When Worlds Collide
Or, While You Were Having Your Existential Crisis...
It had all started a few weeks after the bombs. Eric Green found himself caught between two worlds, and the two worlds were about to collide. I think Eric was one of the last people in town to see this eclipse coming, though by rights he should have been the first.
The worlds I'm talking about were the ones revolving around April Green and Mary Bailey. One a feisty medical professional, one a spunky business owner, both women any guy in town would be glad to orbit, but I'll never know how Eric ended up circling either of them. I guess love works in mysterious ways. And in the case of April, Mary, and Eric Green, it worked in unexpected ways.
Just before that first Thanksgiving after the bombs, everything seemed headed towards combustion - on level with the Big Bang - in their universe. Seems each had finally gotten fed up with the fact that their love had another love, and neither was willing to be strung along any further. Mary confronted Eric one morning, tearfully telling him that if he wanted her, he'd better figure out what he was going to do about it, and April cornered him that afternoon to inform him shakily that she was pregnant, and he'd better decide if he was really committed for the long haul. Despairing at the choice he had to make, Eric looked to the grand tradition of the American man and decided to go out to the woods to be alone with his thoughts.
The morning Eric left on his quest, he set out with a heavy but determined heart. He could be seen walking from Bailey's that morning, a backpack strapped to his shoulders, a sombre expression on his face as he trudged away. Mary could be seen standing in the doorway, watching him go with an equally sombre look. I was on patrol with Jimmy that day, and we actually witnessed April approaching Bailey's, walking steadily and resolutely as she crossed the street. The bar-owner's face froze in shock as she saw the doctor approaching.
"Uh, should we...intervene?" Jimmy asked nervously.
I shook my head as April crossed the sidewalk and stopped in front of the tavern.
"But, what if -" Jimmy shifted uncomfortably.
"This is between them," I said, but I was holding my breath for a second too.
We both exhaled loudly when April merely began talking, quickly and not too hysterically. Mary's eyes were wide at first, but after a few minutes, she actually stepped to the door and held it open. April went inside, Mary following her, and we stared on in apprehension.
Jimmy was all for waiting around and checking up on them if we didn't see any signs of life in a few hours, but I thought we had more important things to do, like patrolling the town and sorting out the Chinese food that had just dropped. We left, and just as I predicted, both April Green and Mary Bailey were seen around town the next day, and the day after that, both looking to be in fine health. In fact, even stranger, they were seen in each other's company, and didn't seem to be on the verge of any violence or ill mannered behaviour. This certainly had the town in a bit of a frenzy of gossip, but nothing compared to what was to come.
Of course, the person who would be most surprised was Eric Green. He had made quick tracks to the woods where he had hunted with his father in his youth, and once he was well surrounded by trees, he found himself a log and sat down to begin his thinking.
By the first night, he was cold. His coat no longer seemed as sturdy as he'd thought when the winds whistled through him, but he still hadn't figured out what to do. By the second night, he was hungry. His stomach twisted in knots and his Power Bar supply was gone, but he still didn't know what to do. The third night it rained. He lay on the rotting log, holding a thin plastic sheet over his head and wishing he could sleep, or make up his mind.
The next morning, he woke to find that he'd rolled off the log and landed on the ground. One side of him was covered in mud. All of his belongings were soaked and a November wind was chilling him to the bone. He still didn't know what he would do, give up on the new love he had with Mary or leave April - whom he still cared for deeply - to raise a child alone. But the cold, the rain, and the mud were not helping him see a solution. He decided to go back to town. He could still ponder his problem in his office, and at least it was dry.
He trudged soggily into his office at town hall, and just had time to change into a spare shirt when Jimmy rushed in.
"Eric! You're back! We didn't know where you were!"
Eric began to panic at Jimmy's urgent tone. "What happened? Did something happen to the baby? Or April?"
"No, you have to go to Bailey's."
"Did something happen to Mary?"
Jimmy shook his head, but couldn't help stammering, "Well, something happened alright. They're all okay...we think. But you should go."
