ABBY'S POV
"Uh oh," Jack said, looking at Carter. "You gonna talk to her?"
Carter lifted his head off the table. "Yeah," he grumbled. "You coming with me?" he asked as he headed towards Annie's room.
"Me?"
"Yeah, you."
"Why? She's not mad at me," I said.
"I know," Carter said. "But she needs to know that just because Jessica didn't love her doesn't mean that . . .that she's unlovable or something."
I had no idea what he was talking about but I followed him into Annie's room anyway. "Hey, butter bean," Carter said. Annie was sitting on her bed, staring at a picture of Jessica.
"Why didn't she love me?" Annie asked.
Carter sat next to her. "I dunno," he said. "I don't think she liked kids very much."
Annie lifted her head. "But you said she loved me."
"I know," Carter said, pulling Annie onto his lap. "I didn't want you to feel bad."
"I feel bad now," she said. I sat down on the floor. I wanted to kill Jessica. And if she hadn't been already dead I would have. How could she not have loved her own daughter? How could she not have loved this wonderful little girl?
"But you shouldn't feel bad," Carter said. "Because I love you, Grandpa loves you, and Mim loves you."
"Nu-uh," Annie said.
"Yuh-uh," Carter replied.
"She never says it," Annie said. "You say it all the time." It was true; I hadn't ever told her that I loved her.
I held my arms out and Carter gave her to me. I pulled her close. "I love you," I said, cupping her face in my hands. "I love you so very, very much. Just because you don't call me mommy doesn't mean that I'm not your mother. I take care of you, I love you, and you are my little girl."
Annie snuggled up to me. "I love you, Mim," she said. "More than I love my real mommy."
I kissed the top of her head. "So don't worry about your mom," I said. "She didn't love you because of her, not because of anything you did. You are wonderful."
Jack appeared in the doorway. "Everything OK?"
Carter nodded. "Yeah, everything's fine."
"So what about you, Annie?" Jack asked, joining us on the floor. "Do you want the new baby to be a boy or a girl?"
"A girl," Annie said. "Boys are yucky."
I laughed. "You won't always feel that way," I said.
"Yes you will!" Carter cried out. "Boys are horrible! You hate boys. Never talk to a boy. Never even look at a boy!"
Annie giggled. "But Daddy, you're a boy!"
********************************
"How's the baby doing?" Carter asked, kissing my lips and then my stomach.
I was on the verge of tears. "I'm done being pregnant," I said. "I'm ready to get this thing outta me." I was lying in the OB-GYN's office, waiting for another pre-natal exam. The doctor came in and started doing the ultra-sound.
"You're thirty weeks, is that right?" I nodded. "That's odd," he muttered.
"What's odd?" Carter asked.
"Well, I didn't notice before. I guess the heartbeats must have been in sync." The doctor scratched his head.
"I'm sorry," I said. "But I have no idea what you're talking about."
"There are two babies," he said. "Twins."
I looked up at Carter. "Twins?" I said. Then I broke into a smile.
"Two for the price of one," Carter said, smiling back.
I rubbed my stomach. "No wonder I got so big," I said. I looked up at the doctor. "Everything looks OK, right?" I asked.
He nodded. "Everything is completely fine."
Suddenly Carter groaned. "What's wrong?" I asked.
"We won't all fit in our apartment," he said. "Which means we have to go house hunting."
"I'll leave that up to you," I said, sitting up. "I don't feel like carting this weight all over Chicago."
Response to reviews -
Hyperpiper91 - Yay! Me like too.
Carbybubbles - Annie's a sweetheart.
Kayla - TONIGHT IS ER!!!!!!!! YAY!
Vkh214 - You're right, everyone eavesdrops. Especially little kids who don't know any better. I'm flattered that you wrote your longest review for me.
"Uh oh," Jack said, looking at Carter. "You gonna talk to her?"
Carter lifted his head off the table. "Yeah," he grumbled. "You coming with me?" he asked as he headed towards Annie's room.
"Me?"
"Yeah, you."
"Why? She's not mad at me," I said.
"I know," Carter said. "But she needs to know that just because Jessica didn't love her doesn't mean that . . .that she's unlovable or something."
I had no idea what he was talking about but I followed him into Annie's room anyway. "Hey, butter bean," Carter said. Annie was sitting on her bed, staring at a picture of Jessica.
"Why didn't she love me?" Annie asked.
Carter sat next to her. "I dunno," he said. "I don't think she liked kids very much."
Annie lifted her head. "But you said she loved me."
"I know," Carter said, pulling Annie onto his lap. "I didn't want you to feel bad."
"I feel bad now," she said. I sat down on the floor. I wanted to kill Jessica. And if she hadn't been already dead I would have. How could she not have loved her own daughter? How could she not have loved this wonderful little girl?
"But you shouldn't feel bad," Carter said. "Because I love you, Grandpa loves you, and Mim loves you."
"Nu-uh," Annie said.
"Yuh-uh," Carter replied.
"She never says it," Annie said. "You say it all the time." It was true; I hadn't ever told her that I loved her.
I held my arms out and Carter gave her to me. I pulled her close. "I love you," I said, cupping her face in my hands. "I love you so very, very much. Just because you don't call me mommy doesn't mean that I'm not your mother. I take care of you, I love you, and you are my little girl."
Annie snuggled up to me. "I love you, Mim," she said. "More than I love my real mommy."
I kissed the top of her head. "So don't worry about your mom," I said. "She didn't love you because of her, not because of anything you did. You are wonderful."
Jack appeared in the doorway. "Everything OK?"
Carter nodded. "Yeah, everything's fine."
"So what about you, Annie?" Jack asked, joining us on the floor. "Do you want the new baby to be a boy or a girl?"
"A girl," Annie said. "Boys are yucky."
I laughed. "You won't always feel that way," I said.
"Yes you will!" Carter cried out. "Boys are horrible! You hate boys. Never talk to a boy. Never even look at a boy!"
Annie giggled. "But Daddy, you're a boy!"
********************************
"How's the baby doing?" Carter asked, kissing my lips and then my stomach.
I was on the verge of tears. "I'm done being pregnant," I said. "I'm ready to get this thing outta me." I was lying in the OB-GYN's office, waiting for another pre-natal exam. The doctor came in and started doing the ultra-sound.
"You're thirty weeks, is that right?" I nodded. "That's odd," he muttered.
"What's odd?" Carter asked.
"Well, I didn't notice before. I guess the heartbeats must have been in sync." The doctor scratched his head.
"I'm sorry," I said. "But I have no idea what you're talking about."
"There are two babies," he said. "Twins."
I looked up at Carter. "Twins?" I said. Then I broke into a smile.
"Two for the price of one," Carter said, smiling back.
I rubbed my stomach. "No wonder I got so big," I said. I looked up at the doctor. "Everything looks OK, right?" I asked.
He nodded. "Everything is completely fine."
Suddenly Carter groaned. "What's wrong?" I asked.
"We won't all fit in our apartment," he said. "Which means we have to go house hunting."
"I'll leave that up to you," I said, sitting up. "I don't feel like carting this weight all over Chicago."
Response to reviews -
Hyperpiper91 - Yay! Me like too.
Carbybubbles - Annie's a sweetheart.
Kayla - TONIGHT IS ER!!!!!!!! YAY!
Vkh214 - You're right, everyone eavesdrops. Especially little kids who don't know any better. I'm flattered that you wrote your longest review for me.
