"Mama?"

Lindsay opened her eyes just a little, groaning at the light and the movement. It felt like the worst hangover ever and her ears even seemed to be ringing. The morning sickness was fierce this time, only breaking enough that she could go to work and even then she would barely make it through a shift before she needed to be sick again. Danny was doing a good job covering for her as they still hadn't told anyone, but she didn't really want this to continue much longer. She knew she needed to be gaining weight, but her body was working overtime to fight that.

"Mama, you okay?" Colton whispered, brushing her hair back from her face.

"I'm okay honey."

"Your tummy is sick from the bun in the oven again?"

"Yeah."

"That baby in there should really try to cool it."

She gave a half laugh as his cool hands grazed over her face.

"Do you need something to drink?"

"No sweetie, I'll be fine."

"But you were throwing up, mama. Daddy always says you have to have a drink so you don't get a'hydrated."

"Dehydrated," she corrected. "Okay, you can bring me some water from the fridge."

He smiled and kissed her cheek before scampering off in search of water. Ben shuffled over to her and patted her stomach, then rested his head on her chest.

"Love you, mama."

"I love you too, Ben."

"Here you go, mama. It's very cold water."

"Thank you."

He unscrewed the cap and gave it to her, raising his eyebrows until she took a sip.

"Feelin' better now?"

"A little bit," she said, even as her stomach started to churn.

"Mama?" he asked warily as the color drained from her face and she jumped up from the couch and went into the bathroom. He could hear her getting sick and his heart started to pound. He really thought the water would make her better, but it seemed to have made it worse. He and Ben looked at each other for a moment, both worried about their mama and if she would ever get better. They had to take care of her, they just didn't know how. Desperately, Colton searched for Lindsay's cell phone, finally finding it on the coffee table, under a magazine. He wasn't supposed to use the phone unless he had asked or it was an emergency, but he knew how to use it and this seemed like a scary situation anyway. Sighing deeply, he pressed the number one and the star key, then waited for the call to go through.

"Hey."

"Daddy?"

"Colton. What's the matter? Why are you using mama's phone?"

"She's really sick, daddy!" he said, panic in his voice. "She threw up and then I gave her water to feel better but then she threw up again! I made her even more sick and I can't make it better! I'm a bad doctor daddy. Just bad!"

"No you're not, buddy. You're not a bad doctor. Mama's just sick and it's going to be a while before she really feels better. The water is good for her, her tummy just has to start wanting it."

"She is still throwing up, daddy. And coughing a lot. It makes me so sad."

"I know. It makes me sad too."

"How do I help her?"

"You and Ben just be good, okay? I'll be home in a few hours, maybe you can watch a movie until then."

"I wish this baby didn't make mama so sick. Is it a bad baby or something?"

"No, it's not. Hey buddy, I gotta go, but if you need to call me later you can do that, okay?"

"Okay daddy."

"Thanks for being such a good boy and taking care of your mama."

"You're welcome."

"I love you."

"Love you too."

They hung up the phone and Colton turned to Ben with a sigh.

"There's nothin' we can do to help mama. Daddy say we should watch a movie."

"Okay."

They found a DVD without much arguing and put it into the player, sitting back while it started and Lindsay staggered out of the bathroom and back to the couch.

"Did you get all the throw up out of you mama?"

"Yeah, I did."

"Do you feel better?"

"A little bit."

"I called daddy because I was worried about you," he confessed, looking down at his feet.

"Thank you for worrying about me, honey, but I'm going to be fine. This is normal when you're first pregnant."

"Really? Why?"

"Because growing a baby in your belly is really hard work."

"Is that why you love me and Ben so much, cuz you had to work hard for us?"

"Yeah."

"So bein' sick isn't so bad."

"No, not this kind of sick."

"Did you get sick a lot when I was in your tummy?"

"At first I did, but then it went away."

"How about when Ben was in your tummy?"

"I wasn't sick as much but I was really, really tired."

"Maybe this baby should grow really fast so you don't have to be so sick."

"No, it's okay honey. Don't worry about me. I'm tough."

"Okay mama."

The computer beeped, interrupting their conversation and he raced over to it, climbing into the chair and squealing excitedly.

"Mama, it's Taylor! And maybe Josh too! They're calling us."

"Go ahead and answer bud."

He clicked on the green button happily, almost forgetting his earlier anxiety.

"Hi Taylor!"

"Hey buckaroo."

"Is Josh there also?"

"No, he's at work."

"Oh. What are you doing today?"

"A little bit of a lot of stuff. What are you doing?"

"Well mama doesn't feel good," he started, careful not to say anything about the baby. "And me and Ben are just watching a movie until daddy gets home. I played Lincoln Logs before and we made a cabin and even it had a chimney on it."

"It did? Wow, that's some real talent you've got there."

