Chapter 19
19
TROPHY
Six months later…
“Seriously, dude? You are whupped…”
Lance smiled. He was seriously ‘whupped’ and was perfectly happy with this fact. Meeting and marrying Stephanie had been the best thing to happen to him. Forget getting assigned to fly a Hornet, forget getting assigned to Mayport, all of it paled in comparison to being a part of his wife’s world.
“I’m with Ohio,” Tic-Tak blurted out, wincing. “Who does crap like this anyhow. I mean, this is girl stuff…”
“And that is why you are single,” Pasteur commented glibly, yanking the brown T-shirt over his head that Lance had given him a moment ago.
“I don’t look good in brown.”
“Then switch with Tic-Tak or Moonbeam. ”
“He’s fat…”
“WHAT’D YOU SAY, SHORT MAN?” Moonbeam snarled angrily, immediately flinging down his shirt, and Lance rolled his eyes. They all knew that Moonbeam failed his PT exam this last time and only passed by the skin of his teeth, eh, well, neck measurement. He passed because his thick neck skewed the numbers because the man was all muscle. Moonbeam was on probation and had to pass this next round, or else.
“Short? SHORT? Who’s short, ya’ big ol’ Godzilla lookin’ freak…”
“Guys?”
“Godzilla? I’m not some lizard – and we all know you are short. There’s no hiding that, Ohio!”
“Godzilla! You’re practically ancient, always whining, beefier than the rest of us, and have roguishly awful breath that could melt like acid… Go’zilla!” Ohio shrieked, mockingly, pretending to see the monster in the distance, slapping his face and speaking with an accent bad enough to insult the entire island of Japan.
“Oh my gosh,” Tic-Tak muttered, wiping his face his hands. “Do not encourage the freak… please. Ohio, lay off the old movies, buddy. It’s melting your brain. You realize that’s rude, right?”
And the stubborn aviator let out a shriek that sounded waayyy too close to Godzilla screaming, causing an uneasy ripple of laughter among the friends. Lance sighed, snatched the T-shirts from all of them except Pasteur.
“Thank you.”
“You’re welcome,” Pasteur said simply, smirking.
“You,” Lance shoved a shirt at Tic-Tak, “Put it on.”
“I want the spruce color.”
All three men stopped laughing and looked at him .
“Spruce?” Ohio questioned, lifting an eyebrow questioningly. “Did you just call a green T-shirt… spruce?”
“Whatever you are thinking – STOP IT,” Tic-Tak glared at him. “My Dad worked at a body shop, and I know all the colors. Spruce, Opera Red, Piano black, Bottle Green, Fahrenheit Yellow…”
“You had me nervous for a minute – cars I get, bro.”
“Anything to shut you up, Ohio,” Shellac commented easily, chuckling.
And the man made a face immediately, mocking him in a high-pitched voice, as Lance continued handing out T-shirts before turning to dig in the other box to surprise Stephanie before she got home from work.
Madeline was picking Lila up from the airport and grabbing the cupcakes on the way here. Natalie was on her honeymoon, or she would have been coming here too. He had invited all of Stephanie’s coworkers, deliberately doing this party late in the evening after the bank closed so they could attend. She had no idea they were having a baby shower, and he wanted to surprise his beloved wife.
“I’m really glad you all are here,” Lance began – and handed out foam swords, feather dusters with the handles cut off, and round buckets he’d spray-painted metallic already and cut off the front so they could see. Was it a great costume?
Not in the slightest.
Was it cute?
I sure hope so, he thought silently, looking around the apartment. If someone had told me a year ago that I would be giving my wife a baby shower and fussing over decorations, I would have told them they were insane; but this isn’t half bad.
And it wasn’t .
It was actually pretty spectacular.
He had been hitting the dollar store each paycheck and buying all the cheap flowers he could find for about six weeks now, hiding them in the spare tire well on Stephanie’s car. If she ever had a flat, the jig would have been up immediately. The spare was sitting in the storage closet outside beside the patio.
Every time Stephanie went to work, he spent hours reading that well-worn book to learn what his wife liked so much about it and was doing his best to recreate that feeling. He spent almost a week weaving those roses and flowers into strands of Christmas lights – that were currently strung around the living room, held up by a plethora of thumbtacks. If the apartment complex saw this, they would probably end up evicted but then again, he also painted the baby’s room without permission. He didn’t plan on moving anytime soon and would just repaint it later.
Family first…
Their rules came second.
The baby’s room was a pale cream color. He had taken the bottom of a two-liter bottle to make a flower stamp, putting several over the crib. His wife was so sure they were having a girl despite having decided to keep the sex of the baby a secret until birth. He teased her about having a boy, but truthfully, the idea of having a little girl tickled his heartstrings wonderfully. Those ruffled diaper covers are gonna be the end of me, he thought with a faint smile.
