A/N: Thanks for all your support- I so appreciate the encouragement. A super long chapter for you all...please r & r.. :)
Chapter 25:
"How was the Cove?" Neil asked as Adelaide sat next to him on the couch in his study.
"Good" she responded, "Actually, it was quite good"
"I'm glad. Did Aunt Hattie settle in alright?" Neil asked.
"She did. I wish you could have seen the first time she saw her mountain again" Adelaide's voice cracked, "It was so sweet. You have done an amazing work here, Doctor MacNeill"
"I wish I could have been there with her" Neil said, "and it was God's work"
"He used your skill to accomplish it" Adelaide smiled at him. She stretched out her legs, "The children behaved I take it"
"Aye, like angels" Neil said, "Timmy missed his mama though...and the girls kept going on and on about wanting a puppy"
"What did you tell them?"
"Not now" Neil retorted, "They didn't take that too well"
"We should get the children a puppy one of these days"
"I'd like to settle in more first" Neil told her.
"I agree"
"Anything else happening in the Cove?"
"I got to deliver a baby"
Neil smiled at her, "Old habits die hard"
"They do indeed" Adelaide nodded.
"Whose baby?" Neil asked.
"Zady" she reached out for Neil's hand- holding his big hand in hers. "I'm so thankful I could be there. I know Zady missed her mama in that moment"
Neil's face turned pained. "Lovely Fairlight. I miss her still"
"I do as well" Adelaide said, quietly, "I wish I had her grace and strength"
"I believe you do" Neil responded, "How did Zady do with the birthin?"
"Fine, Doctor MacNeill" she retorted, "Opal was there too and we got her through it. I forgot how especially frightening it is the first time"
He reached to pull her in his arms, "It was frightening for me too and I had delivered plenty of babes..."
"I know" Adelaide dropped her head on his shoulder, "She's doing well though. The little boy had trouble taking to nursing, but I think we got it straightened out before I left"
"It is trickier than ye would think, isn't it lass?"
"It is" Adelaide chuckled, "Remember Simon?"
"How can I forget that?" Neil laughed, "Out of desperation you allowed me to help you get him situated that first time"
"Well, I figured you had already seen quite a bit at that point" Adelaide responded, poking his leg. "Mother would have been horrified...she honestly thought that you came in to catch the baby"
"You and I have never done things completely by the book"
"No indeed" Adelaide sighed, "though you were quite the professional about it all"
"I have a good bedside manner or so I have been told"
"An excellent one" Adelaide corrected, "I adore your bedside manner"
She pulled away, "Actually I just adore all of you"
"Do you now?" Neil's eyes twinkled.
"I missed you" she responded, sincerely. "The Cove isn't the same without you by my side. Don't get me wrong, I felt at peace there, but being with you makes any place magical"
"You are quite the romantic tonight"
Adelaide smiled at him, "I just want you to know that I know how blessed I am to have you as my husband. I'm sorry if I have been ungrateful about the move. I haven't been the proper wife to you. And I do love you so"
"Oh, lass" Neil leaned forward to kiss her lips gently, "I only hate to see you struggle so"
Adelaide's eyes teared. "I wish...I so want to be who you need. And I do trust your leadership for our family"
"You have to act like it Adelaide" Neil told her, honestly, "Your words and actions often contradict each other. Do you not feel that I will act out of our best interest?"
"No, I know that" Adelaide responded, "It's just...in one sense you tell me to go to medical school and become a doctor, but with your next breath, you tell me you want me to submit to your leadership. It seems like a wee bit of a contradiction to me"
Neil shrugged, "I want you to become a doctor because it is your dream and you gave it up for me a long time ago. I want you to submit to my leadership because I want you to respect me enough. To me they are different matters"
She thought for a moment, "I promise to make more of an effort"
"That's all I ask" He leaned forward to kiss her, "And if we decide one way together, then no matter what you are feeling at the moment, you need to follow through with what we decide"
"Are we back at Edward's birth again?"
Neil nodded, "I can't say I regret having the lad. I love him too. But we had decided together what would happen if we were put in that situation and you totally disregarded it"
"You could have said no"
"Then you would have blamed me for our son's death" he told her, matter of fact. "I know what losing Samuel did to you. I'm not sure we would have survived that, especially if you put the guilt on my shoulders"
She closed her eyes briefly, knowing he spoke the truth. "Am I really that terrible?"
"No, sweetheart" Neil said, quietly, "You are human, but you put me in a near impossible situation"
"I apologized for that"
"And if I thought that the next time that it would be different, then I would have probably been able to move on already"
Her eyes widened, "That's harsh, Neil"
"I'm not trying to be" he told her. "I'm trying to work through it with you so we can move past this"
She swallowed hard, "What about you? You aren't completely innocent about the troubles in our marriage"
"I don't deny that" Neil said, "I know you love me, Adelaide and when you say you'll try harder, I want to believe you"
He saw right away the hurt that statement caused and the distance it placed between them.
"I'll just have to prove it to you then" Adelaide said, her eyes not meeting his. She looked at the crackling fire. "I want to go ahead and volunteer at the clinic"
He nodded, "That's fine"
"And I think I will go back to medical school" Adelaide said, "When Edward is older- maybe in the next five years"
"Good"
She stood, "I'm tired"
"You looked peaked" Neil stood too. "I have a bit of work left"
"I noticed you moved a couch up to our room"
"Aye, I thought I could sleep there that way I could be near you, but not so near you that I can't sleep well"
She swallowed hard, "That's a good compromise, love. Thank you"
"Goodnight, Adelaide"
"Goodnight, dear" She headed towards the door when Neil's voice stopped her.
"I missed you, wife" his voice was low, "Things aren't the same when you are away"
"Thank you for that" Adelaide gave him a small smile before leaving him alone.
