|
Post by celticthunder1510 on May 5, 2011 11:44:34 GMT -5
Ryan Kelly was on a break from touring. He had finished his tour with Celtic Thunder and was just coming home from two weeks in the Northeast United States where he sold out every venue he was in and he was finally back in The Moy on familiar grounds.
First night home, he collected three boxes of fan mail and presents-'Thank God I have such good fans!' he thought to himself, he collected his Beagle, Snickers, from his neighbor, and settled in to his favorite comfy chair for a bit of laughter as he read the fans' letter to him with a pot of hot tea and a plate of homemade cookies one of the fans had sent to him.
'I am one lucky bloke.' he thought to himself as he sat in the chair and adjusted his pillows.
Then, there was the knock at the door that changed his life forever........
Tell me what you think and I may keep going on this one!
|
|
|
Post by celticthunder1510 on May 5, 2011 13:08:37 GMT -5
Chapter ONE
Ryan went to the door of his little three bedroom home and opened the door. He thought it was kids playing a joke on him when he turned to shut the door and saw an official looking envelope lying against his door frame. He took it inside and opened it up.
It read: “Dear Mr. Kelly, Your best friend Alex McCallister and his wife, Molly were killed Last month in a car crash. They were laid to rest and you have been named as sole heir to their estate. Please come to Trundle and Burke at 10:00AM tomorrow morning and bring your car, please. Thank you. John Trundle, Esquire.
The next morning, after his morning run, Ryan went to the offices of Trundle and Burke at the appointed hour and waited in their waiting room for fifteen minutes before someone came out and said, “Mr. Kelly? This way please.” leading him back to a suite of offices with beautiful views of The Moy showing through them.
“Mr. Kelly, I presume. Hi. My name is John Trundle and I am handling the estate of your friends Alex and Molly McCallister. Welcome. Can we both be seated and I will begin.” When they were both seated the lawyer read from the will and then he got to the bequests. “Ryan you have always been like a brother to me. When I moved back to The Moy, I thought when you came back from touring we could reconnect. Sadly, if you are reading this, that was not to be. But, a part of me lives on and I know I am forcing a huge commitment on you right now but, I know you can handle it. The commitment I leav you is my only child, my son, Ryan Edward McCallister. We call him Red for a nickname. I hope you can raise him well and be a good father to him. You know neither one of us has any family and I always counted you as a brother in my heart..”
“Um, Mr. Trundle am I to understand I am now a father?”
|
|
|
Post by celticthunder1510 on May 5, 2011 22:16:59 GMT -5
Chapter TWO
‘Yes, Mr. Kelly, you have sole custody of one two year old boy Ryan Edward, aka Red. He is in the waiting room along with his clothes, toys and a car seat. We were hoping you would fulfill your obligation because if you cannot, we have to place him in the foster system and you know what happens to kids in those programs. Do you want that little boy to go through that when he wouldn’t have to if you helped him?”
“OK, I will try this but, I am not father material, I swear it.” Ryan said, getting nervous about meeting his little charge. When he walked through to the waiting room, he saw a boy with raven black hair and the bluest eyes he had ever seen. He could not help himself-he fell head over heels in love with the little guy. He turned to Mr. Trundle, “OK, what do I have to do to make him my son?”
John Trundle sighed. “You need to sign the adoption papers and we need to file them with the courts. Then Red is your son. Do you want to be introduced to your little boy?”
He needn’t have bothered. Ryan walked over to the little boy. “Red? Hey. I know you have no clue what is going on but, I am your um, Uncle Ryan. Your daddy and mummy wanted me to be your daddy in they could not be here and they have gone to heaven. I am going to take care of you and never let anyone hurt you again, I promise!”
“Can you be my daddy, Unca Ryan?” Red asked, softly. When Ryan nodded his head, he happily jumped into his waiting arms.
“Your daddy called you Red, huh?” He nodded. “Well, that is HIS name for you. I want to call you something else. Our name for you. How about Mac? Your new last name will be Kelly so Mac keeps your daddy in our heart, OK?” Mac, thought about his new name and he nodded and wound his arms around Ryan’s neck and buried his face in his shoulder.
“We can help you put his things in your car, Mr. Kelly. It will only take a couple of minutes to file these documents via fax. There. Now you are legally his father, sir.”
` Ryan drove home in shock. He was now responsible for this little guy and he did not have a clue what little kids did or how they ate. He called his best friend in the band and, as it rang he wondered what he was going to do.
“Hey, Ryan. What’s the craic? How is the vacation treating you?”
|
|
|
Post by celticthunder1510 on May 5, 2011 22:52:23 GMT -5
Chapter THREE
“Keith? I need your help. Um, where are you?”
“I’m at the Glasgowbury Festival, mate! I am about to sing music from my new CD. Why? You sound strange. What kind of trouble are you in?”
“Not trouble, exactly. I just need you to come as soon as you can, please. When you get here I will tell you everything.”
“Tonight is the last night of the Festival. I can be in The Moy first thing in the morning, mate. I will get there as fast as I can, OK?”
“Hurry.” As Ryan hung up the phone, he saw Mac looking out the window at the scenery flying by and he said, “Hey. Want to go grocery shopping and get some food for our house?”
“Yeah, Ryan. That’s fun!”
Ryan wondered how long it would take for his new son to call him Daddy. He knew he would never take Alex’s place in his son’s heart but, he wanted to fill the void left by his friend’s passing and make a happy life for Mac.
They hit the grocery store and Mac sat in the front of the cart and watched Ryan as he started down the fruit aisle. “What do you like, Mac?” Ryan asked. Since he did not know what kinds of foods to get him, he thought, “I’ll let him pick what he wants and then, he’ll feel involved.
