CHAPTER – PART III - EPILOGUE

It had been a week since Jolene's arrest.

The woman had been stunned when fifteen minutes after she had left the Thornton trio in the auxiliary engine room, the door to her duty station had opened revealing a wet and injured Jack.

He had paused in her doorway for less than a second. Maintaining his composure, his face showed no anger. No hatred. Just professionalism- albeit waterlogged. Containing his emotions, he put aside the role of victim, father, husband. He was Officer Thornton. Head of Security.

As the very much alive Jack had entered the room to arrest Jolene, he was directly followed by three uniformed crew-members who looked stern and, more importantly, exceedingly well-muscled with enough arms and legs between them to capably subdue the martial arts expert.

At the sight of the four men, Jolene hadn't attempted to fight. She had cursed, stood up from her desk, cursed again, and waited irritably as Jack read her the legal rights which she was afforded as a citizen of North America and a crew member of the transporter.

Walking out of the room, with her clenched hands tied together behind her back, an angry Jolene had passed a bedraggled Elizabeth who was protectively holding Aaron against her chest.

A small puddle had formed at Elizabeth's feet as water dripped from her hair and clothes.

Part of Elizabeth had wanted to reach out and slap the other woman's face. Or punch her jaw. But a part of her was still worried that the Judo woman would retaliate regardless of the men now keeping her prisoner.

Elizabeth had also thought about screaming out a vile name, but she had already used the word bitch in front of Aaron, and she preferred not to repeat any unladylike behavior.

And so, she had simply glared at the electrician.

Jack, sporting a swollen cheek, had ensured that Jolene was locked up before he had followed Elizabeth's order that he go the infirmary where he had been examined and patched up by the ship's doctor.

His arms, thighs, and shins were bruised from the dozens of times when he had used his limbs to block Jolene's punches and kicks but didn't have any broken ribs, and his spleen had escaped serious injury. The burns on his legs from the steam weren't severe enough to require a skin graft, and had instead been covered with sterile bandages.

"Careful," a hovering Elizabeth had anxiously reminded the medical staff as they tended to Jack.

"I'm fine," Jack had reassuringly replied, but Elizabeth still worried.

She had finally allowed herself to relax when an ultrasound and urine sample had confirmed that Jack didn't have any internal bleeding or kidney damage.

Jack, Elizabeth, and even a curious Aaron had carefully watched as Cassie had injected Jack with pain reliever.

Before the needle had gone into his arm, Elizabeth had made sure that Jack's weight had been correctly noted, the dosage was adjusted, and Aaron was not anywhere within arm's length of the syringe. Now that the medication had run its course through Elizabeth, they didn't want to have to deal with a mistaken overdose in Jack. Of the three Thornton family members, only Jack had escaped an over-dose.

It was only after he had been medically released from the infirmary and they had all changed into dry clothes that Elizabeth had allowed Jack to prepare the investigation and arrest report.

Aaron, tired from the evening's activities, had slept in Elizabeth's arms as his parents had discussed the corn scandal and prepared a message to Earth.

" . . . . . but I don't understand," Elizabeth had remarked to Jack as he paused in his typing. "How did I end up with the holograms meant for her?"

"That was just coincidence. She wasn't supposed to be on this flight because she had just had training on the new system and was supposed to get leave-time. But then, with people on Earth skeptical of the legitimacy of the corn supply coming back from Coal Valley, her contact wanted her on-board to quickly smuggle in some more perfect ears of corn to quell any suspicion of its origin. She was added to the manifest at the last minute –"

"Just like me," Elizabeth had interrupted.

"Exactly. You were the last of the three of us to be added because you had to pass the physical fitness test and that didn't happen until the day before lift-off. Aaron and I had already been added the day before that. Pretty much everyone else had been on the manifest for months so it was unusual for people to be added so late. You and Jolene were both added at the same time. And the guy in Coal Valley, expecting her to be the only last-minute addition to the manifest, carelessly confused your EC number with hers."

