Chapter Two-Hundred and Sixty-Eight

Clarissa dumped a bunch of Oatmeal-Milk bath mix into the tub, smiling when John appeared in the doorway to the bathroom. "Just in time." She set a timer, fully aware that after nearly a week of dealing with the pox he was getting sick of the treatments. "Twenty minutes. No more, no less."

He growled, rolling his eyes as he began to strip down. "I feel like a swamp monster."

She laughed, covering her eyes as he took his pants off. "Well, it works. Besides, I want grandbabies." She poured some oatmeal bath over his head, rubbing the concoction into his scalp. "And I'm sure you don't want to use a sperm donor."

He glared at her, sinking lower in the bath until his chin was in the water and his knees were just above the surface. "Can I just freeze some of my swimmers?"

She sighed, standing and leaving him to finish his soak. "Just soak in there for a while."

Toby laughed as John strummed on his guitar, shaking his head at his welt-covered friend. "Hey chicken skin."

John flipped him off, groaning as Toby handed him a plastic cup. "Not again…" He hated the tests, he didn't like being forced to jerk off. "God, I hate this shit." He took the cup from Toby, setting it on his dresser. "And you wouldn't think it was so funny if you could end up sterile or dead."

Toby smirked, taking his guitar from him and setting it in the stand beside the amp in the corner of his room. "You still look like a fucking zombie."

John flipped him off, laughing when Toby hit him with a pillow. "Fuck off dick-wad!" He picked up his own pillow, throwing it at his friend and pinning him under his body.

Jessica bit her lip as John and Toby wrestled, annoyed that Toby was prolonging the time between the tests that John was supposed to do. "Toby, stop dinking around."

Dominic walked with Jade through the supermarket, picking up the diapers and formula while she grabbed the baby powder and rash cream. "Ok, this should last us a day and a half." He joked, nudging Jade's side as she looked at the cute little toys.

"I wish we could afford those for them…" She sighed, knowing that money was tight; even with Dominic working at the tattoo shop and the royalties coming in from the albums the band had sold, they were still struggling to make ends meet.

Dominic bit his lip, playing with Iris's little hand when she grabbed his finger. "We will, we just have to wait a little bit." He kissed her head, trying to ignore the truth of what was coming down their road. "Thomas and Clarissa said we can move in with them if we need to."

"I think we should." She pushed the cart forward, leaning on his shoulder as the continued to shop. "Their two-week appointments are coming up, and I'm gonna need to get my stitches out soon, rent is coming up, our phone bill's overdue, the electric bill-"

He turned her to look at him, taking her hands in his as they shook with worry. "Honey, we're okay. After the Chicken Pox goes through the house, we'll go over there. But I can't risk you five getting that this soon after birth."

She nodded, letting him wipe the tears from her eyes before they started shopping again. "I'm just worried…"

He kissed her cheek, slipping one of the toys into his cart without her noticing. "Don't be. It'll work out."

Claire opened John's bedroom door, laughing as she flung herself onto his bed and caused his notebook to go flying from his hands. "Hello!" She grinned, tilting her chin up as he kissed her lips.

He chuckled, rolling his body on top of hers as he kissed her more. He pushed his hands into her hair, pressing his hips against hers as he pushed more force into the kiss. He moaned as he felt her hands grip at his t-shirt, slipping his own hand under her blouse. "I love you…" He gasped, resting his forehead against hers as they stared into each other's eyes. "Te amo con todo mi ser."

She smiled, grabbing a pillow from behind her head and pushing it into his face. "I love you more." She laughed, screaming as he fell off of the bed. "You okay?" She asked, shaking her head when he coughed.