Ricardo hums, enjoying watching the clouds slowly ease overhead, wispy and white. "I'd like to show you more, Alicia," he says quietly, holding the phone up so she can look around at the kinds of things she could look forward to in the state that may end up being their new home once he's released from rehab. "But they still prefer me to stay close to the clinic. Understandable. At least I can go outside and walk around the grounds whenever I want."
She says, voice slightly tinny from the phone, "I'm glad they're taking care of you. And yes, it looks beautiful." When Ricardo turns the phone to look at her, Alicia smiles. "I could picture raising Andre there. And Sofia's made it clear she'll happily move anywhere with us. She's family and she doesn't want to be away from us, especially when Andre is still so little. So that's a good thing. I would've missed her too much if we had left and she stayed in California. You know?"
"Yeah, I'm glad to hear that too," Ricardo responds, smiling warmly down at Alicia's affectionate gaze. "So what have you been doing today? Andre napping?"
"Yeah, he's fast asleep. I've been alternating between taste testing some of the new things Sofia is cooking, and working on some new designs." She lifts a sheet of paper and lets him examine it. "You may not be able to guess what this is, but it's for your return home." She bites her lower lip and smiles bashfully. "Hopefully I'll still be able to fit in it." She walks off somewhere, phone in hand, and Ricardo blinks as Alicia turns the phone to its side and aims it at the full-bodied mirror she's standing in front of.
"Oh," he breathes, realizing. "Alicia..."
She hums. "Yeah," she breathes out, smoothing her flowing shirt over her stomach so he can get a better view of it. "I'm starting to show." She holds the phone back up and smiles, a tangled variety of emotions on her face. "Do you think... is there a chance you may be here for the first ultrasound?"
He swallows. "I don't know," he says. "I'll do my very best, though. We haven't really... talked about an end date. I... think they want to be careful, since I've already relapsed once and all."
"Yeah, it makes sense," she says softly. "Well, it's still a few weeks away, maybe... maybe there's a chance."
He smiles sadly at her. "Yeah, Foxy. There's always a chance."
"I love you," she tells him.
"I love you too," he proudly informs her. "Forever and ever. I promise, Alicia."
Her eyes soften, some of the sadness leaving them. "And I know you'll do everything you can to keep that promise, Ricardo." She looks up, frowning as she registers the soft noise coming from down the hall. "Oh, our little boy is waking up. I'll talk to you later, Ricardo. Maybe you can send me some more of those impressive Pennsylvania pictures, ok?"
"I will," he tells her. "As long as you give Andre a hug and kiss for me."
Alicia smiles at him. "Gladly."
Once she's hung up, he drops back into the grass and stares up at the sky. "Yeah," he says softly. "I could easily see raising two kids... and whoever else... we choose to bring into our lives in the future..." He yawns deeply. "It'll be so awesome."