by Kayt Miller
I watched as he twisted his hands in his shirt.
“You were a good friend and a great co-worker. You were always there to help me. You also gave me great gifts,” he smirks. “I know you gave me the bobblehead of Rizzo and me, um, really liked it. I should have thanked you for it but I, um, was an ass.”
Yeah, he was.
“That day… that day we hurt you, we’d taken a bunch of stuff––pills, weed, and some other things. We blamed you for the loss of our jobs and for our predicament. It was wrong to blame you, and I’m sorry. I hope you will be able to forgive me someday. I don’t deserve it, but I’ll hope for it anyway.”
He turns back to the judge and waits.
“Would you like to say anything, Ms. McGonigall?” the judge asks.
“No,” I reply. I have nothing to say to him. I appreciate his apology and believe it to be honest and even a little heartfelt but I’ve got nothing to say to the man that was going to hold me down while a crazy person tried to kill my baby. Drugs or not, that’s unacceptable.
“Very well. Thank you, Mr. Smith. You will report to your rehab facility by noon tomorrow, or there is no plea deal, and you will face criminal charges and a trial. Do you understand?”
“Yes. I understand,” Chris replies.
“Very well, we are adjourned.” The judge taps her gavel on her bench, and she rises to leave. We all stand, and that’s it. It’s over.
I turn to go when Chris calls my name. Damn. I look at him and see the sincerity in his eyes.
“I really am sorry. I’ll hate myself forever for threatening your baby, Roni.”
“Good. I hope you choke on it,” spits Mick. “We’re done here, asshole. Never speak to her again. You get me? You’re so lucky it was the cops that caught up with you first, fucker. Because you wouldn’t be standing here now if...”
“Okay, okay, that’s enough, Mick,” says Hank as he stands between Chris and Mick.
Chris slips away out the side door with his attorneys. I look at Mick, then my dad and the sobbing begins. I’m not sure if it's a relief or fear that has caused the tears, but it doesn’t matter. I go to my dad first and wrap my arms around him, “Daddy, I was so scared.”
“Oh, Dove. You were very, very brave today. I’m so proud of you.”
Hearing him call me ‘Dove’ makes me sob even louder. That’s our little boy’s name. I just know it’s a boy.
“Shh, baby girl. We’ve got you. We’re all here to help you through this. Your man is here, and I think he needs a hug now too.”
I nod into his now wet chest. I turn to Mick and fling myself at him. “Mick. Thank you for being here for me. I love you so much.”
“I love you too, baby. You did a great job. You were very brave, just like your dad said.”
My mom approaches me, and I wrap my arms around her too. She’s got tears in her eyes as well so we cry together. “I love you, mom.”
“I love you more, Veronica.”
It’s over. I can move on with my life now. I can look forward to my life with Mick and our baby; our wedding; and our new house. Life is good. Yeah, my life is very good.
Epilogue: Mick
Living with Roni has been amazing. I’ve lived with other people before––hell, Lauren and I were practically living together, but it was never like this. My mom is right, there is nothing better than being in love with your best friend.
Roni and I talk about everything. We argue we laugh, and we make love. She’s turned me on to Thai food, and I’ve turned her on to the Cubs. We have fun relaxing on Sunday mornings then we head to my mom and dad’s place for Sunday dinner. She loves my family, and they love her.
Watching our baby grow inside of her has been the most amazing and cathartic experience of my entire life. Sure she’s been a little moody, but she’s also been sweet and sexy and cuddly too. There have been weeks at a time where she’s felt like crap. Others when she was so exhausted she couldn’t get much done and weeks where she’s felt exhilarated and fulfilled.
It’s probably the same for all women, but that doesn’t matter. The past nine months of baby time has been worth all the ups and downs.
We’re due any day now. Actually, the baby is overdue but I try not to say that out loud because being pregnant during the hot summer months has not been fun for Roni. My kid is pretty big. According to our last visit, the little bundle of joy is over eight pounds now. It’s hard to say if that’s the actual weight, but they’re sure he or she is going to be big.
