Note: We've introduced you to the Scott and Oliver kids quite awhile ago; here's the story surrounding the oldest boy's birth. : ) Enjoy, and please don't forget to pass by the feedback box. CR/DB
Seasons To Remember
Chapter 19: The Things That Matter
"Ah, the Great Baby Epidemic of 2007," Tommy sighed grandiosely as he caught a glimpse of a photo from Sarah's baby shower that year. Even though Ramon had been Sarah's fifth child, Kim had argued that they had to give Sarah a shower so her baby wouldn't have to wear pink ruffled hand-me-downs. (As if Rocky would let his only son be caught dead in girls' clothing!)
That had been the first of the interminable female gatherings that year. He'd never told Kim, but secretly, he'd been grateful that he'd missed her baby shower – if Jason's version of what the event had been like was any indication. Man, he'd owed Jase for that one big time!
"Epidemic?" Jay sputtered with mock indignation at being referred to as a disease.
"Who coined that one?" Ramon asked. "My dad?"
"My money's on Uncle Zack," Oliver piped up.
"Whoever it was, us mothers-to-be weren't too pleased about the designation at the time," Kat said, eyeing Tommy with a scowl. "So if it was either you or Jason ...."
Tommy laughed. "Sorry, but the credit for that goes to Billy."
"My dad?" Rachel gasped, and she wasn't alone in her surprise. It was not an appellation that one would have expected from William Cranston.
"Uh huh. As he put it at the time, every female of his acquaintance was pregnant for some portion of 2007," Tommy explained.
"Good heavens, so we were!" Kat exclaimed. "I always thought it referred to the babies born that year, which didn't make sense because Ashala didn't arrive until 2008."
"Poor Uncle Billy!" Jay laughed. Being around one pregnant female had been bad enough, but five ...!
"Yeah, it was a pretty tough year to be the male-of-the-species," Tommy snickered.
"I don't see how you would have much to complain about," Trini interjected. "You were still racing on the NASCAR circuit that year."
"True. 2007 was actually a pretty good year for me – personally and professionally," Tommy answered with quiet pride.
As if to demonstrate his point, a turn of the page revealed a newspaper clipping which boldly pronounced: Oliver Wins Daytona 500!
"Wow, Uncle Tommy, I knew you raced, but I never realized you were that good," Jasmine murmured.
"Isn't the Daytona 500 considered the Superbowl of racing or something like that?" Ramon wondered.
"At least as far as NASCAR is concerned," was the response.
"Tommy nearly won the points race that year," Kat supplied with all the pride Kim would have exhibited had she been there.
"Yet you retired in 2007," Lynne observed, frowning.
"Uh huh."
"Why walk away from so much success?" Rachel asked.
"Because there are some things more important than success," Tommy said simply and gazed fondly about the room overflowing with family.
~*~
Kim sat with Jason and Kat watching the Virginia 500. Ever since Tommy's win in Daytona, he'd been placing in the top ten in races. At the moment, he was the points leader in the Winston Cup Series and the hottest thing in racing. His wife was fair to bursting with pride in his accomplishments – and fair to bursting with his child!
She smoothed her hand over her swollen abdomen. At eight months pregnant, she was quite large and seemed to get larger every day.
Don't worry, baby, she soothed the very active future martial artist enthusiastically practicing kicks against the walls of her womb. Daddy'll be home soon; he promised not to miss your arrival .... as he'd missed out on so many things throughout her pregnancy. She sighed, trying not to let her frustration get the better of her. It did no good to mope about something she had no control over. Tommy's contract was good through the end of the current season; they had talked about him not renewing, but with him doing so well, would he want to walk away from it all? It had taken him ten years to get to this point ....
"Kim, are you all right?" Jason asked anxiously. If dealing with Kat's pregnancy in her second trimester was tough on his nerves, watching over Kimberly in Tommy's absence was making him a nervous wreck!
Tommy is so going to owe me for this, Jason vowed. He didn't know where he'd picked up the notion that an expectant mother was a quiet, gentle, docile woman, just glowing with the life growing within her. Kim was anything but! Her mood swings were murder, and he prayed Kat wouldn't be that bad in her eighth month.
Still, it was good practice so he wouldn't bungle it by saying or doing the wrong thing when Kat reached the late stages of her term.
"Junior's just restless," Kim said dismissively. She was trying to be on her best behavior, knowing she'd probably pushed her friends to the limits of their patience with her.
