Title: My Best Friend

Author: Zenia

Summary: Rick's best friends.

Rating: G

Archive: WWOMB yes, anyone else, ask first.

Webpage: www.oocities.org/ztovarich/index.html

Series/Sequel: Nope.

Email: ztovarich@yahoo.com

Disclaimer: They're not mine, never will be. Please don't sue.

Feedback: Please, it sure would be nice.

Warning: High sap content.

Notes: Captain Gully is canon. I always knew Rick was a highly imaginative kid. <g>

My Best Friend

By Zenia

He rolled the red rubber ball between his splayed legs, watching it bounce softly against the wall. “C’mon Captain Gully, don’t you wanna play?”

Captain Gully shook his head and crossed his arms over his chest. Captain Gully was a sea captain. He wore a white uniform with a white hat, like the men from the book that Daddy showed him. He was also really stubborn.

“Aw, c’mon. Mommy’s busy and Daddy won’t be home till later. Please?” He held the ball in his hands. “I’ll give you my dessert?”

But Captain Gully shook his head again.

“Ricky? What are you doing in there?” his mom called out.

“Me and Captain Gully are playing ball Mommy.”

“Well why don’t the two of you come into the kitchen and we’ll have some oatmeal cookies.”

Rick smiled and jumped up, tugging on the straps of his overalls. “Yes Ma’am.” When he and Captain Gully got to the kitchen, Mommy was putting down a plate of cookies and a cup of milk.

She grabbed him and swung him up into his chair. Then she kissed his cheek with a loud smack.

Rick giggled and kissed her back. His mommy was the best mommy in the whole world. She was like one of the princesses that she read about in his fairytale books, the ones that got the princes and lived happily ever after. Except, she was prettier.

Mommy sat down and the shared the cookies and milk. “Ricky, do you ever get lonely?”

“Lonely?” He licked the crumbs off his fingers and picked up another cookie. “No, I got you and Captain Gully and Daddy when he comes home.”

She reached out and stroked his hair. “And you don’t want other friends, maybe a brother or sister.”

Rick bit into his cookie and thought a minute. “I’d like a puppy.”

“Oh Rick,” she laughed, “finish your cookies.”

**********

He was playing with his tin soldiers when he heard the door open. Rick jumped up and ran to the tall figure. “Daddy!” he cried.

Daddy lifted him up into his arms, planting a raspberry on his neck.

Rick laughed, wrapping his arms around his daddy’s neck.

“How’s my Ricky? Were you a good boy today?” Daddy pressed his forehead to Rick’s and smiled.

“Uh-huh. Even ask Mommy. She didn’t punish me or nothin’ today.”

“Good, then I have a surprise for you today.” He put Rick down and held out two fists.

He touched one of them. His daddy opened his hand but there wasn’t anything in it. So Rick touched the other one, but that one was empty too. He frowned.

Daddy squatted and looked down at his hands. “Now where did that surprise go? I had it in my hands a minute ago. Ha, I see it.” Then he reached for Rick’s ear pulling out a lollipop.

Rick clapped. “Thank you Daddy!” If he had known he had a lollipop there he would’ve eaten it a long time ago. He went to unwrap it when he heard his mom clear her throat.

“Don’t even think about it Richard Simon. I won’t have you ruining your dinner with sweets. You may have it afterwards.”

“Oh Mommy!” He looked at his father.

“Sorry Sport, Mom’s rule applies.”

Rick sighed and tucked his lollipop into his pocket. Oh well.

“Jack, can I see you in the kitchen for a moment. Rick go on and finish playing. After your Dad and I have our talk we’ll eat.”

“Okay.” He sat back down and finished staging the battle of Gettysburg. Rick was almost done beating the Northern army when he heard a loud whooping sound from the kitchen. He scrambled to his feet and ran to the kitchen. When he got there Daddy was kissing Mommy on the mouth. Rick rolled his eyes and shook his head. Yuck.

After awhile they pulled away and Daddy picked him up and put him on the counter. “Mommy and I have important news for you Ricky. Mommy’s pregnant.”

Both his parents were smiling. “Huh?” What was pregnant?

