Mike and Carol never returned to the table. Except for Marcia, none of the others ate very much afterwards. When the meal was over, Jan and Cindy began to collect the dirty plates and silverware and take them into the kitchen.
Later, the family gathered in the living room for the tradition of exchanging gifts. Jan hadn't known whether she should get Ilya a separate present for Christmas or just one present for both Christmas and anniversary, so she'd gotten him a smaller present as well, just in case. Afterwards she was glad she had, as he seemed to really like the socks she'd bought him and had gotten a perfume for her as well.
Marcia's pregnancy wasn't mentioned for the rest of the day, but Ilya and Jan discussed it in bed that night.
"Remember how scared I was last year when I first found out I was pregnant?" Jan asked. "Marcia seems...well, almost happy about hers. That makes me wonder if she might have even let herself get pregnant on purpose."
"Perhaps she did," Ilya agreed. "But even if so, it is her business, is it not?"
"I'm not saying she shouldn't have," said Jan. "But you know what? I think being around Chelsea is what's made her want a baby of her own."
Ilya smiled. "It will be nice for two cousins to be close in age, will it not?"
"Well, yeah, I guess so." She went into his arms and drifted off to sleep there.
Nothing else was said about Marcia's pregnancy for the rest of the winter break. Wally also didn't seem to come around nearly as often as he had before, and when it ended, Greg returned to medical school and Ilya to college. Jan also signed up for two classes that both met on Tuesdays and Thursdays.
"I feel guilty for leaving Chelsea, but I'm just going crazy staying home all the time," she told Ilya. "I need something to keep my brain busy."
"I do not blame you at all," her husband replied. "Lianochka will be fine. Your mother and Alice will take good care of her."
Jan felt as if she'd been away from school for ages as she walked down the hallway on her first day back. Friends greeted her as they met up with her, asking lots of questions about Chelsea. She showed them baby pictures, and they all gushed about what an adorable baby her daughter was.
After her second class, Jan met Ilya in the parking lot, and they stopped by McDonald's for lunch before heading back home. Another young couple sat in the booth directly behind them. Jan's heart almost stopped when she realized that the boy was Wally, but the girl wasn't Marcia.
Ilya looked questioningly at his wife's shocked expression, and Jan motioned with her head toward Wally and the other girl. The couple were talking loudly enough that their conversation floated over to Ilya and Jan as they ate their food.
"So you see, I don't really feel like I have a choice in the matter," Wally was saying. "It sure isn't like I intended for this to happen. Heck, Marcia told me she was on the Pill!"
"Well, I'm sure gonna miss you, Wally." Wally's companion sounded very sad.
"Yeah," Wally agreed. "I'm gonna miss you too, but at least we have the memory of all the special times we've shared together. We'll always have those to treasure."
"Yeah. Somehow I just can't see you as a father, Wal."
"I sure never meant to be one at this age," Wally replied.
"So when are you guys getting married?"
"Marcia said her minister can do it the weekend after next. Hey, why don't you and me do something special together this weekend? That will be a nice way to end things. I'll tell Marcia I had to go out of town for a family emergency."
Jan and Ilya listened to the entire conversation without saying a word. Wally had never realized that they were there. Ilya slowly and quietly ate his lunch. Jan attempted to eat hers but found that she wasn't nearly as hungry as she'd thought she'd be. In the end, she wrapped most of her hamburger up to take home with her.
"What should I do?" Jan asked as soon as they were in the car and on the way home. "Marcia has the right to know, but I don't know how to tell her. It's just gonna break her heart when she finds out!"
"You must tell her before she marry him," Ilya replied. "Perhaps we could tell her together. Would that be easier for you?"
"Yeah, I think so." Relief flooded over Jan. She feared Marcia's reaction to her news and knew that she'd feel much braver with Ilya beside her.
When they reached the Brady home, Alice met them at the door with a smiling Chelsea. Jan felt her full breasts begin to throb, and the situation with Marcia and Wally was temporarily forgotten.
"She's been really good," Alice told Jan. "Ate her sweet potatoes without a complaint, but I think she's ready for something else now."
"Hey, sweetie!" Jan took her daughter into her arms and kissed her fuzzy head. "Did you miss Mama?"
Chelsea gurgled in reply. As Jan sat on the sofa and began to nurse her, a feeling of incredible peace came over her, and all her worries seemed to simply melt away.