Brother Dearest Pt 31
Back to the first set of classes you were heading and once skirted with a matching blouse James’ lingering gaze over you paused the move for lipstick to claim some loving kisses. Once the final ease of his nose against yours was stolen before his tug on the arm round your middle making you smirk at his insistence of holding you a few moments more, one more kiss on your lips in handing over the tube of lipstick and he rumbled, “I’ll fetch your heels.” Back he came stirring giggles from you at his kneeling to add them and pecks stolen on each knee in his imagined way for luck.
Rising again to plant a kiss on each cheek after you had blotted the colorful coating across your lips sure to become less brilliant after breakfast was through. Arm draped around your back he cuddled close as he could in your shared stroll down chuckling in a tug to keep Pepper and Olive from toppling you over on their bounding path to get outside bringing you even more against his chest.
To the kitchen everyone gathered with your eyes shifting to Dawn at her slip out of the room to Eddie’s smiling statement of, “Sausage coming up.” His head turned watching her go with brows inched up clearly showing that they had a rough night last night and he was concerned for her leaving. Victor from his pouring out the coffee and juice looked to you at your double tap of a finger of your chest dropping his jaw in an audible gasp. Setting the skillet down on the cool burner with the other shut off he hurried to Teddy in his high chair kissing his cheek, “You are a big brother Teddy!”
Out he hurried and James tapped his chest asking, “Tap tap?”
“Oh, she has two heartbeats.” Victor blinked at you and you clarified, “I can tell when women are pregnant, at least when the heart starts to beat.”
Victor let out a quick breath and said, “Usually we catch that early.”
James chuckled saying, “That would explain the sleeplessness and Teddy no doubt threw us off.” Tenderly stroking the top of the boy’s head as he gummed one of his hands.
“Hard to tell except from a blood test this early. Threw Gina off first time I congratulated her, two weeks before the Midwife could get a positive now every time their stomach turns they ask if I can feel another baby coming on.”
James chuckled jumping into finishing breakfast while you found Teddy’s jar of food and sat down beside the boy finally awake from the quick departure of his parents wondering wordlessly about his food. “Breakfast coming up Teddy.”
His mouth opened making you giggle and bring the jar closer to open, Victor hummed moving to add the sausage to its own plate, “Squishy jr number two.”
In one of the guest bedrooms however Eddie stood on the other side of the door to the bathroom Dawn had gone to sit on the end of the tub with face in her hands deeply breathing in and out, “Dawny, sugar lump we don’t have to have sausage for breakfast.”
“It’s not the sausage. I like sausage.” She sighed out in a slightly confused tone unable to place what was going on with her.
“Can I come in?”
“I didn’t lock it.”
“Not what I asked.”
“You can come in.” His hand found the knob and she said, “Though my mascara no doubt is running.”
Easing inside he grinned seeing his expecting wife hunched over still cradling her face with slippered feet crossed and knocked knees hidden under the wrinkling layered skirt of her favorite dress she no doubt put on to try and feel better today. Down beside her he crouched settling his hands on her knees smiling at her dumbly sweetly murmuring, “Dawny, we have some honey for your belly.”
“I don’t even know what is wrong, couldn’t sleep and then I’m warm, my mouth keeps watering, and just,” she huffed lowering her hands to her lap saying, “And you need your sleep, I kept you up and Teddy didn’t make a peep.”
“Sugar lump,” he hummed out and she huffed at his smile at her.
“Don’t smile like that I look,”
“You look breath taking,” he said taking her hands she flipped up at her sides he cradled on her lap, “You always look breath taking. And I have a guess what’s going on,”
She shook her head, “How would you-,”
“You have two heart beats,” Venom hissed from beside his ear parting her lips in confusion.
“Two-?” She murmured.
Eddie wet his lips and cut her off, “You’re pregnant, Jaqi is the best test and in a few weeks the Midwife could confirm it a bit further on.”
“I’m, she’s certain?! It took my mom two years-,”
Eddie shrugged saying, “Brocks are fertile. You don’t have to be worried, even Ambrose was a bit frazzled her first couple months. But she can bring over some honey toffees that help with her and Gina’s sicknesses. I love you, more than I could ever say, and we can do this, Teddy and the little one.”
