Go Baby Grow
Chapter 28 – Asking Questions
Sunday, May 31
"Julie? Let's get moving," Adam called up from downstairs at 0700.
It's 7am?! What the hell? She pondered. Knowing better than to verbally protest, she slunk out of bed and made her way to the kitchen. Adam, obviously not fully dressed, was wearing his summer white slacks and a wife-beater t-shirt.
"Do we have plans this morning?" Julie asked with confusion.
Adam grinned and approached his daughter. He smoothed her hair and apologetically explained, "I figured today was a good day to head over to the base for church. I need a ton of forgiveness after the way I acted yesterday."
I'll forgive you if you let me go back to sleep, Julie reasoned. Can't you and God work things out without me there? She stumbled over to the fridge and pulled out the orange juice, then filled a cup and drank. "What time are we leaving?" she inquired with a yawn.
"0800. Did I give you enough time?" Adam wondered aloud.
"Yeah," Julie nodded as she headed toward the stairs.
"We're headed to the Base today and the Academy is just around the corner… can you try that again, please?" he requested kindly.
"Yes, Dad," she hollered. At least he's being nice. Maybe a little guilt is helpful around here.
"Thank you, Itsy," Adam responded with patient reassurance.
Julie proceeded to the bathroom and started the shower. Afterward, before getting dressed, she pulled her wet hair into a Navy-approved bun. She'd learned over the years that her thick hair cooperated more readily when it was wet.
As she walked down the hall in her robe, Adam's door was wide open. He was buttoning up his short-sleeved white button down shirt and smoking. Without removing the cigarette, he called out, "Hey, Itsy Kit?"
Popping into his room, she responded unconsciously, "Yes, Sir?"
"Can you put that crap in my hair like you did a few weeks ago? Give your old man a little style?" he requested.
"Sure," she grinned. "Let me dress first."
"Thanks, hon," Adam smirked as he balanced the cigarette between his fore and middle fingers and exhaled.
Who's he trying to impress at the base? She wondered.
Julie pulled out a simple but classic dress, a navy blue knee-length sheath that had belonged to Claire. After slipping it on, she pulled out a white cardigan sweater. The morning was warm, but Adam wouldn't want her to go to church in sleeveless dress. She was seldom conscious of his strict expectations anymore. She'd lived under his firm rules long enough to know them and abide by them without complaint. Strict boundaries were her normal.
After stopping in the bathroom for the gel and hairspray, Julie returned to Adam's room. "Zip me?" she requested when she walked into Adam's bedroom. With the cigarette balanced between his lips, he obliged. He rarely smoked in the house and Julie wondered why he was doing so. She hated when the house smelled like smoke. In fact, she hated that her father smoked, period. The fact that her mother had died of lung cancer and that Adam continued to smoke baffled her.
"I've always liked this dress," he commented. "You should wear your mom's bracelet with it."
She nodded and promised, "I'll put it on once your hair is looking handsome. Here, let me go to town on that Navy cut."
Setting a towel on the bathroom counter to protect his white slacks, Adam leaned against the countertop. Julie fussed and gooped. "I thought you didn't 'want all this crap' in your hair?" she teased as she imitated Adam's voice when she repeated 'all this crap.'
Chuckling, he challenged, "Is that what I sound like, Itsy?"
"I have another one for when you yell, so… yeah… it depends," she quipped without expression as she styled his full head of hair. She stood back and studied her work, determining that her task was complete. "What do you think?"
He turned over his shoulder and smiled, "Perfect, Itsy. Bravo Zulu."
"Thanks," Julie smirked, having received the rare positive comment in Navy lingo. "Meet you downstairs?"
"In the car," Adam corrected. He slipped his wallet into his back pants pocket and his cigarettes into his breast pocket then made his way to the garage.
Julie, unable to hook her mother's bracelet onto her own wrist, slipped it into the purse she'd used for the prom. When she picked up her phone, she was surprised to see a text message waiting for her so early on a Sunday morning. When she retrieved it, she realized there was a message from Ryder that read, Early Sun am. Wide awake. Plans today besides avoiding your dad? So sorry about yesterday.
As she descended the stairs, she replied to Ryder, Daddy O decided we're churching at the Base. Workout with us later? I gotta kick that crunch # up. She opened the door to the car, focused on making sure her reply was received..
"Itsy, it's bad form to play with your phone as you're walking. Bad habit," Adam pointed out gently.
