TITLE: The Light At The End Of A Dark Dawn:  Chapter Eight
AUTHOR: Cindy Wylie (RkieFan1960@AOL.com) 
SUMMARY: Everybody makes preparations for a wedding while Mike and Jill prepare for the birth of their son

CHAPTER EIGHT: A Busy Summer (June-September 1991)

RATING: PG

AUTHOR’S NOTE: The song ‘Worst That Could Happen’ is written by Jimmy Webb and is sung by The Brooklyn Bridge.

JUNE 1991: Telling everybody about Mike’s proposal
 

‘Girl, I heard you’re getting married
I heard you’re getting married
This time you’re really sure
And this is the end
They say you really mean it
This guy’s the one that makes you feel
So safe, so sane and so secure
And baby, if he loves you more than me
Maybe it’s the best thing
Maybe it’s the best thing for you,
But, it’s the worst that could happen to me

I’ll never get married, never get married
You know that’s not my scene,
But, a girl like you needs to be married
I’ve known all along that you couldn’t live forever in between
And, baby, if he loves you more than me
Maybe it’s the best thing
Maybe it’s the best thing for you,
But, it’s the worst that could happen to me

And, girl, I don’t really blame you
For having a dream of your own
And, girl, I don’t really blame you
A woman like you needs a house and a home
And, baby, if he really loves you more than me
Then, maybe it’s the best thing
Maybe it’s the best thing for you,
But, it’s the worst that could happen to me’
 

The evening of Mike’s proposal Jill invited everybody over for dinner. Jill walked into the living room where the guys were teasing Mike over his newly returned appetite.

"Jill, now that Mike’s back on the road to recovery, your grocery bill’s going to start looking like the national debt again," Willie teased as Mike loaded up his plate.

"I’m glad to see him eating again, so I’ll settle for my tripled grocery bill," Jill grinned, watching Mike eating with gusto.

"So, are we here for a reason or is it just to watch Mike eat? Because, if it’s the latter, we’ve all seen that," Willie informed Jill.

"We have an announcement to make," Jill smiled as everybody looked at them.

"If you’re going to tell us that you’re pregnant, it’s too late. That fact is already quite obvious," Trap pointed out.

"Well, thank you so much!" She exclaimed tartly, glaring at him. "Mike and I are getting married," she announced, showing her new ring to everybody.

"I’m confused. I thought you guys had already done that," Terry choked on a chip.

"We’re renewing our vows, Einstein!" Mike spat at his partner, who grinned.

"Hey, that’s great! Are we invited?" Willie wanted to know.

"Are you kidding? We’re counting on you to be the wedding party," Jill told them.

"Does this mean we have to rent tuxedos?" Thomas grimaced.

"Hey, you’re young! You’ll look great in a tux," Mike assured him.
 
 

Several days later, Jill drove out to the lake house to talk to Eddie. Trap was in the living room checking stuff on the computer when Jill walked in.

"Hey," he called out as Jill walked in.

"Is Eddie here? I didn’t see his car," she stated, walking into the living room.

"I think he went to check on your building permit. Building this nursery means a lot to him. He should be back soon," he answered absently, looking at images on his computer screen.

"Trap, are you okay? I mean, you didn’t say too much the other night when I made my announcement. I mean, other than mentioning how much weight I’ve gained," she amended.

"I didn’t mean that the way it sounded," he explained in a guilty voice. "I’m glad your life’s coming back together, Jill. I mean that. I guess I still just have some deep seated resentment from what he did to you before," he sat back in his chair and looked at her.

"Trap, that was a long time ago," she sighed, hating having to beat a dead horse into the ground. "Why can’t you move past it? I did. I’m always going to love you, but it’s like the love I feel for the guys. I’ve loved Mike since the first time I ever saw him and I’ll love him until the day that I die. He’s also my soul mate. I don’t know how many married people can actually say that. I want you to be a part of this. I NEED you to be a part of this," she begged her long-time friend.

"If you need me, then I’ll be there," he stated simply.

"You know, Mike is thinking of coming into this firm with you and Eddie. Are you going to have a problem with that?" Jill asked in concern.

"Jill, I like Mike. He’s a good person and I know that he’s crazy about you. It’s just sometimes hard to move on, you know?" He asked as she nodded. "I won’t have a problem working with him, if that’s what he wants. In fact, it’ll be great to have another pair of legs around here."

"Thanks, Trap," she grinned, leaning over to kiss him. "I need to get back. Let Eddie know that I came by and I really need to talk to him."

