By the time the tea pot had whistled, there was a knock on the door. Madison laughed, thinking that Callie must have sped over there. She removed the pot from the stove and then found herself almost skipping to the door. She was beyond ecstatic about the prospect of being pregnant. She swung the door open and Callie screamed before she one-arm hugged her. Ellie, who was resting on her mother’s hip, made sure to throw her arm around Madison as well.
“I knew you were pregnant!” Callie squealed from the doorway.
“I didn’t even say I was pregnant.”
Callie rolled her eyes and placed her free hand on her other hip.
“Come with me,” Madison said ushering her inside and immediately dragging her down the hall to the bathroom. She pointed to the pregnancy test. “That says positive right?”
Callie readjusted Ellie and picked up the test, smiling widely. “It sure does.”
Madison nodded happily. “Are these pretty accurate? Should I tell Andrew or do something more official first?”
“Dr. Johnson is generally busy but we could go to the clinic. We would need to wait but they would likely see you today and they can do an official pregnancy test. That way you would at least be positive and then you can set an appointment up with an OB/GYN. Dr. Johnson is totally amazing and I think you’d like him.”
“Okay, that sounds like a plan. I need to know because seriously I will not be able to keep this from Andrew nor do I want to. He’s going to be ecstatic!”
“I know he will. Okay,” she shifted Ellie again. “Let’s get going. There is probably already a wait list and we want to get in today.”
Madison nodded and picked up the pregnancy test, shoving it in the box and tossing it in the trash. She stopped at the bathroom door and glanced back at it as Callie started to walk out of the bathroom. Smiling, Madison walked back and reached in the trash can and pulled it out, setting the box on the counter. Callie eyed her curiously.
“Just in case I can’t get in today I want something to show Andrew.”
“Good call.”
“Let me get my tea and then we can head out.”
Callie giggled delightfully as she watched her best friend. She had suspected at the reopening last weekend that she was pregnant, but there was so much going on that they didn’t get a chance to discuss it. She couldn’t be happier for Madison and Andrew. There wasn’t a day that went by that she didn’t feel blessed that she and Jayden were parents. Now she would have the pleasure of watching her closest friends experience that joy as well.
~*~
Andrew continued to work on his Harley while Jayden worked on a Toyota whose owner felt the timing was off. Andrew had already completed two oil changes and one tune up earlier in the day and had no one else scheduled so he had decided he would get his own bike ready for the summer months ahead. He heard laughter and looked up to see Connor smiling as he talked with his current customer.
“Another one falling for Connor’s infectiousness?” Jayden asked with a grin.
“Looks that way,” Andrew smiled.
“We should go riding this weekend.” Jayden said looking up.
“You sure that’s a good idea?” Andrew asked, sitting up completely.
“Yeah, why wouldn’t it be?”
Andrew ran his hand through his hair and sighed. “What if you fall off your bike or something?”
Jayden scoffed. “As if that would happen.”
“Hey, you’ve fallen off before.”
Jayden laughed. “That’s true, but, dude, I was a kid.”
“Look Jay, I don’t want you to re-injure yourself. If you land on where you were burned, won’t that...” Andrew paused and his hand went into his hair again. “I don’t know, won’t that mess you up or something?”
Jayden sighed and then stood up. If he couldn’t convince Andrew, he would never convince Callie. He walked over to Andrew and unzipped his coveralls, dropping them at his waist. He then pulled the corner of his shirt out of his pants and lifted the left side up, exposing the area that had been burned.
“Look, it’s totally healed,” Jayden said as he began poking at it. “It doesn’t hurt at all.”
Andrew’s eyes were transfixed on the discolored skin. It definitely looked better than it did when he and Madison had returned from New York. At that time, the discoloration was more predominant and you could tell that he was still healing as there were several patches that were bright red. Now, it looked almost like a birth mark. Nearly the same color as his skin, just wrinkled slightly with a hint of a lighter shade. There was, however, an area that still looked red and Andrew noticed that Jayden was avoiding that spot.