“Dude, seriously? This is lame…”
That single comment drew him out of his reverie – and Lance nodded. It was lame, very un-mannish, and bordering on silly, but he would do anything for Stephanie. It showed, too. Each of the guy’s T-shirts had a goofy-looking ‘crest’ stenciled on it .
“Wear it for ten minutes when she gets here, and then you can ditch it.”
“I like it,” Orion’s son, Jeremy, beamed happily, posing with his sword as his father looked on proudly. “This is gonna be cool, Daddy. I’m a knight.”
“Thank you, Jeremy,” Lance began as he swallowed the lump in his throat. He realized he would be doing the same thing in a few years, except with tutus and peddling Girl Scout Cookies at the base or grocery store. “I appreciate that.”
“She’s going to cry, Trophy,” Orion smirked, nodding in approval. “I already texted my wife to bring some Kleenex. She ran home to get her Polaroid camera for this event – and a project. Heaven help me, Pinterest and the craft department at Walmart are massacring my wallet. We do not need twenty pool noodles at my house.”
“Cherry said you would say that,” Jeremy piped up, laughing, causing Orion to roll his eyes as Lance’s phone dinged loudly.
Stuck in traffic. We’re hurrying!
Okay. Thank you, Madeline – be safe.
Tell my husband I think he’s hotter than a firecracker, and I want a baby, too.
No.
Nope.
Heck no! – You tell him that yourself.
We’re friends, but not THAT good of friends. LOL !
“Memphis,” Lance chuckled, ignoring this last text message. “Your wife wants to talk to you later tonight.”
“Is everything okay?”
“Dude, trust me – you are good.”
Pasteur was moved away from the other guys and was looking at his cell phone. He had this strange look on his face, that caused Lance and Ohio to look at the quiet man.
“Are you okay?”
“I think so.”
“You look green.”
“I’m fine… I think.”
“Well, tell Loverboy if you are about to yack on your costume.”
“Ohio, anyone ever tell you that you have a gift with the English language?”
“Gift- ed ,” Tic-Tak corrected and winked at Orion, who laughed.
“Short bus,” Shellac added, giving Moonbeam a high five.
“Dude licks the windows…” Orion retorted.
“Eats paste,” Memphis quipped.
“Crayons, too…” Pasteur volunteered.
“Maaaan, I hate you guys sometimes.”
“If you can dish it out,” Moonbeam grinned, laughing. “You can take it too.”
“Meh,” Ohio shrugged and then made the Godzilla roar again, causing them all to chuckle as Moonbeam rolled his eyes in exasperation. Jeremy splayed his hands, looking excited at that moment, before hissing loudly.
“Shhhh!”
Sure enough, you could hear feet coming up the stairs, and they all got into position. Lance slapped a bucket on his head, only to have his feather duster fall to the ground. He picked it up, and the bucket fell off, causing a giggle from Jeremy as he donned both again – and grinned as Stephanie unlocked the front door and walked in, looking terrible.
He loved her dearly, but even he had to admit it. Some of the guys had mentioned they were concerned about her at Orion’s cookout two weeks ago because she was swelling so much. It had been bad that day, and the only shoes that fit her were a cheap pair of flip-flops.
Her face was red and pinched, her brow was covered in sweat, and he could see that her ankles were puffed up again badly, despite rubbing her feet last night and propping them up on pillows for her. The baby was taking a toll on her body, and he was trying to do everything he could to help. In fact, last week, he told her that her belly button popping out was ‘ the most adorable thing ever ’ – when, in fact, it was the opposite.
Stephanie was trying to do too much. Between Lamaze classes, work, going out shopping with Madeline and Cherry, fretting over Lila, and helping Natalie with her wedding plans from across the country – all while trying to put together the baby’s room, it was taxing. She always collapsed at the end of the night, falling asleep watching television. In fact, he was going to talk to her tonight about quitting her job.
“What’s going on?” she asked curiously, her eyebrows pinched together.
“Well, princess… this is your coronation.”
“My what ? And what’s that smell?”
“Paint!” Jeremy chimed in happily, shoving his sword up into the air once more with enthusiasm – only to have the ceiling fan slap it away, smacking Ohio right in the face. Tic-Tak sprayed the sip he’d just taken directly on Moonbeam, who immediately rolled his eyes in frustration .
“Shoulda put your bucket on,” Orion taunted as Ohio rubbed his nose and cheek in disbelief.
“What does he mean by ‘paint,’ Lance?” Stephanie repeated, looking at him questioningly and turned as footsteps sounded behind her. His wife looked out the front door curiously – and then shrieked. You could hear loud screams of joy echoing in the breezeway and winced. His neighbors were going to kill him.
“Oh my gosh, Lila… when did you get here?” his wife gushed happily, hugging the woman, as they all walked into the apartment. Stephanie was laughing and smiling, moving toward where he and Memphis were standing immediately. Lila was hugging Stephanie once more before waving politely at the rest of them.
