Fire & Brimstone: A Neighbor from Hell

by R. L. Mathewson

  “Melanie?” a very friendly looking nurse said as she stepped into the waiting room, “Dr. Bradford is ready to see you now.”

  The Arrival of Darrin and Marybeth’s Babies

  An R.L. Mathewson Chronicle

  “Oh my God!” Zoe gasped in pain as she slapped her hand down hard on the kitchen island, leaned over and groaned as the contraction that she was pretending wasn’t happening nearly knocked her on her beautiful ass.

  “Everything okay, sweetheart?” Trevor asked casually as he leaned back in his chair, glad the kids were at their Uncle Jared’s so that they wouldn’t have to witness this sad display of bullshit.

  Slapping a smile on her face, Zoe said, “Yes, yes of course it is.”

  “Uh huh,” he said with a heavy sigh as he watched the stubborn woman take a deep breath, try to stand up only to lean back down, all while throwing him that tightlipped smile that really said it all.

  “Do you want to eat now or wait until the barbeque?” she asked, clearly hoping to distract him with the promise of food.

  “We can grab something at the hospital,” he said, deciding that this little charade of hers had gone on long enough.

  “Why…” she started to say only to let her words trail off with a gasp as she grabbed onto the edge of the counter and tried to breathe through the next contraction.

  “Fucking unbelievable,” he muttered as he stood up and pulled his phone out of his back pocket so that he could send Darrin a text message, letting him know that it was time.

  “I’m fine!” the adorable little liar that was practically falling over thanks to that large belly that he swore was bigger than her, snapped, apparently dead set on pissing him off today.

  “Let’s go,” he said, wrapping his arm around her body so that he could hold onto her as he helped her to the car.

  “No, I’m fine,” she argued even as she settled against him and allowed him to guide her towards the garage door.

  Thank God Marybeth had insisted on taking care of Zoe’s bag. It was normally something that he handled when Zoe was pregnant and usually ended up screwing up when it came time to go to the hospital. This time she was carrying his cousin’s children and the only thing he had to focus on was his wife.

  It was a relief, but it was also pure hell, because for the past few months he’d been struggling not to grow attached to the babies that she was carrying. They weren’t his and he knew that, but it was difficult to feel that way when he held her at night and could feel the babies move against his arm or when he simply looked at her. He loved being a father and would give anything to fall asleep with a baby curled up in his arms one more time.

  Then again, with three babies that would mean three times the feedings, changing more diapers, chasing after them as well as three times as many nervous breakdowns. He didn’t miss sleepless nights, going into work in the morning only to realize that he was covered in spit-up, or realizing that he’d accidentally grabbed a bottle of breast milk instead of his thermos.

  He sighed as he helped her through the garage door and into his SUV. This time, he was going to be able to enjoy all the fun stuff with the babies and none of the soul crushing duties that came with being the parents of triplets. This really might not be so bad after all, he realized as he carefully closed her door.

  “I’m fine. Really,” the little fibber said as he climbed in the car.

  “And the contractions?” he asked, cocking a brow as he waited for her latest line of bullshit that she was going to use to try getting out to of going to the hospital, because she was determined to put off pushing three babies from her body until it was absolutely necessary.

  Not that he could blame her, because he really couldn’t, but it had to be done and they both knew it.

  “They’re just stomach cramps from working out,” she bit out.

  “Working out?” he asked, wondering if she was referring to the times when she had to wiggle, shimmy and roll to her side to get off the couch.

  “Yes! Working out!” she snapped a bit angrily as she glared at him, getting that look in her eye that she always got just before she gave birth.

  She wanted to go for his balls.

  Great, he thought dryly as he started the car and pulled out of the garage. This was just what he needed today, he thought just as the screaming began…

  *-*-*-*

  “Would you stop screaming so I can focus?” Duncan snapped, when the selfish bastard let out another bloodcurdling scream.

  “My hand’s broken, you insensitive bastard!” Trevor bitched as Zoe, who was trying to breathe through the next contraction, tightened her grip around Trevor’s disturbingly swollen and bruised hand and tried to bite back a scream.

