Transition Plan Chapter 17: First Homecoming Part 4 - Interventions
Astride their dolphin friends' backs on the way back, Tarzan and Jane relaxed a little, looking at each other. The situation was better than they ever thought it could be. They had seized the element of surprise and had discovered loyal family members they never knew they had, giving Tarzan the upper hand, at least for now. The trip home was arranged, and not through force or having to be stowaways on a hostile ship.
They pulled up to the beach with a slumbering professor and Tantor under a palm tree. They thanked their dolphin friends for the ride who departed and they waded ashore. The sea was very calm, and the sounds of their movements disturbed Archimedes' slumber.
Archimedes stirred and mumbled, "Children?"
Jane apologized, "Sorry Daddy, I know it is very late. We have very good news. The ship's Captain has been loyal to Tarzan's father for decades, and he and his crew and others in England are against what is happening here. He will help us get home and help us with everything about getting Tarzan's peerage reestablished!"
"This is very good news, Jane dear," he said, happy but still sleepy.
Tarzan looked up from the beach to the family's nesting place, and had an odd look, "Jane, we… uh… have to go back to family right away. Something doesn't feel right."
She always knew to trust Tarzan's keen jungle senses, "I'm going with you. Daddy?"
"You kids go ahead, I will be safe here with Tantor. We have everything for tomorrow's pick up."
When they got back, Terk was pacing. She saw them, and hugged them both with great relief. She smiled but they could see pain and panic in her eyes.
And then she exclaimed, "Thank goodness you're back. I'm in labor"
"You're a little early," Jane fretted.
"I know. That's why I am worried. Gorilla mothers to be are supposed to know what to do, but really truly don't, Jane. I really haven't paid much attention to what my older friends do with their births. I'm afraid."
A puddle of fluid suddenly formed at her feet.
With a look of horror, Terk said with embarrassment, "I swear I didn't do that on purpose, Jane."
Jane smiled and soother her friend, "I know. Your water just broke."
"My what?"
Jane explained calmly, "The liquid that keeps your baby safe in your body, until it's time to come out. It's mostly salt water with a lot of nutrients for your baby."
Terk was almost frozen in fear. She knew her baby was coming soon when that happened. Jane said softly, taking her friend's hand, "Come, Terk, lie down in the nest, let's take care of you."
Terk's hormones took over. She yelled, groaned, and screamed, "I'll never survive! I'm gonna die!"
After some massive labor pains, she screamed worse, "Auggh! Worst… feeling… ever… ! Come out of there, baby. Stop hurting your mother!"
Terk was getting very hard to handle, and she was twice Jane's strength, even with Kirok beside her, so Kala came to assist. She was an accomplished gorilla midwife, but she was impressed with her daughter in law's skills, especially with her patience and compassion for her friend, and Jane's determination to aid Terk in the dead of night knowing she was leaving for England early in the morning. Kala's admiration for Jane had no limit.
Kirok had no idea what to do either, and could only hold Terk's hand to soothe her, sponged his mate's forehead, and gave her water to drink. Terk appreciated that, held his huge paw, and tried to smile despite her pain, discomfort, and fear of the unknown.
Kala and Jane calmly helped the young gorilla mother-to-be through her pain. Finally she was prepared to deliver.
"Push!" Jane ordered, aided by Kala.
After several very hard pushes, Terk's cute little gorilla baby emerged, and Kala let Jane take care of the child's emergence at her request. Everything seemed to have gone right. The baby's wail said it all, and Jane, with a broad smile, gave the infant to her mother Terk.
"Here you go, Terk. She's perfect. We're so proud of you, my friend," grinned Jane.
"My baby! She's beautiful! Kirok, just look at her!" Terk exclaimed and cradled her newborn. Terk was ecstatic, with all the troubles of childbirth forgotten in her joy of being a new mother.
With the cord still attached to the child, Jane smiled and held it up to her, "Terk, I'm sorry, but you have to do this."
"I always knew I would hate this part," but with her sharp teeth, she bit the cord and tied it off, like all other animal mothers did in the jungle.
Tarzan whispered, "Jane when it's your time, I do have a knife."
They snickered, but Jane slyly quipped, "I think I'd do pretty well with my teeth, Mr. Ape Man, sir. Terk has called me 'Jungle Woman' before. But seriously, when it comes my time, Jonathan, would you like to do it for me?"
"Yes. It seems like something a father should do. Especially a human father. We should always share the responsibility for our child."