"They? Both of them?" squeaked Eric. Jimmy nodded.
Eric ran the whole way to Bailey's tavern, and before he could race up the stairs to the apartment, the door at the top opened. His jaw nearly hit the floor as he beheld the sight.
April and Mary stood, their arms linked, looking down at him.
"Eric. We heard you were back," said April.
Eric merely sputtered. He wondered briefly how long he'd been in the woods. He instinctively clutched at his face. His beard didn't seem to have grown exponentially.
"Well, don't just stand there. Come on up. We have some things to discuss," said Mary.
With that, the two of them spun around and retreated into the apartment. Eric stood frozen to the spot for a long moment.
April. And Mary. Standing together. Saying 'we'. What had happened while he was gone? Had he come back to a parallel universe? What did they want to 'discuss'? He considered the possibility it was some kind of trap. He heard their voices calling him again, and felt his feet begin to climb the stairs, despite his mind protesting the entire way up. He continued through the door and into the apartment, willed forward by his legs that seemed to have taken on a mind of their own. He came into the living room, that had once seemed so comfortable, but now just left him with a sense of foreboding. They had seated themselves on the couch, side by side. Mary patted the arm chair, and April smiled. "Have a seat."
Eric gulped, but stepped forward.
The both watched him as he sat slowly in the chair. Clearing his throat, he looked up at them, raising his eyebrows and trying not to betray the extreme uneasiness churning his insides.
They glanced at each other, and Mary began. "Eric, after you left, April came over here."
He nodded slowly, noting that neither of them had any signs of lasting injuries and wondering where this was going.
"We had an interesting discussion," she continued.
"Very interesting," laughed April. Eric swallowed hard.
Mary had been very apprehensive as she'd stood in the doorway, watching the redhead approaching her with determination. Thoughts of April, and of April's condition, had been gnawing at her for some time, and it was with great trepidation that she shakily invited the other woman inside when April announced she had come 'to talk'. With one last glance at the outside world, she shut the door and followed her guest into the bar.
April had been determined when she made her march up to the tavern door - determined to stare her husband's mistress in the face, determined to stand her ground with dignity as she spoke the things she had been going over in her head for hours. She was thrown when the bartender faced her, not with hostility, but another look on her face, and she tried to remain determined as she accepted the invitation she hadn't expected and went inside.
Mary had offered April a drink, chiding herself a second too late for forgetting that April couldn't indulge in any of her latest batch of home brew. She scrambled around behind the bar instead, trying to find something to offer the doctor, who remained standing, staring at her the entire time. As she pondered her meagre selection of beverages, she wondered vaguely how easy it would be for a medical professional to slip her a lethal dose of something without her even noticing. She finally offered tea, setting out two cups when the woman on the other side of the bar didn't respond.
April silently followed her to the booth, ignoring the tea but taking a seat on the bench. She had been watching the bartender the entire time, rushing around behind the bar, a flustered look on her face, and she had tried to hold onto the steady, determined anger she'd felt when she'd first set her eyes on Bailey's tavern that morning. It almost made her more angry, when she realized watching Mary was making her feel something else. She forced herself not to acknowledge what it was, exactly, that she could see in that look on the other woman's face, and forced herself not to acknowledge where she recognized it from. As April sat, not touching her tea, she peered up at Mary. Mary sat, slowly, on the other side of the booth. She didn't touch her tea either.
Mary waited in silence, sitting at the other side of the table, watching her lover's wife, waiting for the barrage she had been expecting since she first invited her inside. April merely stared back, and each moment seemed to stretch into eternity. Mary fiddled with the cross around her neck, the ring on her finger, and the cup of tea in front of her, but continued to meet April's gaze. Finally, she broke under the crushing silence, and before she could stop herself, she started speaking.
