Chapter 4: Reflection and Surprise

Hawk

Gretchen, Sandy and Trish had been gone for over an hour when the loudspeaker announced that we had set sail. Lisa and Jo had joined the guys and me, so the conversation had shifted from basketball to more mundane topics. The last hour had been a hoot, really. Jo was a firecracker. I'd only spoken to her for a few minutes last year. That had been during questioning her about an attempted murder. Ted's. Now I knew a lot more about her personality and I wished I'd had the opportunity to get to know her then.

Lisa and Ted were really hitting it off with Jo and Earl, too. That made me wonder how close we might grow. Keven was friendly, but reserved. I doubted he and Sandy were the wild and crazy type in general but the dynamics of a weeklong cruise weren't normal. I was willing to bet on the likelihood that we would all do something during the week that we'd never do in the real world. With a jolt, I realized that I even had to include myself; Keven and Earl were making me itch almost as much as Ted and that scared the hell out of me. I was a lesbian, wasn't I? Like everything else, time alone would tell.

For now, though, I had something else I had to deal with. If I wanted to see the doctor without Gretchen breathing down my neck, I needed to move now while Trish had Gretchen occupied. I smiled as I slowly stood up; Mother Hen wasn't going to be happy about not escorting me. My unintended pun made me smile even more. "I hate to run," I told everyone, "but I promised my wife that I'd let the doctor give me a checkup." I patted my swollen belly. "For some reason she thinks I might just drop the kids at a moment's notice."

That made them all laugh.

Keven stood up with me. "Since your wife kidnapped my fiancé, I'll fill in and make sure that you get there in one piece. Everyone, it's been a pleasure, and I hope we can keep getting together over the next week." Everyone else said hasty goodbyes and rose to go their separate ways, too.

"So, are you close?" Keven asked as we walked slowly to the elevators.

"Yep," I grinned. "Close enough. It's about a month to the date my doctor pulled out of the air, but with twins and a first birth, you never know. It might be a couple of weeks if they come early. Oooh, they're moving! Feel!" I pulled his hand to my belly.

He felt the twins moving around and smiled at me, pulling his hand back. "Any chance they might come on the cruise?" he asked. He seemed a little nervous. Moving babies probably did that to men.

I stepped into an elevator and pressed the appropriate button. "It's possible," I admitted, "but not really likely. Maybe if there were a lot of activity or stress. I wouldn't worry that you're going to have to deliver them right here in the elevator."

Keven laughed. "Delivering babies would be more Sandy's lot than mine. She's the doctor. How did Gretchen take the news that you you're having twins?"

"With entirely too much enthusiasm," I muttered.

"Tell me about it," Keven said.

With a shrug, I gave in. "When Alice, my OB/GYN told me, I was instantly in a state of shock. It was the whole deal: mouth gapping, eyes wide, and me completely at a loss for words. If I hadn't been lying on my back with my feet in the stirrups I would have fallen down. Gretchen was at no such loss of words or motor function." That was true in spades.

"She literally started bouncing up and down and running in little circles in front of us, pumping her arms into the air in some kind of primitive victory dance, screaming 'Twins!'. She grabbed my arms and shook me so much that I was afraid that the table wouldn't keep me from falling. She was exulting that she'd have two little babies to be Daddy to."

I shook my head. "I considered slapping her because she was becoming hysterical but it probably wouldn't have helped. Knowing Gretchen, she might even have liked it. I settled for sighing dramatically and I told her very clearly not to go there. Let me be clear now, Keven, I'm not the wife and she's not the Daddy. We're both the Mommy. Apparently," I added with a bit of a grimace, "Gretchen didn't read the memo." Keven laughed and I shot him a dirty look. It got him to stop laughing but couldn't quell the grin on his face. After I bit, I couldn't help but grin back. Keven, I decided right then, was dangerous.

"In any case, Alice told us the twins were both healthy and Gretchen immediately started demanding to know what sex they were," I said. "It took me half an hour to convince her that I didn't want to know and that I wasn't giving in to her tantrum. Gretchen is the world's worst gossip, I swear." I fixed him with a stare. "Not about secrets or her escort work but about something like this? It would have been all over the universe before I got home."

He nodded at me.

