Title: Could I Have This Dance?
Author:
Jaya
Rating: FRAO
Classification:
Nathan and Kristin romance
Disclaimers: Amblin owns them.
*~*~*
“Could
I have this dance?” Nathan asked the
woman in front of him. He couldn’t
remember the last time he had been so nervous about a simple dance. He saw the hesitation in her eyes. “Please?”
Kristin
Westphalen didn’t want to dance with Nathan Bridger. In fact she had just bid Lucas a Happy Birthday and was leaving
the beach party that the Noyce’s were hosting.
But something about Nathan’s little boy look reached deep inside her
just as it always did.
“All
right, but only one dance.”
Nathan
led Kristin to a quiet corner of the dance area and took her in his arms. The band was playing a slow song just as he
had requested.
“You
look so beautiful,” He told her and indeed she did. Her burnished hair was piled loosely atop her head with just a
few wisps escaping. Kristin wore a dark
blue summer dress that clung to her figure and enhanced her creamy skin. The dress was sleeveless and cut low across
her ample bosom. Long legs stretched
from the mid thigh length hem to delicate feet encased in matching
sandals.
“Thank
you” she answered graciously but Nathan could hear the tightness in her
voice. “You look well.”
Nathan
knew she was trying to make polite conversation but he only had a few minutes
before the song ended. “I’m sorry,
Kris. I am so stupid. I know that you never slept with Scott. I don’t know why I thought that you
did. I know it doesn’t matter any more
but I needed to tell you.”
Kristin
stiffened in his arms. “No, it doesn’t
matter. I guess neither one of us lived
up to the fantasy we had of the other.
Let’s just leave all of that where it belongs, in the past.”
Nathan
did not respond but used the silent time to enjoy the feel of her in his
arms. They’d been apart just less than
a year but he missed her tremendously.
Nathan had forgotten how complete he felt whenever she was near. He tightened his embrace to press her more
fully against him. His head bent so
that his lips could reach her neck to nuzzle it. Her head fell to the side allowing him greater access. His hand slipped down her back to cup her
rounded bottom and a soft moan escaped her lips.
“Shit!” Kristin abruptly pulled away from him and
wrapped her arms around her chest. “I
have to go. I’m sorry.” She turned and moved quickly through the
crowd to climb the path away from the beach.
“Damn!” Nathan swore softly to himself. He wanted her back in his life so
desperately and he knew that he hadn’t imagined her response. As he moved to follow her he felt something
sticky across his chest and looked down.
The front of his casual button-down was soaking wet, just where
Kristin’s chest had pressed into his.
Warning
bells began to go off in Nathan’s mind as he processed this information. Once he reached the edge of the path he took
off at a run. The lights fell away as
he reached the Noyce’s back yard but he saw Kristin slip into their back
door. Nathan sprinted after her hoping
that she wasn’t just walking out the front door. Nathan was moving so quickly through the house that he didn’t see
the elderly woman step down from the staircase and almost hit her. He grabbed the woman to steady her and
apologized profusely.
“You
should be more careful young man.” The
lady told him. She stared at him a
moment and then her face broke into a smile.
“But of course you are in a hurry.
Don’t worry. You’re lady has
already gone upstairs. She’s released
me for the night so I’m on my way home.
May I say that you have beautiful eyes, just like your son’s.”
Nathan’s
heart leapt as the woman unknowingly confirmed his suspicions. He politely helped her to the door then
turned to bound up the stairs three at a time.
Once he reached the top he stopped.
Only one door showed a sliver of light beneath it so he moved there and
listened. He could hear noise from the
inside so he carefully turned the knob and pushed the door open.
The
dark blue dress lay in a puddle on the floor, the bodice made darker by
dampness. Kristin had thrown a robe
around her body and now sat in the middle of the double bed with a small baby
in each arm. One of the infants was
firmly latched on to her breast and feeding hungrily but the other one appeared
to be asleep.
“Please
wake up sweetheart!” Kristin was
begging the child. “Mummy needs for you
to wake up and eat.” She jostled the
child in her arm in an effort to awaken him but only succeeded in dislodging
the feeding child. “I’m sorry.” She
shushed the now crying baby while trying to maneuver it back into position.
“Do
you have to feed them both at the same time?”
Kristin’s head popped up to see Nathan standing in the doorway.
She
glared at him. “Not now Nathan. Please?”
She went back to pleading with the child. Nathan saw the glimmer of a tear in her eye and realized that she
was in pain.
“You’re
hurt! What’s wrong?”
Nathan
could hear the discomfort in Kristin’s voice as she replied. “I should have fed them before I went down
to the beach but they were asleep. I
waited too long to come back and my breasts got too full.”
“I
noticed.” Nathan pointed to the front
of his shirt.
“You
shouldn’t have grabbed my ass. I do normally
feed them separately but I need to relieve the pressure.”
“Does
it hurt that bad?”
“How
do you feel when you’re all filled up and can’t get relief?” She aimed a pointed gaze at his trouser
zipper.
Nathan
smiled at the memory of some of the techniques Kristin had used to help him
under those circumstances.
“What
can I do to help?”
Kristin
eyed him suspiciously for a moment but she knew she needed assistance. “Try to wake him up please. Tickle his feet gently or get a wet cloth to
wash his face.”
Nathan
sat down on the bed and pulled the blankets away from the sleeping infant. He gently tickled the baby’s feet and was
rewarded with a small mewling sound as the child began to flail his arms and
pull his feet away from the stimulus.
One dark blue eye opened up to stare intently at Nathan before the small
mouth yawned. Kristin tried to maneuver
the baby into position while Nathan went to get the wet rag. Nathan gently wiped the baby’s face causing
him to cry out. The tiny mouth began to
purse but he didn’t latch on.
“Why
doesn’t he eat? He looks hungry.”
Kristin
gave Nathan an amused look. “He takes a
little coaxing. Jamie doesn’t seem to
have the same affinity for my chest that his father did.”
“Does.” Nathan replied as he bent to press a gentle
kiss on the top of Kristin’s swollen breast.
“He just needs a few lessons.”
He shifted around the bed so that Kristin sat between his legs with her
back pressed firmly to his chest. One
tanned hand slipped around to support her breast, guiding the distended nipple
between his second and third finger to hold it firmly. The other hand helped her move the baby into
a better position. Jamie latched on to
the proffered nipple immediately and began to suckle like mad.
Kristin
breathed a sigh of relief as the pressure began to ease off. “Ugh! You’re wet.” She pulled away from his chest.
“And
whose fault is that?” Nathan asked as
he unbuttoned his shirt and pulled it off.
He settled her back against him and wrapped his arms beneath hers to
help her support the feeding infants.
“You
want to tell me about them?”
Kristin
leaned her head back to that she could see Nathan’s eyes. “I’ve tried to tell you about them for the
last nine months. You don’t seem to
want to listen.”
Nathan
blushed when he remembered the messages that he’d ignored. “I’m a fool. We’ve already established that, but I’m here now and ready to
listen.” Kristin saw the sincerity in
his eyes.
“I
don’t really know where to start.”
“How
about with an introduction. I
apparently have two children but I only know the first name of one of
them. Not to mention how old are they,
their likes and dislikes, what sex are they…”
Kristin
leaned her head to one side to indicate the baby in that arm. “Jamie you’ve already met. He is nine weeks and five days old. He likes to sleep. He dislikes my breast, as you have already seen.”
“He
just needs his old man to explain a few things to him. He’ll come around. Hell, your breast intimidated me too the first time I saw
them."
“Ha
ha. This is Madeleine Isabella
Westphalen. I call her Maddy. She is nine weeks and five days old minus
twenty minutes. She likes to sleep…and
eat. She is a bit more temperamental
than her brother but they are both very good babies.”
Nathan
shifted the blanket so that he could get a better look at Maddy. Her deep brown eyes were wide open and her
hair was the color of burnished copper.
“Pleased to meet you Maddy.
Kris…why didn’t you give them my name?”
“I
guess that technically I did. You are
listed as father on their birth certificates but since you didn’t seem to want
to have anything to do with us it is easier to use Westphalen.”
Nathan’s
hands splayed across Kristin’s flat abdomen.
“You must have been beautiful carrying my babies.”
“I
looked like a beached whale the last few months.”
“I
don’t believe that. You couldn’t have
gained much weight. Carol took a year
to lose all her weight from Robert. You
aren’t carrying any extra pounds.”
“Except
up top. I gained thirty pounds. James weighed five pounds 9 ounces and Maddy
weighed five pounds 7 ounces. I’ve
burned up the rest trying to keep up with feeding two of them.”
“Wouldn’t
it be easier to bottle feed them?”
“Probably
but I enjoy breast feeding, well most of the time. Mother’s milk helps increase their immunity and it helps create a
special bond. I’ll have to wean them
soon if I go back to work.”
“Is
that why you are here?”
“We
flew in for Lucas’s birthday party but Bill has made me an offer to do research
with the UEO. The university gives me a
lot of flexibility but not a lot of challenge.
If the UEO is willing to work with me about the children I have to give
their offer serious consideration.”
“Where
would you be stationed?”
“I’d
be here in New Cape Quest. You’d be
able to see the children whenever you were in port. If you want to see them I mean.
I don’t expect anything from you.”
“Not
want to see my kids? God Kris. I thought you knew me better than that. From this moment on I’m a their dad. Two hundred percent.”
Kristin
swallowed hard. “We will work something
out…” She was cut off as Maddy finished feeding and began whimpering. Nathan’s hand moved to cup Kristin’s breast
as he had before but she shrugged him off.
“I think she’s full. Could you
help me put her on my shoulder? She
needs to be burped.”
“I
can do better than that.” Nathan
shifted slightly so one of his shoulders was free then he took the baby from
Kristin’s arm and placed her against him and began to pat gently. “Am I doing this okay? It’s been a long time.”
“You
are doing just fine. I…thank you for
your help. I’m used to doing things on
my own but it’s nice…”
“You
don’t have to do things on your own anymore Baby.” Maddy chose that moment to reward Nathan’s gentle patting with a
loud burp before cuddling into his shoulder and closing her eyes. “She definitely takes after her old man in
that regard.”
“Why
don’t you put her in the bed? She needs
to fall asleep laying down or she’ll wake up when you move her.”
Nathan
laid the baby in the crib just as Kristin instructed him then stood guard over
her until she fell asleep. Jamie
finished nursing and burped for his mother.
Nathan wandered around the room simply observing as Kristin crooned a
wordless melody to the dark headed baby as she rocked him. Nathan found the entire scenario very
seductive – his daughter asleep in the crib, his son cuddled in his mother’s
arms. Suddenly Nathan realized that he
didn’t want to leave them. He wanted to
be a part of the scene. When Jamie was
finally asleep Nathan moved to lift him from Kristin’s arms.
“Will
he wake up?”
Kristin
shook her head. “He could sleep through
an air raid.”
Nathan
settled the child into the crib then walked back to the bed and sat down in
front of Kristin. She didn’t speak to
him but simply watched his movements.
Nathan reached over and picked up the damp rag he had used to wake
Jamie. He ran it carefully across
Kristin’s chest washing dried milk and baby spit from first one nipple then the
other.
“Does
this hurt?” He whispered.
She
shook her head. “Not if you’re
gentle.” Nathan noticed that she was
breathing harder. He dropped the rag on
the side table and bent his head until his lips touched the topmost swell of
her left breast. He could feel the
tenseness in her body as he lovingly circled the globe with his mouth, the
circles growing ever smaller until he reached the aerole of her nipple. He flicked his tongue lightly across the
erect peak before moving to the other breast and repeating the action.
Nathan’s
lips moved lightly up Kristin’s throat to her jaw line and began nibbling. A soft moan escaped from her lips and her
hands moved to cup his head. Nathan
took that as ascent and gently pressed her backwards until she lay on the bed
with him on top of her. He moved to
taste her bottom lip as his hands found the sash of her robe and undid the
knot. Nathan pushed the robe to the
side and brought his lower body into contact with hers. Her hips pressed upward into the hard bulge
of his arousal and she opened her mouth to him. Their tongues dueled, parry and thrust, in imitation of the
movements their hips were making.
When
Nathan’s mouth traveled back to her neck Kristin attacked his shoulder with
lips and tongue while her hands strayed lower and fought to rid Nathan of the
cloth barrier between them. Kristin
whimpered when Nathan rolled away from her to stand by the bed. He placed a finger on her lips and groaned
as she took it between her teeth and began to lave the tip with her
tongue. Nathan’s free hand quickly
undid his belt and divested himself of the remainder of his clothes. Kristin’s eyes roamed over his body
increasing his desire to a fevered pitch.
When he was completely undressed he grasped Kristin’s arms and pulled
her to her knees to capture her mouth while his hands quickly removed her robe
and panties. Once they were both
completely nude Nathan pulled Kristin flush against his body. His hands roamed up and down her bare back,
one stopping to knead her round bottom.
He could feel her moisture on his thigh as she rubbed desperately
against him. He dragged his mouth to
her ear.
“Is
it okay to…the babies?”
Kristin
ran a hand between them to grasp his erection as she nodded. “Please?”
She whispered. “I’ve missed you. I need you so much.” Nathan could feel her need emanating from
her entire body and he knew his was just as great. He placed a knee on the bed and gasped to feel her straddle it
and begin to ride.
“God!” He groaned and pressed her back into the
mattress, his hands caressing her breasts as he settled between her thighs and
slid into her. She arched against him
and moaned, a mini climax shaking her body.
Nathan wanted to go slow, to savor their first time together in a year
but Kristin wouldn’t let him. Or
perhaps she couldn’t. She wrapped her
long legs around his hips and locked her ankles together to hold him tightly to
her. Nathan had no choice but to follow
since he was as wild for her as she was for him. They rode the peaks together,
voices crying out in unison, as they came with intensity neither of them had
ever felt before.
Nathan
collapsed against Kristin, both of them breathing heavily. He rolled to his back carrying her with him,
still embedded deep within her. They
shared lazy kisses as Nathan pulled the pins out of the upswept hair do he had
ruined.
“You’ve
let it grow longer. I like it.”
“I’ve
haven’t had a lot of free time to keep up with things like hair
appointments. It seems like I just get
one of the babies fed and asleep and the other one is hungry. I don’t know why I thought I could stay so
long at the party. Maddy should wake up
in about an hour so maybe I can get her fed before Jamie wakes up. He always takes longer to get started.”
“I
noticed. I’m gonna have a talk with
him.”
Kristin
laughed. “You think that a father and
son talk about nursing will solve all of his problems!”
“It’s
all in the presentation. I’ll bet if
you put on a certain black lace teddy he’d come around. There’s got to be something of me inside
him.”
Nathan
felt Kristin’s inner muscles clench around him and he involuntarily pushed his
hips up as he began to harden. “I don’t
know about Jamie but there is definitely something of you inside me.” Kristin whispered as she caught Nathan’s
lips in a searing kiss and he felt his desire rising again. She pushed herself upright until she was
sitting across Nathan’s hips and began to gently rock, clenching and
unclenching as she did so. Nathan
reached for her but she pushed his arms back down to the bed and shook her
head.
Nathan
lay back and watched Kristin as she moved slowly. Her hands stroked the silky gray hair on his chest, pausing
occasionally to rub his hard nipples.
Kristin leaned over and lightly rubbed her tongue along Nathan’s lips
and allowed her nipples to brush his chest.
Nathan
moaned. He needed to touch her but she
kept pushing his hands away, intent on being in control. Kristin sat straight up and used her knees
to lift herself away from his hips until just his very tip remained inside of
her. Nathan pushed up frantically but
she wouldn’t let him go deeper within her.
Her mouth took on a wicked curve as she enjoyed his distress. Kristin moved one of her hands away from
Nathan’s chest to her own knee and began to draw it up her leg with tantalizing
slowness. She reached her hip and
paused to stroke the nest of russet curls and caress the length of Nathan’s
arousal still joining them. Nathan’s
breath was coming in short bursts and he couldn’t take his eyes off of the
woman who was tormenting him so wonderfully.
