Nine AM came a little too soon for David Draiman. He certainly didn’t want to get up. Not after the fender bender he had been in the night before. The fender bender meant that he had to talk to the insurance company. He rolled to see if his beautiful wife was still lying next to him. His hand reached out to search for her because his eyes were still closed. The sun was spilling in through the thin drapes over the window in their bedroom so his eyes were close so that they wouldn’t start bothering him.
The space he touched next to him was empty. She was up already. He sniffed the air. He smelled steak and maple syrup. Pancakes? Waffles? French toast? He wasn’t sure what she was making. There was one way to find out and that was for him to drag his tired ass out of bed.
Once he was dressed in a pair of silk basketball shorts, he trudged out into the living room and kitchen area to find out what she was making for breakfast. “What smells so good?” he asked, walking up behind her and slipping his arms around her waist.
She smiled. “Food. That’s what smells so good.”
He laughed and kissed her neck. “It looks like waffles to me”, he chuckled against the side of her throat.
She shuddered lightly. “You’re certainly astute this morning.” She was being facetious.
“Yeah, I guess eating my Wheaties yesterday morning was a good idea”, he said with a laugh.
She laughed and leaned into his embrace, turning her head so that she could give him a kiss good morning. “You’re so funny, David. Are you going to call the insurance company about the accident last night?”
“Yeah, after I go out and take pictures of the damage to the rear end of my Mustang.”
“Then why don’t you slip on your shoes and go do that? Jake’s due to call any minute now and I’m sure that you won’t want to be interrupted while you’re taking pictures of the car to take a phone call.”
He chuckled. “What’s the ETA on breakfast?”
“Five minutes. I have some coffee on for you.”
“Always on your toes to take care of me.” He squeezed her gently and moved for the coffee pot. He grabbed his coffee cup out of the cabinet above the machine as he heard his cell phone start going in the bedroom where it was still on the charger. He set the cup on the counter and ran to get his phone, barely missing the call.
Brie made her husband a cup of coffee while he came back into the kitchen with the phone pressed to his ear. “Sorry I missed you, Jake. I was charging my phone in one room and getting coffee in another. What’s up?” He paused. “Hold on, hold on. Let me put you on speaker so that you mother can hear what’s going on too.” He pulled the phone from his ear and pushed a button on the screen then set it on the counter. “Ok, Jacob. What were you saying?”
“First of all, good morning Mom”, Jake said.
“Good evening Jacob. What’s been going on over there?” Brie said to her son.
“Well, first of all, those who haven’t trained with weapons have started the training course. I extended an invitation to the spouses that were interested.”
“And how many wanted to learn?”
“Well, a fair few, but there some of them can’t whether they want to or not.”
“Why is that?” David asked.
“Well Dad, you and Mom have met James’s new wife Kenna, right?”
“Yeah, she’s the first girl he’s brought home that isn’t a red head. It’s kinda strange to see him bring home a brunette.”
“No, she’s a red head that dyes her hair brown. She’s confirmed it. Anyway, after Jona has Rina in July, you have another grandbaby coming around Thanksgiving.”
“No more babies after that one. For the love of God”, Brie laughed. “Like two dozen grandchildren aren’t enough. No, we’re going to have two baker’s dozen and then some. What, do you kids want to give us 30 grandkids before we die?”
Jake laughed as well. “Well, personally, I want to see if I can out do you two. I was aiming for 12 kids myself.” He was totally joking. He had his hands full with the four he had.
“Don’t do it, Jake”, David said. “I still don’t know how my sanity survived ten children. I also question how your mother managed while I was away.”
“So do I”, Jake and Brie said in unison. Brie took over. “Did you all ever call Colt’s tribal Shaman?”
“We did”, Jake said. “And he gave us some… interesting news. Yeah, interesting is a good way to put it.”
“What was so interesting?” David asked.
