Fateful Encounters- Chapter 47

47

Lisa looked up from her magazine, trying hard not to burst into laughter at Michael’s face.

“Will you stop making faces and squirming?”

“I am not squirming.  It’s just…Gosh- I forgot what exactly they do and it just seems so…I don’t know…” He ended the sentence, if one could call it that, with yet another grimace. It was hard to believe he was being such a baby about this.  Clearly, he was freaking out.

“Looking at the pamphlet from all those different angles won’t change what they do, you know. Plus, I thought you went to one of those with your other babies’ Momma.”

“Do you mind not using that term?  It makes me sound like…like…Jermaine. I am not some serial baby-maker.”

This time the laughter bubbled free despite her best efforts, earning her a scolding look.

“No, of course, not, Michael.  I apologize.  Just because you have one son who just turned one, one baby girl on the way any day, and one little squirt newly created does not mean you are a baby-making machine. My bad!”

Michael rolled his eyes, and shook his head.  Scooting closer, she reached for his face and pulled his mouth to her. “A very, very sexy baby making machine…”

Despite his pretend protest and trying to pull his face away from her, he relented and kissed her gently. Then, blushing, he pulled away, looking around, making sure they did not have an audience.

“Lise- not here!”

“Why not here?  I am pretty sure these folks are well aware of how that particular bun we are about to see got into the oven. We are in an OB clinic, Michael.  They specialize in babies, and sex, and private parts…”

“Lisa!” Laughing, Michael, pulled his hand over her mouth and she took the opportunity to kiss his palm.

His laughter warmed her heart. The tone was so free and unguarded these days.  How she had missed it!

“You are incorrigible, woman! Aren’t you tuckered out from last night…or this morning?” The last words were whispered against her ear, giving her shivers. 

No, apparently, she was not.  There was no way she would ever get her fill of this man.  But she was willing to spend her life trying.

This morning, Lisa woke up to what she thought was a hot, sexy dream, only to find Michael’s fingers stroking her gently, bringing her to another orgasm before she was fully awake. 
Afterwards, he held her, kissing her cheeks, her nose, her lips, whispering just what he wanted to do to her after the procedure.   He was such a perverted freak at times. And she could not wait to take him up on his promises.

“What are you up to? Not that I complain about waking up like this, mind you. But what about you?” Her gaze stroked him and by the reaction she could tell he felt it like a physical contact.  What was more gorgeous to wake up to than Michael, aroused and ready in the bed with her?

“Oh, you can help tame that thing me when we take a shower.  And what?  I wanted to make sure our baby wakes up to a nice oxygen rush.”

“Our baby is going to appear high after all the oxygen rushes it has been getting in the last 12 hours.  They probably have me do a drug test seeing that little dopey girl.”

“Guy.  But whatever.  No, I’m just being a good father, that’s all. He will be fine- probably give me the thumbs up.” Michael giggled and illustrated the gesture.  What a dork!

Rolling over on her side, Lisa looked up at him, her head cradled into her hand. “Hm…makes me wonder about you and her. Did you help her out like that, too- all in the name of good pre-natal care?”

Her tone remained half joking, but the intent of the question was deadly serious.  While she found it difficult to imagine Michael getting busy with Debbie, she had her doubt on and off about the supposed chaste nature of their relationship. 

And the really odd part was: why would she want to know?  Still, for some reason, those questions plagued her in her more insane moments. 

Michael lowered his gaze and just uttered, “Yuck! Can you stop it?  You know the deal.”

Ok, Lisa was not sure how to take that, but decided it was against all physical and mental health advices to dig further.  Michael loved her.  He told her he did, he acted like he did, and he was actively trying to extricate himself from Debbie’s clutches.  All was well.  She was not about to go looking for trouble. 

Kissing her deftly, Michael swung his long, sexy legs out of bed to head downstairs.  He returned minutes later with a cup of coffee for himself and herbal tea for Lisa. Then they indulged in that shower he mentioned earlier.  Of course, not only did she relieve his huge aching problem, but she also got to once again take a trip to another universe where all thoughts ceased and only feelings mattered as they filled her body and soul with iridescent colors and lights.

