"Wait here in the conference room," instructed Dr. Binder. "Patrice will bring Harry back and the two of you can talk privately while I get the ultrasound arranged. Do you want him in the room while we scan the pregnancy? It has to be a transvaginal ultrasound this early in pregnancy which is a bit invasive."

"Yes," Madelyn responded immediately. "I want him there. I don't think I can do this without him, but..."

"What is it?" Dr. Binder placed a hand on her patient's shoulder and tried for a reassuring smile.

"The nurse won't tell him when she brings him back, will she? I think he should hear it from me."

"Of course he should. Patrice won't say a word. She knows just how to handle these things."

"Thank you," Madelyn said as her eyes pricked with an overflow of emotions.

"Any other concerns?"

"Yes, um, how does it work? The ultrasound. I had one on my appendix once, but you said "something-vaginal." Aren't we trying to see my uterus, not my vagina?"

"We are going to look at your uterus. At this point, the uterus is still fairly low because the fetus is quite small. The transducer is inserted a few inches into the vagina and gives us a better view of the reproductive organs than an external ultrasound. It's nothing to be afraid of. The transducer is narrower than a penis and I'll use a lubricant to ease the way. This is a very common procedure and there is no risk to the pregnancy."

"Can't say I'm excited about this and I definitely want Harry with me."

"Of course. Sit down now, and have some juice, you look a bit pale," the doctor pulled a small bottle of orange juice from a mini-fridge on the counter, handing it to Madelyn. "I'll retrieve the two of you shortly."

Madelyn's hands were trembling so badly that the juice spilled a bit as she raised the bottle to her mouth. It felt as though her stomach was in her throat and choking was imminent. She didn't think Harry would be mad, though he'd probably be disappointed they didn't get to plan and act with a purpose. Beyond that, she thought he would likely be happy. He wanted marriage and children and had said he wanted them now. The whole enchilada. The trick was figuring out how she felt. How did she end up pregnant after all these years of charting and tracking her fertility? Madelyn had made a science of it and was annoyed to have failed. But was it actually a failure? A baby with Harry wasn't really a bad thing. He loved her. She loved him. Sure, their age difference made the relationship unconventional, but if he were the one ten years older, no one would bat a damn eye. Women lived longer than men and she was still relatively young and very healthy. But what if he wasn't happy? The reality of starting a family was vastly different from the fantasy. If Harry bailed and she was alone, what would she want? Was she equipped to be a single parent? Being alone meant full-time work in order for her to afford the necessities and keep her health insurance, one income, and daycare for the baby. She and Jack had never come to an agreement on these things as he insisted that once she had an infant in her arms she would be completely fulfilled in her role as wife and mother, and he didn't want his wife to work in the first place and certainly not when there were children to care for. Her dream had been to take a break from teaching a full class schedule, potentially consulting from her home office. She hoped to work around her children until they were school age. It made her sad to think of someone else caring for her baby every day. On the other hand, millions of women returned to work and raised perfectly happy and healthy children. The University had a terrible maternity leave though. Just 6 weeks paid time off was given. If she wanted longer, she would have to take the semester off without her salary. Her classes would be up for grabs and she would lose her place in the pecking order. She'd seen it happen to several female professors over the years and even a couple of men who took paternity leave when their wives had babies. Was she equipped to mother? After spending so much time avoiding pregnancy Madelyn had tamped down thoughts of parenting. Could she get that motivation to mother back? She wasn't close to anyone with kids, her family lived on the other side of the country. If Harry had second thoughts, she was on her own. Absolutely alone at what felt like the most crucial moment of her life. It wasn't too late to run! She could make a different choice, terminate the pregnancy, and give their relationship time to grow, then think about getting pregnant. It was a fleeting thought. This was a decision that needed to be made together. Yes, it was her body and ultimately, her choice whether or not to continue the pregnancy, but Harry had as much invested as she did. He was no one night stand, she wasn't a teen or a victim of terrible circumstances. And while this wasn't planned, she could manage as a single parent. Sure, it might be tight for a few years, but she has some financial resources, she could sell the house, move to something smaller in town and if push came to shove, she could head back to the east coast and the support of her family. But first, she needed to tell Harry. DEEP BREATH in and out, in and out.

Madelyn's attempt to calm herself was interrupted by a knock on the door.

"Here we are, Mr. Styles. You can wait here with Madelyn and Dr. Binder will be with you both shortly."

"Thank you," Harry said quietly.

"Mads, what's going on? Are you done with the whole exam thing? What happened? Did she give you the go-ahead for the Morning After Pill? Did you know there's more than one kind and that you could get the IUD you talked about and that works, too? I did some reading while I was in the waiting room and..."

"Harry, stop. I need to tell you,"

"What? Oh, God, is something wrong? Are you okay? You look freaked out."

"Stop talking and sit down," she took his hands in hers once he sat. He was wound tight as a spring.

"The exam went fine, but it's too late for any kind of emergency contraception." It was difficult to maintain eye contact when her thoughts were bouncing around in her head.

"I'm no doctor, but it's only been a few hours, of course, emergency contraception will work. I've been reading all about it. They can't even tell if you're pregnant yet. That's the whole point, to stop a pregnancy before it happens."

"That's where we run into an issue. You're right, the doctor wouldn't be able to tell if I'd gotten pregnant last night, but she can most certainly tell that I am already pregnant." She could hear the blood whooshing in her brain. This was the moment of truth and Madelyn knew her entire life would evolve based on the next few moments.

"Already pregnant?" Harry stood. "Already pregnant? When? How?"

"Dr. Binder thinks around ten weeks. As for the how, well, you were definitely the how. And the who," she chuckled.

"You didn't know?"

"I didn't. She says that the headaches and nausea that I thought was because of the concussion, were likely pregnancy symptoms and the light periods were probably the egg implanting or bumping my cervix when we had sex."

"Oh shit! Did we hurt it? If I'd known, I would have been more careful, you know, gentle. But I didn't know there was a baby!" He scrubbed both hands down his face.

"I'm sure it's all perfectly fine. She wants to do an ultrasound before we leave to check everything out. She'll be able to make sure the baby is okay and she said she would be able to find out exactly when I got pregnant by the size of it." Madelyn rubbed her hands over his arms.

"A baby. Mads, we're having a baby! I mean, technically You're having a baby, but. You know what I mean."

"Are you okay with that, Harry? We can talk about other options if this isn't what you want. I don't want to hold you to a fantasy that you wanted in the future but not now." Please be okay with it.

"Now you need to stop talking. I am one hundred percent okay with this baby coming," he shook his hands out to release some of the tense energy rocketing through him. "Are you okay with this happening? I meant everything I said this morning about wanting you to be able to make the decision, but please, be okay with it. Ten weeks isn't a few hours."

"Shh... It's going to be fine. We're all going to be just fine." He had come to squat down in front of her, his hands on her knees. She cupped his face in her hands and leaned forward to brush her lips over his. "Yes, as long as we're together, everything will work out fine."

"It's going to be better than fine, Mads. This is perfect. You and a baby are all I want. My life just got perfect."

"Thank you for saying that, Harry. I love you."

"I love you, too. Oh, shit!"

"What?"

"I'm going to be a father! I need to get a haircut!"