"She assaulted me, she stole my laptop, she kidnapped Acorn, and she tried to kill you," Elizabeth had said with a disbelieving shake of her head. "All for money."

"A lot of money. More money than she could make in a year as an electrician on a transporter. Even with hazard-duty pay. The contracts to supply food on an isolated planet are worth billions. And she wanted a portion of that."

Elizabeth, her head bent forward, had run her hand gently through her son's soft hair and smiled as his chest moved in and out with deep sleep.

"She'll go to jail, right? For doing this to us?"

"For a long time. A very long time. After she testifies against her accomplice."

In the week since Jolene's arrest, things had gone back to normal on the transporter. Which was a welcome relief to the passengers and crew who were tired of electrical malfunctions, searches of their offices and rooms, and water pipes bursting.

Aaron had a new tooth coming in, and rather than dare try pain medication on him, Elizabeth had tried a variety of other things. Oddly, while no amount of teething toys, rocking in his parents' arms, or ice on a wet cloth kept him from fussing, he was able to be soothed every bedtime by the sweet sound of the voices of John Denver or Celine Dion singing romantic songs from Elizabeth or Jack's computers.

Jack spent the days filling out paperwork and walking around the ship doing his "rounds", which usually involved socializing and enjoying the company of the ship's inhabitants. Once in a while, he handling a noise complaint, which usually involved a crew member trying to get some sleep while roommates in close quarters were trying to party, make-out with a visiting guest, or were simply typing too loudly on their keyboards.

The work wasn't exciting for Jack, but he didn't mind. He actually preferred it. It also gave him time to prepare for this trip's talent show. Elizabeth told him that he could sing anything but the country song "Jolene".

Elizabeth taught her class and prepared lessons for when they arrived at their new home in less than a month. She found her students a joy to work with, even if one or two of them had higher IQ's than her, and she had finally managed to teach the Japanese student enough English, and by default learn enough Japanese herself, that every day wasn't a struggle with the young girl.

Elizabeth hadn't given any thought to the talent show for herself and had been surprised when her students asked her about it.

"We can't wait to see your talent, Mrs. Thornton! Mom says we can't talk about it. I guess that's 'cuz it's a surprise." Eight-year old Susie twirled one of her long braids as Elizabeth had walked down a row of desks to check the student's work.

"My talent? I haven't picked a talent for the show," Elizabeth had curiously responded and then moved on to the next student's computer. "I don't have one yet."

"Yes you do!" Joyce had piped up. "We heard our daddy talking. We just don't know what it means."

Susie had nodded in agreement. "He and our mom were planning a family talent for us - we're doing gymnastics - and all the families are doing something. And then our dad said that the Thorntons have a talent for getting into predicaments."

"And when we asked what that meant, our mom told him to be quiet," Joyce had added helpfully. "But we can't wait to see it! Whatever you get into. Is it one of those tiny boxes where you squish your body?"

Elizabeth had inhaled a deep breath and then exhaled before responding. "No. It is not."

"Can you fit in my desk?" another student had piped up eagerly. "I'd like to see that!"

"Climb in my desk!"

"Then do mine! Is this like Chinese acrobats?!"

Jack, sitting at his desk in his small office, smiled at the complimentary message from NADF headquarters on Earth which was being broadcast to him, and the follow-up report telling him that he'd be getting a commendation.

When he had been struggling not to fall into the vat of scalding water, feeling much like a live lobster suspended over a chef's pot, his only concern had been his family. Now that he was in a cooler and more relaxed situation and not in danger of being turned into boiled Thornton soup, he couldn't deny that a commendation for his official personnel file was a nice benefit.

He turned off his computer. It had only been a few hours since he had seen his family, but he missed them already.

The door to the Thornton quarters slid open with a soft small buzz. The room was so small that Jack could see the entire thing without having to turn his body. He didn't mind the size; he was glad to have his family close to him.

The berths were tidy but the floor was littered with home-made baby toys. Aaron's blanket rested on the back of the room's sole chair. A small bowl and a spoon were on the berth next to Elizabeth, but it appeared that her son had preferred her warm breast milk to mushed peas.

