344. the tiniest of baby clothes and shoes

 Wade found his brother the day Roxann went into labor. 

"So what does this mean?" Elvis was hoping his brother Wade would be with him at the hospital, but evidently it was just going to be Rox and sporatic moments with her mother who kept wanting to see Rox only Rox didn't want to see her.

"That..that its over," Wade sounded as if he was in the clear. Someone was to blame for all the things he'd supposedly done.

"And..and are you going to talk to him?" Elvis knew then he needed to make this about his older brother with the other brother (the brother he'd never met).

"I want to, but..but then I don't."

Wade sounded so indifferent. Elvis wanted to tell him that he needed him here, but he knew that was asking for too much. Elvi went on to tell him, even if he doubted his brother cared that Roxann was doing great and the baby might be born in a few hours.

"That's good." 

Not exactly the words Elvis was looking for, but as soon as he got off the phone, Roxann was asking, "What did he say?"

"Oh you know, busy with work and all."

Elvis smiled. He had a feeling Roxann really wanted a party, but there was none. Just her mother. Finally, he went in the hallway to call Nonnie who he knew wouldn't travel all this way from Lincoln. After all, her baby was due any day.

"Do you know, anyone I could call?" Elvis asked as if they should have made a plan or something. There was that little baby shower at work, but he couldn't see her co-workers dropping in now. 

"Look, I wouldn't want any of you to be there if I was in labor," Nonnie said it was the kind of affair where they needed to be alone and let the nurses and doctor do their work.

Elvis knew she was right, but it felt to him Rox needed more cheering than just him. "I'll try to make her understand." 

Of course, when he went back in, she was sobbing. She didn't want to have anymore labor pains. "I don't think anybody likes me."

"Everyone loves you," he practically crawled into bed with her. "You can't give up now. We've got a son that needs all our love."

She was in tears and finally her mother came in and made over Rox as if she was just a little girl again. Evidently, it worked. All the sobbing and hugging helped. Maybe those two would be close again. At least her mother was including him, every step of the way.

It was a new beginning. And baby Maxwell would be here soon.

Hoppin down the bunny trail

 "Easter is coming and..and I'm not religious," Chai sighed as he looked at all the Easter bunnies and candy taking up the store. Naturally, Daisy was right in the middle of it. 

"Um, we never did much on the occasion, either." Chewy shrugged, "But my grandmother always made lots of spring foods. First, it was Mass and if I behaved, yeah she'd hand over a chocolate bunny and a new tee-shirt or two after dinner."

"So what are we supposed to do?" Chai hugged himself.

"What do you think?" He told him to take Daisy off to the art stuff. She did love her crayons and coloring books thanks to Sunny. "I'll get her a few things. We can't let her have all this now."

Chai gritted as he shut his eyes. It wouldn't be pretty. Daisy would have a fit. She was hugging a bunny already. Oh, he braced himself for the mega fit that would turn heads.

But Chewy promptly took the bunny from her and told her she needed to go with Papa to see about her art supplies.

"OK." She gave him a thumbs-up and a wink. Then took Chai's hand to go to the kid's art section. Chai was certain Chewy would yell to her. "What's my name," but thankfully, he stayed with the cart and put the bunny in it and went to get the golden chocolate rabbit. Chai looked over his shoulder. He got three evidently, he was making a basket for each of them.

Chai pressed his lips, wondering if he should get Chewy anything. It felt so awkward, but soon enough he was holding Daisy who was speaking so quietly as if she had secrets of her own.

"Dadzo smells nice," she told him they should get him something smelly.

So they took a turn toward the men's section and she sniffed through bottles of Men's cologne. Of course, she picked the right one. It wasn't exactly cheap.

"And what about me?" He looked at her out of the corner of his eyes.

"You smell like lemons. He smells..um spicy." Her smile was open. He took the box of cologne she chose and they headed toward the markers. 

"I want these," she wiggled to get down and chose the markers for true artists. Not the ones you could clean off the wall with water.

"But, but you'll paint on everything," he told her.

She swelled a frown and whipped her head back as if he was not her friend after all. She hugged herself as if he was very wrong. She told him Sunny had these.

"And she lets you use them?"

He didn't have an answer for her. Finally, he distracted her with a kit where you could paint a frog and a flower.

"How about this?"

She was in a huff, but he kept looking for other options. He'd hate for her to be angry, but no way was he buying those expensive markers.

Finally, Chewy found them with an empty cart. Evidently, Chewy knew what he was looking for, or it felt like time was standing still with Daisy.

"Did you find anything?" he asked. She pointed to the frog and flower kit.

Chai smiled. Yes, everything was better with Chewy around. Chai put the cologne behind his back. "Why don't you stay with her, I need to do some shopping," he said.

"Sure, we haven't looked at the dresses yet," Chewy took Daisy's hand. They were off to look for a party dress and shoes.

