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Jamia slowly moved towards the kitchen following the delectable aroma of fresh brewed coffee. As she walked in she saw Monica taking a tray of freshly baked blueberry muffins from the oven. "Oh, can I marry you instead of Frank?" she said with a smile. "In all the years we've been together the only thing he has ever made me for breakfast is cold cereal."
"Sorry. I'm taken for life" Monica said placing a muffin of a small plate and placing it in front of Jamia who had settled at the table. "Anything in your coffee?"
Jamia shook her head, "Nope, just coffee." She took a bite and chewed slowly. Monica noticed how unhappy she looked.
"Don't like it? I can fix you something else."
"What?" Jamia looked up at her confused. "No, really it's delicious. I was just thinking that I've been on bed rest one day and I'm already bored. How am I gonna get through almost four months of this?"
"You'll do it cause it's what's best for your babies" Monica told her softly.
"Oh, now I feel like a bad mother, thanks a lot" Jamia said but she smiled. "So what's our big plans for today?"
Monica took a seat at the table after she gave Jamia her coffee. "Well I thought first we could watch a movie, then read, then movie, hey, maybe a nap?"
Jamia laughed, "Really, Monica I can't thank you enough for doing this. I know this will be too much work for you and Gee will probably be pissed when he finds out you stayed here and took care of me."
"Jamia, for God's sake, I'm not doing that much. Cooking for us and taking care of the apartment is nothing. As for Gee, the man better not get pissed at me. I'm just being a friend, something that is still pretty new to me."
Jamia looked at her a moment then spoke, "You know you're kind of mysterious. You're life has gotten a lot better since you met Gee hasn't it?"
Monica had to laugh, "Well other than getting stalked and run down, yeah."
Her phone rang. It was Donna.
"Monica, Kelly isn't feeling very good so I let her stay home from school. She woke up this morning with a bad cold so I told her we couldn't come over to see you and Jamia cause it wouldn't be good for Jamia to get sick."
"Is she running a fever?" Monica asked concerned.
"Just a low grade one. She does want to talk to you." Donna passed the phone to Kelly.
"Hi mom" she sounded very congested.
"Hi honey. How bad to you feel?" She waited listening to Kelly sneeze.
"Just kind of yucky." Since she was on the cordless phone she walked into the other room where Donna couldn't hear her. "Mom, I've been wanting to ask you about the little girl from the park."
Monica had figured she would. "What about her?"
"I just got the strangest feeling about her and her mom. The mom was so sad." Kelly sneezed then asked, "She knows Gerard doesn't she?"
Monica picked up her coffee cup and walked into the living room. She didn't really want Jamia to hear the conversation. "If she is who I think she is then yes. I think that was Liv, Gerard's ex-girlfriend."
Kelly processed the information, "So the little girl?" She didn't know exactly how to ask what was on her mind.
Monica took a deep breath, "Kelly, I think the little girl is Gee's daughter. He didn't even know she existed until a few months ago."
"She didn't tell him he had a daughter, why?"
"Their break up was bad and Gee was very hurt by it. He didn't find she had had a baby until a few months ago."
"But that's terrible." Kelly said, "Poor Gerard, I bet he was upset."
Monica closed her eyes, "It's been very upsetting to him. He has been trying to find Liv so that he can talk to her about everything but he hasn't been able to."
"So she just showed up at the park? I mean do you think she did it on purpose so he would see her?"
"I have no idea and to be honest I still have no proof that the woman you talked to was her. She didn't say anything else did she?"
Kelly blew her nose while thinking, "No, but she was really nice, just very sad. The little girl looked like Mikey and Gerard when they were little. I was looking through the photo album here."
"Kelly, I don't think we should say anything about this to anyone right now. We aren't totally sure it was her and it would just upset Gerard. If that was his daughter think how strange that would make him feel knowing he had sat by his daughter and didn't even know it."
"Yeah, that's messed up." Kelly coughed, "Mom, why do I get these feelings about stuff. I mean I never did before, why now?"
"I don't know but I wouldn't worry about it." Monica was at a loss for words.
"I'm psychic, I think" Kelly said softly. "I knew something bad was going to happen to you before it did and I knew when Christa talked to Ray he would wake up."
"Do the feelings just come to you?" Monica wasn't sure how to approach this subject.
"Yep, it's weird and kinda scary." Monica wished she was there with her.
"Honey, try to look at it like a gift. You can sense things that other people can't. That makes you really special."
"Typical mom answer." Kelly said with a laugh. "I dunno maybe it won't happen again."
"Just don't worry about it. Concentrate on getting over your cold so you can come over and visit Jamia."
"I really want to." She whined. "Oh yeah I was supposed to tell you that Donna said that she and Don would check in on Mikey and Alicia's cats today so you don't have to worry about them. Donna told me about them going to Vegas and getting married, that's so romantic."
"Tell her thank you for me." Monica said smiling.
"I will" she sneezed once more, "I'm gonna go lay down now. Donna said she's gonna make me some chicken noodle soup for lunch."
"That sounds good, call me late OK?"
"OK mom" Kelly said, "and mom, one more thing. You might not be sure about the woman in the park and the little girl being connected to Gerard, but I am."
Monica was taken back by Kelly's last statement. She slowly closed the phone and walked back into the kitchen, " Want another muffin?"
Jamia shook her head, "No thanks. Is everything OK?"
"Kelly has a bad cold and stayed home from school today. She's bummed cause she wants to come and visit you but we told her she couldn't until she's better. The last thing you need right now is an awful cold."
"I hope my kids are as great as yours." She took a sip of coffee. "This whole 'being a mother' thing has me worried."
"You and Frank will be great parents." He phone rang again. Caller ID let her know it was Bert.
"Good morning Bert" she answered.
"Monica, where are you?" he asked coming right to the point.
"I'm visiting Jamia today." She answered not wanting to tell him she was really staying with Jamia until Frank got back. Bert was notorious for spilling the beans.
"Are you gonna be there a while?"
Monica was confused, "Aren't you in California?"
He sighed, "No actually I here in New York. I need to see you. Can I come over?"
Monica shrugged, "Sure, you know the address?"
"Yeah, I know where Frank lives. I'll be there in about thirty minutes." He hung up without saying anything else.
"What was that all about?"
"Bert wants to see me." Monica answered.
"Did he say why?"
"No, I guess I'll find out when he gets here." She picked up Jamia's plate and set it in the sink. "Come on let's get you back to the sofa."
Once Jamia was settled and watching TV, Monica went back in the kitchen to wash the breakfast dishes. After that she took inventory of the refrigerator and made a shopping list. The house was in desperate need of chocolate. Jamia was watching her blood sugar but a small piece a day wouldn't hurt. The doorbell rang just as she was walking back into the living room.
"That must be Bert," she said to Jamia as she crossed to the door. It was indeed Bert standing there. Monica opened her mouth to greet him but suddenly noticed he wasn't alone. Standing beside him, holding his hand was the little girl from the park.



Authors Note - Points to the first person who understands why Monica said what she did when Jamia asked if she would marry her..........