Damn Dress: A Love Story Ch. 09

"Wanna play one?" Ian asked.

"Oh, no, I'm horrible at that kind of stuff," Sienna answered truthfully.

"Come on, who doesn't want to pay a man with a strange beard twenty bucks to play a game that's rigged, so you can win a two dollar prize?"

Sienna laughed, "Okay, since you put it that way, you've convinced me."

"That's my girl," Ian said, as he slapped down ten bucks at a game where you throw a baseball and try to knock down the top jar, stacked on top of other jars. Seems simple enough, Sienna thought.

She launched the first ball and completely missed the entire group of jars. She heard Ian laugh behind her. She planted her feet, and then launched the ball again, as it crashed into all of the jars.

"Shit," she muttered.

"Well, hey, you have one more chance. Make San Diego State proud," Ian said.

Sienna concentrated, and then threw the ball again, this time tipping off the top jar.

"Holy shit! She won?!" Ian hollered.

Sienna screamed and was about to jump up and down, until she realized that probably wasn't the best thing in her condition. Instead, she put her hand on her belly and did a little dance.

The strange bearded guy handed Sienna a small elephant. For some reason, this prize seemed worth the ten dollars. It was really ugly, and smelled horrible, like it had been in the bottom of a bag sitting out in the sun for months. But regardless, she won it, and was proud.

They walked further along, until they came to the Ferris wheel. "Wanna try this? Seems slow moving," Ian suggested.

Sienna looked all the way up at the top. "Hmm, I guess it's okay."

Once they were locked into their seats, Ian began talking. "So, Sienna, I hope you don't take this the wrong way, but I was wondering...um, well, I've known girls like you that went to our school. Pretty, cheerleading types. And well, I guess what I'm wondering, is how did you end up, you know, in this condition? Please tell me to mind my own business if I am being too nosey," Ian asked, pointing at her stomach.

"Well, I'm a volleyball type, not cheerleader," Sienna corrected, grinning at him.

Ian smiled, "That's right, I remember. You have a brain."

Sienna exhaled, "It's kind of a long story."

"That's okay, this old Ferris wheel averages about 5 minutes per turn, so I think we'll be up here a while."

Sienna began to explain her life to Ian, as he nodded every now and then. She explained about her mom and dad, Lori, Darren, Tasha and Chris. And of course, Brandon and their break-up. When she was done, she just knew that Ian would think her whole situation was crazy. Hell, she thought it was crazy at times. But Ian didn't seem shocked by anything she had divulged.

"So, he's a Navy SEAL, huh? What do they do?" Ian asked.

"Hmm, have you ever seen GI Jane?"

"No."

"What about Tears of the Sun? The Bruce Willis movie. It was directed by that guy who did Training Day," she asked.

"Oh, yeah, I saw that."

"Well, that's what my boyfriend, um, ex-boyfriend does," Sienna said.

"Whoa, that's pretty hard core."

"Yeah," Sienna said, feeling glum again just thinking about Brandon. She would have loved to have gone with him to the fair. She really needed to figure her life out. She wanted him, yet she pushed him away. What the hell is that?

Ian could tell she didn't feel like talking about it anymore, so he tried to change the subject.

"So, when do you get to see your friends again?"

"Thanksgiving. I'm so excited. I haven't been away from Lori this long EVER. I really miss her," Sienna said.

"That's cool. So you have the whole Thanksgiving Day thing with your family?" Ian asked.

"Yep, what about you, what are your plans?"

"Oh, my mom and dad don't believe in Thanksgiving...you know, the whole 'destroying the Native Americans' and stuff."

"Oh. So you don't celebrate it at all?"

"Nope. I'll be Big Mac'ing it that day."

Sienna knew she shouldn't have, but she couldn't stand the thought of someone spending that holiday alone. So even though she couldn't believe she heard herself saying it, she couldn't stop the words tumbling out of her mouth..

"You should come to our house on Thanksgiving, then. At least to just have a good meal," she offered.

Ian sat up straight. "Really? I mean, I'd hate to impose."

"Of course, and it's not imposing if I invited you."

"Perfect, then I'll be there."

Something told Sienna this wasn't the best idea in the world, but fuck it, everyone would just have to be okay with it.

When Ian dropped Sienna back off, she quietly tip-toed inside. She was dead beat and so glad that tomorrow was just Saturday.

She tried to quickly walk past her dad's study, but she heard him call her name. Shit.