April had been surprised as she watched the other woman squirm in her seat. She had half expected herself to get some kind of shameful but delicious pleasure out of watching Mary feel the heat under her gaze. She hadn't expected it to be as painful as it was, and it annoyed her. She also hadn't expected Mary to speak first, and she really hadn't expected the words that came pouring out of the bartender's mouth. From the moment she'd found out about Eric's affair, she'd pictured this moment and she'd imagined the other woman laying claim to him would be indignant, defensive. She hadn't expected an apology.
Mary knew it was useless, to apologize for falling for him, because she loved him still. She knew it was useless to tell April how it had eaten at her, knowing the position this would all one day put the baby in. She knew, from her own experience, how useless those kind of remorseful words were. Yet she couldn't seem to stop herself, even as her own eyes teared up in a massively undignified display, even as April's eyes began to tear up too, despite the doctor's obvious attempts to remain unswayed. Though Mary tried to stop the tears from sliding down her cheeks and though April tried to set her chin in angry defiance, the words kept coming.
April watched the bartender through her own blurry eyes, furious for all the things she was bringing up and even more furious that it was getting to her too. This was supposed to have been her chance to let out all the things that had been bothering her and watch Eric's other woman take the full impact. This was not nearly as satisfying, and she suddenly felt an overwhelming urge to make it stop. "Shut up!" she had shouted, her voice suddenly ringing through the tavern for the first time. "Just shut up!"
Mary had paused mid-pleading-sentence as April stood to her feet, glaring down at the red-eyed bar owner. She stayed silent over the next few minutes, though tears continued to glisten on her cheeks, as the doctor let loose with her own words. April, it seems, couldn't stop herself either once she got started. Out came all her built up anger, out came all her hurt and betrayal, all directed mercilessly down upon the seated woman. As Mary met the stinging words with silence, it made April angrier, and she pushed and pushed, until Mary's eyes were finally flashing with something besides tears. "You think I wanted this?" she shot up at April, getting to her feet. "Think this was how I wanted everything to turn out?"
Both women stood, faced off across the booth, their hands in fists at their sides, their tear-stained faces twisted in fury. "You can hate me all you want, but that won't change anything!" Mary shouted.
"I know! And I don't!" April shouted back.
"And I can apologize 'til the cows come home, but it's not all my fault!" continued Mary.
"It isn't your fault!" shot back April.
Each was calming down just a little, taking deep breaths, as it suddenly dawned on them exactly whose fault it really was.
A short time later, another sound was filling the tavern: the sound of darts whistling through the air, smacking into the dart board occasionally, but more often into the wall. Stranger than that were the sounds of April and Mary shouting, cheering, each time the darts made contact with a surface, and stranger still, they were even laughing. This puzzling turnaround had begun with April's and Mary's realizations that the true object of their anger was not actually present. The dart board bore the brunt of their wrath that night.
"You know, one time, he got all excited about going to see this musical in Denver, and then he fell asleep in the theatre! And snored!" shouted April, flinging a dart. It hit the wall at an angle. "Everyone was staring!"
Mary grimaced. "God, that must have been embarrassing!" She quickly retrieved a handful of darts herself. "One time, he promised to throw my laundry in the washer since I had to go to work, and he put a red sock in with the whites! I don't own any whites any more!"
"Was that one of his 'Cat in the Hat' socks?" asked April.
Mary nodded, throwing another dart. "I hated those socks!" shouted April, tossing her own dart. They both stopped to stare at the board. Both darts had hit near the centre this time.
"Nice," said Mary, in a quieter voice.
"Good game," said April, holding up a hand. Mary lightly high-fived her, and they both continued to look over at the dart board, breathing slowly.
"It's not fair," April whispered. "I wish we could both win."
Mary nodded solemnly. "I wish we could too."
That night, over another pot of tea, April and Mary talked long into the wee hours of the morning. They were exchanging life stories by the second pot. April described the summers she spent out at her grandparents' farm and the flute recital where she'd momentarily forgotten her solo's opening. Mary spoke about the twirly slide at the park down the street from her childhood home, and the broken arm she'd gotten on the one and only ski trip she'd gotten to go on in elementary school. By the third pot, they were revealing their inner feelings. April spoke of her overwhelming fears about bringing a child into the strange new world, and of being left alone and friendless. Mary sympathized, and explained how her own childhood abandonment had continued to haunt her into her adult life. Each acknowledged the strange feeling that it seemed like they'd known each other a lot longer than they really had, and both agreed again that they would hate to see the other lose.
