Go Baby Grow

Chapter 45 – Together Time

Wednesday, June 10th

Ryder knocked softly on the treehouse door before proceeding inside. He could hear Julie sobbing and his shoulders sagged with concern. After taking a deep breath, he stepped inside and walked over to her. Wrapping his arms around her from behind, Ryder questioned softly, "What's up, JJ?"

Without hesitation, she began to explain her morning to Ryder. However, Ryder could not understand her words. She was simultaneously crying and speaking. Knowing she would eventually share the situation with him, Ryder held her and rubbed her back as she wept and muttered.

After half an hour, Julie pulled away and blew her nose. "I'm sorry I'm such a mess," she apologized.

"You have nothing to be sorry for," Ryder corrected her as he wiped a tear off her cheek. She leaned into his hand and he momentarily held her cheek. "Oh, JJ… whatever's going on is breaking you into pieces," he commented.

"Nate," she sputtered with a slight gasp before tears resumed.

"What about him?" Ryder inquired.

With a small laugh, she looked at Ryder and reminded him, "I told you all about it a few minutes ago, Hunt."

"I couldn't understand a f #$ing word you were saying. Letting it all out was more important, so I didn't ask for clarification," he grinned. "Now what did that ass do?"

"He's not an ass," she insisted as she sniffled.

Ryder raised his eyebrows and responded, "Let's see… he is somehow involved and you're crying. That makes him an ass."

With a slight giggle, Julie pushed Ryder's shoulder, "You're so damned protective."

"And you love it. You know you do," he answered with a wink.

Julie paused. She glanced at the ground, then at Ryder. "We broke up… well, he broke up with me… now… even though we could have stayed together a couple more weeks," she disclosed with a tiny, wounded voice. She leaned against Ryder's side, counting on him to hold her up.

"I suspected you two were together," Ryder exhaled.

"I know," she admitted as she wept.

Ryder shifted and leaned against a wall. After pausing to take stock of Julie's frame of mind, he grabbed a pillow and squirmed until he was flat on his back. He wanted to give her the space to be sad.

Julie went from sitting near his knees to lying beside him. With a pillow under her head, she lay on her side and wrapped a blanket over herself. With a small sigh, she confessed with her hoarse voice, "I'm out of tears."

Reaching his hand over from its resting place on his gut, Ryder grasped her hand and squeezed. The message was simple and yet profound: she was not alone in her pain. He didn't need to speak to communicate his presence. Instead, he held her hand and rubbed a thumb on the back of it.

A few minutes passed before Julie questioned, "Are you mad at me for dating him?"

"Mad? No," Ryder stated flatly without shifting his gaze from the ceiling. "He's an impressive guy. I'll even admit he's attractive and charming, but I worried about you being with him. The relationship was doomed before it began. Every day, I'd watch you become more and more into him, and I worried you were going to be hurt. I wanted to intervene – to stop it – but I tried to hold back and remember that it wasn't my choice."

"I love him," she acknowledged as her lower lip trembled.

"Did you tell him?" Ryder inquired, curious but afraid to hear the answer.

Julie wrapped her arms in front of her body and whispered, "No. I was planning to tell him today. Actually, today's list included more than that…" Her voice trailed off and she closed her eyes.

Wrapping his hand around his chin, Ryder pondered what to do or say next. He couldn't be sure, but he had a hunch that Julie's original plan for the day included having sex with Nate. Protective of his friend, the thought infuriated Ryder. From Ryder's point of view, Nate was fully responsible for Julie's broken heart. Ryder was deeply relieved that Julie hadn't had the opportunity to check that item off her list.

As much as Ryder wanted to say something negative, he knew it wouldn't be helpful. Since Julie didn't need to hear negative commentary about the man she loved and was grieving, Ryder held his tongue. At the same time, he didn't have anything positive to offer either. The predicament left him uncharacteristically mute.

Noting the silence, Julie wondered, "Maybe I shouldn't have told you that part…"

"It's fine. Really. No problem," Ryder assured her in short bursts that passed through his insincere smile. "Oh, hey, I forgot to mention that Mom's up at the house. She wanted me to tell you that she's here for you if you want to talk."

"How does she know what's going on?" Julie inquired, clear that Ryder himself had only learned the details.

