Chapter 12: A Family Compromise

Rosemary works up the nerve to tell Katrina about her pregnancy, while Katrina requests Rosemary's help with her workload.

Dear Rose,

Just wanted to let you know that I'm doing alright. This war's been pretty brutal so far, but I've been fortunate to not receive any injuries whenever I'm on the front lines... except for a bit of ringing in my ears from all the explosions and gunfire. There's no telling when this war is going to end, but if my streak of good luck keeps up, then I'll be alive and unharmed by the end of it all.

I hope you're doing okay back at home, but hopefully not working yourself too hard like you often do. God knows how much I miss you, and I wish I could contact you more often. But the general told us we only get to do this every few months, and I remember the program saying you weren't allowed to write back. Bummer.

But I'm afraid that's all I have to say for now. I love you, and I miss you more than anything else back home. Tell my mom and sister I said hi, and take care of yourself. Oh, and don't be afraid to surprise me when I get back. I love surprises!

Sincerely,

Mark Jr.

"Oh, he's gonna be in for one hell of a surprise alright," Rosemary muses as she finishes reading the email.

It's been two weeks since the last meeting, during which she's continued to live her normal life as best as she can while getting accustomed to the fact that she has a baby growing inside of her. All the while pondering how to move the crib she ordered into the house without throwing out her back.

As Rosemary places a hand on her rounded stomach to test for kicks, it dawns on her that her husband will most likely not be there to witness their child's birth. A fact she's unfortunately had to confess to the doctor during one of her ultrasound tests when he asked about the child's father. She's no stranger to labor and delivery, but she just can't bear to think about going through it all by herself. Why, even when she pushed out that unwanted kid all those years ago, she still had a friend nearby... or rather, ex-friend by now.

As of this very moment, her mind is made up. If Rosemary doesn't want to deliver her baby alone, then she needs to tell Katrina as soon as possible. After all, if she can work up the guts to tell a random doctor, then she should be able to tell her mother-in-law. Upon making such a stand, she puts her phone away and gets ready to head out, once again donning a heavy coat to conceal her bump until the big reveal.

---

Meanwhile, over at Simmons Manor, Katrina busies herself on her own computer, taking a short break from managing Mark's businesses and reading the email he sent her from who knows where.

Dear Katrina,

The sooner this war ends, the better. Ever since I enlisted myself, things have been absolutely dull. All we do is wake up at the crack of dawn, rush through our routines and go out on patrol all day, only to find that hardly anyone's attacked our troop yet. Even the occasional entertainment isn't up to snuff. They have a few PlayStations and XBOXes set up in the tent, but they're more suited for the younger generations. Occasionally, they'll bring in some scantily-clad flappers to dance for us all, but the whole time I'm just imagining you in those skimpy American flag costumes. I apologize if that sounds cheesy, but I just can't stop missing you.

If it weren't for the fact that the well-being of our country hangs in the balance, I would've dropped out a long time ago. I just despise being so unproductive for such a long span of time. I would give anything to be able to check on my business empire and spend time with my family for just one day, but oh well. At least Junior's here to keep me company for the time being. So long as the two of us stay strong, all this conflict and violence will be over before we know it.

I hope my shareholders aren't giving you too much of a hard time in my absence. All I can say is, I'll be back whenever I can be. I love you more than anything in the world, and I'm terribly sorry about breaking my streak and missing our anniversary for the first time this year. I'd do anything to be able to come home just for that.

Sincerely,

Mark.

"You? In a flapper outfit? Geez, I'd hurl if I didn't just put in my Invisalign." Priscilla sneers at her sister, having read the letter over her shoulder.

"Oh, quit bein' so sour. He never fails to sound so romantic." Katrina grins. "Maybe I oughta' surprise him by dressin' like that when he gets back."

"Yeah, and then he'll take one look at your post-two-kids body and immediately file for a divorce." Priscilla smirks.

"Y'know, I never understood the notion that mothers can't be sexy. I mean, how do ya' think I got my kids in the first place?" Katrina shrugs.

