Chapter 32: Still Together

July 22, 2000, Chicago, Illinois

“Albert, do you have everything packed?” Mom asked.

“Yes, Mom!” I replied, rolling my eyes because she’d asked before I went to bed.

“He’ll be fine, Babe,” Dad said. “Let’s walk to the hospital.”

I usually didn’t get up early, but Dad had suggested it would help Mom if I walked to the hospital with her because I was leaving to see Jane for three weeks.

Mom, Dad, Aunt Kara and I left the house and headed down the sidewalk towards the hospital where Mom and Grandpa Al worked. I held hands with Mom while Dad held hands with Aunt Kara. She was going to California and Dad was taking us both to the airport once we had breakfast.

“Are you enjoying your birthday present?” Mom asked.

“It’s totally cool! I talked to Aimee and she told me there’s a way to get air traffic control over the internet! I need to learn how to talk to them, but Dad found a book for me that explains it.”

“Have you figured out how to land safely?”

I laughed, “Most of the time! I’m pretty good with the Cessna, but jets are really tricky.”

“What about your dad?”

I laughed hard, “Dad crashes into everything! Have you SEEN him try to play any of the Ace Combat games?”

“I prefer strategy and adventure games,” Dad said.

“Aimee said you were really nervous when she let you hold the controls of her plane.”

“I was,” Dad replied. “I’m happy to ride in planes; flying them is a very different thing! But you keep practicing, and you’ll be in really good shape when it’s time to actually learn to fly.”

Mom made a face and squeezed my hand. She didn’t like the idea of me flying a real plane, but she’d agreed that I could learn when I was old enough. Aimee was going to visit at some point and let me sit at the controls of her plane, which was going to be fun.

When we got to the hospital, Mom and Aunt Kara hugged and kissed, and then Mom hugged me tight and kissed my cheek. I knew if I squirmed it would make her sad, so I let her hug me for as long as she wanted.

“I’ll miss you, Albert,” Mom said. “Call me on my cell phone when you get to Doctor Jon’s house.”

“I promise,” I replied.

She gave me another hug, then went into the Emergency room doors. She turned and waved, and then Dad, Aunt Kara, and I walked home. When we got there, Dad made breakfast for us, and when we finished, we loaded the suitcases and bags into Dad’s car. Dad checked with Matthew and Chelsea that everything was OK, and then Dad, Aunt Kara, and I got into his car for the drive to the airport.

An hour later Dad and I were in line at British Airways. I wasn’t old enough to fly alone yet, so once my bags were checked, we went to meet a lady from British Airways who would take me through security. Dad made sure I had my passport and the letter which gave Doctor Jon permission to act as my dad while I was in England, then we shook hands and said ‘goodbye’. I followed the lady from British Airways to security, turned and waved to Dad, and then put my carry-on bag on the belt so it could be x-rayed. The metal detector didn’t find anything, and five minutes later we were sitting at the gate.

“Have you been to England before?” Mandy, the lady from British Airways, asked.

“Three times! I’m going to see my friend Jane and her family.”

At home I called her my ‘wife’, but Dad was worried what other people would say, so I called her my friend to anyone who wasn’t part of our family or a ‘cousin’.

“Where does she live?”

“In Yorkshire.”

“How did you meet her?”

“Her family visited us when her dad came to work with my mom at the hospital.”

“Your mom is a nurse?”

“A doctor! She’s one of the best trauma surgeons in the United States!”

“Sorry!” Mandy said. “She’s very pretty!”

“You mean Aunt Kara? She’s not my mom. My mom is at work today.”

“She’s your mom’s sister?”

I laughed, “No. Dad says it’s complicated.”

‘We will now begin pre-boarding our flight to London.‘ I heard over the speaker.

“That’s us!” Mandy said.

She led me to the gate where I showed my ticket and passport, and then Mandy led me onto the plane. We found my seat in business class, and once Mandy talked to the stewardess, she said ‘goodbye’ and left the plane. I buckled in and waited for the plane to leave.

