Authors Note: I didn't get the votes in that I wanted, , makes me sad really. So I just put names in a hat and randomly picked one out to see what their little girl will be named. You will see that at the end of the chapter folks.
Chapter 51
Jesse knew that her son was most likely feeling a little left out with a new baby sister in the house and all. Jesse didn't want him to think that he was less important than his sister so she was trying to find ways to show him he was extremely important and on top of that, he could do things that his sister couldn't do and as he got older he would get to do more and more things that his baby sister couldn't do. His bedtime would always be later, until they both reached an age appropriate for a late bedtime, and he would always have gotten through his different school grades before her, so he might even be able to help her with her homework and things as they got older, showing that he was a great big brother and really smart at the same time.
Jesse knew that Slater was doing everything that he could to make sure that their son felt special as well, they did a lot of father and son things together, and she could always see how excited that made their little boy feel. Jesse glanced up as she heard someone walk into the nursery where she was currently sitting in the glider with her infant daughter, and saw it was her son, Lucas. Lucas walked over to her, glad that he was now five years old. He had enjoyed the party that had been thrown for him, and he was talking about starting kindergarten now.
"Mommy." Lucas said softly.
"Yes honey?" Jesse asked as she leaned back against the glider and studied her oldest child, the one that she was sure she could never do enough for to make up for how horrible the first four years of his life were. Well, at the moment his life wasn't much of a picnic either with someone wanting to kill his mother and that was putting him in the line of fire as well.
"Will school be fun?" Lucas asked nervously.
"Sure honey, kindergarten is pretty fun. You get to play on the playground and make friends with other kids your age and once you do that you get to have birthday parties as you grow older with all your friends there." Jesse said as she reached out and pushed some of Lucas's hair out of his face. He was insisting on growing his hair out longer, and Jesse blamed Slater for that one. So far, Lucas had refused to allow his parents to take him to get it cut short at all, if they took him it was only for a small trim.
"Do I have to wear a…um…a…"Lucas seemed confused as he scrunched up his face and tried to think of the word.
"Do you have to wear a uniform? Is that what you are trying to ask me?" Jesse asked her son with a smile on her face. Sometimes Lucas acted so grown up that she forgot he was only five years old. He was super excited that come September he would be starting kindergarten, now that it was spring time and all. Jesse had lost track of the time with everything that had been going with her pregnancy, the man trying to kill her and trying to make sure that her son had a safe and happy life now that he was no longer alone and in foster care. She hated that her maternal instinct hadn't told her that her son was still alive and she would always question her instinct when it came to her kids from now on, but she was grateful that he was with her and Slater now and that he had a baby sister and that Kelly and Zack had a little boy that Lucas considered his baby brother as well.
"Yes, a…um… what you said." Lucas said with a sheepish smile on his face.
"Well, it depends on what school we enroll you in. If we move to that new house, than yes a uniform could be necessary but we would be living closer to your Uncle Zack and your Aunt Kelly and your little baby cousin. If we stay here, then it's very possible you won't need a uniform, but the school is currently voting on that so that could change before your school year starts honey." Jesse said, wondering if Lucas even understood what she was even saying.
"Okay." Lucas shrugged and turned and started to walk away but apparently thought of something else. "I love you mommy." He said softly.
"I love you to honey.' Jesse said, as her eyes watered and she realized that it had been a long time that she had been waiting to hear those words from Lucas's mouth again. He had only really said them one time, and he had seemed like he hadn't meant to say them so she didn't really think they had counted, but these ones did.
Slater knew that everyone was worried about when this creep was going to try and strike again, and he was at the top of that list. Jesse was very vulnerable and scared and she was worried that their kids would become targets, if they weren't already. Slater knew that Jesse would sacrifice her own life in an instant to protect Lucas and their new little girl. Slater just couldn't let them do that. Sighing, he continued to paint the nursery, now that he had gotten Jesse to agree on a name he was painting it on the walls, which meant that their little girl wasn't going anywhere near her room for a while. Once the paint dried, they would need to air out the room so there weren't any fumes and they could only do that when Slater was in the room since they didn't leave windows or anything open without someone in the room to make sure Lucas didn't go through it or that someone didn't try to use it to get into their home.
"Hey, wow, so is that the name?" Zack asked as he walked into the room with Screech.
"Yea." Slater answered with a goofy grin on his face.
"I think it's a great name." Zack said as he handed Slater a cold bottle of beer and the three men stood back and admired the work Slater had done on the wall with the name and the artwork he stenciled around it.
"She's going to grow up special." Screech added his two cents.
The guys left the room and found Lucas wondering around, clearly bored. Slater scooped up the five year old with a wink and they all headed for his den, where it had everything men would need to hang out, including video games and game tables. There was even it's on fridge and bar, something that Slater was shocked about when Jesse had shown off the project she had been doing with Lisa, since Kelly had been busy being pregnant at the time. Now, all the guys hung out there while the women hung out together as well, it was their time apart but safely in the same house in case something happened.
"Want something to drink Luc?" Zack asked as he smiled at the boy he considered his nephew.
"Yes!" Lucas said seeing all his favorite men with something in their hands. After Zack handed Lucas a cold bottle of apple juice, something that Jesse and Slater had thought up thinking it would make Lucas feel more like he belonged, Lucas's eyes lit up with happiness at being included with the grown men.
"This is guys time." Screech said and they all laughed at how excited Lucas became at being included in guys time.
Jesse could tell that her friends were all curious about her daughters name, and she couldn't blame them. It had taken her and Slater a while to finally agree on what their daughter's name should really be and Jesse was glad that they had finally agreed on a name, and in fact it was Lucas that really helped them make the final decision, something they were happy to say because it made Lucas feel like he was a big part of his sister and that was what they wanted him to feel.
"Spill it now girl!" Lisa said, clearly impatient.
Kelly patted her son's back, getting him to burp before going back to feeding him again. "Come on, tell us what our little niece will be called for the rest of her life." Kelly added with a smile of excitement of her own.
"Well, our little girl's name is…" Jesse trailed off with a grin as her two friends groaned and Jesse rocked with her precious bundle in her arms. She had seen her other precious little one going with the guys into Slater's 'Man Cave'. "Riley Marie Slater."
