———————————————————————
Steve continued to make love to Laura passionately and frequently, but Laura had a new plan. They weren't going to drive themselves crazy anymore by wondering everyday if they'd gotten lucky. They were only going to take one pregnancy test per cycle from then on. If that one came up positive, they would take another to be certain.
She didn't break her rule. She didn't take another pregnancy test for a month, but eventually they reached the little red circle on their calendar. That morning, Steve woke up early, because he was so excited. He put on his glasses and climbed on top of her, kissing her passionately. He reached a hand into her panties and began to feel around her entrance. He smiled as he felt how dry she was, but she wouldn't be for long. He continued to kiss her and touch her until he heard her moan.
"Mmmmm…" she purred as her hands came up to his face. She pushed him away, gently enough to just break their kiss. "Good morning," she purred.
"Good morning," he said as he slipped a finger inside of her.
"Ohhhh…" she exhaled. "What on Earth are you doing?" she asked.
"You didn't get your period yesterday. You didn't get it last night. You are now officially one day late… and I'm rewarding you for it," he purred, kissing her again.
"Don't get your hopes up yet," she warned. "Cycles… OH, GOD. Cycles can vary a little bit each month."
"I know," he said as he yanked off her shorts and panties. "Now spread your legs for Daddy," he ordered.
She slipped off her top and spread her legs, just as she was told. It was some of the most passionate sex they'd ever had, but eventually, Steve had to go to work.
———————————————————————
Laura knew their new rule was no tests until she was a full week late, but she couldn't resist. She had to know so she could start preparing Steve for another disappointment. As soon as she was sure he had left for work, she ran into the bathroom and took out one of several tests he had purchased. She peed on the little stick and paced back and forth as she waited desperately for the five minutes to be up.
Only a month ago, she had thought this would never happen for her. She had been told this was impossible, but she'd been given a second chance to make Steve happy. She wanted this as much as he did, but he was the only thing she could think about as she heard the timer go off. She closed her eyes as she picked up the test, mentally preparing herself to learn she was going to disappoint him again.
"Pregnant."
Laura's heart stopped. She set the test back in the box and pulled out another one. She tried to pee on it, but she had just peed. She ran out to the fridge and began to chug every liquid in the apartment until she had to go again. She took the second test and waited in misery through the timer. She ran to the test as she finally heard it go off. She took a deep breath and glanced down.
"Pregnant," it said again.
She took out the remaining three tests. She had to save one to do with Steve when she was officially a week late, so she only took two more.
"Pregnant."
"Pregnant."
Laura finally collapsed to the floor with the fourth test and cried happy tears. She placed a hand on her stomach and rubbed it gently. "Your daddy's gonna be so happy," she whispered through her tears.
After she was over the shock and drifting into excitement, she quickly threw out the tests in the kitchen trash and walked it immediately to the trash chute. She knew Steve probably would have wanted to have the first one she took bronzed, but she didn't want him to know that she had cheated, and more importantly, she didn't want him to get his hopes up until it was confirmed by a doctor this time. She called her general physician and made an appointment for a blood and urine test six days away. All she had to do was keep her mouth shut until then.
———————————————————————
When that Wednesday morning rolled around, Steve woke up an hour before his alarm. He turned to Laura and slipped his hand into her panties again, which she'd somehow gotten used to waking up to.
"Mmmm…" she purred as he felt around her entrance. "Good morning."
"Morning," he whispered, feeling around thoughtfully. He swallowed hard as he felt something wet. He was afraid to remove his hand to check for blood.
She reached her hand up to his head and stroked his cheek. "You know what today is, don't you?"
He nodded. "But… Um… Laura Lee, you're a little wet. Did you… start?" he asked nervously.
Laura's eyes shot open and her heart began to pound. "No," she said firmly, ripping his hand away. She rushed out of bed and into the bathroom. She pulled down her shorts and panties and looked at the pad she kept there, mostly to make sure he didn't get suspicious. She took a small amount of toilet paper and wiped. No blood. She finally began to relax. It was just her normal wetness from waking up with his hand in her pants all the time. She supposed that her body had started to expect a little, morning orgasm. She stood, flushed, and washed her hands. She walked back out to him. "I didn't start," she answered as she climbed in bed beside him. She leaned over him and kissed him. "I'm seven days late now," she whispered, slipping off her shorts, panties, and tank top. She placed his hand back on her womanhood.
