Ellie stuck a list of instructions and the script in Jolly's hand before waving and walking out. Any more successful one timers and she and her partner Sam could start to refer to themselves as the stork. It helped when the patient trying artificial insemination was as young and healthy as Mimi. It was heartbreaking to watch the other couples they saw month after month pa.s.s with no luck.

With one last look at the happy couple, Ellie closed the door and headed to her next patient. Jolly and Mimi reminded her of another couple she and Sam were following. She could only hope they had as much good fortune.

"Tell her not to be late. The appointment's at eleven so I'll meet her at the doctor's office. Daddy's giving me a ride over there, so be sure you mention that too or she'll freak if she gets over here and I'm gone. Thanks, Christy." Mimi hung up the phone and fell back against her pillow, convinced Satan had invented morning sickness.

It had been almost eight weeks and while Mimi was getting bigger, she wasn't gaining much weight. Jolly had been her salvation since she took such good care of her, but she and Tim were so busy, Jolly was in worse shape than Mimi. The two things they had been looking forward to were the completion of the house, and their first ultrasound. The house was another month away before it was inhabitable, but the test to see the baby was that morning.

"Not feeling good, huh?" Ricky sat on the bed trying not to move it too much. He and Jolly had been taking turns taking care of Mimi in the mornings until the nausea subsided. It was strange but from the hours of noon till about six in the afternoon she was fine.

"If I had a gun, I'd ask you to shoot me numerous times. Let me take a shower and get dressed. Maybe if I can look this kid in the eye and explain how much I hate throwing up, they'll take pity on me and stop."

Ellie walked in to find Jolly running her fingers through Mimi's hair in an effort to make her feel better. These big tough women turned into such nurturers when their spouses were miserable. The pet.i.te doctor had always attributed it to the partner's nesting period. One day soon she and Sam were going to have a little talk. Being on the receiving end of one of those head ma.s.sages for the reason Mimi was getting one was looking better all the time.

"I promise it goes away. Until then let's look at how cute he or she is and it'll help take your mind off the misery." Ellie squirted gel on Mimi's midsection and placed the wand down to take a look. It was her first time using the new unit the sales rep had loaned them which showed the womb in 4D.

The monitor showed incredible detail with a reddish tint to the black and white that made it look more like a photograph. The baby wasn't distinguishable as a tiny person just yet, but when they were, Mimi and Jolly would be treated to some special images in the coming months. The new technology was like nothing Ellie had seen. The brochure the rep had left them showed pictures of children in their second and third trimesters that you could've sworn were done in a studio their faces were so clear.

Ellie moved the wand, pressing down in the right spot getting the position she wanted. The image that came up made her lean forward and stare at the screen. She moved the wand a fraction to the right and pressed again. "Could you excuse me a minute, I'll be right back."

Jolly went back to running her fingers through Mimi's hair but this time it was to make herself feel better. Doctors leaving the room without explanation never meant anything good. Didn't they teach them that in medical school?

"Hey, guys, this is my partner Sam Casey, and she's just going to take a look," explained Ellie.

"Is there something wrong?" Jolly asked for the both of them. Mimi was taking deep breaths trying to keep the cracker she had eaten during the car ride over down.

"Jolly, right?" Sam asked holding out her hand. Jolly nodded and shook hands with the tall smiling doctor. "Ellie just wants me to confirm something for her, but there's nothing wrong." Sam sat down and picked up the wand putting it where Ellie pointed. When the image came up Sam thought about how much she loved her job. She smiled up at Ellie and nodded her head.

Ellie leaned against Sam's back and pointed to the screen. "Every so often a fertilized egg will split and it results in twins."

"We're having twins?" asked Mimi, momentarily forgetting her nausea.

"Let me finish. That happening results in identical twins. The other way twins come about is when you release two eggs during ovulation and both are fertilized. That results in fraternal twins."

"So we're having twins," asked Jolly looking at the screen trying to decipher what Ellie was saying. The only thing she could compare the image to was a modern art exhibit Mimi had taken her to a year before. If there were children to be found up there, they certainly weren't sitting up and waving.

Ellie leaned further into Sam so her finger would reach the screen, wanting Jolly and Mimi to follow along with what she was about to say. "See this area here?" Ellie pointed to the right portion of the screen while Sam held the wand in place. "One sack means the egg split and you're having twins." She drew a circle around the image with her finger and highlighted the two little guys swimming contentedly inside. Both Jolly and Mimi looked at the two tiny squiggles on the screen through teary eyes and smiled.

