Link: Every Day Is Your Last Title Page and Description

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I stayed in touch with Jack and Rich while I was overseas. They would call and tell me what was going on in their lives and I in turn lied to them about how great my new posting was. The only benefit of being so bloody far away was that I was still accumulating Leave that I never took, so in the end I got out almost a month early, taking my last twenty-one days as Terminal Leave.

By September second, I was on my way back to CONUS... the Continental US... but things had changed. Jack and Erica were living in Newport Beach and Rich was in New Hampshire, which was where I was headed as fast as I could. I didn't even take the time to call anyone and let them know I got out early. I felt like I was abandoning Jack, especially after all that he'd done for me over the years, but I just had to follow my heart.

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Brooke slammed the door of the cab and pulled the seabag over her shoulder, most of the weight resting on her back. To her, the late summer weather in Concord felt more like the fall that wasn't due to start for another two weeks. Biting her lip nervously, she gathered her nerve and walked up to the door of the tiny house. Setting the bag down once more, she knocked and waited.

Jenny heard someone knocking on her door as she put a load of laundry in the washer. "Coming!" she yelled loud enough for them to hear her. She'd spent most of that Saturday cleaning her one bedroom rental and hadn't been expecting anyone, her parents being out of the country. Jogging through the living room, she slowed as she reached the door. Sighing, she pulled it open quickly, mildly annoyed at the interruption. "Yes?" When her eyes caught sight of who was at her door, she nearly fainted. "Brooke!?"

"Jenny?" she smiled hopefully. "I know I didn't call ahead, but I thought I might surprise you!"

Surprised was an understatement. Jenny was stunned into speechlessness. "Wha... how... uh..."

"Well? Can I come in or do I need to go live in New Mexico?" she said with a smile.

Jenny still couldn't formulate words, so she just stood back and let Brooke enter. Clearing her throat, she finally was able to speak again. "Um... sorry about the mess!" she apologized, looking around the room. "I... I... I wasn't expecting you until..." She shook her head, trying to clear it. "I thought you wouldn't even be out until the end of the month! I wasn't expecting you until sometime in October! What happened?"

"I haven't taken any Leave for almost a year, so I took it all at the end of my cruise so I could get here sooner!" she explained. "Surprised?"

"No, I'm not surprised... I'm floored!" She looked at her grungy sweats and touched the bandana holding the hair out of her eyes. "I... I wasn't ready for you yet! I... I wanted everything to be perfect for you to..." She looked down as her voice shook and cracked, her eyes starting to water.

Brooke moved in close to her and grasped her shoulders. "It's OK, Jenny! I don't care how clean your house is! I just couldn't wait to see you!"

She looked up at Brooke upset. "But I look terrible! Me standing here like an idiot in sweats... and I haven't showered since yesterday morning!"

Laughing at how seriously Jenny was taking it, Brooke shook her head. "You still look beautiful to me!"

Furrowing her brow, Jenny walked away frustratedly. "You're just saying that to make me feel better!"

No longer laughing, she cleared her throat. "Do... do you want me to go?"

Spinning to face her, Jenny pleaded, "No! God, no! It's just... Oooo, you can be so damn frustrating!"

Sighing and shaking her head, Brooke smiled. "Yes, yes I can, and you can be adorable when you're angry!" Pausing for a moment, she looked around the room. "Tell you what. We'll get this place cleaned, together, get us clean and dressed nice, and I'll take you out to dinner. How does that sound?"

Shyly looking to the floor, she blushed. "You mean, out? Like a date?"

"I mean out, like what loving couples do!" Brooke clarified, slowly walking up to her. "But first, I want to say hello properly!"

Gulping at the predatory look in Brooke's eyes, Jenny's pulse quickened as she hurriedly pulled the scarf off her hair, still hardly able to believe that after so much waiting, her love was finally in her home again. Feeling her pulse pounding in her neck, the smaller woman stood there as Brooke walked up to her and slipped her arms around Jenny's waist. Still not used to being so drawn to another woman, fear gripped her heart for a moment before desire overcame it and she found her arms slipping around to draw Brooke tightly to her.

