"Mother…" Jamie asked, drawing out the word, "how did we wind up here?"
"I told you I have some contacts, Dear." Catherine continued to scan the menu, her mouth curled up in a small smile.
"What is this place? And who did you have to call to get us in?" the younger woman demanded.
"This is a private club for members and guests of the Disney organization, Dear." Catherine sighed, put her menu down, and came clean. "I don’t know if you’re aware of it, but the new symphony hall is to be named for Walt Disney. His widow Lillian was one of the driving forces behind the idea. Well, Lillian died two years ago, and the hall has been mired in political and financial trouble. I got busy and rallied some support from some of my friends at home, and it looks like construction might finally begin soon. Walt’s daughter Diane and I have become good friends, and when I mentioned once that I had never been to Disneyland she practically had a fit! She made me promise that if I ever wanted to come that I would call her and let her handle the accommodations, and you know how I like to keep my word, Honey," she said sweetly as she batted her eyes at her daughter.
Jamie just shook her head as she gave her mother an amused smirk. "You are certainly full of surprises today."
"I like to preserve an air of mystery," she replied archly.
They glanced over at Ryan, who was eyeing both of them suspiciously. "Please don’t think I’m complaining, but traveling with you two is like being in a foreign country for me. There is nothing about this experience that I am familiar with," she admitted, shaking her head slowly.
It was 8:45 when they finally reached their room, and Caitlin was drooling down Ryan’s back as her sleeping head poked out of her sling. They got her changed and placed in the crib, with Ryan sitting next to the bed for a long while, making sure that the child didn’t wake.
Catherine decided to read rather than watch a movie, and she was settled comfortably in her navy blue silk pajamas when they were finally ready to leave. "We’ll be home by midnight," Jamie promised. "If you get tired, please go to bed, okay?"
"Yes, Dear," Catherine nodded obediently.
"No, really, Mom. If Caitlin wakes up you’ll hear her, no matter how soundly you sleep."
"I’m not sure that’s true," Ryan amended. "Jamie can sleep right through a full scale tantrum!"
"You laugh now, Ryan," Catherine informed her, "but I took her to the doctor because of that when she was small. I thought she was deaf!"
"You did?" Jamie asked in shock, never having heard this story.
"I certainly did. We were having some work done on the house in Pebble Beach. You were asleep in your little cradle when one of the workmen dropped an entire pallet of river rocks from a crane. The crane was right outside of your room, and the house shook so hard I thought windows would break. All the car alarms in the neighborhood went off, but when I ran upstairs, my little princess was still sound asleep. I was relieved until the foreman came up to talk to me and said, ‘That’s not normal, lady, you’d better make sure she can hear.’ I, of course, panicked and took her in the next day, but the doctor assured me that she was just a heavy sleeper, so I stopped worrying."
"Well it looks like I’m going to have to bear all of our children," Ryan decided. "If I’ve got to get up anyway, I might as well be able to nurse them!"
"You can be my wet nurse," Jamie teased as she stuck out her tongue. Ryan chased her from the room, pausing to wink at Catherine before she took off.
I’ve never been attracted to a woman before, but that Ryan O’Flaherty could certainly turn my head if circumstances were different. Jamie never had a chance with that one,
she smirked to herself.
Ryan could likely turn the straightest of women gay if she tried hard enough!
Three hours later they returned to the room, carrying a four-foot-tall stuffed Pluto that Ryan had won at the shooting gallery in the arcade. Catherine was still up, and she gave them an amused smile when she spied their prize. "Should I call the airline for an extra seat?" she asked.
"Okay," Ryan agreed, "but I think he can fly coach. No sense in being extravagant."
She stood the doll up in the corner and informed Catherine, "I tried to give the darn thing away 20 times. But parents look at you like you’re a lunatic when you try to give their kid a toy. I guess I understand their suspicions, but it worries me," she admitted. "I think it’s sad that we’ve over sensitized our kids to potential harm. If I’d tried to give that doll away in Ireland I’d have 20 takers!"
