Just like that Louise and Rudy were adopting Chloe's baby. Louise had her doubts about the whole thing. For starters she was almost positive the producer Chloe mentioned was gay, but mainly she doubted the sob story part. Chloe had never exactly been friendly to disabled people. She treated Rudy like crap and was mean to Courtney. She threatened to sue Benj when he accidentally rolled over her foot once and said horrible things about a classmate with Down Syndrome. People could change but Sylvie had once said Chloe made her stop being friends with a kid who was blind. Plus, she seriously doubted that Chloe was pro-life. Considering she had had at least one abortion when they were in high school. Something that did not brother Louise until she learned that Chloe and Rudy had not slept together until after graduation. Louise had her doubts, but Rudy was so happy, and she did tend to jump to conclusions.
"This is so exciting! We are getting a baby! And he is Sylvie's half-brother!" Rudy cried after Chloe left.
"Yeah" Louise agreed.
"What's wrong? Are the disabilities a deal breaker?" Rudy asked.
"What no. It's just I mean don't you think it's a little weird that Chloe didn't show us an ultrasound or any proof of pregnancy?" Louise asked.
"She was pretty upset. Maybe she forgot it." Rudy suggested.
"Maybe" Lousie muttered.
"Oh shit! There is a different process for adopting a child with a disability or medical needs! I better call our social worker!" Rudy recalled.
"Go ahead" Louise sighed.
"Look Louise if this is going to be a problem." Rudy retorted.
"I said go ahead!" Louise snapped.
"So, what's the problem? Is it that the baby has disabilities of that the baby is Chloe's? Because I am sorry, I do not understand either. Kids with disabilities deserve loving homes too and not everybody is as lucky as Benj and if it's the Chloe thing. OK she hurt me, and I know you always hated her, but this is Sylvie's brother, and she has the right to have him in her life!" Rudy argued.
"Oh, come on, Rudy! You know I don't have a problem with handicapped people, and I can tolerate Chloe, but this all just seems strange!" Louise rebutted.
"Louise, you have the right to feel however you want but you really need to see my side here." Rudy insisted.
"You need to see my side!" Louise shot back.
"OK Time out! This is a major change. They said it was common to have fights when a new placement was coming. Let's just catch our breath and revisit this when we can discuss it like adults." Rudy wheezed.
"Yeah, you are right." Louise relented. She didn't exactly love being accused of ablism and not caring about Sylvie. Considering a big part of her wanting to adopt older kids was keeping siblings together. She didn't really have a right to judge Rudy for wanting Sylvie to stay have her brother in her life.
"You two aren't going to break up again? Right?" Sylvie asked, entering the restaurant.
"No, it's just grown-up stuff. Just a fight. We are going to compose ourselves and talk again later." Lousie assured.
Rudy ended up taking Sylvie for dinner and ice cream. Where he would explain everything about Chloe and the baby to her. He invited Louise to go along but she needed so air. She retreated for the apartment with her sad sitting on the grill for too long burger. She considered calling Tina and telling her everything but decided against it. It had taken her months to convince Tina to warm up to Rudy again after their last major fight. Although this wasn't really a major fight. It seemed big and bad when they were fighting but looking back, they just sounded so dumb. Like a married couple with a lot on their minds who suddenly got hit with life altering news. Because that was exactly what happened. Maybe calling Tina wouldn't be such a bad idea after all.
"Hello?" Tina greeted answering the phone.
"Hey T." Louise replied.
"Oh hi, Louise!" Tina replied.
"Still don't understand caller ID?" Louise laughed.
"I get it. It's just Zeke Junior got hurt at wrestling practice. Zeke brought him to the ER, but I have to stay home because there is nobody to watch Hazel." Tina explained.
"Shit! Is he OK?" Louise asked.
"Most likely but I mean it's never easy when your kid is hurt. No matter how minor." Tina explained.
"True well I guess I will let you go." Louise sighed.
"No, I mean if Zeke does call, I can always hang up and call you back later." Tina reminded.
"Good because I kind of do need to talk." Lousie admitted.
"What's wrong?" Tina asked.
"Chloe came into the restaurant today and she's pregnant." Louise sighed.
"Please tell me it's not Rudy's." Tina pleaded.
"Gross! No! but Chloe had a tryst with a married man and ended up pregnant. I guess the guy was going to take care of the kid as long as she kept it hush-hush. Then Chloe went for more tests and found out the baby has a bunch of bad problems. The dad backed out and now Chloe can't care for the kid. So, she is placing him for adoption but wanted to see if we would take him." Louise explained.