He knew that didn't go as well as he intended it to. Two steps forward, three steps back. He sighed and sat down on the sofa, burying his head in his hands.
Julia shook Annie awake, "Sissy?"
Annie rolled over, "What?"
"What if Dottie is lonely up there all by herself?"
Annie frowned. A few days ago, while Mama was gone, Annie and Julia found a puppy at the park. She had no tags and looked so sad and hungry. Even though Papa said no puppies, they couldn't bring themselves to just leave the puppy. So the concocted up a plan to hide the puppy on the third floor where nobody ever visited unless Grandma and Grandpa or Aunt Hattie came. They thought it was a brilliant plan, but now Julia was worrying about it once again. They had visited Dottie every chance they got, but she was such a sweet puppy, they didn't want her to be alone for long.
"I don't want Dottie to be lonely. Papa won't hear us if we sneak upstairs"
"Do you think Papa will be so mad at us?" Julia's face creased in worry, "He did tell us we couldn't have a puppy"
"But Dottie has no home. She was so cold and hungry" Annie said, "And Papa is always helping others. We should be able to help too"
"Do ye think we should tell him, Annie?" Julia asked. "I don't want a spanking"
"He'll make us give her away" Annie said, "And I know it has only been a few days, but I love her oh, so much, Julia. She's such a sweet puppy"
"Maybe we should tell Mama now that she is back" Julia said, "Mama can tell Papa that we should keep Dottie"
Annie thought for a minute, "I think Mama and Papa are mad at each other, Julia"
"What do ye mean?" Julia asked, hopping up on her sister's bed.
"They never kiss anymore" Annie said.
"Yeah, but I'm so glad...that was yucky!" Julia responded.
"But Mama said that they kiss because they love each other. If they aren't kissin, then maybe they don't love each other anymore"
"Oh" Julia's face fell. They were silent for a few minutes, before Julia said, "We don't want to make Papa mad at Mama"
"No" Annie nodded, solemnly, "Let's go upstairs and check on Dottie. I don't want her sad because she is all by herself"
"But we need to go quietly" Julia said. "Really tiptoe" she whispered.
They girls went upstairs and played with Dottie for a while, making sure she was happy and warm. Then they snuck back down stairs, running into Neil who was coming out of Tim's room.
He frowned at them, taking the lamp from Julia's hands.
"What are ye doing?" he asked, sternly.
Annie and Julia looked at each other.
"I had to go potty, Papa" Annie said, solemnly, "And I was scared so Julia came too"
Neil frowned. It was a plausible explanation, yet, something didn't quite feel right to him.
"What are ye doing up, Papa?" Julia asked, when she saw his stern face not easing. They could be found out.
"Timmy had a bad dream"
"Where's Mama?"
"She has a headache, so I told her to stay and I would take care of Timmy" His frown deepened, "What is with all these questions, lassies?"
"Nothin" Julia said, quickly. She yawned and stretched, "I'm going back to bed now"
"That's a good idea" Neil said. "Back to bed the both of you" He leaned down to look at Annie, seriously, "The next time you have to go to the bathroom, you need to go yourself and not wake sissy up. You are a big girl now"
"Okay, Papa" Annie gave him a sweet smile, "I will be brave"
"Good girl" He kissed both of the girls before shooing them back to their room.
Once there, they both gave a big sigh, "That was close" Annie squeaked.
"Too close" Julia heaved. "My stomach was twistin something fierce"
"Mine too" Annie stilled, "Julia, we just lied to Papa"
Julia froze, "I suppose we did"
"He doesn't like that one bit" Annie bit her lip.
"We are lyin about Dottie" Julia pointed out.
"But that's different" Annie said, "He hasn't asked us if we have Dottie, so we ain't really lyin"
"Something tells me Papa won't see it that way" Julia sighed.
"What do we do?"
"Nothin we can do now, Sissy" Julia said, "Not unless we want to give up, Dottie"
Annie began to cry, "I can't give up Dottie, Julia. Never"
Julia climbed in bed with Annie and wrapped her arms around her sister, "Don't worry, Annie. We won't give up Dottie. Never"
"What is this?"
Adelaide frowned as she looked at Neil's boots that he held in front of her.
"Maybe a mouse?" she suggested.
"Adelaide, lass, that mouse would be the size of a rabbit" Neil grunted.
"But what else could it be?"
"Tim?"
"Tim did not chew up your shoes!" Adelaide exclaimed, indignant.
"We'll see tonight if he has a belly ache" Neil retorted.
"Oh my Lord, Neil MacNeill, when would Tim have gotten into your study to chew your shoes?"
"Well, I don't know" Neil practically thundered. It was at that moment that Annie and Julia snuck past the door to the study, catching Neil's eye.
There was something in the way that they were trying to pass his office that made him pause. He had felt something was odd between them last night when he caught them in the hallway and now again. He beckoned to the girls to come in.
"What's wrong Papa?" Julia asked.
Neil held up his shoes. "Do you two know anything about this?"
Annie and Julia stared at Neil's chewed up boots, rendered speechless.
"Well?" Neil snapped.
"Neil" Adelaide's voice was soft, "you are scaring the girls" she chided.
"Is there a reason they should be scared?" Neil retorted, shooting Adelaide a warning look.
"You can't just accuse them..."
"I'm not accusing" Neil snapped, "I'm asking"
Annie's stomach twisted again, "Are ye fighting again?" Her eyes were wide and the color had drained out of her face, "because of Papa's shoes?"
"Annie, that's not polite" Neil barked. "We have talked about this before"
"I..." she shook, her knees knocking together.
Adelaide glared at Neil as she took Annie into her arms, lifting her up, "We aren't fighting, precious" She snuggled her, tightly. "You can't worry about Papa and I so much"
"Maybe she is worryin about us to take attention off of her" Neil muttered. "Have you completely forgotten our conversation yesterday, lass?"
