Chapter 87

"Pregnant?" Penny gasped. "Are you sure? That can't be right."

"The test is definitive," Dr. Odom said. "You are pregnant."

"I'm very careful about birth control," Penny countered. "Well, except the one time..."

"Except?" I asked.

"You remember how crazy things were the night when you got drafted, don't you?" Penny replied. "I forgot and packed my pills when we loaded your car Wednesday night. You left for school before I could get them. I missed the one that morning. It should have been fine. I took the morning after pill on Friday morning."

"When was your last period?" Dr. Odom asked.

"Friday a week ago," Penny said. "That's why this is so unexpected."

"How heavy was the flow?" Dr. Odom asked.

"It was lighter than usual," Penny replied. "It only lasted a few hours. I attributed it to stress. Between finals, graduation, moving and everything, our lives have been pretty hectic lately."

"You can have some light spotting when you first become pregnant," Dr. Odom said. "When was your last normal menses?" He slid a small calendar across the desk for Penny to look at.

"I guess it was April 12th to 16th," she answered. The doctor typed the data into his computer. "Ah-huh..." he mused as he read the screen. "I'm estimating that you are starting your sixth week, Penny. Did the two of you have intercourse somewhere around April 25th?"

"That's the day," Penny said. "Kyle got drafted and we ... uh ... celebrated that evening." My sweetie blushed at the admission.

" ... and it is the day you missed taking your birth control pill?" the doctor asked. Penny nodded yes.

"I took the morning after pill the next morning," Penny added. "That should have protected us, shouldn't it?"

"Most times," Dr. Odom agreed. "The calendar says your most likely ovulation day was April 25th. You probably had a fertile egg that evening when the two of you had intercourse. You conceived before you took the morning after pill and that pill does not help if you have conceived already."

"I guess we know the how," I interjected. "What is our next step?"

"The two of you are young and unmarried," the doctor stated. "Are you ready for the responsibility of raising a child? Do you have the means to provide for one?"

"We are taking care of the unmarried part on July 6th," Penny said.

"We certainly can afford the costs of having a child," I added. I chuckled. "Money is NOT an issue."

"Do you mind me being nosey?" Dr. Odom asked. "You keep saying 'when you were drafted.' What do you mean? The army stopped drafting young men decades ago."

"The army stopped drafting people but the Broncos didn't," I replied. "I play football."

"Oh..." Dr. Odom commented. He got a big smile on his face. "Kyle Martin ... Amish Lightning. I understand."

"The local press has been calling me that," I acknowledged.

"I guess money won't be an issue," Dr. Odom agreed, chuckling. He turned to Penny. "You should arrange an OB/GYN visit. Would you be doing that here in Denver or back home in Pennsylvania?"

"Would it be OK to wait until next week?" Penny asked. "I'd prefer to do it back home. I expect I would be back there for most of the pregnancy ... if..." My honey did not complete the thought.

I shuddered at the thought. Penny and I always planned to have a family, though not quite this soon. Would she consider aborting our child?

"Obviously you and your fiancé need to have a serious talk," Dr. Odom said smoothly. "Pregnancy counseling services are available to help you through this. It will be fine if you do your OB/GYN visit in a week. Here is a pamphlet of do's and don'ts during pregnancy. The big don'ts are no smoking, no alcohol and no illicit drug use." The doctor handed Penny a brochure.

"I don't smoke and I don't do drugs," Penny declared. "They won't be any problem. I enjoy a glass of wine or a beer once in a while. I guess I will be skipping that for the next nine months." I was encouraged that Penny was at least considering carrying our child to term.

"That's very good," Dr. Odom said. "Do you have any questions?"

Penny didn't. I paid the copayment on Penny's insurance before we left. My fiancée was uncharacteristically quiet. We walked out to our car in silence. We had about twenty minutes before our appointment with Kate Goebel, just enough time to get over to her office.

"I guess we are still signing the agreement of sale the way we planned," I commented.

"We need a place to live out here," Penny snipped. "Drive!"

"Yes, dear," I agreed immediately in the subservient tone Dad used when Mom was pissed. Discretion is the better part of valor and all that. We drove in silence.