She exhaled again, “I won’t be able to fit into the dress,”
Eddie’s brows inched up, “What dress? We can buy you a new dress.”
“My bridesmaid dress, Jaqi asked me even before we were engaged and Teddy was here. She wanted me up there with your sisters.”
Eddie shook his head, “You’d be due roughly in April, wedding won’t be till May at the latest, June even if Jaqi wants to put it back a bit.”
“What if I miss it?”
Smiling wider he said, “We will not miss it. Besides, if she gets any more straw on her back from Truman or the King she’s bound to just courthouse it anyways.”
“I would feel so bad ruining or missing her day after she worked so hard on ours.”
“The invitations aren’t out, haven’t even picked the stationary yet, the date is flexible. Are you feeling better?”
“I’m feeling fine except-,”
Shaking his head he said, “No thoughts on the wedding, that is months off, only thoughts on breakfast and feeding my amazing wife and our, hopefully baby girl.”
“You don’t want another boy?”
“My sisters and cousins have boys after boys, their husbands love boys couldn’t know what to do with a hoard of baby girls. You are perfect why wouldn’t I want a herd of little Dawns tottering around our Teddy?” She started to tear up and he rose up to kiss her and helped her to her feet, “Come, let’s feed you, Sugar lump.” Sweetly he kissed her on the nose and then added, “Besides, your parents made it abundantly clear they have their fingers crossed for girls.” That lured a giggle from her and with hands locked they came to join the others in the kitchen again after he confirming glance at the mirror.
Victor brought over a cup of tea he settled in front of her seat, “Ample honey, Dawny dear. Meat or no meat?”
“I looked at the egg bowl,” making the pair chuckle and James serve her some sausage with the cooked eggs in a portion she could add or take away from with hot cakes and hash brown scramble.
In her glance at you Eddie said, “We cannot talk about the wedding or any dresses involved.”
“Dress?” you asked then it clicked, “A heartbeat starts roughly seven weeks in, so that’s, April, roundabouts.”
James nodded, “Plus we’ve got everything centered around the end of May anyways. We’ll have another munchkin for the pictures, by my guess we should have an army of them tussling down the aisle in the petals.” Making you giggle remembering the wrestling match when you had gotten here to win the right between the Brock kids to be in charge of the task.
In giggles you said filling your fork with the hash scramble, “We may just have a petal parade. Who knows, royals may get a kick out of it.” After a pause you said, “At least they’ll be here next weekend so I can ask about the seating. Especially for the reception.”
Victor, “If they don’t want to eat with us commoners then they can hoof it.”
“Oh that’s not it. They sent me a detailed list in which of the nobles who are invited cannot sit beside the others and which to keep away from the pyrotechnics,” your shoulders shrugged, “Who said we were having any?”
James, “I mentioned sparklers last time they called to offer a band.”
“Oh,” you groaned out.
Victor, “We turned them down, Tommy’s band is booked and always does our town festivities. Did wonders for Dawn and Eddie’s, knows how to read a room for the flow on tunes. What did they call for this time?”
“Apparently Princess Elizabeth is courting a fine young lad named Phillip, who they humbly asked to add to the invitations list no doubt to spark some flames of engagement whimsy.”
James, “I’m certain we can find a spare seat somewhere.”
“I was tempted to say no honestly,” making the pair chuckle.
Eddie said, “Certainly would throw them a bit. But they did drop thirty guests on us.”
Victor, “I think other than their tries to change things we do have everything planned past the invitations and seating name cards.”
“Convenient too, seeing as we will most likely be adding Miss Norma Jeane,” he rolled his eyes and aimed his fork at you.
Dawn giggled out, “She does like you,”
“Ooh, did Eddie tell you about this Saturday?” She glanced at him and you said, “Truman’s daughter is coming to take us dress shopping, you, me and Victor’s date.”
Dawn grinned and said, “I can call her later if you like.”
