BECAUSE YOU LOVED ME
Jim hung the last of the clean tack on the hooks near the door. He had returned about an hour earlier from a two night campout with the boys from the Ten Acres Academy.
While he should, by all rights, be exhausted from the adventure with the boys who ranged in age from 6-16, instead he was looking forward to the evening that he had planned with his wife.
He and Trixie had been married six years today. It seemed like it was yesterday. Now, two kids later, they were celebrating their sixth anniversary.
Daughter Katie was four-years-old and baby Jamie, just three months. This was the first official date he’d had with his wife since the birth of their son.
Trixie had slowly gotten back into the swing of things. She had returned to work at the Belden-Wheeler Detective Agency just a few weeks ago.
Jim could remember someone warning them that one child was one, but two would seem like ten. He could smile now, but when Jamie was born it rang so true.
Katie was jealous of the baby, in spite of their efforts to alleviate any ill will. It made for some dicey moments in the early days of Jamie’s life.
His wife’s patience amazed him, and they very quickly weathered that storm. However, their newfound calm was soon replaced by Jamie’s colic.
Many a night, they walked the floors with their newborn son. Thankfully, Jamie had been much better lately. Jim even dared to hope they’d passed through the worst of that storm.
“Hey, Boss! The kids went back to the dorms; do you want to catch a cup of coffee or maybe something stronger?”
Robert Townsend had gone to college with Jim and now taught math at the school.
“Sorry! Not tonight; I have a date!”
Robert’s brows rose in surprise.
“With your wife, I hope.”
Jim made a fist and lightly punched his friend in the arm.
“Of course, it’s with my wife. It’s the first real dinner we’ll have out together since Jamie was born and it’s our anniversary too.”
“Hmm…” Robert looked at him a long minute. “Going to get started on child number three?”
Jim grinned and rolled his eyes, “You really need a life, Townsend!”
But, it was with a little spring in his step that Jim left the stables and headed for the house he shared with his family.
Jim opened the door and stepped into their home. The familiar scents warmed his heart and made him thankful for his family.
The house was quiet. Jim set his duffle bag at the foot of the stairs to be taken up later, and looked into the open archway to the living room.
The faint sounds of the television could now be heard, and he followed the sound.
He found Katie, wrapped in the warm afghan her Grandma Belden had crocheted for them, watching cartoons.
Katie looked up and smiled at her father.
“Hi, Daddy.”
Jim frowned and gingerly sat beside his daughter on the couch.
“Katie, sweetie, you sound like you have a frog in your throat.”
Katie sniffed, “Daddy, I can’t have a fwog in my fwoat.”
Jim smiled at her seriousness.
“You’re right. You must have a cold.”
Katie nodded and sniffed again. Jim reached for a tissue from the box sitting on the table next to her. He held the tissue for Katie to blow her nose into and gently wiped her nose.
Glancing around, he asked, “Where’s Mommy?”
“In the shower with Jamie.”
Jim frowned and asked her, “In the shower? Jamie isn’t big enough for the shower yet.”
“Yep, Unca Bwian told her to take him in the shower.”
Jim was confused, but patted his daughter’s leg and tucked the afghan tighter around her. He reached for the cup of apple juice next to them on the table and offered Katie a drink.
She sipped some juice and handed the cup back to him.
“Katie, you stay here and watch TV; I am going to find Mommy.”
“OK, Daddy.”
Jim stood up and left the living room, stopping in the kitchen long enough to dispose of the soiled tissue and wash his hands.
As he neared the bathroom, he could hear the unmistakable sound of the shower running. He softly rapped his knuckle on the door, and called out to his wife, “Trix?”
“Come on in.”
The muffled reply was definitely his wife’s voice.
Jim cracked the door opened and steam came billowing out.
“Hurry, come in and shut the door.”
Jim quickly stepped through the door and shut it behind him.
Trixie was walking around the room in a tight circle, holding their son to her shoulder.
“Hi, what’s going on?” Jim asked.
Trixie held her tiny son with one hand long enough to push the steam-dampened curls from her forehead.
Jamie coughed before she could speak.
“Wow! That’s an awful big cough for such a little man! Is he OK?” Jim stepped closer and touched a hand to the back of Jamie’s downy head.
“He’s got a bad cold. So does Katie.” Trixie stopped walking the room and looked up at her husband.
