Transition Plan Chapter 83: Searching for Jeanne Part 1
...Sometime in October 1914...
Each and every day closer to the land of the Mangani, Jack awoke with the soldiers and his dad, wishing he wouldn't wake up, and was confronted with the thought, "I've lost my best friend in the whole world, and I caused it."
His father's comfort along the trail daily had no real impact on Jack. And though no words were ever exchanged between him and the Colonel, he felt Jeanne's father's icy cold stare and ever-present blame constantly drill right through him. Jack knew he could never again be respected or accepted by the man he dared think more than once as his future father-in-law merely weeks ago.
The words of the kidnapping note were carved into his mind, and it was a stark realization to Jack that Jeanne was taken, he had no idea where she was, and he had no ability to act on his own to get her back. Jack withdrew from everything but his own self incriminating thoughts, although he dutifully and silently followed his father's instructions to help guide the men to return to Nigeria safely.
The French Special Forces team survivors had no choice but to travel back together to the Clayton family treehouse on foot, with Armand delivering the terrible news to his wife Josephine. Progress on the trail was excruciatingly slow for Jack, having traveled there by the vines and trees. He felt the sadness of not having the same joy of carrying Jeanne back the same way. He missed the sight and sound and smell and feel of her around him constantly. Missing her hurt so badly that it made him sick to his stomach. He wanted to run away from all the men and never be found again.
Tarzan and Armand had only partially reconciled over the kidnapping and blaming Jack for her disappearance despite his role in destroying the radiotelegraph. They traveled together reluctantly for mutual protection, given they had very few weapons, because Armand knew he really needed the ape man as a tracker to get home without getting lost. Over the next month or so, barely a word was spoken between them.
Armand really had no idea what his next assignment was, but couldn't wait to be away from Tarzan and his son and never dependent upon them again , and knew Jo would feel the same way once she knew. He struggled every day how to tell his wife about Jeanne's abduction to spare her anguish, but was completely stymied. He would check in with his leadership using the small wireless at the British garrison in the Council of Chiefs village after the coming fateful meeting at the treehouse. He wouldn't use the Count's treeless Wireless even though it would be very convenient. He didn't want any more help from the Count or his family. No matter what Armand would have to do next for the French Special Forces, he would first insist with his superiors on taking his pregnant wife to safety in Dahomey, far from the next campaign in Kamerun. Fighting in that vast land would be far more vicious than the battle in Togoland against thousands of real German Army shock troops. He wanted to help her birth the baby and make sure the Army nurses would look after Josephine, and then he would volunteer for duty in Kamerun to allow him to search for Jeanne at the same time that he was fighting. He would never give up the search for his daughter, and he alone would find her. Not Jack.
…
After weeks of travel, even Armand knew he was in familiar territory now, well inside the northwest border of Nigeria and the adjoining land of the Mangani. The men became even more silent the closer they approached the Clayton treehouse. For over a month they'd had could deal internally with the abduction of Jeanne. The pain and anger was still there, but for the good of the soldiers, Tarzan and Armand remained professional.
But this would be shocking news to Josephine and Jane and Lily. This was going to be an especially difficult day. Josephine would learn of Jeanne's fate today. Jack was disparaged, and felt the weight of the responsibility of his actions with Jeanne fall harder and harder on his shoulders.
…
Jane felt a change in the chatter among the animals as the men approached, as yet unseen.
"Josephine, they're almost back!" Jane said cheerfully, finishing a gourd full of fresh fruit.
Josephine knew long ago that Jane could 'read' the jungle just by its noises. Even she could sense the changes in noise levels. She was excited and apprehensive, "How long?"
Jane closed her eyes, concentrated on the jungle chatter, and announced, "Less than an hour."
"Oh my goodness!" Josephine smiled, and was as giddy as a school girl.
She stood up and primped herself, looking in a mirror. It had been almost three months and her girth was much larger at seven plus months pregnant. Jane was even more enormous with the twins, now in her eighth month.
Josephine acted like she was going on her first date with Armand in all her fidgeting movements, "Do I still look pretty?"
"Of course you do. You know Armand will love you," Jane smiled. She thought Josephine was a beautiful woman.
"Should I put something on?" Josephine asked nervously.