“What about this?” Andrew asked circling the reddened area.
Jayden raised his eyes to Andrew. He should have known that Andrew would pick up on that one spot. He was way too observant at times. Finally, with a heavy sigh, Jayden answered, “Okay, that’s still a little sore but it’s okay. It doesn’t really hurt.”
“What’s going on?” Connor asked concerned.
He had been visiting with Mr. Walker and saw Jayden lift his shirt up. He didn’t know what was happening and had quickly said goodbye to Mr. Walker so that he could find out what was going on. When he approached, he saw Jayden’s scars and his heart dropped. He had never actually seen where he was injured and it made him feel sick. He had gotten that because he hadn’t protected him.
“Nothing,” Jayden said, letting go of his shirt and covering his scar. “Look, I know what my limits are. I won’t get carried away and I will bandage it up as protection on the off chance I crash. Come on, man. I’ve been itching to get out there.”
There was silence for a long time. Andrew was not looking at Jayden, but at the ground. He knew how much Jayden loved to ride but his injury had prevented them from going out, that and the fact that Andrew had only been back from treatment for three weeks. When he looked back up, both Jayden and Connor were watching him as if he were the one in charge of the decisions between them. Andrew leaned back slightly and eyed Jayden carefully.
“You’ll wrap it up real good?” Andrew asked with a raised brow.
Jayden rolled his eyes and nodded, “Yes, Dad.” Andrew crossed his arms and Jayden laughed. “You know, you have that scolding look down, Andrew. Now all you need to do is knock Madison up and you’ll be all set.”
Andrew snorted. “Well, I am trying,” he replied with a smirk.
“I’m sure you are,” Jayden winked. “Three, four, five times a day. Ya know, whatever it takes,” Jayden replied, readjusting his coveralls.
“Was that the key, Jay, 'cause you sure got Callie knocked up right away.”
“I’m surprised she didn’t have triplets with the amount of seed I was planting,” Jayden said, wagging his brows.
“I’m shocked I have any left after the amount of screwing that Madison and I are doing.”
“I can’t believe you guys are talking about this.” Connor shook his head.
“Andrew, don’t be so vile around Connor,” Jayden mocked, covering Connor's ears. “His delicate nature can’t handle it.”
Connor laughed and pushed him away. “Forget you. I can handle it just fine. I just never heard two dudes talking about knocking girls up. I thought only women talked about shit like that.”
“Oh really?” Andrew said standing up.
“So you’re calling us women?” Jayden asked, trying to look angry but not pulling it off.
Connor looked between the two of them as they started to approach him. He raised his hands in surrender.
“I’m not saying it’s bad, just you know... shit!”
Connor darted out of the way as Andrew and Jayden leaped at him. He started running around the bikes and then was corned by Andrew and Jayden near the back entrance.
“Come on, man, we got bikes to finish,” Connor yelled, once again raising his hands.
“We own the joint,” Jayden smiled.
“Which means we can take a break a
nd mess you up,” Andrew finished.
“Wait! Wait! Wait!” Connor couldn’t stop grinning.
Connor tried to bob and weave away from them but they were too fast for him. All three were laughing incredibly hard, so much so that Connor was actually bent over out of breath. Jayden, seeing an opportunity, came at him and brought him to the ground like an MMA champion. Andrew grinned as Connor screamed out. He pounced on his legs while Connor wiggled underneath them both, trying his best to get loose, all the while laughing and screaming that he was going to piss himself. Before things got too carried away, the bell to the garage went off. All three of them stopped horsing around and turned toward the door. A short woman with graying hair stepped inside.
“Holy shit!” Andrew said, getting to his feet and brushing his hair back.
“Who’s that?” Jayden asked.
“That’s Carol, the art therapist from treatment.”
“Wonder what she’s doing here?” Connor asked, brushing off his clothes. “Does she ride motorcycles, 'cause if she does, that would be so kick ass? I mean how many old ladies ride motorcycles? Not many, I would imagine.”
