A family of survivors all willing to protect each other no matter what.
The results of Ray’s medical tests in a file on her desk at the hospital weighed heavily on Annie’s mind. Ray had been through enough, and Annie hated to have to give her difficult news.
Annie had hard news for both Ray and Baby’s new wife.
The talks were going to be hard. Requiring life-changing decisions from both women and their husbands. The knowledge of it weighed on Annie.
But this wasn’t the place or time to discuss it. This was a time for celebration and laughter.
Case in point, all the kids running and cheering towards the new playground now that the men had deemed it ready. Ethan and Jess ran with Theo and Savannah, slowing to let two-year-old Thomas run with them. Noah and Marilyn’s kids, Sam and Missy, were right there in the fray too, always welcome when they were in town.
Annie kissed the top of Becky’s head in the sling at her chest. She hated the choices her friends were going to have to make but was selfishly thankful she didn’t have to make them herself.
Becky shifted and opened her big blue eyes. Zac’s eyes. “Hi, baby girl,” Annie whispered.
“Are you really going to make me wait until next week to come into your office and talk about the test results?” Girl Riley walked over, then reached down and kissed the soft fuzz on Becky’s head before knocking Annie’s hips with her own.
“It’s nothing bad, I promise.” The least of the concerning news she needed to give.
“Then tell me now. Is it a new MS breakthrough somewhere? I promise I won’t get my hopes up just because you tell me there’s a new type of medicine. I know not every MS medical breakthrough will benefit me.”
Annie smiled at her friend. Riley had been doing so well with her day-to-day health challenges. It hadn’t been easy, but Mrs. Riley Harrison was a trooper, especially with Mr. Riley Harrison right beside her every step of the way.
“Just come in next week. We don’t need to get into it here.”
Riley’s eyes narrowed. “Now you’ve really got my attention. What’s going on?”
Annie shook her head. “Seriously, it’s not—”
“Look, just spit it out. I can take it. Was it something with my latest MRI?”
Riley was bracing herself for bad news. Damn it, this wasn’t what Annie had been trying to do.
“No, not at all. I promise.” She touched Riley’s arm. “We’ll talk about it in the office on Monday.”
“It’s MS related. Damn it, I knew it. Knew things had been going too good lately. I knew if—”
“You’re pregnant, Riley.”
“—I changed my meds I…” Riley’s eyes widened, and words trailed off. “What?”
“You’re going to have a baby,” Annie whispered. Nobody was really listening to their conversation, but Annie didn’t want to announce it.
Riley shook her head and backed up, stumbling a bit and stretching her hand back to catch herself on the nearby picnic table.
“Wildfire!” Boy Riley yelled, as always, aware of what was going on with his wife. “Clumsy or medical?”
Annie knew that was their code, one Girl Riley responded very well to. She didn’t want every mishap she had to automatically be lumped under MS. Boy Riley always asked—knew that fighting her own battles was important to her.
Girl Riley turned to look at her husband, then back at Annie. “Are you sure?”
Annie reached over and squeezed her hand. “Yes. And before you ask, no, there shouldn’t be any complications related to MS. As a matter of fact, many women report fewer flare-ups while being pregnant.”
“Wildfire?” Boy Riley was jogging over to them now. “You’ve got me a little worried. Clumsy or medical, sweetheart?”
Girl Riley turned towards him. “Neither. Pregnant.”
Now it was the great Phoenix’s turn to stumble just a little. “Pregnant?”
Girl Riley nodded.
He turned to Annie. “For real? Is it safe? Okay?”
“Yes. It’s absolutely safe and okay. No more risk than any other pregnancy.”
Annie stepped out of the way as Phoenix went and knelt in front of his wife and tenderly kissed her still-flat belly. “We’re going to have a baby, Wildfire.”
She trailed her fingers through his hair. “Just like that vision I had in our house.”
He stood up and turned back to the guys. “We’re going to have a baby!” He picked Riley up and spun her around. “I’m going to be a dad.”
“Please don’t name the kid Riley,” Kendrick yelled. “Your names are confusing enough as it is.”
Everyone laughed and soon hugs were being shared all around. The kids enjoyed the new playground and the parents got out the rest of the food and drinks to make the most of this gorgeous Wyoming summer night.
“You okay?”
Annie leaned backwards as Zac’s strong, familiar arms came around her and Becky, pulling them both against him.
“Yes. I didn’t mean to tell Riley about being pregnant. But she was worried it was something bad.”
“Definitely not bad. The best. They’re going to be a family.”
She looked around at this crazy crowd—everyone passing around babies and food, laughing and talking all over each other. “We’re already a family. It’s just going to grow a little more.”
She thought once more of the other news she still had to break. Riley had definitely been the easiest of the three. What was coming wouldn’t be as easy. But this family would get through it the way they did everything.
Together.
***