Frank and Denise made their way to the house, when they arrived Frank started to get out of the car, but Denise's voice stopped him. "Frank, hang on let me help you," she told him. "I've got it Denise," he answered her; she got out of the car and went to the passenger side and helped him out even though he said he could do it himself.
"You are supposed to be taking it easy," Denise reminded him. "You had a serious cardiac episode. I want you to get into bed and rest as soon as we get in the house."
"Denise I feel fine, I just can't go back to work right now, I'm okay," he tried to convince her.
"I should have taken a picture of you the other night and asked you to tell me that," Denise sighed. "Sofa with your feet up then and I mean it."
"Okay, jeez you don't have to be mean," he said laughing and holding his hands up in mock surrender
"You can't blame me for loving you," Denise said her feelings a bit hurt he'd take this so lightly.
He saw a look in her eyes and knew she was hurt. "I don't blame you for loving me Dee, I love you too honey, I'm sorry," he said apologizing for making jokes.
"Remember when I had the pneumonia, and you were afraid to leave me?" Denise asked laying her head on his chest.
"Yeah, you were so sick, I was afraid I was going to lose you," he said playing with a strand of her hair.
"Exactly," Denise said softly rubbing her cheek on his shirt.
"Honey, I'm okay, I'm not going anywhere, not without a fight," he told her kissing her head.
Denise nodded, "Okay, sit on the sofa, I will bring you whatever you need to eat or drink, you rest for the next few days at least. Promise?"
"Okay, babe if it will make you feel better, I will rest, I promise," he told her.
"Good," Denise said they went to unload his things from the back of the car. His bag was heavy for her and she grunted in spite of herself.
She finally got the bag into the house and dropped it on the floor. "You need anything," she asked him.
"I'm good," Frank said going to lift the bag off the floor to take it to their room.
"Frank, don't lift that, just leave it, I will get it later honey," she told him, he was supposed to be resting but since they had been home had done everything but that.
"No, you won't. You are five months pregnant, Denise," Frank reminded her. He was already getting tense. "I, on the other hand, have carried 200 lbs backpacks on 5 mile runs in 120 degree heat; I can lift a ten pound bag. I'm not going to go through this at every move I make, if you are going to act this way I'm going to stay at the BOQ."
"Frank, I'm just trying to take care of you," she told him trying not to get upset or angry.
"I'm trying to take care of both of you," Frank sighed. "I'm not 20 anymore, but neither are you; this can't be easy on your body, Baby."
"I know and it's not easy but I don't mind it," she said putting a hand on her stomach. "And I know you want to take care of us but you need to take it easy, I'm worried about you," she said.
Frank nodded, "Okay, you can carry the bag."
Denise started for their bedroom when Frank moved after her and lifted her up into his arms.
She squealed in surprise "What are you doing?" she said giggling.
"You wanted to carry the bag," Frank chuckled then carried her to their room. He laid her on the bed and moved the bag to the side. He straddled her hips and leaned over to kiss her. She was so beautiful.
She smiled up at him "you are crazy, but I love you," she said kissing him.
Just as things were getting heated, a knock at the door pulled them out of the moment. "Who could that be? I don't think the gang would be coming by right now, Denise said getting up and going to answer the door fixing her hair and messy hair on the way. When she answered the door she was shocked to see her parents standing on the porch.
"Mom, Dad," Denise said blushing like she did when they caught she and Frank making out as teenagers."This is uh surprise."
"Hey honey, how are you?" her mother said stepping toward her to give her a hug, noticing the bulge in her daughter's shirt.
Frank walked in to see his mother-in-law and father-in-law standing in his foyer, he knew this visit was going to be interesting, especially with her being pregnant.
"Colonel, Elizabeth," Frank greeted his in-law the stood behind Denise. She was shell shocked.
Colonel Branch shook Frank's hand while Elizabeth Branch said a cool hello and nothing more. "How are you, Frank?" the Colonel asked.
"Fine, Sir," Frank replied when even his in-laws could see that wasn't true. "And yourselves?"
"We are fine," Elizabeth said coolly. "Denise, it looks as though you have something to tell us."
Denise looked at her parents, at her belly, then at Frank. Tears welled up in her eyes and she turned and headed for their bedroom sobbing.
Frank looked at his wife. "I need to go check on her," he said. "Excuse me," he said and went after her.
The Branches looked at each other then watched their son-in-law take off after their daughter. Frank went into the bedroom to find Denise lying on their bed in the fetal position sobbing so hard she was gasping for breath. This worried him.
He sat next to her and put his hand on her back "Dee honey, calm down, don't worry about them," he said soothingly.
Denise curled up tighter and cried even harder. She didn't' know why she was crying which made her even more upset.
Frank went to plan B and pulled her into his lap "Denise, baby you have to calm down. Ssh, they are just shocked honey, they will get used to this," he told her rocking her back and forth.
