A/N: Dakidd, Cena really did want that ice cream. Guest, of course beholden. Will never catch every typo or AutoCorrect change. Glad you're reading the text closely. #LinguistsRock.
Chapter 20. Sister Act
After getting Olivia upstairs and into the shower, the details of the plan come flooding back to him and him quickly springs into action. He dresses Cena while Olivia showers. He grabs their overnight bags, which have been sitting in the corner of their walk-in closet for weeks. He runs down the stairs, tosses the overnight bags into the trunk of the car, then runs back upstairs to get Cena from her bedroom. Lifting Cena from the bed, Fitz hurries back down the stairs as Cena repeatedly taps her father on the shoulder.
"What is it, Princess?" He says hurriedly, already halfway down the stairs.
"Biker Princess", Cena says, pointing upstairs toward her bedroom.
Without hesitation, Fitz rushes back upstairs to retrieve his daughter's favorite toy. Finally getting Cena strapped into her car seat, he delivers her a few words of comfort before running back into the house to get Olivia.
"I'll be right back sweetheart. I'm going to get mommy. Don't be nervous, everything is going to be fine. Okay?"
Cena shakes her head up and down thinking she is not nervous at all.
"I'm coming, Liv", he yells, running back up the staircase, taking two steps at a time.
When he gets to the top of the staircase, Olivia is walking out of their bedroom.
"What are you doing on your feet?" He asks anxiously. "Are the contractions bad?"
"Not too bad. Did you put our bags in the car?" She asks, getting ready to walk down the stairs.
"I did", swooping her up into his arms.
"I can walk to the car Fitz", but he ignores her protests and carries her down the staircase.
XXX
"Are you okay Cee?" Turning around in her seat to check on her daughter as Fitz fumbles with her seatbelt.
"Yes, mommy", kicking the back of the driver's seat as she twists and turns Biker Princess.
As Fitz weaves through the traffic, his anxiety heightens because he has not been able to contact his mother; she was part of the plan. Maura was to watch Cena at the hospital once Olivia was ready to deliver. He presses the button on the steering wheel again to activate the Voice Control System.
"Mom", he calls out and the system dials his mother's phone number, but once again his call goes straight to voicemail.
"Dammit", he says in frustration.
"Ooh", Cena says, covering her mouth with her hands and giggling. She always thinks it is funny when her daddy slips and says a bad word.
"Calm down, babe. Maybe her battery died."
Fitz calls John to let him know Olivia is in labor and they are on their way to the hospital.
"Call Bennie for me, will ya? I don't have his number programmed."
After talking to John, he calls Nora and the call goes directly to voicemail too. Finally he calls his father.
When he pulls up to the hospital's entrance to the Birthing Center, a nurse dressed in purple scrubs is waiting behind the glass doors with a wheelchair. She smiles inwardly as she watches the anxious husband jump out of the car and run around to the passenger side to help his wife get out of the car. The nurse pushes the wheelchair outside to the curb and Fitz helps Olivia onto the wheelchair. With both hands resting on the arms of the wheelchair, he hunches over her and gives her a reassuring look.
"You're going to be fine. I'll be right back. I'm going to get Cee", nodding his head up and down.
"Hello Mrs. Grant", the nurse says, smiling politely at Olivia. "My name is Inez Wilder and I will be your nurse while you are here at James Madison."
"Thank you", glancing over at her husband as he struggles to get Cena out of the car seat and stand her on the sidewalk next to the wheelchair. Olivia shakes her head as she watches Fitz grab Cena's backpack from the backseat of the car and haphazardly strap it onto the little girl's back.
"That's wrong daddy", Cena says, squirming to straighten the backpack.
"Mr. Grant, I'll take care of Cena and get Mrs. Grant settled in her room while you park the car."
"Thank you", he says nervously, setting Olivia's small toiletries bag onto her lap. "Don't worry, everything is going to be fine", pecking her on the lips.
"I'm fine, Fitz. Slow down, babe. Don't run over anyone in the parking lot", winking at him.
"Cena, go with mommy and the nice lady and I'll be in soon. Okay?" Tousling her curly hair reassuringly before jogging around to the driver's side of the car.
Cena looks up at her father and nods her head up and down, wondering what is wrong with her father.
"And Mr. Grant, make sure to check in at the front desk when you return."
Fitz nods as he opens the car door.
"Fitz", Olivia yells out. "Don't forget the bags in the trunk", scrunching her face when she feels another mild spasm.
"Let's get you inside, Mrs. Grant. Come with us Cena", Nurse Wilder smiles politely at the little girl who is holding the daredevil girl riding on a red bicycle.
XXX
Cena skips alongside her mother as Nurse Wilder wheels Olivia down the hall toward her spacious, private birthing suite.
"Mommy, the room with the toys", Cena yells and takes off running toward the suite, which is decorated to look like a home-away-from-home.
"Slow down Cee", Olivia calls out, bracing herself for another contraction when she feels the fluttering in her stomach.
Cena slips off the backpack, lets it drop to the floor, and runs over to the play area. Nurse Wilder helps Olivia out of the wheelchair and onto the bed.
"How far apart are your contractions, Mrs. Grant?"
"About 30 minutes", and the nurse nods as she starts to take Olivia's vitals.
"I know you and Mr. Grant planned to labor in the birthing tub but that won't be possible now - since your water broke at home."
"I understand", Olivia smiles somewhat nervously.
"You're going to be fine, Mrs. Grant", looking at her watch as she takes Olivia's pulse. "We'll help you to manage the pain as much as possible", sliding the thermometer into Olivia's mouth. "Dr. Perry will be in shortly to see how much your cervix is dilated."