"They wanted to talk me out of coming on this cruise entirely. Alice pointed out that twins normally come four to six weeks early and at seven and a half months I now have only a couple of weeks till I get to the inner edge of the zone. Any normal woman would be 'sensible', but I'm a bit stubborn," I admitted.

Keven smiled at me. "Really? You?"

"Yeah, and I'm sure you know all about that condition, don't you?" I snorted. "You and I are more alike than I think either of us realize. In the end, my penalty for being stubborn is to see the doctor every day."

"That's just being prudent," Keven said.

"Gretchen was all worried that sex was out of the question," I continued. "Alice set her straight. As long as it's not too rough, I can if I want to, thank God. I'm horny so much now."

"Lucky Gretchen," Keven grinned.

"Among others," I answered with a matching grin. "This is going to be an interesting cruise."

Keven laughed. "That's a hilarious story. You and Gretchen make quite a pair and you both seem really happy together. If you don't mind my asking, how do you do that with Ted and Lisa in the picture?"

The elevator opened and we walked out and toward the medical center. I knew the beans had already been spilled, but Lisa's hopes of winning the election could be hurt if word got out into the general public. I had to tread carefully and I needed to know how Keven was going to handle our situation.

"Ted and Lisa were intimate with me before I met Gretchen," I said, paying close attention to his reactions. "In fact I was pregnant before I met her, though I didn't know it at the time. Gretchen not only accepted my pregnancy but ever since we got married, she and I have been talking about getting together with Ted and Lisa; and, they'd been talking about it themselves. I realize that causal sex isn't for everyone but we're going to try it this week. I think everything will be fine." I winked at him. "Why, are you lusting after my wife?"

Keven laughed. "Hawk, the only men who don't lust after Gretchen already have boyfriends." That startled a laugh from me, as well, and I determined to remember that line. "Seriously, though," Keven continued, "Gretchen is a beautiful woman and I won't lie to you about looking, but I don't know if that's right for Sandy and me. We've been talking about getting married."

"Love and sex don't have to be the same thing," I said. "But I'm not trying to lure you into the sack." I blushed, given my earlier thoughts, and I only hoped Keven would misinterpret my embarrassment. "Since we were talking about my sex life, it seemed only fair to ask you. Sandy kept looking at Trish and unless I miss my guess, Gretchen will be taking on a trainee. That opens up all kinds of possibilities if your lovely wife wants to get to know Trish a little better. If she did, would you object? A lot of men fantasize about multiple women."

Keven nodded. "I saw her looking but she's never mentioned anything about being bisexual. If she asks me, I'll consider it, but I won't bring it up myself."

"But you're not opposed to the idea in principle?" I pressed.

"I'm not jealous that way," he said with a shrug. "If I'm there, it's not cheating. I don't want either one of us sneaking around or for something like that to happen all the time, but I wouldn't object to an occasional romp in the hay." He grinned at me. "Why, are you interested in Sandy? Or even me?"

I laughed to cover my moment of shock. This was hitting entirely too close to home. "Obviously I've had sex with Ted. I don't know if I want to have sex with another man," I said honestly. "My self-image as a lesbian is already in crisis." That was truer than Keven knew. Once again, I felt like I had no idea who I was or what I wanted. Keven and Earl were attractive men, but did I want to sleep with them? I shook my head.

"None of us are stereotypes," Keven told me bluntly. "There are no absolutes in being human. We're people and that means that we have to accept that we don't always fit comfortably into neat little boxes. If you like women more than men, so be it. If you enjoy an occasional encounter with a man in a safe environment with your wife, that doesn't change who you are."

"Have you ever had a man?" I shot back with a little more heat than I intended. I held up my hand before he could speak. "Sorry, that came out sounding a little more abrupt than I meant it to. You don't have to answer that."

"No, I haven't and I'm not offended," he assured me. "I'm a pretty blunt guy on occasion. Ask Sandy. She'll tell you I'm passionate and sometimes too free with allowing my emotions to run. When I get angry, I get close to the edge. I almost punched out that Price guy when I found out he'd hit Lisa."

"Really?" I asked with a purr in my voice. "Me, too. I made him fall over in a chair in the interrogation room. I wanted to beat the crap out of him. Keven, my friend, I think we'll get along just fine. Maybe we can track that slime down and double-team him?"

Keven stopped outside the door to the medical center and grinned. "Deal."

