Tombstone Estate

[Doc Holliday]

The Hollidays took a night to themselves, disappearing to the small lakeside camp on the far end of the Estate. The night was pleasant as they dined and loved one another.
The night was pleasantly cool and moonlit as they stood on a small, sandy area at the water's edge. He stood behind her, her back to his chest, while his arms held her with his open hands upon the bare skin of her stomach. Still, it was obvious he had much on his mind.

"Talk to me, John Henry," she asked of him, "you have much on your mind."
"I do," he nodded.
"All that hand to hand and shooting," she inquired.
"A necessity," he answered softly.

He pulled her a bit tighter as they stared into the Canarian moon. His hands gently caressed her stomach which was now just beginning to show as the twins grew within her.

"Dahlin'," he began, "you're not going to want to hear this but you must. I will be leaving for Shasta tomorrow for a few days. There is much work to be done, meetings to be conducted and defensive plans to consider. With the Gallic threat becoming a reality and not really knowing when or where they will strike, I'd rather you not go there as I fear for your safety....."
He paused a moment as he cuddled her a bit, spreading an open hand over her stomach, "......and that of our kids."

She was silent a moment before only answering, "Hai." She knew what was coming and it frightened her. A tear fell down her face. Thoughts of losing her brother, Kentaro, to a war with Bretonia crossed her mind. She missed him terribly. The thought of becoming a widow frightened her more. She spoke softly of her thoughts, still nestled against her husband in the moonlit night.
"I married a man of peace, a man of care and love and I fear that I am losing him to hauntings of his past, a past he try to avoid. The shooting, the blades, the pilot training...."
She then turned, still in his arms, and looked into his face, "....I frightened. I do not want to raise our children alone." The tears began to roll down her face as she gently shook her head, "But I understand why. I just do not like it."

The silence was deafening as he held her as her head rested on his chest. Doc wrestled with his own feelings, sighing again as he tried to keep himself composed.
"I don't like it either," he softly answered, "and I'm just as frightened myself." He then softly asked, "would it help if I said that all this practice, all this preparation, is of a defensive nature?"
"Not really," she answered through her tears.
"Well it is," he sighed, "I didn't ask for what's to come nor did I pick the Royals as enemies." He held her back enough to where she could look at him as he was starting to get upset, "DeFrance betrayed the Zoner people, SHE bombed a base over a Zoner ship in Gallia, SHE sent a ship into Baffin that attacked my people, SHE expected people to just submit...." He then pulled her tight to him again and softened his tone again, "...and somehow it's all my fault." He then shook his head skyward a bit and gave a soft chuckle, "Bitch!"
Midori chuckled herself at the comment.

A bit re-composed, she asked, "What shall I do? Where do I go?"
"Dahlin', you can stay right here on the Estate," he answered, "and if for some reason things get sticky, head for my lab since only you and I know where it is, that and it's deep enough underground to not be a problem."
"How about Honshu?" she softly asked.
"If you wish," he replied, "but with this threat, I wouldn't want you to be targeted in space."
"Hai," she softly answered.

With the subject adequately covered, they just stood quietly, enjoying the evening before taking to the water for a skinny dip and back to the cabin for more time with each other.

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[MFE]Med Force One | Tales of Recovery|Med Force Enterprises