what how finding out something like this can change your life forever..."

"Well, no, I guess I wouldn't. But...but..I mean...how did this happen?" London paused and shook her head. "Never mind! Strike that! I'm pretty sure I know how this happened! But why didn't you say anything to me about this before? This is wonderful news!"

Maddie sighed. "Yeah, for most people it would be. Unfortunately for me, not so much. London, I've hardly told anyone at all about this because I'm still trying to come to grips with it myself. This wasn't planned. Getting pregnant right now was the last thing in the world I ever expected to happen. I just need time to figure out what I'm going to do, and I needed to get away for a while. So, I decided to come back to Boston because I figured I'd be comfortable here in my old surroundings. But once I landed at the airport, it dawned on me that I couldn't go to my parents and tell them. They would have been highly disappointed in me at best and disowned me at worst. Either way, I knew it would only make them argue more, and I didn't want to be the cause of that. So, your penthouse was the only other place I felt like I could come. I know I should have called first, but I couldn't..." She paused. "I hope you aren't disappointed in me too..."

London gave her a funny look. "Why would I be disappointed in you? Maddie, you're one of my two best friends in the whole world. For several years, it was you who constantly took care of me. And then when I left for the ship, that task got turned over to Bailey. Fortunately, I can take care of myself now, but I still owe you both a whole lot. I'm here for you in whatever you need." She paused. "But I do have to ask. Where's Trevor? I mean...I'm assuming he's the father of your baby, right?"

Maddie looked almost offended. "London! Of course he is!"

"Well, I told you I had to ask. I mean, you show up here on my door step out of the blue, and all weekend, you've tried to avoid the subject whenever someone mentions his name. Now, you tell me that you're pregnant and that he is the father. Naturally, that's going to cause me to ask questions. Like, why isn't Trevor here with you?"

She leaned her head back on the couch and sighed. "Trevor isn't here because he and I broke up..."

London's eyes went wide again. "He dumped you when he found out that you were pregnant?" Her anger began to rapidly build. "Why that no good, low down son of a..." She pulled her cell phone out of her purse. "I'm going to call Daddy right now and have him teach Trevor a lesson he won't ever forget! Nobody does that to a friend of mine!"

Immediately, Maddie turned to London and grabbed her arm. "No! You can't do that!"

"Why not? For what he did, he deserves a lot worse than this!"

She sighed again. "Because Trevor doesn't even know I'm pregnant..."

London thought she was done being shocked that afternoon, but this new tidbit got her too. "How in the world can he not know? If he doesn't know, that means you didn't tell him! Maddie, what were you thinking?" She shoved her phone into Maddie's hand. "Here, call and tell him right now! He as the right to know about this, don't you think?"

"I can't tell him now, London. It just wouldn't work out for us. I mean, he's not even in the country right now..."

She was beginning to get a little impatient. "Maddie, where is he then?"

"London..."

London narrowed her eyes. "Maddie, tell me where he is!"

"I just did. He's in London, England. For the next year, he'll be the London based correspondent for a conservative leaning newspaper here in the states. The day I found out I was pregnant was the same day he found out he had been offered that job. I told him I had a surprise for him, but he said he had one too and insisted that he go first. London, you should have seen and heard how excited about it he was. He even called it the opportunity of a lifetime. He said they wanted us to fly over there the very next day..." She shook her head. "Once I heard that, I just knew I couldn't tell him about this. I couldn't just destroy his dream like that. So, I knew I had to do something so that he wouldn't resent me later for losing that chance. When he brought up us moving to England, I balked at it. It lead to us having a big fight, and I told him that I wanted to break up with him. He's tried to call me several times a day since then, but I've ignored all of his calls. If you want to check my phone, you'd see that he's already called me four time today as it is..."

London narrowed her eyes and glared at her friend. "Not good enough! Maddie, he has the right to know that he's going to be a father! When he gets back next year, are you going to be there to meet him at the airport with a carriage and be like...'Surprise!'?"

Maddie was getting a little stressed out. "I don't know! I haven't had time to think about things like that yet! I've been more focused on the life growing inside of me and making sure I do the best thing for it..."

Taking a deep breath, something else dawned on London. "Do you have a doctor here in Boston yet? Do you even have medical insurance?"

She paused again before shaking her head. "No...to both."