When they finally succeeded to get dressed, Riley knocked on her bedroom door hesitantly.  In her mind, Lisa praised her kids’ timing. 

“Mommy- are you awake? Can we come in?”

Ben’s blond head was visible in the door as well, as he tried his best to peek around his sister, standing on his tiptoes.

“Mommy- please can we come in? Riley says we have to knock and there will be a surprise…What is it? A puppy?”

Riley laughed and whispered audibly, “Nope- better!”

Lisa nodded and Riley pushed the door open.  Ben squealed when he saw Michael sitting on the bed and raced toward him.  Riley smiled a big goofy grin and made her way to Michael’s outstretched arms. She obviously felt very proud of herself!

They made breakfast for the kids and Lisa had to keep from pinching herself.  She had no idea how her life had gone from that horrible argument with her mother to some scene in a Norman Rockwell painting. Well, a new, blended type of the perfect family- but perfect nonetheless.  Michael and Lisa had decided to keep the news about the baby to themselves until the afternoon following the ultrasound.  Just in case… Lisa closed her eyes and swallowed.

No, there was absolutely nothing to worry about.  The baby would be perfect.  The doctor had told her it not to worry. All she had to do was to stay calm and keep stress away. And now, that Priscilla was out of her life…

Lisa realized the thought should fill her with relief.  Still, her love for her mother defied all logic and was very much a part of her.  Well, too bad! This time she had gone too far.  Love was not all that counted in real life.  And her mother’s love was toxic.  At least to her.

Against all her expectations, Priscilla had actually admitted to having gone to see Debbie.  And she also finally revealed that she leaked that horrible lie to the press. Despite having suspected the truth, Lisa felt as if she was hit by a ton of bricks. Amazingly, her mother acted as if it was all Lisa’s fault.  How predictable!

“Lisa-Marie, you left me no choice! I had to be creative!”

“Creative, mother?  How about evil and backhanded? You know how I feel about that woman, and you know what her manipulations have cost me.  And yet to choose to align yourself with her against your own flesh and blood? How could you?”

“Well, dear, this is exactly how I fell about you and that man! How can you possibly align yourself with him against me?”

“Mother!” Lisa remembered crying out in despair and anger- a heady combination as she attempted to keep her temper under control. “I never aligned myself against you! All I did was fall in love.  With the only person in the word you could not possibly suspect of using me for my father’s name.  And now we are having a child. We are finally over all the bullshit.  We deserve this second chance.  Why can’t you be happy for me?”

“Well, congratulations, Lisa.  He finally succeeded in his plan.  He finally has surged ahead with his agenda to take over everything that was your father’s.  Now, his genes are forever tied to us.  Wonderful! What you want me to do?  Be happy? Throw you a shower? Ha- I can get the perfect cake, half vanilla, half chocolate. A perfect mess that will make with everyone wanting more.”

The air had been taken out of Lisa’s lungs and the part of her heart that belonged to her mother deflated like an injured balloon.

“Yes, mother.  That is exactly what I would expect you to do.”  Her voice was now a bland reflection of her resignation.  There was no way around it: she had to sever ties with Priscilla.  Her mother was obviously not capable of understanding her or supporting her.  This was not some game.  This was her life.  Listening to her mother’s words and making those hatred infused doubts her own had once robbed her of her sanity and almost her life.  As messed up as she was: she was not about to engage in the same lunacy only to be destroyed again.  Not with a baby at stake.  Not when Michael was finally coming around to trusting her again.

“Lisa, Lisa, please, listen to me! What would you do if you saw Riley or Ben riding their bikes against traffic?  Wouldn’t you run out and do everything in your power to stop them?  And just because they told you they are having fun-would you let them get killed?  I don’t think so.  I have to hurt you now, and I take on the responsibility for that, if it means to save you from a life of struggles and conflict.  He will leave you just like he plans to leave the Rowe woman.  He is out for one thing: his legacy and his children.  He will take the greatest score: a Presley-Jackson baby and make sure you will never see him or her again.  And you think you are in pain now?  How do you think you will feel then? Just be smart and end it now before it opens you up to a life of misery.”