Yours is the first face that I saw

 "I don't know if I like this," Liv's face tensed. Her mother was coming.

"You have nothing to worry about," Woo followed her around their apartment with bottled water. Fruit and other snacks were within reach, but all Liv could do was cradle her growing stomach.

She sighed and dropped to the couch in the living room as if she needed to meditate, or maybe just nap.

"I can't believe she's coming," she winced as if it could not end well. 

"Well, she is so excited," Woo sat next to her, he reminded her that he heard every word her mother said over the speakerphone, and every time he said something her mother said WHAT?

Liv breathed in and out. She could hardly take it. Why was this happening now?

"We have a few weeks," Woo looked so happy. All Liv could hear in her head were her mother's words, "Stupid foreigner."

Of course, maybe that was what her mother's mother had said about Liv's Dad. She knew her mother though. She knew how she would be around Woo. She would be so smartmouthed.  Liv wasn't sure she could handle it without going in a rage of some kind. But of course, at the moment she didn't want to move from the couch. She just wanted to be alone with Woo.

Liv's phone rang but Woo picked up.

"Hello?" 

Liv looked at him worried. What if they were already on the plane? She thought of how much her mother would say about the economy and why was she still living in Seoul.

But she didn't hear Woo say a thing. He was listening, very carefully. Naturally, Liv thought the worst. Had something happened? Finally, he breathed an "uh-huh." And then clicked the phone off.

"Who was that?"

"Your brother."

"MY BROTHER?" The last person she wanted to see. It felt like the worst holiday ever. And they would be staying here.

"He says your dad is coming and his buddy Kang who grew up here is coming with them," Woo smiled.

"What!" She was even more afraid now. Her Dad and Mom?

"Oh, you are your mother's daughter," Woo grinned.

Liv squeezed her eyes shut and tried to laugh. She wanted to be happy. At least for the baby. Naturally, the baby kicked as if he got the last say in this.

"It's just-" She didn't know where to start. A part of her had felt alienated from her parents for so long. She was used to them not being in her life. After all, they had their worries with Tristan. She hadn't asked for much. She never had.

"They want to meet their grandchild," he said, getting up to cut an avocado. He thought she needed something comforting, and he knew how much she loved avocados. "And they miss you."

She shook her head, no. 

"See you're propagating while your brother is not," he told her.

She looked at him as if he'd lost it this time. He brought over the avocado, some cheese, and even cut mango.

"It's all good. Just relax. You'll see they aren't bears, after all."

He made her laugh then. Yes, she laughed so hard she started to cry.

Listen to the words that you say

 "I guess your mom must think you two are really grownups now," Ari's smile was open and Hoyt just laughed, thinking he would probably be the worst friend ever after Mona dumped him, but he wasn't. He was glad Simone and Hoyt now had a house together.

"Well, I think being on full-time at City has helped," Hoyt reminded him it wasn't like his Mom signed on to the house to, but she'd found them a nice place to start a family. It wasn't in the newest part of town, but a nice part close to an elementary school.

"Oh, I think she wants to be a grandma," Ari teased. They'd grilled burgers earlier and now were just chilling inside with beer since it was still too cold to enjoy April yet, but maybe by next weekend.

"Hopefully, soon we'll have you guys over for dinner," Hoyt nodded as he looked over his shoulder and found Jade and Simone giggling about something like they might be planning their own spa trip.

"Did you guys look at lot of houses?" Ari wanted to know.

"Oh, yeah, a whole list, but my mom said she doesn't think they are selling quite as fast as they used to. She's seen a lot of couples think they have the house, but then they don't.

"Yeah, that does bother me," Ari was straight-lipped. He talked about how it was hard to get ahead. "I wish we could travel, but then it's so expensive, mixing in the weather and it can be a disaster."

Ari apologized for being a downer.

"You're just being real," Hoyt was quick to smile, "But you know, we don't live but a few hours away from Kansas City, that would be great to all go down there for a game, or just a barbecue road trip."

"Um, barbecue," Ari sounded as if he was up for that.

"Maybe, maybe you'd rather go with Mona, you know," Hoyt nodded as he finished off his beer.

"Mona?" Ari cracked up. "You know, what kind of traveler she is?"

"Well," Hoyt didn't really want to revisit the past about his ex. Besides, it wasn't like they went on a real vacation together.

"She micromanages everything."

Ari shook his head as he stretched out across his chair with his feet on the coffee table.

"Well, let's just hope she's happy now," Hoyt still couldn't believe how much time and effort he'd put into their relationship and to have her think he was just a goofball all along. He certainly didn't feel that way with Simone.

Of course, Simone had listened to Hoyt talk about Mona for quite sometime. He was glad he'd woke up and saw Simone as the friend who would always be there for him. Everything in their house was something they'd chosen together.

