Six weeks later, Valerie got her wish. She went into labour. Poor Cal got stuck driving her since Marty got stuck in traffic and was too far away to respond. Marty promised to meet them at the hospital.
Melody and Jeanne Ellen stayed at Stephanie's house to watch the children. Jeanne was missing the triplets and needed some cuddles. Mica loved watching the babies sleep. Stephanie kissed her children before leaving for the hospital.
"I'll get Angie and Mary Alice from school," Stephanie announced. "I promised to pick them up when Valerie went into labour." Stephanie got the text from Marty, asking her to get the girls. They wanted to be at the hospital with their mother.
"What about Sadie?" Melody asked as Stephanie grabbed the tablets to occupy the girls if they didn't have homework. Stephanie placed them in her messenger bag.
"Sybo and Roger are bringing her with them," Stephanie replied. "They have Junior and Manny watching their back." Stephanie checked the time on her watch. "School's nearly out. I have to get there before the bell."
"It's around the corner," Jeanne Ellen said.
Stephanie rolled her eyes. "I know. But if I get stuck behind the bus, it will take even longer to leave the school. I'll have to wait for the students to load into the bus," Stephanie argued. Jeanne Ellen raised her hands in defeat. She couldn't argue with that logic.
"Hi, honey, we're home," Tito said when Stephanie opened the front door.
"Oh. Are you here to help?" Melody asked, peeking over Stephanie's shoulder.
"Hector wanted to see his godson," Tito replied. Tito and Hector entered the house. They kissed Stephanie's cheek before letting her leave.
Stephanie raced to her car and drove to the school. She sighed in relief when the bus parked on the street behind her. The bell sounded, signalling the end of another school day. Angie and Mary Alice raced to the car. Stephanie had called the school to have them ready. They were the first students to leave the premises.
"Is Mom really having the baby?" Angie asked. She couldn't wait to meet her baby sister.
"Yes," Stephanie replied. "Tio Cal took her to the hospital. Marty should be arriving in thirty minutes. He got stuck in traffic across town."
"What happened to cause a traffic jam?" Mary Alice asked.
"There was an emergency at one of the homes. I'm not sure which one. The ambulance was driving toward the hospital when a car crashed into it. They had to block off the main road to clear the scene. Unfortunately, Marty and Ram's SUV was within the area of the road they blocked. There are too many cars on the road for them to turn around."
"Is that why you picked us up instead?" Mary Alice asked.
"Obviously," Angie snorted. Stephanie glared at Angie in the rearview mirror. "Sorry, MA. I didn't mean to upset you."
"It's fine, Angie. I'm used to your snarky responses," Mary Alice replied.
Stephanie was relieved to see Hal when she arrived at the hospital. Hal opened her door when she put the car in park. "I'll find an open spot for the car. You can get the girls inside," Hal said. Stephanie jumped from the car, then kissed his cheek.
"Thanks, Hal. I'll see you in a few minutes."
Angie and Mary Alice grabbed their backpacks and followed Stephanie inside the hospital. They heard an ambulance in the distance but ignored it. "May I help you, Steph?" Janice asked.
Smiling, Stephanie replied, "Valerie Plum was brought in a few minutes ago by Cal. He's a tall guy with a forehead tattoo." Stephanie was purposely mentioning the tattoo. Janice fanned her face. She remembered the sexy man with the coolest tattoo she had ever seen. It was brave of him to place it on his forehead for everyone to see.
"Valerie got moved to a delivery room on the third floor," Janice said after checking the computer. "It's in the same wing as the maternity department."
"Thanks, Janice. I'll introduce you to Cal," Stephanie offered.
"How about now? I'm on break… now," Janice said, checking her watch. She smiled at her coworkers and went to the delivery room with Stephanie.
Cal was pacing at the foot of Valerie's bed. Stephanie got ready to warn him to move when Valerie sat up and screamed. The sheet covering her legs fell away as Cal looked at Valerie. Cal got soaked in amniotic fluid, then fell to the floor. "Oh, shit!" Janice said. She called for help with Cal. He was too heavy for Janice to move. Stephanie noticed a tiny foot between Valerie's legs.
"Um, Val. Your daughter is coming out feet first," Stephanie warned.
Valerie cried, "I know. We hoped she would turn around soon."
Dr. Suki Burt raced toward Valerie's room. She entered and shook her head, walking around Cal passed out on the floor.
