Five months into Vicki's Pregnancy:

"Okay, so the appointment is at 3:00 are you going or not? Because if you're not, that's fine. I don't need you to." Vicki said flaty into her cell phone.

Henry sighed on the other end. Her mother wasn't kidding when she said everything would go back to "normal" .

"Yes, my love, I'm going, I just need to stop and get something and I will be at the office. I won't be late, promise." Henry her her click her tongue in exasperation...four more months, that's all, he hoped he would make it! But it was worth every minute of everyday.

"Vicki, are you there?" he asked, knowing she was, he could hear her breathing.

"Yes, okay, okay, just put a move on it. You know I don't like to be late." With that he said, "I love you" and she answered "back at ya" her new saying here of late. Henry didn't gripe, no point.

"Coreen!" Vicki yelled from her office. Coreen was there in a flash.."Yes, need something?"

"Well, would I have called you if I didn't?" Vicki answered sarcastically, rolling her eyes.

"Could you get me the Williams file please." Coreen nodded. Henry had made Vicki promise she wouldn't take anymore freaky cases, at least until after the baby or babies were born. Vicki had found it boring really, she was so used to action that the simple cheating spouses, embezzling and missing loved ones were just blase' now. She was surprised at that but then realized that she was such an andrenaline junkie that those cases kept her busy.

The Williams case was one of a sister that wanted to find her long lost half-sister, how ironic she thought.

I hadn't even known I had one, I didn't need a PI...Vicki shook the thought off, she must quit being so cynical...

Coreen brought her the file, Vicki apologized, "Sorry, I know I'm not the easiest person to be around right now."

"Comparitive to the fact that you were before?" Coreen said, flashing her white toothy smile, Vicki knowing that she was being facetious.

"Very funny, now remember, in about, " she glanced over at the clock,"Fifteen minutes, Henry is supposed to be here and we are going to see Dr. Morton."

"Oh, that's right, sonogram day!" Coreen clapped her hands in excitement. "Are you going to find out if it's a boy or a girl or boys or girls or..." Vicki put her hand up to stop the little chatterbox.

"Coreen, you know, I don't know yet. Let's just make sure it's a healthy baby first, okay?" Vicki said wearily..

"Aye, Aye captain," and turned on her heels and left.

Vicki leaned back into her chair and looked down at her ever-expanding belly. She had stayed in good physical shape, still running, doing light workouts and her body still looked good. She felt as though she looked horrific, out of shape and like she had swallowed a huge medicine ball but Henry said she was sexier than ever. "Yeah," was her response, "I'm sure it has nothing to do with the fact that my boobs are nearly the size of Dolly Parton's right?" and Henry had laughed, never disagreeing, but Vicki knew it was more than that.

FLASHBACK

"Mike," Vicki called from the other room, "Hurry, we'll be late."

"I'm coming, hold your horses" Mike answered. "It's not like they'll cancel it if we're a few minutes late." He came up behind her putting his hands around her stomach, caressing it,"Besides, I won't let anything ruin this day, when we see our son," or daughter she corrected," or daughter, for the first time." Mike turned her and kissed her deeply, more passionately than he had in a long time.

Little did he know...

PRESENT

Vicki caressed her stomach, feeling her child move inside of her and although she had continued to feel the essence of the life within her womb, it did nothing to calm her fears, fears that it would happen all over again. She refused to let herself go completely with this pregnancy, like she had the first time. She knew she was more of a bitch than normal, she let everyone think it was hormones when in actuality, it was pure fear.

"Hi...Ready?" Henry was standing in her doorway, she hadn't heard him come in.

"Oh, yeah, you're a little early. Impressive." she went into the bathroom to check her hair, something she never really did, just a nervous reaction to the impending appointment. Henry came up behind her and put his arms around her stomach, caressing it...

NO...NO...Vicki suddenly felt sick...Henry sensed something was wrong.

"Vicki are you okay? What's wrong? Do you need to feed before we go? You haven't had to do that in awhile...did you eat today?" Henry's eyes conveyed concern and fear for her..

"No, it's not that, I just...I can't go...I can't.." she was feeling woozy, but was still able to stand.

"Vicki," Henry whispered in her ear, still caressing her belly, "this is not going to be like the last time, I promise."

Vicki whirled around to face Henry, "Right! Just like Mike promised huh?" Henry was so hurt...how could she compare him to Mike and it was no one's fault..how could he help her..

He took her hand, led her to the couch and put her down. She was full of rage by now..

He knelt down in front of her and pulled something out of his pocket, her eyes went wide...OH NO NOT NOW...she thought...

"Vicki, this is what I picked up on the way here," he opened it, and it was the most beautiful cross she'd ever seen.

"Henry, it's breathtaking. But why?" She asked still looking at it.

I was a gold cross, not too big, not too small, with diamonds laid down the entire front, but not in a garish way. It was hanging from a gold rope chain...just beautiful was not enough. It was obviously very old, but just so incredibly breathtaking..

"Because, I made a promise to you and your mother. This cross is very old, you don't want to know how old, but I stopped to have it blessed."

"Why?" she asked. "I wanted to give you a gift.." He didn't know how she felt about the gift he had already given her...the one inside of her...nothing could be that great...

"I want you to feel that our child is watched over by a Higher Power, to feel protection from just me is arrogant. I know, with all my heart, that our child will be born and we will have many more and maybe one day, we will get married..."

"Whoa, whoa, I've told you, babies are not a reason for marriage, you know how I feel about that and who said anything about MANY more...?" Henry knew he had taken her mind off of the worry, for now anyway..

He helped her put the cross on and decided they would finish talking later, maybe much later. They headed out to Dr. Morton's office...