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MARY CATHERINE AND I had a Friday afternoon appointment with our fertility ob-gyn, and by then I was able to tune out most of the noise about the big case. Sure, I answered a few calls from the bigwigs at One Police Plaza, but overall it was starting to feel like a true day off. And one I’d certainly earned.

I held Mary Catherine’s hand through each test and scan. She was in good spirits, chatting with each of the different techs. I never knew if it was her accent or just her pleasant personality that most attracted people to her. Mary Catherine could talk to anyone and make them feel like they were the only ones in the world at that moment.

Neither of us would admit to the butterflies in our stomachs as we waited for the doctor to meet us in an office.

Mary Catherine reached across from her chair to grasp my hand. We were sitting in identical chairs facing a small conference room table. No one had made any comments about any of the tests performed so far today. I was still nervous.

Mary Catherine’s stomach gurgled so loudly I inadvertently turned my head. She shrugged and gave me that beautiful smile. “I guess I’m a little hungry, and God knows what else is going on inside this belly.” She patted her stomach.

“I can fix the hungry part. And no matter what’s going on inside your belly, I’m with you. I think we’ve proven the whole family is with you, whatever happens.”

She smiled. “I’m glad Ricky got his audition. This seems like a big step for him. I hope that host isn’t too tough on him. Ricky can be a little sensitive as well.”

“Brian and I will be there. If it gets out of hand, I’m sure we’ll be able to deal with it.”

Mary Catherine was quiet for a moment. She left her hand resting on her stomach. Then she said, “Michael, no matter what happens, you and the kids have made me so happy. I’ll be fine.”

“You’ll be fine with another kid on the way. Don’t worry.”

“Thank you, Dr. Bennett, but I think I’ll wait to hear what our real doctor has to say.”

Just then the door to the conference room opened and Dr. Christina Ashe took the chair across the table from us. I liked how direct Dr. Ashe was. At the moment, she wasn’t smiling, but she didn’t seem upset. That was sort of the vibe we always got from her. I didn’t know if she was just focused all the time or if it was a defense mechanism she had set up for dealing with disappointed couples unable to have a child.

The doctor seemed to take her own sweet time organizing her papers before she looked up and said, “How do you feel, Mary Catherine? I mean, how do you honestly feel being out of bed?”

“I guess I hadn’t really evaluated it.” Mary Catherine closed her eyes for a moment like she was taking a silent inventory of her aches and pains. “The only thing I can say that has changed is that I get a little bit dizzy walking around.”

The doctor said, “I’d say that you’ve stabilized. Things seem to be going well, and I think we can ease you off bed rest.”

Mary Catherine lit up and clapped her hands.

The doctor held up her hand. “But I want to make sure you won’t overdo it.” She shifted her eyes to me. “I’m counting on the two of you being vigilant. No housework, no lifting, and only short walks.”

Mary Catherine started talking fast. “I have a few things I’m going to do around the house. Nothing too strenuous. Plus I have to help Shawna with her history project. And I—”

The doctor’s tone was much more serious this time. “Mrs. Bennett, you can either slow things way down or I’ll order full-time bed rest from now until the baby comes.”

Mary Catherine knew when she was beat. She nodded her head and said, “I’ll slow way down on everything. I promise.”

I considered getting the doctor’s phone number so she could teach me how she did that. I had never seen Mary Catherine concede a point so completely.

We walked out of the doctor’s office into the brisk air. Mary Catherine spun around and hugged me. Then she kissed me. “We’re having a baby.”

That showed me how much she had been preparing herself for bad news. She was ready and excited. And I was thrilled.