The Odds Are Ever in Our Favor

The Odds Are Ever In Our Favor
By Misha
Disclaimer- Not mine.
Author’s Notes- This is the result of conflicting headcanons. I had a clear mental picture of Drake and Amelia’s family: two boys and then Drake got a vasectomy at Amelia’s insistence. But then I started having these flashes of Drake with a little girl and needed to reconcile those headcanons and this was born.
Pairing- Drake/MC
Rating- PG-13
Summary- Amelia gets unexpected news, reminding her that the impossible is always possible.
Words- 1746

“You’re pregnant, Lady Walker.”

I stared at the doctor in horror, sure I had heard him wrong. “What?! No, my husband had a vasectomy. 6 years ago.”

There was a long, awkward silence and I felt my anger bubble at the unspoken accusation. “And before you ask, I have not been with a man other than my husband in over 15 years, so either you are wrong or this is some kind of miracle.”

“What I was going to say, is that while it is not common, the procedure can reverse itself,” the doctor told me apologetically, “and often around the 5-10 year mark.”

It took a few seconds for the words to sink in and then I started laughing hysterically. I mean, of course, we were the 1 in 2000, that was pretty much how it went for Drake and I. Especially for me. Making the impossible, possible was kind of my schtick. It was how I’d gone from waitress to duchess, after all.

“I know this is a surprise,” the doctor said carefully, shooting me a look. I supposed laughter was an unusual reaction, but I had no desire to cry in front of a near stranger. “Is there anyone you want me to call?”

“No,” I answered, getting ahold of myself. Deep breaths. I counseled, though I had never been good at that.

There was a moment of awkward silence, the doctor spoke. “We’ll need to schedule some prenatal appointments.”

“I remember the drill,” I said absently, operating on autopilot, “and prenatal items and all that.”

“Yes,” the doctor confirmed, “I’d also like to have you do an ultrasound immediately to see how far along you are since you’re dates are inconclusive.”

That was why I’d come to the doctor in the first place because I’d been having irregular periods for a while.

He continued to talk and I simply nodded, going along with it but barely registering what he was saying, my mind still reeling from the news. I was pregnant. Six years after we’d made the decision not to have another child, life had decided it had other plans.

Pregnant.

Another baby.

I was a few months away from 40, Drake was 45. The boys were potty-trained, slept through the night and only tried to kill each other half a dozen times a day. Things were getting easier and now we were starting over from the beginning.

Wow.

**

I sent Hana an SOS message and she promptly arrived and swept the boys away for a few days, no questions asked.

Drake was due back from the Capital any time and as I waited for him, I tried to figure out how to best break the news. I mean, this wasn’t quite like the other two times, those both of those had been unplanned as well, but at least then we’d known there was the possibility. This had come out of nowhere.

I decided the cottage was the best place for this conversation, so I left a message with the staff and then headed there to wait for Drake.

I spent an hour or so waiting, alternating between pacing and sitting, trying to figure out what I’d say before he arrived.

“Grant?” He called from the doorway.

“Right here,” I told him as I got up from the couch. I moved to greet him, still going over the words in my head, the ones that were going to turn Drake’s entire world upside down like they had mine.

Drake wrapped me in his arms, his lips seeking mine in a hungry kiss. “I missed that,” he commented when the kiss finally ended, his arms still around me, his hands resting on my ass with a possessive familiarity.

“I missed this too,” I told him, closing my eyes and taking a deep breath.

Drake immediately stiffened, dropping his hand and raising it to my face. “Grant, what’s wrong?”

“What makes you think something is wrong/” I deflected, stepping out of his embrace. This wasn’t how I wanted this to go, but I was just so tense.

“We’ve been married for fifteen years,” Drake said in a quiet voice, “I know when something is bothering you.” His face set in a grim line and he stepped back. “Is this why the kids are with Hana? Did something happen?”

“Kinda,” I admitted, letting out a big sigh. How did I even phrase this? It was something we’d thought was impossible a few days ago and was now going to alter our entire future. It wasn’t… Bad news. But it was life-changing and unexpected. And it wasn’t what we’d wanted.

“You have to call your urologist,” I blurted out. That wasn’t how I’d intended to go with this, but my mouth and brain weren’t working properly.

Drake looked surprised. “My… Did someone call?” He asked, seeming a little worried and very confused, probably because he hadn’t had any blood tests or doctor visits recently.

Might as well get it over with.

“Your vasectomy failed.” I told him bluntly, still not able to say the words ‘I’m pregnant’. I’d said them so happily twice before, but this time they froze on my tongue.