Jane grinned, "I'm not. What better way to greet them home? I intend to bed my husband just as soon as we feed them and let them rest. First, if that's what he wants. Then I will tell him about the twins."
The two good friends chuckled.
"What about the soldiers?"
Jane grinned, "If both of them are smart they'll leave the men encamped far away. And the kids will know to go play somewhere else for awhile."
Josephine kidded, "Yeah but who's going to chaperone their kissing?"
"Good point, Jane," chuckled Josephine, "God help us when they are 14!"
That really elicited a laugh between them. Josephine made sure her hair both top and bottom was in place and that her breasts were as perky as possible. Her own body took care of that by itself for her husband.
Archimedes and Kala both overhead the women planning how they'd welcome their husbands. The Professor quietly smiled and looked at Kala. She gave him a shy glance.
The men approached the treehouse, and even from far away, they could easily see the joyful expressions of their women at their return. Both men were very anxious for their reunion with their wives, even with the terrible news. Tarzan and Armand saw that their wives were beautiful fully nude, and a lot more pregnant. The soldiers tried to avoid looking at their leaders' spouses. Both men guessed what kind of homecoming the women had in mind for them, but knew that was not to be. They all knew that in a few moments their wives' joy would be completely shattered. This was the hardest moment of each man's life. Jack just wanted to disappear into thin air.
Jane and Josephine stood on the balcony watching their men's approach, and Lily stood close by her mother, happy for the safe return of her father and brother. As the women waved, they noted the soldiers stopped a considerable distance down the trail from the treehouse and encamped.
"Smart boys, our husbands," Josephine whispered slyly Jane to Josephine, who laughed.
But then Josephine examined more carefully who was in the returning group. She searched for her daughter vainly but didn't see her. She looked all around the group, and then above and below the trail and the trees. At first, not seeing Jeanne made her apprehensive, but then her panic rose exponentially.
She said loudly to Jane in rising concern, "Jeanne? Mon Dieu, Jane… Where's Jeanne?"
While it was rhetorical, it seemed like Josephine needed to know what to do next.
Jane was just as surprised as Josephine at Jeanne's absence. She stuttered, "I… I don't know. Go to Armand now."
Josephine's eyes and demeanor turned from happiness and growing desire for her husband to total hysteria, and barely nodded to Jane. Pregnant or not, she scrambled down the access ladder to treehouse and ran toward her husband.
Lily asked innocently, "What's wrong with Madame Jacot?"
The little girl didn't yet realize Jeanne was not with them.
Jane brushed her daughter's hair with her hand and hugged her close, "Oh my. Sweetheart… Jeanne is missing."
Lily immediately burst into her own set of tears, "Oh no! Is she dead, Mommy?"
The toddler worshipped her big sister.
Jane tried to soothe her daughter's fears, "Lily, please don't say that… we don't know yet. Please be brave and be very quiet while the men tell us. Maybe something else happened. Maybe it's all OK."
Choking back the tears and nodding, Lily responded, "Yes, Mommy."
It was only then Jane noticed the bandage around Tarzan's leg and his limp.
"Oh goodness Daddy, Jonathan has been shot!" she said frightfully to Archimedes.
Along the way the Army medic had dug out the bullet from Tarzan's leg, and he was on the mend, but was carefully favoring the leg. She had to be with him immediately. Archimedes and Jane exchanged glances, and he knew to stay back with Kala. Jane carefully started the climb down from the treehouse. Jane was at a very delicate stage of her gestation and didn't want to do anything to lose the twins. Archimedes assisted her in her climb down.
Josephine was screaming and crying at the same time that she ran to Armand and closed the distance between them swiftly. She clutched her husband's shoulders, looked with extreme fright into his eyes and searched for the answer. He had to steady her shaking. Under ordinary circumstances he would have commented on her pregnant beauty. This was not the time.
Josephine pleaded with her husband, breaking down as she spoke, nearly collapsing in his arms, "Armand! Thank God you're back. But… Oh my… cher Armand… Where's Jeanne? What happened? Where's our baby?"
Armand knew he had to take this one step at a time.
He said very quietly and confidently, "Jeanne's alive, Jo. But she's been kidnapped by the Germans."
