by HJ Bellus
He smiles kindly at her. “You know protocol and all I’ll give you like any other patient. Due to your injuries, we are going to keep you overnight to monitor you. We’ve run a full blood test. We were going to proceed with X-rays, but something in your blood test came up positive, so we didn’t.”
I panic at his words. “Injuries” is all I pick up on and freak the shit out. I drop her hand and brawl up to my feet. “What? What did you find?”
“Calm down, sir, and let me finish.”
“Bullshit,” I roar. “What did you find?”
I grasp my hip on instinct even though the pain isn’t there. What I’m feeling is so much worse.
“Sit.”
This time, it isn’t the young doctor in front of me. It’s Bertie. I listen and sit with my jaw clenched and teeth grinding. A few seconds of silence floats by before the doctor begins talking.
“Your HCG levels are elevated, alerting me to the fact you may be pregnant. Are there any chances of this? We didn’t want to go ahead with an x-ray.”
The silence deafens me. I glance to Bertie to the doctor and back to Bertie.
“Yes, it could be possible.”
“Okay.” He nods, like he didn’t just knock my world on its side.
He rattles on about her care and the fact she’ll only be here overnight. Once he leaves, I glance over at Bertie. Her cheeks are flushed underneath the bruising. We don’t speak of the news the doctor just delivered, and I’m thankful for that. I hope like hell it isn’t a cruel joke.
“Take me home, Cody Sterling.”
“Home?” I squeeze her hand.
“Home is wherever you are. Take me home,” she whispers again, her eyes fluttering shut.
“I’ll pack up your house, baby.”
Chapter 20
Cody
Life is a funny joke. Cruel in intention. Taking away a mother from her daughter only because one bad seed entered the scene. I don’t even give a shit that it was for a matter of hours or days. It still pisses me off. The cries and heartache that have stemmed from that day will never bring back the same man I once was.
Cody remains tethered to my side as we get through each part of the day. Her hand squeezes mine as she selects the brightest yellow flowers in the shop. She doesn’t take it lightly as she plucks each one up, forming a gorgeous bouquet arraying in every shade of yellow.
Tears stream down her face as she guides me to the counter of the flower shop. I can’t speak or even think or I’d be as big a mess as her.
“Dad,” she glances up at me, “Mom did say he could’ve got a girlfriend you know?”
I drop to one knee, cupping her cheek. “He loved you, baby girl. Hell, he’d piss and bark at anyone that got near you. He went out of his way protecting you.”
She nods. “His barks woke me up. I was so confused when he wasn’t on my pillow, then I heard Mom’s screams.”
She drops the flowers, wrapping her arms around my neck. I feel each and every one of her sobs. I wait, letting her get them all out before whispering into her ear. This isn’t the first time Cody has spilled her grief on me. I take it each and every time.
“He was your dog. He loved you so fiercely that he would never let anything or anyone hurt you. He tried his hardest, baby girl.” I kiss the top of her head and whisper, “Baby girl, you’re brilliant, talented, and the most loving girl I know.”
“I know.” She sniffles again then straightens up and gathers the fallen flowers on the ground. “We will give him all the flowers every day, huh, Dad?”
“We sure will.” I kiss the top of her head again completely, madly in love with this girl. She’s become my daughter in every way possible.
She never stopped calling me Dad from the day of the accident, and I never dared correct her or ask Bertie for permission. No one can ever take them from me. It’s the greatest accomplishment of my life.
That’s how every Sunday goes. Cody and I go to the flower shop, and she buys an arrangement for Scotty. Her dog. Her best friend that was killed by the evil in the world. He was doing his job. I’ll never have the words to describe this to her. How can I justify an evil son of a bitch who took so much greatness from the world?
Cody signs her name on the tab with most of the letters appearing backwards. Marge, my hometown florist, smiles brightly back at her, giving her a wink. “You sure picked out pretty ones this week.”
“Thank you.” Cody wipes the tears from her cheeks. “My little Richard Noggin will love these.”
