Chapter 18

Rebecca cuddled tightly against me when we got back in bed. She threw her arm across my chest in a very possessive way, which got me thinking that her personality would be changing as fast as her body, once the pregnancy got well underway. I needed to drop by the library and read up on the hormone attacks, cravings, and what else I should be prepared to deal with, as my sweetheart experiences pregnancy at thirty-five.

Colleen would need a great deal of extra attention, as Rebecca would be the center of everyone's attention until Millicent arrived. I could see her bravely feeling left out, unattractive, and unloved, if I wasn't especially attentive. That – I promised myself – was not going to be the case.

As I lay there enjoying the quiet of the middle hours of the night, Benjamin growled in his sleep, and I dropped my arm off the edge of the bed, and let it just barely touch him on the back of the head. He quieted immediately, and I could hear his heavy breathing within minutes. It was a wonderful snapshot in time. My two loves and my puppy were all surrounding me, all sleeping peacefully, and all content that I would protect them.

When I awoke, Rebecca was plastered against me, Colleen had her arm thrown across her eyes, and was sleeping deep, and Benjamin was sitting beside me, patiently waiting for me to wake up and let him out. He took care of his need, and I did the same once he was safely back inside the house. Rather than risk waking the girls, I fed Ben, cleaned up the kitchen, made breakfast, cleaned up the kitchen again, and decided to see what, if any, tricks my puppy knew.

I cut up some baby carrots and put them in a small bowl. Benjamin was excited as we went into the family room, and I sat in the floor and offered one carrot sliver to get his attention. He loved it and wanted more, so I double tapped the rug beside me, and Benjamin hopped over my legs and sat. I gave him another carrot slice.

We worked on seven tricks using carrot slices as a reward for completing the trick, or trying hard. Benjamin loved playing, and he loved being rewarded. I alternated hugs and kisses with carrot slices, and he caught on to my lesson pretty darn fast.

We were reviewing all our work when Colleen put in an appearance and asked, "What are you doing at this obscene time of the day?"

"Morning my love. Benjamin says it is a wonderful day. It's seven-thirty, I was awake and the coffee is hot. I made French toast, and it is on a platter in the fridge. Just pop it in the microwave for twenty seconds, and add syrup. It'll taste fine.

"I thought I'd let you and Rebecca sleep, since she's expecting, and you are as excited as I am. You'll want to talk to her about baby names, when you think about it. We had a short chat in the middle of the night. I hope you like my suggestions.

"Oh. And I Love You! Come get a kiss." We kissed so long and deep that Benjamin thought it should include him, and squeezed in against Colleen's side. She laughed, pushed him away, and then gave his nose a pretty little kiss, anyway.

We visited in the family room after Colleen retrieved her breakfast and brought it in to be with me while she ate. "Daddy and Mother are so happy you are home. I could see the relief in Mother's eyes and the happiness in Daddy's. When Rebecca tells them they are going to be grandparents they will just about bust.

"Mother gave up on Coulter years ago, but Daddy always held out hope that he would wake up one morning and be a changed man, go out and get himself a life, a career, and a family. Mother and I always doubted it, but Daddy remained steadfast, believing Coulter just needed time to decide to be the man Daddy always thought he was." Colleen was sitting up against me on the sofa and eating while she talked. It was a companionable conversation, and I was hearing things I didn't know.

"When you came along, it was like God gave Daddy a second chance at raising a son. Daddy craved a son that he could be a father and a friend to. He always wanted to have the kind of relationship with Coulter where they would decide to meet for a guys' only lunch, and talk about girls, cars, and sports.

"Then one day, Daddy walks into the office and tells Annette to pencil you in on his calendar for lunch on Friday, and we noticed how happy he is whenever your name came up. Even though Mother and I were always there for him and with him, he was so lonely for a man to pal around with, and we never understood it, until he had you.

"Brian – oh crud – David, Daddy grieved so much when you died ... every time. When you died on the table in that weird DHS Mobile ICU, I delayed telling them because I knew it would crush Mother, but it would completely destroy Daddy.

"When Rebecca said she was certain you were brain dead, Daddy ripped Jack apart for allowing it to happen. I thought he was going to hit him, he was so mad. I was hugging Mother, and she and I were comforting each other, Rebecca was holding you while the other doctor worked like a madman, trying to keep your heart beating, and Daddy just flipped out at Jack and his crew.

"You know something? When the helicopter came and took you to the Navy ship, the captain came and got Daddy to take a call from Judge Jones. I could hear him assuring Daddy that the federal government was going to, "put a battalion of those spaghetti eating, bastards in the ground before it was over." He was as furious as Daddy.

"Jack sent two of his men to guard you and Rebecca in the helicopter. The rest stayed with us, and when the judge was done apologizing and going apoplectic with Daddy, he blew all over Jack. It was not pretty, and it made Mother start to cry, again.

"Seeing her so upset, Daddy sent Jack away so he could comfort us, but he never stopped grieving. Not for a second, and when Jack would call and give Daddy news, it was always tense to be around him for a while after the call."

Colleen's eyes were shiny, and I didn't need to hear anymore to know how dear these people were to me, so I did what all red blooded, American boys do well, I kissed her. She liked that and responded with gusto.

We were still kissing when Rebecca walked in, pulled Colleen in for a kiss, and then stuck her tongue halfway down my throat. All thoughts of productive activity went out the window, and we took advantage of the convertible sofa and practiced the activities that led up to getting Rebecca pregnant, all over again. With enough practice, we might get it right ... someday.