6

 

 

It was dark when she awakened, and the first thing she heard was a baby’s cry, a plaintive wailing that resonated beyond her ears and into her heart. Somebody should help that child. Turning her head slightly, she was confused for just a moment as everything immediately crashed and fell into place—dragging Charlie out of the water, the delivery, the confrontation with Kevin. It was her baby! What had happened to her peaceful life? Still exhausted, as if in a sleepwalking state, she dragged herself closer to the edge of the bed. Turning on the lamp, she saw Matty in the bassinet and immediately guilt assailed her. He must need to be changed and fed and she had passed out! What kind of a mother was she?

“Okay, honey, I’m coming,” she called out, pulling herself off the mattress and wincing as her sore muscles rebelled at the movement. She did her best to dismiss the aches, for her focus was on reaching her child.

He was tangled in his blanket and she felt even more guilty for not being more attentive. Picking him up, she could feel his soggy diaper and tears came into her eyes. What a lousy parent she was making, she thought as she tried to ignore the sensation of having to relieve herself. She couldn’t use the bathroom holding Matty, and yet she couldn’t put him down when he was screaming and wet. Just as she bit the side of her cheek to stop the frustration building, Charlie came into the room with a tray.

“I heard him crying and thought you would be hungry.”

“Charlie, can you hold him for a minute? I… I need to use the bathroom.” To heck with modesty. She was desperate.

“Sure,” he answered, placing the tray at the foot of the king-size bed.

“He’s wet,” she said, gently handing Matty over. “I’ll change him as soon as I come out.”

Nodding, Charlie cradled the baby to his shoulder and patted his back. “It’s all right, lad,” he whispered, trying to placate the crying infant.

Suzanne rushed into the bathroom and took care of business, feeling overwhelmed by the responsibility of a single parent that was now placed solidly upon her shoulders. It was like her life was no longer her own. Everything revolved around the baby, even something so elementary as sitting on the toilet. Rushing as she heard Matty’s continued exasperated screams, she washed her hands and came back into the bedroom.

“There’s no stopping him, Suzanne,” Charlie said, looking worried.

“He’s probably just wet and hungry.” She took the baby and walked into the nursery as Charlie followed. Placing Matty in the crib, she said over the crying that was beginning to make her cry, “Could you get me a diaper from the top drawer?”

Turning her attention to Matty, she began undressing him. “It’s okay, sweetie, we’ll just change you and then I’ll feed you and you’ll feel much better. Please be patient with me.”

She’d thought she had been so prepared. She had even imagined this Hallmark Card kind of homecoming, not bedlam every time Matty was wet or hungry. Frustrated with her inability to soothe her child, Suzanne could feel those damn tears gathering at her eyes as she struggled to remove Matty’s clothing.

“It doesn’t look like he cares for being naked,” Charlie whispered over her shoulder.

“Maybe he’s just cold,” she answered with a sniffle, cleaning her child’s tiny bottom with the disposable wipes. “I guess I have to be faster.”

“Here, why don’t you show me how to do it and then I can change him for you.”

She glanced over her shoulder. “Really? Are you sure?”

He straightened and grinned. “I don’t mind, and I said I was going to be of help to you. This way you won’t have to get out of bed every time he needs to be changed.”

They switched places and Suzanne directed him. “First you clean him with these wipes. You have to be very gentle, especially…” Now how was she supposed to say this? “You, ah… have to pull back the foreskin. The nurse showed me in the hospital.” Inwardly, she cringed at speaking to Charlie like that, but if he was going to help with the changing, he would have to know everything. “That’s right,” she added, relieved to see Charlie was doing just fine, though Matty simply wouldn’t stop crying. Still, her heart seemed to expand toward this man who had appeared in her life and now didn’t flinch at such an awkward situation.

“Hold his legs up with one hand, like this,” she said, reaching down and putting a finger between Matty’s ankles to keep them separate. “Then you slide the diaper under him.”

“Now what?”

“Bring the diaper up in between his legs and—oh my!”

