CHAPTER 62 – LOVE ISN'T BLIND

"I'm sorry your day was so hard."

Jack followed after Elizabeth, who slumped on the couch in the family room. "I really am proud of you for passing the endurance test. And I saw on our tracer program that you also changed the utilities into Julie's name, and updated our insurance and banking information. Oh, and thanks for picking up my uniforms from the dry cleaners."

"Yeah, yeah," she grumbled as she waved her hand dismissively.

"Hey, what's wrong?" he asked as he put his arm around her.

"It's just been a lot these last few days."

"What happened to Ubi tu, ibi ego? Where I go, you guys go? Where's that Elizabeth Thatcher Thornton hubris and determination and self-confidence I love?" he asked encouragingly.

"I lost it when I had an hour-long argument with the ship's personnel and was reminded repeatedly of the weight allowances and transporter rules."

"How bad is it with the weight?"

"The luggage or mine? Because according to the fitness instructor this morning I should try to lose ten pounds for my health."

"Um.. .The luggage?"

Elizabeth nodded to the corner of the room where Jack noticed a large plastic tub. "It's not just the weight, first it was the baby tub. I am prohibited from taking it." She enunciated the word "prohibited" in a haughty long drawn out voice as she remembered her earlier conversation with the transporter's purser.

"Why does Aaron need a baby tub?" Jack asked with a shrug. "We use the kitchen sink."

"Because we can't use a sink forever," she replied in exasperation. "And there are no bathtubs on the transporter or Coal Valley. It's only got showers."

"Can't we just take a shower with him? We did that once before because it was fun. It was a sweet family moment."

"He's six months old. Do you plan on having a sweet family moment taking a shower with him every day for the next two years? Because quite frankly, I'm thinking I'd like to take a shower by myself sometime in the next two years."

"Right. Got it. We need a tub. But why's it prohibited?" Jack asked with a nod to the corner where the object had been haplessly tossed.

"Because it takes up too much room. Everything we bring has to be able to fit in our lockers or, if it's too large, it has to be necessary, and the ship's quartermaster says it's not necessary."

Jack remained silent because quite frankly, he didn't know how to respond.

"I came to an agreement with the ship's quartermaster," Elizabeth told him. "It took several minutes of me demanding that he listen to reason and me threatening to speak to his supervisor and his mother when he finally offered up some type of solution. I agreed because there was really no other choice."

"What's the solution?"

"He'll let me use one of the laboratory sinks to bathe Aaron. He said that I just have to make sure it's totally free of caustic chemical residue before I put Aaron in it each time. Or else his skin might burn, disintegrate, blister, or change color."

Jack grimaced. "Ouch. Okay, we'll just make sure it's clean before we put him in. No caustic chemicals."

"What every mother needs to worry about," Elizabeth mumbled sarcastically.

"What about that pile over there? What's that all about?" Jack nodded to a five-foot high pile of objects teetering on top of one another.

"It's all on top of the scale. I was weighing it."

Jack's detective eyes scanned the pile, quickly taking in the pile of . . .. ..stuff. A baby swing. A baby seat. A high chair. Toys. Stuffed animals. Boxes of diapers. A changing pad. Two baby gates. Something that looked like a small disassembled prison which Jack assumed was a playpen.

"Um," he hesitated. "I think that's going to be more than the weight allowance," he finally ventured.

"I've got if figured out. It took a while – five phone calls – the quartermaster, the purser, and the First Officer's aide. Then the quartermaster and the purser again. But I handled it."

"Thanks. I'm sorry you had to deal with it, but I didn't know. I didn't think about all this stuff. And I was busy at work."

"The diapers were the biggest problem," she said without acknowledging his gratitude or excuses.

"What was the problem? They're necessary."

"I have boxes and boxes of disposable diapers I want to bring but I was informed by a dictator-like steward that if I bring them, I can't bring Aaron because we go over the weight allowance. Which obviously defeats the need for the diapers. But try telling that to a button-pushing man who follows regulations without thinking logically.

