A/N: Fanfic net is being wonky today. I can't access the archives to see what stories others may have posted. It keeps saying "nothing with those filters" when there are no filters applied. So if you can see this update, please leave a review so I know! (And tell me what you think of this chapter while you're at it, of course.)

[Monday, March 26, 1990]

Ultrasounds had been around for many years, but they had only recently become routine. Even now, Tami and Eric's insurance would not cover more than one in the course of the pregnancy unless there was a complication. Today was their one shot, and Eric stared in wide-eyed wonder at the rough outline on the screen, listening to the woosh-woosh of the baby's heartbeat. Tami smiled to see his smile grow.

"Your due date is still mid-July," Dr. O'Connor said. "Did you decide if you want to know the sex?"

Tami caught Eric's eye, ready to give him one more chance to back out if he'd prefer the surprise, but he nodded. They'd decided it was easier to know because they'd be able to prepare better on their limited budget.

"We want to know," she told the doctor.

"Well, as soon as we can get the baby to cooperate and turn…."

Tami liked her OBGYN. She had been afraid they might get poor coverage with student health, but Dr. O'Connor had a great bedside manner. He was informative and soft spoken and always took plenty of time to answer her questions.

In the end, however, the baby did not cooperate, even though Dr. O'Connor dragged out the ultrasound longer than was normal. He finally had to throw in the towel. "We can try again, if you want, at the next appointment."

Tami shook her head. "I don't think our insurance will cover it."

"If you want to pay for it, Tami," Eric said, "We can."

She was less disappointed with the baby's lack of cooperation than she had thought she would be. "No. Let's not spend money on that. Let's just be surprised. That wouldn't be so bad, would it?"

"A'ight."

When Dr. O'Connor continued Tami's examination, Eric squeamishly left the room. Tami wondered how he was going to handle being in the delivery room.

[*]

Eric looked up from his Sports Illustrated when she walked into the waiting room and stood. "Everything a'ight?"

She smiled and nodded.

"Good. Since you're skipping work this morning anyway, want to grab breakfast before my first class?"

Over donuts, he talked about his upcoming spring game. His eyes were alight with excitement. She loved him like this, when he was full of the boyish joy of just playing, when he wasn't so weighted down by the competition, the need to be better than everyone else, the intense pressure to perform.

"Spring season is more fun, isn't it?" she asked.

"Nah. Yeah. I mean…it's…I don't know. When I was a kid, I used to play in the street, or in an empty lot, in a field…pick-up games, and there was no one watching you. No audience at all. No one judging, evaluating….you just played. I miss that. I'll never have that again. But there are moments….flashes when I still feel like that. Free."

"You feel a little like that about his upcoming game, don't you? Because it doesn't much matter? Not like the fall games?"

He smiled. "Maybe."

She leaned across the table and kissed him. "We need to talk about names." They'd been putting off this conversation until after the ultrasound, but since they were going to have to be surprised, it was time to discuss both lists.

"Eric Jr. if it's a boy, of course."

"No," she said.

"Why not?"

"Every junior I know ends up being called Junior or Sonny. I hate both. Besides…I'd kind of like to name him after my dad? Maybe?"

"Oh. Yeah. Of course, Tami. What was his name again?"

"Walter."

"Oh. Huh."

"We could call him Wally." It sounded awful when she finally said it aloud. But she did want to honor her father. "Maybe as a middle name?"

"Yeah! A middle name. That'd be good. I like Troy for a boy. Troy Walter."

"Because of Troy Aickamn?"

"I just like the name," Eric insisted.

"I don't like it."

"Why?"

"I just don't," she said.

"Danny?" he asked.

"Because of Danny White?" she asked.

"Danny Walter," he said. "Has a nice ring to it."

"Daniel," she said.

"A'ight. Daniel Walter. I can go for that."

Tami sipped her decaf coffee. "And if it's a girl?"

"Erica."

She laughed.

"What?" he asked innocently. "It's a beautiful name."

"No."

He chuckled. "What do you want?"

"I know this may sound silly…but I was thinking…maybe we could name her after Mrs. Hernandez. I had a weird kind of special connection with her. I talked to her about you a lot. She was a person that was a part of my life when I was falling in love with you. She gave me a lot of disjointed but still somehow helpful advice about dating you. And then you and I went on to make baby together."

"That doesn't sound silly at all. Unless her name is Hilda. Then it sounds ridiculous."

Her name had been in the memorial bulletin, but Tami supposed Eric didn't remember that. "It was Julia."

