+.

I check the instructions on the back of the box again. Not that rereading will help any. The room is spinning to much to make out a single word.

I lean on the sink, staring at myself in the mirror. Dark circles from studying. Blackheads on my nose. The remainder of a love bite fading just behind my ear. Hair in a lopsided messy bun.

I glance again.

+.

Back to the mirror. A ragged Pink Floyd T-Shirt. Scantily-cut jean shorts, to tease the young man outside the bathroom door.

I shift my eyes back.

+.

No change. I hope one of these times, it'll change to a tiny - . 

I slump onto the lip of the tub, gaze still glued to the mirror.

I don't look like much of a mother, do I?

I stare at the pregnancy test in my hands. 

Doesn't matter what I look like, I suppose. I am one, now.

With more effort than I should need for such a simple task, I manage to stand. My hand instinctively, protectively, goes to my lower belly. With a start, I snatch it away. Just because this is happening doesn't mean I'm going to turn into some sappy mom-to-be cliché. 

I open the door, the hinges creaking and unsubtly announcing my presence to the apartment.

"Gotta get that door fixed," I hear the terrapin in the next room say to himself.

'You're gonna be a dad,' I answer in reply.

Thank God that was in my head.

My bare feet pad across the hardwood, my long fingers clutching at the stick in my hand. I see him. Hunkered over at the desk, his little light craned over his work, several rejected prototypes discarded on our living room floor. My textbooks and papers have been rearranged on the coffee table with pristine organization.

Even when the rest of his workspace needs some attention, he always finds the time to do a little something for me. 

I take a deep breath. "Donnie?"

"Yeah, sweetheart?" He turns to me, and as he does, I hide the test behind my back.

"Do you..." I have to clear my throat and stumble over my words before I find the nerve to say, "Do you remember three weeks ago?"

"Three weeks ago..." He smiles at me, his diastema coaxing an affection grin out of me. "Let's see, that would make it the beginning of this month? Yes, I remember. Monday I had that particularly nasty training session with the guys. Tuesday we ordered our new sofa. Wednesday we finally got around to paying the rent--"

"What about Friday?" I cut him off hastily, bustling over to the kitchen and ripping open the fridge door, looking for anything that sounded remotely appetizing. I settle for tortillas, strawberries, and broccoli.

"Friday. Hmm..." His voice has taken on a teasing tone, one I used to hear rarely before we began living alone together. "Well, I think that's when we went to that private beach after-hours."

"Right, what happened after that, honey?" I prompted, searching for my favorite Stella Artois behind his choice-beer before immediately realizing that wouldn't be a wise choice.

"Well, after that..." He dragged out the sentence, his tone growing more and more alluring. "I helped you study for your Art History exam--"

"Donatello." I gave him a look over my shoulder.

"Oh, you mean after THAT." He chuckled, rising out of his seat and approaching me as I set the food down on the counter. I tucked the test in my shorts' waistband in panic. 

"I recall that with detail," Donnie confirmed, his smirk growing while he slipped his hands around my hips from behind. "That was fun."

"It was." I cleared my throat again, my hand subconsciously going to my belly just above his hands. "Well, about that night... I got a surprise for you."

"Oh, a recap?" He remained oblivious, nibbling at my earlobe. "Wanna go over the techniques and procedures again?"

"No, Don." I pushed him away, frustrated my point wasn't being grasped by the supposed genius. 

"Well, geez," he backed off, looking like a lost puppy with my rebuke, "I was just trying to play along."

"I wasn't initiating foreplay!" I cried, leaning against the wall and groaning. "It's nothing like that."

"Then what is it?" His voice instantly changed to one of worry. "Did I do something?"

"...well, not that you could control..."

"Is something wrong?"

"Not wrong, presay..."

"But something happened."

"Yes."

He ambled over to me, taking my hands in his. "Then tell me."

I couldn't look at him. My eyes welled up with tears, and I turned away, brushing past him. "I can't..."

"Hey, whatever it is, it's upsetting you. Just say it. I won't be mad. We're in this for the long run, remember?"

"The long run..." I withdrew the pregnancy test, turning it over in my hands. "Yes, I remember." I took another shuddering breath. "What do you mean when you say 'the long run'?"

My question earned silence for a moment. "Well, I always thought it would mean... marriage? Kids, maybe, if it's even possible... I don't know. I never wanted to say something about it, didn't want to make you uncomfortable. Didn't wanna mess up what we already had. You're not mad, are you?"

"No, no not at all." I faced him. "How would you feel about skipping over the marriage part?"

He let out a strained laugh. "What do you..." His eyes settled on the stick in my hands.

"Honey," I whispered, "I'm pregnant."

He stared at me, methodically darting between my face and my abdomen. Cautiously, he stepped forward. "I thought we thought that couldn't happen."

"We DID think that." I waved the test in evidence. "But obviously we thought wrong."

"There's..." Donnie reached out, his hand laying on my stomach. "There's something in there?"

"Well, D, when we did what we did three Fridays ago, and after taking three tests--"

"No, of course. I get it." He gulped, his hand still gently rubbing at my belly. "It's just... that's ours. Yours and mine. We made something together?"

"Yes." I smiled nervously, watching his eyes begin to glisten.

Donnie looked up at me, his other hand coming up to caress my cheek. "We made a baby."

"We did. You're gonna be a Daddy."

He smiled then, and pulled me close, spinning me around. "I'm gonna be a father!"

I giggled, relieved tears breaking loose. "But my schooling... your missions..."

"We'll make it," he said, more assured than I've ever heard him. 

"We will?"

"Definitely."

I kissed him then, murmuring against his lips, "You're gonna be such a great dad..."

"That baby's lucky it's got such a great mom."

"I love you." I buried my head in his chest, hugging him close. "We're having a baby."

"I love you too. And yes, we are."