4
"Yes around noon... I know, we won't... she's right here, I will, okay," she grabbed a long sleeved shirt from the pile of clothes she was folding on the bed, and wrapped it around her neck like a noose. "She wants me to tell you that she's very much looking forward to your casserole." Alex made a halo with her fingers over her head. Piper pulled the phone away from her ear and pulled the shirt sleeve higher over her head, tightening it around her neck.
"Stop," Alex mouthed, and unwrapped the shirt, folding it with hasty speed. Piper primarily did their laundry, but Alex often took over as she was able to fold their belongings in about half the time Piper could, "I've had some practice."
"So you wanna drive or take the train up?"
"Oh no, I need the getaway car for a quick escape."
"They're not that bad Piper."
"Yeah this is coming from the same person who conventionally asked for their permission before asking me to marry you," Piper rolled on the bed laughing, Alex looked at her begrudgingly and shook her head.
"The things I've done for you, you freaking punk. It was my attempt at formality, it was the least I could do for ruining their picture perfect aristocratic, waspy life for you."
"What would you have done if they said no?" still laughing.
"Married you anyway. I knew they wouldn't say no though, I'd already charmed them enough with my gentlelady ways," she batted her eyelashes animatedly.
Alex held a wooden Popi box on her lap while Piper drove up the Merritt Parkway. Their friends hadn't given them the opportunity to tell them their baby news, and though excited, she was nervous for Piper's parents' reaction.
"Alex this is a mean Mex casserole," Cal spooned his second servings into a bowl, "it has a wicked kick."
Piper leaned forward and rubbed her chest, in an attempt to ease her heartburn. "Yeah there's about 6 jalapenos, chili powder, and spiced tomatoes in there."
Piper groaned, drawing Carol's attention to her, "Piper honey don't slouch," she pushed her shoulder back slightly; interestingly enough she felt a little better.
Alex wriggled her shoulders back mocking Piper and smirked.
"I need a Tums," Piper pushed her chair back to go search for the antacid.
"Can you?.." Alex said a little too loudly, before cutting herself off.
Piper nudged her head toward the box, and Alex gave her a "no way" look. She wanted to surprise her parents before they continued with the theme and figured it out before they had the opportunity to tell them.
Piper rolled her eyes as she got up from the table to retrieve the box. She handed it to her mother and asked her dad to sit beside her, "it's for both of you from both of us. We really hope you like it."
"New products?" her father asked as her mother brought the box down into her lap. Carol lifted the wooden cover off the box and moved the long multicolored paper confetti to the side. There was a cloth diaper held together with oversized safety pins. Piper's father's eyes went watery and his nose started to get red. Her mother lifted the diaper and read the stitching on the front, "open at your own risk," she read aloud, her voice shaking. Alex cracked a laugh, amused with her creative contribution. She undid the safety pin and revealed a silver frame with a sonogram photo and a little note that said, "Can't wait to meet you Grammy and Gramps."
"Seriously Piper?," her mother asked through her cries with her hand on her chest, "is it yours?"
"Yes mom! Who else's baby do you think it is?"
"Well I don't know how you go about doing this, I never thought this was going to happen!," she said half laughing, half crying.
"Yeah well my ancient eggs are still cracking mother. All of the tests came back normal."
"Oh you girls are going to give me a heart attack." She put the frame down and hugged her daughter, before extending an arm to pull Alex in.
Piper looked over to her father, his head laying on the table over his crossed arms, he was a mess. "Daddy!" She hugged him around his shoulders from behind.
"When is my grandbaby supposed to be here?," was all he could manage to mutter.
"Sometime in February, it's still early."
"How are you feeling Piper?," her mother asked.
"We'll now I have indigestion thanks to Alex's supersized 7 layer casserole. I wanted some tums or something but I don't know if it's safe, I'll just deal with it."
