Shane headed off to Stary Community for his first day of school. He wasn’t too sure about the bus driver’s ability to get him there safely but he arrived and climbed the steps nervously.

Things went rather well, he met a few new children there and also got an invite to a classmate’s house. He went over after school and they had a good time playing tag and talking. By the end of the play date, they had become fast friends.

Rebecca was also doing well, both at work and home. She was asked to hold a conference at city hall explaining the experiments currently in progress at the facility. If she did well, not only would the lab receive more funding but she would also receive a raise. She also finished her latest novel, receiving her highest royalties from it yet! She hoped to write at least 5 best sellers soon; only 2 more to go. Maybe she would accomplish her dream of becoming a professional author. If things kept up, she might even be able to quit her daytime job.

One late night, Rebecca awoke to some racket. Looking around, she noticed JUSTIN!
“Justin, that…that can’t be you, you’re dead,” she stammered.
“Yes, but not gone. You suspected I was around and you were right,” he replied with a smile.
Rebecca was overjoyed at seeing her true love, even if he glowed orange from the fire that had stolen his life. They spent the night talking and reminiscing and one thing led to another…

which led to another…

and another.

At 6am, she realized Shane would be waking soon and couldn’t wait to introduce him to the father he had never known. She ran in to wake him, turned around, and Justin was gone. Had it all been a dream?

She spent the morning harvesting the garden and then showered and got ready for her conference that afternoon. She emerged from the bathroom feeling rather nauseous. “Must have been those horrifying grape pancakes I made this morning,” she thought to herself.

Knowing that his mother would be giving her presentation that afternoon, Shane headed across the street after school to take advantage of the community pool. It gave him the opportunity to be outside and maybe he would make some more friends.

Meanwhile, at City Hall, Rebecca’s presentation was going excellently although she was still feeling exhausted. When she awoke the next morning, she was still feeling sick so she decided to go to the doctor. She wasn’t sick, she was pregnant!

All the way home she pondered and speculated and tried to figure out how this could possibly be. Sure, she had dreamt of Justin or had she? Maybe it really was real. But then, she was going to be a single mother to TWO children. Although she loved her son, it was hard parenting him on her own. What would she do when she had a new baby? She thought back to when Shane was small; the sleepless nights, constant crying, never having time to herself and that was when Justin was alive and they were trying to split the responsibilities.

“Oh well,” she muttered in the cab ride home. “We had always planned on having another child. I got my wish, just not necessarily the way I wanted it. I will be happy and excited for this child. I will have another piece of Justin with me”.

The months continued with no more signs of her cherished husband. She knew it had been real, she had the proof growing inside her, yet she couldn’t help wondering what people around town would think.

Also, there were the growing fears over how her child would turn out. Would her baby be normal? She had been so shocked when she visited the doctor that she hadn’t even thought to ask.

The worries continued but Rebecca pushed them aside so that she could focus on nesting and creating an environment that was healthy to bring a baby into. When Justin had died and Shane had grown into a big boy bed, she had gotten rid of all of his baby things so she had to buy a new crib and high chair, plus a stroller, which she hadn’t been able to afford when Shane was born.

As luck would have it, Rebecca managed to get all these things done just in time because in the wee hours that morning, the baby would make its first appearance in the world.