Olivia nods and 45 minutes later Fitz rushes into the suite, sweaty and out of breath.
"What happened to you?" Looking at her husband who is obviously irritated about something.
"That receptionist kept me at the front desk forever asking me all kinds of stupid questions", he says in frustration.
"She's just doing her job, babe."
"How are you feeling? Are you all right? How far apart are the contractions? Sliding his phone from his pocket.
"I'm fine. Dr. Perry just examined me. He says I'm only three centimeters. "Babe, put Cee's snacks in the refrigerator and drink some water. It's going to be a while."
Fitz runs his hand through his hair and looks around the room.
"When do we get into the birthing tub? Should I put on my trunks?" Grabbing his overnight bag.
"We don't", looking through her overnight bag for a nightgown.
Cocking his head to the side, Fitz turns and looks at his wife with puzzlement spread across his face.
"What? Why not?"
"It's not safe. Since my water broke at the house we can't get into the birthing tub. The water might get into the birth canal."
He nods, trying to process what she just said.
"Drink some water babe and sit down. You're making me nervous."
Olivia grabs onto the side of the bed as another mild contraction hits her, and Fitz presses the stopwatch on his phone. After a few moments, after the contraction has passed, she regains her composure and slides on her nightgown.
"Seventeen minutes", he says, setting the phone onto the nightstand. "How severe are they?"
"They're getting a little harder and lasting a little longer", she says, sitting onto the bed.
"John and Abigail are on their way", walking over to the refrigerator to get a bottle of water. "They can watch Cee once things get rolling."
"Once things get rolling?" Looking at him with a raised eyebrow. "From where I sit things are already rolling."
"You know what I mean Liv", unscrewing the top from the bottle of water.
"Have you heard from your mother?"
"No, my calls go straight to voicemail – same for Nora. Don't you think that's kind of strange for mom? Maybe not for Nora – but for mom …"
Olivia frowns, thinking it is odd for Maura not to check her phone since she plays that silly bird game all the time.
"Do you want something to drink, Cee?" Peeking around the corner at his daughter who is sitting on the floor in the play area.
"No, daddy." Cena is perfectly content to entertain herself with all of the colorful toys.
"Do you want something, Liv?"
"I'll take one of those Popsicles", climbing down from the bed.
"You should stay in bed, Liv."
"I need to walk around, Fitz. Walking helps."
"Nice digs", John says as he walks into the room with Abby, who is carrying Ethan.
"How are you doing, Olivia?" Abby asks, giving her a sympathetic look.
"Cee-Cee", John yells when he sees his favorite niece in the play area.
"Uncle John", Cena yells, running over to her uncle and jumping into his arms.
"Mommy's having a baby."
"I know. Are you excited to meet your brother or sister?"
Cena shrugs her shoulders and John kisses her cheek.
"I know how you feel Cee-Cee. I know how you feel. Your dad knocked me off the pedestal when he came along."
John smiles at his anxious brother who is sitting on the bed watching his wife remove the wrapper from the orange Popsicle.
"How are you doing, brother?" John asks with a smirk.
"Why are you asking him?" Olivia barks at her brother-in-law. "He's not in labor." Her anger is beginning to build.
"You tell him, Olivia", Abby says, shooting slings and arrows at her husband with her eyes. "How many centimeters, Olivia?"
"Four the last time Dr. Perry checked. But I think it's more now", holding her breath as a contraction hits her. And Fitz presses the stopwatch again.
"I need to walk, Abby."
"Take your son", Abby says, handing Ethan to John. "Olivia and I have places to go."
"Do you want me to walk with you?" Fitz asks with concern as he stands from the bed holding his phone,
"No –no. Stay with Cee, babe", grabbing onto Abby's arm.
"Are you sure?" Looking at her with concern.
"Yes."
Unable to utter more than that monosyllabic word, she lets out a guttural groan when her uterus spasms again. And Fitz presses the stopwatch.
"Put down that phone, Fitz!" She yells in frustration.
"Come on Olivia. Let's take a stroll down memory lane", steering her sister-in-law from the room.
Fitz, Cena, and John watch Abby and a hunched-over Olivia walk slowly from the suite.
"Relax brother, Liv is going to be fine. Where's mom?" Glancing around the room.
"I don't know. I can't get ahold of her or Nora."
XXX
After getting drenched by the cold water shooting out of the sprinkler head in the conference room, the hot water spraying from the shower heads in her bathroom feels wonderful on Maura's skin. As she rinses the shampoo from her hair, she still cannot believe what she encountered at The Foundation. Thank goodness Mona got there quickly with her husband Tom, who was able to shut off the main water valve in the basement. Exhausted and ready for a good night's sleep, Maura slips under the cool, crisp bed covers and turns off the lamp. She will tell Olivia and Fitzgerald what happened in the morning. There is no point in waking them tonight.
XXX
"Harder Amir, harder", Nora demands, sitting on the sink with her legs gapped wide open as Amir thrusts violently in her. Nora and Amir have been going at it like jack rabbits in Center's bathroom for the past hour. This is where they act out their carnal lust with abandon, in the evenings after Marcella has left to go home and on Sundays when the Center is closed. Unencumbered by the fear of getting caught by Marcella, Nora and Amir engage in every lascivious act imaginable. From the pulling of her hair, the biting into her flesh, and the new act of choking she recently introduced into their sexual escapades, it is all pleasurable pain that sends her to a level of ecstasy she needs to experience over and over and over.
"Yes, yes, yes." Nora screams out in pleasure as her head bangs against the mirror from the force of Amir's thrusts.
