"Cadet Robyn Harmony Latham-Rabb" – Ch04– "Echoes of a Detroit Christmas"
AU: The consequences of the events in Ch01 begin to make themselves known more widely
A/N: "they aren't mine, I'm just playing with them - apart from any character created by myself". See Ch 01 for disclaimers.
Summary: this is a fictional story, in a fictional (slightly) Alternative Universe, about fictional characters who entertained us in a fictional TV series between 1995 and 2005. Comments and PMs and suggestions are most welcome; I shall update periodically. Mike
Canon: just a memory of Christmas Eve 1969
A/N: published 13-JLY-2021: Onwards into a restful Californian Christmas.
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Ch04– "Echoes of a Detroit Christmas"
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Thursday 24th December 1998, 03:30hrs PST
Guest suite, Rabb-Burnett home, Hidden Valley, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA
Frank and Trish had welcomed Bobbi to their home – and into their hearts. She hadn't realised how important a role she had (admittedly accidentally!) taken on as the mother of Harmon Rabb's baby until she had met Frank and Trish. Their welcome was just on the oppressive side of joyous, but she was happy to bask in the glow of his parents' love once they had left the airport and she had processed the surprise of discovering that Trish and Frank knew about her secret.
Even so, Bobbi still felt that a woman likes to be in control of the news of her pregnancy. Typical! Some darn paparazzi had been snooping at the Vietnam Memorial. Ah heck, no point in worrying. She recalled the veteran British politician Winston Churchill's maxim that "a week is a long time in politics". She'd have nearly a fortnight before she had to face the Congressional crowd and her staffers in DC. She probably owed Charlene a call early in the New Year – but not before!
Bobbi was going to enjoy the next eight or nine days basking in the warmth of Harm's West Coast family welcome. The concept of "family" had prompted a thought as her head hit the pillow and she kissed Harm goodnight. She would need to let her parents know. If a news feed could get to California in a few hours, it wasn't unreasonable that the Bahamian papers would have received a news feed by Christmas Eve.
She had gone to bed happy, entwined with Harm in the large guest bedroom which had been created by extending Harm's former room through the adjoining bathroom. The view out over a dark Pacific Ocean was not something that she could appreciate at Zero Dark thirty, but she was sure that – eventually on almost the shortest day of 1998 – the sun would come over the far side of the house and begin its journey westwards towards Hawaii, Japan and Asia.
Then her cell-phone rang!
Her Mom and Dad, enjoying the early breakfast buffet at the Marriott in Atlantis, had seen the article on page seven of USA Today. They had instantly recognised their daughter and Mirabelle had instinctively dug out her cell-phone to dial, simply assuming that Roberta was still in DC – before Hector could remind her that Roberta had departed the previous day for La Jolla!
Sometimes, a Daddy knows more about his grown-up daughter than her Mommy! On hearing Bobbi's groggy response, Mirabelle realised her mistake, but Bobbi was equal to the early-morning challenge.
"Too late, Mom, I'm awake!"
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Once he had listened into the first seconds of the phone call (and woken sufficiently to grab a robe), Harm headed towards the kitchen to rustle up a pot of coffee and to brew a pot of tea; he was a supportive father to their unborn child and he would always aim to offer his Bobbi a choice of infusions. However, at this time of the night on Christmas Eve morning, Harmon Rabb jr required – because his fatigue-fogged brain demanded it – a dose of real caffeine.
By the time he returned, Bobbi had switched on the bedside light and reclined, her free hand gently stroking the waist-band of her panties as she chatted happily with her parents. It was a sub-conscious gesture and an automatic motion, but he knew that her hand lay where his future - their future - lay. The enormity of the situation suddenly hit home.
"She's carrying my child."
He instantly corrected himself:
"She's carrying our child".
Eventually, some 30 minutes later, Bobbi wound down the conversations. Harm realised that he had just been committed to a visit to Detroit early in January of 1999. The prospect held no fear for him: his parents had made his Roberta so welcome, there was unlikely to be any problem when he met with Mirabelle and Hector to formally ask for the honour of their daughter's hand in marriage.
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Harm and Bobbi fell back asleep for a good few hours, eventually surfacing at 08:57 as they continued to adjust to the Pacific time-zone.
After a quick pit-stop in the bathrooms, Harm and Bobbi arrived, hand-in-hand, into the kitchen where Frank was wrangling a skillet of tomatoes, omelette and potato pancakes.
"Morning Bobbi; just give me two minutes to get Harm's rabbit food out of the way, then the other frying pan with the 'Mother's Special' will be finishing off."
Bobbi looked at the sausage patties, strips of bacon and gently-frying eggs in the other skillet, then smiled expectantly. Then she clapped her hand over her mouth and bolted for the washroom!
Skillet in hand, Frank followed her lightning-quick progression out of "his" kitchen then turned sympathetically towards Harm.
"Well, I know it's not my cooking, so I guess it's your DNA?"
"Yeah, subtle Frank; very subtle!" Harm was already laughing. "Just don't tell her I'm laughing with you, OK?"
"Too late, Harmon Junior" came his mother's mocking tones from the glazed conservatory. "But Frank and I will agree to hold it over your head until our grandchild is born. Deal?"
She held out a hand.
Harm had no option: he shook his Mom's hand and nodded agreeably to Frank, who proceeded to dish up Harm's breakfast.
"OK Mom, once she's settled, I plan to take her up to Mount Soledad – so I'll need to collect the Rabb family ring from you."
