Fourth Vector Ch. 34

Finally, the midwife brought the baby over and deposited him on Kat's chest. For the first time, Jack could hear the tiniest cry from the baby, just using his lungs for the first time.

"Well, congratulations to all of you," said the midwife finally. "You have a son! A beautiful and healthy baby boy!"

Jack felt his chest seize up with pride as he beheld his son for the first time. He was tinier than he would have thought possible, being just larger than the size of one of Kat's breasts. For now though, the infant was rooting around his mother's chest, seeking a nipple to latch onto.

The next hour was oddly calm after all the calamity of the earlier two days. The baby managed to find Kat's nipple and suckle for a short period before promptly falling asleep against her chest in pure exhaustion. He wasn't alone. Wearing a weary smile, Kat held her newborn to her chest as he slept while she struggled to keep her eyes open as well.

The news of the birth triggered a small gaggle of visitors anxious to see the baby. Greg and Vera were the first to arrive, being the first to hold him after Kat, Abigail, and Jack had their turns.

Vera couldn't have been more excited. "I can't believe that I'm really an aunt now! This is so exciting!" She then took her turn trying to playfully coax the baby into saying "Aunt Vera" before soon passing him to Greg.

The well-wishers continued to arrive. Aedan and his family took their turns as well, even allowing the baby to look upon the face of Prince Davin. The older boy managed a wave to the newcomer before being pulled away, delighting everyone in the room. Even Santino brought his family around, and his two young daughters each got their turn holding him.

Finally though, with Kat yawning and protesting for sleep, all visitors were shown the door as politely as possible for the three of them to get some rest. Abigail took a turn sleeping on a couch that had been rolled into the room while Jack did the same with a very uncomfortable chair that wasn't far from Kat. Kat slept in her bed with a newborn basset directly beside her and for the next few hours, all was peaceful in the room.

Jack awoke around the middle of the night to hear the wails of the baby. He wiped the sleep out of his eyes and got out of the chair, finding Kat in the middle of trying to get the baby to latch onto her breast. She gave a small yelp of joy when that occurred, allowing the baby to suckle from her body.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to wake you," she said to Jack as their child drank from her breast. "I tried to grab him before he made any noise."

"It's something we all have to get used to for the time being," said Jack with a smile as he looked upon the baby.

He looked so peaceful there cradled against his mother's breasts. Jack was sure that he was biased but as far as babies go, his son had an adorable little scrunched-up face as well as the smallest amount of light blonde hair against his scalp. He was small as far as newborns go, having been a month earlier than he should have been, but his breathing was strong. Of particular interest to Jack was the small cross-shaped mark on the baby's shoulder—the same mark that Jack carried. It was the true symbol of Galician royalty, marking the boy as his own.

"I can't believe we really did it, Jack," said Kat finally as she squeezed his hand. "We really made a baby."

"We certainly did," he said while kissing her forehead. "And a cuter baby we couldn't have made."

"He just looks so peaceful right now," she said as she looked down at him. "So cute that I just want to squeeze him and never let him out of my arms."

"He looks so adorable because he looks a lot like his mother," said Jack. "I see a lot of you in him."

Kat shook her head gently. "No, he's got a lot of your features, Jack. Look at his jawline and his chin—that's all you. One thing he does have from me is the nose. My father had that same nose."

Jack looked more closely and it appeared she was right. While Jack's nose was straight down without any kind of bumps in it, their baby shared the same distinctive bump just halfway down the middle of his nose. It wasn't one that would make him stand out by any means but one that hinted at his lines of parentage.

"I wonder what Marcus Rosdahl would have to say to know that his grandson shares his nose," said Jack lightheartedly.

Kat laughed softly. "He would have a lot of things to say and who knows how that would go. Unfortunately, I think he would take the most issue with the baby's father."

"You're probably right but at least he would appreciate his grandson for his role in making him," said Jack. "At least I hope that would be the case."

"I would hope so too," said Kat before looking at Jack. "It's funny really and a bit ironic. He tried so hard to hunt your family and now they've been joined into one bloodline. You can't deny there's something entirely poetic about that."

