CHAPTER 53: EVER GROWING FAMILY

PROVIDENCE MEDICAL CENTRE, PORTLAND – FRIDAY EVENING

EMILY

We’ve all been here in stages, but the core group of Del, Brian, Justin, Jenny, Vince, Debs, Francine and I have booked into the nearest hotel.  Daphne has been threatening Vince with a vasectomy without anaesthetic if he ever comes near her again without at least four condoms on!

“Oh my God!”  Jenny squeals from the corridor.  “They’re here!  They’re here!”

Brian picks Justin up off the floor, where he had unceremoniously dumped him standing up so quickly.

“Jenny, what did we say?”  Dr Cobb comes out and walks towards us.

“Inside voice.”  She replies, contritely.

“And the other thing?”  She smiles at her. As per usual, Jenny has managed to charm everyone she meets.

“Oh wait!  Be right back!”

“Walk!”  Dr Cobb shouts at her retreating back and Jenny skitters to a slower pace.

“They’re really here?”  Francine sniffles.

“They are indeed.  Babies and Daphne are doing fine but obviously she’s very tired.  We’re going to clean them up but she’s requested that the moms see them first. So give us about half an hour.”

After the longest 30 minutes in the world ever, we are finally on our way to the nursery.  And they are not difficult to spot, their café au lait colouring giving them away.

“Oh my God!”  I breathe.  “They are beautiful!”

“Come on, you need to come and see Aunt Daph and Uncle Vince now.”  Jenny is tugging at both our hands.

“But…”  Francine objects.

“Come please?”

We follow her to Daphne’s room and after a quick knock, we enter and see Vince and Daphne sobbing.  “I thought I could but I can’t!”  She sobs into his shoulder.

“I know baby, I know.  I thought so too.”

I look at Francine, who has gone pale.  “H-hi guys.”

Daphne brushes the tears off her face and beams at us.  “Hey moms. How you doing?”

“Stunned but happy. They’re beautiful.”  I answer warily.

“Are you sure?”  Vince looks back at us just as warily.  “Because you guys aren’t looking…”

“We overheard what you said Daphne.”  Francine starts to cry.

“Oh.  Look we just don’t think it’s fair of us to name them.  It’s a great honour that you want us to but they are your babies.  Letting us pick the godparents is enough.”

“So who do you think they look like?”  Jenny demands, wriggling in her seat.

“You’ve not changed your mind about…”  Francine manages to weep out.

“God no!”  Daphne gasps.  “Come here Franny.  I’m from the Brian Kinney School of Promises and like him, I never break them!”

DEBS

Jeez what is taking so long?  I just want to see my great-grandkids.  Carl has been texting me every hour.  Finally!  I see Emily and Francine coming down the corridor.

“Well!”  Del and I say at the same time.

“Cara and Aaron are perfect and Daphne and Vince are the best parents in the world!”

“Cara and Aaron? Oh how lovely!  Wait what do you mean parents?”  Jennifer asks, startling us all.

“All four of us are going to co-parent them. It took a while but we managed to persuade them not to give up their rights.  So with Francine and me being the main parents and them staying here, they will have four parents.  And if anything happens to us, then they go to Daphne and Vince.  So we need to speak to Mel…”

“Wait until I stop crying!”  Mel sniffles.

“Can the godparents go and see them now?”  Justin begs.

“Of course, head to Jenny.”  Emily grins.

“Hey great grandparents are coming too! Fuck that!”  I decree.  “I’ve waited long enough!”

Brian hasn’t said much since they announced their arrival.  Del and I exchange looks and Jennifer nudges me then cocks her head in his direction. I can see his jaw grinding and he’s continually working his fingers through Justin’s hair.  In other words, he’s barely holding it together!

As we approach the window, I hear this little gasp and a choked snort.  “Come on kiddo.”  I rub his back as he buries his head in Justin’s hair then just stares.

“Aaron has Vince’s nose.”  He mutters.

“What colour are their eyes.”  Justin asks.

“Currently they are a grey/brown but Dr Cobb reckons they are going to stay that way.”  Jenny coos.  “And guess what?  They can come home on Tuesday.”

“Tuesday!”  Del squeaks.  “Ladies, we need to get our asses home and get the place cleaned from top to bottom. Let’s go!  And you are coming too Jenny, you need to sleep!”

BRIAN

I can’t stop staring at them.  They are the perfect combination of Daphne and Vince.  I feel a tear drop on my hand and snicker.

“Um…”

“After your summer show, okay?  We’ll talk then.”

“Thank you.”  He whispers.