Janice supported Cal's head with her forearms and used his shirt to pull him from the room. "Clear," Janice yelled, letting Dr. Burt know she didn't have to worry about Cal. A few nurses rushed over to help Janice move him onto a backboard, then lift him to the bed. He was heavy. It took six people to put Cal on the bed.
"There's never a dull moment with you," Suki joked as she closed the door to the room. She knew the nurses would arrive to assist her soon.
"I tried to warn him, but everything happened so fast."
"Stephanie, I need you and the girls to hold Valerie's legs," Suki said. Mary Alice shook her head, unwilling to help.
"Hey, Mary Alice," Stephanie calmly said. "Your baby sister needs our help. She's ready to jump out of your mom. I know you don't want to be here, but I really could use your help. Can you climb on the bed and sit behind your mom? You can't see anything from there, and you can close your eyes. Let your mom lean against you. Do you think you could do that much?"
"Yes," Mary Alice whispered.
"Thanks, MA. I need you to help me," Valerie added.
"Angie," Stephanie said, "I need you to hold your mom's leg. Mirror what I do, okay?"
"Okay," Angie said. Unlike Mary Alice, Angie was excited to see how babies were born.
Suki covered Valerie's legs, getting Stephanie and Angie to hold the sheet tightly between them. Angie was disappointed not being able to watch, but Suki thought it was for the best. Stephanie grabbed her phone to record the event.
"Valerie, on the next contraction, I need you to push slowly," Suki said. Valerie followed Suki's orders and pushed. She stopped, then pushed whenever Suki instructed. It took fifteen minutes for Lisa to get freed from Valerie's womb.
Lisa coughed, then cried. Suki smiled and cleared the nasal cavity. "Is she okay?" Valerie asked. Valerie hoped Lisa didn't have any physical disabilities being born breeched.
"Everything seems fine, Valerie," Suki replied.
"Marty missed the delivery," Valerie cried.
"He wouldn't have wanted to see that one. I recorded it for him," Stephanie said. Valerie gasped. "But only from where I'm standing. No crotch shots."
"Thanks," Valerie mumbled.
"The baby passed the Apgar test," the nurse said, placing Lisa on Valerie's chest.
"Val, she's beautiful." Stephanie touched Lisa's cheek. Her face was red and blotchy. Lisa was covered with a layer of white gunk. It was the same stuff that covered her triplets. The nurses left it on the babies for several hours after their birth.
Stephanie helped Mary Alice move from behind Valerie. The girls sat on the bed beside Valerie as Suki delivered the afterbirth. "What's that white stuff on Lisa's skin?" Mary Alice asked. She noticed her cousins had it when they were born.
"It's called Vernix Caseosa," Angie replied. "All babies get covered in it during the last trimester. It protects the skin and facilitates extra-uterine adaptation of skin in the first postnatal week if not washed away after birth."
Suki smiled at Angie's textbook answer as she dropped the afterbirth into the bowl beneath the table. The nurse tossed the blue pad over its top and left the room to dispose of it in the biological waste container.
"Why don't they wash it away?" Mary Alice asked, quirking her head to the side.
"It helps the baby," Angie replied. "The nurse will wash it away after six hours."
A few nurses arrived to clean Valerie. Stephanie, Angie and Mary Alice waited outside the room, which was where Marty found them. "Did Valerie have the baby?" Marty asked.
"Yes," Stephanie replied. "Lisa's in the warming bed inside the room. The nurses are cleaning Valerie before moving her to the maternity ward."
"Dad, Lisa was born feet first," Mary Alice added.
"We helped Mom deliver the baby," Angie said. Marty glanced at Stephanie, who nodded.
"Mary Alice sat behind Valerie to keep her in position. Angie held one leg, and I held the other. I recorded the birth from my angle if you want to see it," Stephanie offered. She sent Marty the video. Once he confirmed receipt, Stephanie deleted it from her phone. Stephanie had no desire to watch it.
Marty paused the video where the nurse placed Lisa on Valerie's chest. "She's beautiful," Marty whispered.
The porter moved Valerie to the maternity ward a few minutes before the others arrived. Carlos had a carrier attached to his front with the three babies inside. Stephanie thought it was adorable. She gasped when a female version of Carlos stepped forward. Stephanie recognized Julie from her pictures.
"Hi, Julie," Stephanie said. "I'm Stephanie."
