Today started off like any other day.  I got up, showered, ate breakfast, and got ready for work.  As I passed by Rory, who was still sleeping, I noticed the book that occupied her nightstand.  I had bought What To Expect When You're Expecting earlier this week.  It was already well loved with bookmarks, flags, and I'm sure some highlighting since there was a highlighter and pencil nearby.  Old habits die hard, I thought and laughed.  This also reminded me that I was meeting her later for the first baby appointment.  I brush her hair to the side and kiss her on the forehead.  She adjusts herself and smiles.  I hope it was for me.

On my way to work, I double checked cars for Rory and myself.  I tried to time it to get us there at about the same time, provided traffic cooperated.  I also had a mountain of work I needed to get done.  It's no wonder my dad was never home.  Although,  I doubt he delegated much, and I'm finding I need to delegate a little more to maintain my sanity.  It was hard to relinquish control, but that's why we hire the best and the brightest.  I need each member of my team at HPG to pull their own weight, and not leave messes for others to clean up.  I don't want to be the same as my dad, or worse, Paris when she was the editor of the Yale Daily News.  Hotplate Harriet built a bunker in the newsroom and refused help from anyone else.

From the moment I stepped into my office, I was running a mile a minute: meetings for projects, conference calls from around the globe.  It's a good thing I had an alert set for fifteen minutes before I needed to leave, or I'd have been so caught up I would have lost track of time.  This was far too important to miss, and I was determined to be a better than my own father.  I could be on top of my game and still have time for my wife and family. 

I could tell by the way Rory avoided baby talk that she was definitely not comfortable with all of this, and I can't blame her.  It's a huge deal, and it's directly affecting her and her body.  I'd be scared if I had to go through a pregnancy, too!

Even in the car, my phone was buzzing with nearly constant alerts.  I was very distracted by everything at work, but I didn't want to let people down either.  It's a fine line to walk, and I'm still having trouble keeping my balance.  Message after message came, and I tried to get to them.  I walked into the building, spotted the elevator, and quickly caught it before it closed.  I slid into the elevator and saw Rory standing to the side.  She looked scared, like a child staying away from home for the first time.  Her expression changed when she saw me.  Now, she was more relaxed, smiling.

"Hey, Ace," I said, moving next to her and smiling.

"I'm so glad you made it, Logan," she said, smiling back.  "I'm a little nervous about all of this.  None of it seems real to me." 

I had suspected the nervousness, and it's only natural when venturing into the great unknown.  I was nervous as hell when I decided to become her boyfriend.  I had no idea what I was getting myself into, but we worked through it together.

"I'm here.  Don't worry, I'm nervous too!  I'd be lying if I said I haven't given this any thought!  We've got plenty of time to learn and get everything figured out," I replied.  It's just right now, I was completely preoccupied with work.

"I know...I know," she responded.

When we got to the fifth floor, she went to the desk to check in for her appointment.  She came back with a stack of paperwork to fill out.  While she's worked on that, I pulled my phone out of my pocket.  It's only been in my pocket for five minutes, and there's already twenty e-mails.  Half of them were conversations where I was copied.  I don't need to be included on everything.  It's just extraneous, and annoying.  Was Dad really that much of a micromanager?  Think I need to lay it out for people since I'm probably going to be in charge from here on out.  Let me know when you're done, or have a question.  I don't need the entire conversation, in fact, give me the results!  I'd let them know when I needed to be included.

"Lorelai Gilmore," the nurse calls. 

I felt Rory's eyes on me, but I had to finish this last e-mail.

"Logan, it's time to go in," she stated.  It seemed she was annoyed with me, and I can't blame her for that.

I looked up from my phone, clicked a button on the side, and slid it into my jacket pocket.  I followed behind her.  Once in the room, the nurse began taking vitals, so I pulled out my phone to get a couple more e-mails answered.  Why was I so drawn to this damn thing?!  When did I become the guy who can't leave work for a couple of hours?  This was important, much more important than HPG.  I looked up to see the nurse had left, and Rory looked at me with disappointment written all over her face.  How could I do this to her?  It's far too early for me to fuck this up!  I'd have to make this up to her.  Food was usually a good start.  God, I hope she doesn't make me go to play, or worse a musical.  She knows all about my disdain for theatre.  I needed to let the people at work start figuring things out for themselves.  I'd quickly become the quick solution to every problem, no matter the circumstances.  Dad may have liked that, the feeling that people can't do things without the great Mitchum Huntzberger, but I wanted to encourage independence and production.  Recognizing and rewarding for such behavior would be next on the list.  Everyone likes a good pat on the back to say keep up the good work.

"Sorry, Ace!  There's so much going on right now and things for me to catch up on.  I thought if I could get a couple more things taken care of, I could come home early tonight and take you out for a nice romantic dinner," I said.  I took her hand and kissed her cheek.  I thought I saw a little smile.

She stood up, removed her pants and underwear, and sat on the exam table.  She covered herself with the paper blanket.  We waited in anticipation until the doctor knocked.  She was definitely Finn's type: red hair and emerald colored eyes.  She's probably a little too old for him though, but a stunning woman nonetheless.

"I'm Dr. Anna O'Brien.  It's nice to meet you, Lorelai," she greeted Rory with an extended hand.

"I prefer Rory, if you don't mind," she replied, shaking her hand.  She offers her hand to me as well.

"Nice to meet you, Dr. O'Brien.  I'm Logan, Rory's fiancé," I said, shaking her hand.