QUBE HOUSE – SUNDAY MORNING

KITCHEN

ZEE

“I’m going to kill you!  It will be a slow and painful death involving bulldog ants and maybe acid!”

Faal is trying to look contrite but much like Helbert, he’s got that smirk on his face.  “If it happens then you are going to be a beautiful grandmother.”  He tries mollifying me.

“Want me to get out my knives?”  I growl.

“We’re leaving!”  He snickers, grabbing Helbert on the way.

“Floozy!”  I snipe at a purring Storm.

NEW JERSEY WOMEN’S CORRECTIONAL FACILITY – MONDAY AFTERNOON

INTERVIEW ROOM

LANCE WRIGHT, LINDSAY’S ATTORNEY

“Grady Holster is the ex?!”  I gasp.  “So do you want to file a separate suit against him for sexual endangerment?”

She frowns at me.  “But he didn’t know about the condoms. In fact, that’s why he dumped me... because he thought I knew.”

“Lindsay.  This man goes bareback.  He’s going to feel it if there is something wrong with a condom.”  He scoffs.  “And besides, judging by the amount of holes in the condom, I wouldn’t be surprised if some of them tore during your activities.” She goes pale.  “Have you had your STD tests done?”

“Yes, I get the results this Tuesday. It was supposed to be earlier but there was a delay.”

“As soon as you get the results, let me know.”  She nods.  “Now with regards to Michael Novotny, can you tell me exactly what he said to get you to skim off the commission?”

She sits up and begins to explain.

PENNSYLVANIA UPSTATE CORRECTIONAL FACILITY – TUESDAY MORNING

MICHAEL’S CELL

MICHAEL

I can’t wait for the door to open and to say his name.  As the door opens, I’m surprised to see the guard who handed me the last revocation.

“Novotny.  Step out.”

“Oh it’s you.  Where are we going?”

“The attorney meeting you were squawking about. It’s today so let’s go.”

As I follow him, I have to almost run to keep up with him.  “So where’s my usual guard?”

“Transferred back to Pittsburgh.”

“What?!”  I exclaim in frustration.

“Why?  What’s the problem?”  He comes to a halt and looks at me warily.

“Nothing. I just wanted to see how his Thanksgiving was.”  I lie quickly. He stares at me for a bit before nodding and continuing on.

He knocks on the door and we enter. There is only Ephraim and the Bitch Judge there.

“So where’s Charlie Boy?”  I sneer.

“Still in Portland.  Welcoming the newest members to the family.”  Ephraim says.  “Now let us get this meeting underway…”

“Wait!  What new members of the family?”  I demand.

“Does this have anything to do with your case?”  Bitch Judge asks.

“Well no.  But…”

“Then let’s concentrate on what is your business.  Now your documentation please?”

“I can’t fucking believe that Justin has persuaded Brian to get that bitch to carry kids for him!”  I scream.  “I saw her!  So now he’s tied to him and her for life!  And…”

I’m surprised when they stand and start to applaud.

“Encore, encore!”  Ephraim shouts and I gape at them.  “As we’ve said before, there is nothing psychologically or emotionally wrong with you. So this whirling dervish act you have going on baby ain’t fooling anyone.  Now back to your documentation. Do you have anything for us? If not, we have lives to lead.”

I look to the guard.  “He can get it for me.”

“Then he can get it next week.  Bye.”  Bitch Judge says and they walk out.

“Seriously! Just why the fuck would you do that?”  The guard asks chuckling as he leads me back to my cell.

QUBE HOUSE – AFTERNOON

STORM ROOM

BRIAN

His face is buried in my neck and he’s trembling.  He leans back against my knees and then heaves in some much needed air.

“Oh-oh-oh fuck!”  He mewls as I gently scoop my hips up.

“So you still think we have a problem?”  I stroke his cock gently.

As he shakes his head in denial, I feel drops of his sweat land on my face and shoulders.

“How close?”  He mutters.

“Whenever you are ready.”  I grin at him.

“Now!  Now!”  He yells and bounces in my lap and I meet every bounce.

“Fuckety fuck!”  I snarl and explode inside him and he arches back and I manage to stop him from falling backwards as he comes.  I pull him back into my chest, both of us shaking hard in satisfaction.

“Oh fuck, that was excellent!”  He pants.

“No it wasn’t.”  I gasp out and he looks at me in confusion.   “That was excellent fucking!”

“Oh yeah!  But we need to g-go have a shower.  We have godchildren to greet in a couple of hours.”

“Cara Briana and Aaron Justin.  They are going to be so spoilt.”  I chuckle.

“Not as spoilt as ours.”  He grins at me.

“Very true.”  I kiss him softly.  “And I can’t wait.”