With my love's picture then my eye doth feast

It was tough that first morning, letting Jared leave the house. I didn't want him to go at all. "Mr Policeman! Jackson and I, we need you to be here. Suppose a burglar comes? Or a fire?"

"Cat! Please! It's hard enough to go to work as it is. Don't make it harder." He lifted my chin to give me a goodbye kiss. "Besides, trying to sound like you worry as much as your dad isn't working. I can tell the difference."

I hadn't actually thought of it that way. "I'm sorry. I'm just greedy and want you to myself."

"I'll be back this evening. You can count on that." He gave me another hug and went out the door.

Somehow, Jackson and I managed to survive the whole day while Jared was at work.

Although at one point, I had the oddest dream. There was a lot of noise and I went out in my lingerie to investigate.

I found this large thing in my yard and meet a time traveller who asked me to help fix it. I found his missing parts and he vanished by walking into the thing - which he called a portal.

I'm sure that was a dream. Time travel? Portals? Me walk around outside in the lingerie when Jared isn't around to appreciate it?

Eventually Jared came home. I served some spaghetti. Easy, tasty and a fav for Jared.

After the first few bites and a lot of sounds of approval, Jared started a conversation, "Hey, Cat, you have an Aunt Brooke?"

"Yes, she is dad's older sister."

"I thought so. Is your aunt prone to hysterics?"

"Not in the least. She's not at all like dad. Why on earth are you asking?" Any time I think about Aunt Brooke, I feel a bit guilty that I don't know her or my uncle or my cousins as well as I should. It's not like the island is that big. But somehow, I never seem to get around to visiting. Then again, they could visit me as well but it just doesn't happen.

"Your aunt reported a zombie outside the hospital last night. I had to spend most of my day today investigating her report."

I nearly choked on my spaghetti. "Zombie? You are kidding, aren't you?"

"That's what I said when they told me to investigate." Jared waved his fork in the air for emphasis, unfortunately splattering sauce everywhere.  "I think they gave it to me because the other officers were already out and doing real police work."

I sighed. "They still think of you as the rookie, don't they?"

"They do." He shrugged. "I am still the newest cop. Until the next time someone joins up, I will stay the new cop." He finished the food on his fork and started to twirl more spaghetti around for another bite.

We both concentrated for a couple of minutes on our dinner. After a few more bites, Jared continued the story. "So I interviewed your aunt. She told me that she didn't believe her eyes or that she had such bad luck. She had been visiting a friend at the hospital. She was just leaving when she noticed the zombie."

"She told me that it scared her so much that she couldn't move. It lurched closer and closer. She wanted to run but was frozen to the spot."

I put down my fork and touched the back of Jared's hand gently. "Poor Aunt Brooke. Did it hurt her?"

He shook his head. "She said that it then it just wandered away into the night. It hadn't actually attacked her. It had come close enough that she had gagged from the stench of rotten flesh. But it never touched her."

"So what did you do?" I asked as we continued eating.

"I went over to the hospital to look for any signs of zombies. I searched around the area but didn't see anything weird."

"No bits of goo or ooze?"

"Nope. Not anything at all out of the ordinary. That's why I was wondering if your aunt was prone to hysterics." He shook his head. "I got to spend the rest of the afternoon filling out reports."

"Aunt Brooke may be an artist but she's also very down to earth. I know my dad trusts her more than anyone else in the world. If she says she saw a zombie, then there was definitely something odd going on."

We finished our meal quietly. I wonder if I should ring my aunt, make sure everything is all right? Probably. I know she'd love it if I rang.

After dinner, Jared said, "I'm so tired of feeling unappreciated. Always getting the annoying or odd jobs at the station."

"I know just the thing to cheer you up," I told Jared.  "I have a song for you."
I grabbed my guitar and started to sing.
"Oh policeman mine,
You've locked my heart away,
Now when you walk the line,
I have to keep the blues at bay."

He smiled, "I'm not sure that will be the song that will make us rich and famous."

"As long as it makes you happy, love. That's what is important."

Eventually we fell into bed.  I had some weird dreams about my aunt and zombies. But I think my dreams didn't keep Jared awake.

That job fell to Jackson.

Fortunately for me, Jared doesn't mind taking care of the baby at 1 in the morning. I usually get the second shift at around 4am. This time I had gotten up as well though.

"Cat, you didn't have to get up. You can go back to bed. I have the baby."

"Thanks Jared. But I think I might wait a little."

"Why Cat?"

I snickered. "Because I'm awake and can just stand here admiring you. You look great in your uniform, don't get me wrong. But sometimes less is more and the less clothes you have on, the more of you I can admire."

He put Jackson back in the crib and turned to face me. "Thinking of that, I wouldn't mind if you were wearing less. Like, um, nothing at all..."

I grabbed his hands, "As long as it's mutual, I think nudity is a splendid idea. Shall we retire to our room?"

The next day, Jackson and I went to the park to earn a bit of money.

I must admit, Jackson wasn't going to be the same as playing with my band, but maybe the sight of the baby would cause people to drop more money in my case.

