"You all managed to take a nap while we work?" Bruce said as he shook Penelope's shoulder. She glared up at him as she tried to turn onto her side, only to realise that Erin and Karen were curled up on her, Erin's arm protectively wrapped around the two of them. Raising her head, she saw that Tabitha was curled up like a cat, her head pillowed on her arms.
"Sometimes, sleep is the only thing that can cure a soul's ills," she murmured before letting her head thump back onto the pillow. "Care to help me out here?"
"Yeah," he replied, ambling over to the bed and reaching out to tickle Tabitha's bare feet. She kicked out at him before curling up tightly once more, a tired groan slipping from her lips. Bruce winked at Penelope before once more tickling Tabitha, not letting up until she had bolted upright, a high-pitched shriek spilling from her lips as she popped off the bed and began to smack her brother's shoulders.
"Bruce Alexander Strauss! You know that you're not supposed to tickle me!" she said, not bothering to modulate her voice to an indoor tone, and Penelope giggled as she felt Erin and Karen stir next to her.
"Tabby, are you fighting with Bruce, again?" Karen grumbled as she sat up, rubbing her eyes free of sleep sand. "Honestly, I would have expected you to grow out of this by now."
Erin chuckled a little as she rose gracefully to sit up, scooting back against the headboard as she looked between them all. "Ask your Aunt Liz how long it took for us to finally get along, and I can guarantee that the answer you get will surprise you." She looked at Penelope, before leaning in the touching their foreheads together. "Now, you three run along down to the dining room and make certain the table is set and that our glasses are filled with water. Penny and I will be along shortly."
They all nodded and scurried from the room as Penelope took a few deep breaths. "I hope there's time to change," she said lowly, seeing that she was the only one still in her funeral outfit.
"Supper won't start until we get down there, darling," Erin responded as she stroked her hair a few times. "I hope my daughters didn't bother you too much. I know that this day has been a trial for you, and that I can't always be there to hold your hand, but I've always been a bit of a helicopter parent."
"You? Never," Penelope scoffed as she got out of the bed and padded over to her closet, pulling out a fresh dress. Not bothering to step behind a door, she shucked off her black dress before tugging the fresh one on, smoothing it down her body before moving to the mirror above the dresser and carding her fingers through her hair to somewhat tame it. "All right, there's no point in freshening up my makeup, you've all seen me without it, anyway, and I don't want to hold up the meal any longer."
"The meal will wait as long as you need, Penelope."
She gave a fleeting smile to her mother as she shrugged a little, coming over to her side and clasping her hand as they started downstairs. Since they were last to the table, there were only two seats open, and she took the one closest to Derek, noticing instantly that Tabitha had chosen to sit on his other side. "It took you long enough to get here! I was about ready to start gnawing on this brick of chocolate next to me," the girl teased, and Penelope listened to Erin gasp a little as they both took a seat.
"He's not as young as you think, and you are nowhere near as old as you think, Tabitha," Erin said, fixing a steely gaze on Tabitha. Penelope watched her half-sister's face turn a deep red as she nodded, and Penelope took a quick sip of water to quell her giggles. "Now, David, if you would say the blessing?"
He nodded, and Penelope watched as they all clasped hands, and she followed suit. It was a marked difference to the meal that she had shared with Erin's ex and she found herself grateful that she could see how much better Dave was for Erin. A small smile slipped across her face as she took hold of Derek and Erin's hands, listening to Dave say a quick prayer before starting to pass around the dishes on the table.
Somehow, they had managed to make her favorites, and she knew that that had to be Derek's input, since he knew her the best of the three adults. Glancing over at him, she felt another sigh slip from her lips as she filled her plate. Even though this was her ideal meal, she found that her appetite was still lacking, but she kept chipping away at it, knowing that she needed to eat.
As she continued to pick at her food, she listened to Erin clear her throat, and she glanced over at her mother, seeing the serious look on her face. "Yeah?" she asked, hating the way trepidation clouded her voice.
"I was thinking about this, and I know that your pregnancy will be higher risk, given your age and the fact that you were shot in your abdomen a few years ago. I have the room here, obviously, and since David and I aren't planning on moving in together until Tabitha has graduated from high school, this would be a stable place for you. I want you to move in here with us."
There was a cool logic to her words, but Penelope could tell that she was absolutely nervous about asking her that, as if she was afraid that Penelope would say no. And a part of her really did want to say no, that she would be fine on her own, visiting occasionally, but she looked around the table at her siblings and found that there was really only one answer that she could give her mother. Before she could answer, though, Derek nudged her gently with his elbow, and she looked over at him, frowning a little.
"I think that you should listen to your mother, Penelope."
"Oh?" she asked, arching one eyebrow, trying to emulate Erin perfectly.
"Yeah, she's right in this case. You need your family close at hand, especially since your stepbrothers live all over the country, and we're not home enough to take care of you, should something happen with the pregnancy. She has your best interest at heart."
She tried not to let her face soften into a smile, but one corner twitched tellingly, and Derek shook his head a little before reaching out to smack her shoulder lightly. "If you hadn't interrupted me, Der, I would have told you that I totally agree with my mother. I need time to get to know these siblings, and I want to spend these days with my mother, since she should be able to tell me what to expect. Kevin was already watching birthing videos and all that, trying to get ready. Where else am I going to find someone who will do that for us?"
"You never know, that person could be in the last place you look, Penelope," Bruce said. She looked over at him, noticing the almost knowing smirk on his lips that told her he was so Erin's child, and she frowned a little at him. "We'll just have to see what God has in store for us all, right?"
"Yeah," she said slowly, drawing the word out as she looked over at Erin. Her mother looked cautiously joyous, and Penelope slipped her hand off the table to grab for her hand, squeezing it a little as they both drew in a deep breath. "If you want me here, I suppose that I could stay. I'll just need some help bringing over some more of my things. Because I'm going to need my clothes, and jewelry, and makeup…"
"Ooh, we could do that this weekend! I mean, unless Karen and Bruce actually want to go to Dad's. I, for one, am completely okay with skipping this week so that we get to spend more time with Penelope!"
"If only it worked that way, Tabby. You'll need to call your father and ask if that will be all right. I don't want him to overreact to yet another change in our lives."
Tabitha nodded, a small pout on her lips as she slumped down in her seat, instantly starting to pick at her food as well. "I guess I don't get why he gets to run our lives, when he was the one that fucked around."
"Tabitha, language."
"I know, Mom, but it's true! I thought that we could use strong language when that was true."
"You are skirting a very fine line, and you know it, young lady." Tabitha shrugged before glancing at her siblings, ending with Penelope. "You know that your father has a temper." Erin reached up and touched her cheek lightly, and Penelope nodded in sympathy as she set her fork aside, reaching out to grab her water and sip at it. "But yes, if everything works out, we will use Saturday to bring over all the things Penelope will need for the next seven months with us. Though at some point, we're going to have to go shopping for maternity clothes, and baby paraphernalia, and all the wonderful stuff that goes along with adding a new life to the world. Along with finding a new home for them."
Penelope felt a warm wave of love sweep over her heart as she looked around at the people she considered dearest to her in that moment, and she knew that no matter what came next, she would always be surrounded by those she loved.