Chapter 7

David and Brie slept through dinner that night.  They were just exhausted.  Their day went backward.  Their flights played chicken with the sun and the sun won.  The only reason either of them got up was to get something to eat.  Brie needed to eat because of her sugar and David was just hungry.  As they waited on their food to warm up, Brie told the kids what was to happen the following day.  “If you are over the age of 15 and bare a Y chromosome in your DNA, you are to stay the FUCK out of this room tomorrow after breakfast.  If you are over the age of fifteen and bare two X’s in your DNA, you are to be in this room to help me make dinner for tomorrow. We’re going to have guests tomorrow”, she said.

“Who’s coming, Mom?” Marc asked.

“Jona’s parents.  Oh, boys, you come in this kitchen tomorrow, you will get something thrown at you .  Look me in my eyes and tell me I’m joking.”

“If I were you kids, especially your boys, I’d listen to your mother.  Even I plan on staying the hell out of the kitchen”, David said as he took a sip of water from the one liter bottle he had sitting on the counter in front of him.

“Dad, can I point something out?” Jessi asked.

“What Jessykah?”

“This is the darkest I’ve ever seen you.  Same goes for Mom.”

“Danyelle, we just spent a MONTH in the dessert.  We were bound to come back darker than when we left”, he said, giving his youngest child a look that said, ‘Thank you, Captain Obvious.’

Jessi ducked her head, embarrassed.  “I know, that was one of my Captain Obvious moment, wasn’t it?”

“Try Captain OBLIVIOUS”, James laughed.

Brie gave her son a dirty look.  “Apologize NOW, James Matthew”, she barked.

“Why?”

“You might be 21 years old, James Matthew Draiman, but I will break my foot off in your ass if you don’t apologize to your little sister right NOW.  Until your father and I sell this house to Jake, it’s still OUR house and you will follow OUR rules.  Understood?”

James perked up and listened to his mother’s ass chewing for him,  He knew better than the way he was acting and he knew that his parents, no matter how tired they were, wouldn’t tolerate him being an asshole.  “Yes, Ma’am”, he said and looked at Jessi.  “I’m sorry, Jess, I don’t know why I’m being such a dick.”

“You do that a lot.  I think it’s a trait that goes along with the Y chromosome in our family.  Even Dad has the tendency to do it.  If I can forgive Dad when he does it, I can forgive you.”

James smiled and hugged his little sister.  “You’re a good kid, Jess.  I don’t know why I said that.”

“Because there are times when it’s true.”

---------------

Bright and early the next morning, Brie was up making breakfast with Delilah, Jona, and Kimmy’s help.  There were so many people in the house that she just couldn’t cook for everyone on her own.  Usually, Delilah would offer her help by the time Brie had half of the work done.  Brie had learned after her back surgery to accept any help offered, no matter who was offering to help.  Usually, it was David that helped her out, but this morning, the girls wanted to get in a cooking mood by helping with breakfast.

Maddie and Colton, Jordan and Davina, and Malachai and Mandy- as well as any children they had- would be coming over after breakfast.  Four of the six of them would be going directly to the kitchen to help cook.  Maddie had been given special instructions to come in and sit down at the kitchen table.  She would be in charge of any cutting that needed to be done.  Being seven months pregnant and close to having to be put on bed rest because she was doing far too much meant that she was going to have to sit in order to help, at the order of her mother.

Once everyone had arrived, the cooking commenced.  The only time any of the men were allowed to come through the kitchen was when David went out back to check the brisket that Brie had him smoking.  That was it.  And he was to check it once every hour or so, so said his wife.  He knew better than to argue with her.  He liked sleeping next to her at night and the last thing he wanted was get sent to the couch with company in the house.

“They shouldn’t be doing all of the work”, Jeremiah said while he watched a movie with his father and brothers that afternoon.

“Jeremiah, just be still”, David said.

“But, these are going to be my in laws.  I should be in there helping.”  He pushed himself to standing and went for the kitchen door.

“I wouldn’t do that if I were you, Jeremiah”, David called after his son.

Jeremiah ignored him and opened the door.  “Is there anything I can do to help, ladies?”

“GET THE HELL OUT OF MY KITCHEN, ALEXANDER”, Brie shouted.  There was a puff of white from in front of him.

Jeremiah reached up and wiped his mouth.  “Yes, ma’am”, he said and turned around as he wiped his eyes.  “I don’t think we’re welcome in there, you guys.”  His face was covered in flour.

All of the other guys laughed.  “You THINK?” David said.  “I’ve never called you dumb a day in your life, ‘Miah, but that was about the DUMBEST thing I’ve EVER seen you pull.  You were warned last night then again this morning.”

“I know, I know.  I just feel like I should be in there helping.”

“The best way for you to help is to stay the hell out of the way, son.  Trust me.”

Jeremiah sighed.  “I gonna go change my clothes now.  I’ll be back shortly”, he said as he made his way for the stairs.