“Well, he knew who each of us were without any of us having to speak. He knew how many people were in the room. He knew that Colton was calling and he knew about the dreams and Skyler’s vision. He asked about Matthew and Mom and why they weren’t in the room. He even knew that Jeremiah is a little worried about the little one coming in July. He told him that little Rina will be perfectly healthy.”
“What did he have to say about the dreams and Skyler’s vision?” Brie asked.
“That’s where things get complicated. He said that an old foe of Dad’s is after Jordan and Malachai. No matter how much we beg Jordan not to go out on her own, eventually, she’s going to. We shouldn’t take it personally, it’s just fate working. Later in the day, I spoke to Colt about it and he said, ‘She’s just following the path that spider has woven for her.’ She also has to be allowed to exact her revenge afterward in order to keep what everyone is seeing from coming to pass.”
“Uhuh”, David said. “There’s something else you’re not telling us, Jacob.”
“Because I’m under instructions from Albert Stormcrow not to.”
“Who’s orders do you follow, Jake?”
“Yours, but he said that telling you could alter the course of fate and if we do that, the War to end all Wars could break out not only here in the States, but around the world.”
“Grr”, David said. “This is nonsense. Anything else that you can tell me?”
“Yeah, I got a call from the FBI earlier today. Remember that box I got?”
“The one that was sent to you through Miri, yeah. What about it?”
“Yeah. The ashes inside were human. The managed to find teeth that didn’t burn. The DNA inside was ran and match to two missing persons in the national database. A young woman named Yasmine Gathrang and a young man named Dalton Winston. They were around Isaiah and Miranda’s ages. I did a little digging the other day. The head of the PSUS is a bit of a pedophile as well as suspected of being connected with several disappearances of young men and women between the ages of 15 and 18 over the last several years. He fancies himself a business man. He used to support the Utopian Government. He was even on the War Council.”
“What’s the man’s name?” Brie asked.
“Porter Grissom”, Jake said. “Why?”
“That name rings a very dim bell. It’s been years, so I can’t be sure where I know it from.” By this time she and David were already seated in their little breakfast nook eating breakfast. “Is there anything else you need to inform us of?”
“Not that I can think of at the moment. It’s after midnight here, so you can probably imagine that I’m exhausted.”
“Yeah, shoveling shit all the time is a bitch. Been there done that, my son”, David said as he cut a piece of his waffle.
“So, what’s for breakfast over there? Have you two gone native?”
“Not quite. You mother still insists on cooking things that she cooked over there and I’m not going to complain.”
“So what is it this morning? Steak and eggs?”
“Nope”, Brie said. “Steak and waffles. We had eggs yesterday. The only thing I miss about the US is being able to get deer meat whenever I want it. I miss venison. I really do. I’d love a good piece of back strap right about now.” She laughed. She had to or she was going to cry.
“When you come out in June, I’ll see what we have in the deep freeze. Delilah likes to stock up on deer meat ever season so that there is plenty come that time.”
“God, it sounds like the house I grew up in. Your Grandfather Cartwright was notorious for stocking up on meat. To this day I don’t know why, but he would do it.”
“Well, we do it because you can only get deer one season a year and we eat a lot of it around here. Plus, we know that when you and Dad come to town, you’re going to want some.”
“And we now have such a big family that you kind of have to stock up.”
“Only during the holidays. It reminds me of when we would have all of the other families over during the holidays. Uncle Dan, Uncle Mike, Uncle John. The whole mess of us kids.”
“And now you kids all have kids. Justin’s there, is he not?”
“Yeah.”
“I hope he and Logan understand that they’re being sent off for the holidays.”
“Hopefully this will be over by the holidays.”
There was a charged silence between the three over them, even though there was so much distance between their locations. They all knew that if whatever was going on wasn’t over by the holidays, there would be trouble.
---------------
After they hung up with Jacob, David and Brie finished their breakfast. “I don’t like what the vibe I’m getting, David. I don’t like it at all.”
