Shots Fired

Chapter One

Brianna Alister-Lincoln thought what her dads had just asked her was the dumbest question she had ever heard. Would she be upset if they adopted a newborn baby?

Her dad, Drew had delivered a baby girl during his shift at the ER. The new mother intended to place the child for adoption.

The father? He was some guy she met on a weekend cruise and had two nights of "great" sex with. He had blond hair and blue years. He had the `bad boy" look she liked and he had served time in prison. That was all she remembered. Hours after the birth in the ER Drew was asked to come to the maternity ward. The patient wanted to speak to him. When she asked him "would you adopt my baby?" all kinds of emotions ran through his mind. She must have noticed his wedding ring. Just so the woman knew, Drew told her yes, he was indeed married but to a man. And oh yeah, he was active military.

The woman's reply, "I don't care. Good for you; two dads is even better."

This was a statement Drew never heard here in Texas before this moment.

Knowing the woman had to wait twenty-four hours to fill the paperwork, Drew didn't say "no" but he would talk to his husband and their teenage daughter. He would speak to her later in the afternoon.

With the decision made by the family, not just the parents Drew returned to the hospital with Rick and Brianna. Drew wanted the woman to meet them before she released the newborn to them. The woman was friendly. She was happy to know her daughter have a big sister. Brianna made it known she had CF and had a lung transplant recently, in case her fathers hadn't. When Brianna stepped out to get a soda, the woman said she was ready to sign the paperwork when the social worker arrived. She had held her child, said "hello" and "see you later." She didn't wish to see or hold her again. She wanted Drew, Rick and Brianna to meet the newborn. And give her a name. This was when a surprise came for Drew and Rick. Brianna was adamant the baby be named after her late foster mother, Avery. She wanted to do this to honor the first person who showed her unconditional love. Her fathers finally agreed. The baby girl's name would be Avery Jade Alister-Lincoln. Now it was time to go shopping.

At Babies R Us, while Drew and Rick got help from an associate on all the essential baby items and furniture they let Brianna loose with her own shopping cart to buy clothes for her sister. Her sister who was just five pounds, had the tiniest button nose ever and brown hair and the bluest of blue eyes. The teen met her parents with a cart full of clothing, some pink but not a lot, an hour later. The main things, car seat, bassinet, formula, bottles, diapers, wipes and clothing were loaded into the vehicle everything else would be delivered. By the evening Drew had received a text from the social worker for he and Rick to come to the hospital; to fill out the paperwork to take Avery Jade home. The birth mother had filled out the needed papers, giving the couple custody of Avery. She had checked herself out of the hospital by the time they arrived.

Hearing Drew and Rick were adopting again wasn't a surprise to Syd Jennings or her daughter Riley who had since returned to San Antonio from Washington D.C.. Both were doting dads to Brianna. Syd was looking forward to seeing Drew coo over a newborn. She could already see how smitten he was with Avery. The pictures of the baby with her new parents and sister were precious. The fact that Drew was the first person to ever touch her and cut her umbilical cord was something special too. If Avery's mother had been in the ambulance minutes longer the baby would have been born right there.

Since Riley Jennings was coming to see Avery now she was home a full twenty-four hours, Riley's mother might just as well tag along for the visit too. Syd thought Avery looked like a doll resting in her father Drew's arms. Brianna had picked out her sister's outfit, jeans and a pink t-shirt with Princess printed on the front. The older girl was all smiles when Drew passed the baby to her.

"She's so small," Riley said, in awe.

"Did she keep you guys up last night?" Syd asked Drew and Rick.

Avery woke up every two or three hours that night only falling asleep when she was laid on one of her dads' bare chests. That was an amazing experience that parents under estimated. The loss of sleep was worth it. Rick had planned to go back to work full-time in a year. But that plan changed; their daughters needed a parent at home and the couple wanted to see each other more than one or two full days a week or the occasional weekend. They barely trusted anyone to look after Brianna, which caused the teen to roll her eyes, hiring a nanny to look after the girls was out of the question.