Both she and Charlie automatically backed up, but not before Charlie’s shirt sleeve was christened. Suzanne brought her hand up to her mouth to try and hide the laughter that threatened to explode. “I’m so sorry,” she managed to mumble.

Charlie let out a laugh and shook his head. “The lad’s got good aim, I’ll say that for him.”

They both laughed, even though Matty’s face was deep red with indignation and his tiny fingers were closed into fists as he continued to cry and flail his arms and legs. “I’ll get another diaper,” Suzanne announced. Soon they were again attempting to diaper Matty and Suzanne instructed Charlie to roll the front of the diaper down so the umbilical cord wouldn’t be covered.

“You say it dries up and falls off?”

Again, Suzanne laughed. “Yes. That’s how you got your belly button, Charlie.”

He sighed as he fastened the diaper. “There’s so much I’ve never thought about before, especially about babies.”

“I know what you mean,” she said with her own sigh. “I thought I was so prepared, but nothing could have prepared me for this. I feel overwhelmed.”

“You’ll be a fine mother, Suzanne.”

She appreciated his words. “Okay, you seem to have everything under control here. I have to change before I feed him. Do you think you could put this gown on him?” She placed a pale yellow one on the crib mattress.

“Now, that seems easy,” Charlie remarked, holding it up for inspection.

Without thinking, Suzanne touched his shoulder. “You’re a good man, Mr. Garrity. Thanks for coming into my life.”

“I didn’t really have a choice, Suzanne,” he said, gifting her with a big smile. “Just glad I can help.”

There was a moment that passed between them, a timeless moment when even Matty’s wails seemed to be drowned out as Suzanne felt a rush of something pleasurable and familiar pass through her body. It was like when she just knew something good was going to happen, that she was in the right place at the right time, with the right person. It was, however, embarrassing for it to be happening now, with leaky breasts and a baby that wouldn’t stop crying. “I’ll be quick,” she answered, and rushed away. It just wouldn’t do to give those thoughts any more room to grow. Charles Garrity was her friend, and she wasn’t going to mess up anything with misplaced feelings.

Grabbing a clean nightgown from her closet and a new nursing bra, she hurried to the bathroom and prayed for the strength to get through this first night with her new son. Maybe she could take a really quick shower? What a blessing that would be, even for a couple of minutes, to feel clean again. Forget shaving her legs. It would have to be a quickie. She actually felt guilty as she turned on the shower and stripped off her nightgown.

So this was motherhood?

An hour later Matty was asleep in the bassinet and Suzanne was resting back against the pillows of her bed, having finished two cold fried eggs, hard toast, and a barely warm cup of tea. Never would she admit that it was anything less than delicious as Charlie sat on the edge of the mattress and talked to her.

“And so I looked up to the sky and there it was, like nothing I’ve ever seen. I mean, I have seen biplanes, but this was… was huge and had single wings. I wanted to ask you about it, but you and Matty were asleep. What have I missed, Suzanne, in the last seventy-five years?”

She exhaled, wondering how to answer him. “Charlie, civilization has undergone the biggest leap in technology… machinery,” she added when she saw his look of confusion. It was so hard for her to remember that she was talking to someone who didn’t know these things. “That was an airplane carrying around a hundred or more people either into Philadelphia or away from it. It’s a common form of transportation now.”

“How I would like to travel in one,” he mused, scratching the growth of beard at his jaw line.

“Perhaps you will one day,” she answered. “You’ve already mastered driving.” Seeing him absently continue to scratch, a thought suddenly came to her. “Do you want to shave that beard?”

He stopped scratching. “Yes,” he answered with more than a tinge of gratitude in his voice. “You can’t imagine how annoying this is.”

“I can see,” she said with a smile as she flipped back the comforter and attempted to rise. “I’ll get you a razor.”

Immediately, Charlie got up and offered his assistance. “You don’t have to do it right now.”

She was becoming used to his touch, his strength, and whispered, “Hey, Matty’s sleeping. I’m coming to the conclusion that if I want to get anything accomplished at all, I have to do it while he’s asleep. C’mon… let’s go into my bathroom.”

