Jaye drove—drove until she reached the pasture at the end of their property and parked. The pump was broke there and they were going to wait to fix it until they were ready to move the cattle there in the fall. She was so angry that she decided to work on it anyway to keep her away from her house and her husband. She didn't know what was wrong with her lately. She had been so moody and cranky and he felt the brunt of it all. She pulled out the very heavy toolbox and left it on the tailgate of the truck and pulled out the tools that she needed. She worked for over an hour, sweat running down her face as if she were standing in a sprinkler. She was really hot. She realized she needed another wrench and headed back towards the truck. She was on the side of the truck that kept her hidden from being seen from the road and the fields. She passed out next to the truck, hidden from all around her.
The sound of hoofbeats thundered in the distance, a small dust cloud trailing them from behind. A white horse emerged from an open field, a mirage of a wild gallant horse running in the desert sand. It's muscles moved with each stride, using their full strength. The white mare's eyes grew wild, filled with fire within, and her mouth remained open, letting the foam drop onto the dry ground.
"Allie!" the voice shouted from the animal's back, creating another mirage of a God, with bronze skin, dark hair and features that could only be found in paintings of warriors that held no fear in them. "ALLIE!"
The man's cry was unanswered, only the sound of crickets chirping in the summer's heat came as a response.
Pegasus moved with great speed, ignoring the tired aching muscles, this was what she was born for, to run –fast.
"ALISON!" Flint cried to the open field, glancing in the heat dominated land, which created a blurry scene in front of his eyes. Sweat trailed down his neck and spine, and anger consumed him. His blood boiled hotter than lava. She always did this when she became angry or scared. He knew her, like a favorite page in a book. When he got his hands on her and knew that she was all right, a lecture of everlasting words would follow his embrace, and nothing more. This time, his wife's fear of doctors took a new level, making her vanish for over an hour, in this blasted weather, which she knew better.
The horse stopped short, unknown to the rider, who lost his balance, and rolled over the stallion's neck, falling to the hard earth with a thud.
"Pegasus!" Flint scolded, rubbing his head, trying to shake out the pounding in it. He slowly stood up, checking himself for any injuries, and found none. He grabbed hold of the horse's reins, ready to mount the animal once more, but from the corner of his eye, he caught the reason why the white stallion had halted. A truck! His truck!
"ALLIE!" he cried out to the land once more and once more received no answer. He started racing towards the truck, hoping she was inside. His anger flared with his heartbeat, which pounded in his chest. The truck was empty, and fear overcame him. Where was she? Where?
He took a step towards the right, walking around the large vehicle, and stopped dead, spotting his wife's collapsed form. "Allie!" This time his voice went low, petrified, and filled with every ounce of worry. He bent down, slowly, patting her cheek. "Allie, wake up."
Jaye barely moved, and from his touch, he could feel the warmness of her skin, from the hot rays.
Flint quickly rushed to the truck, and found the water bottle, finding it mostly full, and bent down to his wife, splashing the water on her face with his fingers. He gathered her in his arms, placed her in the truck, and went to the driver's side. But when he turned the key to the ignition, the truck wouldn't start. "Errrr..Errrr. Errr..." It screeched, creating a dissonance sound in the soundless field.
"Blast!"
He jumped out of the truck, raced around the other side, opened the door with a fierce force, and gently gathered his unconscious wife. He had to take the only option left— the horse. He prayed the animal could stand both of their weights together, while racing through the land. He couldn't think about it at the moment, but gently laid his wife on Pegasus's saddle, and then he mounted, wrapping his arms around his wife, to keep her from falling. He kicked the mare, making the horse burst into speed.
"Allie, wake up," he tried again, glancing down at her closed eyes.
Jaye did not respond. Her body felt warm to the touch. Even the gallop of the horse was not enough to wake her from her unconsciousness.
"Hurry, Peg!" Flint snapped the reins, making the animal increase speed, with its ears perked up, and panting hard. They raced toward the farmhouse, both their hearts pounding. He knew he was overworking the horse, and he could feel its exhaustion. But right now, Allie needed him more and he would take care of the heroic animal later, making sure Pegasus got the best oats on the farm.
