Larry's Cougar Ch. 06

July 2014

"Tanalei Granger!" She smiled and began descending the stairs. Alan Carr met her in front of the couch with a polite kiss to the cheek. He motioned to the couch. "Would you like a drink? Or can you have any?"

"I can have a drink. I just can't drink anythin' else for the rest of the day."

"And why not? Is cider okay?"

She nodded. "Well, everyone knows I went to the hospital a week ago." A chorus of "ayes" rang out. "I had contracted an upper respiratory infection and I was exhausted. Since landing in London, we had only spent a few days with each of the families. A day after returning from Ireland, I flew to Atlanta to spend the weekend with my parents and brought my sons back with me for the rest of their summer vacation." She took her glass and took a sip.

"And going out to clubs."

"Two clubs. We celebrated my birthday one night. And the guys wanted a guys' night in with the boys, with movies and sword fights. The sisters took me out. Well, spendin' a total of 18 hours on a plane in a three-day time, with no rest in between to reset my internal clock, and then going out three days in a row with the kids and one night with everybody and one night with the girls, my body just kinda gave out."

"I saw your first movie. Brilliant. I wished you kicked her arse at the end though. I can't wait for the next one."

"We're all pretty excited about it. They're saying November/December for the premiere."

"And you'll be back for that?" She nodded. "We have to talk about you and Harry." She blushed. "You have news, don't you?"

She nodded. "Harry and I are in a relationship. I have now joined the Hollywood Cougar Club."

"You can't be that much older than him. What, 10 years? He's only 20."

She smiled. "And I'm only 38."

His jaw dropped. "There is no way. I want to look like you when I get your age. I've heard that you've been acting for 20 years now. Why haven't you become a star?"

"I've actually been acting for 30 years, if you include local theater. I would go out for parts, but they would already have someone else in mind. Return to the Blue Lagoon, the one with Milla Jovovich, I tried out for that when I was 13, but I was too young."

"Anything else you tried out for?"

"Both Denise Richards and Neve Campbell's roles in Wild Things, Alyson Hannigan's role as Willow on Buffy, the Vampire Slayer. You name a movie from the 90s and I'll tell you if I auditioned. I even tried out for American Pie. I was always told I wasn't innocent enough, bitchy enough or too sweet. I was in a few B-rated movies, a few of them slasher flicks. After I married and had kids, I stuck with TV shows. I would fly for the weekend to read then film for a week."

"You were in the Twilight movies, correct?"

"Yes. In New Moon and Breaking Dawn 2, I was a Volturi vampire. I was at Bella and Edward's wedding, and just in the background for the others."

"What made you go out for Torn Apart? I know you wrote it, but what made you want to star in it?"

"I was pushed into it. My friends and family was behind me 100% to do it. I went and had fun."

"When I looked you up, I noticed that you received a few credits as Montana Granger. Is that your real name?"

"Montana is."

"Why change it?"

She bit her lip. "Um." She took a deep breath and slowly let it out. She gave Alan a weak smile. "I don't talk about this much. Right before I turned 19, I had a baby girl who I named Leilani."

"That's a beautiful name. What does it mean?"

"Heavenly flower."

"We haven't seen any pictures of her with you on this trip. Is she back in the States?"

"No." Her chin quivered. "She died of SIDS a month after she was born." The audience gasped.

Alan reached out and put a hand on top of hers. "I am so sorry."

"I named her well," she laughed. "I just combined our names to create Tanalei."

"Let's get off this sad subject. Now back to you and Harry. When was this taken?" He motioned to a screen behind them. It was picture of her and Harry, his arms around her waist as she leaned back into him.

"That was at a Memorial Day picnic in the town we were stayin' at in South Carolina." She blushed again.

"I heard you had to sing in the movie. Can you sing?"

"I don't think so."

"Who are your favorite singers?"

"Um. Janis Joplin, Cher, Annie Lennox, Anne and Nancy Wilson of Heart. Those are the women. As for men, Freddie Mercury, John Denver, Jon Bon Jovi, David Cook. And of course Harry."

"Aw. What about the rest of the guys?"

"I love all their voices, but Harry's the most. They used to sing around the house all the time."

"Can you sing something now?"

She blushed. "Um. Sure."

"What song? We can have the band play it."

"That's okay." She took a deep breath. "Busted flat in Baton Rogue, waitin' for a train, and I's feelin' nearly faded as my jeans, Bobby thumbed a diesel down, just before it rained, it road us all the way to New Orleans, I pulled my harpoon out my dirty red bandana, I was playin' soft while Bobby sang the blues, windshield wipers slappin' time, I was holdin' Bobby's hand in mine, we sang every song that driver knew, freedom's just another word for nothin' left to loose, nothin' don't mean nothin' if it ain't free, now now, and feelin' good was good enough for me, good enough for me and my Bobby McGee."

