"What?"

Maura excuses herself, without a word. Allison takes a seat, next to Nate. He swallows hard, "I could have sworn you said baby."

"I did," she admits.

"Our baby?"

"Yes," she nods, in confirmation.

"You're..." he feels panic set in.

"I'm pregnant."

"This is great, but it's not... I..."

"It's great?" she raises an eyebrow.

"I want you," he clarifies.

"I want this baby."

"I don't want you to leave me, ever."

"I don't either, but I am going to do whatever I have to, to have this baby. I will sacrifice whatever is necessary, to give this child life."

Maura, sits on the stairs, out of sight. She listens closely. This statement nearly brings her to tears.

"Why? There are a million babies in the world. There is one born every minute. You can have a baby."

"I want this baby. I want our baby."

"I want you to live, to see our fiftieth anniversary."

"I want that too."

"But you want this baby?"

"More than anything else, I have ever wanted."

"Even more than the Chrysler convertible you wanted, freshman year?"

"I got that," she points out.

"And, you were sick of it, after a week. You had to call your mom, and apologize, because you traded the car in, on something else. She bought you a car, and you traded for that death trap you drive, now."

"Lizzie, is very reliable."

"She's a green monster, who rolls backwards, on inclines, of greater than six inches."

"She's temperamental."

"Allison, this is not a car. You can trade it, for the other option, after a week."

"I know that.""Have you really thought this through?"

"Yes. I want this baby."

"There is nothing I can say, to change your mind?"

"No," she admits.

"What if I don't want to be involved?"

"That is up to you."

"You know me better than that. I'm not going anywhere. I am not going to miss a single thing."

"This is not going to be easy. It is going to be incredibly hard. There are going to be so many days, when you will just want to walk away. And, if you chose to, I wouldn't blame you. I don't expect you to stick this out. I don't expect anyone to. There will be a point, at which, I will be so sick, you will think that death is a blessing. I will reach a point, where I am in so much pain, that you will want to kill me yourself, to put me out of my misery. That being said, nothing I can ever tell you, will prepare you for the hell that is to come."

"I am never, going anywhere."

"I am just letting you know, you haven't seen anything, yet."

"I know how hard it's going to be."

"And when I get that sick, I want you to take our child, and leave. You are not going to argue with me. I do not want he, or, she to remember me like that."

"Will it even be old enough to remember?"

"Probably, not."

"And, what if the pregnancy just adds fuel to the fire? What if neither of you make it?"

"Don't think like that," she begs.

"But..."

"If you ever have to choose, for any reason, don't choose me. I am a lost cause. My death sentence is already written. Choose our child."

"Have you thought, about what happens, if our child gets cancer? What if, after all of this, our child doesn't make it out of childhood?"

"I haven't given it much thought."

"What do I do? If you're both sick?"

"Don't choose me."

"I love you."

"You will love this baby, more."

"How can you be so sure?"

"Because I already do."

"How can you be so calm about this?"

"I have accepted the hand that was dealt to me. There is no reason to get upset, over the things that I cannot control."

"Ok."

"Ok?"

"I'm not gonna run. That's not the kind of man I am."

"Oh," she looks at him, in confusion, as if this is a possibility that she has not yet considered.

"And, if I could have your mother's blessing, I would like to marry you."

"What?"

"Marry me," he begs, dropping to the ground. He smiles up at her, with a diamond ring, on bended knee.

Maura comes out, from her hiding place. She snaps a picture, that catches the young couple off guard.

"You have my permission," Maura smiles, from ear, to ear.

"I..." Allison stares at the ring, unsure of what to say.

"Marry me, and make me that happiest guy, ever. I love you, so much. The first time I met you, I knew that there was something different about you. I told my friends, 'I have to get to know, that, girl.' And, I'm glad that I did. When I got to know you, I realized that I wanted to be your friend, until the day that I die. I want us, to have an ending, like the Notebook. By the way, I will never forgive you, for making me watch that movie. Regardless, I love you, and I want you to be my wife."

"Oh."

"Is that a yes?"

"Ok," Allison nods.