Shielding her eyes from the bright sun, Annie called out for Jack. He’d normally be at work, but they knew her due date was nearing, and Kiawah was a drive to the local hospital in Mount Pleasant. Feeling the humidity instantly, her clothes began to cling to her, sweat beaded above her brow, and she could feel her mild temperament climb to levels that no one would want to see or hear.
“Ashton, come along. Pick up your feet,” she said, almost dragging him.
“Mommy,” he said, trying to keep up with her long legs. He almost stumbled when she suddenly stopped, scooping him up in her arms. Huffing and puffing, she trotted down to the dock where Lady Powell was anchored. She could see the top of Jack’s hat as he worked on the boat.
“Jack,” she yelled.
When they made eye contact, he jumped up and ran toward her.
Thankful she didn’t have to scream his name again, and he’d figured out it was time, she handed off Ashton to him and picked up the pace back to the house.
“How far apart are the contractions?” he asked.
“My water broke almost fifteen minutes ago. We have to get to the hospital.”
“Déjà vu,” he said with a lighthearted chuckle.
“It’s not funny, Jack. We live so far away from the darn hospital.”
“You grab your bag; I’ll bring the car around front.”
They split at the steps leading up to the house, Jack taking Ashton with him. Annie held the rail and ascended the stairs to the porch. Clearly exhausted from her jaunt to the pier, she maneuvered herself and her large belly down the hall to get her overnight bag. Getting a glimpse of herself in the full-length mirror, her hair wet and slicked down around her face, her clothes rumpled and damp, she shook her head. “How on earth could he love me looking like this?” She tried to blow her bangs up and away, but they were glued to her forehead. Grunting, she picked up her bag and made her way to the porch.
With a harrumph, she plopped down into the front seat and stretched her seat belt. It snapped back into the cover.
“I’m so big the seat belt won’t even fit over me,” she cried.
Jack leaned over and stretched the belt across her and secured it. He would never admit to her how much strength it took, but she could see it through his gritted teeth.
“Did you let your grandmother and auntie know?” he said as he drove away from the house.
“No! Stop the car!”
Squealing to an abrupt halt, Jack hopped out. He held up a finger as he raced to the front door of the cottage. He rapped twice but no answer. He turned around and grimaced.
“Where are those two?” she mumbled under her breath. She hit the button to the window and poked her head out. “They’re not there?”
He tried the doorknob, and the door opened. She could hear him call their names. He stepped inside and was gone for just a minute when he ran back to the car, making her heart drop.
“What? Did something happen?”
“They’re not in there. The beds are made, the kitchen is exceptionally clean, but no sign of them.”
Annie dropped her head back and moaned.
“I’m sure they’re all right.”
Annie began to go through her breathing techniques she’d learned at her Lamaze class. “Step on it! I’m going to have a baby,” she wailed. “I can’t worry about them right now. They’re probably at the Black-Eyed Pea drinking Bloody Marys.”
Jack punched it as she’d instructed him, and kicking up a bit of gravel and dust, tore out of the homestead, and quickly got them to the main road.
“Daddy, Mommy is hurt,” Ashton said.
“No, Mommy isn’t hurt. She’s having your baby sister.”
“Carolina?” Ashton said. “She’s coming today?”
“Yes, and I need for you to be a big boy.”
Ashton grinned.
Ashton, nearing five years old, had a vocabulary much older thanks to Grandmother Lilly. He knew words like scoundrel, although an outsider might not recognize it, and hooligan came out like hoolandthegang, skedaddle sounded like skittle, drudgery more like judgery, but when he said Praise Jesus, everyone said Amen.
Jack drove as fast as he comfortably could, considering he carried his pregnant wife and young child in the car with him. The stronger the contractions came and the closer in time, the more he felt the need to accelerate, and he did. Not a rule breaker, he constantly checked his rearview mirror for police. Surely, they’d understand.
“Jack, they’re coming fast and hard.”
“I’m already going ten over the speed limit, Annie.” He checked his mirror.
“I feel the need to bear down,” she said, now crying.
“Not here, Annie. We’re on the darn highway. Give me just five more minutes.”
“Tell Carolina that,” she moaned at the top of her lungs.
“Daddy,” Ashton said.
Jack observed his son’s sad face in the rearview mirror.
“I’m scared.”
“No reason to be scared, Son. Mommy is in a little discomfort right now.”
“Discomfort?” Annie screamed at the top of her lungs.