“I’d get a shower while you’re up there, little brother”, Jake and Malachai said in unison.

“Thanks you Jacob and Malachai for pointing out the obvious.  That kinda was the plan.”

--------------

“I hate not being able to get up and help you guys out”, Maddie complained.

“Madison, you’re seven months pregnant and your doctor is about to put you on bed rest.  There has to be a reason”, Brie said as she cut dough to make homemade rolls.

“I’ve been meaning to talk to you about that, Mom.  My doctor is an asshole.”

“I know it’s difficult to find a new one this late in the game, but that’s my suggestion.”

“Mom, I want you to deliver the baby.”

Brie paused.  “Do what?”

“I want you to deliver the baby like you did Ira.”

“I didn’t deliver Ira, Jacob did.  I just helped.”

“Well, I want you to deliver my baby.  My doctor’s a real ass hole.  Instead of talking to me, he talks AT ma and AT Colton.  He’s lucky I hate knocked the hell out of him yet.”

Brie considered what Maddie was telling her and sighed.  “Ok, Maddie.  I’ll deliver the baby.  I’d rather you have an environment that’s conducive to having a baby than some dick who won’t talk to you like you’re a human being.  The delivery will be here and it will be the way you want it to be.”

“I want my sisters around me, and if Dad will do it, I want my Daddy there too.”

“You’ll have to talk to him about that, Maddie girl.  I can’t say anything about it.”

“Oh, and can we have Jake on standby, just in case we need someone with medical training?”

“Maddie, if you want these things you have to talk to the people you’re wanting involved about.  I’m not going to do it for you.”

She looked at the women in the room.  “Would you all be there with me while I have my baby?”

Mandy and Delilah smiled.  “Of course.”

“Wouldn’t miss it for the world”, Jordan and Davina said.

The others just nodded with smiles.  They were all moved to silence.

They fell into silence as they continued to work.  A knock on the door broke the quiet.  “Is it safe to come through?” David’s voice asked from the other side of the door.

“State your intentions”, Brie said as she readied an egg in her hands to throw at her husband.

“I need a drink and I need to go check on the meat.”

Brie relaxed and put the egg down on the counter and moved to the fridge.  “Come on through, baby”, she called.  “What do you want to drink?”

“Just a bottle of water will be fine for now”, he said as he walked carefully into the room with his hands in the air.

All of the girls laughed.  “You look ridiculous, Dad”, Meagan and Makayla said.

“I don’t want to get something thrown at me like Miah did when he came into offer his assistance.  I’m just trying to show that I’m harmless.”

“You are by NO stretch of the imagination harmless, David Michael Draiman” Brie said as she handed him a bottle of water and the sauce for the brisket in the smoker out back.

“No, Mama, he’s harmless”, Maddie said.  “He’s harmless as a grizzly bear.”

“Just you wait, Madison Jade.  I’m gonna have Colton get even for me once that baby’s born.”

“Oh, Colton IS harmless, harmless as a new born babe.”

“I heard that, Jade!” Colton called from the other room.

“I wanted you to, SCOTT!” she yelled back, then took a sip of the water she had on the table, then looked at her father.  “I guess now would be the wrong time to ask you if you’ll be present at the birth of your newest grandchild, huh?”

David looked at Maddie. “Are you sure you want me there?”

“I want my Daddy there.  Mom’s going to deliver, I’m going to have my sisters around me and I’m going to ask Jake if he’d mind being on standby in case we need someone with medical training.”

“If that’s what you want, Maddie, then I’ll be there, but I’m not sure what kind of help I’m going to be.”

“I just want you there for moral support, Daddy, that’s all.”

“Then I’ll be there with bells on.  Now, I need to go check this brisket in the smoker for dinner.” And with that, he walked out of the house through the back door and went to check in the meat for dinner that night.

----------------

After a couple more hours, Jona and Jeremiah had to go get her parents from the airport.  Jona went and got cleaned up quickly, then she and Jeremiah left for the hour drive to Denver to pickup her parents.  ‘Miah’s nerves were a little on edge, but he wouldn’t let it show.  The part he was nervous about wasn’t meeting her mother.  Oh no.  Kaylian Mason had made it rather obvious that she adored him and thought that he was perfect for her daughter.  It was Skyler Mason that he wanted to impress.  But, he also knew that if he wanted to impress the man that fathered the woman he wanted to make is wife, he’s have to figure him out.  What makes him tick?, ‘Miah asked himself as he and Jona rode in silence.  He’s so stoic over the phone, but cracks the OCCASIONAL smart ass joke.  Could be that he’s just a sarcastic ass like my parents?  Hmm.  Makes you think…

When he parked the car, he looked down at the angel whose head lay in his shoulder.  “Are you ready to go in and get you parents off of the plane?”

“Yes.  I’m so excited to see them.”

