Thank you all for the reviews. I really appreciate it. I know a few of you aren't happy with the way this story is going...I can understand that, but some things will be revealed later on. As for the guest reviews...Thank you all! As usuall...they are hers not mine.

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"Okay, your ninety-day probation period is done, Steph. You are now a full-fledged employee," Julie said as she sat a cupcake down on Stephanie's desk. Stephanie had been living and working in Mercerville for three months. Junior hooked her up with his cousin Julie who owned a massage place.

Stephanie leaned back and smiled, "Yep, that and I'm twenty-one weeks today. I have my ultrasound and get to see the little one!"

"Is Justin going with you?" Julie asked as she looked to see when the next customer was due in.

"You know, I'm never going to get use to you calling him Justin. He's always been Zip to me. But at least now I know WHY he's Zip." When Stephanie first met her, Julie introduced herself as Julie Ziprowski and said she was Justin's sister. When Stephanie gave her a weird look, Julie said Steph probably knew him best as Zip. It was then that Stephanie put it together as to how Zip got his name, and that Zip and Junior were cousins.

"He said he'll be here as long as he doesn't get called in to cover a shift. If he can't make it, someone else will drive over." Stephanie had finally told the guys that she was pregnant when she hit 13 weeks; she only had to wait a month as she found out when she was nine weeks. They were all excited at first and then when Lester put two and two together, he realized that Ranger was the father and got pissed. At first Stephanie thought he was pissed at her, but he promised he wasn't. It was Ranger that everyone was pissed at.

Tank finally told the guys that Ranger was on a mission and wasn't sure when or if he'd come back. He wondered if he should tell Stephanie and the guys were split. Half of them said she had a right to know where he was, and the other half said she shouldn't know because he'd hurt her enough. Eventually, Tank told her and held her as she cried.

The first few appointments Stephanie had Zip, Lester, Manny, Junior, and Bobby with her. They were all excited and wanted to make sure she was taken care of properly. She finally got it down to just one of the guys at each visit and it was usually Zip.

"Okay, well, you might as well go home. I know you want to shower and get ready for your appointment. Don't forget; you have an appointment here tomorrow for a prenatal massage."

"Oh, I know. It is on my calendar at home, on my phone, and on my calendar here. I'm so looking forward to it." Stephanie stood up and hugged Julie, "I'll let you know what I find out today."

When Stephanie moved to Mercerville, she decided she wanted a house to rent instead of an apartment. She didn't want the baby crying and waking up the neighbors. So, she looked around and finally found a two-bedroom home for a decent price. A huge back yard was a plus for her for when her baby got older.

Stephanie pulled in her driveway and spotted the silver truck in front of her. She'd given Zip a key when he started showing up on his days off. He was constantly showing up to cook her dinner, take her shopping, or just to relax and watch a show with her. She loved having him around as it gave her someone to talk with. Grabbing her purse, she headed inside and found him putting away some groceries.

"Hey there, Steph," he said when he saw her come in the kitchen. "Ella went shopping and bought you some things and she sent over some food for reheating as well."

Stephanie stepped up to Zip and kissed his cheek. "Thanks. I appreciate it. Please tell her I send my thanks and love."

"You know, you can stop in at the office and see her and the guys."

"I know, I just don't want to run into Ranger."

Zip pulled her back to his chest and wrapped his arms around her. His hands settled on the tiny baby bump. "He's not there and won't be for close to a year still. And even if he were, the rest of the guys would keep him away from you. I would keep him away from you."

Stephanie leaned back against Zip and let him support her body. She didn't like everyone touching her belly at first and asked a few of the guys why they insisted on it. They all pretty much said that it would probably be the only baby they would ever be around and wanted to be a part of the pregnancy as much as she'd allow. Once she understood the guys, she didn't flinch when they would walk up to her and place a hand on her belly or talk to the baby.

"What time is our appointment?" Zip asked. He loved going to the doctor appointments, hearing the heartbeat, and seeing the baby on the screen. He had a hard time seeing more than a blob on the screen the first few times, but he studied the pictures that were printed and was able to tell exactly what he was looking at now.

"I need to leave in an hour. I'm going to go take a quick shower." Turning in his arms, she kissed his cheek and headed to the bathroom. "Make yourself at home," she yelled down the hall.

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"Okay, Steph, if baby cooperates, do you want to know what you're having?" the ultrasound tech asked as she squirted warmed gel on Steph's belly.

Steph looked at Zip, "What do you think? Should I find out?"

Grabbing her hand, Zip told her, "Well, all the guys at the office really want to know and so does Ella, but it is totally up to you."

Stephanie looked at the ultrasound tech and asked, "Do you have a paper and an envelope?" When the tech nodded, Stephanie added, "Can you write it down and seal it so I can look later if I decide to?"

"Of course. I'll even print out a picture if I can."

After Stephanie wiped the gel off her belly, she pulled her waistband back up and Zip helped her sit up. Grabbing the envelope and putting it in her purse, they thanked the tech and headed to the desk to make the next appointment.

Once her appointment was made for the next month, Zip asked to take her to dinner. She agreed and they headed to Texas Roadhouse for steak and rolls.

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Two months later Lester and Manny joined Stephanie for her doctor appointment. "Hey, Beautiful, when do we get to know what you are having?"

"Probably when the baby is born. I had the tech write on a piece of paper and seal it in an envelope last month. I gave that envelope to Julie and told her to hang onto it for me. While I want to know, I also want to be surprised. I know it doesn't make sense, but people use to never find out until the doctor announced it after the birth. I kind of want that surprise."

Les hugged Stephanie, "I totally understand. I guess we just get to purchase things in neutral colors for a while."

Just as they were about to leave for the appointment, Zip pulled in the drive next to Manny and rolled down his window. "You can't go without me," he yelled as he shut off his truck. Hoping in the back seat of the SUV, he smiled at Stephanie, "Told you I'd be there for every one of your appointments and I'm not about to go back on that."

"You are supposed to be at work today, I know that."

"Yeah, well. I pulled rank on the new guy and said he was working my monitor shift for me."

As the group piled into the exam room, Stephanie wondered how the doctor would fit in there. The room wasn't a small room, but with three of her Merry Men in there, it seemed small.

The doctor came in, did his exam and told Stephanie that all looked well with the baby and her. "Okay, it's time for you to do the glucose testing. So, I need you to do downstairs. They will give you something to drink and you'll have to stick around for an hour so they can test your blood."

The guys followed her down to the office she needed to report to and sat with her. Once she gagged the sugar down, they all sat around and looked at baby magazines. Lester found a few items he planned on purchasing for the baby and made a list on his phone. He planned on going shopping after they dropped Stephanie back off at her place.

TBC... Next week. Have a good weekend.