Chapter 8: Promise

Author's note: So here we are, chapter eight, and we fast forward in our story. We are one month from when we last saw our hero and lady. No worries, you will be filled in on what's been happening, how things are going. What's happening with the war and so on.

About Booker enlisting for the French army; I'm getting mixed responses from everyone about this and I'm stuck. I can't decide what to do. So, here's what I've done. I started a poll on my profile, asking you to vote if whether or not Booker should enlist. I'll close the poll within in a few days before I start writing the next chapter. If the majority is against the idea, I won't do it. But if the majority is with me, then Booker needs to clean his bayonet. There are ways Booker can join the French army while being an American. Thanks to a wonderful reader and fellow writer, I know it is a fact he can. So, please, vote on the poll. I would greatly appreciate it!

edboy4926: I understand the opposition against Booker joining the army, but I promise all will be good. :)
Alyx: More is here!
Lord Mordaq Sevillate: I promise that was not the end, but I'm sure you caught on to that because the next chapter is up… uh, anyways. I'm glad you like it. :)
TheBigDewitt: I like what you're thinking; maybe it's what my mind brewing too. Who knows? :) I made sure to type this one up sooner so I could get it out! Brace yourselves for winter! Greetings from the states. :)
Kelly: It would be really neat if Elizabeth could do those things again for WW1. If Booker does go to war, I promise I won't kill him off or Elizabeth. I don't everyone to hate me, so I don't think I could do that. Haha, it's okay to love some lemonade! Really citrus ones too! :P I don't know how much lemons I can fit in without over doing it, but we shall see :)
bren97122: Ahaha, Booker got some! :P I think I have a good reason for him to join, but we'll see. Depending on what the majority is, Booker may or may not join. :o
Adrift At Sea: Your reasoning's for him not to enlist are truly valid, but to have a climax with this story, I see the best way is to do something like send him to war. It's not final, but there are reasons why he would, in my opinion. Thanks for your kind words. :)
Laengruk213100: Oh my, thank you so much! That really helps A LOT! I was thinking that he could forge his name and go in as a John Doe or something, but really, you helped a lot if I decide he does enlist :)
Twisted Cinderella: Aw, thank you! That really helps and motivates me to write more. Well I'm glad all is cleared up about Gabrielle and what not. :) Ooh, what surprise are you thinking of?

-Sarai

The sun shined brightly around Elizabeth as she walked at slow pace down a desolate dirt road with two Redbone Coonhound puppies, though they didn't look like puppies. A week after she and Booker had moved into their new home, they had gone to the nearest convenient store and on the porch outside, two puppies whined in a small wooden crate with a sign resting against it reading 'chiots gratuit', meaning 'free puppies' in French.

It took a while of convincing and a pouty lip before Booker agreed that Elizabeth could have the puppies and bring them home. It was a boy and girl, and after a small while of deciding on names, she had decided to name them Robert and Rosalind. Booker had a good laugh at that and personally apologized to the puppies for the names they were given.

The puppies grew fast in the three weeks they had them. Robert was slightly clumsy and Rosalind was a stealthy dog. When Elizabeth would cook dinner, Rosalind would hide behind the cabinets and strike when Elizabeth would place the food on the counter. Robert would somehow manage to trip on his huge paws on the flattest of surfaces, but he always looked to have a smile on his face.

So now Rosalind and Robert trotted circles around Elizabeth as she walked down the dirt road from the home that resided about two hundred and fifty feet from her cottage. An older married couple, Collette and Jean Bisset, lived in the home and when Elizabeth had come to greet her new neighbors, they welcomed her in right away. They had become friends very quickly and Elizabeth would visit them every few days. Jean owned a lumber mill a few miles away and that's where Booker was able to get a job and keep his and Elizabeth's lifestyle and income steady. Collette was a woman of all trades. She cooked, she made dresses, raised an abundance of children, and was also a midwife now and then.

In the past week, Elizabeth had visited the Bisset household three times already, and it wasn't because she was lonely when Booker was off at work. For the past two weeks, Elizabeth had been experiencing some illness that would come so fast it'd make her curl up into circles on her bed and want to cry, but then it would disappear within minutes and she would feel completely fine. Booker would nearly beg to take her to the physician, but she would decline the offer and tell him Collette would help. And indeed she had.

After a series of questions and a while of prodding, Collette had the biggest smile on her face it made Elizabeth scared what the woman had discovered. She had sat Elizabeth down, told her to calm her mind and congratulated her. To which Elizabeth arched an eyebrow and shook her head in confusion. The French woman announced with a joyful voice that Elizabeth was with child, and one month along from the looks of it.