"Oh. That's a'ight. That's kind of pretty. Julia would be fine with me." He shrugged. "It's going to be a boy anyway. The way that baby kicks?"

[Sunday, April 15, 1990]

Reverend James shook Eric's hand vigorously as they exited the service at University Methodist, which they'd been attending for six weeks. "That was some truly amazing work you did in that spring game yesterday."

"Yeah, too bad it doesn't count for anything," Eric said.

Tami put a hand on his shoulder. "I'm sure it was noticed, though, by the people who need to notice these things."

"Tami," the pastor said, "some of the ladies in the church would like to have a baby shower for you, so look at your calendar and let me know a good Sunday in May."

As Eric was helping her into his pick-up later, he said, "You may have been right about this church thing. Let's hope you clean up big time at that shower."

[Monday, April 23, 1990]

Tami felt weird being at this football party, pregnant. It wasn't a party, really. It was just a bunch of players and their girlfriends (or girls who wanted to be their girlfriends) sitting around the common room in Stumpy's dorm, drinking beer, and watching ESPN on the shared TV.

It was draft day, or, at least, the first day of it.

Tami had been given one of the two arm chairs, but most everyone else was on the floor. Eric sat at her feet, his arm draped across her knees, sipping the beer Stumpy had recently fetched for him. Two cheerleaders sat on the love seat, a buxom blonde and a less well-endowed but leaner red head. Tami was sure the red head kept stealing glances at her belly, then at Eric's crotch, then back at her belly. The blonde was running her mouth on and off. Stumpy kept casting her annoyed glances from where he sat on an orange crate he'd pulled out to the common room. He clearly wanted to hear the TV.

"The Raiders aren't going to want any Bears," Stumpy said. "They need a good defensive end. No offense, Johnny."

"None taken," a tanned, sandy blonde senior said. "I'm just glad I got my college paid for." Tami thought he was above average looking. Cute, but not quite hot. It bothered her a little that he hadn't even looked twice at her. Before she was pregnant, a guy like that probably would have been sneaking peeks all night. Instead, he gradually inched his way over to the feet of the red head, who began rubbing his shoulders.

The blonde girl started talking again, about nothing in particular. Tami heard the words "so totally drunk" and "wasted" and "best party ever."

"Shhh! Shhh! Shhhh!" Stumpy ordered her.

Eric's eyes honed in on the TV. "The Bengals need a linebacker."

Stumpy crossed both of his fingers.

"And the 12th pick of the draft goes to James Francis of the Baylor Bears."

"Another Bear makes it to the NFL!" Stumpy shouted, leaping up from his crate. As Eric rose to a standing position, Stumpy clapped him in a bear hug and said, "In two more seasons, that'll be you, brother."

"Or you," Eric assured him.

There was whooping and cheering and hugging and slapping and pouring of beer on each other's heads. Tami remained seated for the festivities. When Eric was done whooping, he grinned and bent down and kissed her. Beer dripped from his hair and down his forehead. "You're going to need a shower when we get home," she said.

"Wanna wash my back?"

[*]

When they got home, they waved to a couple who was on the lawn in front of the family housing complex, sitting cross legged on a blanket, glancing at the stars, and sharing wine (which was technically illegal outside the rooms). Rebekah was in law school, and Jacob was finishing up his college degree, after six years of part-time attendance. They were 27 and 24, Rebekah being the older of the pair, and they'd taken Eric and Tami under their wings a bit when it came to navigating the housing office and getting things fixed around the place. Their three year old was busy catching lightening bugs.

"Hey Rebekah, hey Jacob," Eric said.

"Any of your friends get drafted?" Jacob asked.

Eric shared the news. The couple offered to let them join them, but Eric was eager to get upstairs for that mutual shower. "I've got a bit of beer in my hair," he said.

"Ah, I remember those days," Jacob told him. "Forget about that in a few months. No more partying for you." Their little boy, Abe, caught a firefly and giggled. Jacob smiled and pointed at his son with his wineglass. "No party can match a laugh like that though, I'll tell you what. You'll see. Those laughs pay for all the crying."

"Look, daddy," the boy said, walking over to Jacob and opening his hands. The firefly took off into the evening air, trailing a flashing light, and Jacob let out a great big groan of displeasure, followed by a mounting wail.

"I think we'll be getting inside," Eric said, taking Tami's hand and tugging her toward the stairs. As they began walking to the second floor, he muttered, "God that kid is loud when he's upset."

"Get used to it, sugar."