Marshall had spent all day gathering information on the abandoned hotel and formulating the plan for the breach. Stan, Ryder, and Dershowitz were on their way to the office to go over it. Once they agreed upon it they would go over it with the SWAT team. Getting up from his desk to get another cup of coffee, he stopped as the other men entered the room.
"I take it Duncan was willing to cooperate?" Marshall asked.
"Apparently he's not too fond of the prison system. He was more than willing to take a lesser sentence for his crimes. He'll make the call as soon as we have the plan in order," Dershowitz replied.
"Imagine that," Marshall said sarcastically.
"What's the plan?" Stan asked.
They went over every detail of the plan and looked for anything that might have been missed. Once everyone was satisfied with their roles they headed back to the precinct. The SWAT team was called in for the debriefing, and all that was left was for Duncan to call Marta.
/\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\
Marta was pacing the length of the hotel office waiting for the phone to ring. She figured that Duncan would move swiftly, but she couldn't be sure. She didn't care for the way he operated. She preferred to know what was going on at all times.
Tony Luciano had called her to let her know he was able to send her five men. Marta knew they were the expendable ones, or else she wouldn't have them. Tony had made his point clear that he was not willing to part with his best associates. She didn't care at this point. If they were expendable and knew it, they'd probably fight harder.
The phone rang in the middle of her thoughts and she rushed forward to grab it with a terse greeting. Her shoulders relaxed just slightly when she heard Duncan's voice.
"Eleven o'clock tonight, I'll deliver the package to the designated location," Duncan stated, eyeing the marshals in the room.
"Good, don't be late. My men have itchy trigger fingers," Marta said.
"Eleven o'clock," Duncan said again before hanging up the phone and addressing his captors. "I've done my part."
"Jack and Luis, transport him to the FBI, they'll lock him up," Stan ordered two of his inspectors.
"What men is she talking about?" Ryder asked as soon as Duncan was out of the room.
"Marta must have hired muscle for the job," Stan replied.
"SWAT will have flash bangs for the breach. It will stun them for five seconds while we make our entrance," Dershowitz said.
"I still have two inspectors on stakeout at the location. Let's contact them and see how many men she has and where they're being positioned," Stan said as he noticed Marshall calling.
"They've seen five men and Marta. Marta was hanging out in the office and the men were in rooms one through five," Marshall answered as he began to put on his vest.
"Alright let's head out," Stan said.
/\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\
Marshall, Stan and Ryder were riding in silence when Ryder finally looked back at Marshall.
"Are you okay?"
"I'm fine, Dad," Marshall replied.
"We'll get Marta, Marshall," Stan said confidently.
"Let's hope so. I want this over with once and for all. I'm tired of waiting to see who she hurts next," Marshall replied.
Ryder and Stan could relate to that sentiment. They had sat through most of the injuries Marta inflicted and wanted her put away. Her need for revenge had taken its toll on Marshall.
"We're fifteen minutes out," Stan said.
Marshall double checked his equipment as he waited impatiently for all of this to come to an end.
/\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\
Mary was at pacing back and forth in the living room, Elizabeth had finally had enough.
"Mary, I know you're worried, but you need to stop that. It's driving me insane."
"What?" Mary asked, looking up in surprise.
"The pacing. Stop. You need to relax. The kids are napping, why don't you join them?" Elizabeth asked hopefully.
"Not until Marshall calls," Mary said, determined.
"Then sit down. Your ankles are swollen and you keep rubbing your back. If you want I can get you something to eat."
Mary had to admit her back was extra sore and her ankles were more than likely swollen. She couldn't see them to verify that information anymore. She was two weeks away from thirty seven weeks. Her doctor wanted her to make that mark at least. Anytime after that would be fine. She couldn't wait. Not only was she eager for the twins' arrival, but she was eager to stop looking like a beached whale. She felt huge and was tired of it. Marshall always knew how to help her through the last month. It was usually when her patience began to wear thin and yet he could keep her calm until the birth. She never understood how he knew exactly what she needed, but was grateful that he did.
"I'm not hungry," Mary replied, finally sitting down.
Elizabeth was keeping a close eye on her. Something else was off, but Mary wasn't saying a thing. At first she had thought it was just the worry about Marshall. The rubbing of the back and the way her eyes would squint like she was in pain had Elizabeth concerned. The pained look continued on and off for another hour before Elizabeth had enough.
