Ryan finally convinced the others to join her by pledging that she would let either Jamie or Catherine turn the wheel that imparted the spin. The baby was able to go on this ride, and Ryan knew she would have a blast. The line was still very short since most people didn’t like the ‘spin ‘n barfs’ this early in the day. Caitlin was in her baby sling, and Ryan moved it from her back to her chest so that the baby was nestled between her thighs. When the ride was full, they began the slow lazy spin. Caitlin looked around suspiciously but when she saw that everyone else was having fun, she decided she might as well have fun too. The ride picked up speed until it was going at quite a little clip, just fast enough for a nice sensation. Once Caitlin got used to the motion, she wanted more. She jumped up and down forcefully, screaming in delight as her short golden hair whipped around her head.
Ryan taunted Jamie, who was in charge of the wheel, "Spin it! Come on, spin it!" She reluctantly complied, giving the wheel a tiny turn, barely enough to turn the car a half revolution. Ryan scoffed at her but smiled widely as she did so, honoring her promise not to interfere. When the ride slowed to a stop, Ryan convinced the young attendant to allow her to take another spin. He complied since there were not enough people waiting to fill it, and she was lucky enough to be able to ride solo.
As the ride began, Jamie saw the demonic look in her partner's eye and warned her mother, "I think Buffy is going to make an appearance."
"Pardon?" Catherine asked.
"That’s what I call her wild child," she explained. "Look at her eyes."
Catherine did as she was told, and was a bit amazed at the transformation. Ryan looked like a feral animal as she turned the wheel as fast as it would go. She pounded on the wheel until her arms grew tired, then she immediately turned it the other way as fast as she could pump. Her hair blew around wildly as she threw her head back and laughed. Other people were having fun, too, but no one looked as happy as Ryan. When the ride finally came to a stop the young attendant sidled up to her cup and asked, "Go again?"
"All day," Ryan scoffed, hoping that one more time was all she got. She repeated her actions, which resulted in the totally dizzy, disoriented feeling that she truly loved. When the third trip was over, she hopped out quickly but walked right into the little metal gate that surrounded the ride. Jamie made eye contact with the smirking operator, who allowed her to come in through the exit and lead her stumbling partner to safety.
"That was so much fun!" Ryan cried, clinging to Jamie as the park spun wildly around her. "It’s the longest ride here, ‘cause it’s still going!" she said giddily.
PART SIX
They managed both the Thunder Mountain and Indiana Jones rides before the park started to fill up. It was nearly lunchtime and Caitlin was starting to get a little fussy, so they decided to go back to the room for a nap. After feeding her a half jar of tapioca, Ryan placed the baby in the crib and sang to her while Jamie and Catherine relaxed in the living room.
"You’re not mad at me for tricking you into going on the Matterhorn, are you?" Jamie asked.
"Of course not, Honey. I’m glad I went."
"Was it scary?"
"At first it was," she reflected. "But I have to admit that having Ryan holding on to me made me feel strangely comforted."
"That’s how I feel when she holds me," the younger woman admitted. "I feel warm and safe and impervious to harm. There’s just no safer place on earth."
Ryan came out as they were talking, and sat on the opposite end of the sofa from her partner. Jamie immediately lifted her legs and tossed them onto Ryan’s lap. "Foot rub?" she begged. Ryan gave her a gentle smile as she did her bidding without question.
"So what do you want to do for the rest of the day?" Catherine asked. "We need to leave for the airport by 5:30 since we have to arrive by seven. I assume we’ll need to have dinner before that, since we won’t get in to the city until 9:30 and I know Ryan can’t wait that late to eat," Catherine smiled, knowing her daughter-in-law’s habits already.
"I know what Caitlin wants to do," Ryan observed, "but I wanna do the boat races again." She had a childlike grin on her face, and Catherine cocked her head in question.
"Boat races?"
Jamie rolled her eyes and said, "They have a little pond by the restaurant we ate at on Tuesday. Didn’t you notice it?"
"No, I don’t think so," Catherine said.
