Chapter 29

MIKE

Our first normal prenatal appointment was scheduled a week after the kidnapping drama. We had received confirmation that the baby was okay, but we were anxious to get started on all the important things like vitamins and classes. I was excited anyway. I woke up the morning of the appointment feeling anxious. I hadn't felt this way since I took my driver's license test in tenth grade.

I kissed Tammy goodbye after breakfast, promising to pick her up well in advance of the doctor's visit. "We can have lunch and then go together," I said.

"Sounds like a plan," she responded sweetly.

I couldn't believe how brave she was being. Instead of falling apart after the trauma, she had turned even more serious about us and our relationship. She spent some time going over recipes and diet plans, deciding that we would be an all-organic household. We went to the grocery store and stocked up on lean meat and fresh vegetables. I knew she wasn't any kind of Julia Childs, but she spent a good hour in the kitchen every day, experimenting with different spice combinations and cooking methods.

I looked forward to something new every day when I came home from work. It was a welcome change from three weeks ago when I had been wondering if we even had a future. Here we were, getting ready to be parents. I picked up a few extra shifts so that we could stash some more money away. She read up on pregnancy and giving birth. All this after only a single week. By the time the baby was born, we were going to be rock stars.

Before I could spend any more time with my amazing girlfriend, there was something else I had to do. Without Porter's help, who knew what might have happened. When it really mattered, he came through for me in a big way, and I had to thank him.

I had learned the morning following the police raid that Porter hadn't been seriously hurt. It had been a welcome relief and soothed my battered ego to know I hadn't abandoned my friend to an early death. The cops had interrupted the fight before another bullet was fired, handcuffing both parties initially.

Dillon had identified Porter as an ally, and he had been released unharmed. With all the excitement over the baby, my family and Tammy's, I hadn't had a chance to properly thank him. I drove past his garage apartment and checked with the homeowner.

"He's at work," the guy said.

I thanked him and left, remembering that Porter had said he worked at the grocery store stocking shelves. I found him in aisle three, checking rows of bread for expired packages. He had a clipboard and a pushcart with him to discard overaged rolls. It was so good to see him doing well, not stumbling around some park somewhere drunk out of his mind.

"Hey," I said.

"Hey." He grinned, setting down his clipboard.

I went in for a handshake, but he pulled me into a hug. "I just wanted to thank you."

"No." Porter shook his head. "We're even now."

I laughed. "Yeah, we're even."

"How's the baby?" he asked.

"Baby's good," I assured him. "We have the first regular prenatal appointment today."

"Excellent," Porter said. "You'll have to tell me all about it."

"Tammy's friends come over for cookouts regularly. Jason and Dillon, you've met them."

"Sure," Porter agreed. "Thanks. I'll try to make it."

I left him to his work, already more than an hour late for mine. I stopped in to see my dad to explain why I was late, and he encouraged me to take the entire day off and stop in to see Mom. I agreed to work a few hours, as long as no one would stress about me taking time off for the appointment.

My mom was excited to hear about the doctor's visit and made me promise to tell her all about it. She seemed to think that we would learn the sex of the baby, but all the books Tammy was reading said that it was too early to tell.

"I want a picture of the baby." Mom squeezed her hands together in front of her chest.

It was such a dramatic change from a few weeks ago when she'd regarded me with suspicion. Now instead of drug tests, she was giving me grandbaby demands. I laughed and kissed the top of her head, promising her a copy of whatever picture we managed to get.

I did clock in for about two hours' worth of work before going to pick up Tammy. Her car had been repaired. There was only minor damage; she hadn't been going that fast when she was run off the road. As a testament to her strength, she continued to drive herself to work and back every day. I offered to give her a lift at least for a few weeks, but she said that was silly. The bad guys had been put away, and she wasn't going to let fear ruin her life.

I drove to the hair salon and waited on the street until Tammy was able to take her break. Lindsey came out to the curb with her, peeking her head into the cab when Tammy opened the passenger side door.

"Thank you so much for taking care of Tammy," Lindsey said. "Jason told me what you did. I never got a chance to thank you."

"Of course," I said. "Thanks for being so understanding where work is concerned."

"Good luck at the doctor." She swung the door shut behind her friend, disappearing back into the salon.

"You want to go to the diner?" I asked as soon as Tammy was safely buckled up.

"Sure." She leaned over and kissed me.

I drove the five short blocks to the diner parking lot, pulled on the brake, and hopped out of the cab. Walking around, I helped Tammy out, and we both went inside. Polly was at the front register, menus in hand, beaming with excitement. I just opened my mouth to explain why I had fallen for Tammy and not her, when she flashed her ring finger at us. A thin gold band with a tiny diamond sparkled against her skin, proof of true love that didn't involve me. I sighed with relief, told her I was happy for her, and promised her a wedding gift.

We made small talk until she had to go wait on other customers, leaving Tammy and me alone in our booth. Tammy looked at me suspiciously over her menu.

"Ex-girlfriend?" she asked.

"Actually, no," I said. "Just someone who liked me more than I liked her."

She nodded in approval, picking out what she wanted to eat before setting the menu down. When our food came, she ate half of hers. I didn't have much of an appetite either; the impending appointment was putting a strain on my stomach.

"You're not hungry?" I asked her.

"I have morning sickness," she explained.

"That makes sense." I put two and two together. "You haven't been eating in the mornings, but it always seemed like you were doing better by the end of the day."

She pointed a knowing finger at me.

"I was starting to think you had food poisoning," I joked.

"That's what I thought at first, but then Macy suggested I might be pregnant." She took a final sip of her water. "Should we go?"

"I'm sorry that you didn't feel like you could tell me." I couldn't stop replaying my negative reaction to her pregnancy news and how it had been the last interaction between us before the crime.

She shook her head. "It's in the past."

I paid for the meal, and we walked out to the car. The doctor's office was just down at the other end of town, so it took us almost no time to get there. We waited together, holding hands like a couple of teenagers. When the doctor had her up on the examining table, jelly on her abdomen, I thought I could see a tiny tadpole swimming. The doctor snapped several digital pictures, giving us printouts to take home.

"Is it a boy or a girl?" I asked for my mother's sake.

"It's too early to tell," the doctor said. "But it's healthy and right on schedule. We'll have you in for another ultrasound in two months, and by that time we will definitely be able to tell you."

"Two months?" I squeezed Tammy's hand.

"You're about ten weeks along," the doctor said, "and all the vital signs look good. Congratulations, Mom and Dad."

Tammy and I looked at each other in horrified excitement. Mom and Dad? Was that really going to be us? It was going to take me longer than nine months to come to terms with that new designation. But with Tammy by my side, I would be happy to do it. This tiny little person that was growing inside her was part me, part her, and I loved every inch of it.