"What is going on? Don't even attempt to tell me nothing, either. I can tell something is causing you pain and it's more than your back. What are you not telling me?" Elizabeth demanded.
"It's nothing," Mary insisted, trying to ignore the fact that she was definitely going to need to tell Elizabeth soon if something didn't change.
"Don't lie to me. I've got too much to worry about without trying to figure you out too. My patience is wearing thin," Elizabeth cautioned.
Mary's eyebrow had shot up at the statement and tone. Elizabeth had never truly gotten upset with her before. Frustrated yes, but this was more. This is what Marshall warned her about. Mama Bear had reached her limit.
"Fine, I'm having some mild contractions. They'll slow down. It's too soon for the babies. Marshall isn't here and they aren't allowed to be born until he is," Mary snapped back.
"Real contractions? Not Braxton-Hicks? Don't lie to yourself, Mary" Elizabeth asked.
"Real. If we need to go to the hospital, I'll let you know," Mary said.
"Why don't you lie down and see if it helps? I'm not telling you to sleep, just relax," Elizabeth said worried.
Mary rolled her eyes, but complied. She laid down on the couch after moving her phone next to her and soon fell asleep.
/\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\
Ryder, Stan and Marshall were waiting behind a couple members of the SWAT team outside the hotel's office. Dershowitz and several of his men were behind the remaining SWAT team members waiting to go into the five hotel rooms.
The signal was given and the flash bangs were thrown into the rooms. They entered the office quickly and began to examine every inch of the office. They looked through the entire room and came up empty.
"Where's Marta?" Marshall asked angrily.
"There was no report of her leaving," Stan replied.
"Maybe she moved into one of the rooms," Ryder suggested.
Marshall, Ryder, and Stan headed outside. Dershowitz was hauling one of the hired men out and they stopped him.
"Where's Marta?" Marshall demanded, ignoring the shocked look on Dershowitz's face.
"That crazy loon was in the office pacing around like a caged animal waiting to pounce on her prey," the man replied.
"We cleared the room. She wasn't in there," Marshall said.
"Marta was in there. We never saw her leave," the man insisted.
/\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\
Marta had been staring out through the blinds on the office window when she noted the SWAT team van pull up along with several other law enforcement vehicles. Cursing under her breath she walked over to the bookshelf, after grabbing a syringe out of her desk drawer, pulled out a book and hit the button that opened the shelf. She reached and arm inside and pulled the door open just enough to slip through. Once inside she hit the button closing the door. She made sure it was sealed tightly.
A few minutes later she heard a bang and the door hitting the wall. There were yells of U.S Marshal's and Albuquerque P.D. and she knew they were looking the room over as the next thing she heard was 'clear' from several different voices. She waited in the room. Somewhere out there Marshall and Ryder Mann were looking for her. She would bide her time in the room until someone figured out the library shelf hid the doorway.
The only way to enter the room was to pull the door open by reaching your hand inside. You couldn't see what was behind the door when you reached in. She made sure the syringe was ready. She would only get one chance at getting the syringe into whoever's hand appeared. She could only hope it was Ryder.
/\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\
After clearing all of the hotel rooms and coming up empty for Marta, the SWAT team and Albuquerque P.D. headed out with their prisoners. Stan, Marshall and Ryder headed into the office to check for any clues to Marta's whereabouts while waiting for the crime scene investigators to show up.
The three were looking through the paperwork on the desk and coming up empty. Frustrated Marshall took a step back. When he did, he noticed one book sticking out further than the others on the shelf. Thinking Marta may have hid something inside it in a hurry; he walked over and pulled the book out. He flipped through the pages and found nothing. As he was about to put the book back he noted the button.
"Guys," Marshall said softly.
Stan and Ryder both looked up as Marshall pushed the button. The door began to slide slightly open. Stan and Ryder pointed their weapons as Marshall reached around the door to pull it open.
Marta heard the door begin to open and stepped closer, waiting for the hand to come in. Once the hand came into view she quickly jabbed the syringe into it.
"Ouch," Marshall exclaimed as he yanked harder on the door. Ignoring the pinch his hand, he aimed his gun towards the side as Marta began to pull out her gun.
Marta cursed softly at first when she realized it was the son. Grabbing her gun she aimed to shoot him, before she could pull the trigger she felt pain in her chest as she fell backwards. Placing her hand on her chest she looked over to see Ryder standing with his gun still pointed at her.