“Sounds good. Just wonder how far up town she’ll be taking us.”
James, “We can afford new dresses.”
“I spent three grand on wedding gowns,”
Eddie, “No wedding gown talk.”
James’ hand settled on your back between your shoulders with his eyes locked on yours, “Darling, we can afford it.”
“It’s one dinner, if she picks anything like what I wore in England, I looked it up that dress was 900 pounds, I got fifteen grand from the service and in one night that gown could have dropped it drastically, not even mentioning the shoes, beauty regimen-,”
Cupping your cheek he said calmly trying to stop what he knew to be tears looming from you, “Breathe. It took us decades to get here. To where we can tell you that we can afford it. You have fifteen grand, plus all of your earnings so far from the comics. You have more than enough to afford it. I know that’s scary when you couldn’t afford eggs before the war. You go and you pick a stunning dress with Dawn who will have a stunner of her own alongside Miss Norma who no doubt will be hoping to have Vic on the ground.”
“Subtle,” Vic muttered making James’ lips tick a moment into a smirk then down again into that same sincere smile.
“And then when the pictures and the dancing and press is all over weeks or years even after the party you’ll have that same dress in your closet waiting to be used again one day, because you are not going away. People love you, they love to see you doing spectacular things in amazing gowns. We believe in you and want the best for you. So you pick a stunner, because from what I can guess of the evening there will be a sea of dull people and we all want them to be jealous of our dates.”
Victor reached over to plant a hand on your arm turning your head after James had stolen a peck on your cheek and lowered his hand, “Trust me, you get those degrees and you can make 900 pounds in a snap of your fingers. You’ll see. Even we have a hard time dropping cash, think of it as an investment. All they can do for your company is move parties into your path, they knew school is your priority right now, even the King had to remind you that he would be open to an invitation to your big day practically begging. They know they’re at arms length, all they’ll ever get is parties and fancy dinners with you.”
Eddie leaned in to kiss Dawn’s cheek, “You too, pick a dress you love, I doubt the event will be much fun if it was planned for Washington. No doubt long speeches and lectures and small talk since the letter said Bunny was asked for her expertise in magnets.”
Dawn said, “I know you love science, but that sounds perfectly dreadful to spend nights talking about nothing but magnets.”
You giggled rolling your eyes, “I highly doubt we will be at a table with just scientists. No doubt we’ll be near the Queen, Princesses or Truman’s Daughter.” Finishing your last bite of food to Teddy’s reach for you puffy cheeked, you smiled lifting him to your lap to cuddle for your last bits of breakfast before having to leave. His giggles and babbles spread smiles around the table of puffy cheeked adults failing to give him words to repeat yet between the pecks you left on his nose and cheeks with his fists closing around the palms you kissed at each offer widening his smile and earning loud pleased squeals from the boy happy and wiggling in his time with his aunt.
.
Almost you had forgotten what had happened, almost. Crossing through that front arch the reluctance in the release of your hand and second peck each on your forehead had your stomach clenching for what had happened the day prior with Brent. As if it had been a lifetime ago and you had been jolted back in time you shook your mind free of its frosty coating and drew in a deep breath determined to not be hindered by Brent or any other idiot in your path from here to your distant future the brothers watching could so brightly see down the road for you. Just passing the classrooms you could tell something was up with the Professors on the Barnard Campus.
History came first with your first quiz and ample slides to cover more of the former lesson from the day before. Italian came next with a complex copying of the conjugation chart she had written on the board coming before the outline of sentence structure to begin her weekly ordered sentences to pass in weekly to test you on what you had learned as part of a mini quiz routine. Latin followed suit and with a grin you spotted Portia who asked lowly, “Did you catch onto something? The Professors are acting strange.”
“They are, maybe lunch will clear it up.”
She nodded and said, “See you after.”
“See you.” Turned for the separate Latin courses the point was driven home as the friendly Professor now shifted in a stammering sort of way uncertain it seemed of how his actions would be perceived.
.
“What do you think it is?” Again you shrugged to Portia’s question meeting you in the hall to head for the Art History auditorium.