“It’s spring. Isn’t it a little late for such a terrible cold?”
“Well, tell the germs that. I am assuming they have the same bug that kept Mart from the camping excursion.”
Jim wasn’t actually supposed to go on the campout with the kids from the school. He was staying behind to finish paperwork and then have extra time with his wife for their anniversary weekend. Diana had called him early Thursday morning and told him of Mart’s illness.
Trixie had convinced Jim not to disappoint the kids and go out with them instead; assuring him they’d have plenty of time to be together.
“Should we take him to see a doctor? He’s so tiny to be so sick.” Jim said with a frown of concern on his face.
“Brian just left. He checked them both and brought antibiotics and cough medicine. Katie has just a cold, but Jamie has an ear infection on top of the congestion in his chest.”
“When did this start?” Jim asked, softly stroking the baby’s head
“Thursday afternoon I noticed he didn’t want to take his nap and seemed restless whenever I laid him down. The ear infection explains that. Last night was the worst; Katie was stuffy and couldn’t sleep, and Jamie was very fussy and wouldn’t settle down at all. I don’t think any of us got much sleep.”
Jim looked through the steam and noticed the tiredness around Trixie’s eyes. He moved his hand from Jamie’s head to stroke a knuckle across her cheek.
“You should have called me. I’d have come back sooner. You know I always have my cell phone.”
“It’s OK, Jim. After the rough night, I called Brian and he thought they had the same bug as not only Mart, but also Honey and Peter, so he came prepared.”
Peter was Honey and Brian’s four-year-old son. He and Katie were best friends and shared everything. That apparently included cold germs, too.
Jamie’s little body was wracked by another barking cough.
“What can I do? I feel so helpless.” Jim looked down at his son. He wasn’t used to these feelings, and didn’t like it.
“Brian suggested we set up a vaporizer in his room, and to bring him in here so the steam will help alleviate the cough and congestion. He’s too small to take very much in the way of medicine, but the antibiotic will take care of his ear infection. He can take Tylenol for the pain, and Brian said that should help him sleep. He also suggested lowering one end of his crib to make his head a little higher to help alleviate the pressure. If the cough doesn’t seem to lessen or gets worse in the next few days, Brian said we should take him to the walk-in at the hospital or get him into the doctor’s office.”
Jim nodded, “I will go get the vaporizer set up and fix the crib now.”
Jim turned to leave the bathroom, but stopped to look down at his wife.
Pressing a kiss to her forehead, he whispered, “Happy anniversary!”
Trixie smiled and tilted her head back to kiss his lips.
“Happy anniversary! I love you!”
“Love you!”
Trixie stayed with Jamie in the steam for a bit longer before wrapping him in a big, fluffy towel and leaving the warmth to go out into the rest of the house.
She found that Jim had indeed set everything up in Jamie’s room and it was waiting for them.
As she changed Jamie’s diaper and clothes, she crooned, “There, sweetie! Daddy fixed your bed and your ears won’t hurt you anymore when you sleep.”
Jamie stared at his mother, kicking his feet and seemed to understand.
Trixie and Jamie came back down the stairs and found Jim and Katie curled up on the couch watching cartoons together.
“Hey, do you have room for us?”
“Mommy! Look, it’s Scooby Doo!! He likes mystewies, too!”
Katie bounced in her excitement.
Trixie grinned as her husband rolled his eyes. She knew it was a fear of his that an older Katie would love mysteries almost as much as her mother.
Jim lifted a corner of the blanket he’d swiped from their room and wordlessly invited Trixie into its folds.
When Trixie was seated next to him, he covered both Trixie and the baby and rested his arm on the back of the couch. His free hand stroked the back of Jamie’s head and he leaned over to press his lips to his soft cheek.
The Frayne family spent the next couple of hours watching the cartoons together, until it was time for the children to take their medicine.
Trixie handed Jamie to his father, and got up to measure it in the kitchen.
When she returned to join her family in the living room, Trixie was carrying a syringe filled with Jamie’s antibiotic, Katie’s cough medicine in a cup, along with fresh juice for her, and a towel to wipe away any excess medicine from Jamie’s face.
Biting her lip, she looked at Jim.
“Jim, I really hope you aren’t upset with me, but I called Moms this morning and told her the kids were sick and we wouldn’t need a babysitter after all.”