Adelaide heaved a sigh, placing Annie's feet firmly on the ground again. Julia came closer to her sister and took her hand.
"Ladies, do you know anything about this?" Adelaide asked.
Annie and Julia looked at each other, then at the floor.
"Anything at all?" Neil added.
"No, sir" they both said, quietly.
Neil studied them. "Are you quite certain, girls?"
Annie's voice was hoarse as she looked up at him. All she could think about was protecting her precious Dottie...and the fact that Mama and Papa were fighting again, "Yes, Papa"
"Okay" Neil nodded.
"Go have breakfast" Adelaide said, "Miss Ruth is waiting for you. We'll be there in a few minutes"
They girls left them. Neil turned to Adelaide, "That is exactly what I mean"
She sighed, "What do you want me to say? I thought you were being too harsh to them...at first"
"There was a reason for that, lass" Neil told her, sitting on the corner of his desk. "I felt something was off with them last night and now, I'm sure they just lied to us"
"I'm sorry, you should have told me that this morning that you suspected something was up with the girls" Adelaide said.
"Aye, I didn't think much of it at the time" Neil told her, "But I suppose you are right. We have to communicate better, but for God's sake, Adelaide, you have to back me up with the children"
"Of course" Adelaide twisted her hands. "Forgive me, love?"
Neil nodded, "Of course. Now, what do you make of the lasses?"
"I got the same feeling as you, but what could they have possibly have to do with this?"
"I don't know, but considering they are our precocious lasses, I'm sure they have gotten themselves into a right fine scrape that they either don't know how to get out of or don't want to get out of. Something about last night felt wrong to me too- Annie can go to the bathroom by herself. I don't know what they have done, but they have done something"
"What are you going to do?" Adelaide asked, going to him and taking the boots out of his hands. "I don't think these are salvageable"
"No, I'll have to get new boots" Neil was still clearly angry. "I'm going to wait it out, but apply some pressure. They'll break easily"
Adelaide grimaced, "Poor wee lasses"
"My boots are chewed and my daughters just lied to me...not once, but now twice" Neil shook his head, perturbed, "I don't feel sorry for them one bit"
She fought a smile, "At least it isn't your research"
"That is true" Neil said, "I should go back to sleeping in the study so I can see what is wrecking havoc in the middle of the night"
"No!" Adelaide put the boots down and then her arms around him. "Us putting a couch in our room for you to sleep in was the perfect compromise. No more sleeping in the study for you, Doctor MacNeill. And the girls are picking up on the tension between us"
Neil nodded, "I know. We both need to do better for our family's sake and our own..."
"Seeing Annie's face" Adelaide bent over and buried her head in his shoulder, "I know it might be because she is lying to us, but she knows things are wrong between us. It breaks my heart"
Neil put his hands on her waist and drew her into him, him still sitting. "Sweetheart, we'll be more discreet with the children"
"I hate that we have a need to be discreet with the children" Adelaide retorted. "Last night, I came home and I was so determined to make a fresh start with you. I missed you desperately..."
"And I ruined that bringing up Edward's birth again..." Neil pulled her even closer, "I'm so sorry, my sweet wife"
"And then I questioned you again this morning" Adelaide sniffled, "When I was so determined to be better for you...I'm failing at this...so many years later and I'm failing" She pulled away and looked down.
"Marriage is about growing together" Neil told her, lifting up her chin so he could look into her eyes. "I knew when we married that you weren't perfect and we both know that I certainly am not either. What we do have is a commitment to love each other in spite of our imperfections...and I do love you. I chose you, Adelaide and I have no regrets"
She broke down and wept. "I just want us to have what we had...we've lost it"
"Nah" Neil held her close, "It's still there. We just have to discover it again. We are both the same people, but we are older now. We need to act like we are. And we need to be a team again"
"How can we be a team when you don't trust me?" Adelaide said.
"That fault doesn't lie within you" Neil told her, quietly.
"What do you mean?" she sobbed.
"Well, at first, it might, but I need to forgive you for what happened and move on" Neil said, "I'm holding onto it and it's affecting our marriage. You've apologized for the situation you put us in and I need to lead you...lead us out of this. Forgive me?"
"Oh love" Adelaide put her hands on his face. "That means more to me that you can ever imagine"
"Things are busy at work, but I can manage a weekend away" Neil told her quietly. "Let's go to Annapolis. We'll ask Ed and Stella to stay with Ruth. They wouldn't mind. I think they are worried about us"
"Really?" Adelaide asked him. "You would go away with me even with your work so busy?"
"Aye" Neil told her. "We'll rediscover some of that specialness that makes you and me work so well together"
"I'd love that"
"Good" he kissed her and moved her aside so he would have room to stand, "We'll set up a date then. Let's go find our lasses and try to figure out what they are up to"
He offered his hand and she took it. Two Steps forward again. They could do this.
To get to the bottom of this, Neil decided to work this Saturday from home. He kept a close eye on the girls. While he was revising his report to the board, he noticed them going outside. This seemed odd to him. He knew Adelaide was in the playroom with the boys and Simon was at a friend's house. What were they doing? Adelaide wouldn't let them go to the park by themselves- not in the city. He stood and looked out the window.
"What the hell?" Neil mumbled. He went in search of Adelaide.
Adelaide was giving Edward his bottle, "What is it?"
"Come with me, lass. Quickly" Neil said, scooping up Timmy and Adelaide shifted Eddie so she could walk with him in her arms. Neil led her to the window and Adelaide gasped. "Where do you think they have been keeping that?"
The little spotted dalmatian was doing its business in the small grassy patch next to the sidewalk, Annie and Julia hovering over it to keep it contained to that area.
"Not in their room" Neil said.
"No" Adelaide thought over it, "The third floor"
"Aye, that's what I suspect"
"How have we not heard a dog?"
