Chapter 53: Two Babies

May 26, 1987, Chicago, Illinois

"I suppose that does solve the problem," Dave said when I told him about Tom. "I'm just surprised he didn't tell me when I talked to him."

"I guess he wanted to talk to me because it's my company. Honestly, it's not our focus and if we had inquiries in that area, I think we should send them to Tom. We need to put as much effort into our main software packages as possible. We have four now, and that's a tall order with six full-time programmers and two part-timers."

"We just have to prioritize. I talked to Julia about staggering releases so we could focus our resources. Most staff would work on whichever release we were planning, though someone would fix bugs and do minor maintenance on the other packages. At least for now, that's what I think we have to do. The medical software sales are slowly ramping up, and if you saw Elyse's last estimates, we'll be able to hire one more programmer sometime in the Fall. Tom leaving actually helps, given we can replace him with someone less expensive."

"I put the two of you in charge for a reason," I said. "Run with it. The only thing I'd say is that we should stick with being conservative and push off the hiring of the next person as long as possible, unless we have enough revenues to support the new hire profitably."

"Got it. How are we on the software release?"

"Next Monday, as we agreed. Heather and I have a few bugs left to fix from your list, but version 2.0 is pretty much ready to go. We'll have the final build ready by tomorrow afternoon, so we have two days of quality assurance testing."

"Good. I assume you'll start on 2.5 on Thursday."

"You are a slave driver, Dave!" I chuckled. "But yes. The feature release. All that stuff we had planned to put in before we decided to completely restructure the code to get the new search function. On the plus side, this puts us light years ahead of Boston Legal Systems. They won't be able to touch this for at least a year, assuming they have someone who can actually design and code it."

"Remember what Bannerman said? There's always somebody better."

"I don't deny that," I said. "I just don't think Boston Legal has that person. We saw their product, and yes, they had a better interface design, but our system is better. It's easier to fix the user stuff than do what we just did."

"OK. Julia and I will have a release plan for all four packages by our next staff meeting. Alonzo starts that day, too. I'll have a staffing plan that includes him as well."

"You're doing fine, Dave," I said. "Keep up the good work."

"Thanks," he said.

May 27, 1987, Chicago, Illinois

Kaitlin came to my door just after 10:00am.

"Steve," she said. "There's a Kurt Jaeger on the phone for you. Line 3."

I punched the button on the phone and lifted the handset.

"Hi, Kurt," I said.

"We're at Rush! Kathy's in labor!"

"Then I won't keep you! Good luck! And call when you have the baby!"

"Thanks! You were my last call after our parents, Bethany, and my sister."

"Gee, thanks!" I chuckled. "Go have a baby!"

"I'll call you later," he said.

We hung up, and I called the clinic where Jessica was working to let her know. I was sure that Bethany had told Kara, so after my call to Jessica, I went back to work. I didn't hear anything from Kurt before the end of the day, but I did receive a call from Stacey Nelson asking if I'd have lunch with her later in the week. I accepted her invitation, and we agreed to meet at Venice Café on Thursday.

When I arrived home just after 5:00pm, Bethany greeted me at the door with a big smile.

"Kurt called two minutes ago. Kristin Abigail Jaeger was born at 3:55pm. She's 7 pounds, 8 ounces and 20 inches long. Kathy is doing fine."

"Excellent! I'll call Jessica and Stephie and let them know."

I went to my study, dropped the leather book bag that Larry had given me years ago, which now doubled as a briefcase, on the desk, and dialed Jessica's number. I let her know the details, and that Kathy was doing well. We talked for a couple of minutes, and then I called Stephie. Jason answered and called her to the phone.

"Hey, Peaches! Kathy had her baby today!"

"A girl?" she asked with a small laugh.

"Yes. Kristin Abigail Jaeger. She and Kathy are both doing fine."

"That's great! What about Elyse?"

"Pretty much any minute now," I said. "I'll call you and let you know. How are you doing?"

"OK, I guess. We're leaving for Dover in the morning."