Jim looked up at her and smiled, “That’s OK with me, Trix. I feel the same way and I was trying to figure out how I was going to tell you I cancelled our reservation.”
Trixie giggled, “Great minds think alike, huh?”
Jim turned Jamie around so Trixie could squirt the medicine into his mouth and said,
“I love your great mind!”
They watched Jamie swallow the pink medicine and Trixie bent to kiss his cheek.
“You are such a good boy, little man.”
Trixie stood up to take Katie her medicine. She bent to drop a kiss on Jim’s head as she moved past him.
“You’re such a good Daddy!”
Jim laughed when Katie giggled over her mother’s antics.
Katie drank her medicine down without an argument and shifted closer to her father again, settling against him.
Trixie smoothed Katie’s curls back and asked her daughter, “Gee, I think since we are all staying home tonight, we need pizza. What do you think?”
Katie nodded and her strawberry blonde curls fell back onto her forehead.
Trixie looked questioningly at her husband, “The usual?”
With a quick nod and a wink at his daughter, he said, “That works for me!”
Trixie ordered their pizza, readied their plates and napkins, and came back to sit down with her family after she’d rinsed the medicine dispensers.
Jamie needed to nurse and Trixie made herself comfortable in the big recliner next to Katie’s end of the couch to breastfeed her son.
Within a half an hour, the pizza delivery car pulled into their driveway. Jim already had the money ready and opened the door when the man approached.
Trixie sniffed appreciatively as the aroma of the fresh sausage, onion and mushroom pizza wafted into the living room.
Jim set the pizza on the coffee table and opened the box. He took a slice out and set it on a plate to cool for Katie.
Jamie made slurping noises as he enjoyed his dinner also.
Jim offered to get a plate for Trixie but she declined. She said she’d eat when Jamie was settled and they should start without her.
Katie didn’t even finish her first piece when she sat back against the couch.
“Daddy, I’m full.”
Jim looked down at her with sympathy. He knew her cold was causing the lack of appetite.
“I’ll save your piece for you for later, OK?”
Katie nodded and handed her father her plate. She then lay down and pulled the blanket over her shoulders again.
She was asleep before Jim finished eating his second piece.
“I’ll carry her up to bed.”
Jim set his plate of half-eaten pizza on the table and stood up.
Trixie was now burping Jamie and said, “Just leave her in her clothes. She’s in sweats; they will be fine for her to sleep in.”
“It’s only,” Jim paused to look at his watch, “7:13. Aren’t you afraid she’ll be up before dawn?”
Trixie shook her head, “She didn’t get much sleep last night and didn’t take a nap today. That cough medicine will knock her out, too.”
“Good point! I’ll be back in a minute.”
Jim peeled the blanket back from Katie and stooped to pick her up. Katie didn’t stir, but she did cuddle into her father’s chest.
Jim was coming out of Katie’s room when he passed Trixie on her way to Jamie’s nursery.
“Is he going to bed too?” Jim asked, pausing next to them in the hall.
“I am going to change his diaper and get him into his pajamas. I think I will rock him for a bit up here. He’s so tired. He only had a couple of little catnaps today and, like his sister, he really didn’t sleep last night. It won’t take him long to go out.”
Jim kissed the back of Jamie’s head and whispered his good nights.
“I’m going to get him into bed, and then take a shower. Could you turn the monitor on in a bit and listen for him?”
“You got it!”
Trixie went into Jamie’s room and put the little guy into his pajamas and was soon rocking him in the big chair Jim had made for her when she was pregnant with Katie.
She kissed Jamie’s sweet cheeks while talking softly to him.
“I love you, sweet baby. I hope you can sleep tonight. You will feel so much better if you rest, sweetie. Daddy fixed your bed, so it won’t hurt your ears so much to lie down. I will turn the vaporizer on to help you breathe and not cough so much. Close your eyes, little angel. Sleep peacefully.”
Trixie hummed a sweet soothing tune and rocked Jamie until his eyelids lost the battle to stay open.
Downstairs, Jim had already turned on the monitor. He sighed in utter contentment listening to his wife with their son. He’d always felt he was lucky to have Trixie in his life, but since they were married and she became the mother of his children, he now knew it without a doubt.
He cleaned up their mess from the pizza and set Trixie’s pieces aside. He wrapped Katie’s and put it all into the refrigerator.
This anniversary hadn’t turned out as planned. There wasn’t any champagne or a romantic dinner.