You don't need to see the whole staircase just take the first step

 Mona didn't want to think about it, but she'd seen Simone and Hoyt going to Jade and Ari's place tonight. Having some shindig she guessed.

It was frustrating to think that maybe Jade was not her friend. She guessed she didn't have to be even if she was married to her uncle, and Mona and Jade had been roommates for quite a while before Jade even met Ari. 

"What's wrong?" Rico got out the dinner that Sammy wrapped up for her when he was there for dinner.

She sighed.

"Oh, I don't know," Mona frowned looking at the heaping plate of cold spaghetti. "I can't eat this."

She snarled. It was late. It was too heavy of a meal for her.

"They..they asked about you," Rico said, but she doubted it.

"Yeah, asking when are you going to leave me."

She knew the drill. She knew what people said about her.

"Don't say things like that," Rico told them how she had to work late while everyone else went home. After all, she was the youngest at the real estate office. It was understandable.

Mona nursed her bottom lip.

"I could make you a cheese-grilled sandwich and some tomato soup," Rico got started on it before she could say no. He did know her go-to meal.

She nodded and sat down at the kitchen table while he scurried around like a servant.

"So did you have a good time seeing Gabe?" Mona had to ask. She didn't know when they became good friends.

"Yeah, I guess." Rico talked about how Gabe was uncertain about seeing his dad and also the fact that Gabe was going to be a Dad.

"Is your dad still seeing his mom?" She asked as soon as he had the bowl of tomato soup poured and the hot sandwich in front of her.

"Oh, we didn't talk about that."

He took a seat.

"And to think you were hoping they'd be married by now," she smirked as if she knew Rico was a romantic.

"I would be happy if they could just be good friends," he shrugged. "I'm not sure Gabe would make the best brother. Besides, I have one, and Gabe's got a twin." It was quiet then and she nibbled on the sandwich that could melt in her mouth, even if it were crispy on the outside.

"Did you wish you'd had a sibling?"

She almost choked.

"I have Ari," Mona finally said. "That's enough."

Rico nodded.

Finally, her soup cooled and she dipped the other half of the sandwich in it.

"I guess we'll be seeing Sammy and Gabe," she sighed. She'd have to make friends with Sammy somehow, but she wasn't sure if she would know what to do around someone pregnant.

"But you don't really want to," Rico winced. "Wouldn't you like to do something with Jade and Ari?"

"I don't think so," she found herself saying they were just too busy lately. "And they live in the apartment complex. What's the point?"

"Because, they are so close," he chuckled. Of course, he took care of the dishes before she could even think to clean up.

"Everyone is so much older than me at work, you know." 

Mona wasn't sure of her point, but it was easy to say that maybe they didn't need that many friends.

Rico nodded. He reminded her that Easter was coming and his Dad would have a big brunch. They wouldn't even have to bring anything. There would be a cookout at her mom and dad's that wouldn't be as big.

Mona pushed her fingers through her hair thinking she'd rather sleep through Easter, but she felt that way about most holidays. 

It finally hit Mona that she was not a people person and she worked in a Real Estate office. That was where all her energy was going these days. Trying to be informative and caring. Now if she could do that with family. Actually, Rico's family.

Leave this one alone

 "I hear your Dad is coming to town," Rico said first thing when he dropped in to see Gabe and Sammy. Of course, Mona wasn't with him, and that put Gabe in a bad mood.

"So, doesn't mean I have to see him, a lot like Mona never hanging out with your friends," Gabe knew he shouldn't have said it, but a lot made him bitter these days. Especially, when his uncle invited his dad to come down.

He hugged himself and turned away as if he'd serve dinner and Sammy could chat with Rico.

"Oh, he doesn't mean it," Sammie said about Gabe's remark to Rico who of course, snickered back. 

Gabe went to get the garlic toast out of the oven and dished out spaghetti and meatballs to Sammy who sat down to her salad but passed the fresh ranch dressing she'd made to Rico so he could be served first.

Gabe stayed quiet as the three of them started to eat ever so casually at the dining table.

"Did you make this, Sammy?" Rico asked.

"Oh, we both did," she said Gabe did all the chopping and even helped with the meatballs. 

"We'll have meatballs all week," Gabe smiled as if he hoped he didn't say another word about Mona, but couldn't help but ask. "What does Mona make for dinner?"

"Well, you know, she's busy. I mean she stayed late at work. Sometimes, it's just cereal."

Rico shrugged and twirled the spaghetti on a fork and stuffed it in his mouth.

"Cereal?" Gabe said with disgust. "Couldn't she at least make you a decent bowl of Ramen with some veg and a fried egg on top?"

"We might be lazy," Rico admitted. "I wish we had more meals together, but with jobs and all it doesn't happen often."

"Are you sure you two live together?"

