What The? Baby!

by Richonnelover05

Rick and Michonne were told they could not have children, but a miracle happened! Or was it a miracle at all?

6. Chapter 6-What The…? Fertile!

Chapter 6—What The…? Fertile!

"Hey Rick, since you in here relaxing while we struggle putting together YOUR baby furniture, you might like to know I'm done with the crib. There are some leftover screws though," Darryl squabbled as he entered the living room from the nursery and grew concerned when he noticed Rick, Sasha, and Michonne staring blankly at the television screen, "What's wrong?"

It was the beginning of October and Rick and Michonne had just moved into their new home, and thanks to their parents, neither would feel the burden of a large mortgage payment. At closing, Rick surprised Michonne with a down payment of $150,000, a gift from his parents. The night of the parents' dinner, that was what Rick's father whispered in his ear.

"I can't accept that daddy! That's too much!" Rick refused three weeks ago, and Richard set him straight.

"You will accept it, Rick. I know how you are! You are just like me. It would not sit right with you if your wife was paying a large chunk of the mortgage. And you would break your back working double shifts instead of enjoying your family. Just like you did with Lori," Richard explained refusing to take no for an answer.

"If that's how you felt, why didn't you help me with the house I bought with Lori?" Rick asked with a smile, already knowing the answer.

"Because we did not like that greedy floozy Rick," Ella interrupted, "Besides, we are investing in Maggie's business, might as well offer you the same. No use waiting till we're dead and buried before you two claim some of your inheritance. Now get in here before all the cobbler is gone. Michonne is in there eating for four!"

That money would significantly knock the $460,000 mortgage down to a more manageable number that Rick could actually afford on his salary. Michonne's parents chipped in also. They did the same when Sasha purchased her house five years ago when the price of homes in her neighborhood was a tad less expensive. Darryl, being a cop also, was nervous about buying a $350,000 home. So, they gave their oldest daughter a $150,000 gift, the same amount they were about to give Michonne. By the end, Rick and Michonne only needed to finance $160,000 of their $460,000 home. When Rick saw their monthly payment at closing, he wanted to dance a jig while he signed each and every document.

"Darryl, it's unbelievable!" Sasha muttered and looked between him, Michonne, Rick, the television, and back to Darryl.

Michonne was just approaching her ninth month of pregnancy, and there was a flurry of activity, but the first task was readying the nursery. After the baby's room, the main chore was getting the house ready for their small, backyard wedding ceremony despite the protests of Ella and Camille. But with Michonne so close to delivery and unable to move around as freely and easily as before, the mothers reluctantly agreed. There was no need for an extravagant venue anyway because much like their relationship, Rick and Michonne wanted the wedding to be simple and easy. They tried to move the wedding up, but Father Gabriel was not available, so they had to wait until midway through her ninth month. Everyone prayed Michonne did not go into labor early.

"MOTHER DICK!" Abe hollered as he barreled out of the nursery, "I hammered my damn finger. It's pulsating! Hammering was not my damn job Rick! I was supposed to lift shit with my massive muscles and now look…Hey, what the hell is going on in here?"

Rick went to the coffee table and picked up the remote and rewound back to the start of the news story. He was about to press play, but Maggie barged in with her new friend whom she recently met while she was searching for a location for her doggie spa and daycare business. Glenn owned a gourmet pizza restaurant in the vicinity of her preferred site and sparks flew when Maggie stopped for lunch and fell in love with the pizza and the pizzamaker. Rick was amused when he found out Maggie's business was going to be in Atlanta and not King County, and annoyed when Maggie took Michonne up on her offer to stay in their guest room whenever she was in town, which was a lot. Maggie and her new friend arrived just in time to watch the play-back of the news story as Rick turned up the volume.

News Anchor: In an alarming discovery, a disgruntled nurse at Love and Fertility Institute of Atlanta, run by Dr. Thomasina Daniels, has been arrested for switching the test results of at least five couples. Nurse Anne Mcintosh, who also goes by the nickname Jadis, had discovered she was infertile and was abandoned by her fiancé. In a shocking twist, over the course of almost two years, Nurse Mcintosh decided to switch the patients test results and sabotage the treatments to allegedly test the love of the couples and their commitment to one another.

The news switched to a video of Jadis walking out of the clinic in handcuffs.

Jadis: I wanted to know how the ones that were actually infertile would treat their spouses if they believed they were not the problem!" Jadis laughed, "I wanted to see if true love actually exists or would they dump their true loves at the drop of a dime like my fiancé did to me! Then go begging once the tables were turned!"

Dr. Daniels: I am appalled at what Nurse Mcintosh has done and we are working to rectify the situation immediately. We will be in contact with the affected couples, of which we confirmed are five. We will work with the couples on moving forward and most certainly return any money they spent trying to build their family. I apologize profusely for this dreadful circumstance. We will be contacting those families affected in the next few days.

News Anchor: Nurse Anne "Jadis" McIntosh was escorted to the Fulton County Jail just a few hours ago. Next, are cats the new dogs and are Guinea pigs the new cats?

Rick paused the television, and it was quiet for a minute.

"I knew it!" Maggie shouted breaking the silence then slapped her brother on the back of his head, "I told you two to get a second opinion!"

"Hey!" Rick muttered rubbing away the sting and rolling his eyes at his sister before turning to Michonne, "You think we are part of that?"

"It makes sense Rick. Maybe your ex-wife and my ex-husband were the ones who were infertile all this time. Not you and I," Michonne uttered then looked down at her very pregnant belly, "Rick, if that's true, we can have more babies!"

Michonne tapered her excitement just in case she was not one of the five couples, but Rick could still see her elation behind the calm. Rick grinned and kissed his fiancé.

"I think it's true sweetheart. We can have ten more if we want too!" Rick laughed and Michonne frowned.

"You are not turning my sister into a baby factory Rick! Max five, maybe six!" Sasha ordered and Michonne was appalled.

"Why don't you have six kids first Sasha!" Michonne hollered and shook her head.

"Hell Naw!" Darryl hollered, "I can barely handle the two we got!"