They’ve talked about a c-section, and Roni wants to wait to make any decision on that. But, it may come to that, so we need to be prepared. We have another appointment with the OB-GYN today, so we’ll know more then.
At the appointment, Roni can’t get comfortable in the hard plastic chairs at the OB-GYN’s waiting area. Why wouldn’t they have nice fluffy chairs for all of these expectant mothers? After way too long, we’re finally called into the exam room. There’s the standard equipment along with an ultrasound machine in the room.
They take Roni’s blood pressure, and there’s concern on the nurse’s face. “Roni, I’m going to have you lie down on your left side for a few minutes. Then, I’ll take your blood pressure again, okay?”
“Why?” I ask. What’s going on?
“Her B.P. is a little high. Lying down may help bring it down a bit. We’ll see. I’ll get the doc in here so she can talk to you about it.”
The nurse scoots out the door quickly. “Is that bad? The blood pressure?” I ask Roni.
“I guess. I don’t know.”
The ultrasound technician comes in next. We’ve had several of these, so we know what to expect. She measures the baby to gauge the weight and length again. “Well?” I ask the tech.
“You’ll need to wait for the doctor. She’ll read the results and be in shortly.”
“Damn it,” I say impatiently.
“Don’t worry, Mick. It’ll be okay.”
But, it’s not okay.
“Veronica? Mick? How are you today?” asks Dr. Chandler.
“Good,” replies Roni. I keep my mouth shut.
“Well, let me just tell you what we think it happening.” The doctor pauses, and it makes me even more nervous.
“Your blood pressure is high. That’s a concern. The baby measures much larger than the last visit. We’re going with over nine pounds now. I’m not sure you’ll be able to deliver vaginally. With your blood pressure, it’s not ideal.”
“What are you saying, Dr. Chandler?”
“I think we need to do a c-section. Tomorrow morning at the latest.”
“At the latest?” I choke. Is everything okay? Is Roni okay?”
“Mick. It’s going to be okay. Whenever the blood pressure goes up, we like to expedite delivery, so it’s safer for mother and child.”
I run my fingers through my hair and start to pace around the room. That is until I look at my girl. Fear. There’s real fear in her eyes. I walk to her and take her hand in mine. “Listen to the doc, baby. She’s done this a million times. I’m sure this is common, right doc?”
“The high blood pressure is not uncommon. You don’t have Preeclampsia, but we don’t mess around with high B.P. The fact that your baby may be over nine pounds is a little less common,” she smirks. “You should probably blame this guy for that,” she jokes pointing to Mick.
“Yeah, his mom said he was humongous,” Roni laughs.
“Okay, let’s get you scheduled for tomorrow morning. How does that sound? Are you ready to have a baby?”
We look at each other, and I smile first. “Yeah, we’re ready. Lainie Flynn is about to be born.”
“You mean Calum Flynn, don’t you?” says Roni.
I squeeze her hand and say, “I don’t care what we have as long as you’re both healthy.”
Tears appear out of nowhere again, and Roni sobs quietly as the nurse schedules the birth of our huge baby.
“Congratulations! It’s a boy!”
&nb
sp; Calum Jeffrey Flynn
Born August 4th, 9:51 a.m.
9 lbs 15 oz -- 22 inches long
Mother and child are doing great and daddy Mick has never been more proud.
Now he just needs to get Roni down the damn aisle. Stay tuned…
One year later…
Me: Roni?
Roni: Yeah?
Me: We’re getting married today.
Roni: So, I’ve heard.
Me: I didn’t write this but I wish I had…
When I saw you first,
it took every ounce of me
not to kiss you.
When I saw you laugh,
it took every ounce of me
not to fall in love.
And when I saw your soul,
it took every ounce of me.
— Atticus
Me: Roni?
Roni: I love you, Mick. So much. Thank you.
Me: I love you too. Now, let’s get hitched, woman!
Roni: You just had to go one step too far. LOL. At least you didn’t talk about my tits.
