A/N: I know, I know. I really am getting to a stopping point on this
story. I promise. This chapter is really just an interim sort of thing.
Kind of an introduction to the next one. Background information, if you
will. It's short, but that is a good thing.
Gufa: I had grammatical errors? That irritates me. Honestly, it does. I'm usually pretty picky about stuff like that. I promise I'll try to do better. Thanks for your review. You were the first one after I posted the three chapters and I was about to go nuts waiting for one (I hate waiting). I hope you like this chapter, too.
Miri: In all honesty, I just thought that 'Elizabeth' and 'Anne' sounded good together. I always have thought that. Besides, I wanted to work the name 'Anne' in somewhere. Of course, it could only be spelled with an 'e'.
Marzoog: No, I wasn't 'too' mean to them, but wait until you get to the end of THIS chapter. (laughs evilly). I'll try not to keep you hanging on for to long.
Ruby Gillis: Did I make you cry? Good. It's just what you deserve after what you've put me through with your Emily and Juliet stories. I hear that, because of my tears over said stories, Kleenex stock has gone up eight points. Anyway, enough dilly-dallying. On with the story.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Christmas at Wind Song was a great triumph. The Island clan all arrived without serious incident and were charmed by Pat and Hilary's home. Everyone made much fuss over little Beth and Pat had more than a few wild moments of not even knowing where her child was. It wasn't uncommon for her to discover Beth in the arms of a nearby family member.
The Gardiners and the Bowens clicked immediately, as Pat had known they would. Christmas Eve was spent at Glen Cairn, where Katie and Taryn had prepared a wonderful feast. Wind Song was the sight of the party on Christmas Day. Several presents were exchanged between the families, but Pat was sure that Rae's gift was the best. Just before dinner, Brook, who was not supposed to arrive until after the New Year, had arrived at the doorstep of Wind Song. It had been a very emotional moment for Rae, who unabashedly kissed her husband repeatedly in front of everyone.
All told, it was a pleasant Christmas, marred only by the small argument between Pat and May. They had signed an armed truce, but May made the mistake, as she was so apt to do, of putting herself in charge. This was simply not to be borne by Pat who was, first and foremost, mistress of Wind Song. She let May know that in so many words and had been astonished when May apologized meekly only a few minutes later. May had never apologized before. It gave Pat something new to think about. Sid was never told about the argument, for which Pat was grateful.
And then it was over. The Gardiners left Wind Song right after the New Year. Rae and Brook found a little house in town for temporary residence at the end of January. It was a strange feeling, Pat discovered, to suddenly be alone in the house with Hilary and Beth. Of course, strange didn't necessarily mean unpleasant. She rather enjoyed the moments of solitude when Hilary was at work and Beth was asleep. But, most of all, she liked the evenings after dinner. Their little family would gather in Hilary's study and simply enjoy each other's company.
Pat hadn't thought such a thing possible, but the birth of little Beth had brought her and Hilary even closer together. It hadn't taken long for Hilary to be wrapped around his daughter's tiny finger. Pat found a secret joy in simply watching the two of them together. They were her whole world and she found it impossible to imagine life without either one of them.
The months went by and winter gave way to spring which, in turn, made way for summer. Beth grew by leaps and bounds and Pat reveled in the time with her daughter. The summer brought lots of work for the Bowen, Gordon, and Hamilton clans. Glen Cairn was being made ready for it's seventh resident, whose coming was set for early fall. And Parker and Hilary were building Brook and Rae's home as fast as they could. Little William was to be a big brother by the end of the year.
So Pat, in her spare time, could often be found making clothes for either her daughter or the daughters that she claimed Katie and Rae were having. Hilary found great fun in this and had informed Parker and Brook to get ready for more sons. After all, Pat had insisted that Beth was going to be a boy. Since she said these would be girls, it was only natural that Katie and Rae would have boys.
It didn't help matters any when Sid called in early summer to inform his sister that he had a brand new baby daughter. Pat had said May would have a boy. Hilary's teasing was relentless after that and he drove his wife quite wild. But the joy in Sid's voice when he had told Pat of Victoria Margaret's birth more than made up for her injured pride.