He smiled brightly and kissed her passionately. "Let's go take the test," he said, sitting up.
"No," she pouted. "I wanna make love first."
"After," he said, sliding out of bed.
"But, baby," she complained as he tugged her arm. He handed her his pajama shirt so she could cover up a little. She buttoned it as she walked into the bathroom.
He went into the cupboard and pulled out a test. He stared at the now empty area of the cupboard. "Where are the rest of the tests?" he asked.
She pursed her lips and grabbed the box from his hand. "What do you mean?" she asked quickly, opening the box.
"I bought five tests from five different brands so that we could check five times and not get our hopes up this time," he said.
"Oh," she said. "Well, I made an appointment with my general practitioner for right after you get off work today, so we can have him check then. Then we'll know for sure." She pulled out the test and ran her fingers over it nervously.
"Why did you make an appointment?" he asked, growing confused and becoming suspicious.
Laura moved quickly to the toilet. "Do you wanna watch?" she proposed, desperately trying to distract him.
"Yes," he said immediately, not even caring that she hadn't let him before and that this, too, was suspicious.
Laura moved the test below her and looked away from Steve. She released her bladder above the test and pulled it away as she finished. She set the test down on the counter and flushed. She washed her hands and turned back around, her face heated in embarrassment. "I'll go set the timer," she announced, walking out to the kitchen.
After it was set, she came back to the bathroom and found Steve staring at the test. She smiled at him. "Get away from there, you peeker," she scolded.
He stepped back and walked over to her in the doorway. "I'm just so nervous," he said.
She reached her arms around his neck, trying to contain her excitement. "There's nothing to be nervous about," she replied. "If it doesn't happen this month, it'll be next month or the month after that or the month after that. We got tested, Steve. We're both healthy. We're both young. It's just a matter of time."
He nodded. "I want it to be this month, though," he said softly.
"Me too," she agreed.
They held each other close in comfortable silence as they waited for the timer to go off. Again, Laura insisted on turning off the timer before they went to check. She finally allowed Steve back into the bathroom and handed him the test. "You look," she instructed.
Steve looked down at the little white stick and frowned. "Not pregnant," he said softly.
"What?" she asked immediately. "That's impossible!" She ripped the stick from his hand and held it close to her face. She relaxed immediately. "There are two lines, Steve! Two lines means pregnant," she explained in frustration.
"It does?!" he asked.
"Yes!" she exclaimed.
"Dang! I always mess stuff like this up!" he complained.
Laura laughed and then grabbed him by his cheeks. "Steve, baby, I'm pregnant!" she shouted, jumping for joy and pulling him in for a kiss.
His arms slowly came up around her and squeezed her back. "Mmmmm…" he moaned as he kissed her.
She broke their kiss and looked up at him. "I'm pregnant," she smiled again.
Steve stared at her uncomfortably. "It could be another false positive," he said. "I wish we had those other tests."
Laura, too, was nervous all five tests could have been a false positive. She looked away and walked out toward the bedroom. "Well, you can meet me at the doctor's office at 5:30, and we'll know for sure," she said. "Now come back to bed and celebrate our possibly good news," she instructed, unbuttoning his shirt and dropping it to the ground.
"Yes, Ma'am!" he agreed happily as he jumped on her naked body.
———————————————————————
That afternoon, Laura waited around impatiently for as long as she could, but eventually, she decided she had to do something. She decided to go shopping, as that always seemed to calm her nerves. She found herself at the mall, drawn immediately to a baby clothing store. She knew she wasn't supposed to buy anything yet, but she didn't really believe in jinxes. She hesitated outside of the store, pacing back and forth, gazing longingly in the windows. Steve had already broken that rule anyway. Was one more onesie really going to make a difference? She took a deep breath, steeled herself, and walked right in.
"Hi there!" a cheery blonde chirped the second she stepped inside. "Is there anything I can help you find?"
Laura smiled at her nervously. "Um… No, just browsing," she said dismissively. She walked away and began to make her rounds around the store. A tiny shoe section caught her eye, just like the regular-sized one always did, and she stopped to stare at a tiny pair of sparkly sandals. She placed a hand on her stomach, without even realizing it.
