Chapter 68

Everything settled down for the night.  Eli and B stayed over to give Miranda and Callan as much of a break as they could.  Other than that, everyone was where they needed to be.  One last time before going to bed for the night, Jake peeked in on Miranda.  “How are you feeling, Miranda?” he asked.

“Feeling good, Uncle Dr. Jake”, she laughed.

“Just Uncle Jake please”, he chuckled.  “You wanna take your daughter home tomorrow?”

“You had better believe we do.”

“Well, pending another examination from Jax in the morning, if she’s put on enough weight you can all go home.  And good riddance to you”, he joked.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Callan chuckled.

“I just want my house back”, Jake laughed.  “Now that we have Gracie here and she’s no longer anticipated, I can have a little bit of peace again until Miri and Zeke’s birthday.  After that, I’ll have peace again until either Gramma and Grampa pass on or the Fall holidays.  Whichever comes first.”

“Nice.  You have it all planned out, huh?” Miranda laughed.

“Absolutely.”  He chuckled.  “Well, I’m going to get out of here and join my wife in our bedroom to watch a movie and get some sleep.  I suggest you two attempt to get some rest while Eli and B are here taking care of Grace for you.”

“Thanks Uncle Jake”, they called after him as he headed for the door.

“You’re both very welcome.  Get some rest, both of you.  Doctor’s orders.”  He closed the door and dragged himself down the hall and up the stairs to his own bedroom where his wife was waiting for him.  “Finally, that’s over.”

“I can hear the relief in your voice”, she said with a smile and patted the bed next to her.  “Change for bed and come join me.  I’m a little lonely over here.”

He laughed.  “I’d be more than happy to fill that space.  Give me a minute to change really fast.”  He grabbed an old pair of scrub pants that he rarely wore for work anymore out of a drawer and went into the bathroom to change.  It was a routine he went through every night.  Jake, being a doctor, was all about structure and routine.  Dirty clothes went in the hamper in the bathroom before his clean clothes went on.  If he needed a shower he took one.  He brushed his teeth and went to bed, taking his wife in his arms as she started the movie they were going to watch.

Once they were good and settled, she spoke.  “You mentioned earlier that you had something else other than the thought of retirement that you wanted to discuss with me?” she asked.

“Yeah, I did.  I’m not even sure what to make of it and it happened a day ago.”

“What is it, Jake?” she asked before pausing the movie and turning where she could look him in the face.

“I had a vision of my grandmother, Mom’s mother.  She said that Mom and Dad will be gone by Thanksgiving and that I need to prepare everyone that takes them out to the cottage for the possibility of finding them.”

“Yikes”, she said softly.  “Including yourself?”

“Yes.  Myself included.  I’ll be perfectly honest, I’d rather it be me to find them than Seth and Matt.”

“I’d rather it be you or Jeremiah myself, babe.  I’d hate to think of what it would do to any of the kids to find their grandparents’ lifeless bodies.”

“It would be traumatic, no doubt.”  He sighed.  “I’m as prepared for it as I can get, but thinking about it is still painful.  It makes my chest tight.”

She smiled sadly and pressed her lips to the bare skin of his chest.  “It means you’re human, Jake.  The thought of your parents dying upsets us all.  I’d be worried if it didn’t hurt just a little to think about it or talk about it.  The fact is that no matter how much it hurts, you are talking about it.  And when it finally happens, you know that I will be right here to support you and help you in whatever way I can.  You’re my husband and I love you dearly.  I would never leave you hanging in such a crisis.”

He smiled sadly himself and kissed her forehead.  “I have no idea what I would do without you.  Thankfully, I never have to find out.”

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“Did you notice that Dad seemed melancholy at dinner?” Seth asked Ira while they hung out that evening.

Ira nodded.  “There’s a lot going on and Dad doesn’t like to talk.  Don’t worry about it nosy ass”, Ira sighed.

“I think something’s up with Dad.”

Ira rolled his eyes and sighed.  “Why do you say that, Seth?”

“Usually he talks at dinner.  He talks about our grades, Mom’s work at the clinic, my soccer team, Sam’s cheerleading, or his practice.  He’ll talk to Gramma and Grampa about how they’re feeling.  He and Grampa will talk about the stock market and the different business ventures that he and Uncle ‘Miah have taken over.  Tonight, there was silence.”

“I’m sure that Dad’s got some things on his mind that he doesn’t want to talk about just yet.  If it’s something we need to know then we’ll know when he’s ready for us too.  Maybe it’s something big that he needs to bounce off Mom before he talks.  You need to stop being so damn nosy.  And did you ever apologize to Gramma and Grampa for being such a tool before the wedding?”

“I apologized that day.  I got my head bitten off by Grampa, Gramma, and Dad.  I’m still grounded for it.”

Ira looked at his brother from the book he was reading.  “What are you doing in here then if you’re grounded?”

