Author: Catgurl83
Title: Shocking News
Disclaimer: Not mine and I don't want them.
Feedback: Adored and appreciated.
Rating: G
Author's notes: From this point on, I will probably be posting quite often until the story is finished. I hope to have it done within a couple of weeks.
Thanks to Kimberly for beta reading this story!
This chapter picks up directly after the last chapter.
************
As his wife practically jumped up from the seat next to him, Kevin turned to give her a curious look. She didn't notice the look as she had already turned toward the door.
Mary glanced around and then followed her younger sister's lead.
Both women quickly but quietly slipped from the room. Kevin strained but couldn't hear the front door open or close. The two must have stayed inside.
He looked around the room, trying to appear nonchalant. No one else seemed to notice that Lucy and Mary had slipped out of the room. The twins had gone back to playing. Everyone else was deep in conversation.
Where had they gone? He wondered. And why?
Trying not to draw attention, Kevin stood. He quickly exited the room. In the foyer, he glanced around. Quickly he decided and turned toward the stairs. He was going to find out what those two were up to.
*************
As she left the room, Lucy wondered what she was doing. If someone noticed that she and her sister were leaving, they'd wonder where they were going. She and Mary weren't ready to share their plans yet. Not until everything was settled and arranged. They didn't want to get the family's hopes up if they couldn't pull it off.
In the foyer she stopped, waiting for her sister to catch up. She toyed with the idea of going outside but didn't want someone to hear the door open.
Mary stepped out of the living room behind her sister. Lucy gestured for her to follow as she turned toward the kitchen.
Lucy kept going until she reached the basement door. She pulled the door open and stopped to let her eyes adjust to the lack of light before stepping onto the first step. Half way down, she reached out, running her hand along the wall until it hit a bumpy surface. She flipped the light on. She had always thought that this was a stupid place for the light switch; the switch should be at the top of the stairs.
Mary stepped off of the bottom step onto the cement floor of the basement. She peered around the large room. It had been years since she had been down here and then not often. As children, they hadn't spent much time down here.
There were stacks of boxes all over the room. Both women remembered helping carry many of these boxes down from the attic when the attic was converted to a bedroom. The boxes were layered with dust and obviously hadn't been opened in a long time.
Lucy grabbed a folding chair that was propped against the wall. Mary did the same.
"So, what's up?"
"What's up?" Lucy repeated incredulously. "Did you hear Mom and Dad?"
"I did," Mary confirmed. "Ruthie has to have surgery to remove her spleen. Matt says that she'll be okay."
"Did it not occur to you that this will affect our plan?"
Mary shrugged, "Of course it occurred to me. We just will have to stop it."
"Our plan?"
"No. The plan is still on. We can't let the surgery force us to cancel our plans. Ruthie is going to love this. Not to mention everyone else." She grinned, "Can't you just see Sam and David's reaction?"
Lucy chuckled. The twins were going to be ecstatic. "So how are we going to fix this?"
"We'll do it on a different day. We'll have to change plans but it isn't too late, we can still do it."
"What do we need to do?"
Mary pulled her cell phone and a piece of papers with phone numbers on it out of her pocket.
***********
They weren't here, Kevin acknowledged with a sigh. He had checked all of the bedrooms, had knocked on the bathroom doors. He had even checked Eric's study. Mary and Lucy weren't in the kitchen. They weren't in the attic.
He pulled open the kitchen door and glanced around the back yard. One more place where Mary and Lucy weren't. He crossed to the garage.
He checked the garage and then the apartment above the garage. He still hadn't found them.
What were they up to? He had heard stories about different stunts that they had pulled off as little girls and teenagers but they were both too grown up, too mature for that, right? But if they weren't up to something, why would they had left like that? Why would they have practically disappeared? They were hiding something but what?
************
Mary snapped her cell phone shut and grinned at her sister.
Lucy folded the paper back up. "Everyone is going to be thrilled."
"Yep," Mary agreed cheerfully.
"We are going to have to tell them eventually."
"Yeah," she sighed.
"Have you thought about when?"
"I was thinking that we'd tell everyone but Ruthie the morning of the surprise. Ruthie, we won't tell. She'll find out when the surprise arrives."
Lucy nodded in agreement. It sounded like that would work. And they wouldn't have to worry about someone accidentally spilling the secret to Ruthie. Well, accept for the two of them and they neither one would do that. They were going to have to be extra careful.
The door opened and both women jumped.
"What?"
Lucy glared at her husband. "Did you have to scare us?"
"All that I did was open the door," Kevin pointed out logically.
Neither Mary nor Lucy said a word.
"What are you two doing down here? I looked all over for you."
"Was there something that you needed?" Lucy asked helpfully hoping that he'd forget his question.
"No. What are you two up to?"
Kevin watched as the women both turned their heads, their eyes met and some sort of silent communication that he couldn't hope to understand passed between them. Finally, both women turned back to him at once.
"You have to swear not to say anything," Mary stated seriously.
"What, are you going to teach me a secret handshake? Induct me into a club?"
Lucy shot him another glare. "We are completely serious, Kevin. You promise or we don't tell you what is going on."
Kevin sighed, "Fine."
"We're planning a surprise for Ruthie," Mary told him.
"A surprise for Ruthie? This whole secret is about a surprise for a fifteen- year-old girl? What is the big deal?"
"It is actually a surprise for everyone," Lucy corrected. "Hence the secrecy."
"Are you going to tell me what you are planning?" he asked with a hint of impatience.
Again, the sisters shared a glance. "Should we?" Lucy asked.
Mary bit her lip before nodding. "Tell him."
************
Author's note: Next chapter, Ruthie's surgery.
