Grandfathered: The Ties That Bind

It's A...?

Will Gerald and Vanessa have a boy or a girl? Drop your guesses here ;)

Brian had walked out of the office after a long period of awkward silence followed by a stiff nod from both him and Sara. Sara stood there, reeling over the events that had just occurred. The kiss meant nothing, at least for now, but it still left her in a state of stupor.

When she finally shook herself back into reality, Sara decided to get a glass of cool water. The cool and refreshing drink would snap her back into business and help her to better process the kiss. She opened her office door, but gasped lightly when her foot kicked something on the ground. She looked down and her mouth dropped open at the sight of a bouquet of pink tulips laying on the floor. Her eyes then shifted to a card that lay a few inches from the flowers, and she sucked in a breath when she saw her name written on the front in handwriting she knew all too well.

She slowly bent down and grabbed the bouquet and card, making her way back to her office and gently closing the door behind her. Of course Jimmy would send her pink tulips. He knew they were her favorite.

She took a in a deep breath and opened up the card with trembling hands, carefully reading the words that were written inside.

Sara,

Not placing my trust in you was one of the worst mistakes I ever made. Letting go of such an incredible, kind, and caring woman is something I may never forgive myself for. I understand if you don't want to talk, but I want you to know that I'm immensely sorry. I will always love you, and that hasn't changed, nor will it ever.

Love,

Jimmy

Sara stared at the card blankly for a couple of seconds, and then lifted her head to look at the door that Brian had walked out of a couple minutes ago. She knew right away why she had found those flowers thrown on the ground. Jimmy had seen the whole thing. Sara closed the card and leaned into her chair, covering her mouth to hide the sobs that escaped.

----

The Kingsley family, excluding Sara, was at the doctor's office waiting to find out if the new addition to the family would be a little boy or girl. The doctor was assessing the ultrasound and working with Vanessa, who was lying on her back, while Gerald sat in a chair in the back with Edie on his lap.

"Well," the doctor said, taking off her glasses and smiling at the young married couple, "it looks like you two will be having a son."

Gerald and Vanessa looked at each other laughed with pure joy. They didn't really care whether the baby was a boy or a girl, but hearing they were going to have a young son filled them with an unanticipated and indescribable sense of happiness.

"Did you hear that, Edie?" Gerald said in a lilted voice. "You're gonna get a brother!"

But rather than joining in on her parents' excitement, the four-year-old just let out a little sigh.

----

"I'm a little concerned about Edie," Gerald said to Vanessa as he walked into the living room. "She seems -- What are you doing?" Gerald raised his eyebrows in curiosity as he walked over to his wife, who was staring intently at her laptop.

"Looking up baby names," Vanessa replied. She looked up at Gerald's smiling face. "Any you like, G?"

"Hmm," Gerald said, looking up pensively. "Well, I've always liked the name Ajax --"

"Like the cleaning detergent!?" Vanessa exclaimed incredulously.

"Hm, maybe not," Gerald said meekly in response to Vanessa's outburst. "How about Arlo? Or Nash?"

"Gerald, I love you, but I am absolutely not naming my kid Nash," Vanessa replied. "I was thinking more of a classic name, like Lucas, or Andrew."

"But those names are so overdone," Gerald reasoned. "Don't we want our kid to stand out?"

"Yes, but not to the point where they get teased," Vanessa rebutted.

Gerald sighed. Naming their child would certainly not be an easy process. What would be the perfect name for the new little Kingsley boy on the way?

Sometime later, Vanessa came home after shopping for food, and she came across a sight that made her drop her grocery bags.

"Gerald!" she cried out, her jaw dropping. "What are you doing?"

Gerald turned towards his wife and flashed a smile, oblivious to his wife's unsatisfaction. "Painting the nursery, of course!"

Vanessa stared at the walls incredulously. "Green?"

"Well, yeah," Gerald shrugged, placing his paintbrush back in the bucket of green paint and walking slowly towards his wife. "Don't you like it?" However, the look on Vanessa's face was enough of an indicator that she did not, in fact, like it.

"Why didn't you talk to me first before deciding a color?" Vanessa asked. "I was hoping we could have done a nice baby blue."

"But all baby boy rooms are painted blue," Gerald responded. "I wanted to do something different."

"But green?" Vanessa said emphatically, raising her eyebrows and jutting her head towards Gerald. "Green reminds me of barf."

"Green is a nice color!" Gerald replied defensively. "Remember when we first met, and I used to wear a green hoodie every day in order to avoid decision fatigue?"

"Yes, and that's why you were in the friend zone for four years."

Gerald turned towards the half-painted wall and sighed. "You're right, Vanessa. I should have talked to you before doing this," he admitted. He turned back towards his wife with a somewhat downcast look on his face. "I guess I just want our kid to know it's okay to be different. You know, I used to get teased all the time as a kid for being different than everyone else... Just like with Edie, I want our son to know that none of what those bullies say is true, and that being unique is a special thing."

"You're right, Gerald," Vanessa said softly, grabbing Gerald's hands and lacing her fingers between his. "I'm sorry. I should have been more considerate."

"Me, too," Gerald replied. He looked over his shoulder and chuckled. "It's a good thing I didn't paint too much of this wall yet. We can always change it." An idea popped into his head. "How about a teal room? It's just the right mix between blue and green."

"Hmm..." Vanessa stared at the wall and tried to envision in her mind what the whole nursery would look like if it was covered in a soft teal color. She looked into Gerald's eyes and smiled. "I like it."

"Great." Gerald squeezed Vanessa's hands excitedly. Then, there was a twinkle in his eye and a grin stretched across his face. "You know, about the name... I think I got the perfect idea."