Tony headed back up to Angela's room with picnic basket in hand. He had decided to put together some sadwiches and a salad for Angela's lunch with Alex. He made an extra sandwich for himself, but he'd allow the ladies their time to talk.
"Did Mother behave getting into the car with Hank?" Angela asked when Tony came back into the room.
"Yeah, she did. And Hank said that he and Jonathan will take care of her today and let Sam rest."
"I feel so bad that I can't be there with Samantha to help her through these preganancy symptoms. You should be there with her, not here doting on me. There's nurses here, they'll watch out for me."
"No way I'm leaving you alone! I stayed home last night so that Mona could get a good night's sleep," he chuckled recalling her complaining of his snoring from the night before. "Besides, Mona would probably kill me if I wasn't here with you. I know you don't like being pittied or doted on, but you are the mother of my children, all four of them, and I will be with you now until you go home."
"Okay, Tony, you're right. She probably would hurt you. But what about the kids? Are they going to be okay taking care of Mother?"
"Yes, sweetheart, the guys will be fine. And even though she's being safe and staying in the apartment, Samantha is there for any advice that is needed. We have two good men there taking care of things."
"I know. So what's in the basket?"
"Some turkey sandwiches and macaroni salad. I made sure not to use any mayo, so it's safe for you and our little ones. What would you like to drink? I'll run down to the cafeteria to get you something."
"Maybe just cranberry juice. Thanks, honey. Could you maybe get a couple of them please?"
"You got it, sweetheart!" he exclaimed as he exited the room.
He ran into Alex as she headed out of the elevator. "Hi Tony!" she said.
"Oh, hi Alex. I'm headed down to grab some juice for Angela. Would you like anything?"
"Whatever she's having will be fine. Which room is she in?"
"A-412. Right down the hall to your left. I'll be back in a few."
"See you then, Tony."
Angela heard a knock on her door. "Come in," she called out. "Oh hi, Alexandria! How are you doing?"
"I'm fine. How are you? You've certainly had an eventful couple of days since we saw each other on Thursday."
"That's for sure! Here I thought that the worst was going to be hiding my morning sickness and pregnancy from my family. Between the car accident, my mother's injuries, my surgery, and my pregnancy update, it's sure been a whirlwind."
"What's happening with your baby? Tony didn't mention anything when he called back. Is everything okay?"
"Oh yes, I just went from thinking I was 7 weeks pregnant to actually being 14 weeks along. And I'm not expecting one baby, but twins. One boy and one girl!"
"Oh wow! That's really great news. Congratulations!" Alex said as leaned over to give Angela a hug.
"Thank you. Oh, and our daughter Samantha is also pregnant!"
"You and Tony must be over the moon! A lot of exciting changes for your family. I was glad to hear that you and Mona were okay overall, considering that the car was totaled. Tony was mentioning getting a more family friendly vehicle when I talked to him last night."
"Always thinking of our family. Definitely in my top ten reasons why I love him so much. I do have to apologize for not taking you to the country club for lunch today. We'll definitely have to do that another time."
"Are you kidding me? You have nothing to apologize for. Like I said, I'm just glad that everyone is okay. It was so sweet of you and Mona to take me home the other day. When I got home, Gary was working on making dinner for us. I told him that Tony's fiancée had brought me home, and he said to share his thanks as well."
"It's funny, but I had it in my head that his name was Greg. Then when I was telling Tony about you, he corrected me and said it was Gary."
"Oh, I almost forgot! I brought something for you. Here you go," Alex said as she handed Angela a small gold bag.
Tears in her eyes, Angela said "Thank you, Alexandria." She lifted out a small silver figurine of a baby's foot engraved with "Baby Micelli". "Oh, it's beautiful! I can't believe you did this for me! I'm so touched by your kindness."
"You're so welcome, Angela. I'll have to get another one now."
"Ready for some lunch, Alex?"
"I'll get it out for you ladies," Tony replied as he entered the room.
After lunch, Alex said "Tony, that was delicious! Thank you both for a wonderful lunch."
"It was my pleasure, Alex. How are your classes going?" Tony asked.
"Thankfully, I'm in my final semester. Gary graduated in May, so we're planning on going on a trip to Cancun after Christmas. Then we will likely be moving to Chicago. That's actually why I was there this week, for an internship interview. It's down to me and three other applicants for two positions. I should find out next month if I have one of them."
"Your majoring in Art History, right?"
"Yes, Tony, that's correct. The internship would be at The Art Institute of Chicago beginning in February."
"That's great news!" Angela said.
"So what if you don't get one of them? Do you have anything else in the hopper?"
"I could probably get an internship at one of the smaller galleries in New York, though my dream would be Museum of Modern Art, but they only take those with Master's Degrees or at least 3 years experience elsewhere. So Chicago would be a good place to start."
"And what is Gary doing? He working anywhere?"
"Yes, he's currently working with his cousin at his home remodeling business. He's doing mostly kitchens and bathrooms right now. Once we know where I've been accepted, then he'll look for something more in his field."
"What was he studying again?"
"He graduated with a Minor in History and a Major in Engineering. He's hoping to get into an architecture job. He'll look at applying in either Chicago or New York once I know where I'll be at. And then I'll also apply for my masters degree at either University of Illinois or NYU."
"Sounds like you have things all planned out! That's so great to hear!" Tony said with pride.
"Yeah, much more than me right now."
"Angela, from everything Tony had told me, and what you've shared with me, you have things pretty well planned out too. You've been thrown a few curveballs lately, but you are a true inspiration to young women. You are the owner of your own advertising agency, a very successful agency from what I hear. You raised your son as a single parent, worked hard to become president of the 12th largest advertising agency, then went out on your own. Now you not only run but OWN the 10th largest ad agency in the country! If that isn't someone with their feet firmly planted on the ground, I don't know what is!"
"Oh, Alexandria, you are very sweet for saying all of that."
"It's all true though."
"Well, not all of it. I did have great support around me, namely this man right here. I truly would not be where I am today without him. He has been my strength for the past eight years."
"Oh, Angela, you do make me a better man each and every day. I love you." He leaned over and gave her a sweet kiss.
"You do make a beautiful couple!"
"Thank you, Alex. Yeah, I'm a lucky guy."
"Thanks again for lunch. I'm going to get going as Gary and I are meeting up to go see a show in the city tonight."
"Thanks for the visit and for my babies' first gift, Alexandria. Let's plan to do something once I'm back on my feet."
"That'd be great! Bye, Tony. Bye, Angela."