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“Where is Jackie and Jason,” Summer asked the receptionist at the desk.
“Excuse me,” the receptionist lady asked rudely because she did not like Summer’s anxious, crazy attitude.
“Jackie Parker, she came in here, she’s pregnant.”
“Oh, the Jackie Parker that is giving birth?”
“What,” Summer started playing with her hair nervously, “She’s giving birth?” She bit her lower lip and started breathing heavily.
“Oh, wait there is an update, it just popped up on my screen, she gave birth to a baby boy named Jacob Thomas Parker. Awe! What a cute name!”
“Oh, where is she at?”
“She can’t have visitors, go sit and I can get you when she can.”
Nathan and Summer decided to take a seat in the waiting room and wait till Jackie was able to have visitors. Summer called Nona and told them that Jackie had the baby. It surprised Nona just as much as it had Summer.
* * *
NONA AND BILL DECIDED that they would wait to go see the baby because they had four kids they were babysitting, though they really wanted to. Bill thought that they should take the kids to do something interesting and they chose the beach also that is what they had planned for that day anyway. It was a good way to keep us children occupied.
“Kids, we are going to the beach,” Bill announced to us four children who were in the living room boringly watching TV. My grandparents do not have good TV streaming. Just a few shows that come in and they go out too.
“Yay,” One of the twins said while the other one was sleeping with her mouth open, drool dripping.
“Wait what about swimsuits, they are all back in the room,” Hayden realized sadly.
“Do you have a card?” Bill asked.
“Heck no!” Hayden said coming off a little rude, “My parents don’t trust me! They should though.”
“I trust you,” I said.
“Ok looks like we are going to the hospital!” Grandpa said.
“Wait why?” Hayden asked, “Oh, don’t answer that. I was just getting caught in the moment and forgot.” How can you just forget something like that?
“That is where Summer is, plus I thought you knew that” Bill replied, I do not think he listened to the last part.
“Ok, looks like a trip to the hospital.”
“Yep! Why don’t you and Lilian go get in the car so we can get the swimsuits,” Bill said while Hayden and I left the house and went to the car. Anything is better than watching black and white TV.
Bill kissed his wife and followed us out to the car.
Nona stayed home with the twins. They were going to wake the one twin up and keep them occupied so that they did not fall asleep again.
It was about a ten-minute drive to the hospital, so we were mostly quiet, but we did listen to music.
“When we get to the Hospital, we are not going to see Jackie, we are going to go in get the card from Summer and come back,” Bill sounded like a coach prepping his team for the biggest game of the year.
“Ok,” I replied, one of his players.
* * *
SOON ENOUGH WE WERE at the hospital, all three of us walked in and saw Summer. We got the card. Then the receptionist walked over and said, “Are you all here to see Jackie Parker?”
“Yes,” Summer replied getting eager to see her best friend.
“She has been cleared for visitors,” the receptionist said with a large grin.
“Let’s go see Jackie!” Summer said.
“Mom, we can’t, it isn’t part of the game plan,” Hayden said, looking over to Bill. His eyes told Bill that he was scared of breaking the plan. He did not know Bill, so I understand why he was scared.
“What are you talking about?” Summer asked laughing.
“Oh, in the car we made a plan to where we were to get the card and leave,” Bill retorted.
“Ok well, goodbye then, I will tell Jackie you stopped by.” Her eagerness got the best of her and she practically ran following a nurse.
“Tell her we said hi.” She was long gone.
We followed the plan and got in the car and went to the hotel. At the hotel, we got swimsuits and could only find one swimsuit for the twins so after about ten minutes of looking we gave up and went to a small outlet to buy a new one for the other twin.
It was already one o’clock by the time we got back home.
Nona had fish sticks out on the table, the twins had already eaten, so Hayden and I were the only ones that needed to eat. Nona already had a swimsuit and a cover on. Also, there was a bag packed with extra clothes and beach towels.
“Do you have my clothes in here?” I asked, thinking that she did not.
“Yes, yes I do.” She went through my stuff?! That does not make me so happy.
Hayden and the twins changed their clothes into their swimsuits and Nona put them into the bag.
We left just as soon as everyone was ready, which was about an hour later. So, we went to the beach! I have never been to the beach, so this is exciting. I do not think that my grandparents planned on staying there long because of how late in the day it already was.
* * *
THE BEACH WAS WELCOMING. The wind blew the waves against the shore with crashes that were drained out by the Hawaiian music that the beach speakers had on. The music and the waves relaxed my mind and got it off the baby and all the other issues that I had been dealing with recently.
I was not sure if the baby would live and I did not even know it was born, because no one would tell me anything. Though, I hoped it was not born yet because the bun in the oven was not finished baking. I thought about how they were going to name the baby Isabelle if it was a girl and Jacob if it was a boy. (Not my choices.)