XXX
"Yowl", Olivia hollers as she lay in the bed against Fitz' chest. He wipes the sweat from her forehead with the cool towel and sneakily presses the stopwatch on his phone.
"Breathe, baby, breathe", wrapping an arm just under her breasts.
Olivia curls her toes tightly and grinds her teeth as the next contraction hits her.
"Oh my god, Fitz. They're getting worse. I need to get on my hands and knees."
He helps her to get onto all fours and coaches her to breathe the way they were taught in class. But it is difficult for Olivia to remember to breathe when she is always holding her breath in anticipation of the next wave of contractions.
"Does this position help?" He asks, sitting behind her on his knees. And she shakes her head no as the tears roll down her face.
An hour later, Dr. Perry comes back into the room to check her cervix.
"You're at seven now, Olivia. Three more to go then we'll be ready to bring this baby home."
With eyes shut tight, Olivia nods her head up and down.
"You're doing fine—just fine. I'll be back in another hour."
"Owwww", she screams out. "I need to lay on my side Fitz", she says, panting after the last contraction.
"No! I said my left side!"
And Fitz gently turns her onto her right side, which provides a degree of comfort.
"Where is Cee?" She asks breathlessly.
"In the next room with Abigail and John. She's sleeping."
"Well I'm glad someone can sleep", she says with a chuckle until she feels nauseous. "I feel sick, Fitz. I feel like I'm going to vomit."
He reaches for the plastic pink spittoon and holds it to her face.
"Nothing's coming out", she cries. "Nothing's coming out."
"Just breathe slowly, Liv. It won't be much longer."
"How do you know that?" She snaps. "Dr. Perry said no such thing."
Nurse Wilder walks into the room to check on Olivia and smiles to herself when she hears the laboring mother-to-be snap at her husband, again.
"How are you doing, Olivia?" Looking at the spittoon that is mere inches from Olivia's face.
"I feel nauseous, but nothing will come out", she says weakly.
"I'll get you some ice chips, they should help calm the nausea."
Nurse Wilder walks from the room carrying the pink plastic pitcher and Olivia starts to cry when she feels another spasm.
"It hurts", gripping her side as a massive contraction hits her.
Fitz presses the stopwatch again. The contractions are strong, coming every two to three minutes, and lasting a little more than a minute. Olivia begins to shake and shiver as Nurse Wilder returns with the pitcher filled with ice chips. She shakes some ice into the pink plastic cup and hands it to Fitz.
"Feed these ice chips to her slowly, Mr. Grant. They should help with the nausea."
"Thank you", smiling politely as he takes the cup from the nurse's hand.
"Olivia, Dr. Perry will be in shortly to check on you."
Olivia ignores the woman as she opens her mouth for Fitz to drop the ice into her mouth.
"Do you want something for the pain?" He hates seeing his wife suffer like this.
"Noooo. I can do this. I want to do this."
XXX
After eight hours of labor, Olivia's cervix is fully dilated and it is now time for their baby to greet the world. The cramping is intense as she lay on the delivery bed with her feet in the stirrups, listening to Dr. Perry's orders.
"Push Olivia", Dr. Perry commands.
She pushes hard, contorting her face, not in anger, but with love. She pushes, not in frenzy, but with determination, thinking about the long journey her baby is taking. She is pushing out all of the love and joy that lay deep in her soul for many lifetimes.
"Another hard push, Olivia."
And she pushes. The pain is excruciating, but she is no longer suffering. She is reveling in the glorious pain of childbirth, of bringing a new life into the world.
"I see the head", someone yells, and she thinks it's Fitz' voice.
"We're almost there, Olivia. Push!"
Everyone in the room grows more excited as the baby's face begins to appear. First the forehead, next the nose and mouth, and finally the chin. Another contraction hits her hard and she feels her baby turning inside of her pelvis, making the long journey.
"Give me another hard push, Olivia."
Wanting to get the baby out, not because the pain is close to unbearable, but because she wants to thrust their baby into this wonderful world, so she bears down with all that is in her, letting out a growl similar to that of a wounded animal. And the baby's shoulders emerge, one at a time, followed by the body.
"Oh my God", Fitz exclaims, stumbling backward at the sight of his child completing the trek through the birth canal. With tears of joy streaming down his face, he marvels as their baby enters a new world.
"This is the longest journey you will ever take, little girl", Dr. Perry says.
Exhaustion intermixed with indescribable joy, Olivia collapses back onto the bed and smiles as Nurse Wilder dries off the infant girl with a towel. Fitz hurries over to Olivia's side, grinning like a mad man and placing wet kisses all over her face.
"Are you okay?" Grabbing her limp hand laying on the side of the bed.
Olivia nods weakly and smiles.
"She's beautiful Liv, absolutely beautiful", smiling in awe as he watches Dr. Perry suction his baby girl's mouth and nose to remove any remaining mucous.
Dr. Perry places the baby onto Olivia's stomach to reconnect the baby with her mother, and the room is immediately filled with the wails from a new life. Nurse Wilder covers the infant girl with a pink and white blanket and places a tiny pink- and yellow-striped knit hat on her head, which is covered with fine, straight hairs. Finally, Dr. Perry clamps the umbilical cord.
When Olivia hears their baby's cries fill the room, her heart grows full with love and wonder. She feels a sense of accomplishment because she knows she has done something amazing, something huge. She has brought another part of her soul, their soul, into the world. And she knows immediately that she wants to have this experience again.
XXX
When Maura awakens the next morning, she smiles and stretches her arms above her head. She smiles because she is well rested and ready to tackle the world. But her enthusiasm turns quickly into horror as the memories of the night before come flooding back to her. She jumps out of bed, pulls on her robe, and hurries downstairs to the kitchen to tell Olivia and Fitz what happened at The Foundation.
