Jake, Jeremiah, and Skyler all sat and stared at Colton. “Dude. That was the most fucked up phone conversation I’ve ever had”, Jake said. It was evident that he was still in shock.
“How do you think I felt when I last took Maddie and Asher to the Res to visit my parents and Albert looked at Maddie and told her she was pregnant and going to have a little girl? We didn’t even know yet that Maddie was pregnant with Dahlia.”
“Jake, I wasn’t even having symptoms yet”, Maddie said as she reached out and took her husband’s hand.
“Wow. You’ve got to be kidding me.”
“Nope. What’s even more fucked up is that Colt and I had just made love the night before. He told me, and I quote, ‘The spirits tell me that your union from last night will bear fruit. You’ll have a little girl and your mother will get to play catch again.’ He said it dead pan as though he were tuned into something that only he could see. Two weeks later, I pulled something you boys have only ever pulled. I saw her in a dream. Now she’s four years old and in Pre- school.”
Jake couldn’t help but laugh. “Wow, Maddie. That’s insane.”
“What shocked me is that he didn’t tell us that we all need to pay closer attention to our own guides because they won’t steer us wrong.”
“He must be very in tune with his guides or whatever because he knew all of us by name and knew our gifts and concerns”, Skyler pointed out. He knew us without us having to speak, and when we did he addressed us by name. He knew what we dreamed or saw without having to be told.”
“What I’m trying to figure out is how I’m supposed to tell Dad anything without telling him that he and Mom will end up staying in July”, Jake said. “Better yet, how am I supposed to tell him anything about what Albert said without telling him that he and Mom will end up staying here in the summer? Or without our highly educated father figuring it out.”
“Yeah, that’s the dilemma”, Jeremiah said with a chuckle. It wasn’t a chuckle that said he found anything funny. It was more nerves than anything.
Maddie chimed in. “I guess you could tell Dad that we know that Rina will be perfectly healthy when she’s born. You can tell him that in order for us all to keep what we’ve seen from coming to pass, Jordan has to be allowed to be Jordan and do what she does. And we can tell him that the Utopians want her and Malachai dead like they wanted him dead back in the day before most of us in this room were thought of. We should probably mention to Logan that he might want to be careful as well.”
Jake smiled at his little sister. “You’re genius, Maddie.”
“That’s what my IQ test said last time I took it.” She gave him a big cheesy grin.
All anyone else in the room could do was laugh and shake their heads.
---------------
As they lay in bed, David and Brie talked about the next trip they were going to go on after they returned home from the US for the birth of yet another granddaughter. “Where haven’t we gone?” Brie asked.
“Brazil, South Africa, China, Greece, Morocco, Mexico. We’re seen bits and pieces of India and Japan, but never really took in the sights. I remember a few years ago you expressed interest in going to Rome. We haven’t been to Italy yet, if I remember correctly.”
She smiled and pressed a kiss to his chest. “Are you finally admitting that your memory is slipping a little bit?”
“Maybe a little, but hey, I’m 73 years old. My memory is bound to fail me every now and again.”
She gasped in shock. “Are you saying that you’re getting old, David Michael?” she asked playfully.
“You’re the only soul that I will ever admit that to”, he said with a chuckle.
“Well, baby, if you think about it, our children are starting to get old too. Malachai is 40 now. Jake and Jordan and 35. Maddie’s 32. The quads are 28, almost 29. And that beautiful young woman that gave us a new grandchild yesterday and her twin, they’re almost 26. Hell, David, we have grandchildren that are about to graduate from High School. I think Isaiah and Miranda are seniors this year as a matter of fact.”
“Miri’s what, 10 now?”
“She will be. Oh, I think she won first place in the science fair this year… again.”
“With Jacob and Delilah as her parents, I’m not surprised. They’re both very intelligent and deal with the brain in some way on a daily basis. I mean, technically, Delilah’s a shrink that practices massage and our son is a neurologist and oncologist. I think Jake’s in his own class as a doctor.”
“Well, he is your son, David.”
