Page 50 of Blackout: Book Two

“Okay, where is this coming from?”

“Your father and I were already separated when he decided to get help,” she reveals. “But I couldn’t turn my back on him. Our marriage might’ve been over, but I still loved him, and I wanted to see him well. I wanted to see him be the father he never got to be with Junior.”

“I never knew that.”

She smiles at me.

“Why do you think we get along so well now?”

“Honestly? I thought you got along because you were divorced.”

She laughs and shakes her head.

“No, we get along because we got past the hurt and learned to respect one another. Jack knows I’ll always have his back just like I know he’ll always have mine. It’s a pretty sweet deal, and it just got sweeter because we get to be grandparents together.”

“Is it really that different from being a parent?”

“You bet your ass it is. Grandkids you get to give back,” she teases. “Speaking of your father, I thought he was meeting us here.”

“He must be running late,” I respond with a shrug. If I’m sure of anything, it’s that my father won’t miss this appointment. I think he’s got money on the gender of my baby.

A short while later the nurse calls my name and my mother accompanies me into the examining room. Laying on the table, I lift my shirt under my boobs and lower the waistband of my pants in preparation for the sonogram. Butterflies take flight in my belly only it’s not really butterflies. It’s my little miracle kicking away, making her presence known. As we wait for Dr. Heltzer, I place my mom’s hand on my stomach, hoping she’ll cop a feel of her grandchild kicking away. The door bursts open and my father enters the room.

“For crying out loud,” my mother hisses, drawing in a deep breath. “You scared the shit out of me, Jack.”

Ignoring her, he looks at me and closes the door.

“Did I miss it?”

I shake my head.

“She’s kicking, though,” I tell him, beckoning him to come closer. With my free hand, I take his and place it next to my mothers. A minute later the baby starts kicking me again and my mother’s head snaps back. With wide eyes, she stares at my father in disbelief.

“Did you feel that?”

He shakes his head, and she quickly takes his hand, moving it across my belly. The baby kicks again and this time I know my father feels it because his eyes well with tears as he looks at my mother.

“I felt it,” he rasps.

“That’s our grandbaby, Jack,” my mother cries.

The Jack and Connie era might be over but after suffering through the greatest tragedy a parent can ever experience, it’s beautiful to see them share such a tender moment. They might not have gotten it right as husband and wife but they’re going to rock the shit out being grandparents.

A knock sounds on the door and this time when it opens, the doctor enters.

“We’ve got a full house today,” he comments, eyeing my parents.

“How’s it hangin’ doc,” my father greets, offering him his hand. “I’m Lacey’s father.”

“And I’m her mother,” my mother asserts.

My doctor shakes their hands and I suddenly feel like I’m starring in an episode of Teen Mom. Those girls aren’t exactly teenagers so it’s fucking possible.

“Are we ready to find out if we’re having a boy or a girl?” Dr. Heltzer questions as he turns on the sonogram machine.

“I’m ready,” I answer, flinching as he squirts the cold gel onto my belly.

My mind wanders to the pink teddy bear and the note Blackie attached to it.

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