Chapter 62

After starting his report and working on the discharge papers for the patients that were to be discharged in the morning, Jake went home.  After more than a YEAR of fighting with the government and personal and family things popping up, he was FINALLY finished with his research.  He felt like a huge weight had been lifted from his shoulders.

 When he pulled into the driveway at home, he grabbed his things as usual and went into the house only to find nothing but silence.  “Hello?  Anyone here?” he called.  He listened closely to any noise that may have been coming from the rest of the house.  He heard stirring in the Kitchen, so he set his briefcase on the couch as he passed it and went through the Kitchen door.

As the door swung open, everyone jumped up out of someplace where they had been hiding and shouted, “SURPRISE!  CONGRATULATIONS, JAKE!”

He laughed and shook his head.  “Whose idea was this?” he asked as his wife came over to the door way where he stood from where she hid with their daughter behind the island bar.

“Mine and Miri’s”, Delilah said with a smile. 

Jake took Miri from her mother with a smile on his face.  “Did you and Mama think up having a party for me?” he asked as he bounced the little girl in his arms.  She giggled and cooed.

“And we all chipped in, Jake”, Maddie said from near the table.

“We’re all really excited for you, bro”, Jordan and Malachai said in unison.

He grinned.  “Thanks everyone.  I’m glad it’s finally over.  Now all I have to do is send off copies of all of the tests and stuff I did before and after the trial after writing up my report, then wait on the FDA and DHHS to green light it for general usage.”

“How long do you expect that to take?” Brie asked as she ushered everyone toward the table for dinner.

“Getting everything together won’t take long at all because it’s all been gathered and organized.  I’ve already started on my report.  Approval should take a couple of months at the least.”

“What did you want to do while you wait for approval?” David asked as food made its way around the table.

“I’m actually going to see about some of that vacation time I have saved up from the past year and a half and I would like to take my wife on the honeymoon we postponed.”

“Where to?”

“I want to go to Europe”, Delilah said.

“And what about you, Jacob?  Where do you want to go?” Brie asked.

“Wherever my wife wants to go.  I was actually wondering if there were any sights or places you’d recommend for someone interested in visiting sites important to our family.”

“Ireland for sure.  Your Grandfather Cartwright’s family was from Ireland.”

“You could also visit the concentration camps your Great grandparents were held in if that were of an interest to you”, David added.

“Which ones were those?” Jake asked.

“Auschwitz and Bergen- Belsen”, David said.  “Those were the camps that my maternal grandparents were held in.”

“My maternal grandparents were held at Dachau and Neuengamme”, Brie added.

Jake looked at the woman sitting next to him.  “Would you like to go to Germany to see the camps my family was held in during WWII?” he grinned.

She smiled softly at him.  “If it means something to your family, then I’d be more than happy to do it.”

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His parents kept Miri from them that night.  She was more than happy to stay with Gramma and Grampa.  She actually seemed to be looking forward to it.  She loved hanging out with Gramma and Grampa.

Jake and Delilah went out to their little house out back and got reacquainted with each other and took all night to do so.  There wasn’t a room- save Miri’s- that was safe, nor was there a surface that was safe.  From the couch to the floor, to the shower, to the bathroom counter, to the wall of their bedroom and finally their bed, they were all over the house.

They both lay in bed, side by side, panting.  “OH MY GOD!” Jake panted.  “Are you kidding me?  That was amazing!”

Delilah laughed breathlessly.  “It was.  I can’t believe it’s been so long.  I mean, we really didn’t even celebrate our anniversary.”

“Research ate the world.”

“Well, at least we’ve got the time to be husband and wife again instead of worrying about being Mama and Daddy, or taking care of everyone while Mom’s recovering.”

“And we’re going to be going on our honeymoon here soon.  I’m going to talk to my boss about that in the morning.”

“Good idea, baby.  That’s something we need to work on planning if you’re going to be getting it soon.”

“So, we’re going to go to Germany, right?” he asked.

“Sounds good to me.  Do we want to go see the ACTUAL concentration camps or do we want to just go visit the Holocaust museum?  My vote is both.”

“I agree.  It’s going to break my heart, but it would be interesting to see.”