“This is going to be the longest time we’ve been apart since our Year in the Wilderness,” Kara said.

“Will you be OK?” I asked.

“The real question is will you and Jess be OK when I return?” Kara teased.

I chuckled, “Are you taking a personal friend with you?”

“No. I’m going to save it ALL for you and Jess.”

“We won’t survive!” I chuckled. “But we’ll die happy! But seriously, will you be OK?”

“Yes. I’m going to be working a lot, and my friend from the old Chemistry Mafia and I will hang out a lot.”

“Which one was that?”

“Cherise. She was the pretty black girl who was one year behind me.”

“There were two pretty black girls.”

“I thought you didn’t pay any attention!”

I chuckled, “I did notice the pretty ones!”

“Of course you did! But you tried to be anywhere but around us.”

“Chemistry is not my thing. Well, it was when you and I were doing our little dance where you pretended you didn’t want to fuck.”

Kara laughed softly, “Perhaps. Are YOU going to be OK with ME gone?”

“I’ll be fine. I will miss my cuddles while Birgit is visiting Katy.”

“You’re going to be in St. Martin for part of that time.”

“Yes, and Jess will be in Boston while I’m gone. And now, you need to go through security.”

“I’ll miss you Snuggle Bear.”

“I’ll miss you, too.”

We hugged and exchanged a soft kiss, and I watched as she went through security. Once she was through she turned and waved, and I headed out of the terminal to the short-term parking. I got into my BMW, buckled up, and then headed out of the parking garage. I paid the fee, then drove back to Hyde Park where I quickly changed into karate gear and took the girls to the dojo. Sensei Jim was on vacation, so I was nominally in charge as the most senior instructor.

“I promised Mom I would take care of you!” Birgit declared as we walked back to the house after karate practice.

“And who’s going to take care of you?” I asked.

“Me! Girls are good at taking care of themselves. Boys are dumb!”

“Excuse me?” I chuckled.

“Dad is NOT dumb!” Ashley protested.

“He’s a boy,” Birgit declared.

“Ladies,” I said gently. “That’s enough, please. We’re all going to miss Mom while she’s gone. And we’re going to take care of each other.”

“Why did Matthew and Chelsea have to come stay with us this morning?” Birgit asked.

“For the same reason parents walk with you to school.”

Birgit rolled her eyes, “Give me a break, Dad! I’m twelve! And my sisters aren’t babies!”

“I know, Pumpkin, but there are adults who basically think you are. And it’s not like they were babysitting you - they were just at the house because neither Winter nor Maria Cristina was going to be home and your Aunts went to Indiana Dunes for the day.”

“What are we doing today?” Stephie asked.

“That’s up to the three of you. I have no plans for the rest of the day except to spend time with my girls. Tomorrow we’re having the party for Clayton.”

“He’s been gone a long time!” she observed.

“Yes, he has. That happens when you’re in the Navy.”

She made a face, “I don’t want Nicholas to be gone for a long time!”

“But you think it’s OK for him to join the Navy, right?”

“Yes! But I want to be with him.”

“You could join the Navy, too,” Ashley suggested.

“Aimee is married to another officer and they have to spend time apart, too,” I said. “It’s just what happens. Sometimes you can take your wife with you, like Karl, but he’s not on a ship.”

“I’ll just tell the Navy he has to stay by me!” she declared.

“You do that, Little Bunny Rabbit,” I said, wondering how the Navy would survive.

[On the British Airways flight]

Marilyn, the lady sitting next to me on the plane, was very nice. She was from London and was going home after a business trip to Chicago.

“How old are you, Albert?” she asked.

“Eleven. I start sixth grade this year.”

“And you’re traveling alone?”

“Yes. This is the fourth time I’ve traveled to England. The other times I flew with my dad, my grandpa, or Doctor Jon, who I’m going to visit.”

“What does your dad do?”

“He runs his computer company. They make programs for lawyers and doctors.”

