Chapter Twenty-Two
The Family
The next morning Ruthie awoke starving once more. She trudged down the stairs hoping to find her father. They hadn't been able to talk, last night.
"Is dad still here?" Ruthie asked her mother as she entered the kitchen.
"You just missed him." Annie said placing a plate of bacon in front of Ruthie.
"Eww no." Ruthie said feeling a sudden wave of nausea, only moments before she'd been starving.
"I forgot." Annie said covering the plate so her daughter didn't have to inhale its scent. She never thought that she'd have to cover up food to hide the smell from her seventeen year old daughter so she didn't get morning sickness. The whole thing still sound as if it wasn't real but a joke, Annie thought to herself. Ruthie put a smile on her face trying to make light of the mood but she knew exactly what was running through her mother's mind. She felt something in her stomach and quickly placed her hand instinctively their. Annie walked over to her daughter and looked down at the bump that hadn't been visible yesterday but was very visible now.
"Kicking?" Annie asked looking down directly at the bump.
"Yeah, it's been happening a lot lately." Ruthie said, "It just comes out of nowhere."
"I remember it being like that for me too." Annie said.
"Ooh." Ruthie said feeling a kick and causing Annie to place a hand on her daughters growing abdomen and feel her grandchild move for the first time.
Sam and David stood at the top of the stairs listening and watching. Sam was the first one to start to cry and David soon followed. Annie and Ruthie heard them and quickly went to see what was going on.
"What's wrong?" Annie asked wiping David's cheek.
"You're going to kick Ruthie out!" Sam said.
"What makes you say that?" Annie asked shocked at Sam's proclamation.
"You sent Mary away when we were little, Matt left to be a doctor…." David began.
"…And Simon left…."
"...And then you made Lucy..."
"…And Kevin…"
"….And Savannah…"
"…And now Ruthie!" Sam finished, "I don't want her to leave."
"Me either!" David said as they both ran to there sister and hugged her.
"She's not leaving!" Annie said.
"You said that you weren't making…"
"…Lucy, Kevin, or Savannah leave…"
"…And they left!" David finished, they were both still holding onto Ruthie tightly.
"You two are squishing me!" Ruthie said pulling back a bit.
"We don't want you to leave." Sam and David said in unison.
"I'm not leaving." Ruthie said eyeing her mother, "Right?"
"Of course you're not leaving." Annie said rolling her eyes, "I need an aspirin!"
Ruthie dressed once again in a sweatshirt, wondering when everyone else was going to find out. She wondered how long she was going to be able to fit in the clothes she had. She was beginning to slowly outgrow them. Taking a breath she grabbed her messenger bag off the bed and headed down the stairs.
The kitchen door flew open and in walked Mary with Charlie on her hip and Carlos by her side.
"What are you doing here?" Ruthie asked stopping dead in her tracks.
"Ruthie!?" Charlie squealed with delight.
"We're here because were worried about mom and you." Mary said, "She was acting really weird and Carlos, Matt, Sarah, and I all had this weekend and today off. So here we are."
"Matt's here?" Ruthie questioned, getting more nervous as the time passed.
"Yeah." Mary said as the door opened behind her and Matt walked in dragging a suitcase.
"Sarah's having trouble getting out our other bag…." Matt began but stopped upon seeing his little sister. He began to point and make mumbling noises that made no sense.
"Oh my god!" Matt said gesturing with his hands, "Oh my god!"
"What?" Mary asked lost.
"Oh my god!" Matt repeated again, "Oh my god!"
"What?" Carlos asked.
"Oh my god!" Matt said once more, "Oh my god!"
"Can you tell us what's going on?" Mary asked eyeing her nutty brother. Matt began to point at his stomach and then back at Ruthie. He just couldn't form words.
"Stomach?" Mary asked.
"Ruthie's stomach?" Carlos asked. Matt began to rock his hand back in forth as if he was holding a baby.
"Rock a by baby?" Mary asked looking at him.
"What?" questioned Carlos, "I don't get it?!"
"Me either." Mary said as Sarah walked in.
"Oh my god," Sarah said, "Ruthie, You're pregnant!?"
"WHAT?!" Carlos and Mary screamed in unison.
"Surprise." Ruthie said, not knowing what else to say but trying to keep the mood light.