Christmas In Virginia

by Mlyn Hurn

  "It's amazing that Daniel and David turned out so well-adjusted. Technically, you could say they lost both their parents, considering the high-stress job Jack was about to begin."

  "True, Laena, but Jack was always here for big events, and we had huge phone bills. You'd have to ask the boys if they suffered."

  "They don't appear to have. The time I've spent with them hasn't been much, but I like each of them."

  "Me too," Michael chuckled. "I guess what I meant to say is that I don't ever remember seeing Jack act this blatantly possessiveness over a woman. He seemed like a monk at times, but the few women I saw him with were never treated the way he does you."

  "Is that your way of saying something in particular? I know your sisters and the sisters-in-law don't like me. Are you adding your disapproval as well?" Laena started walking towards the others.

  Michael reached out and stopped her.

  She turned back, smiling.

  "It's none of my business, Laena." Michael held onto her upper arm lightly. "And feel free to tell me to shut up, but I'm changing the subject. Have you put on weight? I'm only asking because I'm concerned. You've been through a lot of stress, and I doubt you've seen a doctor lately, either."

  Laena blushed. "A lady doesn't like discussing her weight, Michael."

  Michael grinned, but was undeterred. "Are you feeling all right?" He reached out and touched the dark circle beneath one eye. "Do you know how much weight you've put on?"

  Laena shook her head. "I've been a little tired, Michael, but the weather is hot and I've spent a lot of time in the studio. Besides, I thought doctors only got concerned when people lost weight."

  "Call me a worrier, but will you please come with me in a little bit to the office? Let me just take a quick blood sample to check your hemoglobin and a few things. Make an old man happy."

  Laena laughed, shaking her head. "You are not old, Michael. But all right, just tell me when you are ready."

  Ruth called her name, so Laena excused herself to Michael. She walked over to where Ruth was seated on a lounge chair, next to Frank Hunt. Since the dinner back in March, the two of them had become something of an item. They went to dinner at least once a week, but many times, he had come to the house and the four of them would eat and watch a movie or play cards.

  "You look lovely, dear. Did you get finished in the studio?" Ruth smiled.

  Laena nodded, accepting a folding chair from Frank. "Yes. Jack let me work as long as possible while he put the lunch together. I've got the timer set for the kiln. Hopefully, when we get home, it will have cooled off enough to be checked."

  Frank smiled and took his seat on the other side of Ruth again. "What have you been working on?"

  "Actually, it is a joint project." She smiled at Ruth. "Ruth has been getting some books from the library and reading up on different glazes. We are working on some pots together. Ruth works the clay sometimes, I throw them on the wheel, and then we discuss and plan the glazes together."

  Ruth grinned at Frank, reaching over to take his hand. "I'm quite excited. We have a couple of stores that want to carry our pots, so this way we will be able to be more efficient."

  Frank squeezed Ruth's hand. "May I be one of the first to see your newest accomplishments?"

  Ruth blushed and turned to Laena. "Maybe this evening when you take me back home."

  Laena nodded, seeing the excitement in her dearest friend's face. She was pretty sure Ruth was on her way to falling in love with Frank, if she wasn't already. She couldn't help but wonder what her dear friend's daughters thought of this relationship.

  "Heads up!"

  Laena looked up and caught the ball thrown her way. She smiled at John who had tossed her the ball. "I'm afraid I didn't dress to play today."

  Chris frowned as he came up next to his brother. "Darn. Well, save me a place beside you at the table and I'll forgive you."

  "Me too!" John added quickly.

  Jack came up behind her and put his hands on her shoulders. "Sorry, guys, she only has two sides, and one is mine."

  Both boys groaned, but then asked their uncle if he wanted to join the game.

  He agreed and said he'd be back to claim his side at the table. Jack leaned down and kissed her mouth slowly, and very deliberately.

  She could feel the heated flush moving up her neck and staining her cheeks.

  He winked at her as he pulled away, and then jogged off to join the game. As she looked back from watching him cross the field, she found Ruth's gaze trained on her. After a few moments, Ruth grinned.

