The next two weeks were filled with flurry. Robert was scheduled to be in Boston on April 2, his birthday, so he and Calista had decided to wait until his return to celebrate. He was due back on April 15th, and David had saved filming the last Ally/Larry scenes for the final episodes until his return which meant a lot of long hours in April for Calista and Robert.

Calista hadn't been feeling particularly well and took a few hours on Tuesday morning to go in for an exam. She couldn't believe what the doctor told her. "You've got to be kidding!" she exclaimed.

"Nope. From the looks of it, you're about three and a half months along. Don't worry, everything's fine. You're gonna have a healthy baby," he said smiling.

She was elated, horrified, and overwhelmed. "There's no mistake?"

"Calista, don't worry. You're gonna be just fine," her doctor reassured her.

"Oh, yeah," she said wondering how the hell Robert was going to react to the news. She'd been so careful and couldn't figure out what had happened.

When she returned to the set, she somehow managed to hide her morning sickness from David and the rest of the cast. She sure wasn't ready for the media to get hold of this news! Her biggest concern was her parents. She'd always promised them she'd never get pregnant unless she was married.

In her dressing room, she was holding Liam on her lap when the phone rang. She set Liam on the floor beside her. It was Warren. "What's up?" she asked cautiously. When he didn't say anything, she got a sick feeling in her stomach, "Warren, please tell me this is just a social call."

"Calista," he began, not knowing exactly how to tell her, ".... Robert disappeared from the set last night and no one knows where he is. Apparently, several crew members are gone, too."

Dropping the phone, she collapsed on the couch. She heard Warren on the phone from a distance, "Calista, are you there. Calista? Calista?"

In a stupor, she bent down and picked up the receiver. "How could this happen, Warren," she asked lifelessly, "I just talked to him last night and he seemed fine. He's seemed fine all this time. With his rehab and 12-step, which, I might add, he's been diligent about, plus all the supervision, how the hell could this happen again?" she demanded. Tears began spilling down her cheeks. "He was doing so good. It has to be something else, Warren, I just have to believe it's something else," she cried.

"Calista, we don't know ... maybe ... I wish there'd been another way to break it to you, but I knew you needed to know," he said sadly. "You gonna be all right?" Warren couldn't hear her shaking her head violently from side to side. "I'll be in touch and call as soon as I hear anything, and ... if you need anything, just remember I'm here, okay?" he said before he hung up.

Liam looked up curiously at the tears in her eyes. Even at his young 15 months, he sensed something was wrong and protectively patted his mommy on the knee and said sweetly, "no cwy mommy, no cwy, ‘kay?"

"Oh, baby," she moaned as she closed him in her arms, "he's left us again." She buried her face in Liam's chest and sobbed. "But, this time ... he's left ... all three of us."

She was in a fog and didn't remember dropping Liam back at day care or how she made it back onto the set. But, she was determined not to have the whole world know ... not yet. Her vow of secrecy didn't matter because they hadn't even started the scene before David summoned her into his office.

"Sir Attenborough just called me," David began, looking at her with pained sympathy. "He told me about Robert. I don't know what to say ... I really hoped .. thought .. he was gonna make it this time. I'm shocked. ... I'm truly sorry, Calista."

She sat there numbly and nodded.

They both turned abruptly when they heard Robert's name, and then focused on the TV in the corner of David's office in time to hear the anchorperson say: "This special bulletin just in. ‘A light plane carrying Robert Downey, Jr. and two crew members from the new Attenborough movie is believed to have gone down late last night in a heavily wooded area about 350 miles from Boston where they've been filming.' No further details are known at this time. The area's remoteness has made it difficult for rescue crews to reach the crash site. We'll be monitoring the situation carefully. Stay tuned, we'll be bringing you the news as it develops."

Calista fainted.

When she opened her eyes, she was lying on David's couch with many concerned eyes focused on her. She sat up abruptly and said, "David, I need to go to Boston ... today ... NOW."

"Calista, there's nothing you can do there," he consoled her.

"Maybe not, but I have to believe he's okay. And, I HAVE to be there, David." She laughed nervously and shook her head, "It's not gonna end like this, David. It can't end like this. Not after ... everything. It .. just can't. Please get me on the first flight to Boston," she pleaded, "and find out where I need to go when I get there."

David made all the arrangements and Calista's cousin came to the studio and picked up Liam. Calista was on her way to Boston in less than an hour. Upon her arrival, she was met by a driver in an SUV who sped away toward an outlying ranger station.