"How far along are you?" that same chipper voice asked from her left side.
Laura jumped. "Huh?" she asked as she turned.
"Your hand on your stomach? That usually means it's not a gift," she smiled.
"Oh," Laura said blushing. "Um… It hasn't even been confirmed by a doctor yet," she said dismissively.
"But you got a positive test?" she asked excitedly.
"Yes," Laura admitted softly. What was she doing? She hadn't told anyone, and she knew she was going to have to fight Steve tooth and nail to get him to keep his mouth shut until the end of the first trimester, but here she was sharing her big news with this stranger.
"Congratulations," she said.
"It's too soon to–"
"It's ok to be excited. It takes a lot to get this far. Congratulations," she repeated.
"Thank you," Laura blushed.
"Let me know if you need help finding something," she said as she turned.
"Actually," Laura called, catching the saleswoman off guard, "I'm looking for something for my husband. Just something small to make it feel… real?"
"Follow me," the woman smiled.
———————————————————————
That evening Laura met Steve in her doctor's office. "Hey," she said as she sat beside him with a clipboard and some paperwork.
"Hi, Sweetums," he replied, kissing her cheek.
"How do you keep beating me to these appointments?" she asked.
"Because you're always late," he answered.
"I was shopping," she explained.
"Well, that explains everything," he said, kissing her cheek again.
They sat in silence for a moment as Laura filled out the paperwork. She handed it to the woman behind the counter when she was done and sat beside Steve again. He took her hand and smiled at her. "What?" she asked softly.
"You know I'll always love you… no matter what happens, right?" he asked gently.
"I know," she agreed, resting her head on his shoulder. "I love you, too."
"Laura, if this isn't the real deal, I don't want you to blame yourself," he whispered as he placed a hand on her stomach.
"You mean like you did last time?" she countered.
"Yes, and like you did last month," he added. "This will happen for us. I'll be patient. I promise."
She nodded. "I will be, too," she agreed, but she was really banking on this one being the one.
"Mrs. Urkel?" a nurse called.
Laura and Steve stood and walked back to the exam room, hand-in-hand. Steve continued to hold Laura's hand as she talked to the nurse, as her blood was drawn again, and as they waited impatiently for the results.
Laura's general practitioner, who had been her doctor since she was in diapers and had seen every member of her family for most of their lives, walked in. "Laura," he smiled as he walked in with a clipboard under his arm.
"Hey, Dr. Walker," she smiled, leaning her cheek to him as he kissed her.
"How's your mom?" he asked.
"She's good," Laura replied. Laura turned to Steve. "He and my mom used to date," she told him.
Steve gasped dramatically.
"In the fifth grade," he explained to Steve, glaring at Laura.
"That's why you're the only ex-boyfriend my father doesn't despise."
"It took him a few years to get used to me," he joked. He turned to Steve. "Speaking of fathers… This must be your husband."
"It took Carl a few years to get used to me, too," Steve joked, extending his hand.
"I'm sure he'll come around any day now," Laura teased.
"Steve Urkel," Steve said as they shook.
"Cliff Walker," Dr. Walker replied. He pulled up a rolling chair and sat down. "So, you're here for a pregnancy test, huh?" he asked.
"Yes," Laura said, squeezing Steve's hand tighter.
"Does your father know about that?" Dr. Walker joked.
"No," Laura said pointedly. "No, we haven't told anyone yet."
"Was this planned?" he asked gently.
"Yes, very much so," Laura smiled nervously.
Dr. Walker leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. "Well, good," he smiled softly, "because you two are going to be parents."
Laura's body flooded with warmth. "Really?" she asked desperately, tears rushing to her eyes.
"Really," Dr. Walker confirmed. "You're pregnant, Laura."
Laura turned to Steve, who was already crying. "I'm pregnant," she announced to him.
"You're pregnant," he repeated, lifting both her hands to his lips and kissing them again and again.
Laura ripped her hands away from him and threw her arms around his neck, kissing him passionately. He lifted her into his arms and kissed her back, holding her close as she kicked both legs up behind her. Eventually, Steve set her back down and pulled away, blushing as he remembered that they weren't alone. Laura turned to Dr. Walker. "Thank you so much," she said, hugging her longtime doctor.