Rick laughed and refocused everyone away from Michonne's now possibly fertile womb and his feasibly straight shooter.

"I ain't gonna lie. I thank God for that weird ass nurse. If not, I would have still been in an unhappy marriage with a woman constantly yelling about me not being able to have children when it was her all along," Rick admitted and kissed Michonne on the cheek.

"And I would have never seen Mike's true colors. He would have never let me go if he was the one that was infertile. I'm sure of it," Michonne bit with distaste.

"Oh, I know he wouldn't. That asshole would have superglued you to his side! I'm going down to the jailhouse on Monday and thank that nurse with the fucked-up hair for what she did!" Sasha proclaimed and Michonne giggled.

"I will go with you Sasha! I want to thank her for getting rid of that skinny," Maggie began, and Rick interrupted.

"Maggie," Rick warned.

"Biiiitchhh," Maggie defied then stuck her tongue out at her brother.

Rick could not help but giggle when Sasha hooted and gave her new bestie a high-five. Michonne laughed and refocused the group once again.

"Well, let's wait for the call to verify that we are one of the five couples before we start high fiving each other," Michonne stated calmly but deep down she knew she and Rick were part of the mix-up.

"Man, ain't nothing wrong with your Bisquick and Michonne's skillet seems hot and ready to make pancakes. Damn, you can hear the sizzle from here! You don't need to wait for a call to confirm that!" Abe proclaimed and slapped Rick on his back then winced, realizing he used the hand with his hurt finger.

Rick was confused and was just about to ask Abe a clarifying question, but his phone rang with a number that he did not recognize.

"Hello," Rick answered with a grin still high off the news.

"Rick! Did you see the news! That awful doctor ruined our marriage! SHE RUINED ME! SHE RUINED US! We need to talk. We need to sue! Rick! Let's do this together. We can fix our family! Rick? Are you there? Rick!" Lori cried hoping this was going to be the key to getting her husband back.

After watching the news, Lori tried to force herself to believe that she was not one of the people affected, but, in the pit of her infertile womb, she knew no baby would ever grow inside her. It made her vomit. As she sat on the bathroom floor, Lori tried to rub her belly for comfort, but found the simple gesture revolted her and she vomited again. Lori's mental state hit a new low after she saw the news. She was slowly tipping into psychosis as she sat staring blankly at the wall before snapping out of it and calling Rick in desperation. Rick hung up the phone without even acknowledging Lori with a simple goodbye.

"Who was that?" Michonne asked after noticing the distaste on Rick's face.

Glenn helped Michonne up from the couch and she wobbled over to her fiancé.

"Lori. She called from a different number. I had her old number blocked. She must have seen the news story too. Said she wants to talk and fix our family," Rick laughed and shook his head, "that woman is insane if she thinks I will ever take her back."

Michonne was just about to give her two cents about his crazy ex-wife when her phone rang.

"It's Mike," Michonne uttered and looked at her fiancé, "We need to change our numbers, Rick."

Michonne let it go to voicemail. She and Rick needed to call Dr. Daniels first thing on Monday morning.

"Fuck Mike!" Sasha shouted pissed off that both their ex-spouses were calling, "And fuck Lori double!"

"Fuck them hoes triple!" Maggie shouted and Rick shook his head at his dirty-mouthed, drama loving family and turned to Michonne who was chuckling.

Michonne loved drama too.

"Michonne, I ain't never going back to that woman. Since I met you, even without the pregnancy, you make me happy. You are who I want. You are who I love. You are my future. You, and our baby," Rick declared with the utmost sincerity.

"I feel the exact same Rick, and I love you too," Michonne smiled and kissed her fiancé, "None of this changes our plans, right? I am wobbling down the aisle in two weeks with the man of my dreams."

"I will wobble to you when I come get you halfway down the aisle," Rick grinned and was about to kiss Michonne when a look of dread spread across her face.

"Let's circle back to those so-called extra screws, Darryl," Michonne fretted feeling anxious about the durability of her baby's crib, "Who left him in charge of putting the furniture together?"

"I put myself in charge! I got three extra screws, where you want to store em?" Darryl inquired.

"In the damn crib Darryl!" Sasha hollered and shook her head at her unhandy husband.

"I am gonna have to agree with my sister on this one," Michonne uttered worriedly, "Again, who gave this fool a hammer?"

"Why you keep asking…" Darryl started but was interrupted by his wife.

"Don't worry, I already called my guy," Sasha laughed and glanced at Rick, "When Darryl put the twin's crib together, we had several leftover screws too. My babies would have fallen straight through that mess."

"What?" Darryl exclaimed incredulously.

"I love you baby, but you are not handy. You are a fantastic father, detective, and husband, but a handyman you are not. Jim comes over and corrects what you thought you fixed after you leave for work," Sasha confessed with a pout of sincerity.

"Damn, I think I heard your balls shriek Darryl," Abe laughed, and Darryl cut his eyes at his old friend desperate to prove his wife wrong.

"Don't go lying now Sasha. I built those picnic tables for the backyard, and they are sturdy!" Darryl corrected and elevator eyed his wife a little peeved.

"They are from Home Depot sweetie. Yours fell apart when I sat my lemonade pitcher on top of it. Jim painted the Home Depot ones for me so you wouldn't notice, but you are great at other things," Sasha grinned and wiggled her eyebrows.

"Gross," Michonne whispered.

"No, what's gross is your chicken fried steak!" Sasha snarked and a shocked Michonne stared daggers at a stunned Rick who cut his eyes at a wide-eyed Darryl.

"Sorry man. It was funny. I had to tell Sasha!" Darryl defended and Rick just closed his eyes and drew in a deep breath.

