After arriving at the restaurant, Rick excused himself and Max to go out for a bit.
"Where are you going?" Lisa asked her mysterious husband.
"We'll be right back," Rick assured her with a quick kiss on the top of her head. "You'll like my surprise."
Max only shrugged in response to Miriya's questioning look. He then quickly followed Rick out of the restaurant.
"Do you have any idea where they're going?" Miriya asked.
"I have no idea but I think they'll both have a pleasant surprise for us," Lisa assured her. She has learned not to question him especially when it meant he was doing a small romantic gesture. She asked for non-alcoholic drinks from the waiter and explained that they were still waiting for their husbands for dinner.
"Lisa!" a familiar voice greeted them as they waited for Rick and Max to return.
"Minmei," Lisa greeted back. "It's so nice to see you. You remember Miriya right?" She got to her feet and gave Minmei a quick hug.
"Hi," Minmei acknowledged. "How are you? How's Rick?"
"I'm doing fine and so is Rick. Would you like to join us for dinner?"
"Oh no, I just came to get some dessert before I need to get back in front of a camera," she explained. "My assistant can't seem to find this place."
"Perhaps you need to give her the correct address," Miriya deadpanned.
Lisa tried not to laugh and kept up the pleasantries going while Minmei waited for her order to arrive.
"Oh, by the way," Minmei said as she was about to leave. "My birthday is on Saturday. Will you and Rick come to my party? You, too, Miriya." She invited Miriya belatedly.
"I'll check his schedule," Lisa replied.
"Oh please, I'd love to have both of you there," Minmei pleaded.
"We'll try our best," she promised and watched Minmei leave after receiving her food containers.
Miriya was about to make a comment about Minmei's invitation but was stopped short by the arrival of Rick and Max.
"About time," Lisa said as Rick sat beside her.
"Hungry?" Rick asked, looking at his radiant wife. He picked up his menu and quickly decided what he was getting.
"Where did you go anyway?" Miriya asked for both her and Lisa.
Max looked to Rick for a signal to go ahead. He decided to wait for Rick to make the first move.
"We decided that we needed to get you something special for this occasion," Rick began. He pulled out a small box from his chest pocket.
"And so we went to get these bracelets," Max said, pulling a similar box from his chest pocket. He was glad Rick had convinced him to get it. He knew Miriya wasn't big on jewelry but certainly deserved some.
"Rick," Lisa whispered as she looked at the beautiful bracelet on the box.
Miriya liked the blue gemstones that sparkled when hit by light beams.
"It's a maternity bracelet," Rick explained. "I hope it helps throughout your pregnancy."
Lisa pulled Rick close so she could kiss him.
Miriya followed her lead and leaned in to kiss Max.
The waiter cleared his throat to catch the attention of the two couples he was serving for the night.

After dinner, Rick and Lisa decided to take a walk. They waved goodbye to Max and Miriya who wanted to turn in. They leisurely went to a closed baby store to look at the display.
"I still can't believe I'm going to be a dad," Rick said happily.
"How did you come up with the idea of a bracelet?" Lisa asked, clearly touched by his gesture.
"Actually our resident jeweler made the suggestion." He was truly glad that the balding jeweler had joined them on their space mission.
The jeweler had slightly envied his brother for having been to space on the SDF-1 so when the call for civilian volunteers for the SDF-3, he signed up.
"We should probably find out his name," she suggested.
"How about we call him Mr. Jeweler," he teased, amazed that they don't know the man's name although he had been there for the big events of their relationship so far.
"Oh no," she worried.
"I'll ask him the next time I see him," he promised.
"No, it's not that. If he knows about our baby, we'll be making headline news again."
"You think he was the source of that news bit?"
"Well, we had better go see Cindy then before she gets surprised in the morning."
"Why Cindy?"
"I promised her no more surprises since the engagement news."
Rick laughed and knew that Lisa didn't just want to tell Cindy because of that. It was more because Cindy was a close friend of theirs.