"I guess you bested me, but can you save your son in time?' Marta choked out before her eyes closed.
Stan moved forward to check Marta. Reaching down he checked for a pulse.
"She's gone. What did she mean by can we save Marshall in time?" Stan asked confused. He pulled out his cell phone right away.
Stan and Ryder looked towards Marshall.
"She injected something into my hand," Marshall said pointing at the syringe lying on the ground.
Ryder could tell his son was in pain by the way his jaw was clenched. He collected the syringe and noticed it was half empty.
"The ambulance is on its way. Let's get him into the SUV and meet them part way," Stan said.
Ryder moved forward to help Marshall to the SUV when he grabbed his side and bit back a cry of pain. Grabbing Marshall's arm he put it over his shoulder and helped him to the SUV. Stan got into the car, hit the sirens, floored the gas peddle and headed in the direction the ambulance was coming.
"We should meet up with you in about five more minutes. The syringe is with us. Ryder, what are Marshall's symptoms?" Stan asked, while still on the phone with the dispatcher.
"Son, I need a list of everything that you're feeling," Ryder said.
"Hurts. Pain in abdomen, nauseas, hard to swallow," Marshall struggled to reply.
"Add fever and difficulty breathing to that Stan," Ryder said as he heard Marshall wheeze while trying to breath. "Hang in there Marshall. We all need you. Stay with me."
Stan hit the brakes as the ambulance came into view. They quickly loaded Marshall onto the gurney. Ryder climbed into the ambulance and handed the syringe to the paramedic.
Grabbing his phone Stan dialed his inspector assigned to Mary.
"Phil?"
"Yeah, boss."
"Bring Mary and her family home. Marta is dead. When you arrive at the airport, transport them to the hospital immediately. Marshall is being taken there now, but don't say anything to Mary. Call me when you arrive ," Stan said.
"Will do," the inspector replied before hanging up.
/\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\
Elizabeth was watching Mary sleep when the phone rang.
"Hello?"
"Mrs. Mann?" the male voice questioned.
"One of them," she replied.
"This is Phil from the detail. We've been instructed to bring you back to Albuquerque. The jet is being fueled and the detail will help you with your things."
"Thank you, Phil. Any word on what's happened?" Elizabeth asked.
"Marta was killed. The threat is over," Phil replied.
"Did they mention anything about Ryder or Marshall?"
"No, just to bring you home," Phil replied.
"Thank you, Phil. We're already packed so we should be ready shortly," Elizabeth said before hanging up.
Getting up, she gently shook Mary's shoulder.
"What's wrong?" Mary asked, sitting up quickly.
"Nothing. It's over. They are coming to take us to the airstrip," Elizabeth said, filling Mary in on all the details she had.
"I don't want to wake the kids unless we have to. They both sleep like rocks, so I'm thinking we should be able to carry them and get them in the car seats without waking them up," Mary said.
"I'm sure we can get help with that," Elizabeth smirked. Her grandchildren were quite popular with the inspectors on their detail.
They put their suitcases near the door just as the detail showed up. The kids slept through the whole move and flight back.
/\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\
Stan and Ryder were sitting in the waiting room when Eleanor showed up.
"Anything?" Eleanor asked.
"Not yet," Ryder replied.
"Do they know what she injected him with?" Eleanor asked.
"They sent the syringe to the lab to analyze it. Whatever it is, the symptoms started appeaing quickly," Ryder said in frustration.
"How long before Mary arrives?" Eleanor asked.
"Two and a half hours," Stan replied, checking his watch.
The doctor came out a half out later.
"How's my son?" Ryder asked her.
"Doing well under the circumstances. The syringe contained cobra venom. We've given him the antivenom. If the first dose doesn't work then a second dose will be administered. We'll be keeping him under observation for at least twenty-four hours. We want to keep a close eye on his vital signs, heart and oxygenation of his hemoglobin. If there are no problems we can send him home tomorrow night. We'll give you a list of signs and symptoms of delayed serum sickness. If he shows any of those signs, he'd need to return to the hospital. We'll go over that in further detail before he gets released from the hospital,' the doctor informed them.
"Thank you," Ryder said
"I'll have a nurse come and get you as soon as Mr. Mann has been moved into his room," the doctor said before she walked away.
Shortly afterwards a nurse took them to the room. Stan's phone rang while they were waiting for Marshall to wake up.
"McQueen."
