Carlos and Stephanie stared at the image displayed on the ultrasound machine's monitor. Three perfect babies. The sound of their hearts beating echoed in the room. Its rhythmic sound was music to Stephanie's ears. "Steph, Carlos, are you guys okay?" Jeanne Ellen asked.
Stephanie nodded as the tears dripped off her chin. "I thought they didn't take," she whispered. Carlos wrapped his arm around Stephanie, tucking her into his side.
Dr. Struthers smiled at the family and said, "Some spotting was to be expected. As you can see, you have three healthy fetuses. The other two weren't viable." Dr. Struthers pointed to the placenta on the image frozen on the screen. "Placental placement is perfect."
"Thank you for seeing us at the last minute," Stephanie said.
"Jeanne, I'd like to see you in four weeks. It's a precaution for multiples," the doctor explained. "Please come back if you experience more spotting. Rest for a few days."
Carlos and Stephanie left the examination room for Jeanne Ellen to get dressed. Stephanie buried her face in her husband's chest and cried. "I thought," she bawled.
"Me too," Carlos said, rubbing Stephanie's back in soothing circles. Jeanne Ellen got an ultrasound at eight weeks with her obstetrician, but they couldn't see or hear their hearts beating. Stephanie and Carlos thought their chance at having a baby had passed.
"Then, when she was spotting," Stephanie cried. Carlos continued to rub her back. Stephanie wiped the tears off her cheeks, then blew her nose in the handkerchief Carlos gave her. She tucked it into her pocket.
Jeanne Ellen exited the examination room. "Luckily, we're the only ones here," Jeanne Ellen said after glancing into the waiting room. "Your cries would frighten the other patients." Stephanie turned to hug Jeanne Ellen. "Steph, your babies are okay. Dr. Struthers said I'm thirteen weeks. She told me to take it easy and rest every few hours with my feet up. These are for you." Jeanne Ellen gave Stephanie the sonogram images. Stephanie placed them on the counter and took pictures. She didn't want to risk them fading before having a digital copy.
"I'm sorry for being a blubbering mess. Carlos and I agreed if this process didn't take, we would stop trying. The injections drove me insane," Stephanie explained. "It's like PMS on steroids. I swear, my head turned one hundred eighty degrees, and I spewed fire from my mouth."
"It wasn't that bad, Babe," Carlos said, guiding them to the SUV parked behind the clinic. Carlos didn't mind how horny the injections made Stephanie. She was insatiable. He remembered back to their first night. Stephanie was needy but afraid it would hurt when they finally had intercourse. Carlos grabbed the lubrication he grabbed from Treasure Pleasures. He was gentle and went at her pace. She got too impatient and took over. Once she relaxed, everything went smoothly. Carlos wanted to take her hard and fast, but he patiently waited for Stephanie to take it there.
Stephanie stroked his arm, knowing where his mind went. "We got there in the end, Carlos. It took a few weeks for the fear of pain to leave, but you helped me move past it," Stephanie said.
Jeanne Ellen and Stephanie sat in the backseat of the SUV. Carlos smiled whenever he caught Stephanie's eye in the rearview mirror. He loved his wife more than he thought possible. Carlos was devastated when he thought implantation was unsuccessful. He didn't know how much he wanted children with Stephanie until confronted with the possibility of it not happening. Carlos planned to convince Stephanie to give it another shot.
"Have you heard from Lester?" Jeanne Ellen asked.
"Not yet. He promised to call or text," Stephanie replied. Lester and Sadie were living in Carlos and Stephanie's house. Nicki didn't appear to get along with Lester but conceded that Lester was the perfect father figure for Sadie.
"Are Lester and Nicki getting along?" Jeanne Ellen asked, causing Stephanie to snort.
"Please," Stephanie said, "they have a love-hate thing going on. I think Nicki is attracted to Lester, but she knows he's a player."
Stephanie decided to provide a little background information about her cousin Nicki. Jeanne Ellen stared in horror as Stephanie explained what happened to Nicki the night before the wedding. "She forgot her shoes in the closet?"
"Yup," Stephanie replied.
"And she walked into the bedroom, catching them in the act?"
"Yup."
"Oh my gosh," Jeanne Ellen said.
"Nicki was the only member of the bridal party not involved in that orgy," Stephanie explained. "She told her dad, then went to Italy for a few months. Nicki cashed in Marco's ticket to extend her trip."
"Who was in the wedding party?" Jeanne Ellen asked.
"Marco's best friend, Nicki's best friends and her brother," Stephanie replied. "Paul, Sheila, Abigail and wait for it… Vinnie."
Jeanne Ellen was disgusted. "Vinnie Plum? The man who once fucked a duck, Vinnie?"
