XV

"We're back!" Rick called out as he lifted the front wheels of the stroller over the lip of the door jamb.

"Cannonball!" Chris shouted in the distance, poolside.

Rick smiled crookedly over his shoulder and turned to face Sleepy Gary and Jerry chopping veggies for the party tray, the last of the refreshments.

"Hi, Rick!" Jerry called out in an uncharacteristically cheerful tone, "Everyone else is out by the pool. Did you bring swim trunks? How was the walk?"

"Same as usual. Went around the block a few times, got in the saucer, landed. Circled that block, then made the next family member," Rick said holding out a spore in his hand, "Here she is. Or he. Who knows?"

"Thanks Rick we'll put it in the garbage right away!" Jerry grinned.

"Just as funny the ninth time," Rick muttered, turning away from Jerry, who was joyfully putting the latest family member in a jar with the vegetable peelings he and Sleepy Gary had collected on their matching cutting boards.

"I'll grab a plate of Macaroni and Cheese if any is left, but I have to get going. When does the move begin? I can offer some help with…" Rick clicked his cheek chk,chk and tapped the side of his portal gun.

Sleepy Gary beamed, "Thanks, Rick! That's a great idea, but we're all done except what's in the hotel. Jerry's all moved out. When you have 18 people, well, 17 with Bridget just watching, it doesn't take more than a day."

Rick's mouth twisted into a very slight frown, "I should have guessed. Sorry I didn't think of it earlier. Celeste made a triple batch so some has got to be left. We'll see you again?"

"Next week, like always," Rick said, exiting the hotel room.

Jerry resumed chopping vegetables but Sleep Gary stopped with knife in hand just staring at the closed door.

Jerry noticed and asked, "What's wrong?"

Sleepy Gary didn't answer for several seconds, then he shook his head and started peeling a cucumber, slowly replying, "Rick brought us another family member."

"Yeaaaaaah," slurred Jerry, now ceasing his food prep activities.

"Who's left to bring?" Gary looked over at his fiance.

"Um...Jerry," said, furrowing his brow, "Celeste, Chris, Toby, Bridget, Steve, Spike, um… ah! And the twins"

"Exactly. There's no one left," Sleepy Gary said, biting his lip some.

"No one left in…?"

"Our family. You, me, Morty, Summer, and the eight you just mentioned. There were twelve of us when Rick murdered our family."

"Yeah, and?" Jerry asked.

"You thought of eight family members you wish you had. Doofus Rick used those memories of our families that you imagined to make our family. Rick's been using those tubes to re-create them with our leftover spores."

"Yeah?" Jerry prodded.

"Jerry. Our family is finished. There were no more tubes." Sleepy Gary said gravely.

He picked up the jar of vegetable scraps with the pink cylinder nestled among them and shook it in front of Jerry's face, "Who's in this jar, Jerry?"