I haven't forgotten about this one!
As Linka lays on her back, Wheeler lays beside her, propped up on his elbow and is grinning as he admires her.
"Stop it!" She says as she grabs the sheets and attempts to cover herself.
"What?"
"Staring."
"I can't help it," he says, tugging the sheets back down. "You're changing."
"I know! We have already had this conversation and you know I am self conscious about it, so when you look at me like that..."
"It's because you're beautiful."
"I am fat."
"Linka...Babe, you're carrying our babies! How many times do I have to tell you, you couldn't possibly look more beautiful to me than you do right now," he says as he presses his lips against her tattoo and trails kisses across her stomach.
"Oh and that thing...that is that stupidest place for a tattoo. What was I thinking? It is going to grow and get ugly..."
"I don't think it will. I think it's far enough off to the side that it'll be fine. You're worrying too much about the little things. You and me are the only ones that are even going to see that tattoo, unless you plan on going to Hope Island anytime soon and sportin' a bikini..."
"No way! You have seen me in my last bikini...after having twins, you will be lucky if you ever see me at the beach ever again."
"Oh come on...Svetlana had two kids and she looks fine," Wheeler says..and then realizing it probably wasn't the smartest thing to say at the moment.
"What is that supposed to mean?"
"It means that having kids isn't the end of the world for your body...plenty of women have kids and still have rockin' bodies."
"Like my sister-in-law?"
"Well...Uhh..."
"How many other 'rockin' bodies' have you been checking out?"
"None! Well, I mean other than Sveta...but I wasn't 'checking her out' I was just trying to point out..."
Linka starts laughing and Wheeler realizes she was pulling his leg this whole time.
"That's not funny...You're not funny," he lays his head on her stomach and says, "Right Little Bugs? Tell Mommy to leave the joking to Daddy. It's scary when she does it."
Linka puts her hand on the back of his head and runs her hands through his hair. He presses two kisses on her on her stomach, one for each of them, before moving up to kiss her lips.
"I am at 12 weeks now. The end of the first trimester."
"Soooo, all clear?" he asks.
"Well, until they are born, I hesitate to say we are ever 'all clear' but I think we can start telling people. I am not going to be able to hide it much longer."
"We can tell my parents?"
"Da. Let us tell them today!"
"I'll call them right now and tell them we're coming over!"
Wheeler reaches for the phone and dials. The phone rings and rings, but no one answers.
"That's weird."
"Maybe they went out."
Wheeler gets up and looks out the window.
"No, their car is still there."
He begins quickly getting dressed.
"Where are you going?" she asks.
"Over there to check on them...make sure everything is ok."
"Do you really think it is a good idea to go barging in?"
"I'm not gonna 'barge' in. I'm gonna walk in the door calmly and see why they aren't answering the phone."
"Wheeler...perhaps..."
"What? Perhaps what?"
"Eight weeks."
"What about it?" he asks, slightly frustrated.
"It has been eight weeks since your father's surgery as well...perhaps...they are getting back to 'normal activities,'" she shrugs.
"EWW!!! EEEEEWW!!! NO. NO. NO!!! Get it out of my head."
"Get what out?"
"The picture you just put there! 'Normal activities' for my parents is...I don't know...gardening. Watching TV. Cooking dinner, maybe doing a crossword puzzle or playing a board game."
"Wheeler, are you saying that when we are their age, we will not be...active."
"No, I'm saying that my parents aren't...that's why I'm an only child. They don't do it."
Linka laughs as she gets dressed, settling on a pair of elastic waist track pants and one of Wheeler's NYPD t-shirts.
"I am just saying…make sure you make alot of noise when you enter the house…you know…to give them time to get dressed!"
"Why Linka? Why are you messing with my head like that?!"
"Because it is fun."
Wheeler rings the doorbell and waits. Still no answer. He tries the knob and it's locked.
"Probably because they do not want to be disturbed!" Linka jokes.
"Very funny."
Wheeler looks in the windows and doesn't notice that Linka has walked around to the back of the house. Moments later, the door opens and Wheeler finds himself face to face with Kathy, Joe, and Linka.
"Hey, how did you…?"
"I went around to the backyard to find your mother gardening and your father was on the phone!" Linka laughs.
"Come on in sweetie. I just made a fresh batch of Sun Tea, would you like a glass?"
"Sun Tea?! Wow Ma, you're really gettin' into the country livin' lifestyle!"
"Well, it's hard to make Sun Tea when your building is smack dab next to another building and you never get any decent sunlight!"
"See, I told you they weren't doin' it!" Wheeler whispers to Linka, but doesn't realize just how much his voice carried.
"What?!" Joe laughs.
"Uhh, well…umm, you see…when you didn't answer the phone, I got worried and was gonna come over, but since it's been eight weeks since our surgery and uh, ok to start back to our um, normal activities…I mean, uh, no more restrictions on what we can and can't do…the uh, joke was that maybe…well, since we…uh, nevermind…"
"Ooooh, you thought that since you two were counting down the days until eight weeks was up and you could start…doing what newlyweds do…that we would also be engaging in such activities?" Joe says seriously.
"Umm, yeah…jokingly of course," Wheeler clarifies.