Jim thought about it though, and he honestly felt if he had to change one thing about this night, it would have been that the kids weren’t sick. Otherwise, it seemed to Jim the night was perfect. Dinner in a fancy restaurant would have been nice, but sharing a pizza with his two best girls in the warmth and comfort of their home was even better.
Jim did feel a pain of remorse. He knew Trixie had been looking forward to their date.
Well, I can’t change that now. But, maybe I can make it
special just the same.
Upstairs, Trixie had laid Jamie in his crib and he turned his head onto the opposite side and that was all. He was sound asleep.
She felt relief for that. She knew part of the baby feeling better was going to hinge on the amount of rest he got.
Trixie left the room, shutting the door behind her.
She entered the room she shared with Jim and went to the closet to retrieve her robe for after her shower.
Meanwhile downstairs, Jim decided to make their anniversary special for his wife. He went upstairs into their room, hearing the shower running from their bathroom.
He moved quickly as he wasn’t sure how much longer she’d be in the shower.
Jim pulled the candle lighter from his pocket and quickly lit a few candles around the room. Spying the small CD player in the entertainment center in the corner, he opened the cabinet, and with a finger, he scanned the CDs for the one he wanted. He couldn’t help but smile as he found it and slipped it out of its case and into the player. He turned it on softly so as not to disturb their sleeping children down the hall and surveyed the room, happy with the results.
One more thing!
He left their room and went back downstairs.
Jim went into the kitchen to look for something for the two of them to drink.
“Damn! I didn’t think we’d need a bottle of champagne for at home,” he said out loud to himself.
Jim looked to their wine rack that he’d made for them himself. His eyes settled on a bottle of Trixie’s favorite Merlot.
“This will work!”
Jim took the corkscrew from the drawer and grabbed two wineglasses from the china cabinet. He made quick work of the cork and then stuck the cork back into the bottle until they were ready to have a glass.
All the while, Jim kept an ear open for any signs of Jamie waking. The more he worked at setting the scene, the more he was grateful the baby continued to sleep.
In the meantime, Trixie had finished her shower. She quickly towel dried her hair and set about taming her unruly curls. She knew that this anniversary hadn’t turned out as they had planned and hoped they could reschedule their date for a night very soon.
She lightly sprayed her perfume and slipped into a silky robe. As she opened the door of the bathroom, she heard the music.
THEIR song had just begun. Celine Dion’s sultry voice filtered into the room. And Trixie stopped in the doorway and took in the efforts of her husband.
For all those times you stood by me
For all the truth that you made me see
For all the joy you brought to my life
For all the wrong that you made right
For every dream you made come true
For all the love I found in you
I’ll be forever thankful baby
You’re the one who held me up
Never let me fall
You’re the one who saw me through it all
Trixie remembered their wedding, or more specifically the moment at
the reception when they’d shared their first dance to this song.
Smiling, she moved to the bed to turn it down.
She slid her robe off her shoulders and slipped between the sheets, propping herself up on the pillows to wait for Jim’s return.
You
were my strength when I was weak
You were my voice when I couldn’t speak
You were my eyes when I couldn’t see
You saw the best there was in me
Lifted me up when I couldn’t reach
You gave me faith ’coz you believed
I’m everything I am
Because you loved me
Jim balanced the wine
bottle and glasses as he opened the door to their room. He recognized the music
immediately and was pleased to see the reclined figure of his wife in the bed
waiting for him. The candlelight held the room in a soft glow, and romance was
definitely in the air.
He set the wine and
glasses on his bedside table with a flourish and turned to look at his bride.
Trixie looked absolutely
beautiful in the romantic light. Her curls were softly framing her face. It was
obvious she was naked beneath the sheets. He very quickly moved to pull his
shirt over his head. Tossing it to the floor, he looked into Trixie’s blue
eyes.
The same blue eyes that
were closed, as she was sound asleep. Grinning ruefully, he couldn’t fault her
for falling asleep on him. Shaking his head, he blew the candles out one by
one.
You
gave me wings and made me fly
You touched my hand I could touch the sky
I lost my faith, you gave it back to me
You said no star was out of reach
You stood by me and I stood tall
I had your love I had it all
I’m grateful for each day you gave me
Maybe I don’t know that much
But I know this much is true
I was blessed because I was loved by you
Jim decided to get his own
shower out of the way before he climbed into the bed with his wife.