Her moisture dripped down him as her hand continued its upward path,
pausing to circle her navel before continuing up her rib cage to cup a heavy
breast. Kristin’s thumb played with her
nipple gently and Nathan’s breath rushed from his lungs as a small drop of milk
formed on the peak before slipping slowly down. His tongue licked his lips mimicking his desire to lick her
breast. Kristin noticed the gesture and
used her index finger to catch the straying droplet. She carried the finger to Nathan’s lips and he pulled it into his
mouth thrilling in the taste of her milk and her desire that lingered on her
fingers.
“Please
Kristin!” Nathan begged. Unable to stand it any longer he grabbed
Kristin’s hips and slammed her down onto him until he filled her
completely. Kristin’s back arched and
she whimpered. She began to move wildly
on top of Nathan, his hands continuing to help her along. Kristin screamed his name as she came with
earth shattering force and Nathan joined her seconds later.
The
frantic pounding at the door startled them both.
“Kristin! Are you okay?” Janet shouted from the other side.
Nathan
rolled off the bed and grabbed for his trousers as Kristin searched for her
robe. She spied it on the other side of
the room and moved toward it as the pounding continued.
“Let
me in Kristin? Are you all right?” The doorknob shook vigorously.
Kristin
had just managed to get her arms into the robe when a loud wail sounded from
the crib. She looked at Nathan and
threw her hands in the air before crossing to lift a screaming Maddy to her
shoulder.
“Hell!” Nathan muttered as he walked to the door and
threw it open. Janet stood there in mid
knock.
“I
heard you scream and…” she trailed off as she took in the sight before
her. Although both Nathan and Kristin
were partially clothed their appearance and the tumbled bedclothes left little
doubt as to what they had been doing.
“Nathan! I…I’m sorry…I didn’t…”
Janet turned and took off down the hall.
Nathan
closed the door and leaned against it “Well, I guess we gave her an eyeful
didn’t we?”
“Or
perhaps an earful. I didn’t realize I
was so loud…” Kristin discarded her robe and climbed beneath the rumpled
sheets. Maddy was obviously hungry
again because she had latched on and was suckling vigorously.
Nathan’s
pants hit the floor as he maneuvered in behind Kristin in much the same
position, as he had been the last time she was nursing. “She should have slept longer shouldn’t
she?”
Kristin
nodded and Nathan could see the tenseness in her neck. “They never sleep more than a few
hours. Maddy is much more sensitive to
surrounding noise than Jamie. God, that
feels good!” Kristin sighed as Nathan
began to massage the tight muscles in her neck and shoulders.
“When
do you sleep Kristin?”
“Whenever
they do. I catch a nap here and
there. Reminds me of my days as a
resident. You learn to survive on power
naps. Cynthia visits often to try and
help me and Katie has come once or twice but there are some things they just
can’t do.” She looked down at Maddy.
Nathan’s
hand smoothed the baby girl’s silky curls.
“They are so beautiful Kristin.
I can’t believe that I’m a dad again.
I want…I want everything for these two.
We are going to be the best parents.
We’re going to have to have more room.
Do we need to buy a new place or add on to mine?” Nathan’s mind was racing as different ideas
began to pop into his head.
“Nathan…”
Kristin spoke gently but he didn’t seem to hear her.
“We
can add two rooms at the end of the hall…”
“Nathan!” This time Kristin spoke more
forcefully. Nathan stopped speaking and
stared at her, not liking the look he saw in her face. “I’m willing to work with you as far as
visitation but…”
“Visitation? Kris, I want us to get married, to be
together all the time.”
Kristin
shook her head, a tear coming to her eye.
“What about what I want? Do you
have any idea how badly you hurt me? When you accused me of sleeping with Scott
Keller and walked away from me I almost died. You didn’t even look back. I can’t just forget that!”
“What
the hell was this all about then?”
“You
started it.” Kristin’s voice was
growing louder. “I’ve been lonely since
you left and I’ve never been able to resist your touch but how do I know that
it won’t happen again? You had no reason
to think I’d been unfaithful to you. I
told you more about my failed marriages than I’ve ever told anyone. How dare you think that I could do to you
what they did to me?” Kristin slumped
against him, hating herself for the tears seeping from her eyes. “If we don’t trust each other then we don’t
have anything.”
Maddy
apparently only wanted a short snack because she let go of the nipple and
smacked her lips.
“I
don’t know why I thought that, why I did what I did, and I know I hurt you but
I will spend the rest of my life trying to make that up to you.” Nathan took the baby out of Kristin’s arms
and returned her to the crib. Once she
was sleeping he turned back to the bed to find that Kristin had slumped down
against the pillows and closed her eyes.
He climbed in beside her and pulled her into his embrace.
“Kris,
answer one question for me, honestly.
Do you still love me?”
Kristin
didn’t open her eyes but she finally replied.
“I shouldn’t but yes, I still love you.”
Nathan
relaxed against the pillow. “That’s the
most important thing. We’ll figure
every thing else out, I swear.”
*~*~*~*
The
sunlight shining on her face woke Kristin.
She sat up with a start knowing that she had over slept. Her robe was thrown over the foot of the bed
and she wrapped it around herself before checking on the babies. Kristin breathed a sigh of relief to find
that they were both were fast asleep in their crib. The bedroom door creaked as it opened and Nathan appeared
carrying a tray.
“Good
morning Sleeping Beauty.”
Kristin
blushed. “What time is it? Why are they still asleep? They must be starving.” Even as Kristin said the words she realized
that she wasn’t uncomfortable, her breasts weren’t full.
“It’s
just after 8 in the morning. I suspect
that you haven’t slept this late in nine weeks and six days. Are you hungry? I’ve got breakfast.”
The
smell of coffee sent Kristin’s stomach rumbling. Nathan uncovered the tray to reveal a full breakfast and
Kristin’s mouth began to water. She
climbed back into the bed where Nathan joined her, placing the tray between
them. He poured her a cup of coffee and
she sighed in contentment at the first sip.
“I
really shouldn’t drink this you know.
Caffeine makes them wild. But
God it is so good.”
Nathan
snorted. “I don’t really see where a
little extra caffeine would make much difference. How do you do it Kris?
They were up every two hours and never at the same time.”
Kristin
eyed the crib. “They did wake up. Why don’t I remember? What did you feed them?”
“Like
you said, there are certain things that only you can do. I just helped them hang on.”
“You
mean you brought them to the bed and…hooked me up while I was asleep?”
“You
were so tired. There wasn’t any point
in waking you up. Oh, I had a little
talk with Jamie about three this morning and I think you will find him much
more receptive now. Come on Kristin
don’t be angry. You needed the rest. When was the last time you slept eight
hours? When was the last time you sat
down and ate a meal?”
“I
don’t remember.” Kristin confessed
grudgingly. “They are just babies. They require a lot of care.”
“You
aren’t going to be any good to them if you exhaust yourself. Why don’t you come out to the house
today? We can introduce the kids to
Lucas and to Darwin. We can take all of
their stuff and you can stay there. I
ship out tomorrow but there is no reason why you can’t stay at the house.”
“Nathan…”Kristin
cautioned.
“I’m
not expecting anything. If you decide
to take the UEO job then you need someplace to stay. Why should you have to hunt for a new place when mine sits there
empty most of the time? At least try if
for a little while. You do want to take
the position don’t you?”
Kristin
reluctantly nodded. “I enjoy teaching
but I’d really like to devote more time to research. I just don’t know Nathan.
I don’t want to give you the wrong impression.”
“I
know that things just aren’t going to become magically right again but we love
each other Kris. Give us a chance. Can’t we at least try?”
“For
the children?”
“For
us, for you and me. For the kids too
but mostly for us. Why did I ask you to
dance last night? Why did you let me
hold you, kiss you? I didn’t know about
the kids then but I wanted you back.
The babies just add to the deal.
Look, I am not trying to push you or pressure you. All I’m asking is that you spend the day
with me. I’d like for you to have a
lazy peaceful day. I’ll even change all
the dirty diapers.”
“ALL
of them?”
“Every
single one of them, I promise.”
“How
can a girl resist an invitation like that?
We’ll spend the day at the beach house, but that is all I’m promising.”
“It’s
a start, Babe. It’s a start.”
*~*~*~*
Nathan
began to laugh as he pulled the car to a stop beside the beach house that he
and Lucas shared, that Kristin had once shared before he’d been such a
fool.
“And
what, pray tell, do you find so amusing?”
Kristin eyed him suspiciously.
“I
was thinking about Lucas. Boy is he
going to be surprised! Maybe I’ll teach
him how to change diapers!”
“Do
you think he’ll be okay? He always felt
a bit threatened by our relationship.”
“He’s
grown up a lot in the last year. You
saw how excited he was to see you at his party last night. He blames me because you left. It was my fault but I never told him how
stupid I was. Isn’t that crazy? I knew the whole idea was so ludicrous that
I couldn’t repeat it to anyone else. I
never even said anything to Scott.”
Kristin
didn’t answer. She climbed out of the
car and moved to the back seat to begin disconnecting baby carriers. Nathan came to help and in moments both
infants were free. Kristin grabbed two
large diaper bags and Nathan hoisted a carrier onto each arm.
“Into
the fray?” Kristin asked.
Nathan
nodded and they began to tackle the stairs with their burden. About half way up Nathan groaned. “I could have an elevator installed.”
“Come
on, they don’t weigh that much. Would
you like for me to carry them?”
“Ha
ha. Just go open the door.”
Nathan
was sitting the baby carriers on the floor when Lucas burst into the room. “Captain!
I was worried. You didn’t tell
me you weren’t coming home…DOC!” Lucas
hurried to Kristin’s side and wrapped her in a bear hug.
“Sorry,
kiddo. I didn’t plan on not coming home
but I got sidetracked.” Nathan smiled
at the glare that Kristin shot at him.
He even missed those. “We have
some company for the day if you don’t mind.”
Nathan gestured to the baby carriers on the floor.
Lucas’s
eyes grew round as he stared into deep blue eyes and dark brown eyes. Both babies regarded him with interest as he
dropped to the floor in front of them.
“Oh man, this is so cool! What
are their names? Can I hold them?”
Kristin
knelt beside them and helped Lucas undo Jamie’s harness while Nathan freed
Maddy. Once Lucas had the baby safely
cuddled in his arms she introduced them.
“Nathan is holding Madeleine Isabella, Maddy.”
“That’s
a great name doc. Where did it come
from?”
“Madeleine
is Janet Noyce’s middle name.” Nathan
spoke quietly and Kristin nodded before continuing.
“Isabella
is my mother’s name.”
“And
this one?” Nathan looked at the infant
he was holding as if it would break.
“Jamie,
James William.”
“Look
at his hands. I think he’s gonna be a
shortstop. I can’t wait to get him his
first glove. Hey, this makes me kind of
an big brother doesn’t it?” Lucas
stopped short, realizing that perhaps he was taking too many liberties but both
Nathan and Kristin smiled at him.
“That
is exactly what is makes you.” Kristin
told him and Lucas blushed with pleasure.
“I’m
glad you feel that way brother because you and I have work to do.” Both Lucas and Kristin looked at Nathan in
confusion. “We have baby junk to get
out of the trunk, we have lunch to prepare and we are going to set up some sort
of shelter on the beach so that Kristin can relax this afternoon without the
twins burning to a crisp. You up for
it?”
Lucas
was already headed for the door.
“Hey!” Nathan called and
pointed. Lucas quickly moved back to
hand Jamie to his mother with a sheepish grin before taking off again.
Nathan
turned to Kristin. “Yeah, I think he is
going to be okay with us and the kids.
But any one can clearly see that those are the hands of a catcher.”
*~*~*~*
Kristin
felt very spoiled. Nathan waited on her
hand and foot and Lucas was almost as bad.
Every time one of the children had whimpered either Nathan or Lucas was
there to pick them up and soothe them.
Nathan made a fabulous lunch and Kristin ate until she was
uncomfortable. Her appetite had been
very sparse since the babies had been born and she’d basically eaten only
because she knew she had to. But every
thing that Nathan fed her seemed to taste fabulous.
A
ramshackled shelter of umbrellas and bamboo curtains was constructed on the
beach and the children slept peacefully inside while Kristin lazed in the
sun. She’d been secretly pleased to
notice Nathan checking her out in her swimsuit and if she was honest she had to
admit that she’d been checking him out in his.
Nathan had caught her inspection and grinned like a little boy. The warm sun helped to relax her and she
drifted off to sleep.
One
of the babies whimpered and Nathan quickly realized that he had a severe diaper
situation on his hands. He sent Lucas
to the house for a replacement but the boy didn’t know enough about babies to
bring the wipes as well. Darwin
chattered noisily near the shore and Nathan got an idea.
Kristin
woke from her much needed nap to find both of her children missing. She jumped to her feet and looked up at the
house before turning to the beach.
“NATHAN
BRIDGER!”
Nathan
flinched. “I think we’re busted!”
He
and Lucas were standing in the ocean, water chest high, each holding a laughing
infant tightly to their chests. Darwin
swam around and between them, being very careful not to splash any water on
them. Occasionally he would swim up
close and gently bump a baby foot with his snout.
Lucas
looked at Nathan as an angry red head strode toward the water. “Should we make a break for it?”
“Normally
I’d say yes but they can’t swim yet. Don’t
worry. Every thing will be my
fault. I can assure you of that.”
Kristin
was knee deep in water by that time.
“What in the HELL do you think you are doing? Get them out of there.
You could drop them and they could drown. They can’t take the sun. Their skin is too delicate; they’re probably burnt to a crisp.”
Nathan
grinned sheepishly as he approached Kristin and held out the naked infant. “We
had to. Lucas forgot to bring the wipes
and we had to clean Jamie some way. I
couldn’t just leave Maddy out. She
would have been jealous and besides, Darwin wanted to meet them.”
Kristin
held the baby close and noticed a distinctive coconut smell. “You put suntan lotion on them.”
Nathan
nodded. “We’ve only been out about ten
minutes. We were about to bring them
back in. They had the best time. They love the ocean.”
“Of
course they do Nathan. Can you imagine
any child of ours not loving the ocean?”
Nathan’s heart leapt at the very genuine smile on Kristin’s face.
“Ew,
Gross!” Nathan and Kristin turned to
find Jamie enjoying his diaperless time by peeing all over Lucas.
*~*~*~*
Kristin
tried to hide a yawn as the movie ended but Nathan felt it emanate through her
body, as she lay curled against him.
Lucas was sprawled on the floor in front of them keeping a close watch
on both of the sleeping babies.
“They
sure sleep a lot don’t they?”
“Babies
normally sleep a great deal when they are small. Remember that they are only two and a half months old. I promise you by the next time you get leave
they will be a lot more responsive.”
Kristin groaned. “I can barely
keep up with them now. God knows what
I’ll do when they are more active.”
“We
need to hire a nanny. What about that
lady who kept them last night?”
“Mrs.
Selkirk? She seemed very competent but
I’m not sure about leaving them with just anyone.”
“Are
you going to take them to the lab with you?
You know you need some help.”
“I’ll
think about it.” Kristin promised then
yawned again.
Nathan
stood and scooped her into his arms.
“You need to get some sleep.
Lucas watch the twins until I get back.”
Nathan
carried Kristin into the bedroom and sat her on the side of the bed. He reached into the closet and pulled out a
suitcase that she recognized. He saw
the anger rising in her eyes and cut her off before she could speak.
“It
didn’t make any sense for you to go back to Bill and Janet’s tonight. I wanted to spend as much time with you as I
could and Bill would probably shoot me if I tried to stay there again. I’m surprised I lived through last
night. If you decide that you want to
go back in the morning I’ll take you but at least I can be here to help you
again tonight. I’ll even sleep on the
sofa if that’s what you want. No
pressure, Kris.”
“Why
do you always make such bloody good sense? What about the babies?”
Nathan
pointed to the portable crib that he and Lucas had set up in the corner. “Why don’t you get ready for bed and I’ll
get the kids settled.
Kristin
moved to the bathroom and quickly changed into her nightclothes. She washed her makeup from her face then
stared in the mirror reflectively. Her
body had recovered very well from the birth.
