Jebb watched as Kira got ready for the day. She’d spent longer than usual to find something that still fit. He never would have attached vanity to Kira but she constantly dismissed various outfits because they were too tight or made her pregnancy too obvious. He personally didn’t see the problem with the pregnancy being obvious. Why try to hide it?

Kira looked in the mirror and saw how her clothes had begun to look painted on. And these were the new clothes that she’d bought after she’d gotten out of the hospital (and she’d bought them too big on purpose then). She hated to admit it, but she needed to go clothes shopping again. She’d asked Daisy if she could borrow the Jeep today so she could drive back to Springville and Daisy had offered to go with her instead. Finally, Kira found an outfit that had to do for the day. It looked like it was time to get a whole new wardrobe. Jebb slipped his arms around his wife from behind as he tried to get her to stop fidgeting with her clothes.

“How long do you think you two will be?”

Kira shrugged a bit as she leaned back against Jebb. “Who knows. The last time we went to go to ONE store and Daisy ended up getting me to go to FIVE. I’m sure today will be much of the same.”

“Well, don’t let her make you over do it.” Jebb turned her around and gave Kira a slow kiss. As his hands wandered, he had to admit that there were certain parts of Kira’s pregnancy that he enjoyed. Her stomach wasn’t the only thing that was being affected and getting a little larger. While Kira’s breasts had always been generous, they were definitely a bit heavier already. Something that he’d been able to appreciate a bit more often now that her nausea from earlier in the pregnancy was almost gone. Something that he’d like to do more of this morning but was interrupted by the sound of Dixie’s horn out in the drive. Pulling back a little, he gave one last peck then told Kira to have a good time.

Hearing the Jeep outside, Kira headed on out. She hoped that she could find something that she could wear without making her Look Pregnant, something that would maybe camouflage the fact that she was gaining weight since right now she simply looked fat. She just wasn’t ready for the whole Maternity phase yet. Not to mention she was sure that when she and Jebb go to Placid this weekend, Pauline is bound to point out just how much weight she had gained already. It had to be at least fifteen pounds ALREADY. Since her doctor’s appointment was tomorrow, if she wanted to get new clothes before the trip, she’d have to go today.

Hopping into the Jeep, Daisy and Kira spent the ride talking about work and the rest of the family. Daisy and Lulu had been trying to work on various projects for the ladies’ club and Boss hadn’t liked Lulu monopolizing so much of his best waitress’s time. But if anyone can get away with anything with Boss Hogg, it was Lulu. Of course, Kira’s pregnancy was a major topic along the ride too. After all, it was the main reason for the shopping trip. Kira was concerned that she was gaining weight faster than she should but since she’d never been pregnant (or even knew anyone who was) before, she really didn’t have anything to compare it to. She was pretty much learning as she went.

“Hey Daisy, watch out for that driver up ahead. He looks drunk.”

Daisy looked up at the oncoming traffic and saw a grey sedan weaving all over the road. “It’s a little early for someone to be that drunk ain’t it? After all, that ain’t old Hobie. He’s back in Hazzard.”

“It could be that it’s a little late for him. He’s still tying one on from last night.”

“Maybe. Hang on. You think you’ll be alright if we go off road?”

“It’ll be safer than tryin’ to stay on it with that nut case around.” Daisy cut the Jeep off to side of the road and whipped it around the erratic car. “I think we’d better CB Sheriff Lacey about that driver. He could hurt somebody.” Kira turned in her seat and watched as the car went on down the road behind them. Why does it seem that all of the morons on the road seem to be finding her now that she’s pregnant?




“How hard is it to run someone off the road? This is the second time that you’ve screwed up!”

“Hey, you’re the one that wanted it to look like an accident. If I had gunned the car after them, it would have tipped them off and they’d have called for help.” The man watched as his employer paced the room after learning that the mark is still, essentially, unharmed. He wasn’t sure of what made this woman so important, and right frankly, he didn’t want to know. He was paid to follow orders. Not to think.

“I still can’t believe that the brat survived the first wreck. We’ll have to wait now. If she has too many close calls right together, people might get suspicious. Now get out of here and let me think.”

“Yes sir.”




Kira and Jebb were once again in the small room with the ultrasound machine. This time with just a bit less apprehension than before. The genetic tests came back and Doc Appleby had told them that there didn’t seem to be anything to be concerned about right now. Of course they would still be keeping a close eye out but it seems that the pregnancy would be a normal one.

“Well, I hear that Petticord made you two a promise last time y’all were in here.”

Kira looked up and saw that Doc Applebee and the tech that would be running the machine had walked into the room. “Two, actually. One being that we might well get to see what the baby’s sex is, the other is that there would be no large needles.” She still couldn’t help but look around the room for that thing when she’d walked into the room.

“Well, let’s see if we can keep both of those promises. Lie back and I’ll check you and then we’ll see if the little one wants to let the world know just what kind of a Duke we can be expecting.”

