Unbreakable Bond

by Sharon Cummin

  “No way,” she said, as she took a step back from me. “He warned me already.”

  “Warned you?” I asked.

  “Sure did,” she answered. “He said you were going to try that crap. He also said he'd kick my butt if I let you do it. I never thought I'd see the day I'd actually have to keep you away from a ballgame, but that day has come. He worries about you, Cassie. That's a good thing.”

  “He's being a pain in the ass,” I said. “I can go if I want.”

  “I disagree,” she said. “You can try, but you know the men in this family, they won't let it happen.”

  I heard the front door open, and a smile covered my face.

  “I've got some babies to see,” I said, as I turned around and linked my arm with my grandma's. “Come on.”

  When I held one of the twins in my arms, I couldn't help the excited feeling that went through me. Fifteen days, I thought. Only fifteen more days and I'd be holding my own precious bundle of joy. The baby's room was ready and so were we, all of us. The twins were more excited than the rest. They didn't have a younger brother or sister, and they couldn't wait. Jenny and Jeff were excited too, but it wasn't the same. Jake couldn't be bothered by the idea. He was way too busy playing to think about a baby.

  We all sat down to dinner and were busy stuffing our faces when Sammie spoke.

  “I was thinking you and mom should probably go home so Lance and Lauren can get used to taking care of their own zoo.”

  “Are you suggesting my grandchildren are animals?” Lance asked, in a harsh tone.

  “Not at all,” Sammie answered. “They are all super adorable kids, but they need their parents to step up and take care of them. You and mom can't live here forever.”

  I looked over at Lance Jr. to see him giving his sister a dirty look.

  “What?” she asked, in an innocent tone. “I'm just trying to help you out here.”

  “Help him out with what?” Lance asked.

  “Hurry this up,” grandma said. “I'm about to go watch my boy play, so get a move on.”

  “Help with what?” Lance asked again, much rougher than he'd asked the first time.

  Then he turned his cold stare from Sammie to Lance Jr.

  “What is she trying to say?” he asked him.

  “Come on, Lance,” grandma snapped out. “You've been living here for how long? Once you found out Lauren had to stay in bed, your ass moved in, and it hasn't left. It's time to go home, Son. Now get your ass moving. Pack it up. Give them the room back. Shit! I was thinking about coming to stay for a few days, and I can't do it as long as you're living here.”

  Lucy let out a laugh as grandma and Lance had a stare down.

  “She has a point, hotshot,” Lucy said. “Have you seen our room. We've taken over.”

  “They'll still need help,” Lance said, as he took his eyes away from grandma's and looked at his wife.

  “We can still help them,” she said. “That doesn't mean we have to live here. Don't you miss our home? Don't you miss being able to walk around naked and have sex wherever we want?”

  “Mom,” Sammie yelled out, as her hands moved to cover her ears.

  “You started it,” Lucy said.

  “Lancie did,” Sammie said. “You owe me, Brother.”

  “Do not,” Lance Jr. said. “You did a bad job of starting the conversation.”

  “I'm turning on the game,” grandma said, as she got up and walked toward the other room. “Take your ass home, Lance, and please quit talking about where you do it.”

  Grandma turned on the television, and I stood up to follow her. Just as I took one step forward, I felt the strangest feeling, and I looked down.

  “Shit!” I yelped out.

  “What?” my mom asked.

  Then she looked down too.

  “Scott,” she called out to my dad. “We need to go.”

  “Why?” he asked, as he walked around the table. “I thought we were watching the game here. You can't take her. Parker will be pissed. We had one job, Woman. Keep her here.”

  “Scott,” she said, as she pointed to the drip coming out of the bottom of my jean pant leg.

  “Shit!” he let out.

  Grandma came back into the room and looked down.

  “Really?” she asked. “I was just about to watch the game. Come on.”

  “Guess we get to leave all the kids here,” Sammie said.

  “What?” Lance Jr. barked out.

  “Oh, come on,” she replied. “You already have five. What's a few more?”

  “A few,” he said, as his eyes widened.

  “Let's go,” Sammie said, as she took my arm and pulled me toward the front door.