He hugged her back. "You're welcome, Laura. Congratulations," he said.
She pulled back and stood by Steve as he wrapped his arm around her. "So what do we need to do now?" she asked.
"Well, your gynecologist is gonna wanna see you at eight weeks. We calculate the age of the baby from the first day of your last period, so as far as we're concerned, you're already five weeks along. Are you still seeing my wife?" he asked.
"Yes," Laura nodded.
"Good. Call her office and tell them you saw me, got everything confirmed, and found out you were five weeks along. Set up an appointment for your eighth week."
Laura glanced at Steve, who had pulled a notebook out of… somewhere and was diligently writing this information down. She didn't think it was necessary, but she was glad to have such an organized and prepared partner in this.
"She'll do a physical exam, a blood test, an ultrasound, and walk you through a bunch of things you have to do to ensure a healthy pregnancy. Go in with a list of questions so you make sure you don't forget to ask something. Otherwise, just enjoy it. This is a magical time in your life," he smiled.
"Ok. Thank you again," Laura said seriously, hugging him one last time.
"You're welcome, Laura, and congratulations. Tell your parents to call me when you announce it to them."
"We will," Laura agreed.
Dr. Walker extended his hand to Steve. "Congratulations, Dad," he smiled as they shook.
"Thanks, Doc," he grinned proudly.
———————————————————————
Steve walked Laura to her car and opened the door for her after she unlocked it. She sat down, and he gently closed her door. "I'll see you at home?" he asked, as he leaned into her open window.
"Yes," she agreed with a happy smile.
"I love you," he purred, leaning inside her car to kiss her.
"I love you, too," she said.
He kissed his hand and reached down to her stomach. "See you in a minute, my loves," he whispered, really emphasizing the plurality of that S.
"See you," she said, pulling out of her space.
———————————————————————
Laura beat Steve home by a few minutes, as she often did, because even in his normal car, he still often drove at the speed of the Isetta. She took the opportunity to set down her stuff and pull out the gift she'd bought for him at the mall. She set the tiny, yellow gift bag on the coffee table and sat on the couch. She placed a hand on her stomach and rubbed it gently.
Steve walked into the apartment nearly ten minutes later. "Honey, I'm home," he said to her as their eyes met.
Laura went to stand, but he stopped her. "Ah, ah, ah," he interrupted. She froze. "Don't move," he insisted as he began to walk toward her. "I'll come to you. You need your rest."
"Oh, Lord," she laughed. "You are going to be impossible through all this, aren't you?"
"You know, I am," he chuckled, kissing her cheek as he sat. His eyes landed on the bag on the table. "What's this?" he asked as he picked it up.
"I told you I went shopping," she smiled mischievously.
"But not for a gift. Who's it for?"
She cocked her head at him. "For you," she laughed.
"It's not a special occasion," he questioned.
"Finding out I'm pregnant, isn't a special occasion?" she challenged.
"No, of course it is!" he corrected quickly. "I just didn't expect a gift. I didn't get you anything!"
"Good! Now you know how I feel whenever you do this to me!"
"Fair point," he nodded. He smiled brightly, thrilled to be on the receiving end of such a thoughtful gesture. "Can I open it?" he asked, bouncing up and down on the couch.
"Yes," she smiled, knocked over slightly from his excited hops.
He tore through the tissue paper quickly, tossing it aside, and pulled the mystery item out of the bag. It unfolded as he held it up in front of him. It was a teeny, tiny yellow onesie. He gasped in awe. They had made something that was going to be this tiny when he or she finally arrived. He looked at her as tears came to his eyes. "Oh, Sweetums, I love it."
"That's not it!" she laughed. "Turn it around!"
"Oh," he said. He flipped it over and read the goofy, block letters on the front.
"50% Mommy 50% Daddy = 100% perfect," it read.
He chuckled as his tears finally escaped his eyes. "I love it, Laura Lee," he whispered, kissing her softly and sweetly.
"Good," she smiled, "but really take to heart what it says, Steve. This baby is half you. That's why he's gonna be perfect, because he's both of us."
"Aw, gee," he blushed, looking down.