Leaning down, Brooke brought her face only inches from Jenny's. Seeing the fear, but feeling the younger woman pull their bodies close, she changed her approach and instead of ravishing the woman she loved as she desired to, Brooke instead whispered, "I love you!" before gently kissing her, just letting their lips brush together tenderly.

Hearing the words and feeling Brooke's lips lovingly kissing hers, drove the fear out of Jenny's heart as wanton desire took its place and overwhelmed her. Just as Brooke was pulling back to end their loving reunion, Jenny ran her right hand up to rest on the nape of Brooke's neck and pressed their lips back together. Opening her mouth hungrily, she jumped up and wrapped her legs around Brooke's hips to make their bodies press together in a lover's embrace. Throwing caution to the wind, Jenny only knew one thing at that moment; Brooke was in her arms once more and she wanted the Marine more than she'd ever wanted anyone in her life.

Reveling in the love and desire Jenny was showering on her, Brooke returned her desperate clinging as her heart burst with joy. When Jenny's passion was at last sated and she slowly slid back down to her own feet, their lips parting, Brooke sighed in contentment. "I missed you, too!" she whispered, delicately toying with the curly brown hair around Jenny's face. Smirking, she grabbed the smaller woman behind the shoulders with one arm and swept her legs up with the other, Jenny instinctively wrapping her arms around Brooke's neck.

"Brooke!" Jenny yelled. "What are you doing!"

"Something I've been dreaming about my entire life." she answered as she headed for Jenny's bedroom. When she saw Jenny smile and giggle, Brooke knew that the love of her life wanted her just as desperately as she did her, and that this was where she'd always belonged. Home. she smiled to herself as she kicked the bedroom door shut behind them.

Six weeks later, and twenty-five hundred miles away, Erica walked through the door to Jack's Jiffy Dry Clean with a smile on her lips that she couldn't shake. They'd leased the building using some of the money they'd saved for their house and had opened for business in early September. Within weeks, Jack found himself busy enough to start hiring employees and begin paying back the small business loan he'd taken out. Erica smiled at the young lady behind the cash register. "Hi, Gwen! Is my husband available?"

The teenage girl looked up from the order slip she was filling out. "Oh! Hi, Mrs. D! Um... I think Mr. D's in the back. Do you need me to get him?"

"If you wouldn't mind?" she asked politely. She watched the bubbly blonde eighteen-year-old jog off to the back while she waited, going over things in her mind. Gwen returned and headed back to her work as Jack followed her.

"Hey, Buttons! What brings you by?" he said wiping his sweaty hands on a cloth. "I'm a little busy. We got a rush of costumes needing cleaned before Halloween next Friday." He half-smiled as he walked up to her. "Oh, yeah! Today was your physical with... um... what's-her-name, that... that doctor you picked. How'd it go?"

Erica shook her head. "Her name's Dr. Blumenthal, dear... and it went fine! Wonderful, in fact!"

Hugging her, Jack smiled. "That's great, Buttons! So did you just stop by on the way home? Just couldn't stand being away from me on a Saturday?"

Laughing, Erica shook her head. "You know me so well, Jack! I have some news though that I thought you might want to know right away."

His smile dropped. "Nothing bad, is it? I mean, nothing wrong with you? Or your folks or Rich or Heather? Or Brooke?"

She shook her head slowly. "No, nothing bad, and everyone's fine, last time I checked! I needed to make sure your schedule was free next July around the fourth."

Confused, he thought hard. "Next July Fourth? Buttons, I don't even know what I'll be doing next week! We got plans already for next July?"

"Just the birth of our baby!" she said smiling as wide as she could.

He looked at her with a stunned expression. "The wha...? Birth? Baby? You?"