He smiled and kissed her cheek then got out of the car to open her door for her.  He held a hand out to her and offered her a hand up.  “Then let’s go get them”, he said with a smile.

She gave him her hand and he pulled her to standing.  “Then let’s go.”

He wrapped an arm around her and pulled her against his side.  “I love you, Jona Mason”, he said as he kissed her cheek.

She blushed.  “I love you too, Jeremiah Draiman.”

Chapter 6

After the interview, they went upstairs to their room and changed to go get some lunch.  Brie had spotted a little sea food hut near the beach that she wanted to check out.  “I want fish for some reason”, Brie laughed as she slipped on some clean clothes.  She looked at her arms and legs after she pulled on the clean shorts.  “Damn, I’ve gotten dark since we’ve been out here.”

David laughed.  “You and me both, beautiful.  We’ve both gotten a little bit of color in the month we’ve been here.”

“Have we really been here that long?”

“Yeah.  I have to finalize our tickets home tonight for either tomorrow or the next day.”  He reached out to her and she took his hand.  She frowned as they walked into the hallway in silence.  When they stepped out of the building and into the street she put her sunglasses on and they kept walking.  David noticed her sulking.  “What’s the matter, baby?”

“Do we really have to go home tomorrow?”

“Yeah.  We’ve been here a month, baby.  We do have kids and grandkids that need us.  Remember promising a certain little brown haired, green eyed little girl that shares your birthday that you and she would take a ‘Gramma and Miri Day’?”

She sighed.  “Yeah.  I remember.  I do owe her that.”

“And remember promising a certain future daughter in law that we’d meet with her parents.”

“Oh, yeah, we did promise Jona that, didn’t we?”  When they got to the little hut she’d spotted, they got their food and kept walking through what amounted to Downtown Tel Aviv.  “Ok, so, we go home tomorrow and sleep all day when we get back.  The following day the girls and I cook our asses off to have enough food for everyone so that we can meet Jona’s parents.  The first person with a Y chromosome to walk into my kitchen that day will have things thrown at them unless they’re a child.”

David laughed.  “I’ll warn the boys.”

“Good because I’d hate for one of them to come out of the kitchen with egg all over their face, literally.”

---------------

The Draiman parents were finally a day from being home and everyone was excited.  The young children all bounced when they were told that Gramma and Grampa would be home soon.  Miri, Ira, and Hunter got with Levi- Jordan’s son- got together and made signs that said ‘Welcome Home, Gramma & Grampa!’ with Jake’s help.  He’d been taking vacation time so that someone could run the household affairs while their father was away and it was soon to be his responsibility.  It was nice being Chief of Medicine at two different hospitals that were actually pretty nearby.

But, the Draiman parents meant that Jona’s parents were due too.  Jona was actually pretty excited.  She hadn’t seen her parents in a couple of years.  “My parents are going to be here soon”, Jona said when she and Jeremiah climbed in bed that night.  “Their flight arrives the day after tomorrow.”

“Great, because MY parents will be home tomorrow from what I understand, and you and I won the lottery to go pick them up from the airport.”

“Really?  We’re picking your Mom and Dad up from the airport?  Maybe we should pick MY parents up from the airport too.”

“We could do that.  I would kind of like to meet your parents before they meet MINE.  It would be nice to see the people that made such a beautiful young woman together.”

She blushed and ducked her head.  “Miah…”

“Jona… hey, guess what.”

She glanced up.  “What?”

“I love you.”

A smile slowly broke across her face.  “I love you too, Miah.”  She leaned in and pressed her lips to his for a quick kiss.  “We should probably get some sleep if we have to pick your parents up.  What time do we have to meet them at the airport?”

He reached over to his nightstand and grabbed his phone.  “Let me IM Dad and find out.”

“Is your Dad online?”

“Yeah.  See, Jake thinks that texting Dad is the quickest way to get a hold of him.  Not true.  If Dad’s in the air, then he’s on his laptop.  If he’s on his laptop, he’s probably on Instant Messenger.”  Jeremiah opened his IM and sent David a message.  He smiled when he got the response.  “Dad says he’s scared of my driving and requests that you, my love, drive home.”

“Ask him what if I’m a crazy driver?”

Jeremiah sent the message and it dinged back in no time.  “He says, ‘I can handle crazy driving.  Hell, I can handle driving like one has a death wish.  What I can’t handle is you driving like you’re MY age, ‘Miah.”

“Tell him that he won’t like my driving either then, because I’m a very careful driver.”

The message was sent and Jeremiah gaped at the answer.  “I’ll do no such thing”, he said as he typed the response.

“What?”

“He said, ‘Bring James with you then’.”

---------------

The next morning as Delilah made breakfast for everyone, Miri started her daily ‘Did you know..?’ game.  She asked whomever walked into the room if they knew some obscure fact about animals and usually they told her it was WAY too early in the morning for her asking questions.  That morning’s first victims were Jeremiah and Jona.  “Hey, Aunt Jona”, Miri said.

