First Class Voyage

1.

“I am the grandmother!” Maureen yelled at the nurse.

“I’m sorry ma’am, but Mr. Lathem has requested no visitors for another hour. You are welcome to wait in the waiting room down the hall,” the nurse said, trying to be polite but firm.

Peter Lathem led his wife by the hand to the waiting room. She was not happy.

Inside the delivery suite, Matt Lathem laid on the narrow hospital bed cradling his wife, Janie, who was holding the hour-old baby boy they had just named Christopher. Ella Rose, their almost two-year-old daughter, whom Matt called ‘Little L’ and she called herself ‘L’Ella’, was with Katy and Mark.

“Wow,” he whispered into her hair. “We have another boy.”

Janie’s twin boys with her first husband, Tyler and Adam, were almost twenty-five now, but Matt thought of them as his, and the boys loved him back.

“I’m very glad it’s a boy seeing as though it’s our last,” Janie smiled and kissed baby Christopher on his tiny little nose.

“I didn’t care either way,” said Matt. “But I have to admit I’m thrilled it’s a boy,” he grinned.

There the three of them lay snuggled together; Janie exhausted from the delivery, Christopher sound asleep lying over his mother’s heart, and Matt unable to stop grinning from ear to ear, until the moment was broken with Matt’s mother’s voice outside their door.

“It’s been an hour. I’m going in and you’re not going to stop me from seeing my grandson.”

“Here we go,” chuckled Matt.

*****

After Ella Rose had been born, Janie hadn’t thought much about birth control. After all, she was forty-four years old, and her child bearing years were coming to an end. She didn’t rule out the possibility of another child. Matt was so in love with his baby girl that she knew he would be thrilled to add more to their family, but she had to admit that she was surprised when she found out she was pregnant again.

The doctor had warned her of the possibility of a difficult pregnancy at her age, and he hadn’t been wrong. Morning sickness, the threat of gestational diabetes, and then the diagnosis of preeclampsia had scared her and Matt. Mark and Katy, Matt’s younger brother and his fiancée, had become their saviors, keeping Ella during the really bad days, and Maureen, Matt’s mother, had all but moved in to their apartment the final couple of weeks so that Janie could stay in bed and rest, giving their unborn child as much time as possible to develop his lungs before entering the world.

Janie’s OB had helped deliver a healthy baby boy, much to the relief of his parents, but the doctor had said it should definitely be Janie’s last and Matt had adamantly agreed. There was no way in hell he would risk the love of his life’s own life again. They had the twin boys and now Ella and Christopher completed their family.

And as much as Maureen loved her step grandsons, Adam and Tyler, when Ella Rose had been born, she was over the moon. When Ella had stopped breastfeeding, around five months old, Maureen had arranged with Janie that once a week she would take Ella for an afternoon; just grandmother and granddaughter time. Matt insisted that if they left the apartment that Ray, his long-time driver and most-trusted employee, take them to their destination and wait for them to bring them home again. He would not take any risks where his wife and daughter’s safety were concerned.

Katy had asked Janie on several occasions how she dealt with Maureen so well and Janie always had the same answer: “Everything she does stems from love; genuine, deep, unconditional love for Matt, for me, and for Ella. How can I not love her for that? How can I deny her the thing she loves most? Her family.”

“You’re a saint,” was always Katy’s reply. “She’s just a bit too…too overwhelming for me.”

Janie had smiled and understood Katy’s feelings, but she also understood Maureen. Their relationship was unusual for a mother-in-law and daughter-in-law. She considered herself very lucky.

*****

The hospital room door swung open and Maureen bustled in with a balloon bouquet in one hand and a giant stuffed panda bear in the other. She dropped both when she saw the blue beanie peeking out of Janie’s arms.

“A boy!” she exclaimed.

Matt and Janie had asked that the doctor keep the sex of the baby a surprise. They had said that as long as the baby was healthy, they didn’t need to know.

“A boy,” Maureen said again as she reached for her son and pulled him into her arms. “You have a baby boy!”

Matt chuckled. “Yes, I do. A beautiful, healthy baby boy.”

Maureen released her son and sat on the edge of the bed and took Janie’s hand in hers.

“How are you Janie? Everything go smoothly? Are you tired?”

Janie smiled at Maureen and handed her the tiny bundle in her arms. Maureen squealed as she pulled him to her bosom and kissed his tiny cheeks.

“I am tired,” Janie sighed, “But feeling very happy right now. Meet your grandson, Christopher Matthew Lathem.”

“Lovely name,” Maureen smiled.

Peter came and stood next to his wife and looked at his grandson.

“Well done, Janie,” he grinned at his daughter-in-law. “You make handsome babies.”