“I’m a lawyer, well, I’m called a barrister in England, and that means I argue cases in court. What is your dad’s company’s name?”

“NIKA,” I replied.

“I’ve heard of that, but I don’t use it. May I ask who you’re going to visit?”

“My friend Jane. Her dad is a doctor and lived with us for a year while he worked at the hospital my mom works at.”

“Is your mom a doctor?”

“Yes. A trauma surgeon. My grandpa is a trauma surgeon, too.”

“And my father and grandfather are barristers,” Marilyn replied. “My mother is a school teacher. Do you know what you want to be?”

“I want to go to the Naval Academy. My other grandpa and a bunch of my dad’s friends are in the Navy. Well, grandpa was in World War II.”

“Are you sure? You’re very young to have a grandpa who was in World War II. My grandpa was.”

“Grandpa A didn’t get married until he was forty-four.”

“Oh, wow! That’s old to get married! How long are you staying in England?”

“Three weeks.”

The stewardess interrupted us to serve our lunch. We chatted a bit more while we ate, and then they showed a movie which I didn’t care about, so I pulled out my book to read - The Hunt for RED OCTOBER, which Dad, Jesse, and Matthew all loved.

[Chicago, Illinois]

“That’s what you all want? Cuddles?” I asked.

“Yes!” my three daughters proclaimed.

“Not games or a movie?”

“Cuddles AND a movie!” Ashley declared. “Muppets! We can watch The Muppets Take Manhattan and Muppet Treasure Island.”

“If that’s OK with your sisters.”

“Yes!” Stephie and Birgit agreed.

When we arrived home all of us took showers, then we had lunch with Matthew and Chelsea. After lunch Matthew and Chelsea left for the Museum of Science and Industry, and my daughters and I settled down in front of the TV to watch the movies, with the girls alternating sitting beside me or in my lap. That was how we spent the afternoon, interrupted only by Kara calling to say she’d made it to the apartment that had been rented for her by the research team. Because the girls needed my attention, I decided to order Chinese food for dinner, which I did right before the four of us left to walk to the hospital to get Jessica.

“Albert called a few minutes ago,” she said after we hugged and kissed. “He’s safe with Sweeney.”

“So long as he avoids being made into a meat pie!” I chuckled. “How was your day?”

“A steady stream of patients, but nothing bad beyond a couple of MIs that didn’t make it. Smoking, being overweight, not exercising, and then overexerting yourself is a bad combo. Did you hear from Kara?”

“Yes. Her flight was delayed about twenty minutes, but she’s at the apartment and she and Cherise are going out to dinner.”

Jessica smirked, “The one who had the hots for you?”

“Kara failed to mention that,” I chuckled. “We need to stop by the Chinese place. My daughters occupied my entire afternoon.”

“We watched two Muppet movies!” Stephie declared. “And cuddled.”

“I’m glad you had time with your dad today.”

We made our detour to the Chinese restaurant to pick up our order, and after we arrived home, we had a nice dinner with Matthew and Chelsea, and while Jessica got the girls to bed, I drove Matthew and Chelsea to Union Station so they could take the train back to the suburbs. When I arrived home, Jessica and I went up to our room, I put on soft music, we undressed, and got into bed. She snuggled close and I put my arm around her.

“This doesn’t happen very often,” she said.

“No, it doesn’t,” I agreed. “Is that something that bothers you?”

“Oh no, not at all! I wouldn’t trade what we have with Kara for anything!”

“Is there something special I can do for you?”

“Kiss me all over then make slow, tender, passionate love to me.”

“Your wish is my command!”

July 23, 2000, Chicago, Illinois

On Sunday morning, I walked Jessica to the hospital, then ran, showered, cuddled Birgit, and made breakfast for myself and the girls. Once we’d eaten and done the dishes, the girls and I took Birgit to the airport for her trip to Vermont to visit Katy. As with Albert, once we’d obtained her boarding pass, I turned Birgit over to the American Airlines rep who would take her to the gate for the flight to Boston.

