Unbroken Promises

by Dianne Stevens

  “No, Beth, you haven’t; but you don’t have the visions of me and Donna like I have of you and Clay.”

  Beth didn’t even dignify that with a reply. She could have told him she had an ample supply of visions, but she was tired of arguing. She just wanted to go home and go to bed.

  Jesse got Clay’s phone number and called him. Clay agreed to meet with him. They made plans to meet at a little coffee shop in town.

  When Clay walked into the quiet coffee shop, which smelled of brewed coffee and baking croissants, Jesse sat back with folded arms and looked him up and down. After seeing his deliberate swagger, he thought, he’s still a cocky bastard.

  Jesse decided to be as peaceful as he could for Beth’s sake. He held out his hand when Clay walked over to the table. Clay shook his hand and sat down. Jesse didn’t want to sit around and chitchat with this man so he got straight to the point.

  “I want to solve the mystery of the night in question. After you and Beth drank your cousin’s spiked punch, you thought you made love to her, but you didn’t. I’m the one who walked in the tent that night and took Beth’s virginity.”

  Clay was not as passive as Jesse. “Why, you sorry bastard! Is that the only way you could get her, by raping her while she was drugged?”

  Jesse’s composure of being nonviolent was weakening fast. “Listen, I promised my wife I wouldn’t break your freakin’ neck. I came here to set the record straight. No man has been with my wife except me. The baby is mine. The reason you had the blood on you is because I wiped it on you after I made love to her. You were so ‘out of it’ you couldn’t have done anything even if she would have let you.”

  “You mean like she let you,” Clay said scathingly.

  “Yeah, like she let me. Beth told me she knew it was me all along. She even kept my chest hairs as a keepsake,” Jesse said with a smirk.

  “You know you don’t deserve her. You’ve done nothing but break her heart. It won’t take you long to pick up your old ways and break her heart again. And when you do…I’ll be waiting to mend it for her.”

  “If you ever touch my wife, I’ll kill you.”

  “You don’t scare me, old man,” Clay said as he got up. “Oh yeah, tell Beth that I love her.

  And tell her thanks for all the good times, picnics and campouts.” Clay grinned and laughed arrogantly then turned and left.

  It was all Jesse could do not to beat Clay within an inch of his life. He shattered his coffee mug before he realized how tense he was. He grabbed a couple of napkins to stop the bleeding.

  He laid money down with his other hand and walked out.

  Beth was a nervous wreck. She paced the front porch waiting for Jesse to get home. When he pulled up, she ran out to meet him before he had a chance to get out of the truck.

  “Well, how did it go?” She asked nervously through the open window. Then she saw his bloody hand on the steering wheel. “Oh, my God. What happened, Jesse?”

  “Are you worried about me or are you worried about your camping buddy?”

  “Jesse, that’s not fair and you know it. Of course, I’m worried about you, but I’ve seen you fight before. You could kill Clay if you wanted to.”

  “I’m not invincible, Beth. I can’t stop a bullet and a knife can kill me just as easily the next man.”

  Jesse knew he was being mean, but all he’d seen so far from her was concern for Clay. After he said what he did, he noticed she turned pale. Then, before he could get out of the truck, she crumpled to the ground. She was so close to the door he was afraid he would hit her with it so he climbed out of the passenger side and ran around the truck to get to her.

  When he reached her, he gathered her up in his arms. He didn’t want to holler for help because he was afraid that, if Susan ran out and saw Beth, she would most likely pass out, too.

  After a minute or so, Beth tried to regain consciousness. Jesse picked her up and carried her to their apartment through the outside entrance. When he laid her on the bed, she tried to sit up.

  He gathered her close to him. “Oh, baby, I am so sorry. Clay is fine. I am fine. I cut my hand on a piece of glass, that’s all.”

  “Jesse, I wouldn’t want to live if anything happened to you.”

  “Beth, don’t talk like that. Besides, you have the baby to think about. Don’t worry; nothing’s going to happen to me. We are going to have that 50th or maybe 60th wedding anniversary.”