"We've landed and are loading the Mann's into the SUV, boss."
"Thanks, Phil. I'll call Mary."
Stan hung up and dialed Mary right away.
"Marshall?" Mary asked, not looking at the caller id.
"Mary, it's Stan."
"What happened?" Mary felt her stomach drop.
"Marta injected Marshall with cobra venom as he tried to open a hidden door," Stan said and filled her in on what the doctor said. He also let her know the detail was already informed to bring them to the hospital.
"Thanks, Stan. We'll be there soon. What room is he in?" Mary asked.
"I'll meet you at the entrance and bring you to him," Stan replied.
"You're sure everything is okay?" Mary asked, needing to double check.
"The first dose appears to be working," Stan reassured.
Mary hung up and noticed Elizabeth looking at her.
"Which one?" Elizabeth asked.
"Marshall." Mary relayed the information Stan had given her.
/\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\
Ryder sat watching Marshall while waiting for the rest of his family to arrive.
"When you wake up, and after Mary finishes lecturing you, we're going to have a conversation about you getting injured," Ryder lectured while reaching out for Marshall's hand. "Maybe I should invest in a bubble to keep you safe from the world."
"He's going to get more than a bubble," Mary said from the door.
Ryder stood up so Mary could sit next to Marshall. He kissed her cheek as she walked over to the bed.
"Did I not tell the three of you to stay safe?" Mary asked. She sat down and gently ran her fingers through Marshall's hair before linking their hands.
"Marshall doesn't listen very well," Stan replied.
"Are you both okay?" Mary asked. Marshall looked pale to her.
"Yes," Stan and Ryder replied in unison.
"Where's Elizabeth?" Ryder asked.
"She was talking to Eleanor for awhile. Eleanor is taking the kids home and will sit with them until you or Elizabeth get there."
"I don't suppose that I could convince you to go home and get some sleep?" Ryder said.
"I'm not leaving until I see those blue eyes and hear some useless trivia. I know that I need to rest, so before you argue, why don't you see if they can put a cot or something in here," Mary replied.
"I'll take care of that," Stan said. "Elizabeth will want to make sure that Ryder is alright," Stan said before walking out of the room to find a nurse.
"Marshall, I'm so not letting you out of my sights ever again," Mary whispered lovingly.
Ryder was about to comment when Elizabeth entered.
"Ryder," she whispered before going into his arms. She stroked his cheek with her thumb. "Are you okay?"
"I'd be better if Marshall would wake up. He needs to stop scaring me," Ryder said honestly.
"That'll be the day," Mary said sarcastically.
"A man can hope," Ryder replied. He watched as Elizabeth moved towards their son. Leaning over the railing she placed a kiss on his forehead.
"We're all here, Marshall," Elizabeth said softly.
"Mary, they're bringing a cot in for you. It should be here shortly," Stan said as he returned.
"I'm staying also," Elizabeth replied.
"No, actually I'll be staying with Mary," Ryder corrected. He raised his hand before Elizabeth could argue. "Marshall will want to make sure I'm okay. I'm not sure he fully comprehended what happened after he was injected."
Elizabeth didn't like it, but she knew Ryder was right.
"Fine, but you need to keep an eye on Mary also. She was having contractions before we left Wisconsin. Mary, you're to let Ryder know if they come back."
"I'll keep a very close watch on Mary. If something happens, I'll give you a call," Ryder replied.
"Why do I feel like I just lost control over my own life?" Mary asked.
"Not control, but I'm not dealing with the fallout if something happens with the babies. Marshall and Elizabeth would both make my life hell for a long time," Ryder replied. "Beside I wouldn't forgive myself."
"You realize if something happens, we're already at the hospital. Think of the time I saved you," Mary replied rolling her eyes.
"Let's try to avoid that shall we? The two of you being in the hospital without being in the same room will traumatize two floors," Ryder teased lightly.
Mary chuckled at that before looking back at Marshall and then to Ryder.
"Have I thanked you for all of you support and help?" Mary asked.
"No need to. We're family and that is what family does for each other," Ryder replied before pulling a chair up next to Mary.
Mary leaned over and kissed Ryder's cheek. "Thank you anyways. You and Elizabeth have done so much for us. I know I don't say it often or nearly enough. I appreciate everything you do for us."
Ryder knew that it took a lot for Mary to say that just by the slight flush of embarrassment on her cheeks.