"I'll talk to you this weekend, then. I love you, Peaches."

"I love you, too, Yankee. Thanks for letting me know about Kathy."

I hung up with the same empty feeling I had every time I ended a call with her. I went to check on Elyse, and make sure that Bethany had told her about Kathy's baby. I found her laying on her bed, watching TV on her tiny black-and-white portable television.

"Did Bethany tell you about Kathy?" I asked.

"Yes! I'd trade places with her right now, that's for sure."

"Was everything OK at your checkup today?"

"Yeah. Blood pressure is fine, fetal heartbeat is fine. We're just waiting on the little turkey to decide to make his appearance!"

"Can I get you anything?" I asked.

"Nah, I was just resting and watching Gilligan's Island. I think I've seen all of them at least five times by now, but it's still entertaining. I'll come down for dinner. Did you let Stephie know?"

"I did. I called her before I came upstairs."

"Help me up?" she asked, extending her hand.

I helped her from the bed and she hugged me. It was funny, because the only thing that touched was her stomach to mine, and her hands on my shoulders. I lightly hugged her back, and we went downstairs. She sat at the table while I started dinner. Kara came in a few minutes later.

"I assume you heard?" Kara asked.

"I did. I called Jess and let her know."

"Good. Bethany and I are going to go see Kathy. Kurt said it was OK and Kathy was up for it."

"Now? Or after dinner?"

"We'll leave right after dinner, if that's OK."

"Of course it is."

Later that evening, I was in the Indian room with Elyse when Kara and Bethany returned from their visit to Kathy. I put my book down to talk to them.

"Kathy and Kurt are ecstatic, though Kathy isn't happy that her mom is coming tomorrow. She asked her to wait until next week, but her mom insisted."

"I hope your moms listen to the two of you," I said.

"My mom will for sure," Kara said. "But I hope you don't mind if I let her come right away."

"That's up to you, Honey," I said.

"My mom can damned well wait!" Elyse declared. "It's MY baby and I want to spend time with him and Steve before anyone else!"

"I hope you told her that nicely," I said.

"I explained that she's allowed to visit when I call her, not before. She gave me some grief, but my dad backed me up. I don't know what it is about grandmothers!"

"I guess it's exciting when you join the moms' club," I said. "And they're excited to see their new grandkids."

"Well, my mom can take a chill pill," Elyse said. "And honestly, I'd prefer if nobody visited me in the hospital but you, Steve."

"It's totally up to you," I said.

"May I borrow my husband?" Kara inquired.

"You bet," Elyse said. "I appreciate you sharing him with me!"

I kissed Elyse softly, then followed Kara out of the room and upstairs.

"What's up?" I asked.

"Nothing, really. I just wanted to spend some time with you because I was gone all last week and we were so busy over the weekend."

I took her in my arms, hugged her, then led her to the loveseat where we cuddled and talked until it was time for bed.

May 28, 1987, Chicago, Illinois

"I'm ready," Kara said, coming out of the bathroom.

"Then let's get going. Penny will never forgive me if I'm late for her graduation ceremony!"

"I thought you hated these things!" she laughed as we got into my car.

"I do. But please don't tell Penny that!"

"What did you get her as a graduation present?"

"The same thing Don Joseph gave me," I grinned. "But not nearly as much because I don't have as much."

"You've done a lot for her — teaching her to program, giving her a job, helping her get a scholarship, starting a lifelong friendship, and teaching her about great sex!"

I chuckled, "I suppose that's all true. And Ned is getting the benefit of that!"

"Is he supposed to be there tonight?"

"He's graduating from a different High School, and it's tonight as well. He goes to an all-boys school. She's at Maria, which is all girls."

"She's going to love IIT," Kara laughed. "It's still nearly 9-1 guys to girls!"

"That's changing, though. Doctor Bauer said that the CS department will only be about 70% guys in the Fall. They've had a huge influx of female students."

When we arrived at Maria, we were directed to a parking lot across the street, and after parking, we walked into the building, following the crowd to the auditorium. We found seats about two-thirds of the way back and sat down to wait for the ceremony to start.

