Rollercoaster Ride
Part 2
Warning: Minor Character Death.
As before this is not a Melanie friendly
story.
3 months, 2 weeks, 2 days and 14 hours before the birth of Abraham Novatny Marcus
The state of the art obstetrics imaging lab at
“Okay Ms. Marcus, are you ready to see your baby?”
Annoyed that the other 5 persons were in the room, Melanie curtly answers the doctor. “Yes, doctor. Get on with it.” True she had invited them, but only because Lindsey had insisted. She was sure that they would decline. After all she had made her feelings toward them very clear. Couldn’t they take a hint.
“Are you sure that you want to know the sex of the baby?”
A resounding “Yes!” can be heard from 6 very excited people.
All but Lindsey misses the flash of hatred and anger that momentarily blazes across Melanie’s face.
The doctor then turns the monitor. “Ms. Marcus here’s your son.”
A collective gasp can be heard as the all peer at the color image of a little boy sucking his thumb as he lies safely in his mother’s womb.
With tears in his eyes Em breaks the
silence. “Well look a
there. He’s going to be
a BIG hit at
“Sorry ladies and gentlemen, but I’m going to have to clear the room so that I can complete my exam.”
“Doctor, I’d like Lindsey to stay.”
The look of shock that crosses Lindsey’s face goes unnoticed by none.
“Of course Ms. Peterson please stay.”
Out in the hall six people give each other knowing looks, but it is Deb that gives voice to their thoughts.
“Well maybe she’s been replaced by a pod person again…”
“Ma! Mel’s just been difficult because of the hormones from being pregnant.”
“Michael, Hon. I moved into a roach infested one room dump rather than live with Mel. She was always a ball buster, but now she’s a full-blown uber bitch. You of all people know that…or has she stopped the proceedings to terminate your parental rights, because your partner and foster son are HIV positive and pose a threat to her baby’s health and welfare.”
“Once the baby is born she’ll drop the suit and everything will be back to normal. Hell look at today. She invited us all here to see the baby.”
It’s Ben who burst Michael’s bubble. “Michael I think it’s more likely that she invited us thinking that we would be so pissed that we wouldn’t show up. Then she could have used it against us in court.”
Murmurs of agreement could be heard from all.
Later at the Peterson-Marcus Home
Lindsey is on her way up stairs to wake Gus from his afternoon nap. As she passes Melanie who is sitting with her feet on the coffee table she can’t help, but comment. “Mel you always go ballistic when Brian does that.”
“That’s because this is not Brian’s house. It is MY house and if I want to put MY feet up on my table then I can.”
Lindsey starts to comment on the MY house…MY table, but decides it’s not worth the argument and again starts to go and wake Gus. Once again Mel stops her.
Holding up the sonogram picture, “He’s perfect, but then again he wouldn’t dare be anything but. After all he’s MY kid.”
“YOUR kid, YOUR house, and YOUR table. Don’t you mean OUR?”
“Don’t start Lindsey. You know what I mean. I’m not excluding you. Not that there isn’t precedence for doing that.”
“What are you talking about?”
“I’m talking about how you and Brian made me the third wheel throughout your pregnancy. Well now you know how it feels.”
“Mel from the beginning you have viewed this pregnancy as some kind of competition or power play…First you wanted to cut Michael out of it completely. Then you wanted to be superwoman…Then Michael was back in, but was supposed to only do what he’s told, when he’s told, and how he’s told…And now! My God! You’re using it as a weapon of revenge. Don’t obey the all mighty Mel and there is hell to pay.”
Noticing that Melanie has begun reading a legal document and is ignoring her, Lindsey uncharacteristically walks over and snatches the document from a stunned and suddenly very attentive Mel.
“Be very careful Mel. You’re putting a lot of negative energy out and it has made for a whole lot of bad Karma for you and the baby.”
Angered by the truth in Lindsey’s words, Mel simply answers, “Not THE baby. MY baby and because he’s MY baby he’ll weather any storm because he’s a MARCUS. I believe that YOUR kid is calling you.”
Lindsey can’t believe that she was so wrapped up in her argument with Melanie that she didn’t hear Gus calling her. Lately Melanie has become a human black hole—she sucks all your energy and attention towards her to the detriment of everyone and everything else. Feeling hurt and wanting to hurt back she starts up the stairs, but not before giving Mel something to contemplate.
“Actually he’s also a Novotny. You know whinny, nieve, needy, socially inept, emotionally stunted, less than genius IQ Novotny. Totally vulnerable Novotny.”
3months, 2 weeks, 2 days and 13 hours later at
Lindsey walks out into the waiting room where eight very anxious and excited people are awaiting the birth of Abraham Novotny Marcus. Even Brian has shown up repaying Michael for all the waiting he’s done with him in hospitals over the last 3 years.
Everyone smiles as they see Lindsey approaching, but their smiles fade as they get a closer look at her face.
“Deb begins to yell, “What? Tell us!”
“He didn’t make is. He looks perfect and weighs 6 pounds 4 ounces and is 19” long. It was a prolapsed cord. They tried, but he just…” As Lindsey dissolves into tears Brian places his arms around her. While six people stare in shock and join Lindsey in her grieving the two other occupants of the waiting room—Brian and Justin look at each other and know that their plans to make tonight a double celebration aren’t going to happen. Their life altering announcement will just have to wait.
One week later, Abraham Novotny Marcus is laid to rest with, per his mother’s request, only two people present at his burial. As Michael and Melanie watch their son’s casket being lowered into the ground Melanie has only one thought. It’s all their fault. Lindsey and Gus will pay for this.
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