Until the Very End

Chapter 46

Meryl stirred awake when she thought she heard yelling, she tried to carefully untangle herself from Don's arms and sat up too quickly, immediately feeling nauseated from her concussion. "Shit!"

"Baby?" Don asked sleepily when he felt her move beside him and heard her curse. "What's wrong? Are you okay?"

Meryl wanted to curse again, but this time because she woke her husband up. That was the last thing she had wanted. She sighed with a nod. "I didn't mean to wake you up, Don Man. I just heard loud voices out in the apartment. You rest and I'll go see what it is."

"Since I know I would be wasting my breath if I told you that I would go see what's going on, and for you to stay here..." Don began causing her to smirk. "We will go see what's going on together. Are you okay to walk?"

Meryl nodded her head with a small smile. "I just sat up too quickly. I really don't want to leave the babies in here alone. Do you feel up to carrying one?"

"Of course." Don said strongly, as he felt the exact same way she did. "Are you?"

Meryl nodded as she kissed her babies' heads, and then accepted her husband's kiss on her lips making sure to extend it for several moments. "Let's go see what drama is waiting for us now."

"It sure as hell be it." Don sighed as Meryl threw blankets over each baby. "I'm done with the drama in our lives, for the rest of our lives I would say."

Meryl couldn't help but chuckle softly at her husband, careful as to not wake up the babies. "Me too, handsome, me too."

***

"Suze, calm down." Larry said going over to his daughter. "The last thing I want you to do is to wake up your Uncle Don and Aunt Meryl."

Liz sighed as she shut the oven door. "As well as the babies. You know, Susan Elizabeth, this isn't about you!"

"I know it's not about me." Suzie said as she pointed to her husband and two of his sisters, as well as her daughter. "This is about my husband, this is about Mamie and Grace and Lou who is going out of her mind with worry back at school. This is about you and dad keeping important shit from me. Don and Meryl aren't just your childhood friends, they are like my second parents, they are now my in-laws."

Larry was getting pissed off. "You better watch yourself, little girl. The Gummers have ALWAYS been family to us. Don has been my brother for, well, forever."

"And your father has been working like hell not only this afternoon but for days, to make sure everyone in this apartment and Lou are safe." Liz was jumping to her husband's defenses even though she really didn't need to do that. "Don't you dare act like Don, Meryl, and their children mean more to you than they do to us."

Don and Meryl walked in at that time, and Don looked at Meryl who nodded to him to take the lead. "Hey, what's going on here? Suzie girl, I hope you're not upset at your parents because of us."

"Uncle Don." Suzie sighed in relief as she hugged Don and then Meryl. "Aunt Meryl."

The girls and Henry then got in on the hugs, exclaiming at the same time. "MOM! DAD!"

"They were a little..." Larry gave his best friend a look. "Concerned, I will say. Because they didn't know you all had been released."

Henry nodded. "We know you told us to stay away, but we couldn't."

"We had to make sure all four of you were alright." Grace said.

Mamie nodded as she jumped into the conversation. "We went to the hospital to make sure you all were really okay. We needed to see it with our eyes."