Stephanie’s eyes were shining with tears as she stared at him, the table laden with gifts, and he could see the comprehension in her eyes. That singular look was the reason he got up in the morning and why he did things like this for her. He loved this woman with every fiber of his being.
“My princess is upgrading to ‘ Queen ’ soon,” he said softly, walking toward her and kissing her on the temple. “Now, sit down and put your feet up. Do you want some punch? I got the strawberry-pineapple stuff you love for you.”
“You are sooo sweet,” Stephanie crooned softly, touching his cheek and leaning up to kiss him, and paused, whispering and looking sideways at their friends. “Why are they all wearing mop buckets on their heads?”
“Sit down,” Lance chuckled, wanting to get her off her feet.
“Your husband is right,” Lila seconded, smiling with affection at the two of them. Stephanie’s friend actually looked happier than she’d been in the past. It was like some of the silent burden she carried had faded over time, which caused him to glance at Pasteur out of curiosity.
As his wife slowly sat down on the couch, he put a pillow down beside her and made her swing up her legs.
“Lance, what is all of this?” Stephanie laughed, and he turned to look at his friends, nodding.
“Here we go, fellas…” Tic-Tak announced, grinning, and made a grand show of putting his fake sword tip onto the ground before Stephanie, kneeling. Lance had picked up several of the plastic swords at a discount shop to complete their outfits and give the impression of being knights of the Round Table.
“I, Sir Tic-Tak of the Squadron, do hereby swear my fealty to Queen Stephanie…”
“Do we gotta say all that crap?”
“Shut up and learn something, Ohio.”
“I promise to be a loyal friend and provide wisdom should your child ever need it,” Tic-Tak finished dramatically, bowing his head.
Stephanie looked at Lance, her eyes shining with disbelief and wonder at this whole strange display. Before she extended a hand, playing along, and touched Tic-Tak’s brow. The man looked up, nodded, and moved away.
Orion and Jeremy, father and son, moved into place next. Both knelt before Stephanie once again – and Lance couldn’t have been more proud of his friends for helping him pull this off.
“I, Sir Orion of the Squadron…”
“And Sir Jeremy…” his son chimed in happily.
“My squire,” Orion adlibbed, grinning at his son before nodding. “We promise friendship and laughter to your child, hoping that it is blessed with quick wit and a lighthearted temperament. ”
“That means no crying babies,” Jeremy added for emphasis and then started. “Oh boy! Mama’s here with the cupcakes!”
Lance couldn’t help the smile that touched him as he and Orion shared a look, before his quiet friend stood. Orion’s son had never referred to his stepmother as ‘Mama’ – calling her Cherry this entire time. Things were obviously changing for all of them. Orion walked over to greet her as Shellac plucked the box of cupcakes from the woman’s hands just before the family hugged quietly in the corner, sharing a stolen moment as Pasteur stepped forward.
“I, Sir Pasteur of the Squadron, promise to be a friend to you both, sharing the word of God’s love with your child. I am truly honored that you’ve asked me to stand in as the baby’s godparent.”
“You are practically family,” Stephanie whispered in a hushed voice. “You married us, and we are honored to have you as the baby’s godparent, my friend.”
Pasteur nodded, looked at Lance, and then stood, moving away to make room as the other members of the ‘Round Table’ made promises to the ‘Queen.’ Some were serious, some were jokes, but mostly, this was just for show for his Stephanie, and they all knew it. Things would change over time – deployments, change of duty stations, marriages, and more, would all affect them, but it was sweet that they were saying such things now.
As Moonbeam knelt before Stephanie, his wife got this strange look on her face.
“I, Sir Moonbeam of the Squadron…”
“Hang on,” Stephanie interrupted quickly, glancing at Lance. Her eyes looked frightened and alarmed. Her lips were practically gone from her face, pressed together so tightl y they were impossible to see before she spoke in a strained voice. “Could someone get me a towel?”
“A towel?”
“Oh no…”
“Uh oh…”
“Why’s she need a towel?”
“Cause her water broke, you dolt. You fly an airplane – how do you not know basic stuff like this?”
“Because I’m not pregnant or getting anyone pregnant anytime soon.”
“Never say never…”
“Towel?” Stephanie reminded everyone loudly in a voice that brooked no arguments as her face looked pinched, looking directly at Lance. “I hate to cut this short, but we’re leaving.”
“Yup! I’m on it,” Lance began – hesitated- and then realized that they had an entire apartment full of people, some of which hadn’t arrived yet. Lila stepped forward and nodded.
“Go,” Lila instructed in understanding. She was staying with them for a few days before flying back to Louisville. “We’ll handle this and meet you at the hospital in a bit. I’ll get a ride from someone who knows the direction.”
Orion stepped forward.
“Go. We’ll take care of everything and lock the door behind us. Take care of your wife.” Between the two of them, the look in Stephanie’s eyes and the way her hands were clutching at her stomach was all the encouragement Lance needed.