Ann Martin - Baby-Sitters Club 041

"Where's Jenny?" was the first thing Jessi asked after she and the Prezziosos had hastily greeted one another.

"Still asleep," said Mrs. P., with a smile. "Jenny could sleep until noon every day, but we usually don't let her. However, we thought it would be okay today." "So Jenny doesn't know you're leaving for the hospital?" asked Jessi, astounded. This did not seem like a very good situation to her.

"No," replied Mr. P., "but when she gets up, tell her I'll try to call her several times today. With any luck, one of the calls will be to say that the baby has arrived. But I'll call no matter what. We don't want Jenny to think we've abandoned her." "Dear?" spoke up Mrs. P. "I really think we should leave now." She grimaced.

"Oh! Oh, right," exclaimed her husband, sounding nervous again. He turned once more to Jessi. "You know where the emergency numbers are, you know where we'll be, and if you have any problems, Mrs. Frank will be home all day." "Dear?" said Mrs. P. again.

With that, Mr. P. appeared to forget about Jessi. He helped his wife to her feet, picked up the suitcase, and walked her out the door, which Jessi held open for them. As they made their way slowly down the front walk, Mrs. P. leaned heavily on Mr. P. and Jessi had a sense of deja vu. She remembered her old house in Oakley, New Jersey, she and Becca standing at their front door, their grandmother behind them, as all three watched Mr. Ramsey escort Mrs. Ramsey to the family car. Later that night, Squirt had been born.

Gosh, thought Jessi. That was about a year and a half ago. It could have been yesterday. And now Squirt was walking, climbing stairs. . . .

Jessi shook her head. The Prezziosos' car backed hurriedly down the driveway and into the street. Jessi watched until it was out of sight. Then she closed the front door and tiptoed up the stairs to Jenny's room. Her door was ajar, so Jessi peeked in. Jenny lay sprawled on her back, the covers kicked off, one arm slung over the side of the bed.

Jessi smiled, then tiptoed back downstairs. I'll fix Jenny a nice breakfast, she thought. Maybe that will take the sting out of waking up to find her parents gone - and her position as an only child about to come to an end.

Jessi had set the table, poured juice for Jenny, and was setting down bread and cereal, when Jenny shuffled into the kitchen.

"Morning, sleepyhead," teased Jessi. Then she added, "Do you remember who I am?" (She doesn't sit for Jenny very often.) "Jessi?" said Jenny questioningly.

"That's right! You have a good memory." "You're a baby-sitter," was Jenny's reply. She sounded as if she were accusing Jessi of committing a crime.

"That's right," said Jessi again.

"Then where are my mommy and daddy?" "Why don't you sit down and have some breakfast," suggested Jessi. "I'll tell you everything while you're eating." "Okay." Reluctantly, Jenny climbed onto her chair.

Jessi handed her a piece of toast and a bowl of cereal. Then she sat down across from Jenny. "Something wonderful happened this morning while you were asleep," she began, choosing her words carefully.

"What?" asked Jenny suspiciously.

"Your mommy decided she was ready to have the baby. So she and your daddy went to the hospital. Pretty soon you'll have a new brother or sister. Oh, and your daddy promised to call you today whenever he can. So you'll get to talk to him on the phone." Jenny stopped eating her cereal, her spoon halfway to her mouth. She looked bewildered, then puzzled. Finally she said, "What about the stork?" "The stork?" repeated Jessi. And then she remembered. She had read the BSC notebook and knew about Jenny's conversation with Stacey and Claud and me before Mrs. P.'s baby shower.

Uh-oh, thought Jessi. But she composed herself and said, "Jenny, storks don't bring babies. That's just a silly story. Babies grow inside of mommies." Jenny looked quite thoughtful for several moments. She returned her spoon to her bowl. Then she opened her mouth (Jessi braced herself for the worst) and said, "I thought that stork thing sounded funny!" And that was the end of the conversation. Jessi breathed a sigh -of relief.

When breakfast was over, Jessi took Jenny upstairs to help her brush her teeth and get dressed. She let Jenny choose her own outfit (something she was pretty sure picky Mrs. P. never did). She figured it wouldn't matter. Mrs. P. would not see Jenny that day.

Jenny had just finished putting on her clothes - a pink jean skirt, a red shirt, yellow knee socks, and blue sandals - when the phone rang.

"Maybe it's Daddy!" Jenny shrieked. "Maybe my baby is here." (Her baby? wondered Jessi.) "Can I answer the phone? Please?" "Do you know how to?" asked Jessi.

"Yes! Mommy taught me. It is a very grown-up thing to do. You can listen if you want." Jenny was already heading for the phone in her parents' bedroom.

"Okay," said Jessi. "Go to it." Jenny snatched up the receiver. "Hello, Prezziosos'. Who's calling, please?" She listened for a moment. Then she said, "What? . . . What?" and then, "1 have to ask." She took the phone away from her ear. "Jessi," she said, "the man wouldn't tell me his name.

But he wants to know if we want to buy some . . . cyclopediments?" Jessi, suppressing a smile, said, "Tell him no, then say thank you and good-bye and hang up the phone." Jenny did as she was told. Almost immediately the phone rang again. And Jenny snatched it up again. "Daddy!" she cried a moment later. "The stork story isn't true after all. Do I have a new baby yet?" She paused, then said, "Oh. Okay. Do you promise you'll call later? . . . Okay. 'Bye." Jenny sounded disappointed.

"Don't worry," said Jessi, confused because she thought Jenny didn't want the baby. "You'll have a new brother or sister by tonight. Or maybe tomorrow." "Darn old baby," muttered Jenny, kicking at a chest of drawers. "I didn't know Mommy and Daddy would have to go away to get the baby. It'll never be just me and Mommy and Daddy again. The baby's got them all to itself right now. And I'll never have them to myself again." Oh, thought Jessi. So that was why Jenny wanted the baby to come home soon. She didn't want it to have too much time alone with her parents. And she probably thought that if she took care of the baby as "hers," then Mr. and Mrs. P. would have more time to spend with Jenny. It was very complicated.

Jessi managed to entertain Jenny for the rest of the morning. She made a few phone calls to let some of the other BSC members know what was going on. She gave Jenny lunch.

Jenny was just finishing her peanut butter sandwich when the phone rang again. Jenny made a leap for it. "I hope it's my daddy!" she cried.

It was, but he didn't have any news. No baby yet.

Jenny was becoming edgy. And cranky.

"How about a nap?" asked Jessi tiredly.

"NO!" "Okay, okay." At 4:15, the phone rang again. "You get it this time," said Jenny, who was slumped in a chair, the picture of depression.

So Jessi did. And it was Mr. P. "The baby's here!" he said excitedly. "It's a girl, she weighs seven and a half pounds, and she's twenty-one inches long. Her name is Andrea." "Congratulations!" shouted Jessi. "Wait, let me put Jenny on the phone." Jenny listened to her father with absolutely no expression on her face. Then she said good- bye and slumped back into her chair.

Jessi barely noticed. She called her family and every single club member, including Logan and Shannon, to spread the news. When she finally got off the phone, she said excitedly to Jenny, "So what do you think? You have a baby sister." Jenny narrowed her eyes. "I wanted a brother," she said, and marched up to her room.

Jessi watched her helplessly.

Chapter 14.

Mrs. Prezzioso and Andrea stayed in the hospital for three days. On Tuesday afternoon, Mr. P. was allowed to bring them home. The day before, he had called during the BSC meeting to line up a sitter for Jenny for the afternoon. I had gotten the job.