Chapter 67: Once More Unto the Breach

September 26, 1989, Chicago, Illinois

"Shall we begin?" Kara smirked when I arrived home from running with Jacquelyn.

I sighed theatrically, "I suppose. If I HAVE to! Once more unto the breach!"

"Fucking me silly is such torture for you, Snuggle Bear!" Kara giggled.

"Every morning and every night until you're pregnant?"

"Why stop then?" she giggled. "And I will share you with Jess, of course."

"You're so magnanimous," I chuckled.

"Shut up and get in bed!" Kara commanded.

"Yes, Ma'am!" I said, saluting. "But don't you think I should shower first?"

"He should, Kara," Jessica said, wrinkling her nose.

"Oh, fine," Kara huffed but smiled. "I can wait a couple of minutes!"

I went to the bathroom, quickly showered and dried off, then returned and got into bed with my wives. Kara and I didn't fuck; we made love slowly and passionately, with Jessica lying on her side in bed next to us, watching.

"Make a baby, Steve," Kara whispered as I came hard deep inside her.

"I love you!" I gasped as her pussy clamped me tightly and milked me, allowing millions of sperm to try to find their way to an egg, waiting to become a son or daughter.

Jessica kissed each of us, and the three of us cuddled a bit before showering and heading downstairs for breakfast. We'd used up most of our available time, so we had bagels, juice, and coffee before Kara left for IIT. I walked Jessica to the ER, arriving about a minute before her shift started. I kissed her and then headed to the office.

"I'm bringing in a couple of candidates this afternoon," Charlie said. "Would you have time to see them?"

"Sure," I said. "Did you send me their information?"

"It's in your inbox on your desk. I was surprised you weren't here when I arrived. Usually, you beat me in."

"I was busy at home this morning," I said.

Charlie laughed, "Uh-huh!"

"Go back to your desk, you!" I chuckled.

She left, and I powered up my computer and looked over the résumés while the system booted. George Eagleton was working for Devcom, a company I'd run across several times, including having heard from Jeri that she'd interviewed there. They had been a big PRIME Value Added Reseller and were struggling with trying to move in new directions. George had been working on their electronic faxing software on RS/6000 systems running AIX for the two years since he graduated from the University of Illinois.

The other candidate was Maria Santos, who worked for a consulting firm in the suburbs that specialized in Business Basic running on Unix systems similar to the one Belarus used. She didn't have a degree but was self-taught and had been working for four years. She had the added benefit of speaking fluent Spanish. We hadn't run into any situations where that was an issue, but I still felt it would be good to have.

I didn't see anything about either candidate that raised any red flags, but paper could be deceiving. I'd make my judgment when I saw them face to face. I checked my cc:Mail and saw a note from Kimmy that the new computers would be delivered on Thursday and that everything was ready for Jody and Sung-ha to start the following Monday. I checked my calendar and saw that the rest of the week was still clear. I also saw the note that I'd made about the construction starting the following Monday. That would cause a bit of chaos, but Julia, Elyse, and Kimmy had everything under control.

I was glad that I hadn't had to return to IIT. Somehow, the young man had come to his senses. I wondered if someone else from the organization had paid him a visit or if he'd thought about the friendly advice I'd given him. Either way, Theo had come by the previous day to let me know that everything was taken care of. He once again had offered me more lucrative work, but I'd politely declined.

At lunchtime, I joined Terry to walk to my house. Terry had dropped Amber there on his way to work, and Penny would be by to eat lunch and pick her up. The three of us had lunch together, with Amber sleeping in her convertible car seat.

"How's school going?" I asked.

"Boring, as usual," Penny replied, "though I like Doctor Driesson's class."

"How's your team?"

"Eh, OK, I suppose. There are one or two who may possibly fit in at NIKA, but for the most part, I'm not impressed."

"That's par for the course. When Scott was there and I was more involved, there were three or maybe four kids in each class that I would consider. Just keep your eye on them for when they graduate."

"I heard you're coming to talk to the class next month."

"Yes. I met with Doctor Driesson several times at the beginning of August to review Scott's course outline and the notes. He asked me to do the same thing that I did for Scott. What about the rest of your classes?"

"Just the usual stuff. I'll be happy next year when I can do my internship. I miss working. But I'm glad I took the time off to be with Amber and focus on school."