"Well, Ryan doesn’t miss a thing as you know, and she noticed that one of the boats was named Ronewa Ryan, whatever that means. You control the boat with these big steering wheels, and you can take it around the little pond and dock it next to an island. I haven’t been able to get her away from them since!" She gave her partner a fond smile and said, "For someone who hates to waste money, you sure were tossing your quarters into that game."
"It was like the kind of video games they had out when I was a kid," Ryan insisted. "But it was real! Well, kinda real," she admitted sheepishly.
"Other than playing your game what would you two like to do?" Catherine asked.
"I don’t really have anything on my agenda," Ryan said. "How about you, Honey?"
"What about a workout? You haven’t done much since we’ve been here. There is a small fitness center in the hotel. Would you like to use it?"
"No. I think I could satisfy both Caitlin and myself by going to the pool," she said decisively.
After a room service lunch, Catherine arranged for a late checkout, and they made their way down to the pool. When they arrived, Ryan went to speak with the lifeguard, who directed her to a large storage bin on the end of the pool deck. She came back with a wide blue belt, explaining that it was a jogging belt which would help her stay buoyant while she ‘ran’ in the deep water.
They all hopped in the water, Catherine and Jamie staying in the shallow end with the baby, Ryan going to the deep end. She began to bob up and down in the water, moving along rather quickly. Jamie watched her as she developed a rhythm and began to ignore everything around her. She could tell that Ryan was getting into one of her zones and she just glanced at her occasionally to check on her progress over the next hour. Caitlin didn’t mind her absence since she could see her, so everyone was happy.
After a solid hour of exercise Ryan came back over looking a little winded. "That’s a lot of fun," she said happily. "It’s nice to get the strain off my knees once in a while."
Given that Ryan claimed to be interested in guarding her knees, her next activity seemed an odd choice. She carried a pair of sand-filled dumbbells to the five-foot depth and began to do a strange exercise that Jamie assumed she had just devised. She crouched down as low as she could go, assisted by the weights. Then she would burst from the water and leap as high as she could go. She repeated this at least 100 times, and both Evans women grew tired just watching her. But young Caitlin grew more animated by the minute. By the time Ryan was finished, the baby was slapping the water with both arms and jumping up and down as well as she could with her unsteady legs.
To her great delight, Ryan came over and snatched her up, holding her above her head until they were back in the five-foot depth. This time, instead of the weights, Ryan held Caitlin. She was light for her age; nonetheless, she weighed in at around 20 pounds. Ryan extended her arms fully and locked her elbows. Again she launched into a deep squat, but she kept her eyes on the baby as she submerged. When Caitlin was in the water just to her waist, Ryan shot up again, pushing the baby high into the air, much to her squealing amusement.
Catherine and Jamie watched the proceedings in fascination, as did most of the other guests. Caitlin was nearly hysterical with glee, and she giggled and shrieked nonstop. Ryan stopped frequently to make sure she was enjoying herself, but with even a momentary pause the baby jumped and stretched, trying to imitate the movement.
The game went on four times longer than Jamie imagined it could, and by the time Ryan slogged over to them she was completely out of breath. She handed Caitlin over to Catherine and flopped onto her back whil
e Jamie lent a hand to augment her buoyancy. "She’s insatiable!" Ryan finally gasped out with a laugh.
"Gee, I wonder where she gets it from," Jamie dryly remarked.
"Hey, we only share one quarter of the same gene pool," she protested.
"Maybe so, but some of this is environmental, and all of that is from you and Conor!"
Catherine was still in shock from watching Ryan work nonstop the entire time they had been at the pool. "Do you always play this hard?" she asked.
"No," Ryan said as she stood up, "but I’ve got to get in shape for volleyball."
"Could I come to see some of your games?" Catherine asked. "I don’t think I’ve ever been to see volleyball played."
"Sure! You can come and sit in the O’Flaherty rooting section. When I played sports at U.S.F. I usually accounted for half of the crowd!"
"You’re going to have to give both of us some instructions, Ryan," Jamie reminded her. "I’ve only seen volleyball played at the beach, and I think your collegiate game is a lot different than that."
"Yes and no," she replied. "The strategy is a lot different, and there are a ton of different rules, but the concept is the same—hit it where they ain’t!"