"Dad showed me pictures," Julie replied. "It's a pleasure to meet you."
Stephanie looked to Carlos for an explanation. They weren't expecting Julie for a few more weeks. Julie smiled at Stephanie. "My school had a field trip to New York. Dad got special permission for me to visit for a few hours while the others watched The Lion King. I've seen it years ago with my parents," Julie explained.
"It was nice of them to let you visit earlier," Stephanie replied. She wanted to hug Julie but was unsure how the girl would respond. Julie stepped toward Stephanie, then wrapped her arms around Stephanie's waist.
"I love your eye colour. They are the same as Ricky and Alex's eyes," Julie said. Stephanie smiled at her stepdaughter. Wait! Was Julie her stepdaughter if Ron Martine adopted her?
"Babe," Carlos replied. "Julie calls me dad. She's your stepdaughter."
Julie rolled her eyes. "My biological mother is Mama. I can call you mom," Julie said. Her tone indicated it was the end of the discussion. Her glare made Stephanie smile. It reminded Stephanie of Carlos when he got frustrated.
Carlos started removing babies from the carrier. He gave one to Julie, Stephanie and Marty. "What are you doing?" Stephanie asked.
"I have to get Julie back to New York," he replied. Carlos passed the carrier to Hal, who quickly adjusted it to fit his frame. Julie passed Alex to her dad. Carlos quickly put her in the center spot of the carrier. He removed Ricky from Stephanie's arms, then put him on the left, followed by Max on the right. Hal grinned at the sleeping babies. They didn't wake up during the transfer.
"Drive safe," Stephanie said. She kissed her husband, then kissed Julie's head. "I'll see you in a few weeks."
"Bye, Mom," Julie called over her shoulder. She held her dad's hand as they walked away.
"I can't believe how much Max resembles his oldest sister," Stephanie replied.
"It's remarkable how different the triplets look from each other," Hal commented. "You see some similarities between Alex and Ricky. Also, between Alex and Max. But not so much between Max and Ricky."
"I can see one similarity with all three. They have my nose," Stephanie pointed out.
~~~~~
Helen and Frank Plum arrived at the hospital. They approached the information desk to find Valerie. A woman was screaming at the volunteer, searching for her son. "Tell me where my son is," Angie Morelli yelled.
"Who is your son?" the young woman asked. Helen didn't recognize the woman at the volunteer desk.
"You know!" Angie shouted. Helen shook her head. Apparently, making an epic fool of yourself was not just a Morelli trait.
"Frank, you go on ahead. I'll help Angie," Helen said, then approached the desk. She read the woman's name tag. Frank was proud of Helen for offering to help Angie. His wife changed her tune and attitude. Frank waited a few minutes before going to visit Valerie and his granddaughter.
"Excuse me, Ciera," Helen said. "This is Angie Morelli. Her sons' names are Anthony and Joseph. Do you have either one here?"
Ciera's hand shook as she checked the computer. "Yes," she replied. "Joseph Morelli was brought in twenty minutes ago. Um. I need to call the doctor." Ciera read the instruction to page Dr. Stevenson when the family arrived.
"What?" Angie asked. "Why?"
"I'm not allowed to answer, Mrs. Morelli," Ciera replied. Helen knew what that meant. Joseph Morelli didn't make it and likely died from a heart attack.
"Is there a place we can go for privacy?" Helen asked. Angie's screams had drawn a crowd. Helen didn't think hearing the devastating news in the hospital lobby was proper.
"Um. Yes. Follow me." Ciera led them to a room designated for mediating medical care. She paged the doctor, instructing him to meet Mrs. Morelli there.
Dr. Stevenson entered the room twenty minutes later. Helen was holding Angie as she cried. "Mrs. Morelli?" Stevenson asked. Angie raised her head.
"Angie, do you want me to stay?" Helen asked. Angie nodded.
"I'm afraid it's bad news, Mrs. Morelli," Stevenson said. "Joseph had a heart attack earlier today and died on his way to the hospital."
"No!" Angie cried. "Not my Joey."
"Mrs. Morelli, I warned you when Joseph had his first heart attack. I found no traces of the heart medication in his bloodwork. His arteries were plugged. Joseph didn't follow the restrictions in his diet," Dr. Stevenson reminded her.
"He didn't like that other food," Angie said. "Where did he have the heart attack?"
