The Name Game

20 Weeks
December

"I don't want him to sound too..."

"Vanilla?"

"Yeah."

"His—or her—last name is going to be Weaver, you know…"

"Exactly."

"What? Do you want to name him Jose Santiago Lopez-Weaver? Or Luciana Valentina Lopez-Weaver?"

Kerry cackled, shaking her head.

"I thought you wanted to name him Henry?" Sandy said suddenly, remembering a conversation they'd had a few weeks ago. They had talked briefly about baby names over dinner one night but had ultimately agreed to push the conversation back until Kerry was further along.

Kerry nodded slowly. "I…I think I would like that, yes."

Sandy grinned. "Me too." And she would like that; Kerry's father, the original Henry Weaver, sounded like a remarkable man. Whenever Kerry talked about him, she painted a portrait of an intelligent, loving, essentially remarkable man. Sandy wished she could have known him, but would be happy enough to name their firstborn after him.

"And if it's a girl?" Kerry questioned after jotting down the name Henry in the small leather notebook under the column entitled 'Boys.'

Sandy paused. "Do you…would you want to name her after your mom?" She asked tentatively.

Kerry looked at her like she was crazy, an amused light sparkling in her eyes. "I loved my mother very much, but never in a million years would I name our daughter Mildred." She laughed, shaking her head, "Mildred Lopez-Weaver. Millie. No way."

Sandy let out a sigh of relief, smiling as well. "Thank God."

Kerry pat wife's knee and reached out to grab the enormous book of baby names that her sister-in-law, Gabriella, had dropped off earlier that week. It was only a year old—she and Tony had used it when she'd been expecting their son—and was filled with thousands of names, their meanings, and different combinations in which they were often used. At first Kerry found the whole thing overwhelming and had tucked it away, but now she found herself unable to stay away from it. Something about the challenge of picking the perfect name for their unborn child thrilled her.

She flipped through it deftly, noticing the red pen markings spread out sporadically throughout the reference book. Gabriella had given them the go-ahead to mark it up, as well, and they'd decided to use a green pen and post-it notes. Those were sitting on the coffee table as well.

"Okay, what about Hannah? I like Hannah. It has a nice, clean ring to it. Hannah. Han-nah"

Sandy shot her a look.

"Okay...how's Megan? Megan's a good name."

Another look.

Kerry sighed, holding the book out to Sandy. "Fine; you look."

Sandy accepted the book happily and flipped the pages slowly. "Alright, what about Ashley?"

The tables now turned, Kerry narrowed her eyes at her wife.

"Sarah?"

Lips pursed.

"Jessica?"

Kerry let out a shrill, dramatic sigh. "I probably see fifteen Ashley's, Sarah's, and Jessica's a week in the ER."

"Too popular?"

"Too nineties."

Sandy considered that for a moment and finally nodded; if one of them didn't like a name, even if they had the tiniest misgivings about it, there was no way they'd be using it. She mentally scratched Ashley, Sarah, and Jessica off her list and silently flipped through the pages for a while longer, studying the names intently and saying them aloud to herself in her head.

"Anything catching your eye?"

Sandy shook her head then extended the book toward Kerry, "Close your eyes and put your finger down."

Kerry gave her wife a suspicious look but complied, shutting her eyes and placing her index finger near the top left corner of the book. Then she tentatively opened her eyes. "Bobby…" she read aloud, "Why is Bobby in the girl's section?"

"It's unisex." Sandy said, pointing out the green circle next to the name.

"But is it actually unisex? Do you know any women named Bobby?"

"There's one over at the 15th."

"Is Bobby her given name?" Kerry pushed, suddenly deeply interested in the logistics of a unisex name.

"Yep. Bobby Marie Fernandez."

"Middle name, too?" Kerry asked, surprised that Sandy knew the firefighter's full name until a thought crossed her mind, "Did you sleep with her?"

"No, I didn't." Sandy replied pointedly, "She and Carlos had a fling for a hot second. You know, I haven't slept with every female in the department. Give me some credit."

Kerry stuck out her tongue then turned her attention back to the book. She turned page after page, scanning the names halfheartedly. There wasn't really a rush to pick out a name, especially if they weren't going to find out the baby's sex, but she was anxious to have at least one picked out. If they couldn't even accomplish that, it'd most definitely bug her until they could. Kerry was a few pages into her search when one caught her eye. Instantly, a smile pulled at her lips. She looked at Sandy and held out the book, pointing to the name.

Sandy followed Kerry's index finger to the name. She smiled, as well, and nodded firmly. "I love it. Absolutely."

Kerry jotted it down the book next to Henry and went back to the book. She was going to keep looking—either for a middle name or for a second choice—when Sandy took it from her grasp and placed it on the coffee table. "Uh-uh," the firefighter said, shifting onto her knees to straddle Kerry's legs, "I think we've had enough of the name game for one day, don't you?"

Kerry arched a single eyebrow curiously, "And what do you suggest we do instead?"

Sandy smiled mischievously and brought her mouth to Kerry's, "I have another game in mind."

Kerry giggled and kissed her wife.