Archery deer hunting season had started in October. For firearms, it began in November. There were restrictions, like gender, but the season ran until January. Deer hunting was one of the favourite sports of the Molineres. Lisa loved it too, because deer steak was the best meat ever. Jay Paul was looking for a nice trophy kill, but the meat never went to waste. His rifle skills for gator hunting, especially accuracy at a distance, translated well for clean deer kills.
One evening Lisa was babysitting Jaydin, while Jay Paul was out hunting, and his son wanted to watch Bambi. So into the DVD player went the classic movie. Even though Lisa loved eating deer, she wasn't immune to the feelings that the movie produced. When Bambi's mother died, she couldn't stop crying. Since she was crying and because of that moment, Jaydin too shed tears. They went through a whole box of tissues. Lisa hugged Jaydin and they comforted each other. By the time the movie was over, Jaydin had recovered from the tearful moment, but not Lisa. She sniffled and silent tears poured down her cheeks. To not alarm the little boy, she distracted him with cartoons on a TV show. What she wanted was to be held by Jay Paul, safely in his arms and told it would be okay. Lisa really hated being so hormonal. But it wasn't until after she put Jaydin to sleep, that he finally returned.
"I apologize for taking so long. I didn't expect to be so late," Jay said as he took off his hunting gear. That's when he noticed her red eyes. "Have you been crying?"
She nodded and sniffed, then moved into his open arms. "Bambi's mother died. Is it wrong that I like eating Bambi's mother?" Fresh tears rolled down her cheeks.
Jay smiled and kissed away her tears. "I love you for saying that. No it's not wrong and it shows what a great mother you will be, because you're crying for Bambi."
"I'm a mental mess... I hate pregnancy... but I like being in your arms," Lisa said. Her voice changing from tears to sultry in five seconds flat. She raised her face and kissed his lips.
Jay Paul opened his mouth, returning her hungry need. They remained embraced in the lip lock for five minutes, before she pulled him towards his bedroom. As they stumbled through the dim light, clothing was mutually removed. He was careful with her, gentle and teasing. She had to muffle her moans with a pillow, so as not to wake his son. Lisa dug her nails into his back, as she arched to meet him. The soft glow from the lighted hall, let her see the desire burning in Jay Paul's eyes. She loved seeing that look, especially now when she was pregnant and not feeling very sexy.
As for him, Jay Paul liked that she still wanted him. When Ashleigh had been pregnant with Jaydin, she couldn't get far enough away from him. Her mood swings had been way worse and a lot more hateful. His mom had said that was normal, it was all because of hormones. But their relationship had always had a lot more drama; love and hate, with more of the latter. Which is why they were better off as friends than romantically together. Lisa on the other hand, couldn't seem to get enough of him. She was a very sexual woman to begin with, but being pregnant turned her into a seductress. He didn't always give in to her enticement and it wasn't always at the best of times that she wanted it. Tonight was one of those nights where he had to satisfy her a number of times, no break for him. She tested his stamina and skill at love making, a challenge he rose to with no problem. Lisa fell asleep, while Jay Paul relaxed beside her. He carefully removed himself from under her head, put on track pants and went to the kitchen. It was like he'd just had a major workout at the gym. He was hungry and dug through the fridge to heat up leftovers.
Lisa woke up shortly after, finding she had to pee really badly. She heard him in the kitchen and joined him once she was done in the bathroom. "You are amazing...hunting all day and loving me at night. I'm so lucky to have you in my life Jay."
"You're the one who's amazing. Pregnant and yet so flexible..."
"Do I put porn stars to shame?" She grinned, only half serious.
Jay nodded, "well I've only seen porn stars in action on a screen and haven't experienced them for myself. But I have to say, you're much more talented with your hands and mouth. Just watching you when you're loving me, is super hot."
Lisa liked that answer. When her tummy growled, he heated up a bowl of stew and gave it to her. "I wish I could have a beer, like you are. This stew would go well with one."
