A/N: *high fives Jad*

Chapter 358: Mimi XXXVIII—Not Expected News

“Would you like some more coffee, Debbie?” Michele asked.

When Debbie said that she didn’t want anymore, she felt relieved and kept her eyes closed as she lay on the couch, a pillow on her chest, her arm thrown over her face. Gigi lay curled up over her legs keeping her feet warm and one of her hands hung onto the carpet, her fingers trailing over the soft material.

She could hear the children downstairs, screaming, laughing, giggling, sometimes a distressing sound of a large object falling, or being thrown, a squeal, and then more laughing, yelling, breathless orders thrown in inaudible pants. Those children had the richest imaginations she had ever known, the elaborate stories they playacted and believed amazed her, and her tummy still warmed with pride thinking about the detail and care Jana and Mitchell had put into their Christmas play, even if the subject matter was a bit misguided.

“I wonder how long it is before one of em gets a concussion,” Debbie said in an almost nasal, matter of fact voice.

Michele half grinned. “Serves them right, the little monsters. At least one of them would be out of commission and trouble.”

“Well yours maybe!” Debbie exclaimed and Michele opened one eye to look at Debbie. A pile of pillows and blankets laid at her feet where the twins slept soundly, mouths pursed as if sucking on a pacifier or bottle. Cecile of course, having the weekend off, was out with Danny and Michele couldn’t help but wonder, how Danny had been in the past couple of days, and how he was with his fiancée. “But not my Mitchie!”

That still annoyed her a great deal, first, Alex interrupting what would have been a sure and swift kill. And then that look Patrick had given her when he had come into the kitchen. That pained look, pouting, and ultimately distrusting look in his eyes, as if she’d done something to harm him. It was his stupid game to begin with for God’s sake why did he have to act like such a victim sometimes!

“Oh Mitchell can be just as mischievous,” Michele replied, wracking her brain to think of an exact moment when Mitchell could have ever, even slightly disobeyed some teensy tiny rule of his own volition. “He’s not a complete angel.” Dammit why couldn’t she think of one thing? Mitchell had to have done something, sometime, some where!

“Oh yeah, when?” Debbie asked crossing her arms but still snuggled into the recliner.

Michele wrinkled her nose. “Oh I’m just too tired to think!”

“Thought so,” Debbie said triumphantly with a quick nod of her head.

Michele made a little fist and weakly shook it at Debbie. “Oh Mitchell will discover his nature sooner or later, oh yes, mark my words Debbie.”

Debbie took a sip of coffee and held the cup in her lap. “Oh I’m sure Jana will train him sooner or later.”

Michele was about to reply to that when she heard the hyper clattering of feet slamming up the spiral staircase, their stomps echoing off the narrow walls. The children’s laughter got louder and louder until the door swung open and they fell into a pile on the floor. Jana peeked out from the bottom of the pile, pink cheeked and pale eyed, hair static ridden and askew. “Mom can we go play outside? It’s not cold! Please!”

“Shh!” Michele hissed. “Don’t wake up the little ones.” Jana made a round mouth and grimaced. Jonathan, Elena, Freddy, and Mitchell all added onto the request, grinning eagerly in a way Michele knew she could not refuse. She looked quickly at Debbie who shrugged and nodded. “Yes babies,” Michele said and the children jumped to their feet with happy woots, “But take light jackets and keep them zipped up, there’s still a breeze I’m sure yes? Jonathan see to this?”

“Sure, Mom,” Jonathan said and he herded everyone out of the room and into the hallway, up the stairs to get shoes and jackets. Fortunately, the twins not only didn’t wake up through the whole ordeal, but neither one seemed to have stirred. Michele wondered what it would be like to give birth to twins; she knew the pain of having just one, but having to do two in succession?

“Do you think you’ll have anymore babies?” Michele asked with a yawn.

“Hell no!” Debbie exclaimed. “I have the three, and I won’t have Cecile forever, she’ll be married to Danny and no way would I ever find a nanny as good. No these angels are enough as it is. What about you?”

Michele sighed. “Oh whatever happens happens I suppose, yes? I don’t think I want anymore, but… no, no these three do not need another disciple, it’s the last thing they need.” She yawned again. “I don’t know why I asked really.”

