Chapter 11

Camden's house

Annie called Eric at the church to see if he was going to be home for lunch.

He responded, "I don't know I have so much work to do."

"Well Matt is bringing Brian back here and Brian's girlfriend Bridget is coming along too." Annie told him to tempt him home to eat. She didn't want him to go out and grab fast food which she knew he would. It wasn't good for his heart.

"Oh in that case." He replied. "I will be home soon."

"Ok see you in a little bit then Eric." She hung up the phone and turned to see Sarah pulling left over Mexican food out for lunch and started to warm it in the microwave, there was still a ton left over. "Well we know Brian will be happy with this." Sarah laughed. Annie also made some very healthy Taco Salad that she would make sure Eric would eat. Although she knew he would sneak the bad stuff. She would also make sure Eric didn't eat anymore was half a sheet left over still. . "Well since there won't be as many of us as last night do you want us to eat in the kitchen?" Sarah asked "Yes let's eat in here; let's see there will be six adults and two kids."

Matt got in his rental car and Brian and Bridget took Brian's convertible. Brian followed Matt back to Glen Oak. They pulled in front of the house, "Wow", Bridget exclaimed, "this is a nice house pretty big too."

Brian laughed, "Don't get any ideas they aren't going to sell it."

Eric pulled in as they were getting out of the car. "Hey dad" both Brian and Matt said at about the same time.

They all walked in the front walked in first. Then Noah and Jacob jumped up. "Daddy" they exclaimed, but then were very excited to see Uncle Brian and Grandpa although a little apprehensive about this new lady that they didn't know.

Seeing them pull back Brian bent down, "you don't have to be afraid of her she's harmless she is my girlfriend Bridget."

Then Matt said, "Bridget these are my sons Noah and Jacob. They are 4."

"Oh they are adorable" she said.

"MMMM, I smell Mexican food." Brian said hungrily, as he moved faster than anyone else to get into the kitchen before anyone else did. "Hi mom, hi Sarah, said Brian "you keep serving up this Mexican food you will never get rid of me, I may move in."

Just then the phone rang, as everyone scooted around Eric to get into the kitchen Eric answered the phone on his way into the kitchen, there was a familiar voice on the other end,

"Hey dad, it's Mary"

"Hi Mary" Eric said it loud enough so that everyone could hear him. "What a nice surprise how is everything?"

Eric was slightly apprehensive as was Annie often when Mary called it was to give them bad news they never really knew what to expect with her.

"Oh everything is wonderful" she said excitedly, "I told Carlos I would call you as soon as we got home from the doctors when things were confirmed."

"Wait let me put you on speaker phone," Eric told her. "Ok go ahead"

"Ok as I was saying we just got home from the doctors"

In the background you could hear Carlos, "Did you tell them yet?"

"No give me a chance honey, ok let me start again, we just got in so I wanted to call you right away with this news…..." She paused, "We're having another baby."

Everyone at the Camden home erupted into cheering. "Wow sounds like you have a crowd over there."

"Oh yes" Annie took the phone off of speaker to be able to talk a little more privately with her.

"Oh that's right Matt and Sarah and the boys are there" I should have remembered I had a friend of mine that still works at the airlines help them get the plane tickets."

"Listen Mary we have a bit of our own news here to talk to you about," she told her as she walked out of the kitchen with the cordless phone,"Your dad and I wanted to tell you in person but with you in New York that's not really an option, Your brothers and sisters already know."

"What's wrong mom?" Mary said with a concerned voice, "Is it dad?"

"Oh no honey nothing like that, it's not actually a bad thing and your brothers and sisters after the initial shock have actually accepted this quite well, especially Matt, We would have called you sooner but the last 24 hours have been a whirlwind here."

"Mom just tell me please." Mary Pleaded

"Well ok here goes, but you had better sit down." She advises Mary. "I don't know if you will remember now, but we had always had April 20th circled on the calendar."

"Yeah I remember mom that was a far back as I can remember and you and dad would never tell us why and that was yesterday Ok so what is up with that?"

Annie proceeded to tell her everything that all of her other children were told about what happened 35 years ago. There was a silence on the phone.

"Wow mom I don't know what to say."

Then Annie asked her. "How are you with this information you're not mad at your dad and me for this?"

"Oh of course not." Said Mary, "actually it's nice to know that you and dad have some flaws too makes me not feel as bad for all the screw ups and poor decisions I made, and I guess it makes sense now though how you really pushed the abstinence thing. Hey wait so why are you telling me now what has changed?"

Annie went on to tell her what had taken place over the last 24 hours. "So, I have another older brother named Brian, wow so what does he look like?"

"I will give you the adoption registry website info and our log in you will be able to access his information and see a picture for yourself." Annie told her.

Mary got her laptop and pulled up the website and logged in with her parents information Brian's information pulled up right away she scrolled down and came to Brian's picture.

