186 - Grandpa

186 - Grandpa
Daddy, I’m calling to let you know that your name is now Grandpa. – Priscilla

Priscilla stayed in the hospital for two days and was released to go home on Friday afternoon. Porthos and Geo met them in the parking lot, and they got to hold their daughter for the first time. Charlotte was there for an impromptu photo shoot with the new family.

There was a small serenity park between the hospital and the river that it sat beside. Denver carried the empty carrier to the small amphitheater that looked out over the river. Porthos had his arm around Priscilla and Geo carried their daughter tucked up against his chest.

Charlotte had already snapped some pictures in the parking lot before they came over here. Even though she admitted that she wanted to send the pictures to her youngest sister and Priscilla’s best friend, she promised not to. Although, just like the maternity pictures, they would end up with Camille for her to do her computer magic with the digital files.

Each of the men placed the newborn in their motorcycle helmets and held it as Charlotte snapped their pictures. Then the three helmets were placed in a triangle with Priscilla’s inverted on them. She very carefully placed the six-pound baby in the helmet and Charlotte took several pictures from above.

The four parents then sat on the amphitheater rows behind the helmets and more pictures were taken. Next, they moved over to a green patch of grass. One by one, she was placed inside their club cuts for pictures. Followed by the camouflage and dress uniform jackets of her fathers.

Charlotte promised that they would take more pictures, but mother and daughter were both getting tired. She hugged her young friend and congratulated the fathers before she loaded up her gear and headed home before her younger kids arrived home from school.

Her oldest, Colton, was a senior and had been a captain on the football team. He was currently working with the next offensive captain and had a part time job at the gym that had once been Brute’s. Scrapper stepped into his father’s shoes not only at the motherhouse for the club, but also at the gym. Zee, his girlfriend, was taking nutrition courses and they planned to expand their services for the fighters that now trained there.

At one point, the gym had been where the underground fighters went to train with Brute. After his niece, Taz, won a championship title and belt in Mixed Martial Arts, more legitimate fighters were training there. There were still pictures of Brute in his prime, just as there were also pictures of Taz as a child when she had to learn to walk again.

For a long time, Taz hated those pictures. They reminded her of everything that she had lost. How she had to fight to get back where she had been. They were silent reminders of every setback that she had to fight through.

After everything went down with Leo, Priscilla told her friend that those pictures reminded her that at the end, it would all be better. They encouraged her to push through the hard times. Encouraged her to keep going.

With a new perspective, Taz had some of the pictures enlarged. Once a week the gym hosted a women’s only day where even the trainers and employees were female. Every other week, they held a self defense class taught by Murphy and Clay.

Settled in the passenger seat of her Jeep, she dozed as Denver drove with the other two men following in the pickup. As they slowed down for the turn into the compound, she woke up in time to see him punch in the gate code. He waved at the camera, and she laughed as he looked around to make sure that none of her younger sisters or brothers were nearby.

“Why do you always do that?” she asked as he discreetly flipped off the camera.

He chuckled as he slowly moved up the drive towards a parking spot in front of the main doors to the house. “It started on a deployment when we all tried to flip each other off without getting caught. It then just became a fun thing to do,” he shrugged, “especially if someone thinks that they saw something but isn’t sure. Then they are watching you like a hawk, and it makes them look like they’ve lost their mind.”

Shaking her head, she watched as he stopped and put the Jeep in park. Waiting until he looked at her, she smiled, “You have lost your mind.”

“Only where you and our family is concerned.”

Unfastening his seatbelt, he leaned over to undo hers and placed a kiss on her lips. In the backseat, the baby whimpered at the loss of movement. Priscilla chuckled as they got out and Denver grabbed the carrier from the backseat.

“Diana always had to be moving,” she said of her younger sister as they climbed the stairs to the wide wrap around porch. “That girl wore out two swings before she started walking.”

“She hasn’t stopped moving,” Porthos said as he moved past them to open the large door.

“That’s true,” Priscilla admitted as she moved past him, their hands briefly touched.

Once they were inside, the four parents were quickly surrounded by Priscilla’s many siblings and moms. Eliza hugged her close and kissed her cheek. Even though her older sister told her not to, she still felt guilty for encouraging her to go back to Leo. The two sisters clung to each other for a moment and a few tears were shed.

The front door opened and closed as Molly entered the house. Everyone knew it was him from his footsteps and the loud and very demanding meowing of the bottle-fed kitten. During a session with Carly, she presented him with a tiny orange kitten that was missing most of his front leg. Odie was letting everyone know that he was hungry and displeased.

“Can I hold her?” Amanda asked as her two older sisters broke apart and swiped at tears on their cheeks. Several other siblings chimed in with the same question.

“No,” Priscilla moved to where Denver had set the carrier on the kitchen island, “daddy gets to hold her first.”

With the infant in her arms, she turned to see Noel take the upset and vocal kitten from Molly. She said something to him, and he leaned down to lightly kiss her. Priscilla made her way over and stood between her father and her husband.

Molly grinned at Denver, “Nice hoodie.”

“Yeah? Uncle Sam gave it to me and then my wife was kind enough to let me borrow it once her belly got too big.”

“It’ll be mine again, soon enough,” Priscilla said as she handed her daughter to her father.

Light brown eyes blinked open and then closed as the tiny mouth let out a big yawn. “Hey there baby pretty.”

Porthos and Geo moved to join Denver and Priscilla. The four of them wrapped their arms around each other.

Looking at her father, Priscilla gave the name they settled on, “Grandpa, meet Jessica Rose.”