Erica arched her eyebrows. "Well, I do seem to be the only one of the two of us able to do that, sweetie! Unless one of your other girls is expecting, too!"

He stumbled backward slightly, not even hearing her joke. "Me? A daddy? You're sure?"

"Couldn't be anyone else, love!" she quipped.

"Did the doctor tell you what it is?" he asked in a daze.

"It's too soon to tell, Jack! We won't know for fifteen weeks or so!"

Gwen was giddily waiting for an opportunity. Seeing a lull, she rushed up to Erica. "Congratulations, Mrs. D! I couldn't help but overhear!"

"Thanks, Gwen!" Re-shouldering the strap of her purse, she hugged Jack. "I have to get home and call everyone! See you tonight?"

Slowly, Jack started coming out of the fog that had wrapped around his brain. "Huh? Oh! Yeah, yeah! Sure! I... I'll be off at six." Pausing, he looked at her concernedly. "Hey, should you be driving in your condition?"

Erica laughed. "I'm pregnant, Jack! Not drunk!" continuing to laugh as she walked to the door. "I'll see you tonight, sweetie! Don't work too hard!"

Fifteen weeks later, they were in the doctor's office as the OBGYN pushed the sonogram wand around Erica's belly. Jack squeezed her hand while the two waited pensively. When he'd called Richard the day she'd told him about the baby to crow about their expected joy, Richard had told him that their recent sonogram had revealed that Heather would be having a girl. Now it was his turn to find out.

"There!" Dr. Blumenthal said happily. Pressing a button on the machine, a grainy monochrome photo started to print out. "Well, from what I can see, the baby looks healthy, is at the proper growth stage, and..." She paused and looked at the two. "...is a girl!"

Jack looked at Erica with a smile. "A girl!" he exclaimed softly. "A beautiful baby you!" He kissed her gently on the forehead. "I know what I wanna call her!"

Surprised, Erica looked at him. "Don't I get a say?" she laughed.

"What? Of course, Buttons!" he said defensively. "I just mean... I just have a suggestion I'd like you to consider, if that's alright!"

Laughing, she nodded. "OK, so what is it?"

He took her hand in both of his. "Erica Bella! Erica the Beautiful!"

A tear formed in her eye. "Oh, Jack! You're wonderful!" she kissed him on the lips, making him blush in front of the doctor.

"Well... um..." He half-smiled at her. "See, since she's due on the fourth of July, that way, when she introduces herself, she can say, 'Hi! Ah'm Erica... the Beautiful!"

Erica groaned along with their doctor. "Jack! You clown!"

Proud of himself for catching her out, Jack smiled. "Yeah, seriously though, what do you think? Erica Bella? I don't think I'll call her Buttons, that's just for you! Plus it'll make it easier to know who I'm talking to!"

"Aww! You're sweet!" she said, her heart melting at his love for her. "Alright! If that's what you really want!" She smiled and looked at the grainy photo again. "Hello! Erica Bella!"

Richard drove to the hospital in a near panic. Cursing himself for taking a few more days of work to close out the quarterly figures before resigning, he increased his speed to just under sixty. He wanted to go faster, but didn't want to risk getting stopped and delay him even more. Almost an hour after he'd gotten the call at work, he squealed the tires of his car, turning into the parking lot of Concord Hospital. Finding a parking space, he ran to the front doors where he saw Jenny waiting for him.

"Where is she?" he asked desperately.

Trying to calm him, Jenny answered in an even tone, "They've taken her to surgery. Follow me!"

Making him walk through the hospital, she could almost feel him pushing her with his eyes to go faster. Finally, they came to a waiting room where Brooke was sitting.

"Rich!" she sighed in relief. "They just came out and told me! She's fine! You have a beautiful and healthy baby girl, too! They're both fine!"

He very nearly fainted as the rush of adrenaline ebbed and he dropped to one knee. "Thank you, God!" he sighed, eventually letting them guide him to a chair. "What... what happened?" he asked, not having gotten the full story before racing off.

