by Sarah Markel
Walking down to their son, both Alex and Kelly hugged him. “I hope you don’t mind that I called you that.” Zane said to Kelly. Wiping her own tears away, Kelly shook her head. “Son, I told you before, you can call me whatever you want. If you want to call me mom, or just want to tell people I’m your mom, I’m okay with that.” Smiling, Zane kissed Kelly’s cheek, “Thanks mom.” he said. Later that night, once the party was over and the kids were tucked into bed, Kelly asked Alex, “Babe, who called the news station?” smiling, Alex replied “I did. I wanted him to know that it wasn’t just us who was proud of him for what he did. Although I wasn’t expecting his answer to the ‘why’ question.” She added with a chuckle. “Me either.” Kelly agreed, climbing into bed next to Alex. Tired from the emotions of the day, both women fell asleep quickly.
As the weeks passed and Zane grew stronger, Alex and Kelly noticed a change in the boy. He had taken the pictures of Callie that hung in his room and put them in a photo album that he displayed on his bookshelf. He was also showing more interest in the things Kelly liked, rather than sticking to his preferences. In late August, the Saturday before school was to start, Alex came home from clothes shopping with Dej to find Zane and Kelly hunched over a cardboard box. “What are you two up to?” she asked, setting the bags down and joining the pair. “I’m packing up some of Mama’s things from my room.” Zane replied. Feeling a slight pang in her heart, Alex asked why. “Well, I’ve done a lot of thinking, and I decided that I don’t need all of these things to remind me of who she was.” He answered after a moment. Looking into the box, Alex was surprised at its contents. Inside were several of the nick-knacks that the boy had taken possession of after the funeral. The box also contained a few photographs, a pillow, and the plaster handprint he had made for Callie’s birthday when he was three. “Where are you going to put them, son?” she asked, fingering the items lightly. “In my closet. I won’t get rid of them though.” He added, seeing the tears in his mother’s eyes. Smiling at her son, Alex stood and went upstairs to help Dej put away her new clothes. “I think she’s mad.” Zane said, looking at Kelly with uncertainty.
Patting the boy on the shoulder, Kelly stood to follow Alex. When she got to Dej’s room, Kelly asked Alex to come to their room for a moment. When Alex came in, Kelly took her hand and led her to the bed. Sitting down, Kelly looked into Alex’s eyes “Honey are you mad at Zane for packing up Callie’s things?” she asked. Realizing that her tears had been misinterpreted, Alex said “No baby, I’m not mad. I was crying because I never thought Zane would get to the point of acceptance where he would put her things away. I’m happy that he is able to move on from where he was.” Cupping Alex’s face, Kelly kissed her gently. “Then I think you need to go talk to our son, honey. He thinks you are upset with him.” She said softly. Nodding, Alex went downstairs to talk to her son. “Zane, are you sure you’re ready to pack Mama’s things away?” Alex asked, sitting back down next to her son. Nodding, the answered hesitantly “I’m sure. I’m going to keep out the picture on my dresser and the photo albums on my bookshelf. I was talking to Mom the other day and she had a really good idea. I could make something to use as a reminder of Mama. She said that way if I needed more space for my stuff, I wouldn’t have to sacrifice my memories.” Smiling at her son, Alex ruffled his hair. “Well son, I think that’s a great idea. Then you can remember the way you want to. I’m not mad at you son, I was crying because I was happy that you came to that decision on your own.” Hugging his mother, Zane stood and carefully lifted the box to take back to his room.
Chapter 46
As the holiday season arrived, Kelly felt herself filling with anticipation. Thanksgiving was only a few days away, and this year would be the first time she hadn’t spent the day with people she had only pretended to get along with. When she was in college, Kelly had a falling out with her own family over her sexuality. In the past, Kelly had spent Thanksgiving with the family of whomever she was dating at the time. Often, this led to uncomfortable meals and awkward conversations. This year she would be spending the day with Alex and Angie’s mother and step-father. She had only met the woman a handful of times during college, and wasn’t sure the woman would remember her. Alex had insisted that she join them this year, since it would be the first time in a few years that all of her siblings would be together. “You gotta come, babe. You will have so much fun. Every year Hank puts the football game on in the den and he, the boys, and myself all watch while Mom, Angie, and the other women chit chat in the kitchen. Mom always cooks, and loves it when she has all the girls there to help. Then after dinner, we all go outside and play a game of football in the yard.” Alex had pleaded on the drive home from work Friday. Even though she wasn’t sure how she felt about the idea just yet, Kelly had agreed. Happily, Alex had immediately called her mother to inform the woman of Kelly’s decision. Through the phone, Kelly had heard Alex’s mom squeal with delight. Chuckling, Alex had clicked off and smiled happily. Kelly was delighted to see that Alex enjoyed the holidays just as much as she did. While she had never had her holiday plans go as expected, Kelly had always managed to remain festive during the holiday season.