I had time to ponder my own feelings. I was looking forward to fatherhood ... someday. Were we ready for this? We were a hell of a lot more ready than Andy had been four years ago. In some ways, we were more ready financially than Will and Abby had been a year ago.

I was close enough to being a teenager to remember the head strong willfulness and rebelliousness. I certainly understood the 3:00 am cries and feedings for a baby. I saw the dirty diapers, puke, drool and other disgusting bodily fluids that came out of small children.

I also watched Hunter's first steps. I listened as Noah, Connor and Hunter learned to talk. I shared in the sheer joy as the boys found what life had to offer. Christmas, birthdays, Halloween ... we were going to get to experience all of this with this new ... person.

"Do you..." I began.

"Not now, Kyle!" Penny snapped. "I need time to process all of this." I kept my mouth shut and drove on. I did not blame Penny for her demeanor. She just received a hell of a shock. I didn't have to carry this child. I didn't have to go through labor and delivery. This didn't put my career plans into question. I needed to support Penny as she went through all of that.

I pulled into the Sturbridge Realty parking lot. "Are you ready to spend a bundle of money?" I asked, trying to lighten the mood.

"Yeah, I am," Penny agreed. "It is a really great house." She gave me a little bit of a smile and held my hand as we walked inside.

Dad had reviewed the copy of the agreement of sale we e-mailed to him last evening. He said it was fine as drafted. Kate greeted us warmly when we came inside. She took us to the conference room and presented us with the agreement of sale. Penny and I signed and initialed as Kate indicated through the six page document. I wrote the check for $7,300 and we now had our home. Kate presented us with the two month lease agreement. We would pay $1,500 a month for the house. The terms ran from June 1st to July 31st.

"Could we make one change, Kate?" I asked. "Could the lease run from May 25th to July 25th with settlement to be completed by July 25th? I have a team OTA that starts on the 27th. It would be great if Penny and I could stay in our new place for those three days instead of renting a hotel room."

"That would be no problem at all," Kate said. "Give me a couple minutes to correct the dates and print out a new lease agreement."

Kate returned a few minutes later with the revised document. Penny and I signed and initialed it and I gave Kate a check for the first, last and only two month's rent. We now had a place of our own to stay for our next trip to Denver. We could pick up the keys when we got in from the airport next Saturday. Kate thanked us and wished us the best before we left.

"So, what's next?" I asked when we got outside. "I assume we aren't going to continue our shopping binge right this minute."

"Sorry I've been so snippy since the doctor's office," Penny said. "This is all such a shock."

"Tell me about it," I agreed. "I feel like I've been run over by a train. What do you say to driving down to that park near our new house and do some exploring? I'm sure it has walking trails. We could take a hike, enjoy the natural beauty and get a quiet place to talk this out."

"You know, that is a very good idea," Penny said as she gave me a hug and a kiss. We headed down I-25. I got off at Lincoln Avenue. I followed it west a few blocks to the golf course across from our new house. A sign pointed the way to the Bluffs Regional Park.

I parked the car in the park parking lot. We followed the trail that climbed up to the top of the bluffs. We had a good view of Lone Tree behind us. We walked up the hill a bit, neither of us saying anything.

"I just don't see how I can do this," Penny said, breaking the silence.

"It is how are WE going to handle this?" I responded. "I'm in this with you."

"Don't take this wrong, Kyle," Penny said. "I know you will do everything you can to help. It's just that you will be here for the easiest two months of the pregnancy and then you go off to training camp. After that I will barely see you again until the season is over next January. I just don't see how I can do it."

"Are you saying you want to get rid of this child?" I asked. "I get that this will be hard. Don't you think my Mom had it hard when she found out about being pregnant with Will when she was seventeen? Heck, Mom was pregnant with me when she married my Dad. They were our age and didn't have two nickels to rub together back then but they did it. You know how hard it was for Andy and Crystal. Can you imagine if they took the easy way out and got rid of Noah and Connor?"

"I'm not saying we should get rid of it," Penny responded. "I just don't see how I can manage all of this. I'm not going to be your little housewife, barefoot and pregnant."