“Yeah, Miri?” Jona said with a smile.

“Did you know that the average lifespan of a male koala is ten years because they fight a LOT?”

“No, I didn’t.  Now, I’ve got one for you, Miri.  Did you know that the Koi fish of Japan can live up to a hundred years old and that they recognize their owners’ when they approach the pond?”

Miri’s eyes grew wide.  “NO!   That’s COOL!” She looked at her mother from her high chair.  “Mama, can I get a Koi fish?”

“No, Miriam”, Delilah said.

“I’m sorry about that, Delilah”, Jona said.

“No worries, Jona.  I don’t mind her spouting off different animal facts.  I actually enjoy it.  At least I know she’s learning something.  It just bothers Jake because he’s usually the first one that she runs to when she learns some new fact.  The next time she sees him, she’s going to tell him the Koi fish fact.”  She flipped the pancakes on the griddle pan.  “I take it you two are up to go pick up Mom and Dad?”

“Yeah”, Jeremiah said.

“Have fun with that.  Oh, got a call from Mom this morning.  She said to warn you two that she and Dad are darker than they were when they left.”

“Ok.  So, they’re both sporting a golden brown tan.  I bet Dad’s head is crispy burnt.”

“Actually, Mom sent me a picture of the two of them the day before they left Jerusalem to go to Tel Aviv.  His head’s as brown as the rest of him.”

“Great.  Good to know”, he yawned.

--------------

When they got to the airport, David and Brie searched for Jeremiah and Jona, spotting them with no problem.  They headed over to where their son and his girlfriend stood with weak smiles.  “Welcome home, you two”, Jeremiah said with a smile.  He hugged each of his parents.

They hugged him back as well as making sure to hug Jona.  “Yeah, yeah, we’re home”, Brie yawned.

“What’s the matter, Mrs. Draiman?” Jona asked.

“Time just went in reverse, Jona dear, and I’m jet lagged.  Time needs to readjust to what’s normal and the only way to do that is to go home and get a LOT of sleep.”

“Agreed”, David laughed.

“Then let’s get you two home”, Jeremiah said.  “Aren’t you glad the son that drives like Grandpa came to get you instead one of the kids that drives like a maniac?”

“Yeah, actually, I am.  I don’t need a heart attack today.  I need sleep and so does your mother.”

“Then you two catch a cat nap on the way home so that you’re prepared for the stampede that’s going to take place when you two walk through the door.  ALL of your grandchildren are ready to knock you guys over when you get home.”

“GREAT!” they sighed in unison.

---------------

After greeting the grandkids and telling their children they’d be down for dinner, David and Brie went up to their room and passed out.  They didn’t even get their shoes off, though it was a good thing that they were both wearing sandals.  The shoes just fell off of their feet.  They scooted on to the bed enough to be able to put their heads on their pillows and let out a long content sigh.  “Finally, our own bed”, David said.

“Yeah, but I still want to go back to Israel.  Maybe after you and the guys officially retire, you and I can move out there permanently.”

“Is that what you want?”

“Yeah.  Just me and you in Israel.  We can get a big house so that all of the kids and grandkids will fit or a big plot of land to have guest houses built, but I just want to go away with you so that we can live out the rest of our lives in peace.”

He smiled  sleepily.  “Sounds good to me.  While you’re cooking for Jona’s parents, I’ll start looking for property to buy online.  We can check it out the next time we head out there.”

She smiled crookedly at him.  “Sounds good to me.”  She sighed softly and snuggled into the strength of his chest and drifted off to sleep.  He pressed a kiss to her forehead before settling into the bed to getting comfortable and going to sleep.

Chapter 5

David and Brie went to Tel Aviv as planned.  The day they arrived they went directly to the beach after changing into their swimsuits.  They were going to meet a good friend of David’s that was going to take them out so that they could go diving.  As they waited on his friend, David made sure that they had wet suits that fit.  After finding a suit in her size, Brie stepped into the fitting room to try it on.  When she stepped out, she whistled at David to get his attention.  He turned and his jaw hit the floor.  “OH MY GOD!” he said in disbelief.  “You look so fucking sexy in that.”  The black suit hugged her every curve and zipped in the front.  Her silvering curls hung down around her shoulders.

She smiled.  “You haven’t even seen me from the back yet”, she teased.

“Then let big daddy see that rear view”, he laughed.

She turned around slowly, taking her dear sweet time.  She looked over her shoulder to see his face.  “So, what do you think, Big Daddy?”

He coughed a few times and started pounding on his chest as though his heart had stopped.  “MERCY!” he shouted the started going on in Hebrew about the way she looked.

She laughed and responded in the same tongue.  Once he was done she started back into the changing room.  “This is the one I want.  I like your reaction to me in it.”  She walked into the changing room and took the suit off and put her shorts and tank top back on.  She came back with the suit on the hanger.  “You always do that, David.  I would have thought that you’d have gotten used to this in the damn near thirty years we’ve been together”, she laughed then stretched up the press a kiss to his cheek.

