The next day dragged on for everyone. The band was getting ready to start greeting the Marines that would be in their music video. Disturbed was still in the studio. The kids were making Brie want to pull out her hair. The day that she and the kids were to leave, she had to call their father to have a heart to heart with all of them but Jake and Maddie. They just wouldn’t stop the infighting. David was none too pleased. “Just because I’m not there, children, doesn’t mean that you can act like fools while I’m gone. You know, Mama could always call Mr. Morbus to watch you guys while she comes up for the weekend and takes a break from you all. How does that sound?”
The kids all groaned. “Ah… but, DADDY” they all whined.
“When are you guys going to realize that ‘but, Daddy’, doesn’t work on me anymore. You have four older brothers and sisters. Ask Maddie how well, ‘But, Daddy’, works on me.”
“It don’t”, Maddie said.
“Doesn’t, Jade”, her mother whispered to her under her breath.
“I mean, it doesn’t.”
“Now, if you need help packing to come up here, I’m sure your Mama, big brother Jacob or big sister Maddie will help you pack. If you keep up the fighting, Mom will just call Mr. Morbus to come watch you guys and she’ll just come up here to Chicago without you. Do you all understand me?” He got no answer. “I’ll ask one more time, do you all understand me?” Still silence. “Ok, Mama, call Mr. Morbus and Miss Karyn to watch the younger ones and you can just come out here with Jacob and Maddie.”
“No, Daddy. We understand!” the younger six of the Draiman children yelled in unison. He smiled to himself. “Ok, seeing as they understand, you can bring them all up. Have Morbus and Karyn come up with you.”
“To protect you?”
“No, to protect Jordan and Malachai. They’re travelling without security and they’ve already got a pretty loyal following. I’m afraid for them if a fan decides their going to try for one of them. Trevor is the best there is in the protection game.”
“I know. I’ve already talked a little with Trevor about it. He said that as long as your guys don’t need him, he’ll go, but he doesn’t want to leave Karyn alone with their three and no help.”
“What did you tell her about that?”
“That she, Mandy, Dani and I can all help each other.” She headed for the stairs to finish up her packing before they left out of DIA in two hours. “So, what are Jordan and Malachai up to?”
“Publicity stuff here in Chicago. They’ll start shooting their video soon.”
“I hope they’re staying close by you up there.”
“Believe me; they’re closer than you think.”
----------------
After picking Dani up from the apartment she shared with Logan, Brie, the kids, Morbus and his family, Mandy and the twins, and Dani were all on their way to Denver to catch a flight to Chicago’s O’Hare airport. Brie was alight with energy. She couldn’t wait to see her man. The last three nights had been sheer torture. Yeah, she’d heard his voice before she laid her head on her pillow to go to sleep. But, that was nothing like having him lying next to her. It was nothing compared to having him solid under her hands; warm and real and in the same room.
She tried to relax and focus on the article in the massage magazine she was reading on her Kindle. But, she was too excited. She couldn’t wait to wrap her arms around her husband and give him a kiss. She yearned to feel the press of his lips to hers.
As the plane touched down, she could barely contain her joy. She silently wondered if he was going to ignore her request and meet them at the airport. That was something he would do. When the pilot gave the deboarding call, she stood and pulled her carry on out of the over head compartment. She looked at her daughter in law and her nephew’s girlfriend as they wrestled to get things organized so that they could get off the plane. Morbus and his wife were fighting to get their kids together; and Jacob did his best to organize his younger siblings to take the burden off of his mother. “Ok, are we all organized and ready to go see Daddy?” she asked her children. She was answered with a resounding YES.
When they got off the plane, who did she see but the man she loved. The children swarmed him, nearly knocking him over. “Holy shit!” he said as he tried to catch his balance on a chair behind him. “You guys can’t be THAT happy to see me!”
“Yeah, we missed you”, they said intermittently.
“Nah, you guys didn’t miss me.”
To prove their point, they knocked him into the chair so that they could take turns climbing on him. “Hey now, that’s enough. I’d like to say hi to Daddy, too, you guys”, she said to her children.
Slowly they climbed off of their father and let him stand to greet their mother. He wrapped his arms around her and held her as close as he could. “Hello, my angel”, he whispered in her hear.
“Hello, my rock star”, she giggled in return. She took in his scent with a deep breath. She hadn’t forgotten, but it was always nice to have the reminder. “God, I’ve missed you.” She squeezed him a little tighter.
