A/N: The Chapter where things get extra dramatic:

Chapter 6

Brady wasn't exactly a walk in the park. He would wake up four times most nights and wouldn't always eat. He didn't like Wally. He adored Kuki (no surprise there). But, he was my baby. He was what we had waited on for nearly nine months. Brady was exactly everything we loved.

The first few weeks dragged. Hoagie and I were residents in a new time zone known as 'Brady'. We slept when he slept, ate only after he had. And so, between all of this, I had forgotten something I had meant to tell everyone about months ago.

A few knocks at the door. "Hello?" a thickly Irish voice called. "Will someone let me in already?"

Hoagie glanced at the door. "Is that…?" He looked confused, as he should. I groaned as I realized that I had completely forgotten the promise I made to the girl on the other side of the door.

"Um…yeah," I said nervously. I propped Brady up over my shoulder and went to let her in.

Fanny Fulbright was every bit the obnoxious, sexist red-head she had been when we were kids. She and I weren't exactly the closest friends, but Fanny had wanted to start classes in the middle of the semester and couldn't get housing. Hoagie looked down at the bag at her side. "What is going on here?" he asked, glancing from me to Fanny and back again.

Fanny's green eyes peered at me. "You didn't tell them!"

"Abby just had a baby for crying out loud! I forgot!" I turned to look at Hoagie. "I told Fanny she could stay with us a couple months ago. I was going to tell you guys but then Kuki found out she was pregnant and Brady came and it must've just slipped Abby's mind."

"Great, fantastic, just what we need! Well, I'll go tell Kuki and Wally." Hoagie left angrily for the other room.

I looked over at Fanny. She didn't exactly appear "upset", but Hoagie wasn't what I'd call hospitable regardless, so I felt like I should apologize. "He'll get over it, girl. We want you here."

"Doubtful," she sneered.

Kuki entered the room. "Hi, Fanny! I know the boys are being meanies, but I'm happy you're here! When all the guys come over, Abby and I are more than a little outnumbered."

Fanny laughed and we relocated to the couch. I finished feeding Brady while Kuki and Fanny talked about the latest Rainbow Monkeys (I guess there are some things you never grow out of). I got up to put Brady down and Patton walked in. "Don't worry, don't worry," he shouted. "I finally made it! I know you guys hate to start the party without…" His eyes got wide as he stared at something behind my head. "What is that doing here?"

"Hello, Patton," Fanny spat.

Hoagie and Wally entered the room as well. "Oh, crud," Wally muttered noticing Patton and Fanny.

"I live here now, for your information, boy. Isn't that right, Abby?"

I didn't want to be dragged into whatever issue there was between Patton and Fanny, but I nodded my head.

"What the hell? Why do you have to ruin everything, Fulbright?" Patton turned and left the apartment without another word. I could get used to that.

One day I came home from the doctor with Brady to find Kuki and Wally sitting at the kitchen table. The phone sat in front of them, forgotten, as Kuki wrapped her arms around Wally and placed her chin atop his head. "I love you," Kuki whispered.

I didn't know what was going on and I didn't want to interrupt them. I carried Brady into my bedroom and placed him in his cradle. The toilet in the connected bathroom flushed and Hoagie walked out. "Oh, hey, Abs. Everything alright with Brady?"

"Yeah, yeah, he's fine. What's going on with Wally, though?" I asked him. I took a seat on the bed and he joined me.

"I'm not sure exactly. Something about the messages. They noticed we had one and no one ever calls here so they listened to it. I wasn't in the room so I couldn't here it, but then Wally started freaking out. I hope it's nothing too bad." Hoagie leaned back into the pillows and put his hands behind his head.

I lay next to him and threw an arm over his middle. "Wally doesn't cry. Well, he cried when he found out Kuki's pregnant. But that's a big deal."

Hoagie looked at me. He knew I was right. This probably was a big deal. "We'll give them some time," he murmured, kissing my hair.

