A/N: Okay, so I'm posting three chapters at once. I didn't lie the first
time, honest. I just didn't know that ff.net was going to be down when I
tried to post the other two.
VANCOUVER TRAIN STATION
"Hilary, Patsy won't be gettin' here inny faster if ye kape pacin'."
Hilary looked at Katie, who was smiling at him. He knew she was right. Pat had only been gone a little over a week. But those were days he could've done without. He had missed her horribly and, despite Katie and Taryn's attempts to reassure him, he was still worried about her. A train whistle in the distance cut off his reply and he looked eagerly in the direction of the sound.
Taryn thought he looked like a little boy in a candy store. As soon as the train came into view, Hilary's face lit up like a Christmas tree. For a moment, Taryn Findlay felt a rush of jealousy towards Pat. These bouts of envy towards Pat and even towards Katie came and went, but they never lasted. Taryn was not the type of person that would be made bitter. But she was still very much in love with Liam and her arms ached to hold him again.
But Hilary was blissfully unaware of his new friend's feelings. Actually, Hilary was unaware of anything else the moment his wife set foot on the platform. He barely glanced at Rae, choosing instead to gather his wife in his arms and kiss her passionately. Parker pretended to find something of interest in the sky above while Katie chose the ground to concentrate on. Rae absorbed herself in her son and Katie started fiddling with a pin on her dress.
Pat herself was in shock. But it was such a nice shock. She wished the kiss didn't have to be broken, but knew that was impossible. She also recognized it as her duty to chastise her husband for making such a scene. Reluctantly, she pulled back.
"Really, Hilary," she began, "you could choose a more suitable place for such a display. All these people."
Her husband grinned maddeningly in reply. No one around them thought Pat was angry for one second. Her eyes betrayed her true feelings. Hilary turned to Rae and gave her a big hug. There were introductions all around. Hilary and Parker went for the bags and returned with the welcome news that all Rae's belongings had arrived in Vancouver without touring the rest of Canada first.
Rae fell in love with Pat and Hilary's home the moment she saw it. It was such a dear house and Rae felt, when she stepped through the door, almost as if she had stepped back in time. She wondered if Hilary had purposely thrown in some similarities to Silver Bush. Pat happily showed Rae to her room. It was a room that Pat had taken great care to fix up especially for her sister. The room was the largest of the guest rooms, bright and airy, with the special touch that only Pat could give to a room.
As Rae looked around the rest of the house, she realized that Pat had never told her the name of her home. She found Pat in the kitchen, cooking supper, and inquired about the house's name.
"Oh, Rae! Did I forget to tell you in my last letter? You are standing in the kitchen of Wind Song."
"Wind Song? That is an interesting name. Why did you name it that?"
Pat's eyes glimmered with mischief and the only answer she would give was a cryptic, "You'll see".
That was all Rae would get out of either Pat or Hilary. And, over the next couple of weeks, she did begin to see. Any time the wind blew, whether it was rough and strong or calm and gentle, she could hear it as it whistled through the leaves in the trees outside. The sound was never frightening, as some winds usually were. Rather, there was a strange sort of comfort in that music of the trees. Pat and Hilary's home contained an otherworldly charm that not even Glen Cairn, Parker and Katie's house, could boast of.
Rae felt completely at ease with her sister's friends. She was especially drawn to Taryn and could often be found over at her little house, Cinderleaf. These two struck up a bond that surprised Katie and Pat, yet pleased them at the same time. Perhaps the bond was forged through their fierce love for Pat. Pat really wasn't herself these days and even Rae was beginning to worry about her sister.
One day, just a little over a month after Rae had arrived at Wind Song, Pat began sniffling. She shrugged off Hilary's concerns, assuring him that she just had a small cold and would likely be over it in a couple of days. Even Rae wasn't worried. Pat was taking good care of herself. The cold would just run it's course.