"And that's weird for you because you hate Chloe?" Tina guessed.
"Kind of but it's more because I don't know. It seems like she is setting us up." Louise clarified.
"How do you figure?" Tina asked.
"Well, a lot of the details of her story are fishy. The guy she named as father is gay and she was talking about how the baby had all these disabilities, but she could not have an abortion. You know how Chloe always treated people with disabilities. So why change now?" Louise questioned.
"Maybe it's different because it's her kid. Mothers love their babies it's natural." Tine offered.
"I suppose but then she didn't have any evidence she was pregnant and she kind of freaked out when I asked for an ultrasound." Louise added.
"OK now I am suspicious." Tina agreed.
"Yeah, and Rudy and I had a huge fight. We are composing ourselves, but I still have my doubts." Louise explained.
"Maybe he will feel better and be more willing to listen when he calms down?" Tina hoped.
"God, I hope so." Louise replied.
Rudy and Sylvie returned two hours later. Louise had calmed down after her talk with Tina. Tina believed her suspicions were correct but still offered her advice on how to handle Rudy. Really all she could do was support Rudy while waiting for Chloe to be caught in her lie and if Chloe actually was telling the truth. Then they would raise Benjamin and give him the best life possible.
"Sorry I blew up earlier. I guess I can understand why you were suspicious." Rudy apologized.
"Yeah, but I mean I talked to Tina, and she made me see your side." Louise replied.
"So do you want to do this?" Rudy asked.
"If you do." Louise agreed, unsure if she wanted Chloe to be lying or not. Rudy would be hurt either way and that made her hate Chloe even more.
Tina rarely drank and she went to bars even less. She was a semi-famous author of young adult literature and had to be extra careful of how she carried herself in public. She could not afford a major slip up, but Dylan and her wife were in town for the weekend and they both embraced bar culture. Tina was desperate for a night out. Raising four teenagers and a toddler was not for the faint of heart. Besides, she was Designated Driver. She was going to have one fruity drink at the start of the night. Eat her fill of bar food and drink a pitcher of soda. While her friends enjoyed a full weekend away from their twin five-year-olds.
They walked into "Cheers to You Mrs. Robinson" a little after seven. Later than Tina was used to being out for herself anymore, but Dylan and Pam still enjoyed going out at night. Tina ordered her sole drink that was more sweet syrup than alcohol. When she was finished, she realized that she had left her phone in the car. Zeke had promised not to call unless it were a life-or-death emergency, but she still wanted to be available in case he needed moral support. She excused herself, retrieved her phone from the car and reentered the bar. Dylan and Pam had moved to the dance floor and new people were in their seats. They were all people from Wagstaff. Three girls one was Gene's age. Tina could not remember her name but knew she spent time together with Courtney a lot back then. The other had been between Gene and Louise in age her name was something like Cheyane or Chelsea. The third was Chloe Barbash. Tina was relatively surprised to see Chloe in a bar, but maybe she was designated driver. Though something still seemed off. She got closer and realized that there was no baby bump. Louise had said Chloe got the results at her anatomy scan earlier in the month. Tina knew the test was typically done around twenty weeks. She also knew some woman carried smaller, but Louise had also said Chloe was huge. She got even closer and noticed that Chloe was drinking bourbon. There was no mistaking her childhood landlord's favorite drink.
"Oh My God! Rudy is so stupid! He is totally buying my act! I mean I am a good actress, but he is totally buying it! Louise was a little suspicious, but she is such a lapdog for Rudy now. Because she knows nobody else would touch her with a twenty-foot pole." Chloe laughed as she pounded her glass.
"So, what are you doing in a bar if you are five months pregnant?" Tina asked, pretending to have not heard Chloe's previous remarks.
"Oh Tina! It's so awful! I was feeling bad last night. So, I went to the ER, and they told me I lost the baby. He was just so sick, and his little body could not fight anymore." Chloe lied through fake tears.
"Yeah, we just brought her here to try and get her mind off of everything." Cheyanne, Chelsea, or maybe Patty could it be Selma? Explained.
"And you already lost your bump?" Tina asked not at all sympathetic.
"They had to get him out! I was getting an infection! And there was so much fluid! I almost died! My heart is screwed up now! Maybe forever." Chloe pressed.
"Chloe my friend Susmita lost her daughter to Turner Syndrome last year. She had an issue with fluid. You would not be fine right now and if you were getting an infection, you would be on precautionary anti-biotics and if you are on anti-biotics, you do NOT need to be drinking!" Tina snapped.
"You could have a little sympathy!" The former classmate of Gene's warned.