“Have fun, Pumpkin!” I said.

“Will you miss me?” she asked.

“Every single minute of every single day,” I replied.

Her sisters rolled their eyes, knowing I was humoring Birgit, though there was indeed some truth to my statement. I always missed my kids when they were away, but I also knew it was a fact of life that, eventually, all of them would leave home. I felt that was a good thing, but it wasn’t without a tinge of sadness.

Once Birgit was through security, Ashley, Stephie, and I headed home to prepare for Clayton’s ‘Welcome Home’ party. Elyse, Eduardo, Matthew, Michael, and Chelsea arrived before lunch to help, and the Jaegers and Quinns arrived just after lunch. Once everything was ready, with Tom’s blessing Bethany and I went to my study to talk.

“I assume you spoke to Doctor Mercer?”

“Yes. Will you meet me at least partway?”

“I WAS meeting you partway, Sweetheart! You know I agree that ‘power disparity’ can be an issue in situations like with students and teachers, which is why we have the rule at the dojo; or with bosses and employees, which is why we have our policy at NIKA.”

“The one you’ve violated more times than Picard and Kirk violated the ‘Prime Directive’?”

“Actually, that’s not quite accurate - the policy was flexible enough in the past to allow what I was doing, and I had approval from the Board of Directors. Remember, though, that relationships between people on the executive compensation plan aren’t forbidden. That said, I see the need for the policy, and I agree with it in principle, even if I don’t follow it to the letter. But the point is, I do agree it CAN happen. Where is ‘partway’ for you?”

“Fran suggested that I might have taken things to an extreme with regard to your kids, and I think that’s probably the case. I also made a serious error in imputing your behavior on Jesse, which was inaccurate. Jennifer made that quite clear.”

“And me and teenagers?”

“That’s more complicated. Fran and I both have serious concerns there, but, we also agree you are exceedingly cautious and are very, very careful to ensure you have what we’ll call ‘informed consent’. We agree there’s a difference between abusive and non-abusive relationships, and we hope you’ll acknowledge that telling the difference is not only difficult, but subject to opinion. And you do need to be cognizant of the law, even if you disagree with it.”

“I’m well aware,” I replied. “I do want to make the point that I am in no way trying to defend rapists or abusers. I’m also not completely objecting to you asking me about ‘power disparity’, but when you went to Jesse, my defenses kicked in. He is not me, and is nothing like I was at his age. If it weren’t for Carol’s irrational behavior, Francesca and Jesse would be together, despite his infatuation with Larisa, and Amber’s relentless quest to win his affection. The only reason he’s hanging out with Kelly is because of Carol. I’ll also point out that Stephie, Albert, and Matthew already have their life partners.

“And going back to the defenses, I do want to point out that I have no issues with you initiating discussions about consent, birth control, and STIs. Things beyond that should be initiated by the kids. I encourage them to have those kinds of conversations with adults as they feel necessary. But it’s not for the adult to initiate them. Birgit has very, very intimate talks with Katy, and I have no idea of the specifics, but I’ve impressed on Katy that it’s up to Birgit to decide what is, and what isn’t, discussed.

“If Jesse comes to you with a concern, by all means, talk with him, but please don’t push radical thinking on him which doesn’t even remotely apply to his situation. It’s one thing to do that with an older adult, with lengthy life experience, or someone who is acting abusively. It’s not OK to do it with a fourteen-year-old kid who’s just trying to figure out his way forward after his chosen life partner was snatched away. Maybe Jesse has a string of lovers; maybe he doesn’t. But he’s not me and he’ll never be me, nor will any of my kids.”

“Birgit?”

“I think Birgit will have her fair share of lovers, but her thinking is a cross between Kara’s and mine. She won’t limit herself to a single guy for life, but I don’t think she’s going to approach anything remotely resembling what Jennifer calls the ‘body count’.”

“Will there ever be a day when you say ‘enough’?”