"Yep, I teached myself how. I will show you someday."

"I'll be waiting for that. What else have you been up to?"

"Nothing. But mama got me some school books and I can write my name and Ben's name and Isa and Sarah and Junior too. And I can write all the numbers. Daddy says I just need to learn zero to nine because all the rest of the numbers are made up of those ones. And a zero is like an O and a one is like a little L so that's kind of cheating but mama says I'm doing so good to think of that."

"Do you think you're doing good enough to write me a letter soon?"

"On paper? Like in the movies?"

"Yeah."

"Yes! I could write you a really long letter. As long as I just can talk about me and Ben and Isa and Sarah and Junior."

"It sounds like a good letter already."

"Yeah. I will start it as soon as I can get some pretty paper. Do you want to talk to mama?"

"Yes please."

"Okay. I will see you later."

They blew each other kisses and he hopped of the chair so Lindsay could use it.

"Hey kid."

"Hey Lindsay. No offense but you look awful."

"Yeah, feelin' the love."

"I've got something to tell you."

"I have something to tell you too," Lindsay said with a grin. "But it's a secret."

"You go first."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes. It's a secret after all."

"Okay. Are you ready for this?"

"Yes."

"Are you sure?"

"This had better be good, Linds."

"I'm pregnant."

"Oh, that is good! How pregnant? And why is it a secret?"

"Eight weeks. And we're just not really in the business of telling people."

"So what, you're going to wait until the kid is graduating from high school?"

"No. We're just not telling the grandparents at least until after the ultrasound and we're not telling the co-workers until I start to show."

"But why?"

"I don't know. That's just how we've always done it."

"When are you due?"

"Colton's birthday. We'll see how that goes."

"You guys reproduce on a pretty consistent time table. Every third December."

"Yeah, we're cool like that. So what's your news?"

"Well… Josh and I have been together for a year and a half now, and we went on a date last night."

"Uh-huh," Lindsay said, nodding her head, certain of where this was going.

"We went out to dinner and then up to the point when the stars came out. And we were there for a while and then it started to get cold, so we stood up to leave. And then he said he thought he had a rock in his shoe and when I turned around he had this ring and he was just sitting there with this look on his face and then he asked me to marry him and I said yes and the wedding is in September and you have to fit into a bridesmaids dress, okay?"

"Okay, but give me a second to simultaneously cry and laugh."

"Do you think it's too soon?"

"Too soon? Of course not. You've been together for a while now, he makes you happy, you have love in your eyes. Why, do you think it's too soon?"

"No. I was just worried about what you were going to think because you've never met him for real and… I just… I don't know."

"Darling, I'm going to give you a little tip about falling in love. Very rarely does it matter what anyone else thinks."

"And this is coming from the woman who can't help butting in to everyone's lives."

"Okay so maybe sometimes it does matter what other people think, meaning it matters what I think and I think it's amazing so it doesn't matter what anyone else thinks."

"You've got pregnancy tongue again."

Lindsay grinned, wishing they were in the same room so she could wrap Taylor in a huge hug instead of just talking to her through a computer screen.

"Do you think you can make it out here in September? Josh said he doesn't care when we do it and all I need is for you to be there."

"I'll be there, sweetie. I promise. Nothing in the world will stop me unless they put me on bedrest or if I would have to be gone on Colton's first day of school but even then I'll find a way. I don't know if Adam and the boys will be able to come but we'll try."

"Okay."

"Do you have much planned yet?"

"Your mom is making my dress and your dad is walking me down the aisle."

"Really?"

"Yeah. They were waiting for me when I got home last night. Josh told them what he was going to do and they stayed up until I got home. Your mom bawled and your dad couldn't stop smiling."

"They love you."

"I know."

"Just a warning though. When dad walks you down the aisle he's going to be a little nervous and he'll probably hold your arm really tight and he might leave a bruise, but it won't be on purpose."

"Speaking from experience?"

"Adam asked me about twelve times what exactly went on at my bachelorette party."

"He didn't believe that we just drove around town aimlessly before watching old movies and eating junk?"

"Nope. He still doesn't believe that."

"Maybe you should ask him just what he was up to on his last night as a free man."

"Turning the tables. Nice. You're going to make a wonderful wife, sweetie."

"I hope so. I gotta go."

"Alright. Congratulations honey. I love you."

"I love you too. Call me after your ultrasound?"

"Definitely. Boys, say bye to Taylor."

"Bye!" they shouted, waving frantically and blowing kisses.

"Talk to you later, kid."

"Bye."

They closed the call and Lindsay sighed, glad the happy feeling was stronger than the nausea for a while. Gingerly, she climbed back onto the couch and laid down, closing her eyes. Just a little rest and she would be fine.

"Hey. Upchuck McSnazzy Pants."

