A/N: Ha! I lied big time about this taking a while. And I actually have another chapter written too. Yet, I still haven't worked at all on Familiar. I want to punch something. Enjoy!

Chapter 5

A few days later, I was washing dishes at the sink when the phone rang. I waddled over and picked it up. Everyone was there, but they were actually doing productive things instead of watching TV, like studying. "Hello?" I answered.

"Hey, Abby, it's Tommy." Hoagie's younger brother, lovely.

"Talk to me, kid." I turned back towards the sink with the phone stuck between my ear and shoulder. Tommy rarely called us. He was seventeen and most likely just had better things to do. So I knew this was something possibly important.

"My mom is coming to see you guys. Something about 'knowing where her money is going'. I'm giving you a heads-up. She thinks she's going to surprise you and Hoagie," Tommy explained.

I sighed. "I was hoping for some good news. How long do you think we got?"

"You probably have twenty or thirty minutes. Oh, and she wants to stay until the baby comes."

I glanced around. The apartment was a mess. We were screwed. "Alright, thanks for letting Abby know, kid. I gotta go now." I hung up the phone. "If you don't live here, get out!" I called as I walked over to the kitchen table.

"We're busy," Nigel replied. His nose was about to inches away from the book he was studying.

"Hoagie's mom is coming," I warned.

Nigel immediately closed his book and stood up to leave. Let's clear something up. There wasn't anything "wrong" exactly with Mrs. Gilligan. She was just a little high-strung and nit-picky. Patton and Ace stood up to leave also.

Hoagie dropped his forehead down to the table. "My mom's coming?"

"Abby just got off the phone with Tommy. We've got twenty minutes." I started cleaning off the table. "And, when she gets here, we have to act surprised and excited. Tommy wasn't supposed to tell us she was coming. Act natural."

Hoagie leaned over and kissed me. "Is that natural enough?"

"Well, we do have twenty minutes…"

A knock. Twenty minutes really isn't that long. "Who is it?" Hoagie asked, knowing exactly who it was.

"Your mother, Hoagie!"

"Really?" Hoagie mocked. "Well, hey, mom. I'll just unlock the door. Hold on a sec!" He looked into the peep-hole and laughed.

After the door was opened, Mrs. Gilligan stood in the front hall of our apartment. "I'm going to stay with you kids until the baby comes, isn't that great?"

I smiled fakely. "Fantastic, don't you think, baby?" I glanced at Hoagie. He nodded.

She dropped her bag and hung her coat up on a hook.

"Well," Hoagie said. "You can come say hi to Kuki and Wally. I'm sure they'd just love to see you, Mom." He walked her over to the couch where Kuki and Wally were sitting.

"Hi, Mrs. Gilligan," Kuki smiled. Wally waved awkwardly.

Mrs. Gilligan glanced around at the apartment. "This place is clean. Who cleans here? I know it must not be you, Hoagie P. Gilligan, you definitely are not a clean one." Hoagie's mom also thought he was the "bad" one. Her precious baby, Tommy, would never knock up a girl at nineteen. At least, that's what Hoagie believes.

"I clean mostly," I replied. "I don't really have much else to do, being pregnant and all."

For the first time, her eyes landed on my belly. "And how is Hoagie P. Gilligan the Third?" Mrs. Gilligan asked, placing a hand on my stomach.

Hoagie shook his head fiercely. "No way, Mom, no way. We aren't naming the baby that."

"But, Hoagie, don't you think your father would've wanted…" Hoagie's father died when Hoagie was seven.

"Don't pull that card with me, Mom. It isn't going to happen. Period. The end."

Mrs. Gilligan brushed this off and walked into the kitchen. She opened the fridge and an appalled look filled her face. "Dearie, some of this food is just disgusting," she commented, tossing out some moldy, left over, tacos.

"Mom, can you just leave it? Abby has the kitchen organized how she likes it, OK?" Hoagie was already getting sick of his mom. There was no way we would make it through 3 weeks of this.

"Alrighty, I'll just go watch TV." Hoagie went to set up the TV for her, leaving Kuki, Wally, and I in the kitchen.

"She can't stay here," Wally whined. "That'd mean no parties."

Hoagie walked back into the kitchen, fiddling with his auburn hair. "I can't do it," he moaned.

"Yeah," Wally started, "about that. Neither can we." Kuki nodded her ebony head.

"Abby has an idea." I walked over to the couch. "Betty? Kuki, Wally, Hoagie, and I were going to go on a date tonight. You know, like a double date? It's been a while since we've all been out. I can't go out that often anymore." I sat down next to her.

"Oh, you poor thing. I wouldn't want to ruin any plans. And I know you and Hoagie are working so hard to make this work. Young marriages usually never last." Mrs. Gilligan turned away from the TV to look at me.

"I love your son," I responded. Hopefully she would understand this. That was what kept me and Hoagie together through the craziness.

"You two don't need me," she said. "Maybe I'll just come back a few days before the baby comes."

I felt bad about how upset she seemed, but my idea had worked. "Yeah, I think that sounds great." I wrapped my arms around her shoulders. I wasn't usually very touchy, but Hoagie was, so I figured his mom would appreciate that.

"I'm glad my Hoagie found a girl like you." Mrs. Gilligan picked up her bag and jacket and walked out the door after saying goodbye to Hoagie.

As soon as the door slammed, Hoagie wrapped me in his arms. "You are beautiful, Abigail Gilligan. Magnificent. A life saver. A miracle worker."

I laughed. "So, that date still on?" Kuki asked.

"You know it, girl."

As per the suggestion Nigel had made a few months ago, we went to La Mesa. It turned out to be really good and for the next couple of week we went there instead of B-Dawgs (despite Patton's protests). Kuki, Wally, Hoagie, and I went there after their classes one day.

I pushed myself up from the table. "I have to go to the bathroom," I announced.

Kuki looked up from her salad. "Is this one of those times when I'm supposed to come too?" she asked.

I rolled my eyes and lumbered over to the bathroom. I walked like a 400 lb man. Kuki, who had a small bump beneath her top, skipped alongside me. I pushed open the door of the bathroom and leaned against the wall. "What's up, chica?" Kuki asked.

"Abby might be in labor." I put a hand on my lower back.

Kuki's eyes got round. "Oh!" She grabbed my other hand. "Well, what are we in the bathroom for then, silly?"

"Abby don't know," I moaned. "But I think my water just broke." I was panicking, but I never panic, so I had to play it down. Sometimes, it was nice that Kuki's main setting is panic.

We flew out of the bathroom, Kuki tugging me along by the hand. "BABY ON THE WAY!" She screamed. Hoagie immediately jumped out of his seat and wrapped an arm around my waist.

"It's all gonna be, alright, Abs. I promise," Hoagie whispered in my ear. In any other situation, this probably would've calmed me down. But, between the contractions and Kuki's yelling, nothing was going to calm me. Wally trailed behind us, put off from these sorts of things by nature.

The four of us hopped into a cab and were off to the hospital. And after an hour or so of labor, Brady P. Gilligan was born into the world. He had brown skin ("Oh, Abby," Hoagie had whispered) and brown eyes ("He's adorable!" Kuki had exclaimed) and a few tufts of brown hair ("Is the kid supposed to be this small?" Wally had asked). And he was perfect.

But, he was also a week and a half early. Mrs. Gilligan wouldn't be very happy when she heard. And neither would my parents for that matter. However, I took one look at the baby that slept in my arms and the boy that leaned over my shoulder with a look of complete adoration on his face and decided that these things could wait a day or two.

A/N: For the record, Hoagie loves his mommy, he just doesn't want to share his apartment with her. Totally understandable I think :)