~*~*~*~*~
"You know he could have enough decency to show up on time," Mrs. Cooke told her daughter as they waited for their lunch.
"He has a job to do, and he called and told me he would be here," Syd spoke not looking up towards her mother.
"I just don't understand why you chose this career-"
"Not this again, Mom I chose this because it's what I love to do, it brought me the love of my life, and I could never think of a job better suited for me."
"I just can't understand why you would want to put your life on the line everyday, now especially with a child," Mrs. Cooke answered her daughter's statement.
"Because it's what we both love to do, and who we are," Gage stood behind his wife now.
"Gage, oh my god, what happened?" Syd asked turning to see her husband's arms in a sling secured to his upper body.
"Nicky's thugs got a little ruff, I'm fine, my shoulder was dislocated and I have two broken ribs," he answered his wife easing into the chair.
"See this is what I'm talking about, what if it had been worse?"
"Mom you can't think about the 'what ifs' I mean if I thought that way I wouldn't be married, I mean what if that bear that attacked Gage had killed him-"
"He was attacked by a bear?" Mrs. Cooke spit her water.
"Yes, do you ever listen to anything I tell you? I've told you all of this at least fifteen times," Sydney shot back at her mother.
"All you talk about is your work and I've told you before I don't want to hear about your work life," her mother answered.
"My work is my life, well it was when we were on speaking terms."
"Fine look the real reason, I came to Dallas was to talk to you about Anthony's wedding, you remember Jennifer Carson right?"
"Mom, Jenny and I were best friends through Junior High, High, had an apartment after college when I first partnered with Gage," Sydney answered her mother, "Don't tell me she's marrying Anthony?"
"Yes, it started right after you left and well he asked her to marry him over Thanksgiving, and are wanting to get married around Valentine's Day, which only leaves me two-and-a-half months to figure this wedding out," her mother pulled her planner from her purse.
"So, are you going to be the maid-oh sorry maiden of honor?" Mrs. Cooke asked placing her glasses on the end of her nose so she could eye her daughter and write at the same time.
"If that's what Jenny wants," Sydney answered turning to look at her husband who had suddenly reached his hand out to hers.
"Could you run to the car and grab my pain meds?" he asked clutching her hand a little tighter.
"I'll be right back."
"Are you okay?" Cassandra asked her son-in-law.
"Fine, I just wanted Syd gone for a minute, don't bring us into this just to decide that you don't want us there later, I don't know Anthony or Jenny but I do know that the last thing we need right now is to keep our lives as calm and simple as possible," he answered her sitting up and wincing when he moved.
"I don't intend to lose my daughter again, especially not to the Texas Rangers."
"Here Honey, don't try and move," Sydney answered coming back with the prescription bottle in one hand and water in the other.
"Thanks, so are we about done here, because Walker said that we were off the rest of the day and there is one little boy who was very sad about Mommy leaving early this morning," Gage asked his wife.
"Yeah, Mom I'm going out on a limb here to make this work, but would you consider coming over tonight for dinner, maybe you could meet your grandson, and we could talk some more about this wedding," Sydney asked writing the directions to their house down for her.
"I'd love to, oh, by the way what's his name?"
"Benjamin Francis," Syd answered her mother's question turning to help her husband who tried his hardest not to lean on her.
~*~*~*~*~
"Babe, relax, like I told you before this isn't good for you or the baby," he told his wife turning to see her re-set the table for the sixth time.
"I'm sorry it's just she makes me nervous and crazy and I don't like not feeling control of my emotions, and my hormones from this pregnancy are making it twice as bad," she turned to the living room where her husband sat on the couch Ben in his lap both watching cartoons.
"I know, why don't you come watch some cartoons with us?" he asked holding up his good arm for her to slide into.
"Yeah Mommy, watch wif us," Ben exclaimed his eyes never leaving the TV screen.
"Okay," Ben moved to his father's left side, where his hurt arm was, managing to knock his Dad in the ribs.
"Gage?" Syd asked hearing her husband's groan, "Ben why don't you sit next to Daddy for now?"
"Syd, I'm fine will you relax and just watch these cartoons with us?"
"You sure?"
"I'm positive," It wasn't long before their family moment was interrupted by a knock at the door, while Sydney went to answered it she asked Gage if he could handle getting both of them washed up.
"This is a lovely house that you have here," Cassandra told her daughter entering leaving her coat to her daughter.
