Author's Notes: Hi, readers. Here's chapter eleven of "On a Strange Tide." I'm glad it took just four days to get out. This chapter has some Tommy/Kim. It's only a matter of time before Jenna begins her campaign to get Tommy and spirals into an obsession for her. Stay tuned for chapter twelve.
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Chapter 11: A Little Quiet Time
The midevening moon beamed its light on the Hart residence. A gentle wind went through the trees. This caused their leaves to rustle softly. Caleb slept on his back in his crib in the nursery. His fists were on either side of his head. His mouse was beside him tucked underneath his blanket. He twitched his nose before moving his head a little bit.
The door opened, its hinges squeaking somewhat. Kim walked in, closing it nearly all the way. She approached the crib. She laid her hands on the railing. She looked down at her son lovingly. She watched his chest rise and fall with every breath he took. She looked toward the window to see a wind chime hanging outside it. She heard it jingle when the wind touched it.
Kim turned back to Caleb, who twitched his nose again. She loved watching him sleep because he looked so peaceful. She wished he could always be like this, but she knew that was impossible. At least she could take comfort in the fact that he didn't wake her and Tommy up in the middle of the night as much as he used to. Of course, they would be dealing with that after their second child was born. She caressed the baby's cheek with the back of her hand.
"I love you, Caleb," she whispered gently. "Sleep tight."
Kim headed for the door and opened it. She went into the hallway, closing it very carefully. She walked down it and entered her and Tommy's room. He was watching chickens walk around a field on TV while sitting on their bed. He looked at her as she came to her side of it.
"How is he?" Tommy asked curiously.
"He's sleeping like a rock," Kim said, sitting down. "The visit to the Youth Center really wore him out."
"Kids need to be worn out for them to sleep well," Tommy commented.
She ran her fingers through her hair. "Mm-hmm. You can't let them get overtired. That makes it difficult for them to fall asleep."
"You and I both know that very well," Tommy said honestly.
"We mustn't forget our parents," Kim said, pointing her finger at him. "They dealt with us and Kyle being overtired many times."
"Of course not. What do you think I am, stupid?" Tommy asked, letting out a small snicker.
"No, but you can act stupid sometimes," Kim answered, touching his shoulder. "I know I can." She winked at him.
"Just don't act too stupid," he teased.
"The same goes for you," she squeaked delightfully and pinched his cheek. She felt him swat her hand away.
"If you pinch my cheek again, I'll—" Tommy started.
"Or you'll do what, throw me out the window?" Kim joked.
He smirked. "Something like that."
Tommy and Kim kissed and rubbed noses. They pressed their foreheads together, taking slow yet even breaths.
"You know how much I love you, don't you?" he asked sweetly.
"I do," she replied, touching his cheek. "I have one request for you."
"What's that?" Tommy wondered.
"Don't ever lose your handsomeness and kind nature," Kim said as she stroked it with her thumb.
"Don't lose your beauty and kind nature either," Tommy said, flicking her chin.
The lovebirds hugged tightly and breathed in each other's scents. They pulled apart after thirty seconds. They looked each other in the eye.
"I remember when Uncle Steve called me Little Kimmie. I thought it was a neat nickname for me," Kim said, stretching her arms above her head and laying her hands in her lap.
"That name reminds me of DJ's best friend on Full House," Tommy said and laughed lightly. "She was called Kimmy, but it was spelled K-I-M-M-Y."
"It doesn't matter how it's spelled. It's a shortened version of Kimberly," Kim commented, smacking her lips.
"Kimmy Gibbler was very annoying to the Tanner family. She always showed up at their house unannounced," Tommy muttered in some annoyance.
"She was also very scatterbrained. She didn't even know what intellectually deficient meant," Kim commented.
"I can see why Stephanie and Michelle made jokes about her all the time," Tommy added, holding up a finger. "Kimmy delighted in calling Michelle a squirt. Michelle was like, 'Don't call me squirt!'" He made a weird noise.
Kim smiled. "Despite Kimmy was annoying to others, there was a good person deep inside her. She even helped DJ find a date for the prom."
"Oh, yes. She actually surprised DJ with Steve," Tommy blurted out cheerfully. "That guy shares the same name as your uncle!"
"Isn't that something? Maybe Grandma and Grandpa had a time machine and went into the future to pick out his name. They saw Steve on Full House and decided they'd name him that when they got back to their time," Kim joked.