"You're sweet, Tarzan," and she pecked him on the lips.
The squalling cute gorilla baby was soon was nestled in Terk's arms, quieted quickly, and was nursing against her mother Terk happily. Kirok stroked his sweating mate's hair.
"Isn't she the cutest thing?" Terk said proudly, showing her baby off to the family members who came by to congratulate her.
"I wouldn't expect anything else from my best friend," observed Jane.
"Welcome to the world, Jana," the new mother Terk soothed her first born.
"Jana? I like that, Terk," Jane noted happily.
"Yep. We promised we'd name a girl after you, Jane."
Jane teared up, and said,"Thank you Terk. You are such a true friend."
"Oh, now, Jane, don't get all mushy on me, you'll make me cry on this happy day."
"I already am, but crying my happy tears for you, Terk."
Terk rolled her eyes, You human women are so confusing. Crying at the happiest times."
"I do that just to drive you and Tarzan crazy, Terk," teased Jane.
"It's working," Terk winked.
"Amen to that," Tarzan joked.
Leaving Terk, Kirok, baby, to their private bonding, Jane took Tarzan by the hand and went to the nest they thought they wouldn't be sleeping in again for months. They relaxed, curled up in each other's arms. It was soothing.
"I am glad we followed your instincts to come back. I would have been very sad to miss Terk's baby."
"Yeah. Me too," reflected Tarzan.
Jane sighed with the weight of the day finally sinking in, "It's been quite a night, my love. Boarding a ship, riding dolphins, birthing a baby with our best gorilla friend, and getting ready to go to England. What else can we cram into one night?"
"Can't imagine anything else. So… a little sleep before the sun comes back?" Tarzan suggested.
"That sounds nice Tarzan," Jane sighed, "Just hold me tight."
Lying closely together, Tarzan asked her, "How did you know how to help Terk with her baby, Jane? I know you've only witnessed a few gorilla births."
Jane explained, "Well. when our servants had their children, they had their babies in our servants' quarters, with each of them taking turns for each other as midwives. I went and watched, and learned. Mother encouraged me, especially when I was a teen. She wanted me to know about having babies. It's really not that much different for gorilla or human mothers."
They cuddled and slept soundly, utterly exhausted.
...
They slept a little late, but rose, said their goodbyes again to the new family, assured them all that they had loyal friends and help to solve the crisis, and headed down to the beach. There they changed into normal English clothing for their pick up. Archimedes was already dressed in normal clothing, and gathered breakfast for them, giving them a little privacy on the beach to change, as each needed to help the other. Their jungle wear was packed deep into the chests.
They made it look like they were stranded and called desperately for help and lighted a signal fire. D'Arnot obliged their cover by first cruising past the beach, but making an emergency stop, anchoring and ordering a rescue party. A dingy came to get them, with the Captain leading the rescue party.
"Ahoy! You folks look stranded. Who might you be?"
Jane was convincingly tearful in front of the crew, "Oh thank goodness, kind sir, that you chanced by us. We've lived for months stranded here. We need to get off this awful place. We are the Porters."
"The Porters? We heard that you all had been lost forever."
With that, Philippe, Tarzan, Jane, and Archimedes faked their first time introductions with the rest of the crew. The Captain made them comfortable aboard the ship, checked their health, and assigned them two adequate guest cabins, and they settled in. One was for Archimedes, and the other for Tarzan and Jane. The cabins were pretty spartan, but they were better than the rest of the crew's quarters.
"This will be fun, Tarzan," said Jane as both of them explored all the corners of their cabin. It was small but adequate enough for still-newlywed young couple who always wanted to be close to each other.
"More fun I hope than my first time on a ship," Tarzan kidded, thinking about being caged by John Clayton in the cargo hold of the other ship.
She kissed him with a smirk, "Oh I promise you, it will be very much more fun, Tarzan, we have the whole afternoon alone. I told Daddy we'd be 'busy'. He's a smart man, he understood."
"Oh! You did, did you?" he smiled in anticipation.
They kissed, and they loved for the first time in total privacy in months, and though it was a small, hard cot, it was still a real bed to them. Being completely alone and undisturbed, their lovemaking was carefree and easy for them both - so easy, in fact, that they needed another time just 'to get it right', they both joked.
Dinner was called, and they joined the Captain in his Mess. D'Arnot and her father grinned that the couple was late, and they looked a little unkempt and rushed.