"Sorry," Julie smirked as she made eye contact with Adam.
~~~~~~~~~~~~'
"Ready?" Nolan inquired when he entered the bedroom with Emmy in his arms. He was dressed in a red polo and khaki shorts.
"For what?" Lissa groaned. She glanced at the clock. It was 8:30, and she requested, "Can you let me sleep until 9? I was up all night with the babies."
"Liss, we're supposed to be over at Mom and Dad's by 9. Did you forget?" Nolan exhaled.
"Forget what? I never knew," she yawned.
"We're having brunch. Nothing fancy – just the family," Nolan reminded her. "I told you about it on Friday."
"No, Nolan, you didn't," Lissa insisted as she rolled over and closed her eyes.
"Yes I did," he insisted. Nolan walked around to the other side of the bed and huffed, "I've had my hands full of daughters since 7:00 am, Larissa. If you don't mind, I could use another set of hands."
Angry, exhausted, and hungry, Lissa suggested, "Then head next door. I'm sure someone will be happy to help. I've had my hands full of daughters all week, Nolan."
With his mouth working faster than his brain, Nolan scoffed, "But you don't work."
Although Lissa's blue eyes were known for being soft and gentle, they could be imposing in a moment of fury. Slowly, she sat up in the bed and narrowed her eyes, pressing, "Nolan Tremblay Hunt. How. Dare. You."
"What?" he sputtered, knowing exactly which line he had crossed.
With her teeth clenched, Lissa growled, "Get the hell out of my sight, Nolan. You and the girls have a nice brunch."
He stood frozen for a moment. Usually if Lissa was at the end of her rope, she would dissolve into tears or, only rarely, stomp off. Nolan could not recall a time in their years together when she had been so angry and direct.
"I mean it. Get the f #! out of here, you bastard," she roared.
What the hell?! Who is this and what did she do with my wife?! He wondered. Calmly and quietly, Nolan pointed out, "Molly is in the next room, Larissa."
"Then do what you need to do to protect her little ears," Lissa warned.
With a far too audible sigh, Nolan headed toward the door, thinking, Holy F# $. The second he stepped into the hallway, the double doors to the Master Bedroom clicked as Lissa locked him out. She screamed internally, How dare he even think, let alone say, that I do not work. I bust my ass around the clock for HIS daughters. I warm up dinner when he moseys home at 9 or 10 pm. This damn house is clean 90% of the time. Cabinets are stocked with every stupid health food he requests. F #% him.
Deciding to step away and give his furious wife some space, Nolan called to the house to see if someone could come over and help him take the girls next door.
Showing up in a sweat suit and sporting his signature bedhead, Ryder opened the door five minutes later and called out, "Good morning, happy family!" All he knew was that Owen sent him over to help.
"Be quiet, Ryder. You're as far from funny as possible," Nolan grumbled.
"Woah… someone needs to get laid," he commented with a grin.
Ignoring his brother's comment, Nolan snapped, "Go pull the stroller out of the van and set it up." He turned to Molly. His voice was filled with fake happiness as he instructed, "Molly, Molly, I have two shoes looking for feet." She ran over with glee, sitting in front of her daddy and throwing her feet in the air.
Nolan tickled her tiny feet and popped tennies on them. He suggested, "Go with Uncle Ryder. He needs a helper."
"Ucka Wy!" she giggled as she ran to Ryder and wrapped her arms around his legs. Straining her neck, she looked up at her uncle and simply offered, "Hi."
"Hi," Ryder echoed. "How's my adorable Molly?"
"Up," she requested with her hands stretched high.
Ryder bent down and scooped her up with an irresistible offer, "You want to be an airplane?" She giggled in response and Ryder 'flew' her to the van. His sound effects made the event all the more special.
Turning to the babies, who watched the activities around them with interest, Nolan took stock, "Let's see… I have milk in the bag, diapers, you're both changed and dressed. What else? Pacis! Blankets, extra clothes, and barf rag." Lissa detested when Nolan called the burp cloths 'barf rags,' but he could never remember the acceptable name. He ran to the nursery and filled the diaper bag, returning just as Ryder opened the door and announced "Baby taxi is ready and waiting."
One by one, Nolan carried the babies over and placed them side by side in the back portion of the stroller. Molly was proudly seated up front. With an exhausted sigh, Nolan turned to Ryder and offered, "Thanks for your help."
"Sure," Ryder replied. "Where's Liss?"