She grabbed his chin and tilted his eyes back up to hers. "I love you with all my heart, Steven Quincy Urkel. You are an amazing husband, and you are going to be the world's best father."
Steve leaned forward abruptly and kissed her again, more passionately this time. "You make me feel like I can do anything," he whispered.
"You can," she replied with a sly smile.
———————————————————————
That night, as they were lying in bed completely naked after making love, Steve removed Laura from his arms and crawled down her body, bringing the comforter down with him. Soon, her breasts and stomach were exposed to the cool night air. She meant to complain, but she bit her tongue as Steve's hand landed gently on her stomach. "Hi," he whispered softly. "Hi, Baby Urkel. This is Dr. Steven Quincy Urkel, your daddy," he explained.
Laura giggled softly. "You really need to give our child your full name and title?" she joked.
"Well, I don't want her mixing me up with any other Steves!" he exclaimed. He turned his attention back to her stomach as he stroked her smooth skin. "That was your mama," he added. "Her name is Laura Lee Urkel, born Laura Lee Winslow, and she is the most incredible woman in the world. She's gonna be the best mommy you could ever hope for."
Laura reached a hand down and stroked the back of his head affectionately.
"She's gonna take such good care of you for the next nine months, and I'm gonna take care of her while she does that. Then, a while from now, you're gonna decide you're ready to come out, and when that day comes, I'm gonna get to start taking care of you, too. Now I'd say that I can't wait, but that's not true. I can. We don't want you to come early. You stay in there until you're sure you're good and ready," he insisted.
"But not too long after you're ready," Laura joked.
"Take all the time you need," Steve countered. "We're already counting down the days because we are so excited to meet you, but we can wait. We want you to be born a healthy, happy, perfect baby. I'm not too worried about the last part. I already know you're gonna be perfect, because your mama is perfect." He looked up at Laura and smiled. "And she thinks my genes are pretty ok, too." He looked down at her flat, smooth stomach. "Sleep tight, Baby Urkel. We love you more than we ever knew we could." He leaned down and kissed her navel, not sensually, but affectionately. "Goodnight."
———————————————————————
The next morning, Steve made her breakfast in bed before he left for work, even though it wasn't Sunday. "Don't move a muscle," he ordered, as he slipped out of the room.
Laura rolled her eyes and lay back in bed. She had to be careful, or she'd get way too used to being spoiled by him during her pregnancy. She was already spoiled before, but Steve was making it clear now that he would gladly act as her full-time servant for the rest of her life if she let him. She couldn't get used to that or they would both be in for a rude awakening when the baby arrived.
Laura placed a hand on her flat stomach and rubbed it gently. She closed her eyes again and couldn't stop herself from smiling. She was so completely, uncomplicatedly happy. It had been awhile since she'd felt like this. She had been nervous for the admittedly very short period of time they were trying, and she'd been devastated while Steve was without his memory. Before he lost his memory, she had been trying to figure out how to tell him she wasn't ready to have a baby. Before that, she had been panicked about failing the Bar. Before she took the Bar, she had obviously been worried about the Bar. For years of her life, as happy as Steve had made her, she had been grounded by the stress of school. The last time she really remembered feeling this way was her honeymoon, after that whole Myra situation had been resolved, obviously. She and Steve had spent several days and nights together after that that were completely uncomplicated by the real world. All they had to do was eat and have sex and drink lots of water. There was something so freeing to her about being able to focus on the physical and get out of her head.
She felt similarly in this moment. Sure, there was a lot more that could still go wrong, and she knew she would soon start to worry about all of that, but she forced herself to stop worrying about when she would start worrying and just feel that connection to her body again. That uncomplicated, primal connection to her body and to her baby that she'd only before felt to Steve's body and his love. It was freeing, simply existing in connection to another person's love. Now two other people's love.
When the phone rang, it drew her back into the real world and forced her to remember that other people existed besides Steve, the baby, and her. She rolled over to grab the phone on Steve's nightstand. "Hello?" she answered.
"Hello, Laura?"
"Yes. May I ask who's speaking?"
"This is Nancy at the ACLU. I'm calling about the internship."