When Jill pulled up to the house, Eddie’s Suburban was parked by the curb. She got out of the mini-van and walked into the house. The girls and Thomas were watching TV in the living room.

"What’s going on?" Jill asked the kids.

"Eddie just showed up with a bunch of lumber and stuff. How big is this nursery going to be, anyway?" Mary Kate demanded.

"I don’t know," Jill told her daughter honestly, going through the kitchen to the sliding glass doors.

Mike and Eddie were in the backyard nailing boards together. She smiled, watching them working so diligently side-by-side. Mike looked up and smiled when Jill opened the doors and walked out into the backyard.

"I was just out at the lake house looking for you," she told Eddie, kissing him on the cheek before walking over and kissing Mike.

"Well, you found me. What can I do for you, young lady?" Ryker asked with a twinkle in his eye.

"I need to talk to you privately as soon as you’re free. What’re you guys doing?" She asked.

"Getting started on the foundation. I finally got the permit and hopefully we’ll get this finished in time to welcome your son into it. Otherwise he’ll be sleeping in your room," Eddie grinned. "Well, we’ve got this all put together. Now, I just need Gillis over here. He promised to start mixing the cement."

"Well, Thomas is inside. There’s no better time to start learning a trade," Mike stated, walking toward the house to summon the young man. A few minutes later he came back outside with the five children.

"How’d you guys like to learn the building trade? I need cement mixers," Eddie told the kids.

After instructing the kids on how to mix cement, Eddie left them to the task and went inside to find Jill. She was inside fixing something to drink.

"You want some iced tea?" She offered as she handed him a glass.

"Sure," he agreed, accepting it from her and taking a deep sip. "What is it that you wanted to talk to me about?"

"I’d like to ask you a favor. You can say no if you’re not comfortable about this. Would you give me away when Mike and I renew our vows?" she asked nervously.

"I would be honored," he whispered, pulling her close and kissing her on the forehead.

"Thank you," she whispered back, blinking back tears.
 

JULY 1991: MEETING WITH DANIEL WHITMAN

Mike woke up on that hot July morning and glanced over at Jill, still sound asleep beside him. He loved waking up early in the morning before the alarm went off and just watching her sleep. It had been a favorite pastime of his for almost twenty years and he hoped to continue his pastime for another twenty years or more. But this morning he had other things on his mind as well. The day before, one of the guards from the county jail had contacted him and told him that once again Daniel Whitman had attempted to send a letter to Michelle.

He’d told Jill about it and they’d gone out to the gazebo the night before after the girls were asleep to talk about it.

"What do you want to do?" Jill had asked him.

"I don’t know. He’s got to know that his letters aren’t going to get past the jail censors. I’m just scared that one of them is going to slip through the cracks somehow and she’ll get it. She seems to be getting better, doesn’t she?" He asked.

"Some days are good while others aren’t. Bu, a lot of that could be discounted to normal teenage angst. Her therapist thinks she’s doing well," Jill assured him.

"I guess I’ll see if I can go down to the jail and talk to Whitman. I’ll try to convince him that he needs to leave Michelle alone," Mike told his wife.
 
 

He jumped as the alarm insistently went off. He reached over to turn it off before reaching over to gently nuzzle his wife’s neck. She sleepily slapped him away as he continued kissing her before reaching one hand down to gently caress her stomach, smiling as the baby kicked in response. Jill opened one eye to smile at him before pulling him down to share a tender kiss.

"Good morning," she sighed in contentment, placing her hand over his. "He’s very active this morning."

"I noticed. Good morning, Michael," he whispered, leaning down to plant a kiss on her stomach.

"Mike, stop! That tickles," she giggled.

"I think we’re going to have to start getting creative," he whispered huskily, pulling her close and kissing her.

"We can discuss that later. Right now we don’t have time to get creative. I have to get the girls up and take them to catch three buses to three different camps, and then I have to get to work. We can discuss creativity tonight over dinner," she informed him, getting up and putting her robe on.

"Hey, we’ll be childless for one whole week. How are we going to manage?" He teased.

"I’m not sure but I’m anxious to find out. Let me get them up while you go make coffee," she grinned, walking out of the room and across the hall to wake up the girls.

The three girls were going away to summer camp. Savannah was going to gymnastics camp while Michelle was going to work as a junior counselor at a Muscular Dystrophy camp along with Thomas and Mary Kate was going to a music camp sponsored by Julliard.

Jill was downstairs cooking breakfast when she heard the thunderous sound of the girls’ footsteps on the stairs. They ran into the kitchen arguing among themselves, as usual. They all fell silent at a look from Jill, who put plates of bacon and eggs in front of them.

