House of the Bakers
I left Julian alone for the rest of the day, realizing that he was in that kind of mood when it wasn't possible to talk to him in a reasonable way. But I was also aware that I had to talk to him again about the incident with Davis and our planned trip to Paris, which I was looking forward to very much. I took the opportunity to talk to him after dinner, while we stood together in the kitchen and made the dishes. The children had retreated to their rooms, so we were alone now.
"Don't you think you were a little harsh with Davis today," I began cautiously.
"Harsh? If he weren't as tall and strong as I am, I would have liked to put him over my knee and spank his butt!"
I had to smile involuntarily at the mere thought of that. "You didn't even spank him when he was a child," I said, rolling my eyes. "I can't remember that you ever had hit one of our children. So stop with those empty threats."
"All I said was that he deserved it." Groaning, he ran a hand through his hair. "The boy makes trouble since he can walk. He's impetuous, perky, shameless, feisty, has constantly another girlfriend..."
I couldn't help it, I suddenly had to laugh. Julian stared at me in confusion. "The name 'Davis' is no coincidence," I said with a grin, and when he still didn't get what I meant I added, "Davis is just like me at that age. You knew my reputation. During my high school time I only had other guys and sex on my mind. It only got better after I met you. I had some relationships after you, but they were just a distraction. I loved only you."
"That may be so, but I can't just watch how he ruins his life!" He exclaimed desperately. "He already had so many chances in his life. He can't lose all of them."
I approached him and put my arms around his neck. "I know why you're so harsh with him," I said quietly, looking him straight in the eye. "But that's in the past, Julian." As he turned away from me, I knew I was right.
"It just goes on and on," he muttered in a low voice. "First we nearly lose him during his birth, then I forget him in the hot car, then the pneumonia when he was 5, the fall from the tree, his bike accident a few years ago, and now this."
"And he survived all of it," I tried to reassure him. "He seems to have several guardian angels."
He nodded. "And every time I die a thousand deaths!"
"I know. But you can't protect him from this. Davis's 18th birthday is in a few months. Then he's going be old enough to live his own life and make his own decisions."
"If he acted like 18, everything would be fine," he said, sighing. "But he behaves like..."
"...me when I was his age," I quickly threw in. "And you can see that I eventually found the right way." Smiling, I put my hand on his shoulder. "What he needs is a steady girlfriend that gives him stability. But he probably isn't ready for that yet. I truly believe that one day he will be ready. Then he'll settle down, marry, have children, all the things the two of us have too."
"You mean to say that I should talk to him again?"
I nodded. "He deeply regrets his behavior and knows how stupid it was to put himself in danger. That's why I find it a bit hard that you want to ground him for two weeks. And about Paris..." I cleared my throat. "Maybe you can reconsider your decision. You have said yourself, it's always only about the children. That would be something only for us and I wouldn't want to miss out on the opportunity to go to Paris."
"I don't know, Brooke..."
"Justin is here and Izzy and Jude, too. And after what had happened with Davis, he surely isn't going to do any mischief again," I said quickly. "How should the children learn to take responsibility if we don't even trust them?" When he looked at me long and thoughtful, I knew that I had almost won.
"I think about it, okay?"
"Okay." I wrapped my arms around his neck and kissed him. "Just think about all the romantic nights we can have there," I whispered in his ear. "Just you and me."
"Who says we can't have it here as well?" He smirked. "The kids are in their rooms. No one will notice when we retire to our bedroom and have hot sex."
I slowly began to unbutton his shirt. "Then you get the 'appetizer' here and after that the 'main course' in our bedroom," I promised. As he kissed my neck, I stifled a moan. It was incredible that after 18 years of marriage we were still wild about each other. That had never changed. When he lifted me up in his arms, I let out a soft shriek.
"I think we skip the 'appetizer' and just go straight to the 'main course'," he said in a hoarse voice and quickly ran up the stairs.
In the hospital
Brooke had convinced me that it was important to talk to Davis again, so I drove to the hospital the next day. After the doctor had assured me that he was doing fine and he wouldn't leave with a lasting damage, I made my way to his room and entered without knocking. What I saw then made me remain rooted to the spot. Lydia Scott was lying in his bed, with her arms wrapped around his neck and her tongue deep in his mouth. I cleared my throat to alert them and watched how they recoiled from each other, startled.
"Dad! Can't you knock?"
I saw Lydia jump up and hastily yank off her shirt until her belly was covered again. Good Lord, had I just barged in a love making act? Her cheeks were flushed when she looked at me shyly.
"Hi, Mr. Baker!"
"Lydia, may I have a private talk with my son?" I asked after clearing my throat again. The whole situation was terribly embarrassing for me. But how could I know that my son had a female visitor? And it wasn't just any girl; it was Lydia Scott, Jude's girlfriend. At least I thought so. Since when was Davis making out with Lydia? Did Brooke know about it? As Lydia pushed past me and left the room, I turned to Davis. "Tell me, what's going on between you and Lydia?" I inquired curiously.
"We're together now," Davis said, shrugging. "Do you have a problem with that?"
I hesitantly shook my head. He was still upset about my behavior from yesterday. I could hear that from his tone. "I'm just wondering because I thought she was with Jude."
"It's over between them." He crossed his arms over his chest. "Anything particular you want to talk about?"
I raised my arms and let them fall again. "I came to apologize," I replied. "I'm sorry how I treated you. I didn't mean to give you a lecture. I was just worried, you know?"
"Yes, Mom already explained it to me," he said, fiddling with his blanket. "I'm sorry too. I really hope that you don't cancel your trip to Paris because of me. I know how much Mom is looking forward to it."
I had to smile involuntarily. Brooke was right. Davis was tough on the outside but soft on the inside and had a vulnerable, big heart. He was just like her. "We talked about it and I told her that I would think about it."
"If you're really worried about leaving us alone, then maybe it would be a good idea to ask Grandma Sylvia to take care of us," he suggested.
I looked at him in surprise. "You really have to be desperate if you want her to visit us," I said, smiling.
"She's okay." He shrugged casually. "Just cranky when she doesn't get what she wants."
"Which is practically always the case," I laughed. "All right, I'll call her and ask."
"Great! Mom will be happy."
"I spoke to the doctor earlier," I changed the subject. "You can be released tomorrow. Your dive into the ocean didn't cause any permanent damage. I'll come back tomorrow morning and pick you up."
"Best news of the day," he said with a grin and pointed to the door. "Can you tell Lydia to come back inside before you leave?"
I playfully raised my forefinger threateningly. "No physical strain in the next few days, the doctor said."
"Very funny, Dad!" He rolled his eyes. "How am I supposed to get physically strained? I'm lying in the bed."
"What the two of you were doing when I came in looked quite physically demanding," I said with a knowing grin.
"You have fun to embarrass me, eh?" He sighed.
I laughed. "I'll send her back in," I promised and left the hospital room. Lydia stood outside and approached me.
"Mr. Baker?"
"I should tell you to go back in," I said, smiling.
"Please don't say anything to Jude," she begged softly. "I want to tell him myself."
"You usually break up with one boy before you start something with another," I said.
"I know." She lowered her head in embarrassment. "This thing with Davis and me happened so fast that there hadn't been the right time to tell him yet."
"You really like him, don't you?" I asked, looking at her thoughtfully.
"Yes, very much." She nodded eagerly, "And I'm glad we're together now."
What did Brooke say to me yesterday? Davis just needed a steady girlfriend that would give him stability. Well, maybe Lydia Scott was the answer to all our questions. "Go back to him," I said, smiling. "He's already waiting." When she disappeared back into his room, I turned and headed for the elevator.