“I’m bored in my room, dude.  Dad took everything.  All I have are books I’ve already read.  He took everything.”

“So you’ve come in here to bother me because Miri is more interested in Jax and Sammi’s on the phone with her boyfriend?”

Seth rolled his eyes.  “I’m in here because you’re my brother and I want to hang you with you.”

Ira looked over at his younger brother as he sat up and put his reading pad on his bedside table.  “Really?  Seth, you can’t bull shit a bull shitter.  I’ve been where you are; bored out of my skull because I was stupid enough to get grounded.  Here’s what you do.  You go to your room and make sure that it’s good and clean.  Lie on your bed and read those books you’ve read a million times over.  Listen to the music you’ve listened to a million times.  Do something for one of the classes you aren’t doing so well in for extra credit.  Upon occasion, Dad’s been known to let people out of grounding early if you show initiative.  How long did her give you?”

“Three months.”

“OUCH!  Yeah, you’ve got time to try to get back on Dad’s good side.  Stop being nosy about what’s going through Dad’s head.  He’ll tell us when he feels we need to know should that time come at all.  Now, buzz off.  I need to finish reading this book for my final.  I plan on taking it as soon as I can because I’d really like to test out of it early and get my schedule in for classes IN CHICAGO next semester.  Scram.”

“How about I go get my reading pad and work on some homework and I’ll be quiet?”

“Is there a topic you need help in?”

“English Lit.  It’s not my strongest subject and we have a paper coming up about contemporary authors.  I’m so much better with classical authors.”

“Is there an assignment offered for extra credit?”

“No, but the more in depth we go with our analysis the better our grade will be and if we manage to use citations from the book we’re covering that’s extra credit.”

Ira nodded.  “I remember that assignment.  Which author’s work have you chosen?”

“Emilia Gordon.  I think Miri did her when she took the class.”

“She did.  I’m partial to Randal King’s short stories and novels, but that’s my preference.  I’m familiar enough with Emilia Gordon so that I can help you with it if you need it.  But keep in mind that I’m reading about some of the most infamous serial killers in the history of the US.  I might be a little distant.”

“That’s cool.”

“Go get what you need and if you have any questions let me know.  For the moment, I’m going back to my book and the Zodiac killer.”  He picked up his reading pad again and lay back down on his bed.  He had a lot of reading to do if he wanted to get through the book before Spring Break ended.  Every moment he had spare he spent with his nose in the book and it would be that way until he passed the test.  From there he’d decide if he was going to go after his Masters’ and PhD once he set up his schedule for the next semester.  It was a big decision, but he knew that he could make the one that was right for him with the proper guidance.  For the moment, he just needed to focus on finished the semester he was in at the moment.  Masters’ and Doctorate decisions could wait until he got through what he was in the middle of.  They would have to.  One thing at a time.

---------------

Miri sat on the bed and rubbed her eyes.  She was starting to get tired from all of the studying she and Jax had been doing.  When she brought her hands up to her face- covering it- and yawned, Jax decided that enough was enough.  “Miri, we’re going to burn out if we don’t put it down for a little while and relax.  You’re getting tired.  I’m getting tired.  Why don’t we go take a hot bath and clear our heads for a little bit?”

She smiled.  “You’re so sweet.  What brought this on?”

“I saw you yawn.  It’s time to call it a night, love.”

She laughed.  “You’re serious?”

“Deathly so.  We need to take a break and call it a night.  I say a nice hot bath for the two of us so that we can focus on other things, and Bob’s your uncle, we’ll both be feeling much better and be refreshed to start this whole process all over again.”

“Makes sense”, she chuckled.  “You know; we could always go out and chill in the hot tub.”

“I like the way you think, darlin’.  Why don’t we get changed and go do just that?”

She laughed and uncurled from the bed and set down her tablet that held not only a majority of her books for her classes, but her papers as well.  She locked it- making sure it was password secure- and grabbed her bikini out of the top drawer of her dresser.  “I’ll be right back”, she said as she walked toward the door.

“Miri, we made love just this afternoon and last night.  I’ve seen you naked.  You don’t have to leave the room to change.”

“I know.  I’m not leaving to save your sensibilities.  We haven’t left the room for a few hours and we’ve been drinking a LOT of water.  See what I’m saying?”

His eyes widened with understanding.  “Ah.  I see.”

“Yeah.  I figured that I’d change while I was in there.  Makes life a little easier.”

“Go on and change.  I’ll be right here waiting when you return.”

She left the room and left him to dig though his suitcase to see if he could find his trunks.  He was almost sure that he’d be losing them at some point that night- whether in the hot tub or there in the bedroom after they came back in- but he knew that her younger sister was in the house and she didn’t need to see him in all his glory.  He had little sisters so he understood.