Eric could tell a change had come over them as he watched them those three days later, sitting on the couch like old schoolmates, but he felt very wary indeed. "Interesting conversation?" he asked nervously, watching April and Mary stare back at him.
April threw a smile over at Mary. "We've come to a decision," she said.
Grinning at April before turning back to Eric, Mary nodded. "We thought it would be best to compromise." At Eric's blank stare, she continued, "You know, figure out a way we could both win."
"Exactly," added April. "Make this a win-win for all three of us."
"You mean four," amended Mary, a small smile playing on her lips.
Eric shifted in his arm chair, looking worried. "What do you mean, all of us?"
Mary leaned forward in her seat. "Well, Eric, turns out April and I get along really well. Or could get along, we think, so it would be a shame for anyone to be put out, when we could just...share."
Eric glanced slowly from her to April, who nodded, adding, "It just seemed fair. Like shared custody."
"And, the times we're living in," continued Mary, "It just makes good business sense."
Eric blinked a few times, finally narrowing his eyes suspiciously. "What do you mean, like shared custody? I get to live with one of you one week and one...the other?"
Mary laughed. "No."
At Eric's nervous questioning look, she said, "We're all going to live here."
Eric sputtered, looking back and forth between the women in front of him, only able to force out one word. "Huh?"
"And we even have a schedule!" said April.
"Live here?" croaked Eric. "All of us?"
Mary gave him a solicitous look. "Well, do you really expect us to live with you half the time and alone the other half? That wouldn't make sense."
"And this does?" he stammered.
April nodded emphatically. "It does. We can combine forces. Share chores."
Eric sat back in his chair, shaking his head, apparently in shock. "Share chores," he muttered bemusedly. "My wife and my girlfriend and me and a kid?"
They exchanged a smile. "Yes," said April. "And, well, we think Mary needs to be more equal." Mary nodded.
Eric wore a dazed look. "What?"
"You two are going to get married."
Eric looked down at his hands and back up at the smiling women sitting on the couch. He shook his head, but the image didn't change. They both watched him as though worried he was the one losing it. "Um, April," he finally said. "I'm still married to you."
"And you're going to stay married to her," cut in Mary.
"Yes. Trust me, I'm not doing the single parent thing," said April.
"But -" Eric began, looking back and forth in confusion. "How can I be married...to you...and you..."
April nodded, a smile crossing her features. Mary raised an eyebrow.
"But that's bigamy!" Eric protested.
"Yeah. We think it's a good solution," said Mary.
"If we don't mind it, why should you?" April asked pointedly.
Though they hadn't faltered once as they sat together and faced him, Eric was still incredulous. "You're actually both okay with this?" he asked, staring intently at each of them in turn. "You both actually want this?"
Mary nodded. "You never told me April was so good at playing pool. Or such a good listener. You know, I don't get why you think she doesn't understand you. She's very understanding."
He looked from her to April, who spoke up. "You never told me Mary was so much fun. Of course, you never really told me about Mary."
Eric squirmed as they both looked at him, but April just grinned. "You should have introduced us ages ago!" Eric squirmed some more as the women smiled at each other.
"Point is, Eric," Mary said, becoming serious. "We don't want to let whatever happened between you and me, and her and you, and well, everything, stop us from having a good life. These days, you've just gotta take whatever good comes up. And we think this'll be good."
As the women he loved continued to smile at him, Eric only managed to protest, "But you do realize it's illegal in Kansas?"
"Have you talked to the governor lately, Eric?" April laughed and exchanged a smile with Mary, before turning back to Eric and putting on a serious look of her own. "Now, I'm sure you're concerned about sleeping arrangements, but don't be. We've worked that all out."
