Chapter 5

The Park


Woody looked down at his shoes as Jordan set the picture frame up on the coffee table. "Jordan?" Woody asked, "Do you think he will remember that I wasn't around?"

"I don't know Woody, I have heard that usually the earliest memory people retain is from around three years old."

"I hope he doesn't. You know Jordan I was really mad when I found out but now I am just really glad to know him. You have done such a great job."

"Thank you Woody," Jordan said. "That really means a lot to me." Jordan got up and walked into her room. Woody watched her wondering what she was doing. As she came back into the room she said, "I thought you might want to look at this." In her arms she carried a pastel green book. Sitting down next to Woody, Jordan placed the book in his lap. The cover of the book had a picture of a tree and the words "Our Baby" written in light blue lettering. Woody ran his hand across the cover before slowly opening the book.

The first page had a black and white picture of Carter as a newborn. He was wearing a tiny stripped onesie lying between two pillows wrapped up in a blanket. His eyes were closed and his hands were crossed in front of him. Woody couldn't believe anyone could be so small or so beautiful. Above the picture was written James Carter Cavanaugh, beneath it was printed October 12, 2006, and on the following line is read 7 pounds 14 ounces, 21.3 inches.

Woody turned the page again. Here were many photographs of Jordan and Carter in the hospital. There were some photos of Lily and Bug, Garret, and Nigel holding the tiny baby in their arms. The following pages contained the normal baby book stuff; pictures of Carter taking his first bath, with his first tooth, crawling and walking for the first time, and some other funny pictures of him covered in food and doing other cute things. Woody looked at each picture carefully. He was taking in every minute he had missed.

Each page had notes written by Jordan. Woody read the notes carefully finally coming across a fairly recent picture of Carter grinning with a ball in his hands. Beneath the picture Jordan had written "Carter at the park fifteen months," in slightly smaller writing under that she had written "he looks like his dad." Woody stopped when he read this looking back at the picture. It was true. Usually Woody had thought how much Carter looked like Jordan. But here in this picture, he felt like he could have been looking at a picture from his baby book. Carter's hair was sticking up somewhat unruly and his blue eyes shown, the grin on his face was crooked and he had two adorable dimples showing.

"Wow," Woody said looking at the picture. Jordan smiled. Coming to the end of the filled pages Woody flipped back toward the beginning stopping at the pages from the hospital. "So?" Woody began, "Max hasn't seen him?"

Jordan dropped her head, "I haven't heard from him."

"I am so sorry Jordan," Woody said comfortingly, he knew how much it must pain her not to have her father know his grandchild.

Jordan and Woody talked for another couple hours, mainly about Carter at first, then slowly beginning to talk about their time apart. The conversation finally ended when they both yawned simultaneously. "I guess I should go," Woody said.

"Yeah," Jordan said standing up and stretching, "it is getting late."

As Woody walked to the door he stopped and turned. "Thanks for tonight Jordan," he said genuinely.

"Woody," Jordan began, "he is your son you can see him anytime you want. In fact, I was going to take him to the park tomorrow with Lily, she needs to talk. Why don't you come too? Unless you're busy or something"

"No I'm not busy, I would love to come." Woody smiled. "Goodnight Jordan," he said as he started into the hallway.

"Goodnight, Woody," Jordan replied quietly.


The next morning found Jordan making scrambled eggs in the kitchen. Carter was sitting in his high chair eating grapes which Jordan had sliced in half. When the eggs were done and had a chance to cool Jordan piled some in front of Carter. After Carter had finished eating Jordan set him down in the living room to play while she cleaned up. As she had just started washing dishes and was up to her elbows in soapy water the phone rang.

"Damn it," she muttered under her breath. She grabbed a dish towel and wiped of her hands before grabbing the phone.

"Hello," she answered. "Oh, hi Lily, yeah actually last night went well." Jordan nodded as she listened. "Yeah, I invited him to meet us at the park today." Jordan sat down on a stool at the counter. "Don't be silly Lily." "I was thinking Carter and I would stop by your place in about an hour. I was thinking of packing a lunch, that way I could plan on getting him back here right before his nap." "Yeah alright, I'll see you then, Bye."


