Page 18 of Lost in Yonkers
“I love her name,” Trixie said, taking the baby from her husband and holding Kris in her arms. “I can’t wait…” Trixie’s voice broke off to a whisper and Wren didn’t miss the way that she smiled at Blade.
“You can’t wait for what?” Wren asked.
“I can’t wait to have one of these,” Trixie said.
“Have you guys been trying?” Wren asked. She had been so busy with her own life and problems. She and Trixie hadn’t had much time to talk about things the way they used to, but hopefully, that would change soon.
“We weren’t going to tell you for a few more weeks,” Blade said. “We didn’t want to steel your thunder, but Trixie is pregnant.”
“Oh my God,” Wren squealed, causing her daughter to cry. “Sorry.”
“No, it’s all good,” Trixie said, handing Kris back to Wren. “I wanted to tell you sooner, but you had so much going on, and we wanted to wait until Kris got here, but I’m about four months along now.”
“That’s fantastic,” Wren said. “Our kids will be able to grow up together.” She looked over at Yonkers and frowned, remembering that she had promised him that they’d move back to New York to help his mother.
“Don’t worry, honey,” Yonkers said as if reading her mind. “I promised you that we can live in both places until we can figure things out. While we’re here, my buddy, Reacher from the Royal Bastards up in Yonkers, NY, is going to help keep an eye on my mom. We’ll get back here as much as you want, honey, and when my mom is out of the woods, we can move back down here, if you want to.”
“Really?” Wren asked.
“Absolutely,” Yonkers assured. “I just appreciate you following me north to help my mom.”
“I’d follow you just about anywhere, Chris,” she promised. “I thought I made that clear when I followed you to New York to tell you about her.”
“You did,” Yonkers said. “We’ll figure out the living arrangements later. For now, how about we try to get some rest? I’ll call my mom after a nap, I’m beat.”
“We’ll leave you guys alone, but not for too long. Can I come back later?” Trixie asked. “I want to spend as much time with my niece as I can before you move north for a while.”
“Of course,” Wren said. “Just let me get a few hours shut eye and then, feel free to come back. Oh—and bring a cheeseburger with you and a milkshake. Hospital food sucks.”
Blade laughed and hugged her. “How about we come back around lunchtime, and I’ll bring us all burgers and milkshakes.”
“I’d rather have a beer,” Yonkers teased.
“Well, I’m pretty sure that we can’t bring alcohol into the hospital, so you’ll have to settle for a milkshake,” Blade said. “Congratulations, brother.” Blade pulled Yonkers in for a quick side hug—the kind that guys usually shared in public when they knew people were watching. Gone were the days of Blade threatening to murder Yonkers for touching his little sister, and she was thankful for it.
Yonkers
Yonkers snuck out of Wren’s hospital room, leaving both her and Kris sleeping. He hated leaving them both, even if it was for just a few minutes to call his mother with their good news.
His mother didn’t take long to answer the call. It was almost as if she had been waiting by the phone on her end. “You have news for me?” she asked.
“Hey, Ma,” he breathed. “It’s good to talk to you too.”
“Yeah, yeah,” she grumbled. “I’m mad at you for sending a babysitter to watch over me, but we’ll get to that soon. Tell me how Wren is doing,” she ordered. Yonkers knew that his mother was going to give him shit about sending Reacher to help keep an eye on her, but he wasn’t going to leave her high and dry, and going back to New York now wasn’t an option. Still, his mother was fiercely independent, and she wasn’t going to like having Reaper around one bit.
“Wren and your granddaughter are doing well. She’s here, Ma, and she’s beautiful.”
Yonkers could hear the emotion in her voice as she shouted for joy. “Is she healthy?” his mother asked.
“She is, and she weighed eight pounds, three ounces, and is twenty-one inches long,” Yonkers said.
“What’s her name?” she asked.
“Wren wanted something Christmasy, and we decided to name her Kris, with a ‘K’. We named her after me,” he said. Now, it was his turn to choke back the emotions that he was feeling. The past twenty-four hours had him feeling like he was on an emotional roller coaster, and he wasn’t sure he’d ever be ready to get off the ride.
“Will you send me pictures?” she asked.
“Of course, Ma,” he agreed. “But I can do better than just sending you pictures. When Wren and Kris are allowed to travel, we’re going to come back to New York to stay for a while. We both want Kris to know you and I want to be there for you during your treatment.”