STIRRED 15 page

Date: 2015-10-07; view: 441.

"Well that's because I spoil him. But I'm not sure how good I'd be if I had to discipline him or tell him no."

"Yeah, but that's the appeal of other people's children," Lily joked. "I personally think you'd be a great mom."

Anna couldn't see that in herself at all. "What makes you say that?"

"Well first of all, I happen to know for a fact that you, Anna Kaklis, have a tremendous capacity to love." That earned her a sloppy kiss on the cheek, and she wiped away the toothpaste before continuing. "And I've seen how well you get on with some of the kids we've taken camping." Anna had come along three times on outings with Kidz Kamp, each time forging a friendship with a troubled child. "You like to have fun, and you're even-tempered. Those are good qualities for being a mom."

So here they were, talking about it again. That afternoon, Anna had been especially mindful of how much her sister's life had changed with having children. Their needs were front and center, and everything Kim did–walking with her friends, going out to eat, even giving up her real estate work–she did with her children in mind. Anna wasn't at all ready for that kind of change. She couldn't just leave the dealerships to run themselves that long, and it was too much to ask her father to do. Maybe Lily…

"Do you still think about adopting a child? Or even having one of your own?"

"Having my own, no." When Lily first realized at 14 that she was gay, it gave her a new perspective on what her life would be like. Without really understanding what her options might be down the road, she'd just gotten used to the fact that babies weren't part of the deal. "Adopting… maybe, but only under really special circumstances. I always figured that if I ever met a child that needed me–not just needed a home, but needed me–that I'd feel it too, like Mom did with me. But I never thought I'd just decide to adopt and go pick one out."

The women settled underneath the sheet and light blanket, both gravitating immediately to the center of the king-sized bed.

Lily went on. "And with you and me together now, it's not a decision I can make on my own. You'd have to feel that need too. I couldn't ask you to do something like that if it didn't feel right for you."

For Anna, that was reassuring, though she was certain her partner wouldn't try to push her into something she didn't want. Still, she knew it would be difficult to deny Lily something she really wanted, even something that would impact both of them as much as a child.

It started just as both began to doze off. From across the landing and down the hall, through not one but two closed doors, it rumbled. Their friend Suzanne was sawing logs.

CHAPTER 3

"LILY, THE BLINKING line is yours," Pauline shouted across the reception area. The basic phone in Lily's office, which was an oversized closet off the main reception area, was not connected to the intercom system. She had lost her larger office last year to Tony's wife Colleen, who had taken over her caseload while she was suspended.

"This is Lilian Stuart. How may I help you?"

"Wanna see The Big Unit?"

Lily's face broke into a grin as she pushed her door shut for more privacy. "Oh, I'm doing very, very well today, Amazon, and thanks for asking." She and her lover had started their day well before dawn, when Anna awoke and began covering her neck with gentle kisses and nips. Lily sensed an urgent need in her lover for physical closeness, and matched it quickly with her own. They hadn't shared their bodies in almost a week.

"Sorry, my social skills are a little rusty," she laughed.

The Big Unit? "So let me guess… either the Diamondbacks are in town or that's the worst pickup line I've ever heard." The Big Unit was Randy Johnson, a pitcher for the Arizona Diamondbacks. Lily had read this morning that the team was in town for a series with the Dodgers.

"Maybe it's both," the car dealer teased. "Would you be interested in two tickets on the third base line for tonight's game?" Anna had gone to work today with the realization that she and Lily had been awfully busy lately with their friends and family, and deserved to spend some time with just each other.

"Well, Ms. Kaklis, since you asked so nicely…” This was fun; it was almost like Anna was flirting. "What time?"

"It's a 7:05 start. I can be home by 6:15."

"It's a date. I'll be ready."

"See you then."

Lily beamed when she hung up the phone. I have a date tonight with Anna Kaklis! As was her practice, she began dressing herself in her mind's eye.

