"Hey T, how was the flight?" asked Alice with forced cheeriness. She reassured them that the distress was just the remnant of the dinner drama and Angelica actually did calm a bit when she heard her moms’ voices on the speakerphone. Before ringing off, Bette suggested that the baby’s favorite bedtime toy, a stuffed puppy, might comfort her. Dana ran off to find it.

Twenty minutes later, Baby A’s room was torn apart and no puppy was to be found. Shane had long since bailed and Alice was beside herself. Finally, Dana emerged, presenting Angel with every stuffed animal she could find. Angel cried harder. Alice rocked her. She cried louder. Dana made faces and tried peek-a-boo. She wailed. Carmen appeared and bounced her. She sobbed.

In desperation, Carmen suggested they take her for a drive, remembering something she’d read somewhere about the movement and white noise having a calming effect. They left immediately. Dana drove and Alice sat in the back with Angel, who quieted a bit, but cranked it up at every stop sign and traffic light. Taking a chance that rush hour was over, Dana took the freeway and headed toward the beach. It wasn’t until they emerged from the tunnel onto PCH that Angelica began to drop off. She’d been crying for two and half hours. Dana and Alice were shell-shocked, afraid to speak for fear the sound would wake her up. Both jumped when Alice’s cell phone rang, but she got to it before Angel stirred.

"Hello?" she whispered.

"Where are you?" Bette demanded. "We’ve been trying to reach you for an hour."

"Hang on." Alice checked…sure enough there were half a dozen missed calls, all from Tina and Bette. "Uh, sorry, guess we didn’t hear the phone." Her eyes met Dana’s in the rearview mirror. Neither knew what to say, so Alice opted for the truth.

"We’re on PCH just past Pepperdine…"

"What? Why? Do you know what time it is?"

"Bette, calm down. Angelica’s been a little upset so we took her for a drive to try to get her to stop crying."

"Did it work?"

"Do you hear her crying?"

Silence.

"She fell asleep about five minutes ago."

"Oh." Bette was contrite. "That’s part of why I’m calling. We probably had something to do with that." Tina took the phone from her.