  Then I heard his voice come from the television in the other room, and I froze.

  “Parker,” I said. “He's not going to be there. He's in town, and he's going to miss his baby's birth. We have to wait. I can't do this.”

  That was the second the first pain hit, and I freaked.

  “Move it,” Sammie snapped out at me. “Do not pull this shit now. We don't have time for it. He'll be there.”

  “You don't know that, Sammie,” I snapped back. “Quit being so mean. Don't you have any sympathy for a woman in labor?”

  She tugged on my arm again to get me moving.

  “Not at all,” she answered. “If I did that in this family, that's all I'd be doing. I'll call one of the wives so they can get him a message. Just hold your legs together and hope your man finishes the damn game in nine innings.”

  By the time we got to the hospital, Sammie had already gotten a hold of one of the wives. She said she'd find a way to tell him, and I hoped she was right.

  Since my water had already broken and I was having pains, they put me in a room and began preparing me. Once I was settled, everyone else came in, and we turned the television on. I watched, as Parker played. If he already knew, it sure didn't look like it. Then I saw him look up toward the family area. He was scrunching up his eyes, and I let out a laugh. Whatever he was looking at, he couldn't figure out. I could tell. The second the inning was over, he walked toward another player, and as they walked back toward the dugout, they both looked up. That was when he got it. She'd stood by her word and let my man know. His eyes widened, and then worry filled them.

  “You see that shit?” Lance asked, as he laughed. “I guess they told him.”

  “Stop,” I said. “Don't be laughing. Look at the look on his face.”

  “I told you he worries about you,” grandma said.

  His hand went up and threw his hair, and I knew he was going to be in a hurry to get out of there.

  Each time an inning was over, my pain got stronger. It was really bad, and I knew I was very close.

  “Get a nurse,” I said, as I looked over at Sammie and whispered.

  “Shit!” she yelled out. “Get a nurse, James.”

  “Really?” I asked, as I looked up at her. “Way to not be obvious.”

  The nurse came, and they all stepped out while she checked me.

  “You're almost there,” she said, as she looked up at the television. “You must be a huge fan.”

  “That's my husband,” I said, as the tears began to pour from my eyes.

  “Parker,” she said, as she looked back at me. “I hadn't even realized it. I'm sorry. I'm not a huge baseball fan.”

  “Neither was I,” I said. “Not until him. Three of the guys in my room are former Pirates.”

  “Seriously?” she asked. “And you weren't a fan until him?”

  “Not at all,” I said. “I couldn't stand the game.”

  “He better get his butt moving then,” she said. “His baby will be here very soon.”

  As soon as she said that, the tears came even faster.

  “I'm sorry,” she said.

  “It's okay,” I said.

  As soon as my family came back into the room, Sammie hurried over and hugged me.

  “He'll be here,” she whispered.


  “The game just went into overtime. I don't think he will,” I said. “I want him here. He wasn't there when the twins were born. He needs to be here. I have to hold out. I need him.”

  “I'm here,” she said. “I won't leave your side.”

  Each time a contraction came, I tried my best to hide it, but the damn machine would beep and everyone would look at me.

  “I'm waiting,” I said, as I cried. “I have to wait. He needs to hurry. Call them again. Tell them.”

  I looked up at the screen to see Parker hit the ball right out of the park. He'd hit a home run. It was over.

  “He'll be here,” I said. “I know he will.”

  “We're here, Cassie,” grandma said. “Stop stressing out. Everything will be fine.”

  “No,” I cried out. “It won't. He has to be here. I have to wait.”

  The game ended, and I knew I had to hold on just a little longer. I could do it. I didn't have a choice.

  The nurse came in again, and everyone walked out into the hall. As soon as she checked me, she looked up with a smile.

  “It's time,” she said. “The baby is right there.”

  “No,” I said. “I need another twenty minutes. He'll be here.”

  “I disagree,” she said. “We're going to get everything ready now. I'm going to ask your family to move to the waiting room. Would you like one of them to stay?”

  “Sammie,” I said, as I began to cry even harder.

  When Sammie walked back into the room, she hurried toward me.

  “Cassie,” she said.

  “What if he doesn't make it?” I asked.

