The Blake Adventures: Rescue Me

April 1961

"If it's a boy, he should be Thomas, after your father."

Lucien frowned. "Really?"

"Of course!" Jean replied. "Your father is the reason we ever met, albeit under unfortunate circumstances. And I loved Dr. Blake very much. I think it's only right we honor him. Especially since you won't let us name the baby after you," she pointed out.

He sighed. "I've never had a particularly easy time with my French name, and I won't put that same burden on my son. Lucien works just fine for me, but it needn't become a tradition."

"Very well. Thomas it is." Jean smiled and rubbed her hands along her barely showing stomach.

"Hang on, I didn't agree to that! Don't you think it would be strange to have another Thomas Blake running around? No, let's just use Thomas for a middle name. What about your father? Don't you want to name our son for your father?"

Jean shrugged. "I don't know. My father was a fine man, but he really wasn't anything special. We were never particularly close. He was a stoic man. Took us to church every Sunday and worked hard on a farm all his life. There wasn't much more to him than that."

"But he was a good man? Provided for his family and was respected in the community?"

"Yes, of course."

"Well, there you have it. Those are traits I'd like our son to emulate. Between that and my father's traits and whatever bad habits he picks up from me should be just perfect. Thank god he'll be your son, Jean, or we'd all be doomed," Lucien teased.

She laughed. "Yes, I suppose so. You like Jonathan, then?"

"Was that your father's name?"

"Yes, of course. You're the one who suggested it!"

"I actually had no idea what your father's name was. I just thought that we should honor both our fathers in a name. Jonathan Thomas Blake. I quite like that, actually. Jonathan Blake. Yes, that works quite well," he said with satisfaction.

Jean nodded. She was nearly six months along and this was the first serious conversation they'd had about a name for the baby. Now if only she could get Lucien to stop dragging his feet on the nursery…

"Now then, we have a boy's name. What about for a girl?"

When she returned her attention to her husband, she noticed that he seemed to have a very different expression regarding this topic. She couldn't quite place it though. "Lucien, are you hoping for a boy or a girl?" she asked cautiously.

His happy expression faltered. "Well…" Lucien didn't quite know how to respond.

"Are you worried that another daughter will feel like a replacement of Li?"

"Are you worried that another son will feel like a replacement of Jack or Christopher?" he countered.

"Of course not, they're grown. Christopher has a child of his own!"

"And so does Li," Lucien replied. He took Jean's hand and faced her very seriously. "Jean, our child is going to be our very own. And the experience we'll have as parents will be nothing like what I had with Mei Lin and Li. That, I can assure you. And, that being said, while I am over the moon with excitement for our child, boy or girl, I will admit that I am hoping for a girl."

"Really? I was hoping to give you a son," she admitted quietly.

He chuckled. "And I'm hoping to give you a daughter. You've had boys. And with your cooking and sewing and gardening skills, and the fact that you're the most brilliant woman to ever walk the earth, I hope you can pass all that on to a little girl."

"But don't you want a boy to carry on the family name?"

"Oh, you know I've never cared about any of that," he dismissed. "No, honestly, I'm a little frightened of a son. I mean, my god, look at the difference between my father and me. Can you imagine what another generation of that would be like? Even with your influence, I don't think Ballarat could handle it."

Jean gave a half-smile. He did have a point. A girl might be for the best. "Well, I don't think we've got much choice in what we end up with."

"No, not at all," he laughed. "It would be nice to have another man around the house. But I must say, I've always preferred to be surrounded by women."

She sighed at him in feigned exasperation. "Right, well, since you are hoping for a girl, do you have any names in mind?"

"Perhaps. I'm more interested in what you have in mind. You've given all this much more thought than I have."

"I think Genevieve. I know I never met your mother, but everything I know about her makes it very clear that you take after her, and that in itself deserves to be honored."

Lucien leaned in and kissed her temple. "What a lovely thing to say."

"Though since you made such a fuss over Thomas, I suppose you'd prefer to use Genevieve as a middle name?" she asked resignedly.

"Oh yes. Just hearing 'Genevieve Blake' only makes me think of the gravestone or that old hospital record of hers."

