| |
Caitlyn
Zoe moaned.
At first, Caitlyn thought she did it in reaction to the chaos in the house. Andy flung himself about on the couch, throwing pillows and whatever he could reach, refusing to take his nap. He wanted Mom to nurse him and would settle for nothing less, but Mom had left Caitlyn in charge while she ran to the store, and Dad wouldn’t get home from work for another hour and a half. The whole time, Priscilla kept bugging Zoe, trying to get her to decide on a baby name and look at her dolls. Stacey kept bugging Priscilla, wanting her to play in the backyard. Caitlyn wanted Stacey to watch David, who made her long for his terrible two’s again. He had become markedly wilder once he’d turned three, the innocent gleam in his little, rectangular eyes having morphed into a sneaky, calculating look. Nothing satisfied him except for speed, destruction, and dirt.
The screen door off the enclosed patio scraped open.
“Stacey!” Caitlyn shouted.
Andy jumped at her voice and let out an awful cry. Stacey peeked from around the reclining rocker where Zoe sat sprawled. Stacey held a water pistol in each hand. One of them leaked.
Caitlyn sat on the floor by the couch, holding Andy with one hand to keep him from falling as he cried. She craned her neck to look at Stacey. “Go get David. He ran outside.”
“No. I want to play with Priscilla. Make her play with me.”
Priscilla, who sat on the floor with her dolls, turned her back completely on Stacey.
“You can play with her after—” Caitlyn twisted around and slammed her palms on the coffee table to get up. One palm slipped in the spilled milk she’d forgotten about. “Go get David, or I’ll tell Mom you ate your lunch in the living room.”
“I did not. I ate at the table.”
Caitlyn jumped up.
Stacey ran.
It was true, she had eaten at the table, but Priscilla finished first and Stacey came out with her milk to be with her. While Caitlyn cleaned lunch from every inch of David’s body, Stacey had spilled her milk but never bothered telling Caitlyn about it.
Zoe moaned again.
Caitlyn froze. “Are you okay?”
It was two days past her due date. Jarret had stayed by her side on her due date and the following day, questioning her every sigh and moan and asking if she thought it was time. Zoe said he wouldn’t sit down. When his pacing drove her nuts, she had sent him to the next room to take a few deep, calming breaths. It must’ve worn him out. Today, he’d told Zoe he had something to do and to call if anything happened.
“I’m fine. I’m just having contractions.”
“Contractions?” Caitlyn laughed. She squealed. Tears filled her eyes. She dropped onto her knees and grabbed Zoe’s hands. “What should I do?”
Zoe peered down at Caitlyn through tranquil brown eyes, barely seeming phased. “First of all, calm down. The doctor doesn’t want me rushing off to the hospital the second the contractions start. They need to come closer together. Do you have a clock with a second hand?”
“Oh.” Caitlyn jumped up, wanting to run to the kitchen for a clock. But Priscilla had crept near, and Caitlyn hadn’t noticed until their bodies collided.
Now Priscilla lay on the floor crying, not like the eleven-year-old girl she was but more like little Andy.
“I’m sorry.” Caitlyn stooped and took her hand. “Want to help me get the clock?”
She stopped crying and nodded. “The baby’s coming?”
“I think so.” Smiling and giddy, they raced to the kitchen. Caitlyn helped Priscilla climb onto the countertop.
Priscilla jerked the big white clock—and the nail that held it—from the wall.
Zoe had moved to the couch and sat hunched over Andy, brushing his face with a lock of her hair. He’d calmed some, his sobs coming out as intermittent snivels.
Caitlyn set the clock on the coffee table and sat down beside it, right on the milk spill. “Now what?”
As calm as the eye of a hurricane, Zoe rubbed her belly and looked at Caitlyn. “Do you know where my cell phone is? I think I left it—”
“Priscilla!” Caitlyn shouted though her sister stood right there. “Check my room. On my bed.”
Priscilla ran.
“I need to call Jarret. I hope he has my overnight bag in his car.” Zoe winced and closed her eyes. When she opened them, she giggled. “It’s going to be today.”
Joy rippled through Caitlyn, leaving a wake of tingles. She flung herself at Zoe and they hugged, giggling.