It was such a great day for the beach, the water was warm, and the sun gleamed upon the sand. Carlee and Harley collected seashells while Hayden and I walked and talked in the water. Nona was on a beach towel and was sunbathing while Bill was sitting at the edge of the water; in the sand looking up to the sky with sunglasses. I do not know what he was thinking about, but I believe it was about the baby by his expression on his face.
As Hayden and I walked, Hayden playfully kicked some water at me. I kicked some back at him and giggled. Soon we were splashing each other with water then Hayden accidentally hit one of the twins in the face with water. She started to bawl and ran to Nona to tattle on him.
I do hope that that stuff does not happen with me and the baby.
“Hayden hit me!” She cried and gave Nona the puppy dog eyes as she hugged Nona.
“Oh, he did,” Nona replied.
“Yeah,” She said while she was still playing the act as if she was the good guy.
“No splashing the twins in the face, Lilian and Hayden,” Nona said in a stern and crossway.
“Ok,” I said generously. I was not mad for getting yelled at. I am pretty cool and easygoing except for when things go bad at school and I get blamed for stuff that I did not do.
“Geez, they are so annoying!” Hayden said as we walked away. I didn’t disagree though.
“I wish I had little sisters or even a little brother,” I replied sadly. I do know how annoying they would be but still, I can only wish.
“Really, I would love to be the only child sometimes.”
“Yeah, but all I have to talk to is adults at home and they aren’t even my real parents.”
“Sometimes that would be perfect, a set of parents who give their undivided attention to me. My parents are cool, but you know, they have everything on their minds at once. Well, and I like to give them a hard time.”
“Yeah, I guess, if they were my real parents, maybe it would just feel right.”
“Carlee is ok most of the time she is quiet but then there is Harley she is so annoying she likes to make stuff up about me, so I get in trouble, it seriously needs to stop!”
“You love Harley though.”
“Umm...Sure,” he laughed.
“Hey Lilian, we are going to leave soon!” Nona yelled from her towel. She was already helping the twins dry off.
We—as in Hayden and I dried off in the bathroom—Well, not together obviously I was in the women’s’ and he was in the men’s’. Then we began walking back to the car. It started to sprinkle lightly when we made it halfway to the parking garage. We were lucky because it started to pour after we made it into the garage.
My grandparents noticed that traffic was going to be remarkably busy because everybody was leaving the beach due to the storm. A drive that was meant to be twenty minutes could now take ages.
The parking garage—let alone— took forever to leave, there was about an hour wait, just adding more time to our long, rainy journey. Hayden and I knew we were going to be there for a while, so we played a game to keep ourselves occupied. We made it up and called it the word game, that is all we could think of.
(This is a game where someone says a word and then the next person says a word that is either related or rhymes with the other word.)
Hayden started the first-ever game with the word, “Traffic.”
“Cars,” I replied as quickly as I possibly could.
“Drivers.”
“Sixteen.”
“Seventeen.”
“Eighteen.”
“Graduate,” Hayden said.
“School,” I retorted smiling.
“Mr. Sweetie.”
“Natalie.”
“Mean.”
“You can’t say mean! That is an opinion and mean is not related to Natalie,” I complained and thought that I had won.
But Hayden rolled his eyes, “Fine!” Hayden said, “Girl.”
“Boy.”
“Child.”
“Little.”
“Baby.”
“Wait, did Aunt Jackie have the baby?” I asked, pausing the game to ask Nona, who was in the front of the car. I leaned up against the seat and eagerly waited for her to answer.
“Umm... I don’t know,” Nona replied lying, she didn’t want me to know. “She is in the hospital and I think so.”
“I know that part, the part where she is in the hospital.”
“Well, when Summer called, she had the baby, but it is in the NICU and they found that it has breathing problems. I don’t know its name or its chances of living.”
“Oh.” I got kind of sad.
The rest of the ride home was quiet, other than the twins talking about their baby dolls. I listened to the sound of the rain hitting the window and counted the thunder and lightning. I tried everything to get my mind off of my newborn baby cousin, who probably will not be alive for me to ever see it actually.
The traffic started to die down after a while, and we made it home around 5:30 and decided to go out to eat.
Nona called Summer to see where they should go eat. They ended up going to a fast-food joint. Summer and Nona decided that after they ate, they would go visit Jackie and Jason and bring them some of the nasty fast food.
I got excited when I heard the news that Jackie and Jason had hope and that I might actually get to see their son before he passed away, then I thought and hoped that maybe he wouldn’t pass away at all. I said a cute, little prayer and had faith that the baby would not die.
“Summer, did you get to see the baby?” I asked.
“No, it is in the NICU so they are doing all they can for it to stay alive,” Summer answered, “He is really tiny.”
“Has Jackie even saw it?”
“Yes, but just a glimpse Jason followed the baby to the NICU.”
“Where is the NICU?”
“I really don’t know.”
“Aren’t you a nurse?”
* * *
WE ALL PILED INTO BILL and Nona’s car except for Summer and Nathan, they got in their rental car and went to go see Jackie. I kind of hoped that they would have taken me in, but they did not. Only Nathen and Summer went in. Nona and Bill got kid duty.
