Why Should You Care Now?

Looking down at the baby in her arms, Jordan couldn’t help but feel so much love for her son. She had given birth to a baby boy. It wasn’t like she had pictured it to be. Joey had decided he didn’t want to leave Jordan when the baby was coming, but luckily for them, Ben Eager and Brent Seabrook took care of distracting him while watching the sleeping baby so that Emmy could be at Jordan’s side. At first, Jon didn’t want to be in there when she had the baby, but after talking to Sharpie, he was by her side holding her hand as she squeezed it.

But that had been two days ago. Now it was just Jordan and her son. Some of the boys had called her since she was leaving wanting to know if she planned to come to see them or if they could come and see her. She hadn’t really planned on taking her son over to the rink just yet, so she told them that she was just planning on going home and getting settled in. What surprised her was the fact that Jon hadn’t come to see his son or even her. She saw the scared look in his eyes when she was in labor and she didn’t know what caused, especially after all the progress that they had gone through to get to a good place. Somewhere that they were both happy with or so she had thought. But something in him changed. And it wasn’t something she wanted to see. She really wanted him to be there for his son, but she wouldn’t let him if he kept changing his mind when it was convenient for him.

“Knock, knock.”

Looking up she smiled at who she saw there. “What are you doing here?”

Patrick Sharp smiled at her. “I have your car still. And Emmy said that Joey was being a brat and so I told her that I’d pick you up.”

“I would have waited for her.”

“It’s not a big deal,” Patrick smiled at her. “So what is his full name again?”

“That’s right,” Jordan smiled as she placed a kiss on her son’s forehead as she placed him into Patrick’s arms. “You weren’t here when I made my final decision on his name.”

“So what is it?”

“Something that my brother and I talked about when Emmy was pregnant with CT. He really liked the name Damon. And since CT ended up not being Damon, I figured I would use it for my baby’s first name. So meet Damon Jonathan Toews.”

“You gave him Tazer’s name and last name?”

“I liked the way it went together,” she said. “What’s going on with him?”

“He’s a kid, he’s scared.”

“And you don’t think I am?” Jordan asked. “Having a baby isn’t exactly a walk in the park. I don’t care what he says, having nephews and having your own kids, it isn’t the same thing.”

“I’m just saying that he may surprise you or he’ll disappoint you.”

Jordan looked at him, a bit surprised. “Did you tell him?”

“Tell him what?”

“About what happened between us?”

“No, that’s something that stays between the two of us.”

Jordan nodded her head as she heard someone open the door and come inside. Looking up she smiled when she saw Adam Burish walk in with one hand over his eyes, but his fingers far enough apart so that he could see where he was going. His other hand on the wall, like it was guiding him inside. “Everyone decent?”

“Like you couldn’t already see,” Jordan laughed. “What are you doing here Adam?”

“Making sure the kid is being cared after,” Adam told her. “I mean who would let this clown hold a baby?”

“The baby’s mother.” Patrick told him.

“Well you can hand him back to his mother so she can change his diaper and leave this place,” Jordan said. “Unless you two would like to stay here.”

Patrick handed Damon over to his mother and she gently laid him down on the bed as she grabbed a fresh diaper and the wipes from the baby bag that was on the chair next to her bed. As quickly as she could, Jordan changed Damon’s diaper and picked him up and kissed his cheek as the nurse came in with a wheelchair.

“Ms. Taylor, your paperwork is all done and sorted, so you are able to leave if you’re ready.”

“Yeah, I just need to grab my bag.” Jordan said as she wrapped Damon in the blanket that would keep him warm. As she went to get the bag, she noticed Patrick had already grabbed it and she saw the strap of her messenger bag inside of it. She gave him a smile and made her way to the wheelchair. Once she was situated with Damon in her arms, she nodded to the nurse and all of them headed to the elevators. It was the next step in being someone’s mother. A part of her wished he was there for her and for Damon.

Getting to her car, Jordan had to unwrap the blanket off of her son as she placed him inside the carseat and buckled him in. After he was securely in, she placed the blanket around his body and attached the seat back into the base. She climbed into the backseat and closed the door. She could honestly now understand why Emmy had wanted to ride in the backseat when her boys were born. “So do I want to know how many of you are actually going to be at my house today?”

“Probably not,” Adam laughed. “But the guys wanna see the little dude that we didn’t know was a dude.”

“He’s a baby, not a dude.” Jordan said giving Adam a look.

