St. Patrick's Day - Crossmaglen, Northern Ireland
To say the celebration was in full swing was an understatement. The pub was packed to capacity, making it standing room only as the entire town gathered to celebrate the Saint's day.
Connor came back to the table, setting down a tray of pints. As he doled out glasses of Guinness and Harp, Catherine casually turned one down.
"I'm not drinkin' tonight," she said, removing the black straw she'd been chewing on.
Connor furrowed his brow, looking around to everyone who was dressed head to toe in green, and three-sheets to the wind.
"Uh, Catherine? Ya may not be aware of this, but it's St. Paddy's Day. Everyone drinks tonight."
"I know," she defended herself. "I'm just gonna have a Coke instead."
In his drunken state, Connor possessed no filter between his brain and mouth. He spoke loud enough to be heard over the band so everyone within earshot heard him.
"Jaysus. You're pregnant."
Catherine swallowed hard, her throat tightening as the words expanded in her mouth. She wasn't sure how to respond to Connor. There was too much excitement to lie, but she was disappointed she hadn't had the chance to tell Dessie privately. Weeks prior she had found out, though the timing never seemed right.
Overhearing his quartermaster, Dessie turned around. His stare was as hard as Connor's. Catherine locked eyes with his intoxicated ones, no longer being able to hide the wide smile.
That was all Dessie needed for her to confirm the news.
He gathered Catherine's face in his hands, reality settling into his beer and whiskey-soaked brain.
"Please tell me you're not takin' the piss."
Catherine shook her head as she grabbed his wrists. Relief washed over her to see Dessie lambasted. "I was gonna tell ya but-"
She was cut off by the kiss Dessie planted to her lips. She could taste the tobacco and Guinness she was craving on his tongue. They pulled apart when Connor's shrill whistle caught everyone's attention. Dessie threw his arm along Catherine's shoulders, unable to drop the smile from his face. He was on cloud nine, as was Catherine, for she was thankful she no longer had to hold in her secret.
Standing on one of the high-chairs—steadied by Jack and Aidan—Connor managed to quiet both the band and the crowd.
"No more beer for Catherine; doubles for Dessie! He's gonna be a father!"
As if they needed another reason to celebrate, the pub broke out into a wave of cheers and whistles. Dessie was swimming as he tried to take it all in. Running his hands through his hair, his cheeks started to hurt from smiling so much. Fat tears of pure happiness welled in the corners of his eyes. Catherine had never seen him so elated.
After a rough February, with the Kings making Dessie's life near miserable and thus stalling their plans to go ahead with the Northern Bank job, this was exactly the news Catherine knew he needed. Not to mention Jimmy had her running around so much, it had been nearly impossible for her to spend more than one night at a time with Dessie.
Kieran managed to snag a bottle of Bushmills from behind the bar, bringing it over to the table. He poured shots into clear plastic cups. As the boys pulled Dessie over, Catherine stepped back gracefully accepting hugs of congratulations and warm wishes of a fruitful future from their wives and girlfriends.
As he downed his second shot, he caught her eye. Everyone knew Dessie loved Catherine, well before he had told anyone he even liked her. From the moment they met, there was a sparkle in his eye every time she spoke. In Catherine, he saw the next fifty years.
She loved him well before she even knew it herself. Falling for him didn't feel like falling at all. It was walking into his flat one night and suddenly realizing she was home. When she looked at him, it was as if he was the sun and she was a child seeing light for the very first time. Even before Catherine had been with Darragh, Dessie was always the first person she looked for in a crowd.
Setting his glass down on the table, Dessie pushed his way through the tight crowd until he reached her. He didn't care she was in the middle of a conversation with someone, he raked his fingers through her hair as his lips crashed down on hers.
"When did ya find out?" His husky south Armagh burr didn't sound intimidating when he was drunk.
She hoped he'd remember all of this in the morning.
At first, Catherine hesitated afraid to tell him exactly how long she's been sitting on such life-changing news. "Just before Valentine's Day. I'm due sometime around October 10th, the doc said."
"I fuckin' knew somethin' was up!" Dessie roared. "You've been so moody and I knew I wasn't losin' me'mind when I thought I heard ya hurlin' the other day."
Kieran walked up beside Dessie, throwing an arm around his oldest friend's neck. "I'm no doc, but I could'a told ya she's up the pole. Look at her, she's a bleedin' jug-a-saurus rex."
