Chapter 39
Christmas and the New Year came and went, with everything mostly returning to normal in the Forest. Evergreen Enterprises is growing by the day; and whatever challenges that came toward the couples only made them stronger. Schaeffer and Zoey announced their wedding date, Ralph and Melissa's relationship solidified as Rider left in January to pursue his career with the RCMP, and Bentley surprised Annie with an engagement ring on New Year's Eve.
Bentley didn't need to go far to seek help for his problems. Amber Ringtail, Justin's wife, grew up with a friend that is now a psychiatrist and oddly enough is working at the Evergreen hospital. Dr. Motherhen agreed to have weekly meetings with the young raccoon for his drug and alcohol abuse. For the time being, Justin and Bentley switched positions at Evergreen Enterprises, so Bentley wouldn't have so much pressure upon him. The move paid off not only professionally, but socially as well. Bentley's friendship with Justin and Amber flourished; he even looked after their kids when the two would have an evening out. Bentley is now enjoying life to its fullest without drug and alcohol encouragement; and it will only get better when Annie comes back to work for the Standard this summer.
It is February 22nd. To break the tension from the daily grind and the winter weather, the gang held a hockey game on Evergreen Lake on this Saturday afternoon. Even though it is supposed to be a playful affair, some would keep bringing the competition, even if it was for a race to a peanut butter jar at centre ice. Bert Raccoon laboured down the left wing to pot his third goal of the game, deking out Schaeffer in the goal crease.
"Wow, from the tales I heard of him, I didn't know Bert was that talented," joked Justin.
"He did score the winning goal to save this lake, so he is clutch," said Ralph.
"I brought my A game today," boasted Bert, skating past his mates.
"No, it's all in the sweater," said Cedric, pointing to the Islanders jersey Bert borrowed from his best friend today. Everyone laughed.
"You almost broke my back," said Schaeffer. "This is supposed to be a friendly game." He came and gave Bert a weak slash with his goal stick to his shins.
Lisa was enjoying the afternoon, taking in the action while sipping hot chocolate on the bench. "Holy #$%! That's not the only thing that's breaking! I think my water just broke!"
The rest of the game was scratched as Bert took Lisa to the hospital. They arrived in twenty minutes, and Lisa was taken away to a room. Since he had a bit of a weak stomach, Bert stayed in the waiting area with her family, as Nicole joined her to be her daughter's 'punching bag'.
"Wow, this feels like forever," said Bert looking up at the clock to notice that only two hours had passed. "Does it take this long?"
"It took eight hours to have Lisa," said George. "Longer for Bentley."
"Dad!" said Bentley, not wanting to hear the details.
A nurse came out to the waiting area. "Anything yet, nurse?" asked a nervous Bert.
"I think it's going to be a while," said the white female rabbit nurse. "You should settle down for a little while."
"Settle down?" exclaimed Bert. "I'm on pins and needles here!"
George came and put a hand on Bert's shoulder, which caused the nerve-racked raccoon to jump. "Don't worry, nurse, we'll keep an eye on him."
The nurse smiled as she turned away. Bert continued to pace the floor, no matter what Lisa's parents told him. He was just on edge.
Another four hours passed, with nothing to report. Bert was getting a little tired, so he sat down and started tapping the chair. His hands were covered with sweat as his nerves were getting frazzled. Bentley came back with some coffee, and with a visitor of sorts.
"Cedric? What are you doing here?" asked Bert, knowing that Sophia was due any day now as well.
"Sophia just went into labour," said an anxious Cedric, pulling at his bowtie. "It looks like our kids are going to be coming into this world together."
"Whoopee!" shouted Bert, springing off his chair. The best pals were jumping with excitement. It only lasted for a minute, as Cedric remembered how long ago Bert took Lisa to the hospital.
"No news yet?" asked Cedric.
"None yet, buddy," said Bert. "I've been going crazy all afternoon."
George snickered as he looked up from The Standard he was reading. "And that's putting it mildly."
Another hour passed, so Bert decided to go outside for some fresh air. As he was joining Cedric and Bentley, a different nurse came calling behind them.
"Mr. Raccoon," said an orange tabby cat nurse. "We have a surprise that you have been waiting for. Follow me."
