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Chapter 12
Sara Grosse was used to being up at all hours. Pregnancy, especially in the later stages, tended to make you well-acquainted with the necessary room at all hours of the night. Another symptom of pregnancy—albeit rarer—was insomnia. Sara had a theory that it was nature’s way of making sure that missing a full night’s sleep wasn't a new phenomenon when your bundle of joy unbundled. What she wasn’t used to losing sleep over was Scooter’s insomnia. He had tossed and turned restlessly for the last two hours, still worried about whether or not Kermit had made it home safely.
Sara was glad to have him back, but irritated at him for keeping her awake.
She was proud of him for being such a loyal and dedicated assistant, but frustrated that he wouldn’t just call Kermit at the house.
She was touched that he didn’t want to disturb Kermit’s homecoming, but grumpy at him for disturbing his own.
Sheesh—this mood swing stuff was not for sissies! Sara sighed and sat up. One A.M. She got up and toddled, stomach-first, down the hall. Feigning sleep, Scooter listened to her footfalls as she padded down the hall, but was surprised, a moment later to hear Sara’s voice.
If pregnancy can engender insomnia in women, it can instill low-level panic in expectant fathers for the duration. Scooter shot out of bed and went to the doorway.
“Yes—I’d like to speak to Piggy, please.” Sara turned and saw him standing sheepishly in the doorway, squinting at her. Blurrily, Scooter saw Sara straighten in surprise. “Oh!” she said, then, “Oh. Well then. I’m, um, well I’m glad you’re back, Kermit,” she said awkwardly. “Thank you for sending Scooter home fir—what? Oh—no. Nothing. I just wanted to ask her about…um…some shoes.”
Scooter almost groaned and Sara made a rude gesture at him. Piggy would certainly know that Sara was not currently interested in any footwear other than tennis shoes, but she doubted Kermit would give her lie a second thought.
“No, really—it’s not urgent,” she farbled. “Whenever she’s, um, you know, free. Right. See you later, Kermit—what? Oh—oh. I’ll tell him. Sure thing. Good night. Yes. Thank, um, you.” Sara turned off the little cell phone and stared at it. Scooter came down the hall toward her. The hall was dark except for the ambient light from the bathroom, which spilled out into the hall and touched Sara's head and figure as though with mist. Scooter caught his breath. The sight of her, great with their child, was almost indescribable. He put his arms around her tenderly.
“So…you called?” It wasn’t really a question.
“Better than listening to you sigh and worry all night,” Sara teased. She brushed the stray wisps of red hair out of his eyes and smiled at him. “Kermit’s home but that was a…weird conversation.”
Scooter knew that she didn’t just mean the lateness of the hour. Scooter would have been hard-pressed to name an hour of the day (or night) that he and Kermit had not talked—at least once.
“Weird how?” Scooter asked. He had to reach to put his arms all the way around her.
Sara looked up, a crease between her eyebrows. “I called Piggy’s cell phone, but Kermit answered, and he said…he said she was grounded?” She shook her head. “What does that mean—Piggy’s grounded?”
Scooter looked equally baffled. “I have no idea,” he murmured, but now that he knew his boss was safe and sound at his home, Scooter felt entirely free to enjoy the comforts of his own home. Like hugging his pregnant wife.
He leaned in to claim a kiss, but Sara made a small gasp of surprise.
“Oh!” she said. “That was…that was weird.”
Scooter kissed her soft cheek instead. “The phone call?” he asked distractedly, but Sara’s next words caught him up short.
“No,” Sara said, her expression preoccupied. She put one hand on her right side and another low down on the left of her tummy. “That’s—this little bunchkin is very active. I just got a kick over here—“ She pointed to her right. “—and another one over here,” she said, indicating her left. “Maybe she’s going to be a track runner.”
“Maybe’s he’s going to be a track runner,” Scooter teased. This had become something of a game with them.
“Oh yeah?” said Sara. “Well, if it is a boy, we’ll just have to try again for a girl.”
Scooter grinned. “I liked that part,” he said cheekily, and Sara swatted him.
“And it it’s a girl?” she teased.