"Don't even say her name today, Ryder. Please…" Nolan begged.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~'
As Olivia set the table, Nolan strolled over and offered to help. He missed the comradery of the Lake House. Working alongside his sister fed his soul. "How's life, Red?"
"Excellent," she declared. "I have an incredible girlfriend and Dad let me drive the Boxster."
"Seriously? Sounds great," Nolan commented with a smile. "What's your girlfriend's name?"
"Gwen," Olivia smiled. "She's a sophomore."
"An older woman, eh?" Nolan grinned.
Olivia giggled. "I guess so. I want you and Lissa to meet her."
"Sounds good. Talk to Lissa and she'll find a time," Nolan assured his sister. "Gwen goes to your school?"
"She does," Olivia confirmed. Pausing, she stopped setting the table and looked up at Nolan, "Where is Lissa?"
Grumbling, Nolan disclosed, "We got in a huge fight this morning."
"What'd you do?" Olivia asked with drawn out words.
"Hey! I'm the good guy in this one," Nolan defended himself as he crumpled up a napkin and threw it at Olivia.
"You think you are, but I bet you ticked her off. She's not a fighter," Olivia commentated.
Owen came up with a bowl of fruit in his hands, "Who's not a fighter?"
"Dang it, I didn't grab enough forks," Olivia lied as she scurried to the kitchen. Sharing news about the fight wasn't her story to tell, so the quick escape provided an out.
"What's with her?" Owen asked Nolan.
"She's Olivia, Dad. 'Nuff said," Nolan chuckled.
"Lissa's on her way?" Owen sought to confirm.
"She's resting. The girls and I are on our own today," Nolan explained flatly.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~'
Navy personnel were dressed in summer whites and blue and gray camo working uniforms, for those on a brief break for worship. If family members joined them, most wore their Sunday best. Together, the medley of people socialized outside the church.
As soon as Adam and Julie drove onto the base, Adam was saluted and greeted by each person who saw him. Being the commander of the base had its privileges and he pulled into a parking spot near the main doors of the chapel. He walked around to Julie's side and opened her door, offering his bent arm to her.
He emphasized, "We need to sit together today. I have someone I want you to meet, so don't lose track of me."
"If I do, fourth pew on the left, right?" she asked.
"On the left. Correct," Adam confirmed.
Julie hurried over to greet a friend and chatted with him. When her friend and his family made their way inside, Julie searched for her father. With twenty-five minutes until worship began, Julie was fairly certain Adam was still milling around. Over and over, she was greeted warmly by the officers and enlisted, "Good morning, Miss Caldwell."
When an officer who worked in her father's office greeted her, Julie asked if he'd seen Adam. The officer smiled widely – far more widely than someone in uniform usually smiled – and scanned the crowd. "Yes, he's still there. Over by the flagpole."
Within thirty seconds, Julie reached Adam and grinned when he caught her eye. He was chatting with an attractive woman about his age. Stepping away from her and turning to Julie, Adam's eyes darted about. Uncomfortably, he shifted from one foot to the other and remarked with surprise, "There you are."
"Where were you?" Julie inquired. She had a gut feeling that something was going on behind the scenes.
"You know how it goes, Jules. I get pulled this way and that way when there's a crowd," Adam shared confidently, having regained his composure. Looking in the immediate vicinity, Adam called out for a young ensign who had recently arrived on base for duty. "Larson," he called gently.
"Yes, Sir," the recent Naval Academy grad spouted as he'd been trained to do.
"Will you please escort my daughter into church and sit with her until I arrive? I'll be there in a moment," Adam requested.
"Absolutely, Sir," Larson replied. He extended his hand sharply toward Julie and introduced himself, "Ensign Larson, pleasure to meet you, miss."
"Julie. Julie Caldwell. Likewise," Julie grinned as she shook his hand.
As Adam began to step back toward the mystery woman, he chuckled to the Ensign, "Pretty soon, she'll be a Plebe and will be saluting you." Adam disappeared into the crowd, immediately surrounded by many others.
The young Ensign smirked at Adam's comment and offered his arm, "Miss Caldwell?"
"Thank you," Julie smiled softly. They walked toward the chapel and Julie could feel Larson's firm and measured steps. He exuded precision and self-control. "Can we chat while we walk?" she questioned, knowing she could initiate conversation in the situation. In a month, that would all change.