Mac was a good eater. He liked strawberries, blueberries, carrots, broccoli, and spinach. Ryan moved to the bread aisle and picked up wheat bread and Mac nodded, “That’s my favorite!” He went to the juice section and got apple and grape juices and then he got ginger ale and Coca Cola for himself. He got Earl Grey tea, sugar and cream. He went to the meat section and got steaks, hamburger, organic hot dogs, and chicken strips. He got cheese, milk and orange juice and was all set to head for the check out lane when he saw Mac’s eyes looking down at the floor. “What did I forget, Mac” “You forgot the cookies, Ryan.” So, Ryan went and got the boy some Oreos and chocolate chip cookies and headed for the check out registers.
When they finally got home, Ryan got everything from his car into the house and set up Mac’s things in one of his guest bedrooms-the one closest to Ryan’s. He said, “ We can have dinner and then get ready for bed. That sounds good right about now, huh?”
Ryan made chicken strips and spinach and they had Oreos for dessert. He got Mac into his jammies and settled him into bed for the night. He padded out to his living room barefoot and sat in his comfy chair, heavily. “OK I had no kids to now, I have one. When did life get so crazy?”
He went to his room and changed into his jammies for bed. He crawled in between the sheets and sank into a peaceful sleep.
About 2AM, he felt the bed shift next to him and cracked an eye open to find Mac looking at him with tears in his eyes. Ryan lifted the blankets and Mac crawled in with him and buried his head in Ryan’s tee shirt and cried until there were no more tears left in his little eyes left to shed. Ryan’s heart broke for his new son. ‘How do I help him deal with this/’ he sighed to himself as he drifted to an uneasy sleep with Mac in his arms.
|
|
|
Post by celticthunder1510 on May 5, 2011 23:29:53 GMT -5
Chapter FOUR
The next morning, bright and early, Mac woke up and snuggled against Ryan, who had woken up about ten minutes earlier and was stroking his hair with his fingertips softly.
“Can you make pancakes, Ryan?” Mac asked him with a puppy dog look in his eyes.
“I can try.’ Ryan said, getting out of bed and padding down to the kitchen. He got the box mix out of the pantry and followed the recipe on the box and whipped up the batter for the pancakes. He poured the batter into the pan and picked up Mac to show him the bubbled on the top and how to flip them to make them fluffy. He put two on his plate and two on Mac’s and then buttered and mapled them and they ate together. He smiled as Mac ate every bite and drank his orange juice. He hopped out of his chair and went to his room to play with his toys while Ryan cleaned up the dishes. When Ryan went to check on him five minutes later, he saw that Mac was playing with his bears. Mummy, Papa, and Baby bear. He had a bunny there too and, as Ryan listened, he said, “Now the Mummy and Papa bears left Baby bear alone to live with Ryan bunny. Baby bear misses you so much.”
Ryan cleared his throat and looked in the room. “Hey, do you want to see the whole house today?” Mac nodded and Ryan gave him the tour. “This is your room, OK? My room is right next door. This is for when we have a guest stay with us so they have their own room, too. This is the kitchen, over here is the living room and in the cellar is my studio. I am a singer, Mac. I go on a plane and I sing for people far away.”
Keith walked in and heard that last bit Ryan said and smiled. ‘He has a girl here.’ he thought to himself, smiling. What stopped him was the next voice he heard. “B-but, you are going to leave me alone, Ryan bunny? I ju-just got dopted, right?” “No, your Ryan bunny is never going to leave you alone, I promise! I am your daddy now. I won’t leave you, ever!” as the voice cried in Ryan’s arms.
Keith cleared his throat and said, “Ryan, um, what’s going on here, mate?”
Ryan put Mac down and said, “Could you go play in your room for a few minutes so I can talk to, I guess your new Uncle Keith? That’s my good boy-o.”
“Did I hear you right? That little one is your SON? How is this possible? I mean I know how but-HOW?” Ryan told him the whole story of the day before and Keith sat down hard in the kitchen chair and said, “Whoa, mate. You have a HUGE handful there. Good thing you called me. I can help you to explain to the rest of the band and your mum must be over the moon….”
|
|
|
Post by celticthunder1510 on May 6, 2011 13:29:06 GMT -5
Chapter FIVE
“Oh cricket! I haven’t told her yet! She will kill me for not telling her yet!” Ryan whipped out his phone and called his mum on the phone. She answered on the first ring and he told her in a joking manner, “Hey mum. Congratulations! You are finally a Grandma! I have a son.” When he told him mum all about what had happened the day before, she asked him if he needed anything and Ryan said, “Honestly, mum I don’t know what I need. I could use your help. I have Keith here because he is like a big kid himself and I know I can trust him with Mac. Please come over if you want to anytime today!”
“His name is not Mac. What is his full name?”
“Ryan Edward McCallister-Kelly is his full name. Mac for short. He is coming with us on the road next tour. I can’t leave him. He is my responsibility now. I promised him I would not let him down.”
“Well, do I get to see the little guy before too long?” his mother asked, excitedly.
“You can come at the weekend and he can get to know his grandmother, how about that?”
“You know this is wonderful for you but, you need to tell Daphne about him.”
“I know, Mother. I can only hope she falls in love with him, too. I will not be forced to make the choice of him or her. He will win every time!”
He made the call that he had been dreading. “Hey, Daph. It’s me. I have to see you. Can you come to my place so we can talk? Great, I’ll see you in fifteen minutes.”
