A Baby for Christmas (Love at The Crossroads) (11 page)

“Seriously,” Candace shoved aside the microwave popcorn and muted the movie they were watching. “We’ve had each other’s back since I can remember. I’m sorry things didn’t work between you and Hershel—but I know prayer changes things. Please know that I’ll still honor the confidentiality clause in our relationship. Whatever you tell me in confidence, I won’t say a word, not even to my wonderful husband.” Candace winked and Solae laughed. “But brothers have some kind of pact thing too, but it’s your turn to be happy. If you get homesick in Chi-town, Lindsay and I’ll be on the next Amtrak there.”

Solae didn’t doubt it as she dabbed her eyes. Candace was a local commute driver. If a destination entailed crossing state lines, Candace would travel by rail or air. “I know you will, especially since I used to do all the long distance driving.”

“Hey, I was the GPS before there was one, but please keep me in the loop with whatever is going on.”

“I will.” Solae hesitated to verbalize her request.

“What?”

Twisting her mouth, Solae shrugged, then swallowed. “I want to hear everything about what’s going on with you, Royce, and my god-baby. I don’t want to know if Hershel decides to date again or he gets remarried…”

Candace released a burst of laughter. “Trust me. As long as you’re alive, Hershel has hope that you and he will get back together.”

“I’ve never done the break-up-to-make-up relationship thing. I don’t know how to recapture what was lost. The best I’m hoping for is recovery to find my own happiness elsewhere.”

“You’ve never loved a man like Hershel before either.” Candace had the final word before picking up the remote and unmuting the movie.

Hershel was glad he was at work the day Solae was scheduled to leave town, although he could have done without the blaze his crew was battling. If he focused on the safety of others, he wouldn’t think about his mistakes.

When they arrived on the scene ten minutes later, it was pure mayhem. It appeared there was more media than fire apparatus. It was a three-story apartment building fire with unknown persons trapped.

“Captain Kavanaugh, we need your ladder,” a colleague, part of Engine House 10 rescue squad, requested.

“Done.” He motioned Felix to position the truck to the side of the building.

Royce and another crew member had axles in hand and were ready to follow orders.

At least two other fire companies assisted, and as residents screamed that more loved ones were trapped, more ambulances were requested. With his oxygen mask on, Royce went inside. “See anything, Kavanaugh?” Hershel radioed when it was taking his brother too long to communicate.”

“Not yet.”

The more the crew fought the fire, the more stubborn it became as if an accelerant was fueling the flames. Soon, one side of the house began to collapse.

“Pull back. Evacuate the building. All companies evacuate the building. Kavanaugh, evacuate!” Hershel repeated to the central dispatcher to send out the warning tone. Then one wall crumbled as if someone had kicked it over.

Jesus, please save life and property and my brother.
Then between the darkness, Royce emerged, carrying a child. The mother was overcome with emotion as EMS took over and immediately performed CPR.

Hershel exhaled, grateful that his brother was safe, but depending on how much smoke the child inhaled, the news might not be good.

Lord Jesus, we are Your servants. We know life and death are in Your hands, but I’m asking You to have mercy on this child and comfort the mother. Lord, I’m asking for Your mercy, grace, and perfect will be done in Jesus’ name again.

“It’s faint,” a paramedic said in passing to another worker, “but we have a pulse.”

“Thank you, Jesus,” Hershel said as Royce walked up to him.

“Are you thinking what I’m thinking?”

Hershel nodded. “When I get home, even if my boys are asleep, I’m going to hug and kiss them.”

“Yep, I’m going home and hug and kiss my wife and daughter.”

Royce also said the same thing last year on Thanksgiving at Trent’s house when they thought about proposing to Candace and Solae. While his brother made good, Hershel had backed out to his regret.

It took more than two hours to clear the scene because of hot spots, but the good news was all residents were accounted for, including a few pets.

By the time Hershel and his crew made it back to their engine house, he was given an update that four victims were in critical condition, including the child, and two were in serious condition. 

The next morning before the next shift change, he learned three of the critical victims had passed away, but the child continued to fight for his life.
Why God? Why did any of them have to perish?

I will have mercy on who I will have mercy,
God spoke Roman 9:18.

Hershel felt truly chastened as he got in his car to drive away from the station. When it was all said and done, he had prayed for the child and God had answered by sparing the boy’s life.  One thing was for sure, Hershel’s prayer life suffered when he and Solae broke up. He had to get back on track.

Once he arrived home, he hugged Harrison and Brandon as he promised. Before he climbed under the covers, he opened the box that contained Solae’s engagement ring. “Jesus, I need her. She completes me…”

What began as a short prayer had Hershel on his knees, repenting, praising, and petitioning God for changes in his life and attitude, and thanking the Lord for what he already had and believing Him for those things he wanted—Solae.

Solae strolled down Michigan Avenue in downtown Chicago. The bustle of pedestrians and motorists gave a New York feel to the Midwest. While the weather was still comfortable, she tried to explore as many landmarks and sites as she could in between her studies.

She was on her way back to her tiny apartment when her phone alerted her to a FaceTime call. Hershel’s and the boys’ faces filled her screen.

“Hi.” Solae smiled.

“Hi, Miss Sollie.” Childish grins, frantic waves, and one pair of smoldering eyes greeted her. Solae laughed, then blushed. 

“Hi, boys.”

As they clamored for her attention, Hershel’s eyes seemed to dance with merriment.
What was he up to?
she wondered.

“When are you coming home?” Harrison whined.

“Miss Sollie, I lost a tooth.” Brandon pointed to the big gap in his mouth.

Giggling, Solae didn’t realize how much she missed them.

