A/N: Happy Mother's Day! In honor of the holiday, this chapter is about the babies. Read on and you'll see what I mean. Enjoy!
"So you liked her from the beginning?"
Marshall shrugged at his son's question. "I thought she had nice eyes and was easy to talk to – which was new to me. I usually got tongue tied around girls and they only talked to me in the context of being their tutor-"
"I thought you tutored mom in physics?"
Marshall nodded. "I did – and working side by side at JJ's we became fast friends."
"So when did things change?"
"Will, you know the stories-"
"Dad, come on. I'm bored-"
Before he could answer, Rosa burst into the waiting room, a petite whirlwind of bright colors and exclamations of Spanish. "So, my little Bee goes into labor and no one thinks to call me? What is wrong with the two of you?"
"I'm sorry, Rosa, things happened so fast," Marshall was quick to soothe her and soon Rosa was sitting with them in the waiting room chairs, knitting furiously.
"How did you figure it out?" Liam wanted to know.
"I'm not stupid, young man," Rosa glared at him, pointing a needle in his direction. "I got to the house and breakfast was still on the table, dishes in the sink. Then I went into the guest room and saw the bed," she shrugged. "I called your work and your boss told me you had taken Bee to the hospital." She grunted. "Him you call – not me."
"Rosa, I said I was sorry." Marshall leaned over and kissed her cheek. "You know how important my work is-"
"And I'm not important?" Rosa shrieked.
"Dad, stop. You're just digging yourself in deeper," Liam whispered. "Rosa, why don't we go down to the cafeteria and get something to eat; it's almost lunchtime."
"If we can trust your father to page us if the baby comes-"
Marshall rolled his eyes heavenward as his son tugged Rosa out of her chair and out the doors. He closed his eyes, wishing he could be doing something instead of just sitting out here on his hands. From his son's perspective, it looked like he was waiting patiently, but inside he was a wreck – just like the day Will was born. But one of them had had to remain calm and it sure as hell wasn't Mary.
Seventeen Years Ago
Middletown General Hospital
"Come on, Mary. You're doing great. Just one or two more big pushes and your baby will be here," Dr. Griffin urged.
"You push!" Mary screamed, collapsing against the pillow. Her hair was soaked with sweat and plastered to her head, and her eyes were huge in her pale face.
Marshall wiped her forehead with a cool cloth. "You can do it, Mer. Remember how much you were telling me that you wanted this baby out of you? That's not going to happen if you don't push."
She swung her head and glared at him. "I'm fucking tired, Marshall!"
"I know," he soothed.
She grabbed his hand and squeezed as another contraction hit, her body tensing.
"That's it, Mary, push!" Dr. Griffin encouraged. "I can see the head!"
Mary slumped against the pillow. "Is it out yet?"
"Not yet – I need you to push harder next time."
She shook her head. "I can't – I can't – I'm so tired."
Marshall cupped her face. "You can – you're strong-"
"I'm not – I can't do this!"
"Mary – listen to me!" Marshall put his face close to hers so that she couldn't see anyone else in the room. "I'll help you, tell me how to help you."
"This is all your fault!" she screamed in his face, the tears flowing down her cheeks and running over his thumbs.
"I know," he agreed with her. "Tell me how I can help."
"My back hurts – every time a contraction comes – it feels like I'm being ripped in two," she sobbed into his hands.
Marshall leaned forward and kissed her forehead, as he thought about everything he'd read about labor and delivery. He turned to Dr. Griffin. "Can I get behind her in the bed? Help her push? Is that OK?"
Dr. Griffin was silent for a moment before nodding. Marshall let go of Mary's face as he toed off his shoes. "Sit up, love."
"Marshall-"
"This will work, Mer."
She moaned as she slid forward in the bed just enough for Marshall's lean frame to slide in behind her. He pulled her back into him, lacing their fingers together, helping her relax until the next contraction hit.
"Here it comes," Dr. Griffin warned.
Mary moaned as her fingers tightened on his and Marshall sat them up, supporting her as they pushed down together.
"Head and shoulders are out – keep going, Mary – one more –"
A cry split the air and the couple collapsed as one in the bed.
"It's a boy," Dr. Griffin announced.
Marshall felt his eyes tear as he looked down to see Mary smiling up at him. She reached up and touched his lips with a trembling finger. "Thank you."
"For what?"
"I couldn't have done that without you."
"I told you – it's you and me, forever."
She shivered in his arms and he pushed back some of her sweat soaked hair to kiss her forehead softly. A nurse approached with their baby boy and Mary turned and held out her arms.
"Here you go, mama."
Mary cradled her son and Marshall held them both close to his chest.
"Do we have a name yet?" Dr. Griffin whispered.
Mary nodded. "William. William Mann."
Marshall had been so lost in his memory of that day that he nearly fell out of his chair when Peter crashed through the waiting room doors. His chest was heaving and his eyes were wild and for a moment Marshall feared the worst-
Until Peter smiled.
"It's a boy!"
Marshall stood and closed the distance to embrace his brother-in-law. "How's Brandi – and the baby?"