Me: Damn, hang on. I’ll Google a good poem about tits…
Roni: Don’t you dare.
Me: See you soon, baby.
Roni: ;)
“Will you take this woman to be your lawfully wedded wife?”
“Hell yes!” I shout. “Finally!” I wrap my arms around Roni and kiss the hell out of her. It took me a damn year to get her to walk down the aisle. Roni used one excuse after another to delay this thing. First, it was her wanting to lose the baby weight. Then she wanted to wait until our son was old enough to be a part of the ceremony and remember it. Yeah, like a one-year-old is gonna remember anything but the cake he’s going to eat later.
The final excuse was the last straw for me, she wanted to wait until this next one was born. No. Can. Do. We’re pregnant again. It was an accident. At least that’s the story I’m going with because I had every intention of knocking her up again. Being a dad is the best thing I’ve ever done in my entire life besides being with Roni, that is. She’s amazing and knowing we’re going to add to our family makes me feel blessed in ways I can’t even describe.
The crowd around me starts to laugh and when I look at my wife. My wife, she’s smiling and laughing too. Holding our little guy in her arms, we finally tied the knot in our beautiful backyard. My brother David is officiating our wedding. He volunteered to become ordained just for us. He’s changed a lot since his divorce. He’s noticeably happier, for one. For another, he’s in love with Jen’s complete opposite. Thank fuck.
My entire family is here along with cousins, aunts, uncles, and nieces… only nieces. We’ve got the only Flynn boy so far. Roni’s sure this one was a boy too. I learned the first time not to question her thoughts on that matter, so we’ll just plan on welcoming Seamus Declan Flynn into the world about eight months. But, don’t tell my family. They can’t keep a damn secret.
Roni’s family is here too. Even her sisters decided to show up this time. I’m not sure what the story is there, but she gets no support or love from her siblings. Her parents are wonderful as they dote on our son.
Our son… is perfect. He’s a perfect blend of the two of us. He’s sweet and cuddly like his mom, and at times, he’s ornery and surly like his dear old dad. He’s got blue eyes and blonde hair, and he’s smart as a whip. I’m not just saying that because he’s my kid. He’s genuinely smart. He started to crawl at eight months, and by the middle of the ninth, he was running. Much to our chagrin.
He keeps us moving, that’s for sure. Roni’s still working at P&P Advertising. She works the majority of the time from home, but she does go into the office one day a week. Her client list has expanded from EnerSport to include a few others. She’s content with her job, and with her life, I believe. That’s what she tells me, anyway.
My drinks are on store shelves. We haven’t gone national––yet. But, we will in the next year. I’ve got my first four drinks for sale, and we’re working on four new flavors. You’ll have to wait to find out what those are later. I’m still managing Chrome too. I only work during the day and nights when someone blows off their shift. Otherwise, I’m home every night with my family. It’s fucking perfect. My life is fucking perfect, and it all started with a kiss.
Five years later…
What was I thinking? Having another baby at thirty-seven is insane. With three little boys and one big one running around the house it’s enough to make me cry now. I’m about ready to pop with number four. It’s a girl. I know it is. We wanted to wait until the birth to see what we’re having but I’ve been right all three times. I haven’t told Mick because I want him to be surprised.
He’ll be happy no matter what. Mick honestly doesn’t care if we have a boy or a girl. He’s in love with all of his kids and he’d be happy with another Flynn boy to add to the three we’ve got: Calum, Seamus, and Michael who just turned two last month.
Our life is perfect, really. Perhaps ‘perfect’ isn’t the right word when we spend our days cleaning up messes, scrubbing walls that are covered in crayon, and chasing little guys who think it’s hilarious to run away from us at the store, the park, and at bedtime.
Giggles can be heard from miles around when our little terrors take off on us. They love to be chased even though it scares me to death. We’re getting better at reading Calum’s signals. We know when he’s about to do a runner. Michael has caught on to the game now and it’s much harder to read him.