It didn’t take him long
before he was back, ready to climb into their large bed himself.
A soft knock on their door
alerted him that Katie was awake. He quickly slid into his boxers, and shrugged
into his robe before opening the door to his pint-sized daughter.
Katie looked up at him
with her mother’s blue eyes.
“Daddy, I can’t sleep.”
She sniffed and Jim could
tell she was stuffy again from her cold.
He bent to pick her up and
took her back down the hall toward her room.
“It’s OK, sweetheart. Come
on, Daddy will take you back to your room.”
Jim set her back into her
bed and told her he’d be right back.
He went into the bathroom
next to her room and opened the cabinet, looking for something to help. She
couldn’t have any medicine yet, and Jim wondered what would make her feel
better.
He saw the tube of the
Children’s Vicks Vapor Rub. After swiping the box of tissues from the sink, he
rejoined his daughter.
“This will make you feel a
little better, baby.”
Jim pulled her shirt off
and applied the medicated ointment. The fumes filled the air and Katie wrinkled
her nose.
“This stuff smells yucky.”
“Yeah, I know, but it will
help to clear your nose and you should be able to sleep better.”
Once he was finished
rubbing it onto her chest and neck, he wiped his hand on a tissue and picked up
her t-shirt. He slipped it over her head and then had her sit back against her
pillows. He held a tissue for her to blow her nose and then told her he’d get
her a little juice.
Jim went downstairs to get
the apple juice and hoped his daughter would go back to sleep soon.
Katie sipped a little of the
juice and he helped her blow her nose again before tucking her back into her
bed again. Once she was settled, he sat next to her, leaning back against the
headboard.
“Daddy? Can you tell me a
storwy?”
Jim smiled down at her,
remembering the times her Uncle Bobby had said the same thing.
“What do you want me to
read to you?” he asked, half expecting to hear “Peter Rabbit”.
“Don’t want you to read!
Tell me a story about you when you were a boy and met Mommy!”
Jim grinned. Katie had
loved hearing about how he and Trixie had met when they were only teenagers.
They’d told her stories of when they were younger and some of the adventures
they’d had. They, of course, had left out the danger of some of those
adventures, but knew the day would soon come when she’d learn of that too. That
was something Jim hoped would not happen, but accepted that their children
would someday know of the danger their mother had gotten them into at times.
“OK, where should I
start?”
Katie sighed, “At the
beginning!”
“OK, one day Mommy and
Aunt Honey were snooping through an old mansion.”
Katie, having heard the
story many times in her young age, interrupted.
With a shake of her curls,
she said, “They were ‘sploring.”
Jim grinned, “Yes, I’m
sorry; they were exploring an old mansion.”
You
were my strength when I was weak
You were my voice when I couldn’t speak
You were my eyes when I couldn’t see
You saw the best there was in me
Lifted me up when I couldn’t reach
You gave me faith ’coz you believed
I’m everything I am
Because you loved me
Jim’s voice was softly
droning into the night as he told Katie the story of how her mommy met her
daddy.
“And you were naughty and
ran away. But, Mommy found you.”
You were always there for me
The tender wind that carried me
A light in the dark shining your love into my life
You’ve been my inspiration
Through the lies you were the truth
My world is a better place because of you
“Yes, Mommy found me.”
“That’s ‘cause she’s such
a good ‘tective.”
“Mommy’s the best
detective.”
You were my strength when I was weak
You were my voice when I couldn’t speak
You were my eyes when I couldn’t see
You saw the best there was in me
Lifted me up when I couldn’t reach
You gave me faith ’coz you believed
I’m everything I am
Because you loved me
Katie was asleep again by
the time Jim finished the part of the diamond being found.
Jim eased himself from the
bed and tucked the covers back around her. He brushed a kiss on her forehead
and went back to his room.
He carefully slid into his
own bed, and Trixie immediately curled against him. Resting her head on his
shoulder, he wrapped his arms around her. Trixie sighed in her sleep and
snuggled closer to him.
Jim smoothed her curls
down and kissed her forehead, and closed his eyes letting sleep claim him too.
Their gifts to each other
were left unopened, their wine wasn’t touched. Nothing of their planned date
had occurred, but it didn’t matter. Trixie’s soft body was pressed to his and
he sighed in contentment.
I’m everything I am
Because you loved me
