Chapter Seven

Jillian reached for the phone with a distracted hand. Clutching a screaming Joey at her side, she took a deep breath as she picked it up, "Hello?"

Ed grinned at the sound of his wife, "Hey there, gorgeous."

His wife let out a sigh of relief as she sat down on a stool, "Eddie..." smiling, she said, "I miss you so much."

He smiled as he looked out at the blackness of the night, Sandra fast asleep in the matching full size bed next to him. "I miss you too, honey," he said quietly, so not to wake his sleeping partner up.

Glancing up at the clock, Jillian said, "What time is it there?"

"A little after three," he said.

"Oh Ed." she sighed, "You should be sleeping."

"I wanted to talk to my family. How are you doing, honey?"

His blonde headed wife let out a weary sigh, "Okay, we are fine. Delinda's doing well in school, she really likes her teacher, and she seems to have a knack for arithmetic."

"Hmm," Ed said, "wonder where she got that from? You and I couldn't add or subtract to save our lives."

"I don't know," she agreed.

"Does Delinda like that dress I sent her?"

"Are you kidding?" Jillian laughed, "The girl never takes it off! I have to practically pry it off her body just to wash it."

He laughed as he shook his head, "So it fits okay, then?"

"Well, it's a little big," she said, "but she'll grow into it. Eddie, thank you so much for the bracelet," she said as she smiled down at the intricate silver cuff that was on her wrist, "It's really beautiful."

Ed smiled as he imagined his wife wearing the piece of jewelry, "Well, I know you aren't a big fan of sterling, but I thought it was really pretty."

"Oh it is, I love it," she confirmed.

"Good," he said. "Is the mini-blonde tornado around? I wanted to talk to her before she went to bed."

"Of course," Jillian said as she rolled her eyes at her husband's new nickname for their daughter, "I'll get her." She set the phone down and headed out into the living room where her daughter was coloring. "Sweetie," she smiled, "Daddy's on the phone."

Delinda jumped up and raced into the kitchen and picked the phone up long before her mother had a chance to get into the room herself. "Daddy!"

Ed grinned when he heard his daughter's voice, "Hey, buttercup, how are you?"

The little girl hoisted herself up on the tall stool beside the phone, "Daddy, guess what? I go to school now! My teacher's name is Mrs. Sanders and there's a girl in my class, her name is Stephanie, and she's my new best friend. There's also a boy in my class named Grant, and I don't like him."

Ed laughed at the fastness in which his daughter spoke. "Well, it sounds like you like school then, right? That's good, honey."

"I love school, Daddy!"

"Oh, I'm so glad honey," he smiled, wishing he could be there with her. "Are you helping your mom out with Joey?"

Delinda nodded emphatically, "Yes, Daddy."

"Good. Well, sweetie, I need to get going now, it's really late and Daddy's tired. I love you though, and I can't wait to see you again."

"I love you too. Daddy?"

Ed masked a yawn, "Yes, honey?"

"When are you coming home?"

Her father smiled softly, "Soon, sweetheart, soon, I promise. Daddy has to stay here a few more months longer and then I'll be home."

"Good," she smiled, "I love you, daddy, here's mommy."

Jillian took the phone from her daughter and kissed her cheek, "Okay, Delinda, off to bed, okay? I'll be in to tuck you in in a few minutes."

Ed heard his daughter agree easily and sighed a sigh of relief. He smiled when he heard his wife's voice directed at him, "Okay,"

Glancing down at his wedding ring, he smiled fondly and then remembered something. Ed sat up and quickly looked to see if Sandra was still asleep. "Honey," he said, "I wanted to talk to you about something. Do you remember me mentioning someone to you by the name of Holt?"

Jillian knitted her brow in thought, "Vaguely," she said, "why?"

The man on the other end sighed deeply, "He's going to be going away for a long time, I don't think he's going to ever get out. Frankly, I hope he doesn't. Anyway, he's got a little girl, she'll be three in a few months. Her mom's dead, Jill... at the hands of her father."

Jillian closed her eyes and sighed, "Oh god,"

"Honey, I don't want to see this beautiful girl get lost in the cracks of the system. She really needs some guidance and she needs a lot of stability."

Chewing her bottom lip, his wife said, "Ed, are you suggesting we take this child into our home and raise her?"

"I really think it would be a good idea," he said softly.

"Eddie," Jillian said in exasperation, "we have two kids already and we barely have enough room to wiggle. How are we going to fit another child in here, much less afford to take care of one?"

"She can stay with Delinda in her room, sweetie," Ed said, desperately, "We can easily fit another twin bed in there and the girls can share the dresser and closet. Honey, this is the only chance that Delinda will have a sister. We got lucky with Joey, I didn't think that it was possible for us to have kids because of the vasectomy I had after Delinda was born, plus, this is a good chance to really do something good."