"Yup," nodded Mary. "You'll see it's all settled. Well, nearly. You work late on Tuesdays, right Eric?"
April and Mary both leaned over, looking down at a big piece of paper he hadn't noticed spread out on the table. He was reluctant to steal a look at it himself. April, however, had pulled out a pencil and was holding it over the already detailed scribblings. "I'll keep Tuesdays," she said, thinking for a moment and looking up at Mary. "Do you really want Wednesday, though? That's a long day for you. I can trade you for Thursday or Saturday." She looked over at Eric then. "We're alternating Sundays," she explained.
"Do I get a night off?" he asked faintly.
"Why would you need one?" April asked, rolling her eyes.
Mary seemed not to have heard, as she was studying the paper. "Yeah, Wednesdays do leave me pretty tired by the end of the shift. Maybe Thursday? Oh, but you sometimes have to do on-call midweek, right?"
April gave a casual shrug. "When am I not on call? Kenchy's a little more reliable these days, but... It'll be fine."
Eric shifted in his seat. "You guys really seem to have this...planned out."
April grinned. "Mary's got some really great ideas for how to decorate the nursery too." Mary nodded.
Eric looked dazed again. "Nursery? Where are you going to put all this? Where are we putting everyone?"
April giggled. "Well, the schedule will go on the fridge," she said calmly.
Eric continued to look like a deer in the headlights. "Oh, we already moved April's stuff into the guest room," said Mary finally, seeming just a little amused at his confusion.
April seemed to share her amusement, but kindly explained. "There's two bedrooms. We each get one, and you...alternate."
"And the baby can sleep in April's room. It'll be the safest arrangement anyway, the way things have been going this year," added Mary.
"Though, Mary has offered to look after the baby when we want some time to ourselves," said April, reaching across the space between the couch and the armchair to run a hand up and down Eric's arm and smile suggestively.
Eric found himself smiling back at her, but then he glanced quickly over at Mary, who merely nodded. "It's going to be so much fun!" she exclaimed. "Having a baby around here!"
April smiled. "Well, eventually, I'm sure we'll have more than one!" She grinned at Mary.
Eric remained speechless. Mary flashed him a smile and raised an eyebrow.
He finally recovered to say, "More than one? Around here? Mary, you said you didn't have room for a new couch!"
Mary waved a hand dismissively. "We'll figure it out, when the time comes. Right now, we have other things to plan."
April nodded, suddenly businesslike. "So, it's Monday night," she said, patting Eric on the chest. "Mary's turn."
Eric stood in slow motion, staring as each of them smiled at him in turn. "But, oh, one more thing..." April said. He sat again.
"Eric, you need to ask Mary. To marry you," instructed April. At his look of confusion, she continued. "Go ahead. You have my blessing." She nudged Mary to stand, and stood herself. "I'll go in the other room, if that will help..."
Eric let out a breath, looking back and forth between them, suddenly very nervous again.
April glanced at Mary, giving her a sympathetic smile. "Hopefully he won't mix up his pronouns this time." She laughed. "Good luck you two!"
Eric stood again, glancing at her. As she began to cross the room, he shook his head. "Nah, I guess I'll have to - have to get used to this."
He stepped towards Mary, tentatively taking one of her hands in his, kneeling down on one knee and feeling both pairs of eyes on him. He could feel his palms sweating, but he held on and looked up at her. "Will you marry me?" he asked.
She seemed nearly bursting as she answered casually, "Yeah." A small laugh escaped her lips as she pulled him to his feet and pulled him into a kiss. He was lost momentarily in her embrace, but a second later, she was out of his arms and squealing along with April, who had bounded over to pull her into a hug. He stood there in shock for a moment until they each loosened an arm to pull him towards them. He allowed himself to be engulfed by them, to enjoy the odd feeling of wrapping his arms around both the women he loved. He nearly choked though as they enthusiastically squeezed him.
"We're getting married! And we're having a baby!" Mary exclaimed, unable to contain her mirth.
"We?" he managed.
