"I can't...shit. I can't even look," Brody grimaced, fighting the urge to gag as Carrie wolfed down her second order of deep fried pickles.
"Are you actually enjoying those things?"
"No," Carrie snorted. "But your son or daughter is and clearly I don't get a vote," she said between bites as Danny, Maggie and Farrah approached.
"What in the hell, Carrie," Danny muttered, shaking his head in awe.
"You really couldn't go for the deep fried Oreos? Deep fried butter even?"
"Butter? You're making that up!" Brody exclaimed as Maggie shook her head.
"No. It exists. Over there," she said, pointing to a booth across the way.
"Jesus."
"Yeah. The MD in me is forever scarred," she said as Farrah approached Carrie, studying the dipping sauce she was using for the pickles.
"What is this?"
"Some sort of spicy, secret sauce. I've eaten worse," Carrie shrugged as the girl picked up the plastic container, then one of the pickles.
"Listen Farrah, I wouldn't if I were-"
"Don't discourage her, Brody. She can make up her own mind," she said as the girl took a bite before grimacing, handing the container back to Carrie.
"Well, clearly she has," Brody scoffed. "I vote we go track down some real food. Who's with me?"
"I'm in. C'mon, Farrah. Ever have kettle corn?" Danny asked as Maggie spotted, pointed out a small umbrella table nearby.
"Grab it. We'll be right back."
After Farrah walked off with Brody and Danny, Carrie bought one more container of pickles before she and Maggie walked over to the table.
Once reaching it, seeing Carrie all but collapse into the plastic chair, Maggie frowned.
"Should I even ask how your feet are treating you?"
"They're supporting a fucking blimp. I shouldn't be too surprised at the mutiny," Carrie groaned as Maggie grabbed another chair for her to prop her feet on.
Thanking her, Carrie rested the plastic box on her bump, started eating another pickle spear.
"Well if and when you need a little down time this weekend. At the rehearsal, the ceremony. Just say the word, okay? I don't want you overdoing it."
"Maggie I'll be fine. I've been counting the days. You know that," she said with a smile.
"I just wish I could've thrown you a proper bachelorette."
"You did that already. And nothing about that night was close to proper."
"Exactly," Carrie grinned.
"Well, if it makes you feel any better I'm grabbing drinks with some friends tomorrow night. And the girls are throwing me a spa day before the rehearsal. Gel manicures, wash out pink highlights, the whole bit."
"Wow. Better hope they're actual washout."
"They'll be over the moon if you and Farrah make an appearance."
"Well, we'll try our best. But can it be sometime in the morning? I know Brody's got some stuff planned in the afternoon before the rehearsal dinner and I don't want there to be any conflicts."
"What's he got planned out?" Maggie asked.
"Surprise for Farrah. Saturday at 2."
"That's...cryptic."
"That's all it said in the calendar notification I read off his phone," Carrie shrugged as Maggie arched a brow.
"What? Old habits die hard."
Met with a wary look, Carrie sighed.
"I'm kidding! The alert popped up when I was talking to Quinn. I swear, no wiretaps were involved," she said as Maggie shook her head, lightly laughed.
"Honestly. God help me if I have to give a toast at your rehearsal dinner someday."
"Jesus Christ, Maggie," Carrie snorted.
"C'mon, you're telling me it's never crossed your mind?"
"I don't know," she sighed, crossing her arms. "I mean when we were kids it was you and your friends having pretend weddings in the backyard."
"When you were playing chicken and cops and robbers, I know," Maggie said, giving her a soft smile.
"I just wondered... now that you've finally caught up to who you were after-"
"What?"
"What's gonna happen next with you guys?"
"Isn't it obvious?" Carrie snorted, gesturing to her bump.
"I meant after the baby is born."
Biting her lip, bluster gone, she folded her arms protectively over herself.
"I don't know, alright?"
"Carrie-"
"I said I don't know!" she snapped.
"Thinking that far ahead is just...it's too much right now."
Feeling the too sympathetic look trained on her, Carrie used the table to get to a standing position. Tossed the pickle containers in a nearby trash can.
"Carrie, wait-"
"Maggie-"
"I'm sorry. Alright? I didn't mean to overstep. I just was curious and a little nosy."
"Well you of all people are allowed to be," Carrie scoffed.
"Look, there's decisions, deliberations. A lot of shit he and I have to deal with, determine. I know that."
"I know you do," Maggie assured. "I just-"
"I don't want to fixate on it. Not now. I mean we're supposed to be having fun today, right?" she asked as Maggie nodded, reached over to rub her shoulder.
"We are. I just...Just...if you want to talk about that, I'm here, alright?"
"I know, Maggie," Carrie said, managing a soft smile.