To cool down, Ryan took the baby on the long water slide a few dozen times. Jamie had warned her that Caitlin would not be able to stop once they started, but Ryan was just headstrong enough to ignore her warnings. As expected, when five o’clock rolled around, the baby was still going strong and very upset about leaving such a wonderful place. Luckily, the crying spell was much shorter than yesterday’s, likely because she was totally exhausted. After five minutes of weak sobs, she fell asleep, and remained so while the adults quickly showered and changed.
They had packed earlier, and when the bellman showed up to take their bags, Jamie caught her partner struggling to put every piece of fruit and cheese from the gift basket into her suitcase. She caught Jamie watching her and gave an embarrassed little giggle. "I can’t bear to waste good food," she admitted.
"I think it’s an adorable trait," Jamie replied as she gave her a healthy squeeze.
On the way down in the elevator, Caitlin woke briefly, managing to stay alert until they were settled in the limo. As her last conscious act, she followed Ryan’s instructions, waving goodbye to Mickey as they pulled away.
Since they were making good time through Orange County, Ryan checked her watch and said, "Can we stop for a little dinner? I’m weak with the hunger."
"Of course, Dear," Catherine agreed. "Just tell the driver what you want. I’m sure he knows where things are."
A half hour later, Ryan crushed the wrapper from her In-N-Out Double-Double, and sighed, "This is living large!" After a moment of reflection she turned to Catherine and said, "Other than the AIDS Ride and visits to my family in Ireland, this is the first vacation I’ve ever had. I think it’s obvious how much I’ve enjoyed myself, Catherine. I just can’t thank you enough." Her beaming smile was infectious and Catherine returned it happily.
"The pleasure was truly mine, Ryan. I can’t remember having more fun than I’ve had these last three days. I felt like a kid again or, should I say, for the first time," she corrected herself.
When they reached the airport it was 7:10 and Ryan looked around in dismay at the mess they had created in the back of the limo. But when she saw the tip that Catherine handed the driver her guilt was immediately assuaged. He could have the thing detailed with that amount, she thought wryly. That’s one more thing I’ve got to say for Catherine: she knows how to tip!
By the time they got everything checked and made a stop in the spacious bathroom to change the baby, they were called to board. The flight was only half full with only one other passenger in first class. The flight attendant came by to introduce himself as they were getting settled. "Hi, I’m Robert," he said in a friendly fashion. "Looks like you’ve got me almost to yourselves," he announced, "so if you need anything at all, please call. I get lonely back there all by myself," he teased.
"We could use a bottle warmed," Catherine asked.
"Be back in a jiffy," he said after Catherine instructed him on how to do it properly.
When he returned, he spent a few minutes inquiring about the baby. When he asked if they lived in San Francisco, Ryan piped up, "My partner and I live in the city. Upper Noe. But her mother," here she pointed out Catherine, "lives down in the Peninsula."
He stood with his hands on his hips and slapped Ryan on the shoulder playfully. "That gorgeous young creature is not your motherin-law! Don’t even go there!"
Catherine grinned broadly as she replied, "Guilty as charged."
"You must have been nine when you had her!" He turned to Jamie and said accusingly, "Although…you could be 14…"
"Hey, I’m 21," she said with a touch of pique.
"I’ve got ties older than you are, Sweetie," he chided her. As he turned back to Catherine he said conspiratorially, "I think it’s fabulous that you have a new baby. You go, girl!"
Catherine blushed but did not correct him. She merely got Caitlin settled in her car seat and began to feed her the bottle as Robert went to tend to his other passenger.
They took off a few minutes late, but once again they did not have to wait long for clearance. The baby was more aware this time, but to everyone’s relief, she seemed much more interested than frightened. After they had been in the air 15 minutes or so she fell asleep, and shortly afterwards Catherine joined her. Ryan was so charmed by the sight of Catherine’s blonde head resting on the top of the car seat that she insisted that Jamie get up and snap a picture.