London pulled out her phone again. "Don't worry about it then. I'm calling the human resources person at London Inns right now and getting you put on the payroll this afternoon. I'll make sure that includes all health benefits too. With me calling her personally, she'll make sure it goes into effect tomorrow. After that, I'm making you an appointment tomorrow to see the best doctor in Boston!"

Maddie just looked at her. "London, I couldn't ask you to do that..."

"You're not asking me - I'm telling you what's going to happen! You can fight me on it, but you know me, Maddie. Eventually, I always get my way!"

"Thanks, London. I promise you I will do a good job for you."

"I know you will..." She paused. "You can start next week though. But between now and your appointment tomorrow, you need to call Trevor and tell him the truth!"

She shook her head. "No, I won't do that. London, I truly appreciate you helping me like this. But this is my life, and I need to figure out what to do on my own."

"But you're not on your own! You have me, and you'll have Moseby, Carey, Zack, Maya, Bailey, Cody, and a whole bunch of other people here to help you out. But none of them is the father of your child. You and the baby will both need him in the coming months..." London paused. "Besides, I thought you loved Trevor..."

Maddie stared at her again. "I do! That's why I'm doing all of this! Its for him!"

"Then I don't get it. How do you think he's going to feel when he does find out? Can you imagine how hurt and angry he'll feel that you didn't tell him?"

Maddie slumped back into the couch again. "Like I said, I just don't know anything right now, London. I hope he won't hate me for this, I really do. I'm just trying to do the best thing for everyone here. I'm doing the best I can..."

"Think about your unborn child then for a moment. Is depriving him or her of its father the right thing for it? Is that the best thing for him or her?"

She hung her head. "Again, I don't know, London. This is the first time I've ever dealt with something like this before! I'm so confused right now, and all I want to do right now is go to sleep and wake up to find that this has all been a horrible nightmare!"

London realized that she had to back off because Maddie was really fragile right then. "You're right, you do need your rest right now. So, why don't you go lie down for a while. But, we're not done talking about this yet..."

Maddie stood up and nodded. "I know. And London, thank you so much for being here for me like this. I don't know what I'd do without you right now. But you have to let me do things my own way. I don't want you going behind my back and trying to track down Trevor so you can tell him. Please, respect my wishes."

She sighed. "Fine. I may not like it, but I promise you that I won't do anything like that. But you have other things you need to start thinking about too."

"Like what?"

"Well, to start with, when are you due?"

Maddie paused to think. "The middle of March. I'm right around three months along right now."

"That means it probably won't be long until you begin showing. You might want to keep this a secret from Trevor, but soon enough, you won't be able to hide it from everyone else..."

New Haven

The next day was Tuesday, and that meant Cody and Bailey were due to have their first tutoring sessions since they had discovered that Rob was really Theo Cavanaugh. And when they arrived at the study rooms in the basement of the library, both knew they had to play it cool and act like nothing was different. Of course, Cody was so focused on playing his role that he failed to notice Ox glaring at him once again. However, since Trixie had arrived first, Cody had no choice but to head on into the study room with her to begin their session. Before he did though, he told Bailey he was right next door in case she needed anything. She just smiled at him but was still hoping this wasn't going to amount to anything. About three minutes to two, Rob finally showed up and smiled at her.

"I'm here on time!"

Bailey just nodded. "I can see that. Well, lets get started then. I have my own homework to do later."

They headed into the study room and began unloading their backpacks. And once Bailey was ready, she spoke up again.

"Alright, what are you going over now in your class?"

Rob grinned at her. "Actually, before we get started, I have something else to give you as a token of my thanks and appreciation..." He slid a a long, flat velvet box across the table towards her.

Bailey looked at it before looking back up at him. "What is it?"

"Open it and find out!"

She was getting a bad feeling in the pit of her stomach, but she still did as he suggested. And when she opened the box, she saw a gold watch encrusted with diamonds and emeralds. "Its a watch..."

He grinned. "Yeah, I thought you could use it..."

"I don't know why you would think that..." She held up her wrist. "I already have one that works just fine."

Rob laughed. "You may have a watch, but not one like this one. Its is a Cartier..."

Bailey looked at him in confusion. "Is that supposed to mean something to me? It looks nice, but I admit that I don't really keep up with high end brands. My old roommate in high school once got mad at me because I butchered the names of some of her favorite designers..."

He had a look of surprise on his face. "Cartier is the best watchmaker in the world. Its even better than Rolex. Besides, I figured it matched that rock on your finger better than the one you're currently wearing."

