Chapter Ten – Little Girl Eve
A week later, little Eve Hawkes is cured of her jaundice, and the nurse finally brings her in. Jeb had been practically living at the hospital, and when he learned that today is the day that mother and daughter are finally to be reunited, Jeb called his mother-in-law, who in turn brought Roger. The nurse brings in the baby, who is covered in a pink blanket. Carolyn is nervous when she is presented with her child – so much like the dream! But she looks at her child with soft blond hair and Jeb's blue eyes and she can't help but smile. Her mother, seated at the end of her bed, says, "Congratulations, darling."
"Mother, look!" Carolyn exclaims, her face beaming with motherhood. Elizabeth walks over to get a better look at her granddaughter. "Isn't she sweet?"
"Yes," Elizabeth smiles, "Just like you were when you were first born."
"You know," Roger starts with his normal charming smile, "I find it hard to believe that my little kitten is finally having a baby of her own."
"It's hardly a surprise," Elizabeth says, giving Carolyn a knowing look, "Just a glance will tell you how in love she and Jeb are."
"Jeb, I have a confession to make," Roger says, standing up to give a full announcement, "When you first married Carolyn, I didn't think you were right for her. But now that I see how happy you two have been, and how much you care for her, I believe I was wrong. Please accept my full apologies, or I'll – throw myself off Widow's Hill!"
"Apology accepted," Jeb says as his wife giggles in the background. The two men shake hands, sealing their new alliance. He looks around and adds, "Where is the rest of the family?"
"There can only be three visitors at a time," Elizabeth explains.
Carolyn turns to Jeb and says, "Maybe you should go home, darling; you've been here for a week. Besides, you probably should go back to the Fishing Fleet."
"Fine," Jeb grins, "I can take a hint. I'll see you later, honey." He bends down and kisses the top of Carolyn's head. Looking at his brand-new daughter, he adds, "Bye, Eve." He grabs one of her tiny feet and kisses it before exiting the hospital.
For a couple days, Jeb worked hard at the Fleet to work off all the time he missed because of his new daughter. He called Carolyn at the hospital, but never had much energy at the end of the day to visit her. The third day, however, Jeb got the shock of his life when he opened the door to the Carriage House, and saw his wife running towards him. She jumped up and hugged him tightly, saying, "They released me today."
"Why didn't you call me?" Jeb asks as she is set back on her feet.
"Well, I wanted to surprise you," Carolyn smiles. She grabs his hand and starts pulling him into the house. "Come on, I want you to see the crib Uncle Roger bought us. Eve loves it."
Jeb laughs and follows Carolyn into the bedroom. "I'm sure she does."
Upon entering their bedroom, Jeb's eyes fall on Eve's cute little pink crib in the corner, where his daughter sleeps blissfully. "She's precious, isn't she?" Carolyn whispers as she creeps up to the crib.
Jeb nods and says, "Yeah, she's perfect." He moves to Carolyn and puts his hands on her shoulders. "Like you."
"Oh, Jeb," Carolyn says as she turns around and falls into his arms. Jeb notices that her eyes are filled with tears – tears of happiness. "Jeb, I love you so much."
"I know," Jeb says, stroking her back with his hand, "I love you, too." She looks up at her husband, misty-eyed. Jeb smiles and says, "Let's go to bed."
Carolyn awakes suddenly at the sound of her baby crying. She glances at the clock: ten o'clock. She had just fallen asleep in Jeb's arms; if only Eve had waited a half hour. Reluctantly, she goes to the rescue of her crying baby. She picks Eve up, and immediately knows what is wrong. Noticing that her baby's diaper is wet, she pulls out the change station that is conveniently located on the side of Eve's crib. She places her baby on the plank, and starts to change her first diaper.
Jeb rolls over, and, not feeling Carolyn beside him, wakes up and searches the room. His eyes fall on Carolyn concentrating her motherly duty. He smiles and gets out of bed. Creeping up behind her, he wraps his arms around her gently. Startled, Carolyn jumps and accidently manages to squirt Jeb with baby powder. He runs to the bathroom to wipe it off his face, saying, "What was that for?"
"Sorry," Carolyn giggles, turning her attention back to the baby, "You really shouldn't try to scare me like that."
Jeb re-enters the bedroom, now powder-free. "It was just a harmless prank," he says innocently.
"Sure," Carolyn says in a disbelieving voice. She puts on the new, dry diaper and smiles. "There you are, Eve. Good as new."
She picks up her daughter and rocks her back and forth until her blue eyes close. Smiling, Carolyn places little Eve back in her crib. Jeb moves behind Carolyn and attempts to put his arm around her, but Carolyn goes back to bed. Jeb shrugs and watches his daughter sleep. Silently to himself, Jeb vows to be there always for his little girl, this little being dependent on him for everything.