"It's not much, but it's ours and we love it."
"So when do I get to meet my grandson?" she asked just as the two-year-old came tearing through the foyer bumping into his grandmother.
"Is now a good time?" Syd joked going to comfort Ben who was now crying, trying to hide his face.
"He is a beautiful child, looks just like his father," Cassie answered holding her arms out to take him from his mother, which only resulted in him crying louder.
"It's okay, he just doesn't do well with strangers, dinner is ready so if you're hungry?"
"I'm not a stranger, I'm his blood and you should teach him better."
"He's two, anyone who isn't Mommy, Daddy, Uncle Walker, Aunt Alex, Uncle Jimmy, or Aunt Erica scares him, he doesn't even respond well to Gage's sister," Syd bit back at her mother.
"Okay, ladies back to your corners please, let's just eat and then you can talk about the wedding like civil human beings," Gage came into the hallway, placing himself between his wife and mother-in-law moving them both towards the kitchen.
~*~*~*~*~
"So I assume you'll be bringing Gage to the wedding?" Cassie asked her daughter as they sat down on the couch.
"That would be a good assumption," she answered.
"Just checking, oh and I'll need your dress size to have the dress ready when you come down."
"How 'bout we just come down two weeks early and then I can do everything with the rest of the girls?" Syd asked trying to avoid the topic of her size, knowing it would be larger by the time the wedding rolled around.
"If that's what you want."
"Okay, well then if we come down then what do we have to figure out now, and why exactly am I doing this shouldn't Anthony and Jenny be doing this?"
"They wanted your input I told them I'd show them what we come up with and then we could go from there."
"Okay, let's get started then."
~*~*~*~*~
Syd walked into her bedroom, noticing that the TV glowed blue, which meant the movie they had been watching, had ended. She looked over to the bed to see her husband lying there, his shirt absent, allowing her to see the bandage around his mid section and how his arm was being held in place.
Her son's head rested over his father's heart, while his body snuggled close to his father. Syd slipped on her flannel pants and long sleeve shirt crawling in next to her son hoping to not wake either, then hitting the button on the remote, she pulled herself closer to her son before placing her head on her husband's shoulder.
"You know he could have enough decency to show up on time," Mrs. Cooke told her daughter as they waited for their lunch.
"He has a job to do, and he called and told me he would be here," Syd spoke not looking up towards her mother.
"I just don't understand why you chose this career-"
"Not this again, Mom I chose this because it's what I love to do, it brought me the love of my life, and I could never think of a job better suited for me."
"I just can't understand why you would want to put your life on the line everyday, now especially with a child," Mrs. Cooke answered her daughter's statement.
"Because it's what we both love to do, and who we are," Gage stood behind his wife now.
"Gage, oh my god, what happened?" Syd asked turning to see her husband's arms in a sling secured to his upper body.
"Nicky's thugs got a little ruff, I'm fine, my shoulder was dislocated and I have two broken ribs," he answered his wife easing into the chair.
"See this is what I'm talking about, what if it had been worse?"
"Mom you can't think about the 'what ifs' I mean if I thought that way I wouldn't be married, I mean what if that bear that attacked Gage had killed him-"
"He was attacked by a bear?" Mrs. Cooke spit her water.
"Yes, do you ever listen to anything I tell you? I've told you all of this at least fifteen times," Sydney shot back at her mother.
"All you talk about is your work and I've told you before I don't want to hear about your work life," her mother answered.
"My work is my life, well it was when we were on speaking terms."
"Fine look the real reason, I came to Dallas was to talk to you about Anthony's wedding, you remember Jennifer Carson right?"
"Mom, Jenny and I were best friends through Junior High, High, had an apartment after college when I first partnered with Gage," Sydney answered her mother, "Don't tell me she's marrying Anthony?"
"Yes, it started right after you left and well he asked her to marry him over Thanksgiving, and are wanting to get married around Valentine's Day, which only leaves me two-and-a-half months to figure this wedding out," her mother pulled her planner from her purse.
"So, are you going to be the maid-oh sorry maiden of honor?" Mrs. Cooke asked placing her glasses on the end of her nose so she could eye her daughter and write at the same time.
"If that's what Jenny wants," Sydney answered turning to look at her husband who had suddenly reached his hand out to hers.
"Could you run to the car and grab my pain meds?" he asked clutching her hand a little tighter.