He turned to Keith and said, “Keith can you take Mac for a walk along the beach for about an hour? I have to talk to Daphne about Mac and I don’t want him to hear her reaction, OK?”
“You think she won’t…” Keith trailed off.
Ryan sighed, “No, I don’t , Keith and I would rather him happy than upset, OK?”
Mac said, “You want me to go to the beach? Can you come, Ryan Bunny?”
“Not right now, Mac but, Uncle Keith will take you and get you an iced lollypop and some sea shells if you want.”
“OK, Ryan Bunny.” Mac hugged Ryan around the neck and said, “I love you!” which made Ryan’s heart swell with love back at him and he said, “Come on, Unca Keith! I’d like a green iced lolly, please!” taking his hand and dragging him out the door.
|
|
|
Post by celticthunder1510 on May 6, 2011 14:10:54 GMT -5
Chapter SIX
Daphne pulled into the driveway of Ryan’s house and slid out of her convertible with an air of leisure and happiness in her step. She knew telling Ryan of her desire to follow her career and be head accountant of her father’s firm before having kids was a hitching point for them but, she knew he would come around eventually to her way of thinking.
She walked in the foyer and saw him sitting in his favorite chair holding a stuffed bunny in his arms. “Ryan, what’s with the baby toy? Holding on to your childhood a bit much huh?” as she kissed him on the cheek.
“Hey, Daph. I was holding onto this for my um, new son, Mac.”
Ar her shocked face he sighed and said, “Here is the story. Settle in.” When he got finished telling her everything, she said, “This does NOT fit into my career path. I can’t be with someone who has a child, Ryan. You know I have no time to be tucking a little one in at night when I have meetings and proposals to go through. You know my world. I thought you knew me. Guess I was wrong. Well, what are you going to do with him? Raise him on your own? Because, that is what you will be-on your own. I can’t be a part of this. No woman is going to want a man with a kid already. You blew it, Mr. Kelly. Have a nice time alone and lonely.”
With that, she got up and left him in the living room in tears and hurt. How could she not love Mac? He was an adorable boy. He was determined he would not fall in love again with anyone who did not love Mac too. He did not even think of it as a sacrifice-he was in love with being a dad, simple enough. He wiped his eyes just as Keith came in with Mac in his arms. Mac was crying and looked scared.
“What happened? I let you take him for a walk and he is hurt and crying?” He took Mac into his own arms and looked him over. No bruises or cuts. Thank God. He set the boy on his lap in the chair and asked him, “What happened to you Mac? Tell your Ryan Bunny and I will make it all better for you.” as he kept glaring at Keith who was looking out the window at the cloud of sand and dirt rising from the flying convertible.
“Me me mean lady scared me out there!” Mac pointed at the window. “She she said you would have to give me back and le leave me to be with h h her. I don’t wanna go away, Ry Ryan Bunny! I love you!” as the little boy’s last thread of composure slipped and he cried his heart out.
After he was all cried out, Keith and Ryan were sitting with him on the floor. Keith said, “She was a mean lady huh?” When Mac nodded, Keith said, “She is never taking you away from Ryan. He loves you too much. You are his son, now. No one can take you away from him ever, right? Except when Unca Keith takes you for surfing lessons, right Mac?” as he tried to make the boy laugh.
“Your Uncle Keith is right, Mac. No one can take you away for me, I promise. I love you and I made a promise to your daddy to protect you forever. She was mean and we never have to see her again.”
Mac went to his room with his bunny and began to play. Ryan set about making a pot of strong tea and busying himself. Keith asked, “So, she really did not want Mac around? Is she nuts? He is a great kid-who wouldn’t want him around?”
“She chose her career over me. I know she did that long ago but, with Mac here it’s official. We’re through. And I’m through. I can’t be with another woman who can’t love Mac and me as a package deal, you know? Love will have to look for a twofer instead from now till forever. Otherwise, I will be a single dad forever. As long as he is happy, so am I.”
|
|
|
Post by celticthunder1510 on May 6, 2011 14:51:23 GMT -5
Chapter SEVEN
Time flew and the weekend came. Keith, who was staying with Ryan to help him out with Mac, saw Ryan’s mum pull into the drive and called out, “Ryan, your mum is here and she is loaded with a ton of bags! I am gonna help her in!”
Ryan who was in Mac’s room making shadow puppets on the wall called back, “Thanks, mate!” He got up and said, “Mac, you never had a grandma before. Well, my mummy wants to be your grandma if you want. Do you want to meet her? I think she has a ton of presents for you.” Mac got off his bed and ran out to the kitchen with Ryan following. He launched himself into Keith’s arms and said, “Unca Keith? Who’s this? She’s pretty.”
Ryan’s mother’s heart just melted on the spot. She was in love with the boy. She said, “I am your new grandmother, if you’ll let me.” He blew her a kiss from his perch in Keith’s arms and she smiled. “Oh, Ryan! He is so precious! Thank you for keeping him! I adore his manners, too!”
“Let’s see what Grandma brought you, OK?” as he looked at the massive amount of bags of toys and clothes and stuffed animals, Ryan noticed that some of them looked familiar. “Mom are some of these mine from when I was a little boy?”
His mum nodded and said, “Your toys were sitting in the attic and I thought Mac would like them.” Just then, Mac squealed and jumped into Ryan’s arms saying, “Ryan Bunny, you have a rabbit like mine!”
“Ryan Bunny? That will be one heck of a nickname on the tour bus, huh, Ryan? Keith laughed. His mother laughed too. “I think it is adorable. He gave you a title he could live with! Head Bunny!” Both of them laughed at that. Ryan smiled and said, “He can call me whatever he wants to as long I get to call him my son!”
