A/N: Second chapter posted. I hope you like this one. Please read and
review.
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The room was utterly silent for a moment after Sid made his announcement. Then there came a sudden rush of hugs and 'congratulations' and expected questions.
"How long have you known?" asked Pat. The crowd had died down around Sid a bit and the family was mostly concentrated around May.
"About two months. I'm amazed we were able to keep it a secret. She was beginning to show a little."
Pat did not reply. Her expression was unreadable and Sid became uneasy. He had been afraid of Pat's reaction to this. Worried that she would not take it well. She and May had never gotten along. Actually, he and May had never really gotten along either. But, ever since Pat's wedding, things had begun to change. The future looked a bit brighter to Sid now. He put a finger underneath his sister's chin and slowly raised her head so that her eyes met his. Pat was taken aback by the pleading look he gave her.
"Pat, I realize this isn't easy for you. But please be happy for me. Be happy for us. May and I, we're getting along much better these days. Our house was just finished, we've got a baby coming. Pat, we haven't fought in almost six months. Not a harsh word has been spoken between the two of us."
She found this a bit hard to swallow, but Pat bit her tongue. Sid sensed that he and his sister needed a little time alone. Under the guise of taking Pat out to get some fresh air, Sid escorted her on a walk through the fields of the Bay Shore farm. She was silent for a while, but Sid knew she would speak sooner or later. What she asked, though, was not what he had expected.
"Do you love her, Sid?"
The question stopped him in his tracks.
"In what way?" he replied. Pat gave a short little laugh.
"What an odd question to ask, Sid. You know in what way I mean. Do you love May as your wife? As your best friend?"
"No, Pat, I don't. I don't think I'm capable of loving any one like that."
He didn't add the word 'again' to the end of his statement, but it hung in the air between them. Pat almost flinched at the pain that momentarily flickered in her brother's eyes. So he did still love Bets. She had always thought so. But, if he loved Bets, then why did he marry May? Sid once again displayed his uncanny ability to read his sister's thoughts.
"May needed me, Pat. Or, at least, she convinced me that she needed me. It felt- nice to be needed by someone who wasn't already part of my family. Of course, I found out soon enough that she didn't need me any more than I needed her. We shut ourselves off from each other and became enemies. Really, Pat, that shouldn't have happened. We were mature adults. We could've at least become decent friends. Life would have been more bearable for everyone concerned if she hadn't been such a nag and if I hadn't been such a coward. I just gave in to her every whim, Pat, no matter how selfish that whim was."
"But why a baby, Sid? You want to bring a baby into this environment?"
"That's what I'm trying to tell you, Pat. That isn't the environment anymore. Not since you and Hilary got married. May and I have a friendship, Pat. It's an odd relationship for a married couple to have, but it works for us. Both of us wanted children. May really does adore them and I like them, too. Perhaps it would be better if we loved each other passionately, but, in the end, doesn't friendship matter most?"
The question was a good one and Pat knew Sid's statement to be true. After all, friendship is what had led to the love that she shared with Hilary. Maybe this friendship with May that Sid spoke of would lead to the same thing for them someday. But, remembering the look in her brother's eyes when he thought of Bets, Pat doubted that such a thing was likely.
"Pat, you're not angry with me, are you?"
Pat looked up at her brother and smiled her sweet smile.
"Don't be silly, Sid. Of course I'm not angry with you. This whole thing just took me by surprise, that's all. If you're happy about this, then so am I. That's all I've ever wanted, Sid, is to see you happy."
It was Sid's turn to smile and he hugged Pat fiercely, then drew back in shock. Pat laughed at the look on his face.
"I don't think little Hilary likes to be squeezed quite so tight, Sid."
"Was that a kick?" Sid asked, his eyes wide with awe. Pat took his hand and placed it on her stomach.
"I forgot that Winnie never let you or Joe feel her babies kick. Here, press in just a little. He's in a very docile mood most of the time and you have to make him kick usually."
Sid did as he was told and a smile lit up his face when the baby kicked again. They stood there for some time like that in silence before Sid decreed that it was too cold for Pat to be out any longer. Despite her protests, they started back to the house.
"What makes you so sure it's a boy?" he asked Pat as they passed the barn.
"Well, I don't know. I've just always referred to him as a boy. Strange, isn't it? Maybe it's because I've always wanted a boy first. So my daughters would have a big brother like you."
Sid grinned sheepishly at that comment and then opened the back door for Pat to go in.
THE NEXT DAY
Rae's homecoming had contained everything except a marching band and red carpet. She laughed about it with Pat in the guest room as she unpacked a few things for her short stay at the Bay Shore.
"Really, you'd think the Queen of England had arrived with all the fuss you made," she said, laying out some dresses.
"No, not the Queen of England," Pat replied. "Someone much more important than that."
Rae smiled and then sighed a little.
"You miss Brook, don't you?"
"Oh, Pat, I feel horrible without him. Like some part of me is missing. Three months seems an eternity. And he's so far away."