“I know, I’ve missed you too.” He was intoxicated again; as intoxicated as he was their first night together. Her shampoo, her lotion, her body mist- it invaded his senses. He was head drunk. He wanted to take her right where they were, but they were in the middle of O’Hare International. That wasn’t about to happen. He dragged himself up out of the fog enough to speak. “Let’s get the hell out of here. I want to get you all settled into the hotel room. I’ll call Malachai on the way to the hotel to let him know his wife and kids are in town.”
“What about Logan?”
“I’ll give Dani his room number and let her surprise him. She and Logan have a LOT of explaining to do.”
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They finally got everyone settled in for the night. They’d eaten dinner as a family at one of David’s favorite places in town. Malachai and Jordan even joined them. He was happy that the restaurant had a very family friendly atmosphere. After dinner, he took them back to the hotel and got everyone settled in, David and Brie took a much needed and deserved shower. They made love for hours both in and out of the shower.
As they lay in bed recovering, Brie recalled the conversation they’d have with their children over dinner. “After some long thought, I’ve come to a decision. After all of you are finally out of the house, I’m retiring. Your father and I are going to sell the house and buy another one in a different state, and I’m going to travel with your father when Disturbed goes on tour”, she told her children. A few of them were happy.
The younger ones didn’t understand. “What do you mean? Don’t you still love us?” Jessykah had asked.
“Yes, Jessi, baby, we still love you. This isn’t going to take place until you graduate from high school and move out of the house to go to college. We know that’s not going to be for a long time, Jessykah Danyelle”, her father had admonished. “This is something you’re Mama and I talked about for after you’re all grown up.” The little girl finally understood.
Malachai and Mandy, as well as Jordan and Jacob were happy for them. “You guys deserve that. You both work entirely too hard. You should both take some time together and just travel and see the world”, Mandy said. Her in laws couldn’t help but smile at her and thank her for her sincerity.
---------------
After saying hello and getting reacquainted, Dani and Logan made their way to John’s hotel room. John had given Logan very specific instructions to bring her to his room should she come up to visit with David’s family. When Logan knocked on the door, John called, “Hold on a minute.” There was mumbling on the other side of the door as they saw the peep hole darken and heard locks being undone. “I’ll talk to you in a little bit, baby. I’ve got company right now. I love you too. Bye.” The door swung open. “Hello, Danielle.”
“Hi, John.”
“Won’t you both come in? I have a bone to pick with you.”
She was instantly frightened. Logan ushered her into the room and walked her over to sit on the couch in his father’s suite. “Yes, sir?”
“You might have to do that at David’s place, but I’m just John.”
“Actually, the only people that have to call David ‘sir’ are his children. He says it’s a show of respect.”
“And he’s right, but I don’t really like it. NOW, I heard over the radio the other day that you’re pregnant?”
“Yes. I’m about a month along now.”
He nodded slowly. “I’ll ask you the same thing I asked my son. Just WHEN did you two plan on tell me and his mother? Or YOUR parents for that matter?”
“We were going to tell you all when we went down to visit for the holidays.”
He nodded slowly. “So, I ask you this, why did I have to find out over the radio?”
“That I can’t answer. I had no idea that he was going to do that.”
“THAT I believe. Now, seeing as Logan’s already had to take his lumps for this little indiscretion, it’s your turn.”
“I hardly think I’m responsible…”
“Oh, but you are. You’re not exempt from calling my wife and explaining things, Miss Thing. It takes two to tango, Dani. Logan didn’t make this baby alone.”
She hung her head. “You’re right. I’ll talk to Kristen.”
--------------
David lay wide awake in the bed of the hotel room he was sharing with his wife. Though he was tired, he wanted to cherish every moment he had with her for the short time she would be in town. Then, it would be back to the loneliness of separate beds for the both of them until the holidays. He thought about the idea of pulling the kids out of school and having them tutored again; or in his youngest children’s cases, for the first time. Though he liked the idea, it wouldn’t be fair to the children. They were all involved in something at school. Choir, basketball, band, football, science clubs. He just couldn’t do that to his children. He loved them all far too much to take the opportunity to have a somewhat normal childhood away from them.
He considered the angel in his arms. His saving grace; his sanity; his balance. She was his reason for doing what he did. She was his reason fifteen years before for doing what he did for the cause they represented. Homeschooling the kids would put too much strain on her, he thought. That’s the last thing I want to do. I don’t want her under any more stress than she has to be under. She’s the only reason I have for not going completely mad. I couldn’t put her through that. It may have been her idea, but I just can’t do that to her. I love her and our children too much to allow that.
He brushed a piece of hair from her face the covered her eyes as she lay on his chest. God, she’s so beautiful. I still can’t believe she’s mine, even after almost sixteen years. Is it NORMAL for me to be this amazed after so long? Unfortunately, no one could answer that question for him; no matter how much he wished there was.
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