Priscilla had reached for her daughter’s cold hands.  For a second, Lisa wanted to pull back in revulsion, then she changed her mind and remained in place.  A new emotion infused her: pity.

What a dark place her mother must be in to only see things from this dreary perspective.  They were talking about a new life, a promise of a future, love…and all her mother saw was betrayal and a business merger. 

“Mother, I am so sorry that is how you feel about your new grandchild.  And you really leave me no choice.  I love you, but I can’t have you and your twisted hatred around me or any of my children.  It ends now before it goes too far. I expect you to get your new friends at the tabloid press to make sure they print a retraction and clarify they misunderstood what the intimate source told them.  And you better get your friend Debbie in line as well- but I suspect Michael’s threats have backed her off any loyalty to you anyway.  If you fail to do this, I will step forward and do what I hate most: I will call a press conference and dish.  And don’t mistake what I’m saying- I will not hesitate to bring forward your real, politically very incorrect, motivations behind not wanting the Presley heritage soiled with a black baby.”

“You wouldn’t stoop that low.”  Priscilla’s face actually held an expression that could be confused with doubt and fear.

“Wouldn’t I? Try me, mother.”

“Lisa, you will regret…”

“No, Priscilla, you will regret this.  You will grow old alone and bitter without having me or your grandchildren around.  I hope to God my brother wises up to you and gets away before he also is poisoned by your hatred.”

“Lisa-Marie, head my words: you will call me in no time at all.  And I will be there for you, despite your current behavior. Because I love you and the only thing I ever wanted was to protect you.”

“Well, don’t hold your breath.  And I don’t need your protection.  What I needed was your support- but you are too empty inside to support anyone. Good Night, Priscilla!”

Those were the last words spoken between then.  Her mother grabbed her things, her lips a hard line, her back held rigid, her head held high.  Lisa slammed the door and stared at the visual barrier for several minutes, before bursting into tears.

She had finally done it!

Michael had told her the truth about Priscilla so many times.  In their endless fights, he had tried to open her eyes to the constant manipulation.  And all she had done was to take his advice as proof that he was the one trying to mastermind her life.  He had wanted her to be free and to decide for herself.  While her mother had always aimed to keep her bound: bound to her name, bound to her father’s legacy, bound to the undeserved - but nevertheless immense- guilt about her father’s passing, bound to Scientology, bound to a sham of a marriage that should never have been. 

Well, now she was free. 

Freedom sure felt shitty at times!

And then- everything had changed again.  Michael had appeared like some corny knight in shining armor, and he returned light to her dark thoughts, vanquishing the emptiness inside with his mere presence.  And here they were, sitting in the OB/GYN clinic, waiting to have a look at their child. 

Of course, they had not been able to take one car to the appointment.  Michael had sent one of his SUV’s out, then had switched into another one to distract fans and reporters.  Lisa had left in her own car, and would ride back with him, while her driver would bring the car back to Hidden Hills.  Lisa had not batted an eye when he discussed the logistics of the trip.  In the past, his complicated escape scenarios had been taxing her patience as she always considered them way too dramatic and unnecessary.  Not too long ago, one thought slithering into her mind like a poisonous viper would have been that he was ashamed to be seen with her. 

Something must have shifted in her thinking, as she realized only too clearly that after the latest article he had to tread carefully to not unleash some crazy wave of publicity about him cheating on “poor pregnant Debbie.”  Also, Lisa really wanted to keep the press away from their private lives long as possible.  News of this baby would stir both the Jackson and the Presley fans into some kind of frenzy.  And not all of it would be positive.  So no, she was all the way behind the plan for her to enter the clinic from the front, while he would sneak in from the back. 

When he made it into the sign-in area, Lisa could see the receptionists flush and detected their stares.  Well, this clinic might be used to celebrity clients and the staff might be well trained to keep their cool demeanor in place, but Michael nonetheless managed to ruffle their feathers.  Of course, he happily and politely signed some autographs.  Instead of the often present annoyance, she felt pride.  Pride to be his woman again.  Pride to be the mother of their child.

