Note: Sorry for the huge jump in time. I kept on loosing my material for some reason. Hopefully this one doesn't delete.
June 12th, 2001
Week 30
Week 18
In two weeks, Nicolena would be a year old. Tom couldn't believe it that his baby girl was growing up. It made him sad, but yet happy at the same time. Soon, he'd be a grandfather and that was just as cool.
"Lucy, can I talk to you?" Tom asked. Lucy nodded as she looked up form her sewing machine.
"You sure can." Lucy grinned.
"I'm very happy that Frannie and Gina are having babies." Tom said. Lucy nodded.
"Me too." She said, "I'm almost done with Fran's quilt."
"Cool, but I want another baby." he said. Lucy stared at him blankly.
"We have Nicci." She said.
"I want more Nicci's." he said, "I'm a good dad right?" Lucy nodded slowly.
"You're a very good father." She told him. "Are you serious you want another baby?" Tom nodded.
"It would be cool." he said. Lucy chuckled.
"Let me think about it okay?" She asked. Tom nodded.
"Okay." he beamed with pride. He knew that probably meant yes. Lucy turned the light off on her sewing machine.
"I think we should go swimming." She said.
"Can Joe and Gina come?" Tom asked. Lucy nodded.
"Call them and ask." She said. Tom bolted out of the room.
Lucy laid in the sand watching Tom show Nicci the water. Lawrence swam towards Joe, trying to dunk him in the water. Lucy turned and looked at Gina. She stared at her stomach.
"How are you feeling?" Lucy asked. Gina shrugged putting her book down.
"I was kind of tired, but I think I've gotten a good boost of energy." Gina said, "Feels like I can do anything." Lucy laughed.
"That's a great stage of the pregnancy." She said. "Tommy wants to have another baby." Gina looked at Lucy.
"What about you?" She asked.
"I um…I love having children. Larry and Nicci are the best things that have ever happened to me." Lucy said.
"That's not what I asked, ma." Gina said.
"We have been so lucky. Nicci and Larry were healthy and have been healthy, but-" Lucy stopped.
"I know." Gina said, "You don't have to finish that sentence. That fear consumes me too, but if we lived by that fear, we would never procreate."
"I know." Lucy chuckled as she sat up. "You and Frannie are pregnant. If We have another one, I will wait until after you guys pop."
"Gee, thanks." Gina said rubbing her belly. "I think having one more will be good for the two of you."
"You think?" She asked. Gina nodded.
"You and Tom are great parents. Joe says so all the time." She said. Lucy's heart fluttered.
"he does?" She asked. Gina nodded.
"he loves the two of you." Gina said to her, "You saved his life and raised him into a wonderful young man." Lucy smile gratefully at Gina. She had hoped Joe appreciated everything she had done for him and it felt good to know how happy he was to be her son.
June 26th, 2001
Week 32
Week 20
Tomorrow would be Tom and Lucy's fifth wedding anniversary. Fran was planning a special gift for them. Okay, maybe not diamond ring special, but it came from her heart. It was still so amazing to Fran that they had been together that long. It felt like just yesterday that Fran was living in Maine. Sometimes Fran missed it there. Maine was so beautiful. She wondered if it was still beautiful. Maybe all the plants took over or all the animals ate everything left…Or maybe there were still people there.
Fran knew more people where out there in the world. Maybe people who had never been affected by the flu. It seemed that every months someone knew came into town. It was still very exciting. It was exciting to see Boulder grow. She wondered what Boulder, what all of America would be like if the Flu never came.
"Mommy?" Abagail poked Fran's stomach. Fran opened her eyes and smiled, "Are you alive?"
"Very much so." She said, "What can I do you for?"
"I was checking to see if the baby was here yet." Abagail sighed looking at her mother's stomach, "Why does it take so long?"
"You know how when you plant your tomato plants that they just start off with this little sprout and then after a few weeks little leaves pop up and then a few more weeks, blooms come and a few more weeks tomatoes come?" Fran asked. Abagail nodded, "Well, that's the same way. The baby started off like a little seed, then it began to grow one week it grew legs, another week it grew toes, another week it grew arms, and so on."
"Because people have a lot of parts it takes them awhile to grow?" Abagail asked. Fran grinned brightly and nodded.
"Exactly." She said, "Have I ever told you how smart I think you are?"
"No. You can tell me if you want." Abagail said. Fran chuckled and shook her head.
"Well, I think you're brilliant." She said, "you're a very lucky girl to be alive."
"Because I've had the flu sometimes, huh?" She asked her mother.
"Among other things." Fran told her. She loved her daughter very much but there had been a point in Fran's life where she had considered an abortion. It had only been a split second consideration, but it still haunted her.
"What's your favourite thing about me?" Abagail asked.
"Whoa, what a question." Fran thought about it for a moment "Well, I like how when you laughter your nose wrinkles and your eyes sparkle. I also like how caring and loving you are to people and animals."
"Yeah, I'm nice." Abagail said.
"But maybe my favourite thing about you might be how much you're like me." She told Abagail, 'But that also scares me too."
"But you're cool." Abagail said.
"Well, thank you." Fran said caressing her stomach, "Do you want a baby brother or a baby sister?" Abagail shrugged.
"I don't know. I play with Nicci a lot so that's like having a baby sister." Abagail said, "James and Ros are already my little brother and sister even though their dead so it doesn't matter. Whatever you have I hope Gina has the opposite so they can fall in love and grow up together." Fran smiled gently. Sometimes the youngest people had the greatest wisdom and put things in such a way where everything made sense. The innocence was one thing Fran loved about her baby girl.
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