"Fine – perfect, actually! She's asking for you."
"I'm on my way – oh, can you do me a favor? Go down to the cafeteria and give the good news to Will and Rosa? She'll kill me if I don't let her know right away about the baby."
Peter laughed. "Sure – I could use a cup of coffee anyway."
Marshall poked his head inside the room to see Brandi sleeping peacefully, but the baby was in a hospital bassinet by the side of her bed. Moving quietly, he stepped over to the side and scooped up his nephew, smiling when the baby yawned and opened his tiny eyes.
"He's beautiful, isn't he?"
Marshall turned at the sound of Brandi's voice to see her smiling sleepily at him. He nodded. "He's perfect, Bee. And he's not as tiny as I was expecting him to be for being five weeks early."
Brandi blushed. "That's because he's not early."
Marshall frowned. "Come again?"
Brandi fidgeted. "My doctor got my conception date wrong – or something like that. Anyway, my baby boy is right on time and perfectly healthy."
Marshall sighed and kissed his nephew on the forehead. "Thank God."
"Don't you want to know your nephew's name?"
"Of course – what is it?"
"Bring him over here."
Marshall walked over to her bedside and Brandi took her son, holding him up as if she was presenting him for the first time. "Marshall, I'd like you to meet your nephew, Steven Edward Alpert."
His eyes teared as Brandi placed his nephew in his arms. "Oh Bee, are you sure? I mean, I'm honored that you want to name him after me – but how does Peter feel about this?"
"Edward is Peter's middle name."
"I know – so shouldn't it be Edward Steven?"
Brandi shook her head. "No, I like Steven Edward better. I wanted my son to be named after the two men I love more than anyone else in the world. You and your family saved me, Marshall. I shudder when I think about what could have happened to me or where I would have ended up after Mom died. And Peter is the love of my life – no matter how much I want to wring his neck sometimes."
Marshall grinned. "That's just your Shannon blood coming to the surface – trust me, your sister was much worse."
"And yet, you still love her."
Marshall sighed. "She's a hard woman to get over – or forget."
Brandi placed a hand on his shoulder. "What aren't you telling me?"
"It can wait, Bee."
"It's about Mary, isn't it?"
"Not now-"
"Yes, now." Brandi insisted, taking her son back and cradling him in her arms. "What is it?"
"Will saw her when he was in New York City – she didn't recognize him but he knew who she was."
"I thought she lived in Florida."
"She does – but her job takes her all over the country."
Brandi hummed as the baby began to fuss and she rocked him slowly back and forth. "What have you told him?"
"I've told him where she lives – and that I've known for awhile where she lives."
"Shit, Marshall-"
"Bee, language," Marshall admonished softly, nodding at Stevie.
She rolled her eyes. "Is he going to see her?"
He nodded. "When school's out."
"Are you going with him?"
"This isn't about me – this is Will's quest."
"Cut the martyr crap! You have to find out what happened – why she left you and Will, me-" Brandi choked, closing her mouth on the words.
Marshall reached out and touched her cheek. "Do you want to go see her?"
She shrugged out of his touch. "Why? She abandoned me too – an eleven year old sister who needed her."
"You could ask her why, Bee."
Tears fell from Brandi's eyes. "Don't ask the question if you don't want to know the answer, Marshall. What if I don't like what I hear?"
He reached out and flicked a tear away. "You'll never know if you don't ask."
They were startled out of their private moment by a knock on the door.
"Can I come in, Aunt Brandi?"
Marshall watched as Bee stuffed her emotional baggage back inside and pasted a bright smile on her face. She motioned for Will to come closer. "Get in here and meet your cousin."
"So, what were you and Aunt Brandi talking about? It looked like I was interrupting something serious when I came in."
Marshall concentrated on the road. "Nothing – just boring parent stuff – you know, how long before she'll get to sleep through the night, breastfeeding-"
"Dad."
"What?"
"Don't bull shit me, OK? I know when you're lying or trying to throw me off track and right now you're doing both." Liam took a deep breath. "You were talking about Mom, weren't you?"
"Yes."
"Did you tell her about my seeing Mom in New York City?"
"Yes, but Will – she's known all along where your Mom is." Marshall pulled into their driveway and turned off the truck's engine, but neither of them moved. "She's the reason I looked for Mary in the first place."
"I don't understand – I thought you started looking for me – to give me answers."
Marshall nodded. "I did – I knew eventually you'd need to know but this was right before Brandi's wedding and she came to me crying, begging me to find Mary – Bee needed to know if she was dead or alive before she got married. She wanted her big sister at her wedding."
"Well?" Liam pushed when his father paused. "What happened because I sure as hell don't remember Mom being at Aunt Brandi's wedding?"
"She wasn't. My sources found out she was alive and well in Chicago and I passed the information onto Brandi but in the end she couldn't do it. She decided she'd rather live in ignorance than know the truth of why Mary had abandoned all of us – she still feels that way."