"That's not the woman I asked to marry me," I retorted. "I want to marry the Penn summa cum laude that will make a hell of a veterinarian someday. Will and Abby are barely scraping by on Will's teaching stipend, their summer camp salaries and money that Abby's parents give them to help cover rent. They've managed in spite of having Rose much sooner than they planned. Abby hasn't turned into a stay at home housewife. She hasn't even missed a semester of med school. Will it be any harder for you than Abby?"

"I guess I can talk with my professors in the fall," Penny admitted.

"Worst case you miss one semester while you have the baby," I said. "It isn't the end if the world. You still get where you want to go in the end. I figure we can hire a full time nanny or house keeper to help you manage. We have the resources to afford it."

"Well ... that's true," Penny admitted.

"I think we need to consider getting a bigger place in Pennsylvania," I said. "We will need that if we get a live in nanny or an au pair. What do you think?"

"You're probably right," Penny agreed. "I'm not sure about raising our child in the city."

"She needs to experience the outdoors the way we did when we were growing up," I stated. "Maybe I need to talk with Trevor's dad about that place he told us about earlier in the week. A farmhouse on a wooded lot with a creek in the back sounds pretty nice. Al said it has a summer home beside it. That would be perfect if we get live in help for you."

"It would be," Penny agreed. "By the way, what do you mean by 'She needs to experience the outdoors?' How do you know it's a girl?"

"I don't," I answered. "We can't call our baby 'it.' That dehumanizes her. As far as I am concerned, you're carrying our daughter until we find out otherwise."

"OK, I can buy that," Penny said. She shook her head. "A few weeks ago we were normal college students. Now we're starting a family, bought one house and are talking about buying another. Will anything ever be normal for us again?"

"No, probably not," I responded.

"This scares the hell out of me," Penny said. We stopped walking and I gave her a hug and kiss.

"It scares the hell out of me too," I said before giving her another kiss. "We will make it through this together."

We continued up the hill, passing the two water towers near the top. The trail crested and dropped over to the far side of the ridge. Homes down below us were spread out a lot more than on the Lone Tree side of the bluffs. We continued around the end of the ridge and turned onto the north side again. The golf course was ahead and below us. It wrapped around a central hill filled with homes. We hadn't noticed that yesterday when we viewed our new home the first time. That hill blocked the view of our home.

Penny and I continued down the trail as it took us down to the parking area again. Near the bottom we passed a trail that headed north into the development around the golf course. It probably would take us over to our new house. We hiked for about an hour. I estimated the trail to be about three miles long. It would be a great place for my daily run.

It was well past time for lunch. We stopped off at a store in the strip mall on the way to I-25. There were half a dozen restaurants in the place. We decided to try the Brooklyn Deli. Our sandwiches were OK.

We headed to the furniture store and picked out a kitchen set and two bedrooms of furniture. The company couldn't deliver on a Saturday afternoon, so they would meet Penny the following Monday morning.

We headed to a camping store next to get Therm-O-Rest mats and sleeping bags. We would be "camping" in our empty house for a couple days until the furniture arrived. A stop at King Soopers took care of our supper needs. We made some spaghetti and toasted garlic bread for our meal.

Penny and I called our parents at the same time so neither could leak our news to the other set of parents before they heard from us. I reached my Dad when I called home.

"Did you lock up that house you wanted?" Dad asked when he picked up.

"We did," I confirmed. "I put down $7,300 and we signed the agreement of sale. I gave them another $3 grand for two month's rent. We move in next Saturday."

"That fast," Dad remarked. "That's good for the two of you."

"I have more than the news about the house, Dad," I said. "No lectures about this. I know you knocked up your bride before the wedding..."

Dad broke up laughing. I held the phone waiting for more of a response from Dad than that. I could hear Mom the background ask, "What's so funny, Dan? What's up?"

"Talk to your son, Grandma," Dad managed to say between giggles.

"What is so funny, Kyle?" Mom asked when she took the phone.

"Well ... your fourth grandchild is on its way," I answered. Mom laughed evilly.

"You teased me when I announced Hunter's arrival," Mom responded. "What goes around comes around, smart ass." Mom laughed again. "Do Jim and Marilyn know?"

"Penny's telling them right now," I answered.

"How's Penny taking all of this?"