“What about me?” Matt asked. “I helped!”

Peter laughed. “Your job took thirty seconds. Your wife did all the work.”

Matt pretended to be wounded, but grinned as he leaned down to kiss his wife. “You do make beautiful babies,” he whispered.

*****

A couple of hours later, Janie having taken a short nap and Matt taking a photo of his new son every two minutes, Katy peaked her head into the hospital room.

“Ready for a special visitor?” she grinned.

Matt leapt off the bed and hurried to greet Ella Rose just outside the door, firmly in Mark’s arms.

“Daddy!” she squealed as Matt took his daughter from his brother. He kissed her on both cheeks and she put her chubby little hands on his face.

“I missed you Little L,” he smiled.

“L’Ella miss you. Where’s mommy?”

“Come see mommy.” Matt kissed Katy on the cheek and thanked her and Mark for babysitting their niece for the past twenty-four hours.

“We loved it,” Katy smiled. “We’ll keep her tonight too if you want.”

“Thanks, but I’ll take her tonight. Looks like Janie will be here for another day or two so we can have some daddy-daughter time before her world is turned upside down with her new competition.” Matt grinned and took Ella to see her mommy and introduce her to her new brother.

*****

When Maureen had come up with the idea of a cruise for the entire family, Matt had just announced that Janie was expecting. When Maureen calculated the dates, she realized that either Matt and Janie wouldn’t be coming with them, or she would be postponing the cruise. Of course, the decision was easy; they would push back the cruise for two months, giving Janie a few weeks to recover. Janie’s mother, Patty, would be flying in from Portland for a few weeks after the baby was born, so Maureen had invited her to join them on their two-week celebration. Patty was thrilled and graciously accepted the offer.

“It’s going to be a circus,” Matt had whined.

“Yes, but probably a very entertaining one,” Janie had said. “This will be a vacation to remember.”

Matt had pulled his wife to him and nuzzled her neck. “I liked our last vacation,” he’d growled. “Bending you over the desk…with that view…of you and the Eiffel Tower? That was one to remember.”

Janie chuckled. “Yes, that was fun,” she agreed. “But we’re going to do this for your mom.”

Matt had grudgingly agreed and Janie had helped Maureen with the cruise bookings, making sure everyone had the cabin they wanted, and ensuring Maureen and Peter had the VIP suite. The cruise line was very accommodating and had made the reservation process simple and quite painless. Matt had insisted on paying for everyone and made sure that Janie had reserved them a suite too, with Patty next door so he could enjoy some time with his wife…alone!

With a toddler and a newborn at home, the days went by pretty quickly. In no time at all their trip was only a week away and Janie’s ‘to-do’ list was extensive.

“You know Angela would be more than happy to help you with your list,” Matt had said over dinner.

“She’s your secretary!” Janie replied. “I’m not going to ask her to buy diapers and more disposable breast milk bags!”

Patty interjected. “Give me the list and I’ll take care of it. You should still be taking it easy anyway.”

Janie’s mom had been with them for the past six weeks. Matt hadn’t been thrilled with the idea of her staying that long but it had turned out to be a blessing. She had stayed up with Christopher many nights so that Janie could sleep and the fact that his wife was well-rested despite the demands of their two young children was nothing short of a miracle.

“Thank you, Patty,” he smiled. “You have been a Godsend and I am very grateful that you’re here.”

“All I want is to be useful,” she said.

*****

Paul Lathem made his way through the airport in record time and he was sure it was because he was in uniform. He was let off the plane first and everyone stepped out of his way. Several people shook his hand and thanked him for his service to their country and he still choked up just a little when that happened. He didn’t join the Navy to receive praise or special treatment. He joined the Navy to serve his country and protect his people from foreign aggression and ensure his family’s freedom and safety. But a genuine offer of thanks was appreciated.

As he stepped out into the New York air he felt happy to be home. He had taken six weeks leave and during that time he wanted to decide if he was going to remain a Navy Seal. Ten years was a long time. He had loved every minute of it, but as he got older he was realizing how much he wanted a wife and a family. Some of his buddies were married, but Paul had watched them say goodbye to their wives and kids too many times and he’d decided he couldn’t put anyone through that. It was bad enough that his parents worried about him constantly. He wouldn’t let someone else worry too.

So Paul had six weeks to make a plan for his future. What he was going to do, he had no idea. But it sure felt good to be home.

“Paul!”

He turned to see his dad walking around his car and hurrying to his son.

“Dad!”

The two men embraced and Peter kissed his son on the cheek.

“So good to have you home, son.”

“Good to be back,” Paul smiled.

“Let’s get you home, shall we? Your mother is waiting.”