The baby, his belly full, stopped nursing and turned to look at Jack. He smiled and made his usual babbling sound that his parents hoped would soon be recognizable as Mama or Dada.

The ship's doctor, and every source Elizabeth had read, assured them that it was still too early for a baby to talk, but that hadn't prevented the couple from betting against each other as to what the boy's first word would be. Jack was sure it would be Dada, whereas Elizabeth was just hoping that it wouldn't be corn, bitch, or murder.

Elizabeth, sitting cross-legged, leaned over and set her happy son on the floor to crawl around. Watching him as he found his rattle under the edge of a lower berth, she fixed her bra but lazily left her blouse unbuttoned, carelessly letting Jack catch a glimpse of her ample figure.

"I give up," Jack announced.

"What?"

"I surrender. I raise the white flag."

Elizabeth gave him a smile. "What was the battle?"

"You. Me. You and me. Doing you know what." Jack moved his hand back and forth between the two of them.

"What are you talking about?"

"I'm tired of fighting the inevitable."

"What's inevitable?"

"We're going to make another baby," he declared it as if it was a done deal.

"When? Today? Because it's not on my schedule. I did plan on it eventually. When we're back on Earth," she humorously replied as she relaxed on the mattress.

"I'm serious. It's in the stars. It's fate."

"It's not fate. It's your libido talking. And mine is finally back to normal."

Jack plopped down on a bottom berth across from her. "Tease if you want. But I'm right. We're going to have sex and have a baby. Sooner rather than later."

"Because of the stars?"

"Actually, I think it's because of this little guy," Jack replied with a motion towards Aaron who had pulled off his socks and begun playing with his tiny toes.

"Acorn?" Elizabeth gave Jack a quizzical look "How is Acorn responsible?"

"How is he NOT responsible? He's done everything in his power to make sure he gets a baby sister or brother soon."

Elizabeth gave a puzzled chuckle. "What are you talking about? He's not even nine- months old."

"That's like five in dog years."

"He's not a dog."

"Good point," Jack admitted. "But he still knows what he's doing. He's trying to get us to expand our family."

"The only thing he's expanding is his stomach," she chuckled. "And he dribbled milk on my blouse."

She undid the bottom two buttons on her top, grasped the end of a sleeve near her wrist, and pulled her arm out before shimmying out of the other sleeve. Tossing the garment onto the mattress, she stood up and lazily went to her locker.

Elizabeth's light-blue bra with its lace trim was one of Jack's favorites. It was the same shade as the famous robin-egg blue packaging from "Tiffany and Company". Jack had once kissed her breasts and teased her that the bra was an appropriate fancy color to be holding her feminine jewels, which had caused her to laugh uproariously at his attempt to be seductive.

He loved seeing her in that bra and he totally held his son accountable for its visible presence at the moment.

"There he goes again," Jack announced in resignation. "He definitely knows what he's doing."

Elizabeth stopped midway with a clean tee-shirt held over her head. "What are you talking about?"

"He dribbled on your blouse so you'd have to take it off in front of me," Jack replied with conviction.

She raised her eyebrows at Jack and smirked before finishing donning the top. "I think he just dribbled. No ulterior motive involved."

"I wouldn't be too sure about that."

"What is up with you?"

"He's been up to something. He wants a brother or sister to keep him company."

"And you deduced this how?" she asked skeptically.

"A long pattern of activity that I just put together today."

"Boring day at the office?"

"Yeah. And I had never suspected that my own son -the son of a law enforcement officer - could manipulate things to get his way. He must really want to be a big brother."

"This I got to hear."

"It started at the beginning. When we were still on Earth. Remember, he kept you from getting a BCHD implant when he fussed at the doctor's office and it fell on the floor."

"So?" she chuckled. "That was just one incident. I was lying on the table ready to get implanted, and I heard him fussing so I turned to look at him and the device fell. It was just a simple accident."

"That was just the beginning. The sly little fellow has been on a mission for months now."

"He's a baby. Not a covert operative."