They had been shown into a private waiting room and Michael had immersed himself in reading material about the procedure.   If she had not known better it would seem that he’d be the one having a long wand shoved up a very private area. 

“And they have to do this, why again? I mean, if nothing is wrong, aren’t there other tests?”

“Michael, for heaven’s sake!  My doctor said just to be certain and to see everything checks out with the baby.”

“Did you see the picture of this thing? It is huge.”  One again he held the pamphlet above his head, turning it sideways.

Lisa put down the magazine.  It was useless.  As long as he was this hyper he would not shut up again for long.

“I’ve seen bigger.  Like this morning…” Lisa winked at him and he blushed profusely, swatting at her with the pamphlet. 

“Well, I don’t like the idea of someone other than me sticking hard objects into you.”

Lisa giggled.

“No, of course not.  You are in charge of that, right?  But you know what? I think that birthday present you gave me was bigger than that wand…”

“Will you stop it?  You really should take this more serious!”

“No, I think you take it seriously enough for both of us.  Had I known you’d be such a big baby I wouldn’t have told y’a.”

“Yeah, right.  Like you can keep a secret.”

True.  Michael was way better at keeping secrets. 

No, no, no, Lisa! Nothing but happy thoughts today.

“Well, not like you.”

Oops- she could not help herself.

Michael squinted and lowered the sunshades he had put on moments ago.  Lisa could tell he was trying to decipher the meaning of her words.

“Like?”

“Like when you tried to buy that house before we got married.  You almost got away with it, too.”

She saw him relax.  Nice save! She really had to watch her tongue.  Who would have known it would be this difficult to break the pattern of long, drawn out, senseless discussions of who injured their marriage in worse ways. 

“It was a nice house, too.”

Lisa snuggled close to him. “I’m sure it was.  You always take such excellent care of me.”

Pulling her close, he kissed her head.

“Lisa, I promise, as soon as this Debbie mess is done with I do right by us.  All of us.  If only she let me out of that damn contract without threatening to take the kids.”

“Do you think it would help if I talked to her?”

Michael laughed.

“What? Deathmatch Jackson wives?  Yeah, that would be helpful.  You two get along so famously.”

Ok, he had a point there.

“Fine, what if we both talk to her?”

“No, how about I let good old Ben Franklins do the talking?  I called my lawyer again on the way over and we came up with some ways to sweeten the deal.”

Lisa was not convinced.  Still, no matter how hard Debbie dug in, she would be able to wait her out this time.  As long as she and Michael were on the same side.  They did not need to be married to be together.  And they did not need to have papers to be a family.

As long as Michael would not pull away and as long as she tried her best to not smother him with her own needs things would be just fine.

Yes, Lisa, you are so skilled at giving people the freedom they need.

Hell no! But at least she felt she had learned a bit.

“Ok, Lisa, are you ready?  We have everything set up for you.  And I hear we have Mr. Jackson here to provide support.”

They both greeted the doctor who seemed as close to unimpressed by Michael’s presence as was humanly possible. 

“So, Mr. Jackson, will you wait out here…”

“No way.  I will be right there with Lisa to see our baby.”

Well, he was not shy about identifying himself as the Dad. It made her feel even better to hear his words.

The doctor laughed and Lisa reached for Michael’s hand.

“Well, that’s about what I would expect any expectant father to say.  Just be warned- some men get a tad bit squeamish during the vaginal part of the vaginal ultrasound.”

“No, I am sure it will be fine.  My…ah…someone I know had it done before and I was there.” Michael stepped from one foot to the other, being visibly uncomfortable.

The doctor did not flinch. “Oh, yes, that’s right.  You have children already.  Alrighty then.  Lisa, I will let you change behind the screen and us men will wait outside till you are ready.  The nurse put the gown on the examination table.”

Lisa started to head in the direction of the door that lead to the procedure room but was hindered by Michael holding on to her hand.

