Thanks for the reviews everyone... I love them. This chapter is a little fun, but... well you'll see. This entire story is based on the stories of three women (That I don't know) this could happen to anyone so I hope I am teaching as well as entertaining.-- S.K.
Monster-in-Law
Kate stayed with them for four weeks. Four weeks of bedrest until she needed to go home and tend to her husband. Rod's mother, Carol, came the fifth week. However, by week two, Mac was ready to hang herself... and it just kept getting worse.
On the last morning of her second week, Mac awakened to a shrill, "Rise and Shine Sweet heart!" as Carol walked into their bedroom and opened the curtains wide.
Mac groaned and covered herself with her pillow. "I'll rise, but I refuse to shine." Mac reached out to Rod, but found that he was already out of bed.
"Oh honey, it's appointment day. I think he's more excited to see the babies than you." Carol wasnow straightening out Mac's dresserdrawers. "He's down stairs getting breakfast for you."
"Five more minutes Mom," Mac mumbled, snuggling back down in the bed.
"Sure, honey. But what are you wearing today so that I can iron it?"
"I'm wearing Rod's sweats, they don't need ironing... besides they are the only things that fit." Mac, frustration rising, watched her mother-in-law inspect her bedroom as if it were unlivable. "You know Carol, don't worry about those... Mom's already taken care of it."
"Of course dear, but you need something else to wear, she should have gone shopping for you."
"She preferred to stay here with me Carol." Mac gritted her teeth.
"It's okay, I brought something for you to wear. I'll be back." Carol walked out of the room, passing her son on the way in. "She's ready for you Rod, she was not happy to be awakened.
"Thanks, Mom." Rod stepped into the room with a tray of breakfast. "Morning honey."
"Mmm, Morning... this looks great," Mac said bowing her head to grace.
"The firm messengered this over this morning." Rod handed her the big manila envelope and joined her on the bed.
"You aren't seriously considering going back to work when the twins are born," Carol stated coming into the room with some clothing.
"Uh oh," thought Rod as he hurried to at least temporarily remove himself from Mac's reach.
"Yes I am," Mac stated before taking a fork full of eggs.
"Mackenzie, you're really going to allow a stranger to raise your children?"
Rod noticed Mac's hand tighten around her fork as his mother continued to speak on the virtues of stay at home moms and he moved to the aid of his wife.
"I mean I did it, doesn't make me any less of a woman for having stayed home with my boys."
"Mom, why don't you wait for us down stairs," Rod said, intervening on his wife's behalf and rushing Carol out of the room. He wasn't entirely successful, however.
"Oh I almost forgot... I've got this cute top for you to wear, and a pair of stretchy pants." Carol showed Mac one of the pieces of clothes she had brought in. "They are jeans, I didn't know they made these in jeans."
Mac looked at it, it was kind of cute, and it would be nice to look like a pregnant woman, and not a fat one. "Thank you Carol." Mac smiledslightly.
" You're welcome, now Ill go clean up the family room."
Mac remembered she had been there every morning, and knew the place was immaculate. She turned to Rod. He only smiled and kissed her cheek.
XXXXXX
Rod and Mac rode in their car in silence. They'd had a slight argument just before they left the house. Mac was grateful that Carol, his mother, had decided to stay home. Carol made her so crazy because she was cleaning her home as if her mother had done absolutely nothing the three weeks she was there. Mac had told Rod that she didn't appreciate his mother belittling hers like that. Kate had done a fine job at caring for her while she was there.
"I'm sorry, she's just over protective," Rod said softly as he parked the car at the doctor's building.
"So is my Mom," Mac said loosening her seatbelt. She loved it that she reallylooked pregnant now. It was as if bedrest had kicked the twins' growth into high gear.
Rod got out of the car, opened the door for her, and helped her out.
"I guess I'm just extra sensitive to criticism."
"She's not criticizing."
"She was..." Mac stopped and sighed. She was getting a headache. "Look let's not get back into that. Let's go see our babies."
Rod wrapped an arm around his wife and kissed her forehead as they walked inside.
XXXXXXX
"There they are!" Dr. Perkins said as she moved the sonogram sensor along Mac's lower abdomen. "Baby number one is still lower than baby number two." She pointed at the one baby that lay underneath. "Do you want to know the sex?"
"Yes,"
"No..."
They both had spoken at the same time. They looked at each other "I really need to know." Mac said. "I feel so out of control I need something to hold on to." Rod nodded at her and they both turned to the monitor.
He was really trying to see a baby, at least one in there. But he couldn't make them out. "Can you point them out for me please?"
Mac chuckled silently at his confusion, remembering her own confusion during the first ultrasound. Rod really was excited about the babies. He loved kissing and caressing her tummy... even speaking and singing to it. And he couldn't wait to feel the babies kick. This sweet, almost goofy side of him was a complete turn-on, she thought, suddenly again frustrated that all recreational activity between them had been banned by the doctor with their respective mother's acting as enforcers.
