All Fixed Up by Linda Grimes

He’s being strong for me.” There was a small pause—a sniffle and a deep breath. “Enough tragedy. What’s this ‘great news’ you were talking about?”
    I might have known a simple thing like the murder of a relative wouldn’t keep Mom from pursuing a trail.
    â€œUh … nothing.” Crap, Ciel, think of something! “Look, now isn’t the time—”
    â€œCiel Colleen, now is exactly the right time to tell me some ‘great news.’ Spit it out this instant!”
    â€œLaura’s pregnant.” The words were sucked out of my mouth by the force of my mother’s will before I could bite my tongue.
    I know. It was awful enough I’d been willing to admit I’d known something before she did, but then not to wait for Thomas and Laura to tell her? Bad me.
    I heard a thunk —that would be the phone dropping—followed by a happy squeal.
    â€œMom!” I yelled. “Mom, pick up the phone right—”
    â€œOh, this is such wonderful news!” Mom’s voice was loud and clear again, glazed with joy. “If it’s a girl, they’ll have to name her Helen. Well, middle name at least. And Mo will throw a shower, of course, and we’ll have a fabulous christening party—”
    â€œMom! Stop a second, okay? Listen, you can not tell Thomas and Laura I spilled the beans. They’re on their way up to tell you in person.”
    Mistake. Mom shifted gears faster than a NASCAR driver on race day.
    â€œWhy did they tell you before me? Shouldn’t grandparents be the first—”
    â€œThey wanted to see your face when—”
    â€œWould it have killed them to wait to tell you? Who else have they told? James? Brian? Mo? Am I the last one to find out?”
    â€œNo! Nobody else knows.” If you don’t count Billy , I thought, crossing my fingers and glancing ceiling-ward for stray lightning bolts. “And the only reason I know is because Laura had to cancel her lesson with me to go to the doctor. She wanted to explain why she ditched me, is all.”
    â€œWell … I suppose I understand. Still … never mind, it doesn’t matter.” Thank God for Laura’s saintly immunity. “Listen, honey, I have to go. I need to call Mo!”
    â€œMom, you can’t tell Mo yet!”
    â€œBut she’ll want to start planning the shower.” Mom was already a million miles away, somewhere deep in Baby Land. In fact, I heard the telltale sound of her fingers tapping away on her computer. She was probably already scouring the Babies“R”Us website.
    â€œ No, ” I said. Loudly, to break through her haze. “You have to wait until Thomas and Laura tell you. And you have to act surprised when they do. Promise me!”
    â€œPromise what, sweetie? Listen, I’ll call you later. So much to do!”

 
    Chapter 5
    Aunt Helen’s funeral was a suitably somber affair, unless you counted the flashes of joy in Mom’s and Auntie Mo’s eyes every time they glanced at Laura. They were starting to make me queasy. Seemed like I was feeling queasy a lot lately. Which made me wonder … no. I was not going to go there, and damn Billy for planting the seed of the idea in my head, anyway.
    The seed-planter himself (okay, even as a random thought, that so didn’t sound right) squeezed my hand reassuringly.
    I glanced at Laura, whose auburn hair had grown into a sleek bob, presently shining in the morning sun. She’d met Aunt Helen only once, at the wedding, so her forest green eyes were focused on my brother Thomas with concern for him more than sadness for herself. His dismay lessened perceptibly when he looked at her. The skirt of her dark burgundy suit showed not a hint of a baby bump yet, but her hand still gravitated toward it unconsciously, like she was already protective of it.
    I jerked my eyes away from her, fighting the roil in my