Galloping over a small hillside, the old farmhouse stood waiting for them, like an old friend. Flint halted the tired animal in front of the porch steps, screaming his son's name, "CAYDEN!" He held on tightly to his wife, not wanting to let her out of his grasp.
The front door slammed opened and a white-paled face Nancy came out. "Dash!" her eyes went to Jaye, who lay motionless in his arms. "Is she all right?" She didn't wait for his answer, but turned and cried out toward her nephew. "Cayden, we need your help! Hurry!"
Cayden came rushing in. "What happened?" He looked over at his mother. "Get her to the hospital now!"
"Cayden, help me get her down from Pegasus," Nancy calmly told the panic youth.
Cayden reached up and with the strength much like his father's he took his mother and rushed her over to the family car and put her in.
Flint jumped off the horse. "Nancy—" he cried out to his sister.
"All ready on it," Nancy walked to the Appaloosa, taking its reins.
Cayden looked at his father as he ran towards the car. "Do you want me to come with you or do you want me to stay here and take care of things?" He knew the farm like the back of his hand.
Flint patted his son on the shoulder. "Stay here." He looked directly into the young man's eyes, his mother's eyes. "She'll be fine."
"Dash!" Nancy came closer, leading Pegasus. "This-this is not the first time Allie passed out."
"WHAT!" came from both men, looking surprised at the woman, who now played with her long brown hair when she felt nervous.
Nancy glanced down at the ground. "She passed out last week. I found her."
"Why the HELL didn't you two tell me?" Flint asked in controlled anger.
"Because she made me promise not to," Nancy answered. "I should had said something."
"All right, don't worry about it now," Flint stated, getting into the car, and drove off.
On the way to the hospital Jaye finally woke up. She looked around. "Wh...where are we going?"
Flint turned towards his wife, relieved that she had wakened and seemed fine, but he did not answer her question. His features turned into a slight frown, and continued to drive at a speedy rate.
"Dash. Where are we going?" Jaye asked again straightening up.
He stole a quick glance at her, but remained quiet. He could feel the frown deepen, scolding like and his eyes narrowed. He glanced back at the road.
"What happened? Why am I in here?" Jaye asked she was getting agitated and wasn't feeling very well.
He was not in the mood to talk to her, and if he answered, he knew the consequence. He took a right turn through another farm, detouring from his real destination.
"Fine, don't talk to me then." She then muttered a not so nice Gaelic name.
The trip went in total silence from then on, each not talking to the other. After twenty miles, the truck finally pulled into a parking lot, which made the passenger of the car almost shriek from anger.
Flint drove the truck right in front of the hospital's door. He jumped out of the car, strode around very quickly in five large strides, opened the passenger seat, and once again gathered her in his arms, this time, she was moving. He gave her another scowling look, knowing her secrets. He strode into the hospital ignoring her protests.
"Dashiel Robert Faireborn, put me down and take me home!" Jaye demanded kicking at him.
His only response was small growl from the depths of his vocal chords that could even send a penguin run from fear from the cold. He walked straight to the desk. "I need to see Henry, this is an emergency," he said to the desk nurse.
"Right away, sir," the nurse answered.
"No, Dash. Please," Jaye begged him fear evident in her voice and her eyes.
He once again ignored her pleas. He didn't even look at her in her eyes. He wasn't going to tell her that he knew about her other episode.
The nurse walked around the desk, and started down the hall. "Henry's this way. He just finished with the last patient, I believe."
"Good," Flint said, following the nurse, still carrying the still kicking wife in his arms.
"Dash..." She had tears starting to roll down her cheeks. "Please take me home. I don't want to be here." She sounded really scared and she stopped her kicking and held onto him tightly.
Flint shook his head, while continuing to follow the nurse who led them into an exam room. He walked straight to the table, and sat Jaye down gently as if she was a delicate crystal vase.
"I'll get Dr. McCoy," the nurse said, rushing out of the door and closing it, making sure the patient would not escape.
Flint crossed his arms and stationed himself in front of the door. His face still was remaining serious. He also took note that the clever nurse had led them to a windowless room. Jaye's medical treatments were historical in the hospital.