Sam looked at Jolly and saw the look of wonder mixed with fear and couldn't help adding to the news. "But you see this spot here?" Her finger moved to the left of Ellie's. "Another separate little guy makes for triplets. They just won't all be identical."

The image went back to a blue screen when Mimi rolled over to look for Jolly. Blue eyes looked up at Mimi from the floor as Jolly tried to remember how she got there. It had been the second tap on the screen by Sam that had made the architect slide off the chair.

"The house isn't big enough, baby, and I'm only working on one crib," said Jolly. The thought of where to put more s.p.a.ce already working in her head along with adding to the furniture they would need.

"Are you ok?" Mimi asked concentrating so much on Jolly that she missed her doctors sharing a kiss behind her. The two medical professionals loved coming in and telling parents that they were having multiples. Pregnancies like this added more complications but they also added an air of excitement.

"I'm fabulous," answered Jolly.

"And I'm fertile it would seem." Mimi rolled over and looked at the screen where their children had just been. If all three of them turned out to be as hyper as Jolly, running around nailing on things, she would never get to paint another thing even after they arrived.

"We have to finish this thing by Sunday, people, so work with me. If I have to go back to the loft and tell Mimi she has to climb those stairs one more day, one of you has to stay and hide the kitchen knives." Jolly had given everyone an a.s.signment and instructions on how to get it done. They had decided to add an extra bedroom for Ricky and add s.p.a.ce to the ones they had already completed. That was almost done and all that was left was the small touchups that would finish the job to Jolly's standards.

Ricky, Pam and the guys who had come from the crew all headed inside to finish putting up molding while Tim and Jolly headed for the roof along the back to finish putting up the gutter system. If a spring downpour came and swamped Mimi's flower garden, Jolly didn't even want to think of the consequences. Her partner had taken the barren yard when she moved in and turned it into what looked like a living painting there were so many colors. The blooms and their various hues were an essential part of Mimi's paints. When crushed and mixed with linseed oil, they created the vibrant paints that marked her work.

"How's the little mommy doing?" asked Tim adjusting his tool belt. He and Pam had tried talking Mimi into letting Pam stay with her for the morning, but Mimi had said all she planned to do was sleep so there was no need.

"She's five months pregnant with three children and she's normally a size bigger than a squirrel, how do you think she feels?" Jolly was tired and irritable and felt bad as soon as the words left her mouth. Just because she wasn't getting any sleep, was no reason to take it out on her cousin. "I'm sorry, my hormones must be flaring in sympathy."

"I know what it's like, buddy. Just wait until she has them and then the real hormonal fun begins. Grab that side over there and let's get this last piece on so we can go inside. I don't want to be out here when it's ninety degrees."

They climbed on to the roof on separate ladders carrying two sections of gutters. Behind them the normal Sat.u.r.day crowed paraded around the park enjoying the beautiful weather. Jolly turned to tell Tim about how well you could see the babies moving around making her miss the hazard right under her feet.

Tim watched in horror as Jolly's foot slid out at an odd angle on the small pile of wet leaves at the edge of the roofline when she turned to face him. She did a flip on the way down and landed on her back with a thump so loud it made him wince in sympathy. The thought to poke fun at her clumsiness died away when he saw that she wasn't moving and her breathing was becoming labored.

"Pam!" The name was ripped from Tim's throat as he clamored down the ladder. The terror in his voice had his wife outside in no time followed closely by Ricky. "Call 911 and tell them to get over here fast." Tim moved closer to Jolly and made a point not to touch her. "Pam, go now."

"What happened?" demanded Ricky. He moved to Jolly and went to touch her head.

"Don't touch her until the ambulance gets here. Jolly, I want you to try and relax. That might help you breathe." She was gasping for air now and her skin was starting to take on a bluish tint. Both men almost slumped over with relief when they heard the sirens in the distance.

"Mimi." Jolly drew in enough air to force the name out of her mouth. The pain in her chest was overwhelming and for some reason she couldn't get enough air.

"Don't you worry about her, Jolly. I'll take care of everything until you get home from seeing the doctor. Relax for me, ok?" begged Tim.

"Love her."

"I know you do, buddy, and she does too." It took an act of will not to shake her when Jolly's chest stopped moving. The idiot hadn't even dropped her hammer on the way down.