“And we have two PhD’s in the family now with Jeremiah and Meagan. Two Oscar- award winners in Makayla and Marc. Grammy winners in our rock star children. A Nobel Prize winner. An Olympic gold medalist. A massage therapist that’s revolutionizing the field like her mother, and a record executive. We have a multi- talented bunch on our hands.”
“We do, we do. But, they have a multi- talented father.”
“And a beautiful, multi- talented mother with the patience of a saint.”
“I didn’t have saintly patience today.”
“Because our son in law was being a pussy.”
“I think seeing her in that kind of pain is what got to him. I don’t think he realized just how painful labor and child birth can be. I am, however, shocked that he was holding her foot with the nurse rather than asking one of us to do it.” She sighed and rubbed her cheek against his chest. “Back to the original subject. Where are we going next? I say Japan. I want to see the ancient temples and all that. After that, we should go to Mexico and see all those ancient temples and ruins.”
“Wow, you know what you want, huh?”
“For the most part, yeah. Mainly, I just want to be with you.”
That comment earned her a smile. “And that all I want. I just want to be with you and for you to be happy.”
“How could I not be happy with a man who is solely concerned with my happiness?” She stretched up and pressed a kiss to his lips. “You make me happier than anything else”, she whispered against his lips. “And that’s what I love about you. You always keep me in mind.”
“No”, he whispered in return, “I always put you first. You’re at the forefront of my every thought.” His hand lay against the side of her face. “You are my wife, after all.”
She smile softly. “I love you, David”, she whispered.
“Not nearly as much as I love you, Brie. Mind if I prove it?”
She pressed her lips to his again as if to say, Be my guest, my love. So, that’s what he did. The kiss was soft with no demand to it. As their lips moved together, her hands slid over the expansive swell of his chest and shoulders and she felt desire coiling in deep in her body. Making love to him with him at that moment felt just as right as it had their first night together 36 years before.
The hand that rested against her cheek slid back to rest between her shoulder blades as the other slid along her hips to her lower back. Momentarily, his fingertip traced along the scar from the surgery she’d had ten years previous to correct a fusion of her lumbar vertebrae known as Spondylosis. He remembered the fresh hell of watching her do physical therapy. But, now she was better than ever and still as flexible as before. He pushed the thought from him mind as he rolled her onto her back and came to rest between her legs. His arms held him up in a half push up; his lips never losing their connection with hers.
She moaned softly against his lips, her hips bucking against him, as she urged him to take her. She could feel him hard and ready, the tip of him pressing against her opening. She knew she was ready for him. She wanted him to make love to her. She pulled her lips away from his to speak. “David, please”, she moaned softly.
He didn’t make her ask again. He didn’t make her beg. He just pushed into her and fought through the tightness of the silken folds as she wrapped her legs around his waist. Once he reached the end of her passage he slowly pulled back and pushed back in, building up a rhythm.
Her arms slipped around his neck as she moved her hips against his. She loved the feeling of them moving together as one. They were, after all, two halves of a whole. It was only fitting that it seemed like it when they made love. His every thrust brought her closer to her climax as she felt her body becoming more and more sensitive and heat pooled in her loins. It wouldn’t be long before she would reach her peak.
She wasn’t the only one getting close. It wasn’t that he didn’t have the stamina to keep up with her anymore. It was that the day had been trying and he was tired. Anyway, she loved it when they went together and he knew that. Her satisfaction was the only thing he cared about. But, he knew her body better then he knew his way through their house in the dark. He knew how close she was and that, once she started, it was hard to stop until he went. He knew that only after he’d gotten his, would her body quiet.
It wasn’t long before she reached that peak either. Her back arched, changing the angle. He thrust four more times before he too had gone. He just pushed his seed deeper inside her as her body twitched and spasmed around him. His head hung low and rested against her shoulder as they both tried to slow their breathing.
She giggled breathlessly. “I love you too, David.”
He didn’t know how to respond to that, so he didn’t try. He just pulled out slowly- causing her to let out a soft moan- and got comfortable beside her in the bed. He pulled her into his side with a smile. Once she’d lain her head on his chest, they both drifted quietly off to sleep.