If anything she was too thin but she knew that her body was pulling
every thing that it could to make enough milk for two. Her face looked tired and her eyes showed
her turmoil. Nathan was being so
wonderful and she was finding it difficult to hold him at arms length
emotionally. She wanted so desperately
to believe that they might have another chance at happiness but she couldn’t just
forget what had happened before. Could
she?
“Why
do I still have to love him so much?”
She whispered to herself. But
she knew there was no answer, no explanation.
She just did. Kristin loved
Nathan as she had never loved any other man in her life. She sighed and shook her head before
returning to the bedroom. Jamie lay in
the crib sleeping peacefully and Nathan was just entering the door with Maddy
in his arms.
“She
woke up when I moved her. Do you want
to try to nurse her before I put her down?”
Kristin nodded and settled into the bed with the baby while Nathan
changed into his pajamas. A quiet
knock came at the door and Kristin draped a blanket across her shoulder to
cover her breast before Nathan let Lucas in. The boy blushed when he realized
what Maddy was doing beneath the blanket.
“I’m
sorry to bother you.” Lucas
stammered. “I just wanted to say good
night and how happy I am to have you back here Kristin. You and the babies. I wish…well, I am just glad. They make me feel even more like I’m part of
a family.”
Kristin
beckoned Lucas to her and placed a kiss on his forehead. “We are a family Lucas. Maybe not the most traditional kind but that
doesn’t make us any less special. You
try to get some rest. Close your door
tightly so the kids won’t wake you up.”
“I
can sleep through almost anything.”
Lucas moved toward the door but paused just before he exited. “Doc, are you going to stay?”
“We’ll
see how things work out Lucas.” He
nodded and left the room, carefully closing the door behind him.
“Is
that a yes or a no?” Nathan asked
quietly.
“It’s
a maybe. I’ve been a single parent and
I don’t really want to do it again if I don’t have to.”
Nathan
gripped her shoulders and pressed a gentle kiss to her lips. “We will make it work, Kris. I know we can do it.” Maddy finished nursing and Nathan placed her
in the crib and kissed her head gently.
“I’ll leave the door open so that I can hear them, okay?”
“That
won’t be necessary.” Kristin flipped
the bed covers beside her down and patted the mattress. Nathan slipped in beside her and she turned
into his embrace and captured his lips in a passionate kiss.
*~*~*~*
Kristin
swore as the vid link chirped. She
shifted her nursing daughter and grabbed a blanket to drape over her chest. Kristin saw the seaQuest logo and her face
lit up but she didn’t care. Nathan and
Lucas had only been gone for two days but she missed them terribly. Nathan broke into a big smile the moment the
screen popped on.
“Hey
Baby. God, I miss you. How are you doing?”
“Everything
here is the same. We eat, we poop, we
sleep, we do it all again. Both of the
babies are doing wonderfully. I don’t
know what you said to your son but it seems to have worked. He’s more eager than Maddy to eat now.”
Nathan’s
eyes shifted down to the lump beneath the blanket. “Could I see?”
“We
aren’t on the main viewer are we? I am
rather particular about showing off my assets to just anyone. Especially that Mr. Piccolo that I met at
Lucas’s party.”
“I’m
in my quarters, alone. Lucas may stop
by a bit later but I wanted to speak to you privately. I haven’t told anyone else here yet. I thought you might want some time to settle
in before…” Nathan’s voice trailed off as Kristin pulled the blanket away to
reveal the baby nursing at her breast.
“You are so beautiful.” He
whispered. “I wish I was there with
you. I miss you so much Baby.”
Kristin’s
heart warmed at the endearment. “I miss
you too.”
They
chatted for almost an hour about everything – the house, the babies, Lucas,
Darwin. Kristin laughed as Nathan made
an ass of himself talking baby talk to Maddy then did it all over again when
she brought Jamie to the screen.
Neither of them wanted to hang up and the call stretched into the
evening. Nathan finally brought himself
to say good night when he realized how tired Kristin was. After they had broken the call he stretched
out on his bunk with a big grin on his face and started redesigning the beach
house in his head yet again.
*~*~*~*
“What’s
wrong Kristin? And don’t tell me
nothing because I can see that something is.”
Janet Noyce was putting Kristin on the spot and she knew it.
Kristin
stared through the plate glass window of the café at the white sand
beyond. “I think I was being very
foolish to think that this could work between Nathan and me. I just don’t know if I can stand to be hurt
again and I know that is what is going to happen.”
“How
do you know that Kristin? The two of
you looked pretty damned happy to me after Lucas’s party.”
Kristin
blushed. Over five weeks had past since
that night and neither on of them had mentioned it. “That was just sex.”
“It
is never just sex between you and Nathan.
Whenever the two of you are near each other the air crackles. The love you share is obvious. If ever two people were meant to be
together…”
“I
don’t think Nathan agrees with you.”
“Of
course he does. I thought Bill was
going to beat him up for ‘seducing’ you.
I wish you could have seen Nathan trying to explain, telling about how
he wanted you to stay at his house, how excited he was about the babies, how
happy he was that you still loved him, but most importantly, how much he still
loved you. Why do you think he’s
changed his mind?”
“When
they first left port Nathan called almost every night, at least every
other. We’d talk for hours and he’d
have to talk to Maddy and then to Jamie, goofy silly talk. But lately if he calls at all he’s very
short and he never asks about the kids.
If I put them to the screen he seems to soften up some but he hasn’t called
at all in five days.”
“Maybe
they are on a mission.”
“Then
why didn’t he tell me he wouldn’t be in touch for a while. I think he’s had time to think about the
responsibility and he doesn’t want it.
I have to face it. Nathan would
be a sporadic father at best. Is that
really what I want for my babies?
Perhaps they’d be better off with no father rather than one who only
remembers them at his own convenience.”
“Do
you really think that Nathan is that callous?”
“I
never would have thought so but over the past year he’s become someone I don’t
know. The man I fell in love with was
kind and caring. When I met him again
at Lucas’s party, the time we spent together then made me think that man had
come back, that the way he treated me before was just a momentary aberration,
but now he’s treating me that way again.
That damn boat will always come first and while I might accept that for
myself I won’t accept it for my children.”
“Promise
me that you will at least try to talk to Nathan before you do anything
drastic. I know that you are enjoying
your work at the base. Maybe you’re
just tired.”
“Of
course I’m tired Janet. I don’t sleep
more than an hour at the time. I’m so
stressed about Nathan that I can look at food and get sick. I feel like all I do is try to nurse and
it’s never enough. I can’t produce
enough milk to keep up with them anymore.
Their pediatrician said I had to start giving them formula. I wasn’t ready to wean them yet but I didn’t
have a choice. I just can’t keep up.”
Janet
laid a bill on the table and stood up.
“Come on” she said as she gathered up one of the baby carriers.
“Where
are you going? I need to get back to
the office.”
“No,
you are coming home with me. If they
are on formula then you are going to spend the afternoon in bed while I baby
sit.”
“I
can’t do that Janet.”
“Of
course you can. I’ll call Bill and tell
him to fix it. Then I’ll tell him to
come home and help me.”
Kristin
was too tired to argue any further.
*~*~*~*
Janet
banished Kristin to the guestroom for some much-needed rest. Kristin slept through the afternoon and
through dinner but Janet didn’t mind.
She was enjoying watching Bill keep the twins entertained. The chiming of the vid phone surprised them
both and Janet moved to answer it, surprised to see Lucas at the other end.
Lucas
grinned and the relief was evident in his face when he saw the baby in her
arms. “Is the doc there with you Mrs.
Noyce? I’ve been trying and trying to
call but I couldn’t get an answer and I was afraid she might have left again.”
“She
was tired so I’m baby sitting while she takes a nap. But she is thinking of leaving. What is wrong Lucas? Why hasn’t Nathan called her?”
“I
don’t know. I ask him everyday and he
says he was busy that he’ll call today, but he doesn’t. I mentioned the twins today and he looked at
me like I was crazy. It was like he
didn’t know what I was talking about.
He’s been this way for about two weeks.
I even suggested that he see Dr. Smith but she says there is nothing
wrong with him. Not that I think her
examination of him had anything to do with medicine. What do I do?”
Bill
had moved to stand behind Janet. “The
first thing that we are going to do is get the seaQuest back into port for some
routine maintenance or perhaps an upgrade.”
Janet
also had an idea. “Why don’t I transmit
you some photos of Kristin and the babies?
You can print them out and put them in strategic places around his
cabin. Try to get Nathan to call here
in about an hour. I’ll make sure that
Kristin is awake and they can talk.”
“I’m
on it!” Lucas was halfway out his cabin
door before the screen went black.
*~*~*~*
Janet
knocked lightly on the bedroom door but received no answer. She hated to wake Kristin up but knew that
the couple needed to talk. Another
light knock yielded no response so Janet turned the knob. She was surprised to find the bed empty but
knew why when she heard the sound of retching in the bathroom.
Kristin
was sitting beside the toilet losing what was left of her lunch. Janet quickly wet a cloth and bathed
Kristin’s warm face. “What happened?”
“I
was dreaming about Nathan and the time we spent together last month. It was such a nice dream but then it turned
into a nightmare. He started making all
sorts of accusations again. I woke up
sick to my stomach. I’m going to have
to leave Janet. I can’t trust him and I
can’t live like this.”
“Kristin
we just talked to Lucas. I want you to
listen to me. Lucas believes that there
is something wrong with Nathan and Bill and I agree. He is not acting like himself.
He seems to be having memory problems and mood swings. I think that all of this is tied in to how
he’s acted the last few weeks. Please
help us try to help him. I know it’s difficult, putting your heart out there
again but Nathan loves you.”
Janet
helped Kristin to her feet and down the stairs where they found Bill collapsed
in his recliner with a baby asleep on each shoulder.
“I
wonder who wore who out?” Janet asked
and Kristin smiled. No matter how busy
the twins kept her she loved them to distraction.
Janet
brought in a tray with hot tea and a light broth that helped soothe Kristin’s
upset stomach and they talked quietly as Kristin ate. The vid-link rang right on cue.
Janet
answered it while Kristin wrestled with a suddenly disgruntled Maddy and Bill
and Jamie slept on.
“Janet.” Nathan greeted her. “Lucas said that I needed to call Bill. Is he in?”
“He
is indeed although at the moment he is fast asleep in his recliner with your
son on his chest.”
Kristin
recognized Nathan’s voice and had moved in behind Janet. “Hello Nathan.”
He
looked at her with blank eyes as if she was a stranger. Both Kristin and Janet watched carefully as
recognition slowly began to dawn.
“Kristin. What are you doing at
Bill’s? I didn’t expect to ever see you
again after you left. You’d better be
careful, Janet. She’ll be trying to get
Bill into her bed just like she did Scott.
Kristin
stepped back as if she’d been physically hit.
“You bastard. You lying
bastard. I was a fool to trust you
again!” The baby she held in her arms
whimpered and she moved Maddy to her shoulder to quiet her as she
continued. “I’ll be out of your house
by tomorrow and I don’t ever want to see you again. Don’t try to see the twins either…”Kristin trailed off at the
strange look on Nathan’s face as he stared at the baby on her shoulder.
“Ma…Mad…Maddy.” He finally managed to utter before he
groaned and clapped his head between his hands. Kristin could tell he was in great pain.
“Nathan,
you have to try to relax. Just listen
to the sound of my voice and breathe in and out slowly.”
“Hurts!” He gasped as he pushed against his head.
“I
know that it hurts but please try to relax.”
Maddy began to giggle and babble his baby sounds at the image of her
father on the screen. Kristin continued
to talk quietly just below Maddy and the combination seemed to work to relieve
the pressure in Nathan’s head. He
slowly eased the pressure of his hands and eventually was able to remove them
entirely.
“Kris,
Baby? What happened? Where have you been? God, I’ve missed you.”
“Nathan
you haven’t called me in over a week.”
Kristin’s voice was cold. Now
that Nathan was better the memory of what he’d said to her was returning. She jostled Maddy against her shoulder to
quiet her and turned and walked away from the screen.
“Kris? Kristin!”
Nathan screamed after her but she didn’t acknowledge him in any
way. “Janet will you please tell me
what the hell is going on?”
“You
haven’t contacted Kristin in almost a week and just a few moments ago you
accused her of trying to seduce Bill.”
“That’s
ridiculous! I wouldn’t say that!”
“I
heard it too Nathan. Look, call Lucas
and get him to explain things to you.
Then get that damn boat to port and get home if you don’t want to lose
Kristin and your children. Something is
dreadfully wrong and we need to find out what it is.”
*~*~*~*
Kristin
was curled in a tight ball on the bed with her children cuddled to her when
Janet finally convinced her to talk.
“I’m
leaving, Janet. That’s final. I won’t go through this again.”
“You
are already going through it. I am
sorry that Nathan upset you but it must be obvious that something is
wrong. Can you walk away from him when
he is hurting?”
“What
about my hurt?” Kristin’s voice cracked
in anger and she would have continued but suddenly she looked very green. She thrust the babies at Janet and took off
for the bathroom where she was sick once again.
When
she finally emerged Kristin was pale and very unsteady on her feet. “I can’t continue to do this Janet. I’ve probably got a bloody ulcer already.”
“Just
give Nathan a chance to get back. Let’s
try to find out why he is acting this way.
You’re a doctor. Try to think of
something that would cause this.”
“I’ve
thought of nothing else since the first time it happened. I don’t believe the problem is
physical. The behavior is coming from
his mind, his psyche if you will. If
that is the case then some part of him must really believe I am capable of
cheating on him. I can’t cope with
that.”
“Then
who can?”
Kristin
shrugged her shoulders. “A
psychiatrist, a telepath, I don’t know.
I’m tired and I can’t deal with this any more tonight. I’d better get the twins home. I’ve got some packing to do.”
“Don’t
Kris, not yet. Stay with us tonight.
Get a good night’s sleep and rethink this in the morning. Please?”
“All
right. But I don’t think I’ll change my
mind.”
*~*~*~*
Admiral
Bill Noyce was waiting at the dock the next afternoon when seaQuest reported
in. He’d been asked several times by
UEO officers why the sub was being recalled so soon after it’s previous
departure but he’d blown them off. Bill
knew that the UEO brass wouldn’t accept Nathan’s personal well being as an excuse
but Bill didn’t care. He and Nathan had
been friends for 30 years and he knew that something was wrong. Besides, the brass didn’t have to live with
Janet and he did.
Contrary
to custom Nathan was the first person off the launch with Lucas a close
second. Nathan’s face fell as he looked
around and Bill guessed he had hoped to see Kristin there. Nathan approached Bill with a sad look on
his face.
“She
hasn’t left. Please tell me she isn’t
gone.”
Bill
sighed. “She hasn’t gone yet Nathan but
it won’t be long. Janet and I
practically had to sit on her to keep her here this long. She’s headed back to your place this
afternoon to pack. We…uhm…we didn’t
tell her you were coming. Gives you the
element of surprise.”
“Well
come on. Let’s go.”
The
trip to Nathan’s beach house was an adventure in itself. Nathan insisted on driving and two miles out
of the parking lot both Bill and Lucas were praying harder than they ever had
in their lives. Someone must have been
listening because Nathan didn’t get a ticket even though he must have been doing
more than twice the maximum limit. No
one was at the house when they arrived and Nathan shot up the stairs, returning
a few minutes later with a relieved look on his face.
“All
of their stuff is still here.”
The
three men settled on the porch to wait but Nathan couldn’t keep still so they
sent him down to the beach to walk off some of his frustration. Once he was gone they could and did speak
freely.
“Did
you have any trouble coming in?”
“When
the Captain woke up this morning he didn’t seem to remember anything about
Kristin or the twins or us returning to port.
But I printed one of the pictures Mrs. Noyce sent me and showed it to
him and every thing came back. It was
so strange. Like I could see his memory
slowly coming awake. I’m gonna plaster
his cabin with the pictures.”
