“. . . went to the one where they explained how elderly, how completely ancient she is, in terms of, you know, actually having the baby,” Jonah was saying, “and that’s when I knew I needed to move in for the duration.”

“Jonah fainted,” said Georgia.

“What?” yelped Jonah. “I did not faint. May I remind everyone, as a family physician, I have delivered babies.” He thumped his narrow chest. “Not the least bit squeamish.”

“In medical school, you said you fainted during a delivery,” said Georgia. She chomped her gum. “Not since then, I would assume, but you didn’t look too lively during my last ultrasound.”

“It was really hot that night in med school, George. Anyway, I don’t need to deliver babies now because I don’t live in the wilderness where there are no ob-gyns. But it’s like riding a bike, probably; you remember what to do. Not that I’d want to deliver this baby, but for the record, I’m stellar with the miracle of childbirth. I was just worried about you.”

“You talk about having to do a Pap smear on a patient like it’s a fate worse than death.”

“I think I speak for the entire world,” said Jonah, “when I say no one enjoys Pap smears. Performing them, or receiving them, or even hearing about them.”

“Truth,” said somebody, but at the same time, Kira spoke. “Public health people like Pap smears,” she said. “Especially in impoverished countries. Less women dying of cervical cancer.”

“I concede the point to Mother Teresa,” said Jonah.

“Right on, Mama,” said Georgia to Kira, and then she leaned in toward Jonah and ruffled his hair. “I’m teasing, babe. I can’t believe you ditched Edwin to move in with me for the duration.”

“If Edwin loves me, he will wait,” said Jonah. “You needed somebody to rein you in. Besides”—he offered Georgia a glance of open adoration, which she returned—“I couldn’t let the mother of my godchild waddle through the end of her pregnancy all alone.”

“Aw,” said Zadie, grinning, while at the same moment Emma said, “Ew.”

“I’m so jealous of this lovefest,” said Vani, who’d been divorced from her deceitful husband for some years now. “Georgia, you are the luckiest woman.”

“I am,” agreed Georgia.

“I don’t know how in the world we got on the subject of Pap smears a minute ago,” Vani said, starting to add something else, but she was drowned out by one of her kids, flying behind her on-screen with a shriek like a nosediving jetliner, followed a second later by another even louder one. Vani muted herself and yelled something at her kids. Everyone laughed.

Vani unmuted. “I think my kids must have coordinated with Zadie’s,” she said. “They’re playing a game called Crash and Burn and it’s getting kind of literal. Anyway. How’s work going for everyone?”