But the cold had other plans. By the end of the week, Pat was running a rather high fever. The doctor was sent for and ordered her to bed for the remainder of her pregnancy. Pat was in danger of developing pneumonia. Hilary refused to go to work until Rae convinced him that, if he stayed home, Pat would only worry about the business. He was comforted by the knowledge that Rae, Katie, and Taryn took turns sitting with Pat all day. She was never alone and, therefore, never lonely.
Pat chafed at being kept in bed. It was even worse than the time she had been recovering from scarlet fever. Then, she had been very weak and not too worried about things outside her room. Now was completely different. After only a few days in bed, Pat was very bored. She longed to roam around her house, to put the finishing touches on the nursery she, Hilary, and Rae had been decorating. But Hilary and Rae were a force to reckon with, not to mention Katie and Taryn. And so the days passed uneventfully at Wind Song for a little while.
But those who knew Hilary and Pat Gordon also knew that, with them, nothing ever remained uneventful for long. And one quiet night, just two weeks after Pat had been ordered to bed, Hilary Gordon's life was forever changed.
He came home cheerfully enough. Just that day, he and Parker had locked up a contract to design a new office building in downtown Vancouver. He couldn't wait to tell Pat. But his sister-in-law greeted him with news that dampened his spirits somewhat.
"There is stew in the kitchen, Hilary. And quite good stew, if I do say so myself. William and I have already eaten and you wouldn't mind if we dashed over to Cinderleaf for the evening, would you?"
In point of fact, Hilary did mind. He was almost as protective of his sister-in-law as he was of his wife. It was getting rather cold out and he didn't want Rae or William to get sick, too. But the years had taught him that it was useless to argue with the Gardiner women. Besides, she didn't really need his permission.
"No, I don't mind at all. Just be careful."
Rae smiled over Hilary's concern. It was almost like having Brook here sometimes. Almost. She continued, suddenly aware that she sounded very much like her own mother.
"Pat is upstairs, sleeping. She's been asleep for the past half-hour and I didn't want to disturb her. You can wake her if you'd like. She still hasn't eaten her supper. But, if I were you, I'd let her sleep just a little bit longer. She's been very restless today, more than she usually is. I'll be back in a couple of hours, Hilary. We won't stay long."
And with that, Rae disappeared into the twilight with a bundled up William in her arms. Hilary sighed. He had been hoping to tell Pat all about their new client. But he'd rather cut off his right arm than disturb her when she was finally getting some sleep. He knew for a fact that she hadn't slept well last night. His back had ached all day from sleeping in the small loveseat that was in the corner of their room. It was the only place he could get any rest and still be near Pat. She had tossed and turned so much that he had been awakened by the force of his body hitting the floor of their room.
Hilary smiled slightly at that memory. Pat had kicked him out of bed and had never been any the wiser for it. It was good ammunition for when she was feeling better again. Tucking it away into the corners of his mind, he fixed himself a bowl of stew and sat down to eat.
He finished quickly and began occupying his time by dangling a bit of yarn in front of Calamity, their Silver Bush cat. True to her name, she launched herself off the ground towards the yarn, only to catch the table cloth with her claws, yanking Hilary's empty bowl, empty glass, spoon, and a little ceramic vase to the floor with a resounding crash. Hilary groaned, but he had more sense than to blame Callie, as she was called for short. He should have known better than to try and play with her while she was so close to breakable things.
Guilt assailed him, however, when he heard Pat calling. He had woken her up with his little shenanigans. He bounded up the steps two by two, as he always did, and opened the door to their room. But his apology died on his lips when Pat's eyes met his. There was no need for her to say a word.
"But it's too soon. The baby can't be here for another month," he said, irrationally. Pat gave him a weak smile and tried to calm him with a bit of humor.
"Hilary, darling, I'm afraid I won't be able to do this for a month," she whispered. Hilary came over to her and took her hand in his. Her weak attempt at humor had failed.
"How long have you been having the pains?" he asked. Pat closed her eyes as another wave hit her and Hilary was surprised at his wife's strength as her hand tightened around his. She opened her eyes again and Hilary saw the hesitation in them.
"Oh, just since you left this morning," she said meekly.
"This morning? Pat, why didn't you tell me? Why didn't you tell Rae? How did you hide it from her?"