Her eyes became crazed at this, "Kidnapped? How? When? What happened?"
He had to tell the brutal truth, "Right after Jack and Jeanne destroyed the station the Germans ambushed us, gassed us, and took her."
It was all too much too fast for Josephine.
"Gassed you? Mon Dieu, Armand, they gassed you? Are you all right?" she asked in complete fear, looking for burns and blisters on his body. Josephine, Jane, and Archimedes had read of the horrible gas attacks in Europe on their Wireless messages.
"We're OK, Jo. It was just sleeping gas. But we lost Jeanne then, when we were all knocked out."
The frightened French woman shuddered uncontrollably in a combination of fear and partial relief, burying her head on her husband's chest, and was racked by great heaving sobs and tears, "Oh dear, Armand, our baby girl is kidnapped…"
Jack and Tarzan stood by awkwardly witnessing the reunion that they dreaded, knowing it could have just as easily been Jack being the lost child. Jane carefully approached Tarzan while Armand held Josephine. Jane put her arms around her husband and son very quietly, with highly suppressed relief at their safe return.
She looked into his eyes, "You were shot! Are you all right?
"I am now. It was pretty deep but clean and the doc took care of me," he said simply at their reunion.
They kissed each very lightly, and she whispered, "I'm glad for that and that you're both home. I was so afraid. How could you live with this news for so long?"
Tarzan whispered amidst the frightening reunion of Jo and Armand, "Me too, Jane. I missed you so. It was very hard Jane. It's been a difficult trip home. Especially for Jack."
Jack struggled with his words, but hugged his mother intensely, holding back his sadness as best he could, but she felt him shaking, and bravely said, "I'm glad we're home, Mom. I am so sorry about this. I miss my Jeanne so much."
Jane's subtle smile to Tarzan turned to an intense frown at Jack, ready to lash into him, but hearing his remorse and seeing her boy so shaken, she abandoned scolding Jack, and her look changed to a mother's compassion. The boy looked absolutely haggard, like he hadn't slept in a month, with huge dark bags under his eyes. He really hadn't. He looked gaunt from not eating. Being separated even for short periods from Jeanne was hard enough on the childhood sweethearts, but being indefinitely separated from her by people who would do her harm was destroying him inside.
She hugged him tighter, as if somehow she could absorb his pain, and said, "I'm sure you do, honey."
Tarzan was grateful for Jane's empathy and understanding with Jack, at least for the moment, and held his wife's hand. Lily simply hugged her dad and brother, and whispered welcome home greetings.
The reunion between Armand and Josephine was an entirely different matter.
"Why Armand? Why did they kidnap her?" Josephine gasped, finally through the worst of her tears and able to speak unsteadily.
Armand soothed his wife's frantic eyes and face, and wiped her watery eyes, "Because Jack and Jeanne destroyed the wireless. Just like they did in practice. Jeanne protected Jack from a sniper. Because they somehow knew she was our daughter. They want France to pay 10 million Deutschmarks before they give her back."
He just simply couldn't tell her yet about the part where they would keep her as a slave if they didn't pay. He could scarcely believe it himself after more than a month with the haunting words in the note still in his pocket.
Josephine was in utter disbelief, "Mon Dieu, Armand…10 million?"
At that point, the French woman exploded in anger. Josephine's wrath turned directly toward Jack. She became completely incensed at the boy, as something broke deep within her. All the months of restraint and doubt and compromise and acquiescence to ways of the jungle family completely fell apart. She glared at Jack, and pointed accusingly at him, wagging her index finger vigorously into his face. He tried to recoil from her vindictive fury.
She screamed at the boy and he had nowhere to go but to face her, "Why her? Why not you Jack? You did this. You took her away. You're responsible for Jeanne being kidnapped."
Jack knew that already, and every day for over a month it was consuming him a little more inside. Now hearing it from the very adult he wanted to love like his own mother, it hurt even worse. He could tell she hated him now and would never forgive him, just like the Colonel.
Jack whispered and hung his head in dejection. Jane wanted so badly to reach to him and soothe what she knew was unbearable pain as he attempted a deep apology to Jeanne's mother, "I know, Madame Jacot… it hurts so much every day. I am so… so very sorry. I know this was all my fault."
