It didn’t take long for Colton to become a regularly appearing face around the house. Eventually, Maddie planned to move out of the house and into his apartment in town. It warmed everyone’s hearts to see Maddie so happy with such an great guy. There wasn’t a day that went by that Maddie didn’t come home first thing in the morning to see her clients with a smile on her face.
Jake had done all of the phone interviews for the medical journals that he’d agreed to do and was finally getting ready to start traveling to do the few television interviews he’d agreed to do. Unlike the trip to Washington, this time he wouldn’t be travelling alone. He was taking his pregnant wife and nine month old daughter with him. They’d gotten into the doctor to find out just how far along she was before they left on their first trip. As of his father’s birthday, it was estimated that Delilah was 7 weeks pregnant, which meant that they had conceived little Ira on the same night that he’d received word that his treatment had been approved.
The first trip was to Chicago for ‘The Doctors.’ He was excited about that particular show. He was actually going to be talking about medicine with men and women that understood what he was talking about it. He could dumb it down for the viewers so that the average Joe understood what he was talking about, but he was looking forward to talking about his treatment with people that understood what he was talking about.
The night they flew out for the interview, Jake was excited. He didn’t sleep a wink that night because he was so excited. Instead, he lay in the bed of the hotel room he shared with his wife and watched television. He found a medical documentary. The moment he saw it, it had his attention. He was engrossed. At the commercial he thought about what he was going to do the next morning. I’m actually going to talk about my work in the morning in front of a studio audience in the morning. What the fuck? This is what it’s like to be a revolutionary, huh? Did Dad go through this every time Disturbed released an album or one of his monologues went into circulation during the Utopian Regime? When Mom’s interviewed for the way she makes strides in massage, does she get excited like this?, he thought as he lay in the bed and watched TV.
He looked down at the angel lying on his chest and smiled. Jordan’s right, he thought as he looked down at his wife, she does glow when she’s pregnant. She’s absolutely stunning when she’s pregnant. Absolutely the most beautiful girl in the world, though I’m biased. She is pregnant with MY child. My son, no less. My boy. It’s crazy. He kissed her temple and slid carefully out from under her to check on Miri, who was asleep in the play pen they brought with them. He looked down on his little girl and smiled. “My precious little girl”, he sighed. “You are the most important thing in the world to me; you and your Mama. When you’re little brother is born, it will be the three of you. You’re going to be a great big sister, Miri baby.” She stirred and started to fuss, so he picked her up and held her close to his chest. “Shh, baby girl”, he said soothingly. “Daddy’s got you and nothing’s going to hurt you. Not if I have my way about it.” He rubbed her back and bounced with her in his arms. He started humming the old Celtic lullaby that his mother hummed to him and each of his siblings, though he didn’t know the words. About half way through the song, he actually started singing words. What he sang was no language that he knew, but he felt like he should. He knew that the tune was similar to ‘Green sleeves’ but he’d never known the words, especially in their original Gaelic. Still, he sang the song completely through one time and little Miri was asleep before he could finish the verse. He laid her quietly in the pen and scratched his head. Where the hell did that come from?, he asked himself. I’ve never heard Mom speak Gaelic unless she was singing that and it was usually so quiet that I couldn’t understand what she was saying. He sighed. That had be Grandfather’s way of having something to do with his great granddaughter from the other side, because I sure didn’t do that on my own. He shook his head to clear his mind of the thought as he settled into the bed again with his wife. He had a long week ahead of him. He needed to try to get a little bit of rest.
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When Jake got up for breakfast the next morning he did so excitedly. He was excited to get to the studio to talk about his treatment. He was assured that any visual aids he needed would be provided.
As he sipped his coffee and watched his wife tend to their daughter, he couldn’t help but think back to what had happened the night before as he put Miri back to sleep. “Baby, can I tell you something strange?” he asked.
“Of course you can, Jake. When have you ever not been able to tell me anything?”