Tommy chuckled. "Boy, I wish that was possible."
Tommy and Kim looked toward the TV. They saw three chickens flap their wings and listen to them cluck. The chickens folded their wings against their backs and walked in a straight line. They stopped to peck at the ground.
"I wish I could be a chicken. Then I go could around eating stuff off the ground," Kim said, cupping her chin in her hand.
"I'd love to do that myself," Tommy said and smiled lightly. "Chicken pox looks like the peck marks chickens make. That's how it got its name."
"Thank God that we and Kyle have already had it. We don't have to worry about it," Kim responded, letting out a relieved sigh.
"Mm-hmm," Tommy agreed. "I don't want our children to get chicken pox, but it's going to happen. I'd rather it happen when they are young than when they are older."
"So do I," Kim said softly. "Before they get the chicken pox, we need to buy calamine lotion. That helps to soothe the itching."
"You're damn right about that," Tommy commented, balling his hand into a fist and touching her cheek with it. "Calamine lotion also soothes itching from poison ivy."
"Yep, yep, yep," Kim squealed joyfully.
"Sure, Ducky," Tommy replied, tickling her nose. "You do such a great impression of her."
"What can I say?" Kim asked and squeaked in a soft manner. "Her line is so much fun to say."
She planted a kiss to his cheek. She rubbed it in before moving her hand to his shoulder. She stroked it with her thumb.
"Speaking of chickens, Veronica did a damn good imitation of one when she was trying to goad Jenna into a fight," Tommy mumbled with a roll of his eyes.
"Had you not intervened, it could've gotten ugly between those two ladies," Kim muttered in a little fear.
"If there is one thing we have learned about fighting, it's that we should only do it when we have to defend ourselves," Tommy said matter-of-factly.
"Most things are not worth fighting over," Kim said, suppressing a yawn. "Unfortunately, some people will get into huge fights over the littlest things." She scoffed. "It's ridiculous."
He let out a small yawn. "Look on the bright side. Our parents have never argued over stupid things."
"Neither have we," Kim said with pride. "We do argue sometimes, but that's just part of a relationship. Couples can't get along one hundred percent of the time. It's just not feasible."
"Everyone knows it's not good to keep things bottled up inside," Tommy said seriously. "Unfortunately, it's hard for many people to share their feelings." He sighed heavily.
"Many people from previous generations often kept their emotions suppressed. It's no wonder they have problems handling them in a healthy way," Kim mumbled dejectedly.
"At least our parents taught us it was okay to show emotion," Tommy whispered in relief.
She smiled. "Thank God."
She scooted closer to her fiancée. He put his arm around her, giving her a small hug. She sighed in much content.
"I can't wait for our dinner date tomorrow night," she whispered excitedly.
"Me neither. I'm glad Ernie is letting me off work thirty minutes early, so I can grab a shower when I get home," he commented.
"He's paying you for the full hour too," Kim pointed out happily.
"Yep," Tommy responded, hugging her again. "Let's pray no one messes our date up."
Kim nodded in agreement. She felt her fiancé kiss the top of her head before rubbing her arm. They focused their attention on the TV.
00000
Mark and Caroline were sitting at the kitchen table. They held tea-filled mugs in their hands. They picked them up to take long sips. They put them down. They looked toward the sink window to see a northern mockingbird sitting on the windowsill. The mockingbird seemed to stare them in the eye. They turned to each other.
"It's not every day you see a mockingbird sitting on your sink windowsill at night," he said.
"Nope," she agreed. "Those birds are quite noisy during their mating season in the spring. It's not unusual to see the males fighting over territory."
"We can take comfort in the fact that the fights don't get to the point where the birds get killed," Mark pointed out.
"Ditto," Caroline agreed.
He smirked. "Hey, don't start saying ditto too much. You'll start sounding like Sam Wheat in Ghost."
She nodded. "Duly noted. Then again, it was his way of saying 'I love you' to Molly Jensen. Ironically, she said 'Ditto' to him at the end of the film when he said 'I love you' to her before going into the afterlife."
Mark shrugged. He and his wife looked to the sink window to see the mockingbird was gone. They turned back to each other.
"Steve, Mom, and Dad are really looking forward to the birth of Jackie's foal," Mark said, his voice showing excitement.