That night, after Mac was fed, bathed and in his jammies, Ryan snuggled him into his bed for the night. “Tomorrow you get to meet the rest of my band and I hope you like them all.”
“Good night, Ryan Bunny!”
“Good night, Mac.”
When Ryan had left the room, Mac slid out of bed and got on his knees to say his prayers, “God? Bless mummy and papa in heaven. God bless my new grammy. Last, God bless my Ryan Bunny. I love him so much! Thank you God. Good night.” and then he slid back into bed and went to sleep.
|
|
|
Post by celticthunder1510 on May 7, 2011 0:16:01 GMT -5
Chapter EIGHT
The next day, Ryan started the round of calls to gather the band together. When any of them asked what the meeting was about, all Ryan would say is, “I need you to come to The Moy today, please say you will come.” When he had them all coming, he too Keith and Mac to the grocery store and gathered the supplies he would need for a huge barbecue feast for the band. Mac was in the carriage seat and Keith took the trolley handle and got a bit of speed and hopped on the trolley and rode him and Mac down the aisle while Ryan just shook his head at them, Mac was laughing and having fun, so he did not tell them not to do it. Ryan somehow wrangled them through the checkout line and back to his house and began the prep work on the lunch. Keith took Mac to the beach with his boogie board and, with him in a little wetsuit, took Mac sliding all over the waves.
The band started to arrive. First in was George who had been picked up by Damian at the airport. His hands were shaking and the minute he walked in he asked for a soda and a chair.
“What happened to you, George? You look like someone tried to kill you? Ryan said putting a soda in front of his friend.
“OK, I had turbulence on the plane which was bad and then, DAMIAN drove here from the airport. That boy learned how to drive by watching American NASCAR when he lived with Paul, I swear it! Nuff said.”
“Hey I got us here in one piece, right?” Damian defended his driving. “We got here super fast because I took short cuts!”
Ryan said, “There are no short cuts from here to the airport, Damo? What are you talking about?”
“Oh, he went off road and crossed a few fields and streams and a small river on the way here. You COULD call that taking short cuts. I think you may have a couple farmers on the telly tonight wondering if Top Gear was filming on their farms!” George said, laughing.
Ryan laughed and said, “OK you’re here, the both of you. Now all we’re waiting on is Emmet and Neil and then I can tell you all why we’re meeting up now.”
“Where’s Keith? Shouldn’t he be here for this meeting too?” asked Damian.
“He’s here someplace, Damo. Don’t’ worry.”
Damian looked out the window at the beach. “I know where he is: The Beach! And, I bet he is boogie boarding, huh?”
Ryan said, “Something like that.”
Damian said, “Come on George, let’s go and see if there is footy on the TV.” as they disappeared into Ryan’s living room.
Ryan watched out the window as Neil and Emmet came up the drive. “What’s the craic, Ryan? Why are we here? What’s up?’ Emmet asked in rapid succession.
Ryan let them in and said, Make yourself to home, lads, I’ll call Keith and have him come in from the beach, OK?”
He called Keith on his cell and said, “Hey, Keith. They are all here finally.”
“I am so tired! Your son is FULL of energy, mate! He wants to go again on the board! One more run and we’ll be up.”
“Put me on speakerphone, Keith. OK, now hear this. You can have ONE more run and then I want you up here at the house, you got me, Mac?”
“Yes sir!” Mac said, sad his fun was over. To Keith he asked, “Is he mad at me for being with you?”
“No, mate! He just has his friends he wants you to meet at his house and he wants to do this now, you know? He will always love you!” as Keith ruffled his black wavy hair. ‘He has the puppy face down cold!’ He thought to himself. ‘Ryan is a goner if he uses that look on him.’ After the last run around the waves, Keith said, “Let’s head back to the house, little man. We have some people for you to meet!”
Keith and Mac walked up to the house. When they got there, Keith opened the door and Mac said, “Ryan Bunny, we’re home!” and launched himself into Ryan’s warm embrace, kissing him on the cheek!
“Guys, this is Mac. Mac this is Damian, George, Emmet, and Neil and they are my band mates and my friends. Lads, this is my son, Mac as in Ryan Edward McCallister-Kelly.”
Keith whipped out his camera and took the picture of the guys with shock and jaws dropped. He showed it to Mac and said, “See? I told you. The looks on their faces? Priceless!”
Mac climbed out of Ryan’s arms. He looked at Keith. “Tweet it?
Keith nodded, “Tweet it!” and he sent it to Twitter with a push of a button and made Mac laugh.
That broke the spell and Damian found his voice. “Whoa! Ryan! You have a SON? How on earth did this happen?” Four hands slapped the back of his head. “Ow! What? It’s a question I know you all want to know!”
“OK, let me tell you the whole story about the last week and then, I want you to go and meet my little Mac and get to know him, alright?” When Ryan told them everything, including the prayer Mac said every night, Damian was the first one to go and find Mac.
He got down on the floor and said, “Hi, Mac. I’m your dad’s friend Damian! You can call me Damo for short. What are you doing?’
“I’m playing with my bunnies. You’re Ryan Bunny’s friend? Does that mean you are my friend too?” When Damian nodded and smiled at Mac, he said, “Good! What do you call Ryan again?”
Mac answered, “Ryan Bunny. That’s his name.”
Damian laughed and said, “Oh Ryan Bunny? Can you come here for a minute, please?”
Ryan poked his head in his son’s room. Damian laughed and pointed and in between gasps of air, he said, “Ryan Bunny! Oh, what craic we are gonna have on THIS tour! I LOVE your little boy! He is priceless!”