Jack nodded. "They are good bloodlines to unite. For many years, the Rosdahl family has served Galicia loyally. I know our baby has the best in him."

Kat flinched. "I would hope that this baby receives more of your genes and less of mine. The Rosdahl family seems to have been tainted in recent generations. I would hate to see him affected by the same vices."

Jack shook his head firmly as he put his hand on her shoulder. "There's plenty of good in the Rosdahl line. You're all the proof that I need. If he has even a tenth of your sense of justice, ambition, and confidence, he'll be doing just fine."

Kat giggled. "Justice and ambition, eh? You think too highly of me."

"I think everything about you that you are and nothing more," said Jack as he once more kissed her forehead. "Don't let the actions of two individuals sully the whole view of your family."

Kat sighed and nodded her head. "We'll mold him into the man that he becomes, right Jack? You and I and Abigail? We'll be good parents, won't we?"

"We'll do the best that we can, I can promise you that."

That answer seemed to satisfy her. It seemed to satisfy the baby as well as he let out a small sigh of his own while his tiny hand clutched at her breast. For a brief moment, all talk about bloodlines and noses was halted while the two new parents appreciated the life they'd created.

For Jack though, he was already tired of thinking about what to call this baby. His son needed a name, and with that thought came the reopening of another can of worms that had been on his mind more frequently of late.

He decided to start with the simpler question.

"Have you given any thought to what we should call him?" he asked Kat a moment later. "This baby will someday be a Galician King in his own right. He'll need a strong name. A proud name."

Kat nodded before she turned to look at him. "Lots of names have been circling my brain for many months now. None of which I'm particularly attached to though. I would pick one name only to like it for a day or so before it would fall out of favor. I did that enough times that I finally decided that if he was indeed a boy like I thought, then his father should do the honors. I want you to name him, Jack. I want you to pick your son's name."

Jack could only smile. "Are you sure about that? I could pick the wrong name and then you'd be upset with me for the rest of our lives."

"I highly doubt that, my love," she said with a musical laugh. "I know you'll pick something entirely appropriate for his status. I trust you that much."

In all honesty, there was one name in particular that stood out to Jack. One name that he wanted to use for his son ever since he found out about it. The source of that information had been his grandmother, Evelyn, who gave him his recent family history when they stopped at her island home over a year ago. It was only through her that he knew the name of his grandfather, William, and his father, John—people whom he'd never met but to whom he owed the world to.

"I'd like to float something by you if that's all right," said Jack as he looked down at his son. "I know enough about my family that I know my father, that is, I know his name. I may not have known the man personally, but I know his name at the very least."

Kat nodded. "Your father, John," she said out loud.

"If you're okay with it, I'd like to name him John after my father. In that way, I can honor a man that gave everything just to see to it that I lived," said Jack. "Would you be all right with that name?"

Kat beamed with a smile before she nodded again. "I would love to see that name for our baby." She looked down and gently brushed her hand over the sleeping child's forehead. "Our son, John."

"Yes," echoed Jack. "Our son, John. John Kincardine."

Upon the recital of Jack's family's ancient name, Kat turned to give him a bewildered look. It was something that he expected, of course. Kat had never told him of the Kincardine name and as far as she was concerned, he knew nothing of it. It was only because of Bill that he knew the true name of his ancestors.

"That's a name I haven't heard in a very long time," said Kat with a confused look on her face.

"But you have heard of it," added Jack. "You know the name well, don't you?"

Kat nodded. "Who was the one to tell you?"

"Bill," he answered. "Bill told me all about them. My family, the Kincardine name, all of it."

Kat didn't respond right away, looking down at their baby while she collected her thoughts. Jack did the same, using his small finger to comb some of the light blonde hair to one side. He was surprised that she was as quiet about it as she was right now. What harm was there in him knowing his family name?

"You're probably wondering why I didn't tell you about it?" she said finally, meeting his eyes. "Why I left out the name during your family history?"

"Of course," he replied. "It seems like a big part to leave out so it couldn't have been done by accident."

"No, it was intentional," she said with a sigh. "Evelyn even wanted to say something about it but I told her the timing wasn't right. I told her that I'd tell you when the right time came. I guess now is it."