I spent hours playing. My feet grew sore, my fingers very sore.

And yet, I only had a few people pause to listen, like my cousin Elizabeth's husband Derrick.

To be honest, at first glance I thought it was Clayton because of the hair colour. But when I looked again, I knew it wasn't Clayton. Clayton looks like he eats from time to time. Derrick still is stick thin.

I played in the park long enough that Jared got off work and came over to watch.

His presence must have frightened the local burglar too much, she fainted on the spot.

Jared later said that was the easiest arrest ever.

After we got home, I had a shower and contemplated my day.

I spent hours in the park playing again. There were people there, it wasn't as though it was deserted. And yet, I'd earned nothing. Not a single tip was thrown in my case.

I love music, I really do. But we have bills to pay and a baby who is going to be needing a lot of toys and diapers and...

Well, I had to think about this. If playing for tips simply isn't pulling in enough money, then what can I do?

While I thought about it, I decided to invite Dad over for a visit.

"Hi Daddy. I thought you'd like to meet Jackson, your first grandson."

"Kitten, he's such a handsome baby. I am so happy for all three of you."

"If he takes after his father or his grandfather, he'll be handsome forever, won't he?" I asked with a smile.

"I don't know about that. But he's a keeper, that is for sure."

I sighed as I thought about my frustrating day. "Daddy, I wanted to talk to you about being a musician. It's been really horrible, I've been getting almost no tips at all."

He shrugged. "I know it's tough out there at the moment. You could try something other than music. Your grandfather made most of his money from novels. I've found that sculpting isn't too bad for cash once you get past using clay all the time." He cleared his throat, "I guess you could even try a regular job, though that does break family tradition."

"I think I might try something else. I love music a lot but I can't cope with being out there and getting nothing for my efforts."

"Hey, Mr G. How's it?"

"It's great but I want you to call me Johnny or call me dad. Either will do."

I do love that my husband and dad get along very well. It's nice to be part of a happy family now.

---
Bonus pics


Brooke wasn't the only one to have zombies.

There was one outside the house but with no gardens to eat and all the people inside, it caused zero damage.

I do love the dip kiss, even when it's some random couple doing it in the park.

This is apparently the outfit of an up and coming musician.

Yeah, I wasn't impressed either.

John Edward

Looks so very much like Sammy.

I never did know why one of Cat's cousins Leo, moved in with her dad and family. But Leo no longer actually lives here, he has a house and a kitten.

They do flirt adorably on their own.

Then Cat wanted to serenade Jared. He was very happy to listen too.

Unlook'd for joy in that I honour most

"Daddy, I'm so glad you could come by." To be honest, I was afraid he might not. I'm married and have a home of my own. It's the whole 'I should be a responsible adult' thing. And there were a few things I wanted to talk about to my dad. I would have to talk to Jared at some point in time but not yet.

"Kitten, when have I ever failed you?" He looked at me with one eye brow raised. "I've always been there for you and that's going to be true for as long as I live."

"Well, you do have Mason and Dixie at home still. I don't want to keep you from them too much."

Dad slowly shook his head. "Kitten, you are a long way from doing that. They have Shannon who spends as much time as she can with them. For a long time, it was just you and me. You can still count on me, though maybe not quite as much as when you lived at home."

We went inside since dusk was rapidly turning to nightfall.

"Now why did you want me to come over, Kitten? I can tell it's not about music, you didn't ask me over as Mr Bass Man." I saw his eyes flicker for a moment. "And you should be very aware by now that I'm a worrier. I hate not knowing things. Life is stressful enough as it is."

"I'm sorry if asking you over caused you to worry." I should have known better then to ring without a brief explanation. Daddy does have anxiety issues. "It's nothing for you to be concerned over. I just wanted to ask a couple of questions."

"And you couldn't ask on the phone?"

"No, daddy, I couldn't. You see, I wanted to talk about babies. How did Mum tell you when she was pregnant."

He rubbed one temple for a moment. "Actually, it was your Aunt Brooke who knew first. Alaina and I didn't realise why she'd been feeling off..."

I was watching his eyes closely and could see when he knew why I'd asked him over. He pulled me into a hug. "Kitten, you think that you're having a baby?"

"Pretty sure, daddy. I have an appointment tomorrow to confirm it but I've been feeling nauseous a lot lately."

"I'm going to be a granddad? Wow." He blinked a couple of times. "Umm, wait I'm not old enough for to be a granddad." Daddy was actually grinning like an idiot, no matter what he said.

"But the problem is that Jared and I haven't even talked about children. What if he doesn't any now? What if he doesn't want any ever? And I don't even know if I'm ready."

"Stop worrying, that's my job." Dad smiled at me. "I'm not sure that anyone is ever really ready for a baby. It's one of the ultimate learn-as-you-go experiences. As for telling Jared, sooner is better. Be prepared for him to be a little quiet at first. It will be a bit of a shock. If he doesn't come around soon, kick his sorry arse to the curb."

"Daddy!"

"Seriously, he should be supportive. But my impression of him is that he'll love the idea of being a father and he'll be there for you."

