The Green Guardian

Bonus Chapter: Expectations

"It's our first," Maria answered. She tossed two of the caps into her buggy. "My fiancé does not know yet. I won't be able to tell him until he comes home tonight."

"Hm." The woman nodded. She leaned up against her own buggy. "What does he do?"

"He's a Pinta Park Ranger," Maria said.

"Oh wow! Really?" The woman's eyes sparkled like flickering headlights. "Can he use magic? I hear most Pinta Rangers can."

From out of nowhere, Maria could feel herself growing emotional again. "He-He can," she said in a choked voice. She rubbed her eyes.

"Why are you sad?" asked her new friend. She pushed off her buggy.

"He-He's just been working so hard lately," Maria explained. "We also weren't supposed to have kids until we were older."

To comfort her, the woman took her shoulder. "Hey, hey, it's okay. We're unplanned, too. It happens all the time, so you're not alone. Yes, it's scary at first, but when you hold that cute, little bundle for the first time, all that fear just washes away. You'll feel so blessed. Trust me."

"Thank you." Maria took a deep breath. "I'm Maria. What's your name?"

"Annie," the woman replied.

***

Mateo got home that evening around 5:30. Maria jumped when she saw his Convertible pulling into the driveway. Instantly, she prepared herself: both physically and mentally. Mateo usually took a few minutes to get his stuff together before he came into the house. He most likely would head straight for the kitchen, so Maria decided to surprise him there. She leaned a small white board up against a few vases of kitchen utensils. "We're Pregnant!" was written on it. She set the dad cap and positive pregnancy test in front of it. She had to be strong. Inhaling deeply, she patted down her hair and came within reach of the front door. Just like the test result, all she had to do now was wait.

Before long, the front door opened, and in walked her weary but handsome fiancé. He hid a yawn behind his hand. Dressed nicely in his orange and black uniform, he took his magic rope off his belt. At the sight of Maria, he said, "Oh, Maria. This is unexpected." It was uncommon for Maria to wait by the door for him when he came home from work. He wondered what was up.

She rocked back and forth on her heels. "Hi, Mateo. Did you have a good day?" She took his ranger cap off his head and ruffled his short black hair. She and he shared a quick kiss.

Mateo massaged Maria's shoulders and said, "It was fine, except Professor Eryx went ahead and gave me my next mission. There's a village of sickly elves who need help."

Maria gulped. "Sickly elves? And you said 'yes'?" She and Mateo never spent time together anymore. She understood that he loved his job, but still.

Mateo hung his rope up on the coat rack next to the door. He kicked off his boots. "I can't just let them die. That's not the ranger way. I leave Monday."

"But, baby..." Maria's voice trailed. Just saying the word "baby" caused a huge shudder down her spine.

Mateo retrieved his cap from her. "All right. What's wrong?"

Maria hesitated. She inhaled deeply. "So-Something's happened."

Mateo chuckled. "What? Did the refrigerator stop working again? Do I need to take another trip to Home Repair?" He pecked Maria's cheek and then moved down the length of her neck. He pulled away. "Let me get something to eat, and then we can talk about it. I promise that with my next paycheck, I'll get us that new fridge."