Chapter 16: Unforseen Complications

The women attend their next meeting, but not without encountering a few surprises while they're there.

The third group meeting commences right on schedule, and this time there are no late arrivals. All five women show up in a timely fashion and sit down, with some of them helping themselves to refreshments as they engage in a brief conversation. In spite of the bland, melancholy room around them, the tone and atmosphere among the five is peaceful overall, apart from the heated but silent glares exchanged between Tequila and Danielle. Presumably, there might still be some bad blood between them after what happened last time.

"Good lord, Rosemary! What are you packing in there?" the organizer asks, eyeing the enlarged stomach before her, now on full display for everyone else in the room.

"Oh, this? Heh, well it was kind of a surprise discovery after my husband went out to war," Rosemary explains. "He's certainly gonna be in for a surprise if and when he comes back."

"So that must be what you were refusing to talk about last time," the organizer ponders.

"You know, I still ain't too pleased at how ya' waited so long to tell me about it." Katrina smirks, giving her daughter-in-law a noogie. "If I'm gonna have me some grandkids, I'd rather know ASAP."

"Well congratulations. I'm definitely happy for you," Roxanne chimes in, her tone slightly less optimistic. "You have no idea how lucky you are to be able to have children at all."

"I'm truly sorry to hear that, but there's no need to try and cut people down while they're having their moment," Tequila replies.

"And what do you know about motherhood? You got your tubes tied just days after you moved out, and for the sole purpose of giving your mom the finger too." Danielle folds her arms. "Besides, I thought doctors required you to have a couple of kids before being allowed to make that decision."

"Yeah, well not these days. The only female reproductive procedures that aren't done on demand are abortions after the second trimester. Except in rare emergencies, of course. And as for tube-tying, the only requirement for it is that you bank your eggs beforehand," Tequila explains. "Plus, who are you to talk, Ms. I've-been-on-birth-control-my-entire-life-and-whored-myself-out-for-almost-a-decade?"

"Honestly, part of me wishes social media had never been invented. That way, people would be less outspoken about themselves, and petty squabbles like this would almost be non-existent." the organizer rolls her eyes.

"Who the f**k asked you?!" Tequila and Danielle shout in unison.

Katrina silently chuckles at the sight of the banter between the two, before turning her attention back to Roxanne. The latter's current temperament looks like a complete one-eighty compared to her normally brooding and scarred, yet still friendly persona.

"Say, uh, did somethin' happen to ya' that I should know about?" Katrina asks. "I dunno, ya' kinda' have this... glow to ya'. And ya' seem to be frownin' a lot less than usual recently."

"Well let's just say I should take your advice more often," Roxanne replies, unable to stop smiling. "I can't remember the last time I felt this complete."

"Aww, dat's good to hear," Katrina praises.

"Come to think of it, you seem a little more relaxed as well," Roxanne comments. "Like, maybe you've caught up on your sleep or something?"

"As a matter of fact, I have. I had Rosemary and Justine pitch in and help me with my workload, and takin' that one step alone has made so much of a difference," Katrina explains, grinning uncontrollably. "And now that I got less to do, I've been able to spend more time helpin' Rosemary get ready for motherhood."

"She'll probably need all the help she can get, what with your son gone... uh, Junior, right?" Roxanne inquires, having seldom interacted with Katrina's family after their lives took them in different directions.

"You got it." Katrina winks, snapping her fingers and making a gun symbol with the same hand.

"Alright, everyone! May I have your attention, please?" the organizer stands up, clapping her hands a few times to quiet everyone down. "Now, I know we all surely have a lot to talk about, and judging by the discussions I've heard so far, it seems all of you overcame the problems you were facing before."

"You got that right," Tequila mumbles.

"But at this time, I think you should all be receiving your routine emails from your husbands by now," the organizer continues. "In addition, I will be handing out all of your husbands' medals so you ladies can hand them out when they all get back home."

As if on cue, almost everyone's devices in the room go off, prompting their owners to click on their email apps and start reading, being handed their husbands' awards in the process.

"Aww, he says he's considering starting a family after he gets back," Rosemary chuckles. "Little does he know he already got what he wished for."

"And Mark just told me he keeps a bikini photo of me under his pillow every night," Katrina coos. "He says it helps him control his urges and sleep better."

"Huh. Jasper's just been promoted to lieutenant. Way to do me proud, dude." Tequila smiles.

"Aaaaannnddd, Blake has nothing to report," Danielle says dully.

Roxanne is the only one to have not yet received an email from her husband. As she fiddles with the ribbons and medals in her hand, she can't help but feel her stomach sink at the thought of what could be going wrong on Trevor's end. The last thing she wants now is to have something terrible happen right after she's worked so hard to get her life back on track.

"Oh, and Roxanne? The organization was sent this letter for you," the organizer says, handing her a buff-colored envelope with her name written on it in cursive. It's sealed shut with an American flag sticker. "I'm so sorry..."

Now with her pounding heart lodged inside her neck, Roxanne slowly and wordlessly accepts the letter, pulling out the folded white sheet of paper and starting to read. She can feel everyone else's eyes on her, but chooses not to acknowledge it. Her own eyes trace every line of text carefully, her brow lightly furrowed all the while... only to raise back up as she begins to comprehend what she's being told through the letter. Roxanne learns about Trevor's fighter jet being downed above France, and everyone within it being rendered unconscious. However, according to the note, Trevor has been confirmed as the only occupant who technically didn't survive.

"Well? Don't keep us in suspense," Katrina says. "What's it say?"

"Don't tell me-" Tequila interjects.

"H-He's... he's gone..." Roxanne replies, her voice surprisingly calm and unwavering.

"Oh no..." Rosemary's voice trails off.

"You have my condolences," Danielle butts in.

"And I'm sure Danielle here speaks for all of us." the organizer nods, already wiping a tear. "But I'm afraid our time is up for today. I will see all of you here on the last meeting come December, when this horrible war will finally be history."

As everyone stands up and gets ready to leave, they can't stop taking glances at Roxanne, watching as she slowly and silently gathers her things and heads for the door as the first one to leave.

"Hey, if you need anything, we've all exchanged our contact information," Tequila says.

"That's right. Don't be afraid to talk to any of us if you need any help with coping or anything like that," Rosemary adds.

Roxanne just ignores all the comments aimed her way and leaves the building, her face blank and emotionless and her breathing oddly steady.