---------------
“‘Miah, baby, this whole situation has me worried”, Jona said when she and her husband were alone in their little house behind homestead. Matthew was taking a late nap because he’d hit a wall while he was playing with his cousins that were around his age.
“Jona, love, I’m just as worried about the whole situation as you are. But, what the Navajo Shaman said was that we should let Jordan do what she’s going to do, though letting her do what she’s going to do is going to prevent all of our dreams and visions from coming true. What’s surprised me is that you’re not seeing anything.”
“I’ve been seeing little flashes here and there, but nothing that can be made sense of. I just didn’t want to alarm you.”
“Sweetheart, you have to tell me these things. What have you been seeing?”
“Mostly, things about the baby. Weird little things like she’s not going to cry, she’s going to be still born….”
Jeremiah cut her off with a finger pressed to her lips. “Jona Eavan Draiman, listen to me, ok? There is nothing wrong with that baby girl. One of the things that Albert the Shaman said was that she will be perfectly healthy when she comes in July. And, we both know that your father is excited because he’s sure that he’s going to get his birthday baby, like my parents have theirs- I think they have two apiece, as a matter of fact.”
“Really?”
“Yeah. Mom has Miri and Zeke. Dad has Mattie and Pilar.”
“Oh. Do you think your brothers and sisters mind having my parents so close by?”
“No. Jake, I think, has come to count on having your father nearby so that he has someone other than Dad to turn to when he needs advice.”
“Well, I still think that there’s something funny about the whole situation with the dreams and Jordan, Malachai, and Logan all being in danger.”
“I agree, baby, but there’s not really anything we can do about it. All we can do is let the events play out the way they’re supposed to. I certainly don’t want to have to launch a rescue attempt for Jordan just to find her beaten and bloody and bruised just to have her come home, heal, and become blood thirsty. I’m sure that none of my other brothers want to do anything along those lines either. But, if that’s what’s required of us, then we will all do it.”
“Family first?”
“Always. Our parents taught us to stick together and to lean on each other in time of need. We’ve always been a close family and that’s because that’s what our parents taught us. We’re supportive of each other, we lean on each other for strength and support. I mean, sure, there are times when I want to kill all of them, but if someone were to hurt any of them, especially my sisters, I’ll go on the warpath. Our parents taught us that family is important and that’s something I want to impress upon our children- that family is important.”
She smiled. “It’s a good thing that your parents taught you guys that family is important because it makes you all a strong unit. I want your children to know that kind of support too. It’s the same thing that my Dad taught Damien and me.”
“Speaking of your little brother, how does he like having his own share in the Draiman – Mason Wellness Center?”
“He likes being the boss”, she said with a giggle. “He hired another acupuncturist so that he can have time off every now and then. He likes being able to look at any of the other therapists and tell them to do something and they know he can fire them if they don’t do it.”
Jeremiah laughed. “He likes the power?”
“Oh yeah. He very much likes the power. Well, more like he enjoys the idea of the power. He’s never used it. ”
“What?”
“Yeah. He said, ‘If I have to fire someone, it’s nice to have the power to do so. But, I’m not going to be power hungry and hold it over people’s heads’.”
“Interesting”, Jeremiah laughed. “Good to know that he’s being so nice.” He sighed. “Honey, I know you’re worried because your father is having visions, and I’m having dreams. Matthew is having bad dreams. Jake and Maddie are having dreams. I’m worried too. Let’s just see where the chips fall. We’ll do what needs to be done when the times comes. Don’t worry about it. Everything will be just fine.”
---------------
“James, you have got to learn to relax”, Kenna- his wife- said as they sat in the kitchen. She was making herself a snack. Being pregnant- even only two months- had made her appetite grow. It was just a little quesadilla to hold herself over until dinner. Rumor had it that Colton had started smoking ribs in the smoker out back. There was a bunch of different side dishes being made. The Draiman family was big enough to have to do things buffet style.
“Kenna, you’re two months pregnant with what could possibly be my son. I am not going to let you take chances like that. Anyway, my brother is a doctor. You are in no shape to be training with a weapon.”
“Would your father have said the same thing to your mother in our positions?”
