All Chapters of Mermaid Thighs: Chapter 161 - Chapter 170

Life doesn’t get more real than having a newborn at home. - Eric ChurchJaxon walked into the nursery and found Bunny standing next to the crib looking down at their sweet little mermaid. Ariel was laying on her back with the blanket pulled up around her chest. Her short curly hair was creating a small black crown around her milk chocolate skin. Gentle sucking motions on her lips and the occasional twitch of a limb was the only movement from the sleeping baby.Wrapping his arms around Bunny, Jaxon pulled her into a gentle hug. “What are you thinking?”“I feel guilty.” Bunny admitted as tears pooled in her eyes.“You shouldn’t.” he assured her as he kissed her neck. “We talked about this. It’s best for her. It’s best for you.”“I know. But what if she needs me?”“Bunny, if anything happens, the daycare will call you. They’re professionals.”She scoffed. “I worked at a daycare in college. Don’t give me that shit.”“And we checked out every daycare in to

If you are not willing to learn, no one can help you. If you are determined to learn, no one can stop you. – Zig ZiglarWalking through the halls that JD had walked through for all four of his high school years was conflicting for Dean. There was the comfort of being surrounded by those who knew him. And annoyance at constantly being asked how he was, where he was, what he was doing.Boot camp.Boot camp.Boot camp.Seriously, didn’t any of these people watch any military movies? The montage of videos for the boot camp scenes never showed the recruits traipsing through a field of wildflowers with the drill sergeant riding a rainbow and glitter farting unicorn. The image conjured in her head had her snickering in English. Maybe that would be her answer to the next person who asked what JD was doing.Then as she listed to the teacher go over the reading list, she found herself wondering, what did the Navy call their drill sergeants? She was certain that they we

Sixth General Order of the Navy – To receive, obey and pass on to the sentry who relieves me, all orders from the Commanding Officer, Command Duty Officer, Officer of the Deck and Officers and Petty Officers of the Watch only.Dean sat in the window seat of the private plane watching the land below them grow further and further away. She smiled as she thought about when she and her mom flew to Washington D.C. Her mom had pointed at the baggage handlers.“Those guys are the most important members of the crew.”“Why?” Dean had asked, expecting some philosophical explanation since her mom was notorious for making sure that her daughter knew that fancy titles did not mean that the person was more important than anyone else.“They make sure the pilot has clean underwear.”Laughter bubbled up, even now as grief washed over her. Reaching down, she gently touched her bracelet flipping open the heart. Her mom smiled at her from the small picture. Swiping at her tears, she

Eighth General Order of the Navy – To give the alarm in case of fire or disorderWednesday was spent sightseeing around Chicago and the lake. The wind was cold and blustery. There was a reason why this was the Windy City, and she showed the visitors exactly why. There were plenty of things to do out of the wind and everyone used the babies as an excuse to stay inside. After a hearty breakfast at the hotel restaurant, the large group took several vans to the Field Museum. Dean had expressed an interest in seeing the art museum, but they were closed on Wednesdays. Instead, Reese bought them tickets for Friday so that JD could join them.They were all amazed at the size of the dinosaur skeletons and other fossils. Entertained by the 3D movies and other exhibits. They took a break and ate at one of the museums’ cafés and then went to the neighboring aquarium. As always, even so far away from home, a few of Neo's guards followed at a distance, looking like a group of fr

Tenth General Order of the Navy – To salute all officers and all colors and standards not casedDean sat in the second row of the rented SUV with Helen. Jaxon and Jolene sat in the third row talking quietly. Childs sat in the front passenger seat talking with the driver – Gigi’s crush who they discovered that morning was named Savannah.Helen reached over and grasped Dean’s leg that was bouncing nervously. She gave the teen a smile of understanding.“I’m so damned nervous. Please don’t make me write a paper over that.”Shaking her head, Helen replied “Time and place. And this time, it’s both.”She took a ragged breath and then looked out through the front windshield as she nodded. The gate sat in front of them, large and imposing. Behind the large rolling gate sat a red brick guardhouse under a large white covering. The roof was angled just like a house, but underneath was a decorative arch, and it was open on all sides.NAVAL STATION GREAT LAKES was written over the arch in large let