(I had trouble with this chapter, I just couldn't find the right inspiration- I have re written this like a million times, but I think this is the right one! I'm still a little iffy, but it sounds right, it feels kinda good, that's why I posted it! Please comment and enjoy!)

Marshall pulled away when he heard the handle of the heavy hospital room door turning. Mary's cheeks flushed a deep shade of red and stumbled back into her bed without her usual skillful footwork. He tried to act as if nothing had happen,

"Er- Studies show that hugging can relieve pain according to umm, a hospital in Sacramento…Ahem" he cleared his throat uncomfortably.

Mary shot him her, "you've got to be kidding me" look and then her face proceeded to twist back into her usual expression of inconvenience much like it had always seemed to be in. The doctor smiled knowingly, but mentioned nothing about the spectacle she had just witnessed.

":All right Ms. Shannon, I'm gonna to take a look to see if you've dilated anymore, and then I'll do a quick ultrasound and be out of your hair, how does that sound?"

"Hoorayyy…" she sang, sarcasm practically dripping from her tone.

Marshall paced over to the window, his hands stuffed into his pockets,

"I think I'm going to go get some pudding." He started over to the door, but stopped when he heard Mary shout,

"HEY! You don't want nasty hospital pudding! You are staying here with me!" she ordered.

"I'm-

"Don't tell me you're hungry, when you have a human being whose set up shop in your uterus then you can tell me you're hungry, she's gonna check my cervix, seriously, ypou can handle it, it will take all of fifteen seconds, two of your useless Marshall Mann trivia facts and it's over, okay?"

"You know Mare, for hating being pregnant so much and not wanting to be treated as if you were a stereotypical ball of hormones you sure do play the pregnancy card an awful lot."

"I do hate being pregnant, but I think even you'll agree that some things you hate, you can somehow twist to your advantage! Now you come stand right here, and don't look in that direction!" she pointed toward the doctor who was manning her station in between Mary's legs.

"I feel like a little kid…" he started to turn his head toward the forbidden zone,

"Ah AH, NO! If you're talking to me, my face is up here!" She closed her eyes, "By the way, now would be a good time to tell me something I don't care about…"

"Ummm, uhhh, did you know that even in the womb babies have fingernails?"

"Wow, that gives me some disturbing mental images, hit me with another one…" she cringed, now from what Marshall knew couldn't be out of annoyance,

"Mhhmmm, Babies can't sweat!-

"All done!" The doctor threw her gloves in the trash bin and walked back over to cover Mary's exposed bottom half.

"See? I told you doofus, its over!" She patted Marshall on the back practically knocking the air out of him.

"Ms. Shannon, you've stayed at one centimeter, that's excellent!" the doctor smiled reassuringly as she began to move equipment around to make way for the ultrasound machine.

"Does that mean I get to go home?"

"Not quite, after the scare you had, we can't afford to let you leave. The drugs we gave you still haven't entirely worn off, but right now it looks good.."

"So you're saying, after all of this, I could still have to push this kid out tonight?"

"Hopefully not tonight, maybe not tomorrow, possibly not even this week, but one thing is for certain, you'll be spending the rest of your pregnancy in here."

"No offense, but that absolutely blows.." Mary whined.

"I'm sorry; we just don't want to have to take unnecessary risks…"

Marshall cut in-

"Mary that's totally understandable, in fact I agree with her."

"Shut up doofus! What do you know?"

"I know you're having a baby, and I know even you wouldn't want anything to happen to it." Marshall's eyes were ablaze with revenge. After treating him like a child, telling her she had a motherly instinct would sting her just as much.

The doctor broke in,

"About the whole "it" thing? Would you like to know the sex?"

"I don't care, why would it matter? Whatever's coming out I'm not prepared for, ask him." She pointed at her partner, who still had his hands shoved in his pockets, swaying from side to side.

"Hmm me? Oh Mare, that's your decision, it's your baby.."

"C'mon doofus, it's your baby too- she stopped herself too late-"I didn't mean-

"It's okay- we are having a baby Mary, if you really want my opinion? Yes, I want to know." His heart fluttered with excitement, and he couldn't contain his smile.

The doctor had been watching awaiting an answer; Mary glanced over at the her, trying to hide her own smirk,

"You heard the man…" she muttered.

She nodded in agreement and squirted the gel onto Mary's seemingly ever expanding stomach.

In a few short seconds the silence of the room was filled with the rhythmic sound of,

"THWUMPSH, THWUMPSH, THWUMPSH."

"Is it okay?" Mary asked, doing her best to hide the actual worry in her tone,

"Yes, HE'S fine, strong little heart beat your son has!"

"Really? It's a boy?" Marshall asked.

"Yes 'Daddy', it is!" the lady answered matching the excitement in his tone.

He kissed Mary on her forehead, and grabbed her hand,

"Mare I- are you crying?" he asked in disbelief,

"Oh shut up douche, I- I never thought I'd be one of those blubbering women, wh-who cried at this sort of thing, so much for not being a grotesque stereotype, huh?"

"Mary it's totally normal for you to feel-

"If you haven't noticed by now, nothing I am is normal, nothing I do is normal! Most women they get married, and then they have a baby because they want to, not because they're forced into it. And most women who say they are putting up their babies for adoption because that's what's best for them, do it! They don't keep it and raise it to be all screwed up like they are! I don't want to hurt him Marshall, I don't want to hurt him the way my parents did to me!"

"Mare! If you haven't noticed, you're not your parents! You're not your mom or your dad! What they did to you, you won't do to him! You're more than that! You're an amazing person and he's lucky to have you as his mother, even if you did call him an "it" the past eight months!"

She giggled a little, and looked around, realizing the doctor had left.

"I don't think that's what I'm worried about."

He thought for a moment,

"You're not worried about me… Are you?"

"I-I don't know." She whimpered.

"The last thing you need to be worrying about is me walking out! You're stuck with me Mary! Whether you like it or not I'm gonna be standing over your shoulder making sure you raise that kid right! You hear me?"

"I don't want to lose you."

"You won't. What can I do to assure you that you won't ever lose me?"

"Oh Marshall, I couldn't tell you, All I know is I let Raph go, and that was one of the hardest things I've ever done…"

"Are you saying you want Raph back?" he questioned, furrowing his brow, anger flashing in his eyes.

"Jesus NO! Let me finish doofus! I'm trying to say that just thinking about losing you, hurts a million times more than having experienced Raph go! Seven of my lifetimes worth of pain couldn't possibly add up to how it would feel if I had this baby with you and then one day, you finally saw me for who I was, and just left."

"I will never leave, I love you. I want to be with you. I'm good for you. How can I prove it to you?"

( I hope what's coming next isn't too obvious, I know this isn't my best, but it's certainly not my worst, and I still kinda enjoyed it when I read through, I just try to make it seem possible for this to be played through by Mary McCormack and Fred Weller before I posted, and I think you can see the Mary and Marshall dynamic in here… Comments are much appreciated, thanks for reading )