Ghosts of the Past Ch. 14

By June, the group of friends had expanded considerably since the beginning of 1957. Robert Clark and Lisa Green were starting their new life together. But they couldn't get married until her divorce from the bastard Donald Price was finalized, which would take another eight months.

They were being careful not to get Lisa pregnant. They wanted to be sure the baby wouldn't be born until after they were married. Larry and Maria Wilson's baby had almost been born out of wedlock... Lisa and Robert didn't want to push their luck!

On Monday, June 24, at 2:45 in the afternoon, Tom Seldon finally got the call he'd been waiting for. The phone on his desk buzzed. "Agent Seldon, your wife is on the line."

He picked it up. "Hello, sweetheart. Is everything OK?"

Lynda hesitated. "Well... yes and no. I'm OK, but the kitchen floor isn't. My water just broke. Darling... it's time. I need to get to the hospital as soon as possible. How soon can you leave?"

Tom jumped up from his desk chair. "I'm leaving right now! Don't you go anywhere! I'm on my way!" He didn't even wait for her reply. He hung up the phone, grabbed his suit jacket and headed for the door. When he got out into the hall, he started yelling for his partner. "Charles! Hey Charles! Where are you?"

Charles Richards came bolting out of another office. "What is it, Tom? What's wrong?"I've never heard you sound so anxious...

Tom was pointing toward the front doors. "I've gotta go... Lynda... the baby... the baby's coming! I've gotta get her to the hospital!"

"Wait up, partner... I'm coming with you!" Charles said as he rushed into their office to grab his jacket. Then they dashed out of the building, telling one of the front desk personnel to let their boss, Assistant Director Peter Woods know why they were leaving. When they got to their car, Tom was fumbling with the keys because his hands were shaking. Charles came around to him. "Hey, buddy... you better let me drive if we want to get there in one piece!"

Charles drove to Tom and Lynda's home in almost half the time it normally took. Lynda was ready, having already packed a suitcase with everything she would need. She advised them that she had called Diana at the movie studio and she was going to meet them at the hospital as soon as she got off work in a couple hours.

Tom sat in the back seat with Lynda, presumably to keep her calm and comfortable, but it was more the other way around. Lynda was the one having to keep Tom calm. They arrived at the hospital in plenty of time. Lynda was in labor for several hours and Thomas Bradley Seldon arrived at about 7:15 that evening.

Word had quickly spread and all of their friends were in the waiting room when Dr. Hamilton came out to announce that Tom was the father of a beautiful, healthy boy weighing in at just over eight pounds. Dawn hugged him with tears in her eyes when he told her the name they had picked out for their boy. "We're going to call him Brad... in honor of the good man your uncle was when I served under his command."

Dr. Hamilton glanced around, also recognizing Barbara, Dawn and Diana as his patients. He grinned and laughed. "Well... I didn't realize all of you ladies were friends!"

Tom came over and slapped the doctor on the shoulder and handed him a cigar. "Well, thank you, Mr. Seldon. I'll have the nurse come out and let you know as soon as your son is in the nursery and your wife is in her room. I know she's very anxious to see you. She's been asking for you ever since we took her into the delivery room. It shouldn't be too much longer," Dr. Hamilton told him before he left.

Twenty minutes later, everyone was gathered at the nursery window admiring what a handsome baby little Bradley was. He had a head full of dark brown hair, just like his Mom and Dad, but, of course, they wouldn't be able to tell what color his eyes were for a few months.

Tom stared at his son with tears in his eyes... he couldn't help wondering whether the child he'd lost when Yakira was killed was a son or a daughter. He said a quick prayer to God, thanking Him for the safe delivery and good health of both his wife and his son. Then he excused himself with his friends and headed toward his wife's room.

As soon as he opened the door, Lynda lifted her arms toward him. He flew to her side and embraced her as carefully as he could. He broke down crying on her shoulder. "Oh, Lynda... he's just beautiful! Thank you, my sweetheart... thank you for giving me a son to love! I finally have my loving wife... a safe home and a family to come home to! This is like a miracle to me. I'll never let anything hurt any of us... I promise!"

Tom would do everything he could to live up to that promise. But he could not have imagined that one day, the dark forces of the universe would make his innocent son pay the price for another miracle that had already taken place...

