Ch. 59 - Bears & Butterflies

(My apologies for how long this one is. I didn't realize how behind in updating for the Blackhawks I was.)
(FYI: "Azhee" means "Father" in Navajo, "Atsili" means "younger brother" & "Ashkii" means "boy")

When we had last talked about the Blackhawks, Catherine and Brent had just had their first baby, a little girl named Sage. Brent wasted no time in suggesting that they try for another. Heck, Catherine was always up for "trying" with Brent.

Well they didn't have to try for very long before they were expecting their second child. Pregnancies are hard on Catherine and all she can do is eat and sleep until the baby is born.

It was all worth it when their son, named Kuruk (pronounced Koo'rook) was born. Kuruk means "Bear" in their native language.

Bear was stunned when he heard the name that his brother and sister-in-law chose for their new son.

"You named him after me?" he asked.

"Yes Atsili", replied Brent. "I know we haven't been very close, but you are my family and I wanted to honor that."

Bear was speechless (which doesn't take much actually). He held his nephew and looked into his eyes.

"Hello little one. You do have the spirit of the bear in you." he whispered. Bear and Kuruk fell asleep together on the recliner that night.

Brent and Catherine didn't stop at these two though. They decided to try for one more. Once again, it didn't take long for them to conceive their third baby. It was another tough pregnancy for Catherine, but this time was different in one way - the baby she was carrying was much more active than her previous two. She joked that this baby was going to grow up to be a famous dancer.

Finally the day came when they got to welcome their new daughter into the world. They named her Kachine, which means "Sacred Dancer". The name seemed to suit her. All three babies had their fathers green eyes & medium complexion, but Kachine's hair was lighter than her older siblings.

Life for the Blackhawks wasn't all about the joys of having babies though...

One sunny afternoon, Bear went up to the balcony to see what new masterpiece his father was working on. When he got there, he couldn't help but notice the look on his fathers face. "Azhee, what is it? What do you see?" asked Bear.

Billy wasn't ready to relay the message he'd gotten, but he knew he had no choice.

"Ashkii. I won't be far away. Take care of Sarah."

And with that message said, Billy left for his journey to the afterlife. Billy was 73 yrs old and leaves behind his wife Sarah (Ridgeway McAuley) Blackhawk, sons Brent and Bear, daughter in law Catherine and grandchildren Sage, Kuruk and Kachine.

"Dad, no! Come back!" yelled Bear. Bear was sad to see his father go. He knew that he could be ... well ... a bear to live with. He knew that he was a little rough around the edges and that it made it hard for people to get close to him. He knew that he had pushed his father and brother away in the past, and now he was regretting it. He always thought he had more time.

Just then a hand touched him on his shoulder.

"It's ok Bear", said Sarah softly. "He's with your ancestors. It's where he wanted to be. We'll see him again", and she hugged him tightly.

Then Sarah and Bear cried together.

Sarah had lost two husbands to Death. Suddenly, Sarah felt very lonely. The thought of sleeping in her empty bed knotted her stomach up. She wished she didn't have to be so alone.

Sarah's family might as well have been mind readers. As soon as they heard of Billy's passing, her brother Roderick (not in this picture), sister Amelia and niece Alyson came over to console Sarah. They spent the night sitting in the hot tub talking about everything except death.

Meanwhile, Bear was upstairs thinking about his father's last words to him: "Take care of Sarah". He knew that there was no question about it, but that's exactly what he needed to do. Bear waited for Sarah's family to leave, then called her inside and then ...

Bear proposed to Sarah. "To honor the memory of my father", he said "Sarah, will you marry me?"

Sarah was stunned. Her husband had just died, and now his son was willing to put his life on hold to honor his father's last wish.

She gave Bear a big hug, thanked him for caring so deeply, kissed him on the cheek, and went to bed.

*~* THE END *~*

HEY! WAIT A MINUTE! Aren't you going to tell my story? Am I going to have to get all Indian Warrior on your butt?

Oops. Sorry Bear, it was a simple oversight. No need to get your panties in a bunch. It's going to have to be the shortened version though - in an effort to keep this from turning into a novel.

Bear, a General Practitioner, was working some long, hard hours at work. On his off hours, he enjoyed gazing up at the stars. He often wondered if there was life up there. On this particular night, he'd get his answer.

"Umm, a little help here? I changed my mind. I don't want to know anymore!" pleaded Bear.

Too late Bear. You've been abducted.

While Catherine and Brent worried about Bear, Sarah wondered if this story could make another best seller for her. She called her publisher, who was very interested. Catherine made a comment about how she can tell that her Aunt Sarah was related to Catherine's father - they're both nuts.

A few hours later, Bear is dropped back off at home. He, fortunately, remembers nothing.

Bear seemed to bounce back from his abduction pretty well. He was even eager to go up again, hoping he'd remember something this time. However, he did notice that his stomach was often queasy and that certain smells made him feel a bit sick to his stomach. He's sure it's just a virus or something and it'll pass eventually...

Then one day, while Bear was helping Kuruk get ready for his nap, he grabbed his stomach in agony. These were by far, the worst gas pains he'd ever had. This virus hadn't gone away. It was making him bloated and tired all the time. Maybe he should go see a Doc....ahhhhhh!!!

Much to Bear's surprise, his stomach opened up and out popped a little baby. He didn't even know he was pregnant. Men can't get pregnant...can they? Well either way, he had a new daughter in his hands now. He named her Aponi, which means "butterfly".

*~* THE END...AGAIN *~*

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