Chapter 2

Married three years...

"One more push!" the doctor called out to the woman who was covered in blood, sweat and tears, though he shared the blood and sweat part with her. Her husband was sharing the tears.

Thomas squeezed Carmine's hand and whispered in her ear how much he loved her. He told her how strong she was, how beautiful, and how proud she was of him.

Carmine told him to shut-up. She arched her back and lifted her hips, shouting and cursing to all that could hear her. Eventually the sounds she made suddenly ceased to exists. The moment the eruption of the scream, that was louder than hers, emerged she sank to the bed and wept. Thomas released her hand and kissed her forehead, brushing away the sweaty locks of brown curls. He mouthed the words "I love you" as tears fell down his face in rivers. He left her side and though it seemed like an eternity before he returned, he did. In his arms he held her son. His eyes clenched tight his mouth open in a gaping yawn and his red body wrapped in a thick blanket.

"He's beautiful," she whispered, her voice thick with love. Her eyes went to Thomas' and with her right hand she pulled his face down to hers. They kissed and it was like no other one before, it was a new chapter, a new beginning for them both. When they pulled apart Thomas handed over the seven pound, eight-ounce bundle to its mother. "Thomas Warren Robertson Junior," Carmine said quietly as she tucked the newborn babe to her side. She kissed his forehead and closed her eyes. Two days later the new parents were back in their homes and their new life changed dramatically.

Warren screamed for his mother, his father, his grandparents, no one but Warren knew and at the age of six months, he wasn't ready to tell anyone which person would work for him. Carmine's mom was visited as was her father and both were headed toward the baby at the same time.

Carmine laughed as she watched them reach for him, though he was just two feet from her and she could have bent down to pick him up, but was enjoying the antics of her parents.

"You're loving this aren't you?" Thomas said. He watched as Grandmother Brooks won and Grandpa Brooks lost.

Carmine grinned and nodded her head yes. "I haven't seen them fight over anything in all the times I lived with them. Now you give them a grand baby and they are like cats and dogs." She winked at her father, who reluctantly admitted defeat, but refused to give up the war. He grabbed instead a toy and began to tease his grandson out of smiles and giggles.

Carmine sighed and smiled over the sight and then looked to Thomas. "What are you reading?" she asked him. He'd been studying some papers most of the morning, picking them up and then putting them down again.

"Just some contracts that I'm being asked to sign. This new promotion at the plant, puts me right under the Vice-President. I look at proposals and pass them on to him. If they have my signature he pretty much can trust that I support the project. I'm kinda the liaison between the floor crews and the management. If I think we can handle the added clientele then he'll send it up to the head of the company and all will be set."

"Ahhh," Carmine said. "You're doing all the work, without the title."

Thomas chuckled. "Of course," he agreed. "That's the way it works."

Carmine's dad gruffed out a disagreeing noise, but said nothing. Thomas was glad of that too. He knew his father-in-law wanted him to reach for a higher spot on the totem pole, but Thomas wasn't looking for that. He was happy were he was at. He had weekends off, nights off, a wife, a son, and a home that he was paying for. He was making ends meet and for him that was good enough. Carmine, he knew thought so too.

"Well, do these contracts get your seal of approval?" she asked, pulling the attention away from her father and back to the discussion at hand.

"One doesn't. The other," he hesitated. "The other, I'm iffy on. The company is new and wants us to produce a lot for them, but there is no sure sign they'll not go under. It could bring us a lot of money if they are successful, lose us some if they aren't. I'd feel better if I took a trip out there and see what's what."

Carmine's eyes grew wide and she bit her lip. "Out where?" she asked. There was a flutter in her stomach, one that she got whenever the notion to go somewhere was presented. They hadn't been anywhere since the baby was born and even before then only one place after they got home from their honeymoon. She said nothing though, just waited... though she waited on the edge of her seat.

Thomas knew that look. He'd seen it a million times before and he knew he'd see it a million times more over the next sixty years. He smirked. "Vegas," he answered.

She squealed and clapped her hands over her mouth. The high pitched noise echoed through the room and reached baby Thomas Warren's ears; he howled in anger. Carmine stood up and took him from her mother. She cooed in his ear and bounced him, eventually he quieted and she looked over at her husband.

"Yes, you can go, but we'll have to ask Grandma and Grandpa to increase Grand-parenting duties," he said. Carmine's grin lit up her face and she turned back to her parents. Their simultaneous nods added to her excitement and it was all she could do not to squeal again. Two weeks later she was kissing her son good-bye and going through the security stations at the airport.