"We'll be happy to have you back. Did Terry tell you the remodeling starts on Monday?"

"Yes," she giggled. "Did you go for the private bedroom and sauna?"

"No! I did consider the private bathroom, but honestly, the cost wasn't worth it. We'll have two bathrooms and a shared shower."

"Shared?" she giggled and licked her lips.

"Penelope Margaret Penfield! The only person you are sharing a shower with is Terry!"

Terry laughed, "I feel sorry for you, Boss, having to put up with her!"

"It's my own fault," I chuckled. "I hired her! But she's mostly your problem now!"

"Problem?" Penny said, trying to sound indignant.

Terry and I looked at each other, smirked, nodded, and jointly said, "Problem!"

Penny stuck her tongue out at both of us, causing all three of us to laugh. We finished our lunch, and after Terry helped Penny get Amber into the Daytona, he and I headed back to the office.

I saw both candidates and thought they were both OK, though Charlie wanted to see a few more. She had several more résumés of people she needed to call, which she'd do that evening.

September 29, 1989, Chicago, Illinois

"I'm going to veto today's candidate," I said.

"Why?" Charlie asked.

"I just have a feeling that she'd be a problem. I can't quite put my finger on it, but something about how she talked and responded to me bothered me. I don't think she would fit in here. I'm OK with you hiring George and Maria if you want to do that."

"I think so. We have plenty of work for both of them, and they have the right skills, especially Maria. Besides Belarus, we have four more places using that exact same setup — NCR Unix systems and Business Basic Plus. As for AIX, I received a call from Wen; SPSS needs an AIX consultant to help them write some printer drivers. That's basically right up George's alley."

"Talk to Elyse and Julia, and bring me the paperwork to sign," I said.

"I'll try to get it done today, but it's pretty late. It'll be Monday, most likely."

"Whenever you're ready."

She went back to her desk, and I finished what I was working on so that I could meet Jessica at the ER at 5:00pm.

"Hi, Babe!" I said when she came out to meet me. "How was your day?"

"It was one of THOSE days! I swear, every person who came into the ER today died."

"You're exaggerating, I hope."

She gave me a kiss, and we started walking home.

"Yes, a bit. But we had three fatal heart attacks today. All three were guys in their 60s. Must be the phase of the Moon or something."

"It is a new Moon tonight," I chuckled. "Are we still going to the movies?"

"After a day like today? Yes! Kara wanted to see Sex, Lies, and Videotape."

"I heard it's all dialogue," I said.

"So right up your alley, then," Jessica smirked.

"Are you trying to say I'm all talk and no action?"

"You do have that history! I offered to go home with you eight months before the wedding, and you turned me down. You made Kara wait for six months. You made Penny wait that long, too. Come to think of it, I should be angry at you for making ME wait the longest!"

"All true. And that's a good thing. The problems I've created have mostly come when I didn't think things through, usually because I was in one of my moods."

"Kimmy helped snap you out of that mood after Thanksgiving. That's why I thought letting you continue seeing her was a good idea."

"And Abbie?" I asked.

"At first, it was because Elyse and I were basically out of commission, but now, I think she's good for you."

"And if she's our nanny for the next eighteen years or so?"

"One day at a time, Tiger. That's what we agreed."

"Yes, we did. But I sometimes feel, I don't know, strange, I guess, about the whole thing."

Jessica stopped walking, and I stopped and turned to face her.

"I knew you weren't monogamous when I married you. So did Kara. Don't try to be someone or something you aren't. You're my husband. I want you for my husband. I love what we have together since I came home. I love the children that we've had together with Kara. I love you. I don't care about you fucking other girls, just so long as you follow Elyse's rules. Maybe that will change someday, but only when the three of us all agree that it should.

"As for Abbie, she needs you to help her discover who she really is, what she really wants, and where she needs to be. If you want my honest opinion, her despair about the world is based on what she saw at home in Albany. Here, she has a loving, nurturing environment. I think her entire worldview is going to change over the next few years. We found a creative way to integrate her into our family. That's what she needed, Tiger — to be part of a real family."

"We're not exactly Ozzie and Harriet," I chuckled.

