Chapter 17: Ring Out The Old; Ring In The New

December 31, 1988, Chicago, Illinois

"There you are!" Sofia said, coming up to me after Bethany and I left my study.

"«Hej», Sofia! How are you?"

"Good. I missed being here for Christmas, but you know how it goes."

"I do. Where's Stavros?"

"Where else? With Pete, Jamie, Kurt, Dave, and the rest of the guys in the basement. I have a question for you?"

"What's up?"

"I want to start a new tradition that's really an old one. Just before midnight, I'd like to read «Nyårsklockan» like they do at Skansen every year. I'm sure you remember it being on TV on New Year's Eve. It'll bring just a bit of home here, like celebrating «Lucia» and having the «julbord» used to."

"I do remember. But in Swedish?" I asked.

"Sure. Anyone can go to the library and read Tennyson's original if they wish!"

"I'm game, though some of our guests might not have the same appreciation that you and I do. Heck, I bet you Josh doesn't understand 95% of it!"

Sofia laughed, "He's useless with Swedish! It's great that he's here, but I could talk to Jesse in Swedish and have just as much luck!"

"If Ivan Voronin has his way, I think Jesse will need to learn Russian, not Swedish! Karin has a son, and Tanya has a daughter! And Jesse really wants to go back to Russia."

Sofia laughed, "Save a kid for a three-quarters Greek, one-quarter Swedish kid."

"You, too?" I said, raising an eyebrow.

"Oh, heavens no!" she laughed. "Not yet! We have talked about it, though, and it might make sense next year, because then our kid would be born before I start my clinical rotations. It's a timing thing."

"Tell me about it! That was a big point of stress for Jessica. She didn't want to wait too long, but she didn't want to mess up her career path."

"Residency programs are NOT designed with having babies in mind. But what do you want from a male-dominated profession that barely tolerates girls in their little club? I'm sure Jessica has told you all about it."

"She has. You see how I run my business! I have NO time for that kind of BS."

"The sad part is, your business treats pregnancy better than the hospitals! You treat it like something normal. They act as if it's some kind of illness!"

"Well, it IS a sexually transmitted condition, future Doctor Katsaros!" I grinned.

"You would know!" she said, laughing. "So it's a go?"

"It's a go. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to my natural element!"

"Which means not in the basement with the guys!" she smirked. "I want a dance later!"

"You bet!"

But, first, I had to greet my old friends who I heard in the foyer. I walked back there and greeted Alyosha, Katya, and Lyusya Anisimov.

"Hello!" I said, greeting them one by one with Russian-style hugs and kisses.

"Good evening, Stephen Rayevich!" Katya said. "It is good to see you again!"

"Good evening, Comrade Colonel! I hope all is well."

"It is. Alyosha and I are quite busy, and of course, Lyusya is continuing her education. She will finish her first degree in about eighteen months."

"What time is your flight to California tomorrow?" I asked.

"At 1:00pm from O'Hare. Unfortunately, we will not have much time to talk, especially with the party. You must come visit New York when you are able."

"It may be several months because of the situation with Jessica."

"We were very distressed to hear about this, Stephen Rayevich," Lyudmila said. "I hope she comes home soon and is able to return to work."

"Thanks. Please, enjoy the party!" I said.

"I will enjoy it if you will dance with me!" she said with a smile. "I am sure Mother would dance with you as well!"

She smirked and her parents both shook their heads. Lyudmila was still a pistol, but she was more subtle about it.

"Before that, I need to get my son and his girlfriend so they can dance!"

Lyudmila and Katya laughed.

"He is a bit young to have a girlfriend, no?" Lyusya said.

"He's my son!"

"Then the world may be in real trouble!" Katya laughed.

"You all know where everything is, so please, make yourselves at home."

I needed to go get Jesse and Francesca, so I left the Anisimovs and headed towards the back door. Carol had reluctantly agreed that they could dance in the attic with the adults, and I wanted to be sure he had the chance. I walked out to the coach house and went in the back door.

"I'm here for Jesse and Francesca," I said to the pretty, raven-haired young woman in the living room.

"You must be Steve. I'm April Henderson, Josie's friend from work."

