Chapter 6

She needs our support…

Judy had never felt so alone in her life. It had been a few days since she had given her parents the news and her father had distanced himself from her. She had expected him to be disappointed, upset, even angry, but she never thought he would alienate himself from her. Whenever her father looked at her, she felt guilty. She told him that she and Don had exchanged vows, but it seemed to make no impression on him. In fact, he seemed to be isolating himself from the entire family.

Penny and Will had asked Judy to play a game of Uno, and she obliged them, more to ease their minds than because she enjoyed the game. "Skip… Green," Judy stated as placed her card on the pile.

"Judy! How can you do that to me!" Penny asked.

"Easy," Judy answered, "It's a game…"

John and Maureen walked down the ramp of the Jupiter. John nodded to the children and kept walking. Maureen told the children, "We're just going for a short walk."

"I'll engage the force field when I get back," John added. He took Maureen's hand and kept walking.

Once they were out of range of the children, Maureen said, "She's going to be showing in a couple of weeks, John. We'll have to say something to the children."

"What do we tell them, that their older sister got knocked up?"

"John!" Maureen scolded. "I'm not happy about it either, but, please, you don't have to use such vulgar language. After all, they did say their vows, and they couldn't exactly have a church wedding."

John sighed. "I look at her and I still see my little girl. Even now… seeing her play Uno with Penny and Will… I remember when I'd walk by her schoolyard and watch her skip rope at recess or play jacks. Do you remember when she'd write her valentine cards for her class? She'd always save the biggest one for me."

"Is that what's bothering you, John? That you've been replaced and are no longer her number one 'hero?'"

He shook his head. "No… not really… I knew she'd grow up and fall in love."

"And Don is a good man."

"I used to think that, Maureen. I'm probably most angry that he left her in this condition."

"He doesn't know! Judy thought she was in the safe part of her cycle."

"They both had sex education one-o-one. They knew there was still a risk of pregnancy."

"I know. That's what has been bothering me too, but it's time we get over it. Penny and Will have probably been wondering what has been going on with all of us. And then there's Dr. Smith."

"Oh, yes, we'll never hear the end of it from him."

"He'll enjoy maligning poor Don."

"Poor Don! When he comes back I just might take a swing at him."

"John Robinson, you'll do no such thing! Judy may not be our little girl anymore, but she's still our daughter and she needs our support." They reached Judy and Don's private spot and stopped. "This is where Don and Judy would come when they walked together."

John looked around at the hard rock formations and wondered why they had chosen this place. He walked around and spied the niche carved in the rock. He sat and settled against it, pulling Maureen down with him. The night sky was the one thing, perhaps the only thing that John appreciated about this planet. It was breath taking. Having Maureen with him made the view even more spectacular. "I can see why they came here. It's beautiful… and peaceful."

"Think about it, John. They had to come out here – to a pile of rocks – to get any privacy. It has been difficult for them."

As much as he wanted to disagree, John couldn't. "Yes, I see your point."

"So, what are we going to tell the children?"

"That their sister is going to have a baby."

"And?"

"That they married the night before Don left… for better or worse…"

"Let's go tell them."

"Hold on… there's no rush. It's a beautiful night… and I'm with a beautiful woman… I'd like to take advantage of it."

"Would you now?"

He nodded and brought his lips to his wife's. After more than twenty years of marriage, he was still thrilled by her kiss.

Dr. Smith had come out and joined the children in the game, but they soon tired of his complaining. "Judy, dear, you are looking rather piqued these days. How have you been feeling since the major's departure?" he asked as the children cleaned up the cards.

"Fine, Dr. Smith."

"Come on, Judy. It's ok to say you miss him," Will said.

"I miss him, too," Penny stated.

"It sure is quiet without him," Will added.

Judy held back her tears, telling herself that she was the older sister. She had to stay strong.

"Well, I, for one, appreciate the peace and quiet. His inane jabbering is not missed," Dr. Smith said.

Judy found herself unable to control her emotions as she listened to Dr. Smith's insults. "If anyone jabbers, Dr. Smith, it's you!" She ran into the ship fighting back tears as her parents sauntered back into camp.

"Oh, my… she is rather sensitive these days, isn't she?" Smith asked.

Penny, always forthright, defended her sister. "Dr. Smith, that wasn't a very nice thing to say."

"What is going on here?" John asked as they approached the group. "What is Judy upset about?"

"We were just talking about how much we missed Don," Will replied.

"I believe our young lady is wallowing in her sorrow," Smith stated. "But I dare say there is something else that is bothering her. She does not look well."

"I'll go in and check on her," Maureen stated.

"I'll join you in a moment, Maureen," John added. "Dr. Smith, Don's leaving has affected all of us, including me." He looked at Penny and Will. "I apologize if I've been distant to anyone."

"It's all right, Dad. Judy's the one who's been the most upset. You should probably talk to her. We're ok," Penny stated.

Before he had a chance to acknowledge her statement, Maureen and Judy descended the ramp together, and Judy seemed much calmer. "I'm sorry, Dr. Smith," she stated. "I shouldn't have snapped at you."

"No offense taken, my dear. After all, you have not been yourself lately," Dr. Smith graciously stated.

"And I owe you an apology, Judy," John said.

"It's all right, Dad," she replied.

"No, it's not. I'm not proud of how I've acted. And, I think it's time we informed the rest of the family about your… marriage," John added.