"Yes, Miss. Certainly," the Ensign responded. As if he was a plebe at the Academy being quizzed on the daily news, Larson shared, "The USS Eisenhower is due in this week. Will you be visiting it?"
"Graduation is this week. And prom. How long will it be here?" she questioned, not really caring about the topic, but thankful to share a conversation.
"Three weeks," Larson reported.
"Maybe I'll come by before we leave for Annapolis, then," Julie pondered aloud. "I'm enrolling in the Academy at the end of June." The officer motioned Julie to the pew and sat next to her.
With a twinkle in his eye, he disclosed, "I graduated two weeks ago. I miss it already."
"That's because you were a Firstie. I doubt I'll be saying the same phrase right away," she grinned.
"You'll be fine, Miss," the officer grinned, still interacting with her more formally than casually.
"You can call me Julie, you know. And relax," she encouraged. "It's not my place to say 'at ease,' but at ease already… umm… Sir."
The Ensign laughed more than he usually allowed himself to do when on duty. "You'll learn, Julie. Soon it will be so ingrained in you that you'll forget there are other ways to interact."
Resting her eyes on the young officer, Julie paused. "So, Ensign Larson, do you have a first name or did you give that up at the Academy?"
Larson chuckled, "Nate. You're welcome to call me that as long as the Captain isn't nearby."
"I know all about how to behave in front of the Captain, Nate. Your secret name is safe with me," Julie giggled. Nate kept his eyes fixed on her until Adam arrived as pulled him from the stupor.
"Larson, thank you. Please join us for worship," Adam lightly ordered. Larson stood and moved to the aisle so Adam could sit by Julie. Larson then sat next to his CO.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~'
As the Shepherd Hunts gathered around the table, with Amelia and Owen holding and cooing over the babies, Owen beamed. "This is so wonderful. I'm so thrilled everyone's here."
"Except Lissa," Amelia noted. "Where is she, Nolan?"
"Worn out. She needed some rest," Nolan lied. He thought to himself, Tired of me maybe… tired of what she thought would be an idyllic life.
"We'll send some food home with you," Amelia promised. Changing the subject, Amelia reminded everyone, "Last week of school this week."
In an instant, a flurry of celebratory conversation emerged. The five students at the table were ecstatic that summer was within view. Discussions about warmer weather, travelling to Annapolis in August, and wondering about next year's teachers and classes filled the table.
The two older brothers, seated next to each other, shared their own conversation. "Do you know your classes yet, Ry?"
"Kind of," Ryder shared. "I lucked out on most of my AP tests. Between that and trying to test out of classes, I'll have a really strong start. I'm a little freaked, though, because I'm pretty sure I'll be in some classes with upperclassmen."
"So," Nolan commented, not understanding how the Academy differed from his experience at USC.
"The plebes are basically the scum of the earth. That first year, you only interact with upperclassmen professionally. I'm not sure how that will play out when the brainiac new kid ends up in some of their classes," Ryder shared anxiously. "At least I won't be the only one in that boat. Julie's there too, and I'm sure we're not the only ones."
"I read the other day that three Naval Academy grads were named as Rhodes Scholars this year," Nolan shared with a miniscule hint of sadness.
"Really? That's cool," Ryder replied with interest. "Do you think you'll go back and finish your stint?"
"God, no," Nolan scoffed. "With three little girls and a wife… plus, I love my job."
"How are things going in that department?" Ryder inquired, purposely being vague about whether he was asking about the family or the job.
Nolan put his fork down and leaned closer to his brother. He shared softly, "Life has been really, really tough lately. I'm sure having two babies is a lot of it. I feel like Liss and I are roommates. We exist to change diapers, feed babies, pack diaper bags, and chase Molly."
"The other day you told me you wouldn't have it any other way," Ryder reminded him.
Slightly laughing, Nolan explained, "On the good days, or even on some of the frantic days, I look down at Lizzy and she smiles up at me or Molly learns a new word, or Emmy learns to roll over. Those silly little things take my breath away. I love being a Dad."
"But?" Ryder pressed.
"Parenthood is tough on a marriage. I gained three adorable daughters, but lost my wife. I miss her," Nolan whispered before looking down at his food.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~'
Nolan and Lissa, 22
Molly 14+ months
Emily and Elizabeth (born 3/15) 11 weeks
Ryder 18, Julie 18 (Seniors in high school)
Olivia 15 (Freshman in high school)
Ria and Anna 10
Lucas 8 ½
Baby Hunt – due October 25. 19 weeks gestation.