A Favor That Could Change Everything

Part 1

A Favor That Could Change Everything

"Hey Jackson, how does a sandwich sound for lunch?" Stella asked the wild four-year-old, who was dancing around watching Paw Patrol.

"Cool with chocolate?" Jackson asked in a hopeful tone, not once taking his eyes off the TV.

"Of course,"

"Cool"

She started to make his sandwich. Sometimes being around Jackson hurts just too much. It reminded her that she wasn't a mother, and at the rate, she was going, she probably never will be. It makes her feel empty; she just turned thirty and is still single and childless. Yes, she was happy career-wise. She loved being a firefighter. She loved her 51 family. She had amazing people in her life. but something was missing.

" Jackson come eat"

"Ok, Aunt Stella," the little boy replied.

"You can take the firefighter hat off while you eat." She told him as he sat down at the table.

"Mommy and Daddy leave me wear it all the time."

Stella laughed, "Okay little man, keep it on; you make a handsome firefighter."

"Like mommy and daddy?" Jackson asked with a big grin. He was a picture of Casey with Dawson's eyes.

"You are totally more handsome than your mommy and dad."

"Cool"

She sat there and watched him eat, thinking of all her friends who were married and had kids already. Cruz and Chloe have two sons; Brett and Antonio have a son and a daughter. Dawson and Casey have Jackson and now a new baby; Dawson just gave birth to a baby girl yesterday.

"Aunt Stella, when is mommy coming home?"

"Daddy said hopefully today."

"I can't wait to hold my little sister."

"I know you can't."

She hated to admit it, but she was jealous of her friends and their lives. At the firehouse, she would sit there while Dawson and Brett would talk about the crazy things their kids did or said. She would just sit there with a fake smile and give a little laugh here and there. She was becoming a great actress with them. Both her girlfriends were so wrapped up in their own happiness that they didn't notice that Stella hadn't been herself lately. But pretending to be happy around them was starting to get harder by the day.

"All done, Aunt Stella," the little boy said as he jumped out of the chair and turned back to the TV.

Stella picked up the plate and cup and walked them to the sink. As she washed the plate, her mind continued to wonder. She never told anyone she wanted a family. Well, maybe her longing for a family disappeared; what she really wanted was to be a mom. Just a baby would fill the emptiness inside, at least she thinks it will.

She had an insane idea pop into her head a few weeks ago but talked herself out of it. Now, as she stood there watching Jackson dance around, the idea popped back into her head. "No, I couldn't," she said to herself as she bit her lip millions of things started to pop into her head.