She nodded.
“Dude, you’re a natural leader,” I said to Trip, “and we’re happy to follow you. But you need to listen to us sometimes.”
He responded to my tone more than my words. “Yeah, all right.” Then he took a deep breath. “Pick you up tomorrow?”
“Of course. Till then…” I glanced at Wren. “We love you both. Let us know if there’s anything we can do.”
“I don’t know if there’s anything anyone can do,” she said, “but thanks.”
I nodded to Trip. “See you in the morning.”
“Yeah, g’night.”
Christy and I left, but the door had hardly closed behind us before Trip and Wren started arguing. Christy shivered, and I put my arm around her. The day had been warm, but the evening had turned cool.
We walked to our condo in silence, each lost in our own thoughts. I poured a couple of stiff drinks when we arrived. Christy drained hers and extended the glass for a refill.
“Slow down after this one,” I cautioned.
“Yes, sir.”
“So… what happened?” I asked as I poured. “I thought Wren was on the pill. I mean, she didn’t warn me or say anything at New Year’s.”
“Oh, she was. But then we had to change doctors, remember?”
“Oh, that’s right! When we changed over to the family plans at mega-corp.”
“I suppose,” Christy said. “I let you handle all that. Anyway, the new doctor put us on a new pill.”
I vaguely recalled the change, but it hadn’t affected us, so I hadn’t thought about it since.
“I was fine,” Christy continued, “but Wren had really bad headaches and couldn’t concentrate at work.”
“So he took her off it?”
“Yeah. He wanted her to go a couple of months without anything, to get her hormones back to normal. They were supposed to use condoms or the rhythm method.”
“Ah. But then Valentine’s Day happened.”
Christy nodded. “She’s been worried ever since, especially when she missed her first period. Then she missed again.”
“When did she find out? For sure, I mean.”
“This morning. She wanted to cancel dinner with us, but Trip was a jerk about it, so…”
“Why didn’t you say anything?” I asked. “To me, I mean.”
“She asked me not to.”
I paused and thought about what I wanted to say next. “What’re they gonna do?”
“What else can they do?”
“They can… you know.”
“Oh my gosh, no! Paul, that’s murder!”
“It’s a medical procedure,” I said patiently, although I held up a hand before she could reply. We’d had this argument before. “Let’s agree to disagree.”
She nodded.
“Besides, it doesn’t matter what you and I think. What does Wren want to do?”
“She… isn’t sure.” Christy sighed and lowered her eyes. “She might… do what you said.”
I snorted. “Trip’ll talk her out of it.”
Christy agreed silently. “This is perfect for him.”
“And, as usual, he didn’t think of anyone else.”
“He means well,” Christy said, and my eyebrows rose. “I know,” she said, “it’s usually the other way around. I complain about Trip and you defend him.”
“Yeah, well,” I admitted, “I’m still annoyed about the job.”
“If you hate it that much, just quit and get a new one.”
“I don’t hate it. And I’m learning a lot. I just… don’t like it very much.”
“How do you think I feel?” she asked. “I don’t even have a job.”
“Your job is taking care of me.”
She snorted softly.
“You have your art.”
“But no studio. I miss it, Paul. I don’t think you understand… I need to make things. Big things, I mean, not knickknacks and little statuettes.”
I gathered her into my arms. “I know. We’ll figure something out.”
“Soon, please. I’m going crazy.”
I nodded, and we held each other in silence.
“Promise me one thing,” I said at last.
“Anything.”
“We won’t get pregnant until we’re both ready. Okay?”
“Oh my gosh, no. I’d never do anything like that. My mother’d kill me.”
“Your husband wouldn’t be too happy either,” I chuckled.
“Yeah, but I can bribe him. He’s easy.”
“Oh, he is, is he?”
“Of course. He’ll do almost anything if I promise him a blowjob.”
“Speaking of which…,” I said.
“Do I need to swallow some of our children?” She grinned, although it immediately turned to a frown when she listened to what she’d said.
“Yeah,” I chuckled, “it kinda takes on a different meaning when you think about Wren and what she’s going through.”
“You can say that again. Besides, it’s a bit too much like Cronus. Or that painting by Goya.” She shivered in revulsion. “That one always scares me.”
“Don’t worry, I’ll protect you.”
“But who’ll protect me from you?”
“No one, I’m afraid. I’m going to do unspeakably naughty things to you.”
“Help, help,” she said with a grin.
I drained my whiskey and set the glass aside. “C’mon, my lovely little nymph, let’s go practice for when we do want kids.”
* * *
Wren gave birth to a healthy baby boy in November. And then she and Trip blessed him with a completely original name, Franklin Davis Whitman IV.
“You can call him Quad,” I joked.
Trip thought it was funny, but Wren wasn’t in the mood.
“Over my dead body. We’re going to call him Davis.”
Be nice, Christy warned. Then she took out her sketchbook and began drawing mother and child. He was asleep on her breast after his ordeal.
“I think he looks like me,” Wren said, but Christy shook her head.
“He favors Trip.”
He frowned thoughtfully. “How can you tell?”
“His eyes,” Christy said without looking up. “And his cheekbones. His nose is hers, though.”
“His nose is smushed,” Trip laughed.
“His whole head is smushed,” I said.
“Out!” Wren snapped.
“Yeah, out,” Trip said, mock-stern.
“You too!”
“What? What’d I do?”
“C’mon,” I said. “Let’s go call your dad and stepmom.”
They’d gone back to the hotel for dinner.
“Yeah, you’re right. He’ll wanna know he’s a granddad.”
“And the boys’re uncles,” I added.
“They aren’t really boys anymore,” Trip said as he held the door for me. “Josh’s the same age I was when my mom died.”
“Wow, crazy.”
“No kidding. Anyway, let’s tell Helen and Lydia they can go back in. Then we’ll call Wren’s dad and let him know.” All of a sudden he stopped, right in the middle of the hallway.
I turned to him. “What?”
Trip laughed, soft and full of disbelief.
“What?” I repeated. “Are you okay?”
“Yeah. I just can’t believe it. I’m someone’s dad.”
“Pretty cool, huh?”
He thought about it, and his eyes glistened. Then he pulled himself together and clapped me on the shoulder.
“You’re next, dude. Better get started. Let me know if you need any pointers.”
I grinned. “Way ahead of you.”
“For real?”
“Yep. She stopped taking the pill last month.”
* * *
Wren liked being a mother, but she was still upset that she’d had to put her career on hold. Trip had no clue, of course, although I heard plenty through Christy.
“I’ve been thinking…,” she said one night during her lotions and potions.
“About what?”
“What if… um…? What if I watch Davis during the day?”
I didn’t lower my book. “Tomorrow? Sure.”