Leiah relaxed in her new hottub. She just needed to clear her mind and think about things. Mysterious things. Like what was up with that last gift? Those things just kept getting weirder and weirder.
The hottub didn't work, so Leiah tried cleaning. That didn't work either.
BUT the show, er, challenge, must go on. It's birthday time!
Oh my granny goodness, how gorgeous and unique is this girl? Lilly is totally just a smart, fun-loving teen.
Olivia. Wow. Nobody knows where her skin tone, hair color, or eyes come from. You would have thought that she has a totally different father than her twin sister.
Nori is such a pretty girl, and she insists on doing her hair in her complicated braids every morning. If you could see her with her hair down, you would be able to see that she really does have very very long hair.
This little lady cannot wait until she's older.. She wants to be in beauty pageants! Mia is a natural beauty, and always will be.
Desta is still a charmer. He's that boy at school that all the other kids wish they could be, simply because he's already getting all the girls' attention.
Except for Leiah's eyes, Molly got her father's complex facial structure. As a toddler, her genetics made most people stop and stare, but she will become a beautiful young woman. That dang blonde gene strikes yet again though. Must be recessive.
Hannah has her father's face all the way, but Leiah's hair color. Just like her sister, she will most likely get more and more good looking as she gets older.
Leiah left the newly aged toddlers at home with the newly aged teenagers so that she could go and soak up some sun at the beach. She was wearing her skimpiest bikini, but why couldn't a mother of 52 wear something like that? Suddenly though, a chill ran down Leiah's spine, and she noticed that the beach was very empty and very quiet.
A familiar deep voice was the culprit of her sudden nervousness.
"Hello Leiah."
That was all he said. Nothing more, nothing less.
He slowly walked up to her and reached out for her arm. Leiah moved her arm, just as he advanced more quickly on her.
"Chad, stop!"
Leiah yelled at him and managed to crawl out of his grasp and over the side of the chair. She tried to run, but suddenly her legs wouldn't carry her, she felt too weak. She also felt bare, her strapless bikini top felt like it was slipping off and she knew that she couldn't do a thing about it.
He took the opportunity to pull her into his arms and put his mouth on hers. No, it wasn't a kiss. It was a mouth forced upon another mouth.
The last thing she remembered was a sharp poke in her arm, and then being carried by strong arms as her vision went darker and darker. She briefly remembered waking up, laying next to a warm body, but then she felt another sharp poke and a male's voice whisper in her ear.
"I'm sorry it had to be this way Leiah..."
The next morning, Leiah woke up fully dressed and under the covers.
"Oh good, it was all a drea..."
She was cut short by the sounds of cooking and a male voice humming downstairs.
Leiah groaned in pain and turned over, only to see a note sitting on her bedside table. It was from Lilly and Olivia.
"Mom, there was a man that told us that you said to age up and move out.
P.s. He's cute, have fun baby making!
Love forever,
Lilly and Olivia"
Attached to the note was a picture of the two as young adults. Leiah's heart swelled and she had to swallow past the lump in her throat several times to keep from crying. Her babies? Gone? Without so much as a goodbye?
Leiah remembered everything. Well, except for the parts where she was unconscious. But she knew exactly who was downstairs, and she had no want to go greet the day by seeing her old boyfriend. So Leiah made the first people she saw that day her children. Exactly how it was supposed to be.
Sure enough, when Leiah finally made her way down the stairs, there was Chad Noskowitz. Making pancakes. In her kitchen.
He saw her, and stopped cooking to talk to her. Leiah pasted a fake smile on her face.
He gently ran a hand down her cheek, knowing how it made Leiah melt. How could it not? This was the man that Leiah had thought she was going to marry, the man that she had loved for two years.
"Leiah. I'm sorry about yesterday. That wasn't the way to do this, I know. I came here for a reason though Leiah, I'm sick. Very sick. I found out that I have Cystic Fibrosis, and I wanted to find you before I go. The doctors say that I'm in the advanced stages of it, and that it's amazing that I've even lived this long. I wanted an heir to carry on my name, and I figured the best way to have an heir was to have a child with you. I panicked and thought that you would say "no" if I asked you, so I took matters into my own hands... Please Leiah, forgive me?"
Chad SEEMED sincere. Plus, his touch was like a drug to her, it clouded her senses and she would do anything to get more.