Suddenly, she remembered Cody telling her how Theo had once plied Zack with expensive gifts to get him to do whatever he wanted. So, Bailey shook her head and shoved the watch back towards him. "I'm sorry, but I can not accept this..."

Rob was even more surprised now. "Why not?"

"Well, to begin with, like I said, I already have a perfectly good watch. And it was a birthday gift from my fiance, Cody. He even had it inscribed on the back that he would love me for every second, every minute and every hour of every day. The fact that he gave it to me and meant every single word he had engraved on there makes it more valuable and precious to me than any other watch in the world could be. Besides, he knows I don't care for gaudy, expensive things like that Carter one..."

"Cartier..." He laughed. "And the ring on your finger says otherwise. That thing is worth a fortune!"

Bailey looked down at her engagement ring and couldn't help but to smile. "I love this ring but not because of what its worth. Its an heirloom that has been in Cody's family for generations upon generations. The fact that he gave it to me shows me that he already considers me part of the Martin family, and I feel the same way about him and my family. So, I would feel the same way about it even if it was just a plane band."

"Are you serious?"

"Dead serious..." She paused. "Speaking of being serious, I'm being serious too when I say you shouldn't have sent me those flowers either. That wasn't necessary."

He laughed. "Why not? Am I not allowed to show you my thanks for giving me a second chance?"

"If you want to show your gratitude for me tutoring you, then keep showing up on time and taking this serious. And if that's not enough for you, a simple 'thank you' would suffice. I only accept flowers from two men – my fiance and my father. I should have brought them back today to give to you, but if it makes you feel any better, the university hospital said they would brighten up someone's day there..."

That left Theo speechless. Usually, giving girls flowers and expensive gifts had always worked for him in the past. But, it looked like he was going to have to move to Plan B. "Okay, explain this to me. You're about 21, right? We're about the same age here then. How do you know you are ready to get married? Like I said, we're the same age, and I know I'm nowhere near that point in my life yet..."

Bailey smiled again. "Because I just know. I've known Cody for over six years now, and I can't imagine my life without him. Simply, I want to spend the rest of my life with him."

"How do you know there isn't someone else out there better for you that you haven't met yet?"

"Because Cody is my perfect feller. There's no one out there better for me than he is." She paused. "Answer a question for me then. Have you ever been in a serious relationship or in love?"

Theo paused. "Well, no...I can't say I have."

"Well, what gives you the right to question me about something you know nothing about?"

That one stumped him momentarily. "Fair enough. Why him though? No offense to him or anything, but he is kind of a nerd..."

That caused Bailey's smile to turn to a frown. "Why would you say something like that? What gives you the right to judge him when you don't even know him?"

Theo sat there for a moment to think. He realized he had almost blown his cover, and he didn't want to do anything to tip Cody or Bailey off about his true identity. "Well, I was talking to Master Chun, and he told me that your fiance has a perfect 4.0 here at Yale pre-med and with a double major. Only a nerd could really pull that off..."

Bailey smirked at him. "Well, I'm pulling off the same thing. So, I guess according to your rationale that I'm a nerd too, huh? So, if I'm a 'nerd;, wouldn't it makes sense that a 'nerd' like Cody would be perfect for me?"

He had to backtrack quickly. "No, That's not what I meant to say at all. But, be serious here. He is well...him, and you are...well, you. You could definitely do a whole lot better..."

Now, she was really starting to get mad. No one talked about her Cody like that. Bailey was definitely beginning to think Cody had been right about Theo all along. So, she just glared at him. "Again, you don't even know Cody, so I would strongly encourage you to refrain from making disparaging remarks about him in the future. It shows real ignorance to speak about something or someone that you know absolutely nothing about! And not that its any of your business, but I know there is no one better for me than Cody. Besides being the kindest, sweetest and, in my opinion, handsomest feller out there, I love the way he makes me feel about myself. In his eyes, I can see that I'm the most precious thing in the world to him, and I feel the same way about him. Cody is my Prince Charming, and he's told me that I will always be his queen. And the best part is we both know the other means that with their whole heart. We love each other heart and soul and always will. Now, you tell me. Why should I bother listening to your thoughts on relationships when you admit you've never been in a serious relationship let alone been in love? That would be like taking driver's ed from someone who's never been inside a car before..."

Theo was stunned at her outburst. "Look, I was just thinking that..."