“When I think I’ve been desensitized to it, you do something like that.  You put on something that hugs your body just right and I can’t breathe anymore and my heart stops”, he chuckled.  He found a suit that would fit him and they went to pay for them; then went down to the dock to meet his friend.

---------------

As the boat skipped across the water they sat toward the back and held each other.  She sat with her head on his shoulder and her arms wrapped around him.  She smiled and soaked up the Vitamin D.  With the smell of salt water in the air, the sun beating down in her skin, and the man she loved sitting on the boat next to her, she was at peace.  There was nothing on the planet that was going to take her happiness away from her.

David looked down at the woman whose head was on his shoulder.  He couldn’t help but notice the smile on her face.  “What are you thinking?” he asked over the sound of the engine.

“I’m just happy”, she said back.  “I’ve got you and I don’t have to worry about anything else.  I’m free to travel with you and be with you.  I don’t have to stay at home with the kids anymore because they’re all adults.”

“I’m happy that you’re so happy”, he said and kissed her forehead.

“About where did you wanna go down?” the captain of the boat called to David.

“Anywhere is fine, Joe.”

The boat slowed and the captain dropped anchor.  “You two wanna get suited up and I’ll help you with your tanks?”

Brie smiled.  “Sounds good, Joe.”

“I don’t remember catching your name”, Joe said.

“Brie.  I’m David’s wife of twenty nine years.”

“Oh.  Please to meet you.”

She smiled and shook his hand.  “Charmed.  Now, I’m going to get ready to go down and see the wildlife.”  She unzipped the suit and started pulling it on over her bikini.  At 62, she still looked amazing in a two piece swim suit and she knew it.  She made sure that her husband knew that she knew it.  When she bent over to pull the suit up over her body, she turned so that he back was to him so that she flaunted her ass.  She made sure that it was perfectly in his view as she stood up straight to put it on over her arms and zip it up.  When she sat down to put her fins on her feet, she looked up at her husband and smiled at his slack jawed face.  “What are you staring at, David Michael?” she asked.

“You did that one purpose.”

“I did what on purpose?”

“You know the affect you have on me and you did that on purpose.”

She laughed on rolled your eyes.  “Are you sure you’re feeling well enough to dive, baby?”

He laughed and finished putting in his suit.  “You’re evil, Hannah Brielle.  I just wanted to point that out.   Now, can you help me zip this damn thing?”

She stood and zipped his suit, then sat back down to finish putting her fins on.  “I’m not evil, David.  I just know what buttons to push and how to get your attention.  Now, evil would be knowing all of this and NOT acting on what I know I caused.”

“And how do you plan on acting on what you know you’ve caused?”

“You’ll find out when we get back to the hotel room.”  She said as she watched him put his fins on.

“Ok, beautiful”, he said after he finished with his fins.  “Please be sure to stay close to me while we’re down there.”

“I had planned on it.  I don’t have near the experience you do at this.  I’ve been down maybe twice other than my certification test.”

He smiled at her.  “I can’t wait to take you down there.  It’s a whole new world.”

“I can’t wait to see it, so why don’t we get our tanks and masks on and we can head down.”

---------------

Brie had never seen anything like what she was seeing as she and David swam through the crystal blue waters and looked at all of the plants and wildlife.  They took as many pictures as they could.

“Oh, my GOD, David, it’s so beautiful down here”, she said over the intercom.

“I told you.  Next time we’re out this way, we can dive in the Red Sea.”  He checked his watch.  “Baby, we need to get back up to the boat.  We’re running out of oxygen.”

“Damn.  I wish we had more time and more tanks.  I could stay down here for hours.”

“So could I, but we need to get up to the boat and head back to the mainland.”

“Ok.  Let’s go back up so we can go back to the mainland.  I think I need to eat anyway.”

He reached through the water for her hand as she gave it to him.  They went up to the surface of the water hand in hand, breaking the surface of the water at the same time.  They removed the regulators from their mouths and raised the dive masks.

“So, what did you think, Brie?” Captain Joe asked.

“It was wonderful.  Just beautiful down there.”

“Well, come on back up here and you and David can get back to land.  I’m sure you two are hungry by now.  You’ve been down there for a couple of hours.”

Brie carefully ascended the ladder, followed by David.  He helped her take her tank off then she did the same thing.  They peeled off the tops of their suits and put their life jackets before taking a seat and getting comfortable.  She laid her head on his shoulder again.  “Thank you, baby.  I had so much fun.”

“You’re welcome, love.  It was my pleasure.”

---------------

When they walked into the hotel lobby they were laughing and joking until David saw a reporter sitting on the couch to the side.  “Fuck, was that today?” he asked himself out loud.

“What’s wrong, baby?”