“What are you doing, Miss Sollie?” Brandon asked, so Solae turned the phone around to the display window of The American Girl Store.

“I don’t like dolls,” Brandon complained.

She faced the phone again. “The LEGO Store is upstairs. I’ll send you something.”

“Yay,” the brothers said in a sing-song manner.

Hershel cleared his voice. “Okay, let me talk to Miss Solae, okay?”

Bobbing their heads, they waved again. “I love you, Miss Sollie!” Harrison said first, then Brandon.

“I love you, too!”

“What about me?” Hershel asked. There was just enough of Hershel’s mouth, eyes, and nose for Solae to remember…

She stalled for a response.

“You didn’t have to do that. I’ll send you money.”

“Then it wouldn’t be a gift, Captain Kavanaugh.” She lifted a brow in a challenge.

“I love you, too,” he said, even though she didn’t answer him.

“I know that.” Solae looked away, wishing they weren’t still on FaceTime. How could Hershel be so in tune with her and not know she wanted to be his wife? Oh, well, that was old news.

“I didn’t put them up to that, you know. They missed you as much as I do. I hope you don’t mind.”

“You know I don’t.” Solae stepped out of the path of no-nonsense walkers before she got jostled.

“How have you been?”

“Good, adjusting to life as a college student, but I have no regrets about the move.”

“If you’re really happy, then I’m happy. I miss you and I love you, but I want you to be happy.”

How many times had she said those same words to Candace, and now to hear Hershel say them to her made her heart melt. She was speechless.

“Do you need anything: money, company, company?” He grinned and wiggled his brow.

Shaking her head, Solae couldn’t keep from smiling. “Didn’t I move away from you?”

Hershel grunted. “You tried.” Frowning, he looked away. “But I’m never far away.”

“What’s going on?” Something had him flustered. “Hershel?”

“Missing what I had. Remembering when I had bad nights on my shifts and I knew you were listening to those scanners and praying. I miss that, especially one night, we were on the scene of a four alarm fire…”

By the time he told her about the little boy, Solae was sniffing. “Is he still alive?”

“He died a few days ago.” He gritted his teeth. “But that’s my world—life and death.”

“I’m so sorry. I’ll be praying for his family.”

“Thanks for listening. I know sharing that with you doesn’t change things, but I knew you would understand how I feel.”

“I do. Kiss and hug the boys for me real tight. I’m going to go in the store and get Lindsay, Brandon, and Harrison something and mail it.”

“Okay. Bye, babe.”

They both seemed cautious to push the END on the screen and lose their connection. Hershel winked then he was gone. It seemed impossible that she once doubted that he loved her enough to have her as his wife.

Opening the door to the American Girl Store, Solae strolled through on a mission to shop with a new attitude. More than three hundred miles away, and Solae could feel Hershel’s love as if he was standing next to her. But she had to finish what she started, her Master’s degree.

Christmas had come two months early to the Kavanaugh house when Solae’s package arrived. It had been a while since Hershel had seen his boys so animated about the FedEx man.

Their excitement made him giddy as he helped them open the big box that contained two medium-sized boxes. When the boys saw their names neatly written on top, they grabbed for their gifts.

“Dad, there’s a card with your name on it,” Brandon said as he began to rip the gift paper off his box.

Hershel lifted it out of the bottom. He was about to open it then decided to wait and enjoy the happiness on his children’s faces. As soon as the seal was broken, Hershel knew Solae had gone overboard.

Brandon read each word carefully on his card. “Happy Birthday. Sorry I missed your party. Love, Miss Solae.” His son grinned so wide that Hershel could have counted each tooth.

“Mine, Daddy. Read mine.” Harrison handed him the card and jumped in place impatiently. “Hurry.”

“All right, son.” Hershel was tickled by his boy’s antics as he tore open the envelope. Brandon stopped what he was doing and came to Hershel’s side, wanting to see, too. “To a special little boy. Love, Miss Solae.”

“That’s me.” Harrison’s eyes widened as he clapped. “Open yours, daddy. I can help.”

“I will, son, a little later,” even though he was just as eager as them to read Solae’s message for him. Hershel wanted privacy. As a diversion, he slid on the floor and made a big production of supervising the construction of their Legos. He wasn’t surprised that each toy was age appropriate, something that Solae was a big stickler about. Solae’s gifts gave Hershel a good excuse to text her. He had backed off since his pathetic attempt at convincing her to stay with his hundred plus texts didn’t work.

The boys received their boxes. Thank you for loving them & me. BTW. My offer doesn’t have an expiration date.  The ring does have your name on it.

I don’t know what to say.

Are you coming home for Christmas?

Yes.

That gives you two months to come up with an answer. Remember the Kavanaugh men love you!

I love them, too.

Smiling, Hershel let her words linger in his mind. When Mrs. Biddle arrived to cook, clean, and supervise the boys while he slept, Hershel slipped into his bedroom to read Solae’s card before he could even think about getting some rest.

Before he opened it, his heart shifted with excitement. What would she say and would it make his day as she had Harrison’s and Brandon’s? Taking a deep breath, he soon found out.

Hershel,

Thank you for sharing your sons with me. They are truly a blessing and you should be proud. I never doubted your love…

He smiled, definitely wanting to hear that!

…until the few months leading up to Royce and Candace’s wedding.

Hershel wanted to kick himself. He had been buying time with the diamond pendant, earrings, and charm bracelet.

But somehow after we spoke, I felt your love stronger than I ever had.

“Because I never stopped loving you,” he whispered as if Solae was there instead of the card. “If only I had known what my stubborn pride would have cost me—you leaving…