21 February, 1993

"Today's the day! Oh, today's the day!" Michael squeals.

Today is the day that Mini is due - I'm now nine months pregnant, and feel ready to burst.

Michael is ecstatic, just waiting for me to feel any kind of contraction or something. Bless him.

"Michael, you're a doctor. You should know how rare it is for a child to come precisely on its due date," I point out.

He groans, "I know! But I wanna defy the odds again!"

"We know. You've forced Jasper and Charlie to stay here for the past week in case I go into labour and you're not in the house," I scowl.

"Exactly! Common sense! You don't wanna be alone when the first contraction kicks in, do ya?"

"I'd like to be able to leave the house, though. I will rejoice when Mini's here; being able to go out without worrying about something unexpected happening."

"It'll come before you know it. Within two weeks, we'll finally know whether we've been blessed with baby Miracle or baby Jedidiah."

"Oh God, yes," I smile. "Cos if you go two weeks after the due date without going into labour, you have to be induced, don't you?"

"You sure do. That brings on the labour within hours after. I hope we won't need that, though. I want Mini to come before the two weeks is up."

"You do? Try walking around with this stomach for nine months straight, then you'll be glad to shed it off!" I joke.

"It'll take a few weeks to go after the birth, you realise?"

"Yeah... oh, the fun of it."

"Ah, you look gorgeous now, so imagine how radiant you'll look once it's gone? It'll all be worth it, sweetheart, don't you worry."

The front door opens, and Jasper and Charlie enter.

"Hola Miss Summers, Michael darling!" Jasper greets.

I let out a laugh. "Hey guys."

"Ooh, today's the due date, isn't it? Oh, I hope Little Mini will come soon!" Charlie smiles.

"Trust me, after the wait we've had, so do we," Michael laughs.

"Well, it'll come soon, I bet! Anyway, me and Jasper need to just put our stuff away, y'know, clothes and whatnot, for tonight. Be right back!" Charlie says.

They both leave the room, and Michael looks at me, as if he just had a scientific breakthrough.

"I have an idea!" he cries.

I look at him curiously, "Yeah?"

"Hold on a sec."

He dashes from the room, and moments later, returns holding the video camera.

"Let's make Mini a little video message, and say that today's the due date. It'll be so cute, and it'll be nice for him or her to look back on when he or she is older... what do you think?"

I beam at him. "That's a beautiful idea, Michael."

He switches the camera on, and turns it around so the lens is pointed at us both.

"Okay... I'll hit record, then we can just improvise. Spontaniety will make this more natural and more sweet, so don't plan anything," he instructs.

I nod, and he hits record and sits back on the sofa.

"Uh... hey, little one. This is your daddy here. Today is actually the day you should be coming, but you've decided not to make an appearance yet. Um... I just wanna say I can't wait to meet you, and I want you to know that I'll treat you like the Prince or Princess you truly are."

I swallow and smile at the camera. "Uh, hi Mini. This is your mommy. You're inside my stomach right now, so this is a little crazy, talking as if you were already here. We don't actually know your gender yet, we've kept it a surprise all this time. I cannot wait to meet you, and..."

For some reason, my eyes begin to fill with tears, and Michael hugs me tightly.

"Mini, just know that you mean more than anything to us. We love you, so much baby," Michael concludes.

He blows a kiss at the camera, and I do too, and he clicks "Stop".

Michael continues to hug me, and I snuggle against his chest.

Why do I feel so low all of a sudden? I almost hurt physically, but I'm not. I just feel sadness.

"Sweetie... why are you crying?"

I shrug my shoulders and sniffle. "I don't know..."

He strokes my hair. "It's just cos we're so close to the end, now. We're in touching distance. It's all getting too overwhelming for you, and I understand that completely. I've been feeling a little more hyped-up over small things lately, cos I know how close we are to Mini's arrival now. It's okay."

I let out a sigh, nodding against his chest. "I-I think you're right...I just... I dunno. I feel a little hurt that I never got this far in my first pregnancy. I feel bad for the first child, as it never got to live because of Alex. Then Lisa's child never got to live because of Lisa, and now... we've got Mini, but what if something goes wrong this time, too?! What if something happens to him or her?! Oh God, Michael, I can't!--"

"Hey, hey, hey!" Michael cries. "Calm down, you're stressed. Nothing is gonna happen to Mini, okay? This is all the pent-up emotions getting to you, now. Everything will be okay, I promise."