"Tums are fine, I lived on them when I carried the three of you, I'll go get you some." It should've been more obvious that she could ask her mother questions like this, she'd gone through this three times but it all just started to sink in. She felt lucky for the extra invaluable resource in her mother, when she looked over at Alex. Alex gave her a wink, but in that moment she could tell she missed her mother terribly and wished that she could share this with her as well. Alex's expression didn't change much, but she could feel her wife's heartache from across the table. She came over towards Cal, resting her cheek on Alex's head.
Cal picked up the frame and put it next to Alex's face, "gnarly, good work, but it looks nothing like you." He hooked his arm around Alex shoulder,
"Haaaa," she replied.
"Is my sister not dramatic enough for you? You're adding hormones and another Chapman to this mix?"
"I guess I can't get enough of you guys, I must be some kind of masochist," she punched Cal in the arm.
"Um it'll be Vauseman, yes?," Piper massaged her wife's shoulder. Alex looked up not expecting this decision right now, and managed a closed mouthed smile, "concurred. I'd like that."
"Vauseman?," Carol came back with the bottle of Tums, "I love it, it sounds noble."
Piper chatted with her family and Alex whispered to her that she was going to sit outside for a minute. Alex walked out on their back porch and sat on the bottom step and rubbed her feet in the grass. She looked out into the trees, she could hear birds among the branches. She played with the end of her hair and fought hard against the sentimentality that was trying to overcome her from within. "It's not fair, I miss you," she said out loud toward the trees. She spoke out loud rarely but she always felt her mother heard her more when she did instead of letting the conversations roll around in her head.
She heard the door close behind her, she really just wanted a minute alone, to be vulnerable, and yet be angry that she was left alone too soon without her biggest support. She wiped her nose with the back of her hand when she heard the wood creaking down the stairs behind her. "I'm fine Piper really, I just needed a sec."
A tea towel was laid on the step beside her, as Carol sat atop it and placed her hand on Alex's knee, "and how are you feeling Alex?"
Not expecting the voice, she released the gasp that caught in her throat. "I'm ok. I'm," she paused, "excited...about everything. I feel," she nodded her head in confirmation, "lucky to have this with Piper. She means everything to me." She tucks her hair behind her ear, "I'm feeling...," she exhales a single amused breath, "relieved that you both are happy for our baby."
"And?," she inquires further, picking up on her daughter in law's tension.
"And... honestly, I'm...nervous...somewhat?"
"Oh that's normal though, it's just a sign that you'll be a good parent."
"Well now that we know everything looks fine with our tests, Piper doesn't seem to be nervous anymore."
"Well, Piper's...Piper."
Alex found herself laughing, "that she is. The exception to every rule." While she found it odd to be laughing here with a person she once believed was devoid of the humor gene, she found some solace in her company.
"What else?," Alex shook her head, not knowing what her mother in law was getting at. "What else are you feeling?"
Alex lost it. She sat on her hands and turned away from Carol Chapman. Over the years, she didn't feel the need to put up the same front she once emanated. She had learned to trust and let down her defenses. She'd never been close with Piper's mother, their relationship permitted the exchange of kind words and cordiality, it was a notch above forced, walking on eggshells. So why was she now extending herself, showing this new found interest in her all of a sudden? What the hell.
"I'm glad Piper has you to guide her with questions and you can share what your experience was with her, it just makes me miss my mother so much more than I already do every day."
Carol nodded her head and tightened her lips. "I know I'm not your mother Alex, nothing will ever take that pain away. You learn to adapt, but it doesn't go away. You and Piper, you're both my daughters now. I have things that I hope you both can learn from me, but I've learned a great deal from the both of you, I just want you to know that, and that you too can always come to us... if you needed to. My grandbaby needs two strong, healthy mommies. You both do a fine job of taking care of one another but sometimes you need help. It's here, alright?"
