CHAPTER TEN
"Oh my gosh, she's so cute!" a girl from Sikowitz's class exclaimed, looking at Kenzie in Beck's arms.
"Thanks," Cat said with a smile.
"How old is she now?"
"Two weeks."
"She's so tiny."
"She was a little bit early. Growing a little bit every day though."
"So this is the famous Hollywood Arts baby," Sikowitz said, making his way over to them.
"She is," Cat said, nodding.
"And do I get to learn this tiny human's name?"
"Mackenzie Jade Shapiro."
"Ah… well, I hope for your sake she doesn't end up like her namesake."
"What's that supposed to mean?" Jade asked.
"Hey, that's my thing," Cat said.
"Oh… nothing," Sikowitz said before walking away as he drank a coconut.
"I should get her home. She needs a bath and a nap."
"Come see us again soon, Kenz," Beck said, kissing Kenzie's head before handing her off to Jade.
"You see her practically every day," she said with a laugh.
"Yeah but it's extra fun when I get to see her during school."
Jade cradled Kenzie to her chest and kissed her head a few times as she swayed back and forth with her. "I'll miss you. Be good for Mommy, okay? I love you."
"She loves you too Auntie, now hand her over so I can get her home," Cat said.
"I can keep her with me."
"Yeah, no. Not happening. I need to feed her as soon as possible, my boobs are killing me."
"Oh, fine," Jade said handing Kenzie to her. "Tell Mom I'll be home a little late. I have to run to the drugstore after school."
Cat looked at her for a few seconds. "You better not be pregnant," she whispered.
"Relax. I'm still a virgin—but I won't be this weekend, which is why I need to go to the drugstore," she said quietly.
"What?"
"Beck and I are going out of town this weekend. I'm finally ready. That's why I'm stocking up on condoms so I don't end up pregnant."
"Jade… make sure this is what you really want. Make sure you won't regret it."
"It'll be with Beck—I won't regret it."
"Caterina Evangeline!" Grace called out from upstairs.
Cat bit her lip. She was currently in the living room, sitting on the floor in front of the coffee table, doing homework that Jade brought home for her and nursing Kenzie. She couldn't think of what she'd done to be full first named and middle named, but it was worth a shot to ask.
"…Yeah?" Cat called.
"If you don't want anybody to know you use a vibrator, I suggest you keep your bedroom door closed and put it somewhere safer!"
Cat's cheeks flushed red when Jade snorted and she looked at Robbie, pursing her lips. "Okay, Mom… Sorry!"
"Tyler found it!"
"I promise it's clean!"
"I'm putting it in your panty drawer!"
"Works for me!"
"So, is the vibrator the reason I hear those muffled moans at night?" Jade asked.
"No… Shut up," Cat said, continuing her homework.
"Why do you need a vibrator?" Robbie asked.
"Well it's not like I can have sex right now, I need something to scratch the itch."
"If you're itchy in the vagina you should probably see a doctor about that," Jade said. "Can I have the baby now?"
"Do your tits produce milk?"
"No…"
"Then no. She's still eating. And that's not the kind of itch I was talking about, Yeast Infection Of The Year."
"Dude, shut up," Jade said, lightly kicking the back of Cat's head.
"Hello, I have my child in my lap!"
"Don't talk about my vagina issues in front of Puppet Boy."
"Don't call him that, that's mean."
"Cat!" Joanie said, running into the living room.
"Yes, Joanie," Cat said as she continued writing in her notebook.
"Tyler had this again," the little girl said, holding a pink vibrator out to Cat.
"Oh my god," she said, grabbing it and laying it on the floor next to her.
"What is it?"
"It's a massager."
"Why do you need a massager?"
"Sometimes I need a massage."
"I can massage your shoulders for you."
"Not the kind of massage I'm talking about, baby girl," Cat said. "You're too little for this conversation."
"Go do your homework, Joan," Jade said.
As Joanie left the room, Cat laid her pencil down when Kenzie stopped eating and she fixed her bra and shirt. "You want her, Auntie?"
"Yes, gimme," Jade said, holding her arms out.
"Do I ever get to hold my daughter?" Robbie asked.
"When you're done with your homework," Cat said. "I'm doing mine, you can do yours. You're not gonna use the baby as an excuse to fail."
"Okay, Mom."
Jade laid Kenzie on her chest as she laid back on the couch and patted her back gently. "Want me to give her a bath in a little bit? She's sweaty."