Pat was avenged when Parker and Katie welcomed Laurel Eileen to their family in September. And the tables were finally turned when Leslie Patricia Hamilton was born in November. Hilary let his wife crow over him, confident that he would be provided with more ammunition at some point in their married life.
There had been talk of going back to the Island for Christmas that year, but Pat and Hilary decided against it. Beth had already been sick once that winter and Pat wasn't taking any chances. Besides, Pat had discovered, to her eternal joy, that Beth would have a little brother or sister by the end of next summer.
So Christmas was spent in Vancouver and a merry time was had by all. This year, Christmas Day was spent at Rae and Brook's new home. Everyone helped with the preparations and the result was nothing short of spectacular. Laura and her family joined them as well, making for an even more chaotic and utterly festive event. As she was helping to clear away the dinner dishes, Pat wondered if life could get any better than this.
She swept into the kitchen and put the dishes in the sink, then turned to go and get some more. But Pat was not fated to help with any more dishes that day. In truth, no one was. On her way out of the kitchen, Pat heard the phone ringing. She called into the dining room to Rae.
"I've got it, Rae!"
Pat picked up the receiver, sure that it was the family at the Bay Shore calling to wish them a merry Christmas.
"Merry Christmas!" she exclaimed into the phone. There was silence at the other end then-
"Pat?"
It was father. But, what was wrong with his voice? The smile that had been on Pat's face quickly faded.
"What's the matter, Dad?" she asked, her thoughts straying quickly to her mother.
"Pat, there's been an accident."
She listened in silence for a while, her face growing more serious by the minute. She put the receiver down and began to make her way to the door to call for Rae, but she never made it. Hilary found her moments later on the kitchen floor, her face white as a sheet.
***************************************************
A/N: What a cruel place to stop! But I'm in a cruel mood, it seems. If you've lost track by now, the Bowen family now has five children. Keelin, David, Robert, Bryson, and Laurel, in that order. I'll try to update soon.
Sorry this chapter was such a whirlwind, but I needed to prod it along. After all, L.M. Montgomery sometimes covered eleven years or more in her books.
Gufa: I had grammatical errors? That irritates me. Honestly, it does. I'm usually pretty picky about stuff like that. I promise I'll try to do better. Thanks for your review. You were the first one after I posted the three chapters and I was about to go nuts waiting for one (I hate waiting). I hope you like this chapter, too.
Miri: In all honesty, I just thought that 'Elizabeth' and 'Anne' sounded good together. I always have thought that. Besides, I wanted to work the name 'Anne' in somewhere. Of course, it could only be spelled with an 'e'.
Marzoog: No, I wasn't 'too' mean to them, but wait until you get to the end of THIS chapter. (laughs evilly). I'll try not to keep you hanging on for to long.
Ruby Gillis: Did I make you cry? Good. It's just what you deserve after what you've put me through with your Emily and Juliet stories. I hear that, because of my tears over said stories, Kleenex stock has gone up eight points. Anyway, enough dilly-dallying. On with the story.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Christmas at Wind Song was a great triumph. The Island clan all arrived without serious incident and were charmed by Pat and Hilary's home. Everyone made much fuss over little Beth and Pat had more than a few wild moments of not even knowing where her child was. It wasn't uncommon for her to discover Beth in the arms of a nearby family member.
The Gardiners and the Bowens clicked immediately, as Pat had known they would. Christmas Eve was spent at Glen Cairn, where Katie and Taryn had prepared a wonderful feast. Wind Song was the sight of the party on Christmas Day. Several presents were exchanged between the families, but Pat was sure that Rae's gift was the best. Just before dinner, Brook, who was not supposed to arrive until after the New Year, had arrived at the doorstep of Wind Song. It had been a very emotional moment for Rae, who unabashedly kissed her husband repeatedly in front of everyone.