"Your parents were nice to move in with him after they retired five years ago. Of everyone in this family, those three love horses the most," Caroline said, smiling widely. "It takes a lot of work to care for eleven horses."
"No shit," Mark agreed, laughing to himself. "Pregnant mares can still be used for riding and driving. It's healthy for them to exercise, but it can only be allowed in moderation. There's no doubt in my mind that my parents and my brother will care for Jackie very well throughout the rest of her pregnancy."
"Of course, they will. They're big time horse experts," Caroline replied and giggled lightly.
He watched her fold her arms and lay them on the table. She tapped her fingers on her elbow.
"Just think. The aquarium's orca pod will grow by one with the addition of Pearl's calf," he said with a smile.
"I'd really like to see the calf. Maybe one of us or our friends will get lucky and see its birth," she suggested.
"The stadium has cameras to record the birth," Mark said, cupping his chin in his hand. "The footage will be shown on the news." He chuckled.
"That'll be great to see," Caroline commented, happiness beaming from her face.
"I hope the calf will be born healthy and strong," Mark whispered in a gentle manner. He picked up his tea to take a long sip of it. He put it down before smacking his lips.
"Everyone does. All we can do is have faith that will happen," Caroline said, sighing contently.
Mark rubbed his nose. "I have a feeling the calf will learn behaviors very quickly because the pod is made up of four adults and two juveniles. It's said children learn faster when they're surrounded by adults and older siblings."
"How about you teach Tommy and Kim's children to ride bikes while standing on their heads?" Caroline joked.
"I think I'll save that for them," Mark retorted playfully.
"What are you, chicken?" Caroline asked and began clucking as if she were a chicken.
"I'm not the chicken. You are," Mark commented, pointing his finger in her face.
Caroline laughed sarcastically. "Yeah, right."
He gave her a wink before putting his hand on the table. He kissed her cheek and patted it lightly. She picked up her tea, sipping more of it. She placed it down.
"It'll be nice to have some time alone with Kyle and Caleb tomorrow night," Caroline said in warmness.
"I know. Tommy and Kim don't get to go out on dates as much as they used to. Dates will become even fewer after their second child arrives. Still, they do need a break from childcare," Mark said, snorting softly.
"Ain't no doubt about it," Caroline said, blowing a raspberry.
"Hey, don't say ain't! You know it's not a word!" Mark yelled in mock anger.
"I'll say ain't if I want to. By the way, you just said it, darling," Caroline retorted with a smirk.
"Only because you made me," Mark growled.
"That's what you think," Caroline said in playfulness.
"It's true," Mark commented.
Caroline shrugged and looked toward the window. She turned back to Mark as he picked up his tea to drink more of it.
"Many parents have to rely on daycare because the grandparents don't live close enough for them to watch their children," she murmured.
"That's true, but daycare does allow children to interact with each other," he pointed out and put his tea down.
"I don't regret becoming a stay-at-home mom," Caroline commented, her voice showing relief. "It allows me to watch Caleb during the day. I love every minute I spend with him. Kim will be able to spend even more time with him and work on her book after she graduates."
"Working moms care about their children just as much as stay-at-home moms do," Mark responded.
"Yep. Both types of mothers can be good and bad," Caroline said.
"Let's not forget stay-at-home and working dads can be both good and bad," Mark said, clearing his throat.
"Women are encouraged to have careers these days because men won't always be there to help them," Caroline commented, snorting softly.
"A husband can have the most beautiful wife, but he can get bored with her sexually. He will seek out and screw an average-looking woman because looks don't really matter if she is exciting sexually," Mark hissed angrily.
"And vice versa," Caroline replied.
The couple picked up their tea, taking long sips. They laid them down, pressing their lips together.
"In less than six weeks, Tommy and Kim will be husband and wife. I honestly believe they will be as happy as we and his parents are," she said, a smile crossing her lips.
"I do too. Caleb will look so cute wearing a tiny tuxedo. I hope he doesn't take a crap while his parents are exchanging vows," he answered, snickering.
"If he does, then one of the grandparents will take him out of the ceremony and change his diaper," Caroline commented.
"I think you should be the one to do it," Mark suggested, smirking.
She shook her head. "I don't think so."
He nodded. "I think so."
Caroline slapped her husband on the shoulder. She got a slap to hers from him in retaliation. They made mean faces before smiling at each other. They started talking about the wedding reception.