  “Jesse, Susan still has a little time left before the babies come. Why don’t we go to Colorado and get the rest of your parent’s things so they won’t have to? I know it hasn’t been long since we went on our cruise, but I would like to leave again for a little while. I would like to see the scenery and enjoy being alone with you.”

  “If you’re sure that’s what you want to do. I’m sure mom and dad would appreciate it and Jordon could survive without me for a little while.”

  “Yes, I would like to. And I want to go soon so we can be back in plenty of time for the twins’ delivery.”

  “You know when we get back we’re going to have to tell the family you’re expecting. It would be bad if it got back to them. We’re not the only ones who know now.”

  “Yeah, I know.” Beth didn’t want to bring up Clay again so she changed the subject to what they should pack for their trip.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

  Jesse hooked up one of their big storage trailers, and he and Beth headed to Colorado. It was a pleasant trip. They took their time and made it a vacation by sightseeing and stopping everytime they saw something of interest. Each state was different but had its own beauty. It took them a week to make a trip that would have normally taken two days.

  “My goodness, it sure is beautiful here, but I can’t believe your mother could breathe easier here than she could in Texas. This altitude is causing me to be short of breath.”

  “Yeah, it’s gorgeous. I guess it was always the sweltering heat of Texas more than anything else was. As long as she stayed in the house in the A.C., she was fine. Hey, they have a ski resort not far from here. Do you want to go see it? I don’t think you should ski, but we could take one of the lifts to the top.”

  “Top? Jezzypezzy, it feels as if we’re on the top of the world now. No thanks, I’m really tired. I think I’ll lie down in your parent’s bed. How much longer do they have this place rented?”

  “They have it until next month,” Jesse answered.

  “Why didn’t they just find a campground and stay in their travel trailer?”

  “Over the years mom and dad had several different travel trailers—each a little bigger than the last; but, still, I think Momma was tired of the cramped spaces and wanted to watch a fire in the fireplace.”

  “Where are all their friends who would meet up them as they traveled around?”

  “Oh,” Jesse chuckled, “‘The Traveling Retirement Groupies’, I don’t know really, I forgot to ask. I guess they are still meeting up at different places. They’ll probably end up at the ranch a few weeks out of the year.”

  “Jesse, since I’m just going to go to sleep, why don’t you go skiing? There’s no sense in your missing out on skiing when we’re so close to a slope. Go ahead and have fun.”

  “Are you sure?”

  “Yes, positive. I’ll only be sleeping anyway,” Beth said as she kissed him on the lips.

  “Any more of that and I won’t be going anywhere.”

  “I’ll be here when you get back,” Beth said with a saucy smile.

  “Well, in that case, I’ll head on out.”

  Beth was glad for him to leave for a while. She hadn’t felt good for the last few hours; and, she knew that, if he suspected something was wrong, he would worry her to death. All she thought she needed was a good nap.

  Beth lay down for several hours but she wasn’t able to sleep so she decided to get up and take a hot bath. She was starting to get a little worried herself because her stomach was starting to cramp. She now wished she hadn’t told Jesse to
leave. She wouldn’t know how to get to a hospital if she tried. When she took off her pants to get into the tub, she saw the blood running down her legs.

  “Oh, God, not my baby!” Beth screamed and staggered her way to the bathroom door. She was so nervous her fumbling fingers barely turned the knob. She pushed the door open and braced herself against the frame.

  Jesse was unlocking the front door when he heard Beth scream. He dropped everything in his hands and ran to the bathroom. Beth stood there, her face icy white, eyes wide with shock.

  “Beth! Beth!” Jesse stopped cold when he saw the look of horror on his wife’s face. Then he noticed the blood running down her legs. “My God, Beth,” Jesse said frightened. He scooped her up, carried her out of the bathroom and laid her on the bed. Then he picked up the phone and called for an ambulance.

  The hospital must have been close because the blare from the sirens was audible by the time Jesse managed to clean Beth some and get her in a robe. Within twenty minutes of Jesse’s call, the paramedics had Beth ready to go to the hospital. Jesse climbed in the back with her and she grabbed his hand in almost a death grip.

