Two Months Later
Rhonda's View

"Rhon, are you home? Hello? Pick up the phone!" Amber said into my answering machine.
I rolled over on the couch and grabbed the telephone. "Yeah I'm here. I must have dozed off while folding laundry."
"It's 2:00 in the afternoon and you're sleeping?"
"Yeah I closed the club last night and worked at the office this morning."
"I've noticed that you've been working a lot since Howie's been gone the last two weeks. I'm worried about you."
"Don't be - I'm just trying to keep busy while Howie's been away, that's all."
"Well it's a good thing that the guys are coming home tonight. Speaking of tonight, I was wondering if you could watch Arrianna for a little bit this afternoon. I have some running around to do before AJ comes home tonight and I can't get a hold of his mom."
"Sure - just drop her off."
"Are you sure you're up to it?"
"Yeah, I was just taking a nap. Bring over my god-daughter."
"Alright, I'll be over in about 15."
"Bye." I hung up the telephone and rolled back over.

Amber's View

"Hey hon where's my princess?" AJ said as he walked through the door.
"I'm right here." I said laughing
"I see - where's my little princess?
"I had some stuff to do and your mom had plans so Rhonda said she'd watch her. I was just about to go pick her up."
"Well let's go, maybe we'll get there as Howie does - he stopped by the foundation. There were some papers that needed to signed."
"O.k. I've got the keys. I hope Rhonda was able to stay awake long enough to at least change her diaper. Have you noticed she's been sleeping a lot lately - I wonder..."
"Wonder what?"
"Well...you remember how I was when I was pregnant?" I hinted.
"Yeah, you were cranky, moody and you threw up a lot."
I smacked him. "I was also tired ALL the time. Don't you remember me falling asleep at the movies and you always finding me asleep in the middle of the day."
"But Rhon doesn't have any of the other symptoms. Howie thinks she might be a little depressed with him gone all the time so soon after the wedding. He's been worried about her."
"I know Rhonda and she's not depressed - she's...well I think she's pregnant."
"So why are you telling me this - it's her and Howie's business."
"I'm telling you because neither one of them know what the hell is going on and your Howie's friend..."
"So?"
"Maybe he needs a little hint."
"He's the father shouldn't he be the first to know."
"Well," I said winking at him, "Howie knew before you."

Rhonda's View

"Come in!" I yelled from the kitchen as I finished making dinner.
"Wow," AJ said, "Something smells good. What's for dinner?"
"Let's see, I have veggie lasagna in the oven, Howie's hot wings are right over here, and then there's mash potatoes over there and oh, I'm making butterscotch pudding for dessert."
"Um...that's a lot of food for just two people, don't you think Rhon?" Amber asked.
"Well, it was one of those things that I started the lasagna, and saw the other stuff and decided to make it. That's nothing new. Do you guys want to stay over for dinner?"
"HONEY I'M HOME!!" I heard Howie yell from the foyer. I handed Amber the pudding mix and headed over to greet Howie.

Amber's View

"Your right," AJ said opening the oven to check out the lasagna.
"Right about what?" I asked as I went over to get the measuring cup to make the pudding.
"She's definitely pregnant!"
"And what changed your mind?"
"This," he said gesturing to all the food in the kitchen, "is exactly what you did! I'm lucky I didn't get fat eating all the food you made in those 9 months."
"So are you gonna clue Howie in?"
"I guess someone has to clue one of them in."
"Good boy," I said patting him on the head.
"Hey - I just thought of something."
"What?"
AJ counted on his fingers. "If she is pregnant that means this is gonna be a honeymoon baby. Hmmm maybe even a pre-honeymoon one."
"Come on," I said laughing "I'll distract Rhonda while you grab Howie."

