Dotty had moved outside and was sitting in a porch chair on the cement walkway in front of her room, casually perusing the same tourist magazine. It was a glorious afternoon, and she was watching the boys enjoying the pool close by. She was armed with a pen, which she used to mark the things she wanted to do before heading home to Arlington. She KNEW that Amanda was OK, she just had to be, and was doing a good job of keeping herself from worrying too much. She'd told the boys that Lee had been really concerned about Amanda traveling so much and had taken her to be checked out, just as a precaution. Thankfully, they'd bought it.

Finally, she saw the SUV pull into the motel and breathed a sigh of relief. She did a double take when she noticed that Amanda was driving, and Lee was sitting in the passenger seat, a zombie with his unblinking eyes glued straight ahead and looking like he'd seen a ghost.

The boys saw them approaching and ran towards the van from the pool, swarming around their mother to make certain she was as OK as their grandmother had sworn she was. Lee opened the other door and got out slowly, tentatively, and gripped onto the SUV as he steadied himself. Dotty met him on the other side of the van, away from the boys, her face fraught with concern. If Amanda and the baby weren't fine, the hospital would have kept them. Now Amanda had driven them back here with Lee looking like he was going to pass out at any minute.

"Is everything OK, Lee?" she asked, reaching out to catch him if he fell. It seemed as if he was looking right through her.

He couldn't answer; he just kept creeping along the side of the van, heading to the safety of the porch chair parked outside of Dotty's room. Gratefully, he sank into it and put his head in his hands.

"What's wrong with Lee?" the boys and Dotty exclaimed in unison. "And is everything OK with you and the baby?" Dotty persisted, truly alarmed by now.

Amanda put her hands up in the air reign everyone in just a little. "I'm fine. We're fine. Lee's fine," she assured everyone. "The hospital did give us some rather unexpected news, though."

"WELL?" was the response from the three, who were still waiting with bated breath. "What's going on?"

"We've having TWINS!" Amanda yelled with glee.

Dotty and the boys stood silent for a few moments, dumbfounded at the news. As it slowly churned into reality, they all started screaming and yelling in exaltation, hugging each other and jumping up and down. Dotty gave Amanda a huge, warm hug and whispered "Oh darling, that's wonderful!" into her ear before heading over to her son-in-law. She knelt down by him as he sat in her chair and began rubbing his back in comforting circles. He was shaking uncontrollably.

"Are you OK, Lee, darling?" she asked, tipping his head so she could look at him head-on. She saw fright in his eyes, something she'd never seen before. "This is kind of a shock, I know," she said empathetically. "Especially when you've gone from being a stepfather to feeling like a biological father, then think you're going to lose your child and possibly your wife, too, only to be told you're having twins, all within an hour. That's quite a roller coaster. Once you get used to the idea, you'll feel better. It's quite a responsibility. It's alright to be a bit uncertain right now."

Reaching out, he grabbed her fiercely and pulled her close, hugging her so tightly she was afraid she wasn't going to be able to breathe after a while. He missed his parents so much; he wished they could have been here for this moment. But much like Amanda, Dotty had read his mind and knew exactly what he was thinking and feeling. She stroked his hair gently and added, "You are going to be an AMAZING father, Lee Stetson! Don't you think twice about that! You're already an amazing stepfather! You've done this before, you just don't realize it just yet. But this time, you'll be in the driver's seat! They're going to be the new kids on the block, not you!"

"Thank you, Mom!" he whispered. "I'm scared to death!"

Dotty hugged her son-in-law with warmth and love. "Oh, sweetheart," she murmured. "Please don't be. We're all here. We're family. It's going to be just fine! You're a natural, you know?"

Lee looked at her with astonishment. "I am?" his eyes searching for an answer.

"Without a doubt," Dotty assured him. "Just look at how much Philip and Jamie love you!"

Amanda corralled the boys over to Lee and Dotty. Jamie gave Lee a huge hug, which Lee returned in full measure. "Thank you, son," Lee said, getting himself together. Jamie smiled and high-fived his stepfather. Lee grinned, warmed to the core by Jamie's affection. Philip made his way in just then. "Well, you've really done it this time," he grinned, shaking Lee's hand firmly but with excitement. "Congratulations, stud!"

"PHILIP!" Amanda chastised, smiling. Lee broke out into a huge smile. "Thank you all!" he said, wiping his eyes and settling his breathing. "This has been quite a shock." He reached for his wife's hand. "I'm glad you're all excited about it, because I'm petrified." He looked over at Amanda. "They don't teach you this stuff in spy school, you know. But I've got two of the best teachers around right here to help me." He winked at Dotty and squeezed Amanda's hand tightly.

Dottie cleared her throat and glanced at her watch. "You know, it's been a long day, and it's after 5 already. I saw the most amazing restaurant in that tourist guide. It's the oldest house in Gettysburg and specializes in colonial cookery. It even used to be a stop on the Underground Railroad. Why don't we get ready and go there to celebrate?"