“I’ve
got a better idea Lucas but I’ll need your help…”
*~*~*~*
Nathan
turned at the sound of a door slamming and ran back up the beach toward the car
that had just pulled up. Kristin didn’t
see him until she popped up from the back seat with a baby carrier on her
arm. Her face hardened and Nathan read
the silent curse on her lips before she turned around and took off up the
stairs. Bill and Lucas were moving down
the stairs to help Janet and had to flatten themselves to the railing to avoid
her. Nathan quickly pursued.
Kristin
moved straight through the house to the bedroom and closed the door loudly
behind her. Nathan heard the click of
the lock but he wasn’t about to let a few pieces of wood and metal stop him.
“Kristin,
open this door!”
“Go
to hell!”
“Open
the damned door now. We have to talk!”
“I
don’t have anything left to say to you.”
Nathan’s
lips narrowed into a thin line and he moved a few feet back down the hallway
before running at the door and hitting it with a flying kick. Wood splintered and flew through the air as
the door swung open. Fury boiled in
Kristin’s eyes as Nathan stepped across the threshold. Maddy was screaming bloody murder but
Kristin was so angry she was having trouble disconnecting the carrier’s
restraining straps.
“You
stupid son of a bitch! Maddy could have
been hit!”
“I’m
sorry but you have to talk to me Kristin.
Lucas told me what I did and I’m sorry.
I remember saying it but it wasn’t really me. I love you Baby. I love
the kids. Deep down you know that.”
“You
say the words Nathan but your actions don’t back them up. Who am I going to be accused of bedding next
– Malcolm? Lucas? Your entire crew? Why would I choose to live like that? Why would I want my children any where near you?” Kristin’s voice caught and tears began to
slip down her face. She swiped them
away roughly and went back to a still howling Maddy.
“Then
help me find out what’s wrong.
Something has to be causing this but I need your help. If you love me then please help me.” Nathan fell to his knees as he continued to
beg. “If you leave I don’t have any
reason to go on.”
Kristin’s
heart began to melt as it always did for Nathan. “Whatever is wrong with you is beyond my area of expertise. If it were something organic I’m sure your
CMO would have caught it on your last physical.”
Nathan
took her hand. “Then help me find
someone who can deal with it. You are
the person who keeps me grounded. My
memory was screwed up again this morning and Lucas showed me a picture of you
and the kids to bring it back. Please
give me another chance!”
Kristin
laid a hand on the top of Nathan’s head and stroked his graying hair. Nathan wrapped his arms around her waist,
burying his head in her stomach.
“Our
first step should probably be to have you evaluated by a psychiatrist. I’ll be honest Nathan. I really think that someone is using mind
control. I don’t know how to combat
that. I don’t know who does.”
They
both looked up at the light knock on the frame of the door. Janet’s head appeared around the edge of the
broken door. “I heard Maddy fussing and
I thought you might need this.” She
held up a bottle. “Do you want me to
take her?”
Kristin
shook her head and moved away from Nathan to take the bottle. “I’ll feed her. What about Jamie?”
“He
is still sleeping like a log. We’ll be
out on the porch if you need me.”
Janet’s eyebrows rose questioningly and Kristin gave a slight nod.
Nathan
had freed Maddy from the baby seat and was playing airplane with her to Maddy’s
delight. She was laughing and giggling
more than she had ever done. Kristin
abruptly took her away and settled into the small rocker she had added to the
room’s décor. Maddy took the bottle
hungrily while Nathan stared.
“Why
aren’t you…when did you start bottle feeding her?”
Kristin
glared at him. “A few days ago. I had to.
My milk dried up.”
“Oh
God. It’s my fault isn’t it? Your body reacted to all the stress I’ve
caused. I’m so sorry. You must be furious at me…for this too.”
“I’m
pissed as hell at you Nathan but not about this. I’m the one who should have known better. I’m a doctor for Christ’s sake.”
“What
are you talking about Kris? I don’t
understand.”
“Neither
did I. Janet had to explain it to
me.” Kristin chewed thoughtfully on her
bottom lip for a moment. “Nathan in
spite of every thing I have never lied to you and I’m not going to begin to
now. I can’t continue to accept your
mistrust. I’m just not that strong.”
“You
are the strongest person I know.”
“But
you are my weakness. You can always
talk me around. I’ve got to learn to say no to you. I have to protect myself and the children.” Kristin turned her attention back to the
baby in her arms for a moment, coaxing a smile and a giggle from her. “Can you imagine how much I love this little
one and her brother? I thought that at
my age conception was unlikely if not impossible. When I found out that I was
pregnant I considered running away, going back to England and keeping the baby
a secret but I didn’t. I wasn’t
ashamed. I was proud of my babies, of
our babies. I never tried to hide them
from you. I tried to tell you about
them several times. When you did
finally discover their existence you reacted exactly as I hoped you would. You wanted to be a father to them and I
wanted that too. I was foolish to think
that it would last.”
“I
don’t think it’s foolish at all. I love
you more than I have ever loved any one.
I love those babies. I will find
out what is wrong with me and I will make it right for the four of us.”
“Five.”
“What? Oh, Lucas.
Of course he’ll always be part of our family.”
Kristin
rolled her eyes. “Yes, Lucas is very
much a part of our family but that isn’t what I meant. Janet and I had a long
talk this morning. I’m a doctor but
I’ve been overlooking some very obvious symptoms. Breast-feeding is an amazing thing Nathan. The advantages it gives a newborn are
tremendous. It even helps the
mother. For instance, breast-feeding is
supposed to decrease the possibility of conception. But it doesn’t always work and I foolishly forgot that.”
Nathan’s
face had taken on a stunned look as he stared at Kristin. He swallowed hard. “Conception?”
“I
haven’t kept a meal down in over a week.
My milk dried up. My breasts are
tender. That’s because of the changes
in certain hormone levels. I’ve just
come from the doctor. I’m pregnant
again. Nathan? Are you all right?”
Nathan’s
ass hit the floor with a loud thump and he just sat there with a dazed look on
his face. All of the air had rushed
from his lungs and he couldn’t seem to draw it back in. Kristin knelt in front of him and placed the
baby on the floor before grasping his shoulders and giving a gentle shake. “Nathan!”
He
wrapped his arms around her and buried his face in her abdomen. It took Kristin a moment to realize that he
was kissing it. She felt his tears
through his shirt and lifted his face to meet her gaze. As always her heart melted at the little boy
look in his eyes.
“Are
you…are you going to have the baby?”
“The
thought of not having it did cross my mind but only for a second. Having three babies in diapers isn’t going
to be easy. The twins won’t even be a
year old when this one is born. I
didn’t have the easiest pregnancy before and I’m a year older now. I don’t know how I’ll manage but I
will. Abortion just isn’t an option for
me. Janet is so excited. She says she’ll help me whenever I need it.”
“I’ll
help you.”
Kristin
snorted. “When you’re in port or when
you remember that you’re a father. I’m
sorry Nathan but maybe now you can see why I can’t take much more of this. The twins take everything that I can give
and as this pregnancy advances I don’t know what will happen. I pray this doesn’t turn out to be twins as
well. Apparently you and I are extremely
compatible. Just so you know, once this
baby is born there is no chance in hell of you ever touching me again.”
“I’ll
get snipped.”
“Not
good enough. Vasectomy doesn’t work in
one in a million cases and with my luck you’d be the one.”
“I’ll
get snipped and you get tied. Plus
we’ll use birth control.”
Kristin
laughed. “I’m furious at you and you’re
still trying to figure out how to get in my pants. You are so damned cocky.”
“You’ve
got that right babe.” Nathan rose to
his knees and pulled Kristin against him, his hands running beneath her skirt
to cup her ass. His erection throbbed
against her stomach as he captured her mouth.
Kristin
pulled away but Nathan still held her lower body tightly. “No, we are not doing this again.”
“At
least you can’t get pregnant this time.”
Kristin
gently disengaged herself from Nathan’s grasp and picked up Maddy. “I need to check on Jamie. Maybe I could make arrangements for you to
see a psychiatrist tomorrow?”
“Does
this mean you’ll stay?”
“I’ll
stay for the moment Nathan but no promises.”
*~*~*~*
Nathan
snuggled into the warm spot next to him seeking the body that had caused it but
he opened his eyes to find the bed was empty.
The horrible sounds coming from the bathroom told him exactly where
Kristin was. She appeared in the door a
few moments later, pale and bleary-eyed.
Nathan barely had time to move back to his side of the bed before she
collapsed into the pillows. One eye
glared at him, the other closed against the light.
“I
hate you!”
“Were
you this sick with the twins?”
“I
was sicker if that is possible.”
“Isn’t
there something you can do? You are a
doctor.”
“Drugs
can cross the placental barrier and damage the fetus. I’d rather be sick than take a chance.”
“How
about Lucas and I take baby duty this morning?
You can get some more sleep. My
appointment isn’t until three.”
“Uhm…”
Kristin snuggled back down into the pillows and was asleep in seconds. Both of the twins chose that moment to wake
up so Nathan grabbed his robe and went to get them before they could wake their
mother up again.
“Oh
God! She planned this didn’t she?” Nathan’s noise detected an unpleasant aroma
and he took off down the hall at a trot.
“Lucas! Get up!
I need your help!”
Lucas
appeared at the door clad in boxers and a Grateful Dead tee shirt. Nathan quickly thrust a baby at him. Lucas’s eyes immediately crossed.
“What
is that smell?!”
“That,
big brother, is the smell of a toxic diaper.
I have two situations on my hand so I think that it is time you learned
how to change a nappy.”
*~*~*~*
Nathan
met with the psychiatrist who did a thorough evaluation and found nothing to
indicate the cause of his memory problems.
He was scared that Kristin would use this as an excuse to leave but she
had been very supportive.
Janet
had volunteered to baby sit the twins during the appointment and when they went
to collect them Bill and Janet invited them to stay for an early dinner. Lucas was quickly called to join them with a
fresh supply of diapers.
Janet
served a light dinner on the back verandah overlooking the ocean and everyone
stayed there talking well into the evening.
Bill and Lucas had drifted in the corner for a whispered discussion
punctuated with furtive glances.
Finally Nathan could take no more.
“Would
you like to share with the rest of us what you two are up to? With all that secretive planning I keep
expecting Ben Kreig to turn up.”
The
two men rejoined the group with guilty looks on their faces. They looked at each other as if to say ‘you
go first’ ‘no, you go first’.
Finally
Bill bit the bullet. “We received a
communiqué today from the Central American Confederation about a possible leak
in one of their undersea power plants.
There are some grave environmental concerns for animal and plant life as
well as the coral reef off the coast of Belize. The UEO wants seaQuest down there to handle the situation.”
“So
we have to leave immediately.”
“You
pull out in the morning.” Bill noticed
the way that Nathan’s hand tightened over Kristin’s. “The modifications should be complete by then.”
“What
modifications? Are you messing around
with my boat without telling me?”
“We
want to send a specialist. The thought
is that no one person on your crew has the expertise to handle this situation. They want the best person for the job and
that person is…Kristin.”
Kristin
looked stunned. “I can’t go out on that
bloody boat! What about the
babies? We had an agreement Bill.”
“I
know Kristin and I understand but you really are needed here. Besides I thought that maybe if you were on
the boat with Nathan it might help you figure out what is going on. You’ll be housed in the VIP quarters and the
conference room is being modified into a nursery for the kids.”
“I
can take them with me?”
“I
told the brass that you wouldn’t go without them. No one realizes Nathan’s connection or they might not have agreed
but…will you go?”
The
front doorbell rang at that moment and Lucas jumped up. “I’ll get it.”
Nathan
stroked Kristin’s face. “What do you
say sweetheart? Maybe we can kill two
birds with one stone?”
Kristin
looked skeptical. “The babies still
have to be watched and both you and Lucas have duties on board. How am I going to look after them and do the
research I need to do? Are you going to
pull baby sitters from the crew? I’ve
heard enough about Wendy Smith to know I don’t want her watching my children.”
“How
about you take a nanny with you?” They
all turned to see Lucas standing at the door.
“Someone who could help with the twins and maybe help the Captain as
well.” He moved to the side to reveal a
tall blonde woman standing behind him, a woman that Nathan knew only too well,
Savannah Rossovich.
*~*~*~*
Kristin
fled the porch and headed for the beach before anyone could stop her. Nathan jumped up to follow but Savannah laid
a restraining arm on his hand.
“Let
me talk to her Nathan.”
Savannah
found Kristin sitting on the dunes, her arms wrapped around her knees, staring
into the ocean. She sat down beside the
silent woman.
“I
only want to help Dr. Westphalen. Why
are you frightened of me?”
A
short laugh escaped Kristin’s lips. “Am
I afraid of you? I don’t really
know. I feel my life spiraling out of
control. Nathan accuses me of cheating
on him with his closest friends then he invites you – the first woman he felt
close to after his wife died – here.”
“There
was never anything romantic between Nathan and me.”
“I
saw you kiss. It’s strange. I wasn’t in love with Nathan then but that
kiss bothered me. I guess it still
does.”
“Nathan
didn’t invite me here. Lucas did. He told me what has been happening to Nathan
and he wants me to help. I’d like to
help and I think I may be able to but you have to trust me. I think that someone is trying to control
Nathan’s mind and I’m your best shot at figuring out who and why. Lucas and Admiral Noyce want me to go aboard
the seaQuest incognito, as Anna Ross, your assistant.”
“There
will be crew members who know you – Commander Ford, O’Neill, Ortiz….”
“I’ll
dye my hair black and make a few superficial changes to my appearance. They may recognize me but Lucas feels that
those men you’ve named are trustworthy.
No one will expect to see Savannah Rossovich so they won’t see me. I’ll help you watch your children and I’ll
try and find out what is happening to Nathan.”
“Through
unauthorized mind scans?”
Savannah
sighed. “I won’t use any direct
scanning. I’ll do random passes just to
see if I stray across anything. Also,
only with Nathan’s approval and with yours, I’ll maintain a very peripheral
blanket around both of your minds. I
will NOT be reading your thoughts but staying alert for any outside attempt to
manipulate them.” Savannah paused. “You’d know if I were reading your mind
wouldn’t you, doctor?”
Kristin
nodded. “The nature of my work required
me to learn to detect any sort of mind manipulation. I would know of a direct attempt, yes.”
“Given
Nathan’s natural abilities he probably would as well. But these attempts are not direct. They are very skillfully done.
Will you let me help you?”
Long
moments passed before Kristin finally nodded.
“I have to try to save my family.
Yes, I’d like your help.”
The
two women stood up and brushed themselves off before heading back to the
house. Just before they rejoined the
others Savannah stopped Kristin.
“Sometimes feelings are very deeply imbedded without you even knowing
that they are there.”
“What
do you mean?” Kristin asked.
“Nathan
didn’t know that he was falling in love with you when we kissed but I did.”
*~*~*~*
“So
we get on the boat tomorrow before the rest of the crew returns then present
Kristin as a fait accompli along with her assistant Anna Ross. The twins stay tucked cozily away in our
quarters without anyone being the wiser?”
“That’s
it in a nutshell. Of course keeping the
kids secret is up to you but we just felt that until we find out what is going
on it might be safer for them.” Bill
replied.
“There
is one more thing.” Savannah
interjected. “Based on what the nature
of your memory loss has been, I think that you and Kristin should stay away
from each other.”
“What?” Nathan looked affronted. “We’re going to be on the same boat. I’m the Captain; she’s going to be doing
specialized research. We have to have
contact.”
“That
isn’t the kind of contact I mean.”
Savannah raised her eyebrows at Nathan and he blushed. “Who ever is doing this is using your
feelings for Kristin to control you. I
don’t know if they know that the woman involved is Kristin Westphalen or if
they recognize you have strong feelings for some unidentified woman. That is one of the things we have to
determine.”
Nathan
laughed. “If this person is telepathic
they are going to know immediately that it’s Kristin. Hell, I can smell her perfume and get a hard-on”
“NATHAN!” Bridger found himself staring into the deep
brown eyes of one very pissed off woman.
