Crash
Chapter 4
~oo0oo~
Flashback
~oo0oo~
Rick wanted her help. "Help me with the second barge?"
"Absolutely." Kate showed him her fingers. "I have my fingers crossed."
~oo0oo~
They got it unpacked and took stock of what they had. Rick ran through the list. "We have one inflatable boat, two Mosquitoes, and one weather balloon, which isn't all that useful. Additionally, there are two individual training sticks that can come in handy nicely, a punching bag, and a full set of exercise training bands complete with a training bar, with one composite bow with twelve arrows. And a tent to house it all.
"Not bad, not bad at all," he told her.
"Forget everything else. We got Mosquitoes!" Kate was excited over that alone. "I say we put the Mosquitoes together and put them to use."
Rick shook his head. "Tent first and move everything inside it. We don't know when it will rain."
"You and your logic," Kate grumbled. "Fine, tent first, then we put the Mosquitoes together."
Rick cocked his head and stared at her. "Why are you so interested in the Mosquitoes?"
"Because. I want to go shopping and get out of this hibernation suit I've been wearing for months. MONTHS, RICK!"
Rick couldn't say no to that. He was tired of wearing it, too.
~oo0oo~
They towed their Mosquitoes over to the island's edge. It was night, so no one saw them. "Ready?" Rick asked.
"So ready!" Kate burst out.
"Hang onto your ID and debit card, or this will be a very quick trip," Rick reminded her.
"Got it." Kate gripped both of her cards tightly.
They powered up, jogged a little, and they were off. It was like flying. They had wings and a motor in the Mosquito's tail. "Communications check," Rick said.
"I read you loud and clear, Rick. I say we land on a roof somewhere and work our way down."
"I can handle that," he agreed.
It felt like a long way to the New Horizons Shopping Mall, but in reality, it was close. They actually landed on the roof of one of the shops. Then they climbed down on the back side and went around to the front.
Lucile had suggested the location. Now the trick was finding which shops sold clothes and not just food.
"This looks like the spot. Penny's." Rick read the sign and figured out how the door opened. "We need everything."
"On it." Kate went toward the women's section while Rick headed for the menswear.
They met up at the shoe department, where they selected a pair of sneakers each, still boxed, then went to the cashier's counter. She didn't remark about their appearances, just rang them up. They each handed over their debit cards and left with their bags.
Then they returned to the roof, where they changed into their clothes and shoes. "The bra is a bit primitive, but I'll live," Kate commented as she worked on putting it on. Trying to get the hooks and eyes to go together behind her back was a bit of a challenge.
Rick posed for her. "What do you think?"
"Not bad, for a start. What do you think of mine?" Kate spread her arms wide and spun in place.
"You look nice, Kate. Ready to go back down for another round, then fly home?"
She rolled her eyes. "As if you had to ask." She climbed down the ladder and walked around to enter the store again.
~oo0oo~
With their bags hanging from their hands, they flew back to the island, where they landed and dragged the Mosquitoes farther into the forest out of sight.
They unloaded their new clothes in the housing structure. "That went well. At least our English is passable."
"It went great." Kate held her purchase against her body and looked herself over. "Not exactly like back home, but it's not bad." She folded it, set it aside, and stepped outside. "Now, what do we do? We have two buildings and one tent, and that's it, Rick."
"We put the medical unit to work. You want to see your baby, don't you?"
Kate didn't answer him. Without a word, she went to the medical bay, hopping up and laying on the lone bed, where she waited.
"Let's see if I can get this thing to work. Putting it together was child's play, but getting it to work is another matter." Rick fiddled with it for a while, then exclaimed, "I think I've got it!" And just like that, Kate saw the image of her baby hanging in front of her. She thought she knew love, but after seeing her baby, she knew she was wrong. This was love.
Rick looked at the screen. "This says you're about eleven weeks pregnant. I think it says the baby is healthy. As expected, your blood work is a bit wacky. You don't have any physical problems and should be able to deliver the baby normally." He left the display up for her to look at.
"Boy or girl?" Kate asked.
"It's a girl."
"A girl," Kate breathed. "We need to think of names for her. I don't want to call her 'Hey You'."
"We have plenty of time for that." Then Rick killed the image, and Kate sat up.
Kate smiled wide. "We're going to have a baby!"
"That we are. Well, you are. I've done my part."
"Yeah, you got me pregnant," Kate said. "You got me pregnant!" She sounded mad now.
"I think I'll go work out for a bit," Rick told her and quickly retreated.
"You better run, mister. You got me pregnant!" Then she started smiling. She was pregnant.
~oo0oo~
End Flashback
~oo0oo~
"So, how's Alexis doing with her lessons?" Rick asked Kate when he came out of his study.
"She's good at reading for her age. Very good, actually. Her math could use some help, which isn't all that surprising since she's only three. And we don't talk about geography yet."
