Disclaimer: See part 1.
Reunion Part 4
I told the others about the babies later that day. Tiny and Keyop were excited, but I couldn't tell about Mark.
When the Chief returned from his trip, he looked a lot happier than I could ever remember seeing him. He called me to his office after he got settled.
"Did you have a nice trip, Chief?" I asked.
"Yes, I did, Princess. After my last meeting, I stopped by Jason's house. Sam was home alone, Jason had been ordered to a meeting with his sponsors. Apparently, he didn't want to go, but if he wanted to keep his racing sponsors, then he had to. Sam and I had a nice little visit, and then suddenly her water broke. She called the doctor and then tried to get a message to Jason, but he was still in his meeting. She hadn't had any contractions before her water broke, but when they started they were only about four minutes apart. I took her to the hospital and waited with her until Jason arrived. I was going to leave when he got there, but he asked me to stay. I hadn't been able to see it before, but he's really grown up over the years."
"Happens to the best of us, Chief. I talked to Jason this morning. He really appreciated your visit."
"I'm glad I went. He and I had a long heart-to-heart talk while Sam was in labor."
"I'm sure she loved that."
"She played referee."
I laughed. "Sounds like she gets a lot of practice. It will come in handy when the boys are older."
"Yes, I suppose it will. Oh, by the way, Sam wants everyone, and that means Mark, to come for Thanksgiving.
"I'll add it to his calendar. I'll hog tie him if I have too."
* * * * * * * *
The next six months sped by. Jason had actually sent me pictures of the babies. "They look like all the other babies I've seen," he said. So much for fatherly pride.
Thanksgiving was quickly approaching. I was able to force Mark into going to Jason's with only a bit of help from Tiny. "I'll tie him up and put him in the box for you, Prin."
We took an ISO plane instead of a commercial flight. Sam met us at the airport.
"Where's Jason?" I asked.
"Home with the boys."
"He's doing this willingly?" Mark asked.
"No, but he needs the practice and I needed to get out of the house."
The Chief had rented a car so Tiny and Keyop rode with him while Mark and I rode with Sam. We talked about the world in general and suddenly we arrived at the house. "You moved. This isn't the same house as before."
"We needed more room and I couldn't climb stairs by myself when I was pregnant, so we decided to buy a one story house."
Sam pulled into the drive with the Chief right behind her. "I'm sure Jase is climbing the walls by now." She couldn't have been more wrong. When we entered the house, we found him lying on the floor surrounding by two babies, two big dogs, and a cat, reading to them.
"Hi," he said as he got up.
"Hi, how did it go?"
"Fine. We all got along famously. That and they've all been fed, so they weren't about to give me too many problems."
"Lucky you."
"Jason," I said, "didn't you only have one dog before?"
"My husband, the over grown Boy Scout, found Shadow in a drainage ditch," Sam said. At the sound of his name, the big black dog wagged his tail. "Another of his admirers."
"What can I say?" Jason said smugly.
Tiny and Keyop got down on the floor to play with the babies. Both were miniature copies of Jason, down to the large blue eyes, and neither baby seemed overly impressed with their uncles. They turned around to look at Mark. I had to laugh. They both gave Mark the same look that Jason used to give him when we were little and Jason was in trouble for something.
"Remind you of someone?" I whispered in Mark's ear.
Sam and Jason disappeared into the kitchen. "Is there anything I can help with?" I asked.
"I don't think so, Princess. Jase was busy while I was gone and took care of everything."
"The kids were asleep and I put the dogs outside so I could get some work done," Jason said.
Just then a piercing scream came from the other room. They both took off to see what had happened. I was right behind them. We stopped in the door. Both boys were sitting in the middle of the room surrounding by four terrified looking men. "What happened?" Sam asked.
"Darned if I know," Tiny said. "This one just decided to scream."
Sam walked over to the child in question and picked him up, holding him at eye level. "Joshua Mark, what are you up to?" The baby just wiggled and started to laugh. "That's what I thought, you little stinker."
At the mention of the baby's name, I cast a glance at Mark. His eyebrows went up, but he didn't make any other indication of noticing.
"What's the other baby's name?" I asked.
"Jared Andrew."
"How did you pick the names?"
"We each made a list of the names we liked, edited each other's lists, and then put all of the names in a bowl and just started pulling names out," Jason said.
"Very diplomatic."
"Not really. It just saved a lot of arguing."
* * * * * * * *
Jason and Sam had insisted that we all stay with them during their visit. After dinner had been cleared away, Jason disappeared somewhere in the back of the house. He returned with a photo album. I recognized it as the one the Chief had when we were growing up, but I couldn't remember seeing it in years. I looked questioningly at the Chief.
"I brought that along during my last visit. I thought Sam would like to see some pictures of you all when you were kids."
"Sam made a couple of additions to it," Jason said as he handed it to the Chief. We all gathered around him as he opened the album. In the back were several new pages. There were pictures of the babies and there was a picture of Jason sitting on a hospital bed with his newborn sons in his arms. Apparently he hadn't known he was having his picture taken because he looked captivated by his children.
"He didn't know I was taking that picture until it was too late," Sam said quietly from behind us. "I hope you don't mind my adding the pictures to the album."
"Of course not," the Chief said. I noticed his eyes had grown misty. I looked up at Jason. He had picked up one of the babies and handed him to Mark, who looked like he had no idea what to do. The baby just smiled at him and laughed. That was when I knew everything was going to be just fine.