"You've already decided, haven't you?" Jillian asked quietly.

"No," he said, "I'd never make a decision like that without your input, you should know that, Jill. But I do think we should do this."

His wife let out a deep sigh and looked around their small two bedroom house, "Ed," she said softly, "we will have to get a bigger house. Joey can stay in with us for a few more months, but soon, he's going to need his own room."

"We can figure something out," he said, "I'll put in for an advancement at work or something. There's an opening in Science and Technology."

"Ed, you said you didn't want to be tied down to a desk," Jillian pointed out.

"Sweetheart, I'll be tied down to Hades if it means that we can get some more money. Jillian, I really want to do this, I think it'll be fantastic for the family and phenomenal for Nessa." He paused, "That's the girl's name."

She smiled softly, "Nessa," she repeated, "it's pretty."

"She's a gorgeous little girl," he smiled.

Jillian sighed deeply and nodded, "Okay," she agreed, "we'll try it."

A few months later, Jillian and Delinda waited eagerly at gate 32b to wait for TWA flight 1109 to arrive. After having come down with an ear infection, Jillian's sister agreed to watch fourteen month old Joey.

"Mommy, is that daddy's plane?"

"I don't know, sweetie," she said as she glanced at her watch, "I think so, though."

Delinda bounced in excitement as she clutched her mother's hand. As the plane touched down, the little girl squinted her eyes, "I can see daddy!"

Jillian laughed softly at her daughter's innocence and played along, "Can you? Wow, you have better eyes than I do, Delinda."

Mother and daughter watched and waited anxiously as the plane taxied into the terminal. Seeing an airport employee quickly drive a small cart with a staircase attached, Jillian felt the butterflies beginning to flutter in her stomach as she became more excited to see her husband. As soon as the staircase was attached to the plane, the hatch opened and the passengers slowly began to file out of the aircraft.

"Mommy, mommy, I see daddy!" Delinda screamed in excitement.

Other people who were waiting for friends and relatives laughed at the little girl's excitement and Jillian smiled sheepishly, "Her father's been away on business for a year."

"Daddy's a spy!" Delinda said in excitement.

Jillian felt her face blanch at her daughter's exclamation. Knowing that nobody was supposed to know what her husband did for a living, she began to twist her hands nervously in front of her. Smiling widely when she saw her husband approach the gate, she had to let out a laugh when she saw the week old stubble on his jaw and chin.

Ed grinned when he saw his wife and daughter and nearly collided with a blonde hurricane who gripped his body and held for dear life. Looking down at his daughter, Ed picked her up and held her close as he hugged her tightly, "Oh honey, I'm so glad to see you," he said, kissing her cheek.

Delinda made a face and rubbed her cheek and then Ed's, "Daddy, that hurts."

Ed laughed as he put Delinda on his shoulders and went over and hugged his wife tightly, "Hey there, gorgeous."

Jillian sighed in relief as she hugged her husband with strength, "Eddie, thank god, I missed you so much." She looked up into his face and kissed him and then touched his shadow of hair on his face, "This has to go."

Ed laughed as he nodded, "It will, don't worry. The blade on my razor was too dull to shave with and I didn't have time to get another one. Where's Joey?"

She held her husband's hand as they walked out of the airport, Delinda still riding on her father's shoulders. "At Kate's, he has an ear infection."

"Oh damn," he said in disappointment., "I was hoping to see him."

"I knew you would, so I brought some pictures," she said, "they are in my purse, I'll give them to you in the car."

As they approached the luggage carousel, she said, "Where's Sandra?"

Quirking an eyebrow at her in surprise, Ed said, "I thought you didn't like her?"

"I don't like anybody trying to sink her claws into my husband," she said matter-of-factly, "but you left with her so I just assumed you'd arrive with her."

Deciding to ignore the first part of her statement, Ed responded, "She had to fly to Los Angeles so she stayed on board."

Nodding, the sound of an alarm buzzed through the air and soon the luggage carousel began to move. Scanning for his luggage, Ed quickly put Delinda down on the ground and walked up, spotting some familiar bags. Reaching out, he grabbed his suitcase and garment bag. Sighing, he waited impatiently for his final suitcase. Spotting it, he grabbed his duffel bag as well and headed back towards his family.

"Here, honey," Jillian said, taking his duffel bag with one hand and Delinda's hand with the other.

"Thanks," he said.

Shaking her head, his wife said, "I don't understand how somebody can go away somewhere for a year and only need three bags."

"It comes with the job," he said with a laugh.

As the small family walked out of the airport and towards the car, Ed looked around and breathed a huge sigh of relief, grateful to be back home and with the ones that he loved most in the world.