“Uhm, if it’s ok, can I come in with you? I won’t peek, promise.” 

She smiled.

Not much there you haven’t seen, Mike.  If anything…

At times it still continued to amaze Lisa that he could look like an embarrassed teenager while having his mind made up one hundred percent on how things would go down. 

She rolled her eyes and sighed.  “Ok, I guess it won’t do me any good to protest anyway, right?”

Secretly, she had no desire to go anywhere without him, so if he wanted to be her shadow for today, that was fine by her.

Michael indeed was the perfect gentleman letting her change without being too goofy.  He distracted her from her own nervousness with stories of him and his brothers trying to get out of doctor’s appointments when they were little. 

Minutes later, she was on her back on the table, her legs in the stirrups and a sheet draped over her knees, making it difficult to see the doctor.  She tried her best to take deep breaths, battling down the rising anxiety.

Before they started, the doctor had given them good news, informing her that all her blood work had checkout out and that the anti-clotting medication seemed to be doing the trick.  A small voice told her to wait for the other shoe to drop as it still seemed strange that the vaginal ultrasound was necessary despite assurances how normal things were proceeding. 

“Well, due to your condition and to the delayed diagnosis of your pregnancy, plus your recent accident, you are considered high risk, and so we want to make sure we got all bases covered.”

Ok, that sounded reasonable. That, plus this child being Michael’s Lisa was sure it could not resist this very first photo opportunity and the stir it caused.

“Ok, I am putting the gel on the wand and I will let you know when I start inserting it.  Are you ready?”

Funny enough, the question seemed to be directed at Michael whose grip on her hand had increased.

Her eyes finding his chocolate depths, they both nodded at the same time.  

Lisa flinched slightly at the cold invasion but then she almost had to laugh seeing Michael turn a shade lighter and biting his lower lip.  Watching him was so funny! Relaxation started to set in as Michael hummed to her like a little child, probably using the melody to soothe his own nerves.  One hand squeezed hers, the other gently stroked her hair. 

The doctors sudden “Hm” made her blood turn to ice.  “Hm” was never a sound one wanted to hear when being examined.  Especially not when one’s legs were spread wide open and a long wand was inserted where wands should never go unless one was at home and the thing was vibrating.   

“What?” Michael and Lisa made a nice little chorus as they clung to each other. 

“Well, see that?” The doctor pointed to the screen which looked like a display of a cold weather front over the Pacific. 

“What am I looking at?”  Lisa asked, her heart pounding in her chest.

“That’s the heart, right?” Michael very helpfully chimed in.

Smart-ass!

“Yes, it sure is.  And it has a great strong heartbeat.  All the measurements look great.  And…”

Was it ethical for doctors to take dramatic pauses?

“What?” Lisa and Michael were not very creative in their uniform concern.

“You said you both have twins in your families, right?”

Oh shit!

That was another question she had not been prepared for.  Her throat turned dry and she swallowed hard, nodding hesitantly.

“Well, if you look here…” The wand moved inside and the picture adjusted to highlight another frontal system.

“Baby Nr 2 also has a very strong heartbeat.  Congratulations Mr. Jackson and Lisa.  You are having twins.”

Michael finally relinquished the death grip his teeth had on his lip and instead stared at Lisa who felt slightly dizzy suddenly.  Then, a goofy look graced his gorgeous face before a smile rose like a blinding sunrise.

“Oh my Gosh, Lisa!” He bent down and kissed her head, then her lips.

“Holy shit!” was all Lisa could utter as Michael covered her mouth again with his lips. Obviously, he was past caring who was watching them.  Well, it might have been silly to worry about modesty anyway, given the doctor’s vantage point.

Twins!

This could not possibly be happening! How could things to from one unexpected baby to two?  And just how large was their family going to be?  Never mind that! How large was she going to be? 

The sudden numbness quickly turned into crazy butterflies in her stomach and her heart.  Two babies!

Two children standing testament to the love that should have been destroyed a long time ago and yet somehow survived against all odds.  Two little miracles.