Yes! Anna picked up the phone immediately to call her Chamber of Commerce friend Jerry Grossman, marketing director for the LA Dodgers. "Jerry, hi. This is Anna Kaklis. Listen, I need a big favor. Any chance I can get two tickets on the third base line for tonight's game?"

* * *

Jerry came through, sending a courier to the dealership with the tickets and a VIP parking pass. At 6:10 Anna pulled her sporty Z8 into the driveway. Lily met her at the side door with a welcoming kiss, all set to go. "Let me just change real quick," Anna said, disappearing up the stairs. When she returned, she was dressed casually like her blonde partner–in faded jeans, a black t-shirt, and tennis shoes. Appropriate for the occasion, her dark ponytail was pulled through the back of a Dodgers cap. To Lily, she was the most beautiful woman on earth.

Traffic was a typical Tuesday night headache, but they managed to get to the ballpark before the start of the second inning.

"Look at these seats! Did you sleep with somebody?"

Anna laughed aloud at her lover's mock accusation, as did the men sitting behind them. Jerry had delivered alright. Their seats were in the first row, right behind the on-deck hitter.

"Jerry Grossman hit me up last month for a donation to the Dodger's Foundation, their youth organization. I called Tony first, and he said the Kidz Kamp budget was in good shape, so I wrote Jerry a check," Anna shrugged.

Lily was proud that Premier Motors was now the principle sponsor of Kidz Kamp, and especially that Anna was taking such an active role as benefactor.

The dark-haired woman took the menu from the pouch in front of her and waved to one of the attendants that watchfully serviced those in the premium box seats. "I'd like two hot dogs with everything, two curly fries, and two diet cokes, please." Those were Lily's favorites. "You want anything?"

"Touché, Amazon."

The ladies sat back and enjoyed a thriller, a pitcher's duel well into the seventh inning when the Dodgers broke it open with a triple and back-to-back home runs. Anna enjoyed the game, but was even more entertained at times by her partner.

"Hey Blue! You're missing a really good game!" Lily loved knowing that from these seats, the umpire could actually hear her. "Another eye and you'd be a Cyclops!"

As the temperature dropped, the cold-natured car dealer started adding layers, first a V-necked sweater, then a lightweight jacket. When she reached for Lily's unused Dodgers sweatshirt, the blonde woman cautioned, "If you keep piling on clothes, they're going to show you on television."

"But I'm cold!"

"What if I come over there and sit in your lap?" Lily offered in a voice only her lover could hear.

"Then I guarantee we'd be on television."

Three sharp beeps told Anna she had a call. With Kim due three days ago, she carried the cell phone everywhere.

"It's Hal," she said, pressing the button to talk. "Hello… how long?"

The smile told Lily all she needed to know. She began to gather their things from under the seat, not that there was much more to pick up, what with Anna now wearing everything.

"They're at the Medical Center. Kim went into labor about two hours ago. Hal says it's probably going to be a while, if you want to stay and see the game."

"Are you serious?" Lily knew that Anna's head had already left, so it was only fitting her body should follow. "Let's go!"

Walking quickly to the car, the blonde lobbied Anna jovially that she should drive them both to the hospital, given the taller woman's excitement. Lily had only driven the sports car three or four times since Anna got it more than a year ago, and it certainly wasn't going to happen tonight. Finally conceding, she extracted a promise that her partner would drive with due caution.

So if a Z8 leaves a 30-foot strip of black rubber on the pavement and there was no one in the parking lot to hear it, did it make a sound?

* * *

Kim and Hal were running through their relaxation drills in a birthing room on the third floor of UCLA's Medical Center. The room was decorated much like a bedroom in one's home, with a braided oval rug, pictures on the walls and a homey quilt on the twin bed. Birthing rooms were a popular option for families who wanted a low technology, low intervention birthing experience. Equipment was readily available for any type of emergency response, but Kim was healthy and her pregnancy was considered low risk.