I bite down on my bottom lip and shake my head. Marge squeezes Cody’s hand, and then we are off to my house, the same home Bertie begged to come home to. We never visited the home she built with her daughter. It was left in the past like all of our prior mistakes. And the walls of my house became a home filled with love, happiness, and everything I could ever desire.
Cody loves the fact my truck is a single cab and she gets to sit in the front. The little shit even tries to get away without wearing her buckle. I bust her every single time.
“Dad.” Cody bursts open the door once we pull into my drive. “I’m taking these to Scotty’s grave.”
“Okay, missy, I’ll watch from the porch.”
“It might be a while because Scotty and I have lots and lots to talk about with my new school and all.”
With that, she’s races off toward the headstone with flashes of yellow from her boots and flowers as if she is a shining beacon. I watch until I can barely see a speck on the horizon and know she’s settled crisscross applesauce facing Scotty’s headstone. Some days she’ll talk to him for hours until I go and gather her, and others she dances right up the steps to our house with a smile on her face.
Her new school is homeschool with Jules as the teacher and Emma and Finn the only other students. There were awkward times as Emma, the boss of the roost, fought to take over and Cody and Finn learned to figure out each other’s quirks. In time, they gelled and are excelling in their learning. Cody’s letters may be backwards, but her knowledge is endless.
I walk backward up the sidewalk, keeping my sight on her. The steps creak and crack as I walk up each one of them. I settle into my favorite rocking chair, watching my girl talk to her dog she loves with all her heart and soul. The same devil dog who saved her life.
“Hey, babe.” A warm hand reaches over, covering mine.
And her mom’s life.
“How’s she doing?” Bertie asks, rubbing her swollen belly.
“She misses him. Her soul is broken. She cried and picked out every yellow flower they had like she always does.”
“Yeah.” Bertie rocks with a smirk on her face.
The slight scar on her forehead guts me every time I see it. It could’ve been so much worse. I’ll never forget the moment she woke up and asked me to take her home. I was all-in. The only thing I didn’t understand was home meant mine. My girl was finally back in my life.
The truth was revealed that night, and Garrett clung to life. I like to think it was because no one was rooting for him that later made him take the plunge to flatline. No one could save him. In all honesty and my best doctor lingo, it was a collapsed lung from a broken rib. He was gone, and I took Bertie and my girl home. That night was so chaotic, and between my story, Bertie’s, Nell’s, Cody’s, and the pile of evidence against Garrett, the case was closed.
Bertie was expecting, and that piece of news was glorious and scary as shit. She battled for life and for the one growing inside her. Garrett took away Cody’s mom for days, and for that I will never be able to forgive him. The board reinstated her license right away. She became a practicing doctor in our tiny hometown office once she had the strength. Her knowledge knew no bounds, and the townspeople welcomed her with arms wide open. They drank her in like an ice-cold glass of lemonade. She refreshes everything she touches. I’m living proof.
It was all perfect except for the tiny shatter in our family. Scotty was gone.
“You missing the office?” I ask,
rocking in unison with her.
“Will you be mad if I say yes?”
I scoff. “Would be worried if you said no, doctor.”
She chuckles, rubbing her belly. She’s days away from popping, and Lord, I’ve never understood a woman pregnant and stressed out. It’s been heaven and hell all at the same time. I swear pulling this woman away from her job is impossible. We can’t even go to the grocery store without someone stopping her. And of course, Bertie listens and gives her best advice, most of it ending with the comment to call the office, and you can damn sure bet Bertie has followed up on each and every patient.
A yelping sound gets my attention. Bertie rocks forward, reaching down, grabbing a puppy from a box.
“Think this will help?” She smiles with a squirming puppy in her hand. “They were giving them away at the grocery store today. Jules got one for Emma, too.” She winks.
Like Jules getting a puppy also would help the situation.
“Do you know the pedigree?” I quirk an eyebrow.
“Cardboard box…” She trails off.