"He's probably just cheering on his daddy," Kat murmured with a knowing smile, already feeling the stirrings of her own martial-artist-to-be.
They turned their attention back to the television after the commercial break.
"... and we have a new leader!" the announcer called out. "It's Oliver in the Number 42 car."
"Go, Tommy, go!" Kim cheered, bouncing in her seat.
"Take it easy, Kim, or else you're going to shake Junior right out," Jason chuckled nervously. If she had the baby before Tommy got home ... Considering how pissed she was when Tommy spoiled her big moment, he did not want to contemplate the trouble his best friend would be in if he missed the birth of his child.
For a few laps, Tommy maintained a comfortable lead; however, Number five continued gaining on him until he shot ahead through the curve.
"No fair!" Kim pouted. "Tommy was on the turn; you don't pass on curves!"
"You do in auto racing," Kat laughed, enjoying watching Kim even more than the race.
It happened so fast ... literally, in the blink of an eye. Coming into turn four, car sixty-three lost control and slammed into the wall, showering the track with débris. Tommy's car was the first to hit the débris field. In trying to avoid the wreckage, he spun out of control.
"TOMMY!" Kim screamed.
~*~
"Tommy, you okay?" John's voice queried over Tommy's headset.
"My head's still spinnin', but I'm okay," Tommy answered, giving his head a shake to clear it. "I think I only caught a glancing blow."
"Think you can get back out there?"
"Probably. What about Sixty-three? Montero, isn't it?" Tommy peered out his window to see if he could see the other car. The rest of the field was circling under a yellow flag.
"All I see is smoke."
Tommy's car had ricocheted and stopped where he could see the other driver's vehicle.
"Not good," Tommy murmured more to himself than to his uncle. "He's got a fuel leak and ... oh shit! Fire!"
He began unfastening his harness. Montero didn't appear to be moving ... and where were the emergency crews?
Tommy didn't stop to think; he reacted as he'd been trained as a teen and climbed out of his car.
~*~
"Easy does it, Kim," Jason soothed, holding the brunette's hands. She clutched his so tightly it actually hurt. Tears of worry were trickling down her cheeks as she sat on the edge of her seat, eyes unblinking as she watched the scene unfold.
"Why won't the announcers tell us what's happening?" she demanded, her voice shrill and tight. "Why won't they tell us if Tommy's all right?"
"They will as soon as they know something," Kat assured her, a tight knot of concern forming in the pit of her stomach.
"Please let him be all right," Kim prayed. "Oh God, I've been so afraid something like this would happen. I can't lose Tommy now ...."
"Don't worry, Kim; his car doesn't look that badly damaged," Jason pointed out.
"And look, he's getting out of his car," Kat exclaimed.
"He's all right ... he's all ... what the hell is he doing!?" Kim sputtered.
"What's Oliver doing?" the announcer echoed.
"He's going over to the other car," Jason realized.
"I think I see flames," Kat murmured.
"The other driver hasn't gotten out yet," her husband observed. "It looks like Tommy's gone to help him."
"Don't they have paramedics or firemen to do that?" Kim demanded hoarsely. "Why does Tommy ...?"
"Because Tommy is Tommy," Jason said simply. "He couldn't do anything else. If someone needs help ... well, once a Ranger, always a Ranger."
"Anyone of us would do as much," Kat added.
"I know, but it doesn't mean I like it," Kim grumbled, fear turning to anger. "I didn't like it every time he raced off to face Goldar alone. I didn't like it when the ten of you went gallivanting off to the moon. I get so scared and worried ... I'm always afraid that someday the Ranger in him will get him killed."
~*~
Tommy didn't have any particular plan in mind as he raced over to the smoking car. He just knew that something had to be wrong for Rafael Montero not to have climbed out yet. However, he did know that he'd have to be careful. If the other driver was injured, moving him could make matters worse, but if that leaking fuel ignited ....
Tommy parted the leather net over the open window and made a quick assessment. Montero didn't appear to be pinned by the dash or anything. He was breathing; he simply seemed to be unconscious. Tommy didn't want to shake him, so he began pounding on the roof of the vehicle.
"Montero! Wake up! C'mon, man; wake up!" He continued to pound and shout until the other driver began to stir.
"Que ... Madre de Dios, my head ...." he moaned as he came to.
"Fire!"
Tommy's warning snapped through Rafael's haze. He quickly unfastened his harness and leveraged himself out the window. When he attempted to gain his footing, however, he swayed, still woozy. Tommy helped steady him.