She interrupted him. She was far beyond being just angry at him. "You know what? The only subject that I care about what you think is organic chemistry. We have gotten way off topic here, so I suggest we get back to the reason why we're here. I'm just your tutor, and that's all we will ever be. My personal life is none of your concern and not up for further discussion. Got it?"

Theo held up his hands. "Okay, okay...Sheesh...Sorry if I offended you somehow. I guess I just thought this would be easier if we became friends too..."

Bailey had to bite her tongue right then. It was pretty obvious to her that was a complete lie, and she thought he had other ideas in mind. "Sorry, I have plenty of friends already. Besides, I'll be leaving here in several months to go to medical school with Cody. And I seriously doubt you and I will keep in touch after that. Now, shall we get back to studying? If not, I'll go next door and help Cody with someone who actually wants our help..."

Theo was really reeling by now. None of this had gone like he had expected it to. But, he wasn't ready to quite give up just yet. "Alright. But before we do, can I ask one other school related question?"

She sighed. "What?"

"Well, I was thinking that since you're in my food class, I could join you and your fiance in doing the group project in there..."

Bailey forced herself not to laugh as she shook her head. "No thanks. Cody and I have already gotten a lot of research and leg work done for it already. It wouldn't be fair to either of us to bring you in at such a late point. And no offense, but you've already shown how unreliable and easily distracted you can get when it comes to your studies. Besides, Cody and I live together, so we can work on it any time of the day or night that we want. It just doesn't make any sense for us to throw a wrench in to what is already working for us. So, I would advise you keep looking and find another group..."

"Geez...sorry I even asked. And just to be clear, I did get in to Yale, so I must be able to do okay academically..."

"If you say so. But while we're clearing up things, here's something else. If you ever bad mouth my fiance in any way again, no matter how slight, you'll be looking for a new tutor. I'm doing this as a favor for Master Chun, but if I tell him that you show up late and rather focus on my personal life instead of organic, I'm sure he'd understand me dropping you. He already knows I have better things to do with my time than to waste it here with you. So, from now on, we'll treat this as a purely professional arrangement. Understood?"

Theo shook his head and sighed. Looked like he was going to have to go back to the drawing board. "Fine. Lets just get to work then..."

A couple of hours later, Cody was packing up his things in his study room when Bailey walked into the room carrying her things. Upon seeing her, he looked up and smiled.

"Hey, Sweetie...how did things go today?"

Bailey sighed. "Well, if you want to tell me 'I told you so...', go ahead and say it. It looks like you were 100% right about Rob also known as Theo after all..."

His smile faded. "Why do you say that? What happened?"

Briefly, Bailey recounted the earlier conversation she had had with Theo, and Cody could only shook his head. As much as he wasn't surprised, he had really hoped he had been wrong about this.

"I'm sorry, Sweetie. I wish I hadn't been right, but by what you just told me, it looks like he's up to his old tricks. And from his digs at me, it seems pretty obvious that he's fully aware of who I am." He paused. "So, you want to stop by Master Chun's office on the way back to our room to ask him to find a new tutor for Theo?"

Bailey smiled. "Not at all. I fully plan on remaining his tutor..."

Now, Cody was the confused one. "Huh? But you just said..."

She laughed. "I know what I said. But its obvious that he was planning on trying to mess with us. Well, if I keep tutoring him without him knowing that we know who he really is, I can turn the tables and mess with him..."

"Bails..."

"Cody, haven't you heard the old saying about keeping your friends close and your enemies closer? Well, this way, I can keep an eye on him and try to find out what he's up to. And with us a few steps ahead of him, we can make him regret anything he tries to do..."

He shook his head. "I don't like this one bit. Bails, I'd never forgive myself if you got hurt just because you're engaged to me. If not for him knowing me, he probably would leave you alone..."

"Maybe..." Bailey smiled again. "But that hasn't stopped you from standing right next to me when Moose has tried to bother us. If not for me, he wouldn't have a problem with you. Well, its the same thing here."

Cody sighed again. "I hope this doesn't come back and bite us in the butt..."

