“And we’re gonna be good dads?”
“Yeah. At least better than Creed.”
“JJ hasn’t electrocuted himself, so I don’t know that that’s true.”
“It’s like he has eyes in the back of his head. I don’t know how he does it.”
Otter laughs at me.
“I’m serious!”
“Hi, Serious. I’m—”
“Oh my god. You are not allowed to do this now. Not at the goddamn hospital. Someone might hear you!”
“I love you,” he says suddenly, fiercely. “No matter what happens. No matter where this road takes us. I’m gonna love you forever, Bear.”
I roll my eyes. “I know that. I’ve trapped you with kids now. You aren’t ever leaving.”
His shoulders shake as he holds me closer.
Megan waves at us from down the hall.
We wave back as we watch them. For a time.
“I love you too,” I eventually tell Otter.
“It’s pretty great, right?”
And it is. I remember being scared. For a long time, I was scared. Of being alone. Of failing the Kid. Of everyone else leaving us too.
But I’m not scared of that anymore.
Bad things can happen.
Then there are times like this. Times when I have Otter at my side and a hippie holding up his girlfriend that I impregnated in front of us.
Mrs. Paquinn would be laughing her ass off right now.
“We should get some flowers,” I tell Otter. “When we get a chance. Take them to Mrs. P. We can—”
Megan’s knees buckle.
Marty catches her before she falls.
She’s groaning, clutching her stomach.
Otter and I are on our feet and running.
Her skin is slick with sweat, eyes scrunched closed, breathing in deeply through her nose and out through her mouth.
I’m scared again.
I’m fucking terrified.
But Marty’s smiling, and he says, “I think it’s almost time.”
THE LEAD-UP felt like it went on for days.