He reached across the table and took her hand. “I know, baby. I don’t like what I’m hearing. It’s going to hit the fan here very soon, and here it is, it’s only April.”
“I think we should start making plans to stay out there in June whether they need us there or not. We should also take Jessi and David Adam with us like Jake suggested at the end of the call.”
“One of them has to work to keep things taken care of here.”
“I don’t know if Jessi will travel with a newborn and without her husband though, David.”
“All we can do is talk to them about it. He may want to stay here. He works for the Embassy and he may be needed while he’s out here. Jessi’s on maternity leave from the Consulate. She can make a trip home to visit her brothers and sisters for a couple of months.”
“I’m really worried about our children back in the US, David. I know I shouldn’t be because they’re all adults, but I am.”
He scooted his chair around next to her and pulled her into his embrace. “Brie, baby, our children can take care of themselves. But, if it will put your mind at ease, I’ll have us a small guest house put up on the property that can also be used as a tactical base. I’ll call the guys to see if they still have some of their contact and I’ll do what I can to get in touch with a few of my old contacts as well. Hell, I’ll get in touch with Morbus and have him out fit the place with a bunch of his old toys. I’m sure that he’s got some stuff that we can use. Will that help?”
“It will bring me some piece of mind, yes. As long as I know there’s a way for us to help our children out of they need us. I just need to know that we can do something while we’re there other than babysit if things go pear- shaped.”
“Ok, I’ll start making phone calls this evening. You know the schedule Trevor keeps. Hell, he’s probably up right now.”
“You wanna give him a try?”
“Might behoove me, huh?” He grabbed his phone and called his former bodyguard. When he heard the phone pick up, he cracked a smile.
“Hello Boss man. To what do I owe the pleasure of a 1:30 AM phone call”, Trevor asked.
“You haven’t called me boss man in years, brother. What gives?”
“I’ve taken up the old mantle one more time to keep your kids safe. I’ve been doing hourly patrols with the help of my boys. Trained them personally so that they could take over as protection for Reckless Disregard in the next few years.”
“Ok then, Morbus. I need you to coordinate something for me. Find a prime piece of the property to have a small house built on. It needs to be outfitted to be a tactical base of operations should we need it. I want all the toys, Morbus. All the bells and whistles. We’ll need communications capability, satellite link ups; the whole nine. Contact a contractor to build it, you wire the hardware in and download all of the software. Pass it on to Jake that I’m having this done as a precaution, but do not give him the location. Do this as discreetly as you can. What time are you training them in the morning?”
“I won’t be working with them too much until those learning how to use weapons can use them and do so without hurting themselves. Meagan seems likes she’s a natural. Jordan’s not struggling, but she’s still acting like she doesn’t seem like she understands the point.”
“What about the others that are learning?”
“It’s just Davina, Delilah, and Kylely. They’re all doing rather well. Amanda seems skittish about Malachai walking around with a pistol tucked into the back of his jeans, not to mention everyone that knows how to shoot. She seems to think that one of the little ones will get a hold of them and will hurt themselves. She’s also freaking out that Isaiah, Miranda, and Elijah learning how to use guns.”
“She needs to get over it. I’m sure that the children’s parents will explain that they’re not supposed to touch the guns. Hell, our kids knew not to mess with them.”
“Yeah, I know. I remember that. Now, about that tactical base you wanted. Let me make sure I heard you right. You said all the bells and whistles?”
“Yes, sir. Everything.”
“What’s my deadline?”
“Can you have it done but June 20th?”
“Is the sky blue?”
“That’s what I thought. I’ll talk to the boys about helping me with it. I’ll need Marc’s expertise, though. He’s the computer man.”
David paused and thought about what Morbus was saying. “Ok. Tell the boys and them alone. Malachai, Jacob, Jeremiah, James, Kylely, Colton, Marc, Justin, Logan, and Caleb. Let Skyler know what I’m planning as well. Give them the location once you find it. Keep them busy if you can. Can you do that, Morbus?”