Hilary's mind was swimming with questions, none of which Pat was particularly inclined to answer at the moment. There would be plenty of time for that later. Right now, she had to get him focused.
"Hilary, please. I'll chat with you later. But, right now, I think our son is determined that today will be his birthday. Where's Rae?"
"She and William went to Cinderleaf. I'll call over there right now."
Hilary flew from the room and down the stairs. He picked up the phone and, partly to his relief, partly to his irritation, discovered that someone at Glen Cairn, with whom Pat and Hilary shared a party line, was on the line. He was relieved because it meant that the Bowens could come over right away. He was irritated because the person on the line was Keelin, talking to one of her new friends. It took a few moments before Hilary could even break into the fast-paced conversation. When he finally managed to catch Keelin's attention, however, she immediately said goodbye to her friend and gave the phone to her mother. Katie's voice was like an angel's to Hilary, who was beginning to become a panicky father-to-be as the enormity of the situation dawned on him gradually.
"Hilary?" said the voice on the other end.
"Katie! Katie, you've got to come over quick. Pat says the baby is coming."
"Hilary, calm down. Ye'll only be upsettin' Patsy if ye start carryin' on. This is her first and I'm sure it'll be a while."
"The pains started this morning, she said."
On the other end, Hilary could tell that Katie was suddenly having to control her Irish temper.
"Has she gone daft? What cud she be thinkin' av? Don't be worryin', Hilary. We're lavin' right away."
And she was gone. Hilary hung up the phone, not bothering to ring Cinderleaf. He knew Katie would stop there to get Taryn anyway. Once again, he wished that Pat had agreed to have their child in a hospital as the doctor had suggested. But she had insisted that the baby be born at Wind Song.
The doctor! How could he have forgotten to call the doctor? Hilary, who had been halfway back up the stairs, whirled around and rang the doctor at his home. Once he had been apprised of the situation, Hilary went back up the stairs, where he held Pat's hand until the doctor arrived and ordered him out of the room. Eyes blazing, Hilary refused at first. After all, he was the father and Pat was his wife. He wasn't going to let her go through this alone. Even Rae, Katie, and Taryn couldn't talk him into leaving. Only after reassuring words from Pat did Hilary depart, but he didn't leave before dropping a kiss on his wife's lips and saying a soft prayer that only she could hear.
Downstairs, Hilary paced and paced. Parker would've been amused by his friend's behavior if he hadn't been trying to keep seven children happy. Luckily, Katie had possessed the presence of mind to call Laura, who arrived to take the rapidly tiring children back to Glen Cairn. At her insistence, Parker stayed with Hilary, offering what little support he could. He knew it was useless to tell Hilary not to worry. His own father had told him that when Katie was having their children. It had done nothing to ease his mind. So Parker remained silent unless Hilary asked him a question and his presence was really all Hilary required.
It was dawn when Rae came down the stairs, her face drawn with weariness, but her violet eyes radiant with happiness. Hilary rushed to her.
"Pat wants to see you," she said. It was all Hilary needed. His own weariness vanished and he was up the stairs in a flash. Rae smiled up after him and then answered Parker's unspoken question with a nod of her golden-brown head. Mother and baby were fine.
The sight that met Hilary at the door of his room took his breath away. Pat lay propped up against their bed pillows. Her hair was a mess, her face betrayed the pains of the evening, but her amber eyes were filled with an emotion that Hilary had never seen in them before. To Hilary, she had never looked more beautiful. And, in her arms, she held a tiny little personage with wisps of dark brown hair. Hilary came closer and drew in his breath sharply when he saw his wife's eyes in the face of his child. Pat took his hand and placed it on the baby's. Hilary marveled at the perfection he was touching. And the words Pat spoke filled his eyes with tears.
"Elizabeth Anne, this is your Daddy."
A/N: Okay, that's it. More later. I was going to give the baby a middle name of Katherine, but then I remembered Pat's opinion of middle names. If she named her daughter after Katie, she would want it to be the first name. And to put Bets' name in the middle was simply unthinkable. Pat would never do that. Please read and review.