It was a beautiful spring day as Jordan and Lily were walking toward the playground in the park. Carter was running through flocks of birds that had landed in the grass. "My god, he is going to give those birds heart attacks," Lily said laughing as Carter rushed among another group of birds causing them to take flight in alarm.

Jordan laughed before asking, "Lily, have you taken a pregnancy test yet?"

Lily stopped walking and turned towards Jordan who in turn stopped as well. As Lily was about to open her mouth Carter's voice rang through the air, "Daddy!"

Lily and Jordan both turned to see Woody strolling toward them. Carter ran as fast as he could toward his father who swept him up in his arms and threw him into the air. "Hi Woody," Lily said abandoning the topic of conversation.

"Hi Lily, Hey Jordan," Woody said putting Carter back down on the ground. They all walked to the playground, as they got there Carter looked up at his mother and said, "Swing."

"How about daddy pushes you on the swing buddy? Mommy needs to talk to Aunt Lily," Jordan said squatting down in front of him and pulling up Carter's sagging pants. Standing back up she turned to Woody she asked, "Do you mind?"

"Of course not," Woody replied, "Come on Carter." Woody started a slow run toward the swings and Carter began to chase him. Lily sat down on a bench but Jordan waited, watching Woody gently push Carter who was lying on his stomach on one of the swings.

As Jordan finally sat down next to Lily she asked, "So?"

Lily readjusted so she was facing Jordan. "Yeah, I took a test," she said, then after pausing she continued, "it was positive."

"Oh my god," Jordan said leaning in and hugging her friend. "Are you excited?"

"Excited, nervous, terrified, happy," pretty much any feeling you can think of and I have felt it."

"Yeah, that sounds about right," said Jordan reminiscently. "How did Bug take it?"

"I… um," Lily began, "I haven't told him."

"Lily, you have to tell him." Jordan said determinedly. "I'll tell you what; I know you were going to baby-sit Carter tonight but how about I ask Woody to watch him and you can tell tonight."

"Don't you think that would be a little weird to ask Woody, I mean…" Lily wasn't sure how to finish.

"Yeah, it could be but you need to tell Bug."

"Well he is working tonight, so I won't be able to tell him tonight anyway," Lily said. "So I will still baby sit tonight, think of it as practice, and I will tell him first thing in the morning." Looking at Jordan's expression she added, "I promise."

After the girls talked a bit more Woody and Carter came over to join them. "He said he was hungry," Woody said to Jordan.

Jordan glanced at her watch; she hadn't realized it was lunch time. "Okay, I brought sandwiches form everyone," she said.

The group headed over to a picnic table under a beautiful tree. Jordan pulled out sandwiches from the "mom bag" as Nigel called it. In all actually the bag was a diaper bag, but it didn't look like it. It was styled like a small black backpack. It had sections inside that held everything from books to sippy-cups to sunglasses. Jordan's favorite part of the bag was that it had a separate section at the bottom, if you unzipped it there was an area the perfect size and shape to hold a few diapers and a travel pack of wipes.

Jordan settled Carter down with his peanut butter and jelly sandwich and a sippy-cup of apple juice. She then proceeded to hand out the rest of the sandwiches. "Cheese for Lily," she said handing the sandwich off to Lily, "and Turkey for Woody," she added throwing him his sandwich over their son's head.

"Thanks," Woody said as Jordan pulled out three bottles of water and a bag of grapes.

The three adults sat and talked while they ate. Once Carter was finished and Jordan had managed to clean him up he ran over to play in a sandbox. Woody asked Lily questions about her wedding and everything else he had missed over the past couple years. When he asked if they were thinking about children, Jordan smirked and Lily said something like, "well you know." The whole day was going very well. Carter had worn himself out by the time he wandered back to his mother and laid down on the bench with his head on her lap.

"Well that is the sign it is time to go," Jordan said. Lily put the last of the food back into Jordan's bag. They gathered everything up and Jordan scooped up the drowsy Carter who hung limply against her shoulder. Lily decided she was going to run some errands before going home but told Jordan she would see her that evening. Jordan adjusted Carter in her arms as she and Woody walked out of the park.

"So Jordan?" Woody asked, "I was hoping maybe I could come over to your place again tonight."

"Oh," Jordan said pausing. "Well, umm… Lily is actually babysitting tonight. I won't be there. I…ah…I have a date