“Is my big tough man afraid he’s going to cry?”

“No.  I have no problem crying.  Ask my parents what kind of a wreck I was the day you got in the car wreck.  Everything made me cry that day.”

“I actually believe that.  I know you.”

He pulled her into his arms.  “You know, I don’t have to be at work tomorrow.  I’m not on the schedule.”

“But you need to go in to finish your report and talk to the Chief of Medicine about getting your vacation time.  How much do you have?”

“Three months worth.  I was thinking that we could take a month or two and travel Europe.  See the Berlin Wall, Paris, London, Ireland… spend a couple of days in each place.  About a week or two in Germany so that we can visit those camps, a couple of days in Poland to visit Auschwitz.”

“That sounds like a plan to me.  I like it.  Do you want me to start working on getting the plane tickets to leave as soon as possible?”

“I was actually going to talk to Dad to see if he’s still paying for the honeymoon like he promised.”

“I’m sure Dad’s going to pay for the honeymoon.  Your father’s a man of his word.”

He tilted her face up to his.  “What do you say to us continuing this conversation a little later and me returning the favor you did me earlier?”

“Oh, I think in like that idea”, she said, pressing her lips against his.

He rolled and placed himself between her thighs, then slowly started kissing down her body until he got to what he wanted.  She let out a shiver and let him know that he was in the right spot.  After one good, long lick, he lowered his mouth to her core and let her see that he was still hungry for and that he always would be.

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“I’ll bet you that they’re out there planning their honeymoon”, Jordan said to Maddie as they put Miri down for bed that night. 

“I’ll bet you that they’re doing more than that”, Maddie laughed.  “I’m willing to be what I make from my clients in tips for the next week that they’re doing FAR more than that.  I’m sure they’re discussing it, but they’re making up for lost time right now.  I’m willing to bet.”

Jordan laughed.  “Do you think they’re going to take Miri with them?”

“Hell no”, Maddie laughed out.  “It’s called a honeymoon for a reason, Jordan.  It a chance for two honeys to moon over each other and be in love.”

“I wish I could have one of those.  I’m still waiting on the bills for Gay Marriage to pass.  They’re going to pass it into law soon, I’m sure.”

“I hope they do for you sis.  You’ve never been happier than with Davina.”

“Remember when Sammi was supposed to give me her baby, then decided to force herself to miscarry?”

“Yeah.  What about it?”

“The father of that baby is going to give Davina and me some of his sperm and we’re going to have a baby.”

“That’s great!  Congrats, Jord.”

“Thanks, Maddie.”

“Have you told Mom and Dad?”

“Not yet, no.  Davina and I are still trying to decide who should carry the baby.  I don’t want to say anything until we know for sure that there actually is a baby in there, let alone who’s going to carry the baby.”

“Well, good luck with that.  I’m happy to finally see you happy with someone, big sister.”

“Thanks, little sis.  Now, what about you getting serious with someone?”

“I’m seeing a guy, but it’s not going to work out.  He doesn’t have balls big enough to be my man.  I’ll keep looking.  Eventually, Mr. Right will come along.  I mean, look at Mom and Dad.  They didn’t find each other until Dad was pushing forty.”

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Everyone on the property lay in bed in silence.  Not a soul was stirring.  Jake was lying in bed with his wife at his side when he heard a noise.  It sounded like it was coming from Miri’s room.  He got up and went to check because he knew that Miri was inside.  He thought heard Miri crying.  He went into Miri’s room and looked at the crib.  There was a little baby in the crib.  He moved to pick up the child.  He studies the little one his arms.  It looked exactly like him so he checked the inside of the diaper.  It was a boy.  “Hi there, handsome, he said quietly.  The little boy squirmed in his arms.  He smiled down.  What is your name?, he thought quietly.  He got no answer.

Jake came to with a start.  “Another baby?  I’m going to be a father again?” he asked himself quietly.  “I’m going to have a son?  Whoa, unreal.  I wonder if Mom went through this with each of her pregnancies.”  He sighed heavily as he settled back into the bed next to his wife and went back to sleep.  He was going to talk to his mother in the morning about what he’d seen.  But, for the time being, he just laid back and smiled.  He was going to have a son in about a year.