New Beginnings (8 page)

The look in Doug’s eyes was adoring as he smiled at his wife. “Go ahead, Ainslee. You tell them.”

Her cheeks turned a bright pink. “We’re going to have another baby.”

Everyone gasped in pleasure.

Dropping her fork, Anabelle’s hand flew to cover her mouth. Tears of joy burned in her eyes. “Oh, honey, that’s wonderful! I’m so happy for you. Happy for both of you.” The tears escaped to trickle down her cheeks.

“When are you due?” Kirstie asked.

Smiling up at her husband, Ainslee said, “We think July.”

“A summer baby. That’s perfect.” Maureen’s eyes searched out her youngest. “Olivia’s birthday is in July.”

Cam and Evan dutifully congratulated Doug, razzing him about who would be doing the 2:00
AM
feedings this time around.

In the midst of all the excitement, Anabelle noticed a faraway look in Kirstie’s eyes and a thoughtful smile on her lips. She wondered if her daughter was envious of her big sister. Or if she was thinking she shouldn’t have broken up with Mark. But it was impossible to read her mind.

Later, Anabelle would have a talk with Kirstie. Maybe she simply felt left out, that Ainslee was getting all the attention.

After dessert, everyone helped to clear the table and put the leftovers away. By then, Lindsay Belle was getting fussy and little Olivia had curled up in her mother’s lap, her thumb in her mouth.

Time for the parents to take their children home.

Kirstie remained behind helping Anabelle and Cam in the kitchen. Cam let Sarge out of the mudroom where he’d been locked away during dinner.

He charged out into the living room, quickly discovered the party was over, and made a U-turn back to the kitchen. He sat down, panting, and looked at Cam as if to say “How come I had to miss all the fun?”

Anabelle laughed. “What an exciting day with Ainslee’s announcement and Evan here with Maureen. Her children are lovely.”

“They’re very well behaved. Olivia is a real cutie,” Kirstie idly hung up a drying towel she’d been using. She still had that distant look in her eyes.

“What’s up honey?” Anabelle said, sure that Kirstie had something on her mind.

“Well…” Kirstie hesitated. “Turns out I have an announcement too.”

Cam halted midstride. “Are you sick?” he blurted out.

Kirstie shook her head. “No, Pop, I’m as healthy as I can be.”

Although Anabelle hadn’t been worried about Kirstie’s health, she felt a surge of relief. “Then what’s your announcement?”

“I’ve given notice at school. I’m leaving at the end of the term and moving to Chicago. I’ve accepted a permanent position at the Shedd Aquarium.”

For a moment, Anabelle’s breath lodged in her throat. Her daughter was moving away? She pressed her hand to her chest. Kirstie was her baby! They had seen her through the awful bike accident that had taken her right leg. She couldn’t be moving away.

“But I thought you loved your teaching job.” Anabelle’s voice faltered.

“I do love teaching. I’m going to head up the School and Youth Educational Programs at Shedd, so I’ll be developing lesson plans and programs for all ages. And you know how much I loved my summer internship at the aquarium.” She gave an embarrassed shrug. “I guess it’s become my passion.”

Cam recovered from the shock of Kirstie’s announcement and hugged her. “Good for you, honey. It’s always right to follow your passion.”

“Thanks, Pop.”

Anabelle struggled to be equally supportive and failed. “You’ll be so far away.”

“It’s only a three-hour drive.”

“On a good day with no traffic,” Anabelle countered.

Not wanting Kirstie to see how upset—shocked—she was, Anabelle turned away and refolded the drying cloth.

Kirstie came up behind her, placing her hand on Anabelle’s back. “It’ll be okay, Mother. I’ll come home often. It’s not like I’m moving to California or Florida.”

“I know.” She sniffed. Turning, she took her daughter into her arms. Somehow she had to let Kirstie go. Let her grow. “I’ll miss knowing you’re right nearby. All I want is your happiness, honey. That’s all I’ve ever wanted.” She drew a steadying breath, stepped back, and framed Kirstie’s face between her palms. “I love you.”

“Don’t worry, Mother. I’ll be fine.”

“Where are you going to live?”

“I’m planning to go there in the next couple of days, weather permitting, and start apartment hunting.”

“Maybe your father or I should go with you?”