Dad gave me a final hug and went home. I spent a restless night worrying about the next day.

Fairly early the next morning, I went to the hospital for a check up. The test results came back positive, I was definitely pregnant.

Since I'd suspected it for a couple of weeks, I'd had a chance to prepare myself. I hadn't really thought about kids before getting pregnant but Jared and I have a lovely home, some money to spare and it wasn't like having a baby would put an end to my career. I had a band, we could meet whenever.

The tricky part was definitely telling the daddy-to-be that we would soon be a family of three. I was nervous and decided to wait until dinner to try.

"So how was your day today, Jared?"

He stopped eating for a moment. "It was pretty awful. I was manning the desk and you wouldn't believe how many people came in. I didn't even know that many people lived around here."

"Really?"

"Well, nearly. I've been answering questions, asking more questions and filling out forms all day. It's exhausting." He sighed. "One of them was a pretty nasty accident. I think everyone in the car was seriously injured. The cops at the scene handed me the notes to type up while he went to inform relatives."

"You poor baby." This did not sound like a good time to bring up my news. If it made him happy, it would be fine but it might not. I decided that perhaps the morning would be a better time.

I had another restless night. It was full of bad dreams about accidents and unknown threats.

Eventually I gave up and found a book to read. I didn't want to keep Jared awake just because I couldn't sleep.

An hour later, I heard footsteps on the stairs.

"Honey," Jared said softly. "Are you okay? The bed is very lonely without you."

I looked up at my handsome hubby, "I wasn't sleeping very well and I didn't want to keep you awake too."

I closed the book and stood up. It was time to tell him. "I went to the hospital yesterday."

His eyes grew big, "I hope it isn't serious. Please tell me it isn't serious."

"Well," I said. "It's kind of serious. Jared, I'm pregnant."

For an awful moment, he just sort of stood there, staring. Then he got the biggest grin. "Pregnant? We're pregnant? We're going to have a baby?"

"Yes, we're going to have a baby." My fears of his reaction melted away.

"Do you think I can feel anything yet?"

"You can try but I don't think you'll feel anything but me." Jared patted my tummy for a moment any way.

"I can't feel the baby," he said sadly.

"You will be able to, I can promise you that. So you are all right with this? We haven't talked about babies."

His answer was a cheeky grin and a big smooch. When he eventually let me go, he said, "Yes, I want this baby. I love the idea that you and I will have a baby. Do you think it's a boy or a girl? Did they tell you at the hospital?"

"I told them I didn't want to know. It will be more fun to have the surprise, don't you think?"

"I guess. I think I'd like a boy though."

I laughed and he looked hurt for a moment. "Daddy said you'd want a boy. I think it's cute that he was right."

"Your dad is a great guy. I like him a lot."  He glanced at his watch.  "Bye Cat, I have to hustle to get to work on time. You take care of yourself and that baby."

"I will, Mr Policeman. You take care too. Don't drown in paperwork."

Since Jared was going to be at work all day, I decided to go over to the town park and see if I could raise a little money by busking. Merlot was available for some practice and my dad promised to drop by later as well.

It was a pretty quiet day at the park. Clayton came by for awhile with his dad. And that was the extent of our audience.

Clayton did grow up well, I must admit. If I didn't have a spouse already, I'd give him another chance. Except, he's not available either. He married a few weeks before Jared and I did. At least we are back to being friends again. Having friends who have known you since forever is a good thing.

So the busking was a bust. Thomas dropped a few bucks in the jar but he was pretty much the only one. I wonder what we have to do to earn a gig in town?

"Honey, I bought a little gift for you. It's not a lot but I just want you to know how happy you make me."

"Jared, this isn't fair. I didn't get you anything."

"You gave me something this morning. Granted, I don't get to see the baby for some time but that's a big gift. I'm going to owe you many many things to make up for that one."

"Jared, thank you. You are just the sweetest thing."

"I try, Cat. I try. And I want you to know that I love you. I love that baby too."

"I must be doing something right to have someone as great as you in my life, Jared Grant."

"I feel the same, Cat."

---
Bonus Pics

Apparently I like taking pics of him eating.

Merlot rings Catherine to come hang out. This is how he greets her.

Merlot, no, you lost out to Jared. Cat is happy and is not impressed by your chest. Just forget it and have fun with your housemate.

Grant, if thou wilt, thou art beloved of many

Since no one was awake when we got home, Jared spent the night. We kept each other entertained until the wee hours of the morning. Neither of us got quite enough sleep, but it will do.

I finally remembered that I'm not going to be asked to do random performances at school any more and put on a more casual dress. We always wore semi-formal looking clothes at school, you just never knew.

"So, you're the young man my daughter is swooning over?" It didn't take Dad long to decide that it was time to have a heart to heart with Jared.

Unthrifty loveliness, why dost thou spend Upon thyself thy beauty's legacy?

It was bright and early in the morning. I was up and ready to rock the world.

Dad chose then to poke his head and seriously rumpled hair out of his room. "Hey, Dad."

"Yes, Kitten?"