That was not enough of an apology for the French woman. In fact the admission was a trigger for Josephine in her highly agitated state.
To everyone's total surprise, Josephine charged Jack and slapped him. Twice. Hard. Off balance and unprepared for any attack from Jeanne's mother, Jack reeled backwards and fell over on the second slap and crumpled on the ground, crying instantly. Jane and Tarzan were caught completely off guard. The hand-shaped welts on his cheeks were crimson red and stung him like African bees. His pain caused him to scream. Josephine went for him again, shouting at the top of her lungs, almost incoherently in her ranting and rage against Jack, balling her fists and ready to kick and hit him on the ground. Her eyes showed only frenzy and hatred of Jack and she could have killed him if her attack had not gone unchecked. She had completely lost her composure.
Armand seized her, pulled her away from Jack, and demanded, "Josephine! Stop this! Now! This is uncalled for. You don't need to hurt him. Please. The boy has been through pure hell already."
It was the first kind thing Armand had said about Jack since the day of the disappearance.
Josephine snapped at her husband, "Who's side are you on Armand? Our only daughter is gone because of Jack."
Armand could do nothing to calm her other than restrain her, and didn't want to hurt her in her delicate condition. She struggled with Armand, but broke loose, and charged the boy again. Jack screamed at her first kick to his bare groin.
Jane had been frozen in place from the shocking attack, but like any protective mother animal, she instantly put herself between Josephine and Jack and was ready to fight the other woman. She bared her teeth subconsciously. Tarzan had no idea what to do in this fight between the women.
Jane warned in near guttural tones, "Josephine, I know this is devastating for you, but do not touch my son ever again. Can't you see how much losing Jeanne hurts him?"
Josephine was unaffected her warning and didn't care about Jack's remorse, but she didn't try to fight her way to Jack through the Countess, who was clearly on the defensive. Josephine really didn't know what the jungle woman was capable of in defense of her son, so she sneered at the Countess and Jack, "So what? You wouldn't know, Jane. It's not your son that is gone. If he had not left with Jeanne, my baby girl would still be with us. This is… this is unforgivable."
Despite her growing anger at these insults, Jane tried to calm Josephine's tirade, "She's kidnapped, Josephine, not dead. Believe me I know about that. There is hope. Please don't do this. We're friends. We can all work together to get Jeanne back. Please understand. My boy would never intentionally let Jeanne be kidnapped. He loves her. You know that. They were all gassed. They were helpless. He would have given his life for her if he could have."
Jane was about to tell Josephine about her own unsuccessful kidnapping and attempted murder in Scotland to give her hope, but was interrupted. Josephine was unrelenting and she was truly cold-hearted, "But he didn't, Jane. I wish he would have. He's still here and she isn't because they left together on this nightmare that's worse now. Far worse. This is the end of our friendship forever Lady Clayton. And with your ape men. Especially with Jack. I take back every nice thing I ever said about him. To even think of this savage boy as a future son-in-law was the biggest mistake I ever made. It clouded my thinking. I despise what he did. I despise him. I don't care that Jack and Jeanne destroyed the tower."
Jane was in tears. The French woman's words were as cutting to Jane as they were to Jack, witnessing what she thought was friendship completely fall apart, and she pleaded, "Josephine, please…"
Both Jane and Jack were really beginning to understand how unrelentingly strict she was with Jeanne in France as she'd confided to both.
Despite the abusive words from Jeanne's mother, Jack tried to help, trying to withstand the vicious physical and verbal attacks from Josephine, "We'll find her, Madam Jacot. I will find her. I promise."
Josephine snapped at the boy shrilly, "You have no say in this matter, Viscount. She is our daughter. You are a child. A careless child. You got her into this and now she's kidnapped. You will do nothing to find her. Do you hear me? If we ever get her back you and Jeanne will never see each other again. I will have you arrested if you ever come near her."
Jack was absolutely devastated. He put his head in hands, collapsed on his knees and cried uncontrollably. He could not handle any more damage from Josephine. It was bad enough Jeanne was gone, but now mother of his true love was destroying him with her vindictive words and punishment. He didn't know adults were capable of such behavior.
