And Baby Makes…Too Many!

Nicole and Jess hung a Happy Birthday Madison and Zachary! banner over the sliding glass door.

"Is that straight enough?" Jess asked.

"I'm not going back up there again."

"You're in a bad mood today. Is everything all right?"

"I think I'm coming down with something."

"If you need to lie down I can handle this."

"I'm fine."

xxxxx

Nathan welcomed the parents and seven children that Zachary and Madison had invited from their daycare and directed them to the backyard where Jess, Nicole, Nathan, and Antonio had gone way over board with the décor and activities. All of the adults were saddened by their children's grief over the past months and wanted them to have one good day. They hoped it would be a good day—that Toby wouldn't throw a fit, that Madison wouldn't break anything, that Joe wouldn't hit anyone, and that Zachary would leave his mother's side long enough to enjoy his party.

Most of the parents knew each other, so they quickly gathered on the patio and began talking. There were enough eyes on the children, so Jess felt comfortable coming in.

"Hiding?" She found Nathan in the family room.

"Resting. I was up half the night making that food. Are the kids having any fun?"

"Surprisingly yes. The bounce castle was a great idea. Have you seen Nicole?"

Nathan pointed to the hall leading to Nicole and Antonio's room.

xxxxx

Jess knocked on the ajar door before coming in. "Guys?"

Antonio, thinking she was there to scold him for not helping her and Nathan watch the kids, was quick to reply. "I'm going out there now."

"Where's Nicole?"

"In the bathroom." Antonio left.

"Is he gone?" Jess heard Nicole say from the bathroom.

"Yeah."

Nicole's face was unreadable to Jess—something between surprise, fear, and joy all rolled into one.

"What?"

"This?" Nicole showed her a positive pregnancy test.

"Oh, God," was all she could say at the thought of having another child in the house.

"I know. I can't believe it."

"What happened?"

"A few years ago, before we got Heather, we decided to stop trying to prevent pregnancy. Zachary was enough of an anomaly. I didn't think it would happen again, and I guess we just forgot."

"You forgot?"

"Yes, Jess. I have been having sex for almost twenty years and only had one baby. I didn't think I was the most fertile in the world. And then I saw this thing about how birth control pill are abortifacients, that they don't keep you from getting pregnant, they just terminate the pregnancy before you know about it. I didn't want to do that, so I said what are the odds I'll get pregnant again, and never thought about it."

"Well there's nothing we can do about it now, so we might as well deal. Congratulations."

"That is the fakest smile I have ever seen in my life."

"I'm sorry, it's a lot to take in."

"I know. With all the problems we're having with the kids that are already here…Oh I just thought of how Zachary is going to react to a new baby in the house."

"Zachary will be fine. You and Antonio decided you wanted to put him in therapy, right?"

"Yeah, I kinda pulled the plug on that."

"Why?"

"Thinking about therapy when I was a kid. I know it's completely different, but sometimes doctors make things worse, and what is he going to tell me that I don't already know?"

"You're probably right."

xxxxx

Antonio had stopped on his way to the backyard when he saw Nathan on the couch. Nathan told him that the other adults were watching the kids, tossed him a beer, and the men had been talking ever since. Antonio brought up the counseling that Zachary was supposed to receive, and how Nicole, out of nowhere, decided against it.

"You know how I feel about that," Nathan said.

"You agree with Nicole."

"That's right. Nicole must have realized what I have been saying all along. That the kids are adjusting. Adding something new to their schedule would only upset them more."

xxxxx

"Have you and Nathan talked about therapy for Madison, Joe, and Toby, especially Toby."

"I'd be willing to try it, but Nathan would never hear of it, so I'm not even going to bring it up. Toby would probably spit in the counselor's face anyway."

Nicole looked down at the test again. "Five kids."

"It won't be that bad. This baby won't have any emotional problems, even as an infant it won't be as much trouble as one of the ones we have now."

Nicole looked around her room. "I guess this room can double as a nursery until the baby is old enough to sleep in a bed. Then, if we're still living here, he can share Zachary's room or Madison's if she's a girl."

"There you go. See? Everything will work out fine…"

"What? What?" Nicole said anxiously.

"Nothing," Jess said calmly, even though she wasn't. "It just occurred to me that the daycare we're using only takes children two and up, but it's no big deal. We have months. We'll find a San Francisco center and get on a waiting list. By the time the baby's born we'll be ready."

"We're not going to find a center with five openings, Jess."

"All we need is one. The other four can stay where they are. Joe's already set to start Levi Day School this fall and no San Francisco daycare picks up from here anyway. And with everything that's been changing, and is about to change, moving Zachary, Nathan, Joe, and Madison to another daycare would be a disaster."

"Yeah. All right I supposed there has to be one opening by the time I end maternity leave."

"It won't take that long. Trust me, everything will go smoothly. And Zachary will love having a little brother or sister, so will Heather."

xxxxx

Later, after cake and presents, all the adults were in the backyard talking. Most of the children were still playing in the yard, but some had gone inside. Nicole went to check on them.

"So," Mrs. Pierson (volunteer care-taker for the After-School Program and mother of one of the girls in the Preschool Room) asked Antonio, "Joseph is going to be in my class this fall?"

"Yeah."

"He seems like such a sweet boy. Any time I pop into Roger and Deborah's room to borrow something Joseph is always playing quietly."

"Yeah, we get such good reports from the Halls on all of them. I just wish they acted that well here."

"Roger and Deborah have a way with children. They just love my little Chloe."

xxxxx

Heather was in Zachary's room doing some coloring alone.

"What are you drawing?" Nicole asked.

Nicole would just have to see for herself because Heather never answered, instead she jumped right into what was on her mind.

"Can I go home after the party is over?"

"Why?" Nicole was shocked. Heather had been asking to visit for months, and now she was ready to leave after three days?

"I don't know. Are you working tomorrow?"

"Yes."

"Can I come with you?"

"No. You'd be very bored."

"I get bored playing with little kids all day at daycare. Can I go to the big kids' room tomorrow?"

"Sure."

"Then I'll stay."

xxxxx

That night as Nicole and Antonio tucked Zachary and Heather into their bed, after Zachary had insisted on sleeping there tonight, Nicole decided to tell her family the news.

"Antonio," she reached for his hand, "I found something out today, something good." Then she turned her attention to the children. "You're going to be a big brother. Heather, you'll have another little brother or sister soon."

"Huh?" Antonio said.

"I'm pregnant. Zachary, Heather, Mommy's going to have another baby. Isn't that exciting?"

He nodded. She smiled.

"It's surprising too," Antonio said. "Okay, time for sleep." He kissed them both. "See you tomorrow."

xxxxx

Antonio closed the door to the room and before he could say anything Nicole was ready with all the answers.

"I know it's a shock. But I had a lot of time to think about this today and I am sure everything is going to work out. Tomorrow I am going in late and I will the spend the whole morning putting our name on every daycare waiting list in San Francisco. This is good news Antonio." She waited for his reaction.

He smiled.