  A few seconds later, still panting heavily, Zoe said, “I’m fine. Really,” making them both roll their eyes, because this was just getting really fucking old.

  “You’re not fine, Zoe. You’re in labor,” he explained, deciding that it was time to put the backseat down and help her get comfortable, because there was no way that they were going to make it to the hospital in time.

  “Where the hell are you going?” Trevor asked with hint of desperation in his voice.

  Not that Duncan could blame him, not when Zoe kept glaring at him in that terrifying way. As he made his way to the back and popped the hatch, he couldn’t help but wonder if Necie was going to try to kill him when they had their first child. He couldn’t really see his sweet, somewhat accident-prone wife trying to go for his balls, but then again, things could change when you had to push a nine pound Bradford out.

  “What the hell’s taking so long?” Trevor snapped, and he knew that Trevor was more worried about his wife than his hand.

  Bradfords cherished their wives no matter how much they wanted to throttle them. He’d do anything for his wife, absolutely anything and Trevor was no different. He’d take the pain that Zoe was dishing out and then some as long as she safe.

  “Dad’s waiting for her at the hospital,” Reese announced as he strolled past him to check on Zoe.

  “She’s not going to make it to the hospital,” Duncan said, damn near sighing in relief that his brother had shown up.

  Not that he would tell the bastard that, but they were looking at a triple delivery here and he was going to need someone with training to help him. Reese’s training wasn’t as extensive as his, but it would be enough to help him bring these three babies safely into the world.

  “What the hell’s going on?” Jason, the cousin that took great pride in fucking with everyone’s head, asked as he joined him at the back of the SUV. Without being asked, Jason started unloading the back and put everything out of the way.

  “She’s in labor,” Duncan explained as they put the backseat down.

  “What do you need?” Jason asked, reminding him why he liked the annoying bastard so much.

  “Towels, sheets, water, anything that you can find to clean these babies and keep them warm,” he said, joining Reese, who was trying to distract Zoe with cheesy jokes.

  “Ready?” Duncan asked as he reached for Zoe.

  Nodding, Reese took Zoe’s other hand in his and together they helped her out of the front seat. Before her feet had to get a chance to touch the ground they were carrying her. For a second, he thought about bringing her back into the house, but the scream that she released told him exactly how much time they had.

  “Should we put her on the ground?” Reese asked as Trevor jumped into the backseat and positioned himself to hold his wife.

  “No, there’s no time,” he said, having absolutely no doubt that they were minutes from welcoming the next generation of Bradfords.

  God help them all.

  “We need more help,” Jason said as he came outside. “I’ve got everything set up inside, but there’s no way that I’m going to be able to handle three babies on my own.”

  “Helps already here,” Darrin said with Marybeth by his side, looking happier than he’d ever seen his brother.<
br />
  “Oh my God,” Marybeth said, who was incidentally looking more terrified than he’d ever seen her and that was saying a lot since she’d grown up around them.

  “Hey, beautiful,” Darrin said with a warm smile as he carefully joined Zoe and Trevor in the back. While Trevor sat behind Zoe, Darrin took the side position and took Zoe’s hand into his. “How are you holding up?” he asked, raising their hands so that he could kiss the back of hers.

  “I-I’m sorry, Darrin, but I don’t think that I can do this after all,” Zoe said, sounding frantic as she shook her head, obviously having second thoughts.

  “I’m afraid that it’s a little late to change your mind,” Trevor whispered, kissing his wife’s cheek.

  “No, it’s not!” Zoe screamed while another contraction took over as Duncan carefully positioned her legs.

  “I will never forget this,” Darrin swore against the back of her hand. “Never.”

  Zoe licked her dry lips as she sat there, trying to breathe through the pain. “Can we possibly renegotiate the terms of our deal?”

  Darrin chuckled softly as he pressed another kiss against the back of her hand. “Anything you want.”

  “O-okay,” she said, gasping through the pain.