Dr. Perkins smiled and pointed at the baby on top. She turned up the audio so that they could hear the two beating hearts. "This one right here... is a Girl." She said as the computer processed this and a picture of their little girl printed off. Then she pointed to the baby on the bottom. "This baby here... Do you see that?"
"See what?" Mac asked squinting slightly... her eyes blurred more and more as her pregnancy progressed.
Dr. Perkins raised a finger to point at the screen. " Do you see that apple shaped thing right there?"
"Yeah, I see that!" Rod said excitedly. "It's a boy!"
"Very good Rod." Dr. Perkins smiled at the very excited father before printing a photo of their son.
Mac was crying. She couldn't help it... She was just so grateful to see her children. "Mac baby, what's wrong?" Rod was not used to seeing her emotional side in public.
"Mac you need to calm down. In fact, we need to have a little chat," Dr. Perkins said, her smile fading just a bit. The look in her eyes turned from levity to concern.
"Why is something wrong with the kids?" Mac asked trying to calm down, but failing as a new concern flooded her mind.
"Nothing is wrong with your children." The doctor shut the sonogram machine off and helped Mac wipe the gel off of her abdomen. "It's you that I'm concerned about."
"What's wrong with her?" Rod asked helping his wife with her shirt.
"Her Blood pressure is a little high. It is not dangerously high, but it's getting there. She needs to keep herself from getting too agitated. To help you out a little... I am allowing your bedrest restrictions to be lifted. But there will be no cooking you may drive to the store and back. You will not walk more than ten feet without rest. You can sit up for twenty minutes at a time."
Mac frowned a bit. "I don't know if I can control my emotions."
"Sure you can, just stay away from anything that sets you off... even television."
"Does it matter that I was a bit upset just before I came into the office?" Mac asked.
"No it doesn't. It should have been lower by the time I took it."
Mac's features darkened. Rod stood there wondering how he was going to get his mother to leave the house without hurting her feelings when he heard Mac ask... "What about sex"
"You're kidding me right?" The doctor asked.
"It calms me down." Mac said almost seriously.
"Oh Mackenzie... you are such a joker," The doctor said. "But seriously though... not a chance."
Mac looked at Rod with a smirk. "I tried."
Rod smiled surprised, at the swings in his wife's moods. "Well twenty-six more weeks and we'll be through."
"Plus six," the doctor supplied.
"At least." Mac stated... "But I will be okay, right?"
"If you get any worse Mac, I am going to have to refer you to Dr. Rossman... he specializes in Hypertension in pregnancy. This is a very serious condition. So you still have to come and see me every week."
"Okay."
XXXXXX
"How do I tell her I need her to leave." Rod asked as they parked the car in the dirveway.
"Rod... She's helping us... I will try to keep my temper in check, I promise." Mac said reaching out to hold his hand.
"Mac... You cry at the drop of a dime... do you know how odd that is for me?" Rod caressed her cheek. "You haven't been able to let anything roll off your back since you've been pregnant."
"I'll be fine.really" Mac reassured him, giving him a soft smile. He kissed her then stepped out of the car. He helped her out and they walked together to the door. Before they could open it, the door jerked away from them and Carol stood behind it with a giant Grin.
"Hi Mac, how did it go... do you know what they are? What did she tell you?" Carol said pulling Mac back up the stairs to her bed.
"Well I'm off bedrest." Mac said
"Nonsense... better safe than sorry I say," Carol said tucking her in. "Now rest yourself."
When Carol left the room, Mac smiled at herself... she had kept her cool. "That wasn't too hard she told herself as she slid out of bed again.
Carol returned just seconds later with a fresh night gown for Mac. "What are you doing, you're not supposed to be out of bed? I swear you Allen women are so stubborn it's a wonder that you're still pregnant."
Mac bristled at the comment. She took a deep breath and began to count to ten. She wanted so much to stay calm. She waited until Carol left the room and picked up her phone. "Hello?"
"Please come back mommy… please please, please." Mac begged jokingly. Her mother chuckled. "She's smothering me."
"Mackenzie, be nice." Kate said.
"Yeah, yeah, yeah." Mac stated leaning back on the head board. "Rod was just saying he didn't know how to ask her to leave…"
"Why would you do that?" Kate asked surprised.
"Oh… I just came from Dr. Perkins Office." Mac recounted all of what the doctor had told her.
"Mac I'll come and see you every day while she's there…" Kate said, knowing how much the woman agitated her daughter. She knew how much danger her daughter was in… even if she didn't know it herself. Kate had gone through it with Mac, which is the reason she never had another child.
"Thanks Mom." Mac suddenly felttired.
"Your welcome, honey. See you in the morning."