“Then I’ll be continually out-voted,” Scooter said. He smiled. “It’s a shame we can’t just have twins and be done with it,” he teased. Sara’s belly had caused more than one person to ask about the possibility of twins, but Sara had simply moaned that she was just extremely pregnant.
Sara smiled. “Twins do run in your family, I heard.”
Scooter smiled back. “Then maybe they’ll both be track runners!” And they laughed.
Louise Kidd hung up the phone and turned around to face her daughter, who was hovering anxiously about six inches away.
“For goodness sake, Nancy,” said her mother, laughing. “Give me a little breathing room, won’t you?”
Nancy stepped back, and Louise turned and picked up her duffle. The team was going on the road again, and Louise had packed with her usual dispatch. Unhurriedly, she hefted her luggage and walked toward the door.
“Mom!” Nancy wailed, ready to pull her hair out. “Tell me! What did she say?!”
Louise stopped and faced her daughter.
“She said…yes. Or rather, she said Kermit said yes, so it’s a go. That frog of yours is going to get to come on vacation with us, after all.”
Nancy shrieked, jumped almost into her mother’s arms, hugged her, kissed her on both cheeks and ran for her room—and her phone.
Billy looked up from his coffee and gave his wife a fond look.
“True love,” he said mildly.
“So it would seem,” Louise said. She walked over and put a hand on the back of her husband’s neck, then bent and kissed him on one of his great curved horns. When she straightened, he’d put his coffee down on the table and put his arms around her waist, pulling her onto his lap so he could kiss her.
“Have a good time on the road,” he said. “We’ll be ready to go when you get back home.”
“You’re always ready to go,” she teased. She kissed him and stood, heading for the door. She stopped and smiled at him. “Billy,” she said. “Try not to be tooo scary, okay? Robin’s a nice kid.”
Billy snorted. “Me?” he said. “Scary? I thought I was wonderful.”
Louise laughed. “You are,” she said. “Wonderfully scary.” The door opened and closed, and she was gone.
“Not as scary as Kermit,” Billy said out loud in the silence, then laughed softly and finished his coffee.
(Okay--now I'm done. Finis!)
Sara Grosse was used to being up at all hours. Pregnancy, especially in the later stages, tended to make you well-acquainted with the necessary room at all hours of the night. Another symptom of pregnancy—albeit rarer—was insomnia. Sara had a theory that it was nature’s way of making sure that missing a full night’s sleep wasn't a new phenomenon when your bundle of joy unbundled. What she wasn’t used to losing sleep over was Scooter’s insomnia. He had tossed and turned restlessly for the last two hours, still worried about whether or not Kermit had made it home safely.
Sara was glad to have him back, but irritated at him for keeping her awake.
She was proud of him for being such a loyal and dedicated assistant, but frustrated that he wouldn’t just call Kermit at the house.
She was touched that he didn’t want to disturb Kermit’s homecoming, but grumpy at him for disturbing his own.
Sheesh—this mood swing stuff was not for sissies! Sara sighed and sat up. One A.M. She got up and toddled, stomach-first, down the hall. Feigning sleep, Scooter listened to her footfalls as she padded down the hall, but was surprised, a moment later to hear Sara’s voice.
If pregnancy can engender insomnia in women, it can instill low-level panic in expectant fathers for the duration. Scooter shot out of bed and went to the doorway.
“Yes—I’d like to speak to Piggy, please.” Sara turned and saw him standing sheepishly in the doorway, squinting at her. Blurrily, Scooter saw Sara straighten in surprise. “Oh!” she said, then, “Oh. Well then. I’m, um, well I’m glad you’re back, Kermit,” she said awkwardly. “Thank you for sending Scooter home fir—what? Oh—no. Nothing. I just wanted to ask her about…um…some shoes.”
Scooter almost groaned and Sara made a rude gesture at him. Piggy would certainly know that Sara was not currently interested in any footwear other than tennis shoes, but she doubted Kermit would give her lie a second thought.
