Harry stopped in the hall close to where her staff kept the charts they'd need for the day. "I promise to get you home on time, but I can't promise I won't try to kiss you."

"I accept."

"Margaret, could you please reschedule everyone until after two? Please apologize for me, but it can't be helped." Harry couldn't help but notice the woman's large smile as she asked. It was a verification she'd been listening to their conversation.

"Honey, I can't let you do that. I'm just being hormonal." That Harry would even consider going through the trouble of rearranging her day was enough for Desi. "We can just eat in the cafeteria. I now you're busy."

Before Harry could respond to Desi's bout of guilt, Margaret did it for her. "Mrs. Basantes, can I say something?" Desi nodded her head. "Offers like this don't come around very often, so take an old woman's advice and just go. Don't worry about anything else, because in the end you'll both remember a day of fun more than Harry will remember seeing patients she has scheduled today when you're both old and gray."

"Thanks, Margaret," said Desi gripping the woman's hands.

"One more thing," Margaret's voice stopped both of them on the way to Harry's office. "If she tries to kiss you, Miss Thompson, I'd say she's a safe bet. One of those you don't want to let get away."

"Oh letting her get away is my last intention."

Margaret watched them step into her boss's office as she leaned against the counter with a happy look on her face. Another one of Harry's nurses stepped out of an exam room after finishing with a patient finding Margaret's expression interesting. "What's the smile for?"

"I was just thinking about how Dr. Basantes was before Desi came along. Remember the girls?"

The younger woman nodded. "I wasn't around here for very long before that, but yeah, I remember. They didn't stay around long, did they? It made me think for the longest that Dr. Harry was a bit of a player."

"The thing is none of them stayed around, but not for their lack of trying. She was waiting and I'm glad she didn't have too long a stretch before she got back what she lost. Desiree Basantes is a very lucky young woman, but I'm betting it's Harry who pinches herself every morning. I'm just happy for both of them."

The couple at the center of their conversation stepped out of the office holding hands and laughing. They were a long way from the teenagers who had started their relationship on a porch swing years before, but the feelings they had back then had only grown and strengthened through the years.

The younger nurse standing with Margaret waved at the departing pair. "I'd say they're both pretty lucky."

"Honey, shouldn't you be cooking something if you invited them over?" Mimi yelled her question down the hall as she contemplated if she could get away with not wearing a bra.

"Everything's marinating and waiting for the grill so don't worry about it. Do you need any help?"

Struggling into underwear that looked like something her grandmother would have love, Mimi wondered again why Jolly hadn't moved out after watching her body expand to scary portions. "Could you..." Soft lips pressed to her shoulder as Jolly's hands came around as far as they could on her naked middle.

"You are so beautiful." The kisses moved further up Mimi's neck. "You get more beautiful everyday." A snort escaped the woman being complimented but it didn't discourage Jolly. "I'm sorry if I haven't been convincing before now, but you are." Slowly she moved Mimi to one of the comfortable chairs they'd gotten for the master suite.

"You're incredibly sweet, and incredibly prejudiced. I feel far from beautiful."

Jolly knelt in front of Mimi and kissed the surface of the warm haven that held her children. "For a long time I've enjoyed building things. Places where people enjoy the holidays and their families. Places where they make love and dream of starting a family, but it's never mattered how well I drew the plans or mitered the wood around the doors, what mattered was what those places became once I handed over the keys."

For the first time in months Mimi forgot all the discomfort and focused on Jolly's voice. "What did they become, love?"

"Homes. I can only provide a pleasing s.p.a.ce, honey. The people who move in are what make it a home. I never truly had a place I felt that way about until I woke up next to you." Jolly kissed one of the pudgy hands resting on the arm of the chair before going on. "You're beautiful to me because you're giving me all the things I thought were out of my reach. You, beautiful, are my home and if you finish with the granny panties I have a surprise for you."

"You s.h.i.t. You had me tearing up until the last part." Mimi threw the bra she'd picked out at Jolly's head as something occurred to her. "Would you hate me if I don't breast feed?"

A person could get whiplash having a conversation with my girl, thought Jolly. "I could never hate you, honey. Besides you've go plenty of time to decide, and since I don't come with a tap it'll be up to you to make that decision."

Tears welled up in the pretty green eyes, but unlike in the beginning, Jolly held Mimi's hand and waited. Their cause would come spilling out shortly if she gave her a chance. "It's just that putting on a bra is an exercise in pain. If someone, I don't care how small, bit down on my nipples it might drive me over the deep end."

It was hard not to smile, but Jolly had a mental image of getting strangled with the underwear on her head so her face stayed neutral. "I think after a few times those little suckers toughen up, sweetie. That's what it said in the book anyway. Either way, they'll be fine. I was bottle fed and I'm no a serial killer."

