13GAMMGAMMGAMMGAMMGAMMGAMMGAMMGAMMGAMMGAMMGAMMGAMMGAMM13
"Thank you," Carolyn accepted the plastic cup of water the stewardess handed her. She then requested her husband's hand and deposited two white pills into his open palm. "Take these, dear Captain of mine." He dutifully popped the pain medication into his mouth and washed it down with the water.
He frowned. "Beer would have done the same job as water."
She tried to hide her smile as she folded back up her tray table and arranged an airline pillow between his head and neck and then gently pushed him to lean towards the inside bulkhead against the window. "Alcohol and pain pills don't mix. I want you to be able to walk off this plane in Newark and not carried off on a stretcher. Sleep—and behave yourself. No kissing seal women in your dreams."
"Hmm," he murmured, "Perhaps you should add more fish to your diet, love."
She gave him an arched eyebrow but refused further retort. "Get some sleep."
His eyes were closed, already being lulled into drowsiness by the loud hum of the jet's powerful engines. "What about you?"
She found her writing tablet in her carry-on she had stowed under the seat in front of her. "I'm going to get started on my children's book."
"Children's book?" he raised an eyebrow but kept his eyes closed.
"Hm mm," she glanced over at him and ran her finger lightly down his profile, tracing a feather soft trail from his temple, down across his softly bearded cheek to his strong chin. He kissed her finger when it rested against his lips. "I think it will be about a magical place with all sorts of mythical beings all come to life; gnomes, faeries and leprechauns do battle with misbehaving pookas." She placed her pencil between her teeth and flipped open her notebook.
He opened one blue eye and cocked his head to look at her in the dim light as their jet raced westward across the Atlantic. "And selkies?"
"Mm hmm. The selkie will come to the rescue of a little boy. She'll save him from drowning."
Daniel smiled peacefully and tried to make himself more comfortable. Carolyn had made an allowance for his injuries and upgraded their seats to First Class, but his long legs still required more room. She saw the discomfort on his face. She pulled up the arm rest which separated their seats, undid her seat belt and tucked her legs under herself liked she often did at home as she made herself comfortable on the sofa or easy chair. She rested lightly against his shoulder as he stretched out his legs with a relieved sigh. "Thank you, love." He was silent for several moments and she thought he had fallen asleep. Then suddenly he asked quietly, "What's his name?"
"Hmm?"
"What's the lad's name in your story?"
"Oh? Let me think…oh, I know. How about Claymore?" She giggled happily at his predictable sputtering protest. She reached up her arm and switched off the soft beacon of light she had been using to jot down story notes as he dozed. "Shush you," she said softly as she settled back against him. Her lips sought his in the darkness of the plane's cabin. Their kiss was long and loving, expressing to each other what mere words could never convey. Ireland had been a trip of a lifetime but they were happy to be together and headed home.
EPILOGUE
Martha kept to her plans to head down to Florida and then eventually to spend a couple of more weeks in California. Carolyn Gregg refused to leave her wounded seaman alone in Schooner Bay—she didn't trust him not to climb ladders and lift heavy objects at the under-renovation Gull Cottage. He begrudgingly admitted he was temporarily in drydock and in need of repairs—just the same as his beloved Gull Cottage. He accompanied the family to Brad and Emily Williams' Philadelphia home to be reunited by an ecstatic bouncing, jumping ball of fluff and curls named Scruffy. Carolyn and Daniel's two chatterbox children finally concluded their travelogue highlights of their Ireland adventure to their grandparents. They headed to Carolyn's old bedroom and crawled into the top and bottom bunk beds that Brad had installed almost as soon as Jonathan outgrew his playpen. They were kissed goodnight and wished sweet dreams. Carolyn and Daniel were feeling the effects of jet lag and were still on Greenwich Mean Time. Daniel spied Brad's La-Z-Boy in the den and settled himself in the recliner, he was asleep within minutes as he listened to the soft voices of Carolyn and her parents talking in the kitchen.
As her parents headed off to their bedroom, Carolyn switched off the kitchen light. She happened to glance into the den on her way up to bed, assuming that's where her husband had disappeared to soon after the kids were in their pajamas and into bed. She spotted him tilted back in the recliner, the duplicate to the chair her parents had gifted her family with at Christmas. The recliner had the uncanny ability to make Daniel relax almost instantly and nod off within minutes of extending the foot rest. This chair had the same effect on him. She padded barefoot across the carpet to him. His soft snores let her know he was sound asleep-without aide of pain pills for his aching body. She remembered the Irish proverb plaque she had bought in a little shop in Dublin. A good laugh and a long sleep are the two best cures for anything. There was no need to wake him. She smiled tenderly, knelt and left a soft kiss on his forehead. "I'm just so happy you're home here with me," she whispered. "Sweet dreams, love." She clicked off the den's lamp and went up to bed and to her dreams at peace with the knowledge the family she loved were all safe and at rest in her childhood home sweet home. Deireadh (The End)
AUTHOR's NOTES. Thus, ends my trilogy. Hope you enjoyed some or all of it. Now, a word of explanation before you plan your own Ireland vacation. Some—but not all—of these towns, hotels, pubs, bed & breakfasts, etc. exist in the real world. The Dublin Fringe Festival and the Puck Fair are actual events held during the summer in Ireland—just not all happening within a three-week period in the month of June—as it conveniently worked out for the Gregg-Muir Family. There are private tour guides for hire who will take you on private excursions across the Emerald Isle. As for the existence of faeries, leprechauns, gnomes and selkies….?. I'll quote a young Natalie Wood here in "Miracle on 34th Street" (another film of the wonderful Maureen O'Hara!) "I believe…I believe."
I apologize to any citizens of the Republic of Ireland who may read this story. Guess what? I don't speak Irish, blame any errors on the English to Irish translation website. I love your country and its incredibly friendly and helpful citizens. I hope for a return visit someday. Like the Gregg-Muir family I never made it to the Cliffs of Moher, either. Anyone up for a road trip?
Thanks for reading. Please leave a review or leave me a "favorite"—closest thing to applause fanfiction writers get—and they act as an encouragement to perhaps write again. Happy St. Patrick's Day! "May your troubles be less and your blessings be more and nothing but happiness come through your door! An Irish blessing.
-Bonnie (DetroittiggerFan)