"Oh," Laura replied, suddenly remembering that she'd applied and interviewed for this at all. She'd been so caught up in everything this week that she'd forgotten she was desperately waiting for this very call. "Yes, hi, how are you?"
"I'm doing very well now that I'm talking to you, Laura. I'm sorry it took me so long to get back to you. It's all hands on deck here, as per usual, which is why I'm so excited to offer you this position."
Laura's heart fluttered. "Really?" she asked excitedly.
"Yes," Nancy replied. "It's very rare that we see someone with your qualifications apply for this post. Normally, we're holding the place together with our few paid employees, a revolving door of volunteers, and some very passionate law students, but once those law students graduate and are drowning in student loans, they normally aren't in a position to accept this post. Are you still interested in coming aboard?"
"Yes!" Laura exclaimed. "Yes. Definitely. Absolutely."
"Wonderful. Are you available at all today? You could come down and get another tour and we can start training you."
"I can be there in an hour," she answered without hesitation.
"Great. We'll see you then!"
"Yes! Thank you! I'll see you then!"
"Bye, Laura," Nancy said, hanging up the phone.
"Bye!" Laura set the phone down and threw herself back on the bed. She grabbed Steve's pillow and pulled it over her face. She squealed loudly and excitedly into it. Then the hour time limit she'd set for herself hit her suddenly, and she bolted out of bed. She ran to the bathroom and turned on the shower.
When Steve heard the shower turn on, he turned off the stove and slipped into their bedroom. He walked into their bathroom. "Laura?"
Laura poked her head out from behind the shower curtain. "Yeah, baby?"
"What's going on? What happened to breakfast in bed?"
"I can't anymore, Steve. The ACLU just called! I got the internship!"
"You did?" he asked excitedly.
"I did!" she beamed.
"Oh, sweetheart, congratulations!" he exclaimed. He yanked the shower curtain back and pulled her into his arms and out of the tub entirely. He spun her around and squeezed her tightly. "I'm so proud of you."
"Thank you, Steve," she giggled.
He set her down and looked down at his clothes. His work suit was soaked and soapy. "Oops."
Laura laughed and fixed her shower cap. "You should probably change before work, and I need to shower." She kissed him quickly and moved back toward the tub.
"You're right." He walked toward the door as she took a step back into the tub. "Hey, Sweetums?"
"Yeah?"
"This doesn't change anything, right? We're still doing this?"
Laura looked at him seriously. "Of course, Steve. I'm so incredibly happy to be carrying your baby. Taking this internship is all about making this work for us."
He nodded. "I'm just a little nervous, I guess."
"Why?"
Steve shrugged. "It took so long to get us here in the first place. You were so hesitant, and I know that was never about me, that was about this. You were scared that you were going to have to give up too much to do this with me, and I don't want you to. I really don't, but I understand what you've been telling me all these years. It's different for moms. I will do everything I can to make sure we're sharing every burden and every joy of parenthood equally. Heck, I'll bear more of the burden if I can, but it's not all about me and how I behave. It's about society. It's going to be different for you than it is for me, and I want you to know that I see that and I appreciate every single sacrifice you're going to have to make. I would understand if you were feeling conflicted today. That's all I'm saying."
Laura stared at him for a long moment. "God, you are so hot."
Steve's eyes widened. "What?" he squawked.
"You can't be so respectful and considerate and evolved while I'm trying to get ready to go. I have to be there in an hour. I don't have time to have sex!"
Steve shook his head, panicked. "Laura, I wasn't saying that to get you into bed. I meant it!"
"I know you did! Which makes it so much hotter!" she complained.
"I'm not sure what to say right now."
Laura laughed. "Tell me you love me. Kiss me goodbye. Go change, and go to work. Tonight, we'll have dinner, and I'll tell you all about my first day, and we'll have lots and lots of sex."
Steve stared at her wide-eyed. "Well, it's hard to argue with that plan," he answered eventually. He leaned forward and kissed her sweetly. "Good luck, pickle cheeks. I'll see you tonight!" he called as he exited the bathroom and Laura ducked her head back in the shower. She washed herself quickly and listened carefully for their apartment door to close and lock. When she heard him leave, she counted to one hundred and then screamed loudly with excitement. She hopped out of the shower and ran to get ready for her very first day of work as a practicing attorney.