Kristin
stalked to the end of the porch and turned her back to Nathan. He followed and spoke softly to her but her
back only tensed further. Nathan pulled
her into his embrace as he continued to whisper and after a few moments she
responded. Although the assembled
company couldn’t hear her words it was obvious that she was very angry. The argument continued quietly but
vehemently for several minutes before Kristin threw her arms around Nathan’s
waist and buried her face in his chest.
His head bent down, blocking her face from view but in a few moments it
became obvious that they were kissing.
Lucas
cleared his throat loudly when Nathan’s hand slipped down to cup Kristin’s ass
and the couple drew apart and rejoined the group.
Kristin
voiced her acceptance of the plan. “I
don’t know if it will work but we have to get to the bottom of it. One thing though, if at any time there is
any danger to my babies we stop immediately.”
Lucas,
Savannah and Bill all voiced their agreement.
Kristin elbowed Nathan and inclined her head towards Lucas and gave a
small cough.
Nathan
nodded then turned to the young man. “I
apologize for my earlier comment.
Kristin has no affect on me at all, I am not in the least bit attracted
to her, we have never made love and the twins are the result of Immaculate
Conception.”
He
quickly dodged the elbow that came flying back at him. Kristin glared at Nathan but the impish grin
on his face softened her. “You…are
saved by your daughter.” She told him
as a baby’s cry came piercing through the open windows. Kristin moved into the
house and Janet followed her.
Nathan
sat down at the table with the conspirators.
“Now tell me what you really think.”
Savannah
answered. “Obviously the person we are
looking for is a member of your crew.
Your problems only happen when you are on board.”
“Not
true. The first time this happened we
hadn’t even launched.”
“How
long before the launch did it happen?”
“It
was about a month. We’ve been in the
water almost a year now.”
“When
was the next time it happened?”
“I
can’t really answer that since I wasn’t aware that is was happening. I can’t name any single incident until after
Kristin and I got together at Lucas’s eighteenth birthday party. Can you think of anything Lucas?”
“I
can’t name anything specific but I do know that any time I mentioned Kristin
you seemed to blank out or blow me off.
You recognized her as a member of the former crew but you never
acknowledged the relationship you shared after we lost the boat. I thought that she left you, that it was too
painful for you to think about.”
“Nathan,
when did you start thinking about Kristin again?”
“After
we docked I talked to Bill and Janet about the party arrangements. Janet mentioned that Kristin would be coming
to the party. She didn’t want me to be
surprised. I thought about Kristin all
the way home never really realizing that I hadn’t been thinking about her in
months. When I got home I walked
through the house and kept having all of these memory flashes, things we did
together. Then I remembered why she
left, that I accused her of having an affair with Scott Keller.”
“Did
she have an affair?”
“Of
course not. Savannah, Kristin was
married to two different men who cheated on her throughout their marriage. That is why the marriages fell apart. She isn’t capable of being unfaithful.”
“Then
why did you think she was?”
“I
don’t know. I have this picture in my
mind where I walk into my house and I see Kristin and Scott in each other’s
arms, kissing passionately. I know this
didn’t really happen but I still see it. Sometimes they are in the den fully
clothed. Other times they are in the
bedroom, not clothed. Sometimes I can’t
see Kristin’s face but I sense that the woman is she. Sometimes the man isn’t Scott.
That’s another reason why I know it can’t be true.”
Savannah
agreed. “If it were true the image
would stay the same. That way you
wouldn’t question it as much. I’m
guessing that the initial suggestion planted was simply to block any romantic
feeling you had for any female. It
worked well for quite a while. Kristin
wasn’t on the seaQuest, had never served on this new boat so there were no
attachments there. Your memories didn’t
return until you returned to familiar places.
You stayed in touch with her for over a month before your memory went
again so I would guess that whoever placed the initial suggestion is still in
place but they are having to work harder to overcome your deep feelings for Kristin
and your children. Perhaps they don’t
know about the children so they can’t compensate for that addition to the
puzzle.”
“Well
I think the obvious candidate is Dr. Smith.”
Lucas ignored the look Nathan shot him and continued. “She obviously has the hots for you
Captain. She followed you to your
island for pete’s sake.”
“Is
this Wendy Smith we are talking about?”
Savannah asked.
“Wendy
Smith is the head of sciences on the seaQuest this tour. Do you know her?” Nathan voiced his curiosity.
Savannah’s
face took on a blank look. “We’ve met
but I don’t think she would recognize me, especially if I’m in disguise. I found her to be…very confident in her
abilities, perhaps too confident.”
Nathan
snorted. “Confident is an
understatement. I might be inclined to
agree with Lucas’s theory because Dr. Smith has shown an aggressive interest in
me but we had never met before she reported to duty and that was several weeks
after I lost my mind.”
“I
don’t think we should make any assumptions about anyone but I’ll be keeping a
close watch on Dr. Smith. I don’t want
her sensing my abilities either.”
Bill
shushed everyone as the sound of Janet and Kristin’s voices grew louder. In a few moments the two women appeared at
the door, each holding a cooing baby.
“I
thought maybe you’d like to meet the twins since we are going to be sharing
quarters.”
*~*~*~*
“Kris? Are you still awake?” Nathan whispered in the ear of the naked
woman in his arms.
“Uhm…”
Kristin opened her eyes and stared into his.
Her skin was still rosy and damp from their exertions just moments
earlier. “You better enjoy it while it
lasts. Seven months and three weeks and
you are cut off.”
Nathan’s
hands wandered down to caress Kristin’s abdomen. “I can’t believe we made another baby, that a little life is
inside here, growing.”
“I
believe it every time I throw up. Your
sperm must have inbred targeting skills.”
“Hey,
I’m a submariner. I’m good at firing
torpedoes.”
Kristin
snuggled into his shoulder. “You also
seem to excel at seducing me.”
“I
am pretty good at that aren’t I? How am
I going to keep my hands off of you once we get on the boat? This plan better work quickly.”
“You
don’t know the half of it. If this
pregnancy goes anything like the last one we don’t have much longer to figure
this out.”
“What
do you mean?”
“Sometime
around the fourth month the hormones go a little crazy. I get incredibly horny.” Kristin trailed her fingertips down Nathan’s
firm abdomen and buried them in his nest of curls, lightly teasing his
semi-erect penis. “There is no way I’ll
be able to stay away from you if you are anywhere near me.”
“What
did you do when you were expecting the twins?”
“I
was incredibly frustrated. So I’ll
probably be twice as horny with this one.”
Nathan
groaned. “You’re going to kill me.”
“At
least you’ll die happy.”
Nathan
rolled Kristin to her back and pressed his body close to hers. His lips brushed hers tenderly before he
nuzzled a path to her ear. “Can you
even begin to imagine how much I love you?
I swear that I am going to find out what is going on and stop it. I won’t let anyone take away what we have
ever again.”
Kristin’s
eyes sparkled with tears. “I love you,
Nathan, more than I’ve ever loved any one.
We will figure this out somehow.
I am not going to let you forget our babies or me again. I’ll use every weapon I’ve got to prevent
that from happening.” Her lips sought
out the sensitive spot just below his ear and he groaned as he began to
experience just how powerful Kristin’s arsenal could be.
*~*~*~*
Nathan’s
initial briefing with his senior staff had gone according to routine and the
time had come to discuss their current mission. As head of the science sector Wendy had quickly jumped in with
several suggestions on the problem awaiting them. Under other circumstances Nathan would have probably been
impressed but this time he found her annoying.
He quickly clamped down on his feelings before she could sense them.
“All
of your suggestions have merit Doctor and I’m sure that our mission specialist
would love to hear them, perhaps incorporate them into her own plans.”
Wendy
Smith looked stunned. “I am perfectly
capable of handling this situation. We
don’t need a specialist.”
“Nevertheless,
the UEO felt that we did and they provided us with the best. Dr. Kristin Westphalen is certainly one of
the most highly qualified scientists on the planet to deal with this
situation. She should be joining us in
a few moments; in fact she should be here already. Lucas?” Nathan inclined
his head toward the door and Lucas exited in search of Kristin.
Wendy’s
face had gone deathly pale but Nathan pretended not to notice. “While I recognize Dr. Westphalen’s
preeminence in this field I really don’t think that her presence is warranted. My team is perfectly capable of handling
it.”
Nathan
was beginning to get angry at Wendy’s stubbornness. He planted his palms on the conference table and leaned toward
Smith. “Dr. Westphalen is already on
board and we’ve been underway for over an hour. I would think that you would be eager to work under a scientist
the caliber of Kristin Westphalen. I am
sure that all of the crew members serving on her team will learn a great deal.”
Wendy’s
body position now mimicked that of Nathan’s and the crew was certain that they
were about to blow up at each other when the door swung open and Kristin and
Lucas stepped into the room. Kristin’s
face was pale but she wore a big smile.
“I’m
sorry that I’m late. I guess it’s going
to take a few days for me to get my sea legs back. I haven’t been on a submersible since the last seaQuest.”
Kristin
accepted greetings from Ford, Ortiz and O’Neill before Joshua Levin wrapped her
in a huge bear hug, which she returned whole-heartedly before Nathan continued
with introductions.
“I
believe you might have met most of these people at Lucas’s birthday party.”
Kristin
nodded and smiled greetings to Brody and Loni.
Piccolo was fixed with a famous Westphalen glare when Kristin caught him
checking out her ass.
“This
is our science head, Dr. Wendy Smith.”
Kristin
smiled graciously and held out her hand to Wendy. “I’m pleased to meet you Dr. Smith. Lucas has told me so much about you. I hope that we can work together on this project. I’m sure you have some wonderful ideas on
how to handle it.”
Wendy
grudgingly shook Kristin’s extended hand.
“I have a lot of ideas Doctor Westphalen. In fact I don’t understand why we need you here at all.”
Kristin
was taken back by Wendy’s bluntness but quickly recovered. “I’m here because the UEO gave me a job to
do. If you wish to help then I welcome
it. If you don’t then don’t get in my
way.”
Kristin
turned her back to Wendy. “I’d like to
see my work space first Captain then I need to put together my team. Joshua, you’re familiar with the science
staff. Perhaps you could help me with
that?”
Nathan
and Kristin left the room with Lucas and Joshua in tow. The other staff drifted casually towards the
door, laughing and joking and studiously avoiding a seething Wendy Smith.
*~*~*~*
“How
is your research coming Doctor?” Nathan kept his distance from Kristin, making
sure he stayed on the opposite side of the research table.
Kristin’s
head popped up from her microscope and she ran a hand down her neck, stretching
her tired muscles.
“I
believe we’re making some progress but there is so much contamination. The clean up is going to be massive under
any circumstances. I think we’ve come
up with a way to inactivate a large portion of the contaminate. We should know more with twenty-four hours.”
“You
look tired. When was the last time you
slept?”
“I
had a nap this afternoon.” Kristin saw
Nathan’s eyebrows fly up but didn’t comment.
“Excuse
me, Doctor Westphalen, but we just got the results of our last set of
tests.” Savannah handed the papers over
to Kristin with a thinly veiled look at Nathan. A spark of anger surged through him. The past ten days had been very hard on all of them. Kristin had been putting in long hours
trying to contain a major ecological disaster with little rest and minimal time
with her children. Nathan and Lucas
were putting in long hours helping gather samples for testing and then
baby-sitting on their off hours.
Savannah had the added problems of trying to keep her identity a secret
and constantly using her telepathy.
Everyone was on edge.
“We’ve
done all we can until the next set of results come back and that won’t be until
tomorrow morning. Perhaps we should all
try to get some rest.”
Kristin
nodded gratefully at Savannah’s suggestion.
“A hot shower and a few hours sleep sounds like heaven. Shall I call you in the morning with the
results, Captain?”
Nathan
nodded and bid the two women good night, ever mindful of Wendy hovering in the
background. As he expected Wendy fell
into step beside him as soon as he left the area.
“We’ve
been so busy since we left port that we haven’t had a chance to talk. Would you like to get a cup of coffee or
maybe dinner?”
“Maybe
some other time, Dr. Smith. I’m really
beat and I feel like I might actually be able to get some sleep tonight.”
Nathan’s tone was polite but cool.
“Please
Nathan. I know that I reacted badly to
Dr. Westphalen’s presence and I apologize for that but it seemed to me that her
presence meant you didn’t have confidence in my abilities.”
“The
UEO decided to bring Dr. Westphalen on board for this, not me.”
“I
realize that now. And you were
right. She is, without doubt, the right
person for this job. I’m learning a
great deal from her. I won’t keep you.
Perhaps some other time?”
Nathan
nodded absently and would have moved off but Wendy laid a restraining hand on
his arm. She quickly looked both ways
before quickly brushing her lips across Nathan’s. Wendy was gone before Nathan could respond.
He
continued on to his quarters all the while trying to make sense of Wendy’s
actions. Nathan knew that Wendy was
attracted to him. She’d made it very
obvious. He’d even responded slightly
on occasion but something always held him back. Nathan had tried to make it clear that he wasn’t interested
without hurting Wendy’s feelings but she didn’t seem to be getting the message.
Nathan
closed his eyes and lifted his hand to his forehead as pain shafted through his
head. He stumbled down the hall,
desperate to get out of the light. By
the time he reached his door he could barely stand upright. He leaned against the door to push it shut
and engaged the locking mechanism before sliding down the cool metal to sit on
the floor in the dark.
Nathan
groaned when the narrow door into the VIP quarters opened letting in Lucas and
a shaft of light.
“Shut
that damned door!” He barked as he
leaned forward pushing his head between his knees.
Lucas
quickly disappeared and was back in moments with Kristin and Savannah. Nathan’s pain was so great that he barely
comprehended when they pulled him to his feet and maneuvered him to the bunk.
Kristin
motioned Savannah away from the bunk.
“This happened the last time Nathan had a memory problem, a blinding
headache. Should I treat it or should I
call med bay.”
Savannah
chewed her bottom lip thoughtfully for a moment before answering. “You treat it if you can. I’ll help Lucas look after the twins. Just don’t get carried away or anything,
okay?”
Kristin
moved to her cabin and returned with her medical bag. Nathan lay moaning on his bunk, his back to the room, as she
closed the door behind Lucas and Savannah. After turning off all of the lights
except a dim beam from a crack in the bathroom door Kristin knelt beside the
bunk and laid a hand softly across Nathan’s back as she spoke gently.
“Nathan,
it’s Kristin. I want to try and help
you. I know it hurts but listen to the
sound of my voice just like the last time okay.” Kristin continued to talk in a low and soothing tone as she
pulled some things out of her medicine bag and gave him an injection then sat
down in the bunk with her back against the headboard. Nathan’s continued to moan quietly as her hands guided his body
until he was lying on his back against her, his head pillowed on her
chest. Kristin placed a few drops of
the soothing aromatic oil on her palms and began to gently massage Nathan’s
temples and neck. Gradually the moaning
stopped altogether and she felt Nathan relax against her. Kristin knew he was feeling much better when
he began to smile and she noticed a distinct bulge growing in the front of his
pants.
“I
think that I had better get up now.”
Kristin whispered to Nathan as she tried to coax him off of her. Nathan did shift but only so that he was
lying flat in the bed with Kristin in his arms. She felt his warm breath against her ear.
“We
promised Savannah…”
Nathan
closed his eyes and nodded. “At least
let me hold you for just a few minutes.
No funny business, I promise.”
He shifted their bodies so that Kristin’s back was against his chest.
Silence
lay between them as they enjoyed the feel of each other. Kristin smiled when Nathan’s hands drifted
to her bottom and she gently pulled them back up to her waist. “Play fair.
You know what happens when you grab my ass.”
Nathan’s
hand strayed from her waist to her abdomen, still flat in spite of the life
growing within.
“How
is this little one doing?”
“I’m
not sure that this baby is going to be a sailor. He gets sea sick too often.”
“So
you are still getting nauseated?”
“Umm…it
shouldn’t last too much longer.”
“How
long?”
“The
sickness should go away about the time I start getting horny. Okay, I’m already horny, I mean when I start
getting really horny.”
Nathan
groaned and pressed himself harder against her firm bottom. “I’m really horny now.”