During one of Rick and Michonne's frequent chats before they became an official couple, Rick mentioned his favorite meal after a good ribeye steak was chicken fried steak. Michonne made a mental note, and one evening decided to surprise her new roommate with a treat for dinner. Michonne ended up more battered than the damn steak. Her first mistake was thinking any type of beef could be used. False. Even if she did master the steak, the gravy whipped her ass to Texas and back. It was lumpy as shit and watery at the same time. Michonne eventually gave up, tossed the catastrophe in the trash, called for takeout, scoured the pans, cleaned the kitchen, left a note for Rick, and took her exhausted tail to bed. Rick was delighted once he arrived home to his second favorite meal and kicked himself for being late. He would have loved to share the meal with his new roomie. When Rick went to toss his trash, he did a double take when he noticed the remnants of the real dinner, clumpy gravy and burnt meat, underneath the takeout bag. Rick was astounded when he realized Michonne actually tried to make the meal from scratch for him. For. Him. Rick stared at the mess inside the trashcan and smiled. He walked upstairs and cracked open her bedroom door to see if Michonne was awake and was a little melancholy when he heard snoring. Rick went to his room with a big smile on his face. He laid in his bed as stared at the ceiling still amazed that Michonne would do such a considerate thing for him. For. Him. When Rick finally fell asleep, he dreamed of her.

"Baby, I didn't tell Darryl to be funny. I told him because I thought what you did was sweet!" Rick tried to clarify but Michonne just sucked her teeth.

"No one cares about Michonne's nasty burnt steak," Maggie giggled and Michonne narrowed her eyes at her future sister-in-law then Sasha.

"I had to tell my new best friend Michonne!" Sasha uttered with all seriousness.

"Anyhoo, you two had better prepare. Mike and Lori are selfish, and they are not going to go away easy," Maggie advised, "I have a feeling they are going to make a huge ruckus about this."

"Let em. Let them both wallow in the dirty mess they made for themselves. We are not going to let either of them ruin our happiness," Michonne grinned but Rick saw the worry and stress underneath her beautiful smile.

Rick was going to make sure that Lori and Mike would not be a problem by any means necessary. As the group continued working on the house, the chatter about Jadis was nonstop. Rick took a break and began looking through his box of documents.

"What are you looking for Rick?" Michonne asked curiously.

Rick admitted that since Lori was a grocery store clerk, the majority of the money for the first treatment came from his personal bank account and the second from a bank loan he took out in his name only. He paid $35,000 for two sessions. He was looking for all the records to prove that. Once they divorced and sold their small home, they made a $25,000 profit and since Lori's name was on the mortgage and the deed, they split the money equally. Rick used his half to pay down his loan. Lori refused to spend a dime of her profit on the debt and walked away from the divorce with the whole $12,500. The remainder of the debt Rick paid from his monthly salary until it was paid in full. Lori was not going to pull him into a long, drawn-out battle for money that she did not deserve.

"Keep looking," Michonne uttered as she went to her own box of unpacked documents to do the same.

Michonne spent $60,000 of her own money for three treatments. Mike thought since it was Michonne's issue, she should be the one to pay to fix it. Michonne was so distraught after finding out she could not have children, she agreed. Michonne was not thinking clearly, and her asshole ex-husband took advantage of her mental state. The payments cleaned out her savings, and she had to sell some stock and finally use a little of her 401K. It was one of the many reasons the divorce went so smoothly, she had nothing to split except the house which Mike gladly signed over.

"Did Lori get alimony?" Sasha asked curiously as she watched the two searching through their perspective boxes.

"Nope. On account of infidelity. She was fucking another man before we even filed for separation. She was pissed that the judge denied it. Lori thought since we were already broken up, it should not count. Thank God the judge thought otherwise. I walked away free and clear from her," Rick informed with a deep sigh of relief.

"Seems both Mike and Lori are two rotten peas from the same evil pod," Maggie spat.

"Okay, so it looks like neither are entitled to any money that will be refunded if we can prove it, that is. So, we should expect about $95,000. They may try to sue for emotional damages. I will need to check with one of our attorneys who practices this type of law, BUT, since the nurse acted alone and did this on purpose, I don't think they can sue the clinic," Michonne advised then laughed, "They will spend more in attorney fees than the settlement from the nurse's malpractice insurance.

Sasha snorted.

"Good. Neither deserves a damn dime," Sasha asserted and was about to call Mike all kinds of names, but the doorbell sounded at the same time Rick's phone rang.

"Michonne! Did you hear!" Camille shouted as she ran inside her daughter's home.

"Yes, mama. We just saw the news. No, we don't know for sure, but it seems like we are one of the couples. We are going to the clinic on Monday morning," Rick informed his mother on the phone.

For the rest of the weekend, Lori and Mike called frequently, but neither Rick nor Michonne answered their phones. Mike and Lori were livid. Rick and Michonne did not want to speculate, they wanted to get confirmation from Dr. Daniels first. On Monday morning, when Rick and Michonne pulled up to the clinic, it was surrounded by news crews, so they parked down the street and called the office.

"Yes, Mrs. Anthony. Oh, I apologize Mrs. Hawthorne," Dr. Daniels corrected feeling awful that her clinic may have played a part in her divorce, "Can you meet at The Grand Hotel- Ballroom A tomorrow at 10am? I was just about to call all the couples. It is chaos here. I think it would be better if we met off site."

"Ok, I will see you there at 10am," Michonne agreed.

"Oh, do you mind meeting with all the couples in one room? I am going to start with a general apology and a plan on where we go from here. Then I will have private chats with our attorneys. I was advised to have my attorney there. Just so you are aware," Dr. Daniels informed in good faith.

"Ok, thanks for letting me know," Michonne hung up and dialed another number.

"What did she say," Rick asked impatiently.

"We are meeting at the Grand Hotel at ten tomorrow morning instead. She is bringing, oh…yes Valerie, this is Michonne, Yes, I am great, and the baby is perfect! Thanks for asking! And you? Good. Is Yumiko available? Thanks!" Michonne grinned and gave her fiancé a wink.