"Dada!" Jesse said. "I want to dance!"

"Hold your horses, buddy!" I chuckled, then turned back to April, "It's nice to meet you, April. Thanks for agreeing to watch this bunch of maniacs during the party!"

"Josie gave me the full picture before she asked. You have quite the little instigator there."

"He's a handful," I chuckled. "Just like his old man."

April laughed, "She gave me THAT full picture, too!"

"Now I'm really worried! If the kids didn't scare you off, I should have!"

"Maybe I like challenges!" she smirked.

"Then you've come to the right place! Jesse, Francesca, come on. We have to have you back here before you turn into pumpkins later!"

"Yuck! I don't want to be a girl!" Jesse said.

"I didn't mean you would turn into your little sister, you goofball! I meant that ... oh never mind!"

"Can't win with him?" April asked.

"Nobody can," I said. "Except Francesca. She gets whatever she wants."

"Yes! I love Francesca!" Jesse announced.

He took her hand, and they toddled out of the coach house.

"See you later, April!" I laughed as I followed them out.

"Is that a promise, or a warning?" she called after me.

I took Jesse and Francesca up to the attic and they immediately ran out into the middle of the dance floor. The CD player was blaring Footloose by Kenny Loggins from the movie's soundtrack, and that song really got Jesse going. The two toddlers soon had a huge audience, with everyone clapping and laughing. Jesse LOVED the attention, which only caused him to try to show off even more.

"What a couple of nuts!" Jennifer laughed.

"He's our son! Would you expect otherwise?" I asked.

"No! You met April?"

"I did. I think Josie chose the right woman for the job!"

"Jesse really likes her," Jennifer said.

"Jesse likes ANY girl who pays attention to him!" I said.

"Just like his dad!" Josie teased.

"Yeah, yeah," I smirked.

After Let's Hear It for the Boy by Deniece Williams came Almost Paradise and I watched as Jesse pulled Francesca into his arms and they swayed to the music.

"Are you sure they should be doing that?" Carol asked.

"Honey, she's three, and he's two," Stan said. "It's totally innocent. Worry when they're fifteen!"

As I'd feared, Fawn came over just a few bars into the song and asked if I'd dance, causing the girls around me to all smirk, roll their eyes, or otherwise enjoy my discomfort. I nodded and took Fawn's hand. I successfully maneuvered her into a hands on hips and shoulders position which she accepted, at least at first.

"I want a proper dance," she said, taking a half step forward and putting her arms under mine and her hands on my back.

I looked over to Al and Belinda, the traitors, who just smiled and shrugged. I reluctantly put my arms around Fawn and held her, willing my body to coöperate. It was a tough struggle with Fawn's small, firm breasts pushing into me and the occasional brush of her thigh against me. I was never more grateful for the end of a song in my entire life at that point! I carefully disengaged from Fawn, who smiled, stood on her tiptoes, and kissed me on the cheek.

"Thanks," she said.

I watched as she walked back to where her parents were, then I turned and went back to where Elyse and Kara were standing.

"You handled that very well," Kara said.

"I am going to KILL Al Barton!" I chuckled.

"Please don't do that until AFTER Jessica is reinstated!" Kara giggled. "Besides, she didn't ask you to take her to bed or go into the sauna, or anything!"

"I'm not sure Steve would survive the experience," Elyse smirked.

"Yeah, because Al would kill ME! He knows I'm not exactly the monogamous type, and he accepts that. But I can't imagine he'd accept me having sex with his sixteen-year-old daughter!"

"True!"

"Just be glad she didn't pick the NEXT song on this soundtrack!" Elyse laughed.

She didn't, but Lisa and Peggy did. As soon as Dancing In The Sheets by Shalamar started playing, the two of them walked over.

"Come dance with us!" Lisa smirked.

"Come dance with us!" Peggy repeated.

I looked to Kara, who just laughed.

I walked out onto the dance floor with them and we started dancing together. It wasn't a slow song, but they took turns grabbing me and pulling me tight to move with the words. The girls sung with the refrain, but changed a few words.

"Did you two plan this?" I asked.