“I
know, me too, but do you really want Savannah running interference while we
make love?”
Nathan
relaxed his hold on Kristin. “The twins
seem to be doing fantastic. I can’t
tell you how great it is to be able to spend so much time with them. I think they are really beginning to
recognize me.”
“Of
course they are. I think Jamie has
taken to undersea life like a duck to water.
Maddy is a little more hesitant.
She just isn’t as happy as Jamie is.
Cynthia was prone to temper tantrums and crying fits when she was a
baby. Perhaps it is a female trait.”
“Just
remember that you said it not me. Maybe
all the Westphalen women are a bit temperamental.”
Kristin
pressed her elbow lightly into Nathan’s ribs.
“Watch it buster.”
Nathan
smiled a buried his face in Kristin’s hair, inhaling deeply. “ I love you Baby.”
“I
love you too, darling.”
Nathan’s
heart skipped at Kristin’s use of her customary endearment because she hadn’t
used it in over a year. Her breathing
slowed and evened out and Nathan realized that she was asleep as he gave into
his own exhaustion.
Savannah
found them an hour later, wrapped in each other’s arms. Lucas peered over her shoulder and a huge
grin erupted on his face.
“Let
them sleep a while longer.” Savannah
whispered to him. “They both need the
rest.”
*~*~*~*
Wendy
Smith was angry and also a bit confused.
She’d worked for months; secretly planting doubts in Nathan’s mind and
now things might be falling apart.
Nathan seemed distant and angry with her and she knew that Kristin’s
presence was to blame. What she
couldn’t figure out was why. Wendy knew
that if Nathan and Kristin were lovers she would know. In public they treated each other with the
utmost respect but even though she sometimes caught undercurrents there was no
intimacy between them – no longing glances, no secret touches or stolen
kisses. Wendy couldn’t fathom why
Nathan didn’t respond to her. She was
much younger than Kristin Westphalen was and she had let Nathan know how she
felt on several occasions.
Once
Wendy had tried to do a subtle scan of Kristin’s mind but the brick wall she
encountered and the sharp look she received let her know that Kristin was aware
of what was happening. Wendy was
positive that Kristin had no innate empathic ability so she must have been
taught to recognize and block it from others.
Nathan’s abilities made it impossible to attempt more than just a brief
touch without him guessing which is why Wendy had to be so careful at sowing
seeds of doubt.
The
hour was late so Wendy decided to take a chance and let her mind reach out to
touch Kristin’s in the hope that she could read something while her target was
asleep. Westphalen’s barriers were
still in place but the odd thought came through. Wendy sensed contentment but she also sensed an underlying
current of fear.
Nathan’s
mind was also a bit more vulnerable while he slept and Wendy immediately felt
desire radiating through his thoughts.
She probed a bit further to be sure that Nathan was definitely asleep. ‘He must be having an erotic dream. I wonder if it is about me?’ Wendy thought to herself but was quickly
struck with the thought that the dream could just as easily be about Kristin or
any other woman. Her jealousy grew and
she resolved to keep a much closer eye on the Captain and the Doctor.
*~*~*~*
Kristin
paced the floor of the bridge as she stared at the view screen waiting for
incoming data. The test results had
shown a very positive response to her laboratory-induced solution for the most
offending chemical in the environmental skill.
A meeting with the leaders of the UEO and the Amazon Confederation
quickly led to the decision to field-test the compound in a small area of the
contaminated ocean. WHSKR’s were posted
throughout the area to collect data and the initial results were expected any
minute. Kristin stared at the screen as
if she could will the results to appear before turning back into her pace while
chewing on her bottom lip.
If
the results had not been so important to the environment Nathan would have
laughed at Kristin’s agitation. He
wanted to go to her, encourage her, but Savannah was keeping a close eye on the
two of them, as was Dr. Smith. Nathan
watched curiously as Savannah drew Kristin to the side and began to whisper to
her. Nathan knew he was part of the
conversation because Kristin’s gaze fell on him several times during the quiet
but animated exchange. He saw Kristin
shake her head once but Savannah must have been very persuasive because Kristin
nodded in agreement before the conversation ended.
“Captain.” Nathan turned back to acknowledge Miguel
Ortiz. “The first data is beginning to
come in now.”
“Let’s
see it onscreen Mr. Ortiz.”
Nathan
stood and moved to stand beside Kristin and the rest of her team as the figures
flowed across the display. He swore he
heard a collective sigh of relief as positive results began to appear. But the biggest surprise to all of them came
when the results leapt dramatically, performing better than any of them could
have imagined. A collective cheer went
up and congratulations flew.
Nathan
could think of nothing but the pride he felt in Kristin’s solution and how
happy he was for her. Before he
realized what he was doing he had wrapped her in his embrace. ‘A quick hug shouldn’t hurt,’ he
thought. Nathan was about to release
Kristin when he felt her arms go around his neck and her mouth captured his in
a passionate kiss, tongue on tongue, mating wildly. Nathan couldn’t have pushed her away if his life depended on it.
By
the time they separated most of the bridge crew was staring openly at them,
Tony Piccolo even going so far as to make fanning motions with his hand. Knowing smiles graced the faces of Ford,
Ortiz and O’Neill. Nathan quickly held
out his hand to Kristin and shook hers vigorously.
“Fantastic
work doctor!”
Most
of the crew burst into laughter.
Kristin breathed a sigh of relief.
Nathan always knew what to say to diffuse a situation.
“I’m
very pleased with the results but we still have a great deal of work to
do. Come on guys, let’s get back to
work.” Kristin motioned her team from
the bridge and Nathan watched them go, his eyes glued to Kristin’s shapely
behind.
*~*~*~*
“Was
that sufficient?” Kristin asked
Savannah once they were back in the relative privacy of the lab.
“I
think it did the trick. I thought for a
moment that he was going to throw you on the deck and rip your clothes off with
the entire crew watching. I couldn’t
have asked for any more passion than that.”
“I
wouldn’t have stopped him if he had.
This whole situation is extremely frustrating.”
Kristin
began to set up equipment for her next series of tests. Savannah could tell that Kristin wanted to
say more so she stood quietly until Kristin was ready to speak.
“Do
you think this will work?”
“I
think that there is a very good chance that it will.”
“Nathan
is going to be furious when he guesses.
I really need for this situation to be resolved, Savannah. I can’t take it much longer and the stress
isn’t good for me, for any of us.”
Kristin
glanced up to see Nathan standing in the doorway. She glanced at Savannah.
“I suggest you make yourself scarce.
I’m used to dealing with him when he’s angry.”
“He
doesn’t look angry.”
“And
you say you can read minds? Trust me,
maybe angry isn’t the right word but he is a man in search of answers."
Savannah
touched Nathan’s mind with her own. “I
think I’m due back in our quarters to relieve Lucas.”
She
took off through the opposite door as Nathan advanced on Kristin. Assorted whispers and giggles erupted from
Kristin’s science team but Nathan ignored them all as he grasped her arm and
pulled her after him. Once he had
gained the privacy of Kristin’s small office he slammed the door behind him and
trapped her against the cold metal, his face just inches from her.
“It
was my understanding that we were on kissing restriction so would you care to
inform me what that little display on the bridge was all about?”
Kristin
shrugged and dropped her eyes from Nathan’s face. “I was just excited about the test results. I didn’t mean to…”
“Bullshit. I think you knew exactly what you were
doing. You wanted everyone to see us
together. What I want to know is why?”
Kristin
tried to free herself but Nathan kept his hands planted firmly on the door on
either side of her waist.
“I’ll
get it out of you one way or the other so why don’t you just tell me?”
Kristin
licked her lips nervously and Nathan groaned.
He shifted his head to nuzzle her neck, his teeth nibbling up and down
the silky flesh. Kristin’s hands pushed
against him trying to move him away but her head fell to the side to allow him
better access. “Tell me.” Nathan whispered against her rapidly heating
skin.
“Nothing
has happened so Savannah…we thought we needed to try and draw a response from
whoever is doing this. A show of
affection, initiated by me, seemed the most logical thing to…” Kristin gasped
as Nathan’s lips found an erect nipple poking proudly through the thin cotton
of her blouse. The soft fabric only
added to the sensation that Nathan’s tongue running back and forth across the
peak was evoking.
“So
you two decided to make you the bait?
You had no right.” Nathan spoke
as his lips trailed across her chest to find the other peak.
“We
just want this to be settled. I can’t
continue to be near to you and pretend not to care. Nathan…we have to stop.”
Somehow Nathan had loosened the buttons on her shirt and pushed it down
her shoulders, baring her breasts to his hungry eyes and lips.
“You
don’t want to stop.” Nathan pulled a
dusky peak into his mouth and began sucking it vigorously.
“No,
I want…Shit!”
The
sudden pounding on the door behind them startled Nathan and he bit Kristin’s
nipple rather harder than he had intended too.
Nathan pulled back to rest his forehead against Kristin’s, both of them
having trouble breathing.
“Captain,
are you in there?” Lucas’s voice
sounded through the closed door.
“I
love that kid but I am going to kill him!
I’m sorry Babe. I didn’t mean to
hurt you.”
Kristin
nodded and began straightening her clothes as Nathan allowed her to
escape. “Just a moment Lucas.” Nathan called as he double-checked his own
clothing and wiped Kristin’s lipstick from his mouth. When she’d finished fastening her shirt Nathan pulled the door
open to reveal the embarrassed teen.
“I’m
sorry Captain” Lucas stammered as his eyes wandered about the ceiling, refusing
to meet Nathan’s gaze. “Anna just paged
me from her quarters and asked if I would check on Dr. Westphalen. I didn’t mean to…”
“I’m
sure you didn’t Lucas but that’s more than I can say for Sa…Anna. I’ve got to get back to the bridge. Keep me informed of your results
Doctor.” Nathan stalked across the
laboratory and out of the area as if he was daring anyone to speak to him.
*~*~*~*
Savannah
was glad that the corridors were almost deserted as she made her way back to
the boardroom nursery. Third shift had
just begun and she was ready to try and get some rest if the twins allowed
that. Anna Ross had spent the evening
catching up on Dr. Westphalen’s paperwork in the laboratory in an attempt to
continue her official identify but it had been a long day.
Savannah
hopped on the first available Mag-lev and was surprised to see Nathan
there. There was no one else in the
transport and Savannah waited nervously for Nathan to chastise her about her
idea to draw out the mind controller but to her surprise he didn’t say anything
about it.
“I
took the second shift on the bridge.
What’s your excuse?”
“Dr.
Westphalen wanted to spend some quality time with…Anyway, I took advantage of
the time to catch up on some of the paperwork for the research team.”
“You
are a very capable assistant, Anna. A
bit to inventive in some of your ideas but otherwise capable.”
“I
am only trying to help Captain.”
“I
know that. So do you really think this
new batch of ‘research’ will really work?”
“Sometimes
‘results’ have to be coaxed out into the light. They don’t just present themselves so you have to really search
for them.”
The
mag-lev slid to a halt and they both stepped out into the hallway. Nathan fell into step beside Savannah,
neither saying a word until they reached the boardroom door.
“I’ll
see you in the morning, Miss Ross” Nathan said for the benefit of anyone
listening before moving down the corridor to his own quarters. He was grateful that none of the crew
realized that the Captain’s quarters had access to the converted conference
room or the VIP quarters or he knew the rumors would be even worse than they
already were. Nathan had heard that
Tony Piccolo was taking bets on whether or not the Captain was ‘doing’ the
visiting doctor. He was planning a very
interesting punishment for Piccolo’s latest scheme.
Nathan
made sure that he locked his cabin door before
knocking on the meeting room entry.
Savannah appeared immediately.
“Is
it morning already?” She joked.
“Do
you mind if I say good-night? I won’t
keep you up long.”
“Both
of the little demons are asleep but I’m sure they wouldn’t mind a bedtime kiss
from their daddy.”
Nathan
stood by the small cribs and gazed in wonder at the babies sleeping peacefully
inside. He still couldn’t believe that
they were real. He gently brushed a
kiss across each small head of curls before moving to Kristin’s door.
“Captain,
I really don’t think…”
“I
don’t see what harm it could do after the display we put on today but I only
want to check on her and wish her good night.
I’ll be back in my own quarters in ten minutes.”
“Make
it five.”
Nathan
pushed the hatch open and stared at the picture that greeted his eyes. Kristin lay curled up on top of her bunk, a
silky negligee covering her slender body; her eyes closed in sleep. She still held a cup of tea in her hand and
her reading glasses were perched on her nose.
The research papers she had been looking at had fallen on the bunk next
to her.
Nathan
gently pried the empty cup from her hand and pulled the glasses carefully from
her face. He picked up the papers and
stacked them on the bedside table before pulling a blanket across her
slumbering form. Nathan stopped at her shoulder and stared at the naked
shoulder revealed by a silky strap hanging to Kristin’s elbow. The nipple just below the edge of the silk
peaked as if it could feel Nathan’s gaze.
He absently reached a hand out to stroke the shoulder as he knelt by the
bunk. A faint smile appeared on
Kristin’s lips and she rolled into Nathan’s warm hand. The silk fell away, exposing her firm
breast. Nathan felt as if he were on
fire as he moved toward the peak. He
saw the faint blue hue left from his teeth earlier in the day as he covered the
dusky tip with his mouth.
Even
in her sleep Kristin was wildly responsive, arching her back to push her breast
more fully into his mouth. Nathan’s
left hand wrapped itself around Kristin’s other breast and his right hand slid
along her stomach to the juncture of her thighs and began to caress. Kristin’s eyes flew open as a moan escaped
her lips. Her hands flew to Nathan’s
head and pulled his mouth up to meet hers.
The kiss grew in intensity until both of them were crazy with
desire. Nathan found himself in the
bunk pressing his body fully against Kristin’s, her leg wrapped around his
hip. A loud noise from the next room
startled them both. Nathan moved back
to kneel by the bunk, his hands replacing Kristin’s displaced clothing and
covering her to the neck with the blanket.
“How
am I ever going to stay away from you once this baby is born?”
Nathan
just smiled his best little boy smile.
Kristin yawned sleepily and he brushed his lips across hers. “Get some sleep, okay?” She nodded and closed her eyes.
Nathan
slipped back through the boardroom just as Savannah was emerging from the head
in a set of comfortable sweats.
“See! Four minutes and thirty seconds.”
*~*~*~*
Kristin
awoke with a start as her stomach rolled.
“Not again” she mumbled to her self.
“I only had a sandwich and a cup of tea.” Her hand gently rubbed her abdomen. “You’ve got to let me keep something down, little one. You need the nutrition too.”
Apparently
the baby in her womb didn’t agree because Kristin’s stomach began to churn
violently. She leapt up and dashed to
the head, barely making it before she was violently ill. Once her stomach was emptied of its contents
she leaned back against the wall.
“Your
father is going to pay for this.” Kristin’s noticed the strange taste in her mouth and the burning
sensation in her throat just as her stomach began to heave again. She rid herself of stomach bile and acid before
attempting to stand but strong abdominal cramps wouldn’t let her.
“Hold
on, little one, please.” She made it to
her feet and stumbled the short distance to the nursery. Kristin managed to push the door open and
call for Savannah before she felt the bile rise in her throat again.
Savannah
appeared in the doorway just as Kristin fell to her knees at the door of the
bathroom. “Get Nathan.” She stammered before once again being sick.
Savannah
raced to Nathan’s cabin and shook him frantically. Nathan was sleeping hard and didn’t appreciate the abrupt
awakening but when he saw Savannah’s face he knew something was wrong.
Kristin
was still hanging over the toilet bowl when they returned and he helped her
lean back against the wall and gently washed her face with the cold cloth
Savannah handed him.
“This
is bad bout, huh Babe?”
Kristin
shook her head. Her arms wrapped around
her waist as her stomach continued to cramp.
“This isn’t morning sickness Nathan.
You need to get Joshua quickly.
I think I’ve been poisoned.”
Nathan
ran to his cabin and saw Darwin floating in the aqua tube just as he knew the
dolphin would be. Darwin always sensed
trouble. He grabbed the portable
vocorder. “Darwin, go find Lucas and
tell him to bring Dr. Levin to my cabin.”
