Peter cleared his throat nervously. "We're not legally married. Your-your signature wasn't legal."

"Start talking, Peter, and talk fast. Because if this is a joke, I'm going to do great physical harm to certain body parts of yours that we are both rather fond of." Kacie's eyes snapped as she folded her arms over her chest.

Circling her warily, Peter gestured with palms up as he shrugged. "I-I just found out today, Kace. The commissioner --"

"Wait a minute. The commissioner? What the hell does the commissioner have to do with this?"

Peter sucked in a deep breath and paced the short distance of their living room. "I went to work this morning and found out Tammy Wright had thought up a new charge for IA to investigate. During the meeting with the commissioner, it was brought up that when Mike went to court to take conservatorship of your legal affairs when you...when you..."

"You can say it, Peter. When I was institutionalized." Her face pale and set in grim lines, Kacie said hoarsely, "What about it?"

"It was never, I mean, no one thought to..." Peter's voice trailed off and he shrugged helplessly. "It was never reversed, so that means you don't have legal control of your affairs, which means..."

Her jaw dropped as her eyes widened. "That means...we're not married." She stared down at her bulging abdomen. "That means our baby is...oh, my God!" She turned away from Peter and grabbed the back of a dining room chair for support. "Damn him! God damn him, how could he do this to me?"

"Honey, I don't think --"

She whirled to face him again. "Well, obviously Uncle Mike didn't think either! How could he let this happen?"

Peter reached out to touch her arm. "Kace, I've already called him and --"

"And what? What can he do about things now?" Her face flushed and angry, she abruptly laughed and exclaimed bitterly, "My God! When I think of all those nights I sent you home when we started getting carried away! All those nights I jumped into a cold shower wanting you so badly I could have chewed through leather!" She paced about, flinging her arms wildly. "Saving myself for my wedding night. What a joke! Look at me! I'm an unwed mother!"

"Honey, listen to me." Peter reached out and gripped Kacie's shoulders, holding her firmly when she tried to twist away. "Mike is on his way out here right now. He's made some calls and he's coming to talk to us about what happens next."

"What happens next is that somebody damn well better fix this!" Her eyes narrowed. "This is all her doing, isn't it? She's the one who dredged up all this crap?"

Peter nodded, his features twisted in apology. "I'm sorry, Kace. I didn't see this one coming at all."

Quick tears sprang to her eyes. "When is all this going to end, Peter? I hate what it's doing to you and your career. I hate what it's doing to us. Damn it! I'm so mad, I don't know who I should be mad at most!"

He framed her face with his hands. "For what it's worth, Sweetheart, the commissioner exonerated me, and he's meeting with Ms. Wright to tell her to stop filing complaints. He's going to tell her that any further allegations on her part will be construed as harassment and the department will sue her."

"I know what I'd like to tell that-that..."

Peter's lips twisted into a wry smile. "Not in front of the baby."

"B-I-T-C-H!" Kacie snapped. "Baby won't be able to spell that for at least another five years." She rubbed the sides of her stomach and grimaced uncomfortably.

"You all right, Hon?" Peter watched her anxiously.

"Growing pains," she complained. "The muscles in my sides hurt 'cuz my stomach is stretching. My back aches, my legs hurt, and I think I might be constipated. After what you've just told me, I'm wonderful."

He pulled her into his arms, and she at first resisted him before giving up and relaxing in his embrace. "I'm sorry to keep dumping things on you, Kace."

"You'd be in bigger trouble if you didn't tell me," she groused.

"Don't I know it."

They held one another wordlessly, taking a few moments of reprieve from the outside world. Peter felt Kacie melt against him completely as she sighed. "Hon? Why don't you lie down and try to rest? Mike will be here in a couple of hours."

"Couple of hours? That'll give me plenty of time to figure out what I want to say to him."

Peter pushed Kacie away and held her at arm's length so he could look directly into her eyes. "Don't be too hard on him, Kace. He was just as surprised about this as we were. You know he'd tear off his right arm before he'd see any harm come you."

"If it's still attached when he gets here, I might just rip it off myself!"

"That's pretty cold, Kace."

"Look at what he's done!"

"What he's done is to make sure there was a you for me."

Kacie stared at him. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"If you'd calm down long enough to think rationally, Honey, you'd remember that Mike was the one to take care of you when-when your dad and Kevin died. He was the one to take care of funeral arrangements of his life-long best friend and the son of his best friend. He was the one that saw to safeguarding your survivor benefits, getting you into the best treatment center available, helping you get your life back together again."

Kacie's head dropped and she flushed in embarrassment. "When did you get so level-headed?" she grumbled, scuffing the pile of the carpet with her toe.

"I had plenty of time to think this afternoon, Sweetheart." He tipped up her head by putting his finger under her chin. "We owe the man, Kace. At least I know I do. Do you really think this is any easier on him? He's probably beating himself up over it all the way here, wondering how in the hell he can face us. He deserves better than us wanting to tear his head off without hearing what he has to say."

She regarded him soberly and made a face. "Overreacted, did I?"

Grinning crookedly, he shrugged. "Oh, I don't know. I was sort of expecting a bigger explosion than this." He caressed her cheek with the backs of his fingers. "I have just one question for you, Kace."

"What?"

"I love you and I need you in my life. When all this is over, will you marry me again?"

"What I felt for you eighteen months ago is nothing compared to how much I love you now. Of course I'll marry you."

He guided their lips together, sealing the promise with a kiss. He kissed her again and then draped an arm around her shoulders. "Come on now, it's time for your nap."

"Back rub," she corrected.

"Back rub." He walked her toward the bedroom. "Could I interest you in anything more than that?"

"Nope. Not until we're legally married."

He stopped short and stared at her. "Are you serious?"

She nodded firmly, her expression serious. "I know it sounds silly, Peter." Looking down, she rubbed her hand over her expanding girth and smiled up at him. "You understand, don't you?"

"I guess." He sighed dramatically as he opened the bedroom door. "All I can say is that Mike had better have one quick solution to this problem."

To Part 19

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