"Uh oh," Jack didn't like the stone-cold tone of Elizabeth's voice and where this conversation was going.

"So, no disposable diapers according to Corporal Stettler. The very unhelpful man recommended that I just use cloth diapers. According to the man who has obviously never been around a baby, I should just need two cloth diapers. Two. Two!" she repeated emphatically just in case Jack didn't understand the number. "When Aaron dirties one, I should just clean it, and let it dry while I have Aaron wear the other one. Apparently, I am supposed to keep some sort of magical washer and dryer with me at all times, or maybe Aaron's supposed to only need one diaper every twelve hours."

"Did you explain to this corporal guy that two diapers wasn't enough?"

"I did. In very explicit terms. I also referred to him using words often used to describe the contents of a dirty diaper."

Dear Lord, she's can have a temper.

"So just ignore him. We'll bring ten cloth diapers or so. They don't weigh that much. No problem."

"No problem if we live on Earth and have well water, rain water, and public water at our disposal. But we're going to spend four months on a transporter with limited water rations. If I use up Aaron's water minutes on washing diapers, I won't have any left to actually wash him in the lovely possible caustic-free laboratory sink that will be at our disposal."

"What are we going to do?"

"I'm using Aaron's rations for bathing him, and your water minutes for washing his diapers."

"I'm beginning to sense some resentment here."

"You think?"

Jack pretended not to notice the additional hostility. "It's no problem. I'll use some of my water minutes on his diapers, and I'll just take short showers with my remaining rations."

"Nope," Elizabeth responded curtly.

"Nope?"

"You won't have any water minutes left."

"I won't?"

"No, you won't."

"Because they'll all be needed for diapers?"

"Nope. Because what isn't used for diapers, I'm taking for me."

"For you?" he asked tentatively.

"To deep-condition my hair and to take long warm showers. It's your job that is making us leave our home, so it's only right that it should be you giving up your minutes."

"Right. Okay. I should have thought of that," a submissive Jack replied. "That makes sense. . . . so I just won't have any water minutes for four months. I suppose I can just use my spit to brush my teeth, and just swim in the pool to get clean. Heck, as long as you can handle me not smelling like fresh soap when I crawl into your berth, I'm good." He gave her his best boyish smile.

"What makes you think you'll be crawling in my berth anytime?' she asked dryly before getting up and leaving a chastised Jack sitting alone on the couch.

Damn! Flowers and Candy would have been a good idea.

Elizabeth kept her eyes shut and allowed the liquid to envelope her.

Ten minutes into her shower, she had closed the drain and allowed the water to start filling up the tub while she stood under the warm spray. Ten minutes after that, when the tub was at maximum capacity, she had finally turned off the faucet, and lay down up to her chin in the warmth.

I'm going to miss this.

She knew that she should probably get out, get dressed, get dinner ready, feed the baby, finish cleaning the house, be nicer to Jack, tell him she was sorry for being so inpatient with him. There was a whole list of things she should probably do.

But she didn't want to.

The last two days had overwhelmed her.

She wanted to lay in her tub, relax, and feel sorry for herself.

Despite the old adage that "Love is Blind", Jack wasn't blind to Elizabeth's appearance. She was tired, still not in perfect shape six months after her pregnancy, and her hair style since the birth of Aaron could aptly be described as tousled. Shabby-chic tousled. With more emphasis on shabby and less on chic.

Jack undoubtedly loved his wife but "love" wasn't blind. Every detail of her was etched in his mind. And if for some reason he was ever physically blind to her appearance, he could still feel her body. The fullness of her breasts. The round softness of her stomach that wasn't there two years ago. The extra weight she carried. He felt it with his hands at night when they lay in bed together. He felt it when his lips roamed her body.

