As the luxury ship carrying the O�Connells, as well as the other passengers bound for Egypt docked in Cairo�s busy port, Alex O�Connell got his first look at his birth place. The happy toddler bounced in his father�s arms as the ship came to a stop.
Standing beside Rick, Evelyn held his left hand looking out at the land she had missed seeing for the past year. Seeing the people on the dock below; some walking with suitcases, others carrying crates, made her realize how much she had missed Egypt and all of it�s mysteries. The city was alive with activity, and that is what always drew Evelyn to want to visit.
�Are you ready?� Rick asked as he shifted Alex into his left arm.
�Always ready,� came her reply as they walked down the ramp onto dry land.
�See see,� Alex suddenly yelled as he tried to find a way to get out of his father�s arms.
Not prepared for Alex trying to get away, Rick almost dropped him, but managed to get a better grip on him. �Alex, hold on a second there pal,� Rick said as his son leaned back, screaming as loud as he could. He wouldn�t let Evie, Jonathan or Nanna hold him, so Rick put him down, keeping a tight grasp on his small hand.
Alex pulled Rick back to the boat, letting his father know what he wanted, which was to get back on.
�Lets go see if mum mum has a cookie for you,� Rick tried. He wasn�t at all surprised when Alex tried to pull away, and was glad when Nanna came to lend a hand. She had Alex�s favorite toy, a wooden camel with wheels as feet, so Alex could pull it along. Once Alex had that, he walked with them holding Nanna�s hand.
~*~
Just outside the city, on the northern end stood the house Evelyn and Jonathan�s father purchased in 1909. It was not as grand as their England home; only two stories, with three bedrooms and three bathrooms, a sitting room, and a kitchen.
When they arrived, Alex was asleep, cradled in Evelyn�s arms. While the men tended to the luggage, Evie carried her baby upstairs and put him down in the bed where she and Rick would sleep, then crawled in next to him.
Downstairs Nanna was making a list of things that they would need to buy when they went to the market. She had just finished that job, and was putting on a kettle of water to heat for tea, when Rick and Jonathan came in with the luggage. �Would either of you care for some tea?� she asked.
�Oh, I could use something,� Jonathan said as he started to put down the bags he was carrying.
�Not so fast,� Rick said. �We can have tea after we put this upstairs,� he added.
Jonathan mumbled something under his breath, but continued to follow his brother-in-law. Upstairs he put the three bags he was carrying into the room Nanna and Alex were going to share, then went back downstairs to have tea with Nanna.
When Rick walked into the bedroom he and Evie were going to share, he found his wife and his son asleep on the bed. Quietly he set the suitcases he was carrying down by the door, then crossed the room to Evelyn�s side of the bed. He leaned over and kissed her forehead.
Evelyn opened her eyes, offering the man she loved a smile. �I only meant to take a small rest,� she whispered.
Rick smiled back and sat down on the edge of the bed. �I think Nanna was going to get Jonathan to go with her into town, and I thought we could both use a little rest.
�No, I need to get up and get Alex�s room ready for him,� she said. Evelyn was forever on the go, and felt she had gotten plenty of sleep while they had been on the ship.
Rick watched as she slipped out of bed, and walked to the bathroom. He was worried about her, because she wasn�t her normal energetic self. As much as he wanted to try and get her to take it easy, he knew when, and when not to suggest something, and once she had finished washing her face, he went with her to get Alex�s bed ready for him.
~*~
The next few days were whirlwind of activity, and as Rick had feared, Evelyn had found plenty for them to get into. His plans for an agenda free vacation were put to rest when she found out about the restoration project going on at Thebes, and wasn�t quite prepared when she suggested to him that they journey to the site and lend a hand.
In their room with the door shut there was a heated discussion going on.
�What happened to taking it easy? What happened to letting Alex see the city where he was born?� Rick asked as he unpacked the suitcases she was trying to pack, feeling as if he had done this sometime in the past.
Evelyn pulled some of her shirts out of the bottom drawer, and walked over to the bed, putting them into the suitcase. �Alex can continue to see the city with Jonathan and Nanna,� she said as she walked back to the dresser.
Rick sighed and shut his eyes. �Evie, there isn�t alot of privacy going on expeditions, and I thought it might be nice for us to just relax,� he said, trying his best not to get angry with her.
Evelyn was pulling out more cloths from the middle drawer of the dresser, but stopped on his last words. She put the pants down and then walked over to him. �You really don�t want to do this?� she asked.
Rick reached out and pulled her into his arms. �Sometimes I miss the thrill of a good adventure,� he admitted as he leaned his head to the left side of hers, nuzzling his lips against her neck. �Other times I think about how lucky we have been to have all we do,� he said as his lips traveled to her ear. There he nibbled on her left lobe, hearing her sudden intake of breath. He continued to suck and nibble her lobe, then made his way back to her soft sweet lips. �I love you,� he whispered in between their kisses.
For the moment going to Thebes was forgotten as his lips devoured hers, as his hands pulled her blouse out from under her skirt. Then they both heard Alex screech, and for the moment Thebes and other expeditions would have to wait.
~*~
Being back in Egypt had its perks, and Jonathan had no problem reacquainting himself with the many Casbah�s and other fine establishments, not to mention trouble. Four days after their arrival in Cairo he found more trouble than what he was wanting, and now he sat in Cairo Prison waiting for Rick or Evelyn to come bail him out. He hadn�t meant for things to get out of hand, and wouldn�t have tried cheating at a game of Poker if he would have known that the young chap he was playing with had ties to the latest warden of the Prison.