Darwin
nodded and swam quickly away as Nathan unlocked his
door then raced back to the other room.
“I’m
going to move you to the bed, okay Baby?”
Nathan cradled Kristin gently in his arms and carried her across the
cabin. She had gone very pale and her
skin was clammy where Nathan touched it.
“Can
you tell me what happened?” Nathan
asked once he had settled her in the bed.
Savannah hovered to the side.
“I
woke up and felt ill. I have a metallic
taste in my mouth and my throat is burning.
Those symptoms, along with abdominal cramping can indicate metal
poisoning, probably arsenic.”
Nathan’s
hand slid to Kristin’s abdomen. “You’re
sure the cramping isn’t the baby?”
“I
had a miscarriage years ago. This
doesn’t feel the same. There could be
danger to the baby though, if it is a toxic substance.”
“You
should have told me that you were pregnant.”
Savannah’s voice interrupted them.
“We
haven’t told anyone Savannah. Janet is
the only other person who knows. I’m
only eight weeks. We wanted to make sure that everything went okay and we
wanted to get this mess straightened out.”
“I
never would have let you put yourself on the firing line today. You shouldn’t even be on this boat.”
“Savannah,
My children are in danger of losing their father. I am in danger of losing my love. I am not willing to let that happen and I am not the type of
person to sit back and let someone else take what is mine. I have only done what I had to do.” Kristin caught Nathan’s hand and squeezed it
tightly as another wave of cramping hit her.
“Morning sickness seems like a bed of roses compared to this.”
“Morning
sickness? I thought you had a special
glow about you.” Joshua commented as he
moved into the room with Lucas on his heels.
Nathan
moved back into the nursery with Lucas while Joshua examined Kristin. They found both Maddy and Jamie playing
quietly in their cribs as if they knew that everyone else was occupied. Lucas warmed bottles and Nathan changed
diapers then the two men settled into chairs to feed the little ones.
“Was
Dr. Levin right, Captain? Are we going
to have another baby?”
Nathan
stifled his smile. “Yes Lucas. The Immaculate Conception has occurred yet
again. In about seven months we shall
have three sets of diapers to contend with instead of just two.”
“The
twins won’t be out of diapers yet?
Geez, you could have planned it a little better.”
“We
didn’t plan anything Lucas. It just
sort of happened. But don’t worry. Kristin assures me that this will be the
last baby we conceive without some sort of real divine intervention.”
“I
don’t understand.”
“Once
this baby comes, no more sex.”
Lucas
laughed out loud. “I wouldn’t place any
money on that one. Knowing you two in a
few years I’ll have enough brothers and sisters for a baseball team. We’ve got a shortstop so maybe this one will
be a pitcher.”
“You
know she set herself up. This morning
on the bridge when she kissed me, it was deliberate.”
“I
know. I’ve been thinking Captain and I
have an idea…”
*~*~*~*
Savannah
beckoned Nathan and Lucas back into the room and Nathan handed her Jamie before
he moved to Kristin’s side as she sat propped in the bunk. His worry showed in his face. He gazed at her and she raised a hand to
caress his cheek.
“I’m
okay. We are both okay. This damn morning sickness has kept me from
absorbing most of the arsenic. I only
have a trace amount in my system and it isn’t enough to hurt the baby. I never thought I’d be grateful for being so
sick.”
Nathan
turned to Joshua with a raised eyebrow.
“She’s
telling the truth. We even know where
it came from – the sugar dish. There
are still minute amounts left. Whoever
did this knows Kristin drinks a lot of tea, or at least expected it because of
her English background.” His curious
gaze took in the twins in Savannah and Lucas’s arms. “Perhaps I should check…your children? As well, just to make sure.
They are probably fine since no one knew they were on board but it’s
better to be safe than sorry.”
Nathan
ran the pad of his thumbs across Kristin’s lips. He spoke, never taking his eyes off of her. “Yes, Joshua, check out our children. And then we stop this here and now. Will you help us?”
Joshua
gave his affirmative then Nathan and Lucas laid out the plan they had hatched.
*~*~*~*
Joshua
was putting his medicine bag back in the med bay lockup when Wendy Smith came
into the room.
“You’re
out late. Anything important?”
“Dr.
Westphalen was feeling a bit nauseated.
Probably something she ate combined with lack of sleep. I gave her a shot of promethazine for the
nausea so she will probably sleep for the next twelve hours.”
“She
won’t thank you for that. She likes to
be in charge of every aspect of her research.”
“Dr.
Westphalen has a good team. I should
know. I helped her pick them. She needs the rest. Speaking of rest…”
Joshua’s
Pal went off as if on cue. “Levin
here.”
“Dr.
Levin this is Jenkins down in the research lab. We’ve got a bit of a problem and we could really use Dr.
Westphalen but her assistant told us she is down for the count. Anna is on her way down here but we could
probably use your help as well.”
“I’ll
be right there. Sorry Dr. Smith but
duty calls. Oh, I some samples from Dr.
Westphalen’s dinner tray to test for food poisoning, just in case. Will you put them in the laboratory basket
for me?” Joshua handed Wendy the
samples before exiting med bay.
Wendy
stared at the containers suspiciously before walking to the sink and emptying
the contents of the one containing sugar into the drain. She rinsed the vial clean, being careful not
to damage Levin’s label. She removed two packets of sugar from a drawer of her
desk and began to add them to the vial but she squeezed too hard and the still
damp vial flew from her hand and shattered on the floor. The label was irretrievably damaged.
‘Damn!’ Wendy thought to herself.
‘Levin will believe that I broke the sample but he will want another
one. I’ve got to get that sugar bowl.’
*~*~*~*
Kristin
lay curled up in her bunk sleeping soundly when Wendy stuck her head through
the hatch door. A quick glance told
Wendy that she was alone. ~Who were you
expecting to be here? Nathan? ~ She spotted the tray of cream and sugar on
the table next to Kristin’s bunk and began to move quietly toward it. The soft soles of her shoes made no noise on
the deck and Wendy reached the table without incident. She reached out for the sugar dish.
Wendy
screamed aloud and dropped the dish as a strong hand clamped around her wrist
and the room light came on. Kristin’s
grip tightened as she stared into Wendy’s eyes.
“Why?” Kristin demanded, her eyes ice cold.
“Dr.
Westphalen, Joshua told me that you weren’t feeling well and I just came by to
check on you.”
“Then
what the bloody hell are you doing with that sugar bowl? You tried to poison me. You’re the one who’s been invading Nathan’s
mind, turning him against me. I want to
know WHY?”
“I
think we’d all like the answer to that question.” Wendy turned to find Nathan, Joshua and the woman she knew as
Anna Ross filing into the room from the boardroom entrance. Nathan moved to stand over Wendy as Kristin
sat up and pulled her robe on over her nightgown.
“I…Nathan,
I can explain. I just came to check on
Dr. Westphalen. She’s delusional…”
“Stop
lying Dr. Smith. Kristin recognized the
symptoms of arsenic poisoning. We’ve
already tested the sugar bowl. We set you
up and you walked right in to it. Now
you are going to tell me why you did this to me. You did play with my mind didn’t you? You made me doubt Kristin then you made me forget her.”
“I
didn’t make you do anything. The doubts
were already there. I just magnified
them!”
“You
didn’t even know me a year ago but it was you then as well wasn’t it? What did I ever do to you to make you want
to hurt me this way?” Nathan shook his
head fiercely and looked to Kristin, tears coming to his eyes as he viewed the
sorrow in hers. “I love Kristin.” He fell to his knees in front of the
beautiful red head. “I love you
Kristin. I don’t doubt you.”
Kristin
tears flowed harder and she started to speak.
At that moment an ear-piercing wail rent the room. A frantic Lucas appeared at the door with a
screaming Maddy in his arms.
“I
can’t calm her down.”
Kristin
moved around Nathan and met Lucas in the middle of the room. Maddy reached for her mother but her
screaming continued as Kristin soothed her with whispered words and
touches. Nathan stood and stroked the
babies damp curls as he added his voice to Kristin’s until the little girl
finally hiccuped then buried her head in her mother’s shoulder.
Wendy
stared at the scene playing out in front of her. The baby caught her off guard but she understood when Nathan
joined mother and daughter. “How could
you hide this from me?”
Suddenly
her eyes fastened on the other woman in the room. Wendy swept her mind and found herself in a battle of wills. “Rossovich! You blocked my thoughts!”
Wendy’s
anger grew. She struck out with her
mind. Savannah caught the barrage of
emotion aimed at Kristin and Wendy quickly redirected her fury at Nathan. He cried out and fell to his knees, unable
to block the onslaught. Kristin
screamed and Wendy Smith fell back onto the deck, a vacant look on her face
Kristin
was vaguely aware of Joshua Levin supporting Savannah as she fell to her knees
beside Nathan. Kristin’s free hand
moved to Nathan’s cheek as he sat sobbing on the floor. “Nathan, are you okay? I need for you to speak to me?”
Nathan
stared at Kristin and the baby blankly.
“Nathan, it’s Kristin. Please
try to remember me. Remember the
children.” Kristin brushed her lips
across his. “Come on darling, please
try.” Her lips closed over his again
and she felt a tentative response.
Kristin flicked her tongue across his bottom lip and he opened his mouth
to her. Maddy chose that moment to grab
a handful of her father’s hair and yank – hard. Nathan yelped as he pulled back and unwrapped Maddy’s tiny
fingers.
“You
brat!” He kissed Maddy’s forehead then
began to blow raspberries on her cheeks and was rewarded with laughter. His mouth continued over Maddy’s face and
across Kristin’s cheek until her reached her mouth and planted a short but firm
kiss on her waiting lips. “I love
you.” He whispered quietly before he
stood to survey the room around him.
“Dr. Levin?”
Nathan questioned Levin who was kneeling beside an unconscious
Wendy.
“Her
circuits have been overloaded and she’s shut down momentarily. I think she will be okay but I need to get
her to med bay.”
Nathan
nodded. “Lucas will assist you. Once you’ve determined that she will be okay
I want her kept sedated until we make some decisions.”
Once
the men had left with the unresponsive Dr. Smith Nathan turned back to the
assembled company.
“Can
anyone tell me what just happened?
Savannah?”
The
woman shook her head. “It wasn’t
me. I was trying to deflect her anger
from Kristin and then she turned on you.
I felt something…” Savannah turned on Kristin. “Did you tell me the truth?
You have no telepathic ability at all?”
Kristin
shook her head. “Of course I told the
truth.”
“When
she turned on Nathan I felt rage and anguish – your feelings doctor. Your feelings incapacitated Dr. Smith. If you didn’t project them who did?”
Nathan
caught Kristin as she began to sag.
Savannah took Maddy as Nathan laid Kristin on the bunk and tucked her
beneath the blanket.
“Close
your eyes Baby. It’s all over now. You get some rest.”
Kristin
shook her head. “I want to go with
you. I deserve an explanation from that
woman just as much as you do.”
“I
agree but you need to rest more. Don’t
forget you were poisoned just a few hours ago.
Besides I think I’ll get a much more truthful explanation out of Smith
without your presence. I promise I’ll
tell you everything.”
When
Savannah returned to the room Nathan was stretched out in the bunk holding a
sleeping Kristin. When he saw Savannah
he carefully disentangled himself and placed a loving kiss on Kristin’s
forehead.
“Dr.
Levin just called. Wendy is coming
around and he wondered if I could…”
Nathan
waved his hands at her. “Go. I’ll be along in a few minutes.”
“What
about…?” Savannah pointed back into the
nursery.
“Kris
has got to get some rest. I’ll take
care of it.”
*~*~*~*
Nathan
strode purposefully down the hall, ignoring the surprised looks the two small
babies in his arms were evoking. Both
of the twins were wide-awake and gurgling happily. The mag-lev doors opened and Nathan stepped through, right into
an exiting Piccolo and Dagwood. The
look on Tony’s face was priceless and Nathan had to bite back a laugh. As Nathan sat down Piccolo turned away from
the exit and moved to sit beside his Captain.
Dagwood sat on the other side and stared at the babies, clearly
fascinated.
“The
UEO’s recruiting them younger ever day, huh sir?”
Nathan
just smiled; knowing the Piccolo was dying for him to say something, anything
at all about the kids.
“Yes
sir. I guess these two are for
engineering detail? Small enough to fit
in the crawl spaces.”
Dagwood
emitted a surprised yelp. He’d gently
stuck a finger in Jamie’s arm and the baby had grabbed hold and pulled it to
his mouth to suck on it.
Nathan
couldn’t hold the laughter back. “Now
you finally get the hang of it.” He
told his young son. “He won’t hurt you
Dagwood. I think he’s teething and
chewing on your finger helps soothe his gums.”
Dagwood
settled back and let the baby continue.
“The baby has the Captain’s eyes.”
Nathan
nodded as Piccolo’s eyes bugged out.
“This is my son, Dagwood. His
name is Jamie and this is his sister Maddy.”
Dagwood
nodded with a smile on his face. “She’s
pretty, like doctor Kristin.”
“She
does look like her mother.” Nathan
agreed as the mag-lev slid to a stop.
Piccolo
began to choke as Nathan stood up and moved to the door. He turned around at the exit to see Dagwood
beating a choking Tony on the back.
“Mr. Piccolo, don’t get to busy in any extracurricular activities or I
might find that the aquatubes need a thorough cleaning, with your
toothbrush. Do I make myself clear?”
Nathan
was pleased to see the mercenary gleam in Piccolo’s eyes go out, at least
momentarily.
*~*~*~
Joshua
had given Dr. Smith a light sedative, not enough medication to knock her cold
but enough to dampen any ideas she might have about mental manipulation. Light restraints held her to the bed as
Nathan paced and Joshua and Savannah hovered nearby. Wendy just watched until Nathan finally came to rest at the foot
of the bed. “WHY?” He demanded.
“I
love you, Nathan. I’ve loved you from
the first moment I saw you. We are
meant to be together. Can’t you see
that?”
Nathan
was struggling to hold his anger in check.
“If I ever gave you any indication that I reciprocated your feelings I’m
sorry but I love Kristin Westphalen.
I’ve loved her from the first moment I saw her. You almost destroyed her, destroyed me. You didn’t even know me a year ago. Why did you plant distrust in my mind?”
“I
did know you Nathan. I’ve known you for
years. I was seventeen the first time I
saw you. Mother spoke at the Academy
graduation that year and I accompanied her.
Your son was in that class.”
Nathan
nodded, remembering Admiral Lexington Smith’s keynote speech at Robert’s
commencement.
“Mother
pointed Robert out to me and told me that he would be a good catch, that she
had been foolish enough to let his father get away but I should try for the
son. Robert was standing with you and
your wife. He was very handsome but you
took my breath away. You glanced up and
nodded at mother and our eyes met. I
knew in that moment that we were fated to be together. That’s why I became involved with the UEO,
so I could be close to you. Then your
son died and you disappeared but I didn’t give up on you. I was sorry when I heard your wife died,
because I knew that you would be hurting as well, but I was happy because I
knew that our time had come. Mother
heard that Admiral Noyce was going to try and lure you back to the original
seaQuest so she made arrangements to have me posted on board, but then Admiral
Noyce convinced the powers that be to have a larger civilian science
contingent. He hired her and my post was done away with.”
Wendy
stopped and took a breath, almost overwhelmed by the rage emanating from
Nathan.
“Kristin
Westphalen never did anything to hurt you.
Why did you try to kill her?”
“She
took you away from me! I investigated
her when I found out she was going to be your CMO but I wrote her off. She’s middle-aged, hard as nails and hates
the military. How could you be
attracted to her? After you blew up the
boat and moved to NCQ to build the new one Mother began to work behind the
scenes to make sure I would be the new CMO.
A couple of months before we launched I took leave and moved to NCQ to
be near you. That’s when I found out
about your relationship with her, that you were living together. You should have waited for me Nathan.”
Nathan
had to bit his lip to keep from releasing his ire. “What did you do then?”