“Yeah, three’s a good number to stop.” Debbie said. “So where’s Patty at, I saw his car in the driveway, it seems kinda quiet around here, kids notwithstanding.”

“Mm, where else? He’s napping.” Michele replied and her cheeks felt warm and her limbs heavy. She began to feel a floating sensation, and she knew that she was falling asleep, or probably she already was. In her mind she could see colors she could hear voices, grating, almost harsh voices but she couldn’t decipher any of the words and she wondered if Debbie had fallen asleep too.

Still she felt somewhat uptight, she knew she was napping and probably dreaming but the voices sounded so monotone, like a conversation she wanted to listen in on but couldn’t understand. She began to wonder if it was even worth it to try when a shrill, digital wail snapped her eyes open.

“Hello?” Debbie answered her cell phone leaning over to rub Chase’s back. “Yeah it’s me, what’s up? Nooo! Noooo! Are you serious? Nooo!” Debbie’s voice sounded disbelieving but not worried so Michele knew that something important and not unpleasant was transpiring. It could be gossip, Michele sat straight up wanting every last drop as soon as Debbie hung up that phone. “When? How far along?”

How far along? That question could only mean one thing…

“Mom!”

Jonathan and Elena bounced into the room, not holding hands as they usually did, but both of them were pink cheeked and glowing. Honestly, Michele had never supposed that their puppy dog flirting would get this far. They looked as content with each other as some couples who’d been married for years. “Can Elena spend the night if her mom says its okay?”

“No,” Michele replied with a frown. “Both she and Jana have skating tomorrow morning I don’t have time to take her back up the mountain to get her things and then bring her back down.”

“Aw Mom!” Jonathan whined.

“Oh please, Mrs. Roy,” Elena begged with her skinny little hands clasped at her skinny breast. “Mom can take me home from the ice arena; I can meet her there tomorrow morning and get my things from her please! I know she won’t mind!”

“If she says yes,” Michele replied. She began to wonder where Elena would sleep, she would be damned if she let the pups share a bedroom. Now she began to see some of what Patrick had been worrying about concerning the kids, she supposed Elena could share a room with Jana. Sooner or later Jana had to get back to sleeping regularly in her own bedroom.

“Cool!” Jonathan exclaimed and he grabbed the phone of its cradle, he and Elena sat on the carpet while she dialed home.

“Okie thanks, bye.” Debbie hung up and Michele forgot completely about the children and she rolled Gigi off her feet.

“So tell me, Debbie! Tell!” Debbie grinned and Michele covered her mouth. “Or should the kids not hear this?”

“Oh this sounds hot,” Jonathan muttered and he stood up with his arms crossed.

“Nooo MOM!” Elena barked into the phone, “Sophia put MOM on the phone I don’t care what Chris did to you because I’m not there….”

Debbie giggled. “No the kids can hear it’s not a secret; I don’t think it’s a secret.” She sighed and reached down, stroking Kamryn’s soft blond hair. Her smile seemed wistful and Michele wanted to stand up and throttle Debbie for holding onto the information for this long.

“Sophia I’m gonna count to three…. What do you mean what could I do to you? I have like psychic vibrations and you’re going….”

“It’s Jennifer,” Debbie said. “She’s pregnant!”

“Whoa,” Jonathan gasped and Michele felt her cheeks burn as if she’d been slapped. It took an entire moment for the information to process completely in her mind. She swallowed and hoped she didn’t look as stunned as she felt.

“How far along?” She asked in voice barely above a whisper.

“About four weeks,” Debbie. “Are you okay Mimi?”

Perfect timing. Michele’s gut wrenched, exact timing; of course it would be like this wouldn’t it? She wanted to run upstairs and shake Patrick awake and interrogate him on his every move with Jennifer. She would damned if this happened, damned! So much anger tore into her body that she thought if she closed her eyes she would explode. “Oh, I’m fine, it’s just odd, that’s all. I mean we were just talking about babies were we not?”

“Oh GOD Mom not you too?” Jonathan cried. “Don’t tell me you want another one!”

Debbie laughed. “No silly.”