Pam came back leading three paramedics rolling a stretcher into the yard. They started barking out orders and radioing in to the hospital, but at least they were working on her and that made the three on lookers feel better.

Tim threw Pam his keys as he grabbed Jolly's off the new kitchen counter. He and Ricky were going to follow the ambulance, which left Pam to go back to the loft and get Mimi.

"Tim, do you think I should? I don't want to upset her," said Pam. They watched them load Jolly into the back so there wouldn't be time for a long discussion.

"If you don't tell her now and something happens later, it'll be that much worse, honey. So yes, you've got to go and let her know. Call me and I'll let you know where they take her."

Pam was surprised to find Mimi sitting up in bed as if knowing Pam was on her way over. The nervous brunette put on a smile she didn't really feel like and tried to be as soothing as possible. "You get any sleep?" asked Pam.

"Don't tell me y'all are finished already? Had I known the kids would be throwing a soccer tournament this morning I'd have come over with you guys, because I sure as h.e.l.l didn't get any sleep."

The phone hanging from Pam's belt rang and she reached to answer it with a shaky hand. The name on the screen was Tim. The call could only mean they had arrived at the hospital. "Ok, we'll be there in a few minutes. I promise we'll be careful, it isn't that far away." Pam hooked to the phone back and looked at Mimi. She couldn't think of another reason to delay, or of a good way to break the news. "You have to get dressed, sweetie."

"What's wrong?"

Pam told her, trying to leave out some of the details hoping when they arrived at the hospital Jolly would be fine and conscious. Tim was waiting for them at the doors of Charity Emergency wanting to bring Mimi straight to where she would find Jolly. The last he had seen of his cousin was when they had wheeled the gurney into one of the rooms and a slew of people dressed in scrubs had followed it in. The paramedics had explained on their way out that all trauma cases were brought here first no matter if they were indigent or not.

"Where is she, Tim?" Mimi held on to her midsection and tried not to think the worse, but the gla.s.sy eyed looks she had gotten from Pam on the way over were starting to worry her.

"They took her in for an examination but they're not finished yet, so they asked Ricky and me to wait out here."

"What in the h.e.l.l happened?" demanded Mimi. Her father tried to calm her down as Tim tried his best to describe what had gone wrong. He was almost finished the story when a tall doctor stepped out of the exam room and looked toward the waiting area.

"Who's here for Jolly Andolini?"

Mimi stood up so abruptly that she almost fell forward. "Can I see her?"

"In a minute, ma'am. Let's first discuss what the problem is and what we have to do to fix it, ok?" The tall doctor led Mimi back to her seat and took the empty one next to it so the woman wouldn't have to crane her neck to look up at her. "I want you to relax so I don't have to admit you as well. First off, my name is Harry Basantes and I just finished looking at Jolly's x-rays. The fall managed to break three ribs on her right side, two of which punctured one of her lungs. That explains why she couldn't breathe well and was turning blue."

"She turned blue?" Mimi looked at the three people to the other side of her knowing they had left some parts of what happened out of the version they told her.

"Ma'am, are you related to Ms. Andolini?" asked Harry.

"She's my partner, doctor. Is she going to be all right?"

"She's going to be fine. We're going to move her into surgery in a bit and fix those broken bones so she can be in top shape to take care of the little one you have on the way. Why don't you wait here and I'll be out as soon as we're done. What's your name?" Harry sat with her hands on her knees glad she had come in to do rounds for a vacationing attendant. The woman sitting next to her didn't need any more stress.

"I'm sorry, Mimi Mulle, doctor. Thank you for talking with me. And it's three little ones, not just one, so see if you can implant some sense into my partner when you put her under."

Harry laughed and couldn't believe the coincidence. "I'll try my best, but you'd be happy to know my partner says the same things about me to anyone who'll listen, so don't be too hard on her. Do you want to see her before we take her in? We have her sedated but I believe she'll feel better hearing your voice."

Mimi followed Harry into the room where they were prepping Jolly for surgery. She leaned against Harry for support after seeing all the equipment they had attached to Jolly to help her breathe. "It's not as bad as it looks, Ms. Mulle, I promise," Harry told her.

"Jolly, I know you can hear me, love. You're going to be ok after this nice doctor fixes you up, so don't make things anymore complicated in there, ok?" Mimi ran her fingers through Jolly's hair and kissed her forehead. "And if I see you on the roof again anytime soon, I'll personally kick your b.u.t.t."

