A Soldier's Girl

Chapter 74: How Things Change

Chapter 74: How Things Change

John's View

Arms tight around my chest and skin warm and pink, I find Espen wrapped around me as if she was moss and I a tree. I always loved this view, her body curved against my, beautiful and bold, always making me believed I was in a dream. Having gotten her back last night, my fears have been proven wrong- I found her mine and no one else's.

Brushing a piece I her brassy bangs out if her eyes, her blue eyes soon flutter and look up at me. I love those eyes- waterfalls, skies, sapphires- and I especially love those lips, that are now on mine.

"I didn't mean to wake you." I said softly as if the house were full of sleeping bears.

"It's okay..." Something about that sentence was not okay- it was her.

"Are you okay?" I asked with hidden worry, like you do when you find a small child bleeding in confusion and you wish not to make them upset.

"I'm not sure. Part of me is happy and part is merely sad."

"Why are you sad, Essie?"

Shaking her head, she pulls the blanket over head and turns away from me. As I turn to face her, I reach under and firmly grab her naked, smooth silked bottom. Hearing a squeak, I smile and crawl under the covers with her.

"Essie, you can't hide from me. Baby, what's wrong?" Just as I thought she would flee from the bed or scream in anger, she shoves her whole body into me and weeps against my neck. "Oh Es, please talk to me. Honey whatever it is, I want to help."

"Seeing yer face kills me..." She cries out and he smirks.

"I know a hell of a plastic surgeon..." I joke and she at least gives me a small giggle of air.

"Every time I see you, I think of our last fight...or when I lost the baby..." Stricken with grief, she rolls away from me and all I can do is pull her back to my embrace.

"Essie, I love you. I have always loved you...we can get passed this horrible memory and remember our baby for who he was."

"We never knew him, John." This stung, but it is true.

"Well, we knew when we watched M.A.S.H on Sundays, he seemed to enjoy it. We knew that when I tickled yer neck, he'd tickle yer stomach. He loved apples and especially dark chocolate...by Dove. We can assume by the ultrasounds, he looked like you, but not yer mouth and yer stubborn will to take a good picture." We laugh and she rolls back over to face me, eyes sad, yet not from pain, but from forgotten memories. "We knew our son. He knows us."

"Remember when we stayed up one night watching hours of of Golden Girls?"

"And he kept moving in you like he was ready to burst out like Alien." We both laugh and then frown. "Essie, I want you like I had you then. I wanna pick up from where we were. You. Me. A ring..."

"A baby?" She piqued my interest and I placed a feather like kiss on her nose.

"If that's where you wanna pick up at, I have time before my car gets towed."

"Maybe not right no or in the immediate future, but I definitely want children with you."

"And I you."

.......................

Daryl's View

When I woke up to an empty apartment, I assumed last night was a dream, but I was dreaming in a new place. I thought if have woken up next to Beth after I carried her to end and had a second round of make up sex, but I guess she'd rather me be alone right now.

Beth has always been good at making plans and following them through. If this was still part of her plan to punish me, I wouldn't be surprise if it lasted a few more days. It isn't until she walks in with Jackson in he arms, sucking on a bottle of early morning milk, that I realized she wasn't in the middle of some deceiving plan, but back to reality of parenting.

"Daddy's up!" Beth acts happily surprised and Jackson gurgles some non-intelligent words, well for a baby, it was pretty intelligent to form mumbles.

"Hey buddy." Sitting up, Beth brings Jackson over, who's moving his free hand sporadically. Grabbing him carefully, his stitches are tight and a small blood stain is still on his skin. "I'm sorry Jack..."

"Daryl, things happen." Beth smiles and kisses my cheek.

It's nice wing home again. It's simply wonderful.