  Jesse tried to move out of the way for the paramedics to get her situated, but Beth refused to let go of his hand. She acted the same way when he rode in the ambulance with her when she was 10—the day she fell from the fence and hurt her shoulder. She had to touch him then as she did now. He heard himself saying the same things to her now as he did then.

  “Beth, sweetheart, I’m right here and I’m not going to leave you.” Outside, the air was crisp and freezing but sweat poured off Jesse’s forehead. He wiped off the sweat on his shirtsleeve.

  He was scared and felt helpless not being able to do anything to help her. He wanted to kick himself for leaving her. He should have known better.

  Beth was so scared her whole body was trembling. Jesse knelt down, placed his cheek against hers, and talked softly and soothingly.

  Jesse remembered how relieved he was when the doctor had come out and told him Beth didn’t break any bones. She was badly bruised but she was going to be fine. Jesse had a sinking feeling this trip to the hospital was not going to have the good news that everything was going to be fine. He knew they were losing their baby.

  He felt as if his heart was being ripped apart in his chest. He loved this baby already, it would be hard to move on; but, if something happened to this woman holding his hand, he would not be able to move on. He would cease to exist if he were to lose Beth. He squeezed her hand tight and leaned closer to her ear.

  “Beth, I love you so much. You are my life. You hang in there, you hear me?” Beth’s reply was a light squeeze to his hand.

  When they got to the hospital, they rushed Beth in and told Jesse he had to stay out until they got her stable. Prying her hand away from his was the hardest thing he ever had to do in his life.

  Jesse paced the anesthetic smelling halls for what seemed like hours when, in reality, it had only been a few minutes. He did not hear the bleeping machines or see the patient sitting in wheel chair, or the one hobbling along the handrail, too lost in his own thoughts to notice.

  Finally, the doctor came out. Jesse ran to him so fast he skidded on the shiny floors when he stopped in front of him.

  “How’s my wife?” Jesse’s breathing was fast and hard as his heart pumped furiously within his body.

  The doctor looked directly into Jesse’s eyes when he spoke. “You wife is fine at the moment.

  We have her stabilized. She has not lost the baby, but she is threatening to do so. I do not know where the blood is coming from. It could be from a number of places, but right now, the bleeding has stopped. The cervix is still closed tight so that is good news. I want your wife to remain in the hospital at least two, maybe three days.”

  “Yes, that’s fine. Do you know what could have happened?”

  “There’s no way to know for sure. Have you recently come to Colorado from a lower elevation?

  “Yessir, Texas.”

  “As an old doctor, I’ve seen many cases of altitude changes contributing to miscarriages.

  You are fortunate. I believe your baby is going to make it.”

  “Thank God,” Jesse said in reverence. He’d never been much of a praying man but this was a good time to start. “Can I see my wife now?”

  “Yes, she’s been slightly sedated because she was so restless so she might be asleep. Just make sure she is kept calm.”

  Jesse stepped beside Beth’s bed and kissed her on the cheek. She opened her beautiful blue eyes and tears sprung up in them. “Did I lose the baby?” Jesse thought the doctor would have told her, but maybe she’d been asleep. “No, pumpkin, the baby is doing fine. We just have to keep you still.” Beth and the baby improved each day. Then, after two months of not bleeding and the baby getting bigger and stronger, the doctor said it would be okay for them to return home.

  Jesse had already hired a moving company to take his parents’ things home. He also met a man at the hospital who had been visiting his mother. The man said he and his wife had flown up from southeast Texas. He said they wouldn’t be flying back, though, because his wife got motion sickness on the turbulent plane. He told Jesse his wife said she would walk back home before she flew again. The man asked Jesse if he knew the cheapest place to rent a car.

  “Yessir, I do. How about free? I have a truck I need to get home. You can drive my truck to your house. After I get my wife home and set up, I’ll come and get it. You only live about 45

  minutes away from where we live. Is that satisfactory to you?”

  “Yes, that would help us a lot.”