She asks Rory some health history questions and uses the information to give us the date June 22 as Rory's due date.  Dr. O'Brien slips out to get the small ultrasound machine.  She prepares a long wand, which reminded me more of the way we got here than a medical instrument.

"We can't use the external wand for an ultrasound this early.  This one is internal and gives us a better look at the tiny baby inside," she said as she pulls out the stirrups.  "I'd like for you to lay back, put your heels in the stirrups and slide your hips down to the edge of the exam table."

The doctor turned off the lights, turned on the machine and inserted the wand.  I moved up near Ace's head, holding her hand.  It felt like she's had a death grip on me.  I wasn't sure if she was more scared or nervous.  We stare at the screen intently.  I'm not even sure of what I'm seeing.

Dr. O'Brien stops moving the wand.  "There," she points to the screen.  "There's your baby."

"That......that's......inside me?" Rory said, looking gob smacked.

I can't say anything either, but I'm fixated on the screen in amazement.

"Logan, there's a baby.....inside of me," she said, sounding panicked.  She kept staring at the screen.

"Yes, Ace, that's what being pregnant means," I said with a little laugh, trying to provide some comic relief.  "And, you're crushing my hand."

She lets go.  "I'm so sorry, Logan.  I'm......just.....I...."

"Do you see the screen, Rory?  That's the baby.....OUR baby!" I said, unable to hide my happiness any longer.  It felt like I had the goofiest expression, but I didn't care.  I looked at Ace and see the fear starting to fade.  She slowly smiled, and I thought I saw a tear welling in her eye.

"If you'd like, I can print you a few pictures," Dr. O'Brien offers.  She begins taking a few measurements on the screen.  "Looks like the measurements confirm the June 22 due date." She hits another button and I hear a rapid beating.  "That's your baby's heartbeat."

"It's.....beautiful," Rory said, choking back a sob.

The doctor prints a few pictures from the machine and hands them to us.  "You can go ahead and get dressed.  I'll be back in a few minutes," she says as she puts away the wand and wheels the machine out, closing the door behind her.

I handed Rory her clothes as she sits up.  We sit in silence for a few minutes, holding hands.

"We're having a baby, Ace!  The concept felt so distant until I saw it for myself on that screen," I said, breaking the silence. 

Who would have ever thought?  Me, Logan Huntzberger, excited about impending fatherhood!  It seems Rory is warming up to the idea, too.  She's got the hard part, and I'm going to be there for her every step of the way.  I don't care what whims or cravings I'll have to cater to, and if I can't make it happen, I'll find someone who can!

The rest of the appointment was bit of a bluf, as I sat there, not really listening, but thinking about what our future holds.  After we were shown the way back to the waiting room, Rory started looking freaked out again, and I didn't want her to be scared about any of this.  That's a part of the reason I bought her the book earlier this week, to give her some ideas of what may come with pregnancy.

"Are you ok?" I asked.  Her expression had me worried.

"I'm.....I.....baby....inside..." she replied, stammering.  She couldn't even form a sentence.  This can't be good.

"Ace, just relax.  You will be fine.  I'm here for you!  I will always be here for you!"  I said, reassuringly.  I meant every word of it.  I wouldn't let her down this time!  "Let's go home and have a nice evening in rather than going out for dinner.  We'll order Chinese and you can have total control over the remote!"

Even though I wanted to save her from this confusion, I knew she had to process it in her own time.  She had to face it herself, in order to accept it.  It was just an abstract concept until we saw that little blob on the screen.  Little Ace was rapidly growing in Ace.

"Total control?  You have to watch anything I put on?" she said.  Now, she can form a thought.  "That sounds absolutely wonderful, Logan!"

I didn't care if we stayed in or went out, as long as I was with her.  That's all I really needed.  As we headed to the car, I made a quick call to work to make sure there weren't any pressing issues.

"Looks like I'll need to take care of a few issues from home, but the office is safe without me for now," I said as we climbed into the car.  It seemed people figured out how to do things for themselves.  I was impressed they were picking it up this quickly.  I'm sure it had nothing to do with the email I sent to a few trusted colleagues to get the message out.

Out buzzer rang.  The Chinese food was finally here!  I buzzed the delivery person in.  I opened the door and was shocked at the amount of food she ordered.  Then I realized who I was dealing with, and this woman was no amateur when it came to ordering food.  The look on my face said it all.

"I guess old habits are hard to break," she said, smiling and laughing.  "It seems my mother's influence runs deep!"

It's a no fuss kind of dinner.  We ate straight out of the containers with chopsticks.  I'm always up for not dirtying dishes, and it's true that Chinese food tastes better when eaten directly from the container.  Rory seemed to have calmed with the comfort food.  I enjoyed relaxing with her in our apartment.  It was just like when she'd stay with me in London, only I didn't have to worry about when I'd see her next.  My life doesn't feel so empty.

We move to the couch after eating.  I, absent-mindedly, grabbed the remote to turn on the TV.  With a flash, my hand was relieved of the remote.  It seems I'd forgotten I had promised someone total control.  I looked at her with an expression of mock exaggerated shock.

"Not so fast, Mister!"  She turns on the TV and scrolls through the options.  She stops at The Twilight Zone marathon.  God, I loved this show!  And "The Long Morrow" was on?!  She remembered the rocket I gave her when I left for London.  Damn!  This woman is perfect!  I'm not much for superstitions, but this felt like some sort of sign.  It was like Lorelai and snow.  She cuddled into me after pulling a blanket over the two of us.  As if the evening couldn't get more perfect, she fell asleep in my arms.