"Hurry up and eat so we can get going," Jill hurried them along as she set Mike’s plate down and called him to the table.

"What’re you and daddy going to do while we’re gone?" Savannah asked curiously, her mouth full of toast.

"Daddy and the guys are going to work on the nursery. Drink your milk," Jill pointed to her youngest daughter’s glass.

Savannah grimaced. "That’s daddy, but what’re you going to do?"

"Rest," Jill told her daughter. "Milk, Savannah, now!"

"Good morning, ladies," Mike greeted cheerfully, walking into the kitchen.

"Daddy, what’re you and mommy going to do while we’re gone?" Savannah queried, teeth glistening with silver braces.

"She doesn’t like my answer, so she’s going to try you," Jill informed him in an audible aside.

"Let me see," Mike answered in a thoughtful voice. "We’re probably going to rent your rooms out to make money for baby furniture. The rest of the time we’re just going to lay around and do nothing," he deadpanned.

"Aren’t you going to miss us a little?" Savannah asked, her eyes huge.

"No," he continued smiling. "We’ll miss you a lot."

"Thanks, daddy," Savannah grinned, picking up her milk glass and quickly draining it.

He kissed each of the girls’ goodbye before leaving the house and driving to the county jail. Signing in, he asked to see Daniel Whitman. A guard showed him to a waiting room before sending another guard to get Whitman. A few minutes later Mike heard the door unlock before the guard walked in leading Whitman in by wrist chains. Whitman sat down across from Mike while the guard handcuffed him to the table.

"Do you know who I am?" Mike asked.

"Yeah, I know who you are," Whitman spat. "You were the one that took Michelle away from me."

"I didn’t take Michelle away from you," Mike corrected in a tight voice. "You’d already killed three girls. You would’ve killed Michelle, too, if she hadn’t called for help that day," Mike told him.

"I wouldn’t have hurt Michelle!" Whitman protested indignantly. "She was different than the others. She has a pure soul. I wouldn’t have hurt the other girls if they hadn’t lied to me."

"How did they lie to you?" Mike asked in a neutral voice.

"They weren’t good girls! Michelle was a good girl! She didn’t have a past. At least I thought she didn’t until she told me that she was adopted. That I had the wrong daughter the whole time. But by that time it didn’t matter! I love Michelle! And I know that she loves me, too."

"I’m warning you to stop trying to contact her. Your letters aren’t getting past the censors, so just give it up!" Mike ordered him coldly, standing up.

"She hasn’t gotten any of my letters?" Whitman asked, shocked by this revelation.

"No, and she won’t…not as long as I have any say about it," Mike snapped, signaling the guard to open the door.

"Officer Danko, can I say something?" Whitman asked.

Mike turned around and glared at him, eyebrows raised.

"Please believe me when I tell you that I never meant to hurt Michelle. Can you tell her that for me?"

"No, I won’t tell her that. I want her to move on and remember you as just a brief, tragic chapter in her life," Mike whispered, leaving the room.
 
 

That afternoon Mike had his monthly checkup with Dr. Olivarez. The doctor took x-rays and drew blood.

"How have you been feeling?" The doctor inquired after listening to Mike’s heart and lungs.

"Still a little tired, but it seems to get better every day. We’re building a nursery for the baby, so that keeps us pretty busy," Mike smiled.

"I don’t want you to over-do things. I’m glad to see that your hair’s coming back in," he observed.

"Yeah, solid gray," he grimaced, running a hand over his head self-consciously.

"Well, you could always attribute that to living with a house full of women," the doctor chuckled.

"Yeah, at least my son will even the odds a little," Mike agreed.
 
 

When Mike pulled up that night, he could hear the sound of hammering coming from the backyard. He grinned, thinking of how their neighbors must surely love them for the noise they’d been making day in and day out for the last month. He opened the back gate and entered the backyard. Willie and Terry were busily hammering shingles onto the roof of the new addition. Jill, Jen and Serena were sitting at the picnic table as Mike walked over. He straddled the bench behind Jill and slipped his arms around her waist. "I take it we’re ready to start painting," Mike commented as he leaned in and kissed her.

"Trap’s picking the paint up right now. We’ll start after work tomorrow. It looks great, doesn’t it?" Terry asked proudly, climbing down the ladder and sitting beside his wife.

"It looks wonderful. I can’t believe we were able to pull this off," Mike beamed.

"Oh, you have a message on the answering machine from the jail. How did your meeting go with Whitman?" Jill wanted to know.

"I don’t want to talk about that," Mike answered with a grimace. He reluctantly disengaged himself from her. "Let me go see who called. I’ll be back in a few minutes," he sighed, walking into the house.