  “What do you want, sweetheart?” Darrin asked as Duncan glanced over his shoulder and spotted Marybeth, standing there, pale as a ghost and looking seconds away from becoming his next patient.

  He looked for Jason and when he found him, he nodded towards the woman now swaying in the driveway. With a nod, Jason walked over and swept Marybeth up into his arms.

  “She’s fine,” he promised Darrin, who looked torn between helping his wife and staying where he was to witness the birth of his children.

  “We’re having babies,” Marybeth mumbled in a daze, making him chuckle, because he’d honestly thought that Darrin would have been the one to lose it.

  “Yes, yes you are,” Jason said, nodding in agreement as he carried the pale mother-to-be inside.

  “I-I call godmother,” Zoe said, groaning in pain as she shifted to get more comfortable.

  Darrin chuckled. “It’s already yours.”

  “A-and I wanna be there for all the big stuff,” she said, licking her lips again as she struggled through another contraction. “If that’s okay,” she added, obviously worried about crossing the line, but they were Bradfords and she should know better by now.

  “That was an automatic,” Darrin said with a smile as he reached over and swept away a few wet strands of hair out of her face.

  “And we get first dibs on babysitting,” Trevor threw in with an expression that told Duncan just how hard this was going to be for him to step aside and let these babies go.

  Smiling, Darrin nodded. “Done.”

  “Oh, no,” Zoe whispered just as the first baby decided to make an appearance.

  “Time to bring these babies into the world,” Duncan said as Reese stepped up next to him, holding a large white towel, ready for the first baby.

  Zoe screamed as Trevor held her, struggling not scream with her as a she squeezed his badly damaged hand. Darrin did surprising better than Trevor, but that was probably because he was distracted by his first child being born and all.

  “Oh my God,” he whispered, smiling hugely when the first baby was born.

  “Baby girl,” Duncan said, making sure the baby was breathing before clipping the umbilical cord and carefully handing the baby over to Reese.

  One down, two to go…

  “The boys will be next,” Darrin said, mostly to himself as he sat there, holding Zoe’s hand as he waited for his-

  “Another girl,” Duncan said, frowning when the second child was born, because he could have sworn that his father and brother said that two of the babies were going to be boys.

  “Another girl,” Darrin said, smiling hugely and obviously not caring, which was good, Duncan thought as the third baby, another little girl, was born.

  “Three girls,” Darrin said as he took the last little girl in his arms, the other two already had already been brought inside so that they could be cleaned and introduced to their mother.

  “She’s so beautiful,” Zoe said with a watery smile as the small baby crying in Darrin’s arms glared at her daddy.

  “Thank God they all look like Marybeth,” Trevor said, chuckling as he looked at the beautiful baby girl that was going to make Darrin’s life a living hell.

  “Thank God,” Darrin seconded with a chuckle as he smiled down at the beautiful baby girl that looked so much like her mother, beautiful tan skin, black hair and a glare to match.

  “Three girls,” Zoe said, smiling as she lay in Trevor’s arms.

  “Are you okay?” Duncan asked, praying that she was okay, because they were a good thirty minutes from the nearest hospital and he wasn’t set up to handle an emergency right now.

  “Perfect,” Zoe said, smiling as reached over so that the newest Bradford could grab her finger.

  “Absolutely perfect,” Darrin seconded as he looked down at the little girl, who-

  “Hey!” Duncan gasped, reaching over and carefully removing the candy bar that she’d somehow stolen from his pocket from her tiny grasp.

  “She stole that for me!” Darrin snapped, carefully holding the baby girl in one arm so that he could reach over and snatch the candy bar away from him while Duncan stood there, telling himself that it was perfectly normal for an infant who was barely five minutes old to already be stealing food.

  But, even for a Bradford that was actually kind of frightening.

  In Memory of Roni Brown

  Only "knew" Roni through FB, but had a smile on my face whenever I read her comments. As a "Limey Cousin, from over the pond," I hope her Daughter grows up to know how her Mummy made lots of people, everywhere smile.

