Chapter 56: Arena, Birthday, and Signs

"Well, Doc and Ginny, get in this house! I know it's only been three weeks, but it's so good to see you again!" Jack warmly greeted the Cuttys as he shook Doc's hand when they came in with Mitch, Amy, and Lyndy.

Everyone had been invited to Heartland for lunch to await the arrival of Peter and Lou returning from Paris in the early afternoon. The Cuttys showed up after they'd all gone to church together. Everyone said their hellos, then as the others retreated to the living room to visit, Ginny began helping Lisa and Jessica finish getting lunch ready to serve.

Once on the table, the conversation turned to sharing how well the remodel had gone for Nina, and how much they were looking forward to everyone meeting her. Lyndy put in her two cents about how funny and pretty she was.

"I was thinking perhaps we could have a barbeque at our place this Saturday so that all of you can meet Nina and the new hands. AND, someone has a birthday coming up on Friday, so we could celebrate my lovely bride as well!" Mitch proposed, cutting his eyes to the side toward Amy watching for her reaction.

Amy looked surprised and turned a light shade of pink, but she loved that Mitch was thinking of her.

"That sounds like a lovely idea, Mitch!" Lisa agreed.

"Ya know, I don't think we've had a birthday party for Amy since…well, since your 16th, Sweetheart. I'd say it's long overdue," Jack added looking to Amy.

"Thank you, guys. You really don't have to do that, but it would be nice for you to get to meet all the new staff. Especially since they are now connected with Heartland, too," Amy acquiesced.

"Then it's settled. How about Saturday at 5pm, our place?" Mitch suggested.

"Sounds good. And we can all bring something," Lisa stated. Jessica agreed. And they were sure Lou would want to help when she learned about it.

An hour or so after lunch, everyone was busy in conversation or playing a game when the door opened, and Peter and Lou appeared in a whirlwind of enthusiasm, coming in laden, not only with their luggage, but with gifts for everyone. There was a flurry of activity as hugs and "welcome home's" were given, then there was excitement upon hearing about their experiences and stories of their trip. It was obvious to the family that the time away had done Peter and Lou a great deal of good. They both looked radiant.

"We saved you each a plate from lunch," Lisa said. "How about you sit down and eat, and then you can share your gifts. I'm sure you're famished after your long flight."

"Well, we had breakfast on the plane, but that's been a while. Lisa, thanks so much for thinking about us!" Peter said.

After Peter and Lou had eaten and shared their gifts with everyone, Mitch gave Amy a nod, a signal that she easily read that they should head home.

"Peter and Lou, we're so happy you are back safely, and that you had such a wonderful time. However, I think our group should get going so you guys can start to recover from your jetlag. You must be exhausted after all the hours of traveling," Amy said.

Goodbyes were said, belongings were gathered, and the Cutty family headed back to Whispering Meadows. When they got home, they discussed the following week. Mitch and Doc decided to wait until Tuesday to begin on the arena. It would allow one day to be a normal day for the hands and give them a slight break before diving into more extra duties. Also, Mitch needed to call the next day to be sure that the delivery he'd requested for the materials was still on track for Monday.

When Logan showed up Monday to help Amy, he let her and Mitch know that he and Clint had worked things out for his remaining duties at the Centre, and if they were still ok with it, he was ready to move into the loft. They assured him they were looking forward to having him. Amy let Nina know that there would now be an additional person for meals. Doc and Ginny were also looking forward to the opportunity to get to know Logan better. Amy had mentioned him several times in their conversations.

Mitch's call confirmed the materials were on schedule to be delivered that afternoon. Around 1pm, the delivery showed up, and Mitch and the hands helped get it situated in and around the barn for starting the next day.

About an hour later, as Mitch watched Amy and Logan working with their newest client horse, he noticed that Amy seemed to be dragging and not quite herself.

When he saw an opening in their training, he walked over to her in the round pen, put his arm around her waist and asked, "Love, are you ok?"

"I just suddenly feel really tired; not sure what's going on," Amy replied.

"Why don't you go in and take a nap? Logan, do you think you can take the training over for the rest of the afternoon," Mitch asked as he looked toward him.

"Sure, I can manage, if you need to go rest, Amy?" Logan replied.

"Thanks, I appreciate it. Looks like your timing to be here today couldn't have been better," she said gratefully.

Mitch walked back to the house with her and ensured she went to lay down. He placed water by her bed, laid a light throw over her, and gently kissed her on the forehead as he softly whispered, "Rest well, my Darling. I'll check on you in a bit."

She looked up at him with heavy lids, but adoration reflected in her eyes. She was asleep before Mitch could even close the door. She had him a little worried.

He went into the kitchen to talk to his mom who was fixing Doc an afternoon snack.

"Honey, do you want me to fix you something as well?" she asked.

"That'd be great, Mom!" he answered. "So, Amy is resting. She seemed a little run down. Has she said anything to you lately?"