"Toughen up? What exactly does that mean?" A look of horror swept over Mimi's face.

"I'm thinking that's a Desi question when she gets here. Come on, don't you want to see your surprise before you have to share it with the world?"

"Help me?" Mimi plucked the beige instrument of torture off her partner's head.

"Surely, and later if you want I'll volunteer for sucking duty to get these babies ready."

Mimi looked own to what seemed like some other woman's b.r.e.a.s.t.s Jolly was cupping and laughed. "You're a person in need of help, Jolly, but I love you because you are."

Walking slowly and leaning heavily on Jolly, Mimi followed her to the babies' room. The walls were almost finished and after she got rid of the extra weight Mimi was planning on completing her first gift to their children, but that didn't matter now. What did were the three new additions not in the room when she'd walked by that afternoon.

With the same attention to detail her grandfather had taken great pride in, Jolly had finished the baby beds. They were far apart enough to ensure the others could maybe sleep through a sibling's crying, but close enough so Mimi could appreciate what Jolly had accomplished. The mult.i.tude of characters flowed from one bed to the other making them all inter connected. Famous cartoon rivals chased each other from one foot board to the next, but evenly divided so no bed was more important than the other.

"Oh my G.o.d, baby, they look great." Mimi had seen them slowly come to life in Jolly's workshop, but they looked totally different with stain and varnish.

"Your dad helped me with the ten coats of finish he insisted on, so remember to thank him. Do you really like them? It's not too late to order something else. We've got at least two months."

The blonde turned in Jolly's arms and rested her hands on the strong chest. "I love them and so will our brood. You know what I spend my days thinking about besides my next trip to the bathroom?"

"What, love?"

"I picture three little brunettes with big blue eyes trailing after you with tiny hammers in their hands. I bet our yard has the only tree house in town with a functional elevator if I know you."

Jolly laughed as she led Mimi to one of the rockers in the room. "I don't think so. I told Desi and Harry this afternoon that they'd be little blondes. All of them with paint brushes and palettes telling some hyper dog to sit still. Their mother's a creative genius so I want them to be just like you." If there was going to be any reb.u.t.tal from Mimi it was cut off by the doorbell. "Sit and I'll be right back."

Mimi waited until she heard the sounds of Jolly greeting their guests before letting the grimace of pain mare her face. It was the second jolt of extreme discomfort to rip across the bottom of her abdomen in as many hours. Mimi thought of telling Jolly but her tall overprotective spouse was on edge enough, and they were both looking forward to spending the evening with the Basantes couple.

"What a great house, Jolly," said Harry as Jolly led them back to the babies' room.

"It's getting there." Jolly laughed watching Desi look at the large canvases they had hanging throughout the house, including the one Mimi had given her the night of her opening. Hanging in their home was a history of Mimi's progression as an artist. "This through is my favorite room," said Jolly walking into the nursery.

"Wow," said Harry and Desi together. The room was filled with color with only one small patch left undone.

"Jack would love this." Harry walked to a wall of sea life and ran her finger along the back of a dolphin.

"We were looking forward to some seeing him Mona again. Did they get a better offer?" teased Mimi.

"Jack has a case of the sniffles, so Mona forbid us to take him out in the night air. I think she's still skeptical about my having actually attended medical school. Whatever the reason, it was easier to give in than to argue about it with her." Desi stepped closer to Harry and patted her on the chest. The day Mona stopped giving Harry a hard time would be the day she stopped drawing breath.

"Let me go light my coals. Why don't you keep Mimi company for a bit, Desi?"

With Jolly's back to her, Mimi took the opportunity to breathe deeply. You three calm down in there and I won't have to get rough with you and lay off the chocolate tonight, she mentally chastised the three active little bodies under her hands.

"Since I'm our resident grill master let me help," offered Harry.

"Then your resident art master's probably interested in seeing some of my wife's work." Jolly looked back at Mimi with a smile.

"Mimi, this is beautiful." Desi stood in the middle of the room and spun slowly in a circle. The young artist had created a wonderland that would be just as pleasing when the triplets turned twenty. "I'm sorry, we've been here admiring your work and I haven't asked you how are you doing?" Desi remembered her manners and turned her attention back to Mimi.

"Someone seems to be sitting on all of my vital organs, but aside from that I'm great, and thank you for your compliment. I wish it was done, but I can't stand being on my feet for more than ten minutes at a time anymore. h.e.l.l sitting up is taking its toll." She moved around in the chair trying to find a more comfortable spot then just gave up. "Look at what my sweetie finished today."

Desi looked a the beds and figured if the children Mimi was caring tapped into just half the talent their parents had combined, they'd be prodigies. "What a wonderful place to raise children." Her fingers ran over the wood finding it smooth and warm.