"She doesn't. All she knows is that you're having a rough day and that I dropped you off out here," Ryder clarified. "She had a crappy morning – I haven't found out all the details, but Dad took her to the hospital this morning. Her blood pressure was low and she was experiencing some pain."

"How's the baby?" Julie wondered aloud.

"I think everyone is fine. I'm sure Dad wouldn't have brought her home if there were any major concerns," Ryder hunched.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~'

Meanwhile, Lucas and Ria made their way up to the Master Bedroom to check on Amelia.

"Mama, can we come snuggle?" Ria asked.

With a wide smile, Amelia encouraged them to join her. With one on her left and the other on her right, Amelia felt surrounded in love. She closed her eyes, hoping to cement the moment into her memory.

"What happened this morning?" Lucas inquired.

Amelia took a slow breath and explained, "Before a baby is ready to be born, Mamas have contractions to get ready. They're kind of like muscle cramps. I had a bunch in a few minutes. Usually that doesn't happen until the baby is close to being born."

"Will you have the baby early? Maybe Dr. Karev can help the baby like he helped with me and Anna," Ria proposed.

Running her hand on Ria's hair, Amelia clarified, "Dr. Robbins doesn't think the contractions were a sign that the baby's coming. Do you know what she thinks happened? She thinks I haven't been drinking enough water."

"Water makes babies be born?!" Lucas queried with wonder.

"It's a little more confusing than that," Amelia chuckled. "Anyway, the hospital gave me some medicine and checked me over. Dr. Robbins sent me home because she's not worried. Now we wait and wait and wait for October."

"We should buy the baby a Halloween costume if it's coming in October," Ria suggested.

Owen made his way in from the hallway and stretched out along the end of the bed. "This looks like an excellent place to snuggle and rest," he observed. "Can I join you?"

"Please do," Amelia smirked and held her gaze. She tossed a pillow his direction.

"What are we talking about?" he asked.

"The baby," Lucas shared. "Ria says we need to buy the baby a Halloween costume."

"Hmm… maybe it could dress up like a baby," Owen proposed.

Ria rolled her eyes, "Daddy, that's silly. It is a baby. You're supposed to dress up as something different."

"What are you going to be, Mommy?" Lucas asked.

"A tired mommy," Amelia chuckled.

Ria huffed, "Mom… you already are a tired mommy. Pick something else." She paused and then added, "I know! You should be a belly dancer!"

Owen laughed heartily and joined in, "Mia, that'd be perfect."

"Maybe it's advisable to go with something less revealing this year," she countered as her dimples lit up.

"I want to be a person who works with Nolan. They dress super fancy at his office and wear nice clothes," Ria revealed.

"What person who works with Nolan?" Amelia wondered aloud.

"Ryder and Nolan took me to lunch today and then we went to Nolan's office. He has an assistant who works so hard that she doesn't have time to walk over to talk to Nolan. They use a speaker instead. I met two other ladies – one at the first doors and one after we used the elevator – their job is to be super nice and to make sure only the people who should be there are let through. Nolan uses their first names, but they all call him Mr. Tremblay Hunt or Sir." Ria described.

Smiling, Owen affirmed, "If you want to dress up as an office worker, we can make that happen. Maybe Lissa can put your hair up in a bun and even put on a tiny amount of makeup."

"Maybe more than tiny?" Ria attempted with an overly eager smile.

"Teeny tiny, kiddo," Owen stated as he nudged her with his foot.

"And Daddy will want your skirt to go to your knees," Amelia teased her husband. "Or were the ladies you met wearing slacks?"

"One had slacks and one had a skirt. I don't know what the downstairs lady was wearing. She was behind a super huge desk," Ria explained. "And, Daddy, the one with a skirt? It went this long," Ria described as she set her hand about two inches above the knee.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~"

Earlier in the day, Lissa had called Amelia and asked if she'd like a visit. Since the evening was warm, Nolan and Lissa walked up to the house. On their way, they noticed the treehouse lights were on.

When they arrived at the Lake House, they let themselves in, headed upstairs, and peeked around the door. "We have some little girls who want to check on their Gramma," Lissa smiled warmly.