"Marriage?" Penny asked. "When did that happen?"

Judy sought her father's permission, who nodded, before she answered. "Don and I exchanged wedding vows the night before he left."

"Just the two of you?" Penny asked.

Judy nodded.

"But, Judy, we could have had a real wedding!" Penny stated.

Maureen agreed. "My feelings exactly, Penny."

"I know. I'm sorry, Penny. I would have liked that too, but there was no time," Judy stated.

"That is not all of the news, is it, my dear," Dr. Smith inserted.

"No, it's not, Dr. Smith... I am going to have a baby."

"A baby? Oh, Judy that's wonderful!" Penny exclaimed. "I'm going to be an aunt!"

Will wrinkled his nose. "A baby… what are we going to do with a baby out here?" he asked.

John was tempted to say, 'My feelings exactly,' but he kept himself in check. Judy had been through enough. Despite the support he and Maureen had decided to give her, he believed that, without Don by her side, she still felt quite alone. Whatever they offered her could not replace Don's presence. The path she walked… she walked alone.

The moon shuttle touched down at Dyess Air force Base in Texas. Red's flight plan had them landing at Edwards Air Force base in California, but it had been a ruse to throw off the hoards of reporters he knew would be waiting for their arrival. Red had arranged to have a car rental waiting for them – a red 1998 Ford Mustang. A grin spread over Don's face as they approached the car and Red handed him the keys. Other than family and friends, driving and flying were two things he had missed in the last year. "Sorry I couldn't get my hands on a 280Z," Red commented.

As Don settled into the driver's seat and started the car he commented. "Well, it's not exactly the Chariot, but it'll do." He threw the transmission into first gear and made his way off the base and onto Interstate 20. "Let's see what this baby can do," he stated as they started their six and a half hour ride to Houston.

Both General Frank Bowers, who had been in charge of the Jupiter program, and Lieutenant Colonel Tom Bryce met Don when he and Red pulled up to Alpha Control headquarters. Don was shocked by the changes in General Bowers. He had lost weight and seemed to have aged ten years since he'd been gone. Don stood at attention and saluted him and Tom. Both returned the gesture. "At ease, Major," the general ordered. He reached out and held Don at arms length, examining him from head to toe. "You survived. All of you… survived."

Don nodded. "Yes, sir." He knew the general was struggling with his emotions. He placed his hand on the general's forearms and added, "It hasn't been easy – but we've done it – and I'm convinced we can not only survive, but thrive on Alpha Prime."

The general took Don in a hug and said, "Thank you, major. I needed to hear that." He released Don and turned him towards Tom, who reached out his hand. Don took it and pulled him into a hug.

"I can't believe you're teaching again, Tom," Don stated.

"It was all they offered me if I wanted to stay with Alpha Control. I took the position in the hope that the colonization program would be revived when a new administration comes into power in Washington," Tom replied.

"Things have changed, Major West – drastically," General Bowers added.

"Red told me," Don replied.

As they entered the building, General Bowers explained the new role Alpha Control had in the space program. Since all monies earmarked for the colonization program had been transferred to building the moon base and its fleet of spacecraft and weaponry, Alpha Control was reduced to technical support for the United Defense Command. "Think of us as the FAA of outer space," Tom explained.

"I've arranged for you to speak with the upper echelons of the UDC," the general told Don. When you're done, we'll meet up for dinner."

"Yes, sir."

General Bowers led him to the security center and gave Don one final warning. "Major… hold onto your temper… and that's an order."

Don smiled. Yes, the general knew him well. He gave a crisp salute. "See you at dinner."

Later that evening, Don was recounting his conversations with the UDC. "They grilled me on Dr. Smith and any information on aliens we've encountered. They couldn't believe Jimmy Hapgood is still traveling around out there. And where did that security chief come from? Colonel Walters? He made me feel like an escaped prisoner."

"Political appointment," Tom replied.

"Don't cross him, Major West," the general warned him. "He's the nephew of the Secretary of Defense. I'm sure he was immediately on the phone with Washington and they're discussing what to do with you right now."

Don took a sip of his beer. After he put the glass down he said, "You know, if I had disposed of Smith the moment I found him on board, we would never have gotten lost."

"He had a gun to your head, Don. That would have been suicide," Red interjected.

"He wouldn't have killed me because I was the only one who could pilot the Jupiter. I should have taken care of him."

"What about the Robot?" Tom asked. "Wouldn't it have been a problem, even with Smith out of the way?"

Don cocked his head. "Yeah, but I could have disabled it sooner without everything else that was going on, like the debate about whether or not we should return to Earth."

"Major, Professor Robinson would not have approved of your killing Smith," the General stated.

"You're right… but I could have tossed Smith out the air lock and had the Jupiter back on course… and John would have been none the wiser."

"And the colonization program would have been back on track," the general remarked.

Don studied the design on his glass. His guilt increased three-fold. "I'm sorry, General… I feel like I single handedly destroyed Alpha Control."

"No, Major. Don't carry that burden. The new president was intent on switching the focus of the space program from aggressive colonization to aggressive defense."

"Would it help if I were to speak with him?"

"No. There is a credible threat of alien invasion that wasn't evident before you lifted off," the general explained.

"General, from what I've seen of some alien species, our weapons may have no effect on them."

"I hope you're wrong, Major. If you're not, the Robinsons will be the only family left to carry on our species."