"Hello?" Bridget's clear voice rang though the phone Tibby grasped in her sweaty hands. Usually Bee's voice brought a smile to her face, but today circumstances were a little different.
"Hey, Bee…it's Tibbs." Lena started frantically waving to herself like the Titanic was sinking. Tibby sighed.
"Lena's here, too." Tibby could practically see Bridget's bright blonde ponytail jauntily swinging back and forth as she talked. She wasn't one to keep still.
"Hey you two! What's up?" Tibby's throat grew dry and she found it hard to swallow. Lenny stepped in and plucked the phone from Tibby.
"Hey, Bee, it's Lenny…something's happened, and I…," Lena glanced over at Tibby, who was curled in a ball on her lumpy mattress, "WE were wondering if you could come down to NYU in the next week."
"Well, I'm in Philadelphia for a few days with Eric. We're seeing his parents…" There was a pause on Bridget's end of the line. "But, I think I can squeeze you in. I'll be there in about 4 days." Lena gave Tibby the thumbs up. Tibby breathed with relief, and color returned to her face.
"If you don't mind me asking, why am I being herded to NYU?" Bee said laughter in her voice. Lena was dreading this question from Bee. Should she tell her the truth? She mouthed the messenger to Tibby, who reluctantly accepted the phone. "Tibbs? Is that you?" Tibby forced a smile.
"Hey, Bee….how are things going?" Bee laughed.
"I was about to ask you the same thing…why do you want me to come visit you? Isn't Lenny good enough company?" Tibby felt the sharp burn of tears fill her eyes.
"N-no…" Tibby forced out, her voice cracking. Lena rushed to her side as Bee inquired, "Oh Tibby….is it Brian? Are things ok with him?"
"I'M GONNA HAVE A BABY!" Tibby screeched, a mix of anger towards Brian and hysteria. She shook with sobs and felt her whole body curl up into a fetal position. Lenny took charge once again and answered a confused Bridget.
"Lena? Is she serious? Is she really….did they actually…." Lena found it hard to speak herself.
"It's no lie, Bee. She's really going to have a baby. It's really happening." Bee sighed.
"I don't know what to say…I'm coming there in two days. See you soon." The line went dead. Lena tossed the phone on the ground and squeezed Tibbs, who had tears streaming down her face. She looked up mournfully at her friend.
"C-can she c-come, Lenny?" Lena nodded, and Tibby's contorted expression relaxed. "She'll be here in two days tops. Now, should I call Carmen and deliver the news?" Tibby wiped her eyes.
"No, no…I'll be the one to do it. After all, we're going to have a new member of the family soon, and it's comin' outta me, not anyone else."
After a moment of silence, Lena realized it was a joke, and began chuckling. Tibby smiled. "
Well, I for one can't wait, Tibby. I hope she or he is as beautiful as its mommy." Bee said comfortingly.
"Don't forget about Daddy," Tibby mourned, her voice cracking. She curled up into a ball on the mattress. Lena wrapped her long slender arms around her friend. "Shhh…Tibbs…everything will work out itself. I promise." Tibby looked up at Lena. "How can you say that?" she whispered. "You're not having a baby."
Lena looked up at the ceiling and closed her eyes. "I know I'm not. And I'm sure I have no idea what you're going through. But, one thing I do know…" Lena paused, "is that we'll make it through this together. Remember what Marley used to say?"
At this point, Tibby sat up and squeezed Lenny's hand. "Life is full of choices, but the hard ones are the ones that define what we're really made of," the two murmured in unison. With that, both Tibby and Lena collapsed on the bed in a heap of sighs and sniffs.