"I've been waiting for a baby fix," Amelia beamed as she scooted herself up to a sitting position.

"Please bring Molly next to me!" Ria begged.

Before Nolan helped the toddler on to the bed, he looked her in the eye and emphasized, "Remember that Gramma is fragile. Be gentle."

"Fragile? I'm not sure I have ever been described as fragile!" Amelia laughed as Owen gazed at her with a grin.

Molly crawled up the bed and fell into Ria's arms with a hug and kiss, then moved over to Amelia and heard her father's voice once again, "Gentle, Molly Jo. Gentle."

With an incredibly soft touch, Molly 'pet' Amelia. She glanced at Nolan and nodded, proud of her obedience.

"Your toddler does what you ask? What's your secret?" Owen laughed.

Nolan shrugged, "She hasn't crossed that line with me yet, and I'm certainly not going to teach her that she has options."

"It's completely unfair," Lissa smiled as she sat on the edge of the bed by Lucas. "She has no problem testing me." Lissa was holding Emmy and Amelia moved the blanket wrapped around the baby to get a better look.

"They grow so quickly," Amelia mused. "I am so, so eager to be holding this one in my arms."

"Four more months," Owen pointed out. Turning toward Nolan and lowering his voice, Owen confessed, "I was so shell shocked when Mom told me she was pregnant. We'd decided long ago that we were done. Mom was heading toward menopause… I didn't even have the idea of pregnancy on my radar."

"Still tentative?" Nolan whispered.

Shaking his head, Owen claimed, "Not at all. In fact, I'm less hesitant than I've ever been." Owen's eyes became misty as he continued, "The second I heard that little heartbeat…" Choked up, he had to stop talking. He gazed at Lizzy, asleep in Nolan's arms, and stroked her chubby cheek with a finger. "Precious."

"I think so. She's a keeper," Nolan grinned. "I can't imagine my life without my gaggle of girls. They mean the world to me."

Boring his eyes into his son, Owen stated seriously, "Don't lose sight of that. Remembering your priorities is one of the greatest challenges of fatherhood. There have been a few instances where I had to re-learn that the hard way. Thank God your mom is a person of grace and forgiveness." After a deep breath, Owen finished his previous unfinished thought, "The second I heard that heartbeat, I knew without a doubt that this baby was more meant to be than anything in my entire life. I am beyond thrilled and can't wait to hold him or her." Nolan, becoming misty himself, patted Owen on the shoulder and grinned.

Glancing over at the crowd on the bed, Nolan and Owen chuckled as they watched Lucas make funny faces in an attempt to garner giggles from his nieces. Lissa laughed, a welcome sight, and steadied Emmy so the baby could sit up. When Lucas leaned toward her, the baby would try to grab hold of his curls. As Ria held Molly on her lap, Molly clapped and called out to Lucas. She wanted him to play with her.

"How about some hoops?" Owen suggested to Nolan.

Nolan grimaced, "I don't want Lissa to have to watch all three girls."

"Olivia can help," Owen offered. He walked into the hall and called for her.

Having nearly everything taken from her and having a ready supply of Valium made Olivia pleasant and calm. The change in the teen, which her parents attributed to discipline, was a welcome relief. Her snarls and snide comments had faded, and a more subdued Olivia emerged. In Owen's mind, Livie was growing up and maturing.

"Hi Dad," Olivia smirked as she met Owen outside her room.

"Nolan and I want to play basketball. Can you help Lissa with the babies?" he requested.

"No problem," Olivia agreed readily. "I didn't know they were here."

Within minutes, Nolan and Owen started shooting baskets and running around the driveway.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~"'

In the silence of the treehouse, both Ryder and Julie were letting their thoughts wander. Julie attempted to sort out what she knew in her heart and what she knew in her head. In the short time they were together, she'd imagined receiving care packages and letters from Nate during Plebe Summer. She'd create mental images of reuniting with him at Christmastime. In her dream world, everything would work out smoothly. Rules would be disregarded or changed, and she'd have a handsome officer cheering her on.

For his part, Ryder rehearsed the images he'd seen on YouTube or the experiences he'd read about online. He visualized climbing nets and scaling tall planks with a rope with ease.

