Chapter 43 – The Town Celebration

Lee opens the door, and sitting on their porch is a big crate. He steps outside, and no one is there. Lee inspects the crate, looking for who might have sent it to them. Luckily, it is not too heavy to lift by himself, so he brings it into the house. Both Patrick and Rosemary get up from the table to see what he carried inside.

Rosemary asks, "Who is it from?"

"I have no idea. There was nobody out there, and I don't see an address anywhere," answers Lee.

Patrick exclaims, "Open it, Papa!" Lee finds something to open the crate while Patrick and Rosemary wait impatiently. "Hurry up! Hurry up!" Rosemary wraps her arms around Patrick from behind, holding him close. Lee finally pries the crate open, and they all glance inside, not knowing what they are seeing. Lee picks up the cloth bag, opens it, and is surprised to see puppets. He hands them to Rosemary, who is just as baffled. Then he grabs another cloth bag, and it is a short curtain. Lee passes it to Rosemary, and a letter falls out. She joyfully gasps as she begins to read aloud:

Dear Patrick,

Pépé and I thought you would love this puppet stage and puppets. Pépé made the stage from scratch, and I sewed the puppets. Your mother used to play with her set all the time when she was a kid. We hope you enjoy playing with this on your summer vacation.

Love, Mémé and Pépé

Rosemary can't help but grin that her parents sent her son such a special gift. Patrick picks up the puppets, smiling like it's Christmas, inquiring, "You had one of these growing up, Mama?"

"I had a store-bought one. You should feel very special since your grandparents made it just for you," replies Rosemary.

Patrick questions, "When will I meet them in person?"

"Hopefully, soon. Maybe Pépé and Mémé can visit after I have the baby. Would you like that?"

"Yes, ma'am! Can we put on a puppet show for them? Please, Mama? Please?"

Rosemary giggles because of his excitement. "Of course, we can perform a puppet show for them. I bet Mémé will give you lots of suggestions and comments."

Lee chuckles and starts taking everything out of the crate and putting the stage together, leaving the curtains for Rosemary. Once he finishes, he stands up, offering, "I'll clean up the kitchen, and you two can play."

Rosemary remarks, "Thanks, sweetheart." She checks each of the puppets, fixing their clothes if necessary. "Do you like the gift, bud? I bet you have lots of fun stories you want to tell."

"I do," responds Patrick when Laika comes bouncing down the stairs and tries to snatch the puppet away from him. Patrick scolds Laika, "No, girl. You can't have my puppet and chew on it like Papa's pants." Laika sprints over and jumps in Rosemary's lap. Patrick covers his mouth and glances over at Rosemary, who places her finger in front of her mouth. They both looked over at Lee, and luckily, he didn't hear anything. Patrick runs over and whispers in her ear, "I'm sorry, Mama. I know I am not supposed to say anything."

Rosemary taps his nose, mentioning, "It's alright. He didn't hear, but maybe we need to keep these off the floor from now on." Patrick agrees. "Now, what do you want to do for your first puppet show?"

"Hmm. Maybe it can be about a boy and his grandparents?"

"I think it's a great idea. Why don't you write Pépé and Mémé a thank you letter and start brainstorming some ideas before bedtime?"

"Bedtime, already? But I am not tired," whines Patrick.

"Thirty minutes, and it's your bedtime, mister. Papa and I will tuck you in and read you a story."

"Okay, Mama." While Patrick works on the letter and his puppet show, Rosemary sits down at the kitchen table and reads from her notebook. Lee sneaks behind Rosemary to snoop on what she is reading, offering to massage her shoulders. She is quick to cover the page but welcomes his much-needed massage.

"What are you reading there, Rosie?"

"You'll see." Lee turns and walks away. "Wait. Where do you think you are going?"

"I want to see what Patrick is doing."

"Oh, he is writing a thank you letter to my parents and working on his puppet show idea. I told him he had thirty minutes, and then it's bedtime." Rosemary gives him the grin that he can't resist, pleading, "Please don't stop. It feels so good." Lee chuckles and pretends to go again but then turns back and starts rubbing her stiff shoulders. "What did I do to deserve you, sweetheart?"

