Coffin of Hope

Chapter Seventy Five - Epilogue

Marcy waded by a sea of kids. "Watch out, guys."

"I help, Mommy?" Rajah reached up.

"No, no, honey. You can get hurt."

"What about me? I'm bigger." Mally flexed.

"Just like your fathead uncle." Marcy smiled as Rajah sent his brother a bitter look.

Mally's mouth fell open and he giggled. "Which one?"

"That's what I say."

"I heard that, Nephew!" Mike came over and took the tray with sparkling juice filled flutes from his little sister.

Mally giggled again.

Mike set the flutes on a nearby table. "Get off your feet, Marce."

"I'm three month pregnant." She gave him a droll look.

"With triplets." He said like that mattered.

"Go see about the boys and leave me alone."

He grinned and went to check on his twin sons, Michael Jr. and Mordecai or Mike-Mike and Cai.

Karou went up to Marcy. "I swear I missed Christmas parties."

"You had one last year!" Marcy laughed.

"But it wasn't the same and you know it. Not until we got to see you."

Paris attacked Marcy in a hug. "Seconded!"

"Ugh!" Marcy played disgusted. "Pregnant wanches!"

"You and your wife are pregnant!"

"I know but how come she's only having one baby but I'm having three?!"

"I'm so sorry." Karou spoke down.

"What are you doing?"

"I'm empathizing with your vagina."

Marcy laughed as Paris blushed. "Rou!"

"What?! She's going to have to get the drugs this time!"

"Ya damn right." Marcy nodded. "Get off me. I gotta go make sure Sola doesn't try to get rid of Rye."

"She's still trippin?"

"Like Mad when she gave birth. I'm surprised Dante still married her."

"I wouldn't have."

Marcy high-fived her and went about saving her four month old from her big sister.

Quinn waddled by, uncomfortably pregnant. "I'm tired of this!"

"Your due date is tomorrow."

"I know. And then we'll be on vacation but this boy is sitting on my bladder all the time."

"I get it. With all these pregnant women in the house, you'll find sympathy."

Quinn grinned. "Yeah. I can't believe both Tana and Britt are pregnant again."

"I can. They'd been workin overtime trying to convince Tana how sorry they were for leaving her in the first place. But Laura, Karen, Karou, Yuria, Paris and Daisy ending up pregnant? That's some witchcraft right there."

"It's like the universe wanted us all barefoot and pregnant."

"Um... you're a lawyer."

"You're a doctor!"

"I'm studying to be a doctor. I have to catch up. I can't believe a little thing like a high school diploma means nothing to these schools when you're brighter than Einstein."

"Of course it doesn't." Quinn was dead serious. "They know exactly how smart you are."

"Thanks, Lucy." Marcy hugged her tightly.

Quinn's eyes widened. "Oof!"

"What's wrong?"

"My water broke."

OF

Quinn held her son. "Hi, Henry."

"What's up, Hank?" Marcy teased.

"Oh Marcy!" Mercedes wasn't sure she liked that name for her baby.

Mike didn't care about names but he did care about how he had two broken wrists. "Lookin just like his brothers."

"And they're all so cute." Laura snapped a picture.

"I wanna get pregnant again!" Maddie sobbed.

Mike gave her a look.

"Let me live."

Marcy snickered. "Let's go tell everybody there's a new Chang."

OF

Raven (formerly Marceline) ran to her mother. "Mama!"

"Hi, baby!" Mercedes picked her up.

"We gots a new brother?"

"Yes, you do."

"I think you can stop now." Michael teased.

"Nah." Mike wiggled.

Mal laughed. "That's what I say! We're going to have children forever!"

"We?" Marcy blinked.

Ellen giggled.

Mal enveloped both in a hug. "Yeah, we. I'm here for both of you through all the ups and downs of childbearing."

"And childrearing so you better take your medicine." Marcy twisted slowly.

Their family and friends in all their pre-Christmas splendor laughed.

Riley began crying, which set off all the other babies to crying.

Marcy went to collect her from her mother. "You stop all that. Nothing is even wrong with you."

Riley wrapped her arms around her own mother.

Marcy kissed her cheek and stuffed her binky in her mouth. "Driving away from the wreck of the day
And the light's always red in the rearview"

Her sisters chimed in on the Anna Nalick song to their own children.

Their mothers watched them mother and smiled while the other moms in the group cooed to their children and all the men looked over them.

Christmas was two weeks away but it was already the best they'd had in a very long time.

"Desperately close to a coffin of hope
I cheat destiny just to be near you"