The day before Thanksgiving, Alex and Kelly spent the day getting things in order for their trip the next day. They were leaving home at 7:00 a.m. in order to make the 10:00 a.m. deadline they had been given. Alex’s mother had been insistent that everyone arrive by 10 o’clock so that they could have dinner by 4 p.m. When their alarm went off at 6:00 the next morning, both women hopped out of bed. Alex got herself ready and went down to make breakfast while Kelly got the kids up and ready. Once they had finished their breakfast, the family loaded up into the SUV and headed out. During the two and a half hour drive, Alex gave Kelly an idea of who she would meet and what to expect.
“When we get there, we have to take off our shoes. Mom hates shoes on the carpet. I’ll introduce you to my mom and Hank, who are both excited to meet you by the way. Mom said two of my brothers are already there with their families, so you’ll get to meet them and when everyone else gets there, you’ll meet them. Angie and I have four brothers, and all of them are married with kids, so there will be a lot of people there. My oldest brother is Jon, and he and his wife Cheyenne own a bar in Seattle. They have a six year old daughter named Anna. Ryan is a commercial pilot and his husband Raul is an airline steward. They have an adopted ten year old named Dimitri. James is an architect, and his wife Melissa is a stay at home mom to their two teenagers, J.J. and Gillian. Lee is the youngest and he is still in college. He and his wife Brandy are expecting their first baby in February. Then there’s my mom’s sister Lena, Hank’s brother, Albert, and my dad’s sister Sheila. Oh, I’m not sure if they will be there this year or not, but Hank also has three teenage daughters. Aviania is sixteen, Ashlynn is fourteen, and Abigail is thirteen.” She added finally. “I can’t wait to meet them all.” Kelly said with a smile. “Wait until you meet Hank, Mom. He’s awesome.” Zane said to Kelly.
The rest of the drive was companionable and quiet, largely due to both children falling asleep. “Here we are, Serenity Manor.” Alex said as she turned to pull up to a large, wrought-iron gate. A burly man in a security uniform waved at Alex with a smile and buzzed them in. After they parked next to several other cars, Alex took Kelly’s hand and brought it to her lips. “Babe, relax. There’s no reason to be nervous.” She said, reading Kelly’s face. With a nervous chuckle, Kelly replied “I know honey. I’m just a little apprehensive because this is the first time I’m meeting the folks.” Shaking her head with a smile, Alex pulled her up the walkway towards a towering oak door. Instead of knocking, Alex lifted Dej so she could push the buzzer on the intercom to the left of the door. “Who goes there?” came a gruff sounding voice. Kelly had to stifle a chuckle when the little girl answered with “It is I, Zinnia, Huntress of fortunes and slayer of those who stand in my way!” A moment later, the door opened to reveal a tall, rather plump man, holding his sides as he roared with laugh
ter. Kneeling down, the man opened his arms as Dej flung herself at him. “Pawpaw!” the girl exclaimed as the man lifted her up and tucked her onto his hip. “Well my, my, my who is this beautiful young lady? Why, you can’t be my granddaughter, you’re too big.” The man said to Dej. Giggling, the little girl wrapped her arms around the man’s neck and hugged him tight.
After setting her down and sending her inside, the man gave Zane a fist bump and a hug before ruffling his hair and sending him along inside. Alex was next to greet the man, giving him a hug and a kiss on the cheek before introducing Kelly. “Hank, this is my girlfriend, Dr. Kelly Taylor. Kelly this is my step-dad, Hank Davis.” Extending his hand, the man pulled Kelly into a tight hug when she reached to take it. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Dr. Taylor. Any friend of our Alex is a friend of ours.” He stated, setting Kelly down. Stepping aside, Hank informed them that they were the last to arrive.