"Shock at first, then numbness," I explained. "We're coming to terms with this."

"When's her due date?" Mom asked.

"January 17th," I answered. Mom had a few more questions for me. I answered them as best I could. I talked about how we thought we would look for a larger place and see if we could find a nanny or au pair to help Penny next fall and winter. I promised we would talk about it more when we got home next Thursday.

Jim and Marilyn Edwards took the news that their next grandchild was on the way very well. Marilyn promised to see about getting Penny an OB/GYN appointment for her when she got back to Pennsylvania. I teased Jim when I got on the phone with him that he could put his shotgun away. It would not be needed to get me to marry his daughter.

Penny and I found a local Presbyterian church about three miles north of our hotel. We decided to catch the worship service Sunday morning. It was time for us to get to be a part of the community, rather than being drop in visitors. Their website indicated they had a coffee fellowship at 10:00 am and worship at 10:30.

The people at the coffee fellowship were very friendly to Penny and me. We struck a conversation with a couple around my parents' age, Bill and Laura Schneider.

"Are you from this area?" Bill asked after they greeted us.

"Sort of," I answered. "Penny and I are moving to Denver."

"Job related?" Laura asked.

"Yes," I answered. I didn't plan to publicize who I was just yet. Penny and I wanted to just blend in for now. "I graduated from Penn State two weeks ago. Penny graduated from the University of Pennsylvania last week. I was offered a job out here, so here we are."

"That's wonderful," Bill said. "The University of Pennsylvania is a top school." Bill chuckled. "Joe Paterno certainly put your school on the national map, Kyle."

"Yes, Coach ... uh, Joe Paterno certainly did," I agreed.

"Your school's team hasn't done too badly since Joe Paterno retired," Bill said. "I was sorry to see your team lose the National Championship game. I cheered for them to beat those obnoxious Texans. What is the name of the man who coaches the Lions now?"

"Coach ... Robert Burton," I stammered, managing to recover quicker than last time.

"What line of work are you in, Kyle?" Laura asked.

"I have a degree in education," I answered.

"Wow, you are coming half way across the country to teach," Bill commented. "What school will you be at?"

I gave up trying to dodge the issue. "I have a degree in teaching but that isn't what I will be doing here in Denver. The Broncos drafted me."

"I'm not a huge football fan but I watch the games sometimes," Bill replied. He thought for a few moments. "Kyle Martin ... yes, I remember. You played wide receiver for the Lions. You came very close to setting your team up for a winning field goal against those Texans at the end of the game."

"Not close enough," I replied. "C'est la vie."

"I hope you enjoy the service today," Bill said. "You'll find our church family is very welcoming to visitors. Rev preaches a good sermon too."

"You call your pastor Rev too?" I chuckled. "That is the nickname we gave my minister back home. I'm sure Penny and I will enjoy our visit."

We went inside and found seats. The "Rev" was a woman. The service was nice. The Rev preached a good sermon. She was very friendly when we met her after the service. Penny and I agreed as we drove back to the hotel that we would look at other churches in the area but this one was going to be on the list when we chose our religious home in Denver.

We stopped off at a Loaf 'n Jug and picked up a copy of the Denver Post to read that afternoon. We spent part of the afternoon reading about Denver's happenings. Penny watched a movie later in the afternoon. I continued studying the ePlaybook. I felt confident I knew the package that Coach Franks assigned to me at the rookie mini-camp.

Brady gave me directions to the steakhouse where he was hosting Penny and me for dinner Sunday night. The place was located on Arapahoe Road east of Route 83. We met Brady and his wife in the parking lot.

Brady waved us over when he spotted us. Brady introduced his wife Casey to us. Casey was about 5'-7" tall and quite slim. She had straight black hair down to her shoulders. Her eyes and cheek bones gave her face a slightly oriental look.

We headed inside. Brady ordered some appetizers for us to snack on while we waited for our steaks. Penny told Casey more about our background and experiences. We found out more about her too.

Her dad was born in Ohio but went west for college at Cal Poly Pomona. He was a mechanical engineer. He met Casey's mom at college. She was from a Chinese family that had emigrated back before the turn of the century. Her mom taught fifth grade at an elementary school in Pasadena, where Casey grew up.