**********

The summer of 1957 in Los Angeles turned out to be a very hot and uncomfortable one for Barbara, Dawn and Diana. All three of them were in the last trimester of their pregnancies. Barbara and Dawn were due in August and Diana wasn't due until the first week of October, but she was every bit as big as Barb and Dawn. The twins were starting to grow rapidly!

On Friday evening, August 9, Barbara North stopped by her husband's station to talk to him about plans for their first anniversary celebration the next evening. The desk sergeant told her that Jon and Jerry had been called out on an assault investigation and they probably wouldn't be back for a while.

She was about to leave when Chief Henry Nelson saw her in the lobby. "Barbara, my dear, you're as lovely as ever!" He took her hands and kissed her cheek. "It looks like it won't be much longer now. When are you due?"

She smiled radiantly. "In just a little over two weeks! And it can't come soon enough for me! I feel like I'm ready to explode and this hot weather we've been having hasn't helped at all."

Chief Nelson smiled sadly. "Well, you still look beautiful. Jon's a lucky man. I wish at least one of my wives would've given me a child before they left me." He frowned and shook his head. "I'm sorry... I shouldn't have said that. I don't want to dampen your happiness."

At that moment, a radioed message came in at the front desk. The sergeant took the information and brought it to Chief Nelson. "Chief, we just got a report of a ten-one-oh-eight."

Barbara's nerves tingled.Oh, God... I know what that means...

Nelson asked, "Who was sent to this location?"

The desk sergeant replied, "Detectives Olson and North, sir."

Barbara felt her legs collapsing. "Oh, my God... JON!" she cried as her vision went black and she started to fall. The world was caving in on her... she feared she'd lost another husband.

Chief Nelson caught her before she hit the floor. "Sergeant, make sure an ambulance is en route to that address and then get one here as quickly as possible!"

**********

Barbara regained consciousness in the hospital a few hours later when she was awakened by labor pains. She looked at the nurse standing by her bed. "Where am I? Where is my husband? Where's Jon?" she asked as tears gathered in her eyes.

The nurse said, "It's OK, Mrs. North. You're safe. You've had a bit of a shock and it put you into labor. But you're only a couple weeks early, so everything should be fine!"

Barbara asked again, more forcefully. "WHERE IS MY HUSBAND?!!!" At that moment, the doors to the labor room burst open. Jon stopped and stood panting as he stared at her. "OH, MY GOD... JON!!!" she cried as she stretched her arms toward him.

He moved toward her as if in slow motion at first. Then he rushed to her side and gathered her in his arms as he perched on the side of the bed. "Oh, Barb... I'm so sorry you were frightened! As you can see, I'm fine!"

She clung to him, sobbing. "Oh, God, Jon! I heard that call come in for an officer down and when they said it was where you and Jerry had been sent... I thought the worst! I was afraid I'd lost you!" She sniffed as she tried to stop crying. Then she stiffened and winced when the muscles in her abdomen contracted painfully.

Jon felt her flinch and released his hold on her. She flopped back on the pillows and moaned loudly. Her face contorted with pain and beads of sweat formed on her forehead. Jon pulled his handkerchief out of his pocket intending to wipe her brow, forgetting that he'd used it to wipe the blood from his hands. He saw the red stains and tried to stuff it back into his pocket before she noticed, but she opened her eyes and saw it.

Her eyes flew to his face. "Jon... what happened? Were you hurt?" He shook his head. Then her eyes widened in realization. "Jerry... what happened to Jerry?"

Jon closed his eyes for a moment and frowned. Then he looked at her with deep sadness. He swallowed hard. "He saved my life, Barb. The perp we were called out to question had a gun. He pulled it and fired on us through a window. Jerry pushed me down and he got hit in the back. It's pretty bad. He's in surgery right now. The doctor's aren't sure if he's going to make it.

"I dragged him behind our car for cover and radioed for backup and an ambulance and I stayed with him until it arrived. Jerry told me that he wasn't about to lose another partner and that he wasn't about to let you lose another husband. Then the Chief radioed me that you were at the station when the call came in and that you fainted and they were arranging to transport you to the hospital, too. So I rushed here behind the ambulance that brought Jerry in."

He paused when she flinched and groaned from another contraction. It lasted about 45 seconds and then she relaxed again as she took a couple deep breaths. He continued. "When I first got here, you were still unconscious and the doctor told me that you would probably come out of it soon because the shock had caused your water to break and you were going into labor. So, I went to the Emergency Room and checked on Jerry's condition and they told me he was going in for surgery immediately. So I came back over here and waited for you to come around."

