The Moments Beyond

©2008 by: KC

CHAPTER ONE

Betsy stood by the window, lost in thought,  watching her two older children playing under the tree, holding her youngest child, a son, now almost six months old.  The little boy gurgled and smiled at her, he was looking more like his father, every day.

Lachlan's child.

Somehow, she had just known the child was his.  She had been careful with all of her liaisons, including Zeke, but Lachlan had taken her by surprise.  In more ways than one.  She didn't think she would ever want to be with another man, again, after Zeke was killed, but, even before she knew she was pregnant, the memory of the young bomber pilot was never far from her mind.

He had come to comfort her that terrible night and had ended up needing some comforting, himself.

When her tears had finally been spent and when he thought she was sleeping, she felt his own tears against her neck, starting to flow.  He rolled away from her but she saw his shaking shoulders and then it was her turn to hold him.  He was crying for Zeke, for Scottie, but he was also crying out of sheer loneliness and the terror of what the future might hold for him.  Underneath that brave facade was just a boy not ready to die.  "Just remember what life is holding in store for you," she had whispered, "and you'll come through.  Let me show you."

And then they were kissing.  She started to remove his coat; he tried to pull away.

"I can't use you like this," he had protested, "it's Lil that I love."

"Lil?"  She was startled.

He fell back against the bed, tears still streaming down his face.

"Well, where is she, then?  When you need her?"  At the pained look on his face, she became angrier.  "Men!  Fuck all men!  Fuck Zeke for leaving me and fuck you, too!"

"Betsy--"

"No!  Where is she, Lachlan?"

"Her brother just died--"

"Well, my lover just died!  But, I'm still here!  And so are you!"  She sat up suddenly in the bed; he did, too.

"God, Betsy, the last thing I wanted to do was upset you again--"

She placed her hand over his mouth.  After a moment, he began to suckle her fingers and she was immediately molten inside.  She lifted his lips to hers and they locked in an all consuming kiss that made them both breathless: he shucked off his remaining clothes; her robe fell away and he stared at her white, ample breasts.  She closed her eyes, relishing the flicks of his tongue and teeth against her neck and shoulders as they squeezed their bodies closer; she gasped at the sensation as he traveled down her throat; moaned when he had taken one of her hard nipples in his mouth; the core of her began to throb in excruciating anticipation.  She kissed the top of his head, smoothed her cheek against his soft brown hair and ran her hand down his hard, smooth back and massaged his buttocks tight against her.

But when he raised his head she still saw, despite the rising passion, the guilt and hesitation in his eyes.  She couldn't wait.

She grabbed his penis, none too gently, feeling his body jerk with shock and excitement; guided him into her; kissed his hot, sleek neck.  He began to move inside her; she clung to him while he plunged deeper and deeper; her nails sunk into his heaving shoulders.  They heard each other's mutual, sharp, breathy cries and each sound spurred them to wild heights neither of them had experienced before.

Finally, toward dawn, physically and emotionally spent, Lachlan had fallen asleep in her arms while she stroked his soaked and trembling body.

He would never know that Lil had found him that way or see the sadness in her eyes that said she had lost her chance with him.  Forever.

When her son was born, she had named him Lachlan.  She doubted anybody but Lil would make the connection and Betsy was beyond caring what anybody thought.  All she cared about now was giving her children the best life she could manage for them.  That had been made a little easier, thanks to Zeke.  God bless him, he had left everything to her, all the money he had in the world.

But the one thing the little boy needed, she couldn't give him.  His father.  She had to find his father.  But, how?

~*~

When little Lachlan was almost three months old, Lil's sister, Kate, received a telegram from Johnny, Lachlan's best friend.  He had been wounded but had been one of the lucky ones: he was coming home to Kate and would she marry him?  Kate, of course had immediately wired back an ecstatic, "Yes!" and began immediately to plan a huge welcome home/engagement party to which the whole town was invited.  Betsy had heard all of this during one of her infrequent visits to the little grocery in town that dealt out more gossip than food and from that moment had wracked her brain trying to find a plausible way of talking to Kate.  The only thing she could think of was to somehow run into her in town, and since the store was pretty much the central meeting point of the community, she doubled her visits there.