"You are turning into a sap Mary Mann," Ryder teased.
"It's all Marshall's fault," Mary said with a smile on her face.
"Mare?"
Mary and Ryder both looked to Marshall. His eyes were barely open and he was struggling to keep them that way.
"I'm here, Doofus," Mary replied.
"Dad?" Marshall asked.
"I'm fine, Son. Don't ever do something like that again. You scared me," Ryder replied.
"Okay," Marshall said drowsily.
The nurse came in to see that his eyes were barely open and he was drifting off again. She asked him a couple questions and wrote something in his chart and left the room.
"Sleep, Marshall, we can talk when you're coherent," Mary said, running her fingers through his hair until he fell asleep.
"You should sleep now, while he's out," Ryder replied.
Mary nodded. She figured Marshall wouldn't wake up for awhile and if she was honest with herself, she was exhausted.
"Wake me up if Marshall wakes up," Mary said.
"I will," Ryder replied.
Mary lay down on the cot and fell asleep a few minutes later. Ryder smiled as he watched her and Marshall. He had always liked Mary. The first time he met her he saw what Marshall saw in her. He was glad they had managed to make things work. She was more like Marshall than most people realized. Their sense of loyalty to each other was stronger than any other Ryder had ever encountered. It made him proud of both of them and thrilled to watch how his grandchildren would learn and develop under their guidance.
/\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\
Elizabeth had left her sleeping grandchildren with Eleanor as she went to the hospital to check on both Marshall and Mary. Eleanor would bring the children by the hospital later. Marshall would need to see his children after he woke up.
Opening the door to his room, she saw Mary asleep on the cot, Ryder asleep with his head on the bed and Marshall's blue eyes looking back and forth between the two and then swiftly towards the opening door.
"How long have you been awake?" Elizabeth asked softly.
"A few minutes. When did you get home?" Marshall asked.
"Last night. The kids will be by later. They're still sleeping and I didn't want to wake them. Eleanor stayed at the house last night to help," Elizabeth replied, walking towards the bed.
Marshall noted the way his mother's eyes scanned him. He knew she was looking to assess him herself.
"I'm fine, Mom." Marshall said.
"No, you're not. You will be, thankfully," she replied, kissing his cheek. "You scared Mary and me."
"How are the kids? How was Mary?" Marshall asked.
"Emily is doing well. They released her from the hospital yesterday. She has a bandage over the trach hole, but that should heal up in a couple of weeks. She still gets tired easily, but she was doing better than they had anticipated. Brennan seemed to perk up at her return. The child psychologist helped him talk about the shooting. Once all of you are home together, I think he'll be fine. He's already improved a lot. Mary's doing as well as can be expected under the circumstances. She hated not being able to have your back," Elizabeth replied.
"What aren't you telling me?" Marshall asked. He knew his Mom was holding something back.
"Nothing that you need to worry about. You need to concentrate on getting better," Elizabeth said.
"Mom," Marshall started.
"Stop picking on the woman, Doofus," Mary said.
"Then tell me," Marshall replied getting aggravated.
"Tone it down, buddy. I don't need your monitors going up and causing a fuss. I had some contractions before, but they stopped. No big deal. Eagle eyes one and two," Mary said pointing at his parents, "were making sure nothing happened. Although eagle eyes two seems to have fallen down on the job." Mary smiled at Ryder's sleeping form.
"He hasn't had a lot of sleep. You sure that you're okay?" Marshall asked.
Mary rolled her eyes. "Yes."
"Good Morning?" Ryder said sleepily.
"Good Morning, honey," Elizabeth greeted.
"Are you okay, Dad?" Marshall asked.
"I told you he wasn't going to remember anything from last night," Ryder said, looking at Mary.
Mary just stuck her tongue out at Ryder, who chuckled.
"I'm fine. You need to be more careful and stop scaring everyone or we're putting you into a bubble," Ryder said.
"What happened to Marta?" Marshall asked.
"I shot her," Ryder said before giving him the whole story.
"It's finally over, Marshall," Mary said grabbing a chair and moving it up to his bedside. "No more looking over your shoulder."
Marshall's eyes started to fill with tears that he'd held back for years. Mary held him while he broke down. Elizabeth took Ryder out of the room. Mary and Marshall needed some time alone to talk.
Marshall composed himself and pulled back from Mary. Swiping away the tears he looked into her face.
"I'm sorry. I just can't believe it's finally over. She can't hurt us anymore."