It was very intimate to be in a bathroom with a man that was not her husband. Suzanne realized how long it had been since she had even thought about any man except Kevin. Unlike him, she had really felt married… though a nagging thought came to her as she opened the glass door of her shower and pulled out her razor. She really hadn’t been all that happy for some time in her marriage. Not really happy. It had happened so slowly… that sense of comfort, of settling into each other and their lives. There hadn’t been any real passion for quite a while, passion where you couldn’t wait to be in someone’s presence, to feel their skin, taste their kisses. In six years she and Kevin had fallen into a routine, but she had believed the love was intact. She had thought it was the way most marriages unfolded, but it was obvious that Kevin had felt differently. It was as if a sledgehammer hit her between the eyes when she recognized the gradual evaporation of passion over the years.

Not wanting to deal with that revelation at the moment, she pulled herself together and closed the shower door. “Here we are. Let me change the blade for you.”

She walked over to the row of drawers in the six-foot-wide vanity and pulled out the second one. “I’m afraid Kevin took his shaving cream. You’ll have to use soap and water,” she said as she picked up the disposable blades and began switching the one on her razor.

“Do you mind if I remove this shirt?” he asked. “It is a bit soiled.”

“Sure, I have some things that need washing, along with Matty’s clothes. I’ll show you how to use the washing machine in the laundry room.”

“You have a machine that washes clothes?”

Laughing at his look of wonder, she nodded. “Yes. As I said, you will be surprised at all the mechanical advancements today. And a machine that washes clothes is just one of them.” She watched him unbutton his shirt and pull it down his arms. Looking away, she tried to concentrate on switching the blade and not on the definition of muscles in his upper arms. No wonder he’s so strong, she thought, not unaffected by the sight of Charles Garrity in a sleeveless undershirt. “Sorry about the shaving cream,” she whispered, feeling like she should say something to break the silence and the mental vision of this handsome man who stood before her.

“Soap and water is just fine,” Charlie answered, picking up the bar in the glass dish.

Suzanne turned on the water for him and stood for a moment, watching as he lathered his hands and brought them up to his face. “Do you know how to use it?”

“I did use a straight-edge razor, but this looks fairly simple. At least some things haven’t changed all that much.” Once his face was fully lathered, he rinsed his hands and Suzanne handed him the razor.

“There you go,” she said. “Try it out.”

He brought the razor up to his cheek and shaved downward. “I don’t think anything’s happening.”

“Here, let me try. You have to apply more pressure.”

“But it’s a razor.”

She laughed. “I know, but it’s a safety razor. Come sit down on the edge of the Jacuzzi so I can reach you.”

“What’s a… a Jacuzzi?”

“That tub. It has valves on it to make bubbles under the water. It’s very soothing,” she added, not even wanting to allow her mind to go where it was heading.

“Amazing,” he said, staring down at the white porcelain.

Pulling a towel from the brass bar on the wall, Suzanne wrapped it around his shoulders and directed him to the saltillo tile platform around the huge tub.

“You’ve done this before?” he asked with a worried expression, sitting down and spreading his knees.

Chuckling, Suzanne stood between his legs and brought up the razor. “I’ve shaved my legs for more years than I care to remember. I think I can handle your face.”

Charlie took a deep steadying breath and murmured, “Your legs, huh? I won’t even question that. I am in your capable hands, madam.”

“Oh, don’t look so worried. I’m not about to slit your throat. Now, if you were Kevin…”

His hand shot up to capture her wrist. “Please do not compare me to that man, nor even think about him while you have a razor in your hand!”

She laughed. “Relax, Charlie. You can trust me.”

He looked directly into her eyes and his expression suddenly softened. “Yes, I know I can, Suzanne. And you can trust me.”

She was shocked by the wave of sexual recognition that raced through her body as he slowly released her wrist. It was uncalled for, misplaced, nearly insane considering she had delivered a baby twenty-four hours ago! It simply had to be fluctuating hormones. Steadying her hand, she tried to control her voice as she said, “Of course we can trust each other. We’re friends. Now keep still, and don’t talk.”

“Yes, ma’am,” he muttered.

