While Marie waited, rather impatiently, for the doctor to come back and tell her that she was fine, that her sister had been overreacting, Skylar excused herself. She saw the doctor coming out of another room and she seized upon her chance to talk to him alone for a minute.
"Dr. Steinburg.." (She hated the name- it was too much like the worst name in her world, Heisenberg.) "There is something you need to know about my sister."
"Yes, Mrs. White?"
"Skylar. Please call me Skylar." She definitely needed no further reminder that she was married to America's most hated man. "I thought you should know this- she's been sick...and you might think I'm crazy, but is there a chance that she could have been poisoned? I know how farfetched this might seem, but after all, someone murdered her husband, and who knows what kind of people that man associated with? I want you to do tests, whatever tests possible, but I need to know that she hasn't been poisoned."
Dr. Steinburg smiled compassionately. He'd heard all about Walter White, and he didn't blame Skylar for her concern whatsoever. "I am happy to tell you it's nothing like that. In fact, I have some rather good news for your sister."
"Good news? Her husband is dead; what possible good news could you have for her?"
The doctor checked his chart, then looked up at Skylar. "Your sister is going to have a baby, in another seven months or so."
The thought hadn't even crossed her mind. "A baby? She's pregnant?"
He nodded. "Both a urine test and a blood test confirmed it. Let's go in to tell her, shall we?"
Still reeling in shock from the news, Skylar couldn't speak but managed to nod her head.
0000
"Marie?" The doctor announced himself with Skylar not far behind him.
"Mrs. Shraeder."
"Of course. Mrs. Schraeder...I have some news for you. I hope it will please you, considering everything you've been through lately."
"Good news? Skylar, what in the world is he talking about?"
She put her hand on Marie's, and smiled warmly. "Marie, you're going to be a mommy."
Marie stared in disbelief as she tried to process what her sister had just told her. "It can't be. My husband's dead. There's no way I could possibly be..." she couldn't quite bring herself to say the word pregnant.
"Mrs. Shraeder, your pregnancy occurred before..all of this. You appear to be two months along, but we'll need an ultrasound to confirm this. Haven't you noticed anything unusual, a missed period or two, nausea, vomiting, anything?"
"I just assumed it was because I've been so upset. The thought never crossed my mind. How could this happen to me right now? I can barely take care of myself- I just can't see me being able to take care of...of..."
"A baby," Skylar smiled. "It will be okay. You have me and Junior and we'll be there for you. You can get through this..."
"Don't you tell me I can get through this! My husband is dead and now I'm all alone with a kid who will never, ever get to see his father! This is crazy. I can't do this! I just can't."
"I know you're in shock now, but give it time. Why, my kids are the best things to ever happen to me, and I'm sure once you hold your little one for the first time, you're going to have a whole new outlook on life..."
"I don't want a new outlook on life! I want Hank back! Can you that for me? Can you?" Marie spat out bitterly.
"Marie..."
"I don't want to hear it! I don't want to hear how good and wonderful life will be. My kid will never know his father, never get to know what a wonderful man he was. Your kids knew their father, and I'm sure that not all of their memories will be bad. Most of them will be, of course, but at least they got to know their father! What about this kid? He's already got a raw deal in life and he hasn't even been born yet. What will he have? A scared shitless mother who can barely get out of bed in the morning, and the knowledge that his uncle killed his father? What kind of life is that? I can't do this. I'm not strong. You've always been the strong one. When you found out that Flynn had cerebral palsy, you didn't even flinch. You did what you had to do to raise him into the wonderful young man he is today. You knew what to do. What about me? My life is falling apart, I'm a total wreck, and I don't know if I can ever love anyone again."
"Marie," Skylar smiled as she took her sister's hand. "Do you hear yourself? You've just referred to your baby as a 'he'- several times. Is that what you want, a little boy? Deep down I think you must because you've already called him that. With both of my kids, I knew as soon as I found out I was pregnant what they would be. It's called mother's instinct. It's the greatest force in the world, and it seems to me you already have it."
Marie stared down at the boring black and white tile of the doctor's office. This was all happening too fast, much too soon. All she could think of was that it should have been Hank there with her, Hank telling her it was going to be a boy, Hank taking her out to celebrate. This should have been one of the happiest days of her life; so why did it feel as if her life was over?
Tbc
A/n: I know, a cliché unexpected pregnancy. But I have a reason for this and a vision of how I want it to play out. Ultimately, this is a love story first and foremost. The show focused on Walt's twisted idea of love for his family. I want to explore Hank and Marie's story as well as the love between the sisters, as well as Skylar's love for her kids. I hope that you will trust me enough to allow things to play out, and thank you all for reading.