Anything for Family

Valentine's Day was a little different this year than the year before. The year before, Harold had been trying to distract Marian from planning for the wedding, taking her for a weekend vacation to the city to hear a concert in Chicago. This year he couldn't repeat Chicago, or the fancy concert, and Manhattan was impractical. No trip was going to be practical this year. They were saving their money, even though they were making enough to survive in River City, they couldn't afford a trip to the city for a weekend. Besides, Marian had her last little bit of time left as the librarian for a while.

Harold spent much more time at home now that band season was officially over until June. He helped Marian around the house with chores and with the cooking. She usually did all her chores quietly and quickly, as if they were nothing, but now he figured out they were a lot more work than she made it look like. Harold helped her fold the laundry and with the cooking and the dusting, making sure that even the tops of the bookcases were dust-free. Marian propped herself up against the pillows on the arm of the couch, kicking her feet up as he settled down at the piano for a post-lunch concert. She laughed at his false sense of musicality, the impromptu piece he played coming entirely from his imagination and being slammed carelessly onto the keys. Harold gave her a kiss on the forehead and continued his dusting as she dozed off into a well needed nap.

Marian hadn't been sleeping well, Harold knew that. The baby kept her up most of the night. He had asked his mother in law about it, and she told him that it was completely normal. The child was always moving, always kicking and making his or her presence known. Marian figured that the child would be charismatic like his or her father, and probably very active. Only in time would they know if all their musings about the child came true.

Harold counted down the days until the child would join them. The doctor had told them that it would still be two months, maybe even a little more. He couldn't wait until April, he didn't want to. He was impatient, but even patient Marian was ready for the child to join them. In his time since band let out, Harold had set up the nursery and helped her reorganize the books in the library. All she did was sit back and watch. He was very protective of her (not that she was complaining) and he didn't want her or the baby to get hurt. But Marian was sick and tired of being helpless, lying on the couch all day. She had read more, and she was only at the library four days a week (Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday), and Maud had stopped sending Amaryllis to piano lessons. Maud promised Marian that if she would continue to give Amaryllis piano lessons in the next fall that she would willingly babysit, and Marian figured that she would probably end up taking her up on that offer. Summer and fall were the big times for the band, ending at Christmastime. Marian was going to miss her little library…

"Harold, may I ask you something?" Marian asked as she stretched and awoke from her nap. Harold was roughly playing piano warm-ups. She desperately wanted to correct how high his hands were, but she didn't want to get off of the comfortable couch.

He nodded, stopping his playing so that he could look at her. "I'm all ears." Harold told her, grinning. She sat up and folded her hands over her stomach, feeling where the child had clearly settled down for a nap of its own.

"What'll happen to my library?" Her voice was sweet and simple, almost naïve.

He nearly laughed at the absurdity of the question, but he didn't know how she would react to a laugh instead of an answer. "Oh, my dear little librarian, you worry too much." He dismissed the question, but it weighed heavily on her mind.

"I mean I can't raise the child from within the walls of the library, and you can't take care of the child while at band rehearsals. One of us will have to give up something and it looks like I have to give up the library." She had been spending less and less time at the library, and it broke her heart. Her library was her present from Uncle Maddy, a way to support her mother and Winthrop. She still supported them with that money, although it was possible for Harold to support both their house and the Paroo house on his salary. But who would run the library if she wasn't there to do it? Zaneeta was by no means ready to become the town's new librarian, but no one else in the town shared Marian's love of books.

Harold stood and scooped up his wife's chin, having her look at him instead of at her skirt. Blue met green. "Honey, we'll make do. No one is giving up anything." She felt tears welling in her eyes. She knew that was a lie. She was going to end up giving the library to take care of the child, and the sacrifice was worth raising a family. But she would miss the library so much. He sat down beside her and continued. "Marian, when your mother had Winthrop did she forget about you?"

"No." Marian admitted, her eyes darting to the arm of the couch. As Harold spoke she didn't look at him, just took in his words and tried not to cry.

"Think about it, the library is like your older child. You were the first person to open the doors; you filled it with books and with readers alike. You're the librarian, you always will be and I'm not about to tell you otherwise." He smiled but she still looked unsure. She absently rubbed her stomach as she stared at the couch. "You wouldn't tell me to give up the band, because the band was our first child. You taught me music and I brought a band into River City. The band needs me just like the library needs you."

A sweep of comfort rushed over her with that statement. She took his hand in hers and beamed at him. "Then I guess we've been parents for a while now, Professor." Her teasing nature had returned with that statement. Sassy as ever, thought Harold. Her voice returned to being sweet and sentimental. "We've done a good job so far." And they both knew that their real child, whether brought up in the library or band rehearsals or the home, would end up a great child just because he or she would be raised to be happy, healthy, and a dreamer like they were.

Author's Note: Geez I am so sick and tired of snow! Today we were supposed to block Iowa Stubborn… yeah, we're getting diddle-y-squat done. Anyways, this chapter was written because of Valentine's Day coming up. Please review if you're reading this.