"Sure son – and Christmas Eve will be wonderfully symbolic, linking to the past. You'd planned that, hadn't you?" Trish Burnett's eyes had suddenly turned misty, thinking back 29 years.
"Yes indeed Mom – I don't think I could honour his memory in any better way."
"Proud of you, son – and your father would be, too."
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Thursday 24th December 1998, 14:14hrs PST
Car park. Mount Soledad War Memorial Cross, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA
Bobbi stepped from the car and looked up at the white-painted concrete cross which reached for the sky above her.
"Wow. Impressive. I guess the view from here is pretty special as well, huh?"
Harm nodded, as he escorted her to the information display adjacent to the car park and gave her a quick history lesson of the mountain-top site. "Well, it is 29 feet (8.8 m) tall (43 feet tall including the base) with a 12-foot (3.7 m) arm spread. It is the centrepiece of the Mt. Soledad National Veterans Memorial."
He smiled. "Also, there is a bit of legal history involved with this site. It is the lightning rod for a court case centred around the placement of a religious symbol on government land."
(A/N: the litigation would eventually be resolved finally in 2016, when the Supreme Court dismissed all remaining and future legislation. This followed the events of July 20, 2015, when a group called the Mt. Soledad Memorial Association reported that it had bought the land under the cross from the Department of Defense for $1.4 million).
He took her hand. "But that's not important right now." He went down on one knee, still holding her hand. Bobbi did her best not to tear up, but her hormones got the better of her and she looked down on him with suspiciously misty eyes.
"Roberta Anna Eleanor Latham. We have come together through happy circumstances and we are about to share the awesome responsibility of parenthood. You embody all the fine characteristics which I would hope to find in the woman who walks beside me for the rest of my life and I would hope to accompany you on the same journey. Bobbi Latham, will you marry me?"
With her free hand, she placed a finger under his chin and, very gently, "lifted" him back into an upright pose. Looking up at him, she manoeuvred his chin back down into kissing position, then leaned in and kissed him passionately.
Pausing for breath, she looked mischievously into his eyes and replied: "yeah, alright then."
After the second kiss, she then revised her response. "Of course, Harmon Rabb junior; I would be honoured and proud to carry your name, especially because I am already carrying our child. Thank you Harm, I accept."
They spent a while soaking up the mid-afternoon sun, before the drive back to Hidden Valley. After handing Bobbi into her side of the car and closing the door. Harm looked up at the memorial and nodded.
"Proud of you dad; rest in peace."
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Friday 25th December 1998, 08:53hrs PST
Kitchen suite, Rabb-Burnett home, Hidden Valley, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA
Frank and Harm had spent a companionable half-hour quietly preparing the Christmas morning breakfast when Bobbi walked into the kitchen. She had slept well and was – just optimistically – hoping that her hormone levels were settling. At least, she was hoping for a restful Christmas Day. She took a cup of milky coffee from Harm, then wandered into the sunroom on the eastern side of the house, where the warm light of a California morning had already raised the temperature inside of the glass. She settled in a chaise-longue and stretched out with her coffee.
Two hours later, Harm decided to wake her. This pregnancy was clearly sapping her energy levels and he was glad that she had taken the fortnight-long vacation to let him pamper her on the West Coast before their return to DC in the New Year.
He sat on the floor, with his back against the sofa and reached an arm up towards her face. She took it and rested the back of his hand against her face. This was becoming their unique gesture of companionship.
"Hey, wife-to-be."
"Hey there, husband-to-be. Sorry I fell asleep again."
"Bobbi; no problem – ever. Your body is going through changes and I'm just honoured that you are willing to put up with the disruption to your life, work, wardrobe, diet – heck, everything – for the sake of our child."
"I like that phrase – our child." She leaned across and kissed the side of his face as they snuggled closer.
"So, if you are settled, what can I bring you for breakfast? The main family meal will be around 1600hrs, so what does my hungry politician want to eat in the meantime?"
"Harm, let me stand up and let's go into the kitchen; I am sure that your mom wouldn't want cooking aromas in this lovely lounge."
Harm already knew better than to argue once his Bobbi had come up with a practical suggestion.
Arm in arm, they strolled towards the kitchen. Bobbi eventually decided on fruit followed by bacon, eggs and sausages, washed down by orange juice. Her milky coffee, to finish the meal, was becoming a standard feature for her.
"Once you are dressed, how does a Christmas day paddle in the Pacific grab you?"
"That sounds just grand, Mr Rabb. Let's set off in an hour. I need to shower and get ready to face Christmas Day."
"Sure. Would you like company in the shower?"
Bobbi thought for a moment (well, actually half a nanosecond if she was being honest!)
"Sure thing Mister Rabb; that sounds just peachy. Frank, we shall see you in a while."
Frank raised a glass of milk in silent salute, then went back to his Car & Track magazine.
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Standing in the shower as Harm sponged her back, Bobbi thought back over the previous few months. This was definitely not how she had expected Christmas of 1998 to turn out.
This Christmas Day was approaching near-perfection. She was, however, certain that the pre-Millennium Christmas Day of 1999 would be very different. For starters, she would be a wife and, God willing, mother to an infant; neither of which had been in sight on her plan at the start of 1998.
She rested her head on Harm's chest as the warm water cascaded over them.
"Who needs plans when I have him?"
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End of "Cadet Robyn Harmony Latham-Rabb" Ch04– "Echoes of a Detroit Christmas"
Mike, United Kingdom, 13-07-2021