The ides of March are out there, somewhere

Was it actually March? Dustin didn't know if he lived by days or months with the pub being on his mind.

He guessed he knew enough about running the pub. He thought he did. He did have his regulars, the old timers who came for the daily fix of shepherd's pie and a pint or two. There was the night life which actually came down to the pub quiz on Wednesday nights and open mic on Friday night. Through the week, they closed at 10 p.m and opened til midnight on Friday and Saturday night. He'd gone by the usual rule. Although, he hated for Holly to be on her feet so much.

Then came news about the baby, he just went numb.

He'd forgot about expecting such a thing. Him, a father. He wanted to laugh, but he knew Holly might slug him. His stomach was full of butterflies. He didn't want to worry, but he did. He really wasn't sure it was a good idea to have a family above a pub. All sorts of bad things trucked through his mind.

"We should see a doctor, about it." He assured her it was the right thing to do, even if she looked at him as if he didn't trust her.

"Seriously, you want to go there?" He was hurt she'd be in a spat with him, over something so special. "It's what couples do, when they start a family, babe." Was she seriously going to be in a huff about it?

Of course, she excused herself and went to throw up.

So a few hours later they went to the local clinic that was next to the mart, and the doctor checked her out. It was confirmed. They would be parents by October.

"Maybe, it'll be a Halloween baby." She was already wanting to make a costume for it.

"It sounds so far away." Dustin first said, but knew it wasn't completely true. It would be here, before he knew.

"What will your mum think?" Holly wanted to know when they got the sonogram done.

"She..she'll be pleased." He didn't know for sure.

"How can you, say that?" Holly looked at him as if everyone would think it horrible news.

"She's got a little one, herself, you know." He said on their drive home.

"Yeah, she'll bloody hate the idea." Holly snapped as if she was talking about her own folks, not his.

"Don't be daft. They'll be happy." He really didn't care what his mum thought. "Will you call your dad? About the news?" It wasn't a question, more of a plead.

"Why should I?" She shrugged, holding her stomach already, as if to protect it with all her might.

"Oh, Hol, you really should be more friendly to them." Dustin winced, thinking this would be the perfect chance for reconciliation.

"I don't give a s h i t." She said if they'd never gone to Denmark, they might be in America right now, back in school. "Then I'd have Nat, you know."

She hadn't made friends here. He looked at her, seeing she wasn't happy at all about the baby.

He had a good mind to call Alo. It would be a miracle if they got back to the states, but he knew that's where Holly wanted to be, and he missed the University, too.