Playing with fire (Amelia Shepherd) ABANDONED

Twenty five

"I think," Amelia said over the sound of Scout's screams, "That we need help with the kids," she said.

"You don't say," Mallie muttered, trying to put Myles down so she could check his diaper. He just screamed in protest, tugging onto her hair tighter. "Ow, hijo!" she gasped.

"Fuck, we need help," Amelia groaned, patting Scout's bum.

"Do you think Mer would let us move in? She's like, the baby whisperer," Mallie said.

"She did offer," Amelia said. "But we weren't talking then, so I just forgot about it. I could mention it," Amelia said.

"You think we should?" Mallie asked.

"It'd help a lot, considering our hours at work," Amelia hummed. "And it's closer to both the station and the hospital. And we're just on the end of the school catchment area so, if we moved in, we'd be closer for when it's time for school," Amelia said.

"I'm sold. Just check with Mer, and with Maggie. It's not just us anymore. It's us, two screaming babies and two very annoying cats," Mallie said.

"Are you kidding? Zola will be over the moon that we finally let her have the cats over," Amelia chuckled.

"I know," Mallie smiled. "Seriously, though, these babies are going to kill me," she said, looking back at the still screaming twins.

"Yeah, you don't say," Amelia sighed, patting Scout's back as he took a deep breath for another few screams.

Mallie's phone started ringing at the same moment that the doorbell went.

"I'll get the door, you get that," Amelia said. Mallie pulled out her phone, putting it to her ear.

"Andy?" she said.

"Mallie?" Andy sniffed down the phone.

"Hey, what's wrong?" Mallie asked.

"He turned himself into the Civil Service Commission to take down the Fire Chief, which didn't work, by the way! All it did was get him suspended without pay for stealing narcotics from the PRT and delay my dad's funeral," Andy said.

"Sully?" Mallie checked.

"Yeah!" Andy cried.

"What the hell?!" Mallie said. "You're serious?" she said.

"Yes!" Andy said.

"Mallie?" Amelia called, stepping into the kitchen with a crying Carina, Scout still crying quietly in her arms. "Maya slept with Jack. She didn't know where else to go," Amelia said quietly.

"She did what?!" Mallie cried.

"Who is it? What happened?" Andy asked.

"Maya slept with Jack. Carina's here. Look, how about you come over, too? We can all be miserable together and we have two very screaming babies who are refusing to settle," Mallie said.

"Be there in twenty," Andy hung up the phone.

"Okay, Carina, I can make you some dinner if you want to take a baby," Mallie said.

"Thank you," Carina sniffed, taking Myles. He fell silent instantly and Mallie looked at Amelia, who was rubbing Scout's back.

"Maybe we need three moms to make this work," Mallie said.

"I wouldn't object," Amelia said. Carina chuckled slightly, rubbing Myles' back.

"He's gorgeous. Aren't you, bambino?" Carina cooed at Myles.