Cindy took a while to answer the door. When she realized both Rick and Lisa were at her door, she was flustered.
"Admiral Hayes-Hunter, Admiral Hunter," she greeted quickly. "Is there something wrong?" She rarely had both of them visit her so she was concerned.
"Nothing is wrong," Lisa began to say when they were invited in. "We just wanted to let you know the good news." She stopped short of telling Cindy when she saw a man already in the room. It took her a while to recognize him as their wedding photographer.
"Oh, this is Brian Walters," Cindy stammered an introduction.
"Hello Admiral Hayes-Hunter," Brian greeted and shook her hand. "Admiral Hunter. It is nice to see you again." He greeted Rick more enthusiastically.
"Why is that name so familiar?" Lisa wondered. Then she realized where she had seen it before. It was the reporter who wrote the article about their engagement. She noticed that Rick, too, recognized him.
"I'm a big fan of yours," Brian started to explain. "I just couldn't pass up on the opportunity to report on your engagement. I hope you won't begrudge me of that."
"Brian, why don't you get us something to drink," Cindy suggested to dispel the awkwardness.
"How did you meet him?" Rick asked sternly. He was acting like an over-protective brother which made Lisa smile but Cindy nervous.
"After the wedding," she explained. "I realized he was the guy who wrote the article and charmed Amy to be able to attend the wedding as your photographer. But he's a nice guy."
Both Rick and Lisa then remembered him taking their pictures at their wedding.
"I'm glad," Lisa said finally. She saw Cindy relax and realized that although her approval wasn't needed, it meant a lot to Cindy.
Rick was less approving though. He walked into the kitchenette to have a private word with Brian.
"What was the news you wanted to tell me?" Cindy asked as she watched nervously at Rick and Brian.
Lisa waited for Rick to return before telling Cindy the news.
"Congratulations!" Cindy said happily and hugged Lisa involuntarily. She caught herself but then knew it was alright when Lisa smiled.
"What's going on?" Brian asked, handing Cindy her a glass.
"Well, I guess you have the scoop," Rick replied. "We are expecting a baby."
"A little Hunter!" Brian exclaimed. Sure enough, that was the headline he wrote for the morning's news.

Both Rick and Lisa got congratulatory greetings from their teams. It was the buzz of the whole bridge and hangars as everyone speculated on whether they would have a girl or a boy.
"They are asking me if we're having a boy or a girl," Rick said when Lisa joined him for lunch at their favorite restaurant near their offices.
"Do you want to find out now?" Lisa asked tentatively. She had actually wanted to wait.
"Whatever you want," he replied, sensing her hesitation. "I can wait if you want to." He saw her relax which meant he got it right. He was glad he was getting better at reading her moods given that he was clueless for so long.
"By the way, we've been invited to a party tomorrow night," she said. "Minmei invited us to her birthday party."
"Are you up to it?" he asked. He actually wanted to stay home with her instead.
"Rick, I'm pregnant, not ill," she reminded him. "Besides, it'll get us out of the house for a bit. Don't you want to hobnob with celebrities?"
"I already hobnob with the biggest celebrity on the SDF-3," he teased. Given that they made the front page news, he felt that he didn't need any more publicity.
"Well, I already got a present so we have to go," she joked. "Wouldn't want it to go to waste."
"Alright," he acquiesced. "What did you get for her?"
"We got her a gold-plated microphone," she said proudly. "I hope it's not too cheesy."
"I think it's a very good gift."

"Rick! Lisa!" Minmei greeted them when they arrived. "Thanks for coming." She went to give Rick a quick hug.
"Happy birthday Minmei," Rick greeted. He then stepped back a bit to let Lisa greet Minmei.
"Happy birthday," Lisa greeted and handed her the beautifully wrapped box that contained their gift.
"Thanks," Minmei said with obvious gratitude, giving her a quick hug. "Why didn't you tell me you were pregnant?"
"I hadn't had a chance," Lisa said. She had barely got a word edgewise the last time they saw each other. Minmei was too focused on inviting them to her party.
"Admiral Hayes-Hunter," a man greeted her. "I'm Mr. Lu. I'm Minmei's manager." He introduced himself.
"Hello," Lisa acknowledged and shook his hand.
"It's so good to finally meet you," Mr. Lu said. "I was wondering if I can speak with you a moment. I have a great idea that I think you would like." He stepped between Rick and Lisa then maneuvered Lisa slightly away from Rick.
"I hope you don't mind," Minmei said. "He's been trying to get an appointment with Lisa for so long but her aide keeps turning him down."
"Is he usually that pushy?" Rick wondered out loud. "What does he need to talk with Lisa about anyway?" He didn't appreciate Mr. Lu just taking Lisa away like that.
"He has this idea for a TV show that is about life on the bridge of the SDF-3," she explained. "He wants me to star in it."
"Minmei, the bridge is not a place for civilians," he argued. "And we're too busy to be interrupted by this."
"I know, but Mr. Lu wanted to try. He thinks that if he talked with Lisa, she'd agree to it."
Rick watched Lisa as she listened intently to Mr. Lu. He wondered if she was actually considering it.
"I miss dancing with you Rick," Minmei said out of context.
Rick looked at her in surprise. He didn't know how to respond to her but allowed her to lead him to the dance floor.