He turned and looked at her from the passenger’s seat. “Well he’s a dude. You won’t win, so don’t try.”

“I wonder who will be more mature,” Jordan said. “Damon or Adam.”

“I’d go with your first choice.” Patrick laughed as he pulled up into the driveway.

Taking off her seatbelt, Jordan undid the latch so that the carseat could be carried into the house. Feeling the breeze from outside of the car, she looked and saw Patrick had opened her door. “I’ve got him.”

Sliding out of the car, he handed the keys to her as she moved out of the way so he could carry the carseat. “You don’t have to do this you know?”

“Just because Tazer is a moron doesn’t mean all men are,” Patrick told her. “I’m just reminding you of that.”

“You don’t have to, but I do appreciate it.”

Shutting the door they walked up to the door where Adam was waiting. Moving in front of him, she turned the knob and found it unlocked. So she hit the alarm button for her car and walked inside. Once inside, she saw exactly what she thought she would. Emmy sitting on the couch with Joey playing trains and CT fast asleep on a blanket on the floor.

“Aunt Jordan!” Joey yelled dropping his train and running over to her. “Dids you bring da baby home? Are you gonna takes it back for a girl?”

Kneeling down to give her nephew a hug, she watched as Adam grabbed him from behind and lifted him over his shoulder as Patrick set the carseat on the couch. Jordan made her way over as she heard him start to fuss. “What’s wrong Buddy? I just changed your diaper; does that mean you’re hungry?”

After Patrick had unbuckled him, he looked towards Jordan before walking away so that she could pick up her son. When Damon started crying, so did CT and Patrick picked him up without any hesitation. “I’ll be back after someone gets fed and hey maybe when I’m done I’ll get some real food too.”

“Not likely!” Emmy laughed. “Unless you are the one cooking.”

Jordan rolled her eyes as she made her way to her bedroom. Breast feeding had been something she had thought hard about. And since she wanted the best for her baby, she decided that it would be a good idea that she give what she could to him. As she got comfortable as he ate, she couldn’t help but watch him. It didn’t feel as if all those months had gone by. But she was glad he was finally here in her arms. The only thing that would make it even better was if her brother was able to be here and meet his nephew since it might be the only kid she actually had. There was no telling how things would end with Jonathan. He didn’t want to man up, then fine, but there was no way he would make her live her life as a single mother forever. Her first priority would be Damon, so finding someone wouldn’t be exactly easy, but if she really wanted it, she would find what she wanted.

As soon as he finished eating, Jordan walked around the room and burped him. Shortly after that she laid him on his back on her bed and lay next to him. He was always going to be the most important thing in her life and maybe that was why Jon had gotten so weird, he realized that the baby meant more to her. But how could she not love the baby? Did she love Jon? She cared for him and maybe he knew that and that’s what made him decide that things weren’t going the way he wanted so it was time to call it an end.

With a sigh, she brushed some of Damon’s hair away from his face. Looking at him, she had to admit, Damon had Jon’s skin tone and his lips, but he had her brother’s nose and her hair and eyes. And hopefully he’d have her sense of right and wrong. That was the major thing she wanted, well that and for him to have a good life. He deserved the best and she hoped that his father would somehow be a part of that and not just by paying her money. Leaning over, she kissed her son’s head as there was a soft knock on the door. Looking down at her son, she noticed he was asleep, so she slid off the bed and went to the door. Opening it up, she saw Patrick there.

“Burish went to get food and Emmy is trying to get Joey to go down for a nap and CT is sleeping in his crib.”

Opening the door wider, she walked back over to her bed and took the spot that she had vacated so that she could open the door. Shutting the door behind him, Patrick made his way to the other side of Jordan’s bed and laid next to Damon. “He makes me realize how stupid Jon is being. If he doesn’t want to be part of Damon’s life then he’s going to miss so many things that he’ll end up regretting. I know how Corbin would have loved to be here for so many of CT’s things. So I guess I just figured that Jonathan would also want that. No one deserves to grow up without a father if their father can be there.”

“Just because you slept with him and had a baby because of that, doesn’t mean he has to be the dad,” Patrick told her. “Are you in love with him?”

“I care for him, but I don’t love him and I don’t think I ever could,” Jordan admitted. “The sex was good and all, but I just don’t see us going anywhere together.”

“He wants to come over and talk to you.”

“Did he call you?” Jordan asked as she grabbed the blanket with the Blackhawks logo on it from the foot of her bed and placed it over Damon.