Jack yelled, “Hold on, Ashton.” Then he put the pedal to the metal.
Jack held Annie’s hand as she went through her breathing exercise. He tried to concentrate on helping her, but with Ashton sitting in the lobby with a nurse, it was hard to give her his full attention.
“Just a few more pushes, Mrs. Powell,” the doctor said.
Squeezing Jack’s hand as she went through a painful push had him almost screaming out at the same time as she. He remained closed mouthed. No one liked a drama queen. Especially in a guy.
A small cry came at first, followed by a louder one. The nurse swaddled the baby and put her in Annie’s arms.
“Here’s your beautiful daughter.”
Jack kissed Annie on the forehead. “She has your little heart-shaped lips.”
“And my red hair.” Annie began to choke up with emotion.
“We have to wait for her eyes to turn their true color, but I’m betting they’ll be green.” Jack winked at Annie, making her flash a wide grin.
“Let me go weigh her and get all the pertinent information. I’ll have her back in no time. By the way, what did you name her?” The nurse removed the baby from Annie’s arms.
“Carolina,” they both said in unison.
“Carolina,” the nurse repeated.
“Carolina Margaret Powell,” Annie said, her eyes misting as she fell in love with her daughter.
“How are you feeling, dear?” Jack held her hand firmly.
“Like I just had a baby. I wonder how much she weighs. She wasn’t as easy as Ashton.”
“Maybe she’ll have a small stubborn streak?” His eyes twinkled with humor.
“Stubborn streak. Like me?” She blinked her eyes.
Jack measured a little with his thumb and index finger. “A tad.”
“Guilty. I suppose. Where’s Ashton?”
“Oh! I almost forgot. He’s in the waiting room with a nice nurse.”
“Don’t forget to call the family,” she yelled as he exited the room.
Shaking her head, she giggled to herself and then scowled. She felt pretty good, but she did just give birth. Letting her head sink into the pillow, she closed her eyes, taking a small catnap. She’d only had them shut for a few seconds when Jack brought Ashton in.
“There’s my big boy,” she said, propping herself up on the pillow, trying not to make a bunch of faces and scare Ashton.
“Mommy, is Carolina here? I want to play with her.”
Annie looked up at Jack. Her gaze traveled down to Ashton. “Honey, Carolina is too little to play with right now. She’s going to do a lot of sleeping when we first get home.”
“After she wakes up,” he said.
The nurse came in with Carolina and put her back in Annie’s arms. “Eight pounds four ounces and twenty-one inches long.”
“She’s the same length as Ashton, but a bit chunkier,” Annie said, staring at the sleeping bundle.
“Why don’t you try and nurse her. We’ll give you some privacy.” The nurse placed her hand in Ashton’s and started to leave.
“Wait,” Annie called. “Ashton hasn’t met his little sister yet.”
The nurse smiled.
Jack picked up Ashton and sat him on the bed next to his mom. Annie took one of his little hands and moved it over Carolina’s arm. “Isn’t she soft?”
He nodded.
“This is Carolina Margaret. Your baby sister. For you to love and protect, Ashton.” Jack rested his hand on Ashton’s shoulder.
“I will protect her from all hoolandthegangs.”
Annie tipped her head. “I’m sure you will, Son. I’m sure you will.”
“I’m going to step out into the lobby and finish up calling everyone.”
“Did you get hold of Grandmother and Auntie?”
Jack shook his head. “I called them first. No answer.”
“Try them again. I’m so worried about them. Where in the world could they have gone?”
“You let me worry about them. I’ll find out what they’ve been up to.”
“Knowing them, Jack, no good.” Annie began to feed Carolina.
Jack ducked out of the room with Ashton so Annie could nurse in peace. He tried the cottage phone again, their cell, and when he still couldn’t reach Lilly or Patty, he finished up the calls to others, letting them know about Carolina. After about twenty minutes of answering all the same questions, he sat staring at the television in the lobby, tossing his phone around in the palm of his hands.
Jack saw them come in. Two uniformed police searching the waiting room for their caller. He stood and waved. “Hi. I’m Jack Powell. I called you about my wife’s grandmother and auntie.”
“Can you give us a description of them,” the shorter policeman with a round, balding spot on his head said.
“Grandmother Lilly and Auntie Patty are eighty. They’re in pretty good shape. They don’t drive, so they had to get a lift to wherever it is they are. Grandmother has silver hair, walks with a cane, and usually is dressed as if she were going to the queen’s for tea.”