The guys, their wives and Jill sat around the picnic table admiring the work they’d done on the room addition.

"I can’t wait to get inside and start decorating," Jill said eagerly, looking at the building.

"You aren’t going to do that alone, are you? You shouldn’t be inhaling paint fumes," Jennifer pointed out as Serena nodded in agreement. "Let us help. It’ll be fun."

"That would be great! Thank you," Jill smiled at her friends.

"Where’s your husband? I’m hungry!" Willie complained.

"Let me go see what’s keeping him and then I’ll order pizza," Jill promised as Willie smiled.

When Jill walked into the house, Mike was nowhere to be seen. She ventured upstairs to find him sitting on the edge of their bed, staring at the floor. Her heart began to pound as she walked over and sat down beside him.

"Mike, what’s wrong?" She asked fearfully.

"I called the jail. One of the guards told me that Daniel Whitman hung himself in his cell about an hour after my meeting with him. They found him when they took him his lunch," Mike mumbled.

"But, that really isn’t so awful, is it? I mean, I’m sorry the man’s dead, but at least now, Michelle won’t have to be dragged through the trauma of a trial," Jill said quietly.

"But we’ll never really understand why he did it. I mean, he told me this morning that he wouldn’t have killed those other girls if they hadn’t lied to him," Mike sat there looking puzzled.

"Mike, he was delusional. He probably didn’t even understand why he was doing what he did," she tried to explain to him. "It’s over now. When the girls get back from camp we’ll tell Michelle what happened and hopefully she’ll be able to move past this. Let’s go back downstairs. I was going to call a pizza order in."

Mike went back outside while Jill called for the pizzas. He explained what had happened to Whitman while the guys stared at him in shock.

"What’s bugging you, Mike? I mean, I’m sorry he’s dead, but now maybe Michelle can move on. She won’t have to worry about sitting in a courtroom talking about what that sick son of a bitch did to her," Terry told him.

"Yeah, you’re right," Mike agreed reluctantly. "But I just wonder if maybe I pushed him over the edge when I went to see him this morning."

"I think he was probably already on the edge," Willie tried to console his friend.

"Yeah, maybe," Mike continued to sulk.

"Hey, forget about him for right now! Willie, Chris and I were talking and we think we should throw you a bachelor party," Terry announced as the women looked at each other.

"Hold it! A bachelor party is for a guy who’s getting married for the first time. Jill and I are renewing our vows. A bachelor party isn’t necessary. Besides, I don’t want a part of anything where a half-naked woman jumps out of anything," Mike warned the two guys.

"Hey, we can’t have a half-naked woman, anyway," Willie pointed out. "My son’s going to be part of this and since he’s a minor, I’ve been told I can’t invite any naked women. If you don’t want a bachelor party, how about an all-night poker bash?"

"That sounds like more my speed. But we still have three months before the wedding and I have a few other things to take care of between now and then," Mike said.

"What things?" Willie demanded to know.

"You’ll know soon enough," Mike hedged.

Mike lay in bed awake that night long after Jill had gone to sleep. Too much had happened the past nine months…things that had all led him to one conclusion. The thing with Whitman had been the last straw. He wasn’t sure he could handle another case like this one. More than that, he wasn’t sure he wanted to. He curled up closer to Jill, clasping his arms around her ever-expanding belly. She smiled in her sleep and clasped his hands in hers.

"How’d you like to go to the lake house tomorrow?" He whispered.

"I’d like that," she murmured sleepily as she snuggled closer to him. "I have a doctor’s appointment tomorrow afternoon."

"I know. Meet me here when you’re finished and we’ll go out there together," he told her.

"Are you okay?" She asked, rolling over and pressing herself as close to him as she could.

"Yeah, I just have to talk to Eddie about something. I thought since the girls were going to be gone that we could have a semi-romantic weekend before coming back to town," he answered.

"Semi-romantic in my condition is an oxymoron but I’ll take you up on your offer, anyway," she kissed him before nestling her head on his shoulder and going back to sleep.
 
 

The next afternoon, Jill lay on the examining table while Dr. Sullivan poked and prodded. Finally she told Jill she could sit up and get dressed. "I want to get another ultrasound the next time you come in," the doctor informed her.

"Is everything okay?" Jill asked, frightened.

"Everything’s fine. I just want to make sure everything’s still on schedule. He’s looking great, Jill," she quickly assured her.

"I’m sorry I’m so nervous about this. I lost our first son to a cord accident in my eighth month," Jill confessed in a choked voice, struggling to sit up.