"Noted. Thanks Carol." She stood and helped Carol up and walked inside. -
The cold rubber of the exam table sent chills over her body as she reclined onto her back and raised her shirt to tuck it under her bra. Alex sat on the edge of the table and held her hand. The sonographer dimmed the lights and emptied, what felt like, half a bottle of cold gel over her torso and began the scan. The sonographer stated aloud what he was seeing and measuring, "crown rump length, your baby is measuring to be about 19 weeks, right on target." He moved the probe slowly, "face, orbits, nose, mouth," he moved it slowly across her whole abdomen, "spine, hands, kidney, bladder, stomach, femurs, feet." He changed the colors on the black and white screen, "that's the cord, and that's the blood flow through it, there's two arteries, one vein, the flow looks good, there's the placenta, and the fluid level around the baby looks great." Piper felt the squeeze from Alex's hand. "Do you want to know the gender?"
Piper shook her head, "no."
"What? Are you serious? I want to know!," she hopped off the table.
The sonographer turned the light back on and handed Piper a towel to wipe herself off with.
Piper wiped off the gel and handed the towel to Alex, Alex snatched it from her hand.
"Hey, what's with the grabbing? It'll be nice if it's a surprise. It will give me more motivation to push at the end."
Alex reflected a face that looked as if she had eaten something sour and raised a hand, "I'm not there yet. What the heck though? Can I at least know if I promise not to tell you?"
"Yeah right, you'll slip."
The sonographer chimed in, "I'll just write it on a card and seal it in an envelope. If you ever change your mind, you'll have the option to open it and know whenever you want."
Piper agreed, and accepted the envelope. Alex took it and immediately held it up to the light. "Oh my gosh, give me that," she swiped it from the brunette's hands.
She tried to take it back from Piper as they walked out of the office and got into their car to drive to Polly's for lunch.
"Just give it to me, I won't look at it. I'll put it away at home somewhere in a drawer." "Yeah right, you'll look it at it the second I'm gone!
"I won't!"
"You're such a shitty liar!"
"I used to be an amazing liar," Piper cut her eyes at her. "What?" she shrugged her shoulders, "I was."
"Are you bragging about it?" Piper looked at her offended.
"Hey, I was. And I wouldn't lie to you now, don't look at me that way," she leaned over towards the passenger seat, her lips inches from Piper's, she pushes them out slightly, making them look fuller.
Piper closed her eyes slowly then reopened them and peered at Alex, as if she wasn't amused.
Alex subtly licked her lips, "mmmhmm...," she breathed out a soft chortle, "right," she looked the blonde up and down.
Irresistible. Piper fought the urge for all of 5 seconds more before she pressed her lips against Alex's and moaned satisfied.
Alex relaxed back into her seat fulfilled with her small victory and started the ignition.
Piper breathed away her tension, "you're still not getting this," she said raising the envelope and put it in her purse.
Alex dragged her nails up all the way up Piper's thigh, danced her fingers over her sensitive spot like a piano and drawled, "we'll see."
She pulled away from the curb and drove toward Polly's. Piper looked out the window and watched cars fly by them on the highway. "Um Al, is there a reason the church elders are passing us?"
Alex turned her head slightly toward Piper, trying not to take her eyes off the road. She caught Piper's eyes and then placed her hand on Piper's belly, and rubbed her thumb back and forth. "Just trying to keep you and Mookie safe."
Piper snorted a laugh. "Mookie?"
Alex bit her lip and smiled, "yeah," she said shrugging her shoulders, as if it was a completely reasonable name, "and it's going to be Mookie for another 5 months because you won't just let me open the damn envelope!"
"Mookie it is then."
They arrived at Polly's and walked around the side of the house to the backyard. The patio table had a few plates set out, and a bowl of chips and dip.
"Pippy!," Finn shouted and ran over to his honorary aunt, he hadn't seen her all month. Piper crouched down and hugged him; she inhaled his scent, "syrup and cheese," she mouthed up at Alex. Polly walked out holding a large platter of assorted sandwiches and set it on the table. Finn turned and looked up at Alex as she tousled his hair and leaned his head against her leg. He traced his fingers along Piper's abdomen, "Pippy, why is your tummy big?," she laughed gently.