“Mother, I’m almost twenty-six years old. I think I can manage on my own. Besides, the program director at Shedd said he might be able to give me some leads.”

Finding a tissue in her pocket, Anabelle wiped her eyes. “Is this why you broke up with Mark?”

“Partly, maybe. But our relationship really wasn’t going anywhere. I know that he wasn’t the one.”

“Is there someone special in Chicago?”

Kirstie laughed. “If there is, I haven’t met him yet. But a girl can always hope.”

Anabelle could hope too—hope that her daughter would be safe in the big city. That she’d find love there, raise a family. Hope that she’d be happy with her new life, new job, new home.

Just the thought threatened to bring on the tears again.

Together they finished straightening the house. The empty spot beneath the Christmas tree looked so forlorn compared to this morning when it was filled with bright packages and gifts of love.

When Kirstie left, Anabelle walked directly into Cam’s arms.

“A bit of a shock, wasn’t it, luv?”

“She’s leaving us, Cam. I’m going to miss her so.”

His hand soothed gently over her back. “We raised the children to be independent. Looks like we did a good job, lass.”

Too good!

“I was so happy when Ainslee announced she’s pregnant again. Now…”

“Now we’re equally happy that Kirstie is about to venture out on her own. She’s a strong girl. She’ll be just fine.”

“I know.” Anabelle exhaled and looked up at Cam. “Do you think Evan is going to marry Maureen?”

“I have no idea.”

“Well, if he did we’d be grandparents of her two children.”

His gray eyebrows shot up. “There you go, rushing things again. Maureen’s mother might have something to say about that.” He circled his arm around her waist and urged her upstairs to bed.

“Oh
pshaw
. A child can’t have too many grandparents. Besides they’re such well behaved children and Olivia is such a sweet child.”

She rattled on about how having two more grandchildren to spoil would be such fun. But in her heart an ache bloomed. Kirstie would be so far away.

T
HE DAY AFTER CHRISTMAS, AMES WOKE TO TEN
inches of snow on the ground with more falling. News reports indicated that all of Illinois was under a blizzard watch and Winnipeg, Canada, had virtually closed down for the day, if not the entire week. There were already delays or closures at many airports in the upper Midwest.

One thing for sure, Gideon and Nelson would have ample opportunity to earn extra money by shoveling snow from the neighbors’ sidewalks and driveways.

The snowplows had started working late last night, keeping the main roads in and around Deerford clear. Once James was out of the residential area, he had no problem reaching Hope Haven Hospital. He wasn’t quite as confident about being able to get home again.

But the boys were with Fern. The house was well heated; and they had a generator they could start if they lost power, which happened with some degree of frequency during heavy snowfalls. James would be able to concentrate on his patients.

In the staff lounge he found Candace sipping a cup of tea. “You look tired,” he commented. “Hectic Christmas?”

“The usual, I suppose. But I think I ate too much at my sister’s house yesterday. My stomach’s feeling a little queasy.”

“Overeating is easy to do this time of year.” As usual, James and his family had dinner at his mother-in-law’s house. While Fern was much stronger than she’d been last year at this time, she wasn’t up to cooking for a crowd. And preparing a big dinner for his in-laws, including Fern’s sister and family, was beyond James’s pay grade as well.

Anabelle bustled into the staff lounge. “I hope this weather isn’t going to affect Elena’s travel plans. She was so excited on Christmas Eve, but I haven’t talked to her since.” She looked expectantly at Candace.

Candace shook her head. “I didn’t even think to call her yesterday to wish her a good trip. I should have.”

“O’Hare wasn’t closed yet when I came in to work,” James said. “But they’re anticipating they will be closed later in the day.”

“This storm must be causing havoc with a lot of holiday travel plans.” Anabelle shrugged out of her heavy coat. “Maybe it’ll hold off long enough for Elena to get on her plane.”

“Better hope the roads are plowed well enough for her to get to the airport,” James added.

“How was your Christmas, Anabelle?”

“Fine, I guess. I mean—”

“What’s wrong?” Candace asked.

“Nothing, really. The dinner was lovely. Evan’s girlfriend and her children came. They’re absolutely dear youngsters. Ainslee announced she’s pregnant again and—” She shook her head as though trying to dislodge an unpleasant thought. “Kirstie is moving to Chicago for a new job at the end of the semester.” She blinked several times.

