A Change of Plans

"It'll be okay, Sophie," Jane murmured, holding her daughter closely. Sophie was squirming uncomfortably and murmuring to herself, eyeing the decorations and guests with equal parts curiosity and distaste. For such an outgoing child, Sophie was exhibiting an odd shyness and fear when it came to her birthday party. She'd made Jane carry her around, despite the fact that she was almost five and was getting a little too big for it. Ethan was happily gurgling in his high chair at the table, but Sophie had been fretful and unhappy throughout the entire party. 

In retrospect, it had probably been a mistake to hire the clown. 

"See, Sophie, it's a cake! You like cake." Jane pointed to the store-bought creation that had cost entirely too much for one simple cake. Still, Jane wasn't exactly the best baker, even if she could cook up a storm in other areas of the kitchen. Desserts were her Kryptonite. "Time to blow out the candles, Soph!"

Sophie's interest perked up as she regarded the bright, goopy cake. Food was always a good sign, and she was a particular fan of sugar in any form. After she and her brother leaned forward to blow out the candles for the twins, Moe began to slice the cake. 

As Jane snuggled her daughter, she realized how few of these moments she had left. Tomorrow the children started school, and how long would it be after that until they no longer wanted to hug their mom? A bitter pang of disappointment washed over her as she realized that she'd miss the twins' younger years, as horrible as they were. 

Even as she watched, the twins seemed to grow older by the minute. They didn't need her to get the plates from the cupboards anymore. Soon enough, they wouldn't need her for anything. Jane gave a quiet sniffle and fought back the wave of tears that threatened to destroy her equable disposition. 

"Jane, are you coming?" Moe's voice was far from impatient, but everyone was already seated at the table, and they were waiting for her to join them. 

"Yes, I'm sorry," she apologized, grabbing a slice and sitting down. "Just thinking about something, I guess." Moe glanced at her quizzically, but she shook her head and smiled. "Really, I'm fine. Let's eat!" The twins needed no further instruction, and dug into their cake with their typical zest. 

"Okay, Jane, what's the matter?" Moe asked as they began cleaning up from the day's activities. "You seem a little down." 

She was carefully avoiding his face as she did the dishes, and it was a few minutes before she answered. "I want another baby, Moe." 

"You what? Jane, we just barely made it through these two!" he pointed out, gesturing towards the living room where Sophie was methodically pulling the head off of her teddy bear. "And now you want more? I love our kids, but we're so close to having free time again." 

"I suppose you're right," she admitted, adding another plate to the dishwasher. She didn't bring the subject up again, but there was a tiny tug in the back of her mind, as if her body knew something the rest of her didn't yet. 

---

"Shit, shit, shit," Jane muttered to herself as she pulled into the parking lot of the Twinbrook Foudation Hospital. It was only a week after the fateful conversation with Moe, and she'd started noticing signs. The signs- nausea every morning, weird cravings for ice cream and spaghetti, and a slight waddle in her step. So she'd made an appointment with her doctor to find out for sure and get some medical advice, and possibly better forms of birth control. 

§200 and a freezing cold exam room later, it was official: Jane was pregnant again. This was going to be an awkward conversation.

"So, you know how you said you didn't want any more kids for now?" 

Moe started in surprise. "Yes... What brought that up?" 

Jane didn't reply automatically. She didn't know how to tell him without it turning into a fight, and as they barely ever fought, she wasn't quite sure how to win a fight with Moe. 

Ah, the hell with it, she thought. Maybe the band-aid method was best. 

"I went to the doctor today and it turns out I'm pregnant again," she announced in one breath. "But before you say anything, just hear me out. Don't you remember how cute Sophie and Ethan were when they were born? I know this isn't exactly what you wanted, but it'll be great to have another baby around the house, and Sophie and Ethan will have a little brother or sister..." She stopped rambling long enough to breathe again. 

"Jane-" Moe interjected before she could speak again. "That's fantastic!" 

"Wait- really?" Jane asked, glancing at her husband in confusion. "But last week, you were all gungho about not having any more babies and the twins growing up and everything..."

"Well, the timing may not be ideal," Moe admitted. "But still, we're going to have another baby! How could I be anything other than excited? I can't wait to see my baby girl." 

"It's too early for that!" she told him reproachfully. "I'm only a few weeks along, and we can't tell the gender for another two months at least. And besides, it could very well be a boy." 

"I know, I know. But I can hope, can't I?" Jane smiled back at him as he knelt to feel her stomach. Maybe this wasn't going to be such a bad idea after all. 

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