"It's pretty well insulated up there and part of the room is over Edward's room. It would be easy to do"
"What are you going to do?" Adelaide asked, quietly, "confront them?"
"Nah" Neil shook his head, "I'm going to give them the opportunity to confess"
"And if they don't?"
"Then I'm pretty sure they know the consequences for lying and sneaking around" Neil said, "I'm tired of all this lying, especially from Annie. I've been too lenient with them"
Adelaide winced, "Oh, Neil"
"I told them no to a puppy, Adelaide, and the girls deliberately disobeyed me. Where they picked this one up, I have no idea"
"It seems cute" Adelaide said.
"Let's see how you feel when we got up to the third floor" Neil said, wryly, "because considering what the puppy did to my shoe and how I'm pretty sure it's not quite housebroken..."
Adelaide covered her mouth, "Oh, that's going to be a mess"
"Aye, lass"
She looked to him, "you know we have talked about getting the children a puppy" she said, hopefully.
"I know" Neil said, "but I'm not keen on giving it to them now with their disobedience"
They watched the girls sneak back into the house and go upstairs with what looked like a wiggling load.
"Did they put the puppy under their dresses?" Adelaide asked.
"That's what it looks like to me" Neil retorted, "They are creative those ones" he looked at Ruth who just came into the room, "Ruth, can ye do us a favor?"
"Surely I can, Doc" Ruth said.
"Call the wee lasses downstairs and keep them here for a few minutes"
"I can do that" Ruth said, "Is there a problem"
"Then girls have been caring for a puppy on the third floor"
"Oh my...the wee uns are in trouble- that they are" Ruth chuckled.
"Indeed, they are" Neil said.
Adelaide covered her mouth as her eyes widened in horror at the sight of the room, "Oh, this is worse than I expected"
"Aye" Neil grunted, "The girls have to learn to be responsible for their actions"
"Alot of the furniture has bite marks" Adelaide frowned, "and the carpet will need to be replaced"
"We are doing well, Addie" Neil said, "but we don't have endless amounts to spare- especially what it cost to furnish the house to begin with and with wanting to go away for a weekend"
She sighed, "The girls really did get themselves in a pickle. Do you think we have the money to replace the carpet?"
"We will have to forgo our weekend away" Neil said, quietly, "Maybe we can go this spring"
"I understand" Adelaide studied Neil, "You look frustrated"
"Entirely" Neil confirmed, "they are smart lasses. They know this is wrong"
Adelaide leaned down to rub the puppy who was nipping at her leg. She scooped it up, "Oh, she is sweet. Needs a bath though"
"Aye" Neil said, "The puppy does smell"
"What will you do, love?" Adelaide looked at him as she petted the puppy .
"I'm going to see if with a little pressure, they cave. I want them to tell me the truth, Adelaide- on their own without getting caught"
"Do you think that is expecting a bit much from them?"
"No" Neil shook his head, swiftly, "We always talk to them about owning up to their mistakes or coming to us when they are in trouble. They know"
"You are going to break their heart to send this puppy away" Adelaide said, quietly.
"Sometimes parenting is hard, Addie" he told her. "But giving them the puppy is like rewarding them for their poor choices"
She nodded, "That is true. So, how are you going to get them to confess?"
"I have a few ideas" Neil said.
Simon looked between his sisters and the black and white puppy that they were hiding up on the third floor.
"Here name is Dottie" Julia said, "isn't she the most beautiful puppy you have ever seen, Simon?"
"She's pretty cute, sissy" Simon admitted, rubbing his hands through the puppy's fur, Dottie licking him. "How have you been taking care of her?"
"Sneaking up scraps from the table" Annie said, "and tucking her under our dresses to take her outside to go to the bathroom"
"But she has still made messes up here" Julia sighed.
Simon looked at the stained carpet and frowned. Then his eyes grew wide as he saw chewed pieces of furniture. "Has she been the one chewing Papa's shoes?"
"She doesn't mean too" Annie defended Dottie's behavior. "I think she is hungry"
"Um" Simon shifted, "So, who's going to tell Papa?"
"We can't tell Papa!" Julia said, "He'll send Dottie away"
"Dottie has to stay with us forever" Annie said.
"You're lucky that the bedroom is over Ed's room and not Mama and Papa's" Simon crossed his arms, "I'm not getting spanked for this"
"Nobody will get spanked" Julia declared.
"Ye are crazy if ye think Papa isn't gonna to spank ye for hiding a puppy up here, sneaking around, letting her ruin the carpet ...it's akin to lying and Papa is going to tan ya'll real good for that"
"But we didn't want to lie and sneak" Annie protested and began to cry. "I want Dottie to be our puppy forever and ever"
"and she is ever so clean" Julia added, "I gave her a bath in the bathtub up here and got all the dirt right off. She can't help that she is a baby and has accidents. Tim does too and nobody yells at him"
"You should tell Papa though" Simon advised, "ye are a sweet gal, aren't ye, Dottie?" Truth be told, he was quite in love with Dottie too.
Julia frowned, "Do ye really think Papa will spank us for this, Simon?"
"Oh yeah" Simon nodded, "but you are lucky that we aren't in the Cove. He'll surely get you to pick switches"
"There is the park across the street" Annie said, horrified, "He wouldn't, would he?"
"Maybe, it is a mess in here and Papa hates lying" Simon said solemnly, "Aw, don't cry, Annie"
"I'm not cryin about the switches, Simon, but Papa wouldn't take Dottie from us, would he?"
Simon put his arm around his sister, "I'd go tell Papa the truth, if I were ye"
"We can't Simon" Annie said. "Right, Julia?"
Julia hesitated, "Maybe we should Annie"
"NO!" Annie insisted, "we need Dottie to stay here"
Julia went over to take her sister's hand, "Okay, Annie, we won't yet..."