One of the nicest features of the birthing room was that even small extended families were accommodated during the labor process. Anna and Lily therefore proceeded directly to the room to see how things were going.

"Hiya sister!" Kim greeted her actually smiling, the first one Anna had seen in a month.

"Hey yourself. What's this grin about? Did you get drugs?"

"No, we were just talking about how much better tomorrow is going to be. This misery will finally be over." Kim really had been pretty wretched over the last three or four weeks. "And I'm looking forward to seeing my little girl."

"Well we all are," Lily added. "Where's Jonah?"

"He's with Mom and Dad. They were looking for the vending machines. My luck, they're buying him chocolate, and he'll be a wild man."

"I think I'll go try to find them," Lily offered. She knew she was welcome in the room, but still she wanted to give Anna some time with her sister and brother-in-law.

"I'll come with you, Lily," Hal added. "Just for a few minutes, hon. I'll be right back."

Alone for just these moments, Anna sat on the bed, taking her sister's hand. "I love you, Kimmie. You're such a good mom, and I'm so proud of you."

Both women's eyes misted at the tender moment. "I love you too, Sister." She suddenly squeezed Anna's hand tightly as a contraction took her.

"You okay?"

"Yeah, it's normal. The doctor said it would probably be sometime after midnight. Will you wait around?"

"I wouldn't miss it."

Hal returned quietly and took his place on the other side of the bed. "You want anything?"

Kim seized again, this time stronger than the one before. "You know, I just did that. Maybe we should start timing them or something."

Ninety minutes later, the doctor agreed that it was indeed Showtime!

* * *

The Kaklis clan, which according to George's own quiet acquiescence, now officially included one Lily Stuart, waited impatiently for word on its newest addition. Hal's father, Harold, Sr., chatted with Martine while George and Lily took turns chasing Jonah around the couches in the maternity waiting room. It seemed that the toddler never slept; and someone had indeed given him chocolate.

Hal's parents were divorced, and his mother lived in Florida. Father and son hadn't been especially close over the years, but both were trying harder to forge a relationship now that the grandchildren were part of the picture.

Anna stood in the doorway, an eye on the door to Kim's birthing room. No one had come in or out in the last 15 minutes, so she was expecting news soon. Finally, one of the two nurses stepped into the hallway, pulling off the rubber gloves and tossing them in a nearby receptacle. She didn't look Anna's way, so there was no discerning the news.

"I think something's happening here," the tall woman announced excitedly.

Indeed, the next person to exit was Dr. Beth Ostrov, who had also delivered Jonah. The soft smile on her face caused Anna's heart to soar.

By the time Dr. Ostrov had reached the waiting room, everyone was gathered in the doorway. "Well folks, what can I say? She's a beaut! Seven pounds, nine ounces."

"And Kim?" Anna asked anxiously.

"Doing just great! Even Hal made it this time," she joked. He had hyperventilated when Jonah was born. "The OB nurse is still cleaning up a little, but when she comes out, you'll be able to go in. Just try not to rush the door."

"Thanks, Dr. Ostrov. We appreciate everything," Martine gushed.

"The pleasure was mine." Her smile still in place, the obstetrician turned and disappeared down the hall.

After an eternity of eight or nine minutes, the OB nurse appeared and waved everyone down to the room. "Mom and daughter are doing great, but you don't want to overwhelm them, okay?"

"You got it!" Anna replied, and started through the door, the entire clan in tow. One by one, they stepped closer to the bed, careful not to crowd the family. George passed a squirming wide-eyed Jonah to his dad and started snapping pictures with a digital camera.

Kim was sitting up in the bed, her red hair freshly combed away from her face. In her arms was a dark-eyed, red-faced darling with a shock of her father's jet-black hair. "Everyone, meet Jonah's little sister, Alice Martine Phillips."

Kim's mother was moved beyond words at the honor of her namesake. Anna had been equally honored when Jonah had been given her middle name, Merrill.

