CHAPTER TEN

January 26th

21 weeks

"Good afternoon, Cat," Holly said as she walked into the flower shop.

"Hi, Mrs. Vega," Cat said as she looked up from a notebook.

"Watcha got goin' on?"

"Homework."

"You don't have study hall anymore?"

"Yeah, but this is from a class after study hall."

"Are you behind in anything?"

"I have a few chapters in English to catch up on but I plan on doing that when I get home if I don't get to it before my shift's over."

"Well, take tomorrow off. Get caught up."

"I don't need to take off work, I can -"

"Just take the day off, Cat."

Cat gave her a small smile. "Okay. Thank you."

"Have we gotten any orders today?"

"Yeah. Eisley Funeral Home ordered twelve bouquets for a veteran's 21 Salute. I think it might have been a relative, cause the guy that came in to order was pretty shaken. I almost cried myself."

"It's a sad thing, a funeral. Especially a vet funeral."

"Yeah. I was too little to remember my granddad's 21 Salute. I think I was two. I wish he was still here. I mean, not just for me, but he would've loved the baby."

"Everyone loves her, sweetheart," Holly said, kissing Cat's head. "What time did you get here?"

"Three. School got out at two today. Something about a teacher's meeting."

"Well, it's six right now," she said, looking at her watch. "Since you got here an hour early, you can leave at seven."

"I don't mind staying."

"I don't want you taking any hours more than necessary."

"I just sit here, Mrs. Vega. I don't overwork myself. The extra hours would come in handy. Like yanno, working weekends."

"Weekends are eight hours, not four."

"Yeah, I know. I need the hours, I'm saving up for a baby, Mrs. V. They aren't cheap."

Holly sighed. "How about we do a trial run next weekend. And then we'll see how you do."

"I'll be fine. I promise."

"I'll take your word for it for now," Holly said before making her way to the back.

"Thanks for the vote of confidence," Cat called after her. She turned her attention to the computer as she heard the bell on the door ring. "Welcome to Flower Power, how can I help you?" she asked before looking towards the door. "Oh. Hi, Trina."

"Hi. I need a favor," Trina said, leaning against the desk.

"You have to pay for the flowers here, you don't get them for free just because your mother works here."

"I know that, I know the rules. This isn't about flowers."

"What's it about then?"

"Homework."

"I'm not doing your homework for you. I'm your best friend's sister, not Sinjin. Ask him to do it."

"I just need the notes from Parsons' class, you greedy little gnome."

"Well, now my feelings are hurt."

"Do you have them or not, Valentine?"

Cat rolled her eyes. "Yeah. Gimme a minute," she said, carefully getting down from the stool she was sitting on. "Why didn't you just get them from April?"

"She doesn't have them either, that's why I need them from you."

"She's never gonna graduate," Cat muttered and she bent down to grab her backpack. "Oh my god!" she gasped, holding onto the stool.

"What? What happened?"

"Um..." she let out a small breath. "I just got a really sharp pain. I'm okay," she said, picking her backpack up and shuffling through it until she found the notes. "Here. I need them back tomorrow, they have to be turned in," she said as she handed them to Trina.

"I'll get them back to you. Have I ever been unreliable?"

"You left my sister at a party. Drunk. Full of guys that were hopped up on alcohol and drugs. So yeah, you're unreliable as hell."

"Ouch."

"The truth hurts," she said, putting her backpack back where it was. Cat let out a small grunt, leaning on the counter. "Jesus Christ..." she whispered.

"Are you okay?"

"I don't know."

"Mom!"

"I don't need your mom."

"What are you doing here, Trina?" Holly asked as she walked out of the back room.

"Something's going on with Cat."

"What's wrong?"

"I'm fine, I just got a cramp," Cat said.

"And less than two minutes ago she got a sharp pain," Trina said.

"Shut up, I'm fine."

"What does it feel like?" Holly asked.

"Like... period cramps. Cramps, you know. Tightening, that kinda thing."