Keith said, “ I knew this was gonna happen, Ryan Bunny. Face it you are the craic this tour. But we love you, Ryan Bunny!” as he and Damian hugged him tightly and ruffled hi hair. Mac came up and pushed between the two men and wrapped his arms around Ryan’s legs and said, “He’s MY Ryan Bunny. Mine!” as he hugged him tighter.
Ryan pushed the guys off him and picked up his son. “Yes, my boy. I am your daddy. Your Ryan Bunny. But, Mac? We have to come up with a new nickname for me, OK? Think about and get back to me, OK? I love you!” He kissed the boy on his cheek and put him down. “Off ya go and talk to George, Emmet, and Neil, too, OK?”
Ryan went to the kitchen and got the steaks and hot dogs and went to the grill. He began cooking and Mac came out to the deck and watched him cooking. George cam up and lifted him into his strong arms and said, “You want to watch from a taller spot? Here you go.” To Ryan he said, “Heard about your new nickname and I have to say, lad-it’s so YOU!” George smiled and said, “Your son is amazing, mate. Is he coming on tour with us?”
“Yeah, he kind of has to, George. I can’t leave him here with my mum. He would think he was left behind again and I won’t do that to him. Mac? You get to fly on a plane and ride in a big bus and everything.”
“Do I get to bring my bunnies and my bear?” Mac asked, softly.
“Yeah, lad, you do. Do you want to go with me?”
‘OK Ryan Bunny, I’ll go with you.”
Neil said, “The name is too cute, Ryan. Although, you better tell Damo not to Tweet your new name to the world!”
“Damian!!!” Ryan called out. “Step away from the cell phone and stop that Tweeting at once!” as he ran and grabbed Damian’s cell away from him, getting there right before he sent the Tweet.
They were eating dinner on the deck and Ryan clinked his glass to get their attention. “Um, guys? What do you think of Mac?”
George said, “If you haven’t guessed by now, Ryan, we love your son.”
Neil said, “Is he really coming on tour with us?” When Ryan nodded he said, “Cool! We can take him to the zoos and the water parks and we have a legitimate reason to go on the fun rides at Disneyworld and not look like geeks!”
Damian said, “Yeah and we can babysit if you and Daphne want to go out and stuff.” Keith glared at him and shook his head. “What?” he asked, clueless.
“Daphne isn’t in the picture any more, Damo. Her career is more important than being with me.” Ryan said in a quiet voice.
Damian patted him on the back and said, “Well, she was too serious for you anyway. You will find another woman in a heartbeat, I know it. Ooh, can I be in on the call when you tell Paul? He’ll flip, I know it!”
Emmet said, “This is great for you Ryan, I am happy for you but, have you told Sharon and Phil yet? They may have opinions on bring a child on a long tour with six guys and all.”
“Let me just call Sharon and find out what she thinks right now…”
Now I know this is kind of long but I did not know where a spilt would have been a good thing.... Enjoy!
|
|
|
Post by celticthunder1510 on May 7, 2011 11:29:10 GMT -5
Chapter NINE
Sharon gasped, “You want to bring your SON on tour with us this fall?? Ryan, I am on my way to The Moy right now. I want to hear all about this from you TONIGHT.”
Phil was in the office when Sharon walked in and put her head against the door frame softly. “What happened? What has Damian done now?” he asked smiling. ‘That boy can get into such funny trouble!’
Sharon shook her head. “Not Damian. It’s Ryan-he’s a new father, Phil. And, the kicker is, he wants to bring the little guy on tour with us in the fall. I’m going to see him and figure all of this out. Want to ride up with me and sort this out with me?”
Phil was stunned but he recovered and said, “A dad? Ryan? How on earth did he pull that off? Yeah, count me in on this ride. I want to see and hear about this myself.”
Ryan had put Mac to bed at 8:30-his new regular bedtime-and came out to talk with the guys. Keith said, “Hey, Sharon just wants to sort out the arrangements that might have to be made to bring him on the road with us.”
Damian asked, “What’s to sort out? He comes with us-period. Ryan needs him and we love him. We will look out for him-it’ll be great. And, little guys like him-they are girl magnets! I will LOVE taking him places with me on the road!”
Neil cuffed the back of his head. “Oh and who will watch him when we are ALL out onstage? He’ll need a sitter or a minder when we are onstage, Damo. And, girl magnet’? Can you be any more desperate?”
They all laughed but, George said, “I have a cousin who is looking for a job, Ryan. Let me give my cousin a call and you can interview them for the job of watching Mac while we are onstage.” He dialled the number. “Nico? Hey? It’s George. Have you found a job yet? Well, I think I may have one for you. How fast can you get to The Moy? GPS the address and come on out. You can meet Ryan and figure out if you can handle the job. OK/ Great! See you when you get here. OK, it’s settled, Nico’s on the way, Ryan.” In his head George thought, ‘I hope this works out.’
Sharon arrived late that night and immediately asked to see the boy. Ryan said, “I don’t want to wake him up, Sharon. He has only been mine for a week and he is still having scary dreams about being left alone.” Just then, Mac came out of his room, crying. Ryan took three steps, crossed the kitchen and swept him up in his strong arms and said, “Aw, Mac. Is it the dream again? It’s OK. I guess if you’re awake you can meet my bosses, Sharon and Phil. We will be traveling together on the tour this fall, mate. Sharon and Phil? Meet my son, Ryan Edward McCallister-Kelly, Mac for short. Mac, this is Sharon and Phil.”
Ryan put him down and he walked over to Sharon and smiled his little adorable smile. He melted Sharon’s fears in a second. Phil said, “Hiya, Mac. So, Ryan is your daddy? How is he?”