The police officer looked up and smiled.
“Auntie Patty is a bit less flamboyant. She has silver-streaked hair, walks with a slight limp, and also dresses rather formally. They’re sisters, and Patty is the youngest by about fifteen months.”
“And they were last seen at your house on Kiawah?” the officer with a round face asked.
“At the cottage on our property. We’re right off Marsh Boulevard, near the lagoon. Sweet Magnolia sets back from the water about five hundred yards or so.”
“Sweet Magnolia?” the bald officer asked.
Jack chuckled. “That’s what we named the place. See my wife, Annie, owns Sweet Indulgence in Charleston, then we have the home, Sweet Magnolia and my wood business, Powell’s Sweet Wood Design.”
“And your boy here. Is his name Sweet something or other?” Both officers broke out in laughter.
“No. This is Ashton,” Jack said, perturbed they’d made fun of his and Annie’s play on words.
“Okay, so we have the descriptions and the last place they were seen. What time was it you last saw them?” The bald officer quirked a brow.
“Well,” Jack stammered. “I actually didn’t see them today at all.”
“And your wife?” the other officer asked.
“I’m not sure. I’ll need to ask her. She just gave birth to our second child. A girl. Carolina Margaret.” Jack rolled up on the ball of his foot and slowly eased back down, smiling ear to ear.
“Congratulations. We’ll be right back.” The two officers exited the hospital.
Jack kept an eye on them as they talked on the radio and then chatted with each other. He wondered what they were saying. After about ten minutes, they came back in.
“So, looks like they’ve been found,” the officer said.
“Safe? I mean, they weren’t hurt or anything?” Jack asked.
“They took an Uber to a movie, apparently. Said they wanted to see Downton Abbey,” the officer with the bald head said.
“Downton Abbey!” Jack whirled around and stared at the waiting room. He slowly turned back around to face the officers. “I apologize for reporting them missing. It’s just they’re eighty, and when we couldn’t get in touch with them, we feared the worst.”
“No apology necessary. They’re on their way back to the cottage and will wait for you there.”
The officers left, and Jack slumped to the chair.
“Daddy, what’s wrong?”
He’d almost forgotten he had Ashton with him. He’d been so quiet.
“Nothing, hon. Grandmother Lilly and Auntie Patty went to the movies and didn’t tell anyone they were going. When I had to bring Mommy to the hospital, I tried to let them know where we were going. It’s always a good idea to tell someone where you are.” He lifted Ashton’s chin with a finger. “You’ll always let us know where you’re going, right?”
“Of course, Daddy.”
Jack nodded. His Ashton was a big boy, indeed. Tall for his age, and developing a vocabulary suited for a ten-year-old, Ashton Robert Powell had it going on. Jack chuckled then patted Ashton on the knee. “Let’s go tell Mommy Grandmother and Auntie have been found.”
Jack poked his head around the drapery. “Can we come in?” he whispered.
“The nurse just came and got her. She ate quite a bit. She’s a feisty little one. I can see already she’s different than Ashton.” Her gaze floated to her boy.
“Grandmother and Auntie went to the movies without telling anyone,” Ashton blurted.
Annie lifted her gaze to meet Jack’s.
“It’s true. I called in a missing person’s report. They were discovered leaving the theater here in Mount Pleasant.”
“Mount Pleasant! Gah! Those two. How’d they get there? Mary?”
“Uber,” Ashton belted.
Annie lowered her gaze to him. “Let Daddy tell me.”
“Uber,” Jack whispered as he tipped his head.
Shaking her head, she balled her hand and hit the mattress. “I’ll handle this later. As long as they’re safe. I presume they’re headed home?”
“Yes. That’s what the officer said.”
“Please call Vicky and see if she can meet them at the cottage and sit with them until you get there.”
“Will do. Why don’t you try and get some rest? I’ll be here bright and early to pick up my favorite girls.” He leaned over and kissed Annie on the cheek.
“Ashton.” Annie opened her arms.
Jack swooped down and picked him up and placed him in Annie’s arms.
“I love you, Ashton. Be a good boy for Daddy, and Carolina and I will see you tomorrow.” She gave him a peck on the nose then the lips.
“Yes, Mommy.”
Jack set Ashton down and held his hand. “See you tomorrow.” He blew her a kiss.
Mouthing I love you, she dropped her head back to the pillow and closed her eyes.