"No, can't say she has. Maybe it's just all the changes and getting back into everything that has caught up with her," Ginny suggested.

"Hope so," Mitch said.

Just before Lyndy got home from school, Mitch silently opened their bedroom door to peek in on Amy. She stirred and rolled over to see those adoring blue eyes looking back at her from across the room. She reached out her arm beckoning him to come in. He walked over to sit beside her on the bed.

"How are you feeling?" he asked as he touched his hand to her forehead checking to see if she felt warm. He detected no fever.

"Ummm, much better," she said as she stretched.

Mitch reached up and clasped both of her hands that were over her head, intertwined their fingers and brought them close to his heart before leaning down to sweetly envelop her lips in a gentle kiss that conveyed his ever-present concern for the love of his life. He drew back slightly, breaking the kiss, and as he rested his forehead against hers, Amy softly whispered, "Cowboy, you are so good to me!"

It was one of the names she used for him that tugged a string in his heart. He drew back looking into her eyes and confessed, "I was worried about you."

"Probably just all the excitement of the last few weeks catching up to me," Amy surmised.

"Well, I'm awfully glad you are feeling better. Lyndy should be home soon. Do you want to get up, or do you need to sleep some more?"

"I should get up. Thank you."

"For what?"

"For loving me the way you do."

Mitch answered, "Always." And he kissed her once more.

The rest of the week went well. The guys got a good start on preparing the arena area before they would start erecting the enclosure. Logan moved into the loft on Tuesday. Amy did better the rest of the week, so she was thinking maybe whatever was going on with her had passed. However, Friday morning, her birthday morning, as she was brushing her teeth, she suddenly gagged. It caught her by surprise, then she thought, 'That hasn't happened…since…what if….' She'd need to make a trip into town as soon as she could manage.

That night during family time, Mitch brought in a single cupcake with a candle, and they sang 'Happy Birthday' to Amy.

"We'll have a real birthday cake for you at the party tomorrow night, but I thought you needed something on your actual day," he expounded as she blew out the candle, and he handed it to her.

Then he grabbed their gifts that had been hidden and placed them behind his back. Quickly whipping around and sitting down on the couch between Amy and Lyndy, he pulled out their gifts – Amy's new Bible and the Bible story book Ginny had gotten for him to gift Lyndy 'just because.' They were both thrilled! Amy loved that he'd had her name engraved on the cover, and she looked forward to being able to read without having to borrow Mitch's. There were also maps and a lot of study helps in it.

"It's perfect, Mitch! Thank you so much!" Amy said planting a kiss on his cheek.

"Yes, Daddy, thank you! I love my new book. And the pictures in it are so pretty!" Lyndy said, reaching up to hug his neck. Then they both planted kisses on each of his cheeks while Doc captured the moment in a photo.

Saturday morning, very early, Amy made an excuse to go into town. In short order, she exited the drug store with what she needed and went to Maggie's to use the restroom. If the results were what she suspected, she'd want to call and make an appointment right away. She prayed no one else would need to come in while she waited. After a couple of minutes, she held her breath…two lines! It was true! But she needed to be absolutely sure before she told Mitch. She quickly called Dr. Adler's office to set an appointment for Monday. He could get her in at 10am. 'Will I be able to keep this to myself til I can be sure? I have to. Just stay cool, Amy.'

When she came out of the restroom, she bumped into Lou. It was all she could do to act casually. She hoped she'd pulled it off and that Lou didn't suspect anything. They chatted for a moment with Amy telling her she was just in town to run an errand and was heading back home.

As Amy turned around to leave, Lou stopped a moment with a thoughtful look on her face – 'Something seemed different with Amy…or maybe I'm just imagining things.' Then she shrugged her shoulders and went back to work.

The birthday bash on Saturday was a success. Amy felt very honored. Caleb, Cass, and Carson attended as well. The hands and Nina made a great impression on everyone, and vice versa. During the celebration, upon taking bathroom breaks, Ike, Dax, and Nina had all noticed the shadow box hanging in the hallway as they walked back and forth. It was the first time that any of them had realized that Amy had been married before and had evidently lost her first husband. It gave each of them an even greater appreciation for the family they were now getting to know, and it made Nina feel a special kinship with Amy. Each of them had separately thought that maybe they'd ask Zeke or Charlie more about what happened when they got the chance.

Though they went to church on Sunday and had a rather normal rest of the day, the hours seemed to drag by for Amy. Monday morning, after the guys got to work on the arena, Amy asked Ginny and Nina if they needed anything from town. Ginny gave her a short list they put together. Amy added one additional item to the list and was grateful she could use the errand as an excuse to Mitch for her trip to town. She went over training plans with Logan for the morning and then stopped by the arena to give Mitch a goodbye kiss and let him know she was going into town to pick up a few things for Ginny and Nina. He thought it a bit unusual that she was the one going, but he didn't think too much of it.