"I’m sorry, Jill. Believe me when I tell you that the baby is looking and sounding great. He’s going to be big, though."

"My stillborn son was big, too. How big?" Jill ventured.

"I’d say eight pounds, maybe a little more," the doctor told her, writing on Jill’s chart.

"Is his due date still the end of October? Mike and I are renewing our vows the 23rd and I really don’t want to give birth in the middle of our ceremony," Jill grimaced.

"I’d say around Halloween. How’s the construction project coming?"

"Well, they’ve finished the actual building. The guys are going to paint the outside and the women are going to paint the inside," Jill told her.

"I don’t want you painting," the doctor admonished with a frown. "You can do the decorating after the room’s been painted but I don’t want you overdoing that, either."

"Is there something you aren’t telling me?" Jill asked.

"Jill, you’re doing fine, but you’re not in your twenties, any more. You’ve got to slow down a little. Enjoy this time with your son before he’s born because he’s going to wear you out after he gets here," the doctor smiled.
 
 

Mike was watching TV when Jill walked into the house that afternoon. He was frightened by the look of sadness on her face.

"Babe, what’s wrong?" He asked, walking over and gently kissing her. "Is everything okay?"

"Yeah, the baby’s doing fine. Dr. Sullivan just subtly reminded me that I’m not as young as I used to be. It made me start wondering if I’m doing the right thing," she looked at him with tears in her eyes.

"I think we’re doing the right thing and it’s not like you’re not going to have any help. You’ve got three teenage daughters that are more than willing to help us take care of this baby. That’s a lot more help than we had with Mary Kate. It’s going to be great, you’ll see," he promised her.

"Thank you," she whispered, melting into his embrace and leaning against his chest.

"Come on, let’s go out to Eddie’s. He told us he’d fix us supper and everything," he smiled as he grabbed the keys to the Bronco.

"You’re definitely getting back to normal, Danko. All you’re thinking about is your stomach," she grinned back.
 
 

Eddie was thrilled to see Mike and Jill, although they’d seen him almost every day while building the room addition. He asked about the girls and Jill told him they were all in camp that week, giving them a much-needed break.

"So, how are you feeling?" Eddie asked.

"Fat," Jill sighed. "I was informed today that this baby’s going to be much larger than Mary Kathryn. It almost makes me dread labor now."

"Well, let’s sit down and eat before everything gets cold. That way your husband can tell me what it is that he considers so earth-shattering," Eddie suggested as they all sat down.

"Well, I’m going to need your help," Mike stated as he started filling his plate. "You said you could help me get my investigator’s license. I think it’s time to retire."

Jill almost choked on her water as she stared at Mike. They’d had many conversations about this over the past several months but until this moment Mike had always been undecided.

"Are you sure?" Eddie asked.

"Positive. I’ve been thinking a lot about it and we’ve been talking a lot about it even before I got sick. Terry was telling me that Chris was thinking of coming back permanently and I just felt out of place when he was here while I was undergoing treatment. If you play your cards right, you might also be able to snag Willie," Mike added.

"Oh, no! Not the two of you," Ryker groaned in mock horror and rolling his eyes.

"Do the guys know about this?" Jill wanted to know.

"Willie and I have talked about it on and off but nothing’s been carved in stone until now," Mike pointed out.

"I’ll be glad to have the extra hand, or hands, if I can also get Gillis. Sometimes we have more than we can keep track of. I’ll help you get ready for the exam while I’m out at the house finishing the painting for the baby’s room," Eddie told him.

"You didn’t tell me that you guys were going to do the painting!" Jill exclaimed in surprise.

"We can’t have you doing it. It’s not a good idea for you to be inhaling paint fumes," Eddie frowned.

"I know. I thought my doctor was going to string me up by my thumbs when I told her I was planning on painting his room," Jill admitted.

After dinner, Mike helped Eddie clean up while Jill went to sit out on the dock overlooking the lake. She sat there watching the sunset while absently stroking her abdomen.

"You’re going to get eaten alive by mosquitoes," Eddie commented, sitting in the lounge chair beside her.

"I know, but it’s so pretty out here this time of evening. So, what did you do with my husband?" She asked curiously.

"He’s loading the dishwasher. You were pretty quiet at dinner. I take it that his little announcement took you by surprise," he surmised.

"We’d talked about it off and on but I wasn’t sure he’d actually made a decision," she admitted.

"Does that bother you?" He asked soliticiously.

"It feels like the end of an era. I don’t know how to act not worrying about him when he’s at work," she sighed as he smiled.