The audience cheered. Alan's mouth dropped open. "Oh my God. Please tell me you're going to record. Just one album."

"No. Sorry."

"What did the guys say the first time they heard you sing?"

"They forgot their lines," she giggled. "I had to sing the song several times."

"You don't sing around the house?"

"I do now. I wouldn't before that scene. The director told me to surprise them."

*&*&*

September 2014

Tanalei groaned at the ringing phone. "I'm dyin'," she said. "Hang up and call the morgue to come get my body."

"And where exactly will they find your body?" Madison asked.

"My bathroom. Tell the boys I love them. Tell Harry . . ."

"That you're gonna kill him?"

"What? No! I'll be watchin' over him. He needs to get an angel on his shoulder in remembrance."

"Damn, Lei, I didn't realize how dramatic you are."

"Hold on." She dropped the phone to retch into the toilet. Flushing, she laid back down then hit speaker on her phone. "This stomach bug is majorly kickin' my ass. I've spent the last three days layin' here, doin' nothin' but worshippin' the porcelain god."

"Lei," Madison said in exasperation. "I'm on my way over. Crawl into the shower. I'm gonna call the doctor."

"I just need the morgue, thanks."

"Fuckin' actors," Madison muttered as she hung up.

Thirty minutes later, Madison found Tanalei on the bathroom floor. "Have you moved at all?"

"Yeah. To throw up what is not in my stomach." She cracked open her eyes. "Are the EMTs waitin' in the bedroom? They can pick me up and wheel me away."

Madison threw a paper bag at her sister-in-law. "Take it."

"What's this?" Opening the bag, Tanalei pulled out a small box. "Pregnancy test? Get real, Maddi."

"Lei, you were takin' antibiotics in England."

"Yeah. So?"

"They cancel birth control. Please tell me y'all used condoms."

"No," she said softly. "Oh God, Maddi. What am I gonna do?"

"First you're gonna pee on that little stick then take a shower. In two hours, we're goin' to the doctor."

As they waited for the results, Madison got Tanalei to eat a few crackers and drink some Gatorade. The timer went off; neither moved.

"Check it," Tanalei whispered.

"You go check it. It's your test." She huffed when Tanalei stayed where she was. "Fine." Leaning over, she picked up the stick.

"Well?"

Madison flipped the stick over. "Congratulations. You passed." Two pink lines stared back at her.

"I know these are personal, but I have to ask," the nurse said apologetically. "Date of your last period."

"August 15, though it was short."

"Date of last intercourse."

"July 30."

"Are you on any birth control? Have you been on any medications the last few months?"

"I have the Depo shot. I received my last one in May. I caught an upper respiratory infection while in London in late June. The doctor put me on antibiotics."

"Where any other forms of birth control used?"

"No."

"Okay. Ms. Harris, the test shows that you are pregnant. Follow me." She led Tanalei and Madison to an exam room. "Dr. Ramirez will be right in. Go ahead and remove your clothes and put this gown on." She left them.

As Tanalei stripped, Madison commented, "You know, if Harry or Louis were here, you'd either be flat on your back or bent over the table."

"No I wouldn't." She caught Madison's look. "Okay. I totally would."

The doctor soon came in and did the exam. "Let's take a look at your prune."

"Prune?"

"At approximately ten weeks, that's how large the baby is." She gelled up a wand. "Here we go." They all watched the screen. The doctor clicked a few buttons. A swooshing sound filled the room. "There's the heartbeat," she said. "Oh. Um. Ms. Harris, do twins run in your family?"

"Yeah," Tanalei said reluctantly.

"How frequent?"

She glanced up at Madison. "At least twice a generation on my dad's side."

"You can know add yourself to that category."

Her face paled. "What?"

"Here's baby A," Dr. Ramirez said as she pointed to the monitor. "And this is baby B. Now they are the size of prunes but see how their fingers and toes are separated? You're actually eleven weeks along."

Tanalei stopped listening. A hand on her arm startled her. Madison held out the sonogram pictures. "I hope you caught all that."

"I did," Madison said. "Don't you wanna look?"

She shook her head. "Not right now. I just wanna go home."

Tanalei was lying on her bed when the phone rang. "'Lo?"

"Hey, love." Harry's deep voice came through the line.

"Hey."

He paused. "What's wrong?"

She bit her lip. "Are you sittin' down?"

"We're in bed, thinking of you," he answered seductively.

"Hey, sweetheart," Louis said.

She glanced at the clock. It read 5:30, meaning it was 11:30 in London. "I'm gonna send you a few pictures, okay?"

"Alright."

