Author's note: This chapter is for Orson Bean. He and my dad passed away within the same week, which saddened me all the more. I'm sure his memory will be cherished by those who loved him as Mr. Bray.
Chapter Eighteen
Colorado Springs, Sully Homestead
The house was warm and extremely cozy. It smelled of cinnamon and gingerbread and the huge Christmas tree in the corner of the living room exuded its intense fragrance. The day before, Sully had set out with Brian and after several hours they had come back with that monster. Chuckling, Brian had told her that they had been looking for the perfect tree and that they had wandered around for hours until they found just the right shape and size. Katie had then joined them in decorating the enormous fir tree with red and golden bows and their self-made stars. They had also decorated all the banisters and windows of the house which made a welcoming atmosphere. There were ten stockings hanging from the fireplace. Katie had insisted that other than Colleen, Matthew, Andrew and Jennie, who were all supposed to be celebrating with them, each of the babies should also get a stocking of their own. In addition, someone had hung a mistletoe on the living room ceiling and Michaela had her own suspicions about who that someone might have been.
Standing by the fireplace one of these days Michaela had marvelled at the sheer number of those stockings. Who would have thought when she set out from Boston all on her own...
Two days before Christmas, the doctor and her son's girlfriend had made themselves comfortable in front of the fireplace. For a change, they were all alone. Sully had taken Brian and Katie to do some top-secret Christmas shopping in town, so he had told her. Jennie had recently dropped by to pay Michaela a visit, who in the last few months had come to be not only the mother of her sweetheart but also her closest confidante in Colorado Springs. Michaela had offered her a cup of hot cocoa and they were now sitting and chatting in front of the crackling fire while Michaela took the opportunity to work on Colleen's gift, an embroidered handkerchief.
For some time the women indulged in small talk. About Brian's prediction that it would surely be snowing on Christmas Eve. About how little Rose had grown in the last few weeks. About Michaela's mother Elizabeth and sister Rebecca who planned to visit on the fourth week of January. About Michaela's plans to go back to work three months after the babies were born. And they giggled at Michaela's growing immobility caused by her ever-growing belly. After a while, Michaela paused in her motions and scrutinized the younger woman. She didn't know if it were her motherly instincts kicking in or the fact that she knew the young woman very well by now, but she realized that Jennie had something on her mind today that she had been trying to cover up by a cheerful disposition. So as casually as possible, she broached the subject she thought might be the cause for Jennie's worry "How's Matthew? I haven't seen him for days."
Jennie sighed softly. Something that didn't go unnoticed by Michaela. Reluctantly she replied, "He's fine. He's working a lot right now. He's studying all the time so he can pass the admission tests to Denver College. "
"That's not what's bothering you, is it?" Michaela asked directly.
Jennie looked at Michaela in surprise. Embarrassed, she looked at the floor. "No, it isn't... I didn't know it was so obvious that I've been worried lately... There is something that's been bothering me."
"Do you want to talk about it?" Michaela asked gently.
Jennie nervously blew a strand of dark hair out of her face, a gesture that could be observed on her when she was nervous. Hesitantly she began: "It's about Matthew, as you've probably guessed. No, actually it's about his late fiancée... Ingrid... Don't get me wrong! It's not her, I've been worrying about... The thing is, Matthew's been mentioning her quite often... He loved her very much, didn't he?... Would you... would you tell me about her? What kind of woman she was?... I don't know why, but for some reason I'd like to know more about her. I don't know, maybe to get to know Matthew better..."
Michaela hesitated. "Jennie, are you sure you want to know? Or rather, are you confident about your reasons? Wouldn't you rather ask Matthew yourself? Or did he say something that...?"
"Oh, no!" Jennie shook her head. "Matthew's not afraid to talk to me about her... About the women he loved. We're friends. He can tell me anything. He's told me all about Emma. But when he talks about Ingrid, he always gets so sad... I didn't want to see him so down, so I guess we stopped talking about her. But I also want to know Matthew better, to understand him, to know why he's the man he is today. How he was before we met..."
Michaela sighed with relief. She was sure that Matthew didn't mind if she told Jennie of his history with Ingrid. "Very well, then. I'll tell you about Ingrid. But first, I want to give you a little piece of advice. Please don't make the same mistake, I made with Sully when we first met. Don't compare yourself to the woman he loved before you!... As you know, Sully was married to Mr. Bray's daughter Abigail until she died. When we started having feelings for each other, I wondered how Sully could fall in love with two such totally different women like us both, and I doubted his intentions towards me... Don't do that!... Believe me, love has so many faces... You can't compare Matthew's love for Ingrid with how he feels for you today."