Lee remarks, "I can say the same thing about you, my love." He kisses her on the top of her head while rubbing her shoulders and into her sore back. Rosemary gets lost in the moment until they look over and see that Patrick has fallen asleep. Rosemary and Lee giggle at their tired son.

"He always tells me he's not tired but falls asleep anyway. Here, you don't need to carry him this time. I'll wake him up and help him upstairs, and you can meet us in his room." Lee agrees. So, Rosemary taps Patrick on the shoulder, whispering, "It's time for bed. Let's go upstairs." Patrick opens his eyes and slowly stands up, stumbling up the stairs to his room with Rosemary following close behind. Patrick clumsily changes into the nightclothes Rosemary hands him. Then, he climbs into bed with Laika, who always finds the spot right next to him and curls up into a ball.

Patrick, who can barely keep his eyes open, mumbles something before falling asleep again. Lee finally comes in, and they both kiss Patrick goodnight. Then, they turn off the light and leave the door open enough for Laika to wander around the house throughout the night.

Rosemary kisses Lee on the cheek, inquiring, "It's time for bed. Care to join me?"

"Sure, I'll go turn off everything downstairs and be right back." Lee rushes downstairs, ensures the stove is off, turns off the lights, and is back in their room within a couple of minutes. Lee changes and crawls into bed, grunting because of his back.

"I can't believe my parents sent the stage and the puppets. I'm surprised they remember how much I loved mine."

"Maybe they were trying to reconnect with you and thought the best way was through your son. You should give them a chance."

Rosemary responds, "I'll try my best," as she hands him a sheet of paper.

"What is this?" Lee reads the first couple of sentences, inquiring, "You rewrote my speech? It wasn't good enough for you?" Rosemary cautiously smiles and nods while Lee reads to the end.

"Is this what you were reading downstairs?"

"Yes, I wanted to go through it one more time, but I got distracted by you. Do you like it?"

"I do. You know you're amazing, right?"

Rosemary jests, "I know," pausing for a moment before continuing, "So, you'll use my speech?"

"Of course. Yours is much better than mine."

Rosemary giggles, questioning, "Can we go to sleep now? You have a big day tomorrow, Mister Mayor."

"And you, First Lady," teases Lee as they turn off their lights, and Rosemary crawls into Lee's arms, and they fall asleep.

The following morning, the Coulter's wake up later than they expected, and they are scrambling to get organized. Rosemary is in Patrick's room, and he is helping her change the sheets, collect the dirty laundry, and do a little dusting for Hazel and her mom. Rosemary has difficulty containing her excitement because Patrick still doesn't know they are coming. Finally, he whines, "Why do we have to clean my room today?"

Suddenly they hear Lee yelling from the master bedroom, "Rosie, where are my plaid pants."

Rosemary realizes now is the time for Lee to know about the pants and shouts back, "In the back of the closet, dear." Then a few minutes later, they hear, "Rosie, can you come here please?"

Rosemary reluctantly walks into their bedroom with Patrick following her, innocently asking, "What's wrong, honey?"

In his not-happy tone, Lee questions, "Do you want to mention why the bottom of one leg of my favorite plaid pants is chewed up?" Rosemary frowns and tries to think of what to say. "I can't wear these out in public like this, and the last time I checked, these pants were perfectly fine."

"I'm sorry, Lee. Laika chewed the bottom of one of your pant legs, and I didn't know how to tell you I couldn't fix them."

"I wear these pants all the time. They are my favorite. How did you think you would explain this?" as Lee points to the pant leg.

"Well, first, you shouldn't have left your beloved pants hanging off the chair with a puppy roaming around. Second, I tried really hard to fix them, but it didn't work. Third, you have a closet full of other pants to wear. So, why is it so important to wear those?"

Lee frowns and sadly remarks, "I'm not sure how to explain it, but they make me feel confident."