He smiled. “Never.” He paused to take a deep breath. “I had the strangest experience last night. I was having trouble sleeping so I got up to walk about a bit because TV was boring the hell out of me. Miri started fussing, so I picked her up and I started humming that Celtic lullaby that Mom used to sing to us. I was about half way through and instead of humming; I started singing in a language I don’t know.”
She looked at her husband. “That is odd. Maybe you should call Mom and talk to her about it. She might have some insight.”
He sighed. “I don’t want to worry her though. She’s starting to see clients again today.”
“She’d want to know about this, Jacob. Wouldn’t you if the same thing had happened to Miri?”
He sighed again and grabbed his phone. “I hate it when you’re right sometimes.”
He dialed his mother’s personal number and got her voicemail. “Hey, you’ve reached Brie Draiman. Sorry I can’t get to the phone. I’m either working or dealing with my kids at the moment. Please feel free to leave me your name, number, and a brief message and I get back to you as soon as I’m available. Shalom, and have a wonderful day.”
He smiled. “Well, Mom, if you’re dealing with kids it’s sure not this one. By the way, it’s Jake if you haven’t guessed already. I need you to call me as soon as you possibly cam and please try to make it before 1pm CST. I have something rather important that I need to talk to you about. Love ya, Mom. Bye.” The moment he hung up he sent her a text. “Call me as soon as you get this. I need to talk to you”, and heaved a sigh. “And now, it’s a waiting game. Breakfast should be here soon and Miss Miri there looks like she needs a bath after her breakfast. I’ll bathe her so that you can get dressed.”
His wife moved to him with their daughter in her arms. “Sounds like a plan to me.” She stretched up and pressed a kiss to his lips.
He kissed her in return and smiled. “You know? I’m the luckiest guy in the world right now.”
“Oh? And how is that?”
“I’m about to go talk about my work and I’ve got my two favorite girls with me. What more can a guy like me ask for?”
“Kissing my ass will get you nowhere, Jacob Micah.”
“Who said I’m trying to kiss your ass, Delilah. I’m being genuine.”
She laughed. “Well, in that case...” She held Miri out to him. “Take her and get her cleaned up. After she doses off while we eat OUR breakfast, you can show me just how lucky you think you are.” She winked at him.
He laughed that knowing laugh that all men have when they know that they’re going to get their way in a matter of time and took their daughter. “You got it, gorgeous.” He took Miri into the bathroom and put her in a tub of warm water and got her cleaned up. By the time she was clean and dressed, breakfast had arrived. He put her in her play pen and sat down to eat with the woman he loved. He was surprised at how hungry he was. He felt like he was starving and hadn’t eaten in a couple of days. He refused to make a pig of himself, though. He wasn’t raised that way. He sat and ate slowly as he always did. He looked at Delilah who was struggling to do that same thing. He knew what was going on. He remembered his father going through the same thing he was going through when his mother was pregnant with Madison. Sympathy hunger. When they got home he’d try to talk to his father about that problem, but one thing at a time.
As they quietly ate and watched Miri play in her play pen, his phone went off. After checking to see who was calling him, he accepted the call and put the phone to his ear. “Hey Mom.”
“You needed to talk to me, Jake?”
He took in a deep breath and told his mother about what had happened the night before and what his theory was. “So, what do you think it is, Mom?”
“Honestly, son, I really couldn’t tell you. It could be your grandfather; but then again it could just be that your subconscious recalled the words at about half way through and then you sang it all the way through because something unlocked the memory of hearing your father and me sing it to you and all of your siblings.”
“But, what happened isn’t normal, is it?”
“No, Jake, it’s not. I can understand your concern. I just wish I knew what to tell you.”
“It’s ok, Mom. I just wanted you to at least know what happened.”
“Alright. I do appreciate it, Jake, and I’m glad I could catch you before you left for your interview.”