George snapped away, first moving Martine into the picture, then Anna and Lily. The blonde felt an overwhelming sense of happiness at her inclusion in this family moment.

With apologies to Carolyn and Vicki, tonight there was a new World's Most Beautiful Baby.

"Oh wait. I have to call David!" Hal remembered his brother-in-law, who was a sophomore at Stanford. Harold took one last picture of the entire Kaklis family–including Lily–as Hal relayed the news on the phone, and finally the group's quiet excitement began to settle down.

Shortly after two a.m., everyone started to file out to let the new mom get some rest. Jonah, who had finally fallen asleep, was spending the rest of the night with his grandparents. Since she'd had no complications, Kim would be going home the following afternoon.

"That was quite something, wasn't it?" Lily asked her partner as they walked arm in arm to the car.

Anna was still giddy with excitement. "Oh yeah! Did you see Jonah's eyes?"

Lily chuckled. "You should have seen your own."

Anna was absolutely delighted with the birth of her niece. In fact, she'd made a very important decision as she looked on at the new addition in her mother's arms. Tomorrow, the car dealer would contact her business attorney. No matter what she and Lily decided about a family, she wanted to share Premier Motors with her sister and brother. Jonah and Alice, and David's children as well, would be among her heirs. That was family.

* * *

"No good deed goes unpunished," Anna muttered, plowed under by the paperwork Walter had delivered Monday morning to distribute the stock in the car company. He had advised a gradual distribution to alleviate the tax burdens her family members would see with the gift. He had also pointed out that Anna's will needed to be updated to reflect this change in stock ownership.

My will. That thought took the car dealer on a further tangent, as she realized that the three-year-old document held no provisions whatsoever for Lily. With the home in her name only, her partner was vulnerable to eviction by the mortgage holder should something happen to Anna. How could I have let this slide?

Picking up the phone, she placed a quick call to her attorney. "Walter? Anna Kaklis. First of all, thanks so much for that mountain of paperwork you sent over. Do I happen to pay you by the page?" she quipped. "Listen, on the will thing… I need to talk to you about Lily. I want to make sure she'd be taken care of if something happened to me." She quickly jotted down the lawyer's words. "No, what's that?" Anna sat up straight in her chair. "I never knew California had such a thing… Do you have the paperwork for it? Uh-huh… so what's involved?" She frowned at Walter's next question. "No, absolutely not. It isn't necessary… No, Walter. Not in this case… Why don't you send the paperwork over and we'll schedule a meeting, you, me and Lily. I'd like to get this done right away."

* * *

Lily nearly fell out of her chair when her partner laid the form in front of her.

"Registered domestic partners?"

"Yeah, Walter told me about it. I downloaded that off the web. He says if we sent that in, we'd be legally bound in the eyes of the state."

The blonde couldn't believe it. She knew all about the domestic partner statutes, but never would have imagined that it was something Anna might consider, let alone suggest on her own.

"Yes."

"Yes?"

"Yes, I'd love to be your registered domestic partner." Lily found herself actually blushing, though she couldn't imagine why.

"Good," Anna replied, almost businesslike. "Could you come down to the office with me first thing tomorrow morning to meet with Walter? I need to go over my will and I'd like to put your name on the house and give you a small piece of the company."

Now Lily was stunned. "Anna! I can understand the house, but why give me part of the company? That's your family's company."

"You are my family, Lily. More than anyone else. I want Kim and Hal's kids to have the business, along with David and his kids. But if something should happen to me, I want to know that you're taken care of, that I've left you something that was important to me."

That did it. Stupid tears. Couldn't stop. Lily walked over behind her lover's chair and wrapped her arms around the tall woman's neck. "Just don't ever leave me. That's all I really want."

* * *

"Walter, I said no." Anna was angry that he'd even brought it up.