Jennie nodded sympathetically and Michaela began to talk, her voice wavering by the memory of Matthew's late fiancée. "Ingrid came to America from Sweden as a young girl. Within a year of her arrival, her mother and father died. Finding herself in this still foreign country, she only had her brother Jon for support but her sisters to look after. So you can say she was a very brave young woman. And she was lovely and gracious. She was very caring... Matthew met her when Mr. Bray's sister, Olive Davis, organized a dance for the town. She'd hired these young immigrants to dance with the town's bachelors. Matthew had a crush on her the moment he first saw her and he bought all the tickets for Ingrid's dances. But when the time came to ask her for a dance, he lost his nerve as he couldn't dance after all. Poor Ingrid thought that nobody wanted to be with her and she became distressed and ran away. So Matthew beat himself up but still went after her to explain and... well, they were together ever since."
Jennie cried a tear of sadness for the young woman and Michaela went on. "Matthew was in a rush to marry Ingrid, which I hadn't been too keen on. They were both so young. And I thought, they'd have so much time... I regret having stood in their way for that brief time... . They've been through quite a lot together over the years. Matthew worked in a mine and almost lost his leg in a collapse. He once fell for gambling and he almost lost her over it. Ingrid's asthma... It was an incredibly hard blow when Ingrid died of Rabies. We were all afraid we'd lose him as well. We almost did... But he made it, Jennie. He's still getting better every day. And that's largely because of you. I haven't seen him this happy and carefree in a long time. It's thanks to you that he can open his heart again and let love in. I've seen it. He loves you."
"You really think so?" Jennie asked with bright eyes.
"Yes, of course." She put one hand on Jennie's knee. "You'd have to be blind not to see the sparkle in his eyes."
Jennie sighed dreamily. "Thank you, Michaela. I had my doubts... I mean, Matthew's being kind and gentle with me and everything... His gestures and words suggest that he loves me as I love him. But he's never told me so... Not the actual words... ... Is that normal with men?"
Michaela laughed amusedly. "Well, in my limited experience, I find that some men are a little slower than others to talk about their feelings, that's true...Sully, for example, took over a year to tell me the words... But to be frank, it took me even a little while longer to say them back." Both women giggled and the laughter reverberated in the whole house.
Suddenly Michaela flinched slightly, a touch of discomfort written on her face.
"What's the matter?!" Jennie asked alarmed and stood up, ready to help Michaela. But Michaela's features relaxed again immediately.
"Oh nothing!" she reassured. "A baby just changed its position and kicked me pretty hard."
"Hush, you two!" Michaela jokingly scolded the unborn babies.
Jennie sat down apprehensively, her fascinated look resting on Michaela's belly.
Curiously she asked."What's it like? How does it feel to carry children inside your body? I was too young when my mother had my brothers."
Michaela put one hand flat on her belly for protection. "Heavy," she laughed. "And full. And wonderful. When they kick and let me know that everything's alright, it's a beautiful feeling. The knowledge that they're alive just because I'm here is incredible. Knowing that there's a part of Sully growing inside of me, children who may one day grow up to be just like their father, is indescribable."
Michaela blushed slightly, not used to sharing her most personal thoughts with anyone other than Sully, yet she shyly asked, "Would you like to feel it?"
Jennie nodded enthusiastically and Michaela took her hand put it on her stomach. Startled, Jennie flinched and giggled. "There! I felt it! It's unbelievable. It's kicking my hand. Hey, you two. Behave yourselves!"
Jennie laughed happily. "I'd like to experience that... Um, sometime. But until then, I'd like to get back to teaching children. You won't believe it, but Mrs. Slicker's offered me to take one of her classes after the holidays. With all the new children coming in, she just can't cope with the workload anymore and Mayor Slicker's already commissioned the extension of a new classroom to the school. Isn't that great?"
"Jennie, that's wonderful! Another working woman in the family."
Their joyful laughter was interrupted by the knock on the front door. Seconds later it was opened from the outside and Matthew stuck his face in. "Hello, Ma... Jennie!"
Stepping in, he looked uncomfortable. "Um, Jennie. Would ya please come outside with me? There's somethin' I gotta talk over with ya."
Surprised and astonished, Jennie stood up, nervously brushed her hands over her skirt and followed Matthew out of the house.
Michaela smiled. She had read Matthew's expression all too well! Suppressing the impulse to get up and risk a little peek at the couple, she stayed seated smiling happily and returned to her embroidery.
ooooooooooooo
Matthew shuffled his feet nervously and shakingly ran a hand through his blond hair. He had spent the whole morning gathering all his wits and when he finally believed he was ready he had ridden out here as fast as he could before his courage left him again. But now that he stood in front of her and looked into her pretty, friendly face, his knees went weak again and the words he had so carefully prepared just didn't find their way from his brain to his tongue. So he resolutely took Jennie's hands in his and stammered. "Jennie. I gotta tell ya somethin'. I rode here as fast as I could, because I have ta say it or otherwise I'll burst. Jennie... JennieIloveyou!" he gushed out in a torrent and squeezed her hand shyly.
When she stood there shellshocked, he flinched.
"What do ya say to that?" he asked uncertainly.
Jennie's senses kicked in and her reaction was prompt. Happily, she fell around Matthew's neck, almost pushing him over, and kissed him on the cheek. "Oh Matthew! I thought you'd never say it. I love you too!"