Jenny took a breath. "She started going into a perfectly normal labor while we were at work. She figured there would be plenty of time since the office is right across the street. She also thought it might be false labor and didn't want to worry you until she was sure."

Seeing Jenny pause, Brooke took over the explanation. "Jenny called me just after she called you. When they got her in and prepped, the doctor saw that the baby had her umbilical wrapped around her neck. Heather opted to do a Cesarean to avoid any risks."

"And they're both OK?" he asked, needing to hear it once more.

Brooke smiled at him reassuringly. "They both fine, Rich! This happens all the time! Right Jenny?" Her girlfriend just smiled and nodded.

After a few minutes, the doctor came back into the waiting room. "Oh! Mr. Hargrave? You can follow me!"

He looked back at Brooke and Jenny. "Can they come, too?"

The obstetrician put his hands on his hips and blew out a breath through his pursed lips. "Are there any others coming?" he asked.

Richard shook his head. "No. My parents and the rest of my family are out in California. They won't be here for another few days at least."

Nodding, the doctor turned toward the door. "OK. We normally only allow two at a time, but I'll allow it since three is all there is. Follow me."

The trio followed him into the recovery area where Heather was holding their baby girl and smiling. "Hi, love! Come meet our beautiful daughter!"

He slowly stepped ahead of the others, approaching as though his wife and child might break if his feet hit the floor too hard. "I told Hank on the way out I'd be back for my stuff later on. Oh! He said to say 'Congratulations'!" Pausing, his voice fell. "I... I'm sorry I was at work!"

Heather shook her head, her smile unbreakable. "No, love! It's fine! All you need is to have a little faith! I knew it would all work out alright!"

Laughing, he reached her side and stroked her blonde hair. Looking down at their tiny daughter, it came to him. "Honey? I know we settled on Beatrice René, but... I just had a thought."

"Oh, Richard!" she almost whined. "I thought we settled all this!?"

"Just hear me out!" he said softly. "What about 'Faith Beatrice'?" He looked down at the little girl. "Your mother's name is still there, and you did just say we needed to have a little Faith!"

Heather laughed lightly. "You're channeling your inner Jack!" She looked down at their girl. "Faith! It's perfect, Richard! Faith Beatrice Hargrave!"

While Brooke and Jenny came to meet their tiny honorary niece, Richard had only one thought. I sure wish Jack was here!

Four days later, as Heather was being discharged from the hospital, Frank and Judy arrived. While Heather was being wheeled into the lobby, Richard smiled to see his parents waiting next to Brooke and Jenny.

"Mom! Dad!" he called out to them quietly. After he and Heather had moved up to the four waiting for them, he smiled and looked down at his daughter. "Mom? Dad? I'd like you to meet your granddaughter, Faith! Faith? These are your grandparents!"

Judy wept happily as Frank kneeled down in front of the wheelchair. "Hi, gorgeous!" he said softly as he smiled. "Can you say 'hi' to grandpa?"

Heather laughed lightly. "Oh, Dad! You two just get in?"

He nodded as he stood back up. "Just. Drove straight here from the airport! That Jenny girl was kind enough to give us directions!"

"Sorry, Frank!" Brooke apologized. "I'm new to this wilderness!"

Looking up and nodding at the honorably discharged Marine, he smiled. "It's fine, Brooke. We got here! That's all that matters!"

Judith knelt down next to Heather. "May... may I hold her?" she asked.

The nurse standing behind the wheelchair shook his head. "Sorry. Against hospital policy." Smiling, he added, "Why don't we get these two outside? Then you can get them home where you can make your own policies!"

Standing and looking at the man as though he were denying her the ability to breathe, Judith was about to object when her son spoke up.

"That's a great idea! Let's get you two home!"

Half an hour later, Heather walked slowly and carefully through her front door, carrying her bundle of joy while Gregory smiled and held the door.