"Can you stand up straight?"

"Nope. It hasn't gone away yet," she said, laying her head on the counter.

Holly placed her hand on Cat's stomach and pressed around for a few seconds. "You're having a contraction, Cat. Trina, go get your car pulled up front, take her stuff with you," Holly said, grabbing Cat's backpack and quickly putting her notebook in it before passing it to Trina.

"I can't have this baby right now, it's too early," Cat's voice cracked as Trina hurried outside.

"You're gonna be fine. It's normal, I promise. Brenda! I need you up front, I'm taking Cat to the hospital," she called out.

"Is everything okay?" A middle aged african american woman asked as she walked out of the back room.

"Cat's having contractions, I need you to take care of the desk. Can you clock Cat out at seven please?"

"Absolutely. Feel better, baby."

"Do you want me to call your mom?" Holly asked.

Cat nodded, letting out a muffled sob.

"Okay, alright. Don't cry honey, it's gonna be okay," she said, leading her out of the shop.

"That's stupid!" April exclaimed.

"No it's not, it makes total sense," Trina said.

"That's not what a sadist is, a sadist is someone that enjoys inflicting physical and / or emotional pain on others. So, I mean... Jade."

"Fuck you," Jade said.

"Watch your language, August," Grace said as she felt around on Cat's stomach. "Are you feeling any better, honey?"

Cat nodded. "Not much, but a little. They're not as strong, but they're still uncomfortable."

"Alright. If they do start feeling worse or you feel anything you think is weird, use and abuse that nurse call button."

"Felicia doesn't like me, she won't come."

"Well why are you sleeping with her then?" April asked.

"April Celine Valentine," Grace said. "You watch that tongue."

"Yeah, asshole," Cat said.

"Cat."

"What? I'm - I'm in pain and she's making fun of me!"

"Don't be a toddler. You two be nice to each other. Now, I called Nonna and she said she had to wait on someone to get a ride up here but that she'd be on her way. As soon as we get a full 12 hours of no signs of contractions you'll be released."

"Has anybody called Robbie?"

"I did, he said he'll be here soon," April said. "His mom was on her way home from work and you know how work traffic is, so she's gotta get home to pick him up and then come here."

"You don't think this means I'm gonna have the baby anytime soon, do you?"

"Not at all," Grace said. "This is your body preparing itself and you for labor. It feels like real labor, but it's false. Your cervix isn't dilated at all, so that's a good thing."

"Her water didn't break did it?" Trina asked. "Cause we came in my car. I don't want vagina water in my car."

"You're an idiot," April said. "She's not even dilated, of course her water didn't break. That would indicate she's in labor."

"Which I'm not," Cat said. "Stop throwing the L word around, I don't want any of you two-bits to jinx me."

"Excuse you," Jade said.

"Except you, you're not a two-bit, you're a three-bit."

"She could be an orbit," April said.

February 1st

22 weeks

"Nonna, I'm fine, please stop fussing," Cat said.

"I just want to make sure you're comfortable," Nonna said.

"I'm comfortable. I'm fine. I've been out of school and off work since I went to the hospital. I do nothing but sit here and play with the babies, I'm getting restless," Cat said, standing up from the couch as the baby Nonna was babysitting started crying.

"Sit down, I'll get him."

"No. I'll get him. I need to move around, I'm starting to forget how to walk," she said walking to the high chair. "You still have to pick Max and Chloe up from school. I'll be fine with Darby until you get back. April will be home from school soon, she can help me with him."

"Are you sure?"

"Nonna! I'll be alright, I have my phone. I'll call you if anything happens. I promise."

"Well, alright... I'll be back in about an hour, then."

A few minutes later, Cat was sitting on the couch with Darby, laughing as he babbled. "Is that so? That's a horrible thing to go through."

"Yo," April said as she walked into the apartment with a blonde girl in tow.

"Hey..." Cat said, scrunching her nose. "What the hell is that smell?"

"It's me."

"And me," the blonde said.