Jayden laughed and mussed up Connor’s hair while Andrew walked towards her. “Hey, Carol. What can I do for ya?”
“Sorry to stop by unannounced, but I just got some wonderful news and had to tell you in person.”
“Do you want to talk in my office?”
“Sure, we can...” her voice trailed off as her eyes landed on the mural.
Carol immediately started walking toward it with Andrew following behind her. She did what she used to do in treatment and pulled her glasses up, inspecting it. Andrew stepped back and glanced at Connor and Jayden as they approached. Jayden mouthed, what's she doing? Andrew smirked and brought his finger over his mouth. All three men watched Carol move from one end of the mural to the other. Connor and Jayden were fascinated by her process but Andrew was used to it. Finally, she turned and dropped the glasses around her neck again.
“Such talent!”
“Thanks, Carol.” Andrew turned to his friends. “These are my friends, Jayden and Connor. We own the shop together.”
“It’s nice to meet you both. Andrew has spoken highly of the two of you.”
Jayden and Connor smiled. Jayden put his hand on Connor’s shoulder to turn him. “We’ll give you two some privacy.”
“Thanks,” Andrew said distractedly as he watched Carol, trying to determine what was going on.
“I came by to talk to you about something important.”
“Okay, well, let’s go sit down.”
Andrew directed her passed Connor and Jayden who were already back working. Jayden was listening to Connor make suggestions. That was one of the things he loved about working with the two of them. Neither believed they knew everything about motorcycles. They both were open to suggestions and valued each other’s feedback. Andrew led Carol down the hall and stepped into his office.
“Have a seat, Carol.”
“You have a lovely office, Andrew.”
“Thank you.”
“Based on what I saw when I walked in, it seems that you and your friends have a great time working together.” She glanced around his office at a couple of pencil drawings before her eyes settled back on him. “I can see why you would prefer to be here.”
“I know you want me to pursue art but,” he paused for a moment before continuing. “This is my home and I find ways to get my art in.”
She smiled. “Well, that’s good.”
“You said you had some good news?” Andrew questioned.
“Yes, yes. Thank you for keeping me on track.” She took a seat and moved forward on her chair, clasping her hands before her. “As you know, I am on several art boards in the greater Los Angeles area, including the Art Council with the Los Angeles County Museum of Art.”
“Okay,” he drug out the word, wondering what this had to do with him.
“I was waiting for confirmation before I came to see you.” Carol was having a hard time containing her smile. “Andrew, I submitted your art to be a part of an exhibit we will be doing next month at LACMA. You see, I needed prior approval to add it since we had everything planned months ago.”
“Wait, are you saying one of my paintings is going to be on display at a real museum?” Andrew asked in shock. She held up her hand showing four fingers. “Four of my paintings,” he clarified, swallowing thickly.
“Yes, Andrew. The exhibit is called 'Healing from Within: Using Art to Rebuild the Mind and Soul'. It’s something I have been pushing for several years and finally got approval six months ago. All the paintings had been selected and I needed...”
“Stop, they didn’t boot someone else out so I could be in it, did they?” Andrew asked, interrupting her.
She smiled again. “No, no one was booted out. They extended the parameters of the exhibit so that I could add your paintings. Now, I was figuring Phoenix Rising and Hope Eternal, as those were the two I blew up for them as an example of your work, but I’m open to any of your other paintings. I just ask that they be selected from the ones you did while in treatment. Do you have any particular favorites you’d like to include in the exhibit?”
Andrew was staring at her open mouthed. He was unable to conceptualize what she was saying and what it meant for him. He was going to have four of his paintings in a museum, on display for the world to see. He was simultaneously nauseous and elated. He couldn’t think clearly. He needed to see Madison. He needed her input. He didn’t want to make this decision without her.
“Andrew?”
“I’m sorry. I can’t believe this.”