"Oh my God mom, he looks just like Matt they could be twins,

"Yup that's what everyone else has said too." Annie replied,"Matt and Brian have already become very close; he went over to Brian's apartment early this morning and then brought Brian and Brian's girlfriend back here for lunch. He is in the kitchen right now."

"Mom I should talk to Carlos about this but I think at least me and the kids but hopefully Carlos too will find a way to get out there within the next couple of days, hey wait before I go do you think I could talk to him. Would he be ok with that?"

"I am sure it would be ok." Annie answered her. "Let me walk back into the kitchen and see, so hang on a sec."

Annie walked from the living room back to the kitchen to see everyone eating, she also noticed Eric eating a lot of some things he shouldn't be.

"Eric what are you eating? Matt, why are you letting your father eat all that stuff?" She chastised him,"You know he isn't supposed to eat all that I let last night slide because it was a special occasion."

"Mom do you think he listens to us just because Sarah and I are doctors."

"Eric stick to the taco salad I made lay off the bad stuff or I will tell your cardiologist."

"Well I tried" Eric laughed "but I was caught.

"Oh I still have Mary on the phone I told her about you, looking at Brian please follow me to the living room"

Brian got up and followed her into the living room. "I just thought I would give you some privacy Annie told him. "After I told Mary about you she was excited and wanted to talk with you if that is ok with you. Just to warn you she will talk your ear off."

Brian took the phone and with a slight bit of apprehension said, "Hello"

"Is this Brian, because you sound like Matt." Mary questioned,

"Yes this is Brian and yeah I have been getting that a lot."

"Wow so you not only look like Matt you sound like Matt, this actually freaks me out." Mary said as she laughed "I can't wait to see you in person. While I was waiting for mom to get you on the phone, I told Carlos, that's my husband, everything. He was shocked too but he wants to go to Glen Oak too. We are going to see what we can do about getting time off and getting school work for Charlie to take with us so he doesn't fall behind and the other 2 aren't in school yet just well pre-k so we don't have to worry about them."

"Hey can I ask you something" Brian asked.

"Sure go ahead" She replied. "I was afraid to say anything to anyone else about this but I have heard them mention quite a few time about Dad they get on him about what he eats and talk about his health is he Ok?"

"Oh that" Mary replied "he has a heart condition He had a heart attack several years ago and a couple years later he had bypass surgery. He seems ok now but we need to be on him a lot, I know mom is. In fact when mom told me she needed to talk to me about something, my first question was it dad? Thankfully it wasn't"

They talked for a bit longer then they hung up.

Brian went back to the kitchen "I hope you saved me some" he said

"Yeah Dad tried to eat all the food but we didn't let him" Matt said jokingly.

Brian piled his plate high with food then Annie took it to heat up in the microwave. As he shoveled the food down he noticed his dad trying to sneak some cake no one but him noticed and with what Mary had told him it worried him. He didn't think it was his place to chastise him but the concern for his dad made him speak up anyway so he called him on it. "Uhm dad, you're not supposed to eat that are you?"

Eric looked defeated. Matt spoke up "Good we have another member of the food police,"

"Eric!" Annie chastised him "Put it down" and then handed him a fruit cup. "You can have that."

To lighten the mood Brian changed the subject. "I think I really like Mary, She said they will all be coming to Glen Oak within the next day or so they just have to work out the details."

They finished eating and Brian started to help clear the table. And put away the left over's there was still more.

Matt spoke up "Hey mom you might want to give Senor Brian here the rest of the Mexican food, You should see the Barren wasteland his fridge is there isn't anything in it"

"Well in my defense Brian added, "it's not always that bad it's just a lot of the food went with us when we went to the house up in big bear We just had not had a chance to put anything else in it yet ,Besides I don't really cook so we eat out a lot."

"Well you are taking all of this home." Annie told him. "And before you protest it will be doing me a favor" she looked at Eric, "It will keep your father from getting into the food, however I will keep the taco salad here for you honey" She teased Eric,

"In that case I will take it home." Brian replied. After everything was put away and Annie loaded all the food in a cooler for Brian and Bridget to take home. They put it in the trunk of his car.

Matt then asked Brian "What do you want to do now?"

Brian asked. "Do you feel like taking the kids for a ride?"

"Why what do you have in mind?" Matt asked

Then Bridget looked at Brian with a puzzled look. Brian said to Bridget and Matt quietly so the boys wouldn't hear in case the answered was no, "What do you think about taking everyone to that huge park at the beach by Dave and Deena's."

"Good idea." Matt said. "Hey let me call Deena's cell." Said Bridget "and see if the girls would want to go. They ought to be out of school by now and I know either Dave or Deena will be home by now with them."

Bridget dialed their house, and told got Deena she told her their plan Deena said they would meet them there in an hour.

Bridget told Brian "all set"

Brian looked at the twins and said, "How would you like to go to the park by the beach

"Hey Sam and David will be home any minute they don't have practice today so we can all go" Annie said. They packed some supplies, and waited until Sam and David got home Brian gave them directions to the park in Venice Beach and they headed for the park.