"I think ye are making a mistake" Simon said, shaking his head.
But the girls were determined and Simon promised to not tell...yet.
"I think I want us to do something different tonight for devotions" Neil said, bouncing Tim on his knee after supper.
"What's that?" Julia asked brightly.
"Annie, I want you to read our verses" Neil said, looking at his daughter, "your reading has gotten so good and I'll help you with the big words"
Adelaide looked at Neil, shaking her head wearily. She knew exactly what he was doing and if his suspicions were right these verses would guilt the girls into a confession...or hysterics.
"Out of your bible?" Annie asked, her eyes wide.
"Aye, lassie" Neil nodded, handing Tim to Adelaide. "Come sit on your Papa's lap and read it for us. I'll help you if you need it"
"Okay Papa" Annie said as she climbed up on his lap. Neil pointed to a section, "Start there, sweetheart..."
"Lying lips are an..." she paused, trying to sound it out.
"Here, try to read the word in chunks, like this" Neil helped her with the word, "abomination"
Julia frowned, interrupting, "what does that mean?"
Adelaide cleared her throat, "something that is very bad"
Annie and Julia looked at each and Neil nudged his daughter, "continue, Annie"
"An ab..om..in..ation to the Lord, but they that deal truly are his delight"
"That's an interesting verse, don't ye think, lasses?" Neil asked, closing his bible, "Do you know what it means?"
Annie and Julia didn't offer an explanation so Neil turned to Simon.
"Simon?"
"That God hates lying, sir, and that when you tell the truth it makes him happy"
"Excellent, lad" Neil smiled at him. "I think that is a good reminder for tonight. Don't ye think, Mama?"
"Oh, I agree" Adelaide said, with a solemn nod, "Not only does God hating lying, but we do too, especially Papa. I think it is good to remember to always tell the truth, even if it is the hard thing to do. That way we please God"
Neil noticed how much Annie was squirming on his lap and put her down to sit next to her sister. Julia and Annie's faces had gone quite pale.
"I'm always here for anyone of you to talk to" Neil said, quietly. "We want you all to grow up to do what is right and true...and to me lying is something quite bad"
He stared at the girls, but the only looked down at their plates.
Adelaide and Neil exchanged a glance.
"Girls, it's time to do the dishes" Adelaide said, quietly.
"Yes, Mama" They said, sweetly and began to clear the plates.
"They didn't budge" Neil crossed his arms, "I don't believe it. They are stubborn lasses, that's for sure"
"Not unlike their parents" Adelaide sat in the leather sofa in his study, giving Ed a bottle.
"Your tactic I think scared them into not telling you"
"Do ye really think?" Neil asked, surprised, going to sit down next to Adelaide, reaching to cup the back of the baby's head while he was feeding. "I hope Tim and Eddie don't get into as much trouble as their older sissies. I'm getting too old for this, Adelaide"
Addie chuckled. "And busy with your work too. I can handle the girls if you like. You don't need this added stress" she offered.
Neil shook his head swiftly, "No offense, Adelaide, but the girls need a firm hand. They'll be begging for you to handle their discipline"
"That's true" she looked at him, "You are their Papa and they want to please you more than me I think"
"You aren't going to ask me to go easy on them?" Neil raised an eyebrow. "Or be gentle with them?"
"No" Adelaide shook her head, "my love, you are their father and head of this family and I trust you to discipline them"
Neil smiled and leaned to kiss her temple. "Thank you, lass"
"What will you do?" Adelaide asked, curiously. "Spanking?"
"Aye" Neil nodded, "That's a given and clean up the mess upstairs and help do chores to pay for the damage"
"Sounds fair" she nodded.
"Adelaide?" Neil looked at her evenly, "do you really trust me with the lasses?"
"Of course" she looked startled at his serious tone, "Why do you ask?"
"I may employ some discipline from my youth" he said, "and I need your support with it"
"Do you really think that's necessary?"
"It's the lying and deception, Adelaide. I won't stand for it" Neil responded, "I gave them every chance, even asking them directly"
"I know" she bit her lip, "What will you do?"
"In the park, there are trees...perfect for picking switches"
"Oh no" She frowned, "They will go to hysterics if you make them do that, Neil"
"But I'd wager they'll never do something like this again"
"True" Adelaide swallowed hard, "but their heart was in the right place, trying to save the puppy"
"Adelaide, I know you don't want to hear this" Neil said, "but we have to reinforce right and wrong with them. It's too easy to be convinced that if you have good intentions that makes it alright. What if is ten years from now with a young lad pressuring them to have sex? If we allow concessions for deception, we might regret it down the road"
"You really think Julia or Annie would sneak around with a boy?"
"I hope not, but considering our lasses, it isn't unreasonable to think one of them might try" Neil nodded, "but they have to learn now that any form of deception is wrong and will not be tolerated by either of us"
"I see your point. Truth is, I trust you, love, do what you think is best"
He had expected her to battle with him over this. She wasn't. She knew what type of father he was and she trusted he would do right by their family. Her act of faith was soothing to him- restoring some of the lost trust.
He looked at her, intensely. "I do love you, Adelaide Elizabeth"
"That's good you do because" She smiled at him, "I love you too"
There was a knock on the door.
"Come in" Neil called, still looking into her eyes, and Simon entered.
"Papa?"
He tore his eyes away from Adelaide's to look at his son, "What is it lad?"
"Um" Simon shifted awkwardly, "I need to tell ye something but I don't want to be a tattle tale"
Neil looked at Adelaide and then back at Simon. He walked over to him and squeezed his shoulder, "Is this about your sissies and the puppy?"
"Yes sir" Simon said, quietly. "I didn't want to lie for them"
"Thank you for coming to us, son" Neil said.
"Did ye know about the puppy?" Simon asked.
