What's a Girl to Do? (Season 2)

Chapter Two: Past and Present

I returned to the firm for a couple of hours that afternoon, keeping my mouth shut about the revelation when it came to my pregnancy. While I sat in my office, typing away correspondence to various other clients who hoped for victory in the courtroom, more than once, I found myself reaching down and just touching my stomach. The notion that I was officially having a child that I could keep sent this rare warmth through me, and even though it would take some getting used to, I found my desire to be a mother was overwhelming.

Even though this child had come at the most complicated time, and under not the best circumstances out there, they were meant to be here. Somehow, I thought that was the case, wasn't it? I mean, despite everything, this baby had clung onto life inside me, and was now proven not to be Lip's child, so that was definitely something in its favor. Life, for me, at least, seemed to be looking up, and although I knew there would be potential challenges that lay ahead—because, let's face it, I hadn't had any good parental role models in my life and would be completely lost when it came to mothering—I knew I had the opportunity to learn all I could in anticipation of my child's birth.

I found that work was a welcome distraction for me, and in the days and weeks that followed, I was surprised that many of my co-workers seemed nicer to me. Rachel, by this time, of course knew about my pregnancy and had passed it onto Cindy, and I was sure that the entire office pool of assistants—including Hugo's assistant, Bernard, and Nicholas's assistant Isidor—knew all about it as well. I knew there was also a rumor going around that it was Nicholas's baby, but Rachel and Cindy were quick to put such a rumor to rest. I wasn't even three months pregnant yet, but I knew that, when the day came and I was huge, I wanted to be treated the same as I'd always been treated, but, somehow, I thought such a thing was impossible.

"You're tired today," Debbie said when I came home from picking up Liam from school. "Long day at the firm?"

I sighed, quickly moving to take off my boots and stockings. "You have no idea," I replied, moving towards the kitchen for an apple. "Get your homework set up, Liam. Remember, it's Friday, so we'll only do a little bit tonight."

"So on top of everything," Debbie said, flashing me a smile as I moved to join her and Franny on the couch. "You feeling okay?"

I rolled my eyes, biting into the apple and holding the paper towel I'd wrapped it in close to my face to ensure no juice spilled onto my blouse. "Yeah," I replied, for the worst of the morning sickness seemed to be gone. I still had a few flare-ups a few times a week, but it was no longer a constant, which was good. "Happy that it's the weekend..."

"Yeah," Debbie replied as Franny moved onto my lap. "So," she said, mulling over her words for a moment before she spoke, "when were you going to tell me?"

"What?" I asked, my mouth full of a section of apple as I moved Franny into a more comfortable position in my lap. "What do you mean?"

Debbie made a face. "Come on, Murph!" she said, growing impatient. "Even I know that you're pregnant, and that's saying something, considering that I'm the only one of us who's even had a baby!"

I stuck my tongue out at her, and we shared a laugh. "Okay, you're right," I replied, wiping some of the excess juice off my mouth and blowing her a kiss. "I'm pregnant. There. Are you happy to know the information now, little sister?"

Debbie grinned. "Yes," she replied. "So, how far along are you?"

"Um," I said, doing some quick math. "It'll be three months in a little less than two weeks. So, not too far along, but far enough along to know who the father is."

"Not Lip?" Debbie asked, quietly enough that Franny wouldn't understand and Liam, nose-deep in his latest book report book, wouldn't hear. "I mean, it's not..."