Go Baby Grow

Chapter 50 – Let's Go

Sunday, June 14

"Julia?" Adam hollered from the kitchen. He had already tried to rouse his daughter, remind her they'd be leaving soon for church, and knocked on the door a second time. Each time, she mumbled back an unconvincing response that caused Adam to suspect she remained under her blankets.

When he received no response, he scooped up the last bite of eggs on his plate and huffed up the stairs. At her door, he knocked loudly and then let himself in.

Julie was sitting on her bed with her knees bent and her arms around her lower legs. Still in PJs, she appeared listless and sullen. When Adam stormed in, she raised her chin off her knees and looked his way.

"What's this?" he asked firmly but reasonably.

"I'm trying," she sighed.

"No… no, you're not," Adam retorted with tension in his voice. "We're leaving in fifteen minutes and you're going whether you're ready or not."

"Yes, Sir," she spoke softly as she pursed her lips.

Adam spun around and took a step toward the hall, then abruptly stopped and turned to face Julie when he sensed she hadn't moved at all. "Should I stay here and harangue you until I'm sure you're in step?"

Straightening her legs and placing her feet on the floor slowly, Julie replied without emotion, "No, Sir. I'm sorry. I'll be ready."

"Wear a dress, please," Adam called out as he proceeded down the hall.

Julie rested her forehead against the wall as she studied her clothing options. Knowing she wanted to wear sandals, she chose her dress based on the shoes. She grasped a hanger and chose a soft orange based print. The top layer was sheer and flouncy, revealing the solid apricot layer beneath. After setting the dress on her bed, Julie made her way to the shower.

When Adam heard the water turn on, he yelled, "12 minutes!" Julie didn't respond, but did speed up. She could do her hair in the car on the way to the base and dressing would only take two minutes. Stepping under the warm water, she gasped slightly and exhaled as she let a few tears escape her eyes. With all of her heart, she prayed that Nate would not be at church that morning. Thirty seconds of respite was all she allowed herself before rapidly cleaning up and washing her hair.

She stepped out of the shower and was drying off when Adam's intense knock caused her to jump. "We leave in seven minutes regardless of how ready you are."

"I know. I'm on it," she said with a hint of frustration.

"Watch the lip, Miss," Adam warned as he retreated to his bedroom to grab his wallet and keys.

Grabbing her makeup and hairbrush, Julie rushed down the hall and into her room. Within a minute, she was dressed. As she brushed her long, wet hair, she threw a bag with her toiletries over her shoulder. She stepped into the hall and passed Adam's room just as he was exiting. They nearly bumped into one another.

He gave a brief once over and commented, "Pantyhose."

"I don't have time," Julie emphasized.

"Now," he grumbled causing her to scurry back to her bedroom and put on stockings. The argument that nobody, especially anyone her age, wore them anymore had fallen flat multiple times in the past. Adam's expectations were set and clear.

Both fuming under the surface, the Caldwell's made their way downstairs and into the car without speaking. As soon as she was buckled in, Julie began primping. She threw her hair into a regulation bun in the blink of an eye and continued her routine by applying foundation.

"I don't appreciate all that crap in my car. What if it spills?" Adam pressed.

"I'll clean it up," Julie responded without stopping or looking at him.

"There's more powder in the air and on your dress than on your face," he critiqued as she applied it. "You're paying to clean my dress whites if one spot touches this uniform."

"I understand, Sir," she responded with no affect.

"What's up, Julie? Your mood is as flat as a pancake, and you dragged ass getting ready," he questioned. "It's not like being expected to go to church came as a surprise."

She finished applying mascara, then sat back and turned toward her father. "I'm tired. This week has been tough."

Scoffing, Adam responded, "What's the problem?"

Muttering softly, she offered, "Big changes are on the horizon. The anticipation is weighing me down."

"Toughen up, Itsy. This week is nothing compared to the summer awaiting you at the Academy, and there won't be time to be sullen there," Adam warned.

Julie turned and gazed out the side window. Unable to share news about her broken heart, the disconnection and relational distance between Julie and Adam was far greater than the physical distance between them in the car.

They pulled onto the base and drove to the chapel. Adam parked and opened Julie's door for her. "I need to speak with a few folks before service," Adam explained. "Let me find someone to escort you."

"Not necessary," Julie replied. With a forced smirk, she added, "I know where we sit."

"It's about protocol, Julia, not your competence," Adam emphasized.

She looked Adam in the eye and set her hand on his forearm, "Please, Dad. I'm not sure I'm up for small talk right now."

Normally, Julie's words would have been met with a lecture about how the military life and expectations took precedence over her feelings. For some unexplainable reason, Adam relented.