By the time Michonne hung up the phone, Yumiko was already researching medical malpractice with fertility, and Michonne began filling in Rick on their conversation. Rick called the station and informed his captain he needed the morning off and the next morning also, and once he explained, Captain Jones quickly approved the personal leave. Michonne called her boss and halfway through the conversation, her face fell, and she hurried her long-winded boss along to end the call. She forgot to clarify something with Yumiko's secretary who was relatively new to the firm. Michonne kicked herself for not doing with Valerie, what she did with Yumiko's old assistant under the threat of death. Not remembering to do the same with Yumiko's new administrative assistant left Michonne open for pain and suffering on a grand scale.

"Shit!" Michonne uttered and hung up the phone quickly to call Valerie back, but it was too late.

"What?" Rick asked worriedly.

Yumiko's administrative assistant, Valerie, along with the paralegal, was already briefed and instructed to pull any research on fertility legalities. During that small gap in time, Valerie called her new friend Tanisha, another administrative assistant whom she recently met when Tanisha stopped by the office to gather a file for her boss. During that brief meeting, Valerie promised to keep her new friend Tanisha updated on all the office gossip since Tanisha was off the grid. Tanisha had been allowed to work from home while she finished her last semester of law school since her boss was out of the country. Tanisha was surprised with all she missed and was angry at Susan, Michonne's administrative assistant, for not filling her in on scoop about Michonne and her pregnancy. Tanisha called Susan, but Susan was tightlipped, so Tanisha called her boss directly. Susan tried to call Michonne and warn her the devil was about to rise, but Michonne ignored the call because she was trying to call Valerie. Michonne's other line beeped again and when she looked at the caller ID, she huffed out a frustrated breath and glared at the ceiling of her car and cursed the world. Michonne wondered how it got to her so fast! She had talked to Yumiko only twenty minutes ago!

"Damn office gossip," Michonne uttered and mentally prepared herself before answering her phone.

Before Michonne could say Hello, the hellfire began.

"BITCH! Are you pregnant? You told me you were infertile!" Rosita hollered through the phone.

"Rosita I was going to tell…" Michonne started and was stopped in her tracks.

"And you didn't tell me! I had to find out from Tanisha! And you are suing the fertility clinic because they mixed up your records. What the hell Michonne!" Her best friend since middle school shouted angrily.

But Michonne heard the hurt behind Rosita's anger, and it devastated her.

"Rosita, you have been working in our London office for the last twelve months, and you know how you get! I was gonna tell you everything once you got back to Atlanta! I didn't want you to worry!" Michonne whined and hoped her excuse worked.

It did not.

"OF COURSE I WAS GOING TO WORRY MICHONNE! I would have come home! Or at least come to check on you!" Rosita almost cried and Michonne's heart sank.

"Rosita, that is why I didn't tell you. I did not want you to interrupt the project, and frankly Rosita, I thought this pregnancy was high risk. Sasha was already overbearing; I did not think I could handle the double drama and keep the baby safe," Michonne admitted reluctantly, "But you know I adore you. I love you like you were my sister. You are my sister. You know that! I love you, Rosita."

"Some love Michonne. But I understand not wanting to be stressed. Do I stress you out?" Rosita asked and could hardly keep from giggling.

"Bitch, are you serious?" Michonne answered incredulously and Rosita howled in laughter.

"Who's the daddy! Is it Mike? I will fuck you up if it's Mike!" Rosita got heated again.

"It's not Mike. When will you be here? I thought you said September? You need a ride from the airport?" Michonne asked to change the subject and calm Rosita down.

"Well, the project ran a little longer than expected, but the London office is finally up and running. All Aaron and I have to do is get the final signatures then we are done here. This damn merger took forever! Maldito London! I will NEVER volunteer for an overseas assignment again. Aaron loves it though. He met a guy and might transfer. PERRA! YOU BETTER NOT HAVE THAT BABY BEFORE I GET BACK! I fly out this weekend. And I have a ride!" Rosita shouted and hung up the phone.

Michonne missed her best friend and loved Rosita dearly, but that girl was the definition of chaos, even still, it would be great to have her best friend in the whole wide world back by her side. Michonne was happy Rosita was coming before the baby arrived, and the wedding.

"Dammit. The wedding!" Michonne exclaimed and texted Rosita.

Michonne: Sorry, I feel bad. I am getting married next weekend, and you are the maid of honor! YAY!

Rosita: WHAT! I leave for a year, and you get pregnant AND married without me! MOTHERFUCKER!

Michonne: Not without you Rosita! You will be here! My maid of honor? You can wear anything. The wedding is in my backyard.

Rosita: Your backyard? Like a hillbilly Michonne? I am cursing in full blown Spanish right now. Are we not friends anymore? Is there something that I should know?

Michonne: Hillbilly! LOL. My baby daddy is a sexy cowboy though (heart emoji). And you and I will always be best friends. Things just happened so quickly, and your project was important. This deal will make you a partner! I did not want to mess that up for you!

Rosita: Excuses Michonne. Me being a partner is not my priority. You and my family are. ALWAYS! I will be at the wedding. I will be your maid of honor. We will talk when I get back. Will Sasha be the matron of honor? Lmao! She can't help herself!

Michonne: I know family is priority and YAY! And of course. I did not even ask Sasha. She told me she was doing it and that was it! I am so glad you will be here!

Rosita: Puta

"Who was that?" Rick asked as he headed towards home.

"My best friend. I told you about Rosita. I feel bad for leaving her out, but I could not take the constant phone calls and questions from her AND Sasha. I am going to have some groveling to do," Michonne uttered thinking about a gift that would make Rosita forgive her in an instant.

"I used to have a best friend I would tell everthang to also," Rick answered in understanding, "It was hard to not have him around. I'm used to it now. Having Darryl and Abe helps."

"What happened to him?" Michonne asked wondering why Rick never mentioned him.

"Well, for some reason we just lost touch after about a year of me and Lori moving to Atlanta. I would call, and Shane never answered or returned my calls. Then my mama told me after Lori moved back to King County that her and Shane started fucking almost immediately. Shane is the one that kept me from having to pay alimony by the way. From what I understand, they broke up back in May and he is married to some girl now and expecting a child.

"Wow," Michonne whispered, shocked at the betrayal.

