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Thursday, September 6, 2001, Afternoon
Unbelievable! Why is Tommy so childish as to miss our ultrasound appointment? Where the hell is he? Trisha is going to freak out if he doesn’t show up. Speaking of which, it’s not like her to be late. Ken reached in his pocket, pulling out his flip phone. He was about to punch in her number when she came flouncing through the door in a short, purple and white, baby doll dress. Tommy followed right behind her. Huh?
“Hey.” She greeted him with a hug.
“Hi. I was beginning to worry about you,” he replied to Trisha sweetly but cut his eyes at his big, blond friend as he tersely added, “Both of you.”
“Sorry,” she said, her cheeks glowing with a light blush as she tilted her head and smiled at Tommy. As Ken’s co-husband returned the gesture, his face light up in a manner that practically announced the two of them had been having sex.
You have got to be kidding me! Did that dolt actually go home and whine to Trisha until she put out for him?
“Did you check us in?” she asked, lightly touching Ken’s hand and distracting him from his aggravation. If he let on he was pissed at her other hubby, she’d be upset, and she didn’t need the stress.
He stifled his disapproval and kissed her on the side of the head. “Yeah, they should be calling for us any minute.”
“Awesome! I’m so excited to see the baby again.” She grinned, practically beaming as she took a seat.
“Me too.” The sides of Ken’s lips curved upward, but as Tommy grabbed the only chair next to their wife, his expression morphed into a grimace. He started to sit down across from her when the nurse called for them.
Soon enough the trio was waiting on pins and needles as the ultrasound technician squirted some gel on Trisha’s stomach. “Oh!” she bristled as the chilly ointment made contact with her skin.
“Sorry,” the short brunette in scrubs replied. “That slimy coldness is hard to get used to, huh?” Trisha simply nodded as the tech began to run the sensor over her belly.
“Wow! Now that is cool!” Tommy whistled as the 3D image came into view on the monitor.
“Look at the little hand! It’s so chubby. It looks real!” Trisha’s eyes were wide with awe.
“It is real,” Ken replied with a barely audible laugh.
She giggled with embarrassment. “I know...it’s just. Oh, you know what I meant, Ken!” She waved him off, and then lightly smacked his arm.
“I think it looks kind of weird,” Ken admitted bluntly. Trisha pursed her lips, and Tommy shook his head. “It looks like he’s made of melting putty.”
“Geez, Ken! This is our baby.” Trisha threw up her hands in a huff, poking her bottom lip out into an irresistible pout.
“I know. It’s not like I said I didn’t want him or anything. I was just making an observation.” Ken glanced over at Tommy’s red face. He was either pissed or embarrassed. Ken shifted his gaze and looked at the women moving the sensor over his wife’s belly.
The technician kept looking back and forth between Tommy and Ken, likely trying to figure out why there was an extra man in the room, but she had the professionalism not to ask. “Don’t worry. A lot of people say the same thing. Some expect to see an image like what they would see on television. The machine doesn’t quite work that way.”
“You should know that, Ken.” Tommy’s tone was scolding.
Annoyed, Ken raised an eyebrow. “Why is that?”
“Oh, don’t you know everything, genius?” Tommy wore a shit-eating grin.
What’s with his attitude?
Ken started to reply, but Trisha cut him off. “Stop ruining my sonogram appointment.”
Tommy’s face fell, and he reached for her hand. “Sorry, Trish.”
Ken started to roll his eyes over Tommy’s kiss-ass behavior but stopped short when he saw the tears rolling down Trisha’s cheeks. His spine straightened. “Me too...sorry. Don’t cry.”
“Huh?” Trisha turned her face to look at him and shook her head. “I’m not crying because of you two. I’m use to your childish squabbling. Just look.” She pointed at the screen. “He blinked. He’s so tiny and beautiful.”
Ken glanced back over at the monitor. Trisha was right. The chance to see Todd even before he was born was a blessing. I see ten tiny fingers and ten tiny toes and those adorable puffy lips. Holy crap! He has Trisha’s pouty lips. The corners of Ken’s mouth pushed upward and he looked off to the side for just a second. He brought his gaze back to Todd’s image as his heart swelled. “Wait, is it me or does he actually look kinda Asian?”
Trisha burst out laughing, and Tommy chuckled. “Did you make a joke?”
Ken tilted his head, staring at the monitor.” “Maybe.”
***
TOMMY’S MOUTH THINNED into a line. He cranked his engine as Ken drove off with Trisha riding shotgun. Since she had accompanied him on the way there, she left with Ken. Although he agreed with her sense of fairness, an awful aching spread across his chest and a sick sensation stuck in his gut. As he traveled, his imagination ran wild. He couldn’t stop wondering what Ken and Trisha were saying. No...he didn’t have to guess. Obviously, they would be bonding over their baby and just like his dad had said, he was on the outside, driving back to the house all alone.
