Chapter 42

Sunday, July 5, 1987- Afternoon

Fascinated with the child she hadn't seen in almost a month, Julie followed CJ and Maggie into Donovan's living room.

With his head on Maggie's shoulder, CJ held on tightly to his teddy bear.

"CJ," Julie said. "You don't remember your Aunt Julie?"

CJ stared back at her with a blank expression, then put his thumb in his mouth and started to suck.

"He just woke up," said Maggie, sitting on the couch with him.

Julie plopped down next to them, and noticed Donovan and Chris watching, as if they were waiting to see whether she could charm CJ into trusting her.

She placed her hand on the teddy bear. "Did you bring Mr. Bo Bo with you?"

CJ jerked his head in the opposite direction, refusing to look at her.

"Wait a minute." She stood. "I have something."

She trotted off to Sean's room, selected her own Mr. Bo Bo along with the Hershey Kiss bear that Donovan gave her and a foil wrapped chocolate then returned to the living room with her gifts.

"CJ, see what I have for you?" she asked, offering her Mr. Bo Bo.

The toddler looked bewildered. He eyed the bear in his own arms and then the one Julie presented.

"He's confused." She giggled, bringing Donovan's bear out from behind her back.

"B-ear." CJ grabbed Julie's Bo Bo, and cradled it in his left arm with his own.

Amazed he'd actually said the word "bear" instead of car, Julie wondered what else he'd learned during her absence from his life.

Maggie pushed him back a little to give him space. CJ took the Hershey kiss bear as well.

"Now you have three friends," Maggie noted, sitting him against the couch with his stuffed bear collection.

CJ looked at the Hershey Kiss bear, and touched its nose.

"Is it different?" Julie asked. She presented the tin-foil-wrapped chocolate to him. He just stared at it, not taking it from her. "Do you know what that is?"

Donovan stepped forward. "I wouldn't advise that."

Julie imagined little chocolate handprints all over Donovan's couch. "I'll clean up the mess."

"No, I mean they're old. No telling what—"

"Old?" Julie scowled, closing her hand so CJ wouldn't take the treat.

"From Valentines Day," Donovan answered.

CJ tried to pry Julie's fingers apart.

"What? You've been feeding me, old, moldy kisses?" Julie questioned.

Maggie laughed.

"I never said you could eat them," Donovan said.

"Oh, here, Julie," Julie said in a husky voice, "Here's some chocolate kisses, your most favorite candy in the world. But you can only look at them."

Donovan, Maggie and Chris chuckled.

"I guess now we're even," Donovan said.

Julie remembered him making fun of her in the car a while ago. "Not quite," she said.

"Nice to see you two getting along so well," Maggie said.

Julie opened her hand again, letting CJ take the candy kiss.

Putting a finger to her lips, Maggie made a beeline for the front door. Chris followed.

"See ya," he muttered to Donovan.

The door shut behind them. Julie watched as CJ tried to unwrap the candy. He hadn't noticed his parents' departure.

Holding her hand out to CJ, Julie said, "C'mon, buddy. Let's go see the kitchen."

She knew if she didn't get him off the couch, he'd soon have a chocolate mess all over it.

CJ looked around. "Mama?"

"C'mon," Julie said again. "Let's go get some juice."

He didn't take her hand. Still under doctor's orders not to lift anything over ten pounds, Julie knew not to try to pick CJ up.

CJ turned around, climbed down from the couch, and walked a few paces, his little eyes searching frantically.

The candy hit the floor. Julie picked it up.

CJ started to fuss.

"Here we go," Julie said.

"Can I help?" Donovan asked.

Julie shrugged her shoulders as she ran her hand over CJ's soft baby hair. He turned to her, teary eyed, and held up his hands.

"You do remember me," Julie whispered, sitting down on the floor. He climbed into her lap. Clinging to her like a Koala, he whined.

Julie took in the scent of baby powder. It felt wonderful to hold him again until he bounced on her lap and head butted her chest a few times.

"Ohhhhh CJ," she groaned, lying back against the plush carpet. CJ went with her, with a smile on his face. "You're going to kill me."

Donovan shot her a worried glance. "Maybe that's not a good idea."

"We're fine." She giggled, peering into CJ's eyes.

The boy touched her nose and said, "Nose."

"That's right." She smiled. "And where's your nose?"

As CJ pointed to his own, out of the corner of her eye, Julie saw Donovan slip off into the kitchen.

#

Donovan's stomach had growled so loudly he was certain his guests heard it. He found his sandwich on the kitchen table, wolfed it down then made another.

He was sort of glad Maggie and Chris showed up when they did, because he knew if they hadn't, he would've taken Julie to the couch and demonstrated for her what she'd done to him last night. He smiled at the thought of it and her comment about the way they used to have sex on the couch in the basement of the Club Creole. They'd always been in such a hurry back then. Rarely finding time for themselves, they'd squeezed in what little they could when they could. It was never as enjoyable as making love to her in his bed where he didn't have to worry about being interrupted unexpectedly, and he could take his time and turn her on the way they both enjoyed.

A part of him hoped what she'd expressed to him last night was genuine. For the first time he'd seriously considered trying to reconcile with her again. After all, it wasn't as if they'd ended their relationship on bad terms before. He knew it had more to do with Julie's stress over the war. He wanted to believe, under different circumstances, they would've made it as a couple. He would've married her.

He checked in on her and CJ before attending to the pile of whites in the laundry room. He carefully measured a cup of bleach, filled the machine with hot water then put his and Julie's undergarments along with a few white towels into the machine. Between laundry loads, Donovan made a grocery list. Before arranging with Maggie for CJ's visit, he'd planned on a trip to the store this afternoon. Now, that task needed to wait until tomorrow. After making the list and switching the laundry, he returned to the living room to observe Julie and CJ pushing around toy cars on the floor.

The endearing sight made Donovan think of the son they'd lost and how old the child would've been, had he survived. Donovan counted the months and realized for the first time that the baby Julie had miscarried would've been due in March of 1985, the same period when the Visitors departed, and Sean was returned. Donovan thought of the initial struggles he'd endured, the fear he'd felt in trying to finish raising a son who'd not only become a dangerous foe, but a stranger as well.