"Want to go and make sure our other halves haven't set the yard on fire?" Not that Mimi didn't enjoy Desi's company, but she had the sudden desire to be near Jolly. It felt like something just popped and gave way when Mimi stood. Her next statement was to thank Desi again for her kind words on the room, but the warm gush of fluid down her legs gripped her with fear. "Desi, could you run and get Jolly for me?" Mimi's question finished in a whisper as her world turned black.

Desi turned around in time to see Mimi crumple to the floor. The comfortable shoes Jolly had placed on her feet just moments before were covered in blood. It seemed surreal since the request the blonde had just uttered had been said so calmly. Not familiar with the layout of the house, Desi stepped into the hallway and screamed, "Harry! Jolly!" The sound of running feet let her go back and kneel at Mimi's head.

When the architect who reminded Desi so much of her beloved Harry turned the corner the sound she made reminded her of a wounded animal. The sight of Mimi lying in her own blood was enough to make even Harry blanch a little.

"Mimi, what's wrong?" Jolly looked at Desi with tears streaming down her face. "What happened?"

"It doesn't matter now, Jolly." Harry placed the unconscious woman on her back and lifted her knees. One quick look under the hem of the dress Mimi had on confirmed she was still hemorrhaging. "I need you to keep it together and help me. Do you understand?" Jolly nodded but she looked lost. "Desi, get Ellie and Sam on the phone. Tell them I'll meet them in the hospital in the first OR I can book, so tell them not to dawdle."

"It's too soon," said Jolly softly.

"Buddy, I don't want to scare you but we need to get Mimi to the hospital now. Come on, Jolly, grab her feet. We don't have time to wait on an ambulance."

"I can't lose her."

"Don't talk like that, Jolly. Just do what Harry says, she'll be fine." The ringing in her ear stopped and Ellie's voice filled Mimi's ear.

"Lift her legs, Jolly. Come on dammit, don't make me slap you." Harry didn't mean to sound harsh but there was so little time before Jolly's world came crashing in around her. Losing a child was hard for any couple but there was a real possibility the architect would lose everything she loved that night.

"Ellie, it's Desi. Listen very carefully you have to meet Harry at the hospital now. We're at the Andolini's and something's gone wrong with Mimi." She tried to keep up as the two tall women carried the blonde down the hall. Mimi had yet to regain consciousness and it was starting to worry her.

"Desi, talk to me and tell me exactly what's going on." Ellie slipped her shoes back on and searched for her sweat pants. They had just gotten back from the hospital and she was getting ready to jump in the shower.

"Ellie, it's Harry. She collapsed and she's bleeding. I'm not familiar enough with these things but from what I remember of my rotation in med school, I'd have to say her water broke. There was a clear fluid mixed in with the blood. How far along is she?"

"Just barely seven months. I don't know until I see her but we might not be able to stop the labor if that's true."

"I think you have to worry about her first, and the kids will work themselves out. Get going and I'll try to have everything ready for when you two get there." Harry drove like she was trying to outrun death down the quiet streets. Behind her and Desi, Jolly held her partner begging her to wake up.

"Please, Mimi, you can't do this to me. You can't leave me all alone." She could feel the seat of Harry's SUV getting soaked beneath her and with the puddle slowly went Mimi's life force.

It was a nightmare when they reached the Emergency Room and they wheeled Mimi away from Jolly into a trauma room. Desi took her by the hand and led her to the waiting area wishing they were at Charity rather than the posh interior of Mercy. If they were at the state hospital there might be a chance of getting comfort from the charge nurse Sally.

"Don't worry, Jolly, Harry's not going to let anything happen to her if it's in her power, and Ellie and Sam should be here any minute. Do you want me to call anyone and tell them what happened?"

"I should call her father and my cousin Tim and his wife."

Desi put her hand on a broad shoulder and rubbed comforting circles along the cotton fabric. "Just give me the number and I'll call for you." The group she called almost beat Desi's doctors to the door and looked just as sick as Jolly.

"Mona, listen we might be gone for awhile, there's been an emergency." Desi explained what had happened and smiled when Mona offered to pray for Mimi and Jolly for the rest of the night.

"Jolly," Harry's voice broke through the tension in the waiting room just long enough to ratchet it up another couple of notches when they saw the grim look on her face. "Ellie and Sam wanted me to come out and tell you they're taking her into surgery. I'll let them explain exactly what happened, but she was bleeding pretty severely and they have no choice but to go in and fix the problem." The nurse behind Harry handed Jolly a clip board and pointed to the places she had to sign.

"But she's going to be all right, isn't she?"