Jean agreed, "That's fine. And before you ask, I will not name our daughter after my mother. Gertrude is a terrible name."

"Good lord, yes, you're right. Well, I don't have anything in mind just yet, but I will think about it. Unless you have a name in mind?" he asked hopefully.

"No, I'd just been thinking of Genevieve. The first name is up to you, I think."

Lucien put his hand on his wife's belly. "We'll think of something. You won't be nameless for long," he said to the baby growing inside.

Jean placed her hand on top of his and smiled. She'd known for a while that Lucien was going to be a wonderful father. And as much as she tried not to compare them, she knew Lucien would be a much better father than Christopher had been. Not that Christopher was ever a bad father. But he left most things about the children to Jean. He was never too strict with the boys, nor was he ever overly friendly or affectionate. He'd been like Jean's own father in that way. Most men were like that with their children, she'd assumed. Not her Lucien Blake, though. No, aside from being her doctor during her pregnancy, he was acutely attuned to anything she might need and always very excited about the prospect of their baby. Even at their age, they still acted like newlyweds, just about to start their family.

As was so often the case, the ringing telephone interrupted their happy moment. "I'll get it," Lucien insisted. "It's probably a police matter at this hour." He got up, giving his wife a small peck on the cheek before going to answer the phone. "Hello, Dr. Blake's surgery," he said into the receiver.

"Oh thank god you're home," a desperate voice said with relief.

Lucien's brow furrowed. He knew that voice. "Christopher?"

"Yes, sorry. It's Christopher. I just got the strangest phone call from Jack. And I told him to get in touch with you but he said he only had one phone call and didn't know your phone number. And that he didn't want to use the operator," Christopher babbled.

"Hang on, slow down, what's going on with Jack?" Lucien asked, trying to get Christopher to calm down. He'd never heard the army lieutenant sound so worked up like this.

On the line, Christopher took a deep breath. "Sorry, Doc. He's my kid brother, and since he won't let Mum help him, I feel responsible for him sometimes. Most times. And right now, I don't know what he's gotten himself into, but I think he's at Ballarat Hospital."

"He's what!?"

"I think that's what he said! His voice was all faint. Like he was going in and out. But I definitely heard him say hospital and Ballarat. I'd go check on him myself, but since you're there…"

"Of course! Jean and I will go right now. And we'll let you know as soon as we know what's going on."

"Wait, do you think it's a good idea to tell her? I mean, in her condition, wouldn't she get upset?"

Lucien rolled his eyes, glad that Christopher couldn't see him. "No, I think she'll be fine. And her 'condition' has nothing to do with that. She's pregnant, not incapacitated."

"I just want to make sure she's being well cared for."

And now Lucien was starting to get angry. "Christopher, I am her husband and her doctor. And if you think that I'd ever let anything happen to her…"

"Alright, I believe you! Sorry! But I do know how she gets with Jack, so please keep an eye on her."

"Yes, I'll keep an eye on her," Lucien promised. "I'll call you later with news."

With that they hung up. Lucien felt like pounding his head against the wall. Nothing with Jean's sons was every very easy.

"Was Christopher giving you a hard time again?"

He turned to see Jean standing in the hallway, her arms crossed in front of her. She had a strange look on her face, a mix of bemusement and annoyance.

Lucien gave a small smile of reassurance. "Yes, that was Christopher. Wants me to keep an eye on you in your condition."

She scoffed, "Just because Ruby had a terrible time with pregnancy doesn't mean that every woman turns to a delicate flower when she's with child! When I was pregnant with Christopher and Jack, I was working the farm until nearly the day they were born!"

"Yes, dear, I know. Though I think Christopher may have had a point this time."

"Oh?"

"Well, speaking of Jack, Christopher was calling to ask if we'd—well, if I'd—check in on him. It seems that your Jack may be at Ballarat Hospital."

Jean's eyes went wide and her face went a shade paler. She swallowed hard and walked right past her husband. "Get the car keys," she told him sternly, grabbing his jacket and hat to put on him as they hurried out the door.