A/N: Hello, my friends! I hope everyone is well this fine day. I hope everyone that got affected by hurricane Matthew is getting back on their feet. No matter how weak a hurricane may be, a hurricane is still a hurricane. This was a fun chapter to write, so I hope everybody enjoys it.
Disclaimer: Roses are red, violets are technically purple. Where did blue come from?
Life was great right now for Ezra and Jen. As soon as the two of them walked into the grill the morning after their kiss, everyone knew that they were officially together. It irked Ezra a little that he was so transparent, especially to his cousin, but he shook it off and counted it a blessing that they loved him enough to learn so much about him.
Ezra was also pleased that he'd gotten started on the baby's room, even if all he'd been able to accomplish was buying a crib. He'd found a beautiful antique hardwood crib that some moron was selling for thirty bucks. The man obviously had no sense of value, but his loss was Ezra's gain. Jen found herself looking at baby stuff whenever she was at a store, imagining the things she could buy for her boyfriend and his soon to come baby. That line of thinking always led to all the other supplies Ezra would have to buy. Just looking at little things at the grocery store told Jen that providing for this baby was going to be an expensive endeavor. So one afternoon that Ezra wasn't working, Jen started scheming.
"Okay, you guys," she called everyone over once all their customers had been served. "Ezra needs to get stuff for the baby. He's leaving at the beginning of July to go back to Jamaica so he can be there when it's born, and it's already May."
"We should be able to help him out, right?" Tish asked. "We're his friends, guys. We've got to do something."
"I know I've picked up a few things for the kid," Priestly piped up, "but it's just some bottles and a couple baby toys."
"That's why I was thinking," Jen trailed off, taking in everyone's expectant faces. They were all leaning toward her over the counter, waiting to hear her idea. "We should throw him a baby shower."
"I love it!" Piper screeched. "This is going to be so much fun."
"Good idea, Jen," Trucker agreed.
"And, this way, we know that Ziggy'll actually take the stuff we buy him," added Priestly. "He's not too proud to ask for help if he needs it, but Zig won't do anything if he thinks it might be an inconvenience to somebody else. So he won't ask for help in buying stuff."
"But he will take gifts?" Jen asked. Priestly confirmed with a nod. "Alright, then. Let's do it."
"What if we decorate the baby's room for him, too?" suggested Piper. "I could paint something on the walls. Granted, it would take a few days, depending on what I paint. Do you think he'd like that?"
"I can guarantee he'd love it," said Priestly. "So when are we gonna do this?"
"We could have the shower here," offered Trucker. "One day once the lunch rush is over and everything settles down, we can surprise him with it."
"That'd be fun," said Tish. "And he certainly wouldn't expect it."
"This is going to be so much fun!" Piper squealed in excitement. "I can take Julia shopping with me. She'd love that." Just then, a customer came in, so conversation had to be put on hold for the time being.
"Hey, Piper," Priestly spoke up a little while later. The younger girl looked up at the man who'd addressed her. "How about painting the baby's room after Zig goes back to Jamaica? He'll be gone for a good while, which would give you plenty of time to get the room done before he gets back."
"I like that idea," agreed Piper. "That way, I'll also have plenty of time to gather the supplies I'll need."
"I'll help you buy the stuff," Priestly promised. "I know it gets expensive, so I'll pitch in. Just tell me what you need."
"Okay, cool." Piper gave her friend a smile. "Or how about this? When I get the design planned out, we'll go supply shopping together. That way we can just get everything in one trip."
"Sounds good to me," said Priestly.
A couple weeks passed since the grill employees conspired to throw a baby shower for the soon-to-be father. During those weeks, everybody bought baby things to give Ezra. They even let Noah and Julia, and Mr. Julius and Lucille in on the party, and they all contributed as well.
Tish recommended they spring the shower on a Ezra on a Saturday so Julia and Noah would be able to join in on the festivities. Smuggling presents into the grill wasn't the easiest thing to do without drawing Ezra's attention. But they devised a plan to leave the wrapped presents in the Causemobile, and at the end of each night, Trucker would bring them inside and hide them in the back office. And the whole time, Ezra was completely oblivious.
So when Noah and Julia showed up for lunch one Saturday afternoon, he didn't think a thing of it. "Hey, guys," Ezra greeted with a friendly smile, "how's it going?"
"It's all good," answered Noah.
"What can I get you guys to eat?" After taking the Millers' order and cooking it for them, Ezra settled on Jen's stool to check on any to go orders that had been sent in. Because his back was turned, he didn't see all his friends sneaking up behind him with a bunch of presents in their arms.
"Surprise!" everyone yelled at once, nearly making Ezra fall off the stool.
A look of confused shock took over Ezra's face as he saw all the colorful gifts his friends were holding. "What's all this?" he asked. He looked back toward the dining area, only to see Noah and Julia holding up a banner declaring "It's A Baby!"
"This is a baby shower for the daddy-to-be," Tish answered. She dropped her armload onto the counter, as did everyone else, and pulled Ezra around to the front of the counter. After his girlfriend seated Ezra on one of the barstools, Priestly came up behind him and put a party hat on his head, barely balancing it on the thick dreadlocks.
"You guys threw me a baby shower?" Ezra asked, awestruck.
"We figured it'd be easier for you to get baby supplies that way," explained Piper.
"It was all Jen's idea," Priestly added, nudging the now red-faced blonde.
Ezra turned tear-filled eyes to his girlfriend. "Really?" he asked in a tiny voice. Face still flushed, Jen gave Ezra a shy smile and nodded her head. Ezra couldn't say anything. He knew if he tried, he would just burst into tears. So he expressed how touched he was in the next best way. Grabbing her hand, Ezra pulled Jen into his arms and kissed her soundly on the mouth. The rest of the room erupted in cheers and applause as the couple continued their kiss.
Finally, though, Jen and Ezra pulled away from each other. "Alright," said Trucker, bringing everyone back to the present. "Time to open presents."
As Ezra was given his first present, he watched Noah and Julia attach the banner to the wall under the mural. "It's a baby?" he questioned in amusement.
Piper shrugged shamelessly. "Well, we don't know if the kid's a boy or a girl, so I went with the obvious." Ezra just shook his head as he laughed.
"I helped her paint it for you and the baby," Julia spoke up proudly. Noah dropped a hand on his daughter's shoulder.
"Thanks, Julia." Ezra brought the little girl in for a hug. "I love it."
"Alright, Zig, open your present," Priestly urged.
"Who's it from?" Ezra asked, looking over the package for a tag.
"Just go ahead and open it," said Tish. "We'll figure it out when we see what it is."
Figuring there wasn't really another option, Ezra shrugged and started ripping at the wrapping paper. The second he saw what was inside it, though, he knew exactly who the gift was from. "Really, Bo?" he demanded, holding up the bottle of Jack Daniel's. "You bought me whiskey?"
The entire room burst into laughter as Priestly just shrugged. "What? You never know when it might come in handy. That stuff can make a pretty potent cough medicine."
"I will pour this on your head," Ezra threatened playfully, unable to keep the smile away completely.
"Okay, seriously, guys," Jen chuckled. "Someone give him a real present."
A/N: Actually, whiskey is used frequently to make home-remedy cough syrup, especially in the south. Just mix a little of it with some tea, or coke as my cousin did once, and you got yourself an instant cold medicine. I couldn't resist making Priestly give Ezra some. Don't forget to review!