"Why? And who is she?" Cat asked.

"I got thrown in a garbage truck - don't ask. And this is Sam. She got me out of the truck."

"How do you get thrown in a garbage truck?"

"I said don't ask," she said, sitting next to Cat and taking Darby from her. "Hey, Darby. Sup, dude?"

"Your body odor. Give him back and go take a shower, you reek."

"Darby doesn't think so. Do ya, bud? I smell better than his dirty diapers do."

"C'mon, go take a shower. Gimme the kid."

April kissed Darby's cheek and handed him to Cat. "He smells. You should change him," she said before skipping out of the room.

"She's no help, is she, Mister?" Cat asked as she laid Darby on the couch. "No she's not. She's gonna be the reason Baby Shapiro ends up an evil little gremlin, isn't she?" she rambled, pulling a diaper bag out from under the coffee table. "So uh... Did you happen to see how my sister got thrown in the garbage truck?" she asked.

"Yeah, she was in a dumpster," Sam said.

"A dumpster..."

"Some kids lost their kitten. She climbed in to get it. Didn't get out in time and the truck just picked her up and tossed her in."

"Sounds like something I'd get myself into," she said with a giggle as she started changing Darby's diaper. "Oh my god, Darby... Nonna's gotta stop giving you food with lentils. Jesus..."

"Now, that is a ripe baby."

"Yeah. Just lovely," Cat said as she got Darby cleaned up and in a new diaper. She picked him up and walked to the kitchen, throwing the diaper in the trash can before sitting the baby on the counter and washing her hands quickly before drying them off and picking him back up. "Are you from LA?" she asked. "You look familiar," she said, grabbing a couple of water bottles from the fridge and walking back to the couch.

"No, I'm from Seattle, actually. I've been in LA before, though. Went to this really awesome party at Kenan Thompson's house."

"Oh!" Cat exclaimed. "That's where I know you from, you're Sam from iCarly!"

"That's me."

"I sang with you guys," she said, handing a water bottle to Sam.

"You know, you kinda look like someone I saw there. But she was kinda this little nerd that had some stupid headband on. Couldn't talk or something like that but man did she have some pipes on her."

Cat looked at her for a few seconds. "That little nerd was me. And I only had the headband on because it talked for me. I had nodes."

"Oh... well... in that case, you've got a great voice."

"Thanks... I think."

"So, you uh... got yourself a little baby issue, huh?"

"Baby issue?" she asked. Sam pointed to her stomach and she looked down. "Oh," she said, running her hand over her belly. "Yeah. It's uh... it's not my finest moment."

"Well, if you're both healthy, then that's all that matters."

"We are. Healthy as can be. Just young."

"Age doesn't define how good a parent you are. I mean, it did in my case, but. Not everyone's like that."

Cat looked at her. "You have a baby?"

"No, no. My mom had me when she was my age. She's not the best, but at least I have a mom. Sort of."

"What do you mean sort of?"

"She's absent. She lives with me. Or did, when I was in Seattle. But, she wasn't always nurturing or anything like that."

"Oh... I'm sorry to hear that. My mom was young, too. My age. That was with our brother, though. She was in her twenties when me and April were born. She's currently in Idaho with our brother, so she's not around at the moment, but she will be when she's able to come home with him."

"What's she in Idaho for?"

"Our brother Chris is mentally unstable. There's a facility in Idaho that thinks they're able to help him, and our mom went with him so he wouldn't be alone."

"So she left you and April alone instead?"

"No. She left us with Nonna. And she'll be back eventually. It's just... Chris is really bad. He doesn't understand right from wrong. He has no remorse. He doesn't have the right mindset. He's like... His brain is the brain of a four-year-old's. In a twenty-year-old's body. He's just really messed up. It's sad."

"Seems sad."

"Yeah... So uh... what are you doing all the way in Los Angeles?"

"Just wanted to see where my motorcycle could take me."

Cat's brows furrowed. "I thought the person controlled the motorcycle."