"Finn, that's not polite, you don't ask people that," Polly snapped at him.
"That's okay," she replied sitting down. Alex handed a box of pastries to Polly before she walked back into her house to get more food; she sat in a chair near Piper.
"Finn, Alex and I are going to have a baby."
"You're getting a baby?" Piper nodded at him, "mmmhmmm." Alex crossed her arms over her chest and watched their interaction.
"From where?," he asked. Alex laughed out loud.
"It's in here Finn," she placed her hands on the swell of her skin.
"Can we take it out?" he asked confusedly. Polly walked back out with a bowl of pasta salad and watched her son with his aunt.
"Not yet, it still needs to grow. It's going to feel like a long time so we have to be patient."
"What's the baby's name?"
"We don't know yet buddy," Alex told him. She whispered into his ear.
"Is it a boy baby or a girl baby?," he asked excitedly sharing the question.
"Oh Alex, really?"
"Oh Ayix, really?" he repeated with a similar expression.
"What, you didn't find out?," Polly asked surprised.
"No! Can you believe this one doesn't want to know?," she said pointing her thumb toward Piper.
"You need to let this go," Piper looked at Alex while reaching into her purse,"Can you hold this somewhere so this one doesn't hire a search party to raid our home?," she handed Polly the envelope.
Alex let her mouth drop down, "oh, so you trust her, but not me? Well that's nice."
"You want to know a little bit too much my dear. Does it really matter? What are you going to do differently?"
"You can get all the stuff prepared!," Polly chimed in. "Everything is going to be green and yellow."
"Unknowable universe, what will the neighbors say"?
"It would just help me get used to what Mookie might look like and visualize us with him or her before they're here," Alex relayed her two cents realizing it wouldn't be enough. She reluctantly handed the plate of food she'd created over to Piper. Piper smiled childishly.
"What does the baby eat?," he asked his aunt offering her a chip.
"Whatever I eat." She bit the chip that Finn held out for her.
"Does the baby like chips?"
"Mookie, Finn, call the baby Mookie." Alex encouraged him. He nodded, he bit his tongue between his teeth.
"Of course, but the baby also likes pasta salad." She fed him a forkful before she fed herself. He curiously watched her eat her pasta.
"Does the roni's fall on Mookie's head?," he asked with a concerned unsure face. Alex cackled deeply.
"No, Mookie moves out the way."
Finn scampered off and found a ball. Alex tossed it back and forth with him and tried to teach him how to get in front of it, and use two hands, stagger his legs to help it go further. She looked up at Piper who watched her wife curiously trying to instruct a kid knowing full well that she had no idea what she was talking about. The brunette shrugged her shoulders with a wide smile and continued to toss the ball with Finn for a while before returning to the table for dessert. Finn climbed onto Alex's lap and tried to pull her leg up higher on the chair. She usually sat crossed legged and he liked to sit in the middle. He squirmed around a little digging his boney butt into Alex's leg, until she picked up and said, "alright kid, you win", she sat on the grass with him and he plopped down in her lap.
Polly shook her head and apologized.
Piper turned towards the pair and pushed her toes into Alex's knee when she felt something weird. Her leg straightened against Alex, she looked like she was thinking hard.
"Pipes what's the matter are you ok?," She stood Finn upright.
"Yeah yeah, I'm fine. I think I can feel the baby moving." Her inhalation was staggered. "It felt like a swimming fish or something."
"Oh yeah I forgot about those little movements!," Polly remembered excitedly.
"It felt so weird!," her eyebrows remained pressed inward, her eyes looked up, still thinking.
"Mookie really likes chips and roni salad!"
Alex looked over still really concerned, almost frowning. Piper laughed at her. "Alex I'm fine. It didn't hurt or anything, I just felt it for a second."
"Okay I don't care if Mookie is a boy or a girl, just as long as it's alright. You sure that's all it was?"
"Alex, I-am-fine. Sit down." She watched the brunette drag her hand over her face. 5 more months.