The past comes knocking on our door.

It's his face that tells her something is definitely up.

She's bundled up between a fort of pillows in their living room chaise. Barely recovered from her scary preeclampsia incident two weeks prior, but Sam is a strict man and she's on active bed rest, which basically means that she doesen't get to do a damn thing anymore.

She works the desk at the station though, but only half days. Its driving her both insane and crazy, but she follows orders when it comes down to their unborn baby's well being.

"What's wrong? Who called you?", she asks when he sits down by her feet like a zombie.

"Uh...that...was...my mother. She called from Spain. Said she's coming to town..."

And Andy gasps. Like mouth all open, shocked to her inner bones.

Yes, Sam told her about his mother, but it was almost like she didn't really exist. She does now. She very much does.

"Your mother? When?"

At first, he doesn't answer. She takes his hand in her own, squeezes and then, she get's his attention.

"Huh?"

"When is she coming?"

Its a good ten to fifteen seconds before he says something. He smiles nervously. Like he wants to crawl into her lap, hide his face and stay there.

"Its... She says day after tomorrow...Friday Andy! My mother comes Friday", he says like it just hit him that his own mother is actually coming. Almost nine years after he saw her the last time.

(Nine years prior, Gabrielle Swarek buried her ex-husband Jay Marshall, Sam's father. Dead from boredom(and cancer) at Milburn Penitentiary, and she gladly travelled all he way from Spain to Canada just to witness that son of a bitch being lowered into the dirt).

Sam loves his mother, he does, but living in two completely different parts of the world, really limits their time spent together.

"Hey", he hears from his wife. "Its going to be okay Sam...and I can go out for a while if you want to invite her over. No stress, really".

In one swift motion, she finds herself perched up in front of him. Her back to his chest, and she relaxes, all the way into her core.

He kisses her hair and places his hands safely on top of her protruding mountain of a belly.

"Andy... I don't want you to go anywhere okay? I want you to be here with me. I want you to meet my mother and I want her to meet my wife. I need you to stay okay?"

She leans back all the way into him and covers his hands with her own. "Of course I'll be there Sam. Whatever you need okay? I cant wait to meet your mother".

"What did I ever do to deserve a wife like you huh?"

Andy chuckles, because she feels like she is the lucky one.

It's no secret that they have been through more than most couples to end up where they are today, but despite all the crap, shit, ups and downs, not a day goes by without her thinking about how damn lucky she is to have a husband like Sam that she knows loves her more than anything in the world and would do anything to keep her safe.

She is forever grateful. She is the lucky one.

So that was Wednesday.

All through Thursday, she feels like she's walking on egg shells and broken glass both at once.

Sam is stressed. He's antsy all day and she can't for the life of her figure out how to make it better for him.

But on Thursday night,when she's about to undress and get ready for bed, she's completely caught of guard when he comes up to her and takes on the responsibility to get her out of her clothes. Slowly, he undresses her.

Piece by piece.

And when he lays her down on the bed, crawls on top of her gentle as can be without hurting her or the baby, she opens herself up to him as much as she can.

When he makes love to her in a whole new way entirely, she knows it's exactly what her husband needs and before anything she can think of, she's happy to give him what he's craving for the most.

They fall asleep tangled in sheets and naked limbs, and the night before his mother is coming, he sleeps like a baby.

Because Andy, she's his wife. She's always there.

On Friday, Andy wakes up alone in bed. She feels cold sheets when she reaches for him, and thinks his's gotten up already.

She crawls her way out of bed reluctantly in her own pregnant-woman-style and shivers the second her feet meets the cold hard wood floor.

Yeah, its definitely winter alright.

She grabs her fluffy robe and the closest pair of wool socks she can reach and heads down stairs.

The house is too quite for Sam to be home, so she pushes a few buttons on the coffee maker she bought Sam last Christmas. Automatic timer and all.(Either one of them remembered to set it last night, so there you go).

And although Sam is pretty strict when it comes to her health and nutrition these days, he does in fact allow her two cups of coffee each day(the doctor's have all told him its okay, and to be honest, considering how addicted his wife is to the caffein, he does not want to argue with a very pregnant Andy, so yeah, Sam let's her enjoy it while she can).

She peeks into the foyer to see if the car is still in the driveway, which it isn't, so she relaxes a bit. If Sam is forced to go out and buy groceries, he does it when half of the city of Toronto is still a sleep. Sam Swarek hates buying groceries, but what he hates the most, is when the stores are packed.

So, he goes when no one else does.

Andy pours herself a cup of caffein, cuts and peels a green apple(she's been craving them since week 23, and swears that she cannot start her day without it), before she sits down by the table.

It is kind of nice to have these quite, calm mornings, coffee and reading the news on the iPad, that she never thought she would love as much as she does(she insisted that it was an unnecessary purchase when Sam dragged her along to look at some, and told him that she would never use it), and she tries to envision how their mornings will look like in a few weeks, months, years even.

She can't hide the smile that comes when she sees three dark headed mini Swareks throwing food and spilling their milk, because she can't wait to have crazy mornings, lack of sleep and not a quite and calm morning until they're all shipped off to college.

Andy is not entirely sure how long she's been "out" of it, because the next thing she knows, Sam is coming through the front door.