“I’ll do that. I’ll start making calls after I get me report on the 8 AM sweep.”
“Good man, Morbus. You’re still the most deadly mother fucker I know.”
“I was trained by the best; therefore I am the best.”
The line went dead.
---------------
After breakfast and dealing with the insurance company over the fender bender him and his wife were in the night before, David grabbed the keys for his Harley and met his wife out in the garage. “Are we ready to go to the hospital to see our newest granddaughter?” he asked with a smile.
“Whenever you are, babe.” She wore jeans and a tank top with a light jacket over it. She had sneaker on her feet rather than sandals because they were on the motorcycle rather than any of the cars.
He looked her up and down. “No boots?”
“It’s too hot for my riding boots. My feet will swell if I wear them. I really don’t feel like having to deal with the edema later.”
He chuckled and got on the bike, waiting for her to mount behind him. “Has it ever occurred to you that you’re getting old?” he asked playfully. He put on his helmet.
“No, I’m just having some issues. I’m wells seasoned. May a little too well seasoned, but still.” Her arms slipped around his waist and she laid her head in between his shoulder blades after adding her helmet as well.
He just laughed and started the bike after hitting the garage door opener. “I still say you’re like a fine wine”, he said over the roar of the engine and he rolled the bike out of the opened garage. The bike was facing the road. He’d actually shift it into gear once they were out on the road.
“Oh? I just get better with age?”
He closed the garage door once they were wheel on the road. “Exactly. Now, hold on tight. I’m taking the back way to the hospital.”
“Weary of the main road after we got rear ended last night?” she teased.
“No. The back roads are quicker. You want to see our granddaughter sometime today, don’t you?” He shifted the bike into first gear and hit the throttle.
Her arms tightened around his waist as he sped down the road. It would be nice to feel the wind in her hair as they rode, but she and David were too old not to put their safety first, helmet laws or not.
He roared through the back streets of Jerusalem toward the hospital. It wasn’t long before he was parking the bike in the parking garage. He killed the bike as soon as he found a good spot on the first level. “Are we ready to head into the hospital to see the new baby?” he asked as he took off his helmet.
She pulled her helmet off and shook her hair out. “When you are”, she said as she climbed off the back of the motorcycle. She had her helmet tucked under her arm.
“Let’s leave these here so that we’re not startling people for one, and for two so that we don’t have to carry them back out here. We can put them in the saddles.”
“Ok. Sounds like a plan to me.” She handed him her helmet back and he put them in the ‘saddle bags’ on the side of the bike.
He climbed off the bike. “Ok, let’s get out of here and up the third floor. Adam sent me a text that she’s in 321. They had Abby in the room with them over night.”
“How did they enjoy that?”
“Well, we’re about to find out.” He reached out for her hand
She ignored the hand and wrapped an arm around his waist instead. “Yes, we are. Shall we?”
The walk wasn’t long and the elevator ride was shorter than the night before. This time they were only going to the third floor. One the trip up, David whispered to Brie. “You brought the camera right? We promised the kids pictures.”
“Yes, dear. I brought the camera and I made sure that I brought snacks in case my sugar decides to take another nose dive. Simple peanut butter crackers.”
“Good to know your prepared today.”
“I wasn’t planning on being out of the house as long as we were yesterday. Hell, I didn’t plan on leaving the house after we got back from the market yesterday. I was not prepared.” She laughed softly.
“I know. I was here”, he chuckled back. “So, how long are we staying here?”
“Not long if I have my way about it. I want to hold the baby, get pictures, check on our daughter and see if Adam’s taken to fatherhood any better than he had when we arrived yesterday, and go home. A couple hours tops.”
The elevator came to a stop as he nodded and they went looking for Jessi’s room. Jessi was in the bed holding the new baby and their son in law was nowhere to be found. “Hey Mama, hey Daddy. Nice to see you guys here. I wasn’t sure if you were going to come back.”