"Don't ever be sorry for your emotions, Marshall. You've kept so much of it bottled inside of you. You knew she'd come back, and you lived with that fear for a long time. I want you to talk to me about it when you're ready. It still has a grip on your heart. In some ways it always will because you lost your sister. Just promise me that you'll talk to me instead of keeping it bottled up. I hate seeing you hurt," Mary said wiping the stray tear that slid down Marshall's cheek.
"I promise. I love you. I missed you and the kids," Marshall said, pulling Mary's face closer.
Mary closed the gap and captured Marshall's lips in a passionate kiss.
"Yuck. Mommy's giving Daddy girl germs," Brennan said.
Mary and Marshall pulled apart laughing.
"Hey, buddy," Marshall said. "Hi, Emily."
Eleanor and Stan entered the room, each carrying one of the kids.
"Daddy, are you okay?" Brennan asked softly.
""I'm okay," Marshall answered, settling Brennan onto the bed next to him "I'd be even better if I could get a hug," Marshall said. Mary smiled as she took Emily from Eleanor.
"Missed you lots, Daddy," Brennan said, placing a kiss on Marshall's cheek before hugging him.
"I missed you too," Marshall held his son tightly before placing a kiss to his cheek. "How was your trip?"
Brennan told Marshall all about it with special enthusiasm for the airplane rides.
"Brennan, why don't you sit in Mommy's lap for a few minutes," Mary said, knowing Marshall needed to hold Emily too.
"Okay," he said sliding off the bed. Mary put Emily next to her Daddy.
"How's my Emmy Bear?" Marshall asked as Emily laid her head on his shoulder. Marshall held her tightly.
"Emily is doing very well," Mary answered watching her daughter smile at her father.
"Love you, Daddy," Emily said softly.
"I missed you all so much," Marshall said, choking up. Mary grasped his hand and squeezed it tightly.
"Grandpa!" Brennan called out excitedly as Marshall's parents, Stan and Eleanor returned. Squirming his way off Mary's lap, he ran to Ryder.
Emily's head lifted off of Marshall's shoulder at the sound of her brother's excitement.
"How's my Grandson?" Ryder asked, scooping Brennan into his arms. Brennan repeated what he had told Marshall.
Ryder noticed Emily sitting up with her hands out Setting Brennan down, he picked Emily up. Mary knew the three men needed to talk.
"Hi Grandpa!" Emily said as Ryder picked her up.
"Brennan, Emily, why don't we go with Grandma Elizabeth and Grandma Eleanor and see if we can get a doughnut from the cafeteria? Then on the way back, maybe we can find something with some color to brighten Daddy's room up," Mary said.
Both of her children's heads bobbed up and down in a definite yes.
"Don't wear him out on me," Mary said as they left the room.
"You're looking much better this morning, Marshall," Stan said.
"Thanks, Stan. She's really dead?" Marshall asked.
"Marta's dead, Marshall. She can't hurt anyone anymore. We need to debrief, so I can finishing writing up my report," Stan said.
/\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\
Eleanor and Elizabeth had been watching Mary since they sat down at one of the tables in the cafeteria. She'd been looking uncomfortable for over a half an hour now.
"What?" Mary asked, trying to hide her irritation in front of the kids.
"Funny, I was going to ask you the same question," Eleanor replied.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Mary asked.
"You're looking extremely uncomfortable," Eleanor replied.
Mary didn't want to say anything in front of the kids. Actually she didn't want to say anything at all. The contractions were back and she was hoping that they would go away.
"Of course I'm uncomfortable. I'm thirty five and a half weeks pregnant," Mary said.
They dropped the conversation until fifteen minutes later when Ryder joined them; Stan had remained in the room with Marshall.
"Grandpa, can you take the kids to go find something for their Dad while we have a talk with Mary?"
"Sure," Ryder said, knowing something was up. Elizabeth would tell him later.
The second Ryder and her grandkids were out of sight, Elizabeth glared at Mary.
"Have you been having contractions the entire time we've been here?"
Mary was trying to figure out how to deny it when a particularly strong one hit and she grasped the table. Her grip was so tight that her knuckles turned white.
"On that note, let's get you checked out," Eleanor said as her and Elizabeth both quickly got out of their chairs.
"I'm not having these children yet," Mary said through clenched teeth.
"The more the reason to see the doctor. Let's go," Elizabeth ordered.