"It's too soon to tell, buddy. We just have to wait." Harry's eyes filled along with Jolly's at the thought of this happening to her. "She's young and I'm sure she'll pull through. Mimi has a lot to live for."

They all sat and waited for news, Pam sat between Jolly and Tim holding both their hands. Doing so made her realize how similar they were to each other. Each had long elegant fingers; the only difference was the calluses on Jolly's. It made her wonder if Jolly and Mimi's children would inherit Francois Andolini's hands as well. Would they even live out the night for any of them to find out?

"Jolly," Sam's presence in the doorway was like a cold hand ripping Jolly's chest open. She wasn't a fearful person by nature but all this was scaring the s.h.i.t out of her. It had been over three hours since Mimi had disappeared behind the steel doors of the Emergency Room.

"How is she? Can I see her?"

Sam moved and sat on the other side of Jolly and put her hand on her shoulder when Tim moved to another seat. "Something caused the wall of Mimi's uterus to rip, which sometimes happens in cases of multiples. What doesn't usually happen though is the rip to be sever enough to bleed like an artery wound, but that's what happened and that's why all the blood."

"Why wouldn't she wake up?"

"It might have been her body's way of dealing with the pain, but it's a good thing it happened since it slowed the blood loss some. The thing about what happened, Jolly, is we had to go ahead and deliver the babies so we could get to where we could repair the damage. Congratulations, it's a girl three times over." There wasn't a dry eye in the room as Jolly just bent over and buried her face in her hands. She had always imagined finding this out to be a time of happiness not because it served the purpose of saving their mother's life.

"How are they?"

"They're small, really small so don't get too alarmed when you see them. I wish I could give you better news but we'll have to wait at least forty-eight hours until I can give you more definitive answers. All four of your girls are in critical condition, but they're fighters so don't give up hope."

"Can I see Mimi?"

"Ellie's finishing up now, but I promise as soon as she gets into recovery you'll be her first visitor. If you want though, there are three other ladies who can't wait to meet you." Sam didn't want to force her but more than anything she wanted Jolly to agree since, like Mimi, the babies might not live out the night. The suffering woman deserved to see them while they were still breathing. In the end it might be the only happy memory she would have.

The staff lent Jolly a pair of scrubs so she could strip off the blood stained clothes she was wearing. In the neonatal unit three incubators sat side-by-side holding the only patients they had in the ward for the moment. The staff had washed her hands until they stung but it was so Jolly could touch the paper-thin looking skin.

She moved closer and looked at the first baby wearing a pink sock looking thing on her head and socks on her feet. The tiny waif was lying on her stomach looking like she was panting for breath. Jolly stuck her hands in the holes along the side and put her finger on the baby's foot noticing the small appendage was almost three times smaller than her digit. She pulled the cap off and laughed through her tears when she saw the little wisps of blonde almost white hair. It was the same color of the baby pictures Mimi had at home of herself.

"Hey, little one, you have to hang in there and get bigger so your mama won't be worried. She painted a room for you at home that I can't wait for you to see. She'd be here but she's busy getting better herself, so don't be mad at her. Mama loves you very much."

Jolly moved to the next child and repeated the talk. The tears fell harder when she found the same hair and looks of the first baby. The first two she thought had to be the identical twins. The last child had slightly darker hair, but still the blonde locks of her mother. Their eyes had been taped shut so Jolly would have to wait to see if her dream of what they would look like had come to pa.s.s.

"Come on, Jolly, Mimi's done and we want you to go in and talk to her. I believe she'll hear you, and we need to get her back from the place she's gone off to, understand?" Ellie held her hand and walked the gentle giant to recovery. Her partner looked small lying on the stretcher with a mult.i.tude of tubes sticking out of various parts of her body. The problem they would be fighting in the next couple of days was the tremendous amount of blood Mimi had lost, and making sure there was no other bleeding to complicate things further.

Jolly sat next to the bed and waited until she was sure words would come out of her mouth before she moved closer. Mimi looked so fragile just laying there her chest barely moving. When she picked up her hand it felt cold and lifeless so Jolly pulled it under the blanket.

"Hey you have to stay warm. We have a whole bunch of girls in the next room who are going to need you and I can't have you getting sick. You did it, baby. We have three beautiful girls who look just like you. I wish I would've made a bet with you now since I told you if given a choice they would want to take after you."

The soft-spoken woman used her free hand to wipe her face and running nose before continuing. Jolly often spent her mornings talking to a very asleep Mimi so this was no different. "Mimi, I want you to concentrate on getting better. I maybe didn't tell you enough before now, but I love you more than anything or anyone else in my life. There are so many promises I have yet to make and keep to you, so I would hate for you to miss that. The other thing too is we have three girls to name, and I swear if you don't wake up soon I'm putting Curly, Larry and Moe on the birth certificates."