Casey met Brady at USC when she was a freshman and Brady was a sophomore, academically. Coincidentally, they met a couple weeks after my recruiting visit to campus. Casey and Brady dated off and on her first year. They decided to go steady near the end of her freshman year. They had been together ever since.

A steady stream of Broncos fans stopped by our table to say hi to Brady, offer encouragement to the team and to get autographs. A few fans recognized me too. Brady took the nuisance in stride, as did Casey.

"Does all the fuss bother you?" Penny asked.

"No, not at all ... anymore," Casey replied. "Brady was the starting quarterback at USC when we started going steady. They are nuts about football at 'SC. Over the past six years I've learned to accept all the adulation Brady gets. Does Kyle get much attention that way?"

"He gets it a lot in Pennsylvania," Penny answered. "I got to see this aspect of Kyle's life a little after we broke up as freshmen. Kyle and I still traveled in the same circle of friends after the breakup. I thought it must be a colossal pain in the ass back then. My sweetie has helped me understand that it is part of the price to pay for the advantages being a, or being with, a big star. I guess I can expect more of that here in Denver."

"Bigger stage with more fans demanding more time and attention," Casey answered, " ... assuming Kyle plays up to the team and the fans' expectations."

"I'm sure Kyle will do well," Penny said.

"I'll do my best to help out the team any way I can," I added.

"Your mantra?" Brady teased. I nodded yes. "That's a good thing to say. You do know you are going to get some ribbing from the vets? It's inevitable given that you cost the team two high draft picks."

"I understand," I agreed. "I've been the ninth grader on the varsity team in high school, the starting QB's and coach's pet when I started college. I understand completely."

The excellent steaks were accompanied by baked potatoes that came with butter, sour cream and fresh chives. We talked more, getting to know each other better. I got to the one topic I really wanted Brady's input on near the end of dinner.

"Brady, do you get in much skiing off season?" I asked.

"I don't ski anymore," Brady replied.

"I remember you telling me you loved to ski," I said. "That's what you told me when you were recruiting me to play at USC."

"I grew up skiing," Brady said. "Hell, I'm from Idaho. What else would you expect? I skied the first couple years at 'SC. Coach Carroll took a dim view of his starting quarterbacking risking his knees on a ski slope, so I stopped. I never took it up again when we moved here. It's too risky."

This wasn't the answer I expected at all. I knew Brady loved outdoor activities as much as I did. "I know a ski injury invalidates the guarantees in our contracts. What about insuring your contract in case you get hurt while skiing? That would protect your and Casey's financial interests."

"It's not just the money, Kyle," Brady explained. "You've seen the feel good stories on ESPN, Real Sports and Hard Knocks of the free agents who make it into the league and become superstars."

"Sure," I agreed.

"That's the exception in this league, which is why they make such a big deal about the Wes Welkers, Danny Amendolas and Max Rosens." I had to smile at his mention of my come-from-out-of-nowhere friend's season last year. "This is a talent driven league. If some high draft picks go bust, coaches get fired. How do you think the Broncos got into the problems they had three years ago?"

"Bad drafts?" I offered.

"Exactly," Brady confirmed. "Coach McDaniels and his staff are gone. The team got a new front office too. That's when John [Elway] was hired to put things right. If you don't live up to the lofty expectations of the fans and the team for you or if you do perform as expected this season and then go out and blow out your knee skiing after the season, you will materially harm this team." Brady was getting warmed up now.

"Hell, you cost the team more than I did," he declared. "They used the #8 pick for me. You cost the team the #12 and #44 picks. The pain will be worse if you don't pan out. Don't take crazy risks like skiing for the sake of your team. There are plenty of fun outdoor things to do in Colorado. Hike, bike, canoe, raft, see the mountains ... there are many choices for people like us."

"This isn't what I hoped to hear," I said glumly.

"You have the rest of your life to do crazy things like ski ... after you finish playing football," Brady said. "You owe your teammates, the coaches, the team and Denver your best for the next four years."

"Yeah ... OK," I agreed. I don't know if Brady knew he was using the best argument to reach me intentionally or by accident. Hitting me with 'the team needs you' was the most effective argument anyone could make to change my mind. No skiing, which is hugely disappointing to me.

