Nine Months of Hell Chapter 20

Jonathan T. Weiss' POV

'So I assume you're going to ask Randy for legal advice, right?' I ask dad. We're sitting in a booth at the Golden Kettle, deciding on what we want for breakfast.

'Maple or Taylor?' he asks.

'Randy Maple. What would Randy Taylor know about giving legal advice? He's in high school for crying out loud' I say.

'Yes. If there's a way to prevent Allan Davidson from putting that child through a paternity test, Randy Maple will definitely know' dad answers.

'So, I imagine that Randy is pretty excited' I comment. Now we're just waiting for the waitress to come by and take our orders.

'Oh yes, he can't wait' dad says.

'I just hope his sleep isn't affected too much' he adds.

'It probably will be though. I mean, taking care of baby is a tiresome job. I remember how tired Uncle Wilton was when Willow was first born' I reminisce.

'No, I'm talking about Randy' dad says.

'Taylor?' I ask.

'Maple' he says.

'Okay, I'm getting confused. I was talking about Randy Taylor when I said he must be excited' I explain.

'And I was talking about Randy Maple when I said I hope his sleep isn't affected too much' dad explains.

'Let's try this again. I hope Randy Taylor is excited' I say. I can't help but smiling at all the Randys.

'I'm sure that he is. You know, I haven't spoken with him yet on the subject. So much has happened since I found out that Lauren was my daughter, that I just really haven't had the time yet. Maybe I'll do that later on today' he says.

'You know Thornton, all this baby talk makes me think back to when you were just a baby' dad remembers. He's the only who still calls me Thornton, instead of Jonathan. In fact, he's the only one that I let call me Thornton. I mean, there's nothing wrong with the name Thornton, but Jonathan just sounds so much cooler.

'You had the most awful colic until I found out about that ginger root juice' he says.

'You made me drink ginger root juice?' I question. No wonder I can't stand the smell of ginger.

'No no, I rubbed it on your stomach. It worked wonders for you' dad says.

'Has anybody else actually even tried using ginger root juice?' I ask.

'Oh yes. It worked wonders on Randy' dad remarks.

'Which one?!' I ask exasperatedly.

'Taylor' he specifies.

'Okay, from now on, Randy will be Randy Taylor, and Randy M. will be Randy Maple, how does that sound?' I suggest.

'Works for me' dad says with a shrug.

'What was life like then for you? I mean before the Taylors moved in and you became the male version of Ann Landers?' I ask.

'Well, I had a lot more free time for one thing' he says with a smile.

'I just want to know one thing. How do you feel about being a grandfather?' I ask.

'I've always wanted to be one. I thought for sure I'd lost out on the oppurtunity though after you went out into the world and I had no clue where you was and of course letting Lauren be adopted. I had this recurring dream that someday you'd show up on my door step to visit me with two little grandchildren' he says.

'I'm sorry, but I doubt that dream ever comes true. If it does, it'll be ten or fifteen years from now. Me and Amanda are pretty much in agreement that we're both too busy to properly care for a child yet. Of course, the fact that she had that miscarriage nine years ago doesn't help our urge to procreate' I say.

'So, what'll it be?' asks the waitress, pen and pad in hand, ready to jot down our orders.

'I'll just have a bowl of oatmeal and a cup of mocha latte. Oh, and bring out a bottle of blueberry syrup on the side please' I order.

'I'll have two eggs, over easy, an English muffin, and a glass of orange juice' dad orders.

'So, you was saying that your wife had a miscarriage? What on earth happened?' dad asks.

'She was in a gas station hold up when she was about five months pregnant. She went into labor, and...' I say, trying to avoid telling the whole story.

'I'm so sorry' he says.

We sit there in silence until our breakfast comes.

'Thornton, I just want to know one thing. At least I think I do. What the hell are you going to do with that blueberry syrup?' dad asks after the waitress leaves.

'Put it in my oatmeal' I state matter-of-factly.

'And Tim and Jill think I have weird tastes' he shudders.

A/N: Next chapter I'll have the conversation between Randy and Wilson. (And hopefully some good quotes on fatherhood). The chapter after that, I'll have a visit to the OB/GYN, as well as some funny scenes with Randy and Lauren.

Please read and review. I enjoy getting reviews, even if they're bad ones.

Thanks for reading.

-Yours truly, Randy Taylor