Ralph had been sitting and watching Adira and Raven while they were sleeping. But the moment Adira went to sleep, the little one woke up, screaming. It was loud enough to wake up the dead, he thought, and it made him think of mortar attacks.
Adira fussed over Raven while checking on her diapers, trying to nurse her, and then burped her. But no matter what she did, the baby would not be soothed.
Adira's face had all sorts of emotions, from exhaustion to distress, and then embarrassment. She then tried talking to Raven, saying, "Come, darling, we will walk around again." But her words ended in a whimper.
Ralph felt that he could not sit idly anymore. He went to Adira and asked, "May I" and when she nodded, he carried Raven for a walk. He snuggled the baby against his throat and started to walk with her. The little one cried a sound as if having some pain. He tried talking to Raven and said, "Right here, sweetheart, we are not going anywhere, we'll take a short walk." He kept assuring her.
Raven's cries grew weaker. She probably liked the sound of Ralph's voice. He then said, "Hey sweet girl, want me to tell you a story?"
But Raven started crying again. Ralph felt that his voice was also not helping with soothing her.
Adira advised him, "Pat her back while you walk." He responded with a "Yes Ma'am."
Ralph found it awkward to hold Raven and simultaneously pat her back, but he then somehow managed. The baby, after a little whimpering, stopped crying. He told Adira, "See you know exactly what to do, Mom."
Adira's cheeks were flushed with a pink color, and her eyes were shining. She then said, "If I had known what to do, you wouldn't have to hold her."
But then Ralph laughingly said, "I indeed have more experience than you." He then went for a longer walk, while Adira also joined him.
Adira then asked him, "Do tell me all about your experience with babies?"
"When my niece and nephew 'Rhea and Ryan', who are Liam's daughter and son, were small, and their mother had been killed in an accident. Liam was handling his job at the hospital, so I had helped raise them whenever I used to be home." Ralph was laughing while sharing, "Liam also used to stay away because he was afraid of shitty diapers. I don't blame him. But personally taking care of a baby helped prepare me for the Army. There was nothing they could ask me to do, which was worse than being simultaneously covered in vomit and shit." He then continued, "Rhea had food allergies, but she is seven years old, and Ryan is 5 years old, and things are under control."
Adira teasingly told him, "Wow, you have always been a 'Messiah' rescuing people, haven't you?"
Ralph smilingly replied that he liked helping people, and never thought it was something he had to do.
Adira lovingly stroked Raven's cheeks and found that she had gone to sleep.
Ralph asked Adira, her daughter's age.
She replied that her daughter was going to be three months old after 10 days.
Ralph then felt that no fucking wonder it was that Adira looked so exhausted. She had practically just given birth. He asked her "Where is Raven's Dad?"
Adira looked away and said that he was no longer in the picture.
He asked her, "When did he leave? I know that it is not my business, but I need to know these things. Honestly speaking, I feel a need to help people. It is in my DNA. I cannot help it."
Adira then smiled bitterly and said that "As soon as I shared the good news about my pregnancy, my ex-husband gave me the cash and told me to get rid of the baby. He did not want the child. When I refused, he kicked me out of his place. I eventually ended up in a women's shelter." She let out a shuddering breath. "When I broke up with him, nobody would hire me. I had no means of transportation, an apartment, or food. I started staying with friends, and then my pregnancy was visible. Somehow I pulled on for so many days. I called up my Aunt in the U.S., but she too said that I deserved everything, for having broken up with Lucifer."
Ralph then said, "It means going back to your Aunt is not going to be a pleasant thing, ain't it?"
"No, they are not going to throw a party for me, if that is what you mean," she said.
Ralph said that it was damn shameful for them to behave in that manner.
Adira asked him how long he would be posted in Afghanistan.
He replied that he would be gone for six months. But he said he was planning to set up a home after that, as he was fucking tired of the war and peacekeeping duty, his nightmares of the unending missions, and his inability to form roots, not sure what was next in store.
Adira then asked him, "You would settle down in the San Juan Islands, isn't it?"
Ralph's face had a worried look at that question.
She asked him whether he had bad memories of his hometown.
Ralph said both good and bad, depending on what she wanted to hear.
She replied that the bad is always with us. At least we should remember the good.
He replied, "Well, the good part is that I miss the ocean, the sand, the beautiful sunrise and sunset, the wind over the dunes, watching the sea turtle move back to the ocean, the food, and, of course, my family."
Adira then said, "You are strange Ralph, but very loving deep within. Saying this, she bumped his hips with hers and smiled lovingly at him." She then told him, that someday she wished to come to see his place and meet his family.
Ralph felt as if her smile lighted up the airport terminal. He wondered how she made him laugh so easily, that for the time being he had forgotten that his brother Mike was missing, as well as forgotten that he was going to the war front.
He then confirmed with Adira whether the little one was fast asleep, and then they sat down in their vacant seats. He lay Raven gently on her pile of blankets, while Adira kept on whispering, "Please keep sleeping. Darling, please keep sleeping."
When the baby did not wake up, they both did a high-five. Adira then slid her fingers gently between his, and said, "Thank You Ralph for all that you have done for me."
The heat generated between them, and he acutely felt that something was building up between them. He was acutely aware of the way she smelled, the way she smiled, as if lighting up his whole world, the way she fit so perfectly with him. He then gently squeezed her fingers and then let go. Because he could not allow himself to think that this chance meeting was anything more than that. She had said that she was not looking for a relationship, and well, he had nothing to offer, right? He was, after all, going to the war front.
Ralph said that he would watch out for Adira and Raven while they slept.
Adira then said that the temperature had probably dropped. She was shivering, which Ralph observed. She was wearing a full-sleeved T-shirt, but the material was so thin that the golden color of her skin was revealed.
He said it was getting colder as there was an ice storm. He then asked her, "Want to borrow my sweatshirt?" He fished it out of his rucksack before she could say no, and handed it to her.
Adira pulled it over her head, and the sheer size engulfed her. But it helped her, and she felt warm. While she yawned, she said, "I feel I haven't slept for years."
Ralph had a look at her, wanting to see how she looked in his sweatshirt. He said, "You are still looking damn good."
She blushed and said, "Every new mom needs to hear that at least three times a day."
He joked that he would repeat that to her at dinner, and he said that with a wink.
"Dinner, huh?" she questioned him with a raised brow.
He shrugged and said, "I figure we will be here at least that long."
Panic flared in Adira's eyes. She said, "I hope not... I am not prepared for that. I..." She kept checking her handbag and said in a low voice that if they were not sitting close, Ralph could not have heard her when she said, "This is all we have."
Ralph said, "I can..."
But she did not let him continue and said, "I don't want you to do anything. You have done more than any person in their right mind would do for a stranger."
Ralph answered, "Fine. Don't consider me in my right mind."
She sighed and said, "I am not joking, Ralph. You have done enough."
He asked her, "Why don't you let me be the judge of that?"
Exhausted by the argument, she said, "Fine. Spend your last dollar on me." She continued, "But don't say I did not tell you to stop."
He smilingly replied, "I have never been good at following directions."
She smiled and said, "Good for you to have joined the Army then."
Ralph told her, "I am happy to be stranded at the airport with you. I mean it. I truly mean it."
Adira burst out laughing. She said, "I can't even stay mad at you."
He replied, "Good." He made a move to grab her, which she didn't protest. He said that she had to lean on him and go to sleep, which was an order.
"Aye, aye, Captain," she replied.
"Not Captain. It is Brigadier General," Ralph corrected.
She lay her head on his shoulder and said, "Whatever."
A/N: To be continued...