After sending a picture of the at-home test and the sonogram, she waited for a response. And waited. And waited. "Harry? Lou?" she said timidly.

"What's this?" Harry asked softly.

"I'm pregnant. With twins."

"Ah, babe." She could hear some noises on his end. "Get on Skype." She hurried to her computer and logged in to the program. Soon Harry's face was on the screen. He wiped at his face. Louis was in the background, jumping around.

"Are you cryin'?" she asked.

"I love you, you know. Everything within me is yours. Heart, body and soul."

Her eyes teared up. "Jesus, Hazza."

"We're having a baby!" Louis yelled. He came forward and kissed at the camera, hugging Harry. "I love you so much."

"Can we tell our friends and family yet? How far along are you? When are you due?" Harry fired off excitedly.

"Not yet. About eleven weeks, so by Halloween we can tell. I'm due mid-April but twins can come early and I'm high risk because of my age."

"We have to tell our mums, Lei. They'll kill us if we wait."

"And Simon?"

"Oh, yeah. Fuck," Louis said.

"Modest doesn't control me, guys. If they mention anythin' about an abortion or sayin' they're someone else's, tell them I said to go leap off a fuckin' cliff."

"You're so sexy when you get angry," Harry stated. Louis laughed.

*&*&*

November 2014

Fan blog: "So my fellow Directioners, Tanalei Granger confirmed her and Harry Styles relationship back in July. And so far my favorite couple name is Harlyn. Gail Granger posted Halloween pictures last week. The guys had visited Tanalei and her boys, taking them trick-or-treating. I noticed something interesting. Here are some pictures from May, during filming, and from July, when the Granger family was in London. Tanalei has a flat stomach. Now look at the Halloween pics. Is it just me or is the tummy a little bigger? She has been seen coming out a doctor's office in Marietta, GA this month. When asked, she said it was an annual check-up. I'll keep you updated."

"None of my clothes fit," Tanalei pouted. "I'm scared to go clothes shoppin' in case the damn paparazzi see me."

"Language, Montana," her grandmother fussed.

"Sorry, Nana." She laid her head on her shoulder.

"What's wrong, sweetie?"

"You've seen the tabloids. They're makin' me out to be cradle robber."

"When have you ever cared what anyone thought about you?"

"Alan got into a fight at school before break. Some kid said somethin' ugly. Archer's makin' noises about goin' back to court."

"What about your young men?"

Tanalei smiled. "They're over the moon." She pulled out her phone to show Harry and Louis painting a bedroom in Harry's house. "They've actually got the cribs and everythin' bought. They're waitin' to find out what they are before they finish paintin'."

"Girls. You're havin' girls."

She looked at her grandmother in astonishment. "How do you know? Dr. Ramirez said we have to wait a few more weeks."

"I have five children, seven grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren. You are havin' girls and Kaycee is havin' a boy."

*&*&*

December 2014

"Okay, everyone. It's time," Harry announced. He and his family flew in to spend Christmas with Tanalei and her family. Four laptops were set up around the room so Louis, Niall, Liam and Zayn could find out the news at the same time.

Harry held up an envelope. "In here, we have the results. They flashed the cameras this time." He slowly opened the envelope and peeked inside. A huge smiled bloomed on his face.

"Get on with it, man!" Louis called out.

He pulled out a pink card. Cheers erupted. Tanalei whistled, shutting them up. "Thanks, love. I wasn't done. Baby A is a girl. Baby B is," he paused for dramatic effect, causing everyone to groan. He lifted out another pink card. "A girl!" More cheers. "Wait! There's more!"

"I thought it was only twins," someone called out. "There's another one?"

"No," Tanalei frowned at her cousin.

"I wanted to do this." Harry got down on one knee before her. "Nine months ago, we met for the first time and all I could think was 'Oh my God, she's beautiful' and my crush began. Since that day, as we got to know each other, I learned that your heart and soul were really what made you stand out and shine. And the lads agree." Four confirmations sound through tinny speakers. "I fell so far in love with you, and the boys, that I believe I made a crater." Laughter rang out. He smiled. "The day you left to get the boys, I dragged Louis with me to find this." He pulled out a platinum ring. Tanalei covered her mouth. "Montana Rose Harris, will you marry me?"

She nodded, tears streaming down her face. Harry stood, pulling her into his arms and into a kiss. "I love you," she whispered as family converged around them.

Fan blog: "OMG, Directioners! It was just announced that Harry and Tanalei are engaged! And having twins! I fainted! Everyone knows I'm a Horan Harlot, but I'm so jealous of this beautiful, talented woman. Yes, I've read her YA novels and have fallen in love with them. They surpass Twilight, in my opinion. Congratulations to the Granger and Styles families! Those babies will be beautiful."

*&*&*