Chapter 8
Tuesday, June 2nd, 1987
Hill Valley
4:32 P. M.
Jennifer stirred as she felt something tickle her back. "Oh, no. Come on, babies, don't start your aerobics now," she complained, gently poking Josie's belly. "Got back to sleep."
The triplets, however, had other plans. They kicked and squirmed, jiggling the skin uncomfortably. Josie woke and groaned. "Do they have a disco in there or what?"
"I don't even know how they can move in there," Jennifer mumbled. "There shouldn't be any room for dancing."
"Maybe they're trying to make room." Josie put a hand on her wiggling skin. "Please go back to sleep. Mommy's tired."
The men of the family stirred. "Ugh, I hate waking up to wiggling stomach muscles. Don't tell me. The babies are up again," Marty grumbled.
"That would make ten consecutive nights we've been awakened by them," Doc said. "And five non-consecutive that we've been awakened more than once." He scowled at the pillow. "If I don't get more sleep soon, someone's going to get hurt."
"Come on, A, B, C, cut us a break," Jennifer said. "We love you, but we have to go out and face the world every day. You've still got a few months in there."
The triplets still determinedly wiggled, as if attempting to make their cramped living conditions more bearable. "If I sing to you, will you calm down?" Marty sighed.
Shockingly, the triplets paused for a moment. Everyone stared. "Sing," Doc elbowed Marty.
"What? The only lullaby I know is 'Rock a Bye Baby.'"
"That'll do. Just sing, please."
"Rock a bye baby, on the tree top," Marty serenaded Josie's belly. The others struggled to hold back their laughter. "When the wind blows, the cradle will rock. When the bough breaks, the cradle will fall, then down will come baby, cradle and all."
The triplets were slowed, but not stopped. "You know, that song's really morbid," Jennifer noted. "How did it end up as a lullaby?"
"Who cares? We quieted them down. Anybody know any other songs?"
"My mother used to sing one to me called, 'Go To Sleep,'" Doc suggested.
"Great, let's hear it."
"Go to sleep, go to sleep, go straight to sleep, go to sleep, go to sleep, and stay asleep until at least 6:30," Doc warbled.
This time nobody could keep from laughing. "Those aren't the real words!" Josie sniggered, playfully hitting his shoulder.
"Well, they're my sentiments!"
Josie patted her belly lovingly. "I'd rather have the babies than a good night's sleep."
"Me too." Doc kissed the finally-still flesh. "I just wish we could have both."
"I say we be thankful they can only wake us up by touch now," Josie said. "Judging by their behavior now, we're never going to need an alarm clock once they're born."
"Mom, don't even joke about that," Marty said, horrified. He patted her belly too. "Now stay asleep you guys. We all need our rest."
A little foot kicked out at him. Doc rolled his eyes. "They're going to be terrible as teenagers."
"Hey!" Marty and Jennifer protested.
"Sorry, that wasn't a slur against you," Doc quickly apologized. "I was making a joke."
"It's okay," Marty said. "I kinda figured you were."
Jennifer climbed over Marty. "I'm going back to sleep. You can push up against her. If they get rowdy, sing them back to sleep."
Marty looked a little nonplussed at having his position changed, but made the best of it. "Stay asleep kids, please," he begged. "We've got to get up later and go shopping. You guys want beds, don't you?"
The flesh remained still. Everyone chuckled a little. "I'll take that as a yes. Night."
Tuesday, June 2nd
7:14 P. M.
Josie hummed as she tidied the house. The group had woken back up an hour earlier thanks to the triplets, and Doc, Marty, and Jennifer had decided that they may as well go and look for cribs. "Are you sure you don't want to come, Mom?" Jennifer had asked before they left. "I mean, you are the mommy. I'd think you'd want to approve anything we buy."
"It's fine, really. I need to get this place cleaned up. Besides, I thought you wanted me to trust you. I'm sure you'll pick out some fine cribs." Jennifer and Marty had both blushed happily at that statement. "And you know if you really need my opinion, there's always the blood link."
So far, they hadn't needed her opinion, which was okay with her. She dusted off Doc's bookshelves and chemistry set, giggling as she felt her babies move around. She cleaned out the fridge next, then took a moment to stand in the middle of the room and survey the place. She sighed. "Three more kids. . . . We're definitely going to need a house."
As she straightened up the bed, the doorbell rang. Josie answered it to find a woman standing there. Josie didn't recognize her at all. "Yes? Can I help you?"
The woman, grey hair flying all over the place, stared at her with creepy-looking blue eyes. Josie involuntarily moved back a few steps. "Who are you, woman? Are you God-fearing? Are you saved?"
Oh, brother, Josie thought, rolling her eyes. An evangelist. "I'm as saved as I want to be. Good day," she said shortly, closing the door.
The evangelist stuck her arm in, preventing her from closing it all the way. "No lamb, none are saved who do not accept the Lord Jesus Christ as their master. You are either saved and a willing disciple of Jesus, or you are lost and will burn forever in Hell for not trusting in Him." She waved a piece of paper in Josie's face. "Read this and repent! Worship the True Creator! Know the horror of your sins, and how Jesus died to allow you into Heaven! Otherwise, you will burn in Hell!"