  A few minutes passed and then Ruth and Frank went over to watch the game. She thought about joining them, but it was so much nicer here, in the shade. A moment later, she felt a light touch on her arm and looked up to see Michael standing beside her. She saw the questioning look in his eyes. Pushing away her reluctance, she nodded and followed him in the opposite direction of the game, to his office.

  Once inside, Michael slipped on his white coat and became the perfect professional. He asked his questions straightforwardly. "When did you last see a gynecologist, Laena? I don't see in your records that you've been in our offices for quite some time."

  Laena felt the heated blush steal up her neck and across her cheeks. She'd never felt comfortable when she visited the office, even before the divorce. Afterwards, she wouldn't risk running into Jeff or Arlene. She'd felt healthy. "It's been a couple of years. But I've been very healthy and no problems."

  Michael looked up from his papers. "Method of birth control?"

  Laena had to swallow hard to answer that one. "Condoms."

  "Nothing else?"

  Laena heard the surprise in his voice. As she answered she knew her blush darkened by at least ten degrees. "Um, no. I wasn't sexually active-" her voice faded. All of a sudden, she felt like a guilty teen.

  "Number of sexual partners?"

  Nothing could have prepared her for his next question. It almost knocked her off the table. She considered lying, but then figured he probably already knew. "You mean total, as in all that I've ever had?"

  "Yes."

  "Two," she told him softly.

  Michael nodded, and quickly examined her heart and lungs. "Everything sounds good, Laena."

  She was most surprised to find that she had gained almost fifteen pounds! And she was relieved when he drew a couple tubes of blood and then had her leave a specimen in the bathroom.

  Michael told her she could leave after that, and he would follow her after he closed up the office.

  Laena shrugged, assuming he'd run the tests or whatever he needed to do when the office reopened after the holiday. Quite honestly, that suited her fine because she didn't enjoy doctor visits, at least not to this office building. Slowly, she walked back to the city park.

  Chapter 14

  The game had just ended when she reached the tables. The park seemed more crowded than when she had left, and she saw that many of the Spencer family was still involved in an impromptu softball game. Hoping to sit with Ruth, Laena stopped at the table where the food was being spread out by Jack's sisters and sisters-in-law. Gingerly she takes a potato chip, popping it into her mouth.

  In the months since Christmas, the heat from the female half of the family had seemed less intense. After the initial blowup over the studio, which occurred over the holiday after Jack's departure, there had been very few disruptive calls or conversations.

  "Would you like something to drink? We have a little longer before we eat."

  Laena turned and saw Jack's sister Cindy was standing on the other side of the table, looking at her. "Oh, hi, Cindy. Sure, that sounds good. How much longer will they be playing, you think?"

  At that moment, Janet walked up carrying two glasses. "Lemonade or iced tea?" She offered Laena a choice.

  "Thank you, Janet. Um, lemonade, please." She sat down on the picnic bench that had been pulled about two feet from the table.

  "No problem, and the game won't be over until one of
the 'Dads' admits he can't take another step. The 'Sons' are killing them out there."

  Cindy laughed at her sister's accurate description. "Exactly, Jan. David was telling Sarah at the last inning that the only chance the 'poor Dads'-using his words-was if you were playing on the Dads' team."

  Janet nodded. "It only makes sense they'd win. They've got six boys, aged fourteen to twenty, all of whom play sports, both during school and the summer."

  "Then you have five middle-aged men, of whom the oldest looks like he's in the best shape-"

  "Do you really think so, Cindy?" Janet questioned her sister, looking over towards the ball field.

  Laena considered agreeing, but this friendly attitude still had her baffled.

  "Oh, yeah! Uncle Jack is the hunkiest of the bunch, although it isn't the kind of thing I care to think about, personally."

  Laena, Janet and Cindy turned to see Michael's sixteen-year-old daughter Mandy.

  Mandy grinned. "Don't look so surprised! Now, Mom sent me looking for my Dad. Anyone see him?"

  Laena nodded. "Yes, he's at the office."