“I
went to a party one night. You were
there with her and your astronaut friend was there too. I had already learned that you sensed if I
touched your mind too deeply but when your friend danced with Dr. Westphalen I
could feel your jealousy. Outwardly you
were smiling and laughing but inwardly you couldn’t stand the thought of any
other man touching her. You were so
distracted that I decided to use that to my advantage, plant a quick
subconscious thought.”
Nathan
closed his eyes against the memory of that night. He had been jealous when he’d seen Kristin and Scott dancing
together but he’d chalked it up to having too much to drink. He remembered making a comment about the
dance that Kristin had taken as a joke.
She’d teased him relentlessly about the green-eyed monster and they’d
ended up having a night of fantastic sex.
‘That was probably the night the twins were conceived.’ Nathan thought to himself, a smile tugging
at the corner of his mouth.
Wendy’s
voice dragged him back. “It was easy to
get near to you over the next few weeks, pass you in the hall or sit near you
in the cafeteria. Each time I subtly
reminded you of your jealousy. By the
time the tour started I’d heard that Dr. Westphalen had left you. I knew that she would. She didn’t love you Nathan, not like I
do. I tried so hard to let you know
that and you were responding, I know you were, but then you always pulled
back.”
“You
made me forget about her, at least you tried.
That’s why I always pulled back wasn’t it? Something in my subconscious remembered Kristin. You couldn’t overcome that.”
“You
didn’t need to be distracted by thoughts of her. You were supposed to be thinking about me. So I helped you forget your feelings for
her. I told mother that I had to go to
that party but she insisted that I go with her to my cousin’s wedding. I didn’t think that you had remembered but
when she came onboard I wasn’t sure.
You got so angry when I objected to her being here but I didn’t feel any
intimacy between you, at least not until she kissed you on the bridge. I wasn’t trying to kill her. I could sense that she hadn’t been feeling
well and I thought that if she were to get even sicker she would have to leave
the boat. Levin would have noticed if
any drugs were missing so I used something from the lab.”
“Arsenic
was just a little something to make her sick?
Get real, Smith. It was
attempted murder and I’m going to make sure that you pay for it. Mommy isn’t going to be able to bail you out
this time.”
“You
don’t mean that Nathan. You love me, I
know you do. It was the brats, wasn’t
it? After you got back from Lucas’
party I knew that something had changed but I couldn’t tell what. How do you even know that they are
yours? She probably did sleep with
Keller.”
Nathan’s
hands balled into fists as the slammed down on the end of the bed, not touching
Smith but coming very close. “STOP
IT! I will not let you control me
anymore. Get this straight. I love Kristin. We have two wonderful babies.
Kristin and I are going to get married.
If you ever try to harm my family in any way you will be sorry. I promise you.” Nathan turned toward the door.
“Make sure that she can’t touch anyone’s mind. I’ll send Brody to lock her in the brig until we can finish up
here and return to port.”
“NOOOO!” Nathan heard Wendy scream as he exited the
room. He did not turn back.
*~*~*~*
Nathan
entered the VIP quarters through the boardroom door and smiled at the sight
that greeted him. Kristin was sleeping
soundly in her bunk with two sleeping babies tucked safely between her body and
the wall. Lucas was fast asleep as
well, seated in a chair which was tilted back precariously against the main
door. He’d made sure that no one could
get through the door without going through him. Nathan shook the boy gently to wake him and motioned for his
silence. Nathan leaned over the
sleeping woman and gently picked up his small son. He gave Lucas the boy to take back into the nursery. Then Nathan turned to get Maddy, preparing
himself to make a dash with her before she could wake her mother up. To his surprise Maddy continued to sleep
soundly as he carried her into the next room, her only movement was to stick
her thumb into her mouth.
“Is
every thing okay?” Lucas whispered as
they tucked the twins in.
“Everything
is fine. Go get some sleep now. I’ll tell you all about it tomorrow. Thanks for watching Kris and the kids for
me.”
Lucas
nodded and took off toward the door, a huge yawn erupting from his mouth. Nathan walked back to Kristin’s bunk and had
just gathered her into his arms when Savannah appeared. She raised her eyebrows and nodded at the
sleeping woman. “Everything okay?” She mouthed.
Nathan
nodded and whispered. “I know you and
Kristen have been taking turns on that horrible cot in the conference room but
you don’t have to any more. You take
this cabin. She stays with me.”
Savannah
smiled a knowing smile and nodded in agreement. “Only if you let me take baby duty for what is left of the
night. Close your door behind you.”
Nathan
smiled his thanks as he slipped into the next room. A moment later Savannah heard the thud of the far door being
kicked shut.
*~*~*~*
Kristin
snuggled deeper into the warmth surrounding her and sighed as she opened her
eyes. Deep pools of blue stared back at
her.
“Good
morning, Sleeping Beauty!”
Kristin
smiled. “I think I’ve heard that
before. You wouldn’t be trying to
seduce me now would you?”
“Always.” Nathan bent his lips to brush hers in a
tender kiss. “How do you feel this
morning?”
“A
little nauseated but surprising well considering the events of the past 24
hours. What happened after I went to
sleep? Where is that woman?”
“That
woman is in the brig where she will stay until we finish this little clean up
job and get back to port.” Nathan went
on to explain everything that Wendy had revealed to him about her motives and
methodology. When he finished Kristin
sighed.
“I
can’t blame her for falling for you but I still hate her. Oh God, she knows about the children! What is she tries…”
“She
won’t try anything. I promise. I don’t think she can hurt the children.”
“What
do you mean? They’re just babies. Of course she could hurt them.”
“When
Wendy overloaded Savannah said that it was your feelings that did it but you
don’t have any empathic ability. I
think that perhaps one or both of the kids might have inherited some of mine,
probably Maddy. I think that maybe she
picked up on your feelings and threw them back at the source instinctively.”
“That’s
ridiculous, Nathan. She is just a
baby!” Kristin sat up and immediately
turned green. Nathan eased her slowly
back into the pillow before climbing out of the bunk and pulling on his
clothes.
“It
is just a theory and not even an important one. We can talk about it later.
Now, can I get you anything?
Would you like some tea? A few
crackers?”
“A
cracker or two wouldn’t be unwelcome but no tea. I may never drink the stuff again. Get me some ginger ale.
And maybe some waffles…with chocolate syrup.”
Nathan
pulled his face. “You’re nauseated so
you want me to be nauseated too, right?”
He dived out the door, narrowly avoiding the pillow that flew his way.
*~*~*~*
Nathan’s
hands were full of the tray of food that he carried so he used his foot to push
on the cabin door. It didn’t budge so
he tried again. The door still didn’t
move. Nathan was suddenly scared and
leaned into the door with all his weight.
It flew open and he staggered into the room, barely succeeding in
hanging on to the tray. He was greeted
with applause.
Nathan
looked up to find his cabin filled with people. Kristin was curled up in one end of the bed but Lucas was
lounging on the other end. Dagwood sat
in the chair at Nathan’s desk with Jamie held protectively in his arms. Ortiz,
O’Neill and Levin were scattered around the room. Nathan almost dropped the tray again when he saw Ford and
Piccolo, not because of their presence but because Jonathan was holding Maddy
while he and Piccolo made goofy faces and babbled at her.
“I
guess that our news is out. What
happened Piccolo? Couldn’t figure out
how to fit third shift in the cabin?”
Tony
Piccolo just grinned.
“Nathan,
be nice. The boys just wanted to meet
the babies. They’ve been getting
acquainted. Did you get my waffles?”
Nathan
sat the tray down on the bed in front of her.
“Crackers, ginger ale, waffles and chocolate syrup. Hey, the danish was mine!” Kristin dropped the danish back onto its
plate and turned the large mouth imprint away from Nathan.”
“And
it’s very good!” She handed the plate
to Nathan before devouring her waffles and chocolate sauce. A collective groan went up from the males
assembled at the sight of the sticky treat.
“Maybe
we should get back to work, gentlemen.”
Commander Ford prompted gently.
“That
sounds like an excellent idea.” Bridger
seconded. He took Maddy from Ford’s
arms and handed her to Lucas. “Why
don’t you and Dagwood take the twins down to see Darwin? Play a little. Stay gone for at least an hour.”
Nathan gave Lucas a hard stare.
Kristin
leaned forward slightly to watch as Lucas and Dagwood quickly disappeared into
the corridor along with the rest of their visitors. “Am I wrong in thinking that you would like to be alone with me
Captain?”
“You
would not be wrong.”
“And
could this sudden desire to be alone with me indicate that perhaps you have an
ulterior motive?”
“That
depends. Are you still feeling ill?”
Kristin
shook her head as she let her robe slip from her shoulders revealing the silky
white negligee beneath. “I feel pretty
good actually. Wanna feel me?”
“Desperately!” Nathan flipped the lock on the door before
he began pulling off his clothes. He was bent over pulling his pants over his
feet when he felt something brush his neck.
Nathan tilted his eyes up to find a nest of auburn curls at eye
level. Kristin’s negligee lay draped
partially across his neck. The rest of
the gown was cupped in the palm that she ran sensuously over her thigh. Nathan groaned as her silk covered fingers
brushed through the nest of curls teasingly.
Nathan
leaned forward and raised his head slightly to run his tongue around Kristin’s
belly button. Her breath caught as
Nathan carefully maneuvered her back a few steps. When the edge of the bunk caught their knees Nathan pushed
Kristin down to sit on the edge and knelt between her parted legs. Kristin smiled a naughty smile and started
to lean back but Nathan ran his hands up her rib cage and around to her
shoulder blades, holding her upright.
“I’ve
only got seven months before you start breast feeding again and I’ve really
missed this.” Nathan stared lovingly at
her generous chest before he went to work, mouth, tongue and hands working in
unison to give pleasure. Kristin arched
her back and a low moan escaped her lips as her hands moved to clutch Nathan’s
head to her chest. Nathan drew the
torment out, nibbling slowly around each globe, working from the outside in but
stopping just before he reached the swollen peak. When his mouth left one breast for the other his hand moved in to
continue stroking. Kristin began to
wiggle beneath his hands, trying desperately to push her nipples into contact
with his mouth and hands.
Just
when Kristin knew she was going to go completely crazy Nathan lightly brushed
his tongue across a pink tip. Her body
convulsed and a cry came from deep in her throat as her body shook with
pleasure. Her head fell to Nathan’s shoulder and he continued to gently caress
her body as she slowly came back to earth.
Kristin
drew her head back to stare at Nathan, wonder in her eyes. She moved back and stretched on the bunk
while pulling Nathan’s hand to draw him up and beside her. Nathan cradled Kristin in his arms as they
kissed lightly. “I love you.” They whispered to each other at the same
time, drawing a smile to both of their faces.
A few more simple moves joined them together at last. Nathan moved slowly, using long deep strokes
to rekindle Kristin’s desire. Their
lovemaking was simple but heart felt as a year’s worth of pent-up feeling
flooding out. They came together,
voices crying out in unison. Afterwards
they lay tangled, neither one willing to let go of the other.
*~*~*~*
The
waves rolled gently to shore as the sun worked its way down toward the western
horizon. The formal ceremony was over
and Nathan, looking very handsome in his dress uniform, stood on the periphery
of the crowd and watched as the new Mrs. Nathan Bridger greeted the guests, a
brilliant smile on her beautiful face.
Kristin wore a simple gown of the palest pink silk covered with lace
that hung to mid calf. Cap sleeves and
a scooped neckline accented her abundant chest while the empire waist hid her
burgeoning stomach. The new baby was
still their little secret but, at four and a half months, Nathan knew that it
wouldn’t be for much longer.
“You
sure you don’t want to change your mind?”
Bill’s voice sounded in Nathan’s ear as a glass of champagne appeared in
front of his face. “Ford will be a good
captain but she is your ship.”
Nathan
shook his head vigorously. “No
way. I’ve had my turn. It’s time to let someone else take the helm.
There is nothing I want more in this world than to be at home with my
family. Do you realize that I’ve missed
the births of all three of my children?
I’m not going to make that mistake again.”
Bill
shot a look of curiosity at Nathan, making him wonder if Janet had revealed
their secret. “I heard Lucas needs some outfielders to complete the family
baseball team.”
Nathan
just grinned and remained silent.
Bill
looked thoughtful. “Will you be happy
on land Nathan? Won’t you be bored?”
“The
job you’ve offered me at HQ should keep me pretty busy and God knows I love
designing. Look at her, Bill.” Nathan gestured toward Kristin as she stood
chatting with Katie, each woman holding a seven-month-old twin in their
arms. “Can you imagine any day spent
with Kristin Westphalen Bridger a boring day?
I’m going to tuck my kids into bed every night, wake them up every
morning, and see them grow and change every single day. What could possibly be dull about that?”
“You
know that Admiral Smith is gunning for you?
She blames you for her daughter flipping out and being remanded to the
mental hospital.”
“I
can deal with Sexy Lexy. If she doesn’t
let up I’ll resign. Kristin and I will
take the kids and retire to the island.
Get this straight Bill. No one
is ever going to hurt my family again.”
Bill
lifted his glass to Nathan. “Just be
happy Nathan. That’s what Janet and I
wish for all of you.” The two men
shared a silent toast and a handshake.
Janet’s
waving hand caught their eye as she motioned Nathan over to where she stood
with Kristin and the photographer.
“Duty
calls.” Nathan handed his glass to Bill
and trudged across the sand to his wife’s side.
“The
photographer wants to get a family portrait.
I think that would be nice, don’t you?”
Kristin asked Nathan who nodded in agreement.
The
photographer quickly positioned the happy couple against the ocean backdrop,
each of them holding a child. He
snapped a couple of pictures before Kristin could stop him.
“A
proper family portrait should have the entire family. Where is Cynthia?”
Cynthia
stepped into frame and was being positioned by the photographer when Kristin
whispered in Nathan’s ear.
“I
love you!” He told her and planted a
kiss on her lips. “Lucas, get your butt
over here, family portrait!”
The
boy appeared with loud protests but both Nathan and Kristin could tell he was
extremely pleased to be included. The
photographer continued to fuss and rearrange until he was finally satisfied –
Lucas holding Jamie, Nathan with his arms around Kristin who stood in front and
slightly to one side, and Cynthia holding Maddy on the other end. The camera snapped away as the crowd
watched.
“Hey
Lucas! Looks like you are going to have
to settle for a basketball team.” This
came from Ben Kreig, who knew that basketball was not Lucas’s favorite sport.
“Yeah,
right!” Lucas yelled back. “I only need two more players. One more set of twins is all it takes!”
Tony
Piccolo joined in the game. “You also
need to learn to count. A baseball team
takes nine players. By my reckoning two
more players only gives you eight.”
“You’re
not counting the new…”
“Lucas!” Both Nathan and Kristin hissed under the
breath but it was too late. All eyes
fell to Kristin’s stomach; clearly outlined by the dress that had been pulled
tight by Nathan’s clenched hands.
Ben
and Piccolo looked at each other and grinned.
“Partners?” He asked Tony. Piccolo nodded. Ben reached into his inside coat pocket and pulled out a
notebook.
“All
right people, birth date, height, weight and sex. Place your bets!” Both
Kreig and Piccolo were swarmed with crewmen.
“I’m
sorry, sir. Really, I am doc.” Lucas apologized.
“It
wasn’t as if we could keep it a secret much longer but you really should be
more careful Lucas.” Kristin admonished
gently. “And I’m afraid that if you
need outfielders you are going to have to look elsewhere. This is the last baby I am going to have,
okay?”
Lucas
nodded. “ I know, the no sex rule. But
you didn’t really plan any of these babies either. I can hope for a third Immaculate Conception can’t I?”
“Lucas
will you kindly shut up before I end up in divorce court!” Nathan said in a mock whisper as Kristin
turned to glare at him.
Luckily
for Nathan the band began to play at just that moment. The first song was one that Nathan quickly
recognized. It was the song he had
asked the band to play at Lucas’ s birthday party nearly five months ago.
A
smile slowly lit Kristin’s face as she held her hand out to Nathan.
“Could
I have this dance?”
~fin