Rosemary sympathetically looks at her husband and grabs a couple of pairs of pants from their closet, suggesting, "Why don't you wear one of these?"

Lee puts his hands in his pockets, claiming, "It's not the same."

"I'm sorry, Lee, but you'll have to wear something else today." Lee chooses the matching plaid pants Rosemary made him and Patrick for the Adoption Celebration and sadly changes into them.

Patrick offers, "I can wear mine if it makes you feel better. And maybe we can ask Mister Jesse where he bought his pants. Then, you can buy some new ones just like your favorites."

Lee calls Patrick over and gives him a big bear hug, and tickles him, exclaiming, "You are the best kid, ever!"

Rosemary joins in their tickling spree, agreeing with Lee, "You are the best kid any parent could ever want. And if we can't find pants to replace them or the same material to fix them, Lee, I can always sew you a bathing suit out of the material." Rosemary and Lee chuckle. "Now, kiddo, go downstairs and take care of Laika and Nanny. We don't want any surprises later today."

"Yes, ma'am," Patrick reluctantly responds.

Patrick hops down the stairs while Rosemary whispers to Lee, "I need to finish Patrick's room and grab his things before they arrive."

"Okay, give me a few minutes to finish getting ready, and I will help him. Then I need to do a few things at the office." He kisses her goodbye, mentioning, "I'll see you later," and he walks down the stairs.

Hazel and Sarah knock on the door right on time. Rosemary yells to Patrick, "Can you answer the door, bud?"

"Sure, Mama." He opens the door, jumps up and down, and squeals when he sees his best friend. "Hazel, what are you doing here?"

Hazel replies, "Your Mama invited us over. We are spending the night here tonight."

"You are? Yeah. Let me show you what my grandparents sent me." He grabs Hazel's hand, dragging her inside, shouting, "Hello, Missus Andrews. Come in." Sarah steps inside, and both she and Rosemary laugh at the kids.

Rosemary hugs Sarah, inquiring, "How was the trip? Did you take a train?"

"Yes, we did, and Hazel had a great time watching the scenery."

"Why don't we sit down?"

Sarah follows Rosemary and joins her on the settee, smiling. "You look great, Rosemary. What is your secret because I sure didn't look my best when I was as far along as you?"

"Well, I may look great, but this little one is putting my body through the wringer. Trust me, everything hurts these days, and I don't sleep well."

"If it helps, you hide it beautifully, Rosemary." Sarah searches around, questioning, "Where is Lee, or should I call him Mister Mayor?"

"Oh, he said he had some things to do in the office," answers Rosemary. "You know I have to admit. I love hearing Mister Mayor. It suits him, and I think he likes the title." Rosemary giggles. "So, how do you like the puppet stage, Hazel?"

"It's so neat! Will we have time to play with it later?"

"Of course. How about you put your stuff up in your room, and we can walk into town. I'll see if Elizabeth and Jack are ready to go."

Hazel and Sarah go upstairs, and Patrick runs into Rosemary's arms, saying, "Thank you so much, Mama!"

"You're welcome. Are you ready to see Papa become the Mayor of Hope Valley?"

"Yes, ma'am!"

"Do you want to go next door with me? I am going to see if Jack and Elizabeth want to join us." Patrick reaches for her hand, and they skip next door, knocking twice and stepping inside. "Hello, you two. Hazel and Sarah are here. Are you ready to head into town?"

"Sure, Nathan and Allie were planning on meeting us there anyway."

"Perfect! Can you meet us outside in a few minutes?"

"Will do," replies Elizabeth. A few minutes later, Elizabeth and Jack meet Rosemary, Patrick, Hazel, and Sarah out front, and they all walk into town. "Is Lee ready for his speech, Rosemary?"

Rosemary laughs, replying, "I think so. We will see." When they finally get to town, they realize most of Hope Valley has already turned out for the swearing-in ceremony and free town barbecue. The podium is ready for Bill and Lee, food is waiting, and tables are all set. Rosemary bends down to Patrick, "Do you want to go see Papa with me?"

