Back to the Bowls

With the news of the baby, Zach was armed with extra incentive to perform. He and Ginger had decided to tell the family on Christmas Eve. Her first appointment was on December 8th. But first, there was a season to finish. There were three games left on the schedule, and somehow, the Gators still had an outside shot to win the SEC East division and go to the conference title game However, an overtime loss to South Carolina quickly ended those chances.

With a blowout win over Eastern Kentucky, the Gators had the sixth win and were thus bowl-eligible.

Thanksgiving was that week, and Zach knew he had so much to be thankful for this year. The Gators were having a better season than the year before, he had a wonderful wife, and now was a soon-to-be father.

But on Thanksgiving weekend, the Gators again lost to Florida State. Losing to them always hurt. After the Florida State loss, Zach tried to look on the bright side by telling Ginger, "At least it was closer than last year."

"I guess," Ginger agreed.

"And look on the bright side," added Zach. "At least we won't have to face...You-Know-Who again next year. He's going to the NFL."

"What is with this 'You-Know-Who' business?" asked Ginger. "Call him by his name. It's not like he's Voldemort or anything like that."

"He may as well be, if you're a Gator," said Zach. "And even if I wanted to say it, I couldn't. It's such a sore subject that it's gotten to where it's physically impossible for me to say it."

"Oh, really?" Ginger asked. "Just try. How hard can it be?"

Zach sighed and said, "Ja...Ja...Ja..." But nothing more would come out.

"Wow," said Ginger. "You really can't, can you?"

"Nope," said Zach.

"Well, I can," said Ginger. "Jameis Winston. See? It's not that difficult."

"But from now on, we are never saying that name in our place ever again," said Zach.

***
On December 8th, it was time for Ginger's first doctor's appointment. The doctor would ask some questions about how everything was going, figure out the due date, listen to the baby's heartbeat and do an ultrasound to make sure everything was going well.

"Okay," said the doctor, "Ginger, how have things been going?"

"They've been going well."

"Have you been having any morning sickness?"

"No, not really," said Ginger. "I've mainly just been tired."

"Okay," said the doctor. "Do you remember when your last period was?"

Ginger thought and said, "Sometime in early October."

"So you're probably about two months," said the doctor. "We'll listen to the heartbeat and then do an ultrasound, so you'll get a look at the baby."

"Sounds great," said Zach with a grin, and Ginger nodded in agreement.

The doctor got out a device that looked like a sort of microphone attached to a speaker and placed it on Ginger's stomach. Almost immediately, a thump-thump-thump-thump sound filled the air.

"Is that the baby's heartbeat?" asked Zach.

"Yes, it is," said the doctor.

"Wow," said Zach, amazed. Hearing the heartbeat suddenly seemed to make it real.

"Okay, let's do the ultrasound," the doctor continued, putting some gel on Ginger's still flat stomach. She then got out a small probe and placed it on the gel.

As the image came up, Ginger said, "Oh, Zach, look! That's our baby!"

"It looks more like a little peanut," said Zach.

"All babies do at this stage," said the doctor.

"It may look like a peanut, but look how it's already completely perfectly formed," said Ginger. "Look, you can see the head and the heartbeat..."

"Are those the arms and legs?" Zach asked.

"Well, the beginnings of them," the doctor told them. "And see that the baby's in almost constant motion, even though you won't be able to feel the movements for a couple more months."

"Can you tell if it's a boy or a girl yet?" asked Zach.

"No, it's still too early," said Ginger. "Remember, I told you that the baby won't be developed enough this early to be able to see what it is."

The doctor told them that Ginger was about nine weeks pregnant and was due on July 11th, 2015. As they left the appointment, with the sonogram picture in hand, Zach said, "Looks like the newest little member of Gator Nation will be arriving in just over seven months."

"But what if it's a girl?" asked Ginger. "The baby might be a girl, you know."

Zach grinned and said, "If it's a girl, then I guess she'll have to be the first girl running back for the Gators."

