�You know sooner or later its ok for you to leave.� He and Larry were sitting in the waiting room.
�No, I don�t have to leave. I�m not here professionally, this is personal. I�m Quinn�s friend, remember?� Nick didn�t want Larry to feel as if he had to stay in Florida anymore than he needed to for his sake but Larry did have a point; he and Quinn were friends and at some point he stopped being there for Nick and started being there for her.
�Cause you know Mike is here to look out for me.� They both laughed at that thought. The only time Nick saw Mike was as one of them was coming and the other was going. He really needed to talk to his friend. It was becoming more than he wanted to deal with and he was ready to send Mike packing. He wasn�t being supportive, in fact he hadn�t even asked about Mac�s health. He was basically good for nothing in this current situation. The only person he had was Larry. The guys were gone, his mother was gone and Josh was gone.
He pulled out his cell phone and dialed home,
�Hello?� It was just the person he wanted to talk to,
�Hey Pop. How are you?� He desperately wanted to talk to his dad. He wanted to know, needed to know that his father was not angry with him. That their relationship was ok. Through all the ups and downs he went through, even when he was on the outs with his family, he and his father were always close. Whether it was talking on the phone or going fishing.
�Hey.� That didn�t sound too promising.
�So, what are you up to?�
�Nothing.� He could go through rough patches with his mother. His sisters could get on his nerves as well but nothing was ever harder than not be closing to his dad.
�Pop please. Ok, I know you�re not happy that I had a baby but its not going to change so when are you going to let it go?� He needed his dad. His father was supposed to teach him how to be a good father.
�Nick, I�m busy.�
�Just come and see her. She�s your granddaughter. Your first granddaughter and she�s in the hospital. I just can�t believe you don�t care.� Larry stood up and walked out of the room; he had forgotten that he was there. Hell, he wasn�t embarrassed by anything Larry might hear. He knew pretty much everything about Nick�s life for the past three and a half years.
�Why do you care about me? That�s your little family. You deal with it.�
�I don�t want you to deal with anything. I just want you to be here. Why can�t you do that? Even mom was here. Don�t you care? She�s your granddaughter. Do you even know her name?� He just couldn�t understand it. He couldn�t understand why his father was so angry.
�What is her name?� He didn�t hesitate to answer his father,
�Mackenzie.� He looked up to see a beautiful Quinn standing in the doorway. She whispered out,
�I�ll be in Mac�s room.� He nodded at her and his father�s voice wafted through the phone,
�My great-great-great grandfather�s name was Mackenzie.� Nick felt that was an opening and he didn�t want it to close.
�I didn�t know that. Cool. Dad, I know I wasn�t responsible. I know it shouldn�t have happened that way but it did. And, I love my little girl. She is so beautiful and now that she�s here, I�m proud. I really want you to come and see her, please.� He waited, not so patiently, for a response from his father.
�Alright, I�ll come up tomorrow afternoon. I want to see what all the fuss is about. She can�t be that cute.� He laughed lightly. He knew his dad was kidding around.
�Cool, you�ll love her.� He prayed things went well. No arguments with Quinn�s family, no fights with Elliott or James.
�Well, I have to go.� His father wasn�t a man of many words,
�Ok Pop. See you tomorrow.� He was so happy. He stood up and headed towards Mac�s room to see not only his little girl but her mother as well.
***
Nick walked in the room and returned Quinn�s smile when she saw him.
�How�s she doing?�
�She�s doing better and better.� He couldn�t believe the hard times they had been through but like always he weathered the storm.
�My dad is going to be here tomorrow. He�s coming to see Mackenzie.� She looked over at him and smiled,
�Is that who you were on the phone with?� He nodded. There was no need to tell her there was a bit of an argument before the concession to come and visit the baby.
�So, what turned your dad around?� He couldn�t help but be surprised by her words. How did she know?
�Mac has been in the hospital for a while and your dad hasn�t even called to my knowledge. Besides, you mentioned a little something about your family not exactly acting like Mac was a great thing.� He had forgotten he had been honest with her about his father and sisters.
�Yeah, I forgot about that. I think it was her name. His great-great grandfather or something like that was name Mackenzie.� She laughed lightly,
�I guess Mac is going to have the same name as someone in your family�cute.� He nodded,
�Yeah, first name anyway.� She shook her head,
�No, first and last name.� He frowned,
�What?� She gave him a devilish smile,
�Mackenzie Carter, the same as her great-great-great grandfather, or whatever he was.� He was confused. He wasn�t sure what she was talking about,
�Huh? What did you call her?�
�MacKenzie Carter; that�s her name.� She shrugged, �Or, it will be soon.� The look of confusion never left his face and she stood up and returned with a piece of paper. It took it from her as she handed it to him. It was a form and at the top it clearly said name change. He looked up at her.
�That�s if you want her to have your last name.� Of course he did. He had thought about it before but he didn�t have the nerve to ask such a thing.
�Yes, hell yes. I can�t believe you are going to do this.� He pulled her into a hug, �Thank you so much. You have no idea what this means to me. Thank you.� He was full of emotions and he couldn�t believe they took over his senses as they did. She pulled back and smiled,
�I think it�s a good idea. You�re going to be a part of her life, its only right that she has your name. Besides, don�t tell my family but I think Mackenzie Carter has a better ring to it than Mackenzie Garner.� He wouldn�t dare say it but he thought so too.
�Wow, I can�t wait to tell my dad.� Just at that moment Larry walked in and he couldn�t contain his excitement,
�Hey man, guess what? We�re changing Mackenzie�s name.� Larry looked confused as he looked between Nick and Quinn,
�You�re going to name her Carter? Carter Garner? That�s more of a boy�s name isn�t it?�
Chapter 99 cont'd