"Yes, Mama."

"Sarah, Elizabeth, we are going to check on Lee. We will be back," mentions Rosemary.

Elizabeth inquires, "We'll find seats for you, or do you have a special table at the front?"

"I don't know. No one told me about a special table."

"We'll check for you," remarks Elizabeth.

"Thanks. We should be right back." Rosemary and Patrick find Lee in their office, sitting at his desk, staring at his speech.

Patrick runs to him, shouting, "Hi, Papa. Are you ready? Mama said you're going to do great!"

Rosemary rubs his chin, stating, "Patrick is right. You are going to be the best mayor Hope Valley has ever seen."

Lee chuckles, bringing her in close for an embrace, thanking her for always supporting him. After a few moments, they reluctantly step back, and he reveals, "I think I am ready now." Lee holds out his hands for Rosemary and Patrick. "Are you two ready to go?" Rosemary and Patrick smile, and they walk out to the crowd together. Lee escorts them to the front table and joins Bill at the podium.

Bill begins, "Thank you all for coming for this special occasion. I, for one, am honored to be swearing Leland Coulter in as our next Mayor of Hope Valley." The crowd cheers.

Thirty minutes later, everyone was sitting down and enjoying their barbecue after Lee was sworn in and gave a speech. Lee looks around at all his friends and citizens of Hope Valley at each table. The Canfield's sitting with the Piraro's, the Flynn's with Carson and Faith, Lucas and Fiona with Hannah and Michael, the Yost's with Bill and Molly, the children, and of course his beloved family at his table. Lee listens and observes his ever-bubbly wife tell stories about her childhood to Patrick, Hazel, Jack, and Allie, who are all enthralled with what she is saying. Finally, when Rosemary finishes her story, Elizabeth interjects, "Lee, your speech was great. I especially liked the part you said about the town being a family and how we all take care of each other. And how you envision the town growing and getting better as the years progress, much like a family does."

Lee sips some water and says, "I can't take credit for those lines. Those came from my incredible wife." Lee grins and reaches for Rosemary's hand under the table.

Rosemary squeezes his hand, regarding him with admiration, offering, "The speech was a two-person effort. I just touched it up a bit."

"Now, you are being modest. Rosemary did more than touch it up a bit. I think she needs to be a speechwriter." Rosemary hits his leg, and then they are all distracted by the commotion the kids are making.

Allie eyes Robert and the other kids as they run to the baseball field. She asks, "Uncle Nathan, Aunt Elizabeth, can we go with them? I'll bring Jack with me."

Nathan and Elizabeth look at each other, and Nathan answers, "Yes, and don't let your little bro…Jack out of your site."

"Yes, sir. I won't."

Elizabeth whispers in his ear, "He will be in less than two weeks." Nathan smiles and takes her hand.

Patrick suggests something in Hazel's ear, and she nods her head in approval. Then, he asks, "Can we go with Allie and Jack, Papa, Mama?"

Lee replies, "If Sarah is good with it, then yes, you can go with them." Sarah agrees, and the two catch up with Allie and Jack.

Elizabeth chuckles, mentioning, "I hope you are aware those two like each other."

Rosemary and Sarah both chuckle back, saying, "We know."

"Aren't they too young to have a crush?" questions Lee.

Rosemary laughs, "Oh, honey. I thought so too but look at them. It is a cute little innocent crush, and besides, it probably won't go anywhere. So, I've decided to let it go and see what happens."

"Milton and I feel the same way," responds Sarah. So, after a lull in the conversation, she inquires, "Elizabeth, Nathan, I heard you have a wedding coming up soon. Are you ready?"

"Almost," answers Elizabeth.

Nathan chimes in, "We can't wait. I couldn't be more ready for the wedding and starting our lives together."

Elizabeth adds, "I agree."

At home, later that night, after dinner, Patrick and Hazel are busy playing with the puppets, Lee is reading a magazine, and Rosemary and Sarah are talking about funny things their kids do. "How do you manage to keep up with four kids? I only have one, soon to be two, and I'm exhausted every night," inquires Rosemary.