Jonathan put his hand on his forehead and Michele took a slow deep breath to compose herself. “Well, that still doesn’t comfort me,” Jonathan snuffed, “We learned all about this stuff in Science about pheromones and stuff, and women always get pregnant in groups and have their periods and stuff, like herd animals or something so if Jennifer gets all knocked up then it’s only a matter of time for everyone else.”

Michele scowled. “Nuns teach you this?”

“Hey, it’s science, Mom.”

“Oh my head,” Michele moaned putting her fingers over her eyes.

“Oh cool, love ya Mom,” Elena hung up the phone and her face beamed. “She says I can stay. So it’s cool with you?”

“Yes, yes,” Michele sighed. She wondered if she would kill Jennifer if that baby came out with ginger hair. Yes, she would kill her.

“Well that explains the bug Jennifer had,” Debbie grinned.

“Oh yes certainly,” Michele said in a cheerful voice that made her proud of her abilities to disguise and hide. “In fact I was just about to tell her to go to the doctor.”

At that point Mitchell came into the room with a pale, face streaked a little with mud. “Mimi,” he peeped. Michele felt her heart warm and she leaned forward on her knees.

“Yes little one?”

“Jana just got carried off by flying monkeys,” Mitchell sighed, and he put his hands on his hips. Michele laughed and looked at Debbie who had an amused frown on her face.

“Omigod, I gotta go,” Jonathan gasped and he stood up and ran from the room.

“Me too!” Elena exclaimed and she followed him.

Michele laughed and grabbed Mitchell in her arms. Ah yes, back to those rich imaginations, what sort of game were they playing now? “That means it’s somebody’s naptime!”

“No it isn’t!” Mitchell grumbled but at the same time he rubbed his little fists over his eyes in that universally sleepy tell that children have.

“What should I do with him?” she whispered.

Debbie flicked her wrist in the air. “Eh just throw him in with Patty, aye?”

Michele laughed and felt a little better and began to carry Mitchell from the room. Before she left the doorway Debbie exclaimed. “Oh hey, that means Jenn’s outta the charity game, what timing!”

Michele rolled her eyes. “Wouldn’t you know it.”

“Hey this is really bothering you, isn’t it?” Debbie said with a frown and she sat straight. “Why? I mean I know you and Jenn don’t get along too well but you seem almost a little offended.”

“Oh no,” Michele said easily. “It’s nothing, really it’s nothing.” She adjusted Mitchell in her arms and left the room feeling her nose wrinkling with a tickle.

Patrick wasn’t an idiot, she knew this, of course she could trust him to be smart about this, but, well accidents could happen. At any rate she couldn’t possibly know anything until later so harping on it now wouldn’t do anyone any good.

Mitchell was already asleep by the time she got to the bedroom where Patrick was sprawled, snoring in his boxers and a t-shirt. She placed Mitchell on the bed and the little boy snuggled into Patrick’s side.

She could hear the kids screaming loudly, and it sounded pretty aggravated, and it had to be loud if she could hear it through the closed window. With a frown she went to the window and peeked out of it. She could see the backyard but she couldn’t see the children and then she ducked from a large shadow that flew by the window, a large bird, a hawk?

She left the room and went swiftly down the stairs and down the hall to the kitchen and as she entered it, Freddy stumbled in covered and spattered with mud and with a red smudge on his face as if he’d been hit. Of course Jana probably did that thanks to Mike Keane’s “be tough fighter” mantra he drilled into her.

She crossed her arms and Jonathan came in also spattered with mud and with his hair tousled and he was followed closely by Elena whose hair was tangled and she had a little less mud on her. Elena held onto Jana, who was just as muddy as Freddy, as if she held a kitten by the scruff and that told Michele clearly enough that Jana was the perpetrator in this melodrama.

“What were you kids doing, fighting?” Michele snapped.

Jonathan half grinned, “Something like that.”

“Jana what do you have to say for yourself!” She said. “Hitting your brother.”

In reply, Jana coughed and in doing so a mouth full of feathers sputtered out and floated in a slow circle to the floor. Michele covered her mouth but otherwise, was too afraid to ask what had happened.

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