Page 55 of Viper

He climbed up, and we collected those wild baby Raccoons, placing them in the bag. “What the hell are you going to do with them? They are way too wild and crazy to keep inside; they’ll hurt Jackie if they get the chance. I’ll take them with me and take care of them.”

“What are you going to do with them?” I asked.

“I’ll call animal control, and they can take over the responsibility. You always put the monkey on the other person’s back. Haven’t you learned that yet?” Steel said.

“I guess not,” I smirked, what does he think I just did. “I’m grilling steaks, and Bailey has been cooking up a storm. Izzy and her family will be here, plus her father and his family.”

“Is Bo coming? I still can’t believe I’m related to that man,” Steel remarked.

“You can’t believe it. When I married Bailey, I became related to both of you, plus a hundred more people on this mountain,” I heard him laughing as he climbed down the ladder and walked away with the baby Raccoons.

The baby slept soundly in Bailey’s arms. When I went inside, I noticed her quickly wipe away a tear. I knew this day was challenging for her; it would have been Jackie’s twenty-eighth birthday today. I know Bailey will never forget her sister; they were all each other had for many years, sharing a special sisterly bond. Though it had been over a decade since her sister’s passing, I was sure Bailey still felt as though it had happened just yesterday.

I bent down and kissed both her and our baby. “Where are the baby raccoons?” She asked.

“Steel is taking them to the animal shelter.”

“That is so funny; Steel will not take them to the shelter. He’ll probably end up raising them himself. When he took me to the shelter to get Mouser, he looked like he was about to cry seeing those animals locked up. He said he would have his crew build something else for the animals to stay in.”

I chuckled, remembering how he would always take stray animals home. His parents complained all the time, but they never stopped him. I will finish putting that last window in; we finished that room just in time for winter.”

“Yeah, Jackie and our new baby can share a room for a while.”

“We won’t have to worry about that for some time. Maybe we can start on another room next summer,” I replied, turning to leave the room when her words registered. I turned back to her and saw her smiling. “Are we having another baby?”

“Yes, I’m so happy I could cry,” Bailey said, and indeed, tears welled up in her eyes. I put Jackie to bed and held my sweetheart in my arms. “Are you happy?” she asked.

“Sweetheart, I’m thrilled. We will start on the new room this spring. Now tell me why you’re crying.”

“I know this sounds unbelievable, but I thought I saw Jackie watching the baby sleep. At the same time, I looked down, and my pregnancy test was positive.”

“I don’t think it’s unbelievable at all. I wasn’t going to say anything because I thought you would think I was losing it, but when the baby was born, I saw Jackie standing next to you. It was just a moment, but she smiled at me.”

“She’s here with us; I knew I could feel my sister with me that day. Thank you for telling me; I feel better knowing she’s with us. I guess we have to get busy; I just heard a car door shut.”

“Hello.”

“Daddy, here we are,” Bailey said as we left the bedroom. I saw the moment when Bailey realized she called her father ‘daddy’ for the first time in twenty-eight years. “I’m sorry, I didn’t think before I spoke,” Bailey apologized.

“No need to apologize; I am your father, so, of course, you can call me daddy,” I noticed a strange look crossed his face, and he reached for the nearest chair, I went to him and helped him to sit down.

“Are you okay?” I asked.

“I just have a sharp pain in my head, and I don’t feel too good right now,” he replied before passing out. I knew everyone was frightened. “Everyone, step back. Bailey, please get me a damp cloth. I carried him to the sofa and called my sister, Allison, a doctor who could tell us what to do. She was outside when she answered because she was coming here to have dinner with all of us.

We watched as he started waking up. “How do you feel? Allison asked.

“My head hurts,” Jonah said.

“Have you experienced these headaches before?” Allison asked.

“Yes, but I’ve never blacked out like this before. I’ll be fine; it’s already going away. I don’t want anyone worrying about me,” Jonah said, as he grabbed his head and blacked out again. I had already called for an ambulance, and the rest of the Petersons arrived just as the ambulance did.

We were all on our way to the hospital when I remembered the meat on the counter. I called to see if Ryan could go over and put it away. He and Carly were going over there together to take care of things for us. I glanced over at Bailey and knew she was worried.

“I just got him back not long ago; what do you think is wrong?”

“You have to remember he was shot in the head, and he lost his memory so that anything could be happening. I don’t want you to worry and get upset; he’ll be fine. Did you feed the baby before we left?”

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