Chapter 31
Parker put Philip into his booster chair and pushed him in. "Kelly, dinner's ready," she called.
She brought the pizza to the table and set it in the middle of the table. She headed back to the kitchen and brought back three bottles of beer. She set one in front of Mary Alice, one in front of Kelly's seat, and one in front of her seat. Her bottle remained capped. She needed to make a trip to the bathroom before she would uncap it or put it back in the fridge.
She noticed Kelly wasn't putting in his appearance at the table. "Be right back," she said to Mary Alice as she walked through the living room. She headed toward the bathroom. She noticed Kelly sitting on the toilet, staring at the white stick.
He looked up when he noticed her in the doorway.
"Hey," she said quietly as she stepped inside the bathroom and closed the door.
"Hey," he said.
Without saying a word, he handed her the stick. She took it and looked down at it. She saw the minus sign and looked at him. "I'm sorry," she apologized.
She sat down on the floor in front of him. Kelly bent down and reached out giving her an awkward hug. She leaned her head into his knee. Kelly noticed her breathing had changed. She was gulping in breaths of air. He felt her tears through his jeans.
"Hey, it's okay," he soothed. "We'll get through this."
She lifted her head. She wiped away her tears. "I was getting used to the thought of another Severide running around," she admitted.
"It'll happen, Park. Just not this month."
"I love you, Kelly. I'd love another one that looks like you."
"Nah," he admitted. "We need one that looks like you."
"You want a girl then?"
"I'll be happy with whatever we have as long as he or she is healthy."
Parker stood up. "I've got pizza on the table. My Grandmother is probably helping herself, and your son is going to start screaming his head off in another minute."
"Ok. I'll be there in a minute."
She gave him a kiss and a hug. "Tonight, I'm going to give you another chance to get me pregnant."
He smiled. "I'm gonna take you up on that."
She smiled back at him and closed the bathroom door. She walked back to the dining room.
"Everything alright?" Mary Alice asked as Parker joined her and Philip at the table.
"We're not pregnant," she admitted.
Mary Alice looked at her Granddaughter. "Is that a good thing or a bad thing?"
"Neither. It is what it is. But we both agreed that we would like another one."
"I'm glad to hear that. Philip shouldn't be an only child. It's a kind of lonely life when you don't have siblings."
"I was an Only," Parker reminded.
"And didn't you always wish you had siblings?"
"Yes and no," she admitted. "There were times when I did, but then there were times when I was glad I didn't have them. Especially because I didn't have to share my clothes or deal with ugly hand me downs."
Mary Alice laughed. "There were times when I wondered if I was doing enough for you. You were so shy and so reluctant to make friends."
Parker waved her hand away. "Nobody wanted to be my friend because I was different. It wasn't your fault."
"What isn't her fault?" Kelly asked as he took a seat at the table.
"Parker being an only child," Mary Alice explained.
"I was an only child," Kelly reminded. "Then I grew up and found out I had a sister."
Parker and Mary Alice nodded. They both knew about Katie and her circumstances.
"We were just discussing the pros of another baby," Parker explained.
Kelly nodded. "Someday."
"Yes, Someday," Parker agreed as she handed him the pizza pan.