Betsy had kept pretty much to herself during the pregnancy, venturing into town only for necessities but as she had grown and her wardrobe had gone through some considerable adjustments, it became obvious to the townsfolk that she was With Child, and the rumors had flown.  Who was "The Father?"  The possibilities, the gossips snickered, were endless.  Betsy knew the rumors.  They had hurt, but she held her head high and went about her business.

Since the birth of the baby, though, interest had waned and the gossips had moved on.  Betsy told herself she didn't give a damn, one way or another, but the fact was, the trips into town became easier for her.  People scarcely noticed her, now.

One day, when she came to the little grocery,  she saw Lil and Kate together, looking at bolts of cloth and giggling.  She made her selections hurriedly; she desperately wanted to talk to Kate but she also definitely wanted to avoid Lil.  Lil saw her, and it was obvious the feeling was mutual.

But Kate, oblivious to all of it except her boundless happiness, saw Betsy and greeted her warmly.

"Hi, Betsy, so good to see you--"

Betsy, nonplussed, nonetheless replied, "Well. You, too. I hear congratulations are in order."

Kate beamed.  "Yes, isn't it wonderful?  He'll be home anytime now! You are coming to the party, aren't you?"

"Well, I--I'm not doing too much partying these days.  The kids keep me pretty busy--"

"I can bet.  How is that little boy of yours?"

The proud mother beamed.  "Gorgeous.  And such a good baby, too."

"I'd love to see him, where is he, by the way?"

"He's at home.  His big sister is taking care of him."

"Wow, she must be a god-send.  Maybe she can babysit him when you come to the party."

Betsy gave her a look.  "Did anybody ever tell you, you have a one-track mind?"

"Are you kidding, if I had a nickel for everytime Lil's said that--" she looked back to where she thought Lil was.

But Lil had vanished.

"--why--where in the world did she go?  That sister of mine!"  Her eyes flashed with impatience.  "Now, what do I do--?  I need to get this to the seamstress, today!"

Betsy, knowing full well the reason for Lil's disappearance, said,  "Well, I guess you're going to need some help."

"Would you," Kate exclaimed, "I'd be so grateful--"

"Why not?"

The two of them spent the next twenty minutes finding just the right fabric.  Betsy found herself having fun, for the first time in a long time.  When they were done and waiting for the cloth to be wrapped, Kate took her aside.

"I'm glad I saw you, Betsy.  Don't be such a stranger."

Betsy had driven home, wiping tears from her eyes.  Tears at the girl's thoughtfulness; and tears that she might just now have a way of learning about Lachlan now that she had somehow connected with Kate.  But how to avoid Lil, in the process??  Well, she would just cross that bridge when she came to it.

A week after Johnny returned home, Betsy sat rocking the baby when she heard a car coming down her lane.  She couldn't remember the last time she had had company.  Not since she had closed down her rather lucrative sideline, anyway.  Puzzled and a little nervous, she put Lachlan down and went to the door and was surprised to see Kate coming to the front porch.

"Well, hello," she said, in a puzzled but happy voice, "what are you doing, here?"

"Hi, Betsy, sorry to barge in like this--but you don't have a telephone--"

"--don't be silly, I'm just surprised you would tear yourself away from Johnny?  How is he?"

"Oh, he's doing fine, we were so lucky, the wound wasn't that serious, we were surprised they sent him home--we can't wait to get married--"  She stopped herself, giggling nervously.  "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to go on like that--that's not why I came here--"

"Well, why are you here?  You had to have a reason--to come all this way--"

Betsy cursed herself; she was mucking the chance--maybe the only chance to get on Kate's good side.  "I'm sorry, where are my manners?  Come on in.  Would you like some tea?"

"Um, no, I can't stay long."  Kate was clearly uncomfortable.  "I have to get back to Johnny--he's the reason I'm here."

"Johnny's the reason you're here? Betsy asked.  "Well, sit down.  Tell all."

She perched on the couch, nervously.  "He wants to see you.  He wants to talk to you about--" her face reddened-- "oh, dear, this is so awkward--just--will you please come and see him?  It's about--Lachlan.

Chapter Two