"That's her last name as well, isn't it?" asked Jack. "Evelyn Kincardine?"

Kat nodded. "You could say the same thing for Vera as well. She's just as much of a Kincardine as you are."

Jack gave her a confused look. "So why didn't you tell me? You already turned my life upside down with everything connected to Galicia and the prophecy? Why leave out this one little bit?"

She opened her mouth to respond but no words came out. For a brief moment, Kat was speechless until she locked eyes on him again. "Don't be upset with me, okay?"

"I'm more curious than upset," he replied. "I've known you long enough to know that you don't withhold information in order to hurt but to save someone from being hurt. Is that one of these cases now?"

She shook her head. "Not exactly. You see, Jack, it's deeper than that. Most of it has to do with my personal feelings about it, I suppose."

"What's personal about a last name?"

She made a grunting noise in her throat. "A lot when your last name is Kincardine, especially in Galicia. That name marks you for death there. I know you know that already so let me get to the point. Jack," she said before letting out another deep breath, "I didn't want to force it on you."

His brow tightened. "Force it on me. What do you mean?"

"Like everything else that was forced upon you. The kingship, the leadership against the Swabians, the prophecy—all of it. You were getting so much put on your plate that I worried about adding too much. I knew you could handle it, of course, but I didn't want you to despair thinking that your whole identity had to change. The truth of the matter is that you already had an identity. You're Jack Easterbrook, Javan admiral. You've spent over thirty years of your life crafting that identity that I didn't want to strip everything from you at the same time."

Jack didn't respond to that which made Kat reach out to grab his hand. "Can you understand why I did that? Nothing has to change in who you are. You're an Easterbrook, named after the people that raised you and loved you. You don't have to be a Kincardine if you don't want to. The Galician people will understand."

"They might understand but they'll be confused," he countered. "Especially when the time comes for us to go back to Galicia. They know I'm alive but they'll expect me to have my real last name. They'll expect to see a Kincardine come back to their shores."

"Just because it's not your actual last name doesn't mean you're not a Kincardine," she said quietly.

Jack shook his head. "I think that's exactly what it means. The people need to see the name. They need to see me embrace it. It's more than just a last name, Kat. It's a symbol to the people of Galicia of stability and history. No matter my personal feelings on the matter, the Galicians deserve to see the Kincardine name again prominently."

"They'll be confused at first," she warned. "That name is banned from being uttered in Galicia. They'll be frightened."

"Let them be confused at first," he said. "They'll see the righteousness of our cause. They'll feel the bond and know in their hearts who I am but I think we owe it to Galicians everywhere. I may not have grown up in Galicia, but I will embrace who I really am. I will embrace my heritage."

Kat looked him in the eye. "What does that mean for you, Jack? Are you disavowing the Easterbrook name?"

Jack smiled and shook his head. "No. In some ways, I'll always be Jack Easterbrook—Javan admiral, like you said. It's as part of me as you are, or Abigail for that matter. It's where I came from and I'll always respect my adopted parents for the job they did raising me. But this goes beyond them. This goes back to the annals of history. My rightful place is as Jack Kincardine, King of Galicia. That's who I am and that's why my son will be a Kincardine too."

Kat nodded. "Just make sure it's your decision, Jack. Don't do it because you think it's expected of you. That's entirely the reason that I didn't tell you. I wanted you to make your own decision about the name."

He took her hand in his and gently squeezed it. "It's my decision, I promise you that. I've been thinking about it ever since Bill told me. I've thought long and hard over whether to adopt it or not." Jack turned to look at his son and he smiled. "It was seeing John that made my decision for me. I look at our baby and see a Kincardine, not an Easterbrook. That tells me all I needed to know."

Kat looked at their baby too. "I'll follow your lead then, Jack. Our baby is John Kincardine." She looked up and smiled at him again. "Our baby, Jack."

He leaned in close to kiss her. "Our baby, Kat," he confirmed.

She gave him a playful look. "It's going to take me some time to get used to you being a Kincardine. I only know you as my love, Jack Easterbrook. Thinking of you as Jack Kincardine isn't going to be easy on me."

