Abigail's baby shower wasn't an overly elaborate party, despite Middleton's tendency to go all out for their celebrations. The women would spend the first ninety minutes on their own, unwrapping presents and having conversations with each other, and the men would join them for lunch in the afternoon. The guests in attendance included Cassie, Joy, Zoey, Grace, Lori, Tara, Stephanie, Martha, Dotty, Josie, and of course, the mother-to-be. The cousins had decided to make the shower animal-themed, so the decorations included cut-outs of baby animals, and the balloons and streamers were various shades of green. The shower theme matched the theme of the babies' nursery. "I have to say that I am impressed with Cassie's, Joy's, and Grace's decorating skills," said Martha.
"Other people can plan parties besides you, Martha," Joy called from across the room.
"But nobody throws a party better than yours truly," said Martha.
"You are the best, Martha," said Cassie to amuse the town mayor.
"Well, there are a lot of presents to open, so I say we should grab some appetizers and begin," said Josie.
The women grabbed their snacks—fruit and veggie trays, some chips and pretzels, and lots of sweets—and went to the living room, where an assortment of gifts were piled by the sofa. While Davis and Dotty had split the cost of a double stroller and Arthur and Josie had bought a baby bathtub, the majority of the gifts were the basics: diapers, wipes, bottles, bath supplies, some clothing, swaddle blankets, activity mats, swings, a baby monitor, and other necessary baby care supplies. Grace handed Abigail a bag and said, "I actually made these for my final exam for one of my Fashion Design classes, so they better appreciate them."
Abigail pulled out two read sweaters which read Thing 1 and Thing 2 on the fronts. "Thank you, Grace. I hope you got an A on them."
"I did," Grace beamed.
"We also have one more surprise, and everyone in town contributed to it, plus Arthur and Josie along with the Davenports," said Cassie. She handed a large box to Abigail. Inside, there were two quilts with squares of everyone's names and birthdates, plus one thing to represent an interest of theirs. "You'll just have to have me stitch their birthdate onto their squares once the time comes."
"This is beautiful," Abigail said as she teared up. At long last, she had found her family—both biological and found.
"There's my square; the one with the gavel," said Martha excitedly.
"Why does it not surprise me that Donovan's has a baseball?" asked Abigail as she saw the square which read Daddy: June 10th.
"Because I lived at Blairsville's baseball diamond for him," Dotty joked.
"Mine has a pen and paper," said Lori.
"Mine has a firetruck," said Zoey.
"Mine has a hammer and nails," said Joy.
"I like the chef's utensils for Stephanie," said Tara.
Abigail was scanning all the people on the quilt when she noticed one name above her own; it read Grandma Patricia: April 6th, and it had angel wings for the symbol. "You included Mom?" Abigail looked up at Cassie.
"They are half Merriwick. I don't know if either one of them or both will…but she is their grandmother."
Abigail began sobbing as she hugged her cousin. "Is something wrong? Do you not like the gift?" asked Martha worriedly.
"No, I love it," said Abigail. "I just cry over everything nowadays. Thank you all so much. I couldn't ask for better family members and friends."
Soon afterward, the men who were invited arrived: Sam, Nick, Luke, Brandon, Adam, Tom, Daniel, Arthur, and George. Everyone thoroughly enjoyed the luncheon, and even though none of the guys would admit it, they enjoyed finding their squares on the quilt too. Once the party ended, most everyone left, though a few people stayed behind to help clean up. "Are you sure you don't need my help?" asked Dotty.
"We're good, Dotty. You can go," confirmed Cassie.
"I'll see you later, Mom." Donovan hugged her, and Dotty hugged Abigail as well before she left. "Cassie, Sam, can we talk to you for a minute?"
"Sure, but…" Cassie looked over at the mess that still needed cleaned.
"We can handle it, Mom. I'll just put Nick to work with us."
Nick huffed jokingly, but followed his step-sister into the kitchen.
Abigail, Donovan, Cassie, and Sam all took a seat in the living room. "Well, at my last ultrasound, Dr. Spencer started discussing the twins' delivery," said Abigail.
"Everything is all right, correct?" asked Sam.
"Yes, she just doesn't want the pregnancy to go too long."
"Dr. Spencer is going to try to see if Abigail can make it to thirty-seven weeks and has scheduled a planned induction on August 20th, but there is a chance she could go into labor before then," said Donovan.
"Ooh, that's going to be rough," Cassie sympathized.
"Tell me about it. Linda was induced," muttered Sam.
"Like you would know," scolded Abigail. "It's not like you delivered the baby."