"We three," grinned April, unable to stop beaming as they stepped back for air. She glanced over at Mary and a silent conversation seemed to quickly take place between them. They each nodded, businesslike, and turned back to Eric.
"Now, Eric, it's my turn tonight, but we have a few things to talk about still, so why don't you go on ahead?" said Mary. "I'll be in in a little while."
"And for goodness' sake, take a shower!" chided April, hands on her hips.
Mary nodded, wrinkling her nose at Eric's dismayed look, and mouthed "Thank you" as she turned to April. They giggled, and Eric watched as they stepped back over to the couch.
"So, April, you're going to help me pick out dresses, right? I just love how you co-ordinated your office," Mary was saying as they sat down. "We'll have to find a good one for you. Something classy, that says 'wife of the groom'."
"Of course! And we should ask Gail. She's an amazing seamstress," said April, pulling out another piece of paper and beginning to write on it. "I'll go see her tomorrow, explain things. Set it all up."
"Right," nodded Mary, looking slightly nervous for the first time.
"Don't worry," said April, patting Mary's arm. "She's gonna love you as much as I do!"
Mary smiled again. "I hope so!"
In the hallway, Eric made a strangled noise. Before either of his loves could turn and give him any more instructions, he retreated into the bathroom for his shower.
The wedding took place on a beautiful fall day, and while modestly attended, it was the talk of the town. Those who did cram into the room in town hall reported that it was simple, yet elegant. The town was abuzz when they heard that Gray Anderson, in his second official act as mayor, agreed to preside, perhaps as a way of extending an olive branch to the Green family, who, to the further shock of the townspeople, were all in attendance and smiling proudly in the front row. Though the details of these unorthodox nuptials caused excitement, once everyone saw the blessed couple, and their one attendant, the groom's first wife, standing at the front of the room with them, they could only remark on how happy they looked. The bride was radiant as she walked down the aisle, her stunning dress and the late fall flowers she wore in her hair no match for her smile as she looked at her groom. In fact, all in attendance agreed that the beautiful sight of the bride was matched only by the wife-of-the-groom, who stood by her side, in an equally stunning dress, exchanging a radiant smile of her own with her friend and soon-to-be-sister-wife as she took the bouquet from her, and then turned to watch the groom utter the vows she had helped him practice the day before. The groom as well seemed to be positively glowing as he took his bride's hand, and though he wore a somewhat dazed look as he grinned through her vows, he managed to keep all his pronouns straight when his turn came.
I'd received an invite from the former mayor, and so I got to witness the event from the second row. I couldn't quite decide what to think. Sure, the beauty of the moment got to me, and it's not like I was the only one in the room who got a little choked up, but being a lone wolf, I couldn't help but feel a little nervous as I watched Eric take Mary's arm, and then April's as the three of them processed out of the room. Sure, he seemed to have some guys in town jealous, with those two beautiful women on either side of him, but he'd also just vowed to stick with both of them, in sickness and health, til death do they part. Just one marriage vow is a commitment, but Eric Green was doubly bound. So, while I clapped along with everyone else, I wasn't quite so envious. Still, I couldn't help but be happy for them, when I saw the looks on their faces, and I don't think anyone in the room wasn't won over, though I could see Jake smirking and coughing a few times. He did always have a knack for seeing the humour in every situation his brother got himself into.
Regardless of Jake's amusement and my completely non-envious appreciation, I think we both had a good time at the reception. In fact, a good time was had by all. Thanks to Gray's first act as mayor, there was a lot of freeze-dried fish to go around, and in a pleasantly surprising show of camaraderie, Jericho's former and present mayors both offered toasts. I laughed along with everyone else, and enjoyed the dancing and fun that followed, though I eventually had to tell Gail I wasn't in a dancing mood, after a few spins around the dance floor. It had seemed like such a strange idea, but by the end of the evening, as April hugged Mary and sent the newlyweds out the door, it seemed like the most normal thing in the world for the rest of the room to join her in wishing them well.
