Gemma was nervous as she phoned her parents for the first time in years. She listened to the phone ring a few times before someone picked up the phone and Gemma recognized the voice immediately.

It was her mother, Rose Maddock."Hello, Maddock residence. How can I help?" Rose asked kindly and Gemma swallowed, bracing herself before speaking into the phone.

"Mom, it's me, Gemma. I need to tell you and daddy something very important." Gemma said softly.

"Gemma! Baby, are you alright?" Rose asked fearfully.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

A week later, Gemma was home again. The doctor had released her after both she and JT had promised that she would take it easy for the rest of her pregnancy.

The phone call to her parents' home had also turned out better than either of them had expected.

Her mother had genuinely been happy to finally hear from her estranged daughter and her father had cried hearing her voice.

The news that they were now grandparents was received well. Rose and Nate had been ecstatic to hear all the details about their almost two-year old grandson.

Gemma was surprised, which resulted in her calling them after being released from the hospital and inviting them for a visit. She knew they would love to get to know Jonathon.

Now here she was sitting on an old overstuffed chair in the apartment room overtop of the garage behind their house watching as Luanne, Kitty and some of the guys worked on getting the place in order for her parents to stay.

"I didn't realize there was so much shit up here," Otto said, picking up a box and carrying it toward the stairwell.

"I think we can make it look homey," Luanne spoke up. Luanne had actually been the one who came up with the idea to clean up the apartment for Gemma's parents to stay on their visit.

Gemma looked around the room from her perch. There was the chair she was in, along with a mismatched couch and two side tables with lamps on it. In the corner across from the living area was a small kitchen area with a small fridge and a stove with two burners. Beside the stove was a single-bowl sink that looked to have seen better days.

The only other room of the apartment was the bathroom that was next to the front door. Kitty was busy in there scrubbing down the mildew and rust from the tub and toilet bowl.

JT walked into the room and smiled at her.

"Hey. How's it going?" he asked, bending over to kiss her.

"Luanne seems to think we can create miracles and Kitty is probably scrubbing the porcelain off in the bathroom. This place is a disaster, JT. " Gemma said, crossing her arms and leaning her elbows onto her knees. "This is a mistake. I should have just let them get a motel room."

"It's going to be okay, darlin'. Quit stressing. I promised to keep you cool, calm and collected. They are coming to see you and Jonathon. They'll be happy as long as they are close to you." JT sat down beside Gemma on the arm of the chair and watched as Luanne packed more junk into a box from beneath the counter.

When the weekend arrived, the small apartment had been cleaned from top to bottom and, to Gemma's surprise, did actually look like a decent place for her parents to stay during the visit. Thank God, Gemma thought. They are due to arrive first thing in the morning.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The next morning Gemma was nervously trying to pick out an outfit suitable for Jonathon to wear as he was introduced to his grandparents. JT had gotten up before dawn and left to take care of business so he could be here to meet her parents also. Gemma could tell that he was anxious. For the past week, JT had asked all kinds of questions about them, trying to find out as much about them as he could.

Deciding to dress Jonathon in a pair of jeans and a red tee, Gemma set about getting ready for Rose and Nate to arrive.

JT arrived back home around 10 and promptly at 11, the doorbell rang and Gemma opened the door to see her parents for the first time since she left home at 17.

"Mom, Dad. I'm so glad you could make it," she said, opening the door wider so they could enter the house.

Nate and Rose Maddock walked into the room and looked right at JT.

"Hello. I'm John Teller. I'm Gemma's husband." JT said, extending his hand toward his father-in-law.

"Nate Maddock."

"I hope your trip was good." JT said, trying to make conversation with the man who was looking him up and down in judgment.

"Yes, yes. It was good."

Rose turned to look at her daughter. Gemma felt inept. She knew she was being scrutinized for something. She had no idea what, but she knew Rose would find something to gripe about.

"You are awful big to be only seven months along. Are you sure you're taking care of yourself?"

"Yes, Mom. Other than the fainting spell I had last week and the dreaded family flaw, my doctor says I'm coming along just fine."

"Family flaw?" Rose asked, raising an eyebrow.

"The heart defect that I have inherited. The one you have."

"This is not something to take lightly, Gemma Rose. It killed your brother. Or do you not remember that?" Rose stated, straightening her posture.

"I know, Mom. I'm not taking it lightly. I remember very well the day Nathaniel died. I was there then. I was there afterwards too Mom." Gemma retorted, already dreading the rest of the weekend with her Mom.

"Well, with the way you were acting out back then, I wasn't sure if you remembered anything. Other than where to get your next buzz."

Gemma was about to start yelling when Nate walked over and pulled her into a bear hug. "My baby girl, all grown up."

Gemma held onto her dad until she felt the tears running down her face.

"I got my own baby now, Daddy. Want to meet your grandson?"

"Of course I do. Where is he?"

JT came down the stairs holding Johnathon on his hip. As soon as he made it to the bottom step, JT lifted his son off his hip and placed his feet on the floor. Jonathon looked at the strange man and woman standing near his mom and then began walking toward them.

Gemma bent down and wrapped her arm around Jonathon's little shoulders and said, "Mom, Dad. This is Jonathon Michael Teller. Your grandson."

Nate was the first to squat down to the tot's level. "Hi Jonathon. I'm your grandpa. Can you say Papa?"

Jonathon looked at his mom and then back to Nate and said "Papa" as plain as day.

Laughing, Nate picked Jonathon up and stood up and walked to Rose. "This is your grandma. Can you say Gramma?"

"Gamma." Jonathon said and reached for Rose, who took the boy into her arms and cuddled him to her chest.

The rest of the day went by with Nate talking to Gemma and JT and Rose playing different games with Jonathon. When the boy started to show weariness, Gemma took him upstairs and got him bathed and dressed for bed.

JT brought Rose up to tell her grandbaby goodnight and then she laid him into his bed and made sure that the door was left slightly open so they could hear if he woke up during the night.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Right at dusk, the roar of motorcycles could be heard coming toward the house. Here goes nothing, Gemma thought. She'd been dreading telling her parents that she and JT weren't the only ones who lived in the house.

As the motorcycles grew closer, Gemma decided to bite the bullet.

"We don't live here alone. Some of JT's friends and work associates live here also."

Nate and Rose both turned to look at their daughter. Gemma couldn't tell what their reaction was.

"Just how many people live here?" Nate asked.

"Ten, including us."

"What kind of business do you have?"

"It's a delivery security type. We offer security for various delivery services in town."

Neither of Gemma's parents said anything, even though Gemma was prepared for the worse. She knew if they found out exactly what the security part of the business involved, she'd never hear the end of it.

The door opened and in walked Clay, Otto, Wally and Lenny.

They all were introduced to Gemma's parents and dispersed to their own rooms.

"So you live here with a bunch of men?" Rose asked.

"No, Mom. Otto's wife Luanne and Wally's wife Kitty live here also."

Even though she didn't say anything, Gemma knew her mother was silently casting judgment toward her.

"Let's get you guys settled into your room. It's actually right above the garage." JT said.

Nate, Rose and Gemma followed JT outside and around the house and to the garage.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

That night, Gemma lay in bed with JT.

"They hate this," Gemma said. "They hate the way I turned out. They hate that we don't live alone. Hate that they're stuck in that little apartment out there and not in here with us."

"Gemma, don't let them get to you. They'll be gone before you know it. We just have to get through these next three days."

It can't come soon enough Gemma thought before she turned the lamp off and cuddled up to her husband to go to sleep.