~ Dysfunctional Dinner ~

Pt.2

So it's the final course of the meal, dessert…and Nicole is even less thrilled about it. She has a cool way of letting the roommates know her surprise but the charade never stops. Next they get on the fact that Jionni doesn't work, that he can't afford anything. It's terrible.

Nicole asks Jenni to help her get the cake ready to serve. Everyone is waiting and Jenni takes it out of the baker's box and Nicole brings it over to place it down.

Pauly, "Somethin's goin on with this cake right now…"

The cake is Nicole down to the black and white polka-dotted bow.

Sam, "It's cute."

Ron, "It looks like your bow."

Nicole sets it down, "You have to see the top design."

When it is planted, Vinny stands up and reads it aloud while everyone reads silently.

Vinny, "By the way, I'm pregnant…"

Silence for a split second….

Pauly chimes in.

"Holy…!"

Deena choked on her glass of milk and Sammi is the loudest she's ever been all night.

"You're pregnant!?"

Pauly has to hear that again, "Hold on a second…You're knocked up?"

Nicole smiles, "Yeah."

The table is alive now. Sammi is patting Deena's back, who started coughing trying to catch her breath.

Sam, "You okay Dee'?"

Deena, "Yeah, I just had the flashback of my life is all."

Jenni laughs, "Too soon?"

Deena nods yes and clears her throat.

"I thought I was pregnant all over again."

Pauly can toast to that flashback. No one even has time to digest that information because Nicole is now pulling something out of her bra.

Pauly, "What else are you hiding?!"

Nicole says nothing, she just hands Vinny the sheet. It turns out to be pictures of her sonogram. He passes it around but at the same time jokes that it looks just like him.

Pauly, "I thought you pulled out?!"

Vinny thinks about that…He does the calculations and determines that he didn't have sex with Nicole four months ago…he doesn't think. Oh sh*t.

Vinny gets up from the table and runs off. Jenni and Nicole shout at the same time.

"It's not yours!"

Nicole, "You're a fuckin idiot Vinny."

Vinny comes back and sits down. It makes it to Deena now. She looks at the picture and feels the same thing she did when she saw hers for the first time.

Deena, "Another little meatball in the Family. I can't believe it."

Jenni, "Meatballs times two."

Deena, "I told you, we rule."

Nicole, "Omg, 'Leena will have someone to play with now. See, I took care of it. You're done."

Ron does his best female impression, "…and if it's a boy, she'll have someone to marry. See Pauly that's done, already arranged."

Everyone laughs and Pauly responds immediately.

Pauly, "Hell no! I don't want my daughter anywhere near someone with the same genes. These meatballs obviously multiply easily. Next thing you know, you'll be tryin to make me a Grandfather…that's neva gonna happen."

Vinny, "You also said sleepin with Deena would neva happen either and look how that blew up, (laughing) in your face!"

Things were just getting back to normal until that comment. Boy, Vinny has just been on a roll tonight.

Sammi is about to say something now but Deena lets it roll right off her back. She turns to Nicole.

Deena smiles, "No more grown-up meatball days for us huh?"

Nicole, "Well when it pops out…"

She doesn't even get the rest of her sentence out before the table starts up another roast again.

Ron (laughing), "It's not just the pregnancy."

Nicole, "I'm allowed to go out…"

Vinny cuts her off with his impression of Nicole being done, "Yay! Woooooo!"

Ron agrees, "Right. It's not a race. You don't just cross the finish line like, yeah, it's over!"

Pauly now speaks.

"When it pops out, you gotta take care of it."

Unfortunately Pauly catches the brunt end of Nicole's frustration.

Nicole, "Oh yeah? Like you're the one to talk, leavin your Kid to go party in freakin Vegas."

Now, Deena knows the recent conversation she had with Sammi, but she didn't remember telling Nicole anything. Deena looks over at Sammi and she shrugs her shoulders letting her know that she hadn't said anything.

However, it makes sense because Deena did cry on Nicole's shoulders a lot when she was pregnant about Pauly's absence and being in Vegas.

Pauly has had enough of this subject being brought up though. He just knew that Deena has been to every single one of the girls with this but he will not have it thrown back at him in front of everyone. Especially not by someone who absolutely has no clue about the truth, they're just going by what Deena has said.

Pauly, "No, I didn't. Deena can tell you that I went to Vegas to work. Even though that part is neva discussed, I'm still going to be the better person and say that while I've been in Vegas, Deena has been a great Mom staying at home with Pauleena…So if I were you, I would stick close to her for some pointers."

Oops…and ouch. No one expected Pauly to go off like that. Nicole eases off on her bite. She feels guilty anyway for causing the rift between him and Deena.

The tension is climbing back but Deena is the one to lighten it again.

"It's alright, it's just the hormones. I've been there."

It's something and it's giving Nicole a headache.

Nicole sighs, "This isn't how I wanted dinner."

Pauly starts to get up. "It never is."

Nicole, "We're so dysfunctional."

Pauly now walks off and Deena watches him while twisting her ring on her finger.

Everyone tries to still congratulate Nicole and after all of it, they say they will be there for her just like they were for Deena. Deena especially is ready to return the favor to Nicole for being her rock throughout her pregnancy and after. Right now, she has some things on her mind taking up her attention.

Outside when everyone is leaving Jenni and Nicole's place, Deena catches up with Pauly before he can get in his car.

Deena, "Pauly!"

He turns around and she continues.

"Can you stop by my place? I think we should talk."

Pauly responds, "Yeah, I was comin by to see 'Leena anyway. Just let me say bye to the guys."

Deena nods her head and waits with Sammi. Sammi asks her what she is going to tell him, but Deena honestly has no plan for this. She'll just have to see how it goes.

A/N: Hmm, rough Chap. Sorry to say, it doesn't get better (smh). At any rate, I hope Mother's Day was wonderful for all the Moms/Family's out there! Pumping this update out today b/c things have been "cray-cray" with no time in b/tween. Thnx always for the support and comments. I enjoy it all :-)