If Elaine is surprised by the scene that the door has revealed, Gail holding a little baby with a spit-up cloth resting on her shoulder, she doesn't show it. Elaine looks her daughter up and down and says, "okay dear, you've had your fun, it's time to stop playing house."

Gail opens her mouth then closes it, she hears Holly padding down the stairs, "Gail, honey, who's at the door?" No answer. "Please invite them in; the baby's not dressed to be outside."

Gail steps aside to usher her mother into the house, Elaine enters. Holly dressed in a house coat comes to stand next to Gail, Gail gestures to her mom, "Holly this is my mother, mom this is Holly."

Holly knows who Elaine is, she has met her a handful of times at the lab, she has yet to have a pleasant experience with her, maybe this time will be different… "Please take a seat," offers Holly, ushering Elaine into the family room area.

Gail follows them, still cradling little Gilbert, she takes a seat on the couch while her mom sits in the comfy chair. Holly walks into the kitchen and calls out, "I'm making coffee, want some?"

Gail yells back, "yes please."

Elaine decides now's her chance to talk to Gail, to help her see her future, "what are you doing here Gail?"

"What do you mean?" Gail tickles under Gil's chin, which gets a small smile, "you're a happy baby, aren't you?"

"Come on Gail, look at me, you don't know what you are doing, what you're getting yourself into. This is not what you want."

"Mom," Gail starts to say.

Holly enters the room with a coffee for Gail. She sniffs and scrunches up her face, "Gail pass me the baby, something stinks."

"Oh," says Gail, "I thought it was the bull shit my mom was saying."

Holly laughs as she picks up Gilbert, "your mom is funny," she says to the baby. She goes upstairs to change his diaper.

"Mom, I love Holly, and I love the life we are creating. Sure we met in bizarre circumstances but we made it work, and we continue to make it work. And I love that little baby; he puts a smile on my face." Gail pauses, she doesn't understand why she has to explain herself, what's it matter what she does with her life, it's her life, she should be able to make the decisions. Elaine remains quiet, still staring at her daughter. Gail takes this as a good sign and continues, "Holly put my name on Gilbert's hospital papers."

"What?" asks Elaine. "His hospital papers? You do realize what this means Gail."

"Of course I do." Gail pauses again, "do you realize what this means?" She waits a second, letting the information sink in, letting her mom figure it out, but Gail spells it out anyways, "I'm his mom, or going to be, I don't know how that officially works, but if I'm his mom, that makes you his-"

"Grandmother," Elaine says, she slumps backwards into her chair. "His grandmother," she repeats. "Wow."

Gail has never seen her mother like this, completely caught off guard, not expecting any of what has happened. Elaine came over today to convince Gail to not to do what she's doing but instead-

"My first grandchild," says Elaine, still shocked.

Holly walks back down the stairs with a fresh smelling Gilbert in her arms, "I forgot my coffee in the other room," she says. She passes the baby back to Gail, "I'm going to make toast, want some?"

"Yes, thanks," says Gail. Holly leans down to give both Gail and Gil a kiss.

Elaine observes this whole situation. Holly walks back into the kitchen. "I'm so sorry Gail."

Gail shrugs her shoulders, happy to be holding Gilbert again, giving her a distraction. Not having to look at her mom, giving her confidence with the baby in her arms, knowing that this is what she wants, not whatever life her mother had planned for her. Gail wants the life that she has chosen and will continue to choose.

"Can I, I mean, is it okay if I could hold him?" Elaine asks timidly.

Gail smiles, she stands up and walks over to her mom, she sits on the coffee table and gently passes Gilbert over, "careful," says Gail, "he's only a month old." Gail warns her mother even though she would obviously know how to hold a baby.

Elaine completely ignores her daughter's little jab, she smiles as she holds the baby, "mhmm," she says, "he still has that new baby smell."

Gail talking to the baby, "Gilbert this is my mom, mom this is Gilbert, my son." Gail can't help but smile, smile at all of this, this life that she never knew she wanted but now she has. Holly walks back into the family room with the toast all peanut buttered up; she sits on the couch and starts munching.

"Hello Gilbert," says Elaine, "I'm Elaine, but you can call me Grandma," she looks at Holly for permission, "can he call me Grandma?"

Holly looks at Gail who is still smiling. Holly nods her head 'yes.' She says, "my brother has a kid and he calls my mom Nana, mom goes by Nana if that's what you're worried about, so you can be Grandma if you want." Gail smiles over at Holly, whether it was Holly's explanation or just the situation, Holly doesn't know, but smiles back at Gail.

"I want," says Elaine who looks back down at Gilbert.

Gail stands up to sit next to Holly; she grabs a piece of toast and her coffee, "this is weird."

"No it's not," says Holly. She leans her head against Gail's shoulder. "I love you," she whispers.

"I love you."


Elaine continues to hold Gilbert, who's just happy lying in her arms. The three ladies have been talking about Gail and Holly's time in Moonbeam and what's been happening in Toronto while they've been away. Gilbert's losing the fight to sleep, Elaine watches as his little eyes finally close and he goes all limp in her arms. She smiles and looks at the two women on the couch who are practically asleep too. She says, "he's asleep."

Holly stands up to pick him up and take him to his crib.

Before Holly leaves Elaine asks, "can I come visit again?"

"Of course," says Holly. She has her baby in her arms, "actually, my parents are coming down next week, if you want to come meet them, just call Gail later in the week for some details, I'm going upstairs, I'm putting him down for a nap, and then I'm taking a nap."

"It was nice to meet you Holly," says Elaine, who can't see Holly roll her eyes, even though they have met each other before.

Gail stands up to, Elaine walks to the coat rack where she left her coat, "I should get going, let you sleep. That's what I did when you and Steve were born, when you slept I slept."

"Thanks mom." Gail feels weird, she shouldn't feel weird, it is her mom, but it's weird, "thanks for stopping by."

Elaine slightly nervous but has to ask, "Is it okay if I bring your father next time?"

Gail nods her head.

"Okay," says Elaine as she opens the door, "I'll see you at work or next week, whatever comes first."

Gail shuts and locks the door, she turns around and rests against, "that was weird, I don't care what Holly says, I've never seen mom like that." She reminds herself to call Steve later.


Gail goes into her and Holly's room; she turns on a bedside lamp, walks to the window to shut the blackout curtains. She moves around to her side of the bed and pulls back the covers, as soon as she lies down she sighs, happy and content to be under those layers of sheets. Best part about the winter months is the cold outside and the warm inside, she smiles to herself as she gets completely warm under the covers. Maybe too many layers with her sweatpants on, she shimmies them off and throws them onto the floor just as Holly emerges from the washroom. Holly smirks, "think you're going to get lucky?"

"What do you mean 'going to get'? I am lucky, I have you and Gilbert," Gail wiggles down into the covers, finding the perfect spot for her early afternoon nap.

"Aww, that's sweet," smiles Holly.

"Shhhh Holly," Gail says with her eyes closed, "you can't take anything I've said seriously because I'm essentially asleep."

Holly laughs and joins Gail, ready for a nap.


To the guest that wanted Gail to slam the door in Elaine's face, that would have been fun but you're too late, several others asked for Elaine to be nice about it, to be cool with the situation, so that's what happened. I do read your comments/ideas and I do use them to shape this story, sometimes it takes me a while to incorporate them, but I do eventually try to use them, like adding twins, maybe.

Thanks for reading