As she stepped into the foyer, Kelly was in awe of her surroundings. The walls were decorated with framed photographs of Serenity Home, both during and after construction, as well as a poster sized black and white photo of a woman who looked a lot like a shorter version of Angie and a tall burly man cutting the ribbon in front of the facility. “That’s my Grandparents, Angela and Alexander Walker Sr. at the grand opening of Serenity Home. The facility was named after my Great-Grandmother, Serenity Beringer.” Alex explained, noticing Kelly’s curious expression. Before Kelly could ask any questions, a woman yelled “Alexis Renee, you get yourself in here right now!” from somewhere inside the house. Blushing scarlet, Alex took Kelly’s hand and led the woman down a long hallway, lined with tables that held various blooms, and into the large kitchen full of people. “Hi, Mama.” Alex said leading Kelly towards a plump woman who appeared to be in her late fifties. Letting go of Kelly’s hand, Alex wrapped the woman in a tight hug. When she had finished hugging her mother, she pulled Kelly close and made the introduction. “Everyone, this is my girlfriend, Dr. Kelly Taylor. Kelly, I would like you to meet my family.” She said, pointing to each family member and repeating their names.
Once she had met everyone else, Alex turned Kelly toward her mother. “Babe, this is my mom, Andrea.” Extending her hand toward the woman, Kelly said “Hello, ma’am. It’s wonderful to meet you, thank you so much for inviting me into your lovely home.” Looking behind her, Andrea appeared perplexed. “Who is this ma’am person you’re talking to? In this house, you call me Mama. Now put that thing away and come here.” She said, pushing away Kelly’s hand and pulling the woman into a tight gripped hug. Kelly returned the woman’s hug and blushed when Andrea said “Good Lord woman! Don’t you ever eat?” Unsure what to say, Kelly looked at Alex for help. Laughing, Alex pulled Kelly to her and kissed her softly. “Mama, be nice. You’re going to scare her off, besides despite her thin, sexy figure, Kelly can hold her own when it comes to food.” She said with a chuckle. Shaking her head, the family matriarch pointed to the door and ordered “Alright you heathens, everyone with a penis go find Hank. Except Raul of course. Alexis, follow your brothers.” Laughing, the group did as they were told, leaving Kelly in the kitchen with the women and Raul.
Feeling out of her element, Kelly turned to Andrea and asked “Is there anything I could help you with?” With a motherly smile, the woman nodded and steered her to the island where a bucket of large potatoes was waiting to be peeled. Handing Kelly a peeler, she explained “Why don’t you and Raul start on the potatoes? Cheyenne, Melissa, Brandy, and Angie, you four start chopping those vegetables.” she added, pointing to a long steel prep table along the wall behind Kelly. While the other women set about their tasks, Kelly listened quietly while peeling the potatoes. She worked with a smile, listening to the others talk about their kids, husbands, and jobs. “So, how did you and Alex meet?” Raul asked, startling her. “Oh, um, I went to college with Angie and she introduced us. I was hired as the staff physician at Serenity Home at the end of May.” She answered. Nodding, the man smiled and went back to his task.
“Mama, I can’t do this anymore, I need to sit down.” Melissa said with a whining tone. Rolling her eyes, Andrea asked Kelly to switch places with her. “She is a real whiner.” The woman mumbled under her breath as Kelly laid the peeler down and switched places. While the four women worked on their task, they chatted idly. Kelly learned that Cheyenne and Jon had been high school sweethearts who had tried for years before having their daughter. Melissa and James had been the same way, dating through high school and marrying before college. Brandy on the other hand, hadn’t met Lee until the previous year but the two had fallen madly in love right away. With the seven of them working together, the food for dinner came together quickly. While Andrea worked on perfecting both the ham and the turkey that were in the oven, the others set about making mashed potatoes, giblet gravy, potato salad, candied yams, green salad, green bean casserole, and homemade cranberry sauce. After they finished, each person set the cold foods in the large walk in refrigerator and the hot foods on the warming table next to the stove.
