A day had passed since Pierce had put out the public announcement denying the rumours about Laura's baby. Joe was packing up his duffel bag, preparing to leave the arena to get some lunch, feeling much less stressed. Unfortunately, the last two days' drama wasn't the end of it…

Joe was simply walking out of the locker room, peaceful as could be, when Mr. Sandman rushed over and ushered him to the children's room. "You gotta hide; Code Blonde."

Code Blonde was what the other boxers had come up with to signal Laura's presence near the building after the false report disaster. Joe kept his back to the door to listen in case she had come inside, and thanked his lucky stars that Katrina was at Annie's house instead of at the arena.

After twenty stressful minutes of waiting, the door opened. "Brad says she's gone," said Mr. Sandman. Joe breathed a sigh of relief. "Come on, we'll get you outta here through the other exit."


Joe and Mr. Sandman went through the halls to go through the other door. However, were they ever in for a shock when they got to the last hall!

"I knew he always liked me more than Heather," Laura was gushing to a small crowd. "He just took a while to get over his grief and realize it."

Super Macho Man appeared from around the corner. "I should have known that she'd park and come in," he said. "Xander, you get Joe outta here. I'll keep them busy." He hustled to where Laura was standing.

"See, Joey's such a nice man," said Laura, "I know he'll love our baby just as much as the one he had with Heather!"

"Wow, you're having a gay man's kid?" Super Macho Man interrupted. "That doesn't happen every day."

Laura sputtered indignantly. "You butt out of this!"

"Actually, I think you're the one who needs to butt out," retorted Super Macho Man, "considering that you've been banned from the premises for almost 6 years."

Laura was turning red. "I am Joey's lover, I have a right to be here!"

Super Macho Man turned his head up and looked around at the crowd. "Joe is a proud gay man and had been married for years. He isn't the father of this woman's baby." He assumed a serious face.

"I am."

The entire crowd's jaws dropped. "But you're so much younger than her!" A man in the crowd gasped.

"Not really," said Super Macho Man. "I'm actually thirty-six. I just say I'm twenty-seven to keep my image."

"No you're not!" Laura exploded. "You'd never be the father!"

"Come on," said Super Macho Man, playing along, "you know you've been cheating for years. He's gonna be some mad when he finds out…"

"Cheating?!" Laura was in full force. "I never cheated! Joey never cheated!"

"Hold on," said another crowd member, "if you're having Glass Joe's kid, then wouldn't he have to have cheated on his husband to get to this point?"

"Okay," said an exasperated woman in the crowd, "if he's not the father, and Joe isn't the father, then who the hell is the baby daddy?!"

Laura looked as if she'd just bit down on the world's largest lemon, but relented. "Fine! I got a donation! But that doesn't mean Katrina shouldn't know her half-cousin!"

"Uh, yes it does," said Super Macho Man, "because you can't be near Joe without going to jail."

Laura's face went from red to white, back to red again, and she stormed out of the arena.

When Super Macho Man returned to the back room, the other boxers were watching, astonished. "Way to take one for the team, Brad," said Bear Hugger.

King Hippo wrapped her arms around Super Macho Man and squeezed him in a hippo hug. "Yeah, yeah," said Super Macho Man, patting her head. "Someone had to get rid of her."

Don came into the crowd. "¿Crees que estamos descolgados ahora?" (Do you think we're off the hook now?)

"We should be," said Super Macho Man. "She admitted that her baby daddy was a donor in front of all those people."

"人々はあなたがあなたの年齢について嘘をついていることに満足することはないでしょう." Piston Hondo gave Super Macho Man a grim-yet-sympathetic look. (People are not going to be happy about you lying about your age.)

"Let 'em," said Super Macho Man. "Anything to get Crazy Bitch off our backs."


Meanwhile, Mr. Sandman had successfully gotten Joe home safely. Katrina had come home from Annie's house, and she and Von Kaiser were sitting at the kitchen table eating cold cuts, with a table and plate poignantly left open. Joe quietly slid into his seat.

"Da bist du," said Von Kaiser, "warum hast du so lange gebraucht?" (There you are, what took you so long?)

"J'étais en retard," said Joe. "Code Blonde. Mais Xander et Brad m'aident." (I was held up; Code Blonde. But Xander and Brad helped me.)

"What about the baby?" Katrina asked.

"Aucune idée," said Joe, "mais il ou elle n'est pas notre problème." (No idea, but they're not our problem.)

"Well, they are my cousin, if only by blood," said Katrina. "It sucks that they're gonna have to spend eighteen years with her."

"Wenn sie mit der einstweiligen Verfügung so leichtsinnig umgeht, vielleicht nicht einmal das," said Von Kaiser, finishing his lunch. (If she keeps being so reckless with the restraining order, maybe not even that.)

Joe sighed and quietly ate. He just wanted to forget this whole thing and move on with his life.