The four of us talked about the possibility of doing some camping or hiking together, most likely next summer. This summer was too hectic to consider it. Penny and I told Casey and Brady about our honeymoon plans. They were one of the few couples that was enthusiastic about our "primitive" honeymoon.

Penny and I enjoyed the dinner and time spent getting to know Brady and Casey. I thought we were going to get to be good friends. Brady got serious after the check came.

"Are you prepared for tomorrow, Kyle?" Brady challenged. "Do you know everything in the package that the coaches gave you?"

"I do," I replied. "At least I think I do. I am comfortable enough that I know the material that I studied a little ahead of my assignment."

"Really? What plays did you look over?" Brady asked. I told him. He gave me a wink. "Be ready at tomorrow's afternoon practice. If the defense presents us with an opportunity, I may check into one of those plays. The coaches let me do that occasionally to keep the defense on their toes."

"I'll be ready, Brady," I promised. Penny and I thanked Brady and Casey for a nice evening before we departed for our hotel. I spent the remainder of the evening reviewing the first package of plays again. I needed to have them down cold tomorrow.

May 21st

Christian Powell gave me a ride over to Dove Valley Monday morning, so Penny could keep the car. He was staying at the Staybridge Suites too. He had rented an apartment but couldn't move in until June 1st. We got over to the facility around 7:15 am, wanting to be early for our first day with the whole team.

About twenty guys or so were in the locker room when Chris and I arrived, mostly rookies like us. More players arrived in the minutes after we got there, both veterans and fellow rookies. Brady stopped by my locker to wish me well when he arrived. I noticed he did the same at quite a few other lockers too. That's a good thing for the leader of our offense to do.

Antwaan Booker stopped by too. "What're you gonna do with your first practice, kid?" Antwaan teased. "Gonna take a punt return for a TD on your first touch like in college?"

"That was a kick return in our game against Kent State," I replied.

"No, not that one," Antwaan said. "It was on a punt return during your first special teams practice with the Lions."

"I think I remember the play you mean," I replied. "It was a kick return too. I split the blockers and took off. I remember I was pissed Coop caught me." Cooper Barnes was Lions' kicker when I was a freshman. Coop had try-outs around the NFL a bit, finally finding a home in Seattle last year.

"Whatever," Antwaan said. "You opened a lot of eyes among the seniors. Do it here too."

"I'll do my best, Antwaan," I promised. I gave him a grin. "I'm here to help however I can."

"You do that kid," Antwaan replied. He gave me a big grin. He had heard my mantra before. "You do that."

Antwaan headed down the row to his locker. An older black guy leaned across a couple lockers and offered me his hand. "I guess you're used to high expectations. I'm Kellen Brown." I shook his hand.

"It's good to meet you, Kellen," I answered as I shook his hand. I knew from studying our roster that the short African-American was an eight year veteran who came to the Broncos from the Redskins three years ago when Coach Baldwin took over the team.

"I'm looking forward to seeing if you can loosen things up for us," Kellen commented. "I had a front row seat to watch what D-Jax [DeSean Jackson] did when he started in Philly. I broke into the league with the Redskins, in case you didn't know."

"I remember hearing your name when I used to watch Eagles-Redskins games," I agreed. "I hope I can be as effective as everyone expects me to be."

"Don't worry about expectations, Kyle," Kellen said. "Just play your game."

"Good advice," I responded. "Thanks, Kellen. I will do my best to help however I can."

Another guy sat down at the locker beside mine as I stood to head to the team meeting room. He gave me a smile and said, "Hey," as I left. I returned the smile and said "hi." The guy had the locker between me and Omar Harris, so I presumed he was also a wide receiver. He was around 5'-10", about the same size as Omar and a little shorter than Kellen.

Didn't our team have any large receivers other than Kieran and me? No wonder they had so much trouble getting open last year. Use press coverage against these small guys and they'd never get off the line of scrimmage. That was most likely the reason the Broncos picked up Kieran when he became a free agent this spring and why they drafted me. Keiran's 6'-3" and I'm 6'-5". No one is going to push us around at the line!