Chapter 2: Period of Adjustment

Owen looked at the clock after trying to fall back to sleep for over 30 minutes. 6:00 am. At least it was officially morning. Last time he checked the clock, it had read 2:00 am.

In a week, Owen had been in four different time zones. At this point, his body clock had no idea how to adjust itself. Besides constantly shifting time zones, Owen's pain meds caused him to nap on and off throughout the day. A good night's sleep was not his current experience.

He cleared his throat, hoping to accidentally on purpose wake up Amelia. When she didn't move, Owen decided that he'd forge ahead more boldly. He started by reaching over and caressing her arm gently, whispering, "I'm so happy to be waking up next to you."

Amelia offered a happy little sigh but said nothing. Next, Owen dragged himself over and began cuddling up to her. His unshaven face nuzzled in her cheek, ear, and neck, while his strong arm made its way around her body. He rested his hand between her breasts. He was obviously desperate for sex.

Without moving, Amelia purred, "Good morning, handsome man. I like not waking up alone. This is glorious." She set her hand atop his and snuggled her back toward his broad chest.

"Want to make it even more glorious?" Owen flirted. "I have a few ideas if you're interested."

Giggling, Amelia turned her head. She kissed her husband passionately as his hand slid up to grasp her face. As they kissed, Amelia turned her body to face his. Her eyes gazed at him as she traced his face, chin and ears with her soft hands. She leaned in and gently kissed the bruises on the side of his face and under his very short hair. As she did so, he closed his eyes and surrendered to her touch.

Nudging him gently, Amelia encouraged Owen to lie on his back. As his body melted in her hands, she kissed her way down from the facial bruises, to his ear, then to his neck. She nuzzled her face there, rubbing the sides of her face against him repeatedly like a contented cat. Owen hoped his hunch was right and that her kissing would go lower and lower on his body, eventually pleasuring him with her talented, sensual mouth.

Moving to kiss his chest, her hands and lips explored his pecs and shoulders. She nuzzled her face into his stomach, careful to avoid his gunshot wound. Wiggling her body into a new position, she moved his arm away from his body and kissed the length of his torso gently. The bruised area was soon covered in her love before she worked her way to his erection and took him deeply into her mouth. He moaned with pleasure and relief, whispering, "Oh, I've missed this."

Amelia's talent and abilities in all matters sexual was a gift Owen never took for granted. He'd been with many women over the years, but none even began to compare to Mia. During the last three years that they'd been together, a playful and curious part of him wanted to know how she learned her moves. He'd never worked up the courage to ask her, but he occasionally wondered about the various possibilities.

His abdomen contracted as he gasped and released his pent-up sexual energy. He groaned with pleasure as he closed his eyes tightly. He moved his chin toward his forehead and the crown of his head onto the pillow. "Miaaaaaa," he sighed as he hung on each sound in her name. He was unable to utter a complete sentence, slowly adding, "Oh my…" Amelia tumbled down into the space between his torso and arm, resting in the safety of his presence. Instinctually, his arm wound around her as he sighed with relaxed serenity.

The couple remained in that position and silently celebrated one another's presence. Owen's eyelids became heavy. Each blink was slower than the last. Within minutes, he was sound asleep and resting peacefully with his wife curled around him. Amelia let her thoughts wander as she glanced around the room.

At 7:00 am, Amelia slipped out of bed and headed upstairs to get the twins. Opposite of their daddy, their sleep habits were predictable, and clocks could be set by their routines. When she reached for Ella, who seemed far more awake than her sleepy sister, Amelia proclaimed exuberantly, "Happy birthday, big girl."

Ella smiled and clapped her hands in response to Amelia's tone, chattering and referencing her twin, "Mama. Mama. Gwen-ie. Gwen-ie up." Ella pointed at her sister and playmate, emphasizing again, "Up."

After changing Ella's diaper, Amelia reached in and picked up Gwen. Consistently slow to wake up, Gwen snugged into Amelia's chest right away and began searching for Amelia's breast. "Just a minute, baby girl. Let's get you changed first," Amelia suggested gently.