  Mandy turned to go, but glanced over her shoulder to add, "If you were playing Laena-"

  "I know, I know. I'm guilty as charged, I guess." Laena threw up her hands and then waved as Mandy ran off.

  Things were silent between the three women for nearly a minute.

  Janet cleared her throat.

  Cindy nodded, shifting on the bench opposite Laena. "Laena."

  "Yes?"

  "We owe you an apology," Cindy said, gesturing to her sister. "We didn't give you a chance when you moved in with Mother."

  "It's okay," Laena offered quickly, sure this was hard for both women.

  Janet sat beside her sister. "No, we really were pretty bitchy, and we stirred up the sisters-in-law to go along with us."

  "Unfortunately for you that was fairly easy when they saw how pretty you are."

  "Thank you, but I do understand how you must have felt. I was a stranger, living with your elderly mother," Laena said.

  Cindy shrugged. "Yes, but you weren't really a stranger. You'd been married to Jeff, but we never bothered to get to know you."

  "We better not let Mom hear us calling her elderly," Janet warned, glancing around nervously.

  "She often has more energy than I do," Laena told Ruth's daughters.

  "Me, too." Cindy bobbed her head vigorously. "That's partly what took me by surprise when she told us you were moving in. That plus the fact that it was Frank who was backing her up, not Michael."

  Janet leaned forward, lowering her voice. "I've wondered many times if Mother was really ill, or did she concoct that just to have you move in?"

  Cindy shrugged, shaking her head. "Who knows? What we do know is that Sally gathered us together after watching that psychologist on television."

  "We were jealous...of you, Laena. It hurt that my Mom would choose to have a stranger in her home, rather than move in with me!" Janet's voice cracked at the end.

  Cindy wrapped one arm around her sister. "What we finally understood was that even if Mother was perfectly healthy and still wanted you to live with her that we would choose the same thing. Who wouldn't want to remain in their own home, for as long as possible?"

  Laena nodded. That is what she suspected Ruth's goal was from the beginning, and not the excuse the older woman had used-not wanting to impose on her children.

  "Needless to say, Laena, we are sorry," Janet added again.

  "It's okay. I understand how you felt. I would have done the same."

  "You are too nice to let us off so easily," Cindy pointed out.

  Laena shrugged.

  "Hey, sisters! I need to steal Laena for a minute and talk to her," Michael interrupted.

  Laena nodded and started to rise.

  "You are supposed to bail out your brothers, Michael. The youngsters are creaming them." Janet laughed.

  "I will," Michael replied, as he took hold of Laena's elbow. "I won't be long."

  She started to speak as they walked towards the cars. "I hope you weren't smiling because of how much you want to charge me and not about the tests."

  Michael glared at her as he came to a stop. Releasing her elbow, he immediately stepped away and leaned back against one of the families' cars. As he crossed his arms, a look of disgust appeared on his face.

  Laena could feel her heart racing at Michael's behavior, asking him quickly, "What's wrong, Michael?"

  A disgusted grunt preceded his reply. "I can't figure you out, Laena. I feel sorry for you, mostly because of the way Jeff treated you. But hell, that is no reason to seek out some weird, warped kind of revenge and use my brother to get it."

  Laena reeled back a step at his vituperative glare. Michael's words felt like a slap across her face. "I don't know what you are talking about." She held her hands out placatingly. "I just wanted to know if you had done the tests or if you were going to wait until after the weekend."

  "Does Jack know?" he asked her in a clipped fashion, almost growling out the words.

  Laena shook her head, trying to clear her thoughts.

  He snapped once more. "So, Jack doesn't know what a sap you've been playing him for, huh?"

  "I don't know what-" Laena started to reply.

  A deep voice interrupted her. "Does Jack know what, Michael?"

  Michael flushed, suddenly feeling sorry for his brother, who didn't deserve to be hurt again. He was angriest at how Laena was so obviously deceiving Jack. Also, he couldn't believe she was in the dark. He scoffed as he recalled how naïve she'd acted about the weight gain. Oh, and yeah, she'd lied about the number of her sex partners, too!