"Yeah. I hadn't seen him or talked to him in about three years. Mama said he came by the house and apologized but mama and daddy told him they are not the ones he should be apologizing to," Rick muttered and shook his head.

Rick figured he thought more of Shane than Shane did of him and that broke Rick's heart.

"Everything about Lori sounds horrible Rick!" Michonne hollered, "Every single thing!"

"Yup," Rick replied, "I am so glad that nurse did what she did. You know, Lori or Mike may be at the meeting tomorrow. Maybe both."

Rick reflected on what his life would have been like had he stayed with Lori, and it gave him shivers. Michonne did the same and she was glad Mike dumped her in the parking lot that day. That was the best gift Mike ever gave her. Michonne shook Mike from her mind and smiled at the man who brought her so much joy.

"Who cares. Let's go to that great breakfast place you and Darryl keep bragging about," Michonne smiled and rubbed his arm trying to change the subject, "I could eat again."

"Really Michonne? You ate a big breakfast this morning before we left for the clinic!"

"That was the baby Rick! Now I am hungry!" Michonne answered with the most innocent look on her face.

Rick shook his head and laughed and turned the car around and headed to the restaurant to order his fiancé her second breakfast of the day. Rick had not laughed or had this much fun in years. Rick was determined to make sure he kept a smile on Michonne's face, so that he could keep a grin on his. Today, keeping her happy meant feeding his woman two breakfasts.

"All right then!" Rick laughed.

Rick watched in amazement as Michonne scarfed down the French toast platter with bacon, a side of smothered and covered hashbrowns, and a bowl a grits, butter, salt and pepper, no sugar. Rick did not order, he was still full from the breakfast they made at home, but the buttered grits did look appetizing. Rick stuck his spoon carefully in her dish and when Michonne did not fuss, he grinned and grabbed a sugar packet. For the next ten minutes it was World War 17 at that table. The great debate of sugar or no sugar on grits. They finally agreed to disagree.

"GUN RICK!" Michonne hollered just loud enough for the people sitting right next to them to jump in terror, "Oh sorry, sorry, there is no gun! Sorry! I just thought of the perfect present to give my best friend who is mad at me for not telling her I am pregnant. Sorry. Pregnancy brain!"

The people at the table drew a breath and rolled their eyes at Michonne.

"Baby, you gotta be careful saying stuff like that in public," Rick puffed placing his own service weapon back in his holster, "Now what is this about a gun."

"After this, take me to a gun store Rick. I want to get Rosita a Colt Python like the one you carry," Michonne grinned as she bit into the last of her bacon.

"Can she handle a gun like this?" Rick asked skeptically patting his python underneath his jacket.

"Probably better than you," Michonne grinned and waved to the waitress for the check, "Maybe I will just get her a nice tactical or fighting knife. Or maybe we can look for a Katana like mine! She is always trying to steal it."

"You have a katana? Why do you have a katana? I have never seen it. Where is it?" Rick asked highly amused.

"I keep it on my wall in my office in case some of my clients get a little too aggressive," Michonne chuckled and saw the horror on Rick's face.

"Have you been attacked before?" Rick asked worriedly and Michonne laughed and took a sip of water.

"No, it's really just for decoration. But it is authentic and very sharp, and I like to think I can go into warrior mode and swing it like my life depended on it if I needed to," Michonne explained, and Rick nodded in relief.

"Why does Rosita need weapons? I'm kinda scared to meet her!" Rick asked curiously and Michonne laughed, shook her head, and slid Rick the check.

"She is just a collector. She rarely uses them more than once or twice a month," Michonne explained and laughed when she saw how scared Rick looked.

The next morning, Rick drew a deep, annoyed breath when he walked in the ballroom hand-in-hand with Michonne and saw Lori and Mike. Rick chuckled to himself when both of their ex's eyes bulged from their sockets like cartoon characters. Rick tried to focus on where he and Michonne were going to sit and not on Lori starting daggers at him to this left or Mike gawking at Michonne to his right. Both were standing on opposite sides of the room waiting for the meeting to begin. Lori made the first move.

"Rick," Lori greeted softly with a half-smile for her ex-husband and a half scowl for Michonne.

"Lori," Rick greeted as he walked past without even a side glance at his ex-wife.

"Rick, can I?" Lori uttered but Rick was not having it.

"Let's sit up front darling," Rick directed as he escorted Michonne to the front row.

Rick was done with Lori and proceeded to ignore her the best he could. Lori wondered if Rick maybe did not hear her and so she spoke up again.

"Rick, can I talk to you for a minute?" Lori asked and was offput by his answer.

"Nope," Rick answered with no hesitation and walked to the front of the room.

Lori slunk back in humiliation and took a seat two rows behind Rick and Michonne. Lori glared at Michonne with disdain as she watched her former husband help his pregnant fiancé into her seat. Lori felt nauseous, like she wanted to throw up, but she had already emptied of all the vomit from her body over the last few days as she suffocated in her sorrow of never being able to carry a child. Lori's mind slipped completely out of orbit and was floating aimlessly in the cosmos after watching the shocking fertility news, and each day that passed, her mental health became more and more precarious. As Lori watched her former husband with his new woman, her mind slipped into deep space once again and she unconsciously rubbed her belly, then quickly removed her hand from her stomach as if she scorched her fingers on her barren womb. Lori rubbed her hand as if trying to rid it of the imaginary burn. She watched Rick mesmerized and the crazy started to stir inside her, but before her insanity reared its ugly head, she became distracted by a black male that caught her attention. The sanity Lori had left managed to hold a little while longer despite being held together by duct tape and false hope.

"Michonne," Mike greeted standing in his fancy suit with one hand in his pocket and Lori took note of her name, "Can you and I talk after this please?"

"For what Mike? The day you left me alone in that parking lot was the day we had nothing left to say to each other," Michonne smiled then grinned widely when she saw Yumiko walk into the ballroom.

"Meeshun, Mishuwn, Mishowen," Lori repeated to herself trying but failing to pronounce Rick's new woman's name correctly.