"Yup," Stephanie said, popping the p. "Nicki hasn't talked to Vinnie since. Marco was a player before meeting Nicki. She thought he gave it up when they met."
"Did he?"
"No. Nicki found Marco's porn collection when she moved. It didn't contain the typical titles like Barbie does Dallas. Every DVD was Marco having sex with various partners. Nicki knew most of them got recorded during their relationship. The tattoo on Marco's chest was a dead giveaway. He got that tattoo a year after their first date," Stephanie explained.
"So… she won't give Lester the time of day because he reminds her of the slimy ex-fiancé."
"Exactly."
"Babe, what gave you the impression Lester was a player?" Carlos asked.
"He's over the top with flirting. One sexy smile makes women offer their phone numbers. I've seen Lester in the clubs. The women hang off him. Lester never fucks a woman twice, but he strings them along before they connect sexually," Stephanie explained.
"Am I a player?" Carlos asked.
"I never got that impression. You are monogamous in your relationships. I'm sure you scratched an itch at times," Stephanie replied, feeling a pang on jealousy over the faceless, though gorgeous, women who spent time in his bed.
"Babe, I had fewer partners than you think. Some lasted several years but we never classified it as a relationship. The latest one ended a year before you entered the cafe. You're the only woman to ever lie in my bed." Stephanie knew Carlos never shared a bed with Rachel.
"You must have scratched an itch during that year," Stephanie argued.
"No, Babe. I haven't. My focus was on building Rangeman," Carlos replied.
"I don't need to hear this discussion," Jeanne Ellen said. "Stop feeling insecure, Steph. Carlos loves you. Do you honestly think he would take care of you after that incident if he didn't?"
"No," Stephanie whispered, hating that her insecurity reared its ugly head. "My hormones are still out of whack. It's going to take time for everything to stabilize." Stephanie was quiet for the remaining trip home. Carlos dropped Jeanne Ellen off at her house. He got Stephanie to move to the front seat.
Stephanie entered their house before Carlos. She stopped short when she caught Nicki and Lester in a passionate kiss. Nicki had her hands on Lester's ass, pulling him closer. "It's about time," Carlos said, scaring them apart.
"Um. I was…," Nicki said, "about to leave. Thanks for understanding, Lester. See you, Steph." Nicki bolted from the house. She jumped into her car and sped off.
"What happened?" Stephanie asked.
Lester scratched the back of his neck. "Dad and Nicki were making out again," Sadie replied. She started calling Lester "Dad" when he petitioned for custody. "They think their relationship is a secret." Sadie rolled her eyes. She took in Stephanie's red-rimmed eyes and asked, "Did Jeanne lose the babies?"
Stephanie shook her head, passing the sonograms to Sadie. "Only two of them didn't make it. The other three are firmly attached," Stephanie replied. Sadie grinned as she looked at the pictures. "Did the courts accept the adoption application?"
"Yes, but Nicki said it would be better if Dad got married," Sadie replied. Sadie looked at Lester, who seemed to look scared. Or was that resigned? Or excited?
"What's the problem? Did Nicki volunteer?" Stephanie asked. Sadie grinned while Lester turned an interesting shade of green.
"Yes," Lester replied. "She asked me to marry her." Lester walked away, leaving everyone stunned.
~~~~~~
Tito stopped at the scene of Joseph Morelli's latest mishap on his way to visit Hector. He was closest to the incident and answered dispatch. Joe worked for Vinnie after Les Sebring caught a whiff of alcohol on his breath. He didn't want to handle the liability involved with keeping Morelli on the books. In a moment of desperation, Vinnie hired Joe to capture his low to mid-range skips. Joyce Barnhardt was useless, and Rangeman refused to spend their resources for any bond lower than two hundred thousand.
Joe's car was in flames. One of his low-bond skips decided to torch the vehicle. "Useless piece of crap," Joe yelled. "If Cupcake married me, none of this would have happened. It's all her fault. I never would have lost my badge if she was any good at her job. How am I supposed to buy another car?" Morelli never noticed Tito's arrival.
"I believe you lost your job without assistance," Tito said, cutting through Joe's rant.
"You!" Joe screamed. "It's your fault I lost my job."
Tito raised an eyebrow. "Are you saying I forced you to offer sexual favours to tear up speeding tickets? Or that I forced you to drink and drive? Oh! I remember," Tito said, snapping his fingers. "I held your mouth and forced you to drink five beers before showing up for work, right?"
"Don't be ridiculous," Joe said. "Nobody forces me to do anything." Joe hated when Tito got him spilling his guts. It unnerved Joe to be affected by Tito tricking him into a confession.