Oliver came sauntering in with blinking eyes and hair standing in myriad directions. He was clenching his baby blanket, which usually remained hidden in his bed, "Morning, Mommy."

"Hey, Ollie. You're just in time to keep an eye on your sisters while I wash my hands," Amelia pointed out as she stepped to the bathroom. When she returned, she sat down in the rocker and nursed Gwendolyn. Ella, far too engaged in playing with her brother, had no interest in being held and fed. She'd been weaning herself little by little over the last few weeks, and now nursed only before bed.

When Gwendolyn was done, Amelia requested to Oliver, "Can you help me take them downstairs to Daddy?"

Beaming, Oliver's eyes widened as he exclaimed, "That's right! Daddy's home! I forgot while I was sleeping." Oliver held Ella's hands protectively as he helped her slowly descend the stairs. He coached and encouraged his sister, pointing out, "Here comes another step…there you go! Good job, Ella. Now another one…" Amelia, touched by Oliver's attentiveness and carrying Gwen, followed.

Amelia knocked softly on the bedroom door and walked in. Owen was lying on his side with his head resting on his pillow. He turned his head and spotted the group out of the corner of his eye. Slowly and with much effort, he pulled himself up to a sitting position. Then grinning broadly, he declared, "Three of my favorite kiddos and my beautiful wife! Good morning."

Ella was still tentative about Owen. She stood at the edge of the bed staring at him soberly before making her way to the window. Oliver crawled onto the bed and made his way to Owen. Spreading his arm around Oliver, Owen hugged him from the side. He rubbed his right fist into Oliver's hair and messed it up before announcing, "Ah, much better." Oliver, blankie still in hand, looked up at his dad with admiration and giggled.

While her sister stood at the window and slapped her chubby hands upon it, Gwen crawled over to analyze her daddy. She babbled and called him Dada as she sought to grasp every angle and curve from his lips, teeth, ears and nose. When she saw the bruises on the side of his face, she showed concern as she commented, "Uh-Oh." Owen chuckled softly and stopped her before she attempted to grab his eyes. He redirected her toward his chin. Pretending to nibble her hands, Owen played with his daughter as he turned to Amelia and asked, "How's her PT going?"

"The progress has slowed a bit. They tell me that's normal. Sometimes she wilts and doesn't invest in the process. I'm not sure what that's all about," Amelia explained. She turned to Ella and encouraged her, "Ella, you want to sit with Oliver?" Ella nodded affirmatively. Amelia set her on the bed, and she crawled over to Oliver, smacking both her hands onto Oliver's chest with a laugh when she reached him.

Oliver grabbed her and tickled her until she squealed. "You know if you do that, you get tickled, Banana girl."

Gwen leaned over from Owen's grasp, "Me! Me!"

"You wanna be tickled too?" Oliver teased as he tickled her while she remained in Owen's grasp. He turned back toward Ella and encouraged her, "Daddy wants to give you hugs, Ella. Can he hold you?"

"No," Ella declared as she leaned backward and shook her head. Oliver looked up at Owen and shrugged with empathy.

"It's ok, buddy. It might take her a few days. Let's not rush her," Owen explained as a piece of his heart crumbled.

Bronwyn was heard from afar before she was seen. She was singing boisterously, composing both her lyrics and tune extemporaneously. Dancing into the room, Bronwyn sang her morning greeting as she twirled in circles, "Hi Daddy…how'd you sleep?"

Laughing, Owen spoke a response, "Great, Bronwyn. How about you?"

She stopped abruptly, nodded once and said, "Excellent." Her dancing resumed.

Oliver leaned toward Owen's ear and shared, "That's her new word. She can't spell it yet, but she says it all the time." Owen nodded as if he were making a mental note.

Resuming her concert, Bronwyn swung directly in front of Ella and sang, "And how are you, Ella?" The sisters planted kisses on one another. Bronwyn scooted onto the bed and sat beside Owen repeating the same routine with Gwen

Yawning, Finley entered and rounded out the family as the dogs came bounding in behind him. Both Nala and Simba jumped onto the bed and expressed joy at seeing Owen. Simba playfully grumbled at Owen as Nala rolled around on her back. Rather than petting them, Owen snapped his fingers and pointed down. Both dogs sadly scampered off the bed.