Rhonda's View

"Rhon, why don't you help me get Arrianna up from her nap," Amber said as she pulled me out of Howie's arms.
"Get her yourself!" I laughed.
"Just come with me!! Hey Howie, AJ is in the kitchen finishing dinner."
"AJ's in the kitchen?? I gotta see this!" Howie said as he kissed me and headed off to laugh at AJ.
Amber and I headed upstairs to get Arrianna. "Arrianna is in her room, I'm going to go change if you don't mind."
"Okay, no problem," Amber said. "I think I can wake my daughter up."
"Then why did you make me come with you?"
"Um...cause I knew you wanted to come up stairs and change for Howie."
"Oh, okay." I went into my room to find something else to wear. I sat on the bed for a few minutes as I finished folding up some more clothes. Maybe I could take a quick five minute nap, no one would notice.

Amber's View

I walked into the room Arrianna was in to find her laying in her crib cooing away. "Hey you," I said picking her up, "Why is it that you lay here all nice for Rhonda and you scream your head off to let me know you're awake. Come on Squeaks, let's go see if Aunt Rhonda needs any help getting ready." I walked in to Rhonda's room to find her curled up asleep on the bed. Now I was really convinced. I headed downstairs to find AJ arguing with Howie.

"She is not!" Howie said.
"Man I'm telling you she's acting just like Amber did when she was."
"We just got married there's no way that she is."
"Umm I believe it was you who reminded me it only takes one time..."
"What are you two talking about?" I said interrupting.
"Where's Rhonda?" Howie asked.
"She's asleep again."
AJ shot Howie a look, "See..."
Howie sat down on the couch "I can't believe...I mean..."
AJ took Arrianna from my arms gave her a kiss and handed her to Howie. "Here, your gonna need the practice."
"I guess we're gonna need one of those tests things aren't we."
"Maybe Rhonda should be the one to get it," I said realizing where this conversation was about to head.
"This is the 21st century - I think if the man wants to buy the pregnancy test he should be allowed to. Come on Howie we can do this," AJ said pulling a still shocked Howie off the couch.
"Guys are you sure you want to do this?"
"I...I can do this," Howie said not at all looking as if he could. AJ seemed to get him to do a lot of things he wouldn't have done otherwise.
"I think I should probably go with you guys," I said having nightmares about the two of them in the 'female' isle of the drug store. "Just let me leave Rhonda a note on the small chance that she wakes up." I jotted Rhonda a quick note and headed out to the car where the guys already had Arrianna strapped in.

Rhonda's View

I woke up from my little "nap" and went downstairs. I walked into the kitchen to the smell of burning lasagna. "What the hell? Where did everyone go?" I said to myself. I pulled the lasagna out of the oven and tossed it onto the countertop. I grabbed a couple of hot wings and headed over to the refrigerator to find something else for dinner. "Hmmm, what looks good? Ohh! Left over Chinese food sounds good to me." I pulled out the containers, loaded up a plate and tossed it into the microwave. I looked over to see a note on the table. It said:

Hey Rhonda,

We (Me, Howie, AJ and Arrianna) are running to the store. We'll be back in a few.
Love, Us.

"Cool," I thought, "more Chinese food for me!" I grabbed the food out of the microwave and went into the living room to watch some tv.

Amber's view

"They're down this isle," AJ shouted over to us.
"I know where they're at!" I said sending AJ a look that said 'please do not embarrass me here'.
Howie just stood there not knowing where to look - to the left were tampons and to the right were the pregnancy tests. The blush on his face was visible on the other side of the store. "My god there are so many of them," he said as he finally took a look around to the right.
"How do you know which one to use?" AJ said picking up two different ones and reading the backs. "What the fuck is the difference between pluses and lines?"
Howie picked up a couple and put them all down. "Which one did you use?" I picked up the pink box and handed it to him. "Which one did Missy use?" I gave him the blue one. He looked at both of them, put them on the shelf and picked up a total different one. Howie looked at me and shrugged, "You know, just in case."
"Wait I think I've got it! This is the one!" AJ said swinging around enthusiastically and knocking over a nearby display. I turned around and headed away from them as quickly as I could - AJ and Howie were right behind me.
We got to the counter and somehow Howie made it through paying for the test. Before I knew what was happening AJ plopped his 'perfect' test down on the counter.
"Are you pregnant too?" I asked.
"Well...you never know when someone might need it," he said giving me a wink. I took my daughter and left him standing there by himself.