"Of course. I mean, the real joke being that we'd actually wait eight weeks!"
"Huh?"
"Oh yeah, we've been back to 'normal activities' since about five weeks post op," Joe snickers.
"JOE!!!"
"AAAAAH!!! NOOOO!!!" Wheeler yells as he covers his ears and closes his eyes.
"You mean you actually waited?" Joe asks.
"STOP IT!!!" Wheeler cries.
"That's enough Joe! Stop being so personal!" Kathy admonishes, unable to hide her embarrassment.
"What? He's the one that brought it up!"
"Can we PLEEEEEASE change the subject?! Like why you didn't answer the phone when I called?" Wheeler asks.
"I was on the other line," Joe explains.
"That's what call waiting is for!" Wheeler says.
"That crap is rude! I won't do it! I'm talkin' to someone, I'm not gonna ask them to wait while I see who else is calling…it seems like you're saying 'hold on, this might be someone more important that I'd rather talk to and would give me a great excuse to get off the phone with you.' It's just not right."
"It was someone important! It was me!!!"
"Well I was talkin' to an old buddy of mine from my days at the track…you might even remember him…Alex?"
"The guy that's a trainer?"
"Yeah, he's retiring. He heard about the surgery and called to see how we were doing…he also heard that I was moochin' off my daughter in law and had some stables…He's got a few slower horses that he couldn't sell, wanted to know if you'd be interested in boarding them for him…he'd pay ya for their upkeep, food, supplies, and such, and he wanted me to take care of them for him when he's away…and pay me for taking care of them…that way I can start paying you rent."
"You will do no such thing!" Linka says.
"Oh. You don't want to fill the stables?" Joe asks.
"No not that…you can do whatever you want with the stables, but I will not accept your money. Save it. Use it to buy stuff for you and Kathy."
"Or spoiling grandkids," Wheeler says.
"Yeah, well, you better get on that because I'm gonna need help taking care of these horses, so you two need to get a move on and start poppin' out some little farmhands!"
"JOE! Don't be so crude. Wheeler and Linka don't need you to tell them when to start their family!"
"Oh, calm down. They know I'm only joking," Joe says.
"No, Pop's right. He's gonna need some help with those horses…and that's why we came over. We have some news…we're done with the Planeteers so we'll both be around alot more," Wheeler says.
"You're quitting? Why? Your health?" Kathy asks.
"Nah, I'm fine. I can go back and perform my duties just like I used to…it's Linka."
"Oh my God! Is everything ok? The health problems she was having before your surgery…was it more serious than you thought?"
"No…well, yes…it wasn't just the flu," Wheeler says.
"Are you going to be ok?" Joe asks.
"Da, I will be fine…I hope."
"She's just gonna have to take it easy for a while so she won't be able to help you with your horses," Wheeler says.
"Yeah, yeah, of course not. I wouldn't expect her to, even if she was healthy," Joe says.
"But don't worry, help is on the way…you'll have two new additions coming to your boarding business," Wheeler assures Joe.
"In about 6 months," Linka adds.
"I don't get it…is someone else moving in with you? Are other members of the Planeteers quitting?" Joe asks.
"No Pop," Wheeler says as he stands behind Linka, wraps his arms around her, and rests his hands over her abdomen, accentuating her slightly protruding belly.
Linka looks down and places her hands over his, then looks back up at his confused parents with a smile.
"OH MY GOD!!! YOU'RE PREGNANT?!!!" Kathy exclaims.
"NO WAY?!!! THAT'S GREAT NEWS!!!" Joe adds.
They rushed over to Wheeler and Linka and they all hugged.
"Congratulations you two!"
"Thanks Ma…or should I say 'Grandma?'"
"Oh wow, that's going to take some getting used to," she says as she wipes away the happy tears."
"Wait, there's more," Wheeler says.
"More?" Joe says.
"Da…we said you would have two new additions."
"Well yeah, Jason and the new baby right?"
"Nope. I wasn't including myself."
Kathy gasps as the realization hits her…
"Wait, you're having…"
"Twins," Linka confirms.
"Unbelievable!" Joe exclaims happily.
"How exciting! I can't wait to tell everyone…I can tell everyone right? I mean, you said six months…Oh my…I can't believe you waited this long to tell us!" Kathy rambles on.
"Yeah Ma, you can go ahead and tell everyone."
Joe begins to chuckle and everyone looks over at him, waiting for him to let them in on the joke.
"No, it's nothing."
"Come on Pop, give it up."
"I was just doing some math in my head…If she's 3 months pregnant…and you've only been married for 2 months…looks like you had two little uninvited guests at the wedding!"
"Dad!"
"Joe! Stop it!"
Linka just laughs.
"I did not even think of that! I guess it is a good thing that I kept setting down my drinks when people would bring them to me at the wedding, and then I would forget about them."
"This calls for a celebration! Why don't you two come over for dinner tonight? I'll make a nice, healthy meal, and get some sparkling cider so we can toast this wonderful news!" Kathy says.
"That is not necessary, you do not need to go through any trouble. We can go out for dinner if you would like to celebrate. I do not want you to have to deal with preparing a meal and then cleaning up a mess afterwards," Linka says.