London's Penthouse

That same afternoon in Boston, London was pacing back and forth in her penthouse waiting for Maddie to get back from breaking the news of her pregnancy to her parents. She was just thankful that everything had gone well at the doctor's office that morning. If it hadn't, she would have advised Maddie to hold off on telling her parents for a little while. But as she paced, London did have to admit to herself that Maddie's pregnancy was inadvertently turning out to be a good thing for her. With Cody and Bailey having completed the plans for their wedding, this was taking its place as her new pet project. She realized that didn't sound particularly good, but it was true nonetheless. And while London still didn't agree with some of the decisions Maddie was making about her life, she did respect her enough to keep her promise not to try to get in touch with Trevor. But London did have the Tipton blood flowing through her veins. While she had promised she wouldn't do anything herself, she realized she could find someone else to do the dirty work for her and still technically keep her word to Maddie. And as she though, a large grin spread across her face as she knew exactly who would be her perfect partner in crime.

Finally, Maddie returned back to the penthouse close to six o'clock that evening, and immediately slumped down onto the couch. And from the look on her face, London had a feeling things could have gone better.

"That bad, huh?"

Maddie sighed as she sunk further down into the couch. "Oh, I guess it could have been worse. All my mother did was cry, and my father looked like he was about to have an ulcer. But, at least they didn't disown me..."

London sat down next to her. "Well, you just have to give them some time to get used to this. I mean, they just did find out about it after all. But don't worry, they'll come around eventually."

"I sure hope so."

She tried to cheer her up. "They will, and when they finally do, they'll be thrilled that they're going to be grandparents..." She paused and smiled. "Unfortunately, there's nothing your kid can do about being stuck with having Liam as an uncle..."

Even Maddie had to laugh at that. "Oh yeah...that should be interesting."

"Look on the bright side though. Even though his or her uncle is less than desirable, your child will be lucky to have you as his or her mother. Maddie, You were born to be a mom. I mean...look how well you always took care of me."

Maddie smiled. "Thanks, London. That means a lot to me coming from you."

She laughed. "Well, just make sure you keep him or her away from any open windows especially if I'm going to be around it. You and I both know we don't have the best of luck with babies and windows..."

Maddie had to laugh again. "Oh my gosh! I had almost completely forgotten about that!" She shook her head. "Poor Esteban..."

London looked at her incredulously. "Poor Esteban? What about poor me? For some reason, teachers were constantly giving me stupid assignments like that. On the boat, Tut made us do a marriage assignment where I had to pretend to be married to Zack..."

Maddie just looked her. "Please tell me you're joking..."

"Afraid not. Of course, it ended in divorce. And I think he actually cried when he realized he wasn't going to get any alimony from me."

Maddie just shook her head. "I think I would have paid to see that..." She paused. "Speaking of Zack, I know you've told me about his and Maya's history, but from what I can see, they seem to be doing pretty well now."

London shrugged. "Yeah, I guess they are. They both seem genuinely happy..."

Maddie sighed. "Yeah, he does. Everyone seems happy but me. He has Maya. You have Todd. Moseby is married. Esteban is married. Cody and Bailey soon will be married. And here I am looking at being a single mother..."

"By your own choice. You know you don't have to be one..."

"London...please don't start that again. After the day I've had, I'm way too tired to argue with you again."

"Alright. I promised you that I'd try to hold my tongue, and I will."

"Besides, this is the twenty first century. Being a single mother isn't looked down upon like it was in the past. A lot of women do it and are still able to have their careers. I mean...look at Carey. Almost by herself, she raised two twin boys. And look how well they've both turned out."

London nodded. "True, but Kurt is still a big part of both of their lives and knows of their existence. Plus, she did have a whole lot of help. There was us, Arwin, Moseby and even Muriel. Of course, as soon as she could, she shipped them off to the boat with me.." She paused. "But, I hope you know you'll have help too."

Maddie looked at her. "You really think so?"

She smiled. "I know so. Think about it. By this time next year, look at how many potential babysitters you'll have around. Carey, Zack, Maya and I will all be in the hotel. And Cody and Bailey and Moseby and Tut will all be in town as well. And by then, I'm sure you're parents will come around too."

"I sure hope so..."

"But the first thing you have to do is confide in your friends and not be afraid to ask them for help."

Maddie sighed. "I know. You're right. I know they'll be there for us..."

London smiled. "Good. I'm happy to hear you agree with me on something for a change. Because I've already reserved the private dining room downstairs for tonight and invited everyone who is here in town to join us for a special dinner. And after dinner is over, the stage will be all yours..."

Maddie just gave her friend a look. "London! Please tell me you didn't..."