Josephine did not care he was suffering terribly over this and she was actually glad he was. Jane tried unsuccessfully to comfort Jack. She looked up at Josephine in intense anger and how she was verbally assaulting the boy – the same woman who wanted Jeanne to marry Jack - who was already fragile from over a month of blaming himself for his girlfriend's disappearance.
Jane protected her son, "Don't you care he is devastated by this Josephine? He's had six weeks to be upset. Sure he and Jeanne went into danger. Willingly together to save our husbands. Your words are quite enough, Josephine. I will tolerate no more. Be civil, say nothing more, or if you can't, leave."
Josephine had no shred of civility with her former friend and son, "Then we will gladly leave, Countess. We have no need of any of you anyway. For all your money and power, Jeanne is still gone because of the irresponsible actions of your son."
Josephine spit Jane's title at her derisively. Tarzan and Armand had no idea how to intervene and stop the emotional battle between the two mothers defending their children like lionesses.
Jane was taking none of the abuse but still tried to reach out, "As you wish, Josephine. But you would be safer here. We defeated the Germans. Please stay with us until we hear from the kidnappers. We have the radio right here. We can easily answer the kidnappers here. We can help each other, Josephine. I want us to be friends still. We will get through this and Jeanne will be with us again."
Josephine wasn't accepting of any of Jane's help, "Too late for that, Lady Clayton. There are other radios that are far from here so I don't have anything to do with any of you."
Jane continued to be rocked by Josephine's completely irrational and hysterical reactions, "How can you do this? We were friends. You liked it here. You loved Jack."
The French woman said condescendingly, "I finally came to my senses. We were friends only because we were thrust together by adversity. We lived here because we had to. You know I resisted every change I had to make. I fell into your false utopia. Jungle life is still horrible and now it just got more so. Armand and I will deal with this in our own way. The French way. The way we always should have dealt with this, and not get lured into your false charm. The jungle way is not our way, and never should have been our way. How stupid we were to trust you and this… human/animal abomination you call your son."
That was finally the limit. Jane pulled her knife, despite herself, and struck an offensive pose. Tarzan instantly restrained Jane from attacking Josephine, and put himself between Armand and his wife, but Jane still screamed, "I have had enough of you. How dare you call my son that! Let's not forget who was more concerned about Jeanne's safety and well being since you got here. While you were arguing stupid things like lifestyle of the natives, Jack saved Jeanne when you carelessly left your daughter in the jungle. Jack brought her out of her depression from Morocco. Not you. The two of them destroyed the tower. My son loves your daughter. She'd be a woman of peerage because of him. They are war heroes. You should be proud of both of our children."
Josephine would not let up in her relentless derision of the Clayton's, "Another huge mistake I let happen, Lady Jane. They're just children. It was a big mistake for her to trust him. I forbid that love to ever be completed."
The war of words seemed to have no end. Neither woman would yield, and it occurred to Tarzan and Armand that the only way to stop them was to physically separate them.
While Armand was still terribly upset with what happened, he was even more staggered by his wife's horrible tirade, and while he agreed with her on many points, he had no idea how violently aggressive Jo's reaction could be to this family tragedy. Armand knew that this was a tragedy for both families.
Tarzan tried to end this fight peacefully by interjecting, "Madame and Colonel Jacot. We have vast resources to help find Jeanne. We love your daughter like our own. We can help negotiate with the authorities. We have a worldwide business. We have contacts everywhere. We will work with you and the French and British Army capture and punish these men. And return her to you."
And then the Lord of the Jungle took a deep sigh, and looked at Jack, knowing this would shatter him.
He said stiffly, "And we will then honor your request. None of us will ever bother you again after that."
Tarzan fought back the pain of saying that because she knew it would break Jack's heart, but it was the ultimate, necessary punishment.
"Noooo!" shrieked jack, but his father quieted him, though it hurt him terribly inside too.
They all loved Jeanne. Lily was despondent beyond tears that she'd never see her big sister again no matter what happened.