  When Michael didn't reply, Jack turned to look at Laena with a raised eyebrow.

  Laena shook her head and shrugged.

  "Don't lie to him, damn it!" Michael lashed out, feeling suddenly like a kid who needed to defend his brother, against all comers, no matter what. "I doubt my brother's powers of observation at the moment, as well."

  "What are you talking about, Michael?" Laena held her hands up and out. "It was your idea to see me in the office and now you act like I am some kind of thief."

  Jack frowned as he moved closer. "You saw Laena as a patient? When?"

  Michael shrugged. "I thought she looked rundown, and well, even you must have noticed she'd gained some weight." He looked at his older brother accusingly.

  Jack nodded, but replied, "So what? I think she looks beautiful, no matter what she weighs. And so long as she is healthy, who gives a damn about a few pounds." He smiled at Laena.

  Michael snorted. "Fifteen pounds is not a few pounds. It may be spread around at the moment, but pretty soon everyone will know."

  Laena glared at Michael, putting her fisted hands on her hips. "Know what? I don't know what the heck you are talking about."

  Michael looked at his brother, who in turn gazed at Laena. "You're pregnant. I can't say how far yet-"

  Laena gasped.

  Jack's very definitive "no way!" drowned her out.

  Michael looked at Laena again. "I noticed after you left that you put a question mark where it asked for your last period. Surely you had to wonder-" He paused, knowing he needed to keep his expression compassionate or at least not like was condemning her. He knew he was being completely unprofessional, but he was pissed off that Laena was stringing along his brother.

  Laena turned to Jack. "No way?" She shook her head. "What do you mean, no way, Jack?" Before he could answer, she turned back towards Michael. "I have never had regular periods, and to be honest-" her gaze moved back to rest on Jack. "I didn't think about taking any precautions the first couple of times. I know it was wrong, and unsafe for reasons beyond pregnancy. If I had gotten pregnant, I would have been happy about it, Jack. I told you how I wanted a family, but Jeff wouldn't hear of it. But what do you mean by saying no way?"

  Michael knew the answer to that question, and folded his arms across his chest waiting for his big brother t
o reply. He wasn't kept waiting too long.

  Jack looked from Michael to Laena. "I had a vasectomy a few days before we discovered Celia's cancer. So, if you really are pregnant, it can't be mine." He stopped abruptly, crossing his arms over his chest.

  Michael could see the pain on his brother's face. Damn! He hated reminding him of Celia and that painful time. Now it looked as if he'd fallen for a woman who was cheating on him, and they weren't even married yet!

  Laena stared at Jack. "Nice of you to tell me that." She stopped abruptly. "Why have you been using condoms then? We never discussed birth control in detail, I know, but then you started using them. I probably should have still talked it over with you."

  She stopped again, glaring at Jack and gulping back tears. "Since you knew you were shooting blanks, why would you bother? Did you think I had some kind of sexually transferable disease and I had not bothered to tell you? That says a lot about what you think of me, doesn't it?"

  Jack shoved his fists into his pockets. "Damn it! I used the condoms because I wasn't ready to tell you about the vasectomy. Right from the beginning, you'd been honest about wanting a baby. I didn't want to blow my chances with you because I couldn't give you a baby. In the beginning, I didn't know where we were going, or anything. I mean maybe this thing between us was just something that would fade away."

  Laena listened, nodding. Maybe it would have made a difference, if she'd known from the very beginning. But the attraction between them was so strong.

  Nope!

  There wasn't a doubt inside her. No way could she have turned away from him because he could not impregnate her. Now, it was moot anyway!

  Tears welled up in her eyes as she looked at him. "You can think whatever you like, but I've not been with any other man but you, Jack, since long before my divorce was final. So, if Michael says I'm pregnant, and you say you had a vasectomy-" she paused as she gulped back her sobs. "Then I guess this must be some kind of a freaking miracle!"

  Laena turned angrily from the men, and started walking down the road, away from the park. She tried wiping away the tears, but they came too fast. Instead, she walked faster, almost running once she was out of sight of the park.