“He said he had a feeling I was helping you out,” Patrick said. “Or he called Burish and he told him call me. One of those two.”

“What did you tell him?”

“I told him if he makes you cry or hurts you in anyway, he’ll be living to regret it.”

“You’ve been so great to me Patrick,” Jordan said. “I don’t know how I can ever start to repay you. After doctor appointments, random food places. I feel like I took advantage of you.”

“I told you that if you needed something to call,” he smiled at her. “He should be here shortly.”

“I guess I have to get it over with, don’t I?”

“Do you want me to watch him?”

“Thanks for the offer, but I think I’m gonna keep him close to me,” Jordan admitted. “And Jon might want to hold him and it’s the least I can do since Emmy said that Jon is going to pay child support whether he wants to or not. She says that it’s not because I can’t support us, but it’s because if we aren’t together and I lose my job or something, we’ll need to know that Damon will always be taken care of.”

“She’s right about that. He’s going to come first from now on.”

“And I’m okay with that,” Jordan admitted. “Emmy and I will be sure that our boys will always come first and make sure they know they are loved.”

“I don’t think the loving them part will be hard, but you’re still young by all accounts, Jordan. Do you feel like you are going to miss out on the dating and club scene?”

Swinging her legs off the bed Jordan picked up Damon and smiled as he continued to sleep. “Not really. I’ve been to a few clubs before I got pregnant. And a bar where I got plastered and conceived a baby, but for the most part, I’ve always been the kind of girl that likes to stay home and watch movies and hang out with friends and family. Those are the more important things in life.”

Walking out of her bedroom, Patrick smiled and was soon following her. She saw Joey watching a new Thomas TV episode. His eyes were red and there were some tears still on his face. When he saw her holding Damon he went to get up, but Emmy’s voice stopped him. “Sit down, Joey. You get to watch this and then its nap time and if Aunt Jordan is still here, then you can ask her to hold the baby.”

With a sad look to his aunt, Jordan let out a sigh. “Listen to your mommy. You want to be a good example to your baby cousin and your little brother, don’t you?”

Slowly he nodded his head and turned his attention back to his television show. Jordan made her way over to the recliner and slowly sat down and watched as Patrick took a seat on the couch a few feet away from her. Ten minutes later, Jordan heard a knock on the door as she was rocking with Damon to keep him calm after waking up from his nap. Without having to ask, Patrick got up and walked over to the door. He let whoever it was in. “Hey.”

Jordan didn’t need to look and see who it was. She could tell by the voice. “Hey, Brent. What are you doing here?”

“Came to see you and the new baby.” He smiled as he took a seat.

“So I’m guessing more and more of you are gonna show up?”

Brent laughed as Jordan moved the blanket away from Damon’s face. “More than likely. Duncs said he has something for you and the baby.”

“He didn’t have to get us anything.”

“Try telling him that,” Brent laughed. “So what’s his name?”

“Damon Jonathan Toews.”

“Damon, I like it.”

“It was a name my brother liked and since CT doesn’t have that name I thought I would use it. If it had been a girl, then I might have been in a bit of a jam.”

“Well now all you have to worry about is him breaking little girls’ hearts when he gets older.”

“I hope he doesn’t break mine.”

“Naw, you’ll never have to worry about him breaking your heart.” Patrick told her.

Once again there was a knock on the door and Patrick went to get it. “The nurse said that his eyes would darken over time, but I hope they stay this blue color. It reminds me of Corbin. He had such pretty eyes. He hated when I would say that.”

“I know it’s not the same and we are gone a lot, but we will be here for you.”

“Thank, Brent,” Jordan said giving him a smile. “That means a lot to me. More than you know.”

“Seabs.” Patrick said, motioning him to follow him.

Brent looked at him confused and then he saw Jon standing there with something clutched in his hand. Squeezing her shoulder gently, Brent got up and followed Patrick to the kitchen where they could still hear what was going on so that they could get in there if something went wrong.

“Hey.” Jon said crouching down to get a better look at his son.

“Hi.”

“There’s something I need to ask you and just know it isn’t because you just had my son.”

Jordan blinked a few times and bit her bottom lip.

Opening up a blue velvet box, she saw a beautiful diamond ring.

“Will you marry me?”

Jordan’s eyes went large in surprise.

“No!”

Jordan turned her head to see where the voice had come from and was surprised to see who had shouted an answer for her.