Warm

Chapter 5

Mercedes sat on the table/chair and leaned back.

The obstetrician rubbed the wand through the gel on her stomach, pressing down firmly but not too hard. "Ah! I've found it!"

"Found what?!" Puck grew excited and held his wife's hand tightly.

"The heart." She pointed.

"See that right there?" Mercedes pointed, too. "That's the heart and it's healthy."

"I keep forgetting you're a doctor." Puck squinted at the screen. "What's that?"

"That's the head."

He smiled. "What's that?"

"That's- That's-" Mercedes frowned. "Is that what I think it is?"

The obstetrician laughed. "It is indeed."

"What is it?!" Puck wanted someone to tell him.

"It's a penis." Mercedes chewed on her bottom lip.

Puck cheered. "Yes!"

Mercedes frowned.

"Look at him! Takes after his old man!"

"Noah, that's his arm..."

"Oh. Well I've got guns. My boy does, too."

"Make sure you keep taking your vitamins." The obstetrician told Mercedes. "You're perfectly healthy and we want to keep you that way."

"Thanks, Doctor." Mercedes wiped her stomach and sat up.

The doctor left and the sixteen year old rebuttoned her jeans. He helped her down and they left the examination room.

Chlöe brightened when they made it to the waiting room with sonograms. "What are we having?!"

"A boy." Mercedes was shellshocked.

"Are we not happy?" Chlöe peered at her in concern.

Mercedes switched to Greek. "That's not it. I'm just scared. I don't know how to raise a boy. I have two girls."

Chlöe hugged her. "It'll be okay. You figured out how to raise those girls. You'll figure out how to raise a boy."

Mercedes smiled. "Thank you, Chlöe."

"You're welcome, sister."

Puck decided that he did not in fact like Chlöe.

W

"We've set up pampering for you girls." Ian and Becca said in unison. "The Cleftones and Expensive Ink are in danger of falling apart."

"What?!" Mercedes didn't know that. "Why?!"

"We don't know but we're hoping a day of pampering will change it." Becca hoped.

"This sounds really weird." Marcy admitted.

Ian agreed. "Yeah but you need it before you break up and never speak to each other again."

Mercedes and Marcy looked at each other. Was it that serious?

W

Marcy brought out her phone and began texting.

"What are you doing?" Karen peeled open her golden eyes as she heard the quick clicking on the keyboard.

"Texting Asina."

"Are you kidding me?!" Karou sat up from her massage table.

"What the actual hell is your problem? You've been acting crazy all week."