"I could but I also heard you talking about how you are conning my sister and her husband, and I CANNOT stand for that!" Tina hissed.
"Fine you caught me but what can you do?" Chloe laughed.
"Not much but you can tell me exactly what your goal was before I call the police and report an adoption scam." Tina ordered.
"I just want Rudy to be as miserable as I am. I want Louise to dump his sorry ass and let's be real I want Louise to be miserable. Because she deserves to suffer." Chloe explained.
"Why would you want Rudy to be miserable?" Tina demanded.
"Because my life has been hell since the divorce. Sylvie hates me and I did have an affair with my producer. Just not the one I named. I did get pregnant with his baby, and I did lose the baby. It just happened months ago. It was still early but they said that it had Down Syndrome when I sent it off for testing. We just started fighting all the time after the miscarriage and ended up breaking up a month later. Then I find out that Louise and Rudy are married and adopting. God he is pathetic! He is supposed to be the one who spirals after the divorce not me." Chloe rambled.
"Nobody deserves to spiral after a divorce! And what did Louise do to you?" Tina questioned.
"You are her sister. You know she was a terror when we were kids." Chloe scoffed.
"Yes, Louise did do a lot of bad things when she was younger, but she has changed and is an exemplary woman now. She does not deserve to suffer because she was kind of awful in middle school!" Tina barked.
Louise and Rudy were lying in bed. It was still strange to her to be in bed at eight o'clock, but they had a to be completely recertified to adopt a kid with special needs. Since Chloe was already twenty-two weeks along and high risk of delivering early. They had to get cracking. They wanted Benjamin in foster for as little time as possible and only if he absolutely had to be. Louise maintained her suspicions but was going along to ensure that Benjamin would be safe if Chloe were telling the truth. There was a knock on the door. Louise let out and annoyed moan and muttered something about people not being able to read. Before heading downstairs assuming it was just a wannabe customer who did not see the closed sign and hours posted on the door. She was shocked to see Chloe standing on the other side of the door completely flat stomached.
"So, you were lying?" Louise commented, eyeing Chloe's stomach.
"Can you just get Rudy?" Chloe demanded.
"Fine" Louise sighed.
Fifteen minutes later Louise, Chloe, and Rudy were sitting at a booth in Bob's Burgers. The door was locked for both safety and to prevent Sylvie from hearing any of this. Chloe had just told her story. Poor Rudy was in tears. Louise just sat there speechless. Even though she had smelled the scam from a mile away. That did not make it hurt any less. She had already loved Benjamin even though she knew he was probably a scam.
"So, I am sorry." Chloe apologized.
"So, I don't care! How could you lie about something so horrible? If you wanted to break me and Louise up there are actually less horrible ways to do that! No there aren't! but to lie about being pregnant with disabled baby! Oh My God! To give him the name of me and Louise's dead friend! That is sick! To put not only me and Louise, but Sylvie through all of this! You have always hated Louise and treated me like shit, but I thought you actually cared about Sylvie! Now I know the terrible truth! That you are evil and only care about yourself! Get the fuck out of my house! And the fuck out of my life! I never want to see you again! In fact, I am going to file for a restraining order and sole custody! This should work in my favor!" Rudy bellowed before collapsing into the booth and frantically using his inhaler.
"But Rudes" Chloe pleaded.
"You heard the man get out! And I will do more than file court papers!" Louise ordered patting her gun holster.
"Enjoy your psycho! See what happens when she gets sick of you!" Chloe laughed before leaving the restaurant and Louise and Rudy's lives.
After much discussion Louise and Rudy decided to let Sylvie maintain her innocence. After the Wheelie Manonith incident Louise had vowed to never lie to her kids. If she were to have any and this was a way bigger lie than the actual whereabouts of a novelty mammoth, but she also did not think Sylvie was ready to know just how awful her mom really was.
"Sylvie, honey I am afraid we have some awful news for you." Rudy glumly announced the next morning.
"What is it?" Sylvie asked.
"Your mom was feeling bad the other day after she left here. She went to the hospital, and she lost the baby. You won't be getting a half-brother, but Louise and I are going to continue the adoption process and you will have a sibling soon." Rudy explained.
"How stupid do you think I am?" Sylvie laughed.
"Excuse me?" Louise questioned.
"The affair baby with a million different complications was the plot of mom's show last night and probably where she got the prosthetics she was wearing. She was stupid enough to use an upcoming plot in her real life." Sylvie explained.
"We are sorry for lying. We just thought it would hurt less than knowing the truth." Louise replied.
"I appreciate the gesture, but I am almost twelve years old. I can handle the truth." Sylvie assured.