Then, they heard a crackle of flame. Turning, horrified expressions on their faces, they saw flames licking towards the pooling liquid, sparks flying.
"Let's get out of here," Tommy suggested, and the two began sprinting away from the inferno-waiting-to-happen. The emergency vehicles were on the way – they could hear the sirens now – but before they reached the wreck, the gasoline ignited. Tommy and Montero dove for the safety of the far side of Tommy's car.
"That was too close," Tommy let out a relieved breath.
"My friend, you have my thanks," Rafael said, offering Tommy his hand.
"I'm glad you woke up when you did," Tommy demurred. He glanced up as the paramedics arrived. "You should probably let them check your head."
"What of you?"
"I'm okay," he claimed. "I'm going to see if my car can get back into the race."
"You have no hope of winning now," Rafael pointed out.
Tommy shrugged. "I know, but I can finish at the very least."
"I wish you luck, then."
~*~
Kimberly finally let out the breath she'd been holding as the track medics led away the driver Tommy had helped.
"They're all right; they're both all right," she sobbed as Tommy came out of hiding. However, her elated, teary smile turned into a frown as her husband climbed back into the cockpit of his car.
"What does he think he's doing?" she gasped, her ire flaring anew.
"Maybe he's just taking his car back to the pit," Kat suggested reasonably. She was beginning to wonder if all the stress and emotional turmoil was good for Kim right now.
"No, he's going to finish the stupid race; I just know it!" Kim fumed with conviction.
"You don't know that," Jason said calmly.
"I know Tommy," she asserted. "He hates to quit; if Eddie can get that car back on the track, Tommy'll be out there giving me gray hairs and heart failure."
"Maybe we should watch something else," Jason recommended. "You know Tommy's okay now, and you really need to settle down ...."
"Touch that remote and you're a dead man," Kim growled.
Even as the petite brunette spoke, Kat reached over and extracted the gadget from his grasp.
"I want you to live long enough to see the birth of our baby," she said sweetly.
Jason wisely kept silent, appreciating, more than ever, Rocky's advice: "Never argue with a pregnant woman. You can't hope to win."
~*~
That evening, Kim paced the living room awaiting Tommy's post-race call. She knew he'd be delayed because of all the media attention his actions had drawn. With the focus on Tommy, Kim couldn't even say who won the race.
"All I did was wake him up," Tommy had told the reporters. "If it hadn't been for the fuel and the fire, I would have let the emergency personnel handle things. Anyone else would have done as much."
Montero, fortunately, only had a mild concussion, but was full of praise for his rescuer, which only served to make the hype greater.
At the moment, Kimberly wasn't certain whether she was going to kill Tommy or what. So focused was she on trying to figure out what to say that when Tommy finally called, she jumped and gave a squeak of surprise when the phone rang.
"Hi there, Beautiful," his voice sang out, completely normal, devoid of any indication that anything out of the ordinary had happened to him.
So much nonchalance ignited Kim's frayed nerves.
"Thomas James Oliver, don't you 'hi, Beautiful' me!" she snapped. "If you ever do something like that again, I ... I ...."
She burst into a torrent of tears that was part relief, part concern and part anger.
In a hotel room in Martinsville, VA, Tommy closed his eyes and sighed, feeling a pang of guilt as he listened to his wife's hysterical sobbing. He'd known she'd be worried and upset if she'd watched the race; he wished he was in California right now instead of on the opposite side of the country.
It was a feeling he'd been having more and more lately.
"Kim, don't cry. I'm all right," he assured her. "I didn't even get a scratch."
"But you could have been seriously hurt," she gulped out. "I was so scared and worried .... All I could think was that our baby could have been an orphan today!"
Tears made it impossible for her to continue with any coherency. However, Kim's last statement shook Tommy. Oh, he knew she was exaggerating; after all, losing one parent didn't make a child an orphan. It was how much her words echoed Vera Montero's that rocked him.
Upon leaving the track, he'd stopped by the hospital to see how Montero was doing. When he was allowed to go up to Rafael's room, he was greeted by the driver's wife. She tearfully hugged him and said, "Thanks to you, my children did not lose their father today."
Tommy had had to think about her words for a long while. Would Montero have died? He didn't think so. Even though it had seemed like it had taken the emergency crews forever to reach the scene of the accident, they'd been there almost immediately. It was just a curious sense of time delay that one has when events happen so quickly ... when one has no time to think, merely to react.