Amy was able to pick up the items on Ginny and Nina's list before she went to her appointment. Dr. Adler came into the exam room and smiled when he saw Amy.

"Amy, it's good to see you again! What may I do for you today?"

"Hello, Dr. Adler. It seems I need to have you confirm what I believe to be true."

A smile crossed his face as he asked, "Are we speaking of what I suspect?"

"If you suspect my husband and I may be expecting, then you would be correct," she answered breaking into a smile.

After examining her, he said, "I'll have the nurse attend to you very shortly," and with his hand on the doorknob, he tipped his head to her. "You should hear from me one way or the other by this afternoon, and then we should have the results from your blood test by Wednesday afternoon," and he slipped through the door.

Amy had a pretty good idea of what the blood test results would show. Driving home, she felt both anxious and excited.

She got back home in time for her and Logan to eat a fairly early lunch and then work with their horse for a couple of hours. After they finished, she decided to take Spartan out for a short ride, making sure she stayed within cell range. About 2:30pm, her cell phone rang. It was Dr. Adler.

"Hello."

"Hello. Amy?"

"Yes, it's me," Amy answered with great anticipation.

"We have your results back, and I'm happy to inform you that your test results are positive," he said on the other end of the connection.

"Really? You're sure?"

"Yes, it's certain. You are pregnant. I couldn't be happier for you and Mitch. Congratulations!"

A broad smile made its way across Amy's face as she responded, "Thank you! Thank you so much for your call!"

"You are welcome. Do you have plans to use a mid-wife again?"

"Yes, sir, I do," Amy responded.

"Well, just know I will be here to back her up if the need should arise," Dr. Adler said.

"Thank you, doctor, I appreciate that. Goodbye."

"Bye, Amy, and all the best to you!"

As soon as Amy hung up the phone, she called Margo, the midwife who'd delivered Lyndy, to let her know the news and that it looked like she'd be needing her services again. Margo was thrilled for her, and they set up her first appointment. Now to figure out just how she was going to tell Mitch. Maybe she'd plan something for Wednesday evening, after she got the blood test results back, and she could better answer any questions he might have. Maybe an early evening horseback ride and picnic by firelight down by the water. She could get Ginny to help her with packing a special meal but wouldn't have to tell her the entire reason for it just yet. And perhaps Doc and Ginny would agree to putting Lyndy to bed that night. Now she just needed to put the plans in motion. Also, for the time being, she needed to sneak a few saltines into her bedside drawer, just in case. It was going to be hard, but she thought she could make it til Wednesday to share the news, especially if she occupied her time with work and also planned what she'd say when she told Mitch. She knew he adored and loved Lyndy as his own, but knowing how much he had wanted children, and that this would be his flesh and blood, she was so excited for him!

When she got back to the house, she took some of the crackers to the bedroom and stowed them in her drawer along with setting a water bottle by the bed. And even though she knew she needed to make sure Mitch had nothing planned for Wednesday evening, she also needed an outlet for some of the excitement that was bursting within her. To help, she went ahead and asked Ginny about helping her plan something special for their picnic dinner and asked if they could plan on putting Lyndy to bed on Wednesday evening. Of course, Ginny was more than happy to help. She did sense there was something more to it than just a romantic dinner, however, especially when Amy mentioned packing sparkling cider rather than wine. Yet she'd seen how they both put each other and Lyndy first. They seemed to have their priorities straight, and that made her very happy.

That same night, after getting Lyndy to bed and getting ready themselves, Mitch and Amy were propped up in bed to read together. Mitch had shown Amy how to gently break in her new Bible to help prevent cracking the spine, but before they started reading, Amy offered her invitation, "Mitch, do you have anything planned after work on Wednesday?"

He thought for a moment and double-checked the calendar on his phone, then answered, "No. Nothing. Why do you ask?"

"Well, it's been a while since we rode together, and there's supposed to be a good moon Wednesday night. I was thinking maybe we could go on an early evening ride and take a picnic dinner and build a fire down by the water, and eat under the stars?"

Mitch sat up a little straighter and turned toward her with questioning eyes, "That sounds really wonderful, and I'd love to do that with you, but what prompted this idea?"

Amy felt uncomfortable lying to him and tried to reply as truthfully as she could without giving away the surprise, "I just find an evening under the stars together with you very appealing," she said with a flirty grin.

"Well, I like the way you think, Mrs. Cutty. I'd love to take an evening ride with you! It's a date!" Mitch said, and he cupped her cheek and sweetly kissed her.

They read for a while together and then curled up holding each other, their rhythmic breathing lulling them into a tranquil sleep as moonbeams streamed through the bedroom window casting an aura of peace and serenity over their home.

A/N: I hope you are excited for the promise in this chapter. I certainly enjoyed writing it! By the way, Amy's gag while brushing her teeth was the first sign I had of being pregnant with both my children.