“We’re going to have a baby, honey. You’re going to have a brother or sister.” Mom put her arm around Dad.

“Oh.” Rick shook his head. “How? Are we going to go to a baby store?”

“A baby store?” Dad raised an eyebrow.

“Like you get a puppy from a pet store.”

“No.” Daddy shook his head. “The baby is growing in Mom’s tummy.”

“Oh.” Rick blinked, confused. “How did it get there? Did you swallow a baby seed?”

“No Rick, I did not swallow a baby seed.” She looked at Daddy and mumbled, “Not exactly.” That made Daddy turn bright red.

“Then how?” Sometimes grownups were confusing.

“Um that’s difficult to explain Sport. Let’s just say that it happens sometimes when a Mom and Dad love each other.”

“Okay. Can we eat now, I’m hungry.”

“Of course.” Mommy put him down on the ground. “Why don’t you and Dad set the table?”

Rick took his father’s hand and squeezed. A baby…huh. He wondered if he could get a puppy too?

**********

He leaned back against his mom; looking down at the pictures in the book she was reading him. One of his hands was on her swollen tummy. At first when he realized it, he thought that there was something wrong, that she was getting sick or something. But then she told him that it was just the baby growing inside of her.

The baby. They already picked names. Mommy and Daddy even let him pick one. If it was a girl they were going to name her Caroline after Grandma, Mommy’s mom. But if it was a boy they would name him Andrew Jackson, that was the name *he* had picked. Andrew ‘cause that was his Daddy’s middle name and Jackson because…well he remembered Daddy talking about the presidents. Presidents were important and he wanted his little brother to feel important too. So it would be Andrew Jackson or AJ for short.

Rick hoped it’d be a girl because that’s what Mommy wanted. And also so he wouldn’t have to share his toys.

Mom closed the book. “That’s it, time for bed.”

He nodded, feeling very tired. Then he put his mouth close to his mom’s stomach. “It’s time for me to go to bed, baby. But I’ll see you tomorrow, okay? I hope you liked the story. After you get born I’ll read you stories too. I love you.”

Rick jumped from the couch and ran upstairs.

**********

She was getting fatter and fatter. She was so big that Daddy teased her that she walked like a duck. Rick agreed with him, but he wouldn’t ever say it. ‘Cause when Dad had said it, she had started to cry. Then she was mad at him for the rest of the day!

Rick spent a lot of time talking to the baby…when Mom would let him. He thought it was important to do since he was the big brother. He knew how confusing it all could be; he didn’t want the baby to be confused when it got out.

He was just explaining what the living room looked like when Daddy came back from work. Rick looked up. “Hi Daddy.”

“Hi.” He sat next to them on the couch. “What are you doing?”

“Explaining.” Rick put his hands on Mom’s stomach. “I’m talking to Daddy, baby. You remember Daddy. Daddy’s tall, real tall, at least eight feet and he’s got a mustache and yellow hair and blue eyes. His hands are really big and strong. And he smells like outside and his pipe. Not like Mommy. She’s got yellow hair too. I got brown hair. But Mom she’s soft and pretty and she smells like flowers. Sometimes she smells like cookies but mostly flowers.” Then he felt something move under his hands. He looked up into his mother’s face, his eyes widening.

Her eyes sparkled. “It moved. The baby moved. Talk to it again.”

“Hi baby, can you move for me.” There was another jerk underneath his hands. “It moved again, it moved again!” He jumped onto his father’s lap and bounced. “The baby moved Dad.”

He laughed. “Well of course he did Ricky, you’re his big brother.” Daddy always called the baby, him. He was sure the baby was a boy.

Rick hugged his Dad and grinned, he couldn’t stop grinning. He was gonna be a big brother!

**********

He woke up to Daddy picking him up and holding him.

“Daddy,” he whispered, rubbing his eyes. Then he laid his head on his Dad’s shoulder. “Is it time to get up?”

“No, Sport.” He stroked Rick’s hair. “Mommy’s having the baby now. I’m going to take you to Edie and Bud. I want you to be a good boy okay?”

“Uh-huh.” He closed his eyes.