“Not a clue. Maybe it had something to do with that meeting they had yesterday after classes let out. I’m sure if there were big changes there would be an announcement of some sort.” Other classmates joined in on the speculating and all the way to the class kept you distracted until reaching the doors you passed through, adding the paper you had written to the pile on the Professor’s desk. A brief lesson came with another quiz to follow granting the Professor a chance to read a few of the top papers between more inspecting glances over the class as the other Professors had done like they were all looking for something or someone.
*
The bustle and rush of the reporters in the Daily Bugle main floor had Eddie looking around the room wondering what he had missed while dealing with the Brent debacle the day prior. “What’s going on?” He muttered to himself on his way to his desk in the bull pen to set his bag in his chair and his coat on his chair. Notepad and pen were pulled from the outer bag pocket to join the quieting crowd turning for the morning brief from the Chief Editor who rang the bell on the wall to sound for silence.
“Alright, now everyone is rushing to fire out the news that Congressman Farley’s kid is in the hospital and had surgery last night now I’ve been going over this in my head and there has to be a new angle on this. Congressman is tight lipped and no one in the Hospital is talking to the press. Nobody can seem to weasel how he got hurt out yet by my feelers. I’ve caught whispers the Times is doing a piece on some angle that this was a jab to get at the Congressman, while the Sun is going to head after the angle that his athletic career is shot if he ends up losing his arm.”
Eddie scoffed, “Finger at least.”
The turn of heads from the pair around him had the Editor asking, “Something to say Pear?”
Eddie exhaled and said, “Brent Farley is in the hospital with at least four broken ribs and a shattered finger. He’s losing his finger or movement of it at the very least.”
The others in the room shifted and the Editor said, “You’re certain on those injuries?”
“Ya, went to the hospital myself yesterday.”
That had jaws drop and he was asked, “You hear how it happened?”
“Ya, Brent had been spewing lewd comments to ladies in his classes on the male campus and in the Advanced Mathematics class in front of everyone when the Professor’s back was turned he groped a female student and got dropped for it. Collapsed into a desk and was drug out to the nurse who called an ambulance.”
Near to vibrating from the scoop another man asked, “Credible source?”
“My sister’s in two of his classes and was right next to him when he got dropped.”
He nodded and said, “You get down to Columbia and I want you to see if you can weasel some more out of this take Tommy with you I want pictures we might not make today’s paper but front page tomorrow this is all over it. Henry today get the basic clarified injuries and that he’s still in recovery.” Eddie turned and the Editor said, “In the least we might be able to get some reactions from the female students and possibly a quote from the Dean of he’ll be expelled. Could be a big boost to play up the damsel line on this. And be sure to keep Bunny’s name out of this no telling how hard Congressman is gonna blow back on this when his baby boy’s behavior is out of his little wallet’s reach.” Sighing to himself Eddie turned to grab his bag and coat with Tommy right at his side back at the stairs with camera bag in hand to try and be stealthy and sneak some pictures of the scoop and not tip anyone off on the way. Eddie pleased at least in that he could be there if you needed a friendly face if the day was growing hard for you with a class on that campus again.
.
Right off the bat he could see there was something off, none of the male students were in any of the buildings and the few female students outside were being marked off of lists from the pockets of the males with paper made top hats. Milling through Eddie listened and paused upon hearing him call out to an approaching young lady a bit wary of the crowd. “Samantha, Crumb right?” She nodded and came closer holding her books to her chest as he explained in her step closer to the other group of females in the sea of men from her class. “Now we’ve got all the girls here now there’s a notice from the Dean barring women from the courses on Columbia’s campus,” dropping the jaw of Samantha, the newest to the mix to be calmed and coaxed to continue onto courses. “But none of the fellas from mixed classes are attending unless all the ladies are up to going. All the Professors are locking their doors unless we’re all cleared on the list. Ready for class?”
Samantha asked, “What’s this about? Why would the Dean do this?”