"Maybe you can get her to pose for more paintings while she's recuperating?" suggested Harry.

"What do you mean?"

"My wife bought the painting 'Wings of Love' at the No Aids party this year and I just a.s.sumed it was of Jolly. You're that Mimi Mulle aren't you?"

"Yes, I'm sorry, I didn't stay long enough to meet the people who purchased my piece. I'm glad it went to a good home." When Harry said wife, Mimi gave a silent thank you to the heavens. Here with her was someone who knew more than medicine, she understood she and Jolly's relationship. "Thank you for letting me see her. I'd of gone nuts if I'd had to wait out here for hours."

"We'll take good care of here, Mimi. We promise. Jolly really does look worse than the injury she sustained."

"Thank you, and I really am sorry for not taking the time to meet the two of you that night. Especially after the big check you wrote to bring my piece home."

Harry led her back outside to the waiting area so she could take care of Mimi's partner. "You don't have to apologize, Ms. Mulle, it's not the time to talk about the painting. I just wanted to let you know how much we've enjoyed it. Do you need anything? I could have a bed brought out for you if you like. It made my wife feel better to have her feet up when she was pregnant for our first."

"How many children do you have?" asked Mimi, liking this soft-spoken doctor who understood what Jolly meant to her happiness.

"I have a son, Jackson and another baby on the way. If you ask the mean looking nurse over there, she'll show you pictures of Jack and my wife Desi." Harry pointed to the nurse's station before getting up and leaving instructions for Mimi's comfort.

The surgery was quick and could have been done by one of her students, but Harry had stayed and performed it herself wanting to make Mimi feel better. She put Jolly in room and let Mimi and Ricky stay the night not wanting the pregnant woman staying alone. Jolly was drugged enough to make it through the afternoon and night without waking, so hopefully all three of them would get some rest. Harry was confident, that barring any complications, Jolly could be sent home in the morning.

Harry arrived home to find Desi walking to the house with Jack perched on her hip. The odd thing about the picture was they were both covered in what looked to be mud. Only hearing the last part of what Desi was saying, she could tell Jack had done something he should have reconsidered.

"Jack, I can't believe you did that." Desi sounded like a woman who was on her last frazzled nerve.

The reprimand was lost to deaf ears as Jack turned his attention to the only person who could get him out of the bind he was in, "Doccy."

"Hey there, little buddy," said Harry to Jack before turning to Desi. "Sweetheart, isn't he a little young to be playing in mud?" was her question as she took the baby from the miffed looking blonde. The muttered answer Harry got was too low to hear, but it sounded like a curse having to do with her and fault. It was best not to delve any further so doctor and son just watched Desi scoop a glob of grayish brown substance off her forehead and throw it in the gra.s.s before going into the house.

The slamming kitchen door didn't faze Jack in the least as he tugged on Harry's ears to get a h.e.l.lo kiss. "Son, it's not a good idea to try your mother's patience when she's three months pregnant. You have an endless supply of cute quotient, but mine's running a little low. The fact you look like me makes your little adventures my fault."

"Doccy."

"Yeah, cute stuff. Let's go cheer up your mother." The downstairs was quiet being it was Sunday afternoon and Mona was out with her family for the day. Harry stepped into Jack's room and stripped him out of the soiled jumper he had on then put him on the floor so she could take her scrubs off.

Desi opened her eyes to the naked duo at the door and felt her frustration melt in the hot water of her bath. It was an impossibility to stay mad at either of her brunettes. Harry wiped the clay off Jack before taking a seat next to the tub waiting for the water to cool so they could join Desi.

"How was your day, darlin'?" asked Harry.

"I know I'm not supposed to be taking a bath, but it couldn't be helped. Your son..."

"My son? You both end up covered in mud and he's mine?"

"It was clay, honey, not mud. Clay that was up to an hour ago, Kenneth and Tony's anniversary present. A present, I might add, which took me all morning and most of the afternoon to make. Your son crawled over and put his hand down on the wheel control and sent it flying into every corner of the studio. So yes, at this moment he's all yours." Desi looked at her miniature Harry smiling up at her from Harry's lap and lifted her hands out of the water. "Come on, Jackson."

"Now that he's clean and cute he's yours again?" Harry crawled in and sat behind them.