Priscilla returned with the phone. Zoe eased herself up and took it.
Andy, eyes closed, let out a sleepy cry. He lifted then dropped his hand.
Caitlyn sat down and gave him a lock of her hair. “Priscilla, go check on David and Stacey. Make sure they haven’t run away.”
Zoe turned around, frowning. “He’s not answering his phone.”
“Maybe he’s talking to someone.”
Glaring at her phone, Zoe paced to the couch under the window. Then she looked outside. “For the past month he’s been going somewhere.”
“What?” Caitlyn stopped rubbing Andy with her hair. He’d fallen asleep anyway.
“He says he’s just going for a drive, but he’s gone for an hour, sometimes more.” The faintest smile flickered on her lips. “I checked his miles a few times, and it’s always the same. He goes somewhere ten or eleven miles from his house. Do you think he’s—”
Caitlyn jumped up and rounded the coffee table. “Oh, don’t be silly. You aren’t thinking he’s got a new girlfriend? He really cares about you. I see it in the way he looks at you.”
She smirked. “That’s not love you see. It’s fear.”
Caitlyn took Zoe’s phone and hit redial. “Maybe he goes shopping. He likes to shop, doesn’t he?” The phone rang and rang. “Maybe he has a favorite store. You shouldn’t think he’s—”
Zoe snatched the phone, pressed it to her ear, and then tossed it to the recliner. “Where is he?” Hugging her tummy, she peered down at the clock on the coffee table.
“I know. I’ll call the Wests’ house.” Caitlyn went to the kitchen for their cordless phone and carried it back to the living room as she pressed buttons. She expected to hear Nanny’s voice, since Nanny had always answered when Caitlyn called, so the sound of Roland’s voice made her lightheaded and temporarily forget how to speak.
“Hello?” he said for the third time.
“Oh, hi, Roland. I was wondering, I mean, is Jarret there?”
“Um, no, I don’t think so.”
“Well, it’s time.”
“Time?”
“You know, Zoe, she’s having . . .”
“The baby?”
“Yeah.”
“Wait. Hold on. I-I’ll go check.”
The screen door slid open and broke the trance Roland’s voice had put Caitlyn in.
Priscilla burst into the house. “Caitlyn, Caitlyn, come quick!”
Caitlyn covered the phone with her hand. “What’s wrong?”
“David saw a bunny. It was eating the plants in Mrs. Hathaway’s garden. And Stacey tried to get him to come inside . . .” Priscilla could take forever to get the point.
“So, what’s wrong? Why do I have to come quick?”
“David got inside their fence.”
“What? Mrs. Hathaway’s fence? How?” A three-foot-high wooden fence surrounded Mrs. Hathaway’s back yard. She recently installed a foot-high metal garden fence. To keep the rabbits out, she claimed. Caitlyn suspected it had more to do with their roaming David.
“Where’s Stacey?” Caitlyn said just as a voice sounded through the phone.
“What?” It was Peter. “We don’t think Jarret’s here.”
“Stacey’s in the garden with him,” Priscilla said.
“Oh my.” Caitlyn smacked her forehead. “Go watch them.” She grabbed Priscilla by the shoulder and turned her around.
“Go watch who?” Peter said, then he said something about Zoe having her baby, but Caitlyn’s attention was on Priscilla as she dragged her to the screen door.
Priscilla stopped and folded her arms. “But I want to stay with Zoe. Mom told you to watch—”
“Go!” Caitlyn scrunched up her face and flung an arm out, pointing. Priscilla bolted out the door.
Peter was still talking. “. . . only one horse missing from the stables. So then Roland was like reading sign, he said, looking at hoof prints outside the stables so he could see which way the horse went. He was like Aragorn in The Lord of the Rings. Remember that, when he was, like, crouched down—”
Caitlyn slammed shut the screen door that Priscilla had left open and shouted, “Peter!” Sometimes a person had to get angry to snap Peter out of his rambling. “Zoe’s having a baby.”
“Oh, gosh, yeah. What do you want me to do?”
Caitlyn sighed, trying to think.
Zoe paced the living room floor, her hands on her lower back.
“Where’s Roland?” Caitlyn said into the phone.