"Well, for one, I am not eight months pregnant. Two, remember, I only had the two boys until this year, and they are three years apart. Three, with Hazel and Mary Louise, it's like they were always with us. So, the transition from two to four was rather easy." Sarah pats her arm, encouraging her, "Don't worry, you will learn how to manage both of your children, your husband, and anything else you want to do. You are a strong, independent woman and mother who can tackle anything thrown at you." Sarah scoots closer, eyeing Rosemary's stomach. "May I?"

Rosemary replies, "You may." Sarah pats Rosemary's bump, and the reward is a strong kick.

"Wow, you have an active one in there."

"I do." Rosemary rubs circles around her belly, giggling, as the baby continues kicking.

Patrick whispers something to Hazel, and they both suddenly run upstairs and back down with a train car they incorporate into their skit. After a few minutes, they both start to yawn awkwardly, and Lee questions, "Are you tired, buddy?"

Patrick yawns again, saying, "No, I'm not tired." He continues to play with Hazel, but they both throw a yawn in here and there.

Patrick gets Hazel's attention, and she nods, mouthing, "I'm ready."

Patrick yawns loud, suggesting, "I think I will go to bed, Mama, Papa."

"I'm tired too, Mommy, so I think I am going to bed as well," adds Hazel. The adults look at the kids, thinking they are up to something but don't say anything.

Hazel and Patrick trudge up the stairs, and Lee offers, "We will be up there to read you a short story and tuck you in."

Patrick utters, "Papa! Don't embarrass me." The adults silently laugh.

Shortly after that, Sarah follows them up the stairs and situates Hazel into their bed. She asks, "Did you have fun today?"

"I did. Thank you for bringing me," replies Hazel.

"I like seeing you have fun with Patrick, so I enjoy coming here as well." Sarah kisses her goodnight, saying, "Love you, sweetie," and tries to leave the room as Hazel replies, "Love you too, Mommy. Are you going to come to bed soon?" Sarah kisses Hazel on the forehead, saying, "I need to give Missus Coulter the quilt, and I will be back." Hazel smiles and lays her head down.

Lee and Rosemary join Patrick in their room as he changes clothes and jumps on the settee with the book he wants them to read. He hands it to Lee and pulls the covers up to his chin, eager to listen. Lee begins but only reads a few chapters before they think Patrick is asleep with Laika by his side. Rosemary and Lee kiss him goodnight when Patrick softly inquires, "Don't stay down there long, Mama, Papa."

Rosemary replies, "We won't, Patrick."

Patrick mumbles, "I love you to infinity," before closing his eyes and pretending to fall asleep. Lee and Rosemary smile and go back downstairs to Sarah.

Rosemary sits on the settee next to Sarah, and Sarah hands her a box, stating, "The kids and I made this."

"You shouldn't have, Sarah." Rosemary removes the top, and her eyes widen. "This is beautiful. I can't believe you did this." She holds it up for Lee to see. It contains nine squares: four are a light blue-royal blue plaid pattern, and five have a unique applique on them.

Sarah reveals, "It's a quilt for the crib. I had each of the kids do a square, and I did the rest." First, she points to Hazel's square, a royal blue angel. "She wanted her square to be an angel watching over your little miracle." Next, she points to the red heart, saying, "Mary Louise wanted the baby to know how much they are loved." Then she points to the yellow star and the royal blue letter C. "Tony chose the star to represent the light they will bring to your family, and Ted wanted the letter C for Coulter. The final square is a rainbow with all seven colors. I picked a rainbow to represent the new beginning this precious child will bring to you and your family.

Rosemary tries to hide her tears, but she can't stop them. Finally, she mentions, "Thank you. It's perfect. This quilt is only the second thing we have for our bundle of joy so far. I had made a baby blanket the Christmas before Patrick came into our lives, which was at the time we were still praying for a baby.