"Hey, Sienna, where did you go?" he asked, as she peeked her head inside his study. He knew she was an adult now, and technically didn't have to answer him, but he would try anyway.

"Oh, I went with some friends to the Orange County fair. It was so much fun," she said, beaming from ear to ear.

"Sounds nice. Was it Tasha?"

Sienna knew where this was going. Her father wanted to know who it was, without directly asking her. She didn't feel like playing games tonight.

"No, daddy. It was a friend from school, Ian. And I also invited him for Thanksgiving, if that's alright?" she asked.

Jackson rested his elbows on his desk. Ian. This was taking a different turn.

"Ian, huh? So, he's just a friend, right?" Jackson asked casually.

"Yes."

Jackson stared at his daughter for a few moments. He felt that this new guy, 'friend' or not, would only cause problems. Why couldn't he run his daughter's life? "You know, I've invited Brandon to Thanksgiving dinner, of course. Might be wise to give him a little heads up about your friend coming," Jackson stated, and then returned to his reading.

Sienna cringed inside. That wouldn't be the best combination. PLUS, Chris and his family were joining them. Shit! But she couldn't un-invite Ian now. He looked truly happy that she had included him to begin with. And she knew what her father was getting at, but she WAS just friends with Ian. She wasn't romantically attracted to him. He was a really nice guy, who made her laugh, and time fly in creative writing class, but outside of that, her brain didn't dissolve when he looked at her, like it did with Brandon. Her skin didn't tingle and burn when he touched her, like it did with Brandon. She liked him as a friend, but she wasn't in love with him, like she was with Brandon. No comparison.

She groaned and made her way upstairs to go to bed. She would try to tell Brandon soon. But she didn't have the energy to do it now.

*******************

The next week, Brandon came to pick Sienna up for her doctor's appointment. He hopped out of his Jeep and opened the door for her. She slid into the seat and buckled up. She had forgotten how much she enjoyed riding in his Jeep. Especially in the summer, when he removed the top. They would speed down side streets on a sunny day, laughing and playing his music loudly, while her hair whipped around her face. She really did miss that.

When they reached the facility, Brandon looked around the waiting room. There were a lot of pictures of smiling babies, mothers and fathers. And there were three other women in the room as well, and all of them looked like they were about to pop. He glanced over at Sienna. She was reading a baby magazine. Brandon was actually kind of nervous. He had never done something like this and he wasn't sure what to expect. He looked over Sienna's shoulder at the article she was reading. It was about Yoga vs. Pilates during your pregnancy. Whatever, they both looked ridiculous to him.

Sienna whimpered for a moment and grabbed her stomach. Without thinking, Brandon placed his hand on her stomach as well.

"You okay?" he asked.

"Yeah, she just kicked me," she said, as she looked up at him, smiling.

"Want me to hit her back?" Brandon joked. Sienna laughed, and turned back to her magazine. Brandon stared at Sienna's profile. She really was amazingly beautiful to him. He still didn't know why a young woman like her would be remotely attracted to him. He felt he had nothing to bring to their relationship. He had always been pretty good at math, but he wasn't a brainiac like Sienna, who always wanted to be top of her class. He wasn't open and friendly with everyone. Or understanding. As a matter of fact, in his eyes they were complete opposites. But perhaps, maybe that's how it works.

"Sienna Branson?" the nurse said, scanning the room.

Brandon and Sienna both looked up. He grabbed her hand and followed behind the nurse. When they reached the examining room, Sienna sat up on the bed, while Brandon searched around the room and stared at the equipment.

"What the fuck?" he muttered, while staring at the stirrups. "What does this do?"

Sienna laughed. "You lay back and put your legs on those."

Brandon shook his head. "Looks like you're about to jet to the moon in that thing."

As they were sitting there in silence, Brandon looked over at her. She had her hand resting lightly on her stomach, with her eyes closed. She wiggled around on the table for a second, and then looked over toward him.

"Is it uncomfortable? Being pregnant, I mean," Brandon asked.

"Um, sometimes. But most of the time I'm fine."

"Are you scared? Like when it comes to the delivery part."

Sienna thought about it, "Yes. It makes me nervous. I just don't want it to be too painful."

"Sienna, can I admit something to you?" Brandon asked.

"Sure."

"I, um, I think part of the reason I never wore a condom, was because, well, I think I kinda wanted this. I know that's horrible and very selfish on my part, since you are so young, and were headed off to school, but I just felt I should be totally honest with you about that. And I'm sorry."