When Nolan and Owen began dribbling in the driveway, both Julie and Ryder leaned their ears to confirm the sound.

"I hear a basketball," Julie grinned. "Do you hear it?"

"I do," Ryder stated. "You up for beating the old men?"

"You know it," she smiled. "Race you there?"

"Count of three at the door," Ryder suggested.

After stepping outside and securing the door, Julie announced, "1…2…3!" She ran with all the speed she could muster and nearly kept pace with him. By the time he reached the driveway, it was obvious who would win. She called out, "That's ok. I'll fry you on the court." Ryder glimpsed over his shoulder and smiled.

"Can we join you guys?" Ryder requested.

"Sure. Two on two? Horse? What's your pleasure?" Owen inquired.

"JJ? What do you want to play?" Ryder asked his dear friend.

"Two on two is more of a workout. You old guys up for that?" she teased with a laugh.

Nolan scoffed, "We are now. Old guys versus young punks."

"Fathers versus the children," Owen offered. He turned to Nolan and mumbled, "Crap…who has to guard Julie? She's fast."

"I'm on it," Nolan informed his dad.

As the four elbowed and bumped and slid behind or in front of one another, the trash talk began. Four usually kind people turned into swearing, pushy, mean opponents.

"Watch out, Old Man," Julie called out as she faked left and moved right for the basket. She turned to Owen and raised one eyebrow before attempting to guard Nolan.

"Holy crap! F-18," Nolan pointed to the sky as he pretended to see a fighter jet. Julie stopped to check it out, only to be tricked. Nolan easily bypassed her, passed the ball to Owen and they scored.

"One-one," Ryder announced. Owen leaned in close trying to block Ryder's pass to Julie. "Bring it on, Squid. C'mon," Owen growled, using an Army slur for Navy guys.

Ryder jumped up and threw the ball directly into Julie's hands, commented, "You got it, Grunt." Owen shoved Ryder's shoulder after Julie made the shot.

"One-Two," Owen called. "You might want to stop waxing the deck there, Swabbie, and pay attention."

As Ryder reacted to Owen's slur, Owen passed the ball to Nolan. Nolan and Julie chased each other around the court until Nolan attempted and missed a shot.

Ryder grabbed the rebound and dunked the ball, "Hoo-yah!"

Then, as Owen brought the ball in, Ryder kept raising his chin and narrowing his eyes. Owen had to stop to call a time out. "Ryder, Ryder, Ryder, you look like you're having a seizure," Owen roared.

"No, I don't!" he protested. The three guys cackled. When one would fade, another would ramp up and keep the laughter alive.

"C'mon, c'mon, let's keep moving, Girls!" Julie demanded.

Owen refocused and started to dribble. He faked so Ryder anticipated a pass, then mastered a jump shot.

As Julie brought the ball in, she summarized, "3-2. C'mon Ry, old men are right behind us." She stayed in the periphery, causing Nolan to anticipate that she was planning to pass the ball to Ryder who stood near the key. Instead, she took what would have been a 3 point shot on a regular court. The ball slipped right through the basket. "Nothing but net, Boys," she boasted.

"2-4, pressure's on, Dad," Nolan called out. Bending low while dribbling, Nolan harassed Julie, "You couldn't stop me if my shoes were stuck in cement." Nolan attempted a shot just as Julie came in front of him and knocked the ball away. When Ryder captured it, he commentated, "Ouch… that's embarrassing, Brother."

The game continued. Soon the score was Ryder/Julie 10, Nolan/Owen 6. One more basket for the punks and the game was over.

"Here we go, here we go," Julie chanted as she passed the ball to Ryder. As he began to dribble, Nolan reached in for the steal, made a basket, and bellowed, "Call the cops!"

"10-7, last play of the night," Julie taunted. Owen jumped at the right moment and caught Julie's pass, scowling, "Not in my house, punk."

"7-10," Nolan panted.

"Need a time out there, Daddy-O?" Ryder teased.

"I'm good, Squid," Nolan replied. He dribbled the ball and missed the shot. Julie went in for the rebound and slammed the ball into the hoop.

"Chick for the win! That's what I'm talking about," she nodded as she and Ryder chest bumped. After a day full of tears, playing her heart out and laughing with her second family was balm to her wounded soul.