"I guess... oh, I hope that once the baby arrives, everything starts to look up. I don't need any more pain or hurt in my life."

"Things will get better. But we gotta be honest, we've had great times recently, haven't we? Valentines' Day was a week ago, the New Year wasn't so bad after I'd gotten over my hangover, and your dad's birthday party was great in Janurary, wasn't it? And then of course, Jasper and Charlie are engaged, too! We've had plenty of happiness."

I smile faintly. "Yeah, I know. It's just, when something bad does happen, it feels like my life is over, and I can't ever be happy again. I know it's my hormones and all that jazz, but I can't help but feel that way, y'know?"

"It's normal in pregnancy, I completely get it."

"We're back!" Charlie grins.

"Hey, babe, why are you crying?" Jasper asks me.

"I'm not, I'm okay Jasper. I'm fine," I reply hoarsely.

"Are you sure? The tears in your eyes suggest otherwise," Charlie adds.

"She's okay guys, just a little overwhelmed with how close we are to Mini's arrival now," Michael answers.

The boys nod in understanding. "Aww, I totally get it. Well, being so close, it could happen any time from now, couldn't it?" Jasper asks.

"Yes, which is the scary thing. I don't know when I'm gonna start feeling pain," I reply nervously.

"We'll be right here with you and Michael, to help out if you need it," Charlie assures me, rubbing my leg comfortingly.

I smile at him. "Thank you guys. You're the best friends ever."

Jasper chuckles. "Anyway, we wanted to tell you guys, we've organised a date for the wedding!"

"Oh God! When?!" I ask impatiently.

"July 16, the day we first started talking in 1991," Charlie grins.

Oh God, that's so cute!

"Oh guys, I'm really happy for you! I can't wait for it already! That's only four months away!" I say.

"Sure is. They had a cancellation, so we decided to grab it before someone else did. The next available slot after that wasn't available until 1995!" Jasper laughs.

"1995? That's two years away!" I chuckle.

"I know! We're damn lucky we managed to get the slot this year," Charlie sighs in relief.

"So, what are we gonna do now?" I ask, changing the subject entirely.

"What do you wanna do?" Charlie asks.

"I wanna go out and--"

"No, Becky, no! You are not leaving the house at this stage in the pregnancy! There's no way!" Michael interrupts.

I scowl. "I just wanna go out and do something. Being stuck in here the past week has been a total drag!"

"Well, the most it'll drag now is two weeks. Not long now," Michael says firmly.

I don't drop my scowl, and I fold my arms irritably.

"I just wanna go into the garden and get some fresh air. What am I, a prisoner?"

"No, but I want to know you're safe. This far into the pregnancy, even the slightest thing could bring on the labour, and if you're in a bad location, that isn't gonna be ideal, sweetheart."

"The garden is ten meters away!"

"Fine. I'll take you out there."

"I'm not an invalid, y'know. I'm just pregnant!" I hiss.

He takes my hand, and helps me up from the sofa. "I know, but I care for you, and I want to know you're okay."

He walks with me, Jasper and Charlie, into the garden, and I sit on the bench outside.

"Fresh air," I breathe contently.

I rest my hand on my stomach, and Michael sits down next to me and rests his hand on top of mine.

"My God, it's sinking in so hard right now, that I'm actually gonna be a father," he says breathlessly.

"I know," I reply. "Crazy."

"I've never been so excited in my entire life."

"I can't say I have, either, Michael. Just think, this time in two weeks, I'll either be in labour, or will have already had the baby."

"Oh God, stop! I'm gonna cry from excitement!" Michael gasps.

He covers his eyes with his hands, and I know the excitement is getting to him a lot now - he's crying.

"Michael, don't cry sweetie," I beg.

He uncovers his eyes to reveal his tears, but he has a wide smile on his face.

"They aren't sad tears... they're happy tears. This is all getting overwhelming for me," he breathes.

He's so cute, it's unreal. I've never seen a man get so emotional over the idea of being a father before.

Jasper and Charlie join us on the bench, Jasper on my side, Charlie on Michael's.

"You're gonna be the greatest parents ever, y'know," Jasper whispers into my ear.

I look at him and smile. "Thank you Jasper. You're gonna be the God parents of all God parents once Mini's born."