“Remember that interview I told you that I was going to do while we were out here?”

“Yes.”

“I forgot about it being today.”

“Ok, so we’ll go over there for the interview.  It’s not that big of a deal, honey.”

“WE?  WE’LL go over there for the interview?  You never do interviews with me.”

“Well, I’m going to do this one with you.  I understand your shock, but there’s really no need to be so shocked.  I have done an interview with you before.  Remember the night I got shot?”

“The first evac, yeah.  That’s right.”

“So, come on, and let’s do this.”

“And if he asks you questions?”

“I’ll answer them.”

David wrapped his arm around her and pulled her close as he led them over to the couch.  “I’m so sorry I forgot about you”, he said to the young man.

“It’s understandable.  If you hadn’t shown for another twenty minutes I was just going to leave”, the young reporter said.

Once they were seated, David introduced Brie and the interview began.  The young man introduced himself as Malachi.  David and Brie couldn’t help but smile.  “What?” the young man asked.

“Oh, nothing”, they said together.  “That’s our oldest son’s name, except that his is spelled M-A-L-A-C-H-A-I.  I couldn’t think of the traditional spelling when I names him”, Brie continued.

“That’s pretty cool.  Now, what brings the Mr. and Mrs. David Draiman to Tel Aviv?” he asked.

“We just returned from going diving”, David said simply.

“Ooh, diving, that sounds exciting.  David, is that why you’re not wearing your signature double labret piercings?”

“Well, that  and the fact that I’m supposed to be off while I’m here.  This is the only vacation that my wife and I have been able to take in the nearly thirty years we’ve been together.”

“Wow.  That’s a long time.  What would you two say is the key to having a long and happy relationship like yours?”

“Just know each other and support each other unconditionally”, Brie said with a smile.  “Loving each other also helps with all of that.  This man has been there for me through thick and thin; the rough spots and the smooth ones.”

“Would you either of you be willing to elaborate?”

“Well”, Brie said quietly, then let her voice get stronger.  “I just had back surgery a couple of years ago.  I have a condition from my father that my spine is trying to fuse together.  I was in excruciating pain.  He didn’t leave me while I was suffering, or while I was recovering.  He even sat in the hospital with me after the surgery.  Our son, Jacob, was in the OR suite making sure that they didn’t fuck me up.”

“That had to be terrifying.”

“Oh, it was”, David said.  “The first couple of nights she was in the hospital after the surgery, I barely slept.  I was too worried about her.”

“I told him that he worried too much”, Brie said with a smile before stretching up to place a kiss in his cheek.

“Everything is ok now?”

“For the most part.  I have to go in every so often to get checked, but so far so good”, Brie said with a smile.

“Now, I can’t help but wonder, Mrs. Draiman; are you the same Brie Draiman that they’ve called the Rock Star of Massage?”

“Yes, I am.”

“Nice.  My wife went into massage over here because of you.”

“Nice, I’m flattered.”

“So, on to the topic of your children.  How many do you have again?”

“Ten”, they said in unison.

“And how many grandchildren?”

“Nearly that, I know”, Brie said softly.

“Let’s see; Isaiah, Miranda, Elijah, Miriam, Ira, Levi, and now Hunter.  Maddie’s got one on the way in a couple of months, and we’ve still get six children to get married”, David chuckled at the end.

“Wow.  You family photographs must be a lot of fun.”

“Oh, just getting everyone together to take the picture is difficult.  Getting everyone to sit down so that it can be taken is a WHOLE other story.”

“Woo.”  The young journalist looked amazed. “So, David, are we to expect another Disturbed record?”

“I’m going to have to get with the rest of the guys about that.  I honestly can’t say for sure.  I know that the rest of the guys also have ever expanding families because their kids are having families of their own.  It just depends on when we have the time to get back into the studio.”

“So what’s in store for the Draiman family?”

Brie smiled brightly.  “There are all kinds of surprises in store for us.  No one knows what the future holds, but, as long as we’re going through it together, we can get through it.  There’s nothing in this world that we can’t conquer together.”

Chapter 4

One week passed.   Then another; then yet another.  David and Brie Draiman spent as much time as they could away from the hotel seeing the sights.  He showed her historical landmarks and took her to the cemetery that his parents and grandparents were buried in.  Her maternal grandparents and her mother were there as well.  They visited each plot in turn and left flowers for their loved ones past.  They were both a little sentimental as they walked through the grounds.  “Do you still want to be buried here, David?” she asked as they walked the grounds.  Her arm was around his waist and his arm was around her shoulders.

“I do.  It means a lot to me to be laid to rest with my ancestors.  What about you?  Here or Ireland?”

“My place is at your side, David, even unto death.”

He smiled and kissed her hair.  “I take it that means here.”

“Yes, here with you.  This is where I belong.  I love my father, but I belong with my husband.”  She stretched up and pressed a kiss to his cheek.  “I love you, baby.”

