While Marge spent the day bringing Lisa to visit old friends at the school. Artie was spending his morning preparing for a very important meeting his company was giving. He was a little nervous about the whole situation, the meeting was announced two days ago, normally meetings were announced a week ahead of time so for the past two days, Artie could only believe the worst was about to happen. Did Olivia finally spill the beans? He knew it would happen eventually, she was nine months now and people were talking about who it was that knocked her up. No one had approached him about it, but he could sense that all eyes were on him and just the thought of explaining to Marge why he was fired was enough to set him on the edge.
He knew he would have to tell Marge eventually, he just wasn't sure how to begin to tell her. Perhaps it was just best to serve her with divorce papers, that way instead of saying he was cheating on her, he could say that someone else had stolen his heart. But that probably would not get past Marge, if someone stole your heart, it usually meant that cheating was involved.
Artie couldn't stand it, for an hour he paced his office back and forth, wondering why Olivia had not shown up yet to bother him and wondering how he could fix this certain problem. He could lie and say that Olivia had framed him, but then there would be a DNA test and the company would not be pleased with him lying. He knew he made a horrible mistake and now there was no real way out of it. He would have to keep everything a secret until he was caught and when he was, well he hoped he would not panic too badly.
The hour was finally upon him when he had to go to the meeting. He had been to the meeting room many times before. It was down the hall in a nice big room where at least fifty people could sit at and debate about ideas to use for computers and other things. Normally, every chair was occupied. Normally, only a handful would notice him coming into the room. Normally, no one would talk to him and he would only listen to what was happening. Today was not one of those days. Instead he found himself standing by the doorway staring back at three people and the end of the table. His boss, his supervisor and surprisingly, his old boss from his internship a few years ago. Why he was there was anyone's guess and all Artie could do was nervously make his way to the chair closest to them and sit down waiting for them to say something.
At first all three men stared back at Artie while Artie sat there twiddling his thumbs wondering what fate was going to befall him moments later. He wished time would move faster for this one instant, just so he could get it over with, instead he had to wait, and wait, and wait. Until finally his boss named Jason spoke.
"You're probably wondering why you're here," Jason said.
"Yes sir! I have been since you announced it the other day," Artie said.
"Understandable," his supervisor named Greg said.
"How bad is this meeting any way since you got Chris here too?" Artie asked worriedly.
The boys where all silent for a moment before they stared at each other, surprised that Artie would say such a thing. Finally, all three let out a loud laugh that shook the empty room, leaving Artie clinging to the chair for dear life. Finally, Chris spoke up.
"I'm sorry, we really did not mean to worry you. We were just going to tell you that an opportunity has come up."
"What kind of opportunity?" Artie asked.
"Well, you're a hard worker, one of the best. But I've realized for the longest time that this is really not something you should be doing for so long. You need to create, not help them create. I know you have a brilliant mind Artie and I say you should use it," Jason said.
"...Go on...?" Artie said curiously.
"Well how you handled things back at the internship really helped us accomplish many things. And after a long thought out process, we believe that you are perfect to come back and work for our company," Jason continued.
Artie stared back at them with surprise. He was really not expecting this and he really wasn't sure how to respond, especially since this job required him to return to Capitol City, a place where Marge had no interest in returning to, no matter what the job offer, all because of her stupid family and her ill father. He was barely sick any more to begin with, but Marge would always remain concerned.
"You mean all the way back in Capitol City right?" Artie asked.
"Yup! The job is yours if you say yes," Chris replied.
Artie could not believe what he was hearing. He remembered how he thought about applying for the job before returning to Springfield. He always saw it as a perfect job with the best salary. A job where he was needed, not like where he was now. But Marge had kept him from doing so, but would Marge even want to return to Capitol City? Probably not. Would Olivia? Possibly. Of course she was heavily pregnant right now, all she was concerned about was delivering the baby as soon as she could. Could waiting be an option?
"It sounds great, and I would say yes to you in a heartbeat, but I need to ask my wife first," Artie said.
The three turned to each other before nodding in agreement. "We'll give you a week," Jason said as he got up to leave.
"Thank you, will we meet here next week then?" Artie asked.
"We will, unless you want to give us the answer as soon as possible, then feel free to meet up with Greg and we will arrange things," Jason said.
Artie nodded and shook hands with everyone before leaving the meeting room and heading back to his desk. As he did so, his mind was swimming. Who should he call first? For some reason he could sense that Marge would hate the idea and most likely say no. Olivia might say yes to this opportunity, but she wasn't his wife. Thought it did feel that way these days with the baby coming and everything. This was a harder decision than he thought.
He entered his office and sat down on his desk, thinking about who to call and to figure out what to do. He really wanted to have a better job, one that would keep his stable and happy. One where he would be richer and be respected more. But his wife and his secret lover seemed to be keeping him at bay, he had no idea who to call on this first. At the moment, he wished Marge's father would finally drop dead, just so they could get on with their lives. Of course her mother was still in the way, but Marge could get over that idea of her mother being alone, she had two sisters to watch her.