"Congratulations, Madame Hargrave!" he wheezed.

"Thank you, Gregory!" she said absently as she stared down at the sleeping child in her arms. Not able to handle the stairs up to the baby's new room while carrying her, she passed the child to Richard. "Here you go, Daddy!"

"There's my baby girl!" he sighed as he took Faith in his arms. "Gregory? Would you get her bags up to the room, please?" he asked.

"Of course, Master Hargrave!" Gregory said happily.

Looking up the stairs to the bedrooms she'd climbed all too easily all her life, it seemed to Heather as though she'd be climbing Mount Everest. As Frank came in, he walked up next to her and took her hand. "Here, sweetie! Let Dad help you!"

Judith jogged in behind him and made straight for Faith. "Oh, Richard! Now may I hold her?"

Looking over at Heather and seeing her nod as Frank helped her up the first step, Richard sighed and handed Faith to his mother. "Careful, Mom!"

"Oh, Richard!" she scoffed. "I raised two babies! I think I know how to hold one!" Turning to her granddaughter, she smiled at the tiny child. "You are just so precious!" she cooed.

Brooke and Jenny came in behind Gregory, who was carting two suitcases toward the stairs. Brooke moved in close to Judith and Richard while Jenny moved to help Heather.

"Here!" Jenny offered. "That's supposed to be my job, Mr. Hargrave!"

"Oh?" he asked.

Heather nodded with a grimace. "Yes. Jenny works at my office, Dad. She took a few days vacation to help me get settled in."

"So, she's a nurse then? Well I'm glad..."

"Jenny's not a nurse, Dad." Richard explained. "She just wanted to help!"

"See, I owe Heather and Richard a lot, Mr. Hargrave!" Jenny grinned as she glanced over at Brooke before slipping under Heather's free arm. "OK! Just put your weight on me, Heather! No exerting yourself for a few weeks!"

Brooke smiled down at baby Faith as Judith cradled her. "Hi there, Faith! You got a smile in there for your Aunt Brooke?" Seeing the babe grin in her sleep, Brooke laughed. "She did! She smiled for me!"

"That was gas." Judith said coldly.

"May I?" Brooke asked. "They wouldn't let us at the hospital!"

Judith turned her body to interpose it between Brooke and Faith. "That's alright, Miss Hathaway." she growled. "Grandma's got her!"

"Mom." Richard dragged out the word. "Let Brooke hold her a minute!"

"No!" she said defensively. "I just got her!"

"She's not going anywhere, Mom!" Richard argued with a laugh. "You guys will be here all week! Let Brooke hold her! She hasn't be allowed to for four days!"

"No!" she barked, pressing Faith into her bosom until the baby girl woke and started to cry.

"Give her here, Mom!" Richard ordered, reaching out for Faith.

Giving Brooke a dirty look, she grudgingly handed Faith back to her father. "Mind her head, dear!" she instructed him.

"I took the baby care classes, Mom!" he said as he took the crying babe who settled down. "There! Daddy's got his princess and everything's all better!" Turning to Brooke, he smiled. "Want a turn, Auntie?" he grinned.

"Do you think that's wise, Richard?" Judith scoffed.

Turning around halfway up the stairs, Heather furrowed her brow. "Judith, Brooke is Faith's godmother and one of Richard's dearest friends! What's wrong with you?"

Sniffing defiantly, Judith stared daggers at Brooke. "I just don't think it's a good idea to let someone like her handle a baby! I think a better godparent would be one who actually follows the word of God! Don't you, Richard?"

"Judy!" Frank barked, moving down the stairs to confront his wife. "Just what's gotten into you!"

"I have eyes, Frank!" she spat. "That woman shouldn't be allowed to hold our grandchild!" Looking at Jenny who stood next to Heather nervously, Judith narrowed her eyes. "That one, either!" Dropping to a conspiratorial whisper, she leaned in close to Frank. "They're ungodly lesbians, Frank! I can tell by the way they look at each other!"