“When you wake up you’ll have a new brother or sister,” he whispered into Rick’s ear.

Rick buried his face into his father’s neck and fell asleep.

**********

Daddy held him up to the glass. He pressed his nose and hands up to it and looked at his new baby brother. Boy was AJ ugly. He was tiny and red and his head was a funny cone shape. And he didn’t even have any teeth! How was he supposed to eat?

He wrinkled his nose and sighed. “Can we see Mommy now?”

“Sure can.” Dad held him close. “But remember, you have to behave. And no yelling.”

Rick nodded his head. “I won’t. I’ll be a good boy.” Then he leaned his head against his Dad’s and closed his eyes. He didn’t like the hospital, it was too quiet and it smelled funny. When they got to his mommy’s room Dad put him down.

“Rick.” Mom was lying down and she didn’t look so good.

“Are you okay Mommy?” he whispered.

“I’m fine. Why are you whispering?”

“Daddy says I have to be quiet.” He twisted his left hand in her blanket.

“Well I think it will be all right if you spoke in your normal voice. Okay?” Then she held out her hands. “Now come up here and give me a hug.”

He smiled and started climbing.

“Cece, I don’t think--”

“Jack, I’m fine. And I want to give my son a hug.” She pulled Rick into her arms and held him tight.

Tears prickled in his eyes. He missed her, he missed her so much. Rick put his head on her shoulder and smiled.

“Has Daddy been taking good care of you?” She stroked his hair. “What did you have for dinner last night?”

Rick looked at his dad and giggled. “Nothin’ much.”

She tickled him. “Tell me.”

“Ice cream.” He looked at his father. “Sorry Daddy.”

“Ice cream! Jack!”

“It’s okay Mommy, I had a big lunch. Me and Daddy went to the Crazy Taco.”

Daddy shook his head and laughed. “Tattletale.”

Rick smiled and then he frowned. “When are you coming home Mommy?”

“Tomorrow afternoon.” She kissed him softly. “So I’d take advantage of the ice cream for now. You certainly won’t be eating that for dinner when I get home.” Then she poked him on the nose.

He laughed and hugged her.

**********

Rick was getting really tired of AJ. Everyone kept saying how wonderful he was, cute and cuddly and adorable. Blech! Okay so he did have soft yellow hair and pretty blue eyes but he couldn’t *do* anything.

He didn’t care that no one paid attention to him, that meant he could sneak treats out of the kitchen. But people kept telling him he was lucky. Lucky how? AJ was always crying or sleeping.

Though he did listen and since he couldn’t talk, Rick could tell him secrets. But he wasn’t going to take the place of Captain Gully as his best friend.

He played on the ground with his trucks and Captain Gully. Rick loved the sound they made when they crashed together.

Mommy and Daddy were sitting with AJ, making funny noises. Suddenly Mommy looked up and told him, “Rick, you haven’t held AJ yet have you?”

He looked up from his toys. “No, not yet.”

“Would you like too?”

Rick looked over at the squirming bundle and nodded.

Mommy patted the space near her. “Sit down, all the way back.”

He climbed up and sat straight like she told him. Daddy helped him to hold his arms right. Then they put AJ in his arms. AJ was warm and heavy, and his little mouth was making sucking motions. It was…it was kinda scary. He was so tiny that Rick was afraid he was going to do something and hurt him. He remembered Grandma saying you had to hold a baby right. What if he wasn’t holdin’ AJ right?

“Relax Honey, you’re doing fine.” She kissed the top of Rick’s head.

Rick looked up at them; they were both smiling. He smiled back and looked back down at AJ. The baby made a soft little sighing sound and turned his head to bury his face into Rick’s chest. After a few more seconds Mommy took AJ away. And even though Rick’s arms were getting tired, a part of him didn’t want to give the baby up. It made him feel strong to hold AJ like that, like he could beat up the meanest and strongest monster in the world, just for AJ. He was so tiny. No wonder Daddy told Rick he would have to protect him. Well he would, because, well that’s what best friend did right?

Rick slipped his finger into AJ’s palm and the baby grasped it in his tight, moist, little fist.

He and AJ were going to be best friends forever.

The End

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