Walking directly from the car to the pew, Julie attempted to avoid eye contact. She knew that if Adam spotted her with her eyes averted or cast down, he'd have an additional lecture to offer, but she was willing to take her chances in the hopes of avoiding Nate. Many sailors and civilians greeted her verbally. Each time, she continued toward the chapel as she replied with a quick, "Good morning."

She entered the church with a sigh of relief, hoping nobody would approach her in the sanctuary. Bulletin in hand, she sat down and focused momentarily on the chancel. She breathed slowly as she drank in the site of multi-colored banners and sun rays shining through stained glass. For the first time in days, she felt deep peace. Wishing the moment would never end, she rested in the calm serenity.

Adam slid next to his daughter and whispered, "Why didn't you invite the Ensign to join us?"

Blinking rapidly, she breathed through her mouth and gazed over at her father. Looking past him, she realized that the officer across the aisle was Nate and that he was sitting alone. "I… uh…," she sputtered. "I didn't see him there."

Lowering his eyebrows, Adam attempted to make sense of Julie's distracted state. He placed his arm around his daughter's shoulders and drew her close, stating sternly, "I'm not clear why you're not yourself today, Julie, but let's try to rise to the occasion."

She pursed her lips and felt her breath quicken. Tears welled in her eyes and she whispered back, "I'm… sorry."

The organ swelled and the congregation stood to sing the opening hymn. Julie walked toward the side aisle and made a quick exit.

Adam, angered and embarrassed by her inappropriate leave taking, tightened his stance. He puffed out his chest, squared his jaw, and resumed singing the hymn.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~"

Olivia woke up when Ryder and Owen walked through the garage door just after 7am. Her head was foggy and her body felt weighed down. Disoriented by her surroundings, she took a moment to determine where she was before sitting up.

"Good morning, Sleepy Angel," Owen offered with a warm smile as he approached and hugged his daughter. "You fell asleep down here last night, hmm?"

"I guess so," Livie smirked. "How was your shift?" Owen was about to answer when Ryder volunteered his thoughts.

"Busy. Busy as hell," Ryder grumbled. "And bloody."

With a nonchalant tone, Olivia commentated, "Oh." As she stood, she added, "I'm going upstairs."

"Join us for breakfast, Livs," Owen encouraged. "We stopped and picked up fresh berries for pancakes."

"Maybe later, Dad," she mumbled as she shuffled toward the stairs. "I'm going back to bed."

"For once, I think she has the right idea," Ryder confessed. "Let's go back to sleep and hold off on the grub."

Left alone, Owen pouted as he set the berries aside and poured himself a cup of coffee. He opened the door for the dogs and followed them outside.

A few minutes later, Amelia approached from behind and wrapped her arms around him. "Beautiful morning," she cooed.

Owen turned and kissed her cheek, replying, "It is. Watch that spot – the fish are jumping."

A moment later, they spotted activity and smiled. "Look at that," Amelia shared with awe. "I'm always too busy to notice the little moments of beauty around here."

"We all are," Owen mused. "Ryder saw quite a bit overnight," he mentioned.

"Good. Did it have an effect?" she queried.

"Definitely," Owen nodded. He stepped to the side and wrapped his arm around Amelia. Gently, he told her, "He asked some questions about your past. I didn't offer any details, but I thought I'd let you know he might approach you."

"That's fine," Amelia assured him as she snuggled in to his chest.

"How's our baby?" Owen wondered aloud with a smile as he rubbed her baby bump.

"Busy. Lots of stretching and kicking. Space is becoming scarce in there and we seem to have a protester on our hands," Amelia detailed. "Last night, Lucas fell asleep with the stethoscope on listening to the baby's heartbeat."

With a knowing sigh, Owen stated, "He's taking this protective big brother role to heart. I like seeing this side of him."

"Little Luke is still there," Amelia pointed out. "Puppy Blankie listened to the heartbeat too."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~'

Outside, Julie leaned against the church building as she wept and attempted to steel herself. The number of lectures awaiting her in the coming hours were voluminous. Once they were home and she sat down to receive Adam's admonishments, it wouldn't matter if she cried. But at the base, she preferred and was expected to maintain a pleasant demeanor.

Through the open window, Julie heard the Words of Institution and the shuffling of footsteps as people approached the pastor to receive communion. She closed her eyes and rested her head against the siding, imagining receiving the bread and wine and being strengthened by the sacrament. Pulling her from the moment, she heard a man approach and clear his throat.

Julie quickly placed both feet squarely on the ground and stood up before knowing who was beside her. Glancing over, she saw Nate. A part of her wanted to scream at him to go away and another part wanted to rush into his arms and sob.

When their eyes met, Nate offered gently, "I noticed you left service. I wanted to check on you and make sure you were safe."