VANCOUVER TRAIN STATION
"Hilary, Patsy won't be gettin' here inny faster if ye kape pacin'."
Hilary looked at Katie, who was smiling at him. He knew she was right. Pat had only been gone a little over a week. But those were days he could've done without. He had missed her horribly and, despite Katie and Taryn's attempts to reassure him, he was still worried about her. A train whistle in the distance cut off his reply and he looked eagerly in the direction of the sound.
Taryn thought he looked like a little boy in a candy store. As soon as the train came into view, Hilary's face lit up like a Christmas tree. For a moment, Taryn Findlay felt a rush of jealousy towards Pat. These bouts of envy towards Pat and even towards Katie came and went, but they never lasted. Taryn was not the type of person that would be made bitter. But she was still very much in love with Liam and her arms ached to hold him again.
But Hilary was blissfully unaware of his new friend's feelings. Actually, Hilary was unaware of anything else the moment his wife set foot on the platform. He barely glanced at Rae, choosing instead to gather his wife in his arms and kiss her passionately. Parker pretended to find something of interest in the sky above while Katie chose the ground to concentrate on. Rae absorbed herself in her son and Katie started fiddling with a pin on her dress.
Pat herself was in shock. But it was such a nice shock. She wished the kiss didn't have to be broken, but knew that was impossible. She also recognized it as her duty to chastise her husband for making such a scene. Reluctantly, she pulled back.
"Really, Hilary," she began, "you could choose a more suitable place for such a display. All these people."
Her husband grinned maddeningly in reply. No one around them thought Pat was angry for one second. Her eyes betrayed her true feelings. Hilary turned to Rae and gave her a big hug. There were introductions all around. Hilary and Parker went for the bags and returned with the welcome news that all Rae's belongings had arrived in Vancouver without touring the rest of Canada first.
Rae fell in love with Pat and Hilary's home the moment she saw it. It was such a dear house and Rae felt, when she stepped through the door, almost as if she had stepped back in time. She wondered if Hilary had purposely thrown in some similarities to Silver Bush. Pat happily showed Rae to her room. It was a room that Pat had taken great care to fix up especially for her sister. The room was the largest of the guest rooms, bright and airy, with the special touch that only Pat could give to a room.
As Rae looked around the rest of the house, she realized that Pat had never told her the name of her home. She found Pat in the kitchen, cooking supper, and inquired about the house's name.
"Oh, Rae! Did I forget to tell you in my last letter? You are standing in the kitchen of Wind Song."
"Wind Song? That is an interesting name. Why did you name it that?"
Pat's eyes glimmered with mischief and the only answer she would give was a cryptic, "You'll see".
That was all Rae would get out of either Pat or Hilary. And, over the next couple of weeks, she did begin to see. Any time the wind blew, whether it was rough and strong or calm and gentle, she could hear it as it whistled through the leaves in the trees outside. The sound was never frightening, as some winds usually were. Rather, there was a strange sort of comfort in that music of the trees. Pat and Hilary's home contained an otherworldly charm that not even Glen Cairn, Parker and Katie's house, could boast of.
Rae felt completely at ease with her sister's friends. She was especially drawn to Taryn and could often be found over at her little house, Cinderleaf. These two struck up a bond that surprised Katie and Pat, yet pleased them at the same time. Perhaps the bond was forged through their fierce love for Pat. Pat really wasn't herself these days and even Rae was beginning to worry about her sister.
One day, just a little over a month after Rae had arrived at Wind Song, Pat began sniffling. She shrugged off Hilary's concerns, assuring him that she just had a small cold and would likely be over it in a couple of days. Even Rae wasn't worried. Pat was taking good care of herself. The cold would just run it's course.
But the cold had other plans. By the end of the week, Pat was running a rather high fever. The doctor was sent for and ordered her to bed for the remainder of her pregnancy. Pat was in danger of developing pneumonia. Hilary refused to go to work until Rae convinced him that, if he stayed home, Pat would only worry about the business. He was comforted by the knowledge that Rae, Katie, and Taryn took turns sitting with Pat all day. She was never alone and, therefore, never lonely.