Pat nodded in vague understanding. She had heard the same thing from Katie in her letters from Ireland before she came over. Pat herself couldn't imagine being so far away from Hilary for so long. She looked at the sleeping baby in her arms and ran a finger softly down his cheek.
"But you'll be with me, Rae. And you'll get to meet Katie and Taryn. We'll keep you busy, I promise. And if we're not able to do the job completely, I'm sure little William will have no trouble filling in your free time. He's so adorable, Rae."
William was one of the most beautiful babies Pat had ever seen. She had been amazed at how much he looked like Cuddles, with his blonde curls and violet eyes. And he had been so good ever since they brought him back to the Bay Shore farm.
"I hope my baby is half as good as he is," Pat said. Rae laughed her silvery laugh and Pat's heart warmed to the sound.
"Oh, he can be a terror when he wants to be," said William's mother. "And you'll see plenty of that, Patricia Gordon, once he gets settled in Toronto."
"I find that hard to believe," Pat replied, defending her nephew. "He'll be just as good as his mother was."
"I think you're just remembering the good parts about my infanthood, my darling sister. Sid and Joe have told me several times about my crying fits and so on."
"You never had a crying fit in your life, Rachel Doris Hamilton. Your brothers don't know what they're talking about."
Rae laughed again, then suddenly became serious. She sat down on the bed next to Pat, who wondered what was on her sister's mind.
"What do you think about Sid and May having this baby?"
So that was it. Rae must have the same concerns that Pat herself had. Pat did her best to explain things to Rae without telling her everything Sid had said. There were some things, Pat knew, that were to just be kept between Sid and herself.
"May was far from being our first choice for a sister in law, Rae. But she and Sid seem to have found common ground. They want this baby. And I think it's changing their relationship for the better."
"You don't think they're in love, do you?"
"No, Rae, I don't. And I don't think they ever will be. But they seem happy enough and content with this friendship they've forged. Our support means a lot to Sid, Rae. I think it means something to May, too."
Rae stood up and finished laying things out for herself and William. She had been told of May's pregnancy upon her arrival at the Bay Shore farm. It had thrown her for quite a loop and she was still trying to make sense of it all.
"I'll do my best to be happy for them, Pat, but I have a bad feeling about this whole thing. I guess you could say it's a premonition. Somehow, I don't think all this will end happily."
Although she hated to, Pat agreed with her sister. She wasn't sure what was going to happen, but she felt as if there was an unhappy event in her brother's future.
A/N: Next chapter- Pat and Rae return to Vancouver.
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The room was utterly silent for a moment after Sid made his announcement. Then there came a sudden rush of hugs and 'congratulations' and expected questions.
"How long have you known?" asked Pat. The crowd had died down around Sid a bit and the family was mostly concentrated around May.
"About two months. I'm amazed we were able to keep it a secret. She was beginning to show a little."
Pat did not reply. Her expression was unreadable and Sid became uneasy. He had been afraid of Pat's reaction to this. Worried that she would not take it well. She and May had never gotten along. Actually, he and May had never really gotten along either. But, ever since Pat's wedding, things had begun to change. The future looked a bit brighter to Sid now. He put a finger underneath his sister's chin and slowly raised her head so that her eyes met his. Pat was taken aback by the pleading look he gave her.
"Pat, I realize this isn't easy for you. But please be happy for me. Be happy for us. May and I, we're getting along much better these days. Our house was just finished, we've got a baby coming. Pat, we haven't fought in almost six months. Not a harsh word has been spoken between the two of us."
She found this a bit hard to swallow, but Pat bit her tongue. Sid sensed that he and his sister needed a little time alone. Under the guise of taking Pat out to get some fresh air, Sid escorted her on a walk through the fields of the Bay Shore farm. She was silent for a while, but Sid knew she would speak sooner or later. What she asked, though, was not what he had expected.
"Do you love her, Sid?"
The question stopped him in his tracks.
"In what way?" he replied. Pat gave a short little laugh.
"What an odd question to ask, Sid. You know in what way I mean. Do you love May as your wife? As your best friend?"
"No, Pat, I don't. I don't think I'm capable of loving any one like that."
He didn't add the word 'again' to the end of his statement, but it hung in the air between them. Pat almost flinched at the pain that momentarily flickered in her brother's eyes. So he did still love Bets. She had always thought so. But, if he loved Bets, then why did he marry May? Sid once again displayed his uncanny ability to read his sister's thoughts.
"May needed me, Pat. Or, at least, she convinced me that she needed me. It felt- nice to be needed by someone who wasn't already part of my family. Of course, I found out soon enough that she didn't need me any more than I needed her. We shut ourselves off from each other and became enemies. Really, Pat, that shouldn't have happened. We were mature adults. We could've at least become decent friends. Life would have been more bearable for everyone concerned if she hadn't been such a nag and if I hadn't been such a coward. I just gave in to her every whim, Pat, no matter how selfish that whim was."
"But why a baby, Sid? You want to bring a baby into this environment?"