D'Arnot ignored the fact they were late, "Ah, my young Lord and Lady. I pledge my sacred honor to Clan Greystoke. We must stop this oil exploration. We cannot rest until it is finished."
They raised a toast of sauvignon blanc, "To the newest Count and Countess Clayton."
The meal was delicious and the wine complemented the fresh fish. The French Captain really knew how to eat, even on a freighter. But Jane mused, that was the nature of the French.
Professor Porter said, "Now that we are on our way, my dear children, the first thing we will do when we get to England and my estate is to establish you, Jonathan, as a British citizen and the heir of Greystoke. I know everything we have to do, I have protected all your important papers we have from your father, and we will find your kinsman who is the Magistrate. Everything will start to fall into place. The conspirators will have to be powerful indeed to stand against the power of a reestablished peerage. I have every confidence in you, young Jonathan."
"Excellent, Professor," noted d'Arnot.
Tarzan exuded his humble confidence, but to a delighted Jane, he insisted, "The second thing we need to do is make sure Jane and I are legally married in the eyes of the English."
She exclaimed her joy, and kissed him emphatically.
Tarzan's head was reeling from that kiss, and he added, "Then and only then, Professor and Captain, will I be fully prepared to do my best to figure out my way through English society with your assistance. I may not like it, but I am going to use the influence of being a Count to our full advantage."
The Captain warned, "As soon as we are legally able to, we have to confront the widow of John Clayton, and whoever is aiding her, to reverse their decision to explore for oil. Only then can we really end this."
The Professor outlined their near term plan, "Before we can do that, Captain, we will have the children quietly take up temporary residence in my estate. My servants need to know we are safe, and they will protect us quietly as long as we need. We've been gone nearly a year past the scheduled end of the expedition. My lawyer has to be on verge of declaring us missing or dead. I only told him to keep everything as it is for eighteen months past our departure."
D'Arnot's respect for Archimedes grew, "Understandable, Professor. You have your own people who are worried about you. We can't have two peerages at risk. Having the Porter Barony provide a safe haven for now is a great idea."
Tarzan's confidence grew, knowing he had to dedicated mentors, "Once we have control again of Clan Greystoke, we can end the oil exploration and get the men and equipment out. If we don't act quickly, the oil company will poison my home."
"Your home, Lord Clayton?" asked the Captain.
"Jane and her father and I live in the jungle with my family."
"Your family?"
"My family is the jungle animals. And I am the leader of a family of gorillas. Gorillas raised me from infancy after my parents were killed by a great cat, Captain, who I later vanquished. The jungle animals call me 'Tarzan'."
D'Arnot was truly amazed, "I may not have enough bottles of wine to hear your story from start to finish, Lord Clayton. Or should I start calling you 'Tarzan'?"
The trio laughed and shared another sip of his best wine.
"One more thing, Lord Clayton. As we go home, you must learn French."
Jane got an instant look of horror on her face.
Tarzan spoke glibly, feeling like an expert on the subject, "But Captain, I already know French."
Jane tried to interrupt by saying, "No Jonathan, not that..."
Tarzan kept right on taking, "Jane and I French nearly every night and she tells me I am really good at it."
Jane buried her head in her hands, turning thirteen shades of red. Despite being embarrassed for his daughter, Porter had to bite his lip at how funny it was, knowing how truly innocent it was on Tarzan's part.
The old Captain laughed, but looked at Jane with a tilted eyebrow and with compassion at Tarzan's huge social gaffe, and toasted ironically, "Vive la France!"
Tarzan responded, "Sorry Captain, what did you say?"
The kindly old Captain shook his head, sighed, and mused to his innocent young Count, "That is Lesson #1, Lord Clayton. French is a language, not just a private activity between a wife and a husband. Lesson #2 is that a proper English gentleman never discusses his love life with other gentlemen - especially with a woman present - no matter how good it obviously is."
Tarzan instantly knew he really blew it, and kissed her hand in apology, but Jane laughed first, and then all of them laughed together.
And to everyone's surprise, Jane said with a mischievous grin, "Tarzan is right…"
Without hesitation, Jane demonstrated in front of d'Arnot and her father just how good she and Tarzan actually were at Frenching. D'Arnot raised an eyebrow at Jane's unrestrained affection, and figured that there was much more to the young lovers' story. Archimedes, having seen Jane's and Tarzan's affections many times, raised a toast with d'Arnot to them both, "To young love."