“Its ears are floppy, and it’s the same color as Scotty.”
“It’s a she and Scotty’s girlfriend.” She pauses, even tearing up. That damn dog did us all in. “She’s perfect and spoke to me.”
I smile wide. “It’s his girlfriend.”
“Yes, he got a girlfriend.”
The sound of footsteps come tromping up the stairs. Cody keeps her vision focused on her fumbling fingers.
The puppy lets out a high-pitched yelp, piercing my eardrums.
This coaxes Cody out of her trance. Her messy blonde curls bound up. It takes her only a matter of seconds before she puts the puzzle pieces together. Her tentative smile fades into a frown. No one will ever replace Scotty. It’s not until the naughty pup nips at Bertie’s hands that Cody smiles wide and races up the sidewalk and porch steps.
“Oh my God. Oh my God.” She drops to her knees before her mom. “What is this?”
“Your new best friend,” Bertie replies.
I can tell by the coarse hair of the dog and floppy ears that this puppy will be far worse than Scotty ever dared being. Talk about reincarnation on steroids.
“It’s mine?” She slaps her chest in question.
The dog yips and scrambles in Bertie’s hands. It’s not until Cody pulls the pup to her chest that it settles down. And I swear to God, shock me down to death, somehow Scotty’s evil glare shines back at me.
“Are you a boy or girl?” Cody flips the pup over. “Oh, you’re a girl. You’re Scotty’s girlfriend. Your name is Sasha. He always wanted a Sasha.”
Cody bursts into the house, leaving Bertie and me on the porch. We rock back and forth on our rockers. We’ve been through it all and have so much more to look forward to.
“I thought Cody Junior would be a nice name.”
“There’s too many damn Codys and a Junior around here.” Bertie continues to rub her rounded belly while squeezing my hand.
“Claude?” I squeeze her hand right back. “That’s a solid and sturdy name.”
“No.”
“A hard no?” I ask.
“Hard as hell, and did you miss the fact she has already named the dog?” She continues to rock back and forth.
I decide to go for it all. Hell, it’s the motto of my life now. I’ll never walk away or back down because of past sins.
“I’m talking baby names. We know it’s another girl.” Yes, God played his hand real damn well giving the playboy two girls. “Robby.”
“Robby,” Bertie repeats.
I remain silent, having no idea where she’d be on this.
“Robby,” she repeats again. “I like it.”
Internally I fist pump but end up coughing. I grasp my chest, hacking up the best cough I can muster.
“Are you getting sick?” Bertie leans forward in the rocker with her hands on her swollen belly in full doctor mode.
I cough again for good measure and wink. “I’m so sick, doc.”
That only earns me a smack on the back of the head as we both gaze toward the sunset, relishing in the miracle of us.
Epilogue
Cody
I rock back and forth, watching the kids dance around the lake with the mountains kissing the edges. It takes me back to the day I married Bertie on the edge of that same water. We didn’t go for the typical ceremony. Hell no, we both tipped our toes in the water as we took our vows then jumped in hand in hand off the dock during our reception.
“Dammit, Sasha.” I kick at the ball of fur that I’d love to piss on. She growls back at me, baring her teeth. I give in. “Come here, baby girl.”
Yep, just like a pussy, I bend down and scoop the princess up in my hands. She continues to growl as I fix my tie until it lies flat on my chest. I’m minutes away from taking my last few steps down the aisle. I can’t fucking wait to rush to my girls at the end of the aisle on the sandy beach. My beginning started and now has ended with her. I’ve felt guilt over my yesterdays, but not today. It’s the moment of time where I’ll start my forever.
“Dad!” Blonde wild curls peek into the room. “It’s time.”
Sasha claws at my collar, digging into my skin. The little shit leaps out of my arms, landing on all four paws.
“Let’s get it done, baby girl.”
And now our two girls play and splash out in the same water where all our lives we joined together as one. There was no looking back. Our future was too damn bright.