I relaxed into him. I hadn't realized how tired I was. I was always tired. Hoagie and I fell asleep. We woke up a couple hours later because Brady was crying. "Someone's hungry," I said. I stretched my arms above my head and picked up Brady.

Hoagie climbed out of bed. "I'm gonna go check on Kooks and Wally." He left the room.

A few minutes later he came back with a stricken look on his face. "Abs, you probably want to come out here."

This wasn't good. I went through every bad thing that I could think of. What was going on with Wally? At the table sat Kuki. Wally was no longer with her. "Wally's asleep," she whispered. I couldn't remember her ever sounding so sad. "I got him to fall asleep." Kuki was talking about Wally like he was her child and needed her to take care of him. She looked at me with her light eyes. "His parents died, Abby. In a car crash. An awful, awful car crash." She was crying now. "He's not ever going to be the same! How am I supposed to help him? You know what he gets like. What's going to happen to us?" Kuki moved her hands off the table to her small, yet defined belly. It was instinctive. I had done it too when I thought about bad things, wanting to protect Brady at all costs.

"What about Joey?" I wondered aloud. Wally's little brother was most likely in the car as well.

Kuki sniffed and look back at me. "Joey's fine. Well, as fine as a nine year old little boy whose parents just died can be. Wally will have to go live at home again and take care of him. He wants me to stay here," Kuki whispered the last part.

Wally was going to leave school. He was going to give up becoming a doctor. "No way. Joey has to come and stay here. That's the only thing that makes sense," I said decisively. "I'll watch him and all that when you guys are at school."

Kuki shook her head. "I think that sounds best too. But Wally won't like it. He likes to take care of things himself." She stood up from the table and came over, wrapping both me and Hoagie into a hug. "I think I'm gonna go to sleep."

I turned and stood in front of Hoagie. "Don't ever leave Abby," I told him. "And don't ever die, either. For Brady's sake." Hoagie stroked my cheek with his thumb and then pulled me right up against his chest. Brady was positioned over my shoulder.

"I don't plan on it," Hoagie responded.

At first, I convinced Wally to bring Joey over here by saying that I'd just watch him until he was back on his feet. But, Joey ended up staying. It was going to take Wally years to get over the sudden loss of his parents and Kuki was pregnant and it was one less thing he had to worry about. I didn't mind it. Joey was a good kid.

We were a little cramped now. There were seven of us living in the apartment, Kuki, Wally, Hoagie, Joey, Fanny, Brady, and I. And every month we got closer to having another little occupant. Adjustments were made, however, and life went on.

Joey would have nightmares. Usually once or twice a night he would wake us up. It embarrassed him, since he was nine and not a baby any more. But, we all know he had been through a lot. One night, he woke up crying. I was already up and went to go check on him. I opened the door to the nursery. "You alright, kid?" I asked.

Joey sat up and wiped an arm across his face. "Yeah, a spider bit me. Its fine, I got him." He was so much like Wally that I almost laughed.

"You don't gotta lie to Abby. It's OK to be scared or sad or even angry," I told him.

Joey looked down at his hands. "Wally's never scared," he whispered.

This wasn't true, but I knew why Joey thought it was. Wally pretended to be strong for the people around him, Joey, Kuki. "You are so much like your brother, Joey." This was something the nine year old needed to hear.

Through his bowl shaped blonde hair he looked at me. "I am?"

I sat down at the edge of the futon we had bought for him. "Definitely, kid. Now go on back to sleep," I smiled and ruffled his hair. He cringed away, just like Wally would've.

I got up and turned off the light. Hoagie was standing in the doorway, cradling Brady in his large arms. "Could you be any more of a mom?" he joked.

I took my baby out of his arms. I kissed the top of Brady's head. "I am a mom," I replied.

A/N: So, while you're reading fanfiction, you should really check out my friend Khallox's Hoagie-centric fic, "The Road Trip". I know he's kind of socially retarded and weird, but he's my friend... so, just promise me you wont make fun of him! Haha, just kidding. I love you, Sam!