"Adam don't be cute."

He grinned and brushed her hair back from her face, checking her temperature while he did so. He'd been wondering all day if this was actually the flu with really ironic timing. She'd been weaned off her anti-anxiety medications months ago, so he knew it wasn't the effects of that. But this sickness just seemed so much worse than it had been with the boys. He was starting to worry that something was really wrong.

"Are you feeling better?"

"No."

"Not even a little?"

"No."

"Can I get you anything?"

"No."

"Can I do anything to make you feel better?"

"No."

"Is no the only word in your vocabulary today?"

"No."

He chuckled while she rolled onto her side, wrapping her arms around her stomach and closing her eyes again.

"Have you kept anything down today?"

"No."

He took her hand and checked her skin for dehydration, finding that she was okay.

"Linds?"

"Hmm?"

"Do we need to go to the hospital?"

"I'll be fine."

"Can you sit up without getting sick?"

"Sometimes."

"If you go another day like this I'm taking you to the doctor."

"What's the doctor going to do, Adam? Tell me to drink flat 7-Up and eat crackers? Been there. Barfed up that."

"Maybe there's something you could take."

"Like Nauzene? Are you forgetting what that did to me last time?"

"Yes, I was forgetting. Maybe there's something else you can try."

"Can you just let me be sick?" she asked, keeping her eyes shut tightly. "I don't want to move and I don't want to think. Can you just leave me alone?"

"Linds."

"I'm sorry," she sighed, fighting back tears. "I just don't know what to do right now."

"It's alright sweetheart."

"I don't want to be sick anymore. I feel like I'm doing something wrong and I know I'm not, but that doesn't make it easier."

"I know."

"I have to eat something. I have to keep it down, I just don't know how."

"Keep trying I guess," he suggested, reaching over to rub her back.

"My poor teeth."

"What?"

"Between puking and brushing them constantly, they're taking quite a beating."

He chuckled and leaned down to kiss her forehead gently.

"You're amazing honey, do you know that?"

"I do my best."

"Why don't you go in the bedroom and lay down. It's comfortable and quiet and dark in there. I'll take over the parenting duties for the rest of the night. I'll even stick a trash can by the bed so you don't have to get up."

"Okay."

"Want me to carry you?"

"I would never refuse an offer for the Cleopatra treatment."

"Um, honey… Cleopatra?"

"I mean just the carrying aspect. Also if you wanted to feed me grapes sometime."

Shaking his head in amusement, he lifted her slowly off the couch.

"You okay?"

"Yeah."

"Gonna puke on me?"

"Nope."

He took her into the bedroom and made sure she was comfortable in the bed, then brought her a trashcan, a glass of water, and her cell phone.

"Need anything else?"

"When the boys go to bed you'll come in here and cuddle me, right?"

"When do I not? Speaking of the boys, where are they?"

"Sent to their room. We were having an issue."

"What kind of issue."

"Jumping on mama."

"You're such a good sport."

"They've been in there a while. You might want to release the hounds."

"I will. Get some rest."

It was several hours before she woke up again, and this time she actually felt refreshed. She was thirsty and needed to stretch, but she was scared to move for fear that the nausea might come back. Adam was snoring gently next to her, one arm thrown around her middle while his breath grazed over her neck. She yawned and he stirred but didn't wake up, and for a moment she just watched him sleep. She ran a hand slowly over his face, taking in every bit of it and how it looked in the moonlight; the color of his skin, the slope of his nose, the way his lips were parted as he breathed. She moved her hand down his chest, feeling the warm softness of his skin and his heart beating steadily before she grazed over his shoulder and down his arm to join his hand that rested on her stomach. She threaded their fingers together repeatedly, stopping to play with his wedding ring. It had been an impulsive purchase, she hadn't planned on getting it that day, but it had been sitting in the display window and she knew it was the right one. She remembered how it felt picking it out, and even more what it felt like on their wedding day to slide it onto his finger and promise him forever.

He moved a little again, murmuring her name before burying himself deeper into the mattress. Carefully, she lifted his arm and scooted out from his grasp, moving slowly as to not upset the balance in her stomach. She made it into an upright position without much incident, and shuffled out to the kitchen for water. She got it straight out of the tap, not caring that it was warm, and spent the next ten minutes drinking it, small sips at a time. She had to start keeping something down, even if by force. She couldn't lose this baby. She couldn't. The thought alone about took her knees out and she braced herself against the counter, shaking her head to rid herself of the thought.

She discarded the glass by the sink and tiptoed into the boys room, where they were sleeping back to back, the blankets kicked off. She replaced the sheets over them and kissed their cheeks, then went back into her own room and climbed into bed.

"Can I keep you?" Adam asked sleepily, scooting over to her and nuzzling her neck.

"Please do."