Mac said, “Ryan Bunny is the best! I love him very much. He says I get to fly in a plane and ride on a big bus an everything soon. Are you coming with us?” When Phil nodded, he said, “Is she coming, too?” When Sharon nodded, he said to Damian, “Can you tell me a bedtime story, Damo? I’m sleepy.”
Damian brought him back to bed. Ten minutes later, He came out and said, “He went to sleep just that easy. I love that kid! Sharon can he come on the tour with us, please? I’ll help watch him-heck-we all will, right lads?” They all nodded and looked at Sharon for the verdict.
“Well, of course he can come, given the circumstances, Ryan. I wouldn’t ever make you leave the little guy alone here without you! Mac is an official Celtic Thunder child! We will have to move stuff around so he has a play area but, as long as you all want him on the tour, he can come.” When she said that, Ryan hugged her around the shoulders and said in a thick voice, “Thanks, Sharon.” ‘Otherwise, I would have had to quit the group and do something else.’ Ryan thought to himself. ‘I am never letting that guy alone ever. He needs me and I NEED him too much to leave him behind.’
“Now who started calling you Ryan Bunny?” Phil said with a twinkle in his eye.
“Mac did, “ Keith said. “And, for now, it is his name. Mac can’t call him ‘daddy’ yet.”
|
|
|
Post by celticthunder1510 on May 7, 2011 12:18:42 GMT -5
Chapter NINE AND A HALF
The next day, the guys all left to go back to their homes and relax for the two months till the new tour started and Ryan was happy about getting into a routine with Mac that he could work with and be happy. Keith stayed on to help watch Mac and take him to the beach and be a buddy for him. Ryan woke up at 6 AM and got ready for his morning run around his neighborhood. He was about to leave when Mac came out of his room and asked, “Ryan Bunny, can I come too? I wanna run with you!”
Ryan got him dressed in his sweat pants and sweatshirt that matched his and took him to the garage. He got his running stroller out and placed Mac inside with his bunnys and bear and said, “OK, pick a direction, Mac!”, letting his son choose where they went that day.
As they were getting back, Keith woke up and came out to the kitchen half asleep and found Ryan and Mac making scrambled eggs and toast for breakfast. “You went for a run together? Aw, man that must have been so cute!” earning matching serious looks from both of them. He laughed and said, “I’ll set the table for breakfast, OK?”
Three hours later, there was a knock at Ryan’s door. When he opened it, he saw a woman standing there in a pair of blue jeans and a Pooh bear and Rabbit sweatshirt on. “Can I help you, Miss?”
“My cousin George sent me. I’m Nicola. Nico for short. I am here for the nanny job, I think.” ‘God, I knew he was cute from the picture I have seen but, he is gorgeous!’ she thought to herself. She blinked the thought away and said, “So, if I am to be your nanny, where is the little charge?” When Ryan looked confused, she said, “The child, sir? Where is your child?”
Ryan was lost in the thought that he thought she was a vision with her long honey brown hair swaying about her shoulders and her hazel blue eyes looking at him. He mentally shook his head, ‘I will not fall in love so easily again. I will not allow anyone to hurt me like Daph did and not be strong. I have Mac to think about now. He is my whole world.’ He cleared his throat and said, “Keith, can you bring Mac out here, please?”
Mac came out and started shaking when he saw Nico. “H-hi, there. I’m Mac. Nice to meet you.” as he extended his hand to her. She knelt down and took it, shaking it gently. “I’m Nico. I hope I am going to be your watcher when your daddy is on tour this fall. I would be going with you, and I think we can have fun, what so you think of that, Mac?”
He cocked his head to the side and said, “She’s OK, Ryan Bunny.” and took Keith by the hand and went back to his room to play again. “I think you just got the Mac Seal of Approval, Nico. I guess we can try you out for the fall part of the tour and see if you click with him. You’re hired. You can start in two months?”
“I’ll call George and tell him the good news.” she said, “I’ll be back in two months and we can hammer out my job then, OK? Right now I am late for a job interview in town with Daphne Clarke and Associates. I am going for an paid internship in her firm! Bye, Ryan!”
Keith came out of Mac’s room and said, “Did I just hear right? She is going to be Daphne’s new INTERN? Small world huh, Ryan.”
“I hope she does not turn out to be like Daphne and want her career more than the nanny job by the fall, Keith.”
“She’s prettier that Daph was, Ryan. I hope she wants to be Mac’s nanny, too. Too bad she is not a blonde-she’d be perfect for me if she was. Is she your type, Ryan?”
‘I am not looking at her for anything other than to watch my son-he is more important than me finding a new girlfriend, Keith. Put those thoughts out of your head right now. Mac is the big deal in my life. I want to find someone who can accept me AND him-a package deal, you know?”
“OK, Ryan.” Keith said, softly. ‘Daphne really broke his heart!’ Keith thought to himself. ‘He will need to be open for a girl to be able to reach him. Well, I have always loved a challenge. Fixing him up will be one for sure but, I think I can find him someone… Now, where is my Black Book. All the girls I have been with-one of them should be Ryan’s type…’ He thumbed through his book and took out his cell phone and started dialing.
Over the next two months, Ryan was set up on dates with eight different ladies from Keith’s famous Black Book. Every one of the them was certainly pretty enough and nice enough-to him. But, when they met Mac, they grew ice blocks for feet and left the scene of the mistake faster than they got there! The last week before they left for the tour, Ryan grabbed Keith’s phone and said, “No more exes, Keith. I can’t handle any more blind dates, OK? Mac is starting to think no one likes him and that is NOT GOOD FOR HIM.” emphasizing the last words in that sentence for effect. “I don’t need a woman in my life right now. I have Mac. He is all I am worried about. I’ll be fine!”