Looking at Brooke with a shocked expression, then to Jenny, he turned to Richard. "Is that true, Rich? Are Brooke and Jenny..."

The two women in question looked at one another. This being her first time being 'outed', Brooke waited for the subtle nod from Jenny before speaking. "Frank? Yes. Jenny and I are a couple. We're in love."

"She admits it! Brazen Harlot!" Judith hissed. "Richard? Throw them out!"

"The hell I will!" Richard barked, stepping away from her with Faith.

"What!" Judith screeched. "Didn't you just hear her!"

"Mom! I've known Brooke was gay since the first day I met her! So what?"

"Mother Hargrave," Heather spoke with dignity as she undid all her progress and came back down the stairs. "This is my family home. Brooke and Jenny are my friends, as well as Richard's! They're a lovely couple and are lucky to have found one another! They will always be welcome in this house!"

"You condone this... this..." Near to apoplexy, Judith looked at Frank, who still stood in shock. "Frank! We're leaving! You call that lawyer of yours and get our grandchild away from them! They're..."

"Shut up!" Frank shouted, rousing Faith once more until Heather took her back and settled her down. "I... I'm sorry I woke her, Richard."

"It's OK, Dad." he excused his father cautiously.

Turning to Brooke, Frank puffed out his chest, but spoke in hushed tones. "You're a Marine, Miss Hathaway! How could you serve!?"

"Because I love the Corp more than women, Mr. Hargrave." she answered just as formally as he had asked. "Jenny and I didn't start dating until after my cruise had ended and I was Outside, no matter how much I loved her. She wouldn't let me."

"That's true, Mr. Hargrave." Jenny spoke up at last. "I... I just couldn't let her ruin everything I love about her! I love that she was a Marine! I waited a whole year for her to come home to me! A year alone! Do you know what that was like, sir? Never seeing her? Hardly even able to talk to her? For a year?"

Disarmed, Frank Hargrave looked at Jenny sternly, but compassionately.

"Frank!" Judith shouted in a whisper. "Are you just going to stand there and listen to this... this... blasphemy? This..."

"Enough, Judy!" he growled low and quiet. "You wanna leave? There's the door!" He turned to his son and shook his head. "I don't like it! Not one bit, son! But..." He took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "...but I'm not going to throw away any chance of seeing my grandchildren by being a stubborn leatherneck!"

"Dad..." Richard began before Frank stopped him.

"Rich, you're a man and this is your home!" he pointed out. "I... I may not agree with how you run it, but I won't disrespect you in your own house!" He turned to Heather and nodded. "Nor you in yours, Heather." Turning to Brooke, he stepped up to her. "I'd like to apologize for my wife's conduct, Miss Hathaway. It was inexcusable."

"Frank!" Judith gasped before he shot her a look that shut her up instantly.

Shaking her head, Brooke sighed as the man turned back to face her. "The sentiment is appreciated, Mr. Hargrave, but you can't apologize for her. Only she can apologize for herself. It holds no meaning unless she does it."

Nodding, he looked down embarrassedly. "I know." Turning to his wife, he growled, "Judy?"

"I will not!" she huffed.

"Then get out and never come back!" Richard ordered.

"But I'm Faith's grandmother!" she argued. "You can't..."

"I can!" Richard interrupted. "And I will, unless you apologize and promise never to do it again! Brooke is a good woman and a fine Marine! She's also Heather's and my best friend. Jack and Erica's, too! I know they won't put up with your nonsense about Brooke, either! So go! Get out and never lay eyes on any of your children, or grandchildren, again! All you'll be doing is proving that Jack was right all along! I can't believe I stood up for you!"

Standing next to Richard, Heather raised her chin. "I agree. Unless..."