Artie let out a sigh and reached for his phone to call Marge. But before he could, he noticed one of the red lights were blinking. Someone had called in the short time he was out and left a message. He knew stalling was a good thing and decided to listen to the message. It was from Olivia.
"Artie!" Olivia's voice called. "I'm in labor, I'm being brought to Springfield General hospital now to deliver. Please get here as soon as you get this message. We don't want any trouble now do we?"
The last sentence made Artie feel very nervous. Would she spill the beans now, or wait until the baby was born? Probably depended on how much pain killers were involved. Still he did not want to take any chances, he needed to be there for her.
Artie entered the hospital a half an hour later, it was the same hospital Marge had Lisa in so he was familiar with the hallways, he just wasn't sure what room Olivia was in. Luckily a nurse noticed his predicament and brought him to a private room at the end of the hallway where Olivia was waiting for him. When Artie entered, he found it to be an entirely different scene from what he had been through with Marge. Olivia was wide awake and sitting up. An IV was snaking down to her wrist and she was alone, no nurses were with her. She looked like she was there for no real reason other than to scare Artie out of his wits. Was she really due now?
"I thought you were in labor?" Artie asked.
"I am, but it's not as bad as your wife's," Olivia said with a grin. "The contractions aren't very strong yet either."
"Well I guess that's a good thing, her's was so worrisome," Artie admitted as he grabbed a chair and sat down next to Olivia.
"Depends on the girl really," Olivia said as she let out a heavy sigh while the baby began to move again.
"How soon will he be out?" Artie asked.
"I don't know, could be in a half an hour, or maybe until later this evening. It depends on the baby," Olivia said.
"Oh, and I have to be here until that happens huh?" Artie asked. He knew he would have to be there when Olivia gave birth, he just wasn't ready to deal with it at the moment. He blamed the many thoughts running through his head.
"Yup, but we can find ways to pass the time...how was your day?" Olivia asked,
"My old boss came by today," Artie said with a hint of worry in his voice.
"Oh really? What did he want?" Olivia asked.
"He said he wanted me back, that I was very important to him and the company," Artie said.
"And did you take it?" Olivia asked before letting out a pained gasp as she clutched her heavily pregnant tummy.
"I told them I would think about it," Artie said worriedly when he saw her flinch.
"Why think about it? I would take that job in a heartbeat," Olivia said once the contraction ended.
"Because Marge does not want to move," Artie replied in a gruff voice. He had said this to Olivia many times before, but she refused to acknowledge that both the husband and wife had to agree on things.
"So, do you even care about her any more?" Olivia asked.
Artie sat there thinking about that question. Did he really care about her? He was keeping the family in Springfield because that was what she wanted. But really, he wanted to be in Capitol City where a good job was sitting there waiting for him, where he would not be bored all day and where he would be happy. But Marge was happy where she was, it was a good job and she loved to teach there. Capitol City was never the place for her, she always seemed antsy, like she was ready to go home and see family. But really, did he care what she thought? The more he thought about this, the more he questioned if he even loved her. Why did he marry her? Because they had been together so long and now it seemed to be falling apart with him never home. It felt that way now.
And what about Olivia, did he really care about her? The only reason why he was with her as often as possible was so that she could keep her damn mouth shut. Was married life really for him? Did he even love these two women he had been close to for years? Olivia was pretty, but she was also manipulative, something he had to watch out for in the future. Marge was amazing but too fragile for his own good. What could he do now? This baby was coming out any minute, he would have to help take care of it, but would he love it? He really felt no connection with Lisa, he simply never wanted a girl. He was just trapped now between heaven and hell and there was no way out no matter what he did.
"I really don't know," Artie said with a sigh.
"If you don't know then that means that the love you felt years ago is no longer there," Olivia said.
"I sort of knew that, but I don't feel a love for you either. I just knocked you up because of how tempting you are," Artie said.
"And now look what you're stuck with." Olivia said with a sadistic grin. "Child support and having to tell your wife how you feel and what you did, it's not going to be easy."
"I'm well aware of that! It's been bothering me for months now!" Artie said angrily.
"And the only way you can survive is by taking that job in Capitol City," Olivia said.
"Yeah...and maybe I'll be lucky and Marge will change her mind and will want to go with me," Artie replied with a sigh as he tried to think of better scenarios.
Perhaps he was seeing all wrong, maybe Marge would not mind moving to Capitol City. Of course he would have to tell her about this other baby he was having but maybe somehow they could keep it a secret. Probably not though, Olivia was very conniving and even though she was in pain at the moment, she looked like she was plotting evil.
"Could we keep the baby a secret? I mean people do it all the time. Frank told me he has a son that he pays child support for and his wife doesn't even know about it," Artie said.
"His wife's a flight attendant, gone more often than not, your wife is a teacher, works when she can," Olivia replied before another contraction hit. For a moment, Artie thought that this was it, that the baby was about to come. But after about a minute, things calmed down while Olivia started to breathe heavily. "I guess that means it's close."
"Yeah..." Artie said nervously. "...And closer to Marge finding out."
"You're going to have to tell her eventually and then things will be the way they should be," Olivia said with a smirk.