"It's not that," she finally managed. "It's...you and Dad and I feel so gross and so tired."'
"Honey you are not gross, you are beautiful. Why don't you lie down and take a nap? You have had a long day," he told her looking down at her lying in his arms.
"I want you to stay but you can't," she sniffled knowing any second their bedroom door would open...
"How about this, I will go get them settled then I will come back here and lay with you?" he told her about that time her door opened and her mother walked in.
"Denise, are you okay," her mother asked her. She buried herself more into Frank's arms, needing his comfort, he responded by holding her tighter.
"No mom, I'm not, dad hates the fact I am pregnant, and that hurts," she said beginning to cry again.
"Well dear you have to understand you are not as young as you used to be," her mother said, which didn't help matters any.
Frank decided to be brave, "Dee, your dad didn't say anything about you being pregnant, honey."
"No, not directly he didn't, but I could tell, he doesn't want this, he isn't happy for me," she said still crying.
"All right," Frank said gently. "You sit here and talk to your mom; I'll have a word with your dad. Try and calm down, it's not good for the baby or you to be upset like this." He said it to Denise but looked at Elizabeth; she knew she'd been warned.
"Okay, are you coming back in here," she sniffled not wanting to be away from him, he always made her feel better when she was like this.
"When I'm done, I'll be back," Frank told her. "You lie down. Elizabeth, she's been on her feet a lot the last few days. Make sure, all right?" On the he left the room
"I will Frank," Elizabeth said and he left the room "So how far along are you?" Elizabeth asked her daughter. "Five months," she answered lying down on Frank's pillow.
Frank approached his father-in-law. "Can I get you a drink?" he offered the older solider. "I know I could use one."
Frank handed the Colonel a beer and took a bottle of water for himself. "Denise and I are very happy about the baby. I'm sure it is a shock to you and Elizabeth."
"Yes, it is. Was this planned? I mean you all are not as young as you used to be," he said.
"No, it wasn't planned," Frank replied. "But I think Denise started to get the itch after she got out of the hospital and we had our friend's baby at our house."
"Is she still working? Tell me you made her quit that dang job and stay home where she needs to be," he said to Frank.
"She's off this week, we had some issues that needed her attention, but she'll work as long as it's safe. We haven't talked about after but I'm G-3 so...we'll see," Frank replied.
"Frank, you need to put your foot down. You risk your life, you need to be able to come home to a good home cooked meal and your wife, not her working and you fending for yourself."
"I understand your feelings on that, but Denise and I are a team. She needs something I can't give her; she needs to help, to be out their saving lives. Hell, if not for her I'd probably be dead right now," Frank said looking towards the back of the house again.
"What do you mean dead?" he asked Frank.
"Between us, I just got out of the hospital today," Frank confessed. "They called it a hypertensive crisis. Denise kept her head; I could have had a stroke or worse."
"Well see, she needs to be home, not at some hospital doing god knows what with gods knows who," he said referring to her affair with Getti.
"She's an EMT, she doesn't spend much time in the hospital any more, Colonel," Frank said. "So, what brings you?"
No sooner than he said this Jeremy walked in the room "Hey grandpa," Jeremy said smiling. He loved his grandparents.
Denise emerged from the bedroom with her mother a short while later and as her father expected made an elegant meal for them with all the trimmings, much to Frank's chagrin.
A few hours later, with Denise's parents in the guest room and Jeremy on the couch, Frank settled into bed. Denise was undressing and whimpered lightly when the material of her pants ran over her ankles.
"Your ankles swollen honey?" he asked her, he felt sorry for her, she was miserable but she never complained.
"Yeah," Denise sighed. "It's fine."
"Is there anything I can do?" he asked her sympathetically.
"No, you were the one in the hospital," Denise said sliding into bed taking great care to keep her ankles from Frank's view. An action the astute officer caught.
"Denise, let me see," he said pulling the covers down so he could see her ankles.
They were swollen so badly the skin was red and stretched; still she tried to hide the problem from his view. She'd been on her feet for hours cooking and waiting on him, Jeremy, and her dad like her father always expected of her.
"Denise this looks horrible! Tomorrow you are staying in bed all day and I will wait on you, you need to rest and let this swelling go down," he told her.
"I'll be gone by morning," Denise assured him. "If you want to help, you can rub some of the lilac lotion into the skin; it'll help circulate the fluid."
"You got it," he told her getting up and getting the lotion, he sat back down and pulled her feet in his lap, he began to massage the lotion into her ankles.
"That feels amazing," Denise moaned relaxing into the pillows. "How do you feel? You had a big day."
"I feel fine, I'm glad I'm home and not in that dang hospital," he told her. "How was the conversation with your mother while I was in with your father?" he asked her.
"She's all over your case as usual," Denise sighed rolling her eyes. "This is all a scheme to get me to quit my job and stay at home, and how dare you risk my life and yada yada...And dad?" She sighed and hissed when his hand hit a tender spot. "Lighter."