“If you could postpone kissing Lisa until later, we can finish the exam and get you two out of here.  Seems you will have much to celebrate.  Only please, take it nice and easy.  While everything looks wonderful, the risk just went up, so I strongly advise against any stress. “

“Oh, don’t worry, doctor.  I will make sure that Lisa will have nothing in the world to worry about.” Michael still grinned like someone winning the lottery on their birthday which happened to be Christmas.  Plus, the mere joy obviously had rendered him delusional. 

Nothing to worry about?

His crazy wife? Make that crazy, ‘about to have a baby’ wife?  Her crazy mother?  His fans?  Her father’s fans?  His entourage?  Her “people.” The ‘church.’  His family.  Her children?  The press…

Well, out of that whole mess, her children and some parts of Michael’s family, like his mother and Janet, would actually be as thrilled as she was. If not more.  She smiled, imagining the looks on Riley and Ben’s faces when they’d inform them later on that they would be getting a set of twin babies to spoil.  Hopefully, Ben would give up his request for a puppy.  But then again, what damage would a puppy do in a house with 6 children? 

On the way home, Michael could not contain himself.  He was off the chain! One of his first actions was to dial his sister’s number, and Janet squealed so loudly, Lisa heard her even though the phone was pressed to Michael’s ear.

“She wants to be on speaker.  Please say it’s ok, or I am risking certain deafness.”

“Go ahead.  We need that flawless hearing to support our ever growing family.”

He laughed and kissed her.

“I heard that kiss! Can you two stop it?  I mean, haven’t you caused enough trouble?  Oh my God, I am so stoked! I will be a double aunt!” Janet sounded as excited as Michael.

Lisa could dissuade Michael from calling anyone else and he was bouncy like a kid, not being able to contain his glee.

“Oh, wow- the kids will be so happy! And Prince and Paris will have little ones to grow up with.  It will be so wonderful, Lisa.  Magical.  It’s everything I have ever wanted.  Every dream come true.  All this pain, all my tears…and now this is the reward.  I guess it’s right, God never gives us more than we can handle.”

“Well, he’s pushing the limits on this one.  Twins?  Holy fuck! And you have two little ones.  We will need an army of nannies.”

“Well, we can afford it.  See? Perfect.  We will start interviewing today.  We need nannies and nurses.  And they better have top notch résumés’. “

“Well, as long as they’re not Grace, I am happy.”

“No, Grace is done.  I told you.  New life, new staff.  New people I can trust.  All for our brand new babies.” He giggled again and pulled her close.  “Babies, Lisa- our babies.  Two!”

How was she going to put up with him for seven more months?  Or how about for the rest of her life? His exuberance was exhausting.  And thrilling.  God, how she loved him!

As soon as they arrived back at the house, they were jumped by Riley and Ben, who had been at the end of the rope of their patience.  Their nanny informed Lisa that both had been very excited about the news about to come their way. 

Michael and Lisa fixed everyone huge bowls of ice-cream, complete with whip cream and chocolate syrup.  Riley sat at the table and her huge eyes darted from her mother to Michael who still had not been able to rid himself of that grin. 

“Michael? Are you and Mommy gonna get married? Is that the big surprise?”

Ben dropped his spoon, his mouth open and said. “Are you?  Are you?  Please?” with a full mouth.

Well, so much for the kids being in the dark about what was going on.

“Well, guys.  Things are about to change.  Michael will be around more.  Much more.”

“I missed you guys so much, you have no idea…” Michael interjected, shoving a spoonful of ice-cream into his mouth.

“We missed you too, Michael.  Mommy has, too, right, Mommy?” Riley was too much.  But Lisa could not blame her little girl.  Riley had seen her tears, had heard her cries.  Lisa’s heart broke remembering all the things that had been going down under her daughter’s very perceptive nose.

“Yes, baby. I have. Well, as I said, Michael will be around much more.  And you know he has a little boy, Prince.  So, he will be around more, too.  As well as the baby he is about to have.”

“So we won’t get a puppy, but we’ll get a brother and a baby?”

Ben looked as if he was not too sure those were good news at all. 