A few months after Aaron was born, Jack had been in the locker room with a newly married officer and some of the single ones, when the topic of women came up. The locker room talk routinely consisted of three topics – work, sports, women. Sometimes more than one of the topics was discussed in a day, but it never strayed from those three topics.

"You should see my woman. She's got a flat tight tummy that I could bounce a dime off of," one of the men had bragged about his new girlfriend. "When she wears a bikini, I swear . . .. "

Jack had quietly listened to the men detailing their ideas of the perfect body for a woman without offering any description of Elizabeth. The men had seen her enough to know her general appearance.

"What about you, Thornton? I bet you can't wait until Elizabeth gets her figure back."

"She has her figure."

"You know what I mean. Like she was before," the man continued as he sat on a bench and tied his shoes. "Didn't she have a better figure before you guys had a kid?"

One of the men threw the speaker a warning look. None of them had actually ever seen Elizabeth before she was pregnant. For all they knew she had always carried around an extra fifteen or ten pounds.

"She didn't have a better figure before Aaron. She had a different figure," Jack had answered simply with a friendly smile.

He could have explained more, but he didn't. How do you tell a bunch of single man or men without children what it means to have a woman be the mother of your child? How do you explain that every time you look at your wife, you heart stirs because she put her own health in jeopardy to give you a child? How do you get them to understand that every pound, every wrinkle, every tired look of your wife's is because she is sacrificing a part of herself to give you something?

Jack knew he could never get them to comprehend what it meant. They'd have to figure out that depth of love on their own.

Elizabeth had kept the water in the tub warm but lazily turning the hot water handle with her toes every ten minutes. The small stream of hot water had mingled with the more tepid water allowing her to feel renewed warmth several times, but it was finally time to get out.

My skin is wrinkled like a prune. I wonder how long I was in there.

She finished drying off, and slipped on her pajamas as her stomach grumbled loudly. She had skipped breakfast for the weigh-in, and had skipped having a big lunch because she had been too busy finalizing details for their move and handling Aaron at the same time. She was torn between going straight to bed and hoping Jack could handle Aaron or first getting a bowl of cereal for dinner. Realizing she needed to take care of her family, she dragged her slipper-clad feet out of the bedroom.

Walking down the hallway towards the kitchen, she stopped in puzzlement and backed up two steps. She stood in front of the extra bedroom which was usually used by guests and stared into the room.

Where's the bed?

Where the heck is the bed?

There was a bed in that room!

Elizabeth shook her head and wondered if she had woken up in a dream. She stepped into the room and peered around. She saw the cherry wood dresser with the marble top that she and Jack had found when they had driven a few towns over to go apple picking and had stumbled across an antique store. She saw the night stands that they had bought disassembled at a nearby store and then had put together themselves. She saw the lamps with the crystal bases that they had been given by her parents.

But no double-sized bed mattress or box spring. The empty simple frame was on the floor looking abandoned.

Okay. This is stupid. There was a bed here a few hours ago and now it's missing.

Was it here a few hours ago?

Of course, it was, I was in here straightening the place for Julie.

Why the heck am I look in the corners? she thought after she had swiveled her head around. It's not here!

Elizabeth smelled dinner before she made it all the way to the kitchen. It made the house smell warm and cozy and like a home.

"Hey beautiful. How was your shower slash bath?" Jack, wearing pajamas and an apron, smiled when he closed the refrigerator door and saw her approaching.

"Relaxing. Thanks. I guess I was in there a long time," Elizabeth replied hesitantly as she wondered why Jack didn't think it was odd that apparently someone had come into their home and stolen a bed. "You made dinner. Thanks. Smells good."

"Eggplant parmesan. We had some frozen ones in the freezer. And I made some peas and a salad with the left-over fresh stuff. It's all ready whenever you want to eat. Vinaigrette dressing for you?"

"Yeah, thanks."

"Where did these come from?" she asked as she picked up two rectangular boxes of cookies which were on the kitchen counter.

