It wasn't very long after the wedding. In fact, things hadn't had a chance to settle down, even though it had been almost a week. What a night for Jack and Deborah Howlings, it had started raining early that afternoon and kept up into the evening. It was terrible weather really, thunder and lightning. A terrible night to go into labor but that's exactly what happened. Now Jack had to rush her to the hospital and be careful driving.
Thankfully, getting there was the easy part of his night. He called friends and family in a panic after being pushed out of the delivery room by the nurses. Now he just paced in the waiting room as his in-laws arrived. His parents wouldn't be down from Jasper for another couple of days but her parents and siblings had arrived. Nick and Judy still in their work slacks and coats, having just got off. Lillian had brought Luke, who had woken up and started crying from being somewhere unfamiliar. Nick picked his son up from the baby carrier and began humming. Whether it was the vibration from the humming or because he knew his dad's voice, Luke was calm and back to sleep before anyone could count to ten.
Finally, the doctor came out of the delivery room with a heavy sigh.
"How is she? How are the twins?" Jack asked in a panic.
"Your wife is doing just fine Mr. Howlings, and so are your twin babies… Congratulations, you have a pair of beautiful baby girls," the doctor announced.
"Can we go in to see them?" Jack asked.
"Of course, Mr. Howlings," the doctor replied.
When they came into the room, they saw Debbie with a tired look in her eyes but grinning ear to ear. In her arms, a pair of sleeping pups that she'd spent some time calming down.
"How did you calm your girls down so fast?" Judy asked.
"I sang to them… They calmed down and went to sleep right away," she explained.
"Excuse me, but have you thought up names yet?" the nurse asked.
Jack and Deborah exchanged looks before he spoke up.
"Mary and Lily?" he suggested.
"Don't tell me, tell the nurse," Debbie replied.
"I was suggesting those names, sweetheart," he replied.
Deborah gave a pause to think but all she could think about was how exhausted she was. Even in this exhausted state though, she realized the significance of the names he'd picked out for their daughters. Marian was her mother-in-law's name, he had chosen to give the girls names derived from their grandmothers' names.
"Clever wolf… Giving them names I have to like…" she sassed playfully.
She turned her attention to the nurse.
"Mary Howlings and Lily Howlings. Those are their names," she stated.
The nurse was quick to write down the names and took the sleeping pups to the nursery.
"So, when are your parents coming to see their granddaughters?" she asked.
"A few days from now. They said they're both busy at work but they'd come if it was an emergency. I told them it was something akin to an emergency," he answered.
"What's got them so busy?" she asked.
"Mom's running for mayor again and dad's being well… Dad… Telling bad jokes at that same place for a paycheck," he replied.
"I wish I could tell jokes for a living," Nick piped.
"The world can do without your jokes," Judy replied.
"My jokes aren't that bad… They make you laugh…" he replied.
"Only at how dumb they are," she returned.
"So Jack, when are your parents coming to town again?" John asked.
"I think they said they'd be a few days… So, I dunno' day after tomorrow, I think…" he answered.
"Great! I'm gonna' be busy the next couple of days, lemme' know if you need anything for the girls… Nick, Judy, same to you, let me know if you need anything for Luke…" he stated hurridly and left.
"What's with dad?" Danny asked.
"He doesn't like my mother much so he tends to avoid her," Jack explained.
"I don't blame him," Debbie sighed.
"Honey, we talked about this. You know my mother means well…" he replied.
"Yes, I know she means well but that's not always evident in the way she talks to me," Deborah sighed.
The day Deborah and the twins came home from the hospital, Jack's parents showed up.
"Jack, honey, so good to see you! How have you been? Are you still married to that fox?" his mother asked, putting a harsh tone on the last two words.
"Hi mom. Yes, Deborah and I are getting along just fine," he replied.
In his arms, Mary, the twin that had more fox to her appearance than wolf.
"Mom, this is your granddaughter, Mary," he introduced.
Marian regarded her granddaughter with contempt at first, Deborah named the little fox/wolf after her on purpose she was sure.