"I'll be right back."
"Are you okay?" Cassandra asked her son-in-law.
"Fine, I just wanted Syd gone for a minute, don't bring us into this just to decide that you don't want us there later, I don't know Anthony or Jenny but I do know that the last thing we need right now is to keep our lives as calm and simple as possible," he answered her sitting up and wincing when he moved.
"I don't intend to lose my daughter again, especially not to the Texas Rangers."
"Here Honey, don't try and move," Sydney answered coming back with the prescription bottle in one hand and water in the other.
"Thanks, so are we about done here, because Walker said that we were off the rest of the day and there is one little boy who was very sad about Mommy leaving early this morning," Gage asked his wife.
"Yeah, Mom I'm going out on a limb here to make this work, but would you consider coming over tonight for dinner, maybe you could meet your grandson, and we could talk some more about this wedding," Sydney asked writing the directions to their house down for her.
"I'd love to, oh, by the way what's his name?"
"Benjamin Francis," Syd answered her mother's question turning to help her husband who tried his hardest not to lean on her.
~*~*~*~*~
"Babe, relax, like I told you before this isn't good for you or the baby," he told his wife turning to see her re-set the table for the sixth time.
"I'm sorry it's just she makes me nervous and crazy and I don't like not feeling control of my emotions, and my hormones from this pregnancy are making it twice as bad," she turned to the living room where her husband sat on the couch Ben in his lap both watching cartoons.
"I know, why don't you come watch some cartoons with us?" he asked holding up his good arm for her to slide into.
"Yeah Mommy, watch wif us," Ben exclaimed his eyes never leaving the TV screen.
"Okay," Ben moved to his father's left side, where his hurt arm was, managing to knock his Dad in the ribs.
"Gage?" Syd asked hearing her husband's groan, "Ben why don't you sit next to Daddy for now?"
"Syd, I'm fine will you relax and just watch these cartoons with us?"
"You sure?"
"I'm positive," It wasn't long before their family moment was interrupted by a knock at the door, while Sydney went to answered it she asked Gage if he could handle getting both of them washed up.
"This is a lovely house that you have here," Cassandra told her daughter entering leaving her coat to her daughter.
"It's not much, but it's ours and we love it."
"So when do I get to meet my grandson?" she asked just as the two-year-old came tearing through the foyer bumping into his grandmother.
"Is now a good time?" Syd joked going to comfort Ben who was now crying, trying to hide his face.
"He is a beautiful child, looks just like his father," Cassie answered holding her arms out to take him from his mother, which only resulted in him crying louder.
"It's okay, he just doesn't do well with strangers, dinner is ready so if you're hungry?"
"I'm not a stranger, I'm his blood and you should teach him better."
"He's two, anyone who isn't Mommy, Daddy, Uncle Walker, Aunt Alex, Uncle Jimmy, or Aunt Erica scares him, he doesn't even respond well to Gage's sister," Syd bit back at her mother.
"Okay, ladies back to your corners please, let's just eat and then you can talk about the wedding like civil human beings," Gage came into the hallway, placing himself between his wife and mother-in-law moving them both towards the kitchen.
~*~*~*~*~
"So I assume you'll be bringing Gage to the wedding?" Cassie asked her daughter as they sat down on the couch.
"That would be a good assumption," she answered.
"Just checking, oh and I'll need your dress size to have the dress ready when you come down."
"How 'bout we just come down two weeks early and then I can do everything with the rest of the girls?" Syd asked trying to avoid the topic of her size, knowing it would be larger by the time the wedding rolled around.
"If that's what you want."
"Okay, well then if we come down then what do we have to figure out now, and why exactly am I doing this shouldn't Anthony and Jenny be doing this?"
"They wanted your input I told them I'd show them what we come up with and then we could go from there."
"Okay, let's get started then."
~*~*~*~*~
Syd walked into her bedroom, noticing that the TV glowed blue, which meant the movie they had been watching, had ended. She looked over to the bed to see her husband lying there, his shirt absent, allowing her to see the bandage around his mid section and how his arm was being held in place.
Her son's head rested over his father's heart, while his body snuggled close to his father. Syd slipped on her flannel pants and long sleeve shirt crawling in next to her son hoping to not wake either, then hitting the button on the remote, she pulled herself closer to her son before placing her head on her husband's shoulder.