The checkup was thorough but a bit impersonal for my taste. I couldn't fault the doctor on his skill, but I'd always been more comfortable with people that had a personality. Give me a doctor like House any day of the week. Keven waited patiently in the small waiting room for me to finish. I nodded to the young black man sitting there reading a magazine and let Keven escort me out of the medical center.

Something about the young man raised a flag for me, though. He had been looking more at Keven than reading the magazine he was holding. I suppose he could be a people watcher but I was suspicious by nature.

"You talk much to that guy in the waiting room?" I asked Keven as we stepped into the elevator.

He looked at me curiously. "We talked a little bit. Why?"

I shrugged. "I don't really know," I admitted. "Something about him set off my cop-sense. Did he come in with someone?"

Keven nodded. "A young white girl. The nurse took her into the back just before you came out."

Okay, so the guy wasn't alone. Maybe I was being paranoid with Price and the Right Reverend around. Still.

"Was there anything odd in the conversation?" I asked in spite of my own doubts.

"We talked about the ship and all the stuff to do," Keven said. "He did seem kind of curious about all the stuff Sandy and I intended to do. It didn't seem odd at the time."

"He knew about Sandy?" I asked sharply.

"Well, he did after he asked if I was on the ship with someone," Keven admitted. "I told him nothing more than her name. His was Cal Washington and his girl is Nancy Armstrong. She was feeling a little queasy and wanted something for her stomach."

"Did he ask about me?" I asked quietly.

Keven nodded. "I told him you were here for a pre-natal checkup. He didn't ask anything more about you than that. I didn't even tell him your name, so he might think you're Sandy. He was really just interested in the kind of fun we intended to have on the ship."

I nodded and forced my paranoia back into its kennel. This was probably nothing. I stewed on it until we got back to my suite. This was going to bounce around the back of my brain until I did something about it, I knew.

When I walked in, I found a clothes party in progress. Gretchen and Sandy were sitting on the couch, and Trish was modeling a sheath dress in deep green. The somewhat innocent girl was gone and in her place was a sophisticated young woman. At least she seemed that way until she saw Keven and blushed. Gretchen was going to have her work cut out for her with Trish.

Gretchen leaned forward. "Trish, you're going to have to accept that men will see you like this and not let it rattle you," she said gently. "It's normal and part of your new job. Revel in it. Be sensual. Be seductive. Be a little slutty when the time is right."

I pushed Keven into the room and into a comfortable seat before sitting down heavily beside Gretchen. She turned and kissed me and it wasn't just a peck on the cheek. She was feeling it, too. I returned her kiss with enthusiasm but broke it off before our passions carried us away. "I saw the doctor, as per your orders, Ma'am. He said everything's fine."

"That's Daddy to you, Wench," Gretchen said with a grin. "Ma'am is for you, Mommy." Then I saw the rest of the message hit her. "You went to the doctor without me? Are you crazy?"

I hid a grin as I turned and nodded towards Keven. "Don't worry, pretty Mama," I told her. "Keven was kind enough to waddle with me to the doctor."

Gretchen gave me a long look and Keven a longer more appraising one. She smiled and her eyes twinkled as she abruptly stood up and pulled me to my feet. "Excuse us for a little bit," She told the three as led me into the master bedroom.

A thrill raced up my spine and I closed the door behind us. Gretchen melted into my arms and I kissed her softly. "We have guests," I whispered into her ear.

"I know," she whispered back. "They'll have to make do because I've been wanting you all morning." Her lips found mine again, this time hot and aggressive.

I sat gently on the bed and we necked like teenagers. Time seemed to slow to crawl as I focused on the electricity shooting between us. I was overwhelmed with a hot mixture of love and lust. At last I broke our mad kiss.

"I've wanted you since we came on board," I said, my voice husky with desire. "This cruise might be for exploring but you're what's really important to me. You're the one that torches my panties like an arc welder."

Gretchen laughed gaily. "That's just how I want it and I want everyone to know how my wife fulfills all my deepest dreams."

"Not all of them," I said, poking her with a smirk. "Don't think I missed how you were looking at Trish. You want her."

"Pots and kettles," she said with a smirk. "That's lust and this is love." With that, she started unbuttoning my blouse slowly, her fingers caressing my breasts as she slowly revealed my bra. Her touch sent lightning bolts of heat through my belly all the way to my toes. The rush of love for her overwhelmed me in a bright tide of emotion.