"Some Girl Scouts stopped by when you were in your shower bath. They're our dessert. You like the strawberry ones best, right?"

"Mm hmm. I do. You're wearing your matching pajamas."

Jack smiled and looked at his clothing. "That I am. I should have worn them months ago. They're really comfy."

"Where's Aaron?" Elizabeth looked around. The boy was usually within a few feet of one of them. Did he go off with the missing bed? Or the Girl Scouts?!

Did the Girl Scouts entice him with cookies to join their troop?!

Don't be stupid, Elizabeth. He's a boy. They're a GIRL scout troop.

"I figured you need a peaceful dinner. I put him to bed."

"He went down this early?"

"I gave him a book."

Elizabeth smiled. "He can't read."

"Then the book will bore him and he'll fall asleep faster." Jack grinned.

"I haven't fed him yet," she challenged while trying not to smile too broadly at her husband who was looking adorable in his pajamas and her apron emblazoned with the motto 'I am Woman, hear me roar.'

"I gave him some apple sauce."

"What if he gets hungry?"

"He can eat the book."

A giggle escaped from Elizabeth. 'Then he won't be able to be bored by it. How will he fall asleep if he's eaten the book meant to make him sleepy?"

"He can count the sheep on his onesie 'jamas."

"They're not sheep," she laughed. "They're polar bears."

"Ahh. That would explain things. I was wondering why there was a sheep on an ice floe."

Elizabeth chuckled again. "Just one more thing." She took two placemats from the drawer and moved to the kitchen table. "Where the heck is our guest room bed?"

Jack shook his head while getting two glasses down from a shelf. "Don't set the table. We're eating outside. Go on, and look outside."

"Our bed is outside," she said in awe. She was standing on their large wooden deck looking at a double-sized bed flanked by an out-door kerosene heater on each side. We have a bed outside on the deck.

"Actually, it's not our bed, it's the guestroom bed. It was easier than moving ours." Jack came up from behind her. "Go ahead, crawl in under the covers. I know it's a bit chilly tonight and you have wet hair but I put extra blankets on. And extra pillows to prop us up. It should be warm and cozy.

Elizabeth turned to look at him in confusion. "I don't understand. Why? Why are we eating in bed outside?"

Jack smiled as he guided Elizabeth onto the mattress and under the covers. "You love sunsets. I wanted you to experience one last beautiful sunset before we leave for two years. You looked tired. You need sleep. You need to eat. And I know you love fresh air and being outside."

"So, we're doing everything at the same time?" she asked in bewilderment.

Jack chuckled. "We won't be eating and sleeping at the same time, but we'll eat as the sun goes down so you can see it, and then you can fall asleep right where you are if you want. Sit back and relax. The sun starts to set in seventeen minutes. I was going to come get you soon if you weren't done with your bath yet. I'll go get our food. You want wine, soda, or sparkling water?"

"Sparkling water. Lemon flavored", she piped up as Jack moved away towards the door.

"You are the most romantic man in the world," she whispered in awe as she snuggled under the blankets and looked west where the sky was starting to show the end of another day - the faintest pink and yellow color tinged the edges of the puffs of clouds.

It was going to be a beautiful sunset. Enough to fill her memories for the next two years.

Oh, who cares about this sunset, she thought giddily as she snuggled under the down-filled cover. I have the most romantic man in the world in close quarters and with almost no distractions for the next two years!

I need to look tired more often!

In fact, I should take an endurance test and run errands every day!

Okay, now that's going too far. Ugh, that endurance test was awful. And there aren't exactly a lot of places to run errands on a transporter.

But it was sooooo worth it! she thought delightfully as she waited for Jack to return.

Dear Readers: One of you wondered about what Jack thinks. Well, now we know. 😊 Thanks for your reviews. They not only motivate me but they give me ideas.

Up Next: Chapter 63 - Nuts