Rhonda's View

I was sitting on the couch, crying into my mashed potatoes when everyone got back to the house.
"Honey what's wrong?" Howie asked.
"Its...its this movie. This girl just saw her face on this milk carton from when she was kidnapped when she was little and ..." I reached over and grabbed a kleenex off of the coffee table.
"Don't worry," AJ said, "She gets to go live with the people that raised her." We all looked at AJ and he just walked into the kitchen. Amber and Arrianna followed him.
"What's in the bag?" I asked Howie. He looked at the bag and then at me, and then at the bag again.
"Um...well you see...Amber thinks that ....um...."
I couldn't take it anymore. I grabbed the bag out of his hands and looked inside. "A pregnancy test? Oh my god Amber thinks she's pregnant again? Arrianna is only 6 months old. I can't believe that AJ got her pregnant already!"
"Actually, honey....Amber thinks that you might be...you know, pregnant."
"Me?? Why would she think that?"
"Well, you've been really tired lately and well, you made lasagna, wings and mashed potatoes for dinner but ended up eating chinese food," Howie said as he picked up the empty cartons. "Just take the test to prove Amber wrong." He handed me the bag and we both stared at it for a few minutes.
"Okay, okay. But just to prove Amber wrong," I said as I headed upstairs.

A few minutes later, I heard a knock on the bathroom door. "It's Amber. Can I come in?"
"Yeah - you might as well."
"How much longer do we have to wait?" she asked.
"I don't know. I didn't take it yet."
"What? Why not?"
"I don't know. I guess I don't have to go at the very moment," I snapped.
"Honey - I know you're scared. I was petrified when I took mine. But I know that you and Howie want to have a family and this could be the beginning of it."
"Yeah I know we do but I don't think either of us expected it this quick. I mean, we're still adjusting to being married."
"Well staring at it isn't going to make it work," Amber said as she handed me the box. "Just take it. Poor Howie is downstairs pulling his hair out. You better take this and find out before he starts to look like AJ."
"I know, I know. You're right. Go downstairs and check on Howie. I'm going to do this."

Amber's View

"Well!!!" AJ and Howie both asked as soon as I walked into the living room.
"She doesn't have to go," I said shrugging my shoulders.
"She doesn't have to go?!" Howie was frantic by now.
"Did she try running water?" AJ asked as he played with Arrianna on the floor. "Maybe that's what she needs - isn't it Squeaker! Yeah and then maybe uncle Howie will stop pacing around and driving your daddy crazy."
"Don't worry I talked to her she said she would take it." That news didn't seem to make Howie feel any better.

Rhonda

I took another look at the stick. I shook it to see if it would change, but it didn't. I took a deep breath and headed downstairs. This was not going to be easy.
"Okay, how long do we have to wait," Amber asked.
"Well it says three minutes, but it changed right away," I said tossing the stick into the garbage.
"Changing in a good way or changing in a bad way," Howie asked.
After a very long moment of silence I asked him, "What do you consider good and bad?"
We all looked at Howie to see his response. "Well, I guess that it being positive would be good and it being negative would be bad."
"Are you sure that it's a good thing? You said you wanted to wait," I broke down into tears.
Amber grabbed Arrianna off the floor and pulled AJ's sleeve. "Hey, I want to hear this," he shouted.
Howie took my hand and lead me over to the couch. I sat down and Howie kneeled on the floor in front of me. "Baby, I didn't expect to get married before two years either. My timetable has never been set in stone, you know that."
"But you guys are going to be really busy this year and..." Howie stopped me with one of his kisses.
"This is a good thing honey, a very good thing."
"Congratulations!!" we heard Amber and AJ shout from the doorway where they had been listening in.