The Greys Chapter 8: Kody Grey
#9 of The Greys
Jo leaned back in the chair as she looked at Gideon and Ray. "Nine days later, I gave birth t'uh healthy baby boy. Brenda'n'Yo-han took him home, and that was the last I ever saw of you, Kody," the vixen said as she looked directly at Ray. "I figgered they'd rename ya, even though I asked if they'd keep th'name I gave ya," she said as she let out a sigh.
"Kody's my middle name, mom," Ray replied, "I've never gone by it since most people just call me Ray."
His words made Jo's face light up, "I'm glad."
Gideon held up a hand, "But Aunt Jo, ya'llways told us you never had no kits."
Jo let out a sigh as she looked over at her nephew, "I never told you, Gideon, but granny and pappy knew. So did yer ma and pa. I didn't even tell'm til I was done with college. Damn near broke everyone's heart, even mine."
"Is that why ya never got hitched, Aunt Jo," Gideon asked, "Cuz a what happened?"
The old vixen nodded, "It was hard enough livin' knowing I gave up one kit. I couldn't bring myself to get married and have more knowing that they'd have an oller brother they'd never meet."
The tubby red and brown fox nodded as he slowly began to lean back into his chair. He had a cousin he'd never met nor heard a peep about til now. It would have been nice if Kody would have been around when Gideon was growing up. There would have been another fox to mingle with.
Ray just leaned forwards as he started to wriggle out of his jacket, sliding one arm out at a time. "Mom, you should probably know something," he said as he slowly handed her the brown leather garment over to her with the name plate facing up.
"My parents told me about what happened when I was eighteen," he said as he looked at Josephine, "I thought about contacting you several times, but I didn't have the courage until Brenda and Johann passed away last year."
His real mother looked up at him, "What happened?"
Ray let out a long sigh as he remembered, "Car accident."
Jo looked down at the jacket again, before moving her head back up to look at her son. "I'm so sorry, Ray. They were such nice people too."
Ray nodded his head, "They were, but after their death, I finally got in contact with you, and... well... just read the jacket, mom."
The old vixen looked at her son's jacket, staring at the two pairs of silver wings, but what really caught her attention was the name under it. Kody Grey. She looked back up at her son, "Ya changed it?"
Kody nodded, "Yeah. I've been going by Kody ever since last year."
Jo started to tear up again as she stood up, the leather jacket falling away. Her son stood up as well, his arms wrapping around his mother and holding her tightly as she cried on his shoulder.