"And it isn't Stephanie's fault you lost your job with the police department or Les Sebring," Tito said. "When will you take ownership of your mistakes?"
Morelli strutted toward Tito and stood at his full height. "Are you recording this too?" Morelli sneered. "You're a coward hiding behind bigger men than yourself."
Tito didn't let Morelli goad him into a fistfight. Joe was known to be a bar brawler, but Tito had gone up against men bigger and tougher than Joseph Morelli. Tito was victorious in those battles. Morelli had no idea who he was mouthing off to. Unlike Joe, Tito knew how to rein in the beast. Unfortunately, it was a lesson Morelli never learned.
"I'm here as an officer to take your statement," Tito announced. He tapped the body cam. "The camera leaves my hands free to cuff your skip." In a move Morelli never saw coming, Tito grabbed Leon James as he attempted to escape. Tito had James cuffed and ready for Eddie Gazarra and Robin Russell to take to the precinct for booking.
"That was my skip," Joe screamed.
A woman's long-suffering sigh came from behind Tito. He heard the woman approaching. "Let it go, Joe. You're only going to embarrass yourself more."
Tito recognized the blond woman as Terry Gilman. She was one of the women Joe strung along with promises of marriage and raising a family. Terry was previously married. Her husband died under suspicious circumstances. Nobody ever charged Terry with murder. She claimed he had a heart attack during an intimate moment. There was no proof to the contrary.
"What are you doing here?" Joe asked Terry.
"To make sure you don't do anything stupid," she replied, looking around. Her eyes settled on the burning metal the firefighters were attempting to put out. "I see that I'm too late."
"It's not how it looks," Joe said, jumping to the defence.
"That's what you said after the last three cars you destroyed. It's time to change careers, Joe because this one isn't your forte," Terry replied. "Give your statement so I can take you home. Tomorrow, you will quit your job and accept the one with Uncle Vito."
Terry tapped her toe as Joe described the situation to Tito. It took another twenty minutes for Tito to wrap up the interviews with the witnesses. Each version increased with exaggeration. By the time the last witness provided his statement, Tito had heard everything from Joe destroying his car to Joe beating his chest like a gorilla to scare the skip.
Tito apologized to Hector for postponing their dinner plans. Hector was understanding and told Tito to meet him at home. The thought made Tito smile. He planned to accept Hector's request to move in with him.
~~~~~
Frank stared at the message from Stephanie. He couldn't believe his youngest daughter was having three babies. She wasn't the only daughter pregnant. Valerie was visiting with Marty and the girls for dinner. The steamed spinach sent Valerie running for the kitchen garbage can to empty her stomach. Marty looked a little green around the gills. He didn't know how to help.
Helen subtly passed Marty a list. He read everything, then looked Helen in the eyes. "Why do I have your grocery list?" Marty asked.
"It's not for me," she replied, clicking her tongue. "Those items will help Valerie with morning sickness. She needs to eat smaller meals more frequently. Be sure to avoid sudden movements. Oh, remember to add steamed spinach to the list of foods that make her sick."
"What are you doing, Mom?" Valerie asked, returning to the dining room.
"Planning your wedding," Helen replied.
"Wedding?" Marty asked. He looked at Valerie for guidance. Marty wanted to spend his life with Valerie, but he didn't think having a child was grounds for getting married hastily.
"Helen," Frank warned.
"I've got this, Daddy," Valerie said. "Mom, stop interfering. I already wrote that chapter. I'm not getting married this time."
"Never?" Marty asked, looking broken-hearted. He loved Valerie and the girls.
"Marty, I'm not saying never. I know we're soulmates, but I'm not repeating the mistakes of my past," Valerie said, digging the hole deeper.
"Okay," Marty said, getting up from the table. "Mrs. Plum, thank you for inviting me for dinner. Mr. Plum, thank you for welcoming me into your home. I must be leaving."
Frank followed Marty to the door. "I'm sorry to see you leave, son. Give Valerie a chance to explain," Frank said. Frank knew Valerie didn't want to rush into another marriage. She only wanted to ensure her feelings were genuine before crossing that bridge again.
"Anything she could say right now would only fuel my anger," Marty confessed, passing Frank the keys to the car. Frank shook his head as he watched Marty walk away.
Valerie was bawling when Frank returned. "It's best that you know now," Helen said, gently rubbing Valerie's back.
Edna glared at Helen. Frank raised a brow. "She doesn't know when to keep her mouth shut!" Edna snapped.
"Perhaps crazy glue will work," Frank joked.
Angie and Mary Alice pushed their forks through the cake. They took small bites without looking at the adults. Mary Alice gently nudged Angie, who shook her head. Angie didn't know what would happen next.