"Why are you so mad at me?" Jaye asked, she was a ball of nerves and even for her, her actions right now were not normal. She was sobbing heavily and not trying to get off the table.
He went to reply, but at that exact same moment, the door burst open, and a weird looking man –who appeared something from Dr. Frankenstein meets Herman Munster, walked into the exam room. His pure white hair all frazzled looking and his blue eyes were the lightest anyone had seen. The man looked scary, but everyone knew he had a heart of gold.
"Hello there, Dash, Allie," Dr. McCoy greeted the married couple. "What brings you here, crying and looking like a volcano?"
"Mrs. Faireborn seemed to passed out in the fields this week, Henry," Flint answered, giving another look to his wife, then added, "twice."
"I see, let me exam her," Dr. McCoy stated, then walked over very, very carefully to the brown-haired woman. "Should I get my football equipment on this time?" His face turned gentler, starting to rub Jaye on the back.
"He...hates me." Jaye cried uncontrollably. She refused to look at her husband.
"Oh, now," Dr. McCoy said nicely. "Dashie, doesn't hate you." He continued to rub her back, while getting out his stethoscope from his pocket. "Now, can you breathe for an old Billy goat like me?" he requested.
Jaye took a few ragged deep breaths. "Yes, he does. He's gone all the time and he brought me here and he knows I hate it. No offense, Henry." She managed to get out through her sobs.
"There, there, pet," Dr. McCoy patted her hand. "Now you have to stop crying, all right? Don't make me put you in the freezer with all of my dead bodies, hmm?"
Flint went to protest on Jaye's accusation about his disappearance all the time, when he felt the slight tremor in his lower pant's pocket. "Not now," he hissed under his teeth, turning and heading for the door.
"See. He can't even stand the sight of me anymore." Jaye was bordering on hysterical.
Flint hastily turned, rolling his eyes. "Drama queen," went through his mind, walking over, and kissed her on the forehead, then turned and left the room. He took a few steps to his right and walked in another vacant room. Checking to be sure that he was not being eavesdropped, he took out his smaller cell phone. "Flint."
"Been trying to get a hold of you, good buddy," a familiar voice traveled to his ear.
"Can it wait, Duke?" Flint asked, already wanting to hang up the phone and return to the exam room.
"Sorry, Flint, but we need you. Seems that Cobra has uncovered a lost civilization, and not to mention two weapons that can eliminate every being on this planet," Duke explained over the phone to the warrant officer.
"When do you want me?" Flint asked, closing his eyes. Blast it! The worst timing. Duke always had the worst timing.
"How fast can you come in?" Duke asked, while sounds indicated over the line that several papers were shuffling.
"I-I can't," Flint managed to answer, knowing this could easily mean court martial.
"Dash, is everything all right?" Duke's tone changed dramatically.
"I'm with Allie at the moment," Flint started to explain.
"Well, get off of her, or have her get off of you, and get your warrant officer rear end over here!" Duke ordered, a small chuckle rising to his throat.
"At the hospital," Flint finished, letting him know.
Dead silence came from the other line. "Is- she all right? Are you?" Duke asked, now talking as a friend and not as a commanding officer. "Don't tell me you spilled the beans!"
"No!" Flint immediately answered. "Duke, if I had told her I went back on active duty. You know how she's going to react!"
"Yeah, she'll kill us both," Duke answered for the both of them.
"Right on target." Flint nodded his head.
"Listen, take care of Allie, and I will put Snake Eyes on this mission." Duke informed him.
"Thanks," Flint said gratefully. "How's Shana and the kids?"
"They're fine, though Shana doesn't say it in words, but she misses Allie." Duke said, his tone soft. "Both Colleen and Jeffrey got their black belts!"
"Like mother, like twins," Flint chuckled. "Cayden is almost done."
"Pat my godson for me, and kiss Allie. Now go, that's a direct order!"
"Thanks, Duke," Flint said his goodbye and hung up the phone. He placed it back in his pocket, and headed back to the exam room. He peeked inside, finding his wife alone. "Allie?"