As Maura walks into the kitchen, she cocks her head to the side and frowns when she sees the container of melted ice cream on the island top and dripping onto the floor.
"What the -?"
Walking slowly over to the island, Maura gasps when she steps into the puddle of melted ice cream. She kicks off her slippers, grabs the sticky container between her thumb and index finger, and tip-toes over to the waste bin and drops the now empty ice cream container into the trash. As she washes her hand, the doorbell rings.
"Good morning Mrs. Grant", Hilde says, walking to the closet in the foyer to hang up her jacket.
"Good morning Hilde", Maura says flatly, looking at Nora as she walks down the staircase.
"Nora, did you leave the ice cream on the counter last night?"
"What?" Nora asks in confusion as she makes her way to the kitchen.
"Oh my", Hilde says in shock when she sees the puddle of ice cream on the floor. "What in the world happened here?" Hilde looks over to Mrs. Grant and her daughter for an answer.
"Don't blame me", Nora says, unaffected by the unusual scene as she walks over to the coffeemaker. "Where are Fitz and Liv this morning?"
"I don't - oh my goodness", Maura exclaims, digging into her pocket for her phone. She has three missed calls from Fitzgerald last night. With all that happened at The Foundation yesterday she did not think to check her phone for messages.
"What's the matter mom?" Pressing the button to start the coffeemaker.
"Mrs. Grant …" Hilde says, eyeing the woman carefully because Maura looks as if she has seen a ghost.
"They're at the hospital. Olivia is having the baby", Maura says excitedly.
"Our baby is coming", Hilde clasps her hands together and shouts with glee. Maura and Nora look at the usually reserved Hilde in disbelief.
"Come on Nora, we have to get dressed and get to the hospital", Maura says excitedly, running from the kitchen with Nora on her heels.
"Tell Mrs. and Mr. Grant I will prepare everything to welcome home our baby", Hilde calls out happily as she scurries to the broom closet to get the mop and bucket.
XXX
"Ben", Olivia says cheerily when she sees her old friend and brother-in-law walk into the room.
"Congratulations, Olivia. Congratulations, brother", shaking Fitz' hand. "Sorry, I'm just getting here but I was on call last night."
"Thanks for coming, Bennie", Fitz says, slapping him on the back.
"Hey Abigail – John."
"Hello, Benjamin", Abby says with a smile.
"Haven't seen you in a while brother", John says, giving his youngest brother a hug.
"I've been busy", Bennie says before turning his attention back to Olivia and the baby.
"So, what do we have this time?" Walking over to the bed where Olivia is holding the sleeping baby. "Boy or girl?"
"A girl", Olivia says happily, turning the baby so Bennie can see her face.
"She's beautiful, Liv", looking down and smiling at his sleeping niece.
"She is", Olivia beams proudly.
"I have flowers for you but the nurse intercepted them. She thinks they would present better if they were in a vase."
"Thanks, Ben."
"Oh, I have something for you, too", looking over at his brother.
Bennie reaches inside of his jacket pocket and pulls out two cigars and hands one to Fitz.
"We have to plan a time to light these with a nice glass of scotch", Bennie says, handing the other cigar to John.
"I haven't had one of these in a long time", Fitz says, gliding the Havana under his nose and inhaling the magnificent scent.
"And it will be even longer after you've had that one", looking at her husband with a raised brow. "Our children need a father who is healthy and can chase them around the house."
"We see who wears the pants in that Grant house", John says, throwing his head back in laughter.
"We do", Abby says, snatching the cigar from her husband's hand as Maura and Nora hurry into the room somewhat out of breath.
"We just found out", Maura gushes. "I am so sorry, Olivia that I was not home last night to help you and Fitzgerald. How are you feeling? Is everything all right?"
"Everything is fine, Maura. Come meet your newest grandchild."
Maura scampers over to the bed and lifts the baby from Olivia's arms.
"Oh Olivia, she is absolutely beautiful. She looks like Nora when she was born. How much does she weigh?"
"She's eight pounds and two ounces", Fitz says proudly. "And 20 inches long", he adds quickly, as if it was essential for his mother to have that bit of information.
"Oh, you are a big one, aren't you?" Cooing at her granddaughter who still has not awakened.
"Let me see her mom", Nora says, pushing past Bennie. And Abby rolls her eyes at her sister-in-law.
"Careful Nora", Maura cautions her excited daughter.
"And congratulations Liv – Fitz", Nora says as an afterthought.
"Thank you, Nora", Fitz and Olivia say at the same time.
"Mom, where were you last night? I called you several times."
"I'll explain later, dear", smiling at her granddaughter. And the baby begins to cry. "Aww, are you hungry? I think somebody needs her mommy", placing the baby back into Olivia's arms.
Fitz sits on the side of the bed and strokes the baby's cheek with the side his index finger as he watches his daughter suckle Olivia's breast. A knock on the door causes everyone to turn and look in the direction of the sound, and the room grows quiet at the sight of the man whose large stature fills the doorway.
"May I come in? I heard there's a new addition to the family", Gerry says sheepishly.
"Of course", Fitz says, rushing over to his father. "Come on in dad", draping an arm around his shoulder and ushering him into the room.
John looks his at father who appears to be in better shape today than the last time he saw him. Aside from looking a little tired, Gerry is clean-shaven and his thick, white hair is combed neatly.
"Congratulations Olivia – Fitzgerald."
"Thanks dad."
"Thank you, Gerry."