Liam swallowed. "So when you told her about my seeing Mom in New York-"
Marshall nodded. "She's scared and conflicted. She wants to go – she wants to see her, wants to know why, but at the same time she's so happy with Peter and the baby that she doesn't want anything to destroy that."
"Sounds familiar."
"I know I said the same thing to you, Will, but you're leaving for college in the fall, and soon will be making your own way in the world. It would be wrong of me to continue to keep you from her – and maybe it was wrong of me to keep you from her this long. Perhaps I should I have sought her out sooner – but I can't undo what's been done."
"Don't you want to come with me? Don't you want answers?"
Marshall sighed. "My fears are the same as Brandi's – I've been so happy with you these past seventeen years that I don't want to lose that."
"Dad – we won't. Nothing can take that away – but don't you want to know what happened, why she left, if she still loves you?"
He smiled sadly. "That's just it, Will. I don't know if she ever loved me in the first place."
October 1994
Jersey Joe's Diner
"This doesn't make any sense!" Mary growled as she threw her pencil across the dining room and buried her head in her open textbook.
"Maybe I can help."
She lifted her head to see Marshall leaning against the handle of his mop, a lock of hair flopping in his eye, a grin tugging at the corner of his mouth. She smirked. "Don't tell me – you're a whiz when it comes to physics."
"I don't know if I'd say 'whiz' – but I did get an A+ in the course last year and I'm one of the tutors-"
She reached out, grabbed his hand, and tugged him into the booth with her. "Sit down – I'll give you a shot but if you try and cop a feel-"
He pulled his hand free and lifted an eyebrow."Excuse me? What kind of tutors have you had?"
She smiled. "The kind that has been more interested in me than my grades."
Marshall sighed. "If they were truly interested in you, they would be interested in your grades as well."
"What planet are you from?"
He stuck his tongue out and she laughed. "I'm stuck on this one, String Bean."
For the next twenty minutes, he patiently explained the laws of physics while Mary listened and managed to solve three problems on her own with a little assistance. Neither of them noticed when the front door bell jingled and a group of high school kids entered. One of them broke away and came over to lean across the table.
"Well, isn't this cozy?"
Mary and Marshall's heads shot up to see Mark Stuber, quarterback for Middletown High and Mary's current boyfriend sneering at them. Mary tapped her pencil against her paper impatiently and Marshall leaned back against the booth's seat.
"What's up, Mark? I wasn't expecting you until after practice."
"Mary, it's after five – practice ended awhile ago."
"Oh sorry – I was just doing some homework until you got here."
"Is that what you call it?"
"Excuse me?"Mary bristled. "What the fuck's your problem?"
"I have a problem with you cozying up to another guy when I'm not around, that's what. I mean, you tell me no, but then I walk in here and find you practically sitting in this beanpole's lap. What's he got that I don't have?"
Mary jumped to her feet. "Get out!"
"This is a public place – and I'm hungry. I want some burgers – do you think you can manage to tear yourself away from your new boyfriend long enough to serve me and my friends?"
Growling, she launched herself across Marshall's lap to attack Mark only to have Marshall hold her back. "He's not worth your job, Mer."
His quiet words calmed her and she stilled in his hold. "I'll get you some menus," she spat as she stalked off.
Mark whistled and turned to Marshall. "I don't know how you did it – but you've managed to tame that tiger."
Marshall stepped into Mark's space. "I haven't tamed Mary – and she's not property, Mark. If you want to hang onto your girlfriend, I'd suggest you learn that lesson fast."
"I'm not going to take suggestions on love from a bookworm."
Mary reappeared with menus, slapping Mark in the chest with one. "Here – take these back to your friends. I'll be over there shortly to take your order."
Mark caught her hand. "I'm sorry, babe. You know I just get crazy jealous when other guys look at you."
Mary curled her lip. "Yeah well, it just shows me that you don't trust me."
He pulled her into his chest. "I trust you – it's them I don't trust."
She shook her head. "Marshall's harmless – he's my friend and now my physics tutor – nothing more."
Marshall's heart clenched at her words and he turned away to pick up his forgotten mop. He watched the couple out of the corner of his eye; Mary played hard to get but eventually let Mark pull her in for a short make out session. Mark strutted back to his friends and she turned back to the booth to pick up her homework.
"So, String Bean, I know you hardly have any free time between working here and your tutor jobs – but can you squeeze me in somewhere?"
Marshall really didn't have time – especially for a girl that was taken and that he was started to have feelings for. But he also couldn't say no to her when she was standing right in front of him looking up at him with those beautiful green eyes. "Sundays."
Her face fell. "I can't – I have to watch my little sister."
"We can meet at your apartment – or my house, if you'd rather. She can play with my brothers."
Mary frowned. "I don't know – it's the only time you've got free?"
He nodded. "I'm afraid so. After dinner, around three, before I come in to work?"
She bit her lip, before nodding. "It's a date."
He sighed as he turned away, inwardly replying 'I wish.'
A/N: So, I'll be calling Brandi's baby 'Stevie' in the rest of this fic. Sorry to end on such a serious note - but I warned you this was going to be bumpy. Reviews are LOVE!