The two patted a beaming Bert on the back, and then he took off to where the nurse was standing. He almost ran over a chair along the way, taking on a starring role for a blooper reel. After they turned down a hallway, they came to a dimly lit room, with Lisa cradling a bundle in her arms.
"Come see our new all-star," spoke Lisa softly as Bert came to her bedside. "Our baby boy."
Bert pumped his fists in the air as he looked over to the little bundle of joy with straight ears and a bent nose. "He's a real slugger. Handsome little devil."
"Here, hold him," said Lisa as she gave the boy to Bert.
Bert's heart flooded with joy. "What are we going to call him?"
Lisa didn't take long to come up with an answer. "Since we have been through so much, I would love to go off the charts with a name that reflects everything we've been through. How about Justice?"
"Justice. Justice Raccoon. That has a good ring to it," said Bert. "How about Justice George Raccoon?"
"My dad would love it," smiled Lisa.
Bert smiled in reply as he handed Justice back to his mother, and gave his wife a huge kiss. "You have given me more than I ever could have hoped for."
Cedric was now the one sweating bullets in the waiting room. Ralph and Melissa came by to see him, as Cedric didn't really have any family in the Forest to offer support.
"This is killing me," said Cedric. "I thought tending to Sophia was stressful enough."
Melissa frowned and punched Cedric in the arm. Ralph didn't say a word, as he looked rather worriedly at Cedric for his own safety. "Uh, Cedric..."
"Yeah Ralph?" asked Cedric, still baffled at Melissa's reaction.
"Thanks for giving me the heads up," said Ralph as he started laughing under his breath. Unfortunately, Melissa noticed, and punched Ralph in the arm. "Ouch!"
"You mean?" asked Cedric.
"We didn't tell anyone yet, but I'm pregnant!" said Melissa, as her annoyed look gave way to udder happiness.
"That's great you two, congratulations!" smiled Cedric, taking his mind off Sophia for a minute. "Especially after the trying times that you two had this past year." Cedric shook Ralph's hand, and pulled him in for a hug.
"Thanks Cedric," said Ralph, grinning from ear to ear. "Now our kids can grow up together."
Melissa hugged her husband and gave him a peck on the cheek, which made Ralph blush. "And we can take turns babysitting."
Just then, Bert came out of the hallway to give the latest good news to his friends. "It's a boy!" shouted Bert as he high-fived Cedric.
"That's great, Bert!" the whole group, including Lisa's family, shouted.
"What is the little guy's name?" asked George, proudly sticking out his chest.
"Justice. Justice George Raccoon. The newest all-star to the line-up," exclaimed Bert.
They all shared a good laugh as the nurse came into the room. "Mr. Sneer?"
"Yes," replied Cedric.
"You guys are pretty happy and calm considering the circumstances," the orange tabby nurse smiled. "Follow me."
"We'll come back later, Cedric," said Bert, patting Cedric on the back. They all started heading down the hall with the raccoons going towards Lisa's room.
Cedric took the same walk down the hall, but turned to the right instead of left at the end of the hall. Once he arrived, he noticed Sophia holding a bundle, which was similar to Lisa's.
"Cedric, come say hello to our new son," boasted Sophia, a little exhausted.
"Wow, a son!" said Cedric as he kissed Sophia gently on the forehead.
The two watched and smiled as their new joy cried a bit before going back into a slumber. "What are we going to call him?" asked Sophia, giving the boy to Cedric.
Cedric looked at his face for a long while, without saying anything.
"Cedric are you okay?" asked Sophia, losing a little patience even though it was mellowed out by the sedatives.
"I'm at a loss for words," replied Cedric looking up at Sophia. He then looked back down at his new son in his arms for a few more moments. "He reminds me of the most important person who raised me to be the man I am today." He looked upon his son, and smiled back at Sophia. "Say hello to Cyril Sneer the 2nd."
Author's Note: Once again, I would like to thank everyone who made this work possible...you know who you are! I would just like to add the disclaimer that the Raccoons are property of Evergreen Marketing and Kevin Gillis. The additional characters in this story are created by my colleagues or me. Cheers everyone!