The teen answered, “No clue, but I’d put my money on Brent’s dad making a call to him. But it’s all of us or none of us, we pay their rent to keep these doors open and it’s our right to protest peacefully against any wrongdoing.” Tilted forward a bit his head hung with a kind grin to ask again, “Ready for class, it’s alright if you don’t want to go, we’ll understand.”
She nodded and said, “I need this class for my degree.”
“Alright then, in we go!” Turning to guide the rows of his clapping and smiling classmates who followed past him through the doors two hatted students manned with check marks for each class noted on a board taped up on the wall.
Just buzzing Eddie got to questioning other students with them easing into it more once more than a few of the female students waiting had recognized him and shared his relation. Luring the guys to pack up Eddie’s note pad and bring out a second to keep up with all he was told while Tommy took advantage of the momentum to ask around for photos of signs, hats and of course the notice that had Eddie’s blood boiling for how the Dean had responded. Hours he even joined in on calming the ladies until he took notice from Venom’s warning hiss in his ear that you were coming.
*
Sniffles drew eyes from the quizzes in Art History to your Professor subtly trying not to cry making you double down focus on the quiz you had completed and were waiting out the class doodling across the back of it to keep busy. Five whole minutes later once she had excused herself to her office and came back touched up again the Professor announced to bring the pages to the front on your way out.
Down to the front you walked with her eyes shifting to the sketch of a rather odd looking tiger from her angle only to see it was a group of baby zebras on tricycles circling their exhausted mother with tongue splayed out across the ground she was laying on with mane still in curlers and what seemed to be a face mask on with rhino slippers in her hooves. The full image she wouldn’t see until you reached the door but in another student’s try to ask what was going on she simply shook her head and you left your quiz on the stack and followed Portia to her waiting car.
In the wait for your order you grinned passing the girls your sketches they stared with mouths agape over how detailed they were. “I can do more cartoony style too, just slipped my mind. I made some in my notebook earlier through Latin when it popped in my head.” You said bringing out the pages now torn from the book the girls grinned and giggled over the wild little animals acting foolish. “I’m better with ideas for animals over people, I always end up making portraits instead when I try for people can’t help it.”
With a shake of her head one of the girls who aimed you at the paper said, “Animals would be lovely. Last one only did flowers, they turned out terribly after the printing, these would transfer nicely, portraits too.”
“You guys hear?” The question came from two guys entering on their own lunch who spread it around then took notice of you and called out, “Hey Bunny, your brother’s here.”
“Eddie?” He nodded, “Why?”
“Interviewing over the ban.”
“What ban?” You and the ladies asked in their walk over and move to sit and explain nearly making you see red.
Among the guys were two from your class knowing just why this was bothering you more than the other ladies. And through the meal you listened to all the things the other guys had done to show that Brent was the bad seed in the bunch and none of the guys were let him cast their time here in Columbia into that class of filth forcing women back out of the school they worked so hard to get into.
.
Heart pounding the full ride over eyes watched the car pull up as if in a parade and out you climbed with a whistle and a wave to announce to your top hat wearing classmate waiting to mark your name off the list. All at once it became clear just who was here and subtly Eddie caught on that the supposed mystery female student was very well known and none of the arriving female students had drawn this much hopeful stares wishing they would join them. Before the driver could get out the door opened and you smiled calming him and Portia down saying, “Enjoy your practice, I’ll be fine, go on ahead see you tomorrow.”
Before she could protest the door was closed behind your non breathing self and her driver was off to get his charge away from whatever this was. Through the crowd parting you found Eddie in your path and you asked, “Eddie-,”
He shook his head murmuring, “News on Brent was all over the bullpen and I said what he’d done, none of the other papers have caught onto why he got hurt. They insisted no names, apparently Daddy Farley is trying to hush it all up. But we got here and the guys had organized this. No guys go in without all the female students in their class.”
“The Dean really posted a ban?” Eddie nodded, “Of course, why expect grown men to govern themselves when you can just shoo the women out of the building. Problem solved.” Eddie smirked and you walked with him over to your waiting class.
With a nod he greeted you noting the other females from your class coming up. “Miss Bunny, are you up to heading to class?”
