"Who is the present for?" Alexei asked his wife as she was leaving for work. She'd just returned from walking Daisy to the bus stop.
"Myrtle Green," she told her husband. "Today's her last day of work. She's retiring from the library after forty-four years." She kissed Alexei goodbye and drove to the library.
Although the party wouldn't start until noon, the cake was already on the table in the break room. Alison put her present beside the ones already there and began her work day.
When noon arrived, she and several other women gathered in the break room with Myrtle. The rest of the library workers were still assisting clients and would join them later.
The head librarian, Phyllis, sliced the cake and passed it around while the women helped themselves to coffee from the coffee machine.
"How does it feel to be leaving for good?" Phyllis asked Myrtle as she took a bite of cake.
"A bit surreal," Myrtle replied. "I'm not sure I'll know what to do with myself from now on. Maybe get more into gardening, crafts, and volunteer work."
"Hopefully you'll come back to visit us soon," said Andrea.
"Oh, of course!" said Myrtle.
"And what about you, Alison? We'll need extra help now with Myrtle gone. Would you like to come back full time now?"
"Not yet," said Alison. "Daisy still needs me there when she gets home from school. I might go back to full time when she's older, maybe twelve or thirteen. I worked full time for Denny's whole childhood, and then on the weekend, I was too tired to spend much time with him. I still feel bad about that."
"Don't be so hard on yourself," said Andrea. "You were a single Mom, and you had bills to pay."
"I know," said Alison. "But he was only a child once."
"Well, you can make it up to him now," Andrea suggested.
"It's too late," said Alison. "He's all grown up now. He doesn't need me anymore."
"That's not true. No matter how old he gets, he'll always need his Mom."
Zoya was at an RCIA class when she went into labor.
"Are you all right?" asked the teacher, Patrick.
"I think my baby is about to be born right now!" she gasped.
"Can I call someone for you?"
Zoya nodded. "My husband. He should be home now. You have our telephone number."
Patrick went into the hallway to use the telephone. He returned about ten minutes later.
"I called twice and let the phone ring twenty times each time, but he never answered," he told Zoya. "Is there anyone else I can call for you?"
"My father and stepmother." She gave him Yuri and Elspeth's telephone number. He left again to call them, then returned.
"They'll be here as soon as they can," he said.
"Thanks!"
About twenty minutes later, Yuri and Elspeth arrived. They helped her out to the car, and Yuri drove to the hospital. He stopped at the entrance to drop his wife and daughter off before going to find a parking place.
In the waiting room, a candy striper brought a wheelchair for Zoya, and Elspeth rode up to the maternity floor with her. While the nurse was taking care of Zoya, Elspeth called Gabe. This time, he answered on the third ring.
"We're at the hospital with Zoya, having the baby, right now!" she told him. "You need to get here as fast as you can!"
By now, Yuri was there.
"Is she all right?" he asked.
"The nurse is with her," said Elspeth. "I just got off the phone with Gabe. He's on his way."
They went into the labor room to see Zoya was lying in bed in a hospital gown, hooked up to monitors and with an IV in her arm.
"Did he answer the phone?" she asked.
"Yes. He said he just stepped out for a bit. He's on his way," Elspeth told her.
Gabe arrived about half an hour later, flushed and out of breath. Yuri and Elspeth went out into the waiting room, where they spent the night. In the wee hours of the morning, they were awakened by a smiling nurse.
"Congratulations! You have a new granddaughter," she told them.
"Is Zoya all right?" asked Yuri.
"She's fine. You can go in and see her and the baby as soon as you want to."
They entered the room to find Zoya sitting up in bed, holding her new daughter. Gabe, grinning ear to ear, sat in a chair beside her.
Yuri held the baby first. "She is beautiful," he said. "Does she have a name yet?"
"Deirdre Kathleen, for my cousin and my sister," said Gabe.
As soon as he could, Gabe called his family and told them about the birth of his new daughter, and Yuri called Inna. That evening, Gabe's sister Rory and his cousin Deedee came to visit.
"I'm honored you named her for me, and so is Katie," said Deedee. "She says she and Ryan will visit as soon as they can."
"What about Mom and Dad?" asked Gabe.
"Well...they just couldn't make it," said Rory.
"To meet their own granddaughter?"
"I'm sure they'll visit soon."
Daniel and Inna arrived about dinner time.
"Can I hold her?" asked Inna.
"Of course!" said Zoya.
Inna took the newborn from her mother's arms and cradled her.
"She's beautiful." A sob caught in Inna's throat as she blinked back tears.