Jackie still was not feeling well, from having her kid and worrying about him which showed on her face. Jason told the family that it was a baby boy named Jacob Thomas Parker and only weighed half of a pound. They talked for a while about the baby and then they took Jackie in a wheelchair to the NICU.
Nathen decided it would be smart to go back to the house to help Nona. Nathen practically had to drag Summer out of the hospital and into the car.
“You know what I noticed about this car?” She said as Nathen got in.
“What?” He asked intently.
“This car smells like weed.” Summer laughed and looked at him. It was like a spark hit in between them. Then they kissed a happy romantic kiss.
“Let’s go to the kids,” Nathen said kissing her on the forehead before turning the car out of the parking lot.
“We still have those?! Ugh! Let us get rid of them!”
“You literally just told me you wanted more kids in the hospital. Now, you don’t even want the ones you have.”
“Nathen, I DO NOT want any more kids. The ones we have are enough!” They laughed about how serious they were being about the kids. They knew that they wanted their kids. “But I will call you later, I’m going back inside.”
She could not leave her friend in the hospital. So, Nathen drove her up to the front door. He decided that she did need to be with her best friend.
* * *
THE FIRST GAME NONA pulled out of the game closet was an old game called Number One. It was only a four-player game so only the children played it.
“Nathen, do you want me to get you a beer?” Bill asked trying to reassure his tired face. He looked like he had not slept in days with the large, dark circles under his eyes.
“No, I’m good,” Nathen replied. His phone started to ring, “Hello,” he answered it seeing that the caller was his wife.
“I’m at the hospital, come pick me up.”
“Summer, I know where you’re at. I will go get you, give me about ten to twenty minutes.”
“Ok,” she said about to hang up, “wait, call me when you get here. I’m going to stay with Jackie till you get here.”
He had already hung up, “Nona I hope I’m not asking a lot, but would you please watch the children for twenty minutes or so?” he asked looking up at her with puppy dog eyes. The same ones the twins give.
“You’re not asking much I love your children and your wife. Except, it is like you guys have never left, seriously you guys always put your kids on my hips.”
“Ok, thank you!” He ignored her complaining.
Nathen jumped in the weed-smelling rental car and drove out of their driveway. He drove a little bit before he turned on the radio. Nathen pulled into the hospital parking lot, he called Summer, and Summer came to the car.
“I had a little trouble finding the car,” she said with a blank look on her face while talking through the window that Nathen rolled down.
“Oh, well do I have to tell you that it is a rental car?” Nathen answered jokingly.
“Sometimes, people forget things. And I guess you forgot that!” She said and then she rolled her eyes at him. She was way too tired to be joking with him at that time.
“Summer, what is wrong with you?”
“Nothing is wrong with me,” she said, “Nathen I wasn’t trying to be rude! I’m just extremely tired.”
“Good, get in the car!”
“Ok Nathen, I love you.”
“Yeah, ok. Love you too.” He kissed her but it was not a sparky kiss.
Summer rolled her eyes and watched out the window on the way to get her beloved children from where they were at.
* * *
“SUMMER, I’VE BEEN THINKING really hard; and I think you should go visit your parents!” Nona said after Summer trudged in through the door and sat at the table.
“No, goodness no! Never in a million years!” Summer said blandly because she was tired.
“Yes!” Nona insisted.
“No! They abandoned me! I had to walk down the aisle alone because of that! You know that you were there!”
“Now, Summer they are old, and Winter never comes anymore, they need someone!”
“They have each other! Oh my gosh,” she rolled her eyes in anger.
“Yeah, but they need one of their daughters! I know what it is like not to have your children around all of the time, and they must feel the same way,” Nona tried to get Summer to feel sympathy for her parents.
“What about my brother, Drew?”
“He only came once and that was before Hayden was even born, probably to see Sabrina one last time before she died, and he didn’t even come to the funeral! What a brat!”
“Ok fine I will go talk to them,” she rolled her eyes.
Summer left the house and slammed the door, in anger. She walked over to the neighbors, her parents. It was dark out and she was scared that they would be asleep. No, she was not afraid, she hoped that they were sleeping.
“That dang door! I just fixed it!” Bill said after she abruptly left.
It felt like an eternity when Summer finally came back. When she eventually returned the twins were at the dollhouse again and Hayden and I were playing Uno together, that was becoming our favorite game.
“Kids want to meet your grandparents?” Summer asked.
“I thought they died before I was born,” Hayden said in confusion and then he noticed Summer had lied and he felt angry.
“Well...” She said, “Hayden I lied for reasons and you probably would lie to me too if you were in my shoes...”
“Ok, then I want to meet them.”
“Ok let’s walk over there then.”
“At this time of night?” Hayden asked sarcastically but nobody replied to him.
The family of five made their way over to the neighbor’s house and they decided for them staying there. It was nice for the family to reunite and meet.
I watched from the window smiling.