Authors: LaVenia R. Boswell
“Let's go swimming Mel. We'll get this little tadpole swimming yet,” Jon said. They went inside to get their suits.
“Jon, what did Mark have to say about the offer?”
“He was shocked that we would give him the north wing. Poor guy, he hadn't thought ahead at all. He took one look at Mary and she's all he could think about from then on. Just like I was when I first saw you. I loved to watch you bathe every night.” Jonathan realized as soon as he said it that he shouldn't have told her that.
“What did you like to watch me do?” Melody's face was livid. “And, how did Mister Jontu manage to perform that feat?”
“Baby, I couldn't keep my eyes off you! We have optics that allow us to adjust the depth of what we're viewing, similar to a body scan or an x-ray. We can just weed out the inanimate objects that we want to and focus on what we do want to see. It's not unlike a high powered microscope that zooms past a cell wall and allows you to look until the DNA strands are visible.”
He grabbed her arms and held them firmly by her sides. “I couldn't sleep without seeing my Melody. You were driving me crazy and you didn't even know I existed.”
“But to spy on a woman in her bathroom! That's immoral!” But she couldn't stay upset with those eyes of his worshipping her.
“I knew it was immoral, that made it a lot of fun! Mark would ask around and find out when a screen room would be empty, then we'd sneak in. He'd watch someone that he found interesting while I watched you.”
“Watch me close the door while I shower now,” she teased as she headed for the bathroom. He smiled, she didn't know that he had learned how to unlock it with his mind. He worked on that trick after he hadn't been unable to open the door the night David was born. He picked up David and called the nurse to get him in his swimsuit.
Melody was singing loudly as she bathed behind the locked door. She knew it being locked was irritating him. She kept smiling to herself, serves him right, she thought. Looking at me like that, before I even saw him!
Jonathan didn't want to scare her, so he waited. When she opened the glass door to the shower there was Jonathan sitting on the vanity bench naked as a new born, smiling broadly.
“How did
you
get in here?” she exclaimed as she toweled her hair.
“I'm a man of mystery, remember?” He took the towel away and teased her with it. “Now let me show you another special gift that I have,” he looked sexily at her. “I can dry you off without using a towel.”
She stood still then, “Oh yeah? Well, let's see you do it!”
He wrapped his arms around her and kissed her deeply. She responded against her will. “How do you do this to me?” She asked honestly feeling her body heat up.
“With my love,” he murmured as he kissed her neck.
Mark and Mary were in the pool swimming when Melody and Jon arrived with David.
“Look at those little legs go!” Mark said as David tried to swim out of Jon's arms.
“He loves water! We just haven't had him in the big pool yet,” Melody explained to Mary. “It looks like I'll have to wean him soon, and I'm hating to do that. He's so young. At least he is to me,” she added for Jon's benefit.
After Jon slowly allowed him to get used to holding his breath, David took off swimming.
“I guess tomorrow he'll be starting school?” Melody asked Jon, a little bitterly, just making conversation.
“Not tomorrow, but next week. He'll be able to walk by then. As soon as he can sit still for an hour at a time the training begins, doesn't it Mark?” Jonathan responded.
“For Royal blood maybe, but I was a little slower to start training than that,” Mark replied. “We met once we started the star charts, remember?”
“That's right, I'd forgotten. Anyway, we developed together from that point on,” Jonathan said not wanting to belittle his friend.
“Star charts? Jon, how old was you then?” Melody asked.
“Ohhh . . . I was probably about five months old.”
“Yeah, I was seven months old,” Mark responded without being asked. “Jon and I spotted each other and became instant friends.”
This talk of five and seven month old babies studying star charts had Melody unsettled. She was going to lose her baby too fast. She thought that as quickly as their children would grow up she would have to have a herd in order to just have a baby for the normal two or three years. She'd ask Jonathan again tonight for another child. Yes, that's what she'd do. They could afford it. If she was willing to have them, he should be willing to make them, she finally concluded to herself.
“Mary, will you and Mark be having many children, do you think?” Mel asked bluntly. Her mind was still set on the loss of her baby, David.
“I don't know? It will depend on Mark, I guess. Why Mel? Are you already wanting another?” Mary asked.
Jonathan acted as though he wasn't listening, he knew where this was leading, and it wasn't making him happy.
“Yes, I am Mary. David is my heart, but he will be a grown man before normal earth children have started kindergarten. I want him to have brothers and sisters that are not too far apart in age. I always wanted a sister myself, that's why I clung to you so much.”
