Misty twisted the wadded up tissue in her hands. She wiped tears from her eyes. She and Craig were going to have their baby. One way or another.
She was on her way over to Paige's (via subway) where she was going to "save" her from her three kids while her husband Matt was at a teaching conference. They of course, would leave the girls (all ranging from 9-3), while Misty and Paige met up with Hazel, Alex, and Ellie at their bar (it was called "their" bar because they were there every weekend at their usual table).
Misty got off the subway and walked the block to Paige's house and stepped over the tricycles and a new pink bike with training wheels.
"Girls! Settle down!" Paige was screaming from inside the house over the squeals of little girls. "Nan, don't hang on that. Quinn, let go of Dakota's hair. Quinn! Nancy! Dakota, stop screaming."
Misty rapped on the door.
"I'll get it!" came Nancy's nine-year-old energetic voice.
Before Paige could object or say anything else Nancy had thrown the door open. "Misty!" she exclaimed, throwing herself at Misty's knees. A chorus of "Misty" (well, "Missy" from Dakota) erupted from in the house followed by little feet and before Misty knew what was happening three little girls were clung to her legs.
Paige sighed walking over to Misty. "Thank God," she said. She had her hair in a messy ponytail. "Come in."
Misty trudged in with the three girls on her legs. "God, Paige you look like shit," she said.
"I feel like it," she replied. "I'll be ready in a minute. We'll leave once Dylan gets hear."
"Of course," Misty said. She looked around the house. There were clothes that looked like they had once been neatly folded but were now all over the living room and the sink was full of dishes.
"This house was clean," Paige said. "Hon, if you don't mind could you fold those clothes for me again?"
"No problem," Misty replied, she picked up a pair of Matt's boxers and blushing she threw them in the clothes hamper. They were the gag pair that Paige had gotten him for Valentine's Day with the big red hearts and lips all over them.
By the time Misty was finished folding clothes Dylan had arrived and Paige emerged from her bedroom after a quick shower with her blond hair in loose waves and a black dress. Her make-up was perfect, making her look like the old Paige.
"You have my cell number," Paige said, looking at Dylan who nodded and battled with his little nieces. "Um…Matt's in a conference and his hotel number is by the phone and…"
"Paige, shut up and get the hell out of here, will you?" Dylan asked, pointing to the door.
"Thanks, Dyl. You're a doll," she said, walking over and kissing her brother on the cheek and turning and walking out with Misty.
"The usual round for you girls?" Bud, the bartender asked.
"Yeah," Alex said. Bud smiled and she rolled her eyes as he walked away.
"Alex, be nice," Ellie, said. "He's your brother-in-law, he gets us free beer."
Alex shrugged. "It doesn't mean I really have to be nice to him."
Bud brought the round for them and Paige held up her glass. "Let's get so wasted tonight that Alex will perform 'Hit Me Baby (One More Time)' on karaoke."
"I'll never get that wasted," Alex said.
"You said that the last time when you jumped on stage and sang 'Genie in the Bottle'," Hazel said, laughing.
"We swore that we would never repeat that," Alex said, pointing a finger at her.
"I thought we swore that we would never repeat the time you danced on the table with your panties on your head," Misty said.
"That wasn't me," Alex said. They looked over at Paige who was twisting her hair around her finger.
"What?" she asked. "We were in college. Drugs were also involved."
"Yeah, yeah, yeah," Alex replied. "Let's toast to something."
"To our health," Hazel suggested.
"We always toast that," Paige said.
"I have it," Misty said, picking up her glass. "To the kids. If it wasn't for them we wouldn't be needing to get drunk off our asses on the weekend."
"To the kids," the others said, laughing and then downing their drinks while Alex waved Bud over for another round.
"So what's going on?" Hazel asked.
Paige went on and on about Matt being away; Ellie talked about Maya learning a word from Uncle Tracker and she and Sean trying to break her of it; Hazel talked about the girls' recital coming up ("You guys are coming right?"), and Alex talked about getting another beer.
"Misty?" Paige asked. "You?"
"I took a pregnancy test this morning," she said. She bit her bottom lip. "I'm not pregnant."
"Oh, Honey," Paige said. She reached over and put her arm around her. "It'll be ok. You and Craig will have a baby. But be happy with the two you've got and hope that Kerry goes through the terrible two's fast."
Misty looked at her and then smiled and finally burst out laughing.
A couple of rounds later Alex was on the stage singing Lady Marmalade with Hazel, Ellie, and Paige, while Misty went to call Craig.
Craig was lifting Kerry out of the tub when the phone rang. He picked up the cordless beside him. "Hello?" he asked, moving his head trying to prevent Kerry from taking the phone from him.
"Mama," Kerry said.
"Yeah, it's Mama," Misty replied.
Craig smiled. "What's up?" he asked.
"I'm totally drunk," Misty said. "Alex is bumping and grinding on stage to Lady Marmalade."
"Ew, that's an image I need to get out of my head."
Misty laughed. "Craig, I want to have a baby," she said.
"I know you do," he said.
"Let's get fertility pills," she replied.
"What the hell for?" Craig asked, as he put a clean diaper on Kerry and dressing her in her pajamas.
"Because, it's me. It's not you. Please," she said. "My biological clock is ticking so loud you can hear it over Alex's drunk singing."
He sighed. "When you get home we'll talk about it," he said.
"Ok," she replied.
"Love you."
"Love you, too."
She hung up and Craig looked down at Kerry who looked up at him with her big brown eyes. He smiled when a dimpled grin crossed her face. He picked her up and carried her to the rocking chair where he rocked her to sleep and himself as well.