Tarzan and Jane's offer and Jack's reaction failed to stir any acceptance by Josephine. Armand finally spoke in his wife's defense, especially since it was Tarzan who made the latest offer, "You will do no such thing, Count. We don't want your help. Jeanne is our daughter and we will get her back in our own way. The French government will fix this. With no help or any more interference from you, English. She is our daughter - not Jack's gorilla mate. They are children. They are not animals although Lord knows they tried to live like animals, and we were stupid to let them. That is so wrong, Lord Clayton, We condemn your lifestyle. It is not right to be live as ape and human. Look what happened? We appreciate that you served with us to destroy the tower, and that Jack won the battle, and I acknowledge he and Jeanne are heroes. But our alliance is at an end. Goodbye Lady Jane and Count Clayton. "
Josephine glared at her husband because of the slightest compliment to Jack and Tarzan's success in the operation.
The French woman snapped, "Stop talking to them and get marching, Colonel. Get me out of this Godforsaken place. If you want to keep me as a wife. These people and their wild son deserve no sympathy or praise. And give me your shirt Armand. I'm naked. To think I liked living naked. Hope you liked the view Count Clayton."
Tarzan attempted to apologize to Madame Jacot but Jane restrained him. She was just out of her mind with hatred.
Jane attempted one last offer of help, "Josephine, I have some nice maternity clothes you can take with you."
The French woman rejected the offer angrily, "Didn't you hear me Countess? I want nothing more to do with you, or your twisted jungle 'hospitality' and family and to never owe you anything ever again. And never call me by my first name again, Countess. We are not friends anymore."
There was not a single word Jane could think to say in response.
Armand and Josephine left on foot, gathered the men to strike camp immediately, and headed west to Dahomey without stopping at the British garrison in the Nigerian Chief's Council village. The Colonel knew that Admiral D'Arnot was one of Tarzan's most trusted advisors and wanted nothing to do with that man either, not even to stop and use the British radiatelegraph.
The Clayton family was alone. Jack sobbed without stopping. Lily joined him, gripping her brother in his terrible pain, and they were joined by their parents. Despite the supportive hugs of his sister, mother, and father, there was no amount of soothing and comfort that would heal Jack now, and any further punishment seemed ridiculous. The pain of Jeanne's kidnapping and the horribly vile words of Josephine had crushed the boy's spirit. He was completely broken inside.
Jane cried for her son, for lost, sweet, innocent Jeanne, and for the end of the budding friendship with Josephine that would never be repaired.
…
No one really spoke to each other at dinner that Jane hastily prepared. Jack really didn't touch his food.
Jane encouraged, "Honey, it's been a long hard journey. You need some energy. Please eat, Jack. It's your favorite."
Jack barely whispered, hanging his head, "I'm not hungry Mom. Sorry. Maybe later. I'm going to bed now."
Lily smiled at her brother, "Jack, sleep in my room. I missed you so much. I want you close to me."
It started out as a good idea, but as soon as Jack saw Jeanne's empty bed in Lily's room, he broke down again at the foot of the bed that she slept in Lily's room all the time they were here.
Jack cried out to the heavens, kneeling at the foot of her bed, "Oh dear God, what did I do to you, Jeanne? This is all… my… fault."
…
Hundreds of miles away Jeanne felt an unexplainable touch in her mind of terrible pain and anguish from someone she loved, and thought, "It's OK Jack. It's not your fault. It was them, not us."
…
An odd feeling of comfort and support buoyed Jack that didn't feel like it came from within him, so he shook his head to clear it but it persisted. Lily's mouth was moving but he only felt the reassuring thought from afar and did not hear his sister's words. His head finally cleared and he asked, "I'm sorry, Lily. What did you just say?"
Lily had felt powerless the entire time of Josephine's huge melt down, "Big bruver. It will be all right."
Jack lamented, "No it won't, Lily, they took her. She's gone. No one has 10 million Deutschmarks to give the Germans. Not even Dad. They'll keep her forever. I will never see her again."
Lily held his hands, "Maybe there is some way to get her back. You are really smart."
He shook his head and replied, "I don't see how."
Lily was determined to make him feel better, "You'll find a way. You'll find her Jack. Only you can. She'll be OK until then. You know that. She's strong."
"How do you know? How can you be so sure? You heard Jeanne's mom. They forbid me to do anything to save her."
"Jeanne knows you love her always, Jack. That's all she needs, big bruver."
Brother and sister hugged and cried together. Jane peered in to the bed room, and quietly let them support each other.