Mark saw Jon's face and knew the turmoil that he was having. He swam over to him and helped with David's swimming lessons. They had David swimming between them in no time.
Jon finally held him and dove deep into the water. Melody was watching worriedly. She looked at Mark and exclaimed, “His little lungs can't stand that pressure, Mark!” She dove into the water and saw that her son was very happy under the water with his father. She came up for air then dove again. Jon saw her worried face, but he wanted to show her that their son was indeed of royal blood, he was made for water. He finally brought him up.
“Jon! Can't that hurt his lungs?” she gasped.
“No, Baby. His lungs are made for swimming. I know what I'm doing.” He immediately saw the hurt look on her face. There was much, much more that she would be learning about raising an H'trae child than she could emotionally grasp right now. He felt that telling her everything too fast would send her into a depression.
They enjoyed supper together, each felt as if the other was a close brother or sister. It lifted Melody's mood, some anyway. David had been added to the table in his highchair. He was a joy for all to watch. Mel gave him his first taste of shrimp, he had royal fits each time she was slow in giving him more.
The days and weeks flew by. Melody had made it a personal crusade to see that Mary got the very best pre-natal care. Jonathan kept close tabs on her progress as well. Mel knew that if Mary could go through it without a hitch that Jon might agree to another child.
David was a little man, going to classes daily. His tutors said that his grasp of understanding was even faster that Jonathan's had been and Jon had been the best they had ever known. Indeed he was a super genius, even by their strict standards.
At seven months earth age David was seven years by the growth rate. He was developing one year per month, a new all time record. Previously, the fastest growth was much slower. He was very much the gentleman as well. His love for both parents was only equaled to their love and devotion to him. He showed a real aptitude for medicine that made Jonathan very proud.
“Mama, Mama!” David said as he tried to awaken Melody.
“What is it David?” she finally responded. Jon turned over and went back to sleep when he saw it wasn't someone for him.
“Aunt Mary needs you. It's time for her baby to be born. She won't tell Uncle Mark yet, but she needs to,” he responded with worry and excitement on his face.
“David, how do you know that? Did she tell you?” Melody asked as she sat up and shook Jonathan.
“She didn't, but Beth did. Beth's scared, Mama.” Then he cried, laying his beautiful head on her lap.
“What did he say?!” Jonathan asked, astonished.
“Jon, he say's that Aunt Mary . . .”
Jonathan interrupted, “Mel, I heard what he said. I just don't believe
what
he said, it's too unreal. He's way too young for telepathy and with an unborn baby!”
“Well, whether he's too young or not, he said that Mary needs help.” Melody hugged him to her and kissed his lips lightly. “David, we'll be right there. Can you let her know that she's not to worry?”
He sobbed again, “No, it just comes and goes, I haven't learned to control it yet.” With that said, he walked slowly to the door with his little head down.
As Jon put on his clothes and Melody got dressed, Jonathan said, “So it's Beth, huh? I thought they were going to name her
Elizabeth
?”
“Jon, Beth is a nickname for
Elizabeth
.”
“Oh, I forgot about that. David certainly is a gifted boy. I wonder how long he's been having telepathic connections?” Jonathan wondered aloud.
“Since he was about a day old, I'd guess,” Melody said smugly.
“How do you figure that!”
“A baby always seems to understand it's mother, her emotions and feelings, whether they're verbalized or not. If that isn't telepathic, then what is?” Mel said.
“I never thought about it like that.” He paused and thought for a minute. “You're absolutely right, Mel. By the way, we can't just go barging into their bedroom. I'm going to call Mark.” He walked over to phone, and turned off the visual view and got Mark on the second buzz.
“Mark, I want you to listen carefully. David just came in here upset . . . well, it appears that Beth, as he calls her, had telepathically linked with him for a few moments and informed him that Mary is in labor and won't wake you up. And, that Beth is afraid . . . apparently she wants her Daddy awake. Yes . . . Mark don't worry . . . I'll get them . . . yes, calm down . . . Mark . . . they're going to be fine!” He hit another button and informed the doctors that Mary was in labor, which David had told us.
Mark was a wreck when Jon and Mel came in to see how Mary was. Mark finally stopped pacing when he later saw David timidly knocking at the door.
“Hey, David, come in. You don't mind, do you, Mary?”
Mary was sitting up starting her light puffing, but smiled and motioned with her hand for him to come in.
“Uncle Mark is certainly proud of you son.” Mark beamed at him.