Kira relaxed back onto the table as the doctor began to check her stomach to measure the baby. Appleby was surprised that Kira had progressed so much since the last visit. Maybe the projected due date was wrong. After he’d finished the small exam, he marked his measurements down in the file as the tech got the machine ready for the ultrasound.

“Now, before we start, I do want you to realize that there is still a little room for error when it comes to sexing the baby. Especially at this point in the pregnancy. This is the earliest that the test can be done. Not to mention, the baby might not cooperate and stay turned away.”

“We understand.” Jebb moved in closer as the machine turned on. The screen was filled with the dark blurs with white lines. He did his best to make anything out of the blurs on the screen but he couldn’t.

The tech moved the wand around and finally zeroed in on the baby. “See this right here? There’s your baby.” Doc Appleby made notations of his own as the tech was walking the couple through the ultrasound. Appleby made notes about the placement of the placenta and tried to determine if the shadow that had been detected in the earlier test was of any concern. “Let’s see, Kira, I want you to shift to your side a little so we can try to get the baby to move a bit.” Kira moved a little and the baby shifted slightly but not enough for the tech to determine the gender of the baby. She grabbed a small light and held it to Kira’s stomach and Jebb and Kira were surprised to see the fetus turn away from the light.

“The baby can see light, NOW?” Kira asked in amazement.

“Yes. Now, let’s see if the baby is positioned just right, now.” Appleby saw the shadow that Petticord had seen the last time Kira was in here and took notice of it. “Ah, here we go. Do you want to know now if you’re having a boy or a girl? Here’s your last chance if you want to wait and be surprised.”

Kira grinned at the look on Jebb’s face, “Well, we need to know whether or not to tell Daisy not to get those cute dresses that she almost bought yesterday.”

The tech nodded as she pointed onto the screen. “Well I kind of doubt that your husband there is goin’ to want to have his son put in frilly dresses.”

“Son! We’re having a boy?” Jebb gave Kira a quick kiss. Just wait until he sees his parents tomorrow. The baby is a boy.

“Now as long as everything else continues to go well, we’ll just stick to the pre-arranged appointments for right now. I’m sure that the family will be thrilled to know that you’re having a boy. Though to be honest, I’m not sure that Hazzard is ready for another Duke Boy,” Doc added with a smile.

“Well ready or not, here he comes.” Jebb practically beamed as it sank in that he was having a boy.

“I’ll see you two next month.” Doc Appleby walked the two out and then went to find Petticord to compare notes with him.




Pauline wasn’t sure if she should be glad that her son was going to be a father or not, but since he is, she might as well try to be happy for him. When he called to confirm that he and Kira were coming in today, he said that he had a surprise for the family. Well, she wasn’t sure if she could handle any more surprises. Right frankly, the real surprise was that Kira didn’t get pregnant before the summer. She had been so certain that she was already pregnant at the beginning of the year. It looked like Jebb really did marry Kira because he wanted to, not because he had to. Boy that’s a bitter pill to swallow. He actually loves that girl. Now she won’t just be a niece, not just a daughter-in-law, but now she’ll be the mother of her grandchild. She’s not really sure she’s ready for that. Outside, Pauline heard their truck pull up and figured that she might as well go greet her son. And his wife, she added to the thought.

Pauline was surprised that it had taken her son so long to come out after telling her that she was going to be a grandmother. After all, the accident had been the last weekend of June. About ten weeks ago. Of course, she guessed that as seriously injured as Kira seems to have been, she can’t blame them for waiting. According to the way Jebb had talked, Kira’d had a time with her morning sickness, too. One thing that she hadn’t enjoyed herself when she was pregnant. Jebb had also said that the doctors were keeping a closer eye on the pregnancy though he avoided answering just WHY they were being so cautious. Pauline assumed that it had to do with the accident.

Walking out to join the rest of the family, Pauline watched as the twins practically knocked their brother down in their excitement at seeing him. Emily especially. She’d always been extra close to her older brother. As Kira came up behind Jebb, Pauline was struck by the change since she’d seen her last. It was obvious to Pauline that Kira had already begun to wear maternity clothes (Kira had reluctantly bought them the day before even though she didn’t think that she was far enough along for them. She even broke down and bought a pair of those pants that Daisy had found the last time that they were at the shop since she was gaining weight so fast). Well, if she had any doubts about the pregnancy left, she might as well go ahead and toss them away now. Once Jebb was able to pry himself away from his sisters, he gave his mom and dad a hug. Kira hung back as the family all got reacquainted but John wouldn’t have it. He’d slung an arm behind her and guided her on into the house.

Jebb had thought that they’d be in Placid a little earlier, but he hadn’t figured on all of the pit stops along the way that had now become a necessity. It was now dinner time and Pauline went off into the kitchen to get everything finished up. Once the food was on the table and grace was said, John figured that they all might as well as hear what the surprise was that his son had hinted at while on the phone.

