Right On The Money Honey - Michael Hardy

TWENTY TWO

"I can't believe I let you talk me into a third kid." Liz grumbles as her husband helps her lay back on the bed. "My back is killin' me."

"I'm sorry." Michael whispers back, sitting next to her. He takes her hand and rubs his thumb over her flushed cheek. "You look beautiful, though."

"Shut up."

He smiles at her, tucking some hair behind her ear. "You hungry?"

She shakes her head. "Everythin' makes me sick."

"You gotta eat somethin'."

"Fuck off." She goes to lay on her side, her eyes heavy. "I want some crackers."

"Sure." He kisses her cheek then heads downstairs.

Lyn agreed to watch their kids for a much needed break while they get last minute things set up for their third child who was due last week.

Liz is incredibly uncomfortable.

Michael has no idea what she's going through but he's dropped everything to take care of her, whatever she needs.

"This fuckin' kid- Michael! This is your fault!" She shouts from the bedroom, her voice carries down to ground floor. She groans as she stands, slowly making her way downstairs to the kitchen.

"What're you doin' up?"

"We gotta get this kid out now. The baby doctor gave us things that help induce labor and we've tried all of the except one."

Michael stops what he's doing. "I- I know and I don't wanna hurt anythin'."

"But babe..." She whines, cradling her bump. "I'm done bein' pregnant. I'm over it."

"Liz-"

"C'mon Michael, make love to me." She pops her hands on her hips, her borrowed button down flapping open to expose her braless breasts, hard nipples, and obviously uncomfortable bump. "Please."

She makes her way to him, her hands sliding from his waist to his hips like he does to her. "I think this is the horniest I've been during a pregnancy." She breathes against his neck. "You're just so... mmm." Her chin rests on his shoulder as one hand goes to his junk.

Michael playfully elbows her back. "You're goofy."

She's starting to get worked up. The doctor said that sex can help induce labor and she's been craving that intimacy for some time now.

Liz huffs as she plops on the couch. Michael sits next to her and sighs. "You started this, you finish it!"

He looks over at her and sighs again before he finally leans over and kisses her hotly. She jumps, slightly taken off guard before she grabs anything she can get her hands on. When he starts kissing her neck, her head falls back and a whimpering moan spills from her lips.

She pushes him back and looks up at him with a worried filled look. "What?"

"I think my water broke."

"Damn, I'm good." He laughs before he stands, rushing to grab a pillow and a small duffle. "Let's go have a baby."

"Wait." She takes a hold of his hand. "Do you- do you think we have time to-?"

"No, c'mon."

+++

Third time around is very different. This kid practically squirted right out. Granted, Liz was on a lot of medication and painkillers and the whole time just groggy from the pain and drugs.

Michael kept time and it took less than eight hours.

Currently, Liz and Michael are sleeping with their newborn in a small bassinet between them.

Katherine Etta, after her mother and grandmother.

So, the two parents have three beautiful babies, Michael Wilson, Kennedy Jean, and Katherine Etta.

He feels incredibly honored to be outnumbered. Three girls and two boys; full fuckin house.

"Psst." Liz whispers, stretching her long leg out to poke her husband's shin with her chilly toe. "Babe."

"Mm- What?"

"No more kids." She mumbles, cracking an eye open to give him an exhausted dirty look. "I mean it. I'm maxed the fuck out. The baby hotel is at max capacity."

"You got it, baby." He mutters back, stretching out on the tiny bedside couch. "Three is plenty."

"I wanna go home and take a shower."

"I'll see when we can lève." He grunts as he stands.

Michael leans over and kisses her softly then checks on their newest attention to the family before heading out to the desk.

Baby Kate starts fussing and Liz sighs. She gets her newborn situated to start feeding her and Michael returns.

"We can leave in the mornin'."

"Thank god. I need my bed." She clumsily stretches her legs out and winces at the pain radiating from lower half. "I need a bath and I need alcohol and..." She trails off and looks over at her husband.

"I know that look."

"It's not that look, it's just a look." She says in innocently, laying her third born back down. "Plus I don't think I can handle gettin' fucked right now, physically."

He smiles over at her. "Just get some sleep, okay? You look-"

"I look what?"

"Exhausted. Just try to get some sleep." She scoffs. Michael's heart aches at the dark bags under her eyes. She yawns, closing her eyes as she tries to get some rest.

+++

Three kids and the house is a mess. Liz is practically pulling her hair out. She's never felt this exhausted before.

Michael is really trying his best to keep his kids preoccupied while Liz is trying to take a peaceful bath. She hasn't had a single moment to herself since Mikey was born and she misses it.

She instead takes a quick shower then slides into bed, hoping to get a solid nap, an hour if she's lucky, in before she returns to her family.

Michael jogs up the steps to ask her a question just to get a couple seconds of just her and him. He cracks open the door and smiles when he sees her curled up on his side of the bed, his pillow clutched in her arms.

They've been married for about seven years, give or take a few and every time he sees her, he has no idea how he was lucky enough to end up with her.

Every day, he thanks god for gifting him with her presence.

He still hates what he did to her all those years ago, cheating on her while on tour. Since that day they got back together, he's been busting his ass twenty times harder to keep her and keep her happy.

If she's being honest, she's totally shoved that thought out of her head. She hasn't thought about it in a while.

She's forgiven him.

Hell, she's given him three fucking kids.

Michael lets her sleep for how ever long she needs and she's grateful.

So grateful that she sleeps well into the morning.

She's woken up by small hushed giggles, three small hushed giggles and even softer scolding. Liz cracks an eye open and her heart smiles at the sight of her babies and her baby in her bed.

"Mornin' Mama!" Mikey says, plopping himself in her lap when she sits up.

She just laughs, kissing the top of his head.

This is the life she never thought she had. After Dylan died, she was in an incredibly dark depression and she wasn't expecting to live past eighteen but here she is now, how ever old, with three amazing, individualistic kids and an even more amazing husband.

Liz wouldn't trade this for anything in the world.

-end-