"Ya do?" Matthew asked unbelievingly.
"Of course I do, you fool! Why did you think I'd spend so much time with you? I want to be with you as much as I can."
"So do I." he said. Then he lowered his head to kiss Jenny tenderly, lovingly on the mouth.
ooooooooooooo
Michaela's Christmas present for Colleen was finished and neatly folded in her sewing box. Because it might still be a while before Sully came back with the children, she began to browse in a book which Dorothy had recommended. This old Celtic narrative of 'Tristan and Isolde' aroused Michaela's interest. She found it incredibly romantic how Tristan was sent to Ireland in order to pick up his uncle Mark of Cornwall's new bride Isolde, only to fall madly in love with the fair lady.
Michaela smiled. A few minutes ago, Jennie and Matthew had left together holding hands. Michaela, of course, had known at once. The glow on their faces and Jennie's barely perceptible wink had confirmed her suspicions. Matthew had finally dared to divulge how he felt.
Michaela was gleefully humming 'Joy to the World' when she heard another knock on the front door.
"It's like a train station in here!" she muttered with a laugh and groaning, she commenced to lift her heavily pregnant body out of the chair to answer.
To her pleasant surprise, Loren Bray stood on her porch. The somewhat older shopkeeper turned his grey hat shyly in his hands and asked. "How ya doin', Dr. Mike? It's a pleasant day, ain't it so?"
"Loren! Please, do come in!" she asked. "Aren't you working today? Sully and the children were on their way over." She pulled the grey-haired man gently into the warm living room.
"Awww, I thought I'd play hooky taday and let my new employee Jack do the work. What else'd he be good for?" he muttered.
"Would you like a cup of tea or coffee?" Michaela kindly offered.
"Well..." he hesitated. "Now that ya bin mentionin' it, the thought of a nice hot cup of coffee wouldn't be too bad. I hope I'm not disturbin' ya, Dr Mike."
"Oh, no!" Michaela replied. "Not at all. I'm alone at the moment and I was almost getting bored." she joked. "Is there a special reason for your visit, Loren? You aren't sick?" Worried, she turned to him, the coffee pot in her hand.
But Loren shook his head vehemently. "Awwww no, Dr Mike. Just the usual... I just... I ain't bin seein' ya in town for while, that's all. Now that yer hardly workin' an' Sully or Brian doin' all the shopping an' all. I just thought I'd drop by and see how yer doin'," he replied in his usual grumpy manner, beneath which, as Michaela knew, lay a very soft heart.
"Thank you, Loren, I'm fine." By now, nothing surprised her about this man, not even this caring, fatherly side of him.
As he sat down at the table, Loren mischieviously let his eyes wander up and down her body. "So Dr. Mike. If I may say so, ya've grown quite big. I bet it's gonna be a pretty huge baby. How much longer is it gonna be?"
Michaela didn't resent his rough manner and replied cautiously so that she didn't accidentally give away more than she actually intended to. "Andrew and I calculated the eighteenth of January as the due date. But you can never really tell. It can be later, but also sooner."
"In any case, I wish ya all the best." Loren said benevolently.
As Michaela proceeded to set the table, the grey-haired man looked around the living room. When his gaze fell on a particular photograph, he stood up an walked toward it to take a closer look. The faded picture showed the entire Quinn family from days long gone by. Joseph Quinn sitting with his wife Elizabeth, their five daughters grouped around them. Rebecca, Maureen, Claudette, Michaela at five and Marjorie at thirteen. Marjorie. Loren's eyes glued to the woman's image he had fallen in love with a year ago, only to lose her all too soon to a terrible epidemic. Michaela noticed his sadness and comfortingly put a hand on his shoulder. "I miss Marjorie, too. More than I ever could have imagined."
Loren nodded in agreement. "Sometimes I still dream of her... My sweet redheaded Marjorie. She's now with all the others I lost. Maude, Abigail, my grandchild, Olive..."
With tears in his eyes he turned to Michaela, "Ya know, I'm glad that ya and that boy found each other. I always knew... feared that he's gonna find someone else and replace my Abigail. But he ain't done that. Not really... I'm glad that it's you. Ya're not claimin' the place that Abby's taken. Ya honor her memory. I see the flowers that you and Katie put on her an' Hannah's graves... I'm not blind ta see that the boy's got a greater bond with ya than he ever did with my daughter. But still, I'm very glad. I truly wish ya both all the best... I never told ya an' maybe I shouldn't be doin' it now but between Brian and that sweet lil' girl of yers an' all... I think of ya as kind of a daughter, Dr. Mike. I hope that doesn't compromise ya!"
"Oh, no!" Michaela replied, throwing herself into the blushing old man's arms. "I know my father would wish I had someone to look up to again, like I did with him. I care for you a lot too, Loren. So do my children. I'd be honored if you'd see yourself as a surrogate grandfather for them."
"The honor's all mine." Loren replied charmingly. "And soon, there's gonna be another grandkid! What more can I expect?"
"Well, that's a surprise I'll keep to myself." Michaela thought.