"You’ll get used to it pretty fast, I’m sure," he assured her.

"The dishwasher is fully loaded and running," Mike announced from the doorway, giving Ryker a mock salute

"Well, I have reports to work on, so if you’ll excuse me," Eddie announced, getting up and motioning Mike to his chair.

"Are you sorry that I spilled the beans like I just did?" Mike asked, placing his hand over her stomach.

"No, but I was kind of swept away," she admitted. "I mean, I know we’d discussed the possibility of your retiring but I didn’t think you’d decided anything yet."

"Jill, I’d been thinking about this even before I got sick. The cases just got harder and more depressing and the whole thing with Whitman just got to me," he stressed, squeezing her hand.

"I just want you to be happy. If you’re happy doing what you’re doing, then that’s good enough for me," she smiled, leaning over to kiss him.

"Believe it or not, I’ve never been happier in my life. Everything finally feels like it’s finally beginning to fall into place. We’ve got our renewal ceremony to look forward to and this wonderful miracle and the girls are growing up. I’m very happy," he whispered, kissing her tenderly.

"Then. I’m happy, too."
 
 

AUGUST 1991: THE SUMMER CONTINUES

The girls came home from camp the first of August, looking tanned and healthy. Jill couldn’t believe they’d only been gone a week. They all looked like they’d grown several inches. The next couple of weeks were spent getting them ready for the upcoming school year. Jill and sometimes, Mike found their days filled with dentist appointments and shopping for school clothes. The younger two girls seemed happy to be getting back into a routine while Michelle became increasingly more melancholy. It had fallen to Mike to explain to her what had happened to Daniel Whitman. She hadn’t taken the news well but she made it clear that she didn’t want to talk about it.

Jill was getting things ready for supper one hot August afternoon when she glanced out the back window and saw Michelle sitting in the gazebo. The other two girls were at Terry and Serena’s swimming. She dried her hands and walked outside. "Michelle?" Jill cautiously approached the swing as Michelle looked up. "I thought you were at Terry and Serena’s with everybody else."

"Thomas is never going to want to have anything to do with me!" Michelle suddenly sobbed. "I’ve ruined my whole life!"

"Has Thomas told you that he doesn’t want anything to do with you?" Jill asked as Michelle slowly shook her head. "Then how do you know?"

"Because I was stupid! Why did I believe everything Roman told me?" She wailed.

"Because he told you what you wanted to hear. When you’re 15 years old and an older man starts telling you that you’re beautiful and desirable, you want to believe him. I did the same thing you did," Jill admitted to her daughter.

"How’d you get away from him?" Michelle sniffled, wiping her eyes on her shirt sleeve.

"I ran away with this man when I was 14 years old. He was horribly abusive…physically and mentally. I tried to kill myself to get away from him. Fortunately I failed and through that chain of events, I met your daddy and fell in love with him. I thought the same thing that you’re thinking right now. I’m here to tell you that you’re so wrong. Right now you and Thomas are young, but I know that he cares deeply about you. I wouldn’t go so far as to say he’s in love with you, but I know that he cares about you. You made a bad choice but don’t let that ruin your life," Jill stressed, slipping her arm around the crying girl and pulling her close.

"What did daddy do when you told him?" She sniffled as her eyes filled with tears again.

"He told me that he was going to be there to help me put the bad stuff behind me. One day you’re going to meet someone who’ll do the same thing. It might not be Thomas, but it’ll be someone very special and you’re going to love him as much as I love your daddy. Okay?" Jill smiled, studying her daughter closely.

Michelle nodded. "I’m sorry Roman’s dead but I’m glad I don’t have to go to trial," she admitted. "Is it okay to be sorry that he’s dead even though he killed those other girls? Those pictures were so scary."

"It’s okay to be sorry that he’s dead because he meant something to you. As twisted as he was, he told your father that he really did care about you. Never forget that, okay?" Michelle nodded again as Jill sighed and stood up. "Now, I don’t know about you but I think this calls for chocolate."

"Me, too," Michelle grinned for the first time in what seemed like months.
 
 

SEPTEMBER 1991: BABY SHOWERS AND MALE BONDING

The girls, Jennifer and Serena were planning on throwing Jill a surprise baby/bridal shower. The surprise part was proving to be difficult. Between returning to school and avoiding Jill, planning a party was almost impossible. Plus insuring that the guys were going to be gone was almost as difficult. Jennifer and Serena finally talked their husbands into throwing their poker party the same night as the shower.

By this time Jill felt huge. The baby felt like he was squashing all of her internal organs, especially her lungs. Most of the time, breathing felt like a luxury. The girls thought the shower would cheer her up since she was so uncomfortable.