…
In the pre-dawn morning Jane woke fretfully, checked the dressing on Tarzan's recovering wound, and found the two children asleep, with Lily clinging to her big brother on his mattress to keep him from being so empty and lonely, and Jane had to suppress her own tears at how much little Lily loved her big brother.
What truly broke Jane's heart is that Jack clutched Lily's 'Jeannie' doll in his arms between them that Lily had obviously offered him at bedtime.
Jeanne covered her mouth with one hand and her belly with the other, and ran weeping from the room down the hall, and let all the pain out for her son in the treehouse's furthest balcony that opened from the master bedroom. Tarzan heard her crying, rose from bed and rocked her quietly in his powerful arms as the eastern horizon became lighter.
The jungle man whispered, "He'll find her. I know he will. And we will help him. Their love will prevail. No matter how long it takes. No matter what Josephine says. Ours did. And they have a head start on us."
She gave her husband a brave smile, "I sure do pray so, Jonathan. Or if not her, that he finds another even more worthy of his love to take his pain away."
Tarzan hadn't really considered that possibility but everything was stacked against them for a 'good news' ending to the story of Jack and Jeanne.
The just held each other for a long time. He had strong look of desire for her which she understood instantly.
"Can you…?" she asked, examining his leg.
"Yes. As long as we're careful."
She turned and whispered demurely with a tender smile, "Then take me back to bed Jonathan. You need me as much as I need you."
He gently gathered her into his arms, and he laid in the bed underneath her as she straddled him, taking care to not put much pressure on his injured leg. He savored the beautiful view of her very pregnant body. Their much-needed lovemaking reunion for a moment pushed every worry and problem aside. Being together had seldom been as tender as it was in the rising morning sun.
She didn't have to ask him twice to take a bath with her afterwards, to take the grime of the trail and the sweat of their lovemaking from him. She carefully tended to his injury, and as they were sponging each other privately, Jane casually brought up a special subject.
"Tarzan, I have some good news for you."
"Oh what? You're going to make love to me again this morning?" he suggested.
"Well probably, since you asked me nicely, but no. That's not it," she grinned.
"What then?" he had no clue.
She beamed a smile at him, "We're going to have two babies, Jonathan."
He completely didn't understand her meaning, "Whoa! Slow down, dear. I know you want to have more babies, but let's just get the third one out, and then we can talk about having another soon after. I know you are getting older for having them. We always wanted four for sure."
She held his both his hands in hers and spoke very deliberately, and explained, "No dear. We're going to have two at once. Twins. I'm carrying twins, Jonathan dear."
To confirm this, she took his hands and placed them on the two separate moving children now compressed tightly in her womb.
His eyes grew very wide, he smiled, and he said in happy disbelief, "Jane! You're… you're having… a litter?"
She shook her head vigorously 'yes' with happy moist tears seeing how happy he was about her announcement. She actually wasn't sure how he would take the news of the dual birth.
But an instant later, his eyes rolled into the back of his head, and the ape man fainted completely away against the side of the tub.
"Tarzan!" Jane exclaimed and leaned forward in the tub to revive him immediately.
Tarzan started to come around as she soothed her husband's hands and cheek, and she smiled broadly as the King of the Jungle attempted a very goofy, happy smile for his wife and the news of the twins.
"I can see your epitaph now, Jonathan: 'Here lies the Lord of the Jungle. He defeated his cousin, he vanquished the oil men, he conquered a giant snake, and he and his son destroyed the German tower. And fainted dead away over his mate just having a litter."
They finally were able to share a carefree laugh together. It felt good, but not nearly as good as the feelings of bathing together after so many months apart. The pair finished washing each other, but remained in the tub for their second celebration, something that was always special to them. The morning together was the first really happy moment since they were reunited.
And it would have to last, because there were few happy moments to come.
...
Author's Notes: We begin "Searching for Jeanne" with a horrible, final blow up from often prickly Josephine, whose constant reluctance at accepting jungle life finally boiled over with Jeanne's kidnapping. Now rather than work together to find her, the Jacot's have taken the entire burden on themselves and prohibited Jack from ever seeing Jeanne again. Will they be successful? Will Jack disobey the adults again to find his sweetheart? We'll have to see...