An undeterred Jack continued. "Not only did he keep you from getting implanted on Earth, but he was responsible for ruining the only BCHD on the transporter when he chewed on it. Did you forget that? Two BCHDs available to you - one here and one on Earth -and he manages to keep you from both of them getting them. Your son manages to ruin two birth control devices."

"You're being silly," Elizabeth replied dismissively at first but her voice trailed off as she considered it more. She took a seat on the berth across from Jack.

"Am I?" he countered with raised eyebrow. "Think about it."

She picked up the teether from next to her on the mattress and looked at it pensively. "There was the problem with the condoms, " she admitted tentatively.

"Let's rethink that one more time," Jack said knowingly. "The timing. He managed to make it abundantly clear to Ensign Sooner that he needed a teether by chewing and drooling in front of him. What are the chances of that?"

Elizabeth eyed her son suspiciously. Seemingly unaware of his parents' discussion, the baby was trying to see if one of his feet would fit in his mouth.

"But still. That's all just coincidence. Isn't it? That he needed a teether in front of the ensign who thought to make him a teether and also had access to silicon."

"Coincidence? With the only available silicon – condoms - on the ship and controlled by a medic, who happens to stop and get his papers chewed on because Acorn needs a teether," Jack said emphatically. "And what about the other condoms?"

"How is that his fault?"

"I needed to stay away from you and keep occupied so I took him swimming. He looooved swimming. Couldn't get enough of it. Didn't want to get out of the pool some days. But he needed a waterproof diaper which meant that someone used up another two dozen condoms to make him one!"

"But that still left us some," Elizabeth argued.

"Not many. And let's not forget why we have already used up most of them. Because he's been in one drama after another which has gotten us all emotional and well, you always get all lovey-dovey when there's been drama."

"Excuse me?!" she asked in an offended tone.

"You know it's true. Whenever there's drama, you get all passionate. Not that I mind. I love it. But you're like some heroine in one of your novels. All sentimental and in love. Like we're in some desperate situation."

"I don't think I'm that extreme," she countered with raised eyebrows.

"You are. "

"I am not. I just love you. And sometimes I like to throw myself in your arms." She shrugged her shoulders in an attempted air of indifference.

"Don't think I didn't hear you the other day when I said your name and you accidentally called me Mr. Darcy."

Darn, he heard that?!

A confident Jack didn't give her other chance to argue that she hadn't been imagining a scene from Pride and Prejudice. "Now back to our son and his plotting. He went missing. And we made love. And then there was the electrical cable fiasco. And we made love. And then there were a bunch of other times when we made love."

"But-"

"And then the coup d'état. The piece de resistance. The ultimate act. He pushed his body against Cassie so she ended up giving you the entire syringe of LIBIDO-INDUCING medication."

"He did!" a suddenly aghast Elizabeth exclaimed. "He did!"

Jack nodded knowingly. "Libido-inducing medication. A lack of condoms. The perfect set-up for you to get pregnant."

"That little –"

"But he didn't finish there! Oh no, our son had one more ace up his sleeve. The final touch. Suddenly, he can only fall asleep at night to sexy romantic songs being played in the darkness. How many nights have we made love since that started!"

Elizabeth jumped up from the berth and stared agog at her son.

"The little imp! He's been trying to get me pregnant! So he can have a sibling!"

"I told you."

"What are we going to do?!"

Jack shrugged.

"Well?!"

"Give him what he wants," he announced as the corners of his mouth moved up in a smile.

The End of Part III

Dear Readers: Thanks for joining me on this ride. I hope you all enjoyed it and it gave you something to look forward to reading during your days and nights, whether it be snuggled under the covers in bed, in a doctor's waiting room, on a subway on your way to work, sitting at home on the couch, or wherever you found the time. I also hope it made you heart race, made you smile, and filled you with warm feelings.

If you like to read more of my work, I've written several other stories under the name WOOLENSLIPPER and I've also written 14 vignettes under the name JELLYBEAN49.

Thank you to everyone who reviewed and messaged me! It's truly appreciated. 😊 😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