All told, it was a pleasant Christmas, marred only by the small argument between Pat and May. They had signed an armed truce, but May made the mistake, as she was so apt to do, of putting herself in charge. This was simply not to be borne by Pat who was, first and foremost, mistress of Wind Song. She let May know that in so many words and had been astonished when May apologized meekly only a few minutes later. May had never apologized before. It gave Pat something new to think about. Sid was never told about the argument, for which Pat was grateful.
And then it was over. The Gardiners left Wind Song right after the New Year. Rae and Brook found a little house in town for temporary residence at the end of January. It was a strange feeling, Pat discovered, to suddenly be alone in the house with Hilary and Beth. Of course, strange didn't necessarily mean unpleasant. She rather enjoyed the moments of solitude when Hilary was at work and Beth was asleep. But, most of all, she liked the evenings after dinner. Their little family would gather in Hilary's study and simply enjoy each other's company.
Pat hadn't thought such a thing possible, but the birth of little Beth had brought her and Hilary even closer together. It hadn't taken long for Hilary to be wrapped around his daughter's tiny finger. Pat found a secret joy in simply watching the two of them together. They were her whole world and she found it impossible to imagine life without either one of them.
The months went by and winter gave way to spring which, in turn, made way for summer. Beth grew by leaps and bounds and Pat reveled in the time with her daughter. The summer brought lots of work for the Bowen, Gordon, and Hamilton clans. Glen Cairn was being made ready for it's seventh resident, whose coming was set for early fall. And Parker and Hilary were building Brook and Rae's home as fast as they could. Little William was to be a big brother by the end of the year.
So Pat, in her spare time, could often be found making clothes for either her daughter or the daughters that she claimed Katie and Rae were having. Hilary found great fun in this and had informed Parker and Brook to get ready for more sons. After all, Pat had insisted that Beth was going to be a boy. Since she said these would be girls, it was only natural that Katie and Rae would have boys.
It didn't help matters any when Sid called in early summer to inform his sister that he had a brand new baby daughter. Pat had said May would have a boy. Hilary's teasing was relentless after that and he drove his wife quite wild. But the joy in Sid's voice when he had told Pat of Victoria Margaret's birth more than made up for her injured pride.
Pat was avenged when Parker and Katie welcomed Laurel Eileen to their family in September. And the tables were finally turned when Leslie Patricia Hamilton was born in November. Hilary let his wife crow over him, confident that he would be provided with more ammunition at some point in their married life.
There had been talk of going back to the Island for Christmas that year, but Pat and Hilary decided against it. Beth had already been sick once that winter and Pat wasn't taking any chances. Besides, Pat had discovered, to her eternal joy, that Beth would have a little brother or sister by the end of next summer.
So Christmas was spent in Vancouver and a merry time was had by all. This year, Christmas Day was spent at Rae and Brook's new home. Everyone helped with the preparations and the result was nothing short of spectacular. Laura and her family joined them as well, making for an even more chaotic and utterly festive event. As she was helping to clear away the dinner dishes, Pat wondered if life could get any better than this.
She swept into the kitchen and put the dishes in the sink, then turned to go and get some more. But Pat was not fated to help with any more dishes that day. In truth, no one was. On her way out of the kitchen, Pat heard the phone ringing. She called into the dining room to Rae.
"I've got it, Rae!"
Pat picked up the receiver, sure that it was the family at the Bay Shore calling to wish them a merry Christmas.
"Merry Christmas!" she exclaimed into the phone. There was silence at the other end then-
"Pat?"
It was father. But, what was wrong with his voice? The smile that had been on Pat's face quickly faded.
"What's the matter, Dad?" she asked, her thoughts straying quickly to her mother.
"Pat, there's been an accident."
She listened in silence for a while, her face growing more serious by the minute. She put the receiver down and began to make her way to the door to call for Rae, but she never made it. Hilary found her moments later on the kitchen floor, her face white as a sheet.
***************************************************
A/N: What a cruel place to stop! But I'm in a cruel mood, it seems. If you've lost track by now, the Bowen family now has five children. Keelin, David, Robert, Bryson, and Laurel, in that order. I'll try to update soon.
Sorry this chapter was such a whirlwind, but I needed to prod it along. After all, L.M. Montgomery sometimes covered eleven years or more in her books.