“In a heartbeat. Mom’s happiness, safety, and well-being are forefront in my father’s thoughts at all times. If a decision he makes doesn’t make her happy, at least she’s safety and well.”
“Even though your mother is as highly trained in firearms as he is?”
“Yes, because the amount of force in the recoil of a rifle, especially the rifles we have around here, is enough to dislocate your shoulder if done wrong. Being pregnant means that you have to think about more than just yourself. You have to think about that unborn child as well. Yes, we have Hunter, Nikki, and Josie. I’m not saying I want a huge family I my parents had. But, I want a healthy family.”
“You never told me the story of why you were a single father of three when I met you”, she said, changing the subject.
“Hunter, I adopted when he was about 3. His mother and I dated and we were pretty serious. She’s also the twins’ mother. The day that Jona and Jeremiah got married, she tried to pick a huge fight with me and tell me that she was the one that ran shit in our relationship. She started slapping the shit out of me. She was about 3 months pregnant. I did what I could not to hurt her but I subdued her and brought her down here to my parents. They separated us and the next morning I was on the phone with the family attorney to get custody of Hunter. It took a couple months, but she was finally served with the papers, not only for Hunter, but for the unborn children. She went bat shit and attacked me. Mom tackled her. My mother may be small, but she is powerful and knows how to take a person down. Anyway, we called the police and I pressed charges. The next day, we went to her arraignment and the judge handled the custody matter right then and there because she was also the family court judge. By that time, Hunter had told me that she was also molesting him. I had him repeat the story to my parents. Since then, I’ve had him. The girls don’t know their mother and never will. She’s no longer amongst the living.”
Kenna could see the ghosts in her husband’s eyes. No wonder he wanted her to be safe and stay away from training with rifles. He’d been burned too many times in one way or another. She could tell that there was something else that was bothering him. She wanted to know so that she could offer him comfort. “What else is there, Jay? There’s another ghost there that I don’t know about. Tell me about her.” She’d been picking at the quesadilla she’d made herself.
James shook his head. “No. I haven’t spoken of the other one since her funeral.”
“James, how am I supposed to help you move on if you don’t trust me enough to open up to me?”
He swallowed his pulse. He knew this conversation was coming. “Fine. Maybe this will help you see why I’m so dead set against you learning how to use a weapon while you’re pregnant.” He took a deep breath. “Her name was Brittan. She was my high school sweetheart. We dated sophomore through senior years. She was the quintessential cheerleader to my football player. The yin to my yang. We ran track together during the spring. Now, I’m not going to lie, I wasn’t a virgin when I got with her and she knew it. Neither was she. We were young, dumb and in love; fooling around whenever we had a chance. One of those chances I didn’t have a rubber and she got pregnant. She might have been two or three weeks pregnant when it happened. After school, she was at the bank withdrawing money from her family account so that she could get some simple necessities for the baby. The bank was robbed and she was shot. The gun shot severed the abdominal aorta and she bled out rather quickly. Seeing as the shot was in her stomach, the baby died too.” He reached up and wiped a tear from his eyes. “I miss her every day, Kenna. She was going to be my wife after we graduated.”
She nodded. “I understand that. It’s been what, ten years since she died?”
He nodded. “Yeah. About that.” He took her hands. “You see why I don’t want you out there around the guns, Kenna? I love you and I can’t lose you like that too. No one in my family would be that careless but accidents happen and I’m not willing to take that chance. Not with our unborn child, Kenna; and certainly not with you. I want us to have the marriage that my parents have. I want us to grow old and travel the world together after I pass my share of Intoxication off to Hunter or whichever of our children wants it. I don’t want to have to bury you too. I had to bury Brittan; I had to have Kim arrested and she committed suicide in jail. You, my beautiful, sweet, angel, are my last chance. If something happens to you, I’ll never love again. I will close myself off to love because it will seem like every woman I fall in love with dies or is fucking crazy.”
She laid a hand against his cheek. “I love you, too, James. Now that I understand, I’ll stop harping on it.”
He turned his head and kissed her palm. “Thank you, Kenna. You just made my life a little easier.”
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