"Once Dave put in the soundtrack disc and we heard the first song, yes!" Peggy said. "I was just hoping nobody else asked you to dance to this song. So how about it?"

"I'm the host!" I chuckled. "I can't very well leave the party."

"He has a point," Lisa said.

"I want his point!" Peggy teased.

"You know I need permission for something like this, right?" I said.

"So go ask!" Peggy said. "We want you. That stupid fire alarm ruined what would have been a GREAT day!"

"I'll talk to Kara, but not tonight, OK?"

"Maybe we should invite Jenna," Lisa smirked. "She got his juices going!"

"I don't think he needs any help in THAT area!" Peggy teased.

The song finished, and I escaped back to Kara and Elyse.

"They propositioned you?" Elyse asked with a smirk.

"As if the song they picked didn't give it away? Of course they did. But forget about that for now. We can talk later!"

I danced with most of my female friends over the next hour, though neither Jolene nor Kimmy approached me and I wasn't sure about approaching them. In the end, though, I decided I needed to dance with both of them, but that I needed to be very careful with Kimmy. Before I went to them, though, I owed Lyusya a second dance.

"Are you having fun?" I asked.

"The sailors from your Navy are very handsome," she grinned. "And they like to dance with a beautiful Russian girl!"

"I saw," I chuckled. "What about Curtis?"

"It is just dancing, Stephen Rayevich. I do not wish to be with them in that way."

"Sorry, I didn't mean to imply that. Just that you were dancing awfully close with them."

"As you and I are right now?"

I chuckled, "Yes."

"And do YOU wish to be with me?" she smirked.

"You and Curtis are a couple, so it's a very bad idea, not to mention being «некультурный»!"

"Yes, it is. I enjoyed it, and would like to do it again, but I have promised Curtis to be only with him."

"A good promise to keep, Lyudmila Alekseyevna," I said.

When we finished our dance, I gave her a kiss on the cheek and then went to Jolene, who gave me grief about the choice of songs.

"Seriously? I Think We're Alone Now? Afraid to dance close to me?"

"Just dance! We'll talk later!"

We finished the dance and Jolene stepped close to me.

"We do need to talk," she said.

"Can it wait until next Sunday?" I asked.

"How about lunch this week?"

"Sure. Call me at the office on Tuesday morning and we'll work it out."

I went over to Kimmy, who had been hanging out with Tasha, Penny, Zeke, and Terry most of the evening, and asked her to dance. Penny and Tasha already had had their dances, so it wasn't really going to attract attention if I danced with Kimmy. I was happy that the next song was Walk Like An Egyptian, which meant that Kimmy and I were surrounded by people dancing to the quirky song. It was almost time to take Jesse and Francesca back to April, as they'd had close to two hours and I could see they were exhausted.

"One more dance?" Kimmy asked.

I nodded and instantly regretted it when Every Woman In the World by Air Supply started playing. Fortunately, Kimmy wasn't foolish, and we danced with hands on hips and shoulders. She was very careful not to get too close, and when the song ended, she just flashed me a quick smile, then went back to the foursome she'd been hanging out with.

Despite their joint protests, I corralled Jesse and Francesca and took them down the elevator to the ground floor and then out to the coach house. They were both sweaty and tired, and I knew that they'd collapse soon.

"I think these two need quick baths and bed," I said to April. "I think they've worn themselves out."

"The other kids are all sleeping," April said quietly. "I'll get them washed up and into their beds. Jesse, Francesca, run upstairs, please!"

They held hands and went up the stairs.

I chuckled, "Jesse would be VERY happy to have Francesca share his bath AND his bed, but Carol would have a cow! Do you need anything?"

"No. Josie brought me some snacks, there are plenty of drinks in the fridge, and I have a good book to curl up with on the couch. Or were you offering something more?"

I smiled, "I think your young charges need you and I'm hosting a party!"

She cocked her head to the side, "Coward!"

"Just how much HAS Josie told you?" I chuckled.

"Everything!" she smirked.

"Josie and I are going to have words! You better go check on Jesse and Francesca or they'll be in the tub together."

"So? They're still little."