Catherine self-consciously crossed her arms over her bust, not sure how to feel about the fact her growing breasts have been noticed by Kieran. Dessie slapped him across the back of the head.
Connor and Jack joined them, handing another shot to Dessie and Kieran. She had a feeling she wouldn't be the only one with her face in the toilet later in the night.
"Kieran starin' at your girl's titties'll be the least of your concerns," Connor snickered. "Especially once Paddy finds out what ya've done to his wee daughter. You may be makin' a run for the border by the end of the week."
Dessie swallowed hard. He forgot about Patrick.
Jack placed a hand on his chest. "I'm just impressed ya managed a chub at all. I hear it's all down-hill after forty."
Before Dessie had the chance to punch Jack, Catherine held up three fingers. "He went three rounds last night, Murphy. I have a feelin' that's three more than you had."
Jack's cheeks instantly turned red, and he ducked out of the conversation not wanting to face anymore embarrassment of his failing sex life.
"Three times? Christ, Dess," Kieran said into his glass of Harp. "I haven't been able to do that in years."
Dessie was slightly flattered. "I was ready to go for a fourth, but someone got tired."
"That's because you had someone sit on your face for like half-an-hour. Multiple orgasms are a blessin' and a curse," Catherine admitted.
Connor and Kieran choked on their beer.
"Half-an-hour," Connor said, coughing. "Don't ya be goin' off and sayin' anythin' to Deirdre, Catherine. Gonna make the rest of us look bad."
"Does Deirdre do a grand job raisin' the wee shites?" asked Dessie. Connor nodded. "Does she do your laundry, keep the house clean, and make sure you come home to a hot meal after work?" Again, Connor nodded. "Don't be a selfish prick and give your woman the multiple orgasms she goddamn deserves."
Digesting Dessie's words of advice, Connor set his glass on the table and eyed the crowd for his wife. When he spotted her, he took off in her direction.
"Never thought I'd see the day where Dessie Dennehy is givin' out relationship advice," Kieran jabbed.
Curling an arm around Catherine's waist, Dessie rested his hand on her slightly bloated belly. He never thought he'd see the day where he had a family again.
Belfast - Northern Ireland
Dessie sat in his car after Catherine's appointment at the Royal Victoria. In one hand he held the sonogram, while he wiped away his tears with the other.
In the two weeks since he found out she was pregnant, it never felt real until the moment he heard their baby's heartbeat. To some extent, he was still having a hard time believing this was happening. He'd done nothing to make amends for his past, yet here he was, being offered a second chance at happiness on a silver platter.
Dessie was smart enough to understand he couldn't fuck up. This time around he wouldn't miss a single doctor's appointment, he'd help Catherine with feedings and with Eamonn and Sean. He'd be there holding her hand when she was in labor. But wanting to do those things, and doing them were two different stories. He was seventeen when his eldest daughter was born, and he'd been at home sleeping off a nasty hangover as his ex-wife gave birth. Then the same thing happened two years later. Dessie reminded himself he was no longer a teenager and wouldn't make that mistake a third time.
Not with Catherine. Never with Catherine.
Even then, he was scared shitless of finding a way to ruin it all. Because somehow he always found a way to.
Deciding it was time to stop feeling sorry for himself and man-up, Dessie tucked the small sonogram onto the back pocket of his jeans and got out of the car. There were three stops he needed to make before heading back to Crossmaglen.
Wanting to get the most difficult one out of the way first, Dessie walked a short distance up the Falls Road. He pushed open the front gate in front of a house that looked identical to all the other red brick ones lining the street. Taking a deep breath, he knocked on the front door. Thankfully, it didn't take long before Patrick opened the door.
Seeing Dessie standing on the other side alone, looking as though he was there with his tail between his legs, Patrick instantly knew what it was about. He wasn't going to show Dessie he had an idea, Patrick wanted to hear it from him first-hand. Not a single word was spoken as Patrick moved out of the way to let him in. They went straight into the kitchen, where Patrick sat at the head of the kitchen table. He was back on the wagon, much to Dessie's relief, so there wasn't the risk of a drunken argument. But still, it wouldn't be pretty.
Once Dessie sat down, he pulled out his pack of cigarettes and lit one. There was no point in dragging this out any longer.
"Catherine's pregnant. She's due in early October."
