control."
"Every time?"
"Yes." Larkin stopped as she thought back to the
policeman's masquerade ball. She and Ray had both had
several drinks. Raif, as usual, was the designated driver. He
had dropped them at home and the kids had spent the night
with their cousins. She could not remember for certain if she
had used her diaphragm that night. Her mouth dropped open,
but no words came out.
" Every time?" Dr. Sullivan asked again with a smirk on his
face.
"We might have missed once," Larkin replied wide-eyed.
"Am I pregnant?"
"Yes, Dr. Reynolds, you are."
She placed a hand to her throat. "Oh, what will Ray say?"
"He'll be happy."
"But we're in our forties." She let her hand fall to her lap.
"And?"
"Well, we just hadn't planned."
"The Giver of every good and perfect gift has other plans."
"I was never this sick before. I can hardly stand."
"Everything is normal. You'll make it through the school
year. Looking at your chart, I'd say somewhere around
Independence Day." He closed her file. "So, go home and tell
Ray to get ready for some fireworks. We'll schedule your
section for late June. You don't have any extremely high-risk
factors, so don't worry. If this was your first child at your age,
I'd worry. That's when forty becomes a real concern."
Driving home, Larkin tried to decide how to break the news
to Ray. She finally stopped at a baby store and bought a pair of
baby shoes. She went home and wrapped the shoes as a gift for
her husband. She, then, called Raif and asked if he would pick
the kids up from school and keep them over night. She told him
she needed a night alone with her husband. Raif graciously
agreed. Drinking ginger ale to calm her stomach as she cooked,
Larkin set about making Ray's favorite meal—rotisserie
chicken, broccoli with cheese sauce, and wild rice—the meal
she had made the first time Ray had eaten in this house. She
remembered how angry Ray had been when Robert LaFontaine
had shown up uninvited. Robert had hurt Ray almost
irreparably. Only the love God had given to her and Ray had
healed Ray's broken spirit.
She caressed her abdomen and whispered, "Yes, little one,
your father will be very proud to have you. I think you're what
he wanted anyway, but he wouldn't say so because he thought I
didn't want it. He's afraid for me. Once again, he
underestimated me. When will he realize we're always on the
same page? Just stop making me so sick." She gulped a large
swig of ginger ale. "You'll be the last one. Three C-sections is
enough. Oh, baby, you are going to love your father. He's an
extraordinary man."
♥♥♥
Chief Raiford Reynolds had a hectic morning. He had
dropped his kids at school and almost had an accident when
another harried parent ran the red light near the school. Next,
he signed expense vouchers for Chris and Baker to go to La
Place, Metairie, and Kenner after Chris interrogated him about
why Raif, who had never had tattoos, suddenly had two. It took
a great deal of persuasion to convince Chris that the whole
thing had truly been Raif's idea. Then, the phone calls from the
press had started. Ray yelled to his executive assistant, "Tanya,
don't put another damned reporter through!"
"Okay, boss. I won't even answer the phone if you say so.
What about in person?"
"What do you mean?"
"There's a young man out here asking to see you."
"Is he a reporter?"
Ray heard muffled conversation.
"He says he's not with any kind of media. His name is
Parker Godchaux."
After a long moment of dead silence, Ray asked,
"Godchaux? Are you sure?"
"Yes, sir."
"How old is he?"
Muffled words echoed through the intercom again.
"He says he's seventeen," Tanya said.
Ray was quiet for a long time before Tanya asked, "What
do you want me to do, boss?"
"Send him back."
♥♥♥
The young man who entered Ray's office was very polite as
he extended his hand across the desk when Ray stood. "Hello,
sir. Thank you for seeing me. I'm Parker Godchaux."
Ray simply stared at the boy who looked just
"Every time?"
"Yes." Larkin stopped as she thought back to the
policeman's masquerade ball. She and Ray had both had
several drinks. Raif, as usual, was the designated driver. He
had dropped them at home and the kids had spent the night
with their cousins. She could not remember for certain if she
had used her diaphragm that night. Her mouth dropped open,
but no words came out.
" Every time?" Dr. Sullivan asked again with a smirk on his
face.
"We might have missed once," Larkin replied wide-eyed.
"Am I pregnant?"
"Yes, Dr. Reynolds, you are."
She placed a hand to her throat. "Oh, what will Ray say?"
"He'll be happy."
"But we're in our forties." She let her hand fall to her lap.
"And?"
"Well, we just hadn't planned."
"The Giver of every good and perfect gift has other plans."
"I was never this sick before. I can hardly stand."
"Everything is normal. You'll make it through the school
year. Looking at your chart, I'd say somewhere around
Independence Day." He closed her file. "So, go home and tell
Ray to get ready for some fireworks. We'll schedule your
section for late June. You don't have any extremely high-risk
factors, so don't worry. If this was your first child at your age,
I'd worry. That's when forty becomes a real concern."
Driving home, Larkin tried to decide how to break the news
to Ray. She finally stopped at a baby store and bought a pair of
baby shoes. She went home and wrapped the shoes as a gift for
her husband. She, then, called Raif and asked if he would pick
the kids up from school and keep them over night. She told him
she needed a night alone with her husband. Raif graciously
agreed. Drinking ginger ale to calm her stomach as she cooked,
Larkin set about making Ray's favorite meal—rotisserie
chicken, broccoli with cheese sauce, and wild rice—the meal
she had made the first time Ray had eaten in this house. She
remembered how angry Ray had been when Robert LaFontaine
had shown up uninvited. Robert had hurt Ray almost
irreparably. Only the love God had given to her and Ray had
healed Ray's broken spirit.
She caressed her abdomen and whispered, "Yes, little one,
your father will be very proud to have you. I think you're what
he wanted anyway, but he wouldn't say so because he thought I
didn't want it. He's afraid for me. Once again, he
underestimated me. When will he realize we're always on the
same page? Just stop making me so sick." She gulped a large
swig of ginger ale. "You'll be the last one. Three C-sections is
enough. Oh, baby, you are going to love your father. He's an
extraordinary man."
♥♥♥
Chief Raiford Reynolds had a hectic morning. He had
dropped his kids at school and almost had an accident when
another harried parent ran the red light near the school. Next,
he signed expense vouchers for Chris and Baker to go to La
Place, Metairie, and Kenner after Chris interrogated him about
why Raif, who had never had tattoos, suddenly had two. It took
a great deal of persuasion to convince Chris that the whole
thing had truly been Raif's idea. Then, the phone calls from the
press had started. Ray yelled to his executive assistant, "Tanya,
don't put another damned reporter through!"
"Okay, boss. I won't even answer the phone if you say so.
What about in person?"
"What do you mean?"
"There's a young man out here asking to see you."
"Is he a reporter?"
Ray heard muffled conversation.
"He says he's not with any kind of media. His name is
Parker Godchaux."
After a long moment of dead silence, Ray asked,
"Godchaux? Are you sure?"
"Yes, sir."
"How old is he?"
Muffled words echoed through the intercom again.
"He says he's seventeen," Tanya said.
Ray was quiet for a long time before Tanya asked, "What
do you want me to do, boss?"
"Send him back."
♥♥♥
The young man who entered Ray's office was very polite as
he extended his hand across the desk when Ray stood. "Hello,
sir. Thank you for seeing me. I'm Parker Godchaux."
Ray simply stared at the boy who looked just
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