When Yumiko walked over, she recognized Mike and rolled her eyes and decided to help usher him away by interrupting their conversation.

"Hello Michonne, and you must be Rick! So nice to finally meet you! Congratulations on the wedding next week! Did you register anywhere? I don't want to show up empty handed!" Yumiko pricked then eyed a livid Mike.

"Like I told you before, Rick and I have everything we need. All you need to bring is yourself," Michonne assured and tried but failed to stand to give her friend a hug, "But bring diapers for the baby shower this weekend!"

Yumiko laughed and bent down to give Michonne a seated hug. Lori observed an irate Mike seethe at the news.

"Fuck!" Michonne uttered, remembering something else she forgot and pulled out her phone.

"What?" Rick asked worriedly then peeked at her text and chuckled.

Michonne: Baby shower on Saturday afternoon. What time will you arrive?"

Rosita: Mierda Michonne! FUCK! I arrive Saturday morning.

Michonne: I have your key. I will get you some clothes. Come straight to my house!

Rosita: No! I have a ton of luggage to drop off! Let me see if I can change my flight to Friday. MIERDA!

Mike was watching Michonne go on with life as if he did not exist and he was furious.

"First, you got pregnant and didn't tell me? And now you are getting married Michonne? Married? To him? We were good together! Why won't you talk to me. Why won't you give us another chance!" Mike begged and Lori watched with interest before joining the conversation.

"I want another chance too Rick! You and I were good together! Can we talk!" Lori added to the conversation betting that if Michonne gave Mike a chance, Rick would give her one also.

"ENOUGH!" Rick shouted as he stood, "There is no us anymore!" Rick pointed in between himself, and Lori then turned to Mike, "And that is also true for you and Michonne. Get over it and move on. We have. We are happy. Happier than we have ever been with either of you."

Rick's last comment was like a punch in the gut for both Mike and Lori and Mike lashed out.

"You don't get to speak for her! Michonne can speak for herself! Right Michonne!" Mike spat with confidence that his ex-wife was going to agree with him over Rick.

Michonne had always been independent, and Mike figured he would score a few points with his ex-wife by pointing that out to her new man who obviously must know "his Michy" that well. Michonne absolutely did not like anyone speaking on her behalf about anything. Mike smirked ready for Michonne to put Rick in his place.

Michonne: Oh, and I moved. I live a street over from Sasha now. Rick and I bought a house.

Rosita: What? Anything else Michonne? Dios Mio!

Michonne: No, that's it. I promise!

Rosita: You and I are fist fighting after you have your baby. This is the only way to make everything right.

Michonne squealed at her crazy bestie then looked up at Mike who was annoyed that she was texting instead of paying attention to him.

"Are you crazy? Rick absolutely speaks for me," Michonne hollered then felt her belly and smiled, "Rick, feel right here. The baby is really showing out today."

Mike's face fell hard and for the first time since seeing pregnant Michonne, he felt awkward. Mike felt like he no longer belonged. Mike was speechless and just stared at Michonne in shock. Yumiko smirked. She was glad Michonne was not giving Mike a single inch.

"Oh yeah? Let me feel my baby," Rick grinned and placed his hands where Michonne directed.

Rick smiled and felt her belly and Mike knew right then, he had absolutely no chance in the world to get Michonne back. Zip. Zero. None.

"Me too!" Yumiko laughed and after getting approval from Michonne, placed her hand near Rick's and giggled, "He or she is going to be a little soccer player!"

Michonne looked up and finally addressed Mike and Lori who were still standing there dumbfounded.

"Our baby does not like all this arguing. Do you remember how you two left us at the clinic? Channel that energy now," Michonne bit and both Mike and Lori sulked and left to sit together a few rows behind but Rick and Michonne knew their ex's eyes were still intently focused on them.

A few more couples trickled in, and one woman was pregnant in a wheelchair as she entered with her significant other. Dr. Daniels began the speech promptly at 10am. Michonne wondered how many of the couples were still together, curious if the initial news drew them closer together or tore them apart like Nurse Jadis suspected. Yumiko leaned over and whispered to Michonne as Dr. Daniels began her introduction.

"I talked to one of the partners Mr. Anders. From what we gather, because the mishap was the result of one disgruntled employee's revenge and not the facility or the Doctor's malpractice, the odds of being able to sue Dr. Daniels or the clinic itself is low. The best the clients can expect is a full refund. She also let her malpractice lapse a few months ago. Now, we can sue the nurse, but it won't be worth it," Yumiko informed.

"Rick and I are not suing. What happened was a gift for the both of us," Michonne clarified and was stopped when there was shouting.

"Why didn't you tell us to bring a lawyer!" Lori hollered from her seat and Michonne wondered what she missed when she was whispering with Yumiko.

"Mrs. Grimes," Dr. Daniels began.

"Wayne. She is no longer a Grimes. My mama and my pregnant fiancé are the only two Mrs. Grimes, a week after Saturday that is," Rick smiled as he looked at Michonne.

"Congratulations Mr. Grimes!" Dr. Daniels grinned surprised that two of her patients changed partners, "So, Ms. Wayne, I informed you when I called that I would have my lawyer here and to do with that information what you will."

"We got ours," Rick shouted.

"We do to!" Mrs. and Mrs. Rios hollered.

"I am a lawyer," Mike uttered still watching Michonne.

"Our lawyer just texted and said he is entering the hotel now," Mr. and a pregnant Mrs. Miller shouted out also.

Lori sat back red-faced and folded her arms across her chest in both anger and embarrassment. Mike was tickled and Lori sucked her teeth but leaned in and whispered something in his ear anyway.

"If we work together, maybe you can be my lawyer and you can get your wife back and I can get my husband back. Deal?" Lori grinned knowing Mike was going to take her up on her offer based off the scene he caused earlier.

But she was mistaken.

"Look at them," Mike pointed to Rick and Michonne and chuckled before looking back at Lori, "I stopped staring and actually started to observe them, and I have never seen Michonne so happy. I never made her smile that big."