Artie stared back at Olivia, she wanted him to leave her so she could have him as his own. Truthfully though, he didn't want her, she was too conniving and too dangerous to be around for long periods of time. But thanks to her, his feelings for Marge had changed and now he just wanted to be happy with a good job that would take him places. It would probably upset Marge, but she would get over it in time.
"In your dreams Olivia," Artie replied.
"Really? Because I would go with you to Capitol City. I'm only finishing up an internship," Olivia said as she gripped the bed sheets while another contraction arrived.
"I doubt our relationship would last very long," Artie replied.
"And you didn't doubt this one you're in with Marge?" Olivia asked.
Artie glared back at Olivia angrily. It was a conversation he had been having for a while with her, it usually went in circles and they would never get anything accomplished. He needed to be alone for a while. He knew that Olivia would not deliver any time soon so he walked out and paced around the halls. It was time to think about his future. He wanted the job, he wanted to be successful. He planned to tell Marge about it, if she wasn't up for it, then too bad for her. Their relationship was stagnant now, they rarely saw each other any more, and his longing for her had disappeared a long time ago. He loved her in the beginning that was for sure, but things change. He didn't love Olivia either, but he was stuck paying child support for her. She was just a bad temptress who seduced him one too many times. Perhaps he could try to live with her for a while, just to see what it was like.
He had paced the halls, thinking about this problem for a few hours before finally deciding to return to the birth area. Olivia was still having contractions, but the baby was not quite ready yet. He paced the halls some more, mainly where Olivia was, just so he could be close by when it happened. Finally after another hour, he saw the nurses rush to her room. He did the same and watched as another child of his was brought into the world. It was quicker than Marge's and what arrived was not what he was expecting.
"Congratulations, it's a girl," the doctor said.
Artie said nothing but let out a sigh, another girl. How strange. He was thinking a boy from Olivia, but apparently he was only lucky enough to bring girls into the world. Not that he cared about the gender any more, he was paying child support either way.
The doctors did a quick exam of the child, and cleaned the umbilical cord before handing her over to Olivia who held her new daughter tightly in her arms. Artie watched, not sure how to feel about this new situation. He wanted to run, but was too afraid that she would call the cops on him.
"Do you have a name for her?" one of the nurses asked.
"Oh not yet, I still needed to discuss it with Artie," Olivia said.
"I'm not really good with names," Artie replied.
"Well I had four in mind, pick which one you like. Sophia, Silvia, Penelope, or Brittany."
Artie stared at his new daughter, deciding which name would be right for her. She had inherited her mothers hair, blonde yet curly like him. Her eyes were blue and she had his nose. Other than that though, she did look like her mother and for some reason Haley seemed to stay in his mind.
"I like Silvia," Artie replied. "Do you have a middle name too?"
"No, I actually wasn't thinking about that, did you give Lisa one?" Olivia asked.
"Yup, Marge liked Marie, like Elvis Presley's daughter. Sort of strange I know."
"I've heard worse, how about you pick one, I bet you can come up with something good."
Artie didn't like that idea, he really wasn't good with names, especially since he just wanted to name his son AJ. But he did his best and and thought about it for a few minutes.
"Well, I had a friend in school who's middle name was Skye, I always thought it was unique. Then I knew a girl name Lillian. Which one do you like?"
"Hmmmm, Skye sounds nice."
"Silvia Skye? What would her last name be?"
"Oh that does sound lovely, and I think I'll just give her my last name for now for now. So it's settled Silvia Skye Winters is her name."
The nurse nodded and wrote it down before leaving the room. Now it was just Artie, Olivia, and little Silvia together there. Artie watched as Olivia hugged her newborn tightly before turning to Artie and motioning him to hold her. Artie took her in his arms and held her tightly as he stared at his newest creation. Who would she be like he wondered? Hopefully not conniving like her mother and if she was anything like him, he hoped she would be smart and made good decisions. That's all he hoped for any way. After a few minutes, Olivia had fallen asleep and he was getting tired himself. He knew he had to stay at the hospital with her, but he also knew that Marge probably wondered where he was. He needed to call her. Finally he handed the child to a nurse who was ready to do a little check up on her any way and then made his way back to the hallway in search of a payphone. Once he found one, he dialed the house.
After a few rings, the voice mail picked up while at the same time, a team of doctors was running down the hall with a crying baby in their arms. He hoped it would not be heard as he left the message for Marge.
"Hey Marge," He began nervously. "Ummm...something's come up and because of that I won't be home tonight. I'll spill you the details later. Actually, we need to talk more than anything. So yeah...ummmm...see you later."
With that he hung up the phone and made his way back to Olivia's room. His mind going a million miles an hour as he wondered what tomorrow would bring.
A/N: Oh how I hate this chapter. I know it was probably the same crap over and over and I apologize, but hopefully what I wrote sounded convincing enough for the next chapter which is going to get a little dicey and dramatic. I have three more chapters to go too and I really hope I don't mess up or piss any of you off. So stay tuned.
Hope everyone is doing well and please review when you can.