"Aye, your mother and I are a lot smarter than you children think we are" Neil said, amused. "We knew something had to chew my shoe. We did some spying on your sissies and figured it out in record time"
"I'll never hide anything from you and mama" Simon said, seriously.
Neil ruffled his hair, "That's good, lad. Ye are a smart one"
"Poor sissies though" Simon said, "Dottie is a sweet puppy, Papa. Do you think we can keep her?"
"Probably not, son" Neil replied, "Your sissies did an awful lot of lying to be rewarded with a puppy"
"That's what I thought" Simon said, forlorn.
"Don't worry, Simon" Adelaide spoke up, "One day maybe. We aren't saying never to a puppy"
"That's right, lad" Neil nodded, "Just a not at the moment"
"Okay" Simon nodded. "I would take very good care of a dog"
"We know you would" Neil retorted, "Ye are a very responsible boy...your sissies on the other hand"
"They did make a mess, didn't they?"
"That they did, Simon" Neil replied, "That they did"
"Annie, Julia" Neil's voice was stern as he entered their room. "I want you two to come with me right now"
Annie and Julia looked at each other and back at their father. Papa was upset. More than upset, he was angry...angry and disappointed. Did somehow he know about Dottie?
"Where are we going Papa?" Julia asked, her eyes wide.
"You should know where we are going, lassie" Neil crossed his arms, before turning and in his strictest father voice saying to his other daughter, "Annie, tell your sister where we are going"
Annie's own eyes grew wide, even wider than her sister's.
"Did you tell?" Julia hissed.
"No, I swear..."
"Don't swear" Neil snapped. "Annie, where are we going?"
"I'm not sure" Annie whispered.
"Annie Elizabeth MacNeill" Neil stared her down.
The three names- when Papa said them, they knew they better obey and quickly.
"The third floor" she gulped. "probably to the spare room"
"Good girl" Neil took each twin by the hand and led them up the stairs and into the spare room. Dottie came up and started to paw at Annie's leg, she picking her up.
"Did ye not think we would find out, lasses?" Neil shook his head. "Just look at this mess"
Julia looked at her sister than at him, "We hoped you wouldn't"
"What would happen when Grandma and Grandpa came for another visit? How long were you going to keep the puppy here?"
Annie frowned, "We hadn't thought that far, Papa" she admitted, her face flamed.
"Clearly" Neil retorted, "and ye clearly weren't thinking when I asked you for the truth and you have lied to me. If you were in a pickle, wouldn't it have been easier just to tell me? We've talked about this before, especially with you, Annie"
"We were afraid ye weren't goin to let us keep Dottie" Julia said for her sister, "and we love her, oh, so much, Papa. We wanted to take care of her and we have- I even gave her a bath"
"In the bathtub?"
"Of course" Julia said, "Where else would you give a bath?"
"Bathtubs are for people, lassie, not for dogs" Neil replied, "has the dog been fed?"
"Scraps from meals" Annie said.
"How long has she been up here?"
"For a week" Julia said.
"Ye two will help clean up and pay for this mess" Neil told him, his voice firm.
"May we keep her Papa?" Julia asked, her face bright, "Oh, please, say yes"
Neil inclined his head, "Do you feel the least bit sorry, Julia?"
Her face fell. "Of course, Papa. I didn't want to keep a secret from you and Mama and then lie about it, but we had no choice"
"Ye always have a choice lassie" Neil answered, sternly, "in fact, I gave you multiple chances today to confess because I wanted you to choose to make it right. If you did, I wouldn't be nearly as angry as I am now"
"I wanted to tell" Julia said, quietly. "especially after we read that God doesn't like lying"
"I have to admit I was surprised you didn't come to me after that" Neil said, "Why not?"
Julia shifted uncomfortably, "Well, I wanted to Papa"
She said no more, but Neil knew. Annie was the one that held out from confessing and Julia would never betray her sister- it was either they both confess or neither...the question was why was Annie the holdout- was she scared of a spanking? Was she just being stubborn? Or was there something else?
He sighed and turned to Annie, "ye are awfully quiet, Annie"
A rare look of defiance crossed Annie's features. "I want to keep Dottie" she said, "and I'll run away if you don't let me" she threatened, tears in her eyes. "I will, I swear I will"
Neil was taken aback by her blatant challenge to his authority, but quickly tried to moderate his reaction, "You need to change your attitude now, wee one, before you are in more trouble than you already are" his voice was low and stern.
"No" Annie stomped her feet, causing Juila's eyes to widen. Annie never said no to their Papa and at this moment, she wouldn't have dared talk back to him. They were already in a lot of trouble.
"Annie" Neil practically growled at her, "You need to think before you speak now. I will not tolerate disrespect from you"
"I don't care" Annie said, "She is the sweetest puppy and she is my friend and somebody has to want her, Papa. I want her. If Dottie leaves, I'm leaving too. I don't care about what you say or what you do"
It was as close as to a tantrum that Annie had in years. He stared at her, his gaze would have wilted her instantly, but the will...that epic will inherited from Addie and himself had finally came out with a vengeance. She chose an unfortunate time with him already being upset about the mess the puppy made and the lying that he had already addressed with her multiple times.
Neil swept over to her and untangled the puppy from Annie's grasp, putting her on the floor.
"Julia, I want you to go downstairs" Neil said, quietly. "Tell Mama that I want her to spank you with the spoon and put you to bed for the night"
"Really?" Julia's mouth opened in shock. "Are you mad at me?"
"Wait a minute" Neil led Annie to the bed and plopped her up on it, "Do not move"
He made sure she obeyed before guiding Julia out of the room, "I am mad at you, Julia. And very disappointed, but unless I'm reading the situation wrong, you would have confessed if not for Annie, is that true?"
