"Wait."
Katie was in shock over what Doris had just said five minutes ago that caused Angela to nearly spit out her tea. Katie was, for once, left speechless.
"You're giving up your baby?" asked Katie.
"You guys are acting like you never saw this coming." Doris replied. "The baby's a month old and I already told my husband and kids, they're okay with it- but even if they weren't I was doing this."
"Putting the baby you gave birth to a month ago to be given to total strangers." Angela replied. "Yeah. That's better."
"No. They'll probably put it in foster care." Doris corrected. "So multiple strangers throughout its life."
That was when Katie realized something must be done.
"You adopted her baby."
Greg said that to Katie as they looked in the bassinet they just set up in their room temporarily.
"Not adopted." replied Katie. "I mean, not just yet."
"A baby?" asked Oliver.
"Well, I can throw out my alarm clock." Taylor replied. "That thing is going to wake me up way earlier than I need to be."
"Hey! Do not refer to your possible new baby brother as a 'thing'." Katie told Taylor.
"Brother?" Oliver asked. "No longer shall I be known as the only boy in my house full of females!"
"As long as you aren't putting the baby in my room." Taylor replied.
"Awesome!" Anna Kat exclaimed. "Can he sleep in my room?"
"Possibly." Katie replied.
"What's my new little brother's name going to be?" asked Anna Kat.
Katie sighed.
"John." she replied. "That is the name of your new brother who may not be your new brother. Now shoo."
Taylor, Oliver, and Anna Kat went upstairs to their rooms.
"How long are you intending on keeping John?" asked Greg.
"Until he can't go into foster care." Katie replied.
"So basically until he's an adult and can care for himself." Greg said.
"Basically." Katie replied.
"Are you sure you want to do this?" asked Greg. "You went out with your friends and come home with a baby car seat, a bag of baby formula, and your best friend's next child."
"Please, I know that you wanted a fourth child, so you don't have to hinder your excitement."
"Well, I have kept some of Oliver's old baby clothes. Oh, and that baby book that your mother gave us when we were unsure about is Taylor was going to be a boy or a girl, and- wait, this means that I can bring out the rocking horse and those baby toys I hid upstairs under my bed when we had that big tag sale!" Greg exclaimed, getting more excited.
"Why don't you go dig those out and put them in the guest room we never use?" Katie suggested.
"We finally have a meaning to use that room!" Greg exclaimed as he hurried upstairs.
Katie shook her head and looked at John in the bassinet. Of course, the bassinet was pink- it hadn't been used since Anna Kat was born, but it worked.
"Oh you little stinker." she said to John. "Originally, I was planning to have three children with an occasional pet- but then you come crashing through my life like a piano in a cartoon. But I am not, above all things, letting the foster care take you. I'll fight them like Batman fought Superman. They aren't taking you. Not like they took me."
This is Alice Foreshadow, heading back down the rabbit hole!