They were decorating the house on the day of the shower. Michelle was standing on a stepladder hanging a banner from the kitchen doorway when Mary Kate walked in with a handful of balloons. She was glad to see that her sister was slowly returning back to her normal self, although going to high school together was a drag, especially since Mary Kate was taking honors classes, which made Michelle somewhat jealous.

"I’ve got the balloons. Where do you want me to put them?" Mary Kate asked as Mike came into the room.

"Hang some from the stairs. Jennifer doesn’t want to hang any from the mailbox because we don’t want mom to suspect anything. Daddy, did you know Thomas was thinking of getting his ear pierced?" Michelle asked her father.

"If he does, it’ll be the last thing he does on this earth," Mike commented.

"What’s the big deal? Chris has his ear pierced and so does Trap," Mary Kate reminded her father. She turned back to Mary Kate. "Help me hang the balloons. Daddy, don’t you have somewhere you’re supposed to be?" Mary Kate scolded over her shoulder.

"Yes, ma’am. I’m going, I’m going. You ladies have fun and make sure mommy has a nice time," he told them, kissing each of them.

"You have a nice time, too. We’re going to have a blast," Mary Kate assured her father.

"We will if Serena ever gets here with the cake and the punch. She’s almost as bad as Terry about showing up anywhere on time," Michelle frowned.

"I’ll see you girls later. Have a good time," Mike said one last time before walking out of the door and up the street to Willie and Jen’s.
 
 

About an hour and a half later, Jill was driving down the street toward home behind the wheel of Mike’s Bronco. She’d gotten so large that she no longer felt comfortable behind the wheel of her mini-van. In moments of pique, she often told Mike that she should trade the van in for a Sherman tank. Seeing all of the cars parked in front of Terry’s house she wondered if Serena was having a Tupperware party or something and had neglected to invite her. She slowly pulled into the driveway at home and sighed as she turned off the engine. "Michael, you’d better get here pretty soon before I explode," she murmured, stroking her abdomen as he kicked in response. "I don’t know how much more room you can possibly have in there."

She squeezed out from behind the wheel and walked toward the house. She was surprised when she walked in to find the living room in darkness. She knew Mike had plans with the guys but the girls hadn’t said anything about going anywhere. Suddenly the kitchen light came on and a roomful of women shouted "Surprise!" at her. Jill jumped slightly, not knowing whether to laugh or cry.
 
 

The girls laughed at the expression on Jill’s face and hurried forward to hug her and lead her over to the sofa.

"Did you guys plan this?" Jill stammered, her emotions still jumbled.

"Jen and Serena helped," Mary Kate told her mother.

"Mike was telling us that you didn’t have a shower when you married him the first time so we figured we’d combine the two. I’m sure you’ll get cute stuff for the little guy and some sexy stuff for the big guy," Serena grinned.

Jill blushed. "Just promise me one thing. That you won’t call the baby ‘Mikey’ after he’s born. Mike absolutely hates it!" Jill told the roomful of women.
 
 

At Willie’s house, things were developing a raucous tone of their own. All of the guys were playing poker around Willie and Jen’s dining room table. They all had beers in front of them except for Thomas, who was drinking soda.

"Mike, are you going to be like Jim Rockford? I mean, charge $200 a day and get the snot beat out of you every other week?" Thomas teased.

"If I wanted to do that, I’d stay on the force," Mike replied. "Deal, son."

"Yeah, but the pay’s a lot better as a PI," Terry answered seriously.

"So, tell me, Trap. Do you charge $200 a day and get the snot beat out of you every other week?" Thomas pressed Trap.

"I haven’t been beat up, yet, but I did get thrown into a swimming pool by an irate husband once," Trap admitted.

"Terry’s gone into his share of swimming pools, but I don’t think he’s ever been thrown into one by an irate husband," Willie grinned as he picked up his cards.

"Hey, at least I wasn’t getting hit on the head once a month like Mike," Terry teased. "I’m surprised you didn’t end up with brain damage."

"At least I can drink water. I don’t know if Chris can say that," Mike bantered back.

"All of my bullet holes healed up very nicely, thank you very much," Chris continued the barrage.

"Maybe we should’ve ordered a stripper," Willie moaned. "I didn’t know we were going to sit around and insult each other."

"Hey, we haven’t even started the insults yet," Mike admonished.

"You know, my life was a lot easier when I didn’t know what you were up to. Who was it who needed a paddy wagon and a really big tow truck?" Ryker asked.