Mac had shortened ’Ryan Bunny’ to ’Ryan B’ so when Mac called out, “Ryan B! Don’t yell at Uncle Keith! You still love him, right? He’s your band brother. Tell him you’re sorry for yelling at him. We don’t yell, right, Ryan B.?”
“Sorry for yelling, Keith. You’re right, Mac. We don’t yell.”
Keith said, “Guess he told you, huh, Ryan B.!” as he smiled at him.
‘This was going to be a long tour‘, Ryan thought to himself, smiling. He and the rest of the band hand made an agreement-every time someone yelled, they had to put a dollar in Mac’s piggy bank because of Mac’s ’We don’t yell.’ Rule. “Mac will be the only on tour with money by the time we are done.” Ryan thought, laughing to himself.
|
|
|
Post by celticthunder1510 on May 7, 2011 16:30:06 GMT -5
Chapter TEN
Sharon had a room in the Belfast Airport for all the guys to meet up in before they boarded the plane for New York City-they had the same room every trip. The last to arrive was Keith with Ryan and Mac in tow along with a mammoth sized trolley of suitcases for the trip.
‘I could not get Ryan to pack light if I tried.” Keith said, laughing at how much luggage he had-four large suitcases of stuff. “One of those bags is full of nothing but toys for Mac, Sharon!”
“What did he bring for you to sit with on the plane, Mac?” Damian asked getting on his knee to meet Mac at eye level.
“Ryan B. let me take my bunnys and my bear and one book. They are in my back pack, Damo.” Mac said, looking like a world traveler already with his backpack and his blue blanket from his bed.
“He would not let that blanket go. He says it smell like Ryan B. and he won’t let it go.” Keith said to Emmet George and Neil over their heads.
Damian said, “Hey, if they are picking on you, Mac, you can sit with me on the plane, OK?”
“All we are waiting on is Nico. I hope she shows up.” Ryan said. “She was supposed to meet us this morning and she missed our ride, I hope….”
Completely out of breath and in a panic, Nico, in a pair of Wheelie sneakers, screeched to a halt in front of Ryan, colliding into him with a squeak. “Oh, Mr. Kelly! I am so sorry I hit you. Forgive me, please!”
He had to wrap his arms around her to keep them both from knocking over. She felt good in his arms but in that instant he thought that, he let her go like she scorched him and said, “You are not making a good first impression on the rest of the band by showing up late, Nico.” In her ear he said in a low voice, “If it were not for the fact that you are George’s cousin, I would sack you right here on the spot. I will let you stay provided you are not late for anything again, are we clear?”
She flushed completely red and said, “I am sorry, Mr. Kelly, it won’t happen again sir!”
“Oh and, it’s Ryan, Nico. Mr. Kelly is my father.” he said, fixing her with his blue eyes to the spot where she stood.
Mac, clueless to the exchange, said, “I love your shoes! Can I get a ride, please?”
She picked him up and put him on her back and said, “Once around the room, OK, Mac?” and, with that, she took three steps and glided around the room on the wheels and came back to stand in front of Ryan and said, “OK?”
Seeing him with her he softened his steely gaze a bit and smiled a tight smile.
Emmet said, “Remind me NOT to get Ryan angry. He’ll go saber0toothed jackrabbit on us if we do!” as the rest of the band laughed at his comment.
Right then, the announcement came for the final boarding call for the flight to New York City and a week of promotional television spots. As soon as they were all settled in their seats, they put the seat belts on and got ready for take off. Keith was sitting next to Mac because at the last minute, he swapped seats with Ryan so he had to sit with Nico for the take off part of the flight. Ryan glared at Keith who said, “Sit down and belt up, Ryan B. The plane will take off with out you if you don’t.” “Ryan Bunny, sit down and put your belt on, please!” Mac said with pleading in his voice. He sighed and said, “The minute the plane is flying safely, we switch seats, Keith, you got me?”
Nico, for her part, sat in her seat, did not say a word, put on her IPOD earphones and, turning up her music ¾ to full blast sank into oblivion next to Ryan as the plane took off.
She started to tap her foot and sing to the music on her IPOD and dancing in her seat to the beat of the music. She was excited and nervous. Here she was 32 years old, her first trip out of the United Kingdom ever, and she was sitting next to her boss, who clearly did not like her very much. She was doing the one thing that calmed her when she was traveling-singing. One of her favorite songs was on. She started to move in a serpentine in her seat. Ryan was watching her and then he saw her lips moving to the music and wondered what she was singing to.
He peered over her shoulder. Her IPOD said Frankie Goes To Hollywood ‘Relax’ from the CD (this stopped his heart cold) ‘Welcome to the Pleasuredome’ . She was dancing to the beat and not caring if she bugged him or not-her eyes were closed.