She waddles up and greets him in the foyer. "I wondered where you went..., did you get me anything exiting?", she wants to know.

And she is perfectly aware that she is like a small kid on Christmas day when Sam get's home from a store. If there is something in there that she can eat, she'll be happy as ever.

"You slept so calm that I didn't want to wake you. I thought we could make lasagna and salad when mom comes", Sam states like he's asking for her approval.

"That sounds good. I'll help", she offers as Sam puts down the bags on the counter.

He shakes his head no. "Have you eaten yet? I'll make you an omelet".

She knows there is no point in arguing on that.

"Okay...if you let me put the groceries away". Its not a question.

Sam searches her eyes. "Fine, you can do half", he states, like she is incapable of doing it herself.

Huffing, she makes her way up to him. " .Impossible.", she says against his lips.

"Ah, but you love me anyway sweetheart".

"Yeah, I do. A lot".

They smooch for a while, before Andy forgets all about her half of the groceries she insisted on putting away. She heads upstairs and Sam smiles like a damn fool for distracting her.

He puts away the groceries himself and places an omelet with cheese and baby tomatoes in front of her when she comes down again.

Sam feels like a good husband and father to be.

She's massaging some kind of oil on her belly when he joins her in the upstairs bathroom a few hours later.

Sam, likes the view he gets when she bends down as far as she can go. He-yeah, he likes what he sees. Like a lot.

"You know what that does to me sweetheart...", he grumps as he let's one hand vandrer off on her body.

She shakes her head and giggles. She knows he's very much attracted to her despite what the wonders of pregnancy does to her body. Miracle of life hello?

Still, it really does not bother her to hear it from time to time.

She looks at him. Studies his face and rest one hand on his chest. "You're not nervous or anything are you?"

"No, I'm good...", then he pauses."I haven't seen her in almost ten years. What am I supposed to say to her? Hi mom, hows Spain?"

For someone who met her mother after fourteen years, and yelled at her for leaving her own child, Andy does not have one wise word to tell her husband.

What she does know though, is from what he's told her about his mother, is that she seems like the kindest sort, and she is going to be there by his side the whole time. Like a good wife.

"How much did you tell her on the phone? Does she know that we're married and that you knocked me up?", she jokes.

Sam chuckles. "Uh, I did tell her that I couldn't wait for her to meet my wife, but uh... I thought we'd make the rest a surprise".

"You meen the obvious?"

"I did not say that", Sam assured her.

"Course you didn't dear".

Andy was about to pull him in for a quick one on the lips when the door bell rang. She raised both eyebrows.

"You ready to meet my mother sweetheart? I'll go, so you get dressed".

Sam is not going to lie. He's nervous. The closer he gets to their front door the more he wants to hide under the bed. He's a grown man damn it, and it's just his mother who's coming. Okay – so, he haven't exactly seen her in almost a decade, and isn not entirely sure of how she looks anymore, but the second he sees a familiar face through the small window by the door, he is both excited and happy.

"Samuel! Look at you! How did you get so handsome? Come here!", Gabrielle Swarek hollered the second her son opened the door.

"Hi mom. It's really good to see you, come in, its freezing outside".

"Well, I know for sure that you didn't decorate this house, so where is that wife you were bragging about huh"

He chuckled and kisses his mother on the cheek. "Getting dressed upstairs mom".

"Sweetheart? Mom is here, come say hello!", he calls after his wife.

"Coming!"

"Come on in mom. We have lasagna in the oven. You want a glass of wine?"

"That sounds nice Samuel. Thank you".

Gabrielle Swarek follows her son through the house and into the kitchen. "I love this house. It's so home and peaceful".

"Its all Andy mom. There she is", he smiles as Andy walks in.

The look on Gabrielle's face when she sees what Andy is carrying on her front is the most incredible feeling Sam has had.

"Oh my god! You're having a baby? I"m going to be a grandmother?", she looks from Sam to Andy and back again, not quite sure where to keep her eyes.

Gabrielle comes up to her daughter in-law. "My god you are just... so beautiful". Gabrielle is both amazed and stunned. It's her birthday and christmas all at once. She does not know what to do with her self.

"Surprise?", Andy jokes, hugging her mother in-law back.

"I can't believe this! I'm so happy! And proud! Samuel, why didn't you tell me before? I would have gotten on the first flight home!"

"Ah, well..."

"When is the baby coming? How far along are you Andy?"

Andy smiles. Proud and happy. "33 weeks. Only seven to go".

Gabrielle hugs Andy again. "Thank you for making me a grandmother!"

Sam clears his throat. "Ah,mom, I helped with that part you know", he joked.

"Come here son! My goodness, I'm so happy kids! Do we know what we're having? Do I buy pink or blue?"

"Blue mom. We're having a boy", Sam announces in the most proudest way he can.

"I'm sorry if I'm being pushy Andy... Can I...", she tries, motioning towards her big belly.

"Yeah", Andy giggles. "Go ahead".

So there Andy stands in the middle of their kitchen, while Gabrielle Swarek feels the boy kick into her side. Its... yeah, its not something Andy would ever think would happen, but she is so happy its true, because the look on Sam's face, while watching the two women interact means the world to him, she can see it in his eyes.

Gabrielle Swarek is here to stay.