"I sure think it’s cute," Jamie grinned. "And I think it’s terribly sweet that you won it for me," she said as she gazed up at her lover with admiration. "She won it with one shot," she informed her mother proudly.
"My Aunt Deirdre’s brother is a police officer," Ryan informed them. "When I was younger, he used to take me to the shooting range on Saturdays. I really enjoyed it. Nice to know I’ve still got the touch,’ she said, acting like she was lining up the sights of an imaginary weapon.
"So did you have a good time?" Catherine asked.
"We had a fantastic time," Jamie said with a big smile. "We went on seven different rides, and we saw the big light parade and the fireworks. It was really cool!"
"Was Caitlin any trouble?" Ryan inquired.
"Not a bit. She didn’t make a sound."
"We thought we’d take her over to the park for her breakfast with the characters if you want to sleep in tomorrow," Ryan offered.
"Okay, I’d like that. I’m not much of a morning person," she admitted. "After breakfast you can leave her with me the rest of the day if you wish. I can take her swimming and I know that will entertain her for a few hours!"
"Okay. We’ll probably be back here around ten. See you then?"
"Sounds great. Sleep well, you two," Catherine called as she went into her room.
Jamie had been teasing her lover with seductive looks and touches all night long, and once Catherine’s door was closed Ryan decided it was payback time. She charged Jamie and scooped her up in her arms, allowing the smaller woman to wrap her legs around her waist. Roughly pushing her up against the door to their room, Ryan began to kiss her deeply, running warm hands all over her body.
The playful teasing quickly turned serious as Jamie joined in and began to escalate the intensity. Her hands went to Ryan’s face, holding her tight while she kissed her everywhere, her heart starting to beat wildly. Ryan could feel her partner’s pulse throbbing, and she knew that her own beat was racing in tandem. A small, sane part of her told her to stop what was rapidly moving beyond their control, but it felt so compelling—so right—that she couldn’t get her body to listen.
Their legs grew weak, and slowly but inexorably they began to sink to the floor, having nearly reached it when Catherine started to open her door to clarify a piece of information about their schedule. Luckily, her hearing was quite sharp, and she detected the unmistakable sounds of passion coming from the living room. As quietly as possible, she closed the door without disturbing the young lovers.
I will never, ever open a door on those two again without calling out an alarm!
"Well, that was…interesting," Jamie observed, picking up her discarded shorts from the floor.
"Too sudden?" Ryan asked solicitously, slightly concerned that her week of abstinence was causing her to push Jamie a little too far. She placed her fingers under her partner’s chin, gently lifting it to be able to look into her eyes.
"Huh-uh." The smaller woman spared an impish smile for her partner, crinkling her nose. "I wouldn’t like a steady diet of it, though," she decided. "The carpet burns would likely be a major barrier to my long-term happiness."
Ryan held her at arm’s length and carefully assessed her body. "You have an owie?"
"No, Babe. You didn’t hurt me—but only because we were quick and quiet and tame…for us, that is. I don’t want to make a habit of any of those things." She gave Ryan a saucy grin accompanied by wildly waggling eyebrows.
"Lord, I lucked out with you!" Ryan cried, tossing Jamie over her shoulder to carry her into their bedroom. Once there, they quietly checked on the blissfully sleeping baby and got ready for bed.
While they snuggled in the big bed, Jamie sighed heavily, and Ryan guessed that she was thinking about her parents and the circumstances of her birth. "Want to talk about it?" she asked softly, placing a few light kisses along her partner’s jaw line.
"How do you know what I’m thinking?" she asked, her voice low and laced with amusement.
"I know your sighs," Ryan assured her. "That big one you let out meant, ‘I’m worried about my parents.’"
A small chuckle met that assertion. "Hmm…if you really know me that well, I’m in trouble. I’ll never have a private thought again."