Dr. Stevenson didn't want to answer the question. It was evident what Joseph Morelli was doing. "Please, tell her," Helen pleaded.
"He was having sex," Dr. Stevenson replied. He referred to the paperwork indicating where the ambulance picked up Morelli. "The ambulance collected him from Cherry Tree Lane, nearly a block from the pharmacy."
It was in the area where Terry Gilman lived. Angie's despair turned to anger. She didn't want Joseph anywhere near that Gilman woman. "Was it at 632 Cherry Tree Lane?" Angie demanded.
Dr. Stevenson checked the address. "Yes," he replied. "I'm sorry for your loss."
"Thank you," Angie replied. "Helen, thank you for being here with me. Do you mind helping me for a few minutes?"
"Not at all," Helen replied. Helen called Angelina to share the news. It wasn't something Angie could do as she grieved.
Angie appeared dishevelled, which surprised Helen. However, it was possible Angie was thoroughly cleaning her house and didn't have time to make herself presentable. Judging Angie's appearance in that situation wasn't appropriate. She got called to the hospital for an emergency. It was sad Joseph Morelli didn't follow the dietary restrictions recommended by the cardiologist.
Helen wanted to feel bad for Angie but couldn't. Angie enabled Joseph's inappropriate behaviour regarding Stephanie. Had Angie done something when countless mothers bitched and complained about Anthony and Joseph (as children) taking girls into the garage to touch them, perhaps they would have become respected Morellis.
It took many conversations with Stephanie for Helen to realize Joseph had raped her at sixteen. Stephanie said no many times, but Joseph insisted Stephanie enjoyed what he had done. Helen was ashamed she never believed Stephanie. There was no repeating the past to undo the damage Helen caused to her daughter.
A light bulb turned on in Helen's head. Stephanie didn't get defiant until after the incident in the garage. Was Helen's reaction the catalyst for Stephanie ignoring the rules? It was something Helen needed to ask Stephanie. Helen prayed Stephanie wouldn't get upset if she talked about it. Perhaps Helen should let sleeping dogs lie. What good would come out of rehashing the past?
"Mom, are you alright?" Stephanie asked. Helen looked around and noticed she was still in the lobby. Angie Morelli was talking to someone from the hospital administration office to arrange Joseph's transfer to the funeral home.
"Oh. I'm fine, dear. I was thinking about things," Helen replied.
Stephanie pulled her mother's hand through her arm and walked to the elevator. She pressed the button to call the car. "What things?" Stephanie wondered.
"We don't need to talk about it," Helen answered.
"But I think we do," Stephanie insisted. "Anything making you look that pale deserves a discussion."
Helen sighed before explaining her thoughts. "I could be wrong," Helen said.
"No, Mom. You're right," Stephanie whispered. "You never believed me, so I stopped trying."
"Oh, Stephanie. I'm so sorry for being a wretched mother," Helen cried.
The elevator door opened on the fifth floor. Tank took one look at the women crying and smiled. He gently pulled them from the car and wrapped his arms around them. Helen and Stephanie giggled before reciprocating Tank's embrace. "You're right about the big guy," Helen said.
"Huh?" Stephanie asked.
"He gives good hugs."
Frank smiled at his wife and youngest daughter. He could tell something transpired on their trip upstairs on the elevator. "Helen?" Frank asked, wrapping his arm around Helen's shoulder.
Helen shook her head. "It's not the time or place. I'll tell you everything at home," Helen replied. "I want to see my baby granddaughter."
She entered Valerie's room as Edna told Valerie that Joseph Morelli had died of a heart attack while having sex with Terry Gilman. "Mother, when did you get here?" Helen asked.
"I got here when Angie complained to Angelina and Anthony. You seemed to be in outer space. I called Stephanie to collect you. Angie called Gilman a black widow. Did you know that was how her first husband died?" Edna asked.
Valerie covered her mouth. She couldn't believe it. "Mom, is what Grandma said true?" Valerie asked.
"Joseph had a heart attack during sex, but he died in the ambulance," Helen explained.
"And the part about Terry?"
"He was with Terry at the time. Terry's first husband died during sex," Helen answered. There was no point hiding the truth. "Where are the girls?"
"Getting dinner with Marty. Do you want to hold her?" Valerie asked. She removed Lisa from her breast, keeping herself covered.
Helen looked into Lisa's dark blue eyes. "Valerie, she's beautiful. Lisa looks like her father."
"Thanks, Mom."