Sitting on the edge of the bed, Finley pointed out, "We don't have to go to school, but everyone's already awake."

"Habit," Amelia smirked and shrugged.

Finley reached out for Ella and gently removed her from Oliver's grasp. He celebrated, "Happy Birthday, Ella! You're such a big girl." Finley stood up and spun around in a circle as he held her above him. She laughed and clapped as she shouted her brother's name, "Fin-Yee, Fin-Yee."

Clearing his throat as a warning, Owen advised firmly, "Finley, that's too much. You could get too dizzy and drop her. Sit down please."

Finley stopped spinning but continued to hold Ella over his head. Without looking at Owen, Finley explained in a good-humored tone, "I do this all the time, Dad."

"Sit. Down." Owen restated.

Finley kissed his sister and handed her back to Oliver, calmly stating, "Excuse me." He walked to the kitchen and poured himself some cereal.

Not wanting to correct him or argue in front of the kids, Amelia shot Owen a look of disappointment before suggesting, "Let's give Daddy a chance to wake up while we make breakfast. Ollie, will you put the dogs out?"

"Sure," Oliver smiled. "Want me to take a baby too?"

"I think Ella can walk to the kitchen on her own. Let's give her a chance to practice," Amelia responded. "Do you want to carry Gwen or shall I?"

"I'll hold Ella's hand," Oliver grinned as he encouraged his little sister to help him put the dogs outside.

Bronwyn smirked, switching her concentrated gaze between her mom and her dad. For once, she appeared to be speechless.

"Head on out to the kitchen, Red," Owen encouraged.

Crinkling up her nose as she slid off the bed, Bronwyn declared, "Red? Daddy, you never calleded me that before."

"Maybe I'll start," Owen teased as he pushed her bum toward the door.

Amelia informed Bronwyn, "I'll be right there, Bron. Finley can help if you need something."

She sat down on the edge of the bed, about to share her displeasure about how Owen handled Finley. Before she began speaking, Owen huffed, "Man, what's with his attitude? Apparently, Finley's forgotten that when I ask him to do something, he needs to do it. When you get to the kitchen, can you send him in here?"

"Owen…" Amelia responded. "I won't."

"What do you mean you won't?" Owen asked with a deeply perplexed expression. He had lowered his brows and grimaced. "Why not?"

Finley came around the corner to let Amelia know he was heading upstairs, but he stopped before he reached the doorway. He heard Amelia and Owen talking and he was curious to know the topic. Amelia looked into Owen's eyes, noticing that they hadn't returned fully from overseas. A hint of pain and emptiness seemed to be behind each eye as if the sadness and anger had not yet fully matured and moved on.

"Owen…he was respectful," Amelia mentioned. "Rather than argue, he excused himself in a very mature manner. Besides that, he does twirl Ella around like that all the time."

Owen began to speak, but Amelia gently held her hand up, "O, you can't come back and assume all the rules are the same and that nothing has changed. Let the kids get used to you being home before you start fretting about discipline and order. I'll handle the kids. You need to just enjoy them, and they need to just enjoy having their daddy home."

"He could've tripped or fell and hurt Ella," Owen insisted hesitantly.

Amelia raised her eyebrows at him and smiled, "Really? And the likelihood of that is what? .001%?"

With a tinge of tension, Owen proposed, "Help me, Amelia. Help me understand. I'm supposed to come back and be their dad, but I'm not supposed to parent? That's what I'm hearing."

"I don't want to argue about this, Owen," Amelia sighed.

"Since I've returned, you don't want to discuss anything, Amelia. Is that how it's going to be? Last night, you set our discussion aside and you're doing it again now. Did you think I was going to come home, and everything was going to unfold like a Happily Ever After storybook? You seem to want the dream of me being home, but not the inconvenient, moody, readjusting part of who I am here and now," Owen brooded.