Seamus? Awe, Seamus is my little mama’s boy. He won’t leave my side even if the other two are making a run for it. Seamus clings to my hand or my leg and pats his hand on me like he’s letting me know that things are gonna be fine. He’s my little buddy, that’s for sure.
Mick seems to take everything in stride. I guess growing up with a house full of siblings, he’s better trained to handle all the crazy. The good thing is that Mick is home a lot to help. His drinks brand is doing well and it’s now distributed nationally. P&P Advertising is working with him to promote his product. No, I’m not his market analyst. That would be weird. He’s making good money on his drinks so he was able to quit Chrome last year. He works hard on Mick’sology, but he also works hard at being a wonderful husband and father. I’m a lucky woman.
But, there are still days when all I want to do is get in my car, drive a block, park and sit. Just sit. Oh, and stare. In utter and complete silence. Bliss. It would be bliss.
Alas, I don’t have that luxury. Mick reminds me that it won’t be long until they’re all grown up and gone. That makes me sad. As a matter of fact, thinking about it makes me tear up. Ah, hell. My hormones are all over the place.
“Baby, what’s wrong?” Mick asks me from his side of the bed. It’s late and the boys are finally asleep.
“Nothing. Just thinking about our little guys. Are they going to be able to adapt to another sibling?”
“Of course they will. They’re resilient little people. They’ll love their brother or sister. I promise,” he says reaching out for me.
I roll over to him. My belly is so huge this time that it hits him long before my hands get to him. “Damn it. I’m so huge. I can’t even hug you,” I sob.
“Shhh, come here.” Mick sits up in bed and pulls me over to straddle his lap.
“Mick, I weigh a ton. I’ll hurt your lap.”
Chuckling, Mick slides his hands up and down my thighs. “Not possible, babe. Come on, give me a little kiss.”
I lean over and press my belly into his chest. He lets out a sound like I’ve forced air out of him and he laughs again. My tears start up again as I roll back over to my side of the bed.
“Oh, angel. I was just teasing. I love your belly when it’s full of our child.” He says rubbing his palm over my big round fat stomach.
I shudder and sob as he rubs. It’s a calming feeling when he touches me. I don’t like the teasing right now, though. I’m not in the mood.
“Only a few more days and…”
> I let out another sob and take a deep breath but something feels wrong. I start to breath harder until it’s hard to take in any air. “Mick? I can’t breath.” When my breathing becomes even more labored I reach out for him. “Mick?” I’m gasping for air. “Mick! I’m… I’m scared. What’s wrong?”
He’s out of bed in seconds and around to my side of the bed before I can say another word. He reaches for my phone and dials 911.
“911, what’s your emergency.”
“My wife. She’s pregnant. She can’t breath. We need an ambulance here now!”
He sits next to me and rubs my back. “They’ll be here soon, angel. Just calm down. Concentrate on your breathing, okay.”
I hear the 911 operator talking but I’m not sure what she’s saying. I just hear Mick say, “Okay. Yeah, okay.”
Feeling like I’m about to black out, Mick holds up a lunch sack. Where did that come from? “I want you to breath into this, Veronica. Can you do that for me, babe?”
I nod. I’ll try anything. He holds it gently over my mouth as he guides my breathing in and out, in and out. His eyes are connected to mine right now. He’s focused on my breathing nodding to me giving me a cadence, a rhythm. In minutes I’m breathing normally again. Well, relatively normally.
I hear the sirens and know they’re coming for me. It’s then I hear a little voice at our door and see Seamus rubbing his sweet little eyes. “Mommy?”
Tears start to fall again and my breathing escalates once again until I can’t breathe. Seamus is scared. Mick makes that shush sound, “Baby, look at me. Calm down. It’s going to be fine. We’re all fine. Just breathe, sweetheart. Just breathe.”
Calum appears at our door as the paramedics knock at our front door. “Calum, can you run down and let in the paramedics? They’re here to help mommy. Let them in and tell them where we are, okay buddy?”