"That's you and her, not me and Rick," Lori spat out her lie but was stopped by Mike who turned his body towards her and chuckled.

"Really? Look at him. He looks at Michonne like there is no other woman in the world, including you! I saw how easily he dismissed you earlier and when the Doc over there called you Mrs. Grimes, he just about jumped out his shoes to correct that," Mike laughed, "That man does not want you just like Michonne does not want me. Let's leave them alone. Let them be happy."

"So, you are going to throw away all those years of marriage? I am not willing to do that!" Lori shrieked, which caused everyone in the room to look their way, including Rick and Michonne.

"I wonder what they are over there talking about," Rick asked with narrowed eyes.

"Who cares," Michonne answered and refocused on the doctor.

"I already threw my marriage away. This mix-up was the worst thing that ever happened to me and you, but the best for them," Mike pointed to Rick and Michonne, "But it is time to move on. I was so hung up on my past when I should have been focusing on my future. You should too."

"Rick is my future," Lori spat.

"If you say so. I was in denial too, but I see clearly now. They are happy. They are having a baby and next weekend they will be man and wife. I am going to respect that. I am going to congratulate them on the way out and let them know they will have no more issues with me," Mike explained then got up and moved away from Lori and continued to listen to Dr. Daniels.

"So, as you can see, our clinic is not liable, but we will refund any and all money you paid for treatment. Any additional lawsuits will be with Nurse Anne Macintosh separately," Dr. Daniels stated with a high degree of empathy.

"We ain't suing. This is the best thing that happened to both me and Michonne," Rick grinned and turned to his fiancé.

"We aren't either. We have a beautiful baby girl we adopted, and we are just as happy as can be," shouted Mrs. Rios.

"Me and my wife separated for a while, but it made our marriage stronger, especially after my niece Lucy came into our lives after her parents' tragic accident. This whole experience made our lives richer. "We will not be suing anybody," Mr. Matthews commented and sat down placing his arm around his wife.

"We will not either. As you can see Dr. Daniels, we took some time away from the procedures and we got a miracle and got pregnant naturally. The pregnancy has been difficult, and my wife is on bedrest, well most of the time, she wanted to be here. I made her sit in the wheelchair as a compromise," Mr. Miller smiled, "We are just so happy this happened for us. But we will most certainly accept the refund though!"

Mr. Miller laughed along with almost everyone else except Lori of course. Mike looked around and realized he and Lori were the only ones who acted selfishly during the whole ordeal instead of growing and becoming stronger from it. He felt even more ashamed and stood to speak.

"I will not be suing either. I learned something today. My actions towards my wife, my ex-wife now, that day was nothing like any of your wonderful experiences and I regret that. Michonne. Rick. Congratulations. This is hard for me to say, but I genuinely wish you well. Any refund I will not participate in because I was so lowdown that I made my wife pay for your treatments because I blamed her. I wish you all the best in life Michonne and I really mean that. You will not be bothered by me again," Mike smiled sadly and walked out of the ballroom and out of Michonne's life forever.

Rick smiled and was impressed and then looked back at Lori who appeared as though she had learned nothing and was not about to give up harassing Rick anytime soon. Lori rolled her eyes at a retreating Mike, folded her arms across her chest, and stared at Dr. Daniels.

"Ok," Dr. Daniel's smiled, "My lawyer and I will meet with each couple or single person," Dr. Daniels eyed Lori and Lori sneered at the doctor, "to discuss refunds and of course your medical files which we will also give to you at the time of the refund. We can start with Mr. Grimes and Ms. Wayne."

Lori grinned when she realized she and Rick would be having their consultation together. It was Michonne that was going to be the single person. Lori smirked as she got up and walked towards the table.

"And Mrs. Hawthorne, soon to be Mrs. Grimes will join us also," Rick added and noticed Lori was pissed all the way off as she stomped over to the private table.

"I don't feel comfortable talking in front of her!" Lori spouted in anger.

"Then you can have yours alone then," Rick laughed and asked Dr. Daniels to continue.

Lori sat down in a huff of anger. After Dr. Daniels confirmed that Lori and Mike were indeed the infertile clients, Rick and Michonne were elated. Lori was lost in space again, that is until Dr. Daniels began to talk about the money. Lori snapped to attention.

"Let's talk refund, how would you and your ex-wife like this split," the lawyer asked, and Rick immediately pulled out his divorce decree and a copy of the loan paperwork, along with old bank statements that showed his, and only his, final payments to the clinic.

"As you can see, Lori Wayne did not pay for any of the treatments," Rick started.

"The hell I didn't! that money came from our joint bank account!" Lori spat.

"Sure it did Lori," Rick laughed and turned back to Dr. Daniels and her lawyer, "I was the breadwinner…" Rick began and went on to explain his and Lori's account situation and Lori seethed as she listened, "Of that amount, each month I contributed at least 85% to our joint account, but that is beside the point."

"Of course, it's beside the point," Lori mimicked sarcastically, "because we shared everything during our marriage!"

Rick stared at Lori incredulously, and both he and Michonne rolled their eyes, which made Lori even more livid.

"Anyway, as you can see, my personal bank account shows the withdrawal of $15,000 from my own account and not the joint. And this is the personal loan that I took out for another $20,000, in my name only, to pay for the second treatment, plus an additional $2000 in interest fees. Here is the divorce decree…" Rick informed and discussed greedy Lori keeping her profit from the sale of their house, "As you can see from these bank statements here, the last $7500 that was left I made the final twelve payments from, again, my personal account and finally paid it off. I paid the whole $35,000 plus interest and I refuse to give Lori a damn dime of it. I will take her to court over it."

"This is her talking," Lori snapped and pointed at Michonne, "You would never willingly treat me this horribly Rick. That money is MINE not hers!"

"Well Mrs. Wayne, if you had brought your lawyer, they would have told you the same information I am about to tell you. Unless you have evidence that shows any of these documents that your ex-husband has given are falsified, by law, the entire refund amount will go to Mr. Grimes because, based on the paperwork that I see before me, he has proven that he paid the entire bill," Dr. Daniels lawyer explained.