New Haven

After their tutoring sessions had finished for the day, Cody and Bailey had headed back to their room to do some homework themselves. And as they did, they were able to forget about what had happened earlier. But once they finished, the topic immediately came back up again, and Cody kept asking Bailey if she was sure she knew what she was doing. And every time he did, she just kept smiling at him and telling him that she was positive. Once he realized there wasn't going to be any talking her out of this, he proceeded to go back over with her everything about Theo that he could remember. Of course, it didn't make him feel any better when he realized that Theo was probably capable of so much more now than he was when he was thirteen.

"Bails, are you really sure about this? No one would blame you if you just dropped out from being his tutor right now. I mean, we can even find out his room number and go confront him right now. Maybe if he knows were wise to him, he'll back off?"

She smiled at him again. "Cody, I know you don't really believe that. Besides, I can take care of myself. Didn't I prove that to you last year with Kyle?"

"Yeah, you did. But I didn't like that plan last year any more than I like this one. Fortunately, we got through the last one without anyone getting hurt. I'm not sure we should press our luck again..."

"I appreciate that you worry about me like that, Sweetie, but I know exactly what I'm doing. Besides, its like I said last year. Guys like Kyle and Theo who try to mess with us need to be taught a lesson they'll never forget. And I'm even more ticked off this year than I was last. I wanted a stress free senior year, and he's getting in the way of that. Besides, this kind of reminds me of what Maya dealt with over this summer. She handled it just fine, and so will we."

Cody sighed. "Well, if you're sure about this, you know you have my total and complete support..." But when she mentioned what Maya went through, a light bulb went off over Cody's head. He remembered Maya saying that Zack had told her to know one's enemy. Well, it had been over eight years since he had last seen Theo, so his knowledge of Theo was lacking. But he had an idea about how to solve that.

Bailey snapped him back to reality though. "Cody, I know I always have your support. But enough about this thought. How did your tutoring session go today?" She smiled at him. "Any problems with Ox?"

Cody shrugged. "It went fine. Trixie seems to actually know her stuff pretty well. I wouldn't be surprised if she didn't need me any more. Plus, it would be nice not to have to deal with Ox everyday. I swear, he must ignore me when I say I'm engaged to you. I don't know of any other way to say that I have no interest in his girlfriend whatsoever..."

Bailey laughed. "I wouldn't worry about it, Sweetie. Most of the time,..." She was about to say something else when there was a knock at the door to their room. Cody got up to answer it, and he found Gertie standing there smiling at him.

"Hey guys! As soon as Howie finishes up a program he's writing, we'll be ready to head down to the dining hall to grab some dinner. Are you two still up for another round of trivia tonight down at the Black Bear Saloon?"

Cody grinned. "Of course we are! Do you think we'd give up a chance to show off our brainpower and make money while doing it? Not in this lifetime!"

She laughed. "Us either..." Gertie paused and closed the door behind her. "Actually, while I'm here, I was hoping I could ask you two for a big favor."

Bailey smiled. "Sure. Just name it."

"Well, do either of you two know anything about building your own computer? I mean as in not buying a standard one but building your own from the ground up with as much memory as you want or as fast as you need or where you can pick and choose which software and programs you want installed..."

Cody paused as he thought of the obvious. "No offense, Gertie, and this might be a stupid question, but why not just ask your boyfriend? I mean...he is our resident computer science major after all..."

She laughed. "Well, if it was for me, I most definitely would. But this computer would be a Christmas gift for him. So, if I want it to be a surprise, I can't really ask him to help me out with it. Besides, I figured with you living with him for three years, you might have a better idea of what kind of programs he would need on it. I want him to have everything he would need on it for graduate school too."

He smiled. "I got you now. And to answer your question, yeah, I have a pretty good idea of some of the things he'll be needing, and I'd be happy to help. But it would probably be a good idea to start off at the campus computing center. They could probably give us a list of everything he'd have to have eventually."

"Why didn't I think of that? Thank you so much, Cody! I'm afraid I'd get to a store and have no idea what I was looking for. My knowledge of computers is limited to Word, Excel, e-mail, the internet and the one drafting program I use all the time. Knowing my luck, I'd get him something that would be completely obsolete as soon as I left the store with it..."

Bailey laughed. "Well, with way they keep expanding technology today, it probably will be anyways."

Cody nodded. "Which is why you want to get as much memory as possible so he can upgrade and add new programs later as he needs them."

Gertie shook her head. "I'm just glad you two know what you're talking about then..." She paused to think. " I'm done on Friday at noon, and Howie doesn't get out of class until three. Would that be enough time to go look?"