Halfway between a scoff and a chuckle you glanced away a moment then replied, “I paid for my seat and I’m going every day, if the Dean wants my chair he can tear me out of it.”
Right in front through the doors opened for you the group of females led the stroll up the steps and behind your backs Tommy lifted his camera snapping a picture of your backs and in his second snap captured your hand rise to grab the posted notice at the corner you tore from the glass rippling proud grins behind you. Out of everyone you had the only right in the men’s minds to tear that sign down and a third picture had an image that exploded across papers of the notice crumbled in your fist. Straight up to the door you went and right outside the Professor smiled brightly welcoming you all back again.
.
By the time you had left the class next to the doors you eyed the Dean overseeing his secretary taping up another copy of the notice with his eyes fixed on your class. “Would any of you happen to know what became of the original notice posted on this door?”
“I took it down.” You stated plainly narrowing his eyes on you.
“And just what right do you have to take down an official notice from the Head of Faculty on this premises, Miss Pear?”
“Well I would hate to have misrepresented your position on things. After all I was invited by President Truman to a meeting of world leaders and brilliant minds weekend after next,” his face began to drop, “And his daughter Margaret is taking me dress shopping on Saturday for it. Even the King of England will be there, been meaning to catch up face to face for a while, mainly just been letters. The question of how things at Columbia are going will come up and when I tell them that after the man, who decided he had the right to grope a female student in class was dealt with appropriately in a display of what happens to men behaving so crudely and beneath the caliber of true Columbia students, that notice was the response of the Dean of the Men’s campus. So much easier to just have a copy to have her read it herself and pass on to her parents, nothing lost in translation at all in print. It is always a comforting thought to have such important men around to shape our lives, isn’t it?” Smiling widely at the now gulping Dean you turned with a peppy pop of your shoulders heading for the doors the teens failing to reign in their chuckles and wide smiles while your class followed you out of the building.
Outside however you giggled to yourself as one of the guys behind you commented after the doors had shut again, “I think he might black out.” Eddie was off no doubt writing the story in your mind, while actually off on the female campus speaking to willing female students to Tommy’s later captured picture that the Dean was now speaking with his Secretary no doubt questioning the wording of his notice.
Pathways familiar even in the milling crowds led you back to Professor Randolph’s classroom where he seemed calmer seeing that you were in a semi pleased mood. Right off the bat delving into Egyptian Mythology once again. Notes through the full class were taken with ample interest in the greater depth he added by bringing up a few relics around his desk to add some ‘proof’ of the tale’s impact on the culture.
Eagerly again to be freed to gossip at will the other students fled the room as you double checked you had the manila envelope of the sketches in your bag still you placed on top of your books that were lifted to your chest. Readied himself to head to his waiting post class meal Elliot grinned as you neared him. “How did things go on the Men’s Campus? I hear they had young men ready to organize escorts for in class protests?”
“Yes, waited for all us ladies to be willing to take the class and walked us in. Went well enough, bit crowded outside. Dean was there after. Didn’t seem too pleased to know I got invited to dine with President Truman and other world leaders. They do like hearing about how school is going, been really supportive of the whole process, interested how it will all go.”
Elliot chuckled, “Oh I imagine he took that well.”
“Looked a bit like he’d eaten paste,” you giggled out then added, “I don’t enjoy making threats, but it was the cards I was dealt, I know some people and the reputation of Columbia is at stake.”
Elliot nodded walking with you to the door, “True, very true. There are a great number of degrees for women at stake, I only wish I had better contacts to assist matters on my own. I heard reporters were here?” he pointed, “News room is this way.”
“Eddie was down here. Brooklyn Daily Bugle, but it’s a start. Apparently Brent’s operation and unexplained injuries are big news.”
“No doubt. Are you enjoying class? I thought to touch on hieroglyphs tomorrow.”
“Sounds like fun. I do like it so far. Making me want to visit one day. I read through my Art History book and they have all these churches and places statues came from, and I saw them, but through the war, they were different. Might be nice to travel again later, when things are fixed up again.”
“That is a marvelous plan.”
Pt 32
