Trouble Follows

Ch. 12

"Thanks."

Mercedes looked up at Marcy. "For what?"

"Coming with me." She was staring at the door.

Mercedes shrugged. "No problem. It's an exciting day."

Marcy looked at her and raised a brow with a smirk.

Mercedes grinned. "Getting your casts off is exciting!"

"I'll be glad to get to my arm."

"Maybe you'll sit down instead of jumping off mountains?"

Marcy rolled her eyes and neck.

Mercedes narrowed her eyes. "Be good, monster."

Marcy stuck her tongue out.

"I just can't believe you played soccer on that knee. You could have snapped it."

"You sound like Laura."

"Because she's right! We're just lucky you only had to wear it until March."

"Neh."

"Humph!" Mercedes readjusted Raven on her chest. "What if the twins were like you?"

"I don't know. I think Mickey's like Q." Marcy frowned as she looked around for her daughter.

Mercedes spied her rifling through a drawer. "Marcy, get her! She's in a drawer!"

Marcy hopped off the table and went to pull her out of the drawer. Mickey started crying. Marcy set her on the table. "Stop it. Where's Bro-Bro?"

Mickey stuck her lip out and crossed her arms.

"Where do you get this from?" Marcy looked around the table and yelped.

"What's wrong?!" Mercedes jumped.

Marcy snatched Mally up and set him next to his sister. "Stop that! Don't you touch nothin else!"

"What was he doing?"

"He was trying to rip the wires out."

Mercedes stared at him in shock as he pouted. "Bad Mally!"

He dipped his head.

"Oh stop it." Marcy didn't care.

"Mommy." He reached for her.

She wrapped an arm around him. "Be good for Mommy. She doesn't want to pay for something else you've broken."

"What else has he broken?!" Mercedes' eyes were wide.

"He pushed over a lamp at Ellen's house."

"Mally!"

"Tia Me." He turned to her with the cutest little contrite face.

Mercedes couldn't stay mad at him. "I know you're sorry, baby. You probably didn't know what you were doing."

Marcy cocked a hip and put a hand on it. She gave her a look.

"He doesn't! He's too little to understand "bad"."

"Well he is."

"Who does he get it from?"

"His father." Marcy said without missing a beat.

Mercedes was going to refute that but Mal was bad. "What are you thinking for discipline?"

"I've started putting him in timeout. He only stays for a few minutes before he's up again and I have to put him back with threats of severe bodily harm."