Chapter 16 – Angela Returns Home
As they stabilized in the ready room, Jill began to cry. She puckered up her lips as if she was about to scream, then rubbed her eyes and went back to sleep. Angela giggled and said, “I know just how you feel,” then sat down in the chair and let her body adjust to The Empress. Suddenly, Angela spoke to the computer and said, “Computer, we are home, did you miss us?” The computer said, “Angela, I thank your God for your return, I do not know how this vessel operated before you came aboard. Let me tell you what has been going on around here since you left, you will be shocked with the horrible care The Empress has received in your absence.” Ronnie just shook his head, walked into Jill’s bedroom and placed her in her crib. When he walked back to the ready room, he heard Angela say, “I will help you straighten up the messes in the morning, you must understand that Ronnie was never a very tidy human.”
When Ronnie walked past her, she reached down and rubbed his butt, just to remind him that she did love him and had missed him this week. Ronnie looked his wife in the eyes and said, “You have spoiled this computer rotten, and now it has begun tattling on me, its programmer, its creator.” Angela just kissed Ronnie and let him make a cup of coffee in the replicator. Then she walked up beside him, picked up his cup of coffee and walked away with it. Ronnie said, “Hey, that was mine,” but Angela just continued walking towards her bedroom. Ronnie made a second cup of coffee and followed Angela into the bedroom. As she undressed to shower, she said, “I would wash your back, if you would wash mine, but I need a few more days or so to heal before I can make love to you.” Ronnie smiled and said, “I think you need more than a few days to heal, my friend, more like a few weeks.” He patted Angela’s bare butt as she walked into the shower, then undressed and joined her.
During the night, Ronnie got up twice to still his child. The first time she was hungry and wet, the second time she had turned into a farm animal again. This time Ronnie drew a sink of water, sat her in it and listened to her giggle as she played in the warm water. Angela heard the commotion and came into the bathroom to see what her kids were doing. Angela asked if Ronnie thought that four in the morning was a good time to play in the water with his daughter. Ronnie said, “If you smell Jill, you will discover that she now smells much better now than she did a few minutes ago. The barnyard smell seems to have left her, but I am not sure the pajamas or blanket will survive.” Angela picked them up from the bottom of the tub and said, “Holy crap girl, what has your daddy been feeding you,” then took the clothes to the disposer. When she dropped the dirty clothes into the disposer, Ronnie heard her say, “Sorry Computer, but I warned you that this tiny child would sometimes stink.,” When she pushed the button on the top of the disposer, the computer said, “I have placed new pajamas and a blanket on Ronnie’s bed.” Then the disposer beeped twice as it began to incinerate the dirty pajamas and blanket.
By the time Ronnie had dried and diapered Jill, Angela had a bottle of milk ready for her. She handed the bottle to Ronnie, and began turning down the lights. Ronnie sat in a rocker and began feeding his daughter. Jill fell asleep before she had even drunk half of the bottle of formula. Ronnie carefully put her back into her clean bed and covered her up. When he crawled back into the bed beside Angela, she said, “Thanks for caring for Jill tonight. To you it was just a stinky child who needed a bath, but to me it was a show of love that reminded me of my father, and how he cared for me when I was tiny and needed him.”
As Angela snuggled up close and put her head on Ronnie’s arm, he felt her warm wet tears drip on his arm. He leaned over and kissed her goodnight. The computer dimmed the lights so Ronnie and Jill could sleep, but left enough light in the lamp beside Angela to fight off any lurking nightmares. She put her hand on Ronnie’s bare belly, hoping the close body contact would also keep her from screaming and waking the sleeping child in the crib. Angela decided she needed to work out a different sleeping arrangement for Jill, possibly in the small room she and the girls created for a nursery. The child needed quite at night, and she and Ronnie were going to need to be able to talk and love each other without waking Jill. She would take care of the problem in the morning.
When they got up in the morning, Angela decided to perk coffee in the tiny coffee pot. She had loved the coffee at Janet’s and could not get enough now that Jill was no longer nursing. When Ronnie stepped into the kitchen, his eyes lit up and he said, “I remember why I missed you so much while you were at Janet’s. You make the best coffee ever.” Then he walked up to Angela, put his arms around her and said, “You make everything in my life better.” Angela almost cried, but quickly sealed the leak in her eyes, and said, “I am glad to be back here with you and The Empress, I love being home.”
When they had eaten breakfast, Ronnie worked with a customer on the Super 11 radio, and Angela put Jill into bed a basket with handles. She carried the child with her out into the inventory locker bay and began inventorying the massive amount of goods that were stacked along the walls. There was two weeks work here inventorying and putting away the goods. When Ronnie stepped up beside her, he said, “Sorry about the mess, but I was rather busy this week.” Angela just smiled and said, “I guess you did miss me while I was gone.”
Jill stirred in her basket against the wall, then put her thumb in her mouth and went back to sleep. Ronnie chuckled and said, “I almost threw that basket into the disposer a few months ago, then decided I liked it and should keep it around. I am now very glad I saved it. Jill seems to like it as well.” Ronnie put his arm around Angela and pulled her to him. “I have one request for you in the next few days, please do not lift or carry the heavy items. Let your body heal for a little longer. I will transport the heavy items for you, and put the lighter things on the table for you to sort. Agreed?” Angela quickly said that he would get no argument from her. She explained that her belly was still very sore and she probably would only work a couple of hours this morning and a couple of hours later today.
As they talked, the computer notified Angela that she had received a call from Frederica and could return the call at Janet’s house whenever she had time this morning. Ronnie smiled and said, “Frederica misses you and Jill’s company.” Angela said, “I have a feeling she may ask to come stay with us for a few days, under the pretense of helping me take care of Jill.” Angela explained to Ronnie that Frederica was fascinated with The Empress and this lifestyle and would give anything to stay here for a while. Ronnie asked Angela how she felt about having Frederica hanging around, and Angela quickly said, “I would let her stay aboard The Empress permanently if it was up to me.”
As Angela turned to go talk to Frederica, Ronnie made one comment. “It is up to you, you do realize that, don’t you?” Angela turned to face her husband, looked him in the eyes to be certain he was serious, then turned and headed back to the ready room. Ronnie checked to make sure Jill was warm enough, and then asked the computer to listen for Jill’s cry and alert him if he should happen to miss her need for assistance. The computer swiveled a camera around onto Jill, zoomed it in close, and began to monitor the tiny child.
When Angela walked back into the inventory locker bay, she looked in on Jill and then walked up and stood in front of Ronnie. Ronnie almost walked into her as he turned around, but stopped short and looked her in the eyes, wondering if something was seriously wrong at home. Angela smiled and said, “Hope you were serious husband, because I just invited a guest to stay with us for two weeks while she is on spring break from school.” Ronnie just smiled and told Angela that he would rather enjoy having another smiling face aboard The Empress for a few weeks. Ronnie started to walk away from Angela but stopped, turned around to her and said, “Frederica has grown into a beautiful woman, and has changed from the giggling little girl I once knew; changed into a very smart, very funny teenager, who I very much enjoy having around. She can almost do calculus problems faster in her head than I can.”
Ronnie turned and walked aw
ay, he did not see his wife put her fingers over her mouth to stifle the sound of her crying; he did not see the tears in his wife’s eyes for the love she felt for him. The tears of joy she felt for this man, the Father of her child, the love of her life, the one to rescue her from the nightmares of her childhood; her prince in shining armor that she had hoped for all of her life had finally arrived.