“Of course we came back, Jessi”, Brie said with a smile. “We want to see our new grandbaby.”
“Where’s your husband?” David asked.
“He was called into work.”
“How’s he taking being a new father?”
“Not bad actually. It took him a minute to get used to the idea but he got there finally.”
“Where is Miss Abigayle?” her mother asked as she took a seat in the rocking chair closet to the bed.
“They took her back to the nursery for a little bit to give her a check up and do some blood work. She’ll be back shortly. They just called me. Miss Abigayle is getting hungry.” Jessi smiled.
“So how are you handling being a new mother?”
“I’m loving it. I never thought it would be so fulfilling to be a mother.”
Brie smiled. “It only gets better as time goes on. Now, I’m warning you. She’s easy to take care of now, but in later years, she’s going to be a pain. I’m blessed that you had older siblings that you could look to that would tell you what Mom and Dad would and wouldn’t tolerate.”
“There were some things that I had to learn on my own. Like that incident with Jeremy Caldwell.”
David laughed. “I will never forget scaring the hell out of the boy. That was too much fun.”
“I’ll never forget it either. I learned that day what I didn’t want in a man. That day changed my life.”
---------------
Once the baby was brought in, David and Brie argued over who was going to hold her first. “No, David, you should. I mean, she’s the first born daughter of you baby girl. Anyway, I got to hold Danica first when she was born.”
“No baby, you spent more time with her mother playing labor coach than I did. You should hold her first.”
“David, stop arguing with me and just hold the baby.”
“Why don’t we let Jessi decide who holds her first?”
Brie rolled her eyes, “Fine David.” She looked at Jessi. “Jessykah, who’s holding the baby first?”
Jessi looked back and forth between her parents. “Dad, come get you new granddaughter like Mom told you to.” David laughed and walked over to the hospital bed and took his new granddaughter from his daughter. “I thought you knew better than to argue with Mom, Dad.”
“Normally, I don’t argue with your Mother. But, I hate to feel like I’m jipping her.”
“David, I told you to hold that baby first. Don’t feel bad for jipping me when I told you to do it”, Brie said with a giggle. “I’ll hold her in a little bit. Anyway, I think pictures with Grampa first would be so cute.”
“I have to agree with Mom there, Dad”, Jessi laughed.
“Well, take all the pictures you want, my dear. I’m just going to sit here and hold my new granddaughter”, David said as he took a seat in one of the chairs in the private room and started talking to his new granddaughter as he held her. It was the same spiel that he gave all of the grandkids. “Hey beautiful girl. This is your Grampa David. I can’t speak for your Daddy’s parents but I know that as long as Gramma Brie and I are still around you and all of your cousins are going to be so spoiled your parents won’t know what to do with you.”
Brie took out her professional grade camera and started snapping pictures. Photography had become a bit of a hobby of hers since she and David moved out to Israel. It gave her something to do and she took awesome pictures. She shot wonderful pictures of her husband and their granddaughter as well as Jessi and her new daughter. Finally, Brie took a chance to sit down and hold the baby while David took pictures. The pictures he got were just as good as Brie’s were. They both enjoyed their time with their new granddaughter.
Before leaving, Brie and David looked at their daughter. “Jessi, you know we’re going back to the US in June, right?” David asked
“Yeah, Mom’s going to celebrate Miri’s birthday with her and Jona’s due in July, right?”
“Yep. We’re going to be staying out there for a little while. You want to come back with us, bring the baby?”
Jessi thought about it. “Well, I’ll still be on leave and I don’t have any lectures scheduled over the next six months. I’ll talk to my husband about it and get back to you.”
They nodded. “Make it ASAP, Jessi, so that we can get tickets. We need to know by the beginning of June.”
She nodded. “I’ll talk to him about it when he comes in tonight to sit help me with Abby. I’ll call you tomorrow.”
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