47. Dempsey
47
Dempsey
“ Y ou did it again, Pepper. And look at that dark hair. He might actually look like you.”
“Gee, thanks.”
I kiss my beautiful wife on the forehead and marvel at the precious gift she’s given me of my second son. There’s no greater gift in life than being a father. Owen became mine as quickly as we could file the paperwork. Justin and Annie made it happen without a hitch. And now, this new baby boy makes the third Dempsey in our little clan.
“Are you still set on the name?” She looks at me with hope and apprehension, and I brush my knuckles across her cheek for reassurance.
“I am. Are you having doubts, Pepper? She’ll be honored, but we have the alternative name picked out just in case. I love both choices.”
Katy thought long and hard about the perfect names for our children. She’d told me early on that she wanted to name our daughter Justine and I knew Justin would be honored, but I wept like a baby when she told me she wanted Viktoria to be her middle name. She understood if I wanted to wait and see if we had a boy to use Viktor, but it didn’t matter to me if we had a football team worth of girls; my name would be immortalized with my first daughter, and that was good enough for me.
“Not doubts. Just nerves. I don’t ever want to offend Spencer.”
“Well, if she hates it, we have an alternative, and nothing is signed for yet, so it’s easily changed.”
“Signed for? You make him sound like a car.”
I kiss her gently on the lips. “Well, I sure enjoyed taking his mother on a joy ride.”
“Eww. That’s a dad joke. Go get the crew before they start to protest in the lobby. You know they are only staying away out of respect. Any one of them can just barge in at any minute.”
“I’m going.” I kiss Katy one more time and brush my lips against my son’s cheek, careful not to scratch him with my beard. I can hear everyone’s laughter as I walk down the hall, send an apology glance to the nurses behind the desk, and nod toward the doors to let them in.
The laughter stops as everyone rushes in with words of love and congratulations.
“Mama and baby are both doing great. Can you all behave so you can go in together?” A few glances are exchanged with the nurses behind the desk, and grumbles of approval are heard.
Everyone files into the room, and suddenly, their voices change octaves to sound more like hyenas than full-grown adults.
“Who’s first?
“Spencer is first and the rest of you follow her lead and go wash your hands.” No one objects to Katy’s instructions.
Spencer stepped into the bathroom before fully entering the room and is now ready for our big reveal. I take my son from Katy’s arms, giving her a reassuring smile, and hand him to Spencer. Her face beams as it always does with a new baby. Katy already has tears in her eyes, and I take her hand, knowing that this is the make-it-or-break-it moment.
Everyone returns to the room after washing their hands, and Spencer turns to hand the baby to the next person who wants to hold him.
“Wait.” Spencer freezes and turns to Katy. “Don’t you want to know his name?”
“Of course.”
Katy waves Spencer over. “Would you come sit for a moment?” She gestures to the chair next to the bed, and Spencer gently sits so as not to disturb the baby in her arms.
Katy takes a deep breath and looks at me. I give her a nod of encouragement, and I see Blake and Nicole each squeeze one of Katy’s legs.
“Before I tell you, please know that we have an alternative name picked out if…”
Spencer looks at her, confused.
“If?”
“If you don’t like it.”
“Katy, you’re allowed to name your child whatever you like. I’ll love him even if his name is Bologna.” Someone in the room snickers, but everyone knows this is an important moment. Katy confided in everyone for their opinions—everyone but Spencer.
“With your permission, we want to name him…Emory Tucker Dempsey.” Katy’s eyes flash to Tucker. He didn’t know about her middle name choice, but his chest puffs up with pride as we all wait for Spencer’s response.
She stares down at the baby in her arms, expressionless. She rocks slightly, and finally, after what feels like an agonizingly long time, Spencer looks up to Katy and smiles.
“Don’t you think we had enough penises in this family already? Poor Justine.”
She made a joke, but that doesn’t answer Katy’s question.
“Spencer?” Katy questions.
She extends her hand and places it on Katy’s arm. “I’m honored, and I love it. Emory Tucker is beautiful. But you might need to ask Tucker because I’m not sure if his head will fit out the door after this.
“Smithy, that’s two jokes in a row. Is the air too thin in here?”
Axel claps Viktor on the back with a big grin. “Are you ready, Daddy?”
“Ready for what?”
“You’re gonna have to make three more of those to use up the rest of our names.”
“Um, excuse me,” Katy interrupts. “You’re asking the wrong person. This vagina factory is temporarily closed. Two kids, so close together, and she needs a break.”
Tucker removes his hat and runs his hand through his silvering hair. “I really don’t need to hear my daughter talking about her vagina.”
“He’s beautiful, Katy girl.” Lincoln slides over and wraps an arm around Miller. They both look at Spencer in awe as she holds Emory.
Blake stands in the middle of Annie and Cole, each of them holding a hand on Blake’s stomach, cradling baby number four.
Justin smiles a goofy smile at Katy over Nicole’s head. He nuzzles into her curls from behind, and I hear him whisper the word baby. Nicole playfully swats at him, saying, “No. Three is plenty.” I disagree. Three isn’t nearly enough for me, but for them, Hannah, Miles, and Seth are plenty. For now, at least. I know she’ll give in soon enough.
Tucker slings an arm around Axel and whispers something in his ear, making him blush.
These are Katy’s people. My people. And my sons’ and daughter’s people.
Our found family through love, and trauma, and healing.
They. Are. Enough.
The End