He took her hand in his and brought it up to kiss her fingers softly. He continued to hold her hand as she stared at him with both sadness and love. "Oh, Jon... I hope Jerry will be OK! I hope I'll get the chance to thank... OH, GOD!!!" she cried as she flinched and winced from another painful contraction.

Her hand holding his tightened painfully. Jon winced and looked across the room at the nurse sitting at a desk. "Nurse... she seems to be in an awful lot of pain! She's breaking my hand! Isn't there something you could do for her?!"

The nurse came over and touched Barbara's abdomen as her contraction was subsiding. "She's getting into hard labor now. We can't give her anything... it's too late. It won't be much longer now. But I can't let you stay in here. We only let you in so Mrs. North would be assured that you were all right, but I'm going to have to ask you to step out now, Detective North."

Jon frowned at her and the nurse smiled. "Don't worry... she's doing fine and she's in good health. This baby should be ready to arrive within an hour or two! You should go out to the waiting room now and we'll notify you as soon as she delivers."

Jon leaned down and kissed Barbara softly. "I wish I could do more to help you, my love! But I can't stand to see you in so much pain!"

Barbara smiled softly. "I'll be fine, Jon. Now that I know you're safe, I'll be fine. Go on, my love... like the nurse said... it won't be much... longer... now... Aaahhhhggg!!!" she screamed as another hard contraction had her contorting in pain.

Jon backed away slowly and then turned and exited quickly when she screamed again, even louder than before. He made his way to the waiting area to find Rick and Dawn and Charles and Diana there. Rick had gotten a call from someone at the precinct who knew they were friends and had been notified what was going on. Then he'd called Charles and Tom.

Tom and Lynda couldn't be there. It was late and they didn't want to drag little Bradley out or try to call a babysitter. But they had asked for someone to call them as soon as Barbara gave birth... no matter what time it was...

**********

Tom and Lynda had made love for the first time since Brad had been born that night. And again while waiting on a phone call from their friends at the hospital.

Lynda had been keeping Tom from getting too frustrated by sucking his cock as often as she could... which was nowhere near as often as either one of them would've liked... when she wasn't busy cleaning or nursing little Brad. He had been a voracious eater and it seemed to her that he had been latched to one or the other of her nipples about twelve hours a day those first weeks!

And, of course, Tom hadn't helped matters... If he was there when she was nursing Brad, he'd been right there... watching... his eyes burning at her with desire. He'd been embarrassed to admit how much it turned him on to watch his son sucking her nipples... the same nipples he couldn't wait to get his lips and tongue on again!

Lynda had weaned Brad from breastfeeding after a month because her milk production couldn't keep up with his appetite. Dr. Hamilton told her that the reason she'd lost the extra weight she'd gained while pregnant so fast was because little Bradley was, literally, sucking the pounds off of her! He also told her that she could resume intercourse whenever she was ready...

The pediatrician said Bradley had gotten all the essential elements he needed from that month of breast-feeding and that it'd be fine to switch him to formula. And Lynda had noticed that in the couple weeks since he'd been drinking formula, Bradley had required less frequent feedings and was sleeping for longer periods of time... giving her more time to rest! She was starting to feel more like her former, sensual self again...

When Tom came home from work, he sensed something was up right away. Lynda had cooked one of his favorite meals and there were candles on the dining room table. And she was wearing one of his favorite dresses... one that was very tight fitting, showing off her figure to perfection. He was amazed to see that her figure looked almost exactly as it did before she was pregnant. Her breasts were a little fuller than before, her hips just a little wider, and her lower abdomen was not quite as flat as it had been.

Tom set his briefcase down, took off his jacket and laid it on the back of the couch. He walked up to Lynda, grabbed her and kissed her passionately, and then picked her up in his arms and headed toward their bedroom. "Dinner will keep," he murmured huskily.

Tom took his time to kiss, caress and stroke Lynda in every way that he hadn't been able to for the last few months. He gently sucked her left nipple into his mouth and fluttered his tongue on her. Lynda moaned loudly and said, "Oh, God, Tom! You're so much better at that than Brad!" They both chuckled softly and sexily.