“You’re going to miss her, aren’t you?” Candace laid a consoling hand on Anabelle’s shoulder.

“She won’t be that far away,” James reassured her. “You can pop over there to visit her regularly, and she’ll come home for holidays.”

“I know.” She exhaled, one of those sighs that spoke volumes about the weight of the world on her shoulders. “I’ll be fine, really I will.”

“We know you will. Congratulations on Ainslee’s prgnancy; you’ll be busier than ever. Of course, nothing could take Kirstie’s place.” James checked his watch. “Time to get to work.”

Anabelle was as resilient as anyone he knew. She also doted on her family. It would be hard for her to have Kirstie move away.

At the second-floor nurses’ station, he checked the patient census in Med/Surg. The most serious patient, who had been admitted last night, was Trisha Witten, a forty-seven-year-old female with chronic liver failure. Her condition was critical; she was already on the transplant list waiting for a donor.

From her chart, James knew it would be unlikely that Mrs. Witten would live to see another Christmas if she didn’t get a new liver soon.

James made rounds with the night nurse as she handed off the patients to him. He lingered with Mrs. Witten.

“How are you feeling?” He noted she was severely jaundiced, a yellowing of the skin and the whites of her eyes. It looked as if she’d lost considerable weight, her collarbones protruding; and there was some bruising on her arms, likely a result of having blood drawn for tests.

She smiled weakly. “About as bad as I look, I imagine.”

“Dr. Drew Hamilton will be in shortly to see you.”

“A nice man, but I’m not sure what he can do to help unless a donor liver becomes available. I’ve been waiting…” Her words drifted off, the silence painful and filled with the knowledge that she would die without the transplant.

“I’m sure, in the meantime, he can make you more comfortable.” James checked her vitals and listened to her heart, which beat steadily in her chest. He looped the stethoscope around his neck. “If you need anything, you press that button. I’ll be here all day.”

She touched his arm, her fingers icy cold. “There is one thing I need. My daughter Tammy is getting married in April. I desperately want to live to see her married.” A flood of tears filled her eyes. “I want you and Dr. Drew to keep me alive that long. After that…”

He clasped her hand between his. “Mrs. Witten, the doctor and I, the entire staff of Hope Haven, will do everything in our power to get you up and in good health for the wedding and for a long time after that.”

She closed her eyes, and a tear leaked out. “Thank you,” she whispered.

James knew they’d need a lot of luck and some help from the Lord if Mrs. Witten was to survive the next few months, or even a few weeks, given her condition. Finding an available liver would be the key. Every year, thousands of patients died because they didn’t get a transplant.

He didn’t want Mrs. Witten to be one of those.

Just past noon on the day after Christmas, Elena checked the open suitcases on her bed for at least the tenth time. She wished they didn’t have to take two checked bags. But they’d be gone more than two weeks.

How did people ever take a trip with a single carry-on bag?

She’d been so excited the night before, she’d barely slept. That was good, she told herself. She’d sleep on the plane.

She’d spent most of the morning cleaning up and putting away the Christmas decorations. In a way it seemed a shame to take them down so soon. But by the time they returned home, the needles on the tree would have all fallen off. Better to do it now than wait for later. She could have asked Rafael to take the tree down after they were gone, but he wouldn’t know how all the ornaments fit in their boxes. Rushed or not, she’d rather do it herself.

Cesar strolled into the bedroom. “We’re all packed?”

“You still need to put your shaving kit in your suitcase.”

He walked to the window. “It’s coming down pretty hard out there. There must be a foot of snow on the ground already.”

“Interstate 55 will be plowed. We’ll just leave a little earlier than we’d planned. Rafael is ready to come with us, isn’t he?”

“Querida, I called the state police. They’re reporting dangerous driving conditions across the whole state.”

A lurch of anxiety knotted in Elena’s stomach. “We have to go, honey. If we don’t leave soon, we’ll never make it to O’Hare in time for the plane. We’ll miss the—”

He faced her across the width of their queen-sized bed. “I’d rather miss the flamenco competition than get stuck somewhere on the interstate. I don’t want to risk your life or mine trying to stretch our luck.”

Tears burned at the back of her eyes. She firmly closed and latched her suitcase. “We’ll be fine,” she said stubbornly. “You are an excellent driver. I have complete faith in you.”