So when did this happen?” Mark asked as the two lovers sat snuggled together on the couch that evening. “Last night?”
“Yeah.” Steve answered, smiling at Jesse. He took a deep breath. “He’s everything I ever wanted, Dad. I’m hoping he’ll put my name on the birth certificate as the father, and that we can live happily ever after, Jesse, me, you and the baby.”
Mark nodded, nonplussed. “I don’t see why that arrangement couldn’t work. I’m glad you included me in there. I like that. I’m really looking forward to being a grandfather.”
“Thanks, Dad. You’ll be a wonderful grandpa.”
“Steve, are you sure it’s not just because of the...”
“I’m sure, Dad.” To demonstrate his point, Steve turned and kissed Jesse gently. “The baby may have given me the incentive to finally tell him how I feel about him, but it wasn’t the reason I felt this way.”
Jesse’s adoring gaze prevented Mark from asking him the same question. Love was obvious, and the older man wasn’t going to dispute it. “I don’t know what to say.” he said. “I’m happy for you.”
“So are we, Dad.” Steve said. “I just wish we were certain about the birth and the surgery. Do you have anyone in mind?”
“There are several I haven’t called, yet. We still have until December. Don’t worry. I won’t give up until we find one who will do it.”
“Do you think Penrose will publicize this to death? Should we change our names and move to another planet?” Steve asked.
“Probably be a good idea, at least for a little while.” Mark answered thoughtfully. “I don’t think you and I have anything to worry about, Steve, but Jesse definitely shouldn’t stick around and be a target for the media while he’s still pregnant.”
“We’ll both take a leave of absence and hide out a while.” Steve squeezed Jesse’s hand.
“Would you mind if I tagged along?” Mark asked carefully. “I don’t want to intrude on your relationship, but I don’t want Jesse far away from a doctor’s care, either.”
Jesse smiled, got up and put his arms around the older doctor’s neck. “We’d love it if you came along.” he said. He kissed Mark’s cheek. “Thank you for caring about me. I love you.”
Mark hugged him back, a slight blush coloring his tan. “I love you, too, Jess. Thanks for having my grandchild.”
Jesse drew back, beaming. “She’s going to be rotten.” he laughed. “Between you and Steve, she doesn’t have a chance of turning out normal.”
*******
Friday, August 24, 2001
Arriving in Jacksonville, Florida, Jesse studied his newly acquired driver’s license that gave him a new name and gender. He was grateful for Steve’s acquaintance with the top man in the I.D. industry, and that the man owed the police captain a favor. Now, posing as Steve’s pregnant wife, he had no problems with publicity.
Posing as a female was an easy task. He wore fingernail polish, maternity clothes and a bit of mascara. Prosthetic breasts sewn into a bra made him ultra feminine. His voice was not deep, so he didn’t have to work hard on sounding the part, too. Being pregnant, no stranger would give his gender a second thought. His cover was practically foolproof.
He waited patiently while Steve called a car rental agency, observing passersby in the airport, happy that his presence seemed to attract no stares. He had stared in a mirror the entire morning. He knew he didn’t look like a diva, but then, glancing around him, neither did half the women in seated in their area. And he did not intend to be in public much as long as they were in Florida. For the first time in his life, he was looking forward to ‘hiding out’.
Mark had dropped wearily into a chair cradling four carry-bags in his lap. Sitting next to him, Jesse leaned on him, yawning. “I can’t wait to get to a hotel.” he said.
“We’re not going to a hotel.” Mark said, watching Steve walk across the area, cellphone to one ear, a finger in the other so he could hear. “I rented a beach house.”
“Cool.” Jesse couldn’t wait to get to it. “How far away from here?”
“I don’t know, really.” Mark gave a little shrug. “It’s on the beach.”
Jesse grinned. “Duh.” he remarked. “Is it as big as your house in Malibu?”
“No, about half that size, I think.”
“Two bedrooms?”
“Yeah. Completely furnished.”
“Are you going to have a problem with Steve and me sleeping together?”
Mark gave him a little wink. “Not as long as you don’t wake me up with all the moaning and groaning.” he joked.
“I promise we’ll be discreet.” Jesse laughed.