"This is really some room. They didn't have places like this when you kids came along", looking over at his wife. "Hello Maura. You're looking well."
"Hello Gerry", nervously twisting her wedding set.
"John, Abigail – Nora", nodding to each family member as he greets them.
"Would you like to hold your granddaughter, Gerry?" Olivia asks.
"Ah, another girl", he says, smiling as he walks over to the bed and taking the sleeping infant from Olivia's arms. Tears sting the back of his eyes as he admires the newest member of the Grant family and as he thinks about his fractured family.
"She is absolutely beautiful. You two have done well again."
"Gramps", Cena yells, running from the second bedroom wearing her pajamas and carrying Biker Princess. Cena wraps her arms around her grandfather's legs, looks up at the giant of a man, and smiles.
"There's my Cena", looking down at his oldest grandchild with a genuine smile on his face.
Gerry kisses the baby on her forehead and places her back into Olivia's arms.
"Cee, come meet your sister", Fitz says, beckoning his older daughter over to the bed.
Cena crinkles her nose and tilts her head slightly.
"Come say hello to your sister", stretching his hand toward Cena. "Say hello to Jolie", Fitz says, smiling broadly.
"What kind of name is that?" Gerry bellows, demonstrating he has not developed a filter over the past four months he has been living alone.
The entire family glares at the insensitive man as Cena walks slowly across the room and takes her father's outstretched hand. Fitz frowns at his father before picking up Cena. She wraps her legs around her father's waist and twirls her fingers in his hair as she looks over at the baby who is sleeping in her mother's arms. Then she looks back at her father's smiling face with confusion in her eyes.
"She's not a boy?" Cena asks softly, and every tooth can be counted in his mouth as Fitz throws his head back in laughter. Everyone joins Fitz in laughter and Cena wonders what is so funny.
XXX
Mona sits on the sofa in her living room and lets out a heavy sigh as she reaches for the cup of steaming, hot coffee sitting on the table next to the sofa. She shakes her head as she blows the surface of the hot liquid before bringing the cup to her lips. This is an unusual Monday morning for Mona, instead of being at The Foundation drinking her second cup of coffee of the morning, she is sitting on her sofa preparing to call Olivia's insurance agent to submit a claim for all of the damage the water did to the office.
As Mona reflects on seeing all of that water flowing throw every part of the office, she shakes her head in disbelief. She has never seen anything like that in her life. As she plays the sight over and over in her mind, she is overcome by an overwhelming feeling of sadness. She is heartbroken that the place she has worked at for all of these years has been destroyed because of a faulty sprinkler head. And, the flood could not have happened at a worse time. Olivia is ready to deliver her baby any day now and this is the last thing she needs to deal with. Mona knows Olivia is going to be devastated when she finds out what happened to the business in which she has poured her heart and soul.
Mona sets the coffee cup onto the saucer and calls the insurance agent, Lisa Woodrow. She has been Olivia's agent since she opened The Foundation. After hearing the circumstances surrounding the claim, Lisa offers her sympathies to Mona's and schedules her to meet the claims adjuster at two o'clock. When Mona finishes the call, she leans against the sofa's back cushion and wonders how the sprinkler in the conference room could have malfunctioned when just a few months ago Bobby performed the annual inspection and certified the system was functioning properly. As she thinks about what, if anything can be salvaged, Mona's phone begins to ring and she sees Maura's name and number display on the screen.
"Good morning, Maura. You're up awfully early this morning after such a long night."
"Olivia had a girl", Maura blurts out excitedly. "She's in the hospital and everyone is well – she is well – the baby is well."
"Oh my goodness, that's wonderful Maura. She's a couple of days early isn't' she?"
"She is. They all went to the hospital yesterday while – well – while everything was happening at the office", she says softly, looking over her shoulder to make sure no one can hear her.
"Well tell Olivia and Fitz I said congratulations and that I will be over to see them and that beautiful baby later this afternoon. I have to meet with the claims adjuster over at The Foundation at two. But I want to get over there early and try to salvage as much as I can before the adjuster sends out a cleaning crew."
"Good – good", Maura says softly. "Mona, I have not said a word to Olivia. I just didn't think it was appropriate. They are so happy with the new baby."
"I think that's best, Maura. Let's discuss it when I get over there later."
XXX
Quincy Borders, the claims adjuster, determined that the degree of damage he witnessed at The Foundation indicates the water had been pouring down from the sprinkler head for hours. Quincy told Mona it was fortunate that someone decided to come into the office over the weekend and discovered the flooding. He said if the defective sprinkler head had not been detected until Monday morning, then the office would have been a total loss. Quincy scheduled a cleaning crew to come over later to dry up the water and throw out all of the water-logged carpet and furniture. He said all of the drywall and hardwood floors would have to be removed to prevent mold, and estimated it will take at least six weeks to renovate the office.
As Mona walks down the hall of the Birthing Center, toward Olivia's suite, she sees Fitz talking to Maura and another man.
"What?" Fitz exclaims in disbelief.
"That's why I was not home last night when Olivia went into labor. After church, I went to the office to finalize the first course for the training program and that is when I saw water everywhere. It was just awful, Fitzgerald. Apparently the sprinkler in the conference room malfunctioned and flooded the entire place. Everything, and I mean everything, is ruined. The furniture. The carpet. Everything. And, most of my legal pads with all of my notes were soaked."
"I can't believe this", Fitz says, running his fingers through his hair.
"Mom, you should have a laptop to do your work", Bennie says. "Paper is just unsafe."
"I can't think about that right now Bennie", she says somewhat annoyed with her son.
