The Cost: IOU

Kenny thought of the love Burt had for his daughters. It had been beaten and bruised by the past events, but it still remained. Kenny understood it, doubly so now. He looked again at his three year-old daughter playing in the yard and his heart swelled with pride.

He grinned to himself remembering that same pride he felt two years ago when he walked his step-daughter down the aisle. Sam had been a stunning bride and he'd found it hard to let go of her hand and give it to the young man standing there. The fact that her groom loved Sam as much as she loved him made it easier.

Slowly he turned and looked into his wife's concerned face.

"Just remembering," he repeated gently. "The past is the past, but I think about it on occasion. It helps me remember how lucky I am now."

"Good answer," Amanda cooed.

She went over to her husband and sat her very pregnant body in his lap. Kenny instinctively wrapped one arm around her and placed his other hand on her bulging tummy. Amanda leaned forward and kissed him. He felt his heart swell as her kiss turned more passionate.

She sighed and laughed when they felt the baby kick.

"Your son wants to come meet his Daddy," she whispered. "It won't be long now."

Kenny squeezed her tightly as she snuggled deeper into his arms. He smiled to himself knowing he'd found a woman who'd matched his only talent. They loved each other completely and there was no fear of betrayal. It was, without question, a minor miracle.

Sometimes, there's a very high price for happiness. Most aren't willing to pay the cost upfront. Fortunately, or unfortunately, every IOU comes due someday.

Life goes on.

****

Author's Note: All right there it is. I hope it honors qhml1's original because that's its intent.

I realize the ending was a little sweet, okay more than a little, but I'm gonna blame that on the excessive Valentine's Day candy I've confiscated (DFWBeauty is on a diet). I'm also gonna remind the reader that at the end of qhml1's original, Kenny described what he hoped his future would look like. In keeping with qhml1's flash story format, I tried to make it a reality without adding an additional 10,000 words to make it more realistic.

I also know I didn't address in detail Leslie's and Jerry's reasons for the affair. Honestly, it would've taken another two pages and a hell of a lot of added back story to build any kind of reasonable justification. Quite frankly, their actions, the way qhml1 wrote them, were inexcusable.

Just a reminder, as a tribute piece, I'll be doing some housekeeping in the comments section. Derogatory comments about me or the story are fine, but derogatory comments about qhml1 will be flushed. If you can't figure out why then email me... I'll explain.