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"Damn it, William McCarty! How could you do this to your poor Momma? What is God's name is wrong with you? We didn't raise you to grow up and marry a whore!"
"Piss off, Daddy! Betty is not a whore, she's my wife. You wouldn't dare call Carrie or Patty whores, would you? Hell no, because they're married to Jack and Frank and you kiss their asses."
Uh-oh. This does not sound good at all. I could hear Daddy and Willie shouting over the car engine. I looked over to Georgie and noticed his bottom lip trembling.
"Look at Momma, Em." It looked like Momma was pulling weeds. "Why is she ripping her lilies out?"
I jumped out of the car and ran over to Momma. "Stop Momma! The lilies are just starting to sprout! You're gonna kill them all!" Her lilies were her pride and joy. She's even the one who convinced Jack and Carrie to name their daughter Lily.
She looked up at me with tears rolling down her cheeks. "Your brother planted these. He said he wants them to take to his land so that whore can have something blooming by summer."
I don't think so. No one makes my Momma cry. Brother or not, Willie's gonna get his ass kicked. "Georgie, help Momma replant those." Momma just shook her head and kept pulling. But she stopped when Georgie went over and wrapped his little arms around her.
"It'll be ok, Momma. Guess who we saw!" I knew Momma would be ok with Georgie talking her ear off.
"I want my land, Daddy. Now hand over the damn deed and I'll be out of your hair." I heard Willie demand as I walked through the front door.
"I am not giving you McCarty land to bring that no good for nothing woman on! I just won't do it Willie."
"Oh look, if it ain't Mr. Perfect. How the hell are ya brother? Ain'tcha gonna congratulate me? Betty and me got hitched this morning." I didn't say anything back to him. I just looked at that face.
Willie and I used to be so close. Best friends even. The face that was looking back at me was not the face I grew up with. Not the face of the high school's star pitcher. It was the face of damn drunk. There's a difference between sippin' on the recipe and being a flat-out drunk.
"Don't have a comeback today, Em? I saw you stopped at the tracks talking to them girls. You and Ruby need to just do it already. She'd jump you in a sec-"
Willie didn't even get to finish that word because I slugged him in his ugly mouth. He went flying over the table. Daddy just looked at me and smirked.
I went over to Willie and helped him up. "Gee, thanks little brother. You know who you should really hit the hay with? That Penny Frost." With that comment I forced Willie over to the front door and out on the porch.
"Come on now, Em. I just wanna help my little brother get some. Little Miss Penny is quite the looker." I punched him in the gut this time and he went flying off the front steps.
"Go Em! Get him!" I heard Georgie yell.
"Get the hell out here, Willie. Go back into town to that little whore house you're keeping. We don't need any of your shit on our land."
Willie pushed himself off the ground. He walked over and got up right in my face. "You think you're so shittin' much, Emmett. You're nothing! You think 'cause Daddy chose you to run the recipe you can run all of us. Well, you can't. One day you will pay for beating the shit outta me. Maybe something bigger will come after you." I could smell that damn whiskey on his breath. Willie and whiskey don't mix.
"You can threaten me all you want, Willie. But at the end of the day, you're the drunk who lives with a whore and has nothing but your name. A good name that you are trashing more every day. Now get the hell home to your 'wife' and stay there." Willie walked over to Betty's car and spun dirt and gravel all over me, Momma, and Georgie as he left.
"Momma, I'm so sorry you had to see and hear that." Momma just shook her head. "Georgie, run over to the car and get your gift the doctor gave you."
Georgie's face lit up. "Oh yeah! I forgot!"
I turned to Momma. "Did he really marry her Momma?"
"Oh, yes. It's true. Martha Lawrence called on the party line and told me, so of course the whole damn mountain knows now. They did it this morning. Heard they were both drunk as skunks. At ten in the morning, Emmett!"
"Can I listen to your heart, Momma? Dr. Cullen gave me his stethoscope! I listened to Em's and it's super strong. I don't think he'll ever die!" Momma gave him a smile and he went over and pressed the round end up to her chest.
"Your heart sounds broken, Momma. Maybe a hug can fix it?"
"I think a hug from both of my boys would be just the ticket." We wrapped our arms around Momma and breathed in that Momma smell. She always smells like lemons and soap.
"Come on boys, let's go get some supper." We followed Momma into the kitchen where Daddy and my two other brothers were waiting.
I looked over at Robert. "Where've you been hiding, Robbie?" He laughed, "When asshole pulled up, I took Little Henry and hightailed it outta here. We went for a little walk out back by the crick." Robbie is seventeen and Little Henry is just two. Those two are close like Georgie and me.
"Smart move. Wow, Momma. This looks great!" At some point, Momma had made fried ham and potatoes. Yum-my!