"Thank you. I'm fine," Julie stated firmly with a stare as she met his gaze.

He reached into his pocket and pulled out a tissue. As he offered it to her, he said, "Good. If you'll excuse me then." Without a doubt, Nate had the impression that Julie did not want to chat with him. She wasn't rude but her steely emotional distance spoke volumes. He turned and made his way to the main doors of the chapel without looking back.

Weakened by the encounter, Julie wiped her eyes with his tissue and was tempted to fall onto the ground to sob. Instead, she filled her lungs with air and forced herself to approach the chapel doors. Adam would be exiting any minute and she wanted to find him before he found her.

She spotted her father chatting with the family of one of his sailors. He was in prime form, sharing a kind laugh and praising their son's work. When she stopped and stood beside him, Julie smiled pleasantly at the group.

"And this is my youngest. My daughter, Julie," Adam announced as he introduced her to each person by name.

The sailor's mother asked, "Your father mentioned you recently graduated from high school. What are your plans going forward?"

"I'm headed to the Naval Academy in Annapolis, Ma'am," Julie responded respectfully.

"Oh my… that's a real honor. You must be proud of her, Captain Caldwell," the mother commented.

Adam wrapped an arm around Julie's shoulders and boasted, "Absolutely. She's worked hard to earn her spot there."

After Owen had taken a long nap, he headed to the Living Room. The Littles were playing a card game at the Dining Room table, and he asked if they knew where Olivia and Amelia were.

"Livie's in her room being all mopey," Anna reported as she rolled her eyes. "And Mama is over there on the couch."

Confused, Owen glanced over at the sofa. He didn't see her. With his eyebrows drawn toward the bridge of his nose, he peered around the corner and began to laugh. Amelia was upside down, with her head hanging toward the floor, her back where thighs normally rested and her legs crisscrossed where her back would normally be. With her headphones in her ears, she moved her head slightly to the beat as she held a medical journal in front of her face and read.

Owen approached from behind the sofa and leaned over Amelia's legs and above her torso. He smiled and waited until she sensed his presence. Peeking around the magazine, she smiled widely and began sharing too loudly, "Nancy sent this to me. You need to read it." He motioned toward his ears and removed invisible headphones. Waving her finger in the air, Amelia nodded and called out, "Right."

After the headphones were out, Owen chuckled and questioned, "Why are you upside down, Mia?"

"Because I'm so dreadfully bored. If all I can do is move between the couch and the bed, at least I can be creative about how I rest," she explained with pride.

"You're adorable," Owen winked.

"That too," she giggled.

Owen suggested, "How about a change of venue? I'm starving and it's a gorgeous day. Let's head to the Fish House for a late lunch and sit outside by the water."

"See… that is why I married you, Owen Hunt. You are brilliant," she praised. Ten minutes later, they were in the Boxster and on their way.

Once they were settled at a lake front table, Amelia beamed as she held up her water glass and clinked it against Owen's beer mug. "Thank you for suggesting this. If I'd spent one more minute in the house, I may have gone over the edge."

Grinning, Owen inquired, "Tell me about the journal article Nancy sent."

"Fascinating study," she commented as she nibbled on a slice of bread. "I've told Nance how we've never seemed to treat Anna's behavior issues 100%. At first, she blew me off and told me not to expect the meds to work miracles. Even so, my gut has always questioned the bipolar and ADD diagnoses. I see how those conclusions were reached, but I haven't been satisfied. Anyway, Nancy and Kate were chatting about me... what's new there? And Kate give her this article. I'm not sure why Kate didn't just send it to me herself. "

"Because she's Kate," Owen affirmed as he drank his beer. "Anyway...So?"

"So, Kate came across this study in a psych journal linking food sensitivities – not allergies – with behavioral issues. I know most of the evidence out there linking food and mental health challenges is anecdotal, but this research is solid," Amelia shared with enthusiasm.

Skeptical, Owen pressed his lips together and moved them to the right, "Well… these theories have been floating around forever, Mia. Let's not hang all our hope on it."

Grabbing the journal out of her bag and handing it to him, she insisted, "Read this and then tell me it isn't worth a try."

Casually, Owen glanced at the data as he scanned the write up quickly. "Maybe… let's think this through before we de-gluten our home or remove all peanut products," he grumbled.

"I want to start with eggs," Amelia announced. She leaned over and flipped the journal's pages, suggesting, "Read this inset."

He complied, mostly to keep marital peace and respect. As he read, he was intrigued by the findings. Soon, he was on board, "I suppose it's worth a try. We need to wean her off meds first. Are you sure you're up for that?"

Amelia pulled out and unfolded a paper, disclosing, "I already created a game plan."

"You do have too much time on your hands, Mia," Owen chuckled.