Frank turned to his wife once more. "Judy? Please. Just... just let it drop. You can't win this. Apologize and let's get back to why we're here, to see Faith, not to argue religion and politics!"

Outnumbered and with no options short of calling a cab and returning home never to return, Judith swallowed her pride and tried to get back a little of her dignity. "Miss Hathaway? I... I apologize for... for losing my temper and saying hurtful things. I... I still disagree with your... lifestyle... but this is not my home. I... I was wrong to try and force my will on Richard and Heather. Please forgive me."

Turning back to Brooke, Frank regarded her sternly. "Is that satisfactory?"

Meeting his gaze with the same grim determination, Brooke nodded curtly. "It'll do, Mr. Hargrave."

"Brooke?" Heather said softly as she took Faith over to her, handing her over gently. "I think it's time you got acquainted with your goddaughter!"

"Alright! Just one more!" Erica's doctor ordered calmly. "Push!"

Erica thought she was going to faint from exhaustion, but she gathered her strength and made herself bear down once more. She could only barely feel Jack's hand in hers and thought she might crush it to dust. "Errrrrrrg!" she screamed as the pressure built and then was suddenly released.

"There! I have her!" the doctor said smiling. Clearing the baby's mouth and nose with a squeeze bulb, she smiled... and then frowned.

Jack was trying to split his focus between his wife and the obstetrician. The pregnancy had gone normally, but Erica'd been ordered to bed rest for the last three months. That meant when Heather had Faith, they'd had to stay home while Judith and Frank flew out to see her. Now it was their turn to add to the family. When Jack saw her frown, he felt his heart drop. "What's wrong?"

Gathering her wits, she cleared her throat. "N-Nothing's wrong, Mr. Dunning. The baby's fine! I... I think someone made a mistake, though!"

Erica could hardly breath and was terrified. "W-What... m-mistake...?"

Steeling herself for their shock, she looked at them hesitantly. "Mine. It's... it's a boy!"

The two looked at her as though she had just suggested that Erica had given birth to a rabbit. Erica shook her head confusedly. "But... but you..."

"I know!" the doctor admitted her error. "All the sonograms didn't show what I was looking for! It must be a fluke, or I need newer equipment! I'm sorry for the mix up! He seems to be a perfectly healthy boy!"

The two looked at one another a moment before the laughter began. Finally, Erica was able to say, "Jack! If this is one of your jokes, I'm going to ask you how you managed it and kill you, and I don't know in which order!"

Jack was still wiping tears of laughter and joy from his eyes. "I... I swear to God, Erica! This joke isn't mine! It's His!" He looked up at the ceiling and shouted, "Very funny!" before looking back at his wife and laughing more.

The doctor cleaned their baby and wrapped it in blankets, finally returning the infant to its mother. "I really am sorry for the error. It happens, but at any rate, someone would like to meet you two!" Erica took her dear child into her arms and cradled the babe as she wept with joy.

While Erica cooed, Jack used a finger to delicately stroke the soft skin of his child. A tiny hand reached out and grasped it, bringing Jack to tears.

His wife looked up at Jack and sighed. "So what do you want to call him? Jack Junior? I know you said that's what you wanted to call our first boy!"

"I... I don't know!" he stammered "Um... Maybe? I... uh... huh." He thought hard a moment. "What would you think about calling him Eric, Buttons?"

"Eric Buttons Dunning?" she asked incredulously.

"No!" he scoffed. "Eric..." he smiled. "Eric Franklin?"

Smiling at the idea of using her father's name for their child's middle name, thinking a moment, she suggested, "What about Eric Richard?"

"What? And give that brother-in-law of mine more of a swelled head? He already thinks he's all that!" He shook his head and thought hard. "I want Eric, that's for certain. Since I picked the first name, you pick the middle!"

"Alright!" She looked down at their baby and immediately knew what to say. "Say hello to your daddy, Eric Bell Dunning!"

Looking down on his child, the only thing Jack could think was I sure wish Rich was here!