"Speaking of which, where will the nursery go? Unfortunately, it doesn't look like you have many options," inquires Sarah.

"The nursery will start in our room, and when Pumpkin is consistently sleeping through the night, we will put the baby in Patrick's room."

"We did the same for Ted. Our house was smaller than this at the time." Rosemary stands to hug Sarah, thanking her again for the fabulous quilt. She sits down and suddenly yawns big.

Knowing Rosemary will push through being tired, Lee suggests, "Why don't we let Sarah get some rest? We all have a long day tomorrow."

Catching on to what Lee is doing, Sarah responds, "I think you're right, Lee. Thank you for the wonderful day and for letting us stay here with you."

Rosemary remarks, "It was our pleasure." Then, they all go upstairs to their respective rooms and ready themselves for bed.

The following morning, Lee and Rosemary wake up, and Patrick is not in the room with them. Thinking he is already up and playing downstairs, they get ready for the day and head downstairs right at the same time as Sarah. They are surprised to find Hazel and Patrick sleeping on the floor with a puppet still in their arms and Laika and Nanny sleeping on the settee. Rosemary is the first to speak, whispering, "Awe, how adorable. So, that is why they wanted us all to go to bed early. Hmm. I wonder how long they've been down here." Rosemary taps Lee's arm. "Lee, where is the camera? I need to capture this moment." Lee finds the camera and hands it to her, and she snaps a couple of pictures of the kids.

"Should we wake them up?" questions Lee.

"Let's let them sleep. I bet as soon as I start cooking the eggs and bacon, they'll wake up quick." They all three grin and go into the kitchen. Lee quietly sets the table, and Sarah and Rosemary make the eggs, bacon, toast, tea, and coffee. Sure enough, as soon as she starts on the eggs, they both wake up.

Patrick runs into the kitchen, hugging Lee and Rosemary, announcing, "Good morning, Mama, Papa, Missus Andrews."

Hazel comes in, hugging her mom and saying, "Good Morning."

Rosemary inquires, "When did you two come down here to play?"

Patrick guiltily replies, "Not long after you went to bed."

"You've been down here all night?" asks Rosemary incredulously.

Patrick replies, "Yes, ma'am."

"Did you two stay up all night?" questions Rosemary.

Hazel adds, "No, Missus Coulter. I don't think we lasted very long before we fell asleep."

"Okay, well, I hope you two are rested and hungry. We are fixing lots of food."

Lee tells Patrick, "Don't forget to feed Laika and Nanny, and then you two better go wash up. The food is almost ready."

Lee and Rosemary drop off Sarah and Hazel at the train station on their way to The Hill for a tech rehearsal. Sarah hugs Rosemary and Lee, thanking them again for having them over. Hazel hugs Patrick goodbye, and she and her mom step onto the train. Sarah turns around, stating, "Our whole family will be back next Saturday for the play. Sorry, we can't make the opening day. We can't wait to see what you came up with." Sarah and Hazel turn and wave as they climb the stairs and find their seats.

Rosemary turns to Lee, mentioning, "We better head out. I need to prepare some things before everyone arrives." They drive up to The Hill, and she has Lee and Patrick carry the props, victrola, and records to the stage. Then, she lays down a bunch of blankets on the grass for people to sit on. As she organizes all the props, her cast and crew start arriving. Lucas pulls up with Fiona, Molly, Michael, Hannah, and Nicholas, followed by Elizabeth in a wagon with Allie, Robert, Opal, Emily, Clara, Minnie, and Cooper. Rosemary walks to the edge of the stage, exclaiming, "Great! Everyone is here! Please take a seat, and we will start shortly." They all sit down on the blankets and give their attention to their leader. "Welcome to our what I like to call tech rehearsal. We do the whole performance from top to bottom on the actual stage, with the actual props and music. And often, the backdrops. But since we are outside, I didn't want to chance them getting ruined if it rains. Oh, one more thing, since our costume fitting got canceled last week, can you all meet at the church after we finish here and try on your costume." Everyone agrees, so she yells, "Places, please."