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Caught By The Fuzz

When Lindsey got home, he greeted his wife with a kiss, scooping up his youngest daughter who was sat in her lap. He spun around with his only golden haired child, Stevie looking on in horror. Her pulse quickened as she thought up the most awful consequences for such horseplay. He could easily drop her, or she could slip out of his hands...she shuddered at the thought. Finally, he flopped onto the couch with Iris in his arms, out of breath. The little girl was still giggling like mad, putting her hands on his chest and hopping up and down.

"A-den, a-den!" Iris urged and he blew out an exhausted breath.

"I think you might be getting too big for me to do that!" he told her and she shook her head, bouncing on him again. He grunted, plopping her down next to him on the dark grey couch cushion. "Or maybe I'm out of shape?" he heard a sharp intake of breath and looked at Stevie. She bit her lip to conceal a smile as she absentmindedly rubbed her belly feeling movements from beneath the thin nightgown and robe she wore. "What?"

"Well, you have been eating all of my pregnancy cravings lately."

"So?" She poked his softening middle and he chuckled. "I guess I need to head back to the gym. I haven't gone in weeks. Work has been crazy, your schedule has been insane, the kids are getting really involved in extracurricular activities and I haven't had the time or energy. Besides, I enjoy eating your cravings. Most of them are very good."

"Most?" She echoed, raising her eyebrows.

"I'm not really into pickles and brownies," he told her and she gasped, pressing a hand to her blossoming chest.

"Pickles and brownies are good!" She argued.

"Not together, Steph. That's where I draw the line." he told her with utmost certainty, swiftly drawing an imaginary line in the air with his hands.

"Oh really?" He nodded, strong in his conviction over something so trivial as dessert. "Fine, more for me." She planted her feet and counted to three under her breath, pulling herself up from the couch.

"Where are you going?" he asked, knowing it would take something pretty important for her to want to move from a comfortable spot. She had been experiencing a lot of back pain, leg cramps and general aches for a few weeks now. This pregnancy seemed to be harder than their first set of twins, but it was almost seventeen years ago.

"You made me hungry! I can't just talk about food, Linds, I have to eat." He laughed and she shot him a look. "No jokes," she said, pointing her finger.

"No jokes. I won't say a word. You're doing all the hard work, you can eat whatever your little heart desires."

"You're the best husband in the world!," she gushed dramatically, slipping into the kitchen for a snack.

Lindsey turned on the tv and ran the channels. Even with their extensive cable package, there seemed to be nothing on. He sighed, leaving it on a cartoon for Iris. Her big brown eyes lit up and he stroked her hair as she cuddled into his side.

"Tanks, daddy," she said and he smiled.

"You're welcome, baby girl."

Meanwhile in the kitchen, Stevie did what she did best these days. She opened up every carton of ice cream they had accumulated with her changing cravings and made herself a hearty sundae. She knew it wasn't healthy but it was all she wanted. She hadn't told Lindsey about her lingering waves of nausea or aversions. Her doctor put her on a supplemental vitamin to use in conjunction with her prenatal to make up for this. She was being monitored more closely than with their first set of twins.

"Seventeen years makes a huge difference, doesn't it?," she asked the babies in her womb, smoothing a hand over the ever-growing swell of her stomach. She licked the back of her spoon, taste-testing her creation before drizzling the caramel sauce. She popped the lids back on and shoved them into the freezer, not having the patience to jigsaw them as skillfully as Callie had. She found the task daunting and tiresome, and her stomach was now ruling every action. "Mmm," she moaned, taking a bite of her creation as she entered the living room. Iris jumped up and made room for her mother by her father's side and both of her parents smiled at her.