"This is bullshit! We were married! I deserve half of that money! I'm the one that can't have children, not you Rick!" Lori shouted in tears making a scene.

"Mrs. Wayne, if you do not calm down, I will have security escort you out," The lawyer warned.

"No need. I'm leaving," Lori yelled wiping away the sad tears that suddenly turned into angry ones, "I will see you all in court! And for your information I am suing your fertility clinic!"

"The nurse. You can sue the nurse but not the clinic," The lawyer corrected, and Lori's face contorted.

"Well, we will just see about that!" Lori countered and stormed out of the room.

By the time Lori got to her car, she was full-blown sobbing. Lori had nothing. No Rick. No baby. No refund. No life. What she did have was fertility issues and a bank account with rapidly dwindling funds. After two years of continued spending, she only had $2900 left from the sale of her house. Lori was irritated how Rick went from rags to riches, and she went from semi-decent rags to tattered and torn ones.

"His new house is even bigger and fancier than the fucking last one," Lori spat out loud thinking back to the day she managed to get the realtor to give her a tour of Rick's new, more extravagant house even though it was already pending.

It was much grander than Michonne and Rick's first house that she toured. The neighborhood was gated, and the house was much fancier than the last one. The kitchen was state of the art with two ovens and an extra-large island that Lori always dreamed of. The kitchen faced a large family room with a smaller room off to the side for a den or office. The primary bedroom was downstairs with an extra-large en suite bathroom that showcased a humongous fancy tub that sat inside shower that had two shower heads, one on each end. Lori was sick when she pictured Rick and that VILE WOMAN showering together. There was another smaller bedroom down from the primary, along with a full bathroom and a half bath. The living and dining area was spectacular. The backyard was huge and had no neighbor to the back. Just beautiful Georgia woods behind it. The backyard had a large, covered patio with an outdoor kitchen and plenty of room for a pool if they wanted one. There was a washer/dryer area downstairs and upstairs. The one downstairs had a mudroom attached that led to the three-car garage. There were another three bedrooms upstairs, a full bathroom, and a huge family area. Two of the three upstairs bedrooms had small en suite bathrooms attached and another had its own balcony that faced the woods. This was where the realtor told Lori something that made her ass itch.

"They talked about getting married in the backyard. And they also are praying for more miracle babies. They both have fertility issues I overheard, but Shhhhh," Tilly giggled as she continued to share information inappropriately, "I hope they do because they are adorable together! Their baby is going to be beautiful!"

Now, Lori sat in the car parked in front of the hotel and wiped away her tears regretting everything that happened after finding out Rick was supposedly infertile. She looked at the entrance of the hotel hoping for one last chance to speak to Rick, but he nor his new woman came out. Lori opened her bank app and almost cried. Most of her small paycheck went to bills and she was struggling. She realized just how good she had it with Rick. Lori needed to sue and get whatever money she could and wondered if she should spend the rest of her divorce money on a lawyer.

"I have no choice. Gotta spend money to make money," Lori muttered out loud and drove away from the hotel straight home to search for a lawyer.

"So, we are to expect about ninety-five thousand dollars in refund money?" Rick confirmed after the lawyer handed them their separate totals.

"Yes, if you put each of your amounts together, yes. Oh, and congratulations on both the baby and the wedding. That's a nice little amount to cover the wedding. Those things can get expensive. Me and my wife went to the courthouse twelve years ago and never regretted it," The lawyer shared with a grin.

"We are doing something similar. We have a beautiful backyard that is free. My mama and Michonne's mama are cooking up a good meal. We maybe spent, what Michonne, about $2000 on renting tables and chairs, groceries for the reception which will also be in our backyard, plus a suit for me and…." Rick began and Michonne interrupted.

"And a big ole tent for me," Michonne giggled and patted her nine-month pregnant belly.

"When are you due?" Dr. Daniels asked with interest.

"A week after the wedding. We wanted to get married earlier, but her pastor was not available, then we were in the middle of a move from our old house to our new one and the backyard of our new house is so much prettier. I hope we make it through the wedding before the baby makes an appearance," Rick grinned.

"I told you to stop saying that or I won't Rick! You are gonna jinx us!" Michonne said with a serious face.

"Ain't no jinx when it comes to you and me sweetheart," Rick smiled and gave her a peck on the lips which caused her to giggle, "Oh I have a question."

"Sure, go ahead," The lawyer smiled.

"If Lori sues, will I have to participate in that? I want this to be over. I don't want to spend another minute of my life involved with that woman," Rick asked with distress written all over his face.

"You may. There will be questions about quality of life. About the clinic focusing on your fertility instead of hers. But whatever lawyer takes her case I guarantee it's going to be a shady one because even if she beats the odds and wins, Nurse Jadis is most likely going to jail and will have no money or no property to even settle with," The lawyer advised, "Your ex will likely spend more on her lawyer than she receives in compensation."

"Ok, maybe after hearing all this, she will just leave well enough alone," Rick grinned.

"A good lawyer will be wasting their time money and your ex-wife's money. A shady lawyer is out to make whatever money your ex is willing to give them as a retainer and most times, those are nonrefundable. If your ex would have asked, I would have given her this same advice," The lawyer uttered with a sly smile.

Michonne and Rick left the ballroom satisfied and Michonne went to her last few days of work to clear up a few pending cases before her maternity leave started at the end of the week. Rick went to the station. Mike called Pearl at work to plead for another chance, but Pearl declined. She told him he had bad Karma, and Pearl had already moved on with a rich, trust fund baby, who liked her before she met Mike. Mike was disappointed but was determined to move on and be a better person. Lori, however, had an appointment with a lawyer the next morning, Negan Smith, with a plan to sue the clinic, the Nurse, and anyone else involved in the fertility fiasco.

And, as Dr. Daniels's lawyer predicted, Negan took the last $2900 of Lori's divorce settlement, along with an additional $2,100 that was in her saving account with a big ole grin. Lori's bank account read ZERO dollars and the dummy was grinning right along with her shady ass lawyer.