See chapter one for disclaimer. I also don't own chuck e. cheese or Asprin.
A/N: Hey! Thanks for the reviews! I'm glad that you found humor in the last chapter as I did. As usual, please review when you're done!
Sunrise
Chapter 8: Second Thoughts
Anna Camden sighed sadly as she walked out of the salon that she styled hair at. Because of her pregnancy, she had to quit. The chemicals used in there could harm the babies, and that was something she wasn't going to risk. She brushed back a tear as she climbed into her car. All of her friends worked there. Her job had become her life and she loved it. Now that she and David had babies on the way, everything was changing all too quickly. This was why they weren't trying yet…they weren't ready to be parents. Especially not to twins! Anna turned the key and the car started up. She backed up and pulled out of the parking lot.
Lucy Kinkirk glanced at the clock when she heard her doorbell ring. 11:03. Who could be at the door? She picked up Riley and walked to the door. When she opened it, she saw her sister-in-law, Anna, standing out side the door with a tear-streaked face. Lucy frowned, worried, and reached out to embrace her.
"Anna! What's going on? Come in." She stepped aside so Anna could enter. "It's Riley's nap time…I'll go put her down, and then we can talk, all right?" Anna nodded and Lucy started down the hall. She kissed her baby on the forehead and put her in her crib. After crying for a few minutes, Riley curled up on her side, holding her Blankie, and shut her eyes. Lucy walked out into the entry way and took Anna by the hand, leading her to the sofa in their living room. After they sat down, Lucy looked at her sister-in-law, concerned. "What's wrong?" She asked. Anna sighed deeply.
"Lucy, I can't do this." She said.
"Can't do what?" She asked.
"This." Anna held her stomach. "Dave and I weren't trying for kids, and that was for a reason! We're not ready for this! I don't want everything to change!" She cried. "How do you do it? I mean, you're this amazing mother with four perfect daughters, you always seem so calm and collected, you're super mom!" Lucy had to laugh.
"Me? Super mom? Think again." She said. "I'm definitely not perfect. Taking care of four kids is a major challenge, and I'm not always great at it. I lose my temper with my kids like anyone else does. Some days, I just have to focus on making it through. And my daughters aren't perfect." She laughed again. "Trust me. Now, Anna, I know that you and David weren't exactly planning on a baby, but you can do this.When I was first pregnant with Meg, I went through the same thing that you're going through. I just really started freaking out, because like you and David, Kev and I definitely weren't trying for kids yet. And then I went through the same thing again when I was pregnant with Mia and Emily because they were twins. The only pregnancy I've been sane through was with Riley, since I was finally used to it. Every woman goes through this, Anna, it's going to be OK." She reached out and hugged her. "Now, didn't you have a doctor appointment a few days ago? Did you find out if you're having a boy or a girl?" Anna smiled and nodded. "Well?" She laughed.
"Actually, Lucy…" She paused. "We're following in Annie and yours tradition. We're having twins." Lucy's jaw dropped and she hugged her again.
"Man! Your first are twins! You have a double case of panic then!" She smiled at her apologetically. "Are they girls or boys?"
"One of each." Anna answered. "The boy's name is Connor David, and the girl's is Avery Sophia."
"Oh my goodness! Those names are so adorable." Lucy told her. "I can't believe that you're having twins!"
"Yeah, we can't either. Luce…what is it like?"
"Well, I'm not going to lie to you. Having one new born is hard enough, and having two is exhausting. But you know what? They're also twice as fun. You get to experience two first words, two sets of first steps, two first teeth…and they will always have someone to play with." She reached out and took Anna's hands in her own. "Don't worry. David will be there for you, and so will I, and Kevin, and of course Annie and Eric. We know what it's like to have twins, and would be more than happy to help you. You can do this." She reassured her. Anna smiled.
"Thanks Luce. Really. I appreciate this."
"It's no problem. When are the babies due?" Lucy asked.
"August 11th." She answered. Lucy's eyes widened.
"Wow! Four months from tomorrow!" She exclaimed.
"Really?" Anna asked. "Wow, I hadn't thought of that. Is it already April 10th?" She asked. Lucy nodded. "Well, I guess time flies when you're…carrying twins…" They laughed. Their conversation was interrupted when they heard Riley crying loudly. They stood up. "I'll let you go." Anna told her. "Looks like you're needed. Thanks for calming me down, Lucy. You're awesome." Lucy smiled at her sister-in-law and hugged her again.