"It should be. Bails, does that work for you too?"

She smiled. "Actually, you two will have to go without me. I have an appointment over at student health that afternoon."

Cody frowned. "You do? Why didn't you tell me about this before? Do you want me to go with you?"

She laughed. "Nah, I'll be fine. Actually, I'll just be in and out. I just need to go in for another shot..."

He was confused. "A shot? But you..." He stopped when he realized what kind of shot she was talking about. "Oh yeah...I guess it is about time for you to get another one, isn't it?"

Bailey just nodded. "Yeah, it is. And I definitely don't want to put off getting this. I shudder to think what could happen if I didn't..."

"I completely understand."

Gertie looked back and forth between them in confusion. "What are you two talking about?"

At the same time, both turned to her. "A flu shot..."

Bailey laughed nervously. While she knew she could confide their secret to Gertie, she still would rather as few people knew about it as possible. "You remember how sick I got freshman year..."

Gertie nodded. "Very true..." She paused. "Maybe I should make an appointment to get one myself? I don't want to get sick this semester with as much as I have to do..." She turned to Bailey. "Do you think I could get one the same time I get my birth control shot?"

Cody and Bailey just looked at each other and had no idea what to say to that.

Zack and Maya's Suite

By the time Zack and Maya got back to their suite late that evening, both were exhausted both mentally and physically. To say that their day had been an interesting one would have been an understatement. It had started off normal enough as work and class had been pretty much the same as they always were. But at lunch time, both had gotten a text from London demanding their presence that evening at a special dinner in the hotel's private dining room. Both wondered what it was about, but both had a class to get to and figured they would find out later. However, after class, they had to go straight to their martial arts dojo for their biweekly class there. But when it was over, they had to hurry back to the hotel to shower and change so they wouldn't be late for London's dinner. And what they had learned after dinner had shocked them to the core. So, both just sat there on the couch trying to come to terms with what they had just found out.

"Wow..."

Zack nodded. "You can say that again..."

She shook her head. "If this wasn't really happening, I'd think it came straight out of a Lifetime movie..."

He had to laugh at that true. "I guess so...not that I watch that channel" He paused and sighed. "I used to think our past issues were pretty out there, but the one Maddie is dealing with is like ours on steroids..."

Maya nodded. "I know. And after what I did, I guess that's why I can kind of see where Maddie's coming from in all of this..."

Zack turned to look at her in surprise. "You agree with what she's doing?"

Maya shook her head. "I didn't say that. I just mean I can understand it a little bit..."

"Well, I can't! I guess I'm seeing things from Trevor's perspective. There is this vital piece of information that will completely change his life, and he has no idea that it even exists..."

"I know. I feel sorry for the both of them...but maybe this is the way it has to be?"

Zack looked at her again in confusion. "Why would you say that?"

"Well, look at it this way. Both you and I and Cody and Bailey both have had something major thrown at us to see if we were strong enough to overcome it. Fortunately, we all did. Maybe this is the obstacle that Maddie and Trevor have to overcome?"

He paused to consider that. "Maybe. But I think this is a little more major that anything any of us had to deal with. For one, this isn't just about them. There is a third life that will be affected by all of this."

"That's true."

"I mean...I can't even imagine what I would have thought if you had come back from Africa with a little Zack Jr. or Zackerina with you..."

She paused before nodding. "You're right. But all we can do is try to be as supportive as we can. Ultimately, what happens is between them."

He laughed sarcastically. "Yeah...if Trevor ever finds out." Zack paused to think and remembered the look on London's face when Maddie had said she wasn't going to tell Trevor anything. He wasn't sure why, but he got the impression that London was trying to tell him something with her facial expression. But before he could think any more about it, Maya snapped him back to reality.

"Zack?"

He looked up at Maya. "Huh?"

"You okay?"

"Yeah. I'm fine. I was just doing some thinking. You're right though. This is between Maddie and Trevor."

Maya smiled. "Good." She paused and laughed. "Oh, and for the record, there will never be a 'Zackerina'. I think naming a child that would be borderline child cruelty!"

Zack couldn't help but to laugh too. "Awww...I kind of like it! How about Zackerella?"

She just gave him a look and shook her head. He was about to try to make several other suggestions when he felt his cell phone vibrating in his pocket. He pulled it out and saw that he had a text message. Clicking on it, he read it.

"You and I need to talk ASAP! London"

To be Continued...