The head of the rescue squad filled her in on the details and pointed out the crash site on a large wall map. She was given some coffee and then she sat, nervously listening to the two-way communications between the rescue crew and headquarters. Sir Attenborough arrived about 20 minutes after her and introduced himself.

"I ... don't know what to say .... I jumped to the wrong conclusions," he said worriedly.

"Me, too ... me, too." she acknowledged sadly. "What happened?" she asked him, "I mean, how did you not know ..."

He interjected, "Part of the ground crew had gone ahead to set up camp because we were all due to leave for a remote shooting location early this morning. Apparently, at dinner last night, Robert and a couple of cameramen ran into a pilot who said he'd fly them in early and they decided to get a head start. Robert asked one of the men who stayed behind to let everyone know but, instead, the guy got drunk and forgot about telling anyone until he realized the panic we were in not knowing Robert's whereabouts."

She looked up at the map with pain filled eyes. "He .. they were alone out there in the dark and the cold." Glancing up at Attenborough with dread, she said, "What if they're hurt, injured ... can't we go out to the crash site and do something to help?"

"Calista," he said sympathetically, "it's so heavily wooded, the rescue crew can't even make it in. We'd just be in the way. Look, I've got to get back to filming, but I'll be in touch. Hopefully, I'll be able to come back later." He touched her shoulder reassuringly and gave her his cell phone number. She also gave him hers and then continued to sit there not knowing what to do.

The day passed without any news. By nightfall, rescue still hadn't been gotten much farther than they had that morning. The ranger station arranged accommodations for Calista. She grabbed a blanket off the bed, turned off the light, and sat in a chair looking out the window at the stars. The radio was playing softly and a Calista closed her eyes in pain as the lyrics floated over her:

There is an aching in my head
From the bed I can't use to
It's these little hours in the dark I dread
As I spend my first night alone without you

‘Please God,' she prayed, ‘please, please let him be all right.' The thought of life without Robert was too painful to think about.

Honey, half of me has gone away
Gone the love I'd learned to cling to
Tomorrow I'll have to find another way
To live the rest of my life alone without you

She rocked herself back and forth willing the misery she felt in the pit of her stomach to go away. But she knew that grief was going to be her companion throughout the night.

Taught me how to live
How to be myself and how to give
Oh, but now it's you
Who's given up on giving

Her tears began to fall and she singled out a star to wish on. ‘Oh, Robert, hang on, baby, please hang on. You said you wanted forever, so don't you dare leave me now," she cried.

You thought the thing no one could teach
Could change it and now you're out of reach
And my life tonight just don't seem worth living
No-no, no-no-no-no ....

Calista buried her face in her hands and began to sob convulsively. Finally, she searched again for her star and made another silent wish. She thought about the life inside her, Liam, and a future without Robert. Curled up in the chair, she looked at her star and wept until morning.

Fearful and fatigued, she was at the ranger station at the crack of dawn, wanting desperately to hear, praying, that Robert was okay. But, Wednesday passed without the rescue team having made any significant progress. That night was harder than the first because she knew that as more time elapsed, the more likely it was that everyone would be found ... she shook her head, unable to even think the word, let alone say it. She was exhausted, but there was no way she could sleep. All she could think about was Robert lying somewhere hurt, cold, lonely .. or worse.

On Thursday morning, she was again at rescue headquarters before 6:00 a.m., drinking coffee, pacing and praying, and still cursing the fact that she'd quit smoking.

About 10:30, they heard a car pull up outside. Almost instantaneously, there was the sound of a helicopter. The door opened and a rescue member walked in, "Look who we found about 20 miles from here." Behind him walked Robert, wrapped in a blanket. He was haggard and dazed. He had deep cuts on his face and neck and his right hand was extremely swollen, but he looked beautiful to Calista.

She cried out in relief and ran to him. He was both elated and surprised to see her. All she could do was kiss him and weep. They embraced tightly and she didn't want to let go of him. Finally, she surveyed his injuries and fearfully asked, "You're all right? You're okay?"

He nodded solemnly, "Yeah, but the pilot and one of the cameramen weren't so lucky." He looked at her with undeniable anguish and tears filled his eyes, "They died, Calista, one of them in my arms." He buried his head against her neck and she held him protectively while he cried.

It was later learned that Robert had assisted the other cameraman, Hal, whose left leg had been severely fractured and partially severed. Robert had created a tourniquet from Hal's belt and then used his own belt and some twigs to made a splint for him. Then, with the aid of a compass from the plane, Robert had carried him over his shoulder and out of the woods, having to stop many, many times along the way. Doctors credited Robert with saving Hal's life because they said there was no way he would've survived until rescue could've reached them. Hal had been safely airlifted to the nearest hospital in the helicopter that had landed at the ranger station concurrently with Robert's reappearance.