The next song that came on was
CORNELIUS BROTHERS AND SISTER ROSE "Too Late To Turn Back Now" (Eddie Cornelius) My Mama told me She said, Son, please beware There's this thing called love And it's everywhere She told me, It can break your heart And leave you in misery Since I met this little woman I feel it's happened to me And I'm tellin' you It's too late to turn back now I believe, I believe, I believe I'm fallin' in love Oh, it's too late to turn back now I believe, I believe, I believe I'm falling in love I found myself wanting her At least ten times a day You know, it's so unusual for me To carry on this way I'm tellin' you I can't sleep at night Wanting to hold her tight I've tried so hard to convince myself That this feeling just can't be right And I'm tellin' you It's too late to turn back now I believe, I believe, I believe I'm fallin' in love It's too late to turn back now I believe, I believe I believe I'm falling in love It's too late to turn back now Ooooh, baby I believe, I believe, I believe I'm falling in love It's too late, baby (to turn back now) I tell ya I believe, I believe, I believe I'm falling in love I wouldn't mind it If I knew she really loved me too But I hate to think that I'm in love alone And nothing that I can do Whoa, oh It's too late to turn back now I believe, I believe, I believe I'm fallin' in love It's too late, baby (to turn back now) I tell ya I believe, I believe, I believe I'm falling in love It's too late to turn back now I believe, I believe, I believe I'm fallin' in love Oooooh, baby I tell ya I believe, I believe, I believe I'm falling in love It's too late to turn back now I believe, I believe, I believe I'm fallin' in love
And, the way she was swaying to the song, he was mesmerized by the way she moved and sang. He was not the only one. She was now singing out loud and, since the whole of first class was Celtic Thunder and their traveling crew, they all stopped what they were doing to listen to the golden voice coming from the seat next to Ryan’s. She of course was clueless because she was singing with the music on full volume and did not know she was doing it out loud.
|
|
|
Post by celticthunder1510 on May 7, 2011 18:00:31 GMT -5
Chapter ELEVEN
When the song was over, he tapped her on the shoulder, snapping her out of her comfort zone and drawing a wave of applause from the entire section of the plane. She turned so red, she got up from her seat and went to the bathroom, locking herself in.
“George said, She is painfully shy about her voice, mate. She thinks I sing much better than she does and she hates her singing voice. Let me go talk to her.”
He had the stewardess unlock her bathroom door and he slipped inside before she could stop him and locked them both in. Then, he heard the pin snap in the lock. She looked at him and said, “Just great, Ryan. You have locked up in here for the whole flight, now. Nice!. She sat down on the small bench in the small room.
He sat on the toilet seat next to her and said, “Well, at least I have you all to myself to talk to you about your amazing voice.”
Damian was outside the door with a glass against the door, listening in on the whole chat. Keith thumped him on the head and whispered, “Damo, you need to leave them be!”
George just picked him up by the belt loop in his jeans and carried him back to his seat with Mac laughing at him they whole way. That is, until he tried to open the bathroom door and couldn’t get to see his dad. His little face scrunched up and he began to cry silent tears streaming down his face. “I wa wa want my Ryan Bunny!” as he cried in Damian’s arms. Keith went to the door and said, “Ryan, he is OK. Crying his heart out in Damo’s arms but he is OK, just scared cuz he can’t see you.”
Ryan had his cell phone and dialed Damian’s number. Damian answered his phone, “Um, hello? Oh, it’s you, Ryan Bunny! Hey, Mac? It’s your Ryan Bunny on the phone. Talk to him.”
“Are you ok, Ryan Bunny?”
“Aw, Mac. Don’t cry. I am OK. My phone is low on batteries right now so, I can only talk a bit but, I want you to stay with Uncle Keith and Uncle Damian until I get out of here and see you, OK?”
“You’re not staying there, are you?”
“Well, until the plane people can get us out, I have to.”
He snuggled in Damian’s arms until he fell asleep. Ryan called every half hour till his battery died in his phone. He was sitting there alone and lonely when he remembered he had Nico in there with him. He looked at her and saw that she had once again, retreated into her IPOD and its list of music.
|
|
|
Post by celticthunder1510 on May 7, 2011 18:37:40 GMT -5
I can't BELIEVE I found a song from a CD called Welcome to the Pleasuredome! That was too much for me and I cracked up! I swear it is real! Just cracked me up, you know?
|
|
|
Post by celticthunder1510 on May 7, 2011 19:16:42 GMT -5
Chapter TWELVE
He sighed and tapped her on the shoulder, making her jump again. She said, “What? You scared me in here. You follow me. You get us TRAPPED in here. \You scare me again. What do you want?” she said in her quiet angry way. ‘God, she is just like George when he is angry-all quiet and bitter.”
“Um, I just wanted to ask you if we could share the music. I am bored and I was thinking we could share and maybe sing if you want to. I can leave you alone again if you want me to. I can count the tiles in the backsplash again.”
‘Argh!” she thought to herself. ‘Why does he have to be so cute when he is needy?’ She sighed loudly, “OK, I will share. But, you can’t judge my music at all!”
“OK, deal.” he said, happily waiting for her to pull out her earphones so they could both listen to it but, no. She pulled out one of her ear pieces and gave it to him to listen from the same pair of earphones. She smiled and said, “We can share, right?”
When they got to New York City, the rest of the plane got off and the band and their crew watched and waited as the mechanic came in and popped the door off its hinges and made to free the trapped pair. When they opened the door, they found them sitting there listening to music on Nico’s IPOD and singing along to the music.
“Ryan Bunny!” Mac launched himself into his father’s arms. “I MISSED YOU SO MUCH!”
“Hey Mac. Your dad missed you too! Who took care of you while I was locked up?”
“Uncla Damo sang to me and Unca Keith told me stories and Unca Neil and Unca Emmet did voices and Unca George kept everyone in their chairs so you could have privacy, whatever that is. Ryan B? What’s pri-va-cy?” Mac asked, innocently.
“Damian? What were you doing while I was in there?”
“Ryan B, he had a glass like this against the door. He was listening.”
“Nico emerged and Mac said, “Thank you for keeping my Ryan B. company in there. I like you. Can she stay?” as Mac took her hand and Ryan’s and put them together.
Both of them said at the same time, “Um…?”
|
|