The Cruiserweight (35 page)

“Let me look.” She took Autumn, checking the
baby as gently as she could. “You can relax, Papa,” Karen said.
“Someone just let a tooter. I guess she picked that up from Daddy
too.”

CHAPTER 66

“Let’s see,” Brett said a few days later while
installing the car seat for Autumn. “The directions say it’s
supposed to go this way, but I’m not having any luck.”

Karen chuckled softly as she cradled Autumn in
her arms. She was discharged from the hospital half an hour
earlier, but they had yet to leave the parking garage. Brett was
trying
–
without much luck
–
to put in the car seat.

She opened the passenger side door and sat.
"Would you like me to try?” she asked.

"I got it," he replied, and then cursed under
his breath again as he caught his finger on a part of the
seat.

“Brett, hold Autumn. I’ll put in the
seat.”

He groaned. “Okay.”

Karen placed the baby in his arms. “Hi, Little
Bit,” he smiled down at her. “It’s your clumsy old man again.”
Autumn cooed and grasped the finger he was using the tickle her
chin.

"Done," Karen said a few moments
later.

“Already?” Brett checked the seat and found it
solid and intact "How did you do that? I must’ve read the
directions for
…
oh, hell, forget it.” He
buckled Autumn in her seat.

“Brett,” Karen said, sensing she’d wounded his
pride. “You’re exhausted. First, you flew here straight through
from Orlando, and then spent more time camping in that hospital
chair the whole time Autumn and I were there than you did in your
hotel room.”

“I can drive,” he replied. “At least let me
take my ladies home.”

“All right, but just be careful.”

Autumn started to whimper when the engine
turned over. "It’s all right, Little Bit. Daddy’s just taking you
and Mommy home.”

Karen soothed the baby, stroking her head.
Autumn closed her eyes, snuggled into her mother’s touch, and fell
asleep.

She leaned her head back against the seat and
also shut her eyes. Soon, she felt someone shaking her. “We’re
home, sleepyhead,” Brett said.

She yawned. “Didn’t realize I fell
asleep.”

Brett helped her from the car and leaned inside
for Autumn, emerging with the sleeping bundle of joy. Placing a
feather light kiss on her forehead, he handed the baby to Karen and
headed to the trunk to grab her bags.

"She’s such a little angel," he said, giving
their daughter a loving look.

"That’s because she’s not even a week old. Wait
until she’s sixteen.”

“Well, my queen, shall we take our little
princess into the castle?” he asked, ushering her
inside.

The moment the door opened, a group of people
popped out of their hiding places.
“Surprise!”

Brett jumped. “Jesus!” said in a loud voice.
“Scare the hell out of us, why don’t you?”

Startled, Autumn began to cry. Karen held her
close and murmured comforting words to the frightened
infant.

“Don’t look at me,” Eddie said when Brett gave
him a dirty look. “This was Pheeb’s idea.”

"We all chipped in and threw something
together. Phoebe had your spare house key,” a woman
said.

Karen was shocked. “Ms. Kerrigan?”

“Ma?
What are you
doing here?” Brett asked.

“Can’t a woman visit her new grandchild? Do you
know how many years I waited for this moment? Sharon and Nick also
came to meet their niece.” Brett’s mother turned to Karen.
“Darling, how many times have I told you to call me
Pilar?”

“We got a kitty jar together to fly Brett’s
family here too,” Eddie answered.

“This is so wonderful,” Karen replied. “We just
weren’t expecting it and you all startled Autumn."

“It’s a
surprise
party," a younger man said. "It wouldn’t be
much of a surprise if you knew, right?”

"Nick," Brett said. "Don’t help.” He grinned at
Karen. “Meet my pesky baby brother.”

Sullivan came over to Karen. “Welcome home.” He
glanced at Autumn, who had gone back to sleep. “She’s a beautiful
little girl.”

“Thank you.”

“How do you feel?”

“Still some pain, but I’ll manage. The
important thing is that Autumn’s healthy.”

“Hey, boss, you have to try this guacamole!”
Terry called from across the room, beckoning Sullivan to join him
and the other men.

Sullivan gave Karen a wink. “Duty calls. Glad
to see you home.”

“By the way,” Nick said as he and Brett walked
over to Karen and their mother, “Patrick’s coming by later. His
flight from L.A. has been delayed.”

“Oh, God, as if it isn’t bad enough I have to
look at
your
ugly mug,” Brett replied in a mock groan. “You
and Pat in the same room may be a risky combination. No way am I
leaving my daughter alone with you two freaks.”

“Don’t worry, I’ll make them behave,” another
woman said before heading over to Karen. “Hi, I’m Sharon, Brett’s
sister.” She studied Autumn for a moment. “Mom, look at her!
Doesn’t she look like Brett when he was a baby?”

“Only difference is she has hair,” Pilar said.
She stroked Autumn’s head and cooed at her. “Your daddy only had a
little fuzz.”

“How do you know what I looked like as a baby?”
Brett asked Sharon.

“Mom showed me and Nick pictures.”

“Even the naked ones,” Nick said with an evil
grin.

Brett glared at Pilar. “Oh, gee, thanks a lot,
Ma.”

“What? You’ve seen their pictures, it was only
right that Sharon and Nick saw yours.”

Nick began to laugh. “Especially the one of you
at nineteen months on Ma’s bed with your bare ass stuck in the
air.”

“Nick,” Brett replied in a warning tone. “Shut
your hole right now or I’ll tell everyone how I made you wrestle as
the Possum Queen when we were kids.”

Nick cleared his throat and blushed. “Whatever
you say, big brother.”

Karen laughed at the scenario that unfolded
before her. Nick towered over Brett by at least seven inches and
was about thirty pounds heavier, yet he deferred to Brett like most
younger siblings did.