It was a traditional High School commencement, with all the girls wearing white caps and gowns, and with the usual boring speeches. Penny's name was called, and I saw her cross the stage to receive her diploma. Her robe was adorned with the gold braid of the National Honor Society, which made me very proud, because she'd often showed a very bad attitude towards school. On the positive side, she was looking forward to college, though I was afraid that she'd quickly become bored. I certainly had, but I'd always liked school, and I had a clear goal in sight. Penny already had her goal, and that might be the problem.

When the ceremony ended, we found Bart and Alice, and a few minutes later, Penny and a few of her friends came over.

"Congratulations, Penny!" I said, handing her the envelope.

She smiled and put it in her purse, knowing the way it was supposed to be handled from watching me.

"Thanks! I'll be at work tomorrow!"

"That's the first thing on your mind?" I laughed.

She smirked, and then winked at me, and I hoped her parents couldn't see her. I smiled back at her. What I wanted to say was that she should save it for Ned, but I didn't know how much Alice knew about that relationship.

"Yes, of course!" she said, covering for herself.

"Then we'll see you tomorrow! You didn't tell me you made the National Honor Society!"

"You noticed the cord, huh?" she asked with a smile.

"I had one, too. So did Kara. Welcome to the club!"

"Thanks!"

"I didn't get a chance to talk to you yesterday. Kathy had her baby. A girl!"

"Oh, cool! But not Elyse? She's as big as an elephant!"

"Penny!" Alice said sharply.

I chuckled, "Elyse says pretty much the same thing. She talks about waddling around the house, too."

"But still! Penny, that's just rude," Alice said. "Someday, you'll be pregnant. Do you want people to say things like that about you?"

"Hmm," Penny said, smirking again.

"No!" Alice and Kara said simultaneously, and everyone laughed.

"Finish college first, Pretty Penny! And I suspect that your mom would appreciate you being married first!"

"Yes, I most certainly would!" Alice declared.

"Elyse didn't get married!" Penny protested.

"She also just finished her Master's in Finance!" I said. "Kara and I are going to head home. I'll see you bright and early!"

I gave her a hug and a kiss on the forehead. She frowned, but I wasn't going to kiss her in public; I didn't need even more grief from people about my relationships. Kara hugged Penny as well, and then the two of us headed home.

"Steve, you have to see this!" Elyse called out to me as Kara and I walked into the house.

"What's up?" I asked.

"Some crazy German teenager flew a Cessna 172 from Helsinki to Moscow without permission!"

"Holy shit!" I laughed. "They didn't shoot him down?"

"No! He landed in Red Square!"

"They must be going nuts in the Kremlin right about now! I can't wait to tease Tanya and her dad about this when we get to Moscow in July! What happened to the kid?"

"He was arrested, but that's all we know right now."

"They'll let him go after a show trial," I said. "Gorbachev won't want to cause diplomatic trouble over something like this."

We watched the news for a few minutes before heading up to bed.

May 30, 1987, Indianapolis, Indiana

"Is everything ready?" I asked Jessica after she, Kara, and I hugged and kissed.

"Yep! The student who's buying the furniture will be here in about an hour. The few things I have left are in those two boxes there. If we take apart the bed, we can start cleaning the bedroom and the bathroom."

"Sounds good. I'll take apart the bed while you two start cleaning, if that's OK."

"Good plan," Jessica said.

The girls grabbed the cleaning supplies, and I went into the bedroom. I took the mattress and box spring from the frame and moved them to the living room. I grabbed the small bag of tools that I'd brought along and used a wrench and screwdriver to take the bolts from the frame. I folded the metal rails and moved them to the living room with the mattress and box spring, then grabbed the vacuum cleaner and swept the floor.

"OK. Bathroom is done!" Kara said.

"And the bedroom," I said.

"Kitchen next," Jessica said. "The rest has to wait until JoAnne picks up the furniture."

