Chapter 18 Bringing Home Boston
April 2005
It was 10 days before we got to take Boston home from the hospital but when he finally was home Ashley and I both had a huge sense of relief.
"Addie can you keep an ear out for the baby incase he cries I want to get a shower before the whole family gets here?" Ashley asked.
"Go take a shower because I'm practically gagging you smell so bad" I quipped.
She flipped me off while walking away.
"Nice mother" I said.
"He's asleep so he didn't see it" she said.
Just as the shower turned on Boston woke up and began to cry. I walked into my sister's room and picked him up from his bassinet.
"What's the matter sweetie?" I asked him "I think someone needs a diaper change"
I walked into the nursery and put Boston down on the changing table. He began to cry, he did not like being naked.
"Shh Boston I know you don't like being naked but you need your diaper changed"
I had learned very quickly the right and wrong way to change a boy. He peed on everyone that had changed him at least once. The funniest time was when he got Maddie right in the face. She was talking on the phone, which was her first mistake. She opened her mouth to say something and WHAM!. I still laugh about that to this day. The look on her face was priceless, I wish I could have had a camera.
"There we go Mr. Man all nice and clean again" I said in a baby voice.
"You sound like an idiot when you talk like that" Ashley said.
"It's keeping him from crying isn't it?" I asked handing Boston to her.
She took him into her bedroom and proceeded to get dressed.
Our mother was the first to arrive at our house.
"Hey Ma" I said kissing her cheek.
"Where's my grandson?" she asked.
"Gee nice of you to come see your daughters" I said mocking being offended.
"Please I saw both of you everyday for the first 19 years of your life I want to see little Boston" she said with a wave of her hand.
"He's in with Ashley, she's getting dressed" I said. "can I offer you something to drink?"
"Mineral water would be nice" she said
"With or without lemon?" I asked
"Either is fine" she replied.
There was another knock on the door. Mom answered it John's family was here. This was the first time they had seen Boston. I knocked on Ashley's door.
"You'd better get out here soon because mom and Carol are about to break down your door"
"Sorry I had to change Boston's clothes he spit up" she said.
"Hey everyone" Ashley said walking into the living room with Boston in her arms.
Everyone rushed to gather around the baby.
"Damn you'd think ya'll have never seen a baby before" Ashley joked. "everyone I'd like to introduce you to Boston Anthony John Mercer"
"Leave it to you to name your son Boston while living in New York" John's brother Boog said.
"This coming from a man who goes by Boog" Ashley teased "besides take a look at his bedroom nothing but Redsox stuff"
"That kid is gonna get jumped" John's brother Dan said.
Carol smacked him upside his head.
"Why would you say something like that?" she asked.
Ashley handed Boston to our mother and went to sit down.
"You look tired" Carol said to her.
"Haven't slept properly in a couple of weeks" she admitted.
"Go lie down we'll take care of the baby"
"Fine, he just ate so he should be ok just bring him to me later if he gets hungry again"
After Ashley went to bed the serious talk began.
"How are we going to keep this from John?" Matt asked.
I had to bite the inside of my cheek hard not to laugh and scream out he already knows.
"It seems obvious by his actions that he doesn't care" I said. Of course it was total bullshit because I knew he did care in his own way.
"Of course he does" Carol insisted.
I looked into her eyes willing her to realize what I knew but she didn't.
"Carol if Ashley hadn't told you none of you would have know" I said.
Carol looked at the baby asleep in her arms. He looked so much like his father that was clear to everyone who knew of him.
"Addie is right mom, John hasn't mentioned Ashley or the baby at all in the handful of times we have seen him" Matt said.
"It seems like lying to me" John's father said.
"You are doing the same thing he is it's not lying if he asks you about the baby then go ahead and tell him" I said.
"How can anyone not love this little boy?" mom asked.
A cell phone went off. Matt reached into his pocket.
"It's John" he said.
"What's up bro?" Matt asked.
"You're home… umm we're visiting some people in Long Island… you know mom always wanting to visit her friends" Matt said.
Carol rolled her eyes when she heard John laugh on the other end of the phone.
"Ok see you when we get back" Matt hung up the phone.
"What did he say?" Dan asked.
"He wanted to know why the whole family found it so important to travel from Massachusetts to New York to visit one of mom's friends" Matt replied.
"If he only knew" I said with a laugh. It was even more funny because I knew that he knew why the whole family was in New York. John was doing a good job of covering his tracks and I was just there to make sure everything worked out. I was never meant to see him at the hospital but I had so that made he his accomplice even if it was against my will.
"Well let's enjoy our time with Boston and we'll worry about John when we need to" Carol said.