"No, but I did have to deal with an angry Linda."
"Anyway, we just wanted to go over how things will go before I'm in the throes of contractions," said Abigail.
"Of course." Cassie nodded.
"We need you both to care for Klondike while Abigail stays in the hospital," said Donovan. "Would it be too much to ask for you both to care for him here for a couple of days?"
"Of course not; just make sure you give us his supplies and care instructions," said Cassie.
"Playing fetch with him will actually be good physical therapy for my arm," said Sam.
"Also, if I happen to go into labor on my own, I was hoping Cassie would be able to come over and help us along with Sarah and then bring Klondike back here when we go to the hospital. Once I'm settled at the hospital, your main job will be keeping Dotty out of the delivery room."
"I will make sure of it," said Cassie.
"Thank you so much for the party; we both really appreciate it." Abigail and Cassie stood and hugged, while Donovan and Sam shook hands. Cassie and Sam helped Abigail and Donovan load their gifts into the trunks of their cars, and the latter two drove home separately since they had arrived at Grey House at different times. Once they were settled, Abigail was brewing herself a mug of chamomile tea when she heard her phone buzz. Of course, she knew whom the text was from. I had the feeling you needed to discuss a few things. Did you want to set up a time to meet tomorrow?
Abigail texted back, Yes, my doctor is planning for an induction on August 20th, but there is a chance I could go into labor before then. I would like to have a final meeting to finalize the details of everything. We can meet here at my house if that's okay.
That's fine. I'll make sure to mark August 20th on my calendar and be on standby if you need me earlier. Just call or text if you start experiencing any signs of labor.
Okay, see you tomorrow.
It was only at the final meeting with Sarah when Abigail realized who the woman in the picture with her mom was. How could Abigail not have seen it? Sure, Abigail had instantly felt a connection with Sarah—one of the reasons she had hired Sarah right away was because of that strong connection—and Abigail also knew that Sarah had the same intuitive powers that she did. However, Abigail had not realized exactly why she had felt that connection. It was only after Sarah had mentioned obtaining her bachelor's degree from Northwestern University in 1985, and that while she had gone on to obtain her Master's in Counseling, her roommate had decided to marry and delivered a daughter in April of 1986. After Sarah had left, Abigail had promptly gone onto her website, and there it was: a picture of Sarah from her college years—the same woman who was in the picture with her mother.
Abigail wasn't sure if it was the pregnancy hormones, her personality, or a combination of both, but she had freaked out the moment she had discovered the truth. Sarah was a witch like herself, Cassie, Joy, and Grace. Why had Sarah not told her she had known her mother? Surely, she had to have known. Same with Cassie: why did her cousin not tell her? When Donovan had arrived home with breakfast, she immediately began venting her frustrations to him. "We can't have Sarah be our doula. Do you know how awkward this is for me?"
"Maybe it's just a coincidence, Abby…"
"It is not a coincidence," she shouted, and Donovan flinched. "I'm sorry, I'm just…I don't know how to feel right now."
Abigail sat down on the couch next to her husband, and Donovan laid his had on her back. "We can find another doula if you want?"
"No, there's no time," Abigail said. "Everything is finalized with Sarah, and we would never be able to find another one in the next week."
"We have until the twentieth."
"We might have until the twentieth," said Abigail firmly. "I could go into labor tomorrow for all we know."
"Okay, Abigail, take a deep breath like we were taught," said Donovan, and he took a few deep breaths along with her. "Now, feelings aside, let's look at this objectively." Abigail nodded. A positive and negative aspect about Donovan's personality was his ability to be neutral about things. "Does the fact that Sarah knew your mother make you feel any differently toward her ability to help you through labor and delivery?"
Abigail shook her head. "No, it's just…I don't know whether or not she knows, or if she hid it from me on purpose if she does know. It also makes me wonder if Cassie knows."
Donovan chose his words carefully before he said, "She probably does, just like you know everything. And Sarah probably does too. But that isn't necessarily a bad thing."
"Humor me on why it's not."
"Because if it's one thing I've learned about you and your cousins, it's that you all always use your powers to help other people."
"That wasn't always true about me."
"But it is now," Donovan emphasized.
"I just don't know how to bring it up to her," Abigail whispered softly.
"I have the feeling you won't need to bring it up to her."
"You think you're a smartass, don't you?"
"But my charm and wit are two reasons why you love me."
"No, I love you because despite your faults, your strengths make up for my weaknesses, and you're going to be the best father."
Donovan laid his hand on her abdomen and rubbed it gently. "Whenever that day is, I can't wait to meet them."