The way he could make her skin tingle was not the only reason why she forgave him though. Her heart softened, he may have done it all wrong, but he had good reasons. Plus, how could she scorn a dying man?
"Chad... Of course I forgive you, and I want you to stay here at my house, for as long as you may live. I will help you, I can take care of you and the child you basically just told me that I'm carrying."
After their talk, Leiah sent Chad to rest, and she softly played her guitar downstairs.
Her kids were busy in the playroom. The swing has become a new favorite among her kids, and they loved to just hang out on it all day.
Mia; however, preferred the kid stove. She baked muffins, brownies, cookies, and all that good stuff all the time.
Meanwhile, Chad was spilling everything to a toddler.
"Perfect. She fell for my tricks. The boss will be happy, I bet I'll even get a raise! Now all I need to do is to get her to have the baby. After that, I give the baby to the boss and it's all in his hands." He snickered. "Literally."
He must have realized who he was talking to, because he looked sharply down at Molly.
"Why do babies have to be so disgusting? I don't get why your mother wants so many of them. They're just poopy, cranky, and stinky all the time."
Leiah was for sure pregnant, nausea hit her full force.
In between trips to the bathroom, Leiah taught the toddlers their skills.
This quiet time was not good for her though; Leiah's brain kept screaming at her that she was doing something wrong, that Chad wasn't who he seemed to be.
Her emotions were already running high, but of course pregnancy made them worse. In the middle of teaching Molly how to talk, Leiah broke down and started crying. As you can see, Hannah tried to cheer her mother up by copying her.
Molly was having a grand ol' time, however.
Leiah sucked it up though and continued with teaching Hannah and Molly their skills.
As you can see, Molly is particularly enthused about walking.
Of course, Leiah had to rush to the bathroom to get rid of the contents of her lunch.
Even after vomiting, Leiah was still nauseous. She tried to ignore it and started banging on her drums.
It didn't help, obviously, because a couple hours later, Leiah was once again bowing to the porcelain gods.
"You're giving me lots of trouble little stinker!"
Leiah told the flutters in her stomach.
Shhh, don't tell anybody, but Leiah may or may not have been sneaking some apples in the bathroom...
Chad seemed to do nothing but sit in his underwear and watch TV all day. Not that Leiah was complaining about the view... But he certainly didn't look like he was "wasting away".
Leiah was tired of playing nurse to Chad, and all the stress was making her belly grow very very slowly.
This calls for heavy measures! Leiah treated herself to a pregnancy-friendly back massage.
After that, Leiah went to the consignment shop and bought a lot of pointless knick-knacks in exchange for some of her old books.
Her day of relaxation must have helped, by the time she got home later that day, Leiah's belly was doing plenty well in the size department.
The spa helped, Leiah didn't even get stressed again when she had to go outside and pay the bills. Hmm, the cable bill was higher this month...Wonder why...
Leiah still didn't dare go anywhere upstairs, she really was tired of Chad, and she became more and more convinced that he was lying about his condition. This being said, Leiah started trying to sculpt some things out of clay.
Then she read a book, which drained another hour or so.
Finally, after avoiding Chad all night, Leiah was cranky, tired, and heavily pregnant. It was time for a verbal smackdown.
"...WOULD IT KILL YOU PUT A SHIRT ON? My son now thinks that it is perfectly fine to walk around the house with no clothes on, and it's only a matter of time before he decides that it's appropriate at school too. You're a terrible role model for my children, and I could kick you out right now!"
Lets just say that the first part of what Leiah said isn't appropriate enough to re-write here.
Being the ever-so-wonderful guy that he is, Chad listened and came back a half hour later full dressed and wanting to feel his baby kick.
Leiah may have even allowed just a little bit of kissing...But only a little bit.
Just a couple hours later, this baby was ready to come into the world, and wasn't making it easy on Leiah.
As Leiah waddled up the stairs in between contractions, Chad just looked at her with a disapproving stare.
"Oh come on now Leiah. Being a little dramatic now aren't we?"
DRAMATIC?!!!
He thought she was dramatic? Granted, it was one of her traits, but still! She was in labor!
Leiah didn't have too much more time to mull about it, because this baby was coming NOW.
All you good people, please welcome baby 53, Callyn Mistoffelees.
Now if Leiah could only figure out what to do about one of the other boys in her life.
Author's note: Thanks so much for reading, if you would like to gift the Mistoffelees' family,click here. If you would like updates about Leiah's life click here to go to her facebook page.