"She'll get better, you'll see," Rick promised. "I was thinking of pizza for dinner."
Alexis heard that. "PIZZA, Daddy!"
"Pizza, it is." Kate watched him go to his phone to place the order.
He ended the call. "About 45 to 50 minutes." Rick was quiet for a while. Then he said, "I was thinking about our next vacation."
"OH GOD!" Kate didn't want to hear it. "Didn't you learn anything from the last one?"
"I did, actually," he replied. "I was thinking of going to Montreal for Christmas this year. It'll be nice and cold and no sunshine. And we could drive there."
"Canada?" Kate considered it. "It might be a good place to teach Alexis. I like it."
Relieved, Rick smiled. "Good, I'll look up hotels and places to see. Will three days be enough time, or should we make it a couple more?"
"Three days during Christmas should be good. Christmas, Thanksgiving, New Year's, 4th of July. This place does love their events," Kate told him.
"They do at that," Rick agreed and smiled again.
~oo0oo~
Their pizza arrived, and they were busy eating it when Rick's phone rang. "Yes?" He listened for a minute. "Is it necessary?" Kate watched as Rick listened, and then he hung up without another word. "That was Gina Cowell with Black Pawn. She wants me in the office for a meeting tomorrow and wouldn't say what it was about."
"It could be about your advance for your next book," Kate suggested.
"It could, but it's a bit early for that. I guess I'll find out tomorrow."
They made love to each other that night, attempting to get Kate pregnant.
~oo0oo~
"I'm off to my meeting with Black Pawn." Rick gave Kate a quick kiss in front of Alexis.
"I'd say good luck, but you shouldn't need it," Kate told him and returned to teaching Alexis.
~oo0oo~
It was just under two hours later, and Rick was back. He slammed the door closed and stomped his way toward the kitchen.
"Uh-oh." Kate didn't like his demeanor. There was something terribly off about it. The way he slammed the door closed was her first clue.
"Go up to your room, honey. Please," Kate told Alexis, who went upstairs slowly.
Kate saw him take out the only bottle of liquor they had. It was vodka. He poured himself a glass and downed it in one swallow, followed by another. Kate came over to him just as he filled his third glass. She took the bottle from him and held it in her hands. "What happened, babe?"
Rick growled out a name. "Gina. She wanted me to be known as a playboy. A PLAYBOY!"
Kate frowned. "Did you tell her you were married and had a child?"
"I did. Want to know what her response was? Do you? She suggested I get a divorce, Kate. A DIVORCE! I should hand over all my family…" His voice broke when he said, "Alexis." Rick was still too upset and angry to keep talking.
Kate's jaw dropped; she didn't want to believe him. "She didn't!"
"She did. I told her exactly what she could do with herself. Then I told her this would be the last book she would ever see from me. She responded by threatening that she would make sure I was banned from all other book publishers.
"I told her to try it. Just try it," Rick growled as he took the bottle out of Kate's hands and poured himself another drink, which he swallowed in one go.
"Playboy, a divorce." He tried to pour himself another drink, but Kate snatched his glass from him, and he ended up pouring the vodka on the countertop. "I've never been so furious in my life. The nerve of that woman!"
Kate didn't know what to think or what to do. Her first thought was to march down there and give that witch a piece of her mind. But then she thought Gina wouldn't listen to her anyway. Instead, she took the bottle from Rick, poured herself a glass, and downed it in one swallow.
"You don't have anything more to do with Black Pawn. They'll get their last book from you. That. Is. It! We'll take our chance with other publishers. Someone will want you, Rick. Are you listening to me?"
"Yeah." He raked his hand through his hair as he paced. "I was just so angry with her, Kate."
"You had every right to be, babe. But, no more drinking." Kate put the bottle away. Her first thought was to pour it down the drain, but she didn't.
"How far are you on this book?"
"About three-quarters of the way. Maybe six chapters to complete," Rick replied and looked at her.
"Good. That's the last book they'll ever see from you, then. We have more than enough money in the bank. And if that's not enough, we have Lucile."
Rick only nodded. His fury still hadn't faded. Thank God for Lucile.
~oo0oo~
Rick was now determined to finish his book and get rid of Gina. He finished it in about three weeks and even sneaked in a new character. Her name was Tina and boy, was she a bitch, an honest-to-God bitch.
"There, I'm all done. I even sent it in via email to…" His voice trailed off, not wanting to say her name for fear of getting angry again.
"Good. I'm proud of you, babe." Kate kissed him to make sure he knew it. "I say we celebrate. How about we order some pizza?"
Alexis heard her mommy say one of her favorite words. "PIZZA!" She didn't really understand what else they were saying or what it was about, but she knew that one.
Kate smiled since she knew that would get a rise out of her daughter and make her happy. "You order the pizza while I get the sodas ready." Kate kissed him again and headed for the refrigerator.