Tom trailed his right hand down to gently probe her moist flesh. He used his thumb to circle her clit while thrusting his fingers inside her carefully. "Are you feeling any pain at all, sweetheart?" He whispered as he nuzzled his lips and mustache on her right ear. She shook her head. He added another finger and she moaned softly. "How about now?"

"No!" she moaned louder as he thrust his fingers as far into her as he could. Her back arched. "Make love to me now, Tom! Please! I've missed feeling you inside me, my love! I need a fix so badly! Oh, GOD... yes!" she groaned as he moved between her thighs and slid his cock inside her. She instantly felt the drug of his desire for her flowing through her veins. She wrapped her arms and her legs around him as she stared up into his deep hazel eyes with her sparkling silver gray ones. "Welcome home, Agent Seldon... I've missed you so!"

Lynda was elated to discover that childbirth had in no way dampened her addiction for her husband's body... nor her ability to enjoy sex in any way. Tom was able to make her come just as easily as ever.

Tom groaned deeply as he gave his wife the fix they both needed. And he couldn't have timed his orgasm any more perfectly... Just as he and Lynda were recovering from their passionate high, they heard little Brad beginning to whimper in his crib in the next room. Tom smiled down at her. "Well... it seems that our son is ready for his fix now, too! I'm just glad his fix now comes from a bottle and not from your breasts! I still consider them mine!"

Then he said something that made Lynda's heart swell with even more love for him. "I'll get cleaned up quickly and take care of feeding Brad while you check on our dinner. I'm getting hungry myself." He kissed her gently, lifted off of her and went into their bathroom. Lynda smiled softly, closed her eyes and sighed.Lord... what did I do to deserve such a good man?!! He's going to be such a wonderful father...

**********

Just after midnight on August 10, 1957, Jonathan Christopher North, Jr. arrived, weighing seven pounds, six ounces. He was also a very handsome baby with a thin coat of shiny black hair covering his head. Jon stared at his son with a huge smile on his face as his friends congratulated him. He thanked them all for staying with him so late at night as they left.

While he was waiting for Barbara to be moved to a room, he went over to the surgical ward of the hospital to check on Jerry. He was relieved to learn that Jerry had survived the surgery, but he was still listed in critical condition. The doctors gave him slightly more than a fifty-fifty chance of survival. They said it would depend on how much of a fighter he was.

Jon headed back to the maternity ward and found Barbara's room. She was sleeping when he came in, so he leaned down and softly kissed her forehead. Then he whispered, "Happy Anniversary, my love. Thank you for the best anniversary gift you could've given me... a son!"

Barbara stirred slightly and woke up. She smiled up at Jon. "Did you see him?" Jon smiled and nodded. "He's so beautiful, Jon! He's just perfect!"

Then she blushed and looked down. "There's only one problem..." She looked back up shyly. "I can't breast feed him!" Jon frowned in confusion and she blushed even brighter and closed her eyes. "It turns me on too much! As soon as his tiny mouth started sucking on me, I started to come... and it hurt! We're going to have to bottle feed him with a homemade formula."

Jon smirked and she raised her eyebrows at him in question. Then he chuckled. "I'm kind of glad you can't breast feed him! I think I might've been a little jealous of my own son to know that he could get his Mama off, too!"

Barbara frowned and chuckled, too. "God, Jon! That's so perverted!" as they chuckled together for a moment.

Then she frowned sadly. "How's Jerry? Is he still..." Jon quietly told her of Jerry's condition. Tears came into her eyes. "I want to see him. First thing in the morning, I want you to take me to see him!"

The next morning, the ICU doctors gave permission for Barbara to be brought in. Jon wheeled her over next to Jerry. She carefully stood up and took his hand. She leaned down, kissed his cheek and whispered in his ear.

"Thank you, Jerry. Thank you for saving Jon. It was never your fault what happened to Tony, either. You're a good partner, Jerry! You fight and you get better! There's no one else I'd trust to watch out for my husband! You hear me? You fight this and you get back on the job, Detective Olson!" She gasped and stood up when she heard Jerry's raspy voice.

"Nag, nag, nag!" His eyes opened slightly to look at her. Then he looked toward Jon. "Damn, partner... does she nag you like this at home?"

Jon chuckled and Jerry winced and groaned when he tried to chuckle. He looked back at Barbara. "Damn, Barbie... I just felt I needed a little vacation, so I figured this would be a good way to get one! And here you are... already nagging me to get back on the job!"