“Ben! We always wanted a brother or a sister, right?  We can always get a puppy later.” Riley was the master debater.  She would be such a force to be reckoned with one day.

“Yes, Michael’s two babies will be part of the family.  Like a brother and sister.”

Michael intensely regarded Lisa’s children, making sure they were ok with that part of the news.

“You guys know how much I love you.  And Prince and Paris will love you, too.  You will be such  great  bigger sister and brother.”

Ben smiled, “Hey, Riley- I will be a big brother now.  I can be the boss!”

Riley just rolled her eyes. 

“So, that’s it?  We will have you and the babies around more?”

Lisa and Michael exchanged glances.

Lisa took the lead as Michael reached for her hand under the table and squeezed it.

“Well, that’s kind of it.  But there is a bit more.  As you can see Michael will be part of our family again.  This time for good.  And we are part of his.  And in about seven months, a bit after Halloween, we will have an even bigger family and you will get another set of babies.”

“More babies?” Ben studied his ice-cream, and Lisa could tell he was not too thrilled.  She could not really blame him.  What a jump to go from baby brother to having an army of little ones on the horizon.  Before Lisa could react, Michael got up and scooped Ben up, letting him sit in his lap.

“Yeah, big guy.  Looks like your Mommy and I will have another set of babies… And they are so fortunate to have such a great big brother like you- and big sister like Riley.”

“Babies!” Riley squealed, making Lisa’ ears ring. 

“Yes, Riley.  Mommy is gonna have twins.”

“Oh shoot! Wow- so many babies! This is so cool!” Riley jumped up and gave her mother a huge bear hug, before darting over to hug Michael and Ben, who looked like he was still needing time to adjust.

“So, can we have a puppy, too? I mean, we’ll have all those babies.  I think we should have a puppy to protect us all.”  Ben looked up at Michael with huge eyes.

“Ok, Ben.  I see your point.  Well, we might have to find a bigger house- but I am sure we can make room for a puppy or two.”

Ben smiled at Riley and suddenly, they high-fived each other.

Then they simply asked if they could watch Lion King together.  Well, that had gone well. Lisa closed her eyes and sent a quick prayer to heaven, realizing that suddenly those prayers did not seem so stupid anymore. 

Hours later, she laid in Michael’s arms, snuggled against him, worn out from hours of making love.  He had taken her fast and furiously at first, making good on the promise from earlier.  Then, with the edge taken off, he took her to the brink of insanity with his gentle and slow love making.  Enjoying the afterglow of their passion, Michael was stroking her back, humming to himself as he so often did.  Could life get any more perfect?

The ringing of the phone stirred Lisa out of her almost comatose state. 

“Let it go to voicemail.” Michael kissed her head, pulling her closer.

“Michael- it’s so late.  What if it’s some freaky emergency?”

“Like what? Everyone who counts is here.”

“No, your son is at home, right?”

“Yeah, but why not call my phone?  He was ok when I checked in an hour or so ago.”

Lisa reached over and answered the phone.

“I am sorry to bother you Miss Presley.  I am Miss Jenkins, I am a nurse.  Mrs Jackson gave us this number.  She has been trying to reach her husband for a while.  Is he by chance with you?”

Lisa rolled her eyes and handed Michael the phone.  Shrugging his shoulders, his face turned serious after listening to the woman.

He hung up and stared at Lisa.

“What? Everything ok? What did the nurse say?”

“Well, remember how I said, I wish the baby was born so I can get rid of Debbie sooner?

Lisa searched his eyes. “Yeah…”

“Well, I am about to get my wish.  Debbie went into labor and it looks like the baby will be born tonight.”

(to be continued)

©2012 Erika B Michaels. All Rights Reserved. This story is a work of fiction. Any names, places, and other identifying features are used in a fictional manner, for entertainment purposes only, and are in no way representative of actual events. This work may not be reproduced, copied, transmitted, or stored without expressed written permission by Erika B Michaels. All photos and images, mentioned songs or song titles are copyright their creators. ABSOLUTELY no disrespect is intended to any persons portrayed in this work.