"Sorry," he said and lightened his touch. "It was alright he was saying I should make you quit work and all the usual, but that will not happen as long as it does not interfere with your well being," he told her.
"I'll probably take a year off when the baby is born," Denise said. "But I'd like to go back part time. You aren't deploying so it might be nice to share everything like that. Oh, by the way, I picked up some pamphlets on different kinds of childbirth methods at the hospital."
"Methods?" he said confused "Dee, it's child birth, isn't there only one way to do that," he asked her.
"There are a lot more than that," Denise laughed. "There's Lamaze, Bradley, Alexander, hypnotic, water birth, planned C-section which is out of the question entirely, and then there is drugs, no drugs, group birth, private birth, a lot."
Franks eyes widened. "Wow, so which are you going to do?' he asked her still shocked at all the birthing methods she had named.
"I don't know," Denise replied. "I did Lamaze with Jeremy and it was okay but I've delivered a lot of Bradley and Alexander babies and the births were easier, but there is still something about a good old fashioned home birth that strikes a chord with me. What do you think?"
"I will do whatever you are comfortable with Dee," he told her, he wanted this to be as easy as possible for her.
"Well, we can read the pamphlets, we have a few weeks to decide," Denise told him. "Now, let me get a blood pressure reading from you and we can finish what we started before my parents showed up."
He smiled at her "okay, hurry back," She laughed at this and went to get the machine
Denise was pleased with Frank's reading, though it was higher than normal it was the lowest it had been in days. She smiled and straddled his hips, "You know those hormones you are so afraid of?" she asked him seductively
"Yeah, what about them?"
"There's a good side to them too," she whispered leaning over him showing him she was clearly in the mood to make love and lots of it.
He smiled pulling her down and kissing her passionately.
Frank and Denise fell asleep in each other's arms after making love for hours. They'd just finish and Denise would want to begin again, finally she was satisfied and fell into a peaceful sleep, for a while.
She began to stir in Frank's arms, normally he was a light sleep but since he'd had begun having minor health issues he'd slept more deeply, still, the screams coming from Denise were loud enough to wake the neighbors.
Frank woke up, he reached over to Denise, shaking her slightly "Dee, honey wake up!" he begged her.
"Frank!" she cried out in her sleep. "Frank, answer me!"
Jeremy heard his mother's cries and knowing what had recently been happening to his dad, he ran to his parents' room. "Dad?" He was shocked to see his father fine and his mother sobbing in her sleep.
"Dad what's wrong with her?" he asked frantic.
"It's a bad dream, I've got it," Frank told him. "Go back to bed and head off your grandparents."
"Got it," he said turning and leaving the room.
Frank turned back to Denise and shook her harder this time. "Denise, baby wake up! You have to wake up, Dee," he said louder this time.
It worked, Denise shot straight up in bed, breathing as if she'd run a 10K, and sobbing her heart out. "Frank," she sobbed and reached for him."Thank God. Thank God."
Frank pulled her into his arms. "Ssh, it's alright sweetheart, calm down. I'm right here and I'm not going anywhere," he told her trying to soothe her fears.
"It was awful," she cried. "It was the time when the helicopter crashed and they didn't know if you were okay, then you were but when they brought you back..." She started crying again. "I'm sorry I'm acting so silly. I had such terrible dreams carrying Jeremy. You weren't here for any of that."
"Don't be sorry. I'm glad I can be here to help you through them," he told her; he couldn't stand the thought of her going through this alone.
"When you came home from that crash and I saw how bruised you were and how sore," Denise held him tighter. "I wanted you to quit, I wanted to insist that you quit. Would you have quit if I'd asked you?"
Frank looked at her, he didn't know what to say, he would do anything for her, but he couldn't just quit the Army that would cause all sorts of legal issues and things he didn't want to deal with let alone financial issues, healthcare issues, it made his head spin.
Denise looked shattered, "I knew it. I knew you'd choose the Army over me." She slid out of the bed and went into the bathroom
Frank knocked on the door. "Dee, honey let me in, please we need to talk, I would never choose the army over you sweetheart," he said hoping she would at least open the door and yell at him he couldn't take hearing her sobbing knowing he couldn't get to her, it killed him.
Frank tried harder, he banged on the door and begged her to let him in, but it didn't work. She just sat in the bathroom. He finally gave up and went into the bedroom. He sat on the bed and started to cry. How could she think he was choosing the army over her? That thought kept racing through his mind as he cried until finally he cried himself to sleep.
Finally Denise had cried until she was exhausted, so she got up, washed her tear stained face off, and went to the bedroom. She found Frank lying there asleep, he had been crying. She looked at him sadly and went to her side of the bed and lay down beside him. She wanted to snuggle up to him but she was afraid he would push her away after the way she acted so she stayed put and tried to doze off into a peaceful slumber.