"No, we aren't. Now, I don't know for sure, but from talking to her, it seems like she was in that kind of situation with her parents. Ultimately, they tolerated and put up with her; they didn't accept her. You especially, but all of us accept her for who she is. Look at Patricia and Henry's reaction to all of us. They've found people outside their group who actually care about them and like them. And who don't condemn them or look down on them.

"And if you think about it, that's true for just about anyone else who has ever come into your house. Granted, I've only been here for four years, but I've talked at length with Elyse, Katy, and Jennifer. And you know I've spoken with Kara and Kathy. Katy came back because she knew you would accept her. Jennifer and Josie are here because, in addition to Jennifer being deeply in love with you, you accepted her for who and what she was long before she even accepted it herself!

"And think about those kids you have here on alternate Sundays. And the kids you mentor at the dojo. You accept them and help them discover who they are. Look at how you changed Jacquelyn! All because you offered to be her friend. Jolene owes you her promotion to 2nd Dan. That was ALL you. Sensei Jim awarded her that stripe on her belt as a reward to you, Tiger. Not to her. She'll never receive another promotion. You know that deep in your heart.

"But you did something even more important for her. You refused to sleep with her again. And now she's dating someone seriously and seems very, very happy. In a similar vein, you let Kimmy go without any drama. She was there for you, and when she knew she'd done what she set out to do, she let you go. And you let her go. All Kimmy wanted was to help you get yourself on an even keel. Once the ship was righted, she could move on with her life."

"All true," I said, taking Jessica's hand so we could continue our walk home.

"So don't feel guilty, husband of mine. You aren't neglecting me. You aren't abusing me. You aren't taking advantage of me. I have exactly what I want and need — you, Kara, and the kids. Kara will tell you the same thing. And for that matter, so will Elyse and Jennifer, though each of us needs something slightly different from you."

She squeezed my hand, and we took a few more steps in silence.

"Before I forget, is your schedule going to change?" I asked.

"Not until November. After talking to Doctor Barton and my counselor, as well as the Chief Resident and the Senior Attending, we all agreed that one more month of eight-hour shifts is the right course of action. I did put in for the morning shift on Thanksgiving, and then morning on Christmas Eve and evening on Christmas Day. I won't have to work the weekend of the Halloween party. And speaking of that, what's your costume?"

"I had planned to go completely goth, including theatrical hair dye. Now I'm not sure."

"Why?"

"I'm just not sure it's respectful of Abbie and Henry. I was actually thinking of recycling my KGB uniform."

"Talk to Abbie. I think the goth idea is a good one. I think you'll find that she'll love it!"

"OK. Speaking of parties, are we going to the hospital Christmas party this year?"

"Yes. The three of us. As a trio. Alicia and Marjorie can eat their hearts out!"

"Marjorie?"

"A medical student who I heard was drooling over you and was VERY disappointed to find out you were mine!"

"Drooling, huh?" I smirked.

"I think we'll add a rule of nobody at MY work," Jessica said thoughtfully. "That could actually cause more problems than you might have had with Kimmy or Jeri."

"I suspect you're right. Besides, Alicia holds no attraction for me. On the other hand, I do have this thing for playing doctor with cute medical students..."

Jessica laughed, "You bagged yours! Leave some for someone else!"

"I suppose," I chuckled. "But in all seriousness, I agree with the rule."

"Good. Let's get inside and get some dinner so we can go to the movies!"

October 1, 1989, Chicago, Illinois

"Is Jesse ready for church?" I asked Jennifer on Sunday morning.

"Josie is helping him with his shoes. He'll be down in a minute. Do you know what happens today?"

I nodded, "It was in the Tribune. Denmark is allowing gays and lesbians to register civil unions effective today."

"Now, if we could just get laws like that here!"

"Don't count on it," I sighed. "Maybe 25 or 30 years from now, but this country is so tied in knots by evangelical Christians that I wouldn't hold my breath. Maybe when our generation makes up the majority of state legislators, but not before then. Federal recognition is going to require the Supreme Court to enforce the 'Full faith and credit' clause of the Constitution. Well, I suppose they could declare it a right under the 14th Amendment or some such thing, but I think that's a stretch, and they'd be better off just requiring Illinois to recognize a same-sex marriage performed in Massachusetts or wherever."