"I'm sure you won't be alone in that regard," said Jack with a chuckle. "But it's the right thing to do. For us, our children, and our people."

She nodded and squeezed his hand. "Just promise me that someday you'll make me a Kincardine as well? I don't want to be a Rosdahl forever. I'm already a pariah enough being a former regent with a baby out of wedlock."

Jack started to laugh. "To me, there's nothing sweeter than the sound of Katherine Kincardine. Or Abigail Kincardine for that matter. Someday soon, we'll make that a reality. We've been separated for so long that we could surely do with some permanence."

Kat could only beam with pride. "Maybe when we take Kalmar we could do it? That way, we could have a proper Galician affair. Get married in the castle in front of all the lords of Galicia as well as all of our friends. To me, that sounds like heaven."

Jack started to grin. "Well, we first need a plan to even get back to Galicia. We're a few steps from even making that happen."

"A girl can dream, can't she?" Kat shot back. She leaned forward and kissed the baby on his forehead. "How did you like Kalmar by the way? Was the city like you thought it would be? Any disappointments?"

Jack shook his head. "The only one I had was that I spent most of my time in a prison cell. The rest of it that was outside the cell was spent running for my life with Bill."

Kat rolled her eyes at the mention of the Lord of Hemswell, something that didn't escape Jack's notice. There was still a significant mending of relations that needed to occur between the two of them, something that Jack hoped would happen sooner rather than later. After all, he'd come to rely on Bill's advice and with Kat bound to be around a lot more often now, any tension in their relationship was going to affect him.

"Could you imagine it as your home though?" she asked. "Can you see it as the place that we put down roots?"

Jack didn't have to think about that answer for very long. "Let's just say that of all the cities in the world to run for my life, I'd rather do it in Kalmar."

Kat gave him a funny look before turning her attention back to the baby. "When we finally get there, I'll show you the best parts of the city—all of it from the harbor to the shops to even the parts of the castle that not many people know about. You'll get a proper tour of Kalmar courtesy of the former regent herself."

"I'd much rather have a tour from the next Queen of Galicia instead of the former regent," teased Jack.

She reached out and rubbed his thigh. "Oh, but that can be arranged as well," she teased.

Remarkably, it was her hand on his thigh that triggered Jack's bodily response. He'd been without affection or attention for six months, a quantity of time that would test any man. In that time, he'd almost forgotten what it was like to be intimate with Kat or Abigail and so it was just the subtle but gentle touch of Kat that caused his trousers to become tight.

Jack stepped away from the bed with a small cough, earning a confused look from Kat. It was only once he gestured south that she understood the source of his dilemma.

She bit her lip as her hand ran over his hardness. "Oh, how I missed him. I missed you so much, Jack. I wish we could be intimate again. There's nothing that I want more than to have you thrusting inside me."

Her words only added to his frustration. "If only we could," said Jack before he gestured to John. "But I'm afraid we're going to have to wait a while, aren't we?"

Kat nodded sadly. "Six weeks. I need time to heal. Especially with your size, you'd probably rip me open right now. It has to be at least six weeks."

It was like someone just told Jack that he was about to be imprisoned again. Six weeks? How in the world was he supposed to go that much longer without the soft feminine touch that he'd missed so much?

Jack let out a deep sigh. "Six weeks is a long time with no physical contact."

Kat blinked several times before she pointed to Abigail. "That's just six weeks beforewe can have sex, babe. You still have Abigail. You can do her as soon as she wakes up if you want to."

Jack flinched. "Are you sure about that? I thought you might want me to wait until you're ready. I wouldn't want to make you jealous or anything by having so much sex with her while you're not able to."

"Jealous?" she asked as she started to laugh softly. "Oh, Jack, I could never be jealous of Abigail. I love her as much as I love you. Knowing you two are able to find love and intimacy together in a trying time fills me with good feelings. I wouldn't ask you to abstain from sex for that long. Besides, I know she feels the same way. You weren't the only one that didn't get any for six months, you know?"

She had a good point, one that Jack had to concede to her. Part of him wanted to wake up Abigail right now and go for it but the other part wanted to show that same customary respect for the woman that just bore his child.