"That's what I'm trying to tell you, Pat. That isn't the environment anymore. Not since you and Hilary got married. May and I have a friendship, Pat. It's an odd relationship for a married couple to have, but it works for us. Both of us wanted children. May really does adore them and I like them, too. Perhaps it would be better if we loved each other passionately, but, in the end, doesn't friendship matter most?"
The question was a good one and Pat knew Sid's statement to be true. After all, friendship is what had led to the love that she shared with Hilary. Maybe this friendship with May that Sid spoke of would lead to the same thing for them someday. But, remembering the look in her brother's eyes when he thought of Bets, Pat doubted that such a thing was likely.
"Pat, you're not angry with me, are you?"
Pat looked up at her brother and smiled her sweet smile.
"Don't be silly, Sid. Of course I'm not angry with you. This whole thing just took me by surprise, that's all. If you're happy about this, then so am I. That's all I've ever wanted, Sid, is to see you happy."
It was Sid's turn to smile and he hugged Pat fiercely, then drew back in shock. Pat laughed at the look on his face.
"I don't think little Hilary likes to be squeezed quite so tight, Sid."
"Was that a kick?" Sid asked, his eyes wide with awe. Pat took his hand and placed it on her stomach.
"I forgot that Winnie never let you or Joe feel her babies kick. Here, press in just a little. He's in a very docile mood most of the time and you have to make him kick usually."
Sid did as he was told and a smile lit up his face when the baby kicked again. They stood there for some time like that in silence before Sid decreed that it was too cold for Pat to be out any longer. Despite her protests, they started back to the house.
"What makes you so sure it's a boy?" he asked Pat as they passed the barn.
"Well, I don't know. I've just always referred to him as a boy. Strange, isn't it? Maybe it's because I've always wanted a boy first. So my daughters would have a big brother like you."
Sid grinned sheepishly at that comment and then opened the back door for Pat to go in.
THE NEXT DAY
Rae's homecoming had contained everything except a marching band and red carpet. She laughed about it with Pat in the guest room as she unpacked a few things for her short stay at the Bay Shore.
"Really, you'd think the Queen of England had arrived with all the fuss you made," she said, laying out some dresses.
"No, not the Queen of England," Pat replied. "Someone much more important than that."
Rae smiled and then sighed a little.
"You miss Brook, don't you?"
"Oh, Pat, I feel horrible without him. Like some part of me is missing. Three months seems an eternity. And he's so far away."
Pat nodded in vague understanding. She had heard the same thing from Katie in her letters from Ireland before she came over. Pat herself couldn't imagine being so far away from Hilary for so long. She looked at the sleeping baby in her arms and ran a finger softly down his cheek.
"But you'll be with me, Rae. And you'll get to meet Katie and Taryn. We'll keep you busy, I promise. And if we're not able to do the job completely, I'm sure little William will have no trouble filling in your free time. He's so adorable, Rae."
William was one of the most beautiful babies Pat had ever seen. She had been amazed at how much he looked like Cuddles, with his blonde curls and violet eyes. And he had been so good ever since they brought him back to the Bay Shore farm.
"I hope my baby is half as good as he is," Pat said. Rae laughed her silvery laugh and Pat's heart warmed to the sound.
"Oh, he can be a terror when he wants to be," said William's mother. "And you'll see plenty of that, Patricia Gordon, once he gets settled in Toronto."
"I find that hard to believe," Pat replied, defending her nephew. "He'll be just as good as his mother was."
"I think you're just remembering the good parts about my infanthood, my darling sister. Sid and Joe have told me several times about my crying fits and so on."
"You never had a crying fit in your life, Rachel Doris Hamilton. Your brothers don't know what they're talking about."
Rae laughed again, then suddenly became serious. She sat down on the bed next to Pat, who wondered what was on her sister's mind.
"What do you think about Sid and May having this baby?"
So that was it. Rae must have the same concerns that Pat herself had. Pat did her best to explain things to Rae without telling her everything Sid had said. There were some things, Pat knew, that were to just be kept between Sid and herself.
"May was far from being our first choice for a sister in law, Rae. But she and Sid seem to have found common ground. They want this baby. And I think it's changing their relationship for the better."
"You don't think they're in love, do you?"
"No, Rae, I don't. And I don't think they ever will be. But they seem happy enough and content with this friendship they've forged. Our support means a lot to Sid, Rae. I think it means something to May, too."
Rae stood up and finished laying things out for herself and William. She had been told of May's pregnancy upon her arrival at the Bay Shore farm. It had thrown her for quite a loop and she was still trying to make sense of it all.
"I'll do my best to be happy for them, Pat, but I have a bad feeling about this whole thing. I guess you could say it's a premonition. Somehow, I don't think all this will end happily."
Although she hated to, Pat agreed with her sister. She wasn't sure what was going to happen, but she felt as if there was an unhappy event in her brother's future.
A/N: Next chapter- Pat and Rae return to Vancouver.