"Willie!" Terry and Mike both pointed at Willie as the men all laughed.
 
 

At the Danko’s everybody was admiring the gifts Jill had received when Mary Kate approached her mother with a small gift-wrapped box.

"This is from us three girls," Mary Kate told her mother.

Jill slowly unwrapped the box and opened it to find a locket with several birthstones on it. "Oh, Mary Kathryn! This is beautiful!"

"There’s mine and Savannah’s birthstones, Michelle’s birthstone, daddy’s birthstone and your birthstone. Daddy’s says we can add Michael’s as soon as he’s born since we don’t know if it’ll be October or November. He helped us pick it out," she explained.

Jill grabbed her and hugged her tightly, eyes filling with tears. "I love it! You want to help me put it on?" She asked as Mary Kathryn nodded and clasped the locket around her neck. "If I have my way he’ll be here in October."
 
 

At Willie’s house, the guys were doing more laughing than card playing. By this time all of them, with the exception of Thomas, were slightly drunk.

"Hey, I need your help this weekend. The furniture store called me this morning and told me that the baby furniture’s here. I need help putting everything together," Mike informed the guys as he dealt yet another round of cards.

"Oh, no! The last time we did this, Jill threatened to go hire boy scouts," Chris reminded Mike.

"Hey, we’re pros at putting baby furniture together now," Mike informed him. "Jill’s going to love this. The girls and I picked out everything in white. It’s going to look great in his room."

"Just think, Mike! After 14 years of living in a houseful of women, you’re finally going to get to even the odds a little. There’s nothing in the world like having sons," Willie grinned at his son.

"A toast to my son," Mike said as they all clinked their bottles together.
 
 

Jill was trying to sleep a couple of hours later when she heard Mike stumbling around downstairs. She saw the light come on in the hallway as he came up the stairs to their room. He turned the light off at the top of the stairs before entering their room and closing the door. She heard him swear softly as he stubbed his toe on the edge of their bed.

"Are you okay?" Jill whispered in the darkness.

"I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to wake you up," he whispered back. "I brought Eddie and Trap home with me. Eddie’s sleeping in my study and Trap has the couch in the living room."

"I take it everybody had a good time," Jill smiled as Mike undressed and crawled into bed.

"Yeah, I had a little too much to drink, but we had a blast. How was your shower?" He asked sleepily.

"It was great. Thank you for the locket," she whispered, curling up close to him.

"Oh, you’re welcome. I love you," he kissed her as he fell asleep.
 

EARLY OCTOBER: GETTING READY FOR A RENEWAL AND D-DAY

Jill came home on an early October afternoon and walked into the baby’s room. Bright and sunny, it was becoming her favorite place to sit and be by herself. Mike and the guys had put all of the baby furniture together on a Saturday in September while she’d been out shopping with the girls. She sat down in her rocking chair and looked out the large picture window at the backyard. She was sitting there, rocking and absently rubbing her abdomen when Mike walked in.

"Hey, what’s going on?" He asked quietly, kneeling down by the chair.

"Nothing. I was just thinking. Have I told you much I love this room?" She smiled, leaning down to kiss him just as the baby kicked her hard in the ribs. "Ouch!"

"I take it my son’s using your ribs for karate practice again?" He rubbed her abdomen.

"I don’t see how he finds the room," she moaned, wiping tears from her eyes. "I can’t believe Dr. Sullivan changed my due date."

At her last appointment, Dr. Sullivan had changed her due date to mid-November, which irritated Jill. The baby moved constantly, day and night. It was rare that Jill got a full night’s sleep anymore.

"So, how’s the shopping for a dress going?" He asked.

"Awful. None of the stores I’ve gone to have anything made by Omar The Tent Maker," she whispered bitterly as tears once again filled her eyes.

"Are you sorry that we’re doing this?" He asked.

"No, I want this baby so badly. I’m just feeling so fat and uncomfortable," she forced a smile as Mike kissed her.

"How about a massage?" He offered as she slowly nodded.

They were sitting on the sofa practicing their Lamaze breathing when the girls came in. They took their schoolbooks upstairs before coming back down to watch their parents.

"Are you going to have one of those births where everybody gets to be in the room?" Savannah wanted to know.

"Where do you get ideas like that? I don’t want to be there," Mary Kate asked in horror as she made a face.

"Your daddy’s going to be the only one there," Jill assured the girls.

As Mike helped her with her breathing, she found herself wishing that this were over already. She couldn’t wait to hold this baby in her arms and finally complete their family. With the renewal of their vows and the new baby just weeks away, everything in her life finally felt like it was falling into place.
 

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