“No, really—it’s not urgent,” she farbled. “Whenever she’s, um, you know, free. Right. See you later, Kermit—what? Oh—oh. I’ll tell him. Sure thing. Good night. Yes. Thank, um, you.” Sara turned off the little cell phone and stared at it. Scooter came down the hall toward her. The hall was dark except for the ambient light from the bathroom, which spilled out into the hall and touched Sara's head and figure as though with mist. Scooter caught his breath. The sight of her, great with their child, was almost indescribable. He put his arms around her tenderly.
“So…you called?” It wasn’t really a question.
“Better than listening to you sigh and worry all night,” Sara teased. She brushed the stray wisps of red hair out of his eyes and smiled at him. “Kermit’s home but that was a…weird conversation.”
Scooter knew that she didn’t just mean the lateness of the hour. Scooter would have been hard-pressed to name an hour of the day (or night) that he and Kermit had not talked—at least once.
“Weird how?” Scooter asked. He had to reach to put his arms all the way around her.
Sara looked up, a crease between her eyebrows. “I called Piggy’s cell phone, but Kermit answered, and he said…he said she was grounded?” She shook her head. “What does that mean—Piggy’s grounded?”
Scooter looked equally baffled. “I have no idea,” he murmured, but now that he knew his boss was safe and sound at his home, Scooter felt entirely free to enjoy the comforts of his own home. Like hugging his pregnant wife.
He leaned in to claim a kiss, but Sara made a small gasp of surprise.
“Oh!” she said. “That was…that was weird.”
Scooter kissed her soft cheek instead. “The phone call?” he asked distractedly, but Sara’s next words caught him up short.
“No,” Sara said, her expression preoccupied. She put one hand on her right side and another low down on the left of her tummy. “That’s—this little bunchkin is very active. I just got a kick over here—“ She pointed to her right. “—and another one over here,” she said, indicating her left. “Maybe she’s going to be a track runner.”
“Maybe’s he’s going to be a track runner,” Scooter teased. This had become something of a game with them.
“Oh yeah?” said Sara. “Well, if it is a boy, we’ll just have to try again for a girl.”
Scooter grinned. “I liked that part,” he said cheekily, and Sara swatted him.
“And it it’s a girl?” she teased.
“Then I’ll be continually out-voted,” Scooter said. He smiled. “It’s a shame we can’t just have twins and be done with it,” he teased. Sara’s belly had caused more than one person to ask about the possibility of twins, but Sara had simply moaned that she was just extremely pregnant.
Sara smiled. “Twins do run in your family, I heard.”
Scooter smiled back. “Then maybe they’ll both be track runners!” And they laughed.
Louise Kidd hung up the phone and turned around to face her daughter, who was hovering anxiously about six inches away.
“For goodness sake, Nancy,” said her mother, laughing. “Give me a little breathing room, won’t you?”
Nancy stepped back, and Louise turned and picked up her duffle. The team was going on the road again, and Louise had packed with her usual dispatch. Unhurriedly, she hefted her luggage and walked toward the door.
“Mom!” Nancy wailed, ready to pull her hair out. “Tell me! What did she say?!”
Louise stopped and faced her daughter.
“She said…yes. Or rather, she said Kermit said yes, so it’s a go. That frog of yours is going to get to come on vacation with us, after all.”
Nancy shrieked, jumped almost into her mother’s arms, hugged her, kissed her on both cheeks and ran for her room—and her phone.
Billy looked up from his coffee and gave his wife a fond look.
“True love,” he said mildly.
“So it would seem,” Louise said. She walked over and put a hand on the back of her husband’s neck, then bent and kissed him on one of his great curved horns. When she straightened, he’d put his coffee down on the table and put his arms around her waist, pulling her onto his lap so he could kiss her.
“Have a good time on the road,” he said. “We’ll be ready to go when you get back home.”
“You’re always ready to go,” she teased. She kissed him and stood, heading for the door. She stopped and smiled at him. “Billy,” she said. “Try not to be tooo scary, okay? Robin’s a nice kid.”
Billy snorted. “Me?” he said. “Scary? I thought I was wonderful.”
Louise laughed. “You are,” she said. “Wonderfully scary.” The door opened and closed, and she was gone.
“Not as scary as Kermit,” Billy said out loud in the silence, then laughed softly and finished his coffee.
(Okay--now I'm done. Finis!)