The conversation had reached a point where Finley no longer wanted to overhear it. Discomfort, worry and self-blame swirled in his heart as he assumed his actions with Ella had started the fight. He quietly took a few steps back to sound as if he were further away and called out, "Mom?" as he approached the bedroom doorway.

Amelia, teary but not wanting to show it, answered without turning toward her son, "Yeah, Finley?"

"I… I was… umm," Finley realized Amelia needed him downstairs with the little kids, headache or not. His reason to summon his mom had disappeared as he heard his parents argue. Thinking up an option, he continued, "I was wondering if you wanted me to take Gwen and get her started on breakfast. We've got Ella in her chair and she's already eating."

"Thanks, Finley," Owen offered as he leaned a bit forward with Gwen. "That'd be a real help. Nice job, son."

Amelia turned away from Finley's sightline as he approached the bed. "Honey, Lynne should be here in just a few minutes. Can you keep the melee managed for just a bit?

"Sure," Finley chirped as he picked up his sister and smirked awkwardly at his dad.

Amelia added, "And can you close the door on your way out?"

As Finley closed the door, Owen snapped, "Now you're going to just ignore me?" Finley heard the arguing but could not decipher specific words.

With deliberate and thoughtful words, Amelia slowly declared, "Owen… I can only imagine what it's like to be you right now. You are a vibrant, strong, productive, and self-reliant man who has experienced a major shift of reality. That said, the moodiness and the snapping…I'm not sure how much I can handle."

Calmly but with sarcasm, Owen responded, "I didn't know you received a psych degree while I was away, Amelia. Thank you for your analysis of my experience."

"I was trying to be understanding, Owen," Amelia retorted calmly. After a brief pause, she snapped, "And, by the way, your experience? Have you stopped to consider that maybe the kids and I have also been affected by your decision to deploy? I have supported your decision even though I was ambivalent about it. I dedicated myself to appearing positive and happy, so the kids didn't implode with fear."

He raised his voice in frustration, adding, "So you'd like me to pretend to be happy and upbeat? Shall I portray a male version of Pollyanna while I sit here in pain and unable to walk? If that's what you need, Mia, tell me now so I can rise to your expectations."

Looking away with folded arms, Amelia stated slowly, "That's not what I meant, Owen."

"Would you please look at me when we're speaking?" Owen yelled with exasperation, unable to understand her previous sentence. "Can you at least do me the courtesy of facing me so I can hear you clearly?"

"The kids are going to hear all this," Amelia pointed out after a deep breath.

In the kitchen, the kids and Lynne were indeed overhearing the fight. Lynne suggested they all go upstairs to get dressed. Finley carried one twin and walked alongside Lynne, sharing, "He's different."

Lynne pursed her lips and squeezed Finley's hand, softly assuring him, "It's a hard time right now, Finley. When the twins nap, we can talk. I promise."

Amelia walked over to the bed and sat on an outer edge facing Owen. She stared at him with concern and sadness. He returned the gaze, his blue eyes blazing, and his brows heavily drawn down with simmering ire. Breaking the silence, Amelia admitted, "I… Owen, I don't know what to do…I can't walk on eggshells worried that my next sentence is going to provoke an angry response." She paused to sniffle and wipe her eyes, continuing, "I know we have some challenges awaiting us, Owen. We need to do this together. I can't face it all alone, and maybe you can't either."

"I'm not the bad guy here, Amelia," Owen countered with widened eyes and pursed lips.

"Oh, it's all my problem then?" Amelia asked incredulously. Her voice cracked with sadness.

Owen frowned. "Can I please be alone? I need some time by myself."

"Sure," Amelia answered. Owen had just expressed frustration with her because she didn't want to talk and now, he was asking to be left alone. His contradicting words were difficult to sort out. As she stepped out of the room, she reminded him, "Don't forget, Callie is coming by before she starts her shift."

"Right. Just have her come in when she arrives," Owen, already back on his side staring at the water, directed without looking at his wife.