He'd dismissed Mrs. Montero's words as exaggeration, but hearing them from Kim ....
He'd been through crashes before, and he knew Kim always worried. He made sure he did what he could to minimize the damage to himself, but what would he do if – like Montero – he was unable to help himself? If anything happened to him, what would Kim do? And what about their baby? He knew all too well the emptiness of wondering about a parent one never knew. Even if others shared their memories, they couldn't create the emotional bonds that were missing. That wasn't something he wished on anyone – least of all his child.
He'd never minded the danger of his present profession, but there was so much more at stake now.
However, those were matters to contemplate another time. Right now, he needed to calm down his wife.
"Kim, honey, I need you to settle down ... the baby needs you to calm down," he requested in his most soothing tone. "Please, Beautiful ...."
"I just wish you were home right now. I need to touch you ... to hold you ... to feel for myself that you're okay."
"Would tomorrow be soon enough for you?" he quipped.
"Do you really mean it?"
The hope in her voice pierced Tommy through the heart.
"Yes, Uncle John told me to head home while Eddie works on the car. I won't have to be back with the team until after Easter."
"Oh, Tommy, that's wonderful!"
~*~
"I'm sorry, Uncle John, but the baby still hasn't arrived," Tommy sighed with exasperation at his relation-turned-boss. Kimberly's due date had come and gone with no indication that their child wanted out.
"He's your son, all right," Rocky had teased him about the tardiness.
John had not been happy about missing one race due to the imminent birth of his great-niece or nephew. And now it appeared that they'd miss a second race in May. However, Tommy was adamant about not missing the birth of his child.
"Look, if Kim hasn't had the baby by the end of the week, the doctor plans to induce labor." He gritted his teeth as he listened to the response. "Yes, I know it means missing the races at Lowes .... Yes, I realize it means I'll lose my standing as points leader, but I don't care. I want to be here for this."
Tommy heaved another sigh of frustration as his uncle ranted on. Finally, cut off the tirade. "Look, Uncle John, you just don't get it, do you? There are some things in life more important than winning races, and this is one of them!"
Without even so much as a good-bye, Tommy slammed down the receiver.
"Bad?" Kimberly asked kindly. She hated it that Tommy and John were at odds with each other. Tommy adored his uncle so much ....
Tommy blew out a cleansing breath and rubbed the back of his neck.
"He said other drivers had kids and never missed races," he huffed, "but I'm not other drivers. He has no idea how much it hurt not being here for you throughout your pregnancy. I had to hear all the doctor's reports over the phone. I missed the baby's first kick. I didn't get to watch the two of you grow day by day. I never even got to run out at three in the morning for pickles, ice cream and chop suey – or whatever it was you craved."
"Tommy," Kim murmured sympathetically. Once upon a time, she would have snuggled up behind him and held him close. That was a bit impractical at the moment. Instead, she guided him over to the sofa. She sat, and he sank to the floor, laying his head on what little remained of her lap.
She stroked his hair thoughtfully; she hadn't fully realized how keenly he felt that he was missing out on her pregnancy. She knew he'd felt a little cheated somehow that he couldn't be there to share this with her, but not to this degree.
"Ever since the middle of last season when I first started placing well consistently Uncle John's been riding me pretty hard ... pushing me to do better. Man, since Daytona, he's been impossible!"
It was shortly after that that John referred to her pregnancy as an 'inconvenient distraction'.
"Do you know that by the time the season is finished, the baby'll be about six months old? I won't even know my child – except through the pictures I know you'll take – and he or she won't know me either."
"There'll be stretches when you'll be home, and there'll be plenty of firsts you will be there to see," she assured him. She kept to herself the comment, but not if you're racing next season.
"I'm not renewing my contract, Kim," he stated, looking up at her. It was as if he'd read her mind. "I want to be here to watch our child grow. Hopefully, now that we've got the Silver Hills contract, the dojo will have enough business that we can take me on on a full time basis, and if it can't, well, this year's earnings will give us a cushion until it can." He clasped her hands tightly. "And I don't want you to ever have to worry about our baby being an orphan."
"I'm glad, Tommy; I'm so glad."
~* ~
Tommy exited Kim's hospital room; she had just fallen asleep. They had come through the longest, most grueling hours of their lives. He'd never been more helpless and vulnerable in his life. Seeing his beloved wife endure hours of intense pain ... knowing that there was absolutely nothing he could do to alleviate it. All he could do was pray she could draw strength from his presence as she endeavored to bring their child into the world.