“Weren’t you listening to me?” Peter sounded annoyed. “I said, he took a horse out to see who’s riding Desert. It’s probably Keefe, but that’s Jarret’s horse. And Keefe might know where Jarret is.”
“Well, is Jarret’s car there?”
“I don’t know. I’ll go check. I’ll call you back.”
Caitlyn carried the phone into the living room. “Do you want to call your mom?”
“No.” Zoe didn’t stop pacing. “My mom will tell my dad, and my dad will come and get me, and he won’t want Jarret anywhere near the hospital. I’ll tell them after Jarret takes me there.”
“Okay. Well . . .” Caitlyn hated to ask. “What if we can’t find Jarret in time?”
Zoe stopped. She glanced, her face blank. “When will your dad get home?”
Caitlyn peered at the wall in the kitchen, forgetting she had taken the clock to the living room. “Sometimes he’s late. I don’t want to count on him being here. And my parents don’t have cell phones, so we can’t exactly call them.”
The phone in Caitlyn’s hand rang, making her jump. “Hello?”
“Yeah, it’s me,” Peter said. “Jarret’s car is gone and Roland caught up with Keefe, brought him back to the house. Now what do you want us to do?”
“Oh.”
Zoe stopped pacing and clutched the back of the recliner rocker. Having a contraction? A moment later, she fumbled for her phone and pushed a few buttons.
Shielding her mouth, Caitlyn whispered into the phone, “We need to get Zoe to the hospital, and my parents aren’t here.”
“Call an ambulance,” Peter said.
“I don’t think she’ll like that idea.”
“Well, I’ll call my dad. He can come and get her.”
“Okay.” It sounded like a good idea, but she doubted Zoe would agree. “I’ll call you back. Don’t call him yet. Let me tell her first.”
Caitlyn told Zoe—who didn’t like the idea. So they went round and round with the same suggestions, none of them agreeable to Zoe. She had her mind set on Jarret taking her.
The screen door flew open and Stacey bolted inside, an evil smile on her dirty face. “Priscilla’s skirt is stuck in Mrs. Hathaway’s rabbit fence. She’s crying.” Oddly, that seemed to amuse her.
Frustrated beyond belief, Caitlyn sighed and tossed the phone onto the recliner rocker. “Okay.”
She hadn’t taken more than two steps when Zoe gasped.
“What’s wrong?”
Zoe’s eyes snapped open big and round. “It’s time. We have to get to the hospital NOW.”
Andy, perhaps sensing the tension in the air, awoke from his nap and let out a long, loud cry.
Caitlyn lunged for the phone on the recliner, deciding to call for an ambulance whether Zoe liked it or not. Then, out of the corner of her eye, she glimpsed something through the front screen door.
Mr. Brandt’s big green truck pulled into the driveway. The driver’s door flew open, and he got out. Peter must’ve told him anyway. Caitlyn could’ve hugged him!
“Come on, Zoe. Your ride’s here.”
Peter’s aunt Lotti, who Caitlyn had always called Aunt Lotti, even though they weren’t related, bumbled out of the passenger side. She followed Mr. Brandt to the front porch where they all now stood, Zoe and Caitlyn holding hands and looking panicky, them smiling.
“I’m so glad you’re here.” Caitlyn glanced from one to the other. Then she mouthed to Aunt Lotti, “It’s time.”
“Well, you’d better get this girl to the hospital,” Aunt Lotti said.
Mr. Brandt took Zoe by the arm. Caitlyn had to peel Zoe’s fingers from her hand, but then Zoe allowed Mr. Brandt to escort her to the truck.
“I’m so glad you came, Aunt Lotti. I hate to think of her being alone. Take good care of her.” Caitlyn’s heart ached to go with her, but she had responsibilities. Their voices traveled through the screen door, Andy bawling and Stacey talking. Caitlyn imagined Priscilla still stood crying with her skirt stuck in the fence, and David . . .
“No, my dear.” Aunt Lotti patted Caitlyn’s arm. “You need to go with her. That’s why I’m here. I’ll watch your brothers and sisters.”
So thankful she could’ve burst, Caitlyn gave Aunt Lotti a quick sketch of her siblings’ various predicaments and dashed for the truck.