She handed the baby to Pilar, who, along with
Sharon, fussed over Autumn for several minutes before passing her
around.

“Hey, be careful with my daughter,” Brett said
when he spotted a few of the other men with her. “She isn’t a
football.”

“Calm down, Daddy,” Karen answered. “Autumn
isn’t breakable, and they’re holding her just fine.”

Pilar shook her head. “My goodness, I think
Papa is a bit neurotic about that baby.”

“You think?” Karen asked with a
chuckle.

“Yeah,” Nick said. “Wait until she starts
dating. I can see it now; Brett sitting on the front porch with a
hunting rifle in one hand and his walker in the other.”

Pilar nodded. “Knowing your brother, that may
not be too farfetched.”

*****

“You should stay tonight,” Karen said that
night when she returned from the nursery, baby monitor in
hand.

“Don‘t want to put you out your first night
home with Little Bit,” Brett replied.

“It’s been a long day. You‘re worn out, plus
you can have some quiet time with Autumn now that half the world
saw her.”

He smiled. “You work with some crazy ass
people, but I love them all.”

“I’m glad.” She pulled him into her bedroom and
helped pull off his clothes. “Come on, get in bed.”

“Any chance of her sleeping through the
night?"

Karen chuckled. "That may take awhile, but I
guess we’ll find out tonight, won’t we?"

Brett groaned.

“Get used to it, Dad, this is your life for the
next twenty-one years.”

“Good point. I guess we should sleep while we
can."

Karen nodded, crawled under the covers with
him, and turned off the lamp. They curled up together and soon fell
asleep in each other’s arms.

CHAPTER 67

"I‘m coming, Jack," Brett groaned into the
pillow when his sleep was interrupted by what sounded like a cat
mewing. “Damn fuzz face acts like I never feed him.”

"Your cat isn‘t here," Karen said as she sat up
in bed. "That’s Autumn."

"What a set of lungs. Is she okay?”

Karen got out of bed. “She’s a Kerrigan, all
right. I’m guessing someone has an empty tummy and a full
diaper.”

"Do you want me to change her?" He neither
opened his eyes nor looked at her as he spoke.

"No, you get some rest," she said. "I’ll take
care of her."

As she walked down the hall, Karen could hear
his soft snoring coming from the living room. She glanced in and
saw Patrick still asleep. Autumn’s cries hadn’t even stirred him.
Good God, a bomb could drop in here and Pat would never know
it.

She made her way into the nursery and turned on
the lamp by the crib. Autumn quieted a little when the light came
on. "My, you make a lot of noise for a little lady," She said when
she lifted Autumn from her crib. "Daddy thought you were his kitty
cat.”

Karen took in a whiff. “I was right. Someone
does have a full diaper.” She lay the baby down on the changing
table and hummed as she changed the soiled diaper. "Feels better,
doesn‘t it?" she said as she dressed Autumn and then picked her up.
"Now let‘s go fill your little tummy.”

*****

The next morning, Karen took the baby for an
outing, stopped at the office to give her notice, and then caught
up with friends. While she was gone, Brett and Patrick planned to
spend the day together before they flew home.

Brett just finished dressing when Patrick
sauntered into the room with a wide smile.

"What’s with the shit-eating grin?” he
asked.

"Dude, I finally slept through the night. A
good night’s sleep
rocks!”

Brett groaned in response.

"What’s the matter?”

"Nothing, man.”

"No, it’s
something
. I figured with you
and Karen together, you‘d be dancing with joy this morning after
doing the horizontal Macarena last night. She too worn
out?”

"Well, yeah," Brett replied. “She had her hands
full with Autumn, and as for getting laid, we can’t do anything for
a few more weeks."

"Weeks?
Jesus Christ.
Did something else happen from the accident?”

"No. It’s standard for any woman who had a
baby. No sex for six weeks."

“Looks like you need to rent some porn and
spend some time with Mary Hand and Her Five Ugly Daughters to keep
from going insane.”

“Unlike you, I don’t have sex on the brain
twenty-four hours a day. I’ll get along just fine.”

Patrick changed the subject. “Okay, we’re in a
strange town, neither of us are flying out until this afternoon, so
what’s the best thing to do?”

“Don’t know what you had in mind, but the first
thing on my agenda is some food,” Brett replied.

“Taco Bell?”

“For
breakfast?
Oh, hell no! I’m not
driving all the way to the airport trapped in a car with you and
your lethal farts.”

“They don’t stink. They’re just
loud.”
Patrick gave him a knowing grin.

“Whatever. Taco Bell is not happening.” Brett
opened his laptop. “Let’s check out something a little more decent.
Then I have to call Ma to make sure they got to the airport
okay.”

"Well, you’ll have to wait a few minutes
anyway. I need to piss."

"TMI, holmes.” Brett rolled his eyes before
turning his attention to the phone call.

In the bathroom, Patrick began to sing in
Spanish. The loud warbling drifted out into the living room as
Brett spoke to his family. Satisfied they made their flight, he
hung up.

“Dude, close the fucking door," Brett said. "I
really don’t enjoy the sight of you taking a whiz.”

"Not seeing anything you haven’t seen
before.”

“Just close it, Pat. Jesus. What if Karen walks
in? You’ll scar her and the baby for life.”

“Shut it.” Patrick washed his hands and came
out soon after. “Ready to go?”

“Yeah, I’m starving. I think Autumn’s already
rubbed off on me.”

They both laughed, grabbed their bags and
headed for the car. Brett left a note for Karen, thanking her for
the stay, and that he’d call her once he had arrived in
Orlando.

*****

“So you’re leaving us?” Sullivan asked after
Karen handed him her notice.