She could see the laughter in his eyes and tried to ignore it as she brought the razor to his cheek. “Short strokes,” she whispered, reaching back to the sink and turning the water on to rinse the blade.

She felt his breath on her chest as he exhaled and realized again what an intimate position she was in. Concentrate on the job at hand, she mentally commanded, not on the fact that you are standing between the legs of an extremely handsome man, a man who claims to have time traveled into your life!

She felt her hand tremble and stood frozen for a moment. She willed her fingers to steady themselves and began shaving him. She gazed at the lines of laughter around his startling green eyes. Close up, she saw the fine threads of gray mingled into his thick dark hair. Yes, Charles Garrity was one very handsome man. Combine that with his Irish charm, and it was no wonder he was wreaking havoc with her mind. Stop thinking about it and focus, her brain reprimanded. When she had half his face shaved, she finally said, “I think you can do it now. Just remember to press down gently and use short strokes.” She handed him the razor and backed away as he slowly rose.

“You don’t trust yourself?” he asked with a grin.

Knowing he couldn’t possibly have read her thoughts, she smiled back. “I don’t want to be responsible for any bloodletting. At least with you.”

“Ah, Suzie…” he called out with a slight Irish accent as he stood in front of the mirror and rinsed the razor. “You’re too gentle a lass ever to be responsible for bloodletting. I was never worried.”

“I’m glad you weren’t,” she murmured, picking up his shirt and walking toward the doorway. “When you’re finished in here, I’ll show you how to use the washing machine.”

She grabbed up her robe and put it on, as if the act would present a barrier between her and the man who would be coming out of her bathroom. How could she be so rattled by him when she had just delivered a baby? No one told her about these raging hormones, or what they could do to a libido that had been put on hold for the last four months.

She gazed down to her beautiful sleeping son and sighed with wonder. He had come out of her. By some miracle of nature she and Kevin had created this gift to the world. When she looked at him like this it didn’t matter that her entire life was turned upside down, that she was exhausted and every muscle in her body ached. What did matter was that despite everything crazy that was happening in her life, she was going to make sure Matty was protected. She would do whatever it took, for she was now a mother.

A surge of appreciation rushed through her body for her own mother and everything she had taken for granted. A lump formed in her throat when she thought of her mother’s death. How she wished her mother could be here now to see her grandson. Somehow, she felt her mother knew and would always watch out for her.

“I need some help, Mom,” she whispered while continuing to stare at her son. Not only had her marriage fallen apart. She didn’t know how “together” life was around her. She had an infant to care for and a time traveler shaving in her bathroom. Shaking her head, Suzanne grinned and slipped her feet into her slippers. Well, she certainly couldn’t complain that her life was boring!

She walked across the room, opened Kevin’s closet, and stared at the remaining clothes. She’d have to pack all this up once she got her strength back. She’d hire a messenger service to take it to Ingrid’s, for she couldn’t see herself doing it and she wouldn’t ask Charlie. Remembering why she had come into the closet, Suzanne grabbed a long-sleeved cotton shirt and flicked off the light as she closed the door on a problem she couldn’t immediately solve.

“Here’s a clean shirt,” she said, watching as Charlie bent over the sink and rinsed his face with water. He reached for the towel and smiled at her in the mirror.

“Thanks. When you get a chance you can show me how to use this machine that washes clothes.”

“I can show you now. I have some things I should wash and, as I’ve said, if I don’t do it while Matty’s sleeping I don’t know when I’ll have the chance.” She couldn’t suppress the tired sigh.

He dried his face and hands and chuckled. “He sure does demand attention when he’s awake, doesn’t he? I didn’t know babies were so… demanding is the only word I can think of right now. He has his needs and he wants them met now.”

Smiling, she nodded. “I didn’t really know either. I read so many books while I was pregnant and I thought I was prepared, but boy, did I underestimate a tiny baby.”

He folded the towel and left it on the counter.

She was a bit startled when he turned his head to her and held out his hand for the shirt. He looked so clean and handsome and… and manly, that Suzanne swallowed deeply as she placed the shirt in his fingers. “I… I’ll… ah, get those things that need to be washed. You can gather up your clothes and we’ll do them together.”

