Brother's Keeper II

Part ??


She spotted Peter as soon as she entered the bar, standing next to his fellow off-duty officers and trading wisecracks. She sauntered up beside them and announced her presence with a warm greeting. Just being her normal, cheerful self. Nothing different, nothing to cause them to question the joyful grin lurking behind her smile or the excitement threatening to bubble into her voice.

"You want your usual?" the bartender asked, alert to the new arrival.

That gave her pause. She would have to come up with a new "usual," something nonalcoholic. A change in routine. Hard to disguise, but it couldn't be helped. The tiny life inside her was worth a few changed habits, to say the least. "Not today, thanks."

"...And so I told him, 'Just put down the snake and let's talk...'" Peter related his latest exploits to Blake, beer bottle in hand.

She grabbed his elbow and tugged him away from the crowd. "C'mon, kiddo," she said. "I gotta talk with you."

He broke away from his conversation. "Yes, Mama," he said as he followed her with mock docility. She punched his shoulder playfully for his insolence, which only made him laugh.

She led him to a corner table out of earshot of their friends at the bar and took a seat across from him. She could tell from his expression that he didn't suspect a thing--and why should he? Sure, he teased her about being his mother, but he never actually considered her maternal in any literal sense.

"Peter," she began, "your father and I have an announcement, and we wanted you to be the first to hear it."

"First to hear what?" He took a swig from his bottle.

Not wanting to be on the wrong end of a spit take, she waited a moment to give him time to swallow. She had considered rehearsing an elaborate speech to ease him into the concept, but she realized the best thing for him would be to break it to him bluntly. Blunt was one of her strong suits.

"I'm pregnant."

She hadn't waited quite long enough. Poor Peter started to cough as his drink went down the wrong way until finally she had to get up and thump his back a few times. She had expected his reaction to be spectacular, but the look on his face as he gasped for breath was even more precious than she had anticipated.

"Pregnant?" he sputtered, wiping his tearing eyes with the back of his hand.

"That's right."

"How did it happen?" He winced as he heard his own words and tried again. "I don't mean that--I mean, how could you--? ...No, that's not it either." He glared at her suspiciously. "Are you yanking my chain?"

She shrugged, thoroughly enjoying his awkwardness. "You can think whatever you like. I just hope you believe me by the time you get tagged for babysitting duty."

"Whoa! Slow down a little." He waved his hands in the air as though directing traffic. "Let me get this straight. You're having my father's child?"

"So far so good."

"That makes it my baby brother or sister?"

She patted his arm soothingly. "Now don't get jealous because you're not the youngest anymore, Peter." Her eyes twinkled. "I won't take kindly to you driving your tricycle on the baby's bed, the way I tried to do to my little brother."

"Driving my--?" He shook his head and grinned. "Don't worry. I worked out all my sibling rivalries on the Blaisdell girls. Seriously, though...this is fantastic. I mean that." He began to stand up. "We gotta tell the guys."

She hauled him back down into his seat. "I'd rather we kept this one in the family for now, hmm?"

"Why? They'll be glad to hear it."

"Yeah, and then they'll start treating me like a pregnant woman. I don't need that quite yet, thank you." She grimaced. "Anyway, it'll be self-evident before too long. I think they might suspect something when I look like I'm smuggling watermelons under my blouse--unless I can get you to stand in front of me whenever I'm not sitting at a desk."

"Not likely. But look on the bright side: it'll get you out of hooker detail."

[Single Series]


© 1997 Amparo Bertram.