"Please, ma'am, I don't want to break your arm."
"I don't want you to end up in the lake of fire with the devils and Satan! Read this piece and know why we all are lost until we accept the sacrifice of Jesus." She forced the door open a little farther. "Have you been to church? Have you read the Good Book, and shared it with others? Have you rejected the false gods of Islam, Judaism, and the rest? Have you rejected the evil of Halloween? Have you resisted the temptations of the flesh?"
"Go away," Josie snapped, forcing the woman outside.
"I cannot! We must help those who are lost! And you are lost, if you have not accepted your God-given role! Women must be subservient to men! You must not take over the role which is truly a man's! And you must resist your own womanly urges! Do not indulge in pleasures of the flesh!"
"Too late," Josephine snarled, letting the woman get a good look at her pregnant belly. "Now get out of here!" She slammed the door closed. "Fricking intolerant people."
To her amazement, not even having the door slammed in her face fazed this woman. She simply went over to a window and resumed her attack. "Then it is even more important that you be saved! For the baby's sake, if not your own! All mothers should fear God! If you sin, he'll take away your child, and it will burn in Hell as well! All of us are sinners, and the unsaved will burn!"
Josie became highly distressed at that. "Go the hell away!" she screamed at the window, feeling her eyes begin to water.
"No! You're a sinner! You don't deserve to go to heaven! You'll burn in Hell! Both you and that sin-kissed baby! Accept the Lord God for any hope of salvation!"
Josie slumped to the floor, crying as she remembered her son. "My baby. . .my baby. . . ." The woman smiled. Realizing the bitch thought she had won, Josie made sure to flip her off.
The bitch went nuts. "HEATHEN! You will surely burn in Hell now! I won't let that baby grow up in such a sinful environment! I will save it from you! Fear the wrath of the True God, wretch!"
"EXCUSE ME."
The evangelist froze. Then, very slowly, she turned around. Doc was there, eyes burning with rage. The evangelist squeaked and made the sign of the cross. "Get thee behind me, Satan!"
"If I get behind you, it'll be to kick your ass into the next state!" Doc grabbed the woman and threw her aside. "Now get away from this house or I'll call the police and have you prosecuted!"
"Devil!" she shrieked. "That is a house of sin! Fear the Lord God, devil! That child will not live there!"
"GET OUT!" Doc vamped, deciding that if she wanted a devil, she'd get it.
The evangelist finally got the message and ran off screaming. Doc chased her for a few feet, then heard a soft sob from inside. He quickly turned back to his normal self and ran inside to find his wife on the floor, crying hard. "Shh, Josie, it's okay. . . ." he whispered, picking her up and comforting her.
Josie sobbed hard into his shirt. "When she said those things. . .I remembered my first child. . . ." She clung tightly to Doc. "Emmett, do you think God hates us? Or, at any rate, a god hates us?"
"Of course not. Don't talk like that. That woman was just a crazy bitch. The triplets are fine, you know that."
"I lost a baby before, what if I lose them?" She sniffled. "And Emmett, we did something quite bad on holy ground. What if that means somebody up there is ticked off? Emmett, I want my babies."
Doc squeezed her. "Honey, doesn't the bible say 'be fruitful and multiply?' Maybe the kids are a blessing for following that in a church," he joked, trying to cheer her up. Josie just looked at him. "Sorry. Would it make you feel better if we went to a place of worship?"
"Maybe. I don't know. I hurt so much inside." She put her head on Doc's shoulder. "What I really want is for that terrible woman to never come back."
"If she does, she'll wind up in the newspapers."
Josie jerked back. "You'd kill her?"
"After what she did to you?" Doc's eyes began to glow again. "Heck, she's lucky I didn't hurt her right now."
"I suppose I can't blame you -- I want to kill the bitch myself. But I'd rather she just never comes back. We don't need trouble with the police either -- or your other self." She leaned against Doc and rocked back and forth. "You feel so warm, Emmett."
"Only the best for you." Doc slid a hand over her belly and was rewarded with a small kick. "Come on, Josie, come back to the store with me. The kids are worried about you. And besides, we need some help picking out just the right cribs."
"Okay. I don't particularly want to be alone now anyway. I'll just get to thinking bad thoughts." Doc helped her to her feet. "We'd better take the DeLorean though."
"With the seat pushed way back," Doc teased her.
"Oh hush."
Tuesday, June 2nd
8:26 P. M.
"WHO DID WHAT TO YOU!"
Josephine had never seen Clara Clayton Brown so angry. "I don't believe that! That's so terrible! You poor thing. . . ."
"I'm feeling better now," Josie said truthfully, leaning against Doc. "I calmed down looking at the baby cribs. I just -- can't believe anyone could actually be like that. Especially to a pregnant woman."
"That's disgusting," Clara snapped. "People like that woman give the rest of us a bad name. We're not all like that."