And yet, the fear and worry and pain were all but forgotten the moment the doctor laid Jason David Oliver on his mother's chest. He opened his big brown eyes, seemingly looked around, and checked out his parents. Then, he snuggled down with Kim in perfect contentment.
Even now, Tommy wiped away the happy tears that had gathered in his eyes, and he smiled as he recalled Jason's teasing words, "Rocky's gonna be jealous. A son on the first try."
In fact, he was off to find Jason and Kat and maybe a bite to eat. The two had been there throughout the day. Kat had been by Kim's side almost as much as he had, giving her support, and Jason had been there to support him when he didn't think he could be strong enough for the both of them any longer. At the moment, the two were making calls and spreading the good news. His folks had already been there. Kim's parents were on the way ....
Tommy paused by the nursery to look in on Jay, the nickname they'd settled on so as not to confuse the issue with two Jasons in the family. His heart swelled with pride as he spied the head of thick dark hair peeking out over the blanket. He longed to hold his little son, but the babe needed his rest, too.
"So that's my great-nephew," a voice behind Tommy said.
The new father whirled around, astonished to find his mother's brother standing behind him.
"Surprised to see me?" John asked, a wry smile quirking his lips.
"Frankly, yes."
"I came to apologize," his uncle began. "As your aunt so eloquently put it, I was being a cold-blooded, hard-hearted asshole."
Tommy's eyebrows climbed at that.
"I was on the speaker phone; Jess heard it all," John explained sheepishly. "But she was right. A man should be with his wife when she needs him. Family is, ultimately, more important than anything else. I let the excitement of having a bona fide chance at the points title cloud my judgment. I'm sorry."
"I won't be back next season, Uncle John," Tommy interjected, forestalling any grand speculations about next year. "I'll honor my contract through the end of this year, but after that .... My place is here now."
John nodded. "Actually, I suspected as much. Look, Tommy, I know being a race car driver was never what you intended to do with your life. It was just something to bide your time until you could pursue your true passion in life.
"It's just that you're so damned good at it," John concluded with a sigh of regret. "But, as the saying goes, a man has to follow his own path; no one can choose it for him."
"Thanks for understanding, Uncle John," Tommy said appreciatively.
"He's a beautiful boy, Tom; you're going to make a heck of a father," John remarked, inclining his head toward the sleeping bundle beyond the nursery window.
"I sure hope so," was the fervent reply. Then, Tommy flashed his uncle a knowing grin. "So, do you need me to tell Aunt Jess you apologized?"
"If you wouldn't mind," John grumbled. "I'm sort of tired of sleeping by myself."
Tommy laughed.
"Also, don't tell her I got to see the baby before she did."
~*~
"When I announced my retirement at the awards banquet at the end of the season, it shocked everyone," Tommy concluded. "They all expected me to come back and take the title everyone said should have been mine."
"How close were you to winning the points title?" Ramon asked, really curious to know just how good his uncle had been.
"Let me see ... if I'd placed higher at Martinsville, I'd have tied the winner," Tommy recalled, "And if I'd gone to either of the Lowes races in May, I could have won it outright – at least, according to the sportswriters. I don't think there was any official determination."
"And you walked away from it all," Jasmine murmured with a touch of amazement.
"Without regret," he confirmed.
"So that's why we always got a wreath and a Christmas card from the Monteros," Trini realized. "I never really knew who they were."
"Rafael's family was very appreciative," Kat spoke up, remembering the family's kindness ... they'd even sent flowers when Kim died.
"I still get cards from Rafael's kids," Tommy revealed.
"And it turns out, you didn't have to worry about the dojo supporting the three of you either," Jay spoke up. "That was about the time when you took on the contract with the Silver Guardians, wasn't it?"
"It couldn't have come at a better time," Tommy agreed. It had certainly set all their minds at rest about their financial future.
Just then, they heard the baby cry.
"Sounds like someone's hungry," Trini said knowingly.
"Do you want me to warm a bottle, hon?" Jay asked. Lynne had begun pumping in order to allow Jay to help out with feeding their son, just as she had with Scott.
"No, I'll nurse him," she demurred, rising from her chair. "Just don't go on without me. I don't want to miss anything."
"Don't worry, dear; we'll wait," Kat promised.
To Be Continued ...