Very much Post-Partridge Family Series (Spring, 2015). This will be a short story piece. The chapter title explains where I got the idea.
Shirley's POV:
"Shirley?" Tracy's husband calls, nervously. I don't know why he insists on calling me Shirley. I've said he could call me "mom," or "Mom Corwin," or even "Mom Partridge" like the rest of my children-in-law.
"What's wrong? You sound upset." I try to keep the panic out of my voice. Something's wrong; I can feel it. I've felt this, umm, foreboding feeling all evening last night. Chuck tried to reassure me that everything's okay, but somehow I knew it wasn't.
"Mom?" Now, he calls me 'mom.'
"Mom, Tracy's..." William trails off.
"What about Tracy?" I'm in full-fledged panic, and I'm losing the battle not to show it.
"Mom..." I can tell he's crying.
"What. About. Tracy?" I ask.
"Mom, she's gone!"
"Gone?!" I'm in shock! "What do you mean, gone?!"
"Mom, Tracy's dead."
I drop the phone; I can hear a scream, but I don't realize it's coming from me. My daughter can't be dead!
Chuck races down the stairs. "Honey? What? Tell me!"
"Phone." I barely manage to choke out.
He picks up the phone, "Hello?"
"Chuck! I found Tracy dead this morning."
I can hear my son-in-law clearly, but this feels so unreal. How can my daughter be dead? I just saw her and the kids last week. She was fine.
"What happened?" He manages to stammer out.
"I don't know! I woke up to go to work and she didn't stir," he explains. "Please come over. The coroner's on his way, and I know mom would want to see her."
"I want to see her," I whisper.
"All right," Chuck finishes, "We'll be right over.
"Thanks. I'll stall him. I know a mother should see her child."
They hang up.
"Chuck! My baby girl's dead!" I sob into his arms. "A mother's not supposed to bury her child!" We hold each other, for what feels like an eternity.
I don't remember the drive over to their house, but the walk from the car to front door seemed like an eternity. I couldn't feel my feet underneath me. William answers the door and Samantha and Alexandra promptly throw their arms around me before I can even get in the door.
"Grandma," Samantha wails, "Mom's gone."
"Kids," William begins, "let your Grandma come in the house."
"Mom's in her bedroom," Alexandra whispers.
Chuck stays in the living room, while William escorts me into their bedroom. I feel my knees buckle as I look at my daughter, for perhaps the last time.
"Mom, are you okay?"
"No," I sigh, "but I can manage."
I go to her side and stroke her face and hair. She feels so cold! My baby girl! My youngest Partridge and my next-to-youngest child. I want to memorize all her features. I always thought she looked like my aunt on my mother's side. Before I know it, I feel hands on my shoulders and someone talking to me.
"Shirley." I finally recognise it's Chuck's voice I hear. "Shirley, the coroner's here."
"No."
"They need to take her."
"I can't let my baby girl go."
"Shirley."
"No." I shake his hands off my shoulders.
William intervenes. "Let's give her a few more minutes."
Chuck nods and leaves the room, leaving William, the girls and me with Tracy: the last time we'll be a complete family. After a few minutes, William motions for the coroner to enter the room. The girls and I leave the room. They bury their heads in my shoulders as William walks behind the gurney, which holds my baby girl. I can't believe this is happening.
When he returns, he asks me about telling the other kids. "Do you want me to call the others, or do you want to do it?"
"I can. It may be better coming from me and I know you and the girls have a lot to do."
"Thank you, mom," Wiliam whispers.
The girls release their embrace. My newborn great-granddaughter and namesake cries.
"Shirley's awake," Samantha remarks. "She needs to be fed." She embraces me again. "I love you, Grandma. Do you want to hold her for a minute?"
"Sure." I can never resist the urge to hold any of my great grandchildren.
She returns, Baby Shirley squirming in her arms. "See your Grandma Shirley!"
"Come here, sweet baby girl." She places her in my arms and she immediately stills.
"You always had a way with little ones," William remarks.
"Cassidy could be screaming at the top of her lungs, and as soon as Shirley would pick her up, she'd immediately stop crying," Chuck comments.
I sit down in the easy chair in William and Tracy's...umm, William's living room and cuddle with Baby Shirley.
"Mom won't get to come to my wedding!" Alexandra wails, falling into her father's embrace.
I feel like my world's crashing down around me.
Soon, Chuck mentions that we need to go home so I can call the rest of the kids. Baby Shirley's rooting around, and since it's been forty years since I've had a baby, I hand her to her mother. I kiss the baby and hug my granddaughters.
"Alexandra," I begin, "I know it's not the same, but let me know what I can do to help with the wedding."
"Thanks, Grandma."
Chuck stands by my side. "You ready?"
"No, but I need to call the others."
I embrace the girls and William once more and allow Chuck to escort me out. "My baby's gone, Chuck!" I can't stop the tears. I feel his strong arms around me. We've been married a little less than forty-one years, and his arms still feel as strong as they did the day we married.
"I love you." He kisses me on the lips and then drives us home.
We walk in the house and the first thing I want to do is crawl into bed and take a long nap. However, I know that if I do that, I won't call the kids. I've got to do that before I can take a nap.
I call Keith first. Sue and Katherine are out doing some shopping for Katherine's wedding.
Then, I call Laurie. She's sick with strep throat and was asleep, so Bernard promised he'd tell her when she woke up. I said I'd call later that evening.
Danny's phone is busy, so I call Chris next. He's the one I'm most worried about. He and Tracy, even though they're eighteen months apart, they were raised almost like twins. He drops the phone and begins screaming... just like I had done. I call Keith back, and ask him to go over and check on his brother. He said he would.
Then, I call Cassidy. Jack answers the phone. She is rehearsing with Tiffany and Patricia. They have a concert coming up. Tiffany's got a gorgeous soprano voice and Patricia's a dream on the flute. She takes the phone from her husband. "Mom? What's wrong?"
There's a catch in my voice. I can't believe I'm having to tell my children their sister's gone. "I've got some bad news to tell you." I can't keep the tears from flowing. I don't know if I'll ever stop crying.
"Mom?"
"William found Tracy dead this morning. Your sister's gone." I think I'm going to be sick.
"What? How?"
I explain things as best I can. She promises to come over tomorrow. Shaun and Ryan will be home from their Spring Break trip tonight.
We hang up and I dial Danny's number again. He answers and as soon as I tell him, I hear a loud crash. Amy takes the phone and tells me he just punched a wall. I sigh. That kid really needs to rein in how he expresses his emotions sometime. He and Amy will come over with the kids tomorrow too.
Keith calls me from Chris's place and tells me that Chris is okay. He's going to stay with him tonight. They'll also come over tomorrow. So, I'll have all my kids over, except Laurie and of course, Tracy. I'll never have all my children together again.
I hang up with Keith and Chuck holds me as the tears flow. Is there any healing after a child dies? A mother should never have to bury her child.
And that's how my baby girl, my middle daughter, and the youngest Partridge died. She was such a sweet baby, a quiet and funny child, and a beautiful wife, mother and grandmother. My Tracy Mae Partridge-Conrdray.
A/N-The names of spouses and children (with the exception of Chuck, of course, and Baby Shirley) are taken directly from the names of the kids' real-life spouses and children. Some of the kids were married more than once, so I used the current spouses' names. Of course, Cassidy Corwin (and her husband and one daughter. The other daughter's name and Cassidy's sons names are taken directly from Shirley's sons) is my OC, and it's a nod to Shirley and David Cassidy. Shirley's middle name is Mae and David Cassidy' s father and Shirley's first husband's name was Jack.