Sienna laid there for a minute before she responded. "Well, I am just as much responsible for what happened as you are. I mean, I never really objected, so maybe I kinda wanted this to happen, too."

Brandon laughed.

"What?"

"I always knew I'd knock up the homecoming queen," he said, smiling.

Sienna laughed out loud too. She was glad he was here with her. She had been anxious before he showed up at her house, but now, she was more relaxed than she had been in a long time. The two of them were still laughing when Dr. Carlson entered.

"Hey Sienna, we—, oh, hi, I don't believe we've met," Dr. Carlson said, turning to Brandon.

"Oh, hey, Dr. Carlson, this is my, um, the, um, he's the--the father. Brandon," Sienna finally stuttered out, while both men stared at her waiting for her to finish the introduction.

Dr. Carlson smiled at him. "Well, I would shake your hand, but I'm about to examine her. But nice to meet you."

"Likewise," Brandon said. He hadn't expected her doctor to be a male. Plus, that salt and pepper colored hair wasn't fooling anyone, her doctor was much younger than he tried to appear.

After Dr. Carlson examined her, they began talking about her health and things she needed to do, or stop doing. Brandon sat back, watched and listened. He wanted to smile. He was so happy to be a part of all of this. He asked questions every now and then, and rubbed Sienna's hand.

After the appointment, Brandon and Sienna grabbed a bite to eat before the trip home. As they sat eating their food, Sienna knew she needed to tell Brandon about the 'extra' guest for Thanksgiving dinner. She hated to bring it up now, but Thanksgiving was a few days away, and she had to get it off her chest.

"Brandon, I, my father thinks it's a good idea that I tell you something. I, um, I invited a friend for Thanksgiving," she blurted out, while picking the sesame seeds from her bun.

Brandon looked up at her and stopped chewing.

"Um, he's in one of my classes, and he had nowhere to go on Thanksgiving, so,

on a whim, I invited him to my dad's place."

He remained silent and stared at her. Sienna noticed his jaw twitch.

"So...I just wanted to let you know, so you won't be wondering who the hell he is. And again, he's just a friend from school. And it's only because his family doesn't celebrate the holiday."

Still, no emotion from him, other than the slow red creeping up his neck.

"Brandon?" she asked, putting her cheeseburger down.

"Yeah," he answered quietly.

"Um, well, that's all I was going to say."

"Okay," Brandon answered, and began to eat again. Truthfully, the food had lost its taste. He wanted to tell her 'oh, hell no, he's not coming', but he figured it was no longer his place. He could feel his breath quicken. He was trying hard to smother his temper. She actually had 'befriended' some guy? Oh, fuck, he couldn't go over there now. There's not a chance in hell he could sit in a house with Chris and this new guy without starting some shit. In a small way, he felt betrayed. She wasn't his girlfriend anymore, but at this point, they would always be connected and he was still fighting like hell to get her back. This was going to be a long holiday.

*********************

Thanksgiving Day rolled around sooner than anyone expected. The weather was still beautiful, and the wonderful smell of food filled the Commander's neighborhood. Sienna was greeting everyone as they entered the house. Lori had eaten earlier that day with her family, but she stopped by, and of course she and Sienna were inseparable again. Chris, his mom and his dad, had all shown up as expected. It was an awkward reunion, but Sienna was happy to see Chris was doing well. And Lori began flirting with him from the moment she saw him, almost like no time had passed at all. Darren, Tasha and Michael arrived with several pots and pans. John also stopped by. He was a SEAL and Terry's ex-friend, whose family lived in Maine, so he decided to come. Sienna remembered him from the bar months ago, but she hadn't been introduced to him. She hated that his first impression of her was that horrible night, but he seemed really nice, and greeted her like they were meeting for the first time.

Ian had come early, to help out in any way he could. Chris and Lori stared at him like he was a sideshow, and she could tell that Chris was going out of his way to make Ian feel uncomfortable. Chris, the ever little watch dog. How Sienna wanted to tell him that with her 'lion' she didn't need a 'watch dog'.

There were so many people Ian was meeting, he was getting a little overwhelmed. Sienna had also introduced him to her father, Commander Branson. He was a big man, who kind of frightened Ian, with his hand shake. Commander Branson didn't say much to him, but welcomed him into his house. Ian had never been around men in the military before. His family were pacifists who didn't believe in guns, war, or any government, for that matter.

