The Friendship
Chapter 18
Within a few weeks, Mike was doing better. Recovery and physical therapy had been difficult, but he was enjoying the time with his kids, dad and wife. One of the triplets were always willing to cuddle. He had managed to go fishing with his dad and spent one-on-one time with both Kaitlyn and Hannah. But, most importantly, as he recovered; he and Christine redeveloped a physical intimacy and she was doing alright.
About a month later, Mike received a call from the prosecutor's office telling them that Jack Roberts wanted to take a plea deal on shooting him. Fifteen years, plus whatever he received when he was extradited back to Tennessee. From what Mike was understanding, between Christine, Ralph and Kaitlyn's victim's impact statements and other charges, it would be life in prison for Roberts. The fifteen years would be served concurrently and Mike okay'd it. Knowing that Roberts was going away seemed to help Kaitlyn a lot and relaxed Christine.
Mike's retirement had gone through, and they were well taken care of. Kaitlyn was also teaching art classes and was considering going to college to become an art teacher. She was great with small children and was smart and creative.
Ralph was relishing the time with his only son. They went fishing regularly and Mike had plans on taking him on a hunting trip he always went on with Tom, Wolfe and Jeter. Max had voiced wanting to go, but he was still too young. Mike took him on a few of their fishing trips and the little boy loved spending time with his dad and papa. One night, Christine climbed into bed next to Mike and kissed his shoulder. She hadn't been feeling well and Mike was worried about her.
"Feeling better?" Mike asked.
"Yeah, your dad had some peppermint tea that helped. I'm not sure what's going on." Christine admitted.
"You don't seem to have a lot of energy and I think we need to get you into a doctor. I'm worried." Mike said.
"I made an appointment for a check up tomorrow. Its probably just menopause setting in." Christine remarked.
"Is something else going on?" Mike asked, immediately worried.
"Just some female issues. Probably nothing. Until I've gone to the doctor and gotten an answer, don't worry yourself." Christine said before giving him a kiss to shut him up.
"I hope its nothing major. Can I go with you tomorrow?" Mike asked.
"Mike; it's an appointment with an OBGYN. Trust me; you don't want to go to this appointment. It will be fine." Christine assured him.
"You'll call me as soon as you know?" Mike begged.
"I will. Now; go to sleep. Stop being such a worrywart." Christine said as she snuggled close.
"I doubt I'll sleep much." Mike remarked.
"Fine, but I will, so stop talking. I love you." Christine responded.
"I love you too." Mike said. Before long, Christine was sound asleep; only to wake back up at five am, extremely nauseous. Her appointment was at nine am, so it was a rough few hours for both Mike and Christine. It took some convincing for Mike not to go with her to the doctor's appointment.
It was a rough morning for Mike and he was struggling. His dad knew it and so did the older girls. He tried concentrating on the triplets, but even that was not so easy. What was worse was that Christine didn't call. Finally, he heard her SUV pull into the garage at almost twelve. He walked into the garage and looked at her expectantly.
"You didn't call." Mike remarked.
"Yeah; sorry. It was better that I told you this in person." Christine said.
"What? I've been worried sick. How bad is it?" Mike demanded.
"Its not…bad. I just am not sure what your reaction will be." Christine said. She was now standing in front of Mike and was chewing on her lower lip nervously.
"What?" Mike asked, losing his patience.
"Mike; I'm pregnant. And its your baby before you ask. Everything is alright. They did an ultrasound…" Christine said as Mike sit down on the steps down into the basement.
"A baby? But you're…forty. How is that even possible?" Mike asked.
"Uh…Mike; a woman can have a baby after she turns forty; or in my case, almost forty-two. There are some concerns, but the baby seems to be doing really well. I'm about five weeks along." Christine said as she sat down next to him.
"But…how?" Mike said, still completely stunned.
"We aren't really very careful. I guess we both assumed because of our age it wasn't possible. You know, the entire time with Jack, I prayed that I wouldn't end up pregnant. Then I prayed that Kaitlyn wouldn't. Never thought about you and I having another baby. My question is; do you not want this baby? I know you're stunned and I will admit, I was a little shocked too. Its okay if you're not happy. Its going to take some…adjusting and getting used to. I don't know what we'll do if you don't want this baby though. He or she seems determined to live. Baby is strong." Christine said as she squeezed his hand.
"I'm…stunned, but I would never ask you to get rid of this baby. No, this baby will be a part of this family and will be well-loved. Are you okay with it?" Mike asked.
"I had the triplets later in life. I thought I was done with middle of the night feedings, diaper changes and all that. I was…watching a new mom at the doctor's office. She was there for her six week appointment and had the baby with her. At first the fussiness bugged me, but she didn't know how to swaddle her, and I helped her. It reminded me of how sweet a new baby is. How much I loved seeing them smile the first time, how I really didn't mind the dirty diapers because I loved the fresh smell of a new baby and all that. And I realized since you're retired, you would be able to be there for everything. I understood why you had to be gone, but I love the idea of you being there from day one." Christine explained.