"Sure," Cat said. "Hey, when's that play you're in?"
"Next weekend."
"At Black Box?"
"Yeah."
"We'll be there. God, I wish I was in the play. Susan McCallister got my role."
"She only got it because somebody tried to come over a month early."
"I honestly think I would've been kicked out of the play whether she came on time anyways," Cat said with a shrug.
"Nah, Sikowitz would've kept you."
"You think so?"
"You're his favorite out of all of us. He wouldn't have given your role away if you didn't have the complications you did."
"It's nice being the cute one," Cat said with a smile.
A burp erupted from Kenzie and Cat's eyes widened, slowly turning her head.
"That was not my child," she said.
"That was definitely your child," Jade said with a laugh. "Good one, Kenz."
"So unladylike."
"It definitely was but it was amazing," the goth said, standing up with the baby. "I'm gonna go change her and give her a bath."
"Okay. Thanks."
As Jade left the room, Cat closed her math book and walked over to Robbie, taking his book from him and setting it on the coffee table.
"What's this?" Robbie asked.
"Just a little love and affection," she said, straddling him as she sat in his lap. "You know, I go in for my six-week check up tomorrow."
"Mhm. And?" he asked, running his hands over her sides.
"Well… I was thinking. We're getting married. We've never… officialized our relationship privately," she said kissing his neck.
"Yeah?"
"Maybe we can do that soon. You know. Get it done and over with. But still be sweet and sensual."
"And what does that mean?"
"Maybe we can finally seal the deal and have sex for the first time? If I'm cleared," she pressed her hips into his.
"Mm… are you sure you're ready? After what Max did…"
"I'm over it. I don't even think about it anymore."
Cat kissed his lips lightly, rocking her hips against his slowly. "I want this, Robbie… it's really hard for me to not just strip you down and ride you any time we're near each other."
"Okay," Robbie said. "If you're ready."
"I'm beyond ready. Mm…" she moaned quietly. "God, this feels good…"
"This would be better suited in your room, wouldn't it?"
"Shh…"
Cat grinded her middle into his, keeping the pace slow.
Robbie's hands slid under her shirt, massaging her breasts for a few seconds before Cat moved his hands down.
"Not a good idea. I'll leak," she said.
"I know you two aren't trying to have sex in my living room with my children in the house," Grace said walking past the doorway.
Cat groaned and got off of Robbie's lap, kissing his lips. "I'll be right back. I need to talk to her about something."
The redhead made her way out of the living room and followed Grace into the kitchen. "Can we talk?" she asked.
"Sure. What's up?" Grace asked.
"Well… my six week check up is tomorrow."
"Yeah."
"Do you think it's… too early to have sex? If I get the clear?"
"Well, your doctor will tell you whether it's safe or not. That's what the check up is for. But… I gotta say, I don't think it's a good idea."
"We'll use a condom… I just… feel like I owe it to myself, you know? So I can lose my virginity under my own terms…"
"Well… I don't like the idea of you having sex just to get it out of the way. But I know I can't stop you. So, if you do, then you make damn sure you're on the pill, you use a condom, and you take every precaution necessary so you don't get pregnant. I can't stress that enough, Cat."
"I know…"
"I also don't want you two fooling around out in the open like you were—Joanie and Tyler are too young to see that. Keep it to your room."
"We will."
"Where's Jade?"
"Giving the baby a bath."
"Well take this to her. It's from Stanford," Grace said, handing her an envelope.
"Did I get anything?"
"No. Sorry, kiddo."
Cat sighed. "I'm better off at UCLA anyways…" she said before making her way to the living room. "I'm gonna see how Jade's doing with Kenz and I'm going up to my room. You comin?"
"Yeah," Robbie said.
"I'll meet you in there," she said before making her way upstairs to the bathroom. "You got something fr—oh my god! Jade!" she exclaimed, running over to the girl on the floor. She looked into the bath tub and saw that Kenzie was safe in her baby bath and she shook Jade's arm lightly. "Jade? Can you hear me? It's Cat."
When she got no response, her breath quickened. "Mom! Robbie! Something's wrong with Jade!" she shouted.
Footsteps hurried up the stairs and Cat moved out of the way when Grace knelt next to her. "What happened?" Grace asked.
"I don't know, I came in and she was on the floor."
"Is Kenzie okay?" Robbie asked.
"She's fine, she got her in the bath before this happened."