Jaye sniffled. "Go on. I know you have to leave." Her voice sounded so small.
"I told Mr. Jackson that I couldn't make his meeting and if he didn't like it, he could take his business somewhere else," Flint said to her. "We settled on another time."
"Please take me home," she asked without looking at him. The nurse was going to be in at any second for blood work and she really didn't want to be there.
"No," Flint answered her strictly, his brown eyes turning soft. "You fainted from all this heat, not once but twice!" He took a step forward. "I just want to make sure there is nothing wrong."
The nurse walked into the room. "I got Max and Derek all ready if she wants to fight." She sent Jaye a bright smile. "Well, Mrs. Faireborn?"
Jaye looked up at Flint as she sat up. She looked exhausted. All she did was lean against him, something she rarely done during hospital visits.
Flint wrapped one arm over her shoulders, supporting her, and his other hand covered her eyes. "All right, Megan," he told the nurse.
"Mrs. Faireborn, I have the children's needle, all right?" the nurse said gently in a sweet tone. "It won't hurt a bit." She slowly and carefully pinched Jaye's skin and withdrew the blood for the tests. "See, all done!"
Jaye's eyes rolled to the back of her head and she passed out in her husband's arms.
"Can you tell me why she does this, every time we draw blood?" the nurse asked, shaking her head.
"To torture us," Flint answered, patting his wife gently on the cheek. "Allie, wake up."
Jaye came to. "I don't feel so well," she said, her face paling.
"I know," Flint rubbed her arm, gently. "But don't worry, it's all done now."
The nurse left to run the tests as Jaye stayed curled up against her husband like a frightened child until the doctor came back in.
Flint turned to the family physician he had grown to love like an uncle. "Let me guess, someone, and I'm not naming who at this moment, had a slight heat stroke."
"Well the heat didn't help matters any," the doctor said.
Jaye held onto Flint tighter.
"What did you find, Henry?" Flint asked, fearing for the worst.
"Well it appears that Allie here is carrying something," Henry told them.
"What is it?" Jaye asked, thinking she had some kind of bad illness.
"Carrying what?" Flint asked, holding his wife tighter.
"A sibling for young Cayden," the doctor said with a bright smile.
"That's not funny!" Jaye screamed, tears starting to flow down her cheeks thinking that this was a cruel joke.
"W-w-what!?!" Flint asked stunned. "But we thought she couldn't carry any more children."
"Now, now, Allie. You know I would never joke about this. I remember how hard you tried for those five years before you were told you couldn't have anymore," the doctor told her soothingly.
"You mean..." Jaye started to ask before passing out again.
"How did this happen?" Flint asked bewildered, not taking the news in while patting his wife to wake her once again.
"Well it usually starts with a man and a woman who love each other..." the doctor said teasingly as Jaye came too.
Flint started laughing, hard. "A baby!" he almost shouted, trying to believe it. "Another baby!"
"I'm pregnant?" Jaye asked in disbelief.
"That's usually what having a baby means, honey," the doctor said with glee.
Flint kissed his wife passionately. "Another Faireborn!" He then turned to the doctor. "Henry, all right to take her home, or do you want her to stay overnight?"
"She can go home if you promise to keep her out of the heat as much as possible. Have her drink a lot of water and take these prenatal vitamins." Dr. McCoy said and handed Flint the bottle of pills.
Jaye was speechless.
"Thanks, Henry," Flint shook the old man's hand.
"Congratulations you two, I mean three.. or could be four... maybe five!" Dr. McCoy stated, walking out of the room. "Betting pool is open folks!" They heard him shout to the staff.
"Come on, little mama, let daddy take you home, unless you want to stay here," Flint chuckled.
Jaye didn't answer him only looked at him with a very shocked look on her face. "Dash...I'm...pregnant."
"Yes, you are," Flint caressed her cheek, while bending over and kissing her once again. "I love you, Allie."
"I love you too." She caressed his cheek. "Let's go home."
"Anything you want, Mrs. Faireborn," Flint beamed at his wife, picking her up from the exam table and carried her all the way to the car. He gently placed her in the passenger seat. Then literally skipped around the car, getting in and driving to their home.