"Yes, sir"
He leaned down and kissed her head, "We will talk more about that tomorrow, Julia, I promise. In my study before breakfast"
"Will I get another spanking?"
"No, lassie" Neil assured her.
"But" Julia frowned, "Mama doesn't spank as hard as ye"
"Aye, but if I were you I would count your lucky stars that sissy decided to be so defiant right now"
"Is she in terrible trouble?"
"Unless she changes her attitude quickly, yes"
Julia shifted, "Should I talk to her, Papa? Make her understand how mad you are? She just really loves Dottie"
"No, lassie" Neil leaned down to squeeze her shoulder, "you are only responsible for your behavior. I'm the papa here. Now, go to Mama and we will talk soon"
"I am sorry, Papa" Tears overflowed, "I do love Dottie and she was so sad and hungry"
"I know that, Julia" Neil told her, solemnly, "You and I can talk about it soon"
Julia shuffled her feet, "It will kind of be nice to talk to ye without worryin about the spankin coming"
Neil chuckled under his breath but made a mental note to find ways to spend more time with his eldest daughter. "I'll look forward to it too, sweetheart" He picked her up and squeezed her before sending her off with a stinging smack.
He steeled himself and then went back into the room, Annie hugged Dottie for dear life, the puppy licking her hand.
"I thought I told ye not to move" he said, frowning.
"She jumped up on the bed" Annie said.
Neil frown deepened, "Annie" he looked at her steadily before hopping up on the bed to sit next to her, "As a doctor, do you know what part of my job is?"
She shook her head.
Neil lifted her chin up and turned her face towards him so she was looking at him, "I have to look at all the information before I can make a diagnosis. If I ignore symptoms then I could jump to the wrong conclusion. Do you know what I saw when I walked into the room?"
"No, sir"
"Well, I noticed how high the bed is- much too high for a small puppy but not too high for a little girl. I also noticed that while the whole room is pretty much destroyed, the bed is still neatly made and not at all rumpled. Do ye know what that tells me?"
She swallowed hard flushing, "That Dottie can't get onto the bed?"
"Aye, exactly" Neil's gaze was stern, "I'm so disappointed in ye, Annie, I don't even know where to begin. Why are you being so disobedient?"
"I need her, Papa" Annie's lip trembled, "I need her so badly"
Neil forced himself to remain stern, "It's not going to happen the way ye want, Annie. I can't reward ye for lying, child"
"I will run away"
"And I will follow you and bring you home" Neil retorted, evenly.
"I'll run again"
"And I'll follow you again"
"Ye are too busy with your work for all that"
"Trust me, I'm not" he told her, "and each time you run, you will be punished"
"I don't care" Annie sniffled, "Dottie is worth spankings. You can spank me every day from now until next year and I still would have done it all over again" She thought for a moment, "are you going to spank me?"
"Aye"
"Why can't Mama?" Annie crossed her arms, "I want my Mama"
"Julia is being punished by your mother"
Annie pouted, "That's not fair"
"Hum" Neil put his hand on her knee, "Julia acted sorry. She would have told me the truth after devotions tonight, but you convinced her otherwise. You have been disrespectful on top of all the lying, so I do think it is fair, but Annie, child, I don't have to justify my decisions to you. I'm your father. I make the rules. So, if I decide that Julia should be spanked by your mama and you spanked by me, that's what we are going to do. Do you understand?"
She remained quiet and Neil forced himself to take a deep breath and try to gather his patience with her. This attitude was so unusual for Annie. He would have expected this from Julia, not from Annie.
"I will never talk to you again if you take Dottie from me" Annie sniffled. "Not even to answer your questions- I'll talk to Miss Ruth and Grammie and Grandpa and Aunt Christy and Mama, but not you"
"You are being very disrespectful right now" Neil told her, his voice low, "You need to change your attitude"
"No" The look Annie gave him reminded him of the icy glares Adelaide is capable of giving when she is upset with him. The attitude has to be nipped in the bud, but he wasn't sure if coming down hard on Annie would make things worse or better. God help them, she was acting like a teenager at the tender age of seven. What would it be like when she was an actual teenager? He always thought Julia would be the one to give them trouble, but from what he was witnessing, Annie might give her sister a run for her money. He forced himself away from those troublesome thoughts. Oh, he could handle the challenge- his will was so much greater than any one of his children's...or his wife.
"Annie" Neil's voice was stern, "I'm giving you one last chance to change your attitude and talk to be using a respectful tone"
"Or?"
There was silence for a few moments, complete silence- not even Dottie made a noise.
Finally, Neil spoke, "We'll go outside right now and find you a nice switch for us to use"
"Will I get to keep Dottie then?" her voice was soft.
"No" Neil said, calmly, "No matter what- Dottie won't be our puppy. Now it is a matter of do you want to get a switching for your poor attitude and the lying or deception or will you change your attitude and I'll just spank you like Julia with the spoon?"
"I need Dottie" Annie practically growled at him, "How can you just give her away?!"
Neil blinked and then hopped off the bed. "Let's go, child"
"No, Papa, NO!" Annie fell into hysterics and Neil's heart practically broke. Still, he wasn't going to back down now. She deserved this and he gave her more chances than he should have.
This led to one of the worst half an hour of parenting as he followed through on his discipline. She was inconsolable afterwards- Neil keeping her in their bedroom, trying to calm her down. He didn't know if it was the harsher discipline or the fact that she knew he was giving the puppy away, but he couldn't get her under control. She crawled out of his arms when he tried to hold her and she wouldn't respond to him.
Adelaide finally came in the room. Annie was sprawled out on their bed, her face buried in Addie's pillow. Adelaide looked at Neil who was sitting at the end of the bed and then went to sit on the bed next to Annie.