"Congratulations Fitz. I hear you and Olivia have another beautiful daughter", Mona says as she walks toward the family with a big smile on her face.
"Thank you, Mona. She is beautiful", he says proudly.
"Mona, this is my youngest son, Benjamin."
"Nice to meet you Benjamin", Mona smiles and shakes the young man's hand.
"And you as well", Bennie smiles politely.
"Mona", Fitz begins with worry etched into his face. "Mom was just telling us about the office – about it being flooded?"
"Your mother is a hero, Fitz. If she hadn't stopped by the office – well it would've been a complete loss."
Maura waives her hand dismissively.
"I'm hardly a hero, Mona."
"I don't want Olivia to know about any of this - not until she is discharged and home with Jolie."
"How long will she be here?" Maura asks.
"We'll be here for two more days."
"Fitz, I've already called Olivia's insurance agent and met with the claims adjuster this afternoon. They're going to get a crew over there later today and start cleaning out the place. I've already tossed out a few things before the odor sets in and saved as much as I could. The adjuster says a total renovation is probably needed. The office will be shut down for about six weeks while the work is being done."
"God, Liv is going to be upset when she hears about this", he says, pacing back and forth. He abruptly stops pacing, turns, and gives everyone a serious look. "Nobody say a word about this to Liv. I'll tell her everything when we get home."
Everyone nods in agreement.
"When Liv takes her nap, I'll go over there and take a look at things."
"I'll go with you", Bennie chimes in.
"Thanks, Bennie."
XXX
Fitz frowns as he and Bennie walk down the hall of The Foundation. He shakes his head in disbelief when they finally reach the conference room.
"This is unbelievable. It's worse than I thought it would be. Everything is destroyed."
"It must've been a bad valve", Bennie says, using his foot to push debris out of his way as he walks over to the desk and retrieves his mother's yellow legal pads.
XXX
When Fitz returned to the hospital he finds all three of his girls are sleeping. Cena lay in bed with Olivia and Jolie lay sound asleep in her crib. He smiles when he hears all three snore lightly. It has been a long 24 hours and he is exhausted. He has not slept since they arrived at the Birthing Center yesterday afternoon. With the excitement of becoming a father again, all of the visitors coming and going, and then hearing about The Foundation, sleep was the furthest thing from his mind. Although his body is tired, his mind is racing, so he decides to take this quiet time to reflect on the birth of his second beautiful daughter. He pulls the tablet from his overnight bag, sits down in the large chair, and begins to type.
Olivia's water had already broke at home, in the pantry, and she was having mild contractions by the time we arrived at the Birthing Center. Her back was hurting from carrying the extra weight of Jolie during the pregnancy. I did as much as I could to comfort her without becoming an annoyance, but I suspect my timing the contractions had begun to irritate her.
When John, Abigail, and Ethan arrived, the contractions were beginning to get stronger and more frequent. Olivia would get as comfortable as she could laying down in bed until another contraction hit and forced her out of bed. It hurt her too much to stay in bed while the contractions happened, so she and Abigail went for a long walk around the hospital while John and I waited in the room with Cena and Ethan. I was so thankful to have John with me because I was a nervous wreck. One would think I was a first-time father.
When Olivia and Abigail returned from their walk, Olivia was in much greater pain. I followed her around the suite as she walked through the contractions. Since we couldn't get into the birthing tub to help manage her pain, I wanted to do more. So I would stand ready to give her water, or the exercise ball, or a back rub, when she asked, and not a minute before.
As the hours dragged on, John and Abigail took Ethan and Cena into the next bedroom and they all took a nap. Dr. Perry and Nurse Wilder checked on Olivia frequently, checking her dilation and asking if she was all right.
When the big moment came to deliver our baby, Olivia was a real champ. I didn't think I could love my wife any more than I already did, but when I saw how Olivia worked so hard to bring our child into the world, pushing through the almost unbearable pain, I loved her even more. She is an incredible woman and I will love her with all of my heart forever.
When I was finally able to hold our little girl, I was overcome with such love and joy I couldn't stop the flow of tears. Words cannot express the awe I felt seeing my second child being born. Hearing her cry for the first time was beyond amazing. I'm a dad again and I love my expanded family more than I ever imagined possible.
Welcome home, Jolie
May 21, 2016 - 9:17 pm
James Madison Hospital Birthing Center
XXX
Amir has been trying to keep his distance from Nora all day because he wants to focus his attention on painting the mural in the community room and does not want to be distracted by her antics. He is glad Marcella gave Nora work to do in the smaller room next to the office so he does not have to deal with her trying to tempt him. Since Nora established their safe word they have been hooking up almost daily. And although Amir enjoys the insane sex with Nora, he thinks she is kind of strange. In fact, he thinks something might be seriously wrong with the woman. As he rolls the red paint onto the wall, he thinks about some of the freaky things Nora has taught him to do to her and wonders where she learned about all of that stuff.
"Amir", Marcella calls out and he almost jumps off of the ladder at the sound of her voice. "Why are you so jumpy today?" Marcella asks, walking over to the ladder.
"I was just thinking. I got a lot on my mind today, Marcella."
"Are the headaches back?" Marcella whispers with concern in her voice.
"Naw, everything's cool Marcella", giving her a fake smile.
"You'd tell me if they were back, wouldn't you?" Looking at him closely.
"You worry too much, Marcella. Where are you going?" He asks nervously, looking at the pocketbook strapped across her chest. He does not want to be left alone with Nora today.
"I told you last week I was going to meet with the Tilghman community organizers on Tuesday afternoon.I want to talk to them about the training program. I think it would be a good thing if we could get them involved. Maybe get the people over in Roosevelt involved too. Strength in numbers."