Patrick leaned back in the chair, crossing his arms over his chest. It terrified Dessie that Patrick was taking so long to respond. That was because Patrick killed both Catherine and Dessie about thrice over in his head. When they first started dating, Patrick warned Catherine to be smart about it. He didn't want to see her make the mistake she did with Jimmy and Darragh. Though he had to admire Dessie; Darragh hadn't come to see him when Catherine got pregnant with Sean.
Reaching across the table for Dessie's cigarettes, Patrick lit one, too. "Ya gonna treat her the same ya treated Eilish? Gonna shag around; leave her at home with the two boys and a newborn for weeks at a time?"
Dessie meekly shook his head. He knew he deserved to have those things asked of him. "Eilish and I never should've gotten married and I know that's not an excuse for the hell I put her through. I can't promise ya I'll be some super Da, or that Catherine and I won't have our share of problems. What I can promise you is that I'll be there for her, the baby, the boys, as much as I can be. It's different with Catherine. I actually love her. I've been in love with her since the first day I met her, and I would never do anythin' to intentionally hurt her."
"Now ya just sound like a pussy," chuckled Patrick. Dessie didn't care. "My wee Catherine has been through been hell, long before you came sniffin' around, and I don't wanna see her go through what she did with Jimmy and Darragh again. If youse are gonna have a baby, then you're gonna do right by her, ya hear me?"
Dessie clamped the cigarette between his teeth, then dug into the front pocket of his jeans. He opened a black velvet ring box and placed it on the table halfway between him and Patrick.
"I bought it a month ago. Well before I found out she's pregnant if that means anythin'." Patrick reached out to pick up the box. He examined the beautiful ring nestled inside; a white gold setting with a sizable solitaire diamond in the center. It looked to have set Dessie back a few bills. "I'm here to do the right thing, Paddy, and ask ya for your blessin' to marry Catherine. Your daughter means the world to me. I wanna spend the rest of me'life with her."
Closing the box, Patrick slid it back over to Dessie. He crushed his cigarette out and thought for a moment.
"This is the only time you'll ever hear me say this, and I swear I'll knock your teeth out if I find out you told Catherine what I said. Darragh—God rest his soul—was a good man, but he wasn't right for Catherine. After the funeral, you were the first one to show up here to check in on her. You sat right on my couch with wee Sean in your arms and fed him his bottle while Catherine was upstairs tryin' to get Eamonn down for a nap. Don't think I didn't notice all the times you stepped up to help her; more than Eamonn's useless father. When I see the four of youse together, I see my daughter loves you just as much as you love her. You're a hardworkin' man who'll provide for her, I trust ya won't beat her, and for some reason, the boys seem fond of ya, too. So, if you wanna marry that stubborn, smartass, hooligan, you'll be welcomed into our family with open arms."
Dessie didn't know what to say. He hadn't expected to get such a response out of Patrick. The man wasn't known for being warm and friendly. It did shock him to hear that Patrick knew of all the times he came up to Belfast to help Catherine with little things around the house. When she moved from Andersontown back to the Falls, he had stayed up all night with her just packing, talking about everything and anything. He had even set up in the bunk beds in the boy's bedroom and helped her paint the kitchen. Never once did he feel obligated to do any of it, he just wanted to.
"I appreciate that. I promise I won't tell Catherine a word."
Patrick held out his hand for Dessie to shake. "Ya do her wrong, it's me and Brien who you'll be answerin' to. And I swear to God, if you go off and get yourself killed, I'll bring ya back just so I can kill ya myself."
There's the Patrick he remembered. After shaking Patrick's hand, Dessie stuffed the ring box back into his pocket. Now he just had to figure out the right time to pop the question to Catherine.
"That's fair," he said.
"Ya plan on tellin' Jimmy, or is he just gonna find out through the grapevine?" Patrick pried.
Dessie ran a hand through his hair. "He's my next stop once I leave here. I have a feelin' he won't like what I have to say, so I've arranged for a couple'a lads from Jonesborough to rotate keepin' an eye on her place until she can get down to Cross on Friday."
"I'll swing by there, too." Patrick got up and opened the cabinet above the stove. He grabbed a container used to store rice, taking off the lid. Dessie watched carefully as Patrick dug inside, pulling out a compact Smith and Wesson pistol. After checking to make sure the magazine was loaded, Patrick handed it over. "With Jimmy, ya never know."