“Alright, Jebb. You said that you had a surprise for us when we spoke on the phone. So spill,” John said to his son when he couldn’t take it anymore. Jebb exchanged a look with Kira while putting some mashed potatoes on his plate.

“Well, I was kind of plannin’ to wait a bit, but... It’s about the baby.” Jebb looked at his parents as they gave him there undivided attention.

“What ABOUT the baby?” Pauline hated it when Jebb would ham it up. “Just spit it out.” Kira watched as Jebb’s mother did her best to get Jebb to say what it was that he wanted to say.

“Well, the doctor wanted to know if we wanted to know the sex of the baby when we went for the check up yesterday.”

“They can tell NOW?” John knew that there had been a lot of changes in the last several years since he and Pauline had last been in Jebb’s and Kira’s places but to know what the baby is NOW. Jebb just nodded as he stuffed his mouth with food. Forcing his parents to wait for him to swallow before he could say anything else. “Well?”

“Well what?” Kira felt like kicking Jebb under the table for putting his parents through this. He was stretching this out and enjoying every minute of it.

“Jebb Stewart Duke, you know very well ‘WHAT’. Did you find out what you and Kira are having?” Pauline looked at Kira but it was obvious that she wasn’t going to say anything to put her out of her misery of not knowing. Well, Pauline guessed that she hadn’t exactly made herself an ally where Kira was concerned.

“Yeh, we found out.” Jebb grinned like a Cheshire cat. Kira rolled her eyes at the way he was playing this up. That’s when Emily piped in.

“Is it a girl? She can use my old clothes and toys.” Kira smiled at the offer.

Jebb put his fork down and looked across the table at his sister before answering. “That’s nice of you to offer, Baby Girl, but I don’t think your nephew will need them. He’ll need things for a little boy.”

Pauline let out a holler as it sank in that the baby was a little boy. The rest of the dinner was spent discussing the baby and Pauline was quick to offer advice on nearly everything on Kira’s pregnancy. From what to eat, to what to avoid. Even on how the nursery should be decorated. After all, she was the family’s resident expert on being pregnant.




After dinner, the family all went into the living room where Jebb and his father discussed the progress that he’d made on the farm since the family had come out in June. Jebb and the other guys were planning to rebuild the barn right after the harvest season. They had held that task off for once the season was over. The two men continued to discuss the coming harvest as Pauline asked Kira more about her pregnancy. Pauline wanted to see the sonogram that showed the baby. She even wanted to know (though Kira wouldn’t tell her) how much weight she’d gained already.

“You know, you need to be careful just how much weight you gain. It won’t all come off when the baby is born.”

“I AM being careful, Pauline. In case you didn’t notice, I ate less at dinner than you.”

“I just thought I’d give you a little warning. After all, I didn’t gain weight as fast as you have with my first two pregnancies.”

“And your third?”

“I was having twins. Of course I gained it faster then. But that picture of yours proves that you don’t have that excuse. You’re only carrying ONE baby. Which means you need to watch it. Otherwise, you’ll never be able to fit back into your clothes.”

“You just let me worry about that Pauline.”

Kira had just about had enough of Pauline and they’d only been here for a few hours. How was she going to make it through a whole three days? Kira realized that this was the first time since she’d gotten pregnant that she wished that she could have a drink. Kira was getting tired of all of the questions. She was looking forward to when everyone would turn in for the night. That way, at least one day in Placid would be behind her. Finally, Pauline left the room to see to the girls and get them ready for bed. Finally, Kira was given a reprieve from her constant needling. If only she could find a way to keep her up there for the rest of the evening.




When Kira and Jebb went upstairs to turn in, Kira sent a questioning look to Jebb once they’d gotten up to his old room.

“Twin beds?” Kira should have known that Pauline would pull something like this.

“It ain’t like you think. This really is how I left the room when I moved out. The second bed was put in here after the girls started to sneak in here when they were little. I complained to Pop about not getting any sleep at night with them, especially Emily, always coming in here to climb into bed with me so he put the extra bed in so they wouldn’t keep me awake.”

“Why didn’t he just stop them from coming in here?”

“Because as long as there were a couple of preschoolers climbing into my bed, Pop knew no one else would be in here instead.”

Kira had to laugh at John’s way of reigning in a horny teenager. Somehow Kira doubted that it was strictly Jebb’s love for speed that encouraged him to race on the Motor Cross circuit. He had to find some way to get away from an overbearing mother and a father with a twisted sense of humor.

“Is that an example of his ‘Hands Off’ approach to parenting?” Kira giggled at the look on Jebb’s face.

“Very cute.” Jebb pushed the beds together and the two turned in for the night. It took Kira a little time to get comfortable but soon the two went off to sleep with one thought going through her mind as she drifted off. One day down, two to go.

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