FINI
Reunion Part 4
I told the others about the babies later that day. Tiny and Keyop were excited, but I couldn't tell about Mark.
When the Chief returned from his trip, he looked a lot happier than I could ever remember seeing him. He called me to his office after he got settled.
"Did you have a nice trip, Chief?" I asked.
"Yes, I did, Princess. After my last meeting, I stopped by Jason's house. Sam was home alone, Jason had been ordered to a meeting with his sponsors. Apparently, he didn't want to go, but if he wanted to keep his racing sponsors, then he had to. Sam and I had a nice little visit, and then suddenly her water broke. She called the doctor and then tried to get a message to Jason, but he was still in his meeting. She hadn't had any contractions before her water broke, but when they started they were only about four minutes apart. I took her to the hospital and waited with her until Jason arrived. I was going to leave when he got there, but he asked me to stay. I hadn't been able to see it before, but he's really grown up over the years."
"Happens to the best of us, Chief. I talked to Jason this morning. He really appreciated your visit."
"I'm glad I went. He and I had a long heart-to-heart talk while Sam was in labor."
"I'm sure she loved that."
"She played referee."
I laughed. "Sounds like she gets a lot of practice. It will come in handy when the boys are older."
"Yes, I suppose it will. Oh, by the way, Sam wants everyone, and that means Mark, to come for Thanksgiving.
"I'll add it to his calendar. I'll hog tie him if I have too."
* * * * * * * *
The next six months sped by. Jason had actually sent me pictures of the babies. "They look like all the other babies I've seen," he said. So much for fatherly pride.
Thanksgiving was quickly approaching. I was able to force Mark into going to Jason's with only a bit of help from Tiny. "I'll tie him up and put him in the box for you, Prin."
We took an ISO plane instead of a commercial flight. Sam met us at the airport.
"Where's Jason?" I asked.
"Home with the boys."
"He's doing this willingly?" Mark asked.
"No, but he needs the practice and I needed to get out of the house."
The Chief had rented a car so Tiny and Keyop rode with him while Mark and I rode with Sam. We talked about the world in general and suddenly we arrived at the house. "You moved. This isn't the same house as before."
"We needed more room and I couldn't climb stairs by myself when I was pregnant, so we decided to buy a one story house."
Sam pulled into the drive with the Chief right behind her. "I'm sure Jase is climbing the walls by now." She couldn't have been more wrong. When we entered the house, we found him lying on the floor surrounding by two babies, two big dogs, and a cat, reading to them.
"Hi," he said as he got up.
"Hi, how did it go?"
"Fine. We all got along famously. That and they've all been fed, so they weren't about to give me too many problems."
"Lucky you."
"Jason," I said, "didn't you only have one dog before?"
"My husband, the over grown Boy Scout, found Shadow in a drainage ditch," Sam said. At the sound of his name, the big black dog wagged his tail. "Another of his admirers."
"What can I say?" Jason said smugly.
Tiny and Keyop got down on the floor to play with the babies. Both were miniature copies of Jason, down to the large blue eyes, and neither baby seemed overly impressed with their uncles. They turned around to look at Mark. I had to laugh. They both gave Mark the same look that Jason used to give him when we were little and Jason was in trouble for something.
"Remind you of someone?" I whispered in Mark's ear.
Sam and Jason disappeared into the kitchen. "Is there anything I can help with?" I asked.
"I don't think so, Princess. Jase was busy while I was gone and took care of everything."
"The kids were asleep and I put the dogs outside so I could get some work done," Jason said.
Just then a piercing scream came from the other room. They both took off to see what had happened. I was right behind them. We stopped in the door. Both boys were sitting in the middle of the room surrounding by four terrified looking men. "What happened?" Sam asked.
"Darned if I know," Tiny said. "This one just decided to scream."
Sam walked over to the child in question and picked him up, holding him at eye level. "Joshua Mark, what are you up to?" The baby just wiggled and started to laugh. "That's what I thought, you little stinker."
At the mention of the baby's name, I cast a glance at Mark. His eyebrows went up, but he didn't make any other indication of noticing.
"What's the other baby's name?" I asked.
"Jared Andrew."
"How did you pick the names?"
"We each made a list of the names we liked, edited each other's lists, and then put all of the names in a bowl and just started pulling names out," Jason said.
"Very diplomatic."
"Not really. It just saved a lot of arguing."
* * * * * * * *
Jason and Sam had insisted that we all stay with them during their visit. After dinner had been cleared away, Jason disappeared somewhere in the back of the house. He returned with a photo album. I recognized it as the one the Chief had when we were growing up, but I couldn't remember seeing it in years. I looked questioningly at the Chief.
"I brought that along during my last visit. I thought Sam would like to see some pictures of you all when you were kids."
"Sam made a couple of additions to it," Jason said as he handed it to the Chief. We all gathered around him as he opened the album. In the back were several new pages. There were pictures of the babies and there was a picture of Jason sitting on a hospital bed with his newborn sons in his arms. Apparently he hadn't known he was having his picture taken because he looked captivated by his children.
"He didn't know I was taking that picture until it was too late," Sam said quietly from behind us. "I hope you don't mind my adding the pictures to the album."
"Of course not," the Chief said. I noticed his eyes had grown misty. I looked up at Jason. He had picked up one of the babies and handed him to Mark, who looked like he had no idea what to do. The baby just smiled at him and laughed. That was when I knew everything was going to be just fine.
FINI