"Oh, okay", Amir says, holding the paintbrush mid-air.That sounds like a good idea, Marcella."
"I don't know what's wrong with you, Amir. You can't seem to remember a thing lately", she says, looking down at her watch. "I gotta get going, but I shouldn't be gone for more than a couple of hours. I'll be back before the children show up for afterschool. Look after things until I get back. Okay?"
"Got it", Amir says with a tinge of apprehension in his voice.
Marcella gives the room a final glance before turning to leave.
"And one more thing Amir", and Amir looks nervously at Marcella.
The mural looks good. It's coming along nicely", giving him one of her infrequent smiles.
"Thanks, Marcella. I appreciate you saying that."
"And don't let anyone distract you", giving Amir a pointed look before leaving the building.
Nora has been standing in the little room next to Marcella's office eavesdropping on the conversation between Amir and Marcella. She smiles, thinking she and Amir can have lots of fun in two hours. But she stands in the small room and waits for 15 minutes to pass just in case Marcella forgot something and has to come back into the Center. She looks at her watch and walks toward the community room wearing a smirk on her face.
"Nora! You scared me", thinking two women have startled him in the span of 20 minutes.
"Do you want some help? I finished all of that grunt work Marcella had me doing in that room."
Nora takes a few steps toward him and Amir nervously takes a few steps back, almost colliding with the freshly painted section of the mural.
"No - I don't need any help", he stammers.
"Well, I need some help", licking her lips seductively.
"You need to go, Nora. We're not doing that in here."
"Don't worry. I heard Marcella say she would be gone for a couple of hours."
"The children will be here soon", Amir stammers.
"Not for a while. We have time", kissing him ferociously and biting his bottom lip until she tastes blood. "Mmm, every part of you always tastes so good", sliding her hand inside of his pants and squeezing his balls gently.
Amir shakes his head from side to side, wanting her to stop.
"We're going to have so much fun, Amir", dropping to her knees and sucking him with everything she has. "You taste so, so good. I think about sucking you all the time. Pull my hair", she says through the sucks.
Amir yanks her hair and pumps in her mouth. Her warm, wet mouth always feels so good. He can never resist her no matter how much he tries. Nora kicks off her boots and slips out of her pants.
"I need you to fuck me hard, make me hurt. You know what I like", grinding on his erection. "I'll say our word if you get too rough."
Beckoning him with her index finger, Nora walks backward to the tables where the children will be doing their homework and arts and crafts in the next hour-and-a-half.
"Okay?" She smiles seductively.
Amir leans against the wet paint and his whole body begins to shake violently, as if he has just seen a ghost. And Nora lay across the tables, licks her fingers, and slowly runs her wet fingers up and down her opening.
"Marcella", Amir manages to stutter.
"Marcella is gone, Amir", planting her feet flat onto the tables as pleasures herself. "You see", opening her legs wide. "I'm all ready for you. So come over here and fuck me hard. Hurt me. You can bite me, slap me."
Amir shakes his head no.
"You don't have to be scared. I'll say mural if you get too rough."
"You. Nasty. Slut."
Marcella's eyes almost bulge out of her head as she watches Nora lay across the tables and masturbates.
"Marcella, what?"
Shocked to see Marcella standing in the doorway, Nora rolls from the table too quickly and falls onto the floor with a thud. Amir runs from the room and out of the Center.
"I want you out of here. Now! Get your damn clothes on and get the hell out of here."
"Marcella, let me explain. It's not what you think", she says feebly.
Marcella frowns as Nora pulls on her panties.
"I knew you were no good the first time I saw you. This is not a game we're playing down here", Marcella says, walking slowly into the room. "This is about real people with real problems. It's not about some spoiled little white girl who never had to work for a damn thing in her entire life."
"You don't know anything about me", Nora protests, still fumbling with her clothes.
"And I don't want to know you. You're only here because Mrs. Grant asked me to hire you. And I agreed because she is a good lady and has done a lot of good for this community. She didn't come down here playing games and treating people disrespectfully. She came here to help and she has done just. But you – you came here thinking you were better than the people who live here, which means you think you're better than me, and that's unacceptable."
"And now you have the nerve to want to get a little jungle fever. Well if you want to have sex, you won't be having it here – not anymore."
"You're disgusting. Having sex in a public place where anyone could see you – like you're some damn animal – is just nasty. What kind of woman are you anyway? Did you even think about what would've happened if one of the children walked in on you and Amir? No, you didn't because you're one of the most selfish and disrespectful people I have ever met. So take your privileged ass home. I don't want you here any longer. You're a distraction – not a help. I'll tell Mrs. Grant I can't use you around here."
Tears start to fall down Nora's face as she steps into her boots.
"Please, stop with the tears. I don't give a damn about you or your tears. You're a grown ass woman so stop acting like a little girl when your ass gets caught."
Marcella walks away leaving Nora standing in a pool of tears.
"Marcella. Please, Marcella", Nora screams, but Marcella does not bother to turn around. And Nora's stomach sinks because she dreads having to tell the family what happened. She dreads seeing the look of disappointment in Olivia's eyes again.
XXX
Nora storms into the house and slams the front door with such force she activates the alarm system. Wondering who is slamming doors and setting off the alarm, Hilde stops dusting the table in the living room and walks into the foyer where she sees Nora stomping down the hall. Hilde resets the alarm, shakes her head, and walks back to the living room to resume her cleaning. She has always suspected that something is not quite right with the young woman.