"Sweetheart, he's right. I'm not offended at all," Lily said, looking over Walter's paperwork with her lawyer's eye. "I recommend it to my clients too when there's prior property involved. He's representing you here, and he'd be remiss if he didn't ask for this."

Anna's attorney had presented her with a standard pre-nuptial agreement that she'd make no claim on Anna's business or singular holdings should they dissolve their domestic partnership for any reason.

"I'm not threatened by it, and you shouldn't be either. Didn't you have Scott sign one?"

The car dealer's face burned at that. The pre-nuptial with Scott had saved her ass.

"Fine. Just sign it and stick it somewhere." Anna sneered at Walter, stopping short of suggesting where. "Did you bring the papers for the house?"

"Yes, of course. You'll be tenants in common. But I should warn you that it isn't likely that Lily could afford the mortgage if something happened to you."

"Then get mortgage insurance that will pay it off," Anna snapped. She was tired of this. Why did they have to jump through so many hoops?

Walter started putting the forms back into his briefcase. "I'll file the stock forms today, along with the domestic partnership papers and the new will. The house papers will probably take until Tuesday."

Moments later, the two women were left alone in Anna's office. The scowl on the car dealer's face told her partner that she was unhappy with the way things had gone. Lily wasn't sure why, but Anna was really hung up on the pre-nuptial.

"What's wrong, hon?"

No answer, just more scowl.

"Are you still upset about the pre-nup?"

"I just don't like what it says about our commitment. If we were both serious about it being forever, why do we need a legal document that spells out what we'd do if we split up?"

"Honey, it says nothing at all about our commitment. I'm not going anywhere. Are you?"

"Of course not."

"Then it's a moot document, so why worry about it?"

"I just don't like what it symbolizes."

Lily blew out a deep breath. She'd try a new tack. "It's there in case something bizarre happens. What if you got amnesia and all of a sudden didn't know me from Eve?"

"That's pretty far-fetched."

"Far-fetched things happen sometimes. Besides, it says something important about how I feel about you. It says I married you for your body, not your money."

"My body?"

"Your body."

"Not my gentle nature? Or my tender heart?"

"Nope. Your body."

"Well, then." Anna stood and walked over to her partner's chair. "If that's the case, then I should have the right to expect you to demonstrate that on a regular basis."

"Very well, if I must."

"Oh, you definitely must."

CHAPTER 4

ANNA SAT IN the waiting room, dreading the moment they actually called her name. This was one of those rare times she didn't mind waiting. In fact, if there were an emergency with someone else…

"Anna Kaklis?" A youthful technician in white pants and a floral top called her name.

The tall woman grimaced and returned the unread magazine to the table at the center of the small room. A root canal, she thought. No, a root canal without anesthetic, she bargained with an unseen entity. Anything but this.

"You can change in here," the woman handed her a soft blue top and a key, gesturing toward a small private changing room, "and lock your things in the closet. I'll knock in about five minutes to take you in. Don't forget, the ties go in front."

Slipping into the room, Anna pulled the door closed. Thankfully, they'd gotten rid of those flimsy cubicles, where the curtains didn't quite reach from one corner to the other. At least in this little room, she had privacy, and she wouldn't have to step out and wait in a room with three or four other women who were similarly underdressed.

The dark-haired woman removed her suit jacket and hung it carefully in the closet. The sleeveless shell followed, then her bra. Quickly slipping on the loose cotton wraparound, she laced the ties on the inside right, and then on the outside left. This too was an improvement, she thought. Last time, she'd gotten a paper shift that gaped open in the front if she didn't hold it tightly closed. And if you wrapped it too tightly, you had to worry about the position of the armholes.

A soft knock signaled the technician's return. "Ms. Kaklis? Are you ready?"

Anna opened the door and stepped out. She detested this part, where she would be led down a busy hallway to a room at the far end. Why did there have to be so much indignity attached to this procedure? Because men probably run these clinics, she answered herself. To her surprise and delight, she was instead directed through a single doorway into a darkened room, lit only by two small spots above the imposing medical equipment. Relaxing new age music drifted softly through recessed speakers.