"Now go on and eat it up before it's ruined. I'm getting the recipe out." Oh no, Momma's hittin' the recipe. "Here boys, a little bit for your lemonade."
"Me too Momma!" God bless Georgie, he tried every time.
"-E too!" Little Henry shouted. The little ones are always good for a laugh. We ate for awhile and it got really quiet. Much too quiet for the McCarty supper table.
"So Daddy, what are you gonna do about Willie's land?" I asked carefully.
Daddy sighed and put his glass down. He looked at me and said, "You want it?"
He couldn't be serious. Nobody got extra land. The other boys would hate me for it. "Daddy, that's Willie's land. I just can't take it. It's not my place." Daddy let out another sigh and shook his head.
"I just don't know what to do. I can't believe the shit he pulls." Just then Frank came bursting though the front door, carrying his wife Patty in his arms. She looked white as a ghost and they both had blood all down the front of them.
"She's having the baby Momma! There's something wrong though!" Frank laid Patty down on the rug in the front room as Momma and I ran into the front room.
"Oh God, it hurts Momma Mac! Please help me!" Momma Mac is what Carrie and Patty call Momma. "The baby feels like it's stuck. I don't know what to do."
Momma looked at me. "Do you think Dr. Cullen is still in town?"
Georgie came around the corner. "Yep, he's helping interview the new doctors."
Momma screamed, "Robbie, get Georgie and Henry out of here! Em, run into town and beg Dr. Cullen to come. I don't think I can help her alone."
I took another glance and Patty, who was lurching in pain. I ran out to the car and sped down the road as fast as I could. I was coming up on top of the train tracks, but didn't even bother to stop. My head smashed against the ceiling as I bounced over top of the tracks. I could still see Pretty Boy's car in the distance at Mulligan's. Thank God.
I stopped the car, dashed up the front steps and burst in the front door.
"Alright, Dr. Lavery. What is your experience in treating whooping cough?" Dr. Pretty Face was asking a man when I burst through the door.
"Uh-"
"Dr. Pret-Cullen! Please, my Momma sent me to beg you to come. My sister-in-law is having a baby, but there's something really wrong."
Dr. Cullen jumped up. "Of course I'll come Emmett. John, here's my list of questions for the candidates along with the answers they should give. I'll be back as soon as I can be."
As we ran out the front door Dr. Cullen asked, "Do you mind if I ride with you? I'm a little low on gasoline." I nodded. "Let me grab my bag."
Dr. Cullen got in and I raced back up the mountain. "Did you happen to notice anything about her condition, Emmett?"
"Um, no. I just sorta ran like hell. She was super pale and there was a lot of blood though."
We pulled up to the house and jumped out of the car. I heard the screaming before we even hit the front steps.
As soon as we got in the door the doctor rushed over to Momma and Patty. "How long have you been laboring, dear?" Patty just looked at him, like she was hypnotized or some shit.
"About four hours, I'd reckon. I'm Frank, her husband." I smacked Frank. "What Emmet? He looks like a flippin' movie star and she stopped screaming the minute she laid eyes on him."
"Oh shut the hell up, Frank! I'm popping your kid out here! Give me a damn break. Please help meeeeee!!!!"
"Don't worry dear, I'm going to. I need to feel your stomach to figure out where the baby is, ok? Whatever you do, don't push yet." Patty shook her head and gritted her teeth. Dr. Cullen felt all around her stomach then looked over to us. "You all might want to step out. This delivery is going to be hard. The baby is going to come out backwards."
"No, doctor, let them stay. They're all family."
"Ok, Patty. If that is what you want." He kept feeling her and Frank went over and knelt beside her.
"I love you, sweetheart. You are so strong. I know you can do this." Momma was wiping Patty's head with washrags.
"Frank, please hold my hand. Don't let go." At that moment, Patty yelled for me. Oh Lord. I was gonna try and sneak out. Shit!
"You too, Em. I need someone to hold my other hand." Patty then got a strange look on her face and let out a terrible scream they probably heard in Richmond. "I need to push, Dr. Cullen."
"Ok Patty, we're ready. Go ahead and push." Patty pushed and pushed and pushed. Finally, Dr. Cullen said, "Stop!"
I made the mistake of looking down. It wasn't pretty. There were two tiny legs there. I heard myself say, "Pull it out Doctor."
"No, Emmett. The baby must work its way out. Patty, give just a small push. Ok, one more." I watched a miracle happened on the front room floor.
"Looks like you have another little McCarty man! Happy Birthday, little one." Doctor Cullen wrapped the little body in a dish towel and handed him to Frank.
Then the room started spinning and suddenly I was falling backwards.
Our dear, sweet (other) Cullens will be making an appearance soon. Stick with me! Push the button down there....reviews equal hugs from Little Georgie!!