We bought up all the surrounding land, developing cabins. Yeah, that “we” includes Jessie and Max and their families. It’s our little slice of heaven we get to escape to, and the older we grow, the more we find ourselves up here. Jules travels along, making it perfect for schooling the children.
We men rock on the porch, sipping on whiskey while studying our future. I’m still unable to comprehend how fast life can change. My bar is still thriving, but under the operation of my manager, Deacon. I continue watching our kids. Finn has grown real fond of Cody, and I have no damn delight in that fact. He may be Max’s son, but that’s my daughter.
“If his shoulder brushes my daughter’s again, I’m gonna go dunk him, giving him a real life lesson,” I growl.
Jessie chuckles. He’s been through this whole game with Whit and Zack. But it’s a whole new ball game when it comes to your own daughter. Something has been up with Whit and Zack, but some topics are off limits when we’re indulging on the porch. I could guess it’s pretty damn typical in the fact Zack broke Whit’s heart and now we all hate the slimeball.
Max puffs on his cigar. “They’re walking. Chill the shit out.”
I growl back at him.
When Cody sits on the sandy beach, Finn sits right next to her, wrapping his arm around her shoulder. Before I have the chance to lose my ever-loving shit, the women “ooh” and “ahh.”
“They’re so cute together. I called it the day they met,” Jules sings out.
“They are perfect,” Kate adds.
A warm petite hand settles on my shoulder, and a whisper tickles my ear. “It’s okay, daddy grizzly bear. They are twelve.”
“Bullshit,” I grumble. “I’ll break his fingers and don’t give a shit whose son he is.”
“Calm down, papa bear.” Bertie leans down, placing a sweet, tender kiss on my cheek. “This is only the beginning.”
I don’t have a chance to respond or lose my shit because Robby decides to dive off the boat dock. I’m up and on my feet, pounding the short distance. I sprint down the sandy beach, panic gripping my chest. I’m a few feet away as she resurfaces, fist pumping the air. Her toothy grin is on display while her blonde curls are wet down to her cheeks. By damn, Bertie isn’t only the love of my life, smart as shit, and caring as hell, but she reproduces little mini-me’s. You’d have no idea Robby was mine. She is a mirror image of Bertie and my daughter, Cody.
“Dad.” My other daughter is at my side. “I told her not to do that, but she
never listens. I swear she’s so dang stubborn.”
I bite back the slice of laughter that threatens to escape at my girl’s antics. She loves and hates her little sister as much as she did Scotty.
Cody follows me down the boat dock until I’m reaching my hand down, tugging Robby out of the water with no life jacket in sight. Nope, just some damn hot pink polka-dot bikini. If you all thought Cody loved yellow, then Robby was made of hot pink, glitter, piss, and vinegar. The damn girl will be the death of me. Her smile blinds me as she shimmies her hips.
“Robby,” I growl, doing my best not to crack a smile.
“Daddy.” She props her hands on her hips as her feet settle on the dock.
“Robby.” I stare right back at her. “How many times have I told you about water and life jackets?”
“Yous told me when we were watching the Ompics at the bar that I could win a gold and I went for that.” She bats her wet lashes at me. And I’m a damn goner.
The people who gave me life will never know the miracles that have followed. Every single day I wake up next to a doctor that saved my life and stole my heart followed by two brilliant blonde beauties who inevitably bound between us are the sweetest loves of my life. No amount of whiskey could or will replace that feeling. The day Robby explained to her mom what was in the Pussy Pleaser, my signature drink, at the bar, I did fear for my life. It only took a little loving and smooth talking before I had my doctor back in my good graces.
“For shit sakes.” I drop to my knees.
Robby covers her mouth. “You said shit, Daddy, shit, shit, shit!”
For Christ sakes, I bite down on my bottom lip. “I did, and that’s because you scared the shit out of me.”
“Why, Daddy? You said I can be in the Ompics, and I just nailed that.” She winks at me.
God bless this little girl who has the smarts of her momma and sister and my damn slick charm. The world has no idea what is coming their way. None.