We started cleaning the kitchen and about ten minutes later, the buzzer rang. Jessica buzzed in JoAnne, and a minute later she and two guys showed up at the door. I offered to help, and the three guys began moving the heavy furniture while the girls carried the lighter things, including the kitchen utensils, pots, and pans. It took just under thirty minutes to load the U-Haul, after which JoAnne handed Jessica an envelope with cash in it, and they were on their way.

Less than an hour later, everything was clean, and we had Jessica's things in the car. She went down to the superintendent's apartment to ask him to complete the move-out inspection. They were back a few minutes later and after a quick walk-through, the superintendent handed Jessica a move-out form to sign, she handed him the keys, and we were on our way.

"I am SO happy to be out of here!" Jessica said as we walked to her car.

"I'm SO happy that you're out of here!" I parroted, earning me an elbow to the ribs.

"Me, too!" Kara said. "OK for me to ride back with Jess?"

"How is it that I have two wives and I get to ride alone so often?" I teased.

"We'll make it up to you in Chicago!" Jessica promised.

"I was teasing, but I won't turn THAT down!" I chuckled.

We kissed and hugged, and they got into Jessica's Camaro, and then I got into my Daytona. We headed back to Chicago, a threesome that would finally, permanently, be under one roof.

June 1, 1987, Chicago, Illinois

"Ready for your first day as a doctor, Doctor Adams?" I asked.

"Yes!" Jessica said.

"Nice skirt!" Kara teased.

"I'll end up changing into scrubs at some point, though I think today is just orientation. But I get to wear a proper lab coat!"

"Knee-length instead of hip-length?"

"Yes. Though in the ER, I'll mostly wear scrubs."

"We'll both walk you to work this morning," Kara said. "And then I'll walk Steve to his office. I need to get Jesse first, though."

"We'll meet you out front," I said.

Two minutes later, Kara met us on the sidewalk in front of the house, with Jesse in his stroller. I took Jessica's hand and the three of us and Jesse headed for the hospital.

"When do you get your lab coat?" I asked.

"As soon as I get there and check in!" she replied happily. "But I only get the one. I'll need to buy a few more, but that can be handled with payroll deduction. I'll get my hospital badge, fill out the insurance forms, tax forms, and listen to a lecture on policy."

"We'll have to figure out our withholding, but at least for now, just check 'married' and take 'zero' deductions. When our combined income goes up, we'll need to figure out a tax strategy of some kind. If the hospital offers you an IRA or 401(k), sign up for it and put the maximum amount in it."

"Rather than pay off the student loans?"

"The maximum is usually around 15%, and it's tax deferred, so for every $100 you put in, it'll only cost you around $80. That's a better return than paying down your student loan. We'll only pay the tax on it in the future when we take it out, and at that point, we're retired and won't have multiple six-figure incomes."

"There's a problem that I'll never have," Kara said.

"True. We'll have to figure out how to handle the exemptions for our kids, but we'll probably need a CPA for that, because as our income goes up, there are all kinds of crazy issues like the Alternative Minimum Tax that Jessica and I are going to have to deal with. And you would probably pay almost nothing as a head of household with two kids and your teaching income. It's all complicated by our unique situation. You'll end up with a pension of some kind if you become a full professor, which I expect you will."

"Anything else I need to worry about?" Jessica asked.

"If they offer group life insurance, sign up for the maximum. I have two policies — one that goes to you and Kara and all my kids, and one that goes to NIKA."

"Why to NIKA?"

"Because I'm valuable!" I chuckled. "I don't actually own that policy, the Board of Directors does. It ensures the company can weather the storm if something happens to me."

"So you're worth more dead than alive?" Kara teased.

"That's a judgment call that you'll have to make!" I teased back. "I'll worry if my coffee or tea has an almond or metallic flavor."

Jessica laughed, "Cyanide and arsenic. Classic! But a heavy dose of potassium would do the trick, too. Or quite a few other things in the drug locker in the ER."

"Well, this is a wonderful conversation," I chuckled.

"You started it!" Kara laughed. "All that talk about life insurance!"