The young women sat close together in the big leather seats, holding hands and snuggling a little, both starting to relax from the very hectic day. Robert just grinned at them each time he passed, but after a little while the other passenger must have slept also because the attendant did not reappear for a long while. Ryan gave Jamie a sly little grin as she dipped her head and began to plant tiny kisses all the way along the ridge of her jaw line.
Jamie was a little hesitant, but after a moment she gave in and tilted her head back to allow her lover full access. Ryan continued her assault, dipping down to her exposed collarbones and the hollow between them. Jamie’s hands lifted involuntarily as she threaded her fingers through the dark hair and grasped Ryan’s head tenderly, pressing it to her sensitized neck as she let out a soft moan.
Getting a verbal reaction always compelled Ryan to go further, and she moved from the soft neck onto the even softer ears. Jamie’s toes curled when the warm, wet mouth claimed her always-sensitive ear, shivers chasing down her spine while Ryan’s tongue softly teased every bit of skin.
Sighing deeply, Jamie lifted her lover’s head and gazed into her vivid blue eyes. "You’re playing with fire, Baby," she warned, her voice low and languid. "I’m not sure you want Mother to wake up and see your pants around your ankles."
"I’m just trying to eliminate some foreplay later tonight," Ryan said innocently. "I like to make good use of down time."
Her head dipped to return to Jamie’s ear, but the smaller woman pulled her face close and rewarded her with a scorching kiss that sent chills running down Ryan’s spine to slam into her groin. She let out a breath as though she had been punched, as Jamie smiled sweetly and patted her cheek. "Two can play your little game, Ryan. Don’t underestimate your opponent." With that, she tossed her hair and crawled over her stunned partner to make use of the restroom.
A few minutes later Jamie opened the restroom door to exit. She looked up in shock as a warm hand made contact with her chest and firmly pushed her back in. Ryan’s eyes burned into hers as Buffy made her second appearance of the trip. Jamie gulped audibly when she saw the fire in those crystal eyes and she knew that no matter what her brain told her, it would be overridden by her hungry body. She felt herself being lifted and placed onto the sink as Ryan slid between her open legs. Her head was tilted up by Ryan’s gentle fingers, and she soon felt all of her concerns fly from her min
d as those incredibly soft lips captured hers fully, and her racing mind calmed as her body was enfolded into Ryan’s warm embrace.
20 minutes later Jamie slid out of the bathroom and spent a moment straightening her clothing. Thank goodness I wore a dress, she mused as she ran her fingers through her hair. Now I just have to wipe the smile from my face!
To her eternal gratitude, both of their companions were still sleeping peacefully when she slid back into her seat. Several minutes later, Ryan joined her and gently pinned something to her dress just over her breast. "What’s this?" Jamie asked as she looked down.
"Your wings," her lover explained with a grin. "This means you’re now a member of the Mile High Club. Robert gave them to me with his congratulations."
The flush traveled from her chest to her hairline in record time. "You told him!?"
"Well, sure," Ryan replied logically. "I had to submit your name to headquarters."
Jamie looked at her as though she had lost her mind, but Ryan’s poker face finally gave way to a hearty laugh. "I asked him for some wings for Caitlin to commemorate her first trip," she explained, "but the look on your face was worth walking back home from L.A.!"
"You’re gonna be walking," Jamie threatened as she narrowed her eyes. "Actually I might just toss you out from here!"
"And not ten minutes ago you were singing, or should I say howling, my praises," she scoffed. "You sure are mercurial!"
Jamie dropped her head onto Ryan’s broad shoulder as she enthused, "Don’t ever change, Ryan O’Flaherty. You’re absolutely perfect just the way you are."
As arranged, Tommy and Annie were waiting for them at the gate with anxious, wide-eyed looks on their smiling faces. Three of the four travelers were very happy to see them, but Caitlin was absolutely uninterested. She turned sharply and buried her head into Catherine’s chest as Annie ran over to the foursome to claim her precious one. Her face fell when she realized that Caitlin was shunning her, and Ryan knew that tears were just a heartbeat away, so she tried to mediate the dispute after a quick introduction of all the parties. "Let’s go over to Starbucks and have some cocoa," she suggested as she pointed out the omnipresent coffee bar just a few dozen feet away.
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