Robert was treated for lacerations, both deep and superficial. He had several bruised ribs and he was black and blue from head to foot. His swollen right hand was severely sprained, but not broken. All in all, he'd walked away from a devastating plane crash in one piece, at least physically. After his fifth interview in less than an hour, he looked pleadingly at Calista and whispered, "Please take me home."

She wrapped her arms around him and said, "I will, baby, I will."

Back in California, Robert's heroism had his publicist going crazy with the hundreds of interview requests that were pouring in - on a daily basis. And, the phone was ringing off the hook with job offers. The results of routine blood tests to all the plane occupants had been released confirming that no drugs or alcohol had been involved in the crash, which the FAA already determined had been caused by mechanical failure. Robert's publicist finally suggested a press conference where they could handle all the media at one time. Robert reluctantly agreed.

His answer to the last question, ‘what are you going to do now, Robert?' was, "First, I'm gonna have to deal with the emotional aspect of watching two companions die. And, then," he paused, his voice breaking, "I'm gonna thank God every day for giving me the chance for a future." He added, slightly more jubilantly, "Evidently, HE must know I've gotta helluva future ahead of me." Someone yelled from the back of the room, "Does that include Calista, Robert?" Chuckling softly, he said, "Sorry, guys, 20 questions is over. Thank you all for coming." It looked like feeding time at the zoo as press members rushed out to zip out their individual stories. "Oh, Pat?" Robert called out to Pat O"Brien from Access Hollywood, "could you stay a minute?"

"Sure Robert," Pat said, "what's up?"

"I want you to know how much I appreciate the way you've reported ... everything ... about me throughout the years. I mean ... how respectful and unsensationalistic you've kept it all. It means a lot to me. So, I'm giving you heads up that you'll be getting an exclusive soon - uh .. be prepared."

Pat gave him a broad smile, "Since you and Calista have been almost inseparable for months , something tells me this involves her."

"Oh, you still think life is imitating art?" he winked at Pat. "Well, ya never know," Robert said, grinning. "Anything's possible. Just be ready."

Robert contacted Warren and wisely scheduled some intensive grief counseling to help him cope with witnessing the death of two people, and physically he was given the green light to return to work on Monday, April 22. He was greeted by a huge surprise party on the Ally set.

At home later, after dinner, Calista bathed Liam and put him down for the night. She found Robert still sitting at the kitchen table, going over a few scripts. Smiling secretly, she removed a small package from a kitchen drawer and with her hand behind her back, she walked over to him. She pushed the table away from his chair with her hip and looked at him provacatively. Then she straddled him and sat down on his lap facing him.

"Oooh," he moaned throatily, "I love it. Don't stop .... please," he whispered.

She moved seductively back and forth and smirked. Slowly, she brought a small box from behind her back, exquisitely gift wrapped and handed it to him. She kissed him and murmured, "Happy belated birthday, baby."

He wrinkled his nose and laughed happily, "A lap dance ... and this?"

She grinned.

Inside the package, he found a small gold key that matched the one he'd given her for her birthday last year. He smiled at her lovingly.

"You said ... when and if ..." she whispered softly. "Bobby, I don't know when or how it happened, but you unlocked a door to a room in my heart that no one's ever opened before. You moved in and now you fill every space inside me." She cradled his face in her hands, "I've never loved anyone as completely as I love you. That's the key to my heart you're holding ... so please .... take care of it ... don't ever lose it."

Robert' eyes instantly burned with tears. He reached up and caressed her face and tried to speak several times, but was too overcome by emotion. He grabbed her hair and gently pulled her face down to his and kissed her sweetly. "I don't know what I've done ... but if you love me, I must've done something right in my life," he said softly and kissed her again.

Then smiling mysteriously, he said, "You know I hate to be upstaged." He lifted her slightly so he could reach into his pocket and he took out a small ring box. "I've been carrying this around for months. I even had it with me on the plane," he said shuddering, "maybe it's what saved me." Opening the box, Robert took out a beautiful solitaire engagement ring and held it out to her. "I love you," he said simply, "truth is, I don't think I can live without you. I know I wanna hang out with you for the rest of my life. And, God, I hope you feel the same way." He cleared his throat and barely managed to whisper, "Marry me?"

Tears filled her eyes as she nodded.

He put the ring on her finger and continued to hold her hand as they shared a look that confirmed a profound, mutual love. Then, he covered her with his arms and they held each other for a long time.

