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Chapter 30 - Chapter 30 - Karen in the Bath

It was morning and Arles was standing at the counter in Samuel and Karen's kitchen, cutting up fruit. Samuel sat across from him, sipping a cup of tea.

"I think fruit salad is actually in the food replicator." He told him.

"Fresh is always better."

Samuel ran his hand through his hair. "Alright. I won't argue."

"Of course you won't! You know I make the best fruit salad!" He grinned and tossed a bit of apple in his mouth.

Samuel sipped his tea again. "Heard from Kelly?"

Arles sighed. "And here it goes."

"I'm just curious. John's house is destroyed. It's not something someone's not going to notice."

Arles pointed at his brother. "Unless Papa had me return to the ship and recopy it back."

"Did you?"

"Yep!" Arles told him and tossed another bit of fruit in his mouth. "No trace of any problem."

Samuel nodded, "With the exception of….."

Arles glanced back up at his brother, "How is Karen?"

"I drew her a bath and came down here. She said she just wanted to sit and think."

Arles continued to eat the apple, "Must be a Bennett woman thing. Bathe and think. Well, that's not good for the baby."

"It's not very hot. I was careful." He told him. "In fact, I'll go up and check to see if she needs anything."

Arles tossed another bit of apple in his mouth. "Take her some coffee."

Samuel nodded. "Good idea."

Samuel made a cup of coffee for Karen and went back up the steps of their flat. He walked through their bedroom and gently tapped on the bathroom door. "It's only me."

"You can come in, Samuel."

He opened the door and walked into the bathroom. The light from the morning sun shone through the window and onto her beautiful nude body. She lay in the bath with the water nearly under her chin.

Samuel smiled at her and closed the door behind him. "Comfortable?"

"I think that medicine you gave me as left me in a haze."

He sat on the side of the bath and handed her a cup of coffee. "Maybe this will help."

She smiled and sipped it. "Oh, that's good. Thank you."

"Arles is downstairs. So, if you have thoughts about walking around the flat in the nude…."

She smiled.

"…..just postpone it." He grinned.

She rolled her eyes and sat down her cup of coffee on the window seal. "I'll keep it in mind."

He looked at her face and noticed her eyes were puffy from crying. He took her hand that lay on the side of the bath. "Uncle Tony rang. Said if you needed anything."

She bit her lip and nodded.

"And your Mum rang. She said that-"

She closed her eyes and gripped his hand tighter. "Please. Samuel?"

He rubbed her hand between his fingers. He knew it was sending the pleasurable sensation through her hand like it was his. The lump that was growing in his throat was threatening to overtake him. He knew if he began to cry again, she would as well.

He ask her quietly. "Please tell me something I can do to help you."

She looked up at him. "This is what I need."

He opened his eyes wide. He was so clueless how to help her and valued any advice she had. "Tell me. Anything, Karen."

She swallowed the lump in her throat. "I want to pretend, at least for this moment, that everything is alright."

"Okay." He mouthed.

She wiped her eyes and looked out of the window. "It's going to be beautiful today."

Samuel took a deep breath and pointed at the window. "Do you want me to open it for you?"

She picked up her coffee and sipped it. "Could you? I didn't realize it opened."

He stood up and rubbed his hands together. "Yes. Easy thing."

She watched as he leaned across the bath and reached to open the window. His arms were just not quite long enough.

"Samuel-"

"Nah, I've got it." He told her as he stood up and stretched his back with a grimace.

"Are you alright?"

He smiled at her. "I'm fine. Window. Yes. I can do that."

Samuel leaned across the tub again to raise the window.

She sat her coffee back on the window seal just as the window lifted. Caught off balance, Samuel fell into the bath with her. Water splashed everywhere.

"Oh my God. Are you alright?" Karen asked in shock.

Samuel was equally surprised, "Are you okay? I'm sorry!"

Their eyes met one another as they sat in the bath together. Him fully clothed, and Karen nude. She covered her mouth and laughed. "Samuel! You are so clumsy!"

Samuel smiled in relief that she was alright. "It's so good to see you smile."

She laughed at him and wrapped her arms around his neck. "I love you."

He looked at her face and smiled. "Are you sure you're alright? I really didn't mean to do that."

She continued to laugh as she held him tightly.

He returned her embrace and kissed her. As soon as they had forgotten the huge weight of what they were facing, it returned. Samuel looked back at her and smiled sadly.

Karen sat up in the bath and pointed at her stomach. "And I have such a bump today. You should see it."

He sat back in the bath and looked at her. "You are so lovely."

She grinned and playfully splashed him. "You are just saying that because I'm in the bath."

He looked surprised. "I clearly need to tell you this more often!"

She smiled. "Thank you, Samuel."

He caressed her face. "I love you. So much."

"You are making my entire body tingle right now. Why does it change like that?"

He kissed her lips quickly and she playfully splashed him again.

"Oi! Water all over the place, Mum!"

She giggled. "You're in here in your clothes! Oh man, tell me your pockets were empty."

He groaned and stood up. "My pockets were empty."

"Somehow I think you're not telling me the truth."

"Well, that's what you told me to tell you."

"Ugh. Samuel!"

"It's just my wallet."

He stepped out of the bath and held out his wallet. "Oh, this is….damn it."

She pointed at him from the bath. "Stop."

"What?"

"Set it on the cabinet."

He sat it down and looked at her. "What are you going to do?"

"I'm not going to do anything. You change your clothes and think about how you want the wallet to be dry."

He rose his eyebrow at her. "Practice?"

"You need to practice."

He grabbed a towel. "Fine."

She sipped her coffee and watched him as he stripped off his wet clothes. "Now, this is nice."

He grinned at her. "Need to do this more often, then?"

"Samuel, you are a handsome guy. Do you know that?"

He smiled at her. "I'll let you be the president of my fan club."

She giggled and realized he probably wasn't kidding as he walked out of the bathroom. "You have a cute bum, Angus."

She heard him complain, "Angus. Ugh!"

After a few more sips, he rejoined her in the bathroom wearing a pair of jeans and a t-shirt. "Are you ready to get out, then?"

"No. Think about that wallet."

He leaned on the cabinet and crossed his arms. "Okay. Thinking about the wallet. Damn, I can't believe I fell in the tub."

She giggled. "That was so funny."

He grabbed a towel and wiped his face. "The bracelet is probably what kept me from hurting you and Halley. Gosh. I could have hurt Halley."

She sat down her coffee. "We are fine. You are thinking about your wallet."

He nodded. "Right. Wallet. Damn. I want that wallet dry."

"Think about what's in there. What a pain it is for that stuff to be wet."

"My identification, -"

"Letters." She helped.

"No, I put those in the safe."

"Oh, okay. Well, what else is in the wallet?"

"Photo of Halley. That photo of me and you."

She smiled. "You have a photo of me and you?"

"Well, yeah. That one we took in New York. Times Square."

She held out her hand.

He grabbed the towel and quickly came over to help her out of the tub. He wrapped the towel around her and she opened it to show him her stomach. "And see?"

He put his hand on her stomach and after a few moments, he smiled. "Everything is fine. She's jumping around in there."

She didn't take her eyes off of him. "I can feel it. She moves a lot when she hears your voice. She loves you so much."

He smiled proudly, "Already loves her Daddy."

Karen looked back down at her stomach and her eyes filled with tears again. "Samuel?"

He quickly wrapped his arms around her as she began to cry again.

The wallet. Dry. Sat forgotten on the cabinet.

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