Pat chafed at being kept in bed. It was even worse than the time she had been recovering from scarlet fever. Then, she had been very weak and not too worried about things outside her room. Now was completely different. After only a few days in bed, Pat was very bored. She longed to roam around her house, to put the finishing touches on the nursery she, Hilary, and Rae had been decorating. But Hilary and Rae were a force to reckon with, not to mention Katie and Taryn. And so the days passed uneventfully at Wind Song for a little while.
But those who knew Hilary and Pat Gordon also knew that, with them, nothing ever remained uneventful for long. And one quiet night, just two weeks after Pat had been ordered to bed, Hilary Gordon's life was forever changed.
He came home cheerfully enough. Just that day, he and Parker had locked up a contract to design a new office building in downtown Vancouver. He couldn't wait to tell Pat. But his sister-in-law greeted him with news that dampened his spirits somewhat.
"There is stew in the kitchen, Hilary. And quite good stew, if I do say so myself. William and I have already eaten and you wouldn't mind if we dashed over to Cinderleaf for the evening, would you?"
In point of fact, Hilary did mind. He was almost as protective of his sister-in-law as he was of his wife. It was getting rather cold out and he didn't want Rae or William to get sick, too. But the years had taught him that it was useless to argue with the Gardiner women. Besides, she didn't really need his permission.
"No, I don't mind at all. Just be careful."
Rae smiled over Hilary's concern. It was almost like having Brook here sometimes. Almost. She continued, suddenly aware that she sounded very much like her own mother.
"Pat is upstairs, sleeping. She's been asleep for the past half-hour and I didn't want to disturb her. You can wake her if you'd like. She still hasn't eaten her supper. But, if I were you, I'd let her sleep just a little bit longer. She's been very restless today, more than she usually is. I'll be back in a couple of hours, Hilary. We won't stay long."
And with that, Rae disappeared into the twilight with a bundled up William in her arms. Hilary sighed. He had been hoping to tell Pat all about their new client. But he'd rather cut off his right arm than disturb her when she was finally getting some sleep. He knew for a fact that she hadn't slept well last night. His back had ached all day from sleeping in the small loveseat that was in the corner of their room. It was the only place he could get any rest and still be near Pat. She had tossed and turned so much that he had been awakened by the force of his body hitting the floor of their room.
Hilary smiled slightly at that memory. Pat had kicked him out of bed and had never been any the wiser for it. It was good ammunition for when she was feeling better again. Tucking it away into the corners of his mind, he fixed himself a bowl of stew and sat down to eat.
He finished quickly and began occupying his time by dangling a bit of yarn in front of Calamity, their Silver Bush cat. True to her name, she launched herself off the ground towards the yarn, only to catch the table cloth with her claws, yanking Hilary's empty bowl, empty glass, spoon, and a little ceramic vase to the floor with a resounding crash. Hilary groaned, but he had more sense than to blame Callie, as she was called for short. He should have known better than to try and play with her while she was so close to breakable things.
Guilt assailed him, however, when he heard Pat calling. He had woken her up with his little shenanigans. He bounded up the steps two by two, as he always did, and opened the door to their room. But his apology died on his lips when Pat's eyes met his. There was no need for her to say a word.
"But it's too soon. The baby can't be here for another month," he said, irrationally. Pat gave him a weak smile and tried to calm him with a bit of humor.
"Hilary, darling, I'm afraid I won't be able to do this for a month," she whispered. Hilary came over to her and took her hand in his. Her weak attempt at humor had failed.
"How long have you been having the pains?" he asked. Pat closed her eyes as another wave hit her and Hilary was surprised at his wife's strength as her hand tightened around his. She opened her eyes again and Hilary saw the hesitation in them.
"Oh, just since you left this morning," she said meekly.
"This morning? Pat, why didn't you tell me? Why didn't you tell Rae? How did you hide it from her?"