He smiled and pressed a kiss to her temple.  “I love you too”, he said with a whispered against her head before leaving the kiss behind.  “What do you say to going to get some lunch at the hotel?”

She smiled.  She knew what he was thinking.  “Sounds good to me”, she whispered seductively as they walked out to the road to hail a cab so that they could leave the grounds where their families were buried.   “When are we going to Tel Aviv to go scuba diving?” she asked on the ride back.  It didn’t matter; she was just curious.  She was curled against his side as usual as they rode back to their hotel.

“Probably in the next day or two.  I can’t wait to get you in the water.  You’re going to see such beautiful creatures down there.  But, I have to say; none of them are as beautiful as you.”  He tilted her chin up so that he had access to her lips.

“Flattery will get you everything”, she giggled just before he pressed his lips to hers.

“Oh?  Well, that’s good to know because…”, and he started whispering in her ear the things he wanted to do to her once they got back to their hotel room.  They’d still order room service, but they were going to have a little dessert before eating an actual meal.

She smiled seductively.  “Ooh, baby.  That all sounds like fun.  I can’t wait.  But what about…?” she asked before whispering some of the many things that they did that she enjoyed.

He laughed that masculine laugh that said he had her right where he wanted her and he knew it.  “Sure, we can do that too.  I wasn’t planning on leaving the room for the rest of the night, anyway.”

Her eyes lit up.  “Oh?  Then what about…?” and she some more thoughts into his head.

He nodded repeatedly as they rode, listening to everything she had to say.  “Ok, so I guess you don’t want to be walking in the morning.  That’s cool.  We can do that.  We’ll spend all night tonight and all day tomorrow in our room and we can plan to leave for Tel Aviv that evening or first thing in the morning.”

“Let’s make it morning so that we have recovery time and I can try to be walking enough to pull my suitcase behind me when we leave.”

“Sounds good”, he said when the cab pulled to a stop.  He opened the door and offered her a hand out.  She took it and they went right to their room where they started things off the way they used to… with a shower.  The hot water felt too good as it soaked into their pores, but neither of them cared.  It felt good and made making love in the shower and that’s all either of them cared about at that moment.

----------------

Meanwhile, back in the states, Jona was talking to her parents about their impending visit.  “Mr. and Mrs. Draiman are out of the country right now, but they should be back in about a week.  He showing her Israel at its finest.”

“Sounds like they’re having fun over there”, her mother, Kaylian said.

“Oh, from what we understand in the random emails they send their kids, they’ve visited all kinds of historical landmarks in Jerusalem and they’re going to go scuba diving in Tel Aviv.”

“My father is an avid diver”, Jeremiah said.  “Every time he gets a chance he goes diving.  This is the first time he’s gotten to take my mother and they’ve been together for almost thirty years”, Jeremiah said.

“Well, ‘Miah, your parents sound like lovely people”, Kaylian said.  “I honestly can’t wait to meet them, or your sister and brothers.”

“Oh, Jordan, Malachai, and Jacob?”

“Yes.  It must be odd having a brother who’s a world renown doctor.”

“It gets a little strange at times.  Jake doesn’t let it affect him though.  He’s always telling people that he’s just a normal guy at home.”

“Does he do things the way your mother does?”

“You mean the natural, organic, no crap in the food, way?  Yes.  It’s how we were raised.  Mom only cooks organic food.  She goes to a special butcher shop and gets our meat.  She goes to the Farmer’s Market in town to get the vegetables and fruits.  There’s a nice little bakery in town where she gets all of our bread from, unless she decides to get out the things to make it herself.”

“Your Mom sounds like a real do it yourself kind of woman.  I respect that.”

“I’m sure you two will get along great, Mrs. Mason.  My mom’s one in a million.  I don’t thinks she’s really ever met anyone that she didn’t like or that didn’t like her.”

“That’s good.  I think she and I will get along just fine.  And what about your father?”

“He’s an opinionated, hard headed overachiever who speaks his mind about anything and everything.  If he had an opinion on a subject, then he gives it and he usually doesn’t care who he offends or if he offends anyone.”

“I like him already”, Jona’s father, Skyler, said in the background.  “But, Jeremiah, your father is David Draiman.  It’s to be expected that he gives his opinion and doesn’t care if he offends people with what he says.  I bet your father’s name has quite a bit of pull in a lot of places.”

“Well, the last name is what got me into Loyola.  Anyone with the last name of Draiman is in automatically because we’re legacies.  So, my parents keep asking me how soon after they get back do you want to meet them.”

“Whenever if fine, Jeremiah”, Skyler said.

“Would the day after they get back be ok?”

“When are they due back?” Kaylian asked.

“Sometime next week, that’s really all any of us knows.  I know there’s been a lottery to see who’s going to pick them up from the airport.”

“Everyone’s excited for them to come home, huh?”