  -Catherine Bent

  RIP. May the memory of your smile and laughter bring peace to your loved ones.‬

  -Alive Chazen

  ‬We never met but I loved reading her posts especially about Shemar. You will be missed, Roni Fabulousone Brown, especially by your beautiful baby girl xxx‬

  -Elaine McCrory

  I never met you Roni but your posts always made me smile and your pics of Shemarbrightened my day xx‬

  -Gina Crowther

  I don't believe I ever got the chance to know Roni, but her family and child have my deepest sympathies.

  -Tina Collins Reynolds

  I never meet Roni, It is so sad that she died so young, sending my deepest sympathies to her baby and family at this very sad time.‬‬

  -Sharon Jones

  Roni, always made me laugh. We never met, but we would chat on Facebook about the Pyte Series and She was a member of the Pyte diet challenge group. Her love for Sherman was like my obsession with Brock LOL She will be so missed. My prayers go out for her family and to her sweet and beautiful baby daughter Hanna. Rest in Peace Roni. Your Bright big smile will forever be in our hearts.

  -Necie Navone

  I only know on Facebook and on my diet challenge team, but she made you feel like you have know her forever. What a funny, beautiful lady, that could always make you smile and laugh. We also shared that love for Shemar Moore. My thoughts and prayers are with her sweet baby girl and family. You will be so missed.

  -Sharon Coffey

  Will miss seeing posts and pictures.‬‬

  I'm sending hugs to family and friends who will be feeling so much pain right now‬‬‬

  A lovely lady we will miss greatly‬‬‬

  -Jayne Wheatley ‬‬

  Never had the chance to meet her, but she always took the time to comment and her wit always put a smile on my face... She knew how to light up a newsfeed!! My condolences.

  -Debra‬ MacArthur

  While I never met her, it doesn't take a rocket scientist to see how much she was loved and how many people cared about her. This world is sadder for her loss. She will not be forgotten to all those she touched with her w
onderful spirit.‬‬

  -Tamicka‬ Birch

  Roni had a fantastic smile and was there with encouraging words. Her love for Shemaroften brightened up my time-line. Sad I never got the chance to meet her‬.

  -Julie Mancini

  Roni's post always made me smile. Loved how she embraced life! Although I never met her in person;her personality just made you feel like you had known her forever. RIP sweet friend‬.

  -Sandy Schmidt

  I am just seeing this tragic news. Sending prayers for her family and all those who loved her. Even though many of us don't know each other in 'real life', we support and care for each other nonetheless. May her joy and light live on in all of those she touched.

  -Ozie‬ Dilorenzo

  Although your time with us was cut far too short, your sweet smile will live on in a beautiful baby. May she have your love of life and poise. ‬

  -Mackenzie G.‬‬‬

  Although we never met you could always make me smile with your posts... Team Bradford has lost an amazing friend and person. Heaven has gained an Angel. Sleep tight, Roni and R.IP.

  -Sian Parry

  Roni and I shared a love for Shemar Moore. She showed us how sweet he was to her when he met her at his house, making her SUPER happy as well. I didn't chat with her a lot but she was always kind and bubbly.

  -Aimee‬

  I didn't know Roni, but I know many of you did so here's something to remember X.‬

  When someone you love becomes a memory, the memory becomes a treasure.‬‬

  -Velvet December

  I will miss Roni's smile! We shared a love and obsession of Shamar Moore. We had many discussions on how beautiful we thought this man was! Thanks Roni for being a friend through our weight loss journey and in Facebook world.

  -Anissa Hammons

  I will miss her posts, and the whole world will miss her smile. You will never be forgotten!!!!‬‬‬

  -Jessica An Shelia Powers

  A beautiful, vivacious lady, who will be dearly missed, but never forgotten.May she rest in peace‬

  -Rachelle Midson‬‬

  She was a fun and special person, it's difficult to think of something about someone you knew and liked but never met. All I can say is a quote from Helen Keller that I feel helps say it;‬