Finally, with a cheshire grin, she pulled away slightly. "Um ..." she said, "I have another surprise for you."

He winced, "Oh, no. You're not gonna do to me what I always do to you, are you?" he groaned.

"Nope. I'm nicer than you," she paused and then proceeded slowly, "It's ...uh ... I was just ... uh ... wondering how you'd feel about maybe starting our own production company?"

"Hmm?"

"You know ... Downey Productions?" She smiled secretly, waiting for it to register.

"Well, yeah," he shrugged. "I guess that'd be ...." he stopped, his eyes widening at the smug look on her face and as what she'd said sunk in. She grinned while his mouth opened in astonishment. "Nah," he said, "oh, no. You're playing with me, aren't you?" he asked incredulously. "Really? Are you ... are we ...?"

She nodded.

Robert picked her up and twirled her around, both of them laughing hysterically. "When did you find out?" he asked.

"The same day I learned you were missing," she said leaning her head on his shoulder, "is it okay ... I mean, is it all right, are you happy about it?"

"No," he answered, and then shouted, "I'm delirious!!" And then, he started jumping all around. "Wow. Talk about getting upstaged. When .. I mean how long ... oh, hell, you know what I mean," he said laughing.

"By the doctor's best calculations, it'll be late September." She smiled, "Looks like we gave each other a Christmas present after all."

"Mmm." he mused.

Calista held up a warning finger, "And, before you even suggest it, NO, we are most definitely not naming the baby Barbados!"

Robert almost fell on the floor laughing. "Okay, okay. Then, how about Caribbean? Or Calypso? Reggae? Hey, there's a good one, huh? Reggae?"

She glared at him. "Oh, jeez," she said as the thought hit her, "you think they'll hold off filming the movie until after .. everything?"

"If they want us bad enough, they will," he laughed. Then, shaking his head, he said, "Well, well, well, guess this changes everything."

She looked at him curiously.

"I mean, funny face, that your parents will kill you. So, maybe we should get engaged - and married - all at the same time," he laughed. "We could have a small wedding at your folks' house with just a few close friends? What'ya say?"

"Just like that?" she asked.

"What? You have to cancel your wedding to Shandling?"

She hit him. "You know what I mean." He could see her wheels turning. "Oh no. Don't tell me. You want a huge wedding with a million dollar reception."

"No," she exclaimed, "it's just that with it all happening so fast ... maybe it's too risky ... maybe we should wait."

He frowned at her. "What the hell does that mean? You mean I'm a risk? Hell, life's a risk, Calista! Every morning when you get up it's a crap shoot as to whether or not you're gonna make it through the day. Just ask that pilot and cameraman. One was 32 and the other was only 25. And, I'm sure neither or them thought that particular day was gonna be his last. None of us know how much time we've got, so shouldn't we be spending that time together? Snatching all the love, passion, and other things life has to offer us for as long as we've got?"

She glanced down at his still swollen and discolored right hand, "Downey, when you're right, you're right," she said smiling. Without another minute's hesitation she jumped up to grab the phone and call her mother.

"Does this mean I'm not gonna get my lap dance?" Robert pouted.

She dialed the phone. "I don't start anything I can't finish, Downey," she replied smugly, "just give me a few minutes and your lap will be smiling for days."

He stretched out to kiss her, and then said sexily, grinning, "Well, then, maybe you better sit on my face, too."

"Robert, you're so vulgar!"

"Yeah, I know," he replied with a devilish twinkle in his eye, "and you also know I'm serious."

She gave him a knowing look and lowered her eyes. Robert laughed and kissed her.

"Mom," Calista said, interrupting their intimate moment, "I know this is short notice - and please wait till you hang up to scream - but can you put together a wedding for ....?" she looked at Robert for some assistance.

"Saturday, the 27th?" he mouthed.

Nodding, she said "This coming Saturday. Yes!!" she screamed, "we're really gonna do it!! Oh, I don't know ... probably no more than 50-55, if that, it's just gonna be close friends and family." She listened and curled her lips at what her mother was saying. She glanced up at Robert, smirking, and said into the phone. "Yeah, mom ... I won't lie. I'm pregnant."

Calista stayed on the phone for another hour with her mother, happily discussing all the details of the wedding and her pregnancy.

Robert sat at the table beside her and wrote out a list, and put it under her nose while she was talking. She read it as she continued talking and then took Robert's pen and scratched out the name of James Toback, sticking out her tongue, and added David and Michelle Kelley to the list. Robert rolled his eyes and added Toback's name back to the list. Calista grimaced but shrugged in compliance.