“Me too, Mom. Well, I’ll let you go so that you can get back to work.”
“It almost feels weird to hear you say that because I’ve been down with my back for so long.”
“I can imagine it’s a strange sensation.”
“Oh, Jake, believe me when I say that you have NO idea.”
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When the time came to leave the hotel, he did so after giving the two most important women in his life a kiss. He wore scrubs because he just didn’t feel like putting on a suit and it was just what people that went on that show wore.
The cab ride over to the studio was quiet, though the driver tried to carry on a conversation. Jake didn’t feel like talking. He was just trying to get this day over with so that he could get the next two over with in New York, and go home. He really didn’t want to do the interviews, but if he had to, he was glad that this show was one that he was invited to.
He showed his ID at the gate and the cab was told where to drop him at. Jake was getting impatient, but he didn’t want to gripe at the cab driver. It wasn’t his fault that interviews put him in a foul mood. Hell, when he was interviewed by the school paper about Malachai and Jordan’s record deal he had punched the kid that kept pestering him in the face. I told that little shit head I didn’t want to talk about it. He should have left me alone. Though, I have to admit, I’m lucky I didn’t get suspended. Or worse; expelled, he thought as the cab pulled up to the studio where the show was being shot. He paid the man and got out in silence. Ever since leaving the hotel, he’d had mixed feelings about the doing the interview. Sure, he had been excited all night and all morning about doing it; but being excited because you’re about to do it and being excited because you’re doing it are two different things.
He showed his ID to the guard at the door and he was led in and shown to the green room. The Doctors that hosted the show came to meet him. “Dr. Jacob Draiman, right?” one of the guys asked.
Jake had been sitting in the couch with his feet propped on the coffee table in front of him and his eyes closed. He opened them and looked at the three other men in the room. “Yeah, I’m Dr. Draiman.”
“Welcome, Doctor”, the one with dark straight hair and blue eyes said. “I’m Dr. Desmond, these are my co- hosts, Dr. Jessop and Dr. Yoast.”
Jake stood and shook their hands one by one. “Pleased to meet you all. I’m honored that you asked me here.”
“Well, word got out that a doctor with the last name Draiman was up for the Nobel Peace Prize and we just had to jump on that. I’m sure you had a million offers to do shows that are all over the country.”
“I did, but I’m not doing that many. I have better things to do.”
“Like?”
“Spend time with my pregnant wife and our nine month old daughter.”
“There you go. Well, we’re about ready to go onstage, so we’ll send for you when we need you.”
He nodded. “Not a problem. I’ll be here.” When they walked off, he sat back down and rested his eyes for a few moment, making himself jolt awake every few minutes so that he wasn’t startled by the crew man that came to get him so that he could tell the nation about the treatment he’d developed.
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Once the interview was over, Jake was back at his hotel getting his family ready to fly to New York so that he could do two morning shows. He didn’t particularly want to do either of them, but he knew it was par for the course. He also knew that he’d spend more time answering personal questions about his family- more specifically his famous father and famous brother and sister- than he would about his research. He might have hated it, but it was part of the game.
When the flight departed O’Hare, he and Delilah were sitting in first class and had discovered a way to cuddle when they discovered that the arm rest between them went up. He put his back against the window so that she could lean against him with their little girl in her arms. It didn’t take very long for him to get comfortable enough to fall asleep for the two hour flight.
When he plane touched down, she woke him gently so that they could get off the damn plane and get to the hotel. He wouldn’t have any trouble sleeping that night. He was too exhausted. When they got to the hotel, she made sure that he ate a little something and then went to bed. He would have to be up early so that he could get to Time Square to the two early morning talk shows he would be doing. The segments were five minutes apiece and thirty minutes apart. He’d end up changing his shirt and tie in between interviews, but that was a worry for the morning. After he ate a little bit of dinner, he was more than happy to lie down. His head no sooner hit the pillow than he was gone.
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