Ian searched around the room for the one who could be the ex. He thought it best to steer clear of that one. He settled down beside Darren on the couch, while the food was being set up on the table.

"Hi, Darren, right?" Ian asked.

Darren wanted so badly to ignore this kid. But, he knew Tasha wouldn't be too happy with that.

"Yeah, you're Ian, Sienna's friend," he said, while tickling Michael.

"Yes. Um, so is her ex-boyfriend here?"

Darren gave a small sinister chuckle. "Trust me, you'll know him when you see him."

In the dining room, Tasha was finishing setting out the last of the food. "Should we wait for BT, or go ahead and let everyone start eating?" Tasha asked Jackson.

Jackson sighed and told her to go ahead and call everyone in to eat. Brandon had called him earlier that week and said he wouldn't be able to come. And as always, he was honest with Jackson and said he wanted everyone to have a great Thanksgiving, but with him there, with Ian and Chris, it wouldn't be so great. So he thought it best to stay away. Jackson had told him to keep the option open, and that he was always welcome.

As everyone started taking their seats, Ian grabbed the seat closest to Sienna. He noticed Darren staring at him, so he quickly looked away. Sienna purposely left the seat to her left, which was at the head of the table, open for Brandon, just in case he decided to show up. She really wanted him there, because it just didn't seem like Thanksgiving without him. He had been at nine straight Thanksgivings at her house. She started to feel guilty, because she knew why he wasn't there.

Ian watched as Commander Branson led them in a prayer. He looked around the table, while all of their eyes were closed and their heads were bowed. He wasn't familiar with prayer, other than what he had seen on TV. The more and more he thought about it, his family really were the strange ones. Everyone else seemed involved in these little traditions, even if they seemed silly to him, and they were fun. He was beginning to realize how much he had missed out.

But while they all had their eyes closed, Ian was the only one who noticed the large, dark figure lurking in the background.

After about forty-five minutes of sitting in his car, Brandon had finally decided to show up. He quietly walked into the dining room, and noticed they were already seated and saying the blessing. He scanned the seats until he located Sienna. His eyes then locked onto the young kid sitting beside her. The kid was the only one not praying and the kid's eyes widened when he saw him. Brandon tried not to glare, so he quickly found a seat at the end of the table, beside Sienna and opposite that of the Commander.

When they all were finished with the blessing, Sienna was the next to notice Brandon's presence. "Brandon!" she screamed, and quickly lowered her voice. She hadn't meant to seem so excited, but she was delighted to see him.

She leaned over to him and whispered, "I'm glad you came."

He smiled at her and removed his jacket. It was still bothering him that this kid was here. He scanned down the table and his eyes narrowed on Chris. He still wasn't through with that fucker, but it was a holiday, so he'd try to behave himself.

Others greeted him while Michael ran over and hugged him. He really liked that little kid. Someone who actually told him the truth ALL the time. It was refreshing.

Jackson caught Brandon's attention and smiled at him. Jackson then raised his glass for a toast. "I just wanted to say a quick toast of things I'm thankful for. First off, I'm thankful that all of you were able to show up safely. Old friends," he said, while tipping his glass to Chris's father, "and new friends," he said, nodding toward Ian.

"And I just want to say that I'm thankful for this wonderful young woman down at the end of the table. Sienna, my daughter, is a bright and caring young woman, who has had an extremely trying summer, but I'm so proud of where she is now and where she is going. I love you, baby girl."

Everyone agreed and smiled over at her. Sienna smiled back at her father, embarrassed by all of the attention.

She felt someone squeeze her hand underneath the table. She looked at Brandon and he winked at her. She smiled back. That one squeeze sent her heart soaring.

Then Jackson turned his attention to Brandon.

"And Brandon. I met him a little over ten years ago, and can't seem to get rid of him," Jackson said, and everyone laughed.

"But I think this young man is amazing. He's loyal, honest, and I couldn't love him any more if he were my own. Glad you could make it, son."

Everyone around the table looked down toward Brandon. It was obvious to everyone that he and the Commander shared a special bond. Sienna felt tears form at the corner of her eyes, but she refused to let them drop.

Jackson continued, "So anyway, those are just a few things that I'm thankful for." Everyone raised their glasses and took a sip.

After dinner, everyone settled into the den for the football game. Sienna looked around but she noticed that Brandon was missing. She hoped he hadn't left so early. She had wanted to talk to him, and just thank him for showing up.