As he sat and waited for Miri to return he thought about the impending visit from his parents and siblings.  They would be there before he and Miri returned to Chicago three days later to finish school.  He hoped that they wouldn’t make royal asses of themselves while eating with the Draiman family.  He’d already managed to procure permission from her father to propose.  He would never forgive his family if they messed that up for him.

Her voice interrupted his thoughts.  “Jax?  Are you going to put those on or are we just going to sit here all night?”

He chuckled.  “Sorry.  I got a little distracted.”  He looked up at her in the bikini and his heart skipped a beat.  “Wow”, he said softly.  “You’re so sexy.”

She smiled, laughter filling her green eyes.  “Jackson Monroe Tompkins, would you stop staring at me and get changed so that we can go relax in the hot tub?  I’d like to feel the hot water on my skin sooner rather than later.”

He finished changing into his trunks as she grabbed them each a towel from her closet.  After they slipped in a pair of sandals Miri and Jax finally headed out to the hot tub, passing Eli and B on the way out.  Eli spotted them as they passed through.  “Going to the hot tub?” he asked nonchalantly.

“That was our plan”, Miri said.  “Is there a reason we shouldn’t?”

Eli shook his head.  “Nah.  I was just checking.  You two looked like you were trying to sneak out and thought I’d ask.  You two kids have fun.”

“Eli, you’re not that much older than me.”

“I’m seven years older than you.  That’s old enough to know better and young enough not to care.”

She laughed.  “I’ll see you after a while cuz.  I’m going to take a dip in the pool with my man.”

“See ya”, Eli and B laughed.

“Eli’s checking up on us.  Why?” Jax asked.

“He’s just being an older cousin.  I’m sure if it were any of us old enough to consent he’d be doing the same.  Don’t take offense to it.  He’s just being protective of me.  It’s kinda his job as the older cousin.”

Jax nodded.  “Ok.  I won’t worry then.  Now, why don’t we get wet?”

“Last one in does all the packing.”

---------------

“So, now there’s a great- niece in the family”, Jeremiah mused as he and Jona lay in their bed that night.

“Yep.  We now have a great niece.  Exciting, isn’t it?”

“It is.  More so to know that I don’t have to change diapers, clean and sterilized bottles, or any of that fun stuff.”

She nodded.  “Just wait until it’s our grandkids.”

“That had better no happen for a very long time”, he chuckled.  “Matthew had better wait until he’s in his mid-twenties and finished with at least a Bachelors’ degree.  I’m just saying.”

She giggled.  “Are you overreacting, ‘Miah?” she asked.

He laughed.  “Maybe just a little.  But at least I didn’t say that I wanted to put a chastity belt on our daughter.”

She laughed with him.  “Yeah.  That would have been overreacting.”

“See?”  His arm tightened around her shoulders.  “We don’t have to worry about all that for at least another three years.  And, seeing as Matt is as reserved as the two of us are, I’m sure we’ll have to wait for quite some time after that.  At least until what’s supposed to be his sophomore year.”

She nodded.  “Matt seems like he’s more interested in doing acupuncture than anything else.  He’s always quizzing Damien about the topic.”

Jeremiah nodded.  “I’ve noticed that.  He asked me if I would be ok with him getting a map of the acupuncture meridians.”

“You’re not disappointed, are you?”

He shook his head.  “No.  I think it’s wonderful that he wants to follow in his Uncle Damien’s footsteps.  What I do is far too intellectual for him.  He’s a very intelligent young man, but he’s not looking to be a theologian or philosopher.  I’m completely fine with that.”

She smiled.  “Well, I’m glad.  I’ve been hoping that you would say that.”  She took a deep breath.  “Now onto another subject that has me concerned.  How’s your back feeling?”

He shrugged with the shoulder she wasn’t laying on.  “Eh… it’s not that bad tonight.  It really hits me when I’ve been standing for too long.  I’ll find myself taking a seat in the middle of lectures on the longer days so that I can give my back a break.  It sucks because I’m not used to sitting during class.  My students are noticing and asking questions.”

“Maybe you should tell them what’s going on.”

He shook his head.  “No.  I keep home and work separate at all costs.  My students don’t need to know that my spine is fusing together.  What they need to know is that if they don’t start turning in their assignments on time I’m going to fail them all and let the administration sort it out.”

“You may lose your tenure if you do that.”

“I really don’t care.  If I get fired, I get fired.  Maybe I’ll look into early retirement.”

She laughed.  “That would be rich.  I don’t even want to try to imagine what you would do with yourself if you sat at home all day and had to find things to do.”

“Jake and I could keep each other entertained.”

“Do you think he’s serious about retirement?”

“Yeah.  I know he is.  He’s burnt out and wants to be done with it all.  What more can he do with his career?”

“Will he have any trouble staying occupied?”

“I’m sure he’ll think of something, baby.”  He yawned.  “For now, why don’t we stop worrying about Jake and focus on getting some sleep?”

She yawned and nodded.  “I like that.  Let’s get some sleep.”