Tapping Kelly on the shoulder, Angie tipped her head toward the back door. Stepping outside with her friend, Kelly looked out into the spacious yard and watched the children running around in little groups. Dej and Anya were playing jump rope with a small, mixed race little girl. “That’s Anna.” Angie supplied, noticing Kelly’s gaze. “The little boy over there next to Zane is Dimitri, and the two teens sulking on the garden wall are James Jr. and Gillian. Those two hate being shooed outside with the little kids, even though they are only a year older than Jaxon. They’re both stuck up, just like their mother.” She added with a sneer. “I gather you two don’t like each other much?” Kelly asked with a chuckle. Nodding with a glare, Angie rolled her eyes. “There you are, beautiful.” Alex said, wrapping her arms around Kelly’s waist and kissing the woman’s temple. Standing there quietly for a few moments, the pair watched the children play.
“Oh, look at that, his majesty has decided to mingle with the commoners.” Alex said sarcastically when J.J. walked over to the group of boys who had been tossing a football around. “Zane!” Kelly screamed, lunging off the porch and running at full speed when she saw the older boy take aim and launch the ball into the middle of Zane’s chest. Making it to the boy right after he fell to the ground, Kelly dropped down and placed her hand on his stomach. “Son, are you alright?” she asked, seeing the tears in the boy’s eyes. Unable to talk, Zane shook his head no and covered his face to hide his sobs. Laughing, J.J. looked down at Zane and sneered “Nice catch, butterfingers.” Just then, Alex and Angie arrived, having not noticed at first why Kelly had taken off. Grabbing her nephew by the arm, Alex growled at the boy “What in the fuck is wrong with you, J.J.?” Looking at his aunt with smug defiance, the boy replied “It’s not my fault your son is too fruity to catch a ball.” Seeing the rage boiling beneath Alex’s features, Kelly called the woman over to help her check Zane out. By this time, the entire family had joined them in the yard, hearing Kelly’s frightened scream. “What happened?” Hank asked. Pointing to J.J., Kelly answered “That one threw the football, hard, right into Zane’s chest.” Gasping, Andrea bent down to help Alex and Kelly. Lifting the boy’s shirt, Kelly saw a large, round, purple bruise forming over Zane’s collarbone. “Son, can you sit up?” she asked gently. Nodding, the boy held out his arms so the women could help him up. Once he was on his feet, Alex’s brother Jon, a large well-built man with shaggy auburn hair, lifted the boy into his arms, careful not to put undue pressure on his chest. “Take him into the den, Jon.” Hank hollered before rounding on J.J. “Young man, do you have any idea what that stunt could have caused?” he asked, his face turning red. Glaring at the man, the boy crossed his arms over his chest and refused to answer.
“Easy, easy, don’t put any stress on his chest.” Kelly instructed as Jon carefully laid the boy on the long leather sofa. "Someone get me some ice, please.” Kelly asked loudly as she knelt next to Zane. Seeing the boy cry broke her heart. “Son,
how bad is the pain? Does it hurt into your back?” She asked, gently pulling his hands away from his face. Shaking his head no, Zane replied "It hurts to breathe.” He said, struggling to catch his breath. Kelly knew that while Zane's injuries were healed, and there was very little chance that any significant damage had been done, his heart, lungs, and ribs were still going to be sensitive to impact for a while. When Andrea came stomping into the den, Kelly asked her "Mama, do you or anyone else here have an asthma inhaler or a nebulizer?” Taking a moment to think, Andrea nodded. “I think Ashlynn's is in her room.” She said, heading off to look. A few moments later, Andrea returned with a small portable nebulizer and a vial of solution. Setting up the inhalant, Kelly instructed Zane on how to use it and went into the kitchen to get a plastic storage bag. When she returned, she transferred the ice into the bag and told Zane to breathe into it. “Take deep breaths, son. I know it hurts, but you need to get the cold air into your lungs.” She said, rubbing the boy's back gently. Beaming, Alex whispered to her brother Jon "Isn't she great?” Nodding, Jon gave his sister a big smile. Leaving the boy for a moment, Kelly went to Alex and explained, “I think he just got the wind knocked out of him. The nebulizer will help him breathe and the ice will help with any swelling in his lungs.” Once Zane's breathing evened out and he said the pain was easing, Alex gave the boy two naproxen tablets and told him to stay put and relax. Not about to argue, the boy smiled at his mother and rested his hands behind his head to watch the football game on T.V.