"Any time. If you have any more questions or need anything, you can call me. I don't care if it's three in the morning. And of course you're always welcome here." They smiled at each other, and Anna left as Lucy started down the hall to get Riley. She glanced at the clock. Riley had only been down for thirty minutes. She reached into the crib and picked up the baby. She carried her over to the rocking chair and sat down. She began to rock slowly back and forth, talking quietly to Riley. "Go back to sleep, little one." She said sweetly, and slowly, the baby drifted back off to dream land.
Sarah Camden smiled at Mary as she rounded the corner at Chuck E. Cheese's. Mary had called to see if Sarah would like to meet she and Charlie up there to play. As soon as they got through the entrance, Trevor and Jared took of into the climbing tubes with Charlie. Sarah laughed and walked over to the table where Mary was seated. They greeted each other as Sarah sat down.
"So, did Anna and David tell you the god news?" Mary asked with a smile. Sarah frowned, confused.
"Well, they told us they're pregnant…is there something else going on?" She asked. Mary smiled and nodded.
"They had a doctor appointment a few days ago, and they found out they're having twins! A girl and a boy."
"Oh my gosh!" Sarah cried. "That's so awesome! I bet they're excited. I remember when Lucy and Kevin had their girls. It was so much fun."
"Yeah, they're nervous, but excited. Have you seen Anna lately? She's five months along, today, but she's about as big as I was at like late 6 months, or even early 7. I remember that Lucy was pretty big too with Mia and Emily, but I don't think she was quite this big. Just imagine what she'll look like when she's in her 9th month!" The women laughed.
"She'll have a watermelon of a stomach!" Sarah said with a smile. "That's sweet. I bet those babies will be absolutely beautiful. They have gorgeous parents. Mary agreed. They called their children over when the pizza arrived, and they all dug into their lunch.
Ruthie Petrowski tried with slow success to lift her four year old daughter Allison up using only one arm. She had been trying to learn to function with out her left arm since the accident. With a cast on, it was hard to do a lot of things that she would have normally taken for granted. Her cast would be coming of next week, and she was definitely looking forward to it. It was hard enough to take care of a four and five year old with two hands, let alone one. Plus, since the accident, she had been forced to put horse riding lessons on a hold, which meant that they had a single income. They had to make a few changes, but things were still working out. Regardless, Ruthie was looking forward to getting back to normal life. Finally, after three minutes of trying, she hoisted Allison onto her hip.
"You're getting heavy!" She said with a laugh. The child smiled triumphantly and nodded. Ruthie carried her over to the table where her brother was already sitting, eating his dinner. As Ruthie began to try and sit her down, she began to scream loudly.
"No mamma! I won't sit alone! I wanna sit on your lap!" Ruthie rolled her eyes.
"Not tonight Allie." She told her. "Mommy needs to make herself dinner. You need to be a big girl and eat by yourself." She again tried to put her daughter down, but was met with bloody murder shrieks. She continued to lower her to the ground and Allison began a complete temper tantrum. She began to kick and scream, refusing to let her feet touch the ground. "Allison Jennifer Petrowski! Put your feet down right now!" She cried sternly. The girl continued to fight. Just then, Peter walked in the door. He saw what was going on in the kitchen and started over towards his struggling wife and daughter. He grabbed Allison's arms and pulled her off of Ruthie, then sat her down on the ground. She continued in her tantrum, but Peter looked at her very sternly.
"Allison Jennifer Petrowski!" He said angrily. "You stop this right now."
"No!" Allison shrieked and bit her father's hand. Peter raised his eye brows.
"That's enough, young lady." He picked her up and carried her into her room. He put her down on her bed and gripped her shoulders tightly. "I said that's enough. Cut it out." Allison folded her arms angrily across her chest and frowned at Peter, finally stopping her screaming. Peter shook his head. "Mom and I will not put up with you acting like that. Do you understand me?" She didn't budge. "All right then. I guess you need a time out. You will sit here on your bed while Mommy, Cameron and I eat our dinners. You're only allowed to come out when mommy or I come and get you, and then you will get your dinner." He stood up and as he walked through the door, she started her fit again.
"I want dinner now!" She screamed.
"We'll come and get you when we're done eating." He told her and shut her door behind him. As he walked back into the kitchen, he could hear her continuing to scream. Ruthie stood next to the table rubbing her arm around her cast. "Are you all right?" Peter asked worriedly. Ruthie nodded.
"Yeah, I'm fine. Allie just pulled on my wrist kind of hard, now it's hurting." Peter walked over to the medicine cabinet and got his wife some Asprin, which she took gratefully. With that, they sat down and ate as a family of three, noticing that Allison had thankfully quieted down.
A/N: Hey! I hope that you like this! I wrote it all in one shot, which is pretty rare for me. Don't forget to review, please!