“It’s a wonderful opportunity for you. There will be a dinner and entertainment. It’s a way to bring understanding to the power of art. As I was reviewing the paintings for the exhibit, I knew I needed to find a way to get you in it. Your work is,” she paused, glancing at one of the drawings on the wall, “flawless.”
“Thank you, Carol. I appreciate it. How soon do you need me to give you the paintings?”
“I need to know within the next two weeks so that we can pick them up and add them to the brochure. The sooner the better, though, as they will be on me until I have them,” she laughed, knowing that Doug would hound her until she knew the titles and descriptions.
“Okay, I just want to talk to Madison about it first.”
“Of course. You will be given eight tickets for the exhibit.” She leaned over as if she was telling a secret. “You were only supposed to have four but a couple of participants can’t use their extra tickets and asked me to give them to someone who could.”
Andrew smiled and nodded. He was happy he was getting more. There was no way he could narrow it down to four people. There were too many individuals he wanted to be a part of the night. Too many that believed in him and had been encouraging him from the start.
“Thank you. I can definitely use them.”
She smiled. “I know you have people you want there. I could probably swing a couple more tickets. As long as you let me know ahead of time, I’m sure I can get them for you.”
He did a quick count in his head: Madison, Jayden, Callie, Connor, Jewel, Aaron, Olivia, Elias Liam, and Grandma Downing. He chuckled slightly and then nodded. “I could probably use two more, if they are available.”
“I’m sure I can manage that. I will send you the tickets a few weeks before the event.” She leaned back in her seat. “I better be going. It was wonderful to see you again, Andrew. Have things been well? Are you attending meetings?”
“I’ve been great, and yes, I have been going to meetings.”
“Good,” she said with a smile as she rose from her seat.
Andrew walked her out and then turned back to Jayden and Connor, who had stopped working and were watching him. He bent down at the knees and brought his hands to his neck, blowing out a loud breath. Suddenly, he felt very sick, like he would either faint or throw up, neither option seemed appealing to him. The pro
spect of having his art in a gallery that people would be seeing, people he would need to talk to, overwhelmed him. Although he recognized this was a good thing to have happen, he wasn’t sure he was ready for it.
“Andrew, what’s wrong?” Jayden asked kneeling in front of him.
Andrew shook his head. He couldn’t find any words.
“Andrew, you’re scaring Connor?” Jayden added, hoping to make Andrew laugh, but, in truth, he could tell by the panicked look on Connor’s face that he was scared.
Andrew looked at Jayden and then Connor. “I’m going to have four paintings on display in an exhibit at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art.”
“That’s awesome, man,” Jayden stated excitedly.
“Damn, Andrew, you scared the crap out of me. That’s good news but don’t scare me like that. I thought something bad happened,” Connor stated, exacerbated, as he plopped down on the ground next to him.
“Sorry,” Andrew said, nudging Connor slightly.
“We need to celebrate!” Jayden said, standing up and helping Andrew and then Connor up.
“I need to tell Madison first.”
“Yes, for sure. Hey, let’s go to Mac’s. They would hook us up again.”
“What’s Mac’s?” Connor asked.
“It’s a nice steak place.” Connor looked towards the ground. Jayden touched his shoulder and smiled. “Don’t worry about it, man, it will be covered,” he said nonchalantly. “I’m gonna call Mac’s. Can I invite my parents?”
“Of course,” Andrew said with an eye roll as he dialed Madison’s phone number. “Hello Jamie,” Andrew said before she could give her spiel. “Can I speak with Madison?”
“Hello Andrew,” she replied, recognizing his voice immediately. “Oh, I’m sorry, she isn’t in. She called in sick today.”
“Oh, okay, thanks,” he said, hanging up.
“What’s wrong?” Connor asked.
“Jamie said Madison was sick,” he said with furrowed brows before dialing the house. The phone rang four times before going to voicemail. He hung up and called Madison’s cell but that went to voicemail as well. “That’s weird. She’s not picking up.”
“Maybe she’s asleep,” Connor suggested. “When Jewel gets sick, all she wants to do is sleep.”
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