"I don't care, but Carol would have a fit when Francesca tells her. Just be careful with her. Our other kids, and Kathy's and Dave's are no big deal. Jesse, Birgit, Kristin, and Peter are all used to being in the sauna, or even the tub together. But with Francesca, Ken, and Lou, you need to be more careful."

"OK. Get back to your party and I'll take care of your kids!"

I nodded and headed back to the house, though this time I went to the basement to play some pool with the guys. I hung out there, then circulated around the house, taking some time to talk to Josh and Mary and catch up. They were both doing great in the DC area, and both very happy with their jobs — she at the State Department, and he as a lecturer at Georgetown.

Around 11:20pm I found Al and asked him to come to my study so we could talk.

"What's up?" he asked.

"I have a question for you about a friend. And yes, this really IS about a friend."

He chuckled, "OK. It's about a friend. What's the issue?"

"If someone has HIV, and is on AZT, but has no symptoms, what's the prognosis?"

He gave me a hard look, "Are you sure we're talking about a friend, Mr. Adams."

I nodded, "Yes. Absolutely. This is NOT me, nor anyone in this house. I promise."

"OK," he said, relaxing. "Nobody knows. AZT seems to be fairly effective in preventing onset of any frank symptoms of what you would call AIDS. It's not really a disease as you would know it, but shorthand for the myriad of problems that occur when your immune system is severely suppressed. AZT seems to do a good job of keeping someone who has none of those diseases or conditions from contracting or developing them. It's not 100% effective, and there are some experimental drugs being tried, either alone or in combination with AZT. I'm guessing eventually they'll find some combination of retroviral and imuno-supportive drugs that effectively combat it.

"Basically, we're pretty sure that HIV in and of itself doesn't do anything other than suppress your immune system, which allows for all kinds of opportunistic infections, cancers, and the like. If that surmise is correct, then finding a way to restore your immune system would solve the problem for the most part. Unfortunately, because it's a virus, there really isn't much hope of eradicating it once you contract it. BUT, again it's a virus, so we should be able to develop a vaccine like we did against polio or smallpox. But that could take decades."

"Thanks. This is a female friend from High School who contracted HIV from unprotected sex with either a bisexual male, an intravenous drug user, or both. She was into a fairly heavy party scene in college."

"People have to realize that it's not the 1960s any longer. Or even the 1970s. You can't just get a penicillin shot to clear up a dose of the clap. A condom might just save your life these days. And regular testing. But unfortunately, people don't want to be tested, and the laws were drawn up to prevent discrimination. Well, that's all well and good, but we have an epidemic on our hands. It would be like banning testing for typhoid fever in New York early in this century so as not to discriminate against Irish cooks!"

"Illinois even repealed its requirement for blood tests before marriage," I said.

"Another foolish move. Politicians should NEVER be allowed to make health policy. Ever!"

"I have a Swedish friend who might disagree with you," I said.

"Everyone always points to Sweden. It's the exception that proves the rule. But there's a world of difference between a country with a homogeneous population of 8 million when we have a city that large in the US! There are too many competing interests in a large, diverse country for it to work like it does in a small, non-diverse country like Sweden. If Sweden ever allows significant immigration, they'll run into the same kinds of problems."

"Thanks for filling me in," I said.

"You're welcome. You made Fawn's night tonight. She loved that dance."

"She's a beautiful young woman and a real sweetheart. Are you letting her date yet?"

Al groaned, "Against my will, but I guess that's how it always is for a dad. She had her first real date two weeks ago. I sat in my study, oiling my shotgun!"

"You don't OWN a shotgun," I chuckled.

"OK. Figuratively! But I do have plenty of ways to deal with a young man taking liberties with my daughter!"

"Scalpels are very effective instruments, at least according to Jessica."

"Yes, they are!" he grinned.

We shook hands and went back to join the rest of the revelers. At about five minutes to midnight, when everyone had gathered in the great room and had their glass of champagne in hand, Sofia got our attention.

"This is a very old Swedish tradition, one that started in the late 19th century. I'm going to read a Swedish version of Alfred Lord Tennyson's poem, Ring Out, Wild Bells. This is called «Nyårsklockan». I hope you'll excuse that it's in Swedish.