"Okay, could I have you step over here, please? That's it, all the way against the tray. We're going to do the right side first, so just slip that side off your shoulder. You can leave the other one on."

This too was new. Usually, they just took her paper shift away as soon as she entered the room, leaving her awkwardly exposed for the duration of the procedure.

And it's warm in here!

The technician gently positioned Anna's right breast onto the tray and lowered the top slide gradually until the fatty flesh was uncomfortably flattened. "I need you to hold your breath and be perfectly still." Anna heard a soft buzz as soon as the woman disappeared behind what she assumed was a lead wall. Quickly, the technician returned. "Okay, now the left side." They repeated the procedure for Anna's left breast.

"You've changed a lot of things about this since last year."

"We sure have. We've tried to get rid of as many of the unpleasant aspects as we could. No more bright lights; all the rooms are kept at 78 degrees; and we've tried to give women more privacy. How'd we do?"

"Much better," Anna enthused. "I won't dread this nearly as much next time."

"I have to do the side view now. Let's do the left side first this time." The technician skillfully turned the tray diagonally, this time to capture the breast tissue near Anna's underarm. "This part's still pretty unpleasant, but we'll keep trying to fix what we can. I swear if men had to put their balls in this vise, they'd find a way to make it out of transparent cotton sponges."

Anna chortled at the image, certain the technician was right. A few minutes later they were finished, and the slides were checked for quality.

"That's it. We're all done. One of the doctors will be in touch in a few days."

"Thank you. Really, I appreciate all the things you've done here to make this easier. It makes a huge difference."

"Yeah, I know. I have to get them once a year too."

Anna nodded, knowing exactly what that meant for the technician, since regular mammograms weren't usually prescribed for women their age unless there was a known risk. Having lost her mother to breast cancer at age 35, Anna had been vigilant about self-exams, physician exams, and mammograms since her early twenties. The odds were high–some said one in four–that she too would develop the disease.

* * *

Lily was delighted to find the Z8 already in the garage when she got home. The car dealer usually worked until seven unless they had plans, so this was a rare treat. A scrumptious aroma filled her nostrils as she entered the side door. "Anna?"

"In here," her lover called from the kitchen.

"Hey! This is a nice surprise. What are you cooking?"

"Nothing fancy. Just a roasted chicken. It's almost done."

"It smells great!" Lily wrapped her arms around her lover's waist, unable to resist reaching under the t-shirt to feel the warm skin. "How'd it go today?" Her lover had dreaded this annual exam, brooding about it for the last four days.

"It was alright, actually. They've changed a lot of things there that have always made it such an ordeal." The clinic near their home was the same one that hosted Lily's Wednesday night women's AA meeting. "You should think about having a mammogram sometime, you know, at least to get a baseline."

"I'm only 32, Anna. Most women don't start getting them until they're about 40."

"But how do you know you're not at risk? You really don't know that much about your real mother." That brought a quick frown to the blonde's face, and Anna immediately corrected herself. "I mean your natural mother. Sorry."

Lily had made such a big deal about reinforcing her partner for her vigilance against the disease that she'd left herself with no real arguments for not getting a mammogram herself. "Okay, I'll call the doctor's office and see if I can get a referral."

The attorney was rarely sick, scheduling only sporadic visits to a gynecologist when she felt guilty about not getting a Pap smear for a couple of years.

"Why don't you call my doctor? I'm sure she'd see you."

"I seriously doubt your doctor is on our plan. My preferred providers are mostly these big groups where you're lucky if you see the same doctor more than once." Tony had chosen the basic benefits package for the law clinic with cost in mind. For more money each month, Lily could have chosen an option that let her have the same physician, but she couldn't see paying that extra money when she so seldom needed medical services.