He nodded as he slipped his arms into the shirtsleeves and Suzanne quickly looked away as she left him. Yes, being in a bathroom with a man who was not her husband was far too intimate, yet she couldn’t completely erase the vision of him in that sleeveless undershirt. Washing. Clothes. Action. She needed to shake any other thoughts out of her mind. She was a mother now, she reminded herself again. A woman of some dignity, though she would be hard pressed to find any in the last twenty-four hours. As she picked up her soiled clothes, she left the bedroom and walked into the nursery. Gathering up Matty’s things, she inwardly shuddered as the memory of what she had put Charlie through during labor flashed through her mind. Dignity? She’d certainly lost that in front of the man, and yet, it didn’t seem to have affected the way he treated her. He’d seen her at her worst, knew the truth about her and her failed marriage, and still treated her with respect.

“Ready?”

Startled, she clutched the laundry to her chest and jumped as she heard him speak. Nodding, she walked into the hallway and headed for the stairs.

“Here, allow me,” he said, taking the soiled clothes from her arms and adding them to his own. “You hold on to the railing and to me.”

“I’m fine,” she protested, not wanting to feel the muscles in his arms again.

“I insist,” he stated, holding out the crook of his arm. “You weren’t too steady coming up these stairs and the last thing we need is for anything to happen to you. You have to take care of yourself, Suzanne, and I’m going to make sure you do.”

She couldn’t help the smile from forming at her lips. “You’re such a gentleman, Charles Garrity.”

“I was brought up correctly, madam.”

“Your family… your mother and father… are they still alive?” she asked as they slowly descended the stairs.

There was silence.

Immediately she saw what a stupid question that was and apologized. “I’m so sorry. That was ridiculous to ask. I keep forgetting that you’re… well, from another time.”

“It’s all right, Suzanne. None of this is normal, not for either one of us. My father died while I was attending university in Dublin. I came home to find my mother distraught. It seemed my father had left us penniless and in debt.”

“I’m sorry,” she murmured, as they reached the bottom step.

“Thank you, but there’s no need for your sorrow. It happened a long time ago.” He shrugged as he looked about the house. “It appears now a very long time ago.”

“C’mon, I’ll show you the washing machine,” she whispered with a smile. She could tell he really didn’t want to talk about his past and she had to respect that after everything he’d been through. “And the real miracle, Mr. Garrity, is that there is also a machine that dries the wet clothes.”

“No more hanging clothes on the line?”

She shook her head as they walked through the kitchen. “Nope. It’s all done by machines now, though I sometimes miss the scent of laundry dried in fresh air.” She noticed that he had washed the frying pan he had used for her eggs and her heart softened even more. Kevin never washed anything, not a dish or a piece of clothing. It dawned on her that she had really allowed her husband to get away with a lot, not the least was an affair with her best friend.

If she ever again got time to think, then she had a lot to go over in her mind about her marriage. Like why wasn’t she grieving over its ending? Wasn’t it just yesterday that she’d thought she couldn’t get through the betrayal? What had happened to her, she wondered as they entered the laundry room. It wasn’t just having Matty in her life now or the appearance of a very attractive, attentive man who claimed to be from 1926. Somehow, as crazy as it might seem… she really didn’t want to try and salvage her marriage to Kevin. Somewhere in the recesses of her frazzled mind yesterday at the creek, she had envisioned him realizing his mistake and begging her to forgive him and take him back. That possibility, as distant as it might be, wasn’t even an option. Not any longer. Something had changed within her after her son’s birth. It was as if a surge of strength seemed to cradle her soul, gently reminding her that she didn’t really need Kevin and could make it without him… and she might even be happier. How odd to have that insight in front of the washing machine.

Yes, she had a lot to think about. Decisions had to be made.

She sighed deeply when she realized the first one was finding a divorce lawyer.

“Okay, Charlie,” she said with a quick smile as she slapped her hand down on the white metal. “Meet my Whirlpool.”