“Did you just call Terri’s baby a pig?” Jolie shook her fist, or rather flailed her fist, because seriously, a makeup artist with pink fingernails wasn’t the least bit threatening.
Marisa bobbled her hips and waved her hands in the air. “We stout girls are strong. I can push you over with a feather.”
“Oof!” Terri said, holding her hand over her abdomen. “She just kicked me. Ow.”
“A kick or is it a contraction?” Jolie dropped the dress on the birthing bed, while Marisa put her hand on Terri’s abdomen.
“I know the difference between a kick and a contraction,” Terri huffed. “She nailed me in the bladder.”
“How do we know she isn’t a he?” Nikki shouldered her way to displace Jolie. “Here’s my gift.”
She held up the cutest blue denim biker jacket. “Like it?”
“A girl can wear it too,” Terri said. “But I’m sure Scout would like it.”
“Scout? Seriously? You’d name a boy, Scout?” Leanna laughed. “He’ll have no choice but to go from Cub to Eagle.”
“If she’s a Girl Scout…” Jolie fluttered her eyelids. “She and Sophie Lauren can be best buddies.”
Sophie was Jolie’s little girl, and until Leanna came home with Carmelita, the only child of a Bumblebee.
“Isn’t Scout a girl’s name?” Ryker asked. “Seems you ladies are putting your thumbs on the scale.”
“I don’t know about scales, but let’s dance,” Sherelle said. “Gage brought the boombox.”
“Woo-hoo! Dance contest,” Carol said, tilting her wheelchair into the air and spinning around. “Let’s do it until Terri really does it.”
Terri hopped off the bed and gave her a high five. “Crank it up, and boogie on down.”
“Uh, Terr?” Ryker said. “Shouldn’t we be timing your contractions?”
“They’re still irregular,” Marisa said. “Trust me. I’m a nurse. The baby’s overdue, so we better get moving.”
“Whee!” Leanna turned up the music and wiggled all of her jumbo assets, holding her hands up high while Sherelle jittered like a praying mantis and Nikki jerked like a marionette.
Terri swung her waist around like she was doing the Hula-Hoop, and everyone, except the guys, egged her on. “Lower, lower, lower.”
She wobbled and rotated, bending farther and farther down, then stopped halfway as if she were stuck.
“Are you okay?” Carol rolled to her side, and everyone stopped their incessant bouncing.
Terri held onto her belly and raised her head. “My water just broke.”
Hours later, many hours later, both Jolie and Nikki were vindicated when Terri delivered not one, but two, healthy squalling babies—a boy and a girl. Scott and Sabrina Slade.