Mr. Brandt—being a forest ranger—happened to have a flashing yellow light, which he put atop his truck. Then he barreled down the road, getting them to the hospital in no time. He dropped Zoe and Caitlyn at the main doors and went to park. Caitlyn walked Zoe through the glass doors, took the elevator, and relinquished Zoe to a nurse who led her down a hallway.
Caitlyn paced in the second-floor waiting room, anxious to be allowed back. Mr. Brandt soon joined her, taking a seat in a corner to make phone calls with his cell.
Sometime later, the elevator opened and three of Caitlyn’s favorite people stepped out. She couldn’t have been happier to see them. As they drew near, she realized what each of them meant to her.
She and Peter had grown up together, and she’d always thought of him as an older brother. She enjoyed his company and felt comfortable sharing most anything with him. Sure, his jokes and babbling could get on her nerves, but she never doubted he would be there if she needed him.
Though Keefe and Caitlyn hadn’t spoken much in the past two months, they had developed a friendship that changed Caitlyn forever. His faith and courage in facing challenges impressed her deeply, making her want to imitate those virtues, though she hadn’t figured out how yet.
And Roland . . . Seeing him gave her goose bumps and stirred something deep inside. He had lost nothing of his mystery and appeal. She loved that he’d come up here to help and support them. She thought of the many ways they had worked together in the past nine months. Mom’s words came to mind: Now is the time for friendships.
Caitlyn approached the three of them. “How did you guys get here?” She looked at Keefe for the answer since he was the oldest and the only one with a driver’s license.
“I called a cab.”
“Oh.” Caitlyn felt stupid. “Why didn’t I think of that? We could’ve called a cab.”
Keefe squeezed her hand, anxiety in his eyes. “Jarret’s not answering his phone. Did he show?”
“No. But we have to find him.”
“What should we do?” Roland looked from Keefe to Caitlyn.
Peter went to the corner of the waiting room, to where his dad sat.
“We could call his friends,” Caitlyn said, hopeful. “Do you know who his friends are . . . and their phone numbers?”
“I do,” Keefe said, he and Roland drawing their cell phones simultaneously. “I’ll give you some numbers, Roland.” The two of them took seats in the corner opposite Peter and Mr. Brandt.
Remembering what Zoe had mentioned about Jarret taking drives and her checking the miles, Caitlyn said, “Are any of his friends ten miles away?” Keefe and Roland looked at her as if it were a strange question, but she decided not to explain.
While they sat with phones to their ears, and Peter and Mr. Brandt discussed trivial things, a nursing assistant finally came to get Caitlyn and led her to Zoe’s room.
Zoe, looking clean, comfortable, and poised, wore a pink hospital gown and sat in an adjustable bed surrounded by monitors. “Please tell me Jarret’s on his way.” She smoothed the sheet around her belly and arranged her hair.
“Keefe, Roland, and Peter are here. They’ll find him. Don’t worry.” Caitlyn dragged a chair to the bedside. “Is your doctor here?”
In the corner of the room, a nurse set up equipment and made notes on a clipboard. Wires stuck out from under Zoe’s sheet, running up to monitors.
“The doctor’s on his way. I have a while yet, but my contractions are getting . . . a little uncomfortable.” She leaned back and breathed out her mouth. “Mom’s coming up.” She continued exhaling.
“You called her?”
She nodded. “I’m sure Dad will come, too. He’d better not try to stop Jarret from being here. I told Mom Jarret was going to be here and if they didn’t like that, they shouldn’t come.”
Zoe reached for her pillows, so Caitlyn helped adjust them.
Her discomfort showed and Caitlyn really wanted to help. “Can I get you anything?”
She nodded. “Get me Jarret.”
When Caitlyn returned to the waiting room to check the progress, Roland and Keefe stood up. Peter approached them just as Caitlyn did.
Caitlyn hoped they had good news. Seeing Zoe alone in that bright room of wires and machines, of things beeping and making strange noises, gave her a sense of desperation. They needed to find Jarret.
“Did you find him?” she said.
Keefe said, “No.”
But at the same time, Roland said, “I know where he is.”
And judging by the look on his face, Caitlyn believed him.