I excused myself from dancing with Skylar Stevens, who had finally worn me down after insinuating herself into my conversations all night, to catch up to Gray, who was leaning against a wall, a glass in hand and a smile on his face as he watched them go. "Did you ever think you'd see anything so bizarre?" I asked. "So absurd?"
"Two months ago, I'd say never," he said with a chuckle. "Now...nothing surprises me."
The trio of Greens adapted to their new domestic bliss with surprising ease. April and Mary found that they had more in common than they ever realized, and wondered why they hadn't been friends before. Eric adjusted to his newly organized and scheduled happiness, and found himself working hard to make his wives happy.
Life continued to be difficult as that first winter approached, and the food supplies dwindled in town, but April, Mary, and Eric banded together, protecting their family, and they found that the set of skills each of them possessed complemented nicely with the others.
They lived quite happily in the apartment over Bailey's those first few weeks, but one day, when April and Mary began renovations as they planned for the baby's arrival, they began to wonder if two bedrooms would really be enough for their burgeoning family.
"I'm not sure. It was pretty crowded when just my dad and I lived here," said Mary, stepping back from the wall she'd just sanded.
April nodded, wiping sawdust from her face. "Maybe we should just move."
At the family meeting they held that night, they informed Eric of their plans to move out to the Green family ranch.
And so it was that the Green trio moved their belongings and eventually, their business, out to the six hundred acre property on the outskirts of town. They set up an office for April, with all of her medical equipment they'd transfered from the med centre, and they set up the still they'd brought from the bar so that Mary could continue her work too.
Their clients followed them, and soon the Green commune, as it affectionately became known, was the preferred place to go for both medical needs and alcohol consumption. They renovated the barn to house their practice, and expanded it as the business grew. Mary taught April the ins and outs of working the still, and eventually they began manufacturing other goods to complement the roaring alcoholic beverages trade. They began to send Eric to gather herbs and plants in the early spring, and from them they made home remedies, natural dyes, soaps and deodorizers along with antiseptic. April's knowledge of science and chemistry proved helpful in the process of trial and error, and soon everyone was after Green products, even after J&R breezed into town.
April taught Mary to help her with patients, and after a lifetime of listening to bar patrons' life experiences and woeful tales, Mary was a natural at talking patients through difficult situations. They worked well together, and patients often reported feeling an atmosphere of support and positive feeling when they went away from the commune. April trained Mary to be a midwife, and they'd both cheerfully describe to Eric over dinner each night the progress that the baby was making in each stage of development.
Eric meanwhile, continued to help out in town, checking in on situations that arose and pitching in when refugees threatened to storm the food-lock up or fake marines tried to con the town out of supplies, but his main concern was helping out whatever way he could at his new home. It was sometimes exhausting, keeping up with his talented wives, but each day he wondered to himself how he had gotten so lucky.
One beautiful morning, on the very last day of May, April stopped suddenly in the middle of the kitchen floor, halfway to the breakfast table, to exclaim "The baby's coming!"
After taking a second for Eric to calm down, the three of them made their way to the room they'd specially prepared in the small clinic that had served so many clients before them. April shouted instructions in between contractions, Eric dutifully held her hand and kept from exclaiming himself, and Mary kept up a steady stream of encouraging words as she followed April's training and instructions.
As the afternoon sun shone lazily on the little commune, Ruby Green made her entrance into the world.
April would remember feeling a burst of joy and relief and pain and protectiveness all at once, Eric would remember crying as he saw his first born baby wiggle for the first time, and Mary would remember the sensation of holding the brand new life in her hands, and the moment she put the baby in April's arms. As the three of them lounged on the porch a few evenings later, during one of Ruby's brief sleeps, they finally had a chance to discuss it among themselves. The first birth in their family had been beautiful, and they had survived it.
Not long after, the Green commune added an Alternate Birthing Centre to the list of services provided.
If you're still with us and haven't guessed...
Happy April Fool's Day!
From Penny and Marzee (Who else?)
This wild journey into Bill's world will be continued...