  “Then we'll do this together,” she answered.

  In that moment, I knew I'd be okay whether he made it or not, but I also knew I was going to do everything I could to wait for him.

  Chapter 12

  Parker

  We'd finished a couple of innings when I looked up at the family section where I would usually see my wife, but she wasn't there. The woman was about to pop. She was insisting she wanted to come and watch me play, but I let her know it wasn't happening. I'd also let every single one of the family know they weren't to bring her or let her out of their sight. When I saw one of the wives, the one Cassie and Sammie liked to talk to, wave, I shook my head and looked back at her husband. When she started waving her arms around like a crazy woman, I looked back at her man again, and he had the same confused look on his face that I had on mine. Our third out came, and we began walking toward the dugout. When I looked up, I saw the same woman hold up a sign. I stopped and tried to make out what it said, but I couldn't. Her husband came up next to me and let out a laugh.

  “What the fuck is wrong with your wife?” I asked.

  He stopped, and I stopped too.

  “Look at the sign again,” he said.

  When I looked up again, I saw the words Baby Time.

  “Shit!” I growled out, as I hurried toward the dugout. “I have to get there. I have to make it. I promised I'd be there. I am not missing my child's birth.”

  The second I got where all the guys could hear me, I let them know. We needed to move as fast as possible. I needed to get to my wife and baby.

  I felt like that one game was taking days. Was she at the hospital? Did we have a long time? Was she already pushing? What the fuck was going on? There was no way to know. I wanted to walk out of there so badly, but I couldn't. I was under contract, but more importantly, those were my guys I'd be walking out on, and I couldn't do that. I was part of the team.

  When the last inning started, we were tied, and I couldn't have that. I needed to leave. They got a run, but so did we, so it was tied up again. That could not happen again. They were up, and my guys got them out three in a row. I was the first up to bat. As soon as the ball came my way, I knocked that shit right out of there. I rounded the bases, landed on home plate, hugged my team, smacked hands with the rest, and I was out of there. I got to the locker room, grabbed my stuff, and took off for my car, pushing right by the reporter that was trying to stop me.

  I drove as fast as I could, pulled into the first spot I found, and took off for the door. I got through the hospital as fast as I could. The woman at the desk quickly directed me on where to go, and I was on my way. As soon as I reached the labor and delivery area, a nurse grabbed my arm.

  “Hurry up,” she snapped out. “She's been doing everything she can to wait, but it hasn't been working.”

  “How do you know who I am?” I asked.

  She motioned to my jersey and laughed.

  “It's not that difficult,” she said. “She followed every second of the game.”

  She reached for a door, pulled it open, and hurried me into the room. The moment I saw her, my heart broke.

  “Push,” I heard Sammie say.

  “No,” Cassie yelled. “He's not here yet. Fuck!”

  “He is now,” Sammie said, as she motioned for me to move.

  I hurried to Cassie's side and took her hand from Sammie's.

  “Hey, princess,” I said. “I tried as hard as I could, baby. I really did.”

  “Parker,” she said, as she opened her eyes and looked up at me. “You're here.”

  “I'm here,” I said.

  “You need to push,” the doctor said.

  “Fine,” she said.

  She held my hand tight and did just as the doctor had asked her. After six big pushes, our baby entered the world. It was the most beautiful thing I'd ever seen in my life. When I heard the tiny cry, my heart melted.

  “It's a boy,” the doctor said. “You have a son.”

  They did what they needed to do, and when they placed my son in my wife's arms, I cried. I'd missed the twins coming into the world, and I was so damn thankful I hadn't missed what had just happened. I would never forget it for as long as I lived.

  I looked down at our perfect little boy. Then I looked into the eyes of the most amazing woman I'd ever met.

  “Six kids,” I said. “We have six kids.”

  “We do,” she said, as she handed our son to me.

  “When do we go for seven?” I asked, as I held the little bundle close to my chest.

  “Parker,” Cassie growled out.

  “Just kidding, princess,” I said. “I'll give you a few months before I bring it up again.”

  “I'm not risking you missing another birth,” she said. “That was too scary for me. Never again.”

  “Don't say that,” I said. “You'll change your mind.”

