Chapter Eleven
Curiosity…
Artemis slowly looked over at her husband unsure of what she thought he had just said. "Could you repeat that?" she asked a little leery. "I said I had a thought," Wally replied. "I was afraid you said that," she said before going back to feeding their daughter. "I'm serious Arty," he said watching her. "Wally, last time you had a thought, you about blew up my kitchen," she said glancing at him. "And I said I was sorry for that," he said smiling at her, "But I think you'll like this thought." "Try me," she said as she finished feeding Jenna.
"I thought was should see about getting a bigger place," he said. Artemis was quiet for a few seconds before saying, "We can't afford it right now." "Arty, what's wrong?" he asked a little worried. "Wally, it took almost everything in our savings to try and keep this place going while you were gone," she said watching her daughter, "Even with you getting that new job at Camelot Tech, it's going to be a long while before when can even think about getting a house; especially with having to get diapers and formula for Jenna." Wally walked over and hugged her saying, "I sorry."
"It's ok, Wally," she said giving him a gentle kiss. He smiled a little before his cell started ringing. "Don't answer it," she said as he pulled his phone out. "It's work. I have to," he said before answering it, "Hello?" "Hello, Mister West? My name is Linda Park. I work in the HR department at Camelot Tech," a female voice said, "Sorry for bothering you on your day off, but it was brought to my attention that you are a first time dad. Is that correct?" "Uh, yeah, it is. Why?" he asked a little puzzled. "The reason I'm asking is that we have a program that assist first time parents with their little one's needs," she answered.
"Can you hang on for a second?" he asked before putting it on speaker, "Sorry, but I think my wife may want to hear this." Artemis gave Wally a puzzled look before Linda said, "Certainly. Hi, Mrs. West, I'm Linda Park with HR at Camelot Tech. I was informing your husband that the company has a program that assists first time parents in getting things that their child needs; like diapers, formula, etc." Artemis looked at her husband for a few seconds before asking, "Ok, uh, how much is this going to cost?" "Nothing out of pocket for you," Linda replied warmly, "It's part of his health insurance, which starts today."
"O-oh, thank you," Artemis said a little stunned. "You're welcome and please enjoy your weekend," Linda said before hanging up. "D-did that just happen?" Wally asked looking at his phone. "I think so," Artemis said before hearing a knock on the door. She walked over and opened the door to find Gwendolyn standing there. "Hey Artemis, you ok?" Gwendolyn asked. "You company has a first time parent assist program?" Artemis replied. "I was hoping Linda hadn't called you yet," Gwendolyn replied with a gentle smile, "Why don't you go put Jenna down and I will explain the program?"
Artemis slowly nodded before letting the woman inside. "Hey boss, what's up?" Wally asked a little nervously. "Not much, Wally," Gwendolyn replied as Artemis put her daughter in her playpen, "I came to drop something off, but I guess I have some explaining to do." "If you would please," Artemis said. "I started that program because I know how hard it can be to start a family with only one parent working," Gwendolyn said as the three of them sat down, "Camelot Tech will cover the cost of anything Jenna needs for the first year."
"Then it falls on us after that first year, right?" Wally asked. "Exactly," she said pulling an envelope out of her purse and handing it to him, "We also reimburse the cost of anything baby related you may have bought prior to the program starting." "You didn't have to do this," Artemis said looking at her friend. "Artemis, I started this program a year after I had Lance," Gwendolyn replied looking at the blonde. "Uh, t-t-there has got to be some mistake," Wally stammered looking at Gwendolyn taking a check out of the envelope, "We didn't spend this much on diapers."
"It is when you factor in Artemis's recent medical bills," Gwendolyn said looking at the speedster. Artemis's eyes went wide as she looked at the check. "If you don't mind, can I make a suggestion on what to do with that?" Gwendolyn asked. The couple slowly looked at her and nodded. She reached over and took their hands in hers before saying, "Invest it; not in stocks or bonds necessarily, but in your family." "Ok, any ideas on how to do that?" Artemis asked. "Maybe a bigger place to start with," Gwendolyn said smiling. "I like that idea," Wally said looking at his wife.
"Same here," Artemis said giving him a quick kiss. "I guess my work here is done," Gwendolyn said standing up, "Before I forget, I have a message from Michelle." "If it's about Thanksgiving, we'll be there," Wally said smiling, "And yes, we will be bringing Jenna." "Good, because Aura is starting to get on her nerves," Gwendolyn said before heading to the door. "Who's Aura?" Artemis asked looking at her friend. "Jenna's dragon, or did you forget?" Gwendolyn said before leaving.