Elizabeth expected to be scared or worried, but all she could feel was excitement and anticipation. She had jumped around with happiness and immediately tried to guess the sex of the baby. She wanted a girl, but a boy would just be perfect as well. When she had learned the news, she rushed home to Booker and told him all about it. When he didn't react the way she expected him to, she felt slightly disappointed. He had looked at her like he had gotten the worst news possible. But what did he expect? They had made love nearly every night and were bound to conceive any one of those nights. When she asked him what was wrong, he simply told her it was nothing and that he was happy. But his face said otherwise. She could see lines setting into his handsome face right then.

She and Collette had had some tea today and now Elizabeth was walking on the dirt road back to her home with her dogs begging to go faster in pace. She looked off into the fields around her and ran her hands on the thigh high grass as she walked. Her mind was peaceful looking at the serene scenery. The field was clear for nearly about a hundred feet and then a thick forest began and spanned for miles. As the cottage came into view, her shoulders felt heavy as she noticed the automobile parked near the home indicating that her husband was home from a day's work. She felt guilty for having such a reaction, she really did. But whenever she looked into Booker's eyes, he'd have a somber expression in those green eyes when he looked at her for the past week. She didn't know what brought on this depressive attitude from him, but it worried her. Worried her because she cared and loved her husband with all her heart and she wanted to help him. But she also worried because this attitude started when she had told him about her pregnancy.

She took off her boots when she made it to the porch of the cottage and brushed her hair smooth. The dog's tails wagged but she told them to sit and wait on the porch for dinner, to which they obeyed. She walked into her home and noticed Booker's jacket lying on the ground. Sighing, she bent to grab the coat and hang it on the hooks by the door. As she was taking off hers, she felt a familiar presence behind her. She didn't turn, but she leaned into him when he hugged her from behind.

Booker leaned over and kissed her temple, leading soft pecks to her cheek. "How was your day?"

She could smell the oak on him and she oddly liked it, "It was very good. I was with Collette most of the day."

"Did she walk you home?"

Elizabeth knew he was going to ask this, "I walked home alone."

He sighed heavily as he turned her around to look at her, "Elizabeth—"

"Booker, I'm fine," she assured him, "No one's going to come steal me. The dogs were with me."

"You don't know that," he said softly, "With the war going on, anyone could come and hurt you. Those dogs can only do so much against an army of Germans."

"Because an army of Germans will be coming after me specifically. Booker, I'm fine."

This wasn't an argument he was going to surrender to, "A woman in France, no matter her nationality, is red in the Germans eyes. If they got their hands on you…I couldn't live with myself. So please be careful."

She raised her hand to his face and stroked his cheek, "I'm always careful. And it's just a small walk, I'll be safe."

"A walk is a walk, Elizabeth," he claimed as he captured her hand and held her palm against his stubbly cheek, "I thought I told you not to overexert yourself."

She couldn't stop her eyes rolling, "A ten minute walk isn't going to kill me. The fresh air is good and the sunlight is better."

"You're not going to stop fighting with me, are you?" A firm head shake come from the small woman in his arms. "I just want you safe. Especially in your condition."

"My condition?" she asked with a tone of anger in her voice, "I'm with child, Booker. I'm not a cripple."

"That's not what I meant," he said quickly. He held her tighter when she tried to pull away. "Look, Elizabeth, because you are with child, you need to be safer with what you do."

Even though he was distant when she asked him what he thought about her pregnancy, he was always telling her to be safe and was adamant about her health and the baby's. "I will be. I promise I will. I'll walk slowly, I'll even ask Collette to walk me home once in a while. But I'm an independent woman Booker, I'll do as I wish, and you know that."

Another heavy sigh, he rested his chin on the top of her head, "I do. And don't ever change that."

"I won't," she told him as she leaned into him.

It was quiet for a while, but soon Elizabeth could feel her stomach begin to vibrate with hunger. She kissed Booker on his lips and left his embrace to prepare dinner for the two. As she chopped vegetables, she asked Booker about his day.

"The recruiters came by the lumber mill again," he said in a low voice. For a little less than a month now, recruiters had traveled around the country, looking for good men to join the army and fight in the Great War. France had joined the war in early August and this war was something that Elizabeth knew would mark the world for eternity.

Elizabeth stiffened a little, "Again?"

"They need more men. Four men at the mill joined today."

She watched as he took a seat at the kitchen table, slumped forward in his chair and rubbed his eyes tiredly. She continued to prepare dinner, "Those men are brave. But you aren't going to join…right?"

He didn't respond for a long time, looking out the window, deep in thought. He forgot where he was for a minute until Elizabeth walked over to him and ran her fingers through his hair. He continued to look out the window as he spoke, "I know you don't want me to, and I don't really want to."

"Then don't," she said firmly as she sat down in his lap, straightening out his vest, "You're American. Not only will they decline an American to fight for them, but this is France's war. Not yours."