"We know, Clara," Doc said soothingly. "We're not saying you are. I've met plenty of nice Christians in my day. I mean, from what you and Emmett told us, Seamus and Maggie McFly were good people, and they were devoted Catholics. And I've met jerks in other religions too -- Dr. Adams was Jewish." He scowled for a moment as he thought about his former psychiatrist. "Assholes pop up in any religion."
"I know, and I know you know, but people like that annoy me. Just so you know, Josephine, she didn't have a clue what she was talking about either. I read the Bible when I was younger, and there's nothing in there that says a child will have to suffer for what his or her parents did."
Josephine sighed. "Thanks Clara. You don't know how much it means to me to hear you say that. That woman hit right on my rawest nerve."
"Well, hopefully I managed to scare her away for good," Doc said, squeezing Josephine a little tighter. "Maybe we should try and alert the police about her."
"I would," Clara nodded. "I hate to think that someone like that was wandering around hurting other innocent people. And Josephine--" she reached out and took her friend's hand. "Don't believe a word that woman said. God does love you. He wouldn't punish you like that."
Josie smiled. "Thanks. I'll try to put that woman out of my mind." She sighed again and straightened up. "So how have you and Dr. Brown been?"
Sunday, June 7th, 1987
Hill Valley
6:45 P. M.
"EMMETT! EMMETT, WAKE UP!"
Doc was rudely shaken awake by a frantic Josephine. "Huh? What? What is it?"
Josie was hysterical, crying and shaking. "Emmett, the babies aren't moving!"
Doc was surprised. "They actually slept through the night?"
"No, no, they're not moving at all!"
This woke up everyone. "Not moving at all?" Doc repeated, eyes getting wide.
Josie shook her head, a river of tears soaking her nightgown. "I don't feel anything. Not the slightest movement. Oh, Emmett!"
Doc tried his best to comfort her. "Now, now, honey, don't panic just yet," he said, patting her back.
"Don't panic! They might be dead! I can't stand another miscarriage! I can't stand it!" Her fists clenched in a sudden rage. "That evangelist bitch had something to do with this! She must have scared me enough to hurt the triplets! I'm gonna kill her!"
"Whoa, Mom, is that possible?" Jennifer asked, backing away. Seeing her mother like this scared her. "I mean, aren't they past the point where that sort of thing could really affect them?"
"I don't know, I don't know. Emmett, help. . . ."
Marty put his ear against the curve of Josie's belly, sighing. "Those poor -- Hey, wait a minute! I hear heartbeats!"
The tears stopped. "Heartbeats? They're alive?"
Doc nudged Marty out the way and took his own listen. He relaxed, relieved. "I hear heartbeats too. They're probably just sleeping, honey."
"Even when they're asleep, they move," Josie insisted, although she had became far more coherent. "I feel them. Call Dr. Gardner, just to make sure. Please?"
"Of course, Josie." Doc kissed her. "I know how much it means to you." He got up and dialed. "Dr. Gardner? It's Dr. Brown. I was visiting with Josie and she's very concerned. The babies aren't moving. Yes, there's a heartbeat, but they're completely still. I thought they were sleeping, but she insists it isn't normal, and she would know better than I would." He listened for a moment, then smiled widely. "All right, I'll let her talk to you." He handed the phone to Josephine.
"Hello?"
"Don't worry, Josephine, your triplets are just fine," Dr. Gardner soothed. "They're just going through their version of the vampire coma. Vampire babies change in utero, remember?"
Josie nearly fell over from the relief. "Yes, that's right! I'd forgotten, sorry! I just had a horrible experience with some witch telling me my babies would die because I was a sinner, and when I woke up and found them not moving. . . . Thanks so much. How long will they be like this."
"They should be back to themselves by tomorrow. The coma doesn't last long in the womb. Call me again if they're not moving by then."
"And they'll be just fine?"
"Yup. Except that they'll be more nocturnal now, like regular vampires."
"Yippee!" Jennifer cried. "No more being woken up by baby aerobics!"
Josie laughed. "Yeah, I know. Thanks again." She handed the phone back to Doc to hang up. "What a relief!"
"I know," Doc nodded, sitting next to her. "Otherwise we might have done something really rash."
"If you're talking about killing that horrible woman, I agree. But I still want to do it."
"Me too. But like you told me when she showed up, we must restrain ourselves." He kissed her a few times, moving down her neck. "Of course, we could relieve our feelings in other ways. . . ."
Josie gently pushed him away. "Sorry, Emmett, not until the babies are born."
Doc looked at her with a hurt puppy expression. "Can't I even--"
"I don't want to risk it." She frowned at him. "Considering I was an emotional wreck ten minutes ago. . . ."
"I know, I'm sorry. But Dr. Gardner said it wouldn't be dangerous. . . ."
She kissed him. "Sorry babe, I don't want to take a chance. Want something to eat?"
Doc sighed. "Yeah. Make sure it's from your blood type."
"Will do." She got to her feet, in a far better mood now that she knew the babies were all right.
"Shot out of the saddle again," Marty noted.
"Yeah. I love her, but she's too damn paranoid."