"Dad, take Mary inside and visit with Debbie for a while," he stated, handing the baby off to her grandfather.
Jack took a deep breath, he hated being aggressive or forceful but the situation was pushing him into that.
"Seriously mom! I need you to stop being so judgemental towards Deborah, she puts a lot of effort into maintaining her household! I love her and I think it's time you accept that! I will not tolerate any of your usual purist crap during this visit! I invited you and dad down from Jasper to meet your granddaughters but if all you care about is that my wife and their mother is a fox, you can turn around and go home!" he lectured.
"Jackson Howlings…!" she gasped.
"Save it! While you've been doing your best to disparage her, she's been working hard at building her restaurant, her name, and her household! She has accomplished more as an entrepreneur than you have as a politician!" he concluded.
She went silent at that, unable to form a proper response.
"When you make the right decision about which is more important, your pride or your family, then you can come inside and join us," he concluded.
He went back into his late grandfather-in-law's former studio in a huff, leaving his mother stunned, dejected, and outraged on the doorstep.
"How dare he talk to me like that!" she fumed, "I'm his mother! I raised that ingrate and this is how he treats me!"
Jack's lecture echoed in her mind, just as angry as when he spoke those words. The more it replayed in her mind the more hurt she heard in his voice each time. Like any mother, she wanted what was best for her son but she'd never even considered how hurtful her dismay towards Deborah had been for Jack. The more she thought on that, the more afraid she became. Afraid that her dismay for her daughter-in-law would eventually drive her son away. That thought made her recoil at concept.
She spent over an hour outside turning over those thoughts in her mind, a mixture of frustration and consternation brewing inside. As much as she hated admitting it to herself, Jack was right. He was a full-grown man now and the decision of who to trust, love, and marry was entirely his own. At that realization, she heaved a heavy sigh and resigned herself to the idea that she would have to eventually accept Deborah. After all "that fox" was now the mother of her granddaughters. Finally, she made up her mind and knocked at the door. She could faintly hear voices from inside and her husband of more than 30 years opened the door with his usual goofy grin.
"Hey Jack, it's your mother!" he called.
"Is she ready to apologize?" Jack asked.
"I am…" Marian sighed.
She was let in but felt nervous about coming in any further than just inside the front door. She could hear Deborah in the kitchen singing, most likely cooking as well.
She remembered the first night they'd met her. Marian had come down from Jasper with Garth to meet this amazing woman Jack had been bending their ears about for months and Deborah had prepared a lovely dinner for them. At that memory, Marian was filled with regret. The effort Deborah must've put into making the meal must've been very taxing and Marian didn't even want to acknowledge her.
Right at present, Jack stood in front of her with a stern look in his eyes that said 'I'm waiting'.
"I'm sorry Jack. You were right, it is your life and I was just being bitter. I can't promise to change right away, after all, I've been a purist my whole life but I'll at least start by giving her a fair chance," Marian apologized.
Jack's expression softened at that.
"That's all I ask, mom. I know you're struggling with this," he replied.
Something in a glass case caught Marian's attention as she came into the home. A rare first-edition fully-assembled Star Trek Enterprise NCC1701 model from the when the series had it's very first toy run.
"Is that-...?!" she asked, surprised.
"Don't touch!" Deborah reacted.
"NC1701 model from the very first toy run, it's worth a small fortune on the collector's market!" Marian replied.
"I know but I have no intention of selling, it was hard enough for me to find it when I finally had the money to get one. Nothing against the Next Generation series but what I kept finding were NCC1701-C models," Deborah explained.
Jack and Garth looked at each other and laughed loudly. Now that they knew each other were "Trekkies", there'd be little issue in Deborah and Marian getting along.
"Honey, y'know I'd love to let you chat Star Trek with my mother for the rest of the evening but don't you think you should check on dinner?" Jack reminded her.
"Right! Sorry…!" the vixen stated hurriedly and ran off to the kitchen.
AN: Apologies for the long bouts of haitus but I am still writing, don't worry. It's just not gonna' get updated as often as I'd like. Stay safe and I hope this chapter finds you well...
