"Oh God, okay let's go," Michael said taking her arm leading her back to the group. "Claudia Joy, we have to get her over to Emergency. She's have contractions."
Jeremy was on Claudia Joy's heels. "Mom?"
Claudia Joy took over for Michael, "Jeremy, go sit with your dad. Michael, let's get Denise to the ER."
Jeremy did as asked and went to sit with his father while the Holdens lead his frightened mother to the Emergency side of the hospital. "It's too early," she said tearing up but trusting her friends to get her the help she needed and fast.
"What's going on, Jeremy?" Frank asked when he saw his son step into his room. "You look upset? Is it because of this because if it is, I'm going to be fine."
"No dad I'm not upset, just tired," he lied not wanting to scare his dad.
"I've been your father for 19 years, I've known your mother for 21 and both of you wrinkle your nose when you lie," Frank said his fatigue showing but otherwise he seemed fine. "Spill it."
"Okay, Dad, but you have to promise not to get upset," he told his father.
"Fair enough," Frank agreed. "It's your mother, isn't it?"
"Yeah, she, well she thinks she may be going into preterm labor, she said she was having contractions, so General and Mrs. Holden took her to the ER," he blurted out.
Frank waited a beat to let it sink in. "Labor? That's impossible. It's too early."
"Yeah, I know," he said looking at the floor fidgeting.
"Get a nurse to unhook all this crap," Frank ordered. "I'm going to her. I promised I'd be with her."
"Dad no, you have to stay here. The Holdens are with her, you need to stay here and get well," he told him.
"I wasn't there when you were born, I didn't hold you, I didn't feed you, and that's why we are so damned far apart. I won't do that to this baby," Frank said firmly. "I will not hurt another child like I hurt you." Apparently, Frank was still suffering from some symptoms; his verbal filter was all but nonexistent.
"Dad you are weak and still very ill, Mom would want you to get well, she is being taken care of, and you have never hurt me dad, never," he said strongly.
Frank felt his throat fill up with tears, "Then why does it feel like I did? You hid from me, Jeremy. The day I came home and went to pick you up in my arms, you hid behind your mother and cried for an hour. I need this, Jeremy. I need to be with her, it won't do me any good to lie here and worry."
"Okay fine but if I even think you are getting weak we are coming back here and its back to bed," he said calling a nurse to come unhook his IV's.
Ten minutes later Frank appeared in Denise's ER cubicle. He walked in under his own power, leaning heavily on their son; still he shouldn't have been able to do that. Denise's eyes were closed and Frank lifted his finger to his lips to tell Michael and Claudia Joy to keep quiet. He reached for her cheek, "Can't do this yet, Baby. You promised me a touchy feely childbirth class with a Dad workbook," he said softly caressing her skin.
She stirred at his touch and her eyes slowly opened she became alert quickly when she saw his face. "Frank, what are you doing here? You are supposed to be resting," she told him.
"How am I supposed to do that when you're down here having contractions," Frank said gently. "They helping you?"
"I guess, I'm just scared, it's too early," she said trying to hold back her emotion.
Frank looked at Jeremy who brought him a chair, "Now you listen," Frank said firmly. "If they can fix me up this good when apparently I forgot 20 years of being married to the most wonderful woman on earth they can stop some contractions, come on. No fear, Dee."
Michael stood watching this, maybe Denise was right, Frank didn't seem to have any more issues than he'd had before this latest event. It didn't add up for him either.
"Okay, no fear," she said trying to make that as believable as possible for her husband.
Frank's theory just about went out the window though when the BP monitor on Denise's arm started to drop and she started to fade on him. "Dee?" he said nudging her. "Denise?"
She opened her eyes slightly but didn't say anything and closed the again, Claudia Joy stepped in to help Frank understand what's going on. "Frank she is okay, it's just a side effect of the meds she is onto stop the contractions, she is okay," she told him.
Frank nodded, "All the same, I'd like to just sit with her until I know the baby isn't coming today," he told the Holden's. "You hear me, Dee. I'm not leaving you, I'll be right here."
Denise didn't open her eyes but squeezed his hand. He knew she could hear him.
Denise was in the hospital for two days, and Frank for another two before they were all home together. In that time Jeremy received orders, he was to deploy in six days. He kept that from his mother as she fussed over his father the day he came home. Frank was still dealing with headaches, weakness, and shortness of breath, but all in all he felt better than he had since the first anxiety attack six weeks before.
Frank and Denise were sitting on the couch watching television when there was a knock at the door, Denise got up and answered it, not expecting to see her mother standing on the porch.
"Mom?" Denise said looking around her mother for her father. "Are you alone?"
"Yes you father refuses to come, but I wanted to come and say I am sorry on his behalf, he treated you horribly and you didn't deserve that," her mother said whole heartedly.
Frank rose from the couch, "No, she didn't. It wasn't like him. But he's not welcome in this house or near Denise again."
Elizabeth looked at Frank. "Yes, I know and I don't blame you, he terrified her," she said to her son-in-law.
"Terrified me and hospitalized him," Denise said wanting her mother to know what happened. "And it isn't like him mom."
Denise looked at her mother's face then down and noticed a dark bruise peeking out from underneath her mom's shoulder. "Or is it? Frank, come here. Look at this," Denise had her mother's shoulder exposed before Elizabeth knew to react.