An hour had passed since he had made his call, and as he stood up to pace again, the door at the end of the hall opened. Rick walked in front of his cell, and Jonathan could tell he wasn�t happy. �Brings back memories, but I think I liked it better when you were the one in the cell,� Jonathan tried.
�I don�t like anything about any of this,� Rick said as he turned and left. The Guard who was with Rick unlocked the cell and let Jonathan out. As he and Rick walked to the car, Jonathan kept his distance, unsure of what Rick had in mind for him.
~*~
With her pot of soup on simmer, Nanna finished cleaning the kitchen, then went upstairs to check on Evelyn. This morning at breakfast, she had noticed that her Evie didn�t look as though she was feeling well and when Jonathan had called from the prison, and after Rick had gone to fetch him, she had suggested the young woman go take a rest. When she arrived upstairs, she heard a familiar lullaby coming from the room she and Alex were sharing, and inside found Evelyn sitting in the rocking chair with Alex settled on her lap sound asleep.
Evelyn smiled as her Nanna walked to them, and put her hand over her mouth as she yawned. �He was having a bit of a fuss,� she explained as she let Nanna take him.
Gently Nanna put Alex down in his crib and placed a receiving blanket over him then walked to the rocking chair. �Perhaps it would be best if you saw a doctor,� she said, for the first time voicing her suspicions.
�Nanna, I�m perfectly fine, just a little tired is all,� Evie said, not liking visits to the doctor.
�I�ve never known you to need as much rest as you have these past few weeks, and you don�t have that same sparkle in your eyes as you normally do,� she said as the two of them walked out of the small room.
As much as she hated to admit it, Evelyn too had started to wonder if something was amiss. She didn�t have the energy to do much of anything, and that was frustrating for her. �I�ve just been busy with the museum, and with Alex,� she said, still trying to deny that she needed the medical attention of any doctor.
Downstairs they settled in the parlor, and Nanna watched as Evelyn fought to stay awake. �Evie, please let a doctor have a look at you, what harm will it do you?�
�I suppose none at all, I just never like going to see them.�
�None of us do my dear, but sometimes they do come in handy,� said Nanna offering her a smile.
Evelyn returned the smile, then looked at the entry of the Parlor where Rick appeared followed by her brother. �Nanna will you go check on Alex?� she asked, ready to have words with Jonathan.
After patting Jonathan on the shoulder, Rick walked through the parlor to the kitchen, then out the back door to sit in the small garden. There he relaxed, glad to let Evelyn handle her brother.
�Jonathan do you know how humiliating it is to get a phone from the prison saying that you are a resident?� Evie all but shouted.
Looking back on the ride home, Jonathan wished it would have been Rick to do the lecturing. He sat quietly as she fumed at him, feeling bad enough as it was without her telling him that he needed to grow up and take responsibility for his life. Suddenly her ranting stopped, and when Jonathan looked up he saw her starring unfocused at him right before she fell backward. �RICK,� he yelled as he got up from his chair, and ran to his sister�s side.
~*~
�Voom voom,� Alex said as he pushed his truck across the floor in the kitchen. He crawled to where his father was sitting, and abandoned it, wanting instead to visit with his father.
Feeling Alex�s small hand tugging his tan slacks got Rick�s attention, and he looked down at his little boy, then picked him up, settling him down on the table he was sitting in front of.
�Mum mum mum,� Alex said as he reached out and patted his father�s cheeks. He wasn�t aware of the worry all three of the adults who occupied the kitchen were experiencing, and after a moment of playing with his father�s nose he was ready to go back to his trucks.
A creek on the top of the stairs caught all of their attention, and all three of them looked up as Dr. Ignatis walked down to them. Rick stood up ready to see his wife.
�I will need to run a few tests, but I�m fairly certain that Mrs.� O�Connell is with child,� he said as he walked over to the worried father and husband.
Rick sat back down in the chair he had just gotten up from, and ran his hand through his hair. �I want to see her,� he finally said as he stood back up. By then the Doctor and his nurse were ready to leave.
�You may, but she needs rest now. I will be by to see her tomorrow,� he informed them, then let Jonathan lead he and his nurse to the front of the house.
~*~
Since the doctor had left the room, Evelyn had not stopped crying, and continued to cry even when she felt Rick sit down beside her. She felt awful, and because of that, as well as being exhausted, she wasn�t sure how to feel about the possibility of having a second child.
Rick slipped his boots off, and when he was laying in bed next to his wife he easily pulled her against his body, needing to hold her. He gently stroked his hand through her hair, and kissed the top of her head.
�How could this be happening?� Evie finally said as she peered into her husband�s blue eyes. She of coarse knew how a baby was created, but just wasn�t prepared to have one so soon after Alex.
�I guess that�s what we get for having fun,� Rick said, trying to lighten the mood, but only making it worse. Once again she was crying, and once again he felt totally helpless. He wasn�t sure how he felt about possibly having another one, and knew it wasn�t going to be easy, but was also in a way glad that Alex would have someone to grow up with.
A few minutes later when she was asleep, and when Rick was thinking about joining her, he heard a light knock at the door before it opened. Nanna was there, and carefully Rick slipped away from his wife, then followed the older woman downstairs. �She�s pretty upset,� he said as she had him sit down at the table.
�I think it may do well to go back to England, perhaps if anything to keep her away from temptation,� Nanna said.
Rick took the cup of tea she offered him and took a long drink, despite it being hot. They had alot to think about now, and he was glad Nanna seemed to be the take charge sort of gal.