“It’s just not the same around here without Mom’s massage music playing softly upstairs, or watching them playfully flirt with each other.  Even my baby brother and sister miss it.”

“Babies?  At their ages?”

Jeremiah laughed.  “The baby brother and sister I speak of are both recent high school graduates that are about to take off to Loyola themselves.  The only babies like that are my nieces and nephews; the youngest of which is 2.”

Kaylian sighed in relief.  “Oh, that’s good news.  I’m looking forward to seeing all these little ones.  How do your parents do it?”

“I wish I knew, Mrs. Mason.  I wish I knew.”

---------------

Hunter had assimilated to being one of the many Draiman grandchildren rather quickly.  He fit in perfectly.  He, Miri, and Ira were all in the living room watching educational TV.  During one of the commercials, Hunter looked over his shoulder at his Uncle Jake.  “Uncle Jake, when are Gramma and Grampa gonna be home?” he asked in his three year old wonder.

“I’m not sure yet, Hunter.  Why?”

“A ‘cause we miss them”, Ira said to his father.

“Gramma and Grampa missed my birthday”, Miri said.  “Me and Gramma were gonna have ‘Gramma and Miri’ day that day.”

Jake smiled softly at the children.  “Gramma and Grampa needed to be alone together for a little while.  They needed a break.”

“Did we do something to make them want to leave?” Ira asked.

“No, son.”  Jake had a good idea.  “I’ve got a plan.  Do you guys wanna show Gramma and Grampa how much you missed them when they get back?”

“YEAH!” the three young children shouted.

“Hunter, I’m gonna go tell your Mama and Daddy that I’m taking you to the store with me and we’re gonna go get some stuff so that you can make a BIG poster for Gramma and Grampa for when they come back.  How does that sound?”

“What about Miri and Ira, Uncle Jake?” Hunter asked.

“They’re going with us and they’re gonna help you.  It’s gonna be a group project.”

“YAY!!” the three children shouted.

“Ok, get your shoes on and I’ll be right back.”  Jake stood from the couch and went upstairs to find James and Kimberly.

---------------

James and Kimberly were straightening up the room after “Hurricane Hunter” had torn it to pieces; leaving a horrible path of destruction in his wake.  “Who knew  three year olds could cause such utter destruction?” Kim laughed as they picked up.

“I did, baby.  Remember how big my family is?”

She laughed.  “Yeah.  Your brothers and sisters are all pretty cool about Hunter.”

“Because we all knew that Malachai was adopted by Dad.  The thought process is actually pretty natural to us.  ‘If I care for this woman then I need to care for this child.’  A real man can step up and do that and that’s how our father raised us boys.”

There was a knock on the door.  “Jay, Kim, I’m taking Hunter with me so that the kids can all make Mom and Dad a welcome home sign.  We’ll be back in a while”, Jake said through the door.

“Ok, Jake, we’ll see you when you get back”, James called before he started the vacuum.

“Can Jake handle three kids by himself?” Kim shouted over the noise.

“Yeah.  Jake’s great with kids”, James called back.  When he was finished vacuuming the crumbs up off the floor, he shut off the noisy machine.  “All the technology in the world and we can’t invent a quieter vacuum cleaner?” he asked himself  them looked up at Kim.  “Baby, don’t worry.  Jake will take good care of Hunter.”

“If anything happens to him…”

“You’d have to beat me to him; trust me.”  He reached out to her and she came to him.  He pulled her into the circle of his arms.  “You worry about that boy too much, Kimberly Elaine.  No one is going to hurt that child.  Do you believe that?”

She nodded softly, her eyes closed and her head on her shoulder.  “Yeah, I believe it.”

“Do you believe that I’m never going to hurt you?”  he guided them down to sit on the bed.

She nodded.  “Yes.”

He took one finger and placed it under her chin and used it to manipulate her head.  “Then relax and don’t worry so much, baby girl.”  He pressed her lips to hers reassuringly.

She took a moment to process what he was doing, then her hands slipped under his tank top to caress the six pack he hid underneath it.  She moaned softly against his lips and deepened the kiss.

His hands slipped beneath the camisole she wore to caress the bare skin of her back.  He could feel through her kiss that she was still guarded when it came to his family.  Only being around them would show her that no one would hurt her or Hunter.  But, she needed reassurance from him.  He peeled her top off of her body and laid her back on the bed.  After slipping off of the bed to his knees, he placed himself between her legs and took her shorts off of her body.  He gently kissed the inside of her thighs-taking his dear sweet time and savoring every inch of her.

She let out a soft moan.  “Oh, GOD, James.”

“All you have to do is tell me to stop.”  The tone in his voice said that he knew she wouldn’t.

And she didn’t.  In fact, she said the exact opposite.  “Please, no.  Don’t stop”, she sighed.

He smiled to himself as he lowered his mouth to her core and- with one long lick- began to sate a hunger that hadn’t been sated in nearly a month.