"Annie, darling, you deserved that punishment" Adelaide's voice was low as she put her hand on her back, rubbing it soothingly, "You need to calm down now and talk to us"
"Papa always understands, Mama. He always tries to understand" Annie turned over, her face red and splotchy from the tears. "Why can't he understand how much I need Dottie?"
Adelaide looked at her evenly, "I think Papa does understand that you need Dottie. But I think you and Julia gave Papa no choice. If you had come to him or me and told us about Dottie from the start or even after Papa tried to get you to confess, then things would have been different"
"I hate him now"
She heard Neil's wince from his spot next to her on the bed and her heart ached for both her daughter, but especially her husband, who while was still the tough mountain man she married, had such a tender heart towards their children.
Adelaide wiped Annie's tears away, "That makes me very sad to hear, Annie. I think you have the best Papa in the world. Other Papas would have just spanked you..."
"He made me pick a switch!" Annie said, indignant, wanting to get Mama on her side, "Did ye know?"
"Yes, love" Adelaide replied, "Don't interrupt me. Other Papas would have just switched you and not given you all those chances to make it right. I know he gave you chances...more than you deserve"
"How do you know?" Annie asked.
"Because I know your papa" Addie said, "And for him to discipline you that way, tells me that you were being very naughty indeed. That's not Papa's fault nor is it Papa's fault that we are going to find a home for Dottie. That's your fault"
"I'm only seven!" Annie pouted, "I didn't know"
"You did know" Addie challenged, "Papa and you have had many conversations about lying. You knew Annie. And you knew your attitude with him was wrong. It's our job to continue to teach you how to behave"
She sobbed, "I just can't behave...not until he lets me keep Dottie"
"That's not going to happen, little one" Adelaide responded.
"Then I'll be mad at him until he does"
"That's a poor choice" Adelaide said, "if I were you, I would want to crawl into Papa's lap and let him help me with all my feelings. I find that talking through things with Papa is always what I need. He knows exactly what to say to get me all sorted out. You have always wanted to talk to Papa about things, even over me, remember?"
She remained silent and Annie continued, "And he wants to help you with this Annie. But you are being so mean about it"
"It's mean that he is sending Dottie away!"
"No, sweetheart. It's not" Adelaide shook her head, sorrowfully, "Let's see how you feel about it in the morning" She scooped her up in her arms, "Bedtime for you"
"Stay with me until I fall asleep, Mama" Adelaide looked over Annie at Neil, who nodded.
"Alright, love"
It took an hour for Annie to fall asleep in Adelaide's arms.
She went back to their room, Neil feeding Edward a bottle on the couch. Adelaide sat next to him.
"Do you want to talk?" she asked, quietly.
"I would give her the moon, Adelaide" Neil told her, his voice broken, "I just can't in good conscious let her keep this puppy with all the lying and deception and her attitude...her attitude was unacceptable"
"I understand" Adelaide said, "she'll come around"
"I don't know" Neil shook his head, "We have always had a special relationship. I honestly think she feels that I am betraying her. I don't know why she is so attached to the puppy after only a few days. She has never shown much of an affinity for animals"
"Well, I might be able to help you out there" Adelaide said, quietly. "but it may make you feel worse"
"Oh no" Neil groaned, "What is it?"
"Well, I could be wrong, but I think Annie needs a friend"
"Hasn't she made friends at school?" Neil asked.
"Love" Adelaide stopped to try to pick her words, "I don't believe she has. Julia has been invited for sleep overs and after school adventures and all sorts of things, but Annie hasn't or has been invited as an afterthought. She is in a new place and I think it is hard for her"
"Do you think it would have been different in the Cove?"
"Of course" Adelaide said, "she's your daughter- she is a MacNeill- beloved in the Cove...and she is very much a child of the Cove and has grown up around the people. She is comfortable there"
Neil looked down at Edward, who was nodding off against his bottle, "I don't know what to do then. I can't let her keep the puppy, Addie"
"I know" Adelaide said, her voice low, "but it might help you understand a little better why she gave you such a bad attitude"
"Even if I understand why, it's still not acceptable"
"I understand that" Adelaide nodded, "I don't think you erred in punishing her"
"Aren't you going to ask me about it?" Neil glanced at her.
"No" Adelaide said, "I know you punished Annie as a loving father would and plenty of children have been punished that way through the generations. I dare say she'll learn from it"
"What you said to Annie..." Neil jiggled Edward to reach for her hand, "thank you"
"It's the truth, Neil" Adelaide said, "And I stand by you, no matter what. Annie will come around. Remember when I tried to run from you? You didn't let me. And she's only seven"
"She acted like she was thirteen today with her attitude"
Adelaide chuckled, "Well, Doc MacNeill, I think we will have our hands full with our wee lasses in the coming years...and I dare say that while you have evened out in your temper, you certainly have always been a force to be reckoned with"
Neil laughed, "I have" He released her hand to place a sleeping Eddie in her arms. "For the record lass, I swatted her three times with the switch and then just used my hand for a couple more smacks"
"You didn't have to tell me that" Adelaide said, looking into his eyes, "You are the most gentle, loving father to our babies, Neil. I know you were not harsh with Annie"
"I'm getting the children a puppy for Christmas" Neil told her, "It's only a few months away"
"That's a great idea" Adelaide said, "And in the meantime, you try to love her through this. She'll stew but Annie is a thinker...she'll get there"
"You are so wise, Mrs. MacNeill" he gazed at her lovingly, "Let's put Eddie to bed"
"Oh" Adelaide patted Eddie's back, "And then what?"
"I have some new medical journals. Want to read them with me?"
She titled her head, her eyes sparkling, "you do still know the way into my heart, Doctor MacNeill"
He grinned and Adelaide rose to put her son to bed, before going back and spending the night with Neil, pouring over and discussion the newest journals, sparking good discussion and debate...and a good time. It was just the healing balm both of them needed after Neil's night with Annie.
Up next: The puppy saga continues...