"French Foreign Legion."

Elizabeth scrutinized his face, "What?"

"French Foreign Legion," he repeated. "The recruiters tell me I can join the legion as an American and fight for France."

"Well, that's good for the American that wants to join." Her heartbeat quickened when he didn't respond right away. She couldn't stand for Booker to leave for war, not now. Not ever. "Booker, tell me you're not going to join, please."

"I don't know," he finally said quietly.

Elizabeth grabbed his hand and placed it on her belly, "What about me and the baby? If you go off to war, then I'll be all alone pregnant. No one will be here to protect me or our child."

"I know that," he murmured, avoiding eye contact, "And I would be protecting you and the baby, keeping those Germans away."

She put a hand on either side of his head, a thumb at the front of his ears, "If you joined, you'd miss the birth of our baby. I don't know if I can go through that without you."

"I'd be back in time," he stated, "I'd be back before the baby is born. I promise I would."

She shook her head quickly and looked into his eyes with determination, "You're not joining the war, Booker. You can't. Promise me you won't?"

He looked into her blue eye for a long time, and when he saw that fear falter and turn into disappointment, he spoke quickly, "I won't join, alright?" He wasn't sure if that was the truth or a lie. He wasn't sure of much right now.

She sighed in relief and kissed him deeply, wrapping her arms around him. She prayed with all her heart that he was telling her the truth. She sat in his lap for a long time, neglecting dinner and just treasuring this moment. She wasn't sure what life would bring them or what they would walk into, but as long as she had Booker with her, she was ready to face whatever life was ready to throw at her. Even if it was going to be a crying baby with red ears and a toothless grin.

"I hope the baby gets your smile," she said softly as she cuddled her face in the nook of his neck. Her heart ached when she felt him stiffen in her embrace. She pulled back to see a distant expression in his eyes. "What is it, Booker?"

He shook his head, "Nothing."

She brought him to look at her, "Every time I bring up the baby in a light manner, you become detached. So something is the matter and I want to know what it is."

"I don't want to talk about it, Elizabeth." He tried to stand, but she just pushed him back down and locked him in place.

"Well I do. Do you not want kids? Do you not want kids with me?"

"Of course I do," he stated instantly, "I want to have a family with you. It's just…"

She watched as his eyes fell to his lap. With her hand, she caressed his cheek, "It's just what?"

Booker sighed and looked up at her. Her eyes were begging him to open up to her, but this was something that was not easy for him. But for her, he would. "I don't want you or the baby to get hurt."

Elizabeth's brows furrowed, "How could we get hurt?"

"I don't know, but there are many ways. Nothing can happen to you or the baby. Nothing. I can't let that happen again—" He cut himself off abruptly before he could say anymore.

"What do you mean?" she inquired, slightly fearing the answer.

Booker looked everywhere for an answer, anything to help him say what it is he needed to say. He looked to where her hand was held against her belly and felt the slightest amount of strength in that moment. "Elizabeth, do you remember me telling you about my wife and how she died?"

She thought for a moment and then she realized what he meant, "You said she died in child birth…"

He nodded with a painful look in his eye, "She did. And our daughter, Anna, died two hours later. The doctor said she wasn't fully developed or something like that. But I never forgave myself. And I ask myself every day that maybe there was something I could have done to save them…"

Elizabeth could see his eyes water and she brought him in a hug and held his head against her bosom, rocking him with her. She could feel a slight dampness on her skin and she shushed him in his ear softly, trying to comfort him.

"She was so small, Elizabeth," he muttered, hiding his face in the nook of her neck, "She was just a baby and then she was taken from me…"

She suddenly felt like crying. To cry for her husband's lose and sorrow over a daughter that should never have been taken from him, but life was cruel in that way. To cry for that little baby that never got to live and experience life with her father or just to see the trees blow in the wind and watch the flowers bloom and feel the sun shine seeping into her skin with its warmth.

She kissed his hairline and brought him to look up at her, "Booker, I'm so sorry, but that won't happen again, okay?"

His eyes roamed all over her face, looking for reassurance and strength. "Promise me," he said, "Promise me you'll be safe and stay with me."

This was something that couldn't be promised easily for a handful of reasons, but Elizabeth was going to do everything in her power to keep herself and the baby safe, and she already knew she was going to stay with Booker for the rest of her life. She placed a gentle kiss on the corner of his lips and spoke against his skin, "I promise."

Author's note: Sweetness. Well, there you have chapter eight and I really hope you enjoyed, because I actually really liked writing this chapter. By the way, the hound's names were suggested by one of my readers and their breed is inspired by one of my favorite books, 'Where the Red Fern Grows'. Please leave a review, favorite and follow, and please vote on the poll! -Sarai