"Aunt Priscilla, why are you always so curt to her? What'd she ever do to you?" Justine folds her arms, rolling the avocado eyes she got from her mother.

"I only mock her out of love, silly!" Priscilla replies, putting an arm around her niece.

"Right. But back to the kid thing, I dunno why, but I've been thinking about children," Justine muses.

"Speak for yourself. I'm more of the 'cool aunt' type," Priscilla says. "It's basically all the benefits of motherhood, with none of the downsides. You get to smother the kids with as much affection as you can muster, and then send 'em back home where their parents can do all the hard stuff."

"But... you adopted seven kids all those years ago. I seem to recall ya' had one from each continent," Katrina chimes in.

"Only until their biological parents came back for them, which they did." Priscilla folds her arms in a snooty manner. "...and that extra publicity didn't hurt either."

Before long, Rosemary quietly enters the mansion and finds her way into the study where her three comrades are hanging out. She briefly stops where they can't see her and takes a deep breath, reinforcing her courage, before finally stepping all the way in.

"Well now. What brings you here?" Priscilla asks.

"Important stuff... that concerns Katrina," Rosemary responds.

"Really now?" Katrina looks up from her screen. "Does it by any chance got somethin' to do with why you're wearin' that winter coat in seventy-degree weather? And men's shoes?"

"Well I can't really think of a better way to say this, but... your son seems to like me barefoot and pregnant," Rosemary chuckles awkwardly.

"Haha yes, barefoot and... p-pregnant...?" Katrina's eyebrows shoot up as she comes to a realization.

"Yup, and I'm 99.9% sure that Junior's the father." Rosemary nods.

"O-Oh my god!" Justine whispers in shock, a hand over her mouth.

"And you didn't find this out until after he left for the war?" Priscilla inquires.

"Yeah. I guess it's a price to pay for assuming that condoms fix everything." Rosemary hangs her head. "...Please don't be too upset."

It's then that Katrina gets up from her chair and cautiously walks over as everyone else steps out of her path, before unzipping her daughter-in-law's coat and exposing the bump for everyone in the room to see. She gently places a hand over it, still way past flabbergasted. Then without warning, Katrina wraps Rosemary up in a tight hug and the latter is not sure whether or not she should bust out crying.

"Upset? How da' hell could I be upset?" she asks, sounding as though she's about to cry herself. "I'm gonna become a grandmother, for f**k's sake!"

"But we're both so young... I mean, I'm not even thirty yet, and you're only fifty-five," Rosemary says. "Not to mention it only happened about a year into my marriage."

"Nonsense, Rosie! I got pregnant less than a month after I got married." Katrina cuts her off and withdraws from the hug, both of them tearing up. "And age ain't nothin' but a number."

"I'd beg to differ-" Priscilla starts, but is silenced by an elbow to the side.

"Shut it! Er... I think what Aunt Priscilla is trying to say is congratulations! I can't wait to meet your son or daughter in... what looks to be just a few more months," Justine says. "Say, do you by any chance know what the gender is?"

"Nah, I figured I'd wait to be surprised on the due date," Rosemary replies.

"Ah, old school! I like it!" Katrina smiles. "And don't worry, dear! We'll all be here to help you out until Mark and Junior come back!"

"Pfft!" Priscilla quietly scoffs, unnoticed by anyone else.

"Thanks, I really appreciate it." Rosemary smiles back.

"And speaking of Mark, I have a favor to ask of ya' too," Katrina continues. "See, I've just been too swamped with his workload ever since he left to serve, and I could use all the help I can get."

"I've already agreed to help her out. My share of the work is honestly pretty small, so adding on some more didn't make much of a difference," Justine explains. "I don't suppose it'll be the same with your workload."

"Actually, it is. And I already know what you're gonna say. Yes, I'll help out too," Rosemary answers, placing a hand over her gut. "I could use something to do, seeing how this little nugget wants to keep me from doing household chores."

"Oh, grazzi! See this is why I love havin' a family: you get to solve multiple problems at once!" Katrina quips.

"Ain't that the truth," everyone else replies at the same time.