Marie, fresh from her first counseling session in ages, decided to go for a drive. As she dug in her purse, an unopened envelope stuck out. As she saw the return address was from the DEA, Hank's former workplace, curiosity got the better of her and she decided to open it. The Albuquerque sun blinding her, she felt around her purse for her sunglasses, then put them on. Reluctantly, she finally opened the envelope.

There was no card. In it was a simple note.

There are no words...

No amount of money...

She pulled out the rest of the contents. In her hands was a gift certificate for Babies R Us, and Marie didn't know whether to cry or to smile. She knew what their intentions were- they would take care of Hank's unborn child as if he were one of their own, and in a way, he was.

A few days ago, when she and Skylar went shopping, all Marie managed to pick out for her unborn son was a blanket and a few onesies, and a big box of diapers. Overwhelmed, she hadn't the first clue of what a newborn would need. Skylar had generously offered her Holly's crib, as she would soon be trying to transition her to a toddler bed. But something about that felt wrong to Marie, and so she declined. It was as if part of Walt was somehow still attached to that crib, and that was the last thing she wanted for her child.

After she had parked her car in the lot of the store, she couldn't help but notice the amount on the gift card. $3000. It was too much. She knew that donations were still coming in to the department, that the community looked to Hank as dying a hero, but she would trade every penny of Hank's commission and the community and department donations for just one last moment with her husband, to let him know that she would love him, always. Always.

Without realizing what she was doing, Marie's hand hand instinctively went up to the wedding bands she now proudly wore around her neck. It was almost as if it were her reminder, her last reminder, that she had been married, not to a perfect man or husband, but to a man she had loved anyways.

As if on cue, suddenly she felt a kick in her stomach. It had taken her aback, for up until this point the kicks mostly felt like gas ( a secret she had only confided to her sister). But there was no mistaking this was a kick of her child, probably her only child, and the last gift Hank had given her. Putting her hand on her stomach, Marie closed her eyes and just allowed herself to enjoy the moment. Planning ahead of anything further than that was just too much, too painful.

"Ma'am..." Marie looked up and saw a security guard tapping on her car door. "Are you all right? Do you need assistance?"

Reluctantly removing her hand from her stomach, Marie looked up to acknowledge him. "No, thank you. I'm all right. I'm just here to do a little...it's a boy, you know." Even though the guard was a total stranger, Marie had felt the sudden urge to announce her news to the world. For the moment, a stranger's ear would do.

"Congratulations, ma'am. If you need any assistance with your bags when you're done shopping..."

She nodded, then got out of the car, locking it behind her.

Upon entering the store, Marie was overwhelmed at how much...stuff...there was. Nipple cream? What on earth was that for? Pads...she picked up a box out of curiosity, then realized it was meant for breastfeeding mothers. At once, she wanted to panic. What would she do? She hadn't given feeding the baby a second thought, now there were so many decisions to make.

How on earth would she know what to get her son? She decided to go with the obvious. A crib. The baby would need a crib. Still, there were so many options.

Finally she saw the perfect one. It wasn't the fanciest one, but it was plain, sturdy, solid- in some ways it reminded her of Hank. It was funny- these days it didn't take much for her to think of her husband.

After asking a clerk for some assistance in taking it to the front of the store, the clerk asked if Marie was ready to check out.

"No," she half-smiled. "I think...I think I would like to look around some more."

"No problem. Take your time. Is there...is there anything in particular you were looking for?"

Marie turned red with embarrassment. "I don't know...this is my first child..."

The clerk nodded. "I understand. It can be overwhelming if you're not sure what you're looking for. How about a wardrobe for your little one...do you know what you're having yet?"

"It's a boy," Marie didn't hesitate in answering.

"Then let's point you in the right direction. Over in this section are anything you can think of for your son...keep in mind newborns do grow fast. I hope you can find something that you and your husband will enjoy."

With that, Marie flinched. She knew he hadn't meant any harm, but it was still too hard for her to think of Hank in the present tense when she knew all too well what their reality was. "Thank you." she said softly then began to look around at the clothing.

There were so many items to choose from. Most had characters from children's shows she had never heard of. Marie wasn't quite sure of what she was looking for, only that she would know when she found it.

Then something caught her eye that she hadn't been prepared for at all. There, in a tiny baby blue bib were the words 'I love my daddy.' Feeling completely and totally unprepared for the strong emotions that that tiny bib evoked in her, Marie started to run, albeit awkwardly, out the door.

"Ma'am...the crib. Don't you want the crib?" the confused clerk called out to her.

"I don't...no. I don't know what I want!"an exasperated Marie cried out as she tried in haste to unlock her car door.

She couldn't do this. She just couldn't. Money was practically no object, but yet a tiny four dollar bib reduced her to a crying fit.

If only Hank were there- he'd know what to do. But he wasn't, and Marie had never felt so alone in her life.

TBC