"Once our baby is out of you, then you can drink whatever you want to celebrate with."
"I know, it's just I never knew there was so much involved with having a child. All the things I have to eat to make sure the baby is healthy. All the things I can't have, so I don't harm it either."
He raised an eyebrow, "I love how you say 'it,' instead of the kid or baby."
She shrugged, "well to me it's an 'it' until the ultrasound shows something more than just a blob. Is that too harsh?"
Jay chuckled, "nope... that's you being you. And I love you just the way you are. Maybe I'll do like the song says; 'if you like it put a ring on it.'
"Did you do that with Ashleigh?"
"No. We both knew getting married was a bad idea. Don't get me wrong, I love Jaydin and would never change what happened. But she doesn't fit in my life like you do."
"Is this your lame way of proposing to me?" Lisa giggled.
Before Jay Paul could answer, they heard a strange noise outside. He put on his jacket, got the hunting rifle and went to go see what was going on. Lisa stood at the door way in her robe, framed by the interior lights. What she saw, as Jay Paul returned, shocked her.
"This little one, is an orphan. I found it's mother, bad gut wound."
"I hope you put the mother down," Lisa said then added, "don't kill this baby. We'll take care of it until we can release it."
He knew she was thinking about that Disney movie and didn't have the heart to say no. "Alright, get some clothes on and help me put it in the shed. Jaydin's going to freak in the morning. He'll love having Bambi to take care of."
"Is there any meat on the mother that can be saved?"
Jay Paul loved that she was so practical. "I'll go check after we take care of this baby."
"That straw bale that you use for Jaydin's target practice, we can use for bedding."
The baby dear bleated its fear and Lisa focused on calming it down. She talked in a soothing monotone and eventually it stopped crying out. She watched Jay Paul spread the straw in the shed, after removing anything that could hurt the deer during it's stay. Satisfied, he put an old dog collar around it's neck, making sure it wasn't restrictive and yet secure.
"This will help to hold on to the fawn, when we have to clean out the shed. Do we have any milk to feed it with?" Jay asked Lisa.
"There's a carton of goat milk that I was going to use to make a cheese sauce with. Your mom says goat's milk will reduce my bloating. Not to mention it is way lower in fat, but high in fatty acids."
"Yeah I know. It's also rich in calcium and nutrient dense. When I would train for a boxing match, I'd drink it post work out with a chocolate flavoured protein. Goat's milk is better than cow milk in a lot of ways. We'll try it with the fawn."
"Get the turkey baster or something so we can get it into the fawn," Lisa added.
"I've got a water bottle and I can rig something to make a nipple. But, one carton might tie it over for now, but it'll need a lot of milk." Jay left to get the milk.
While he was gone, Lisa pondered the situation. The hunted now was the protected. When Jay Paul returned, she let him feed the fawn. He held it in a way that the fawn had to tilt its head to drink, just like it would from the mother. Lisa was surprised at how aggressive the feeding was.
"Its mother... did you have one get away?"
Jay shook his head, "no and neither did anyone with me. I think we have a poacher on our land. I'll have to talk to dad about it in the morning."
"How old do you think the baby is?" Lisa asked.
"Maybe a month. Hopefully we can find a cow or goat that will adopt it. I'll talk to the local conservation officer about it too," Jay replied.
"I guess if someone should decided to put it down, they should." Lisa watched it a while longer, but she was tired and once all the goat milk was gone, she went back into the house.
Jay Paul went to examine the mother deer, but because of the way the deer had been shot, there was little meat that could be salvaged. He hated waste like this, but there was nothing he could do about it now. In the morning, whatever the animals hadn't scavenged, he'd use the backhoe and bury the body. Back at the house he took a shower and turned out all the lights. Lisa was asleep by the time he re-joined her in bed. He realized then that he had never answered her question about marriage and she'd forgotten about it too. Jay Paul lay there a while, thinking about what his answer would have been... did he want to marry Lisa?