Hilary's mind was swimming with questions, none of which Pat was particularly inclined to answer at the moment. There would be plenty of time for that later. Right now, she had to get him focused.
"Hilary, please. I'll chat with you later. But, right now, I think our son is determined that today will be his birthday. Where's Rae?"
"She and William went to Cinderleaf. I'll call over there right now."
Hilary flew from the room and down the stairs. He picked up the phone and, partly to his relief, partly to his irritation, discovered that someone at Glen Cairn, with whom Pat and Hilary shared a party line, was on the line. He was relieved because it meant that the Bowens could come over right away. He was irritated because the person on the line was Keelin, talking to one of her new friends. It took a few moments before Hilary could even break into the fast-paced conversation. When he finally managed to catch Keelin's attention, however, she immediately said goodbye to her friend and gave the phone to her mother. Katie's voice was like an angel's to Hilary, who was beginning to become a panicky father-to-be as the enormity of the situation dawned on him gradually.
"Hilary?" said the voice on the other end.
"Katie! Katie, you've got to come over quick. Pat says the baby is coming."
"Hilary, calm down. Ye'll only be upsettin' Patsy if ye start carryin' on. This is her first and I'm sure it'll be a while."
"The pains started this morning, she said."
On the other end, Hilary could tell that Katie was suddenly having to control her Irish temper.
"Has she gone daft? What cud she be thinkin' av? Don't be worryin', Hilary. We're lavin' right away."
And she was gone. Hilary hung up the phone, not bothering to ring Cinderleaf. He knew Katie would stop there to get Taryn anyway. Once again, he wished that Pat had agreed to have their child in a hospital as the doctor had suggested. But she had insisted that the baby be born at Wind Song.
The doctor! How could he have forgotten to call the doctor? Hilary, who had been halfway back up the stairs, whirled around and rang the doctor at his home. Once he had been apprised of the situation, Hilary went back up the stairs, where he held Pat's hand until the doctor arrived and ordered him out of the room. Eyes blazing, Hilary refused at first. After all, he was the father and Pat was his wife. He wasn't going to let her go through this alone. Even Rae, Katie, and Taryn couldn't talk him into leaving. Only after reassuring words from Pat did Hilary depart, but he didn't leave before dropping a kiss on his wife's lips and saying a soft prayer that only she could hear.
Downstairs, Hilary paced and paced. Parker would've been amused by his friend's behavior if he hadn't been trying to keep seven children happy. Luckily, Katie had possessed the presence of mind to call Laura, who arrived to take the rapidly tiring children back to Glen Cairn. At her insistence, Parker stayed with Hilary, offering what little support he could. He knew it was useless to tell Hilary not to worry. His own father had told him that when Katie was having their children. It had done nothing to ease his mind. So Parker remained silent unless Hilary asked him a question and his presence was really all Hilary required.
It was dawn when Rae came down the stairs, her face drawn with weariness, but her violet eyes radiant with happiness. Hilary rushed to her.
"Pat wants to see you," she said. It was all Hilary needed. His own weariness vanished and he was up the stairs in a flash. Rae smiled up after him and then answered Parker's unspoken question with a nod of her golden-brown head. Mother and baby were fine.
The sight that met Hilary at the door of his room took his breath away. Pat lay propped up against their bed pillows. Her hair was a mess, her face betrayed the pains of the evening, but her amber eyes were filled with an emotion that Hilary had never seen in them before. To Hilary, she had never looked more beautiful. And, in her arms, she held a tiny little personage with wisps of dark brown hair. Hilary came closer and drew in his breath sharply when he saw his wife's eyes in the face of his child. Pat took his hand and placed it on the baby's. Hilary marveled at the perfection he was touching. And the words Pat spoke filled his eyes with tears.
"Elizabeth Anne, this is your Daddy."
A/N: Okay, that's it. More later. I was going to give the baby a middle name of Katherine, but then I remembered Pat's opinion of middle names. If she named her daughter after Katie, she would want it to be the first name. And to put Bets' name in the middle was simply unthinkable. Pat would never do that. Please read and review.