Steve was putting his phone away. “Hertz is bringing us a car.” he said. “We’ll find a good restaurant, then we’ll go find our house.”
“I’ve heard Cracker Barrel is a great place to eat in the southeast. Is there one here?”
“I’ll check on it.” Steve sat down beside Jesse and put an arm around him. “It doesn’t matter. I could eat at any old restaurant. I’m starved. What about you, Jess?”
“Southern cooking sounds great right now. Maybe some turnip greens and grits, or biscuits and gravy. That sounds pretty good, actually.” Jesse said with a grin.
“You feel okay then?”
“I’m fine, just tired. So is Mark.”
Steve stretched a long arm across and touched the older man’s shoulder. “You want me to grab some sandwiches from a vending machine or something?”
“No, I think we can last a while longer.” Mark said. Gazing at the large blue screen that listed flights, he murmured, “We don’t have to testify against Penrose until the middle of next month, so we can relax a while. Community General is covered. Let’s just enjoy the rest of the summer in Florida.”
“The humidity, the searing heat, the bugs...” Steve commented.
“The beach, the ocean...” Jesse added. “Too bad we didn’t bring our surfboards.”
“You think I’d let you loose with a surfboard right now?” Steve laughed. “Not for a long time to come. Maybe not ever again.”
“Aw, come on, Steve. You know little Stephanie March is going to want to learn how to surf. What’s a good age to get her started? Two? Three?”
“Forty eight.” Steve answered. “Until then, she’s staying on the beach.”
Jesse kissed him. “You’re going to be a wonderful dad.” he murmured.
*******
Sunday, September 16, 2001
The trip had been tiresome. On Friday the 14th, they had testified against Penrose and judgment had been made against him. He had been sentenced to life in prison for two charges of murder and one charge of kidnapping. For Jesse, it was a very emotional ordeal. He was glad Steve was there to hold his hand.
Because Jesse was in the third trimester and for other national reasons, they had chosen to drive rather than fly. It was a long, long trip from coast to coast. They had stopped often, had spent a night in a nice motel in Dallas, and had brought books on audio to keep them occupied. The trip back seemed impossibly endless even with Mark’s entertaining chatter and the murder mystery being eloquently told from the CD player.
Back in Florida, Jesse woke up in the back seat, his head on a pillow. “Tell me why we had to make this trip back to Jacksonville?” he asked crankily.
Mark, who was driving, glanced at him in the rearview mirror. “Because you’re having the baby here. Dr. Arveson is here...thank God we found her. She can do your operation and take care of you til you’re healed. You still need to hide out until after Stephanie’s born unless you want the world to know everything. Do you want to see your face on the front page of the USA Tattler? Again?”
“No, of course not.” Jesse remembered when his picture had been in the tabloid, a few years ago when he thought he had been abducted by aliens. He grinned. “I just want to get it over with and get on with my life as a mother and a wife.”
“That could be something else you don’t want to do in Los Angeles.”
“Yes, I do. I’ll have the baby here because I know this is where Dr. Arveson is, but as soon as it’s over, I want to go home.”
Steve reached into the back seat to pat his belly. “It’s all up to you, Jesse.”
“If it goes the way I want it to, everything will be fine.” Jesse caught his hand and kissed it. “I love you, Steve.”
“Dad, could you pull over?” Steve said.
Mark put on his signal and pulled to the shoulder of the road. “What’s wrong?”
“I’m getting in back with Jesse.”
“Okay, just don’t do anything obscene back there.”
Steve transferred himself to the back seat, settled in a snuggle with his lover. “I think we’re going to be getting *pretty* obscene back here. If you can’t stand to watch, close your eyes.”
“Well,” Mark mockingly huffed. “Driving isn’t going to be easy with my eyes closed.” He laughed.
“Then keep your eyes on the road.” Steve gave Jesse a long, passionate kiss.
“Okay,” Mark said with a sigh. “But we’re not moving until you both have your seatbelts on.”
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Saint Ives messagesforsarah@yahoo.com
wrote: Merlin
Please post this on the the lists for me. Since my mother died today, I unsubbed her from all the lists.
Thank you
Jeremy Saint Ives