"That is one thing. I have definitely missed a lot. It'll be fun." Mike said.
"So, how do we tell the kids?" Christine asked.
"We could wait until you're further along and it's a bit…safer?" Mike suggested.
"That is probably a good idea. They might guess it though. Ready to go inside?" Christine asked as she stood up. Mike also stood up and wrapped his arms around her.
"I am. Hey; we will be alright. This baby will be loved." Mike said. He gave her a kiss on the forehead and just held her.
Eight Months Later
Mike watched as Christine cuddled their baby boy close. He was absolutely perfect. The birth had been easy and Christine was radiant. It was still early morning, so they would have a few hours of quiet before the family showed up and Mike was glad.
"We still need a name for him. Your dad told me that he would disown us if we named him after him." Christine said.
"He didn't say anything about his middle name though. James." Mike said as he sat down next to her and smiled at the baby in her arms.
"James….we've used your name twice. Lucas Michael and Maxwell Michael. There is your middle name." Christine said.
"Not naming my kid James Edward." Mike argued.
"He needs a middle name." Christine said.
"What about…James Thomas?" Mike asked.
"James Thomas Slattery. I like it. What do you think about that, James?" Christine asked the almost asleep baby.
"He thinks its perfect. We could call him Jamie." Mike suggested.
"Or just James. I like James." Christine said before giving Mike a kiss.
"Or just James. I love you." Mike said.
"I love you too. Just hope the kids love him. Max was sure worried when we told him James was a boy." Christine said.
"I'll make it clear that it'll be a long time before James can go fishing and for a long time, that'll be something me and him get to do, sometimes with his papa. Anna and Julia will think he's a doll and Kaitlyn and Hannah will either love helping or think he's gross." Mike commented.
"He looks like his daddy." Christine said.
"He reminds me of Lucas." Mike remarked. He kissed the top of James' head and smiled at him.
"Lucas loved his dad, just like James will. Just like Max does. And the girls too. We're lucky to have you." Christine said as she passed the baby over to Mike and then kissed his cheek.
"And I couldn't be happier to have you all back." Mike said. Christine snuggled up to him and smiled at the way James had settled on Mike's chest. They were both soon asleep.
Their first visitor that morning was actually Tom. Years before, it would have never happened because Mike and Tom had hated each other. Considering that James was named partly for Tom, it showed how their friendship had evolved.
Next came Ralph and the kids. As expected, Anna and Julia were in love with their little brother, and Max was strangely protective of him. Even the older girls took turns holding him and of course, Ralph gushed over his newest grandson.
"Good thing he takes after his mom." Ralph said as he held the baby.
"Funny, Christine said he looked like me last night." Mike teased back.
"Poor boy." Ralph remarked.
"Papa, I think he's awfully cute." Kaitlyn said.
"Maybe. Your dad was the ugliest baby I ever saw. Thankfully, when it come time to have his own kids, he picked a good partner who made beautiful babies." Ralph said as he passed the baby back to Mike.
"Thanks, Dad." Mike said. He knew his dad was only teasing.
"You might have thought he was the ugliest baby, but you still loved your baby boy. I've seen pictures." Christine pointed out to Ralph.
"Yeah, yeah, yeah. He endeared himself." Ralph said as he patted Mike's arm. There was no doubt how he felt about Mike or how Mike felt.
"Geez, Dad; I love you too." Mike teased.
"You two don't have anyone fooled, you know. You bicker and fight, but you are cute together." Hannah remarked.
"Cute? Oh, Hannah." Mike teased his second oldest daughter.
"She has a point. So, hopefully I will be home tomorrow. I'm ready." Christine said as she cuddled Max close.
"You'll still cuddle?" Max asked.
"Yes. I'll still cuddle. Daddy too." Christine said.
"Okay." Max said as he hugged her arm. Christine yawned just than and Ralph nodded at Kaitlyn.
"I think its time for us to go home. Kids, give your mom and dad a kiss. They need to rest up some." Ralph ordered. The kids all began hugging and kissing Mike and Christine. "Son, he's a dandy. Congratulations. I'm proud of the two of you." Ralph said before kissing the side of Mike's head and James' little hand.
"Thanks, Dad. We love you." Mike said.
"I love you all too. Even if you did use my middle name to name this little man. Better than my first name." Ralph remarked.
Finally, Mike and Christine were left alone with the baby. He was very calm and completely content to be held and his parents were all too happy to comply.
It had been a hard year, but they were happy. The kids had adjusted, their marriage was strong, Ralph had recovered and Jack Roberts would spend the rest of his life in prison. Through it all, Tom had been there to help them, along with other members of the Nathan James crew. They were going to be just fine.