Maura is sitting on the sofa in the family room recreating her notes on the new laptop Bennie bought her. She absolutely thrilled with her new computer and wonders why she did not get one sooner. She loves the wordprocessing features that allow her to write and revise content as often as she likes. When she hears the door slam and the alarm start to blare, Maura sets her laptop onto the sofa and turns around to look in the direction in which the noise is coming when she sees Nora stomping through the room.
"Nora, what are you doing home so early? Why aren't you at the community center?" Maura asks, surprised to see her daughter home so early.
Nora ignores her mother's questions and storms out back, kicking off her shoes, and stomping toward the pool. Maura closes her eyes and sighs. She knows it is time to have the long-overdue talk with her daughter – the talk she has dreaded having for so many years. But she can no longer turn a blind eye to her daughter's destructive behaviors. She has to try to save Nora before she is lost to her forever. And she cannot abdicate this responsibility to anyone else. She must finally stand up and be the mother her daughter has always needed. She just hopes it is not too late.
"Go away mother", angrily swiping the tears from her face as she sits on the edge of the pool with her feet dangling in the water.
"What happened, Nora? What's wrong?" Maura sits at the pool's edge next to her daughter.
"I said I don't want to talk about it. So. Go. Away."
"I'm not going anywhere. I am your mother and we need to talk."
"Well that's a joke. So now you want to be my mother?" Nora snipes, kicking her feet up and down, causing the water to splatter on her mother.
"I will admit that I have failed you as a mother, Nora. I was not an example of anything you should ever aspire to be. I stayed in an unfulfilling marriage way longer than I should have. I can admit now that I stayed because I was afraid. I was afraid to pull back the curtain to see what was on the other side. And by staying, I not only ruined myself, but I ruined you as well. You are so lost and so angry. And I get it. Whether you believe me or not, I really do get it."
"You don't know anything, mother."
"I know I didn't give you the attention you needed as a child. By the time you came along I was emotionally dead, I had nothing to give you. Oh, I took care of all of your basic needs – food, clothes - but I had no love to give you, not the kind of love a little girl deserves. Your brothers, well they didn't really need too much from me other than to prepare their meals and do their laundry. Your father took care of them for the most part."
Tears roll down Nora's face. She has always known that she was unloved by her parents.
"It's not that I didn't love you, it's just that I couldn't love you. I couldn't give you what every little girl needs, what every teenage girl needs, and what every young woman needs. And because you never got what you needed as a child, you began acting out in all kinds of unhealthy ways as a teenager to be noticed – to get the attention you craved. The partying. The snarky attitude. The promiscuity. It is all your way of yelling out to the world: See me. Look at me. Love me.
The tears stream down Nora's face in sheets as she and her mother sit in silence for long time, watching the robin flutter above the pool's surface.
"Nora, what is it that you know about yourself that makes you believe you do not deserve any better than what you're settling for?"
"What are you talking about?" She asks defensively.
"It is time for it all to stop, Nora. It's time that you stop intentionally hurting yourself because of what your father and I did not give you. You cannot continue to live your life this way, hurting yourself and hurting others around you. You have so much to offer to this world – so much more than I ever had. You are young. You are beautiful. You are a talented artist. But you have to know you are all these things. You have to feel you are all those things. And you have to believe you are these things. I cannot do it for you and Olivia certainly cannot do it for you either. You have to do it for yourself."
Nora looks at her mother with tears in her eyes, finally feeling that her mother sees her and cares about her.
"It's going to take a lot of hard work, Nora. You don't change a lifetime of behaviors overnight. I certainly learned that."
"I'm scared, mom. I don't know how to be different."
"I'm scared too, dear. In some ways we are in a similar place. But we have to shed the past – stop the destructive behaviors."
Nora looks at her mother curiously.
"We both have the opportunity to start a new life – and that is both scary and exciting. But I think we both know we can no longer live the kind of life we have been living."
Nora nods her head sadly.
"I was not there for you when you were growing up Nora, but I want to be here for you now – if you will let me. Do you want to tell me what happened at the Center today?"
Maura nods as her daughter recounts how Marcella caught her masturbating on the tables and trying to entice Amir.
"Oh, Nora. I am so sorry", wrapping an arm around her daughter's shoulders and wiping the tears from her face. "Tell me why you do it", looking at her daughter closely. "If you tell me that you are a free spirit who finds uncommitted sexuality personally meaningful, then that is your choice. Men do it all the time, but there is a double standard when a woman does. She is called everything under the sun – mentally ill, promiscuous, sinful, whore, slut. I won't judge you if you are doing this because of lust and sexual satisfaction."
Nora tries to interject but her mother stops her.
"Let me finish Nora. If you are happy with your lifestyle, if it works for you, then who am I or anyone else to say your behavior is immoral or wrong? But, if you are trying to find love through sex, then we need to talk about that. Is that what is going on?"
"I don't know, mom", shaking her head in despair as the tears stream down her face again. "I really don't know."
"Nora, you cannot stay in this vicious cycle of endless sexual activity. You have to stop running and face your pain. Did your father and I do this to you? Did we cause this in you?"
"I really don't know mom", laying her head on her mother's shoulder and letting a lifetime of pain stream down her cheeks. "I hurt so much inside, mom. And I try to numb the pain with more pain."
"Then we'll figure it out – together", rubbing her daughter's shoulder.
"How did you get so smart, mom?" Nora smiles weakly, wiping the tears from her face.
"I'm hardly smart, Nora."
"Remember mom, we both have to change the negative thoughts in our head."
Maura chuckles softly as she stares across the pool at the pink rhododendron bush.
"And mom", lifting her head from her mother's shoulder and looking up at her profile. "Please don't tell Olivia and Fitz what happened – that I got fired – not yet."