He used his cell phone to call his folks and gave them the address of Calista's parents' home. Then he called other family members and about 20 of his closest friends and vowed them all to secrecy. His last call, with Calista's permission, was to Pat O'Brien.

"Pat?" he said identifying himself.

"Hey, Robert, it's only been a few days. We have an exclusive already?"

"You're sworn to secrecy on this one, buddy. But, I guarantee, it'll make all the other networks green with envy. I'm gonna give you an address. But, you have to promise that only you and one camera person will show up there at 1:00 next Saturday, okay?"

"You've got my word on it, Robert," Pat said.

"Okay. That's good enough for me," Robert replied, giving him the address.

Calista's mother said she'd take care of letting family members know, and Calista then called some of her closest friends and told them the news.

Robert had become very quiet and reflective. "What wrong, baby?" she asked.

"I wanna call Debbie to see if she'll let Indio come, but I'm scared," he admitted.

She stood up and moved over behind him and began rubbing his shoulders. "Just do it, Bobby, we need to find out."

To Robert's surprise, Debbie agreed that Indio could accompany them to Illinois, so long as he was constantly supervised and on a return flight Saturday night after the wedding.

Robert was ecstatic and grabbed Calista, spinning her around. He began humming, "Let's dance," he said.

Calista laughed, "Do you mean dance or Dance?" she questioned. They'd become quite fond of their little inside joke.

"I mean Dance," he answered, squinting his eyes, "I recall someone making some pretty bold statements a minute ago. Are you ready to back ‘em up."

"You're on!" she declared, "first one to the bedroom gets to be on top."

Laughing, they both took off running down the hall. Robert purposely let her win.

The following morning, there was a meeting behind closed doors on the set of Ally, at which time Robert, Calista and David advised Peter, Gregg, and Jane that they were invited to attend the wedding, with their significant others, but if news of it got out, heads would roll. They all vowed the secret was safe with them. That same day, filming was completed for the last episode of the season, with David wishing he had some way to incorporate film from the real wedding into that of the last episode. Robert and Calista told him that if he could do it without using any footage from their actual ceremony or intruding on their vows, he had their permission. The wheels definitely started turning in Mr. Kelley's head, thinking what a coup that would be.

That same afternoon, Calista took a friend who was exactly her size and height shopping - for a wedding dress. Her friend tried on dresses pretending she was the intended bride. They both finally concurred on the same dress, because it was simple and elegant and needed no alterations. Calista yawned and casually told her friend, "Well, I've gotta go, but I really think that's the dress. It's you. And, Sam will fall all over himself when he sees you in it," she said, making up an imaginary fiancee for her friend. "I'd sure buy it - if I were you. Well, gotta run. Congratulations, again. Sam's a lucky guy." She hurried out of the shop and had to cover her mouth to muffle her giggling.

Her friend came out with dress in hand, laughing. "The sales lady said she thought she'd seen you before - because you looked very familiar. She asked who you were. I told her you were my cousin from Jersey and that she couldn't have possibly seen you before since it was your first trip to the West Coast." They both cracked up.

"I can't believe we got away with it," Calista laughed. "Thanks for helping me. You'll be there, right?"

Her friend said, "Without question."

To make sure that the press didn't catch on, Calista and Liam left for Illinois on Thursday afternoon, and Robert and Indio followed on a different airline the next morning, purposely routing themselves the long way, from L.A. to Baltimore and then back to Illinois.

It was a simple and elegant garden wedding. Calista was beautifully radiant and Robert looked happier, healthier, and more relaxed than anyone had ever seen him. Indio was a beaming best man. Pat O'Brien was beside himself because he was the only one in the world who had the story, and film, of the private wedding that was going to rock Hollywood.

"Well," Robert had told him, "you've been fair and always treated me with respect, so I figured you were entitled to something in return."

Calista knew she wasn't gonna be able to hide her pregnancy much longer so instead of a media frenzy, she and Robert decided they'd defuse the issue by letting Pat break the news so that in a few weeks it would be ancient history. But, she told him she didn't want it known how far along she was because she was hoping she could disguise it as much as possible until the play ended.

Pat's mouth dropped open, "Boy, when you two give an exclusive, you don't mess around."

They both laughed. "Just be yourself, Pat," they said, "we'll trust you to tell the world in your usual classy manner."

Because rehearsals for the London play were scheduled to begin in just three days, Robert and Calista opted to wait for a honeymoon until after the baby was born. After all, they'd already had Barbados.