"It’s true, Babe," Ryan assured her. "I can see the gears grinding away in there." She tilted her head until she could press her eye right into Jamie’s ear. "Yep, there goes another thought." She paused a moment as she deciphered the message. "Hey, I am
not
crazy!"
Wrapped her lover in a hug, Jamie murmured, "Well, I’m crazy about you, and I’m appreciative that you’re trying to make me feel better. That means a lot, Hon."
"I’m happy to listen if you want to talk," Ryan reminded her. "You don’t have to censor yourself with me, Babe."
"I know, Love. I just feel kinda numb right now. I’m trying to summon all of my powers of denial until we get back home, since there’s not much I can do down here. I want to talk to my father, but I need to do it in person."
"Makes sense. Do you think you can manage to keep the thoughts from intruding?"
"Only with your help, Baby. I need to see your sweet face to remind me that everything vital in my life is already within my grasp." She tightened her hold on Ryan’s body, emphasizing her point.
"Absolutely true, Jamie," Ryan whispered. "I will always be here for you."
Caitlin did everyone a favor and not only slept through the night, but also stayed in her crib and quietly played with her new stuffed toys until seven a.m. The blackout curtains made it seem like the middle of the night, and Ryan had not bothered to set her alarm since she assumed the baby would dictate their schedule. Once her eyes had adjusted, she disentangled Jamie’s body from hers with some difficulty and crawled out of bed. Leaning over the crib she was greeted by bright green eyes blinking up at her with interest.
"How’s my precious one this morning?" Ryan whispered as she lifted her from her little bed.
Caitlin leaned against her bare chest and snuggled in for a long morning cuddle, one of her absolute requirements. She looked around happily as Ryan grabbed what she assumed were her discarded clothes from the night before and struggled to slip her shorts on. The shorts were tough enough, but getting her shirt on and buttoned was no small feat. She managed by shifting the baby from one arm to the other and deciding that all of the buttons weren’t strictly required this early in the morning. Grabbing a clean diaper, the pair went out into the living room to rustle up a little breakfast for Caitlin. After heating the bottle under warm water, they sat on the couch snuggling for at least 20 minutes while the milk slowly took the edge off her hunger.
Ryan enjoyed nearly every aspect of being with her little cousin, but as they sat together on the couch she decided that this was, by far, her favorite activity. The baby was quiet, almost introspective, in the early morning. The scientist in Ryan knew that Caitlin’s busy brain was so frenzied while she slept—building neural pathways and making all sorts of connections--that she needed to adjust a bit in the morning. Cait’s brain was basically reordering itself every day, and the potential and promise of her adult self were occurring right before Ryan’s eyes. The mere thought of that was overwhelming for Ryan, and she spent a long time stroking the baby’s head, daydreaming about the kind of person that Caitlin would grow up to be while the infant sucked rhythmically from her bottle.
Ryan managed to satisfy her own growling stomach by dipping repeatedly into their fruit basket. Quite a while later, Jamie quietly emerged from their room, spying an apple core, the stems from a bunch of grapes and an orange peel all littering the table.
Ryan didn’t seem to hear her coming, and she gave a start when Jamie sat down next to her and cuddled up against her side. "You two look so adorable," she murmured, placing a kiss on Ryan’s cheek. Caitlin didn’t notice that Jamie was in the room, her self-involvement being all-encompassing this morning.
"This is my favorite time with her," Ryan said, bending to kiss Cait’s golden head. "Her little brain has been busy all night, and now she’s taking in all of the nutrients she needs to live from her mother’s body. I feel honored just to be able to participate in nourishing her this way."
Jamie had never thought of the process of feeding the infant in quite that way, and she gave her partner a grateful hug for reminding her how special the experience was. "Why does Annie still breastfeed her?" Jamie asked. "Isn’t eleven months an awfully long time?"
"No, I don’t think so," Ryan said. "There’s new research that indicates babies do better the longer they’re nursed."
"Is there a point at which it’s detrimental?" Jamie asked slowly, an image of Ryan breastfeeding their child before her high school graduation leaping into her mind.