Title: Shocking News
Disclaimer: Not mine and I don't want them.
Feedback: Adored and appreciated.
Rating: G
Author's notes: From this point on, I will probably be posting quite often until the story is finished. I hope to have it done within a couple of weeks.
Thanks to Kimberly for beta reading this story!
This chapter picks up directly after the last chapter.
************
As his wife practically jumped up from the seat next to him, Kevin turned to give her a curious look. She didn't notice the look as she had already turned toward the door.
Mary glanced around and then followed her younger sister's lead.
Both women quickly but quietly slipped from the room. Kevin strained but couldn't hear the front door open or close. The two must have stayed inside.
He looked around the room, trying to appear nonchalant. No one else seemed to notice that Lucy and Mary had slipped out of the room. The twins had gone back to playing. Everyone else was deep in conversation.
Where had they gone? He wondered. And why?
Trying not to draw attention, Kevin stood. He quickly exited the room. In the foyer, he glanced around. Quickly he decided and turned toward the stairs. He was going to find out what those two were up to.
*************
As she left the room, Lucy wondered what she was doing. If someone noticed that she and her sister were leaving, they'd wonder where they were going. She and Mary weren't ready to share their plans yet. Not until everything was settled and arranged. They didn't want to get the family's hopes up if they couldn't pull it off.
In the foyer she stopped, waiting for her sister to catch up. She toyed with the idea of going outside but didn't want someone to hear the door open.
Mary stepped out of the living room behind her sister. Lucy gestured for her to follow as she turned toward the kitchen.
Lucy kept going until she reached the basement door. She pulled the door open and stopped to let her eyes adjust to the lack of light before stepping onto the first step. Half way down, she reached out, running her hand along the wall until it hit a bumpy surface. She flipped the light on. She had always thought that this was a stupid place for the light switch; the switch should be at the top of the stairs.
Mary stepped off of the bottom step onto the cement floor of the basement. She peered around the large room. It had been years since she had been down here and then not often. As children, they hadn't spent much time down here.
There were stacks of boxes all over the room. Both women remembered helping carry many of these boxes down from the attic when the attic was converted to a bedroom. The boxes were layered with dust and obviously hadn't been opened in a long time.
Lucy grabbed a folding chair that was propped against the wall. Mary did the same.
"So, what's up?"
"What's up?" Lucy repeated incredulously. "Did you hear Mom and Dad?"
"I did," Mary confirmed. "Ruthie has to have surgery to remove her spleen. Matt says that she'll be okay."
"Did it not occur to you that this will affect our plan?"
Mary shrugged, "Of course it occurred to me. We just will have to stop it."
"Our plan?"
"No. The plan is still on. We can't let the surgery force us to cancel our plans. Ruthie is going to love this. Not to mention everyone else." She grinned, "Can't you just see Sam and David's reaction?"
Lucy chuckled. The twins were going to be ecstatic. "So how are we going to fix this?"
"We'll do it on a different day. We'll have to change plans but it isn't too late, we can still do it."
"What do we need to do?"
Mary pulled her cell phone and a piece of papers with phone numbers on it out of her pocket.
***********
They weren't here, Kevin acknowledged with a sigh. He had checked all of the bedrooms, had knocked on the bathroom doors. He had even checked Eric's study. Mary and Lucy weren't in the kitchen. They weren't in the attic.
He pulled open the kitchen door and glanced around the back yard. One more place where Mary and Lucy weren't. He crossed to the garage.
He checked the garage and then the apartment above the garage. He still hadn't found them.
What were they up to? He had heard stories about different stunts that they had pulled off as little girls and teenagers but they were both too grown up, too mature for that, right? But if they weren't up to something, why would they had left like that? Why would they have practically disappeared? They were hiding something but what?
************
Mary snapped her cell phone shut and grinned at her sister.
Lucy folded the paper back up. "Everyone is going to be thrilled."
"Yep," Mary agreed cheerfully.
"We are going to have to tell them eventually."
"Yeah," she sighed.
"Have you thought about when?"
"I was thinking that we'd tell everyone but Ruthie the morning of the surprise. Ruthie, we won't tell. She'll find out when the surprise arrives."
Lucy nodded in agreement. It sounded like that would work. And they wouldn't have to worry about someone accidentally spilling the secret to Ruthie. Well, accept for the two of them and they neither one would do that. They were going to have to be extra careful.
The door opened and both women jumped.
"What?"
Lucy glared at her husband. "Did you have to scare us?"
"All that I did was open the door," Kevin pointed out logically.
Neither Mary nor Lucy said a word.
"What are you two doing down here? I looked all over for you."
"Was there something that you needed?" Lucy asked helpfully hoping that he'd forget his question.
"No. What are you two up to?"
Kevin watched as the women both turned their heads, their eyes met and some sort of silent communication that he couldn't hope to understand passed between them. Finally, both women turned back to him at once.
"You have to swear not to say anything," Mary stated seriously.
"What, are you going to teach me a secret handshake? Induct me into a club?"
Lucy shot him another glare. "We are completely serious, Kevin. You promise or we don't tell you what is going on."
Kevin sighed, "Fine."
"We're planning a surprise for Ruthie," Mary told him.
"A surprise for Ruthie? This whole secret is about a surprise for a fifteen- year-old girl? What is the big deal?"
"It is actually a surprise for everyone," Lucy corrected. "Hence the secrecy."
"Are you going to tell me what you are planning?" he asked with a hint of impatience.
Again, the sisters shared a glance. "Should we?" Lucy asked.
Mary bit her lip before nodding. "Tell him."
************
Author's note: Next chapter, Ruthie's surgery.