  “Will not,” she said.

  “I'll have to talk to your grandma about it then,” I said, and we both laughed.

  My woman was exhausted, and I wasn't leaving her side. I was going to be right there to take care of her and our son.

  “I want to name him Pete,” she said, and I let out a laugh.

  “Cassie,” I said. “You're just exhausted.”

  “Look at him,” she said. “He looks just like you.”

  “Cassie,” I said, with warning in my tone.

  “I'm serious,” she said.

  “No,” I said.

  “Yes,” she said.

  “Not happening, princess,” I said.

  “This is one argument I'm not giving up on,” she said.

  Just as I opened my mouth to tell her what I thought about that, the door opened, and everyone walked in. There was Lucy, Lance, Carrie, Scott, Sammie, James, and grandma.

  “Where's my newest grandchild?” grandma asked.

  “Right here,” I said. “It's a boy.”

  “Get on that next one right away,” she said, as she sat down and motioned for me to bring her the baby.

  “That's what I said,” I told her. “Cassie doesn't seem so thrilled though.”

  “She will be,” grandma said. “Just give her some time.”

  “He's so adorable,” Sammie said, as she looked down at the baby before walking over to Cassie. “What's his name?”

  “Pete Parker Jr.,” Cassie said.

&
nbsp; “Seriously,” James blurted out with a laugh.

  “Yes,” Cassie said, with seriousness in her tone.

  She meant it. I'd totally thought it was a joke, but it wasn't. She really wanted to name our boy after me.

  “I'm not sure,” I said.

  “I love it,” grandma said. “He looks just like his daddy. That's the perfect name.”

  “See,” Cassie said. “Grandma even thinks it's perfect.”

  “She also thinks we need to work on another one right away,” I said.

  My girl looked at me with the biggest smile on her face, and I knew right then that I'd lost the argument. What my wife wanted, my wife got. I'd do anything to make her happy. So, there it was. We were naming our little boy after me, and secretly, I was so damn happy about it.

  Chapter 13

  Parker

  4 Months Later

  We wanted to spend Thanksgiving with Cassie's family, but she also wanted to meet my parents, so the week before the holiday, we flew to California. To say the flight was interesting would have been an understatement. I guess we should have expected that, flying with six kids and all, but we didn't. I flew all the time with the team, so to me it was nothing. Add in six kids, one of which was four months old, and I wasn't sure I'd ever want to fly again. They weren't bad, it wasn't that at all. It was just a long flight, and asking them to sit still the entire time wasn't fair to any of them. We had ways for them to watch movies and listen to music, and we also had snacks and books. The flight attendants said the kids were really well behaved, but Cassie said they were just saying it because of who I was. My woman looked so damn sexy when she was jealous.

  As soon as the plane landed, Cassie took the head of the line and I stayed in the back to make sure we had everyone and everything. My family was so damn adorable walking single file off the plane, a backpack hanging from each of our shoulders. A few guys even gave me the old fist bump on the way out. I had to laugh. We were hilarious. I could even admit that.

  There was one thing weighing heavy on my mind the entire flight. It was something I'd just found out the night before. There was a huge possibility I was being traded. It was all I could think about, but there was no way I was telling Cassie. I couldn't do it. It wasn't being publicized, so I'd be able to keep it to myself for the duration of the trip and hopefully even longer. I had a lot to think about, and I wanted the chance to do that before Cassie found out. Things were different than the time before. I had more options, but they weren't simple ones. If my team traded me, I had two choices. I could go, or I could opt out all together. Yes, I could quit. Did I want to do that? Hell no. Would I? That was the thinking I had to do. Would I be willing to move my family away from everyone that loved them? Would my wife be willing to go? How long would we be there? Would we just have to move again? How many times would I be willing to put my family through all that just for my career? Did I love the game? Of course. I loved every bit of it, but I loved my family more. The twins were with us permanently, and we had four other children. Wherever I went, Cassie would be alone with them all, and I wasn't sure she was willing to do that. I also wasn't sure I was willing to ask that of her. I was gone enough as it was, and there was so much I was already missing. It was time for me to decide just how much I was willing to miss.