"Me and Charlie are gonna be here, no matter what. We can't wait to be God-daddies. Who's gonna be little one's God mother, babe?"

"Gee, I don't know! I'll let Michael choose that one. He'll probably pick one of his sisters, though. Janet or Rebbie, maybe LaToya. They all seem nice enough."

"Oh yes, of course. God, the day the baby's born is the day I will celebrate!"

"Aw," I coo. "I think Michael's gonna burst if he or she doesn't come soon, though. Look at him."

We glance over at Michael, who is talking to Charlie, tears still in his eyes.

"Well, at least you know he's gonna be an amazing father. Can't really ask more than that, can you?" Jasper smiles.

"No. I'm lucky to have him, Jasp. I'm lucky to have all of you. After all my mistakes and crap, you're all still here for me, and I love you all."

Jasper hugs me tightly. "You're my best friend, girl. I could never leave you. Charlie is the same, and as for Michael... well, you're both perfect together. I couldn't imagine a better couple if I tried."

"Apart from you and Charlie. You guys are the cutest couple I ever saw."

He smiles in embarrassment. "Oh, Becky!"

We share a light laugh, before I turn my attention towards Charlie and Michael's conversation.

"Yeah, both of them mean the world to me. I still can't believe this is all happening, Charlie. I literally can't."

"You're a good man, Michael, and you deserve this. I know how much you mean to Becky, too. Cos you're an amazing person."

I can't help but smile. Charlie knows Michael too well - everything Charlie just said sums up how I feel about him.

Michael's cheeks turn light red at Charlie's words. "Well, I only treat her how she treats me. She's my girl, and she's carrying my child. She's my everything."

He looks down, hands leant on the bench, propping him up. He obviously doesn't know what else to say to Charlie.

Charlie meets Jasper's gaze, and they both make eye contact.

Michael looks up, and he averts his eyes to me, a mellow smile on his face. He mimes an "I love you" which I return, and then I let out a yawn.

"God... what time is it?" I ask.

Michael checks his watch. "Only 8:30pm. Why?"

"Only? I feel like I've pulled an all-nighter!" I sigh.

"Aww, is mommy getting tired early?" Michael coos.

I try to force myself not to smile at his remark. "Hell, yes. I'm nine months pregnant, I think I got the right to be."

"You wanna go inside?" Michael asks.

I shake my head. "I wanna stay out here; it makes a nice change from being stuck inside."

"If you're tired, I think you should go to bed, Becky," Charlie says sensibly.

I sigh. "But I wanna stay outside!"

"Aw, c'mon sweetheart, you can sleep inside. You can't do that out here," Michael says.

"I can. It's called sleeping on the grass," I retaliate playfully.

"No, c'mon, let's get you inside. You've had your fun for today."

I scowl again as Michael takes my hand and leads me inside. He's being so over-protective of me, and I just want a little freedom, y'know?

I feel like a freaking prisoner, being stuck in my own home for - potentially - the next two weeks.

We get to our bedroom, and Jasper and Charlie enter too.

"C'mon, let's all get some sleep now," Michael says.

"Yeah, it's been a long day," Charlie agrees.

"Bed at 8:30... I feel like a little kid again," Jasper chuckles.

"I feel like a prisoner," I hiss.

"Aw, don't be like that, Princess. We all know that I'm doing this for your own good. If Mini decides to make an appearance in the middle of the night, you'll sure as hell be thanking me for bringing you to the comfort of your bed beforehand," Michael says.

"Yeah," I say dejectedly. "Sure."

"Yeah, you know I'm right," Michael teases.

We all get ready for bed - some more slowly than others - and we all get into bed. Jasper and Charlie have the floor with a mattress on it, in case they have to wake up in the middle of the night to help me and Michael, should Mini decide to arrive.

"Night, guys," Jasper says.

"Night!" Charlie chuckles.

"Night, guys. Night Michael," I say.

"Goodnight everyone," Michael says, then his voice becomes a whisper.

"Goodnight, sweetheart. Night, Mini. Come soon, please."

So... like I said in the previous chapter, that was more of a filler, and I have my reasons as to why. Hopefully the next chapter will be a tad more exciting for you. I've already written up to chapter 51 actually, so I know exactly what will happen. ;) I hope you liked this, anyway. :)