"And we're out of soda." Kate sighed "I'll just go get some. Don't eat my pizza without me." She went to their bedroom, where she picked up her ID and some money, and was out the door.
~oo0oo~
Flashback
~oo0oo~
"I am so over being pregnant. I just want our daughter to be born already," Kate moaned as she placed both hands on her extended belly. She was huge, afraid she would never look normal again.
Rick didn't say anything for fear of getting hit. Her mood swings had been hell on him.
They had put the Mosquitoes to good use over the last few months. Naturally, they could only bring back what they could carry, just a small amount, but it beat taking the boat and walking. They could tell by taking the Mosquitoes that there wasn't much along the shoreline.
"Yeah." Kate could agree to that. Then she felt it – a liquid was running down her leg. "Babe, I think my water just broke."
Then it hit him. "The baby's coming! Let's get you into medical." Rick helped her get into the medical building and onto the bed. Then he activated it. Soon, they both saw their baby hovering about her in 3D.
Rick took a deep breath and broke it to her. "This says you haven't dilated yet."
"Great, that's just great. I'll have what, eighteen hours of labor?" Kate grabbed hold of his arm. "You are never getting me pregnant again. NOT EVER!"
"Yes, dear." Rick really didn't want to start a fight. He needed to pick and choose his arguments, and that wasn't one of them.
~oo0oo~
Thirteen hours later, Kate was ready. She was huffing and puffing and so wanted to push. But the picture in front of them showed that the baby wasn't in position yet. It needed to be head first. "What is taking her so long to get into position?" Kate groaned. She so wanted to push.
"Give it another few minutes," Rick urged.
"YOU GIVE IT ANOTHER FEW MINUTES!" Kate snarled. "AHHHH!" She pushed just a little. She couldn't help it.
Rick watched the screen. "The baby's moving. Do that again." Kate pushed at the next contraction. "That's it, the baby's in position. Now push, really push at the next contraction."
Kate grunted, pushing as hard as she could.
"I think I see the head, Kate. Keep pushing."
Kate groaned and pushed again, hard.
"That's it, I can see the head! Just a few more pushes," Rick encouraged her.
Kate screamed and pushed with all her might. This time, she could feel it. The baby's head was out. Then, all of a sudden, the baby was out. She heard crying.
Rick cut the cord and moved to clean up the baby before placing her in Kate's arms. "Congratulations, it's a girl!" Rick handed her over.
Kate thought she knew love when she saw her for the first time. That was nothing compared to the love she had for her now. "Hello, Alexis, I'm your mommy," Kate murmured to the now-quiet baby.
"Let's get you cleaned up," Rick said as he got to work. Once done, he looked Kate over and relieved that she was doing so well. According to the scans, so was the baby.
"You did it." Rick was overjoyed.
"She's beautiful, thank you." Kate motioned for him to lower his head so she could kiss him. "You're still never getting me pregnant again." Rick just smiled back at her.
~oo0oo~
An hour later, Kate was still on the medical bed, only this time she was feeding Alexis, who suckled at her breast. Rick walked in, saw that, and ran a scan. "Everything looks good." Kate was smiling as she looked down at her baby. "Now you get to do that every two hours or so, you know."
"I'll live." Kate looked up at him. "Do we have enough diapers?"
"We have more than enough. We have both Pampers and Huggies. This place is going to be full of used diapers soon enough."
That was one thing they hadn't solved yet – what to do with all their trash. It was piling up, so they transported it to one of the abandoned buildings, leaving it there to rot.
"What about baby powder and baby oil?" Kate asked.
"We have more than enough of everything," Rick reassured her. "But soon, the weather will turn cold, and the one thing we don't have is onesies. However, we can substitute blankets for those. We have plenty of those."
"Good." Kate felt her stop sucking, so she sat up and patted Alexis' back until she got a burp. Then she lay back down again, holding Alexis close.
~oo0oo~
Eventually, they moved her into the building they slept in and kept her there. Kate would get up, feed her about every two hours, and check her diaper.
Soon enough, Kate couldn't take being cooped up like that and exited the building to find Rick in the tent, working out. "Scoot over, I have some baby weight that I need to lose."
~oo0oo~
End Flashback
~oo0oo~
"I just received the red lines from Gina."
Of course, Kate was curious. "Oh, and did she trash it?"
"No, not really, but she did eliminate Tina the Bitch. I'm going to leave her in when I return them."
"Good, she needs to be included in your last book. That is, your last book for them."
Rick smiled at her. "Nice save." And she smiled back.
"Now, what do we have for dinner?" Kate went looking for something to make. She had gotten used to the equipment over the years. At first, some of it was a mystery, especially the microwave, but she got it now.
"What about Chicken Enchiladas? How does that sound?" Kate asked Rick and Alexis.
Rick smiled. "Mexican would be a nice change of pace."
"Chicken Enchiladas it is, then." Kate took out what she would need and got busy with dinner.