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Epilogue
Two years later
Theresa sat on her hospital bed with her newborn son on her lap. Already dressed and packed, she waited for her family to come and take her home. Baby McGee had just finished his lunch and had fallen asleep. She couldn’t take her eyes off of her darling boy, and all her maternal instincts surged in the same way they had with Charlie and Jeremy when they were born. Without a doubt, Theresa would walk through fire for this tiny person.
Noise outside her door brought on a smile and a tear of joy.
“All right, you two,” Caleb said to Jeremy and Charlie. “Are you ready to meet your new baby brother?”
“Yeah!” Jeremy cried.
Caleb held the door open, and her boys filed in, followed by Theresa’s mother.
“July is such a perfect month to have a baby, especially because I could take the time off to help out.” Vanessa’s smile lit her face as she entered. Her mother had come to spend the next two weeks with them, and then their new au pair would arrive from France. The arrangement thrilled Charlie and Jeremy. They loved having their gramma with them.
“Incidentally, Theresa, you’ll be happy to hear our very first music camp on the rez filled up within an hour after opening for registration. The tribal council thanks you, and we’re all hoping you’ll make the fundraising concert an annual thing.”
“I’m so glad,” Theresa said. “I’d like that too.” She turned to her boys. “I’ve missed you guys,” Theresa said as Jeremy climbed up on her bed and threw his arms around her neck.
“We’ve missed you too,” Charlie told her as he came to stand beside her, his expression solemn.
“We just have to wait for my doctor, and then we can go home.” Shortly after their wedding, she and Caleb decided to add another member to their family, and they’d sold their homes and bought a new, slightly larger house in Santa Barbara. They’d agreed it would be best to do away with the my house, your house dilemma. The new place was theirs. They’d also wanted to keep Charlie and Jeremy in the same school. With all the changes her children had gone through, stability was important.
Theresa placed the swaddled bundle on the bed and unwrapped her newborn son so her mom and the boys could get a better look.
“He’s all scrunched up,” Jeremy said, reaching out to touch one tiny hand. He gasped as baby McGee reflexively gripped his finger. “He likes me.” Jeremy beamed.
Charlie leaned close and kissed his sleeping brother’s forehead. “He’s so tiny.” He smiled at his mother.
“Oh, Theresa, he’s precious,” Vanessa gushed. “Have you two decided on a name?”
“We’ve picked out a few, but we wanted everyone’s input before deciding.” Caleb lowered himself to sit beside Theresa. “Oliver, Ian, and Connor are our top picks. His middle name will be Montgomery.”
“I like Oliver ’cause we can call him Ollie for short,” Jeremy said.
“Ollie sounds too much like Sully, and that’ll be confusing. I like Ian the best,” Charlie chimed in. “Which one do you like, Gramma?”
“Connor is my favorite.” Vanessa shrugged.
“Great.” Theresa laughed. “You three are no help at all.”
Jeremy continued to hold his brother’s tiny hand. “We can put all three names in a bag, and Mommy can draw one out.”
“Good idea. He needs a name before we bring him home.” Caleb headed for the door. “I’ll see if the nurses can spare a few slips of paper and something to draw from.”
“How was your day with your father?” Theresa asked her boys. David had eventually accepted his situation, and he’d continued to remain drug-free and sober. He’d earned unsupervised time with his sons, and things had settled down considerably. Her ex had even started another auto body shop in Santa Barbara so he’d be close to his children. He traveled between Oregon and California to oversee both businesses. Other than picking up and dropping off Charlie and Jeremy, he pretty much stayed out of their lives.
“It was okay. We saw a movie and then we went out for pizza,” Charlie said. “Next weekend we’re going to the zoo.”
Caleb returned with a kidney-shaped plastic container holding three folded pieces of paper inside. “Are we ready to draw a name?”
“Yeah,” Jeremy said.
“Here you go.” Caleb held out the plastic container, and Theresa drew the name.
“Open it, Mommy.” Jeremey still hadn’t let go of his brother’s hand, and Charlie had climbed up on the bed to sit by his new brother.
“Okay,” Theresa said. Her gaze touched on each of them, and her heart filled to overflowing. Slowly she unfolded the slip of paper. Then she grinned. “Connor,” she said. “His name is Connor Montgomery McGee.”