Franks eyes widened as he saw the purple and blue hand print bruise "Did he do this to you Elizabeth? Don't lie to me," Frank said looking at her.
At Frank's tone Elizabeth recoiled. "Since Denise was 12," she said through tears. "I left him this time, for good. After I saw what he did to you..."
Denise became teary as well and placed a hand on her mother's shoulder. "Oh mom, I am so proud of you for walking away, that man was horrible to both of us and now neither of us has to deal with him anymore. You can stay here as long as you need to, you can have the guest bedroom, but promise me you won't go back to him, promise me mom, please don't go a back to him," Denise said tears rolling down her cheeks.
Elizabeth held her daughter and nodded her head. Frank's eyes were burning with anger; he had business to take care of. "You ladies visit. I have something I've got to do."
Denise knew by his tone exactly what that meant. She knew Frank's honor wouldn't let him know of a man hitting a woman without him stepping in to have his say.
"Frank, don't, please just let it go. You don't need this stress right now; just let it go, please "she couldn't bear to lose him just because of her father.
"Denise, you know that I can't let it go. Jeremy is the only man I haven't taken to task for doing this and that's because he's my son. You know I have to do this," he said kissing her cheek before leaving her and Elizabeth.
It was almost 11 PM by the time Frank got home. Denise was in her nightgown reading but in reality she was worrying. She ran to him the moment he opened the door. "Are you all right?"
"Yeah, I'm fine;" he told her kissing her cheek.
"And my father?" Denise asked leading him to sit down.
"He is fine, pissed but fine. I didn't kill him, don't worry, I wanted to but I didn't," he said.
"I'm worried about you," Denise said sitting beside him. "Are you sure you're okay? Do you feel off at all? Let me check you over in case..." She was babbling.
"Honey I'm fine, better than fine in fact, stop worrying," he told her chuckling.
"I can't," she said starting to cry. "I can't, Frank. It was so hard seeing you like that and not being able to fix you."
Frank pulled her in his arms and held her close. "I know Dee, and I am so sorry for all you have had to go through, but you don't have to worry anymore, I'm feeling better than I have in weeks," he told her kissing her head. "Ssh, it's alright, I'm here and I'm not going anywhere anytime soon," he said gently.
"I know," Denise sighed. "I do. I love you that's all. Speaking of love, I've been looking at baby names."
"You pick one?" he asked holding her close to him and rubbing her back.
"Of course not, not without you. I just know I want something traditional," Denise replied putting his hand on her tummy.
"That's nice, I can't wait to meet him or her, your friends are going to spoil him rotten," he said smiling.
"That's another thing," Denise said. "Roxy and Pamela want to have mixed baby shower. What do you think of that?"
"I don't know Dee, I mean these are supposed to be women things," he told her.
"That's what Claudia Joy thought you'd say, so she wants to have two parties, one for me with the women and one for you with the men," Denise said biting her lip to read his face.
"Umm, okay I guess that's okay," he said still not completely convinced this was a good idea
"Another thing is that you know I know the sex, and Claudia Joy knows and the other wives know, even Jeremy, so except you everyone knows. What do you think about finding out the sex at the baby shower?" Denise asked. She wanted to share this whole experience with him and his reluctance to knowing the sex was starting to bother her.
"I don't know Dee, I think I want it to be a surprise," he told her.
"It still would be this way, Frank," Denise said starting to tear up. She didn't want to cry over this, it was stupid; it was silly, it was happening. She felt the tears slide down her cheeks; she tried to brush them away.
"Come here," he said pulling her to him and hugging her tight.
"No!" Denise snapped trying to get out of his grasp. "No! Why should I let you snuggle me when you only want the baby because it comes with me?"
Frank stood there confused. "Dee what are you talking about I'm thrilled you are having a baby," he told her trying to comfort her again.
"Apparently not," Denise sobbed. "You want me sure, but you didn't want Jeremy and you don't want this baby either.
Frank was completely shocked. "Denise how can you say that, I never said I didn't want this baby and I sure as hell never said anything about not wanting Jeremy," he said getting angry.
"Yes you did. They day I told you I was pregnant with Jeremy you said, "Oh Hell, Dee, already?"
"Denise I was shocked! I mean we hadn't been married that long!" he said his voice raising
"Stop yelling at me!" Denise cried. "I don't understand why you're yelling at me!"
"Well I don't get how you can sit and say I don't want my kids!" he lashed out unable to control his temper.
"Please, you couldn't wait to get out of town once you found out I was pregnant with him! You weren't even there when he was born!" Denise fired unaware that Jeremy had just arrived home.
"Denise I had no choice I had to go! And as for me not being there when he was born, I was on the other side of the world fighting for my life and this country, so excuse me but I couldn't just leave and come home!" he yelled."
"You could have at least tried to get leave, but you didn't! You could have resigned your commission and gotten a civilian job! You could have done something else, so many things Frank. Is being married to me that awful for you? Why didn't you just let us go through with the divorce then?" Denise asked him not making sense even to herself.
"Denise being married to you is the best thing in my life besides Jeremy, and I didn't go through with the divorce because I love you and I want to make this work and I'm sorry I wasn't here when Jeremy was born," he told her honestly.
Jeremy had been watching his parent's fight for the last few minutes. He had to break this up, "Hey guys, I'm being deployed."