"It's no trouble at all dear. I want to do it. I love to cook and I don't have much else to do. Being the family chef would make me feel useful! Besides, you should be relaxing and taking it easy. Twins will take alot out of you. Please, let me do what I can to help. It'll be one less thing that you have to worry about."
"Don't worry Ma, I'm not a total jerk. I'm not gonna expect Linka to do all the cookin' and cleanin', I'll be doing my part to make this as easy on her as possible. I can make us dinner too."
"Of course you can honey…but if I do it, it'll guarantee that Linka is getting a healthy meal…not French fries, burgers, hot dogs, and pizza!"
"And take out Chinese, don't forget his other specialty!" Linka adds.
"Hey!" Wheeler protests.
"Your Ma's right. She's gonna be cooking dinner for the two of us anyways, and if you two are going to be living around here now, you might as well join us for dinner. It'll be a nice family gathering every night…and it'll make up for lost time," he says regretfully.
"Yeah. That does sound nice," Wheeler says.
"And it would be good for our kids to be in a close knit family environment," Linka says.
"Then it's settled. Tonight, we'll have a special, celebratory dinner at our place…and every night, we'll have dinner here, unless you have other plans or want to be alone. How's that sound?" Kathy asks.
"That sounds wonderful," Linka says. "Thank you so much."
"It's the least I can do. You've been so generous in letting us live here, and now being so close to our grandchildren and getting to watch them grow…it's perfect…now if you'll excuse me, I need to get to the store. Is there anything you are hungry for dear? Any cravings yet?"
"Nyet, not yet. I am sure whatever you get will be delicious…and since you have gone through this before, you will know what is healthy and most nutritious."
"Oh, it's been a looooooong time, but I'll do my best. And of course, you know that if you have any questions or concerns about motherhood and what to expect, please, don't hesitate to ask."
"Thank you. I will."
Wheeler puts his arm around Linka and leads her down the steps,
"Ok, well we'll let you go so you can get to the store, and Pop, give Alex a call back and let him know you'll take his horses. And let me know if there's anything that needs done to prepare the stables for them…like if you need to make a run to get hay or feed, or when he brings them here. I'll come along and give you a hand."
"Thanks son. I'll let you know."
Once Wheeler and Linka get back to their own place, he wraps his arms around her and says,
"That was fun."
"They were so happy!"
"Of course…did you think they wouldn't be?"
"I did not know. I thought maybe they would think it was too soon."
"Nah, Ma's a sucker for babies. She's gonna spoil them rotten! And Pop's pretty excited too. I think he's looking forward to getting a second chance."
"Are you ok with that?"
"Yeah, I guess. I mean, I'll always resent that he wasn't there for me when I was younger, but that's all in the past. I did ok without him, and I'm going to try my best to make sure that I'm the best father I can be. And if he ends up being a good grandpa, then I'll be happy. As long as he treats my kids better than he treated me…"
"He will," she says as she squeezes him tightly. "He has been given a second chance, and he is trying to make the most of it. I think you should make the most of it too."
"What do you mean? What do I have to make up for?"
"I mean, make the most of the second chance you have been given with your father. I think that him taking care of his friend's horses will give you two the perfect opportunity to do things together…like a father and son should."
"And then me and my boys can bond over it," he smiles.
"Or you and your girls!"
"Nah, they won't be into dirty work…they'll be smart like you and spend all their time with their noses in books or learning music."
"What about boys? They cannot be smart or into music?"
"No sons of mine will be dorks!"
She pokes his side, causing him to jump back to avoid further tickling.
"Shut up!"
"I'm kidding. Girls or boys, they can do whatever they want, as long as they're healthy and happy," he says as he pulls her towards him and kisses her. Then he kneels down in front of her, lifts up her shirt to expose her bump, and places two kisses on it. "Just remember boys, if you do get into music, chicks dig guitars!"
Linka gently smacks him on the head and kneels down with him.
"Do you know what else 'chicks dig'?" She asks as she kisses him.
"Hmm?"
"Good kissers…" she replies while placing her hands over her belly and looking down at it. "So remember girls, if he is not good at kissing, he is probably not good at anything else!"
"LINKA!" Wheeler exclaims as he puts his hands over her stomach as if he's covering the babies' ears. "Don't give my little girls sex advice! They're not gonna be allowed to date until they're 45 anyways!"
"Oh no Wheeler! You cannot have double standards! It is ok for 'your boys' to pick up girls, but not ok for 'your girls' to pick up guys?"
"Damn right! Especially if my girls look anything like their mother. I'm gonna have to be a real threatening father, to scare all the boys away cuz no one will ever be good enough for my little girls!"
"You are too cute. Overprotective Daddy," she says as she leans forward to kiss him.
He leans back until he falls backwards, laying on the floor and bringing her with him.
"Did you lock the door?" She asks as she pulls his shirt up over his head.
"Yeah."
"Good," she says and then removes her own shirt.
"Here?!"
"Da," she murmurs against his chest.
"I freakin' love hormones! I could get used to this!" He sighs as he pulls a blanket off the couch and throws it over top of them.