"Enough," Sammy eyed Gabe as if he was going too far. "Sometimes, all we have is a peanut butter sandwich, and we survive, don't we?"

That shut Gabe up. He was going to clean his plate or else, and finish off the cottage cheese too.

"Sorry, I'm being an ass," Gabe said later while they cleaned up and Sammy took a call from her mother in the bedroom. "I just don't want to see my Dad. I can't stand the thought of it, you know."

"I get it," Rico told him of his troubles with his own mother. "All I ever was, was a paycheck to her, and now that I'm gone. Well, I can't go back either. There are just some things that stick in your mind while growing up. But you are going to be a dad now."

Rico dried the dishes. "You never mentioned how you felt about that?"

Gabe scrubbed on the pot they used for any dinner. He wanted it nice and clean for the next stir-fry or a stew.

"Oh, I guess it's setting in," Gabe said. "I mean, I never was expecting it, by any means..and then it did, and well.." Gabe winced. "Yeah, it makes me nervous. It makes me mad that I don't know how to be a good father. I want to be, but..but what if I am just like my Dad, after all?"

"That would never happen," Rico squinted.

"Hell, I'm already turning in to him."

Gabe cracked up. "I don't know how to play nice, you know. I just know I talk like him sometimes. I don't want to, and then before I can stop myself I'm saying things I shouldn't." 

He was quiet then as he rinsed the pot. "I'm so lucky to have found Sammy. I don't want to lose her. But..you know, the things I thought I would be doing with my mom, haven't happened. It's hard to meet the past again. I don't want that to happen to you. I don't want you having to do everything for Mona, either."

He pressed his lips tight and went to get them a light beer from the fridge. "Are you sure you're happy with Mona?"

"Yes, yes I am," he said to Gabe after he popped the top off the beer. "And I know you're happy with Sammy. Don't think about anybody but the two of you starting a family. It'll be fine."

Gabe wasn't so sure of that as he took a sip of beer.

"I find Mona rather fascinating," Rico smiled.

"Get out of here," Gabe almost spewed his beer on Rico.

"See, I don't have to worry about you taking Mona away from me." 

He laughed and Gabe laughed too.

More times than not, life's a whole lot

 

Cam looked at the gooey casserole when Carmen took off the foil. He couldn't help but stare. Oh, how this old body of his wanted it. She might as well be offering sex instead of King Ranch Chicken. Hell, he could eat that cold for breakfast. He sighed.

"I could make you casseroles every night," she said.

"Oh, that-that's not necessary." He shook his head no. He hated to tell her he couldn't eat like this anymore. He had to watch his blood pressure, his blood sugar and God knows what else.

"But..but I just want to help."

Carmen nursed her bottom lip as a strand of hair got caught in her eye. He was a little worried about her. He knew she wanted to send Trish to be with Liv in Seoul. And she thought she could cook and clean for him if he did this deed for her.

"Look, I want you to just focus on you and studying," he grasped her hand then at the kitchen table to take a seat. "I know you will get into the nursing program. I just know you will, and you shouldn't be worried about Trish so much."

Carmen sat down and sighed. "I just know it would mean the world to her."

"Oh, you mean the world to Trish," he told her. "It was you who got her out of feeling so sorry for herself when Liv left," Cam told her he'd think of a way to get Trish there to be with Liv when her baby was born.

"Your information helped a lot, it looks like such a good deal, and you know, she could spend most of May with Liv and her family."

Cam finally understood why Rico had liked Carmen so much. Cam wished he hadn't thought it so fleeting then, but he guessed Rico had moved on with Mona.

"Are you and Justin doing OK?" 

"I guess so," she nodded.

He went to get her some lemonade from the fridge.

"You guess so?"

"He's been busy lately." 

Carmen nodded.

"Busy?"

"He works from home," Carmen told him she still spent afternoons at the group home and she took Randy home from work.

"Randy?" Cam winced. He still didn't understand why they took in a twenty-year-old to raise.

"He's a good kid," she assured him. "He needs us as much as we need him."

She was proud that he'd found a job at Good Will.

"But..but will he still be with you guys when you want to start a family?" He looked at her blankly.

"But..but we're enough of a family," Carmen's smile was open.

Cam could see why Trish was worried about Carmen. Yet, Carmen was such a giving person and maybe, just like she said, that was enough.

He felt he and Kang weren't exactly partners, but he did like having him around even if they didn't get along all the time. It was the best he could do. And ever so often Cam had a date. Usually, it was with Pan's Mom, but it wasn't something he could mark on the calendar. 

"Look, between Kang and me, we'll get Trish there. Who knows, Kang might want to go with her, but if he is such a big friend of Liv's father, he'd send him there with his wife. So, don't you worry."

He cut a piece of the warm cheesy casserole for her to eat, and he took a little slice for himself.