  Jesse had weighed out many things. He knew Beth was worried about Susan and not being home in time for the twins’ birth. And he knew it wasn’t helping her or the baby to be worried all the time, so he made the decision to go ahead and fly home.

  He just prayed the flight home would be an easy trip. He didn’t think Beth would be able to handle the 23-hour drive home. When Jesse stated his concerns about flying to the doctor, the doctor reassured him that she and the baby would be fine. He told him that, after they got home, she was to stay on light duty until her doctor said otherwise.

  Beth begged Jesse not to mention to Jordon or Susan how sick she’d been. So, when he talked to them, he told them that they wanted to lengthen their honeymoon. She didn’t want to worry Jordon when there was nothing he could do anyway. He couldn’t leave Susan now, and she sure didn’t want Susan to worry.

  Of course, Beth thought, when she walked in the door six months and very visible pregnant, Susan just might go into labor right then and there. But that was what they were now waiting for. The babies were ready to be born.

  It was an easy flight home with no turbulence, for which Jesse and Beth were both grateful.

  He hired a taxi when they arrived at the airport to take them home.

  When they got to the ranch, they knocked on the front door, wanting to surprise them. They were waiting with smiles on their faces when they heard the doorknob click. Both Jordon and a very big Susan were at the entrance when Jordon opened the door.

  Jesse walked in first and tugged on Beth’s hand that he was holding. She crept in behind him with a shy look on her face. This was as embarrassing as the morning after their wedding night.

  Beth looked at Susan and Jordon and broke into a big smile. “We’re home!” Both Jordon and Susan stood stunned. About that time, Cody swaggered in.

  “Mercy! Were gonna’ have kids comin’ out our ears!” Cody said as he ran up and hugged Beth and shook Jesse’s hand then hugged him, too.

  Finally, Jordon found his voice. “Come here to me,” Jordon said as he gently pulled Beth into his arms.

  “Beth, you’re pregnant! Very pregnant!” Susan shouted. Then she started laughing and put one hand over her mouth and the other over her stomach to keep it still.

  “Yes ma’am, I am. How are you? You look like you’re about ready to deliver.”

  “
Oh no, young lady, were not gonna’ talk about me right now.” Jordon released Beth and took a step back to look at her. A frown slowly crept over his face as he studied her. He folded his arms and arched his left eyebrow, “Elizabeth…just how pregnant are you?” Jordon said with suspicion in his stern voice.

  “O-oh shit,” Jesse muttered under his breath. He forgot all about Beth being pregnant two months longer than they were married. He didn’t think it would ever be an issue; but, by the way his big brother was now staring at him, it seemed to indeed be an issue, a very big issue. So Jesse did something while confronting a man he’d never done before in his life…he turned around and ran.

  “You get back in here, boy!” Jordon bellowed. Jordon made it far as the porch to go after him, when Susan grabbed his shirt and held him back. Susan was now laughing hysterically.

  Beth started laughing, too, and walked outside. “Come back here, you big sissy. Don’t leave me here to deal with this alone,” Beth called after Jesse. She continued to laugh along with Susan.

  Cody was laughing at the display around him, but he didn’t really know what he was laughing at.

  “What’s going on? Why’s Jordon so mad at Jesse?”

  “It might have something to do with my being six months pregnant and four months married.”

  “Yep, that could have something to do with it,” Cody said ironically, nodding his head. “I don’t guess Jesse followed his own rules with you,” Cody mumbled.

  “What rule is that, Cody?” Beth leaned toward Cody and asked low in his ear because she’d heard him mumble.

  “One time when I went to the lake with Jesse and Beaux, they thought I was asleep in the back. They started talking about women and I overheard Jesse tell Beaux that he always used protection. He said he never did anything or went anywhere without it. So I must say, I am surprised,” Cody answered Beth low enough that only she heard.

  Beth thought about what Cody said. At first, it stung, as it always did, hearing again about Jesse’s long list of women. When she realized the fact that it had only been her he didn’t use protection with, somehow it made her love him more, if that was possible. She knew a normal woman would probably be upset by the fact, but she wasn’t.