Ginger laughed. She was glad to know Zach wouldn't be disappointed if the baby wasn't a boy.

After church on Christmas Eve, Zach, his father, Ginger and Nanny all went over to Ginger's parents' house. They would be having dinner and making s'mores.

When they walked in, Zach noticed the Nativity scene and said, "When Dave and I were kids, we had that same Nativity set. And we played with it all the time and once we were finished playing, our parents would usually get out our Bible storybook and read the Christmas story."

"In a few years, that'll be us with our child," said Ginger.

"Can't wait," said Zach.

After dinner, the announcement was made by Zach holding up the sonogram picture. Everyone was surprised, but thrilled.

Nanny said, "Zach, I remember waiting in the hospital when you were born. As your godmother, you're like a son to me. And now you're going to have a child of your own. I'm so proud of you."

"Thank you, Nanny," said Zach, smiling.

Soon it was time for the s'mores. Zach ran toward the fridge and seemed to make an odd request. "Is there any Mountain Dew?"

"Mountain Dew?" asked Ginger, confused.

"Yes, Mountain Dew," said Zach. "I can't have s'mores without Mountain Dew."

"Why not?" asked Ginger. Then she noticed something and said, "And why don't you have chocolate in your s'more?"

Zach sighed and said, "Because s'mores without chocolate and Mountain Dew was the last meal I had with Dave, just about a day and a half before he died. And the conversation we had that night has really stuck with me."

March 1, 2012

"Where's the chocolate?" Zach asked, noticing Dave seemed to be missing an ingredient.

"We don't have any," said Dave.

"How are we gonna have s'mores if we don't have chocolate, dude?" asked Zach, knowing you needed chocolate to have s'mores.

"I guess we're just gonna have marshmallows and Dew," said Dave.

"All right," answered Zach. "I can dig it."

Changing the subject, Dave said, "You were moving today. How's the knee feeling?"

"Good enough to smoke you," Zach teased his brother.

"Yeah," said Dave, laughing.

"No, it's feeling good, man. I mean, it's 100%," Zach answered seriously.

"Then I guess it worked," said Dave, with a satisfied look on his face.

"What worked?" asked Zach, confused.

"I've been training you this whole time," Dave answered. "You said your knee was back to 100%. You're ready to get back on the field."

"Back on the field?" asked Zach, stunned. Had Dave lost his mind?

"Yeah," said Dave.

"Dave, the season's over. How am I gonna do that?"

"It doesn't matter," said Dave. "I'm gonna go to State, and I'm gonna win. Who's not gonna give a scholarship to the state champ? You're gonna come with me wherever I go. You're gonna walk onto the team next year. And then, after that, you can get a scholarship for football. But we're gonna get out of here. That's the plan."

Zach laughed. "You make it sound pretty easy."

Dave looked at his brother and said, "Yeah, well...I believe in the plan. And I believe in you."

"Those words from Dave have stayed with me ever since," said Zach. "They've kept me going when things get rough. So now, whenever I have s'mores, I eat the chocolate separately and I have a Mountain Dew with it. That helps me remember what Dave told me that night, and it helps me feel like he's still with me somehow."

"Odd choice of snack, but very sweet way to remember your brother and what all he did for you," said Ginger.

Florida received an invitation to the Birmingham Bowl, where they would be playing East Carolina on January 3. Although it was a lower-tier bowl game, Zach was going to take what he could get after the disaster of the previous year.

It was a close game, but Florida pulled it out, bringing their 2014 record to 7-5. After the game, Zach said in the interview, "It was a close one, but the Gators pulled it out. And, also, on a personal note, we're going to have a new little member of Gator Nation this summer. My wife's pregnant."

"Congratulations, Truett!"

"Thank you."

The 2014 season was in the books. The Gators had rebounded somewhat after the disaster that had been 2013, and Zach was happy with the way the season had gone. And with the newest little member of Gator Nation on the way, 2015 had much to look forward to.