"You want to sit back down? Wait for them to come over with the food?"
"Now that I'm up it's not worth it to sit again," she groaned. "C'mon, I should stretch my legs. We can see what's taking them so long."
"Well, look over there and you'll have your answer," Maggie said, pointing to the track that Danny was standing in front of.
When they got closer, standing next to him they saw Brody reaching over, from his bumper car, to steer Farrah's car away from the tire barricade and back in towards the center of the track.
"Oh my God," Carrie laughed as Danny ate a handful of kettle corn, shook his head.
"Real life Mario Kart not working out so well?" Maggie asked.
"She started out strong, but Brody's been trying to get her unstuck for the past five minutes. As soon as this round's done though I-"
Hearing a buzzer, Danny shoved the popcorn bag at Carrie.
"Shit. Gotta go."
Looking on as Danny ran to the track entrance, promptly jumped into a now unoccupied car, Maggie rolled her eyes while Carrie took a handful of the kettle corn.
"Another food we can add to the success column?"
"Calling it food is pretty generous. But at least the smell isn't making me sick yet," Carrie shrugged as they continued to watch Danny and Brody both working now to get Farrah's car unstuck.
"I'm sorry again for pressing you about Brody," Maggie said after a beat.
"Maggie, I told you...it's-"
"No, just let me talk," she insisted as Carrie nodded, turned to face her.
"I'm just not used to having conversations with you about the guys you're with. And I'm definitely not used to having conversations with the guys themselves. This whole situation with you and Brody is still a little uncharted."
"Tell me something I don't know," Carrie said with a shrug. Turning back to the track she popped the kettle corn in her mouth only to wince, clutch her still achy jaw with her free hand.
"Fuck," she muttered, reaching in her bag for a travel bottle of Tylenol. Uncapping it she dry swallowed two pills, did her best to ignore the look Maggie was giving her.
"So what kinds of conversations have you had with him?"
"Nothing overly detailed. You don't need to worry."
"That what? Brody's gonna start spilling state secrets to my big sister?" Carrie asked with a laugh.
"Trust me. That's the fucking least of my concerns right now."
"Any non classified concerns you want to talk about?"
"Maggie-"
"Maybe filling me in on why popcorn has you reaching for painkillers?" she asked as Carrie rolled her eyes, only for her face to start aching again.
"Brody filled in some of the gaps. I know there was a woman who made a pass at him."
"She made out with him in his hospital room when he was in the middle of a fucking flashback," she spat as Maggie's eyes widened.
"Did...did you see her-"
"He thought I'd snuck in to be with him, Maggie. He was so out of it he couldn't..."
"Consent?! She just took advantage?!"
"Yeah. I had a feeling he didn't fill in that gap for you earlier," Carrie said softly, glancing over to see Farrah working to bump Danny's car into the tire wall.
"I know those who set up unauthorized surveillance shouldn't throw stones, but when I fucking found that out...I couldn't-"
"I wish you'd hit her more than once," Maggie interjected.
"I think I got enough swings in to send a message. I hope anyway."
"Brody had said he wouldn't be opposed to a restraining order if worse came to worse. Honestly, I'd be good with that, too."
"She called me a finger painting psycho and tried to pull out my hair. Nancy Johnston should pray they put fifty yards between me and her," Carrie spat, folding her arms.
"I swear, if I didn't take an oath to do no harm, I'd-"
"What?" she asked curiously as Maggie frowned. "Punch, kick? Karate chop?"
"Carrie-"
"No, I genuinely want to know. If someone tried to come after you or one of the girls, what would be your first move?"
"Well, Danny's been teaching me some jujitsu," Maggie admitted shyly.
"Good! I...that's really good, Maggie. It's important, you know."
"I'm barely past basics yet, but he let me try and flip him the other night."
"I'm impressed. Just...hold off on anything too advanced til after your honeymoon."
"Yeah, Cabo in traction doesn't seem that appealing," Maggie smiled.
"What was that about traction?" Brody asked, sneaking up behind to put his arms around Carrie as she nearly jumped a foot in the air.
"What I'm going to put you in if you sneak up on me like that again. Jesus," she scoffed as he apologized, kissed her cheek.
"Where's-"
"Her and Danny's time is almost up. You guys want to try and play some games?" Brody asked, nodding to a row of tents across the way.
"I promised the girls I'd win them some teddy bears," Maggie said as Farrah exited the bumper car track, ran over to them with Danny at her heels.
"Carrie, did you see?! You see me drive!"
"I saw you crash into other cars, Farrah. It's not quite the same thing."
"Oh," Farrah said, taking Carrie's hand.
"But did I crash good?" she asked with a grin as Carrie rolled her eyes, walked with her and the group towards the game tents.