Drake froze, taking a moment to process my words. I saw the shock cross his face and then absolute, undeniable joy. His whole face lit up.

“You’re pregnant?” He asked in awe, his hand immediately reaching for my belly. “We’re having another baby?”

I nodded, a little stunned myself. This was not the reaction I’d been expecting.
“This is amazing,” Drake told me, grinning at me. “I mean… I know we agreed we were done with the boys and they’re great, but… Another baby. Wow.”

“Yeah, wow.” I agreed weakly.

Drake’s smile faded, his hand still on my stomach. “You’re not happy about this,” he realized.

“I’m not unhappy,” I defended, “I just… This wasn’t the plan, Drake. We have two kids. We’re happy with two kids. I’m 39, you’re 45. You’ll be in your 60s when this baby is grown.”

He dropped his hand and stepped back. “Do you not…” He couldn’t even get the words out and I didn’t blame him.

“No!” I exclaimed, meaning it. I wasn’t sure how I felt about this baby, about what it meant for our life, but the thought of not having it hadn’t crossed my mind. And not because of religious reasons or how I was raised, but because this was our child, part of Drake and I. It was unexpected, but it was still ours.

“I want this baby,” I assured Drake, taking his hand and putting it back on my stomach and covering it with my mine and it was the truth. I did want this child. I might not have chosen to be in this situation, but now that I was, I wouldn’t choose otherwise. “I’m just… I’m scared.’

Drake dropped his hand, instead, wrapping his arms around me. “And that’s normal. This is a big thing and you’re right, it wasn’t what we’d planned and it does change things.”

“But you’re still thrilled,” I commented, a smile peeking out. There was something adorable about his enthusiasm and it was starting to ebb away at my panic.

Drake shrugged. “Yeah. I mean, I always wanted a lot of kids. I understood why you wanted to stop with two and I respected that, but… Another baby. It feels like a miracle.”

“Yeah,” I agreed, “I mean, this baby beat all the odds even to exist, that’s pretty amazing and we do make adorable children.” I felt the excitement start to build, now that the panic had ebbed a little bit. “We’re having another baby.”

“Yeah,’ Drake agreed, “we are.”

He let go of me then and we moved towards the couch where I settled in Drake’s arms, his hand splayed protectively over my stomach as if he never wanted to stop touching it.

“We’ll need a nursery,” I mused, “and pretty much all the baby gear, though we still have the cradle.” Drake had surprised me with a handmade cradle when I’d been pregnant with Jackson and we’d kept it in case the boys wanted it one day.
“We’ll have to baby proof again,” Drake commented, “and get used to middle of the night feedings.”

“And colic and terrible twos and potty training,” I reminded him and then grinned, “and first steps and first words. And remember those sweet baby snuggles?” My lips curved into a soft smile and my hand joined Drake’s in resting on my stomach. “Maybe this time we’ll have a baby girl.”

I loved my boys. They were the perfect mix of Drake and I and they kept me on my toes, but part of me had mourned the fact that I’d never have a daughter. It was a regret I’d let go of those, especially since, as Drake had said, I was the one that was adamant that we were done with two children.

“A girl…” Drake mused, “I wouldn’t even know what to do with a girl.” Yet despite his words, the look on his face told me he liked the idea. “A beautiful little girl who looks just like her mother,” he added and then grinned, “though maybe a little less stubborn.”

“Hey, my stubborn has served me and Cordonia well,” I protested, “besides I’m not the only stubborn one here, look at the boys, I think we’re destined to have stubborn, opinionated children, regardless of gender.”

“That is true,” Drake agreed with a laugh, “how have you been feeling?”

I shrugged. “Fine. No symptoms. I went to the doctor because of the missing period,” I’d actually been worried that maybe I was hitting menopause early, “not because of any symptoms.” Which was a big change from my pregnancy with the boys where I’d had terrible ‘morning’ (worst name ever) sickness all 9 months.

“But everything is ok,” Drake asked, suddenly concerned, “with the baby?”

“Perfect,” I assured him, “I have a picture in my phone. I’m 9 weeks along and baby is developing just like they’re supposed too. Want me to go get my phone?”

“In a minute,” Drake told me, his arms tightening around me, “I just want to enjoy this for a moment. We’re having another baby.”

“We are,” I agreed and then I shot him a mischievous grin, “you know, Drake, this means we’ll need to go to Disney World again because we can’t deprive our youngest that experience.”

He groaned. “Grant…”

• End