Father Figure

Vero scooted into the booth across from me. "So you went to New York wit' t'e boys to see Sid play again?" she asked. 

I nodded my head, stirring my tea with my spoon. "Yup. Right after they got out of school, we booked it to the airport. I can't tell you how stressful it is to get three five year olds on a plane at the same time," I remarked with a small laugh. 

She laughed as well, but it slowly died down. I looked up to meet her eyes. "You said you wanted to talk about something?" 

She nodded her head a little and began toying with her sleeves. "Is, um... Is it normal to..." She drifted off as her eyes darted around us. "To miss your period when you're sick?" she whispered out. "It's never happened to me before, but after t'at cold you and your sons gave me..."

My eyes went wide. "You think you might be..."

She bit her smile back and nodded. "I was worried so I went and got a test, but I haven't looked at it yet. I've been too scared to do it on my own," she whispered out. 

"Well, whip it out! Let's check it now!" I exclaimed. If she was pregnant, that child would have the most amazing parents ever. 

She blushed furiously as she slyly raised her purse to rest on the table. She glanced around once more before pulling the box out a little. "Will you look at it first?" she asked nervously. 

I nodded my head and reached over to slip it out, while still keeping it hidden by her purse. I flipped the stick over and read the screen. I put the stick away again and looked up at Vero. Her eyes nervously watched me. "You better start shopping for cribs and diapers because nine months go by faster than you expect," I told her softly. 

She gasped, clapping her hands over her mouth. "You're serious?" she asked. I nodded my head and laughed. "You aren't joking right now, are you? Please!"

I laughed again. "I'm serious. The word is plain as day."

Tears began to fill her eyes. "I'm having a baby..." she whispered. 

"You and little Flower," I teased. 

She sniffed and quickly wiped at her eyes. "Okay. I have to go talk to him. T'e boys come into town tonight, right?"

I nodded my head. "They do," I confirmed. 

She paused to smile at me. "T'ank you. For being here for me," she mumbled. 

I reached over to squeeze her hand. "Any time."

We left the café shortly after that and headed home. I picked the boys up from school before going to the place we all rented. "Mama?" Gab began. I glanced at him in my rear view mirror. "Is daddy going to come over when he gets home?" 

"I don't know. Do you want to call him and ask?" 

"Yeah!" he exclaimed. I slid my phone out of my purse and handed it back to him. A few seconds later, he began talking again. "Hi daddy! Are you coming over tonight?"

I pulled into Mario's driveway. I parked the car and slid out, helping the boys behind me. "Okay! Bye!" Gab finished before hanging up. He handed my phone back to me and ran off ahead with his brothers. They bounced around the yard, yelling to each other. I unlocked the door and walked inside, leaving it slightly open for the boys. Glancing at the time, I figured I had at least an hour to relax before I needed to start dinner. So I headed to my couch and laid back. 

I had taken two more days off of work so I could be sure I was completely better before I went back. My stomach was a lot better now. I felt queasy once in a while, but that was all. 

I listened to the boys thunder inside the small house, but stop short. "Sh! Mama's sleeping," Beau whispered loudly to his brothers. I listened to their feet scurry into their bedroom after that. 

---

After the boys had gone to bed that night, Sidney stayed up with me watching TV. He'd chosen some crime show to watch while I was scouring the Internet for the perfect gift for Vero. 

Sid sipped his beer and chuckled at the TV. It was good to have him around. Things seemed more comfortable with him. "Hey, I have a question," I told him as I typed in the NHL Shop's URL. 

"What's that?" he asked. 

"Do they make jerseys for babies by chance?" I inquired. 

I was met with dead silence. I looked up when he still didn't respond. His eyes were wide as they stared at me. The bottle was raised halfway to his lips. "What?" I asked in confusion. 

"Is this your way of calmly telling me you're pregnant?" he asked in a flat tone 

I choked out my laughter. "No! No way. I'm looking for a friend," I told him. 

He visibly relaxed at that. He even cracked a smile. "I think some players have their jerseys available in baby sizes. Which one one are looking for?" he asked curiously. 

I paused, wondering if I told him, he'd put the pieces together. His phone went off, saving me from having to immediately answer him. He opened the message and grinned. "Flower and Vero are having a ba-Wait is it for Vero?" he asked suddenly. 

I nodded my head. "She and I met up earlier and she found out," I replied. 

He smirked. "That's awesome for them. They'll be good parents. Not as awesome as us, but he can try," he mumbled as he typed a reply on his phone. "He said she went to a doctor today and everything, too. He's got to be losing his mind with excitement right now."

"Anything she does is golden to him. He's probably treating her like a queen," I commented with a smile. I browsed through the jerseys on the website until I found what I was looking for. I quickly set up an account before ordering the jersey. 

"He's beyond whipped," Sidney confirmed. He dropped his phone onto the couch beside him and leaned back. His socked feet rested in front of me on the coffee table. 

I closed my laptop and set it aside, letting out a sigh. Now it was time to honestly relax. I started watching TV, but glanced over at Sidney. I pushed myself off of the love seat and moved over to curl into his side, resting my head on his chest. He wrapped his arm around my shoulders. 

"How's your stomach feeling?" he asked softly. 

I let out a yawn before answering. "Alright. A little queasy every now and then, but I think I'm over it all."

"Good," he mumbled before kissing my forehead. I closed my eyes with a smile on my lips.