"She's in the bath by herself?"
"She's fine, there's not enough water in it to hurt her—Mom, what's wrong with her?"
"I don't know honey. She has a pulse but it's not very great. Robbie I want you to call 9-1-1 and entertain the kids and keep them downstairs, and Cat I want you to get that baby a warm bath, it's freezing in here," Grace said.
"You want me to worry about bathing my kid when my sister's out cold?"
"She's gonna be out cold whether you're giving her a bath or not. Warm that baby up."
A few hours later, Jade was admitted into the hospital, Grace went with her, and Cat and Robbie stayed at the house with Joanie and Tyler. While the kids ate, Robbie and Cat were finishing up some homework, but Cat stopped writing when she heard the front door open and looked towards the foyer.
"Hey kids—where's Mom?" Todd asked.
"Hospital with Jade," Cat said as Todd kissed her head. "She passed out in the bathroom earlier. They've been there a few hours. Still no word yet, though."
"I'm gonna go change out of my work clothes and head down, then. Hey, Kenzie," he said, tapping Kenzie's nose, who was in her bouncer placed in the middle of the kitchen table.
"Daddy, how come you're not staying here with us?" Joanie asked.
"Because I need to go see how Jade's doing."
"Why can't Cat go instead?"
Cat rolled her eyes. "She's mad at me because I told her she can't have a cookie unless she eats three broccolis."
"They're yucky."
"They help you stay healthy. I'm serious. If you don't eat your broccoli, you don't get a cookie. I'll give yours to Kenzie."
"Joan. Cat's in charge, you listen to her," Todd said.
"But I'm full," Joanie said.
"You took three bites of your chicken, you're not full. Eat your broccoli right now and then finish the yummy stuff. That way you get the not-so-tasty stuff out of the way first," Cat said.
"Daddy…"
"Joan, listen to Cat. I'm going to change and then to the hospital. Behave, young lady," he said before walking upstairs.
"I'm serious Joanie, if you don't eat your broccoli you won't get the cookie," Cat said.
"But I'm already full," Joanie said.
"Well that's fine then. But you still don't get a cookie because you didn't eat your veggies."
"That's not fair!"
"It's perfectly fair. Tyler's eating his broccoli."
"Why couldn't I have carrots?"
"We don't have any carrots."
"We did last night."
"We ate them all."
"I want carrots. I don't like broccoli."
"Tough. Eat it or go get ready for bed."
"No, I'm not tired. And I'm not eating it. It's yucky. I want a cookie."
Cat sighed and got up, taking Joanie's plate and setting it on the counter. "Bed. Now."
"No."
"Joan Elizabeth West, I said go to bed now move your ass and don't make me say it again."
"You're not my mom."
"Well your mom's at the hospital with your sister, so you're stuck with me. Get up. Go to bed. You have five seconds. Five…"
"I'm not goin' to bed."
"Four…"
"I'm not tired."
"Three…"
"You can't make me."
"Two…"
"Joanie, maybe you should just go to bed," Robbie said. "You don't wanna get in trouble."
"I'm not tired so I'm not going to bed," Joanie said.
"One…" Cat said.
"I'm not going!"
Cat took Joanie's arm and pulled her out of her chair, only to have the little girl drop all of her weight to the floor. "Joan Elizabeth!" she snapped, picking her up. "You are going to bed whether you like it or not!"
"DADDY!" Joanie screamed.
Todd came back into the kitchen, now dressed in an old t-shirt and some jeans. "Why are you screaming?"
"She's making me go to bed!"
"She's not listening to me, she refuses to eat her broccoli but she wants a cookie, so I keep telling her to eat it and she keeps saying she's full, so I told her she doesn't need a cookie if she's full but she keeps insisting that she wants it, but she won't eat her god damn broccoli," Cat said, flustered.
"Joan, go upstairs. Now. When Cat says it's bedtime, then it's bedtime. You should have listened to her," Todd said.
Joanie let out a frustrated growl and she ran out of the kitchen, leaving Cat frustrated and leaning against the counter as her eyes watered.
"And you need to watch your language with her," Todd said.
"I'm sorry, she just… pissed me off," Cat said.
"I know. She's little. She's gonna do that," he said, kissing Cat's head. "I'm gonna go up to the hospital now. If she gives you anymore problems then call me and I'll come home."
"Okay…"
"That's what you have to look forward to with the baby," he said with a small chuckle.
"Kill me now."