He pulled into the driveway of their small ranch-style home—a two-bedroom in a quiet neighborhood. He parked next to Ken and Trisha, and before Ken could get out and help Trisha out of his truck, Tommy jumped out of his car and then opened her door. She looked up at him and smiled as he offered his hand. “Thanks.”
“You’re welcome, beautiful. He dipped his head, breathing in the fragrance of her vanilla-scented body lotion as he kissed the area above her middle knuckle. After she hopped down, he steadied her. Trisha’s bronze skin was glowing. Expectant motherhood suited her, and she seemed cheerful as she held the ultrasound pictures the tech had printed for her in her free hand, careful not to bend or crumple them. Ken walked ahead to unlock the door.
He remembered the last time Trisha had tripped, nearly face-planting in the backyard about a month before she got pregnant, and offered her his arm. Under the best of circumstances, she was the complete opposite of agile, and her current condition didn’t exactly help her balance. He escorted her through the door and then helped her to the couch in the living room.
Ken walked into the kitchen and then returned carrying a doughnut. He looked at Tommy. “You picked these up?”
He shrugged as he looked up and away while pursing his lips. Ken probably wasn’t buying it but he wouldn’t say anything in front of Trisha. She was strict about the relationship rules she set out upfront. Jealousy was discouraged and sexual exclusion was forbidden, but since Ken wasn’t there at the time, technically, he hadn’t been barred from participation. Sex between two was allowed as long as the other partner wasn’t available or if for some reason wasn’t interested at the time. Trisha would never collude against Ken, but Ken probably suspected him of deliberately setting things up to have her all to himself. He hadn’t. The doughnuts were just a treat. He had been genuinely surprised she wanted to have sex. Being with her had lifted his spirits, but Ken’s attitude was starting to wear on him again. He needed some space. “I’m going to go ahead and start packing.”
As he stood, Trisha grabbed the arm of his shirt. “I wish you didn’t have to go.”
Tommy stopped in his tracks, turning to gaze at her. Her tan skin contrasted beautifully with her dress—a cute, white number adorned with vines of purple flowers. She looked like a bohemian, beach princess with her sandy blonde hair and fresh face. He stroked a lock of her wavy mane and offered her a smile. “I wish I didn’t have to leave too, but if we are going to buy a bigger house and have more babies, I have to sell our software.”
“How long will you be gone this time?” she asked as her eyebrows tried to lift and knit at the same time, forming a crease on her forehead.
“I leave tomorrow and come back Tuesday.”
“I don’t know why you have to stay over the weekend.” Her lower lip started to turn down—the beginning of an ever so slight pout.
“Because it would be wasteful to go in for a couple of scheduled sales calls on Friday and fly home when I would have to fly right back for a planned installation and training on Monday.”
“It’s weird watching you be responsible.” Ken eyed him with a blank expression.
Tommy wasn’t sure how to respond. They weren’t kids anymore. How long did Ken expect for him to dick around? He shrugged. “Yeah, sorry my growing up is disconcerting for you. I’m going to make sure I don’t need to do any laundry.”
“Do you want some help?” Trisha offered, starting to stand.
He placed a hand on her shoulder. “No, I got it.”
After retrieving his rolling travel bag from the closet, he started to gather all the socks and underwear he would bring for his trip, packing them first. He removed the white undershirts Trisha had laundered and carefully folded from his dresser drawer. She kept his clothing crisp and clean. In fact, both Trisha and Ken were sort of anal about stuff being kept in the same place. They organized and labeled everything. Tommy was way less controlled and tidy. He had no problem with kicking off his shoes at the door and didn’t care if he had to search the bathroom cabinet for lotion. Maybe they belong together and I’m a third wheel...no, it can’t be true. If Trisha felt that way, she wouldn’t have married me. Would she? No...no way. I just have to stop thinking crazy thoughts.
His bag was nearly packed but he couldn’t find his lucky tie. His wife had given it to him soon after the three of them went into business together. Where could it be? I’ll have to ask Trisha.
He walked out of the bedroom and headed down the hall, but as he got closer to the living room, he heard her and Ken laughing and talking. He peered around the corner and watched as the two taped the ultrasound pictures into Todd’s baby book. They exchanged a look that seized Tommy’s heart in his chest and turned his stomach sour. He took a step back into the shadows before he could be seen and placed a palm over his heart, pressing down in a futile attempt to apply enough pressure to cull his wrenching anxiety. His dad was right, husband or not, this baby was Ken’s.
