The Way We Were

The Way We Doctor

"You'd think I was sneaking off to cheat on him." Marcy groused.

"He just wanted to be here. He was there for every appointment for the twins." Laura swept her hair back.

"Missing one appointment isn't going to make him lose Father of the Year."

"Stop that." Mercedes scolded. "You know you love him."

"When was that called into question?"

Quinn grinned. "Do you think Marc and Mikey are going to be like that?"

"We won't know for a while." Laura swore. "I'm not getting pregnant while in college."

"You only have a year to go." Quinn teased. Laura slapped her hand. "Ow!"

Mercedes giggled. "I'm not getting pregnant while in high school."

"Never say never." Marcy drawled. "I swore up and down I wouldn't be doing this. Here I am."

"What kind of birth control do you use?" Laura wanted to know.

"I'm on- I was on the patch and we used condoms. Even though I know for a fact that we didn't when Riley was conceived."

"The patch should have worked."

Quinn shuddered. "I actually don't care about getting pregnant now. I'm married. That's all I wanted."

"I know that's right." Mercedes flipped through a magazine. "All of our children will be born in wedlock so I'm happy."

"How many kids do you want?" Marcy asked.

"Um... I don't know. I've always said I wanted four but with Q, I don't know. She might want a lot."

"I want two max." Quinn put the kibosh on that.

"Six kids is a lot but not too much." Marcy nodded. "As much as I hate labor and being trapped in my own body, I like being pregnant and I want as many kids as I can have."

"You're insane." Laura breathed. "I want three. And for them to be spaced out."

"I want a lot of kids and I don't want them too spaced out. The twins are going to be three years older than Riley and I want Riley three years older than the next child."

"You'll be nineteen. With four children."

"And I'll be on my own, too."

"What do you mean?" Mercedes asked.

"Mal and I are moving out."

Her sisters looked at her in shock. "What?!"

"Shhh!" Marcy looked around the waiting room.

"What do you mean you're moving out?!" Laura snapped. "Marc and I are barely moved out and we live in an apartment on campus."

"We're going house shopping." Marcy shrugged. "It's overdue really."

"You're fifteen!"

"I'm also married. With twins and one on the way." She rolled her eyes. "I think I can live with my family on our own."

"Wow." Quinn breathed. "Do you think we should move out, too?"

"I think you should. You're adults now. No need to live at home with Mommy and Daddy."

"But we've never lived away from our parents before." Mercedes blinked. "I'll miss Daddy."

"I'm going to miss him, too but it's not like we can't visit. Every last one of us have cars."

"So not fair." Laura shook her head. "My little sisters are moving out before me. I can't believe this."

"Then move out. Find a house or condo by State. You have money. Use money from your college funds or your inheritance or from your jobs." Marcy flicked a hand.

"Speaking of which, what are we going to do for college?" Mercedes wondered.

"What do you mean?" Quinn asked.

"What colleges are we supposed to apply for?"

"Apply for all. That's what I'm doing next year." Marcy said. "I don't want to live in Lima all my life."

"You are?!" Mercedes and Quinn said sharply.

"First you want to move out and now you want to move away?!" Laura didn't understand it.

"Our family has never stayed in one spot. Everyone always moves. Why are you acting like I'm new?" Marcy didn't get them.

"I always thought we'd all go to State like Laura and Marc." Quinn shrugged.

"We stayed for you guys." Laura bit off.

"And we thank you but we have to be free." Marcy said. "We can come back to visit but I gotta leave. Lima's just too small a town for me."

Laura shook her head.

"I advise you to apply to your first choices." Marcy told Mercedes and Quinn. "Pepperdine and Yale fill up quick."

"Marceline Anne Chang?" A woman in a lab coat called out.

Marcy stood.