Lets Add Three

"Taa Daa!"

A/N: This my dears is the last chapter of this story, it's been quite the journey and I've enjoyed writing it, but the feeling of actually finishing a story is something else entirely. I hope you enjoy the last little piece of Let's Add Three...

Chapter 24:

Marcia charges out the back door, across the deck and down the few steps to the Kaplan's backyard. She's in her swim suit and foggy-goggles, you never know when you might get splashed in the eye. But the family just isn't following the impatient six-year-old fast enough! So she runs back and then has to be real careful opening the screen door again because Giselle is leaning on it, holding it to hold herself up, because they do that now, they pull themselves up on things. Giselle laughs as her sister tells her to back up, she just straight up giggles.
     "Daddy! Giselle won't let me back inside!"
     "Then you should have waited for the rest of us then shouldn't you?" Avi laughs. He does though bend down and pick up Giselle even though he's got Bella in the other arm. He has to breathe through the pain of her small little nails clutching onto his shoulder, digging into his flesh, this child is never going to let go. He has to immediately put the baby in yellow back down, "Kirstie! She's doing it again!" He yells, he can't de-latch her hand himself, he still has the battle scars to show from last time, little half-moon indentations, one with a small chunk of skin missing, Bella is taking attachment issues to a new level. She does it when he has a shirt on too, but it's so much worse when he doesn't, like right now.
     Kirstie shuffles around the corner to see what it was who was doing. "Oh, oh no," she sighs, stepping over to de-latch her baby's claws from her husband's back. "Bella sweetie why?" She talks in her high pitched Mom voice.
     "Ow," Avi hisses, "How is she so strong for such a small person?" He asks as he turns the child in his arms so that her hands are facing forward.
     Kirstie's stomach is slightly rounded, now protruding a little, but nothing yet that Marcia has spotted, they're not going to tell their oldest child until she asks the inevitable: 'Mommy why are you getting fat?' That is of course if things go smoothly, Kirstie's been more sick with this one, and it is only one, they know that much. The baby's heartbeat has been hard find so far, but it is there, it's just faint. The pregnancy in general so far has not been smooth sailing, Kirstie reckons that it means he'll be a boy, because men are difficult, and of course that made Avi scoff. Kirstie just has to take things easy and everything will turn out fine.
     Marcia does her best to pick up her youngest sibling, she wants to go outside now, she can hear the sprinkler calling her! But with her sister dangling in her arms now, she can't open the door herself. "Come on, she's heavy!" Marcia complains before her dad finally opens the door.
     "Be careful with her," Kirstie warns as she picks up Aurelia, even though she's not supposed to be picking up babies, Avi left this one behind so what was she supposed to do?
     Marcia awkwardly steps out onto the porch, spinning away with her sister as Olaf comes bounding over, "No, no Olaf no," she scolds as he jumps around them, sniffing at Giselle. Giselle doesn't care, she's kicking, she's giggling, and Olaf backs off when he gets a baby foot to the nose. Avi sends their dog in the other direction by kicking a ball that was on the porch across their backyard.
     Marcia let's Giselle go beside the sprinkler and the child immediately starts to crawl in the other direction. Avi steps in front of her to block her path as Marcia fiddles with the sprinkler, trying to get it on, aka the mission's purpose.
     Giselle pulls herself up, leaning against her dad's legs, clutching in one hand the bottom of his swim shorts so she wouldn't fall.
     Kirstie places Aurelia down next to Giselle then helps Marcia with the sprinkler. She backs off quickly as it starts up, squealing with her oldest daughter. "I'm gonna take a quick video," she says, ushering Avi over, "Get all of them in the shot babe," she smiles, pulling her phone from her back pocket.
     Avi bends just enough to use his spare arm to shuffle Giselle back so she'd sit, but she stays standing, freely. "No, video this!" He cheers.
     Kirstie gasps, turning her phone off of Marcia to Giselle, "Go baby go," she grins.
     Giselle looks around dumbstruck, so Avi puts Bella down with little fuss and takes Giselle's hands inching her forward, she steps then gives up, hanging from Avi's hands.
     "Aw man," Avi pouts, letting her sit down again.
     "But she did it before Auri!" Kirstie is still grinning. Auri always does everything first, but not this time, it's an interesting turn of events.
     "Aurelia is sitting there studying her, you can just see it," Avi jokes. "Alrighty, let's get you girls under the water!" He speaks cheerfully and two little faces light up, Bella's doesn't, not surprising since she is the one who kicks up the biggest fuss at bath time.
     "Mommy look at me! Look at me," Marcia speaks impatiently, wanting the camera on her. "Watch!" She leaps over the sprinkler, "Taa daa!"
     "Very good Martian," Kirstie smiles, "You know I bet you can't jump over it the other way," she challenges.
     "I can too!" And she does, easy peasy, flashing her Mom a triumphant smile.
     Kirstie cheers, "Wooo, well aren't you just soooo talented!"
     "Jeez Mommy, it's not even that hard," she shy's a little.
     Kirstie laughs before she turns her camera onto the freshly wrangled babies.
     "Ima get Olaf!" Marcia announces and runs off to where Olaf is still nosing around the bushes looking for his ball.
     Giselle rolls around under the sprinkler, giggling like mad, Aurelia has figured out where the spray is coming from and is trying to stop it with her tiny little hands, but the water keeps escaping between her fingers. Bella will not let go of Avi, but that's nothing new, at least it's only his leg and that'll hurt far less. Her forehead is pressed against his knee, she's pulled herself up and her arms were wrapped around his calf, the claws haven't attached themselves... yet.
     "Aww, come on Bells, it's not scary," he coos. He reaches down to pick her up.
     "Aww no, my little hydrophobic baby," Kirstie coos, walking over to Bella and Avi, and offers to take the green clad kid. She keeps the video going even as Bella is put into her arms, she focuses it on Aurelia right as the child plops down on the sprinkler butt first. She's stopped the water, they always knew she was smart but this is going beyond now.
     Giselle is confused, where did the water go? She's distracted though by Olaf as Marcia drags him over. The youngest child pushes herself to her hands and knees to try and reach for the furry white dog. Olaf has already learnt what these sticky little pink things want and he lets Giselle pull herself up on him, it's better than when they start to scream.
     "Auri," Avi laughs as he guides her off the sprinkler, only to get a full face of water. And he swears everyone laughs, even the triplets, even Olaf. A big happy, laughing, family.

The End.

A/N: But is it ever really the end? ;)

Hannah.