Chapter 4-
Lucy and Kevin lead Cecilia, Martin, Simon and Ruthie into the living room. They had just told everyone they had a surprise for them. Everyone was pretty sure what it was. They just kept quiet so Lucy and Kevin could tell them. Lucy told them she'd be right back and went upstairs to get her parents and Sam and David, her younger twin brothers. She got the twins first then they headed to Eric and Annie's room. Lucy heard them shouting through the closed door. She knocked on it and said, "Mom? Dad? Can we come in?"
The door opened and Annie appeared, "Is it important, Luce?" She asked.
"Well, sort of. Kevin and I wanted to tell everyone something. But if your busy I can tell you later, though."
Eric appeared behind Annie, "We'll be down in a minute."
Lucy smiled and said, "Okay." She grabbed the twins' hands the three of them walked down the stairs together. When they entered the living room they saw Ruthie talking, again, about this daughter of their fathers. "Ruthie will you just give it up?"
Before Ruthie could answer Eric and Annie walked into the room, "So what do you want to tell us, Luce?" Annie asked.
"Well." She let go of the twins' hands and walked over to Kevin who put his arm around her, "Kevin and I are . . ." She looked up to Kevin for help getting the words out.
"We're going to have a baby." Kevin finished. Everyone was quiet for a second. They all knew what Kevin was going to say before he said it but they pretended to be shocked and surprised at the same time.
"That's great, sweetheart." Annie told her, "Congratulations."She hugged Lucy and then Kevin. Everyone did the same in turn.
After the congratulating Eric said, "I actually have an anouncment to make, too." Everyone stopped and looked at him, "I . . . I . . ."
Ruthie cut him off, "You have another daughter, right? One no one knew about until tonight?!"
"H . . .how did you know I was going to say that?" Eric asked her.
Ruthie shrugged and said, "I heard you and mom fighting when I was going up to my room. I heard mom say you had a daughter no one knew about."
"You mean it's true?" Kevin asked looking surprised.
"Unfortunatly it is. And we all have to meet her tomorrow. So don't make any plans." Annie said.
Eric sighed to himself, "Please make her feel welcome. Her mom is dying of cancer and she has no one but us."
"Whatever." Simon mumbled and went up to his room.
Annie took the twins' hands and said, "Why don't I put you two to bed. It's getting late." She turned to Eric and said, "You'll be sleeping on the couch tonight." And she left the room.
"I think I should be going." Cecilia said, "I'll see you later." She said to Martin and kissed him.
"Why don't I walk you home." He replied.
Eric was just standing in a corner feeling like everyone was mad at him when Ruthie walked over to him and said, "Don't worry, dad. Everyone will get used to her." And she went up to her room.
"Well, we better be going too." Kevin added. Lucy hugged Eric and said goodbye then she and Kevin left. Eric felt depressed. No one seemed like they even wanted to see Bethany. He prayed silently that they would be nice to her tomorrow.
~*~The Hospital The Next Morning~*~
Bethany walked into her mom's hospital room shaking but more confident then she was last night. Her mom was lying in bed asleep looking worse then ever. Bethany knew her mom was going to die soon. She started to cry but stopped immediatly knowing it would make her mother feel bad. But Bethany couldn't help thinking that this could be the last time she saw her mother alive. "Mom?" She asked. Her mother didn't move. Not even open an eye. "Oh my gosh, mom? Are you okay?!"
"Bethy? No, I'm fine. I'm sorry to have scared you." She said weakly. It didn't even sound like her mom.
Bethany smiled, "It's okay, mom." The night before Bethany had told her mom all about her dad and their meeting, "I'm about to leave for . . . " She didn't know what to call her dad. Did she call him Dad? No. That didn't fit. Rev. Camden? No. Too formal. Eric? Maybe. . .
"Eric's house?" Her mom finished for her.
"Yeah." Bethany hugged her mom, "Bye mom. I love you."
Laura hugged her with all her strength, which wasn't much, "I love you more." She said, "Tell Eric I said hi."
"Okay." Bethany smiled and giggled a little. She left the room and slumped against the wall. This couldn't be happeneing. Her mom couldn't be dieing. The whole time her mom was in the hospital Bethany knew she was going to die. But she didn't think it would actually happen. As twisted as that sounds, she didn't. She let a few tears fall but quikly wiped them away and rode down the elevator, got on the bus, and went to Erics.
Lucy and Kevin lead Cecilia, Martin, Simon and Ruthie into the living room. They had just told everyone they had a surprise for them. Everyone was pretty sure what it was. They just kept quiet so Lucy and Kevin could tell them. Lucy told them she'd be right back and went upstairs to get her parents and Sam and David, her younger twin brothers. She got the twins first then they headed to Eric and Annie's room. Lucy heard them shouting through the closed door. She knocked on it and said, "Mom? Dad? Can we come in?"
The door opened and Annie appeared, "Is it important, Luce?" She asked.
"Well, sort of. Kevin and I wanted to tell everyone something. But if your busy I can tell you later, though."
Eric appeared behind Annie, "We'll be down in a minute."
Lucy smiled and said, "Okay." She grabbed the twins' hands the three of them walked down the stairs together. When they entered the living room they saw Ruthie talking, again, about this daughter of their fathers. "Ruthie will you just give it up?"
Before Ruthie could answer Eric and Annie walked into the room, "So what do you want to tell us, Luce?" Annie asked.
"Well." She let go of the twins' hands and walked over to Kevin who put his arm around her, "Kevin and I are . . ." She looked up to Kevin for help getting the words out.
"We're going to have a baby." Kevin finished. Everyone was quiet for a second. They all knew what Kevin was going to say before he said it but they pretended to be shocked and surprised at the same time.
"That's great, sweetheart." Annie told her, "Congratulations."She hugged Lucy and then Kevin. Everyone did the same in turn.
After the congratulating Eric said, "I actually have an anouncment to make, too." Everyone stopped and looked at him, "I . . . I . . ."
Ruthie cut him off, "You have another daughter, right? One no one knew about until tonight?!"
"H . . .how did you know I was going to say that?" Eric asked her.
Ruthie shrugged and said, "I heard you and mom fighting when I was going up to my room. I heard mom say you had a daughter no one knew about."
"You mean it's true?" Kevin asked looking surprised.
"Unfortunatly it is. And we all have to meet her tomorrow. So don't make any plans." Annie said.
Eric sighed to himself, "Please make her feel welcome. Her mom is dying of cancer and she has no one but us."
"Whatever." Simon mumbled and went up to his room.
Annie took the twins' hands and said, "Why don't I put you two to bed. It's getting late." She turned to Eric and said, "You'll be sleeping on the couch tonight." And she left the room.
"I think I should be going." Cecilia said, "I'll see you later." She said to Martin and kissed him.
"Why don't I walk you home." He replied.
Eric was just standing in a corner feeling like everyone was mad at him when Ruthie walked over to him and said, "Don't worry, dad. Everyone will get used to her." And she went up to her room.
"Well, we better be going too." Kevin added. Lucy hugged Eric and said goodbye then she and Kevin left. Eric felt depressed. No one seemed like they even wanted to see Bethany. He prayed silently that they would be nice to her tomorrow.
~*~The Hospital The Next Morning~*~
Bethany walked into her mom's hospital room shaking but more confident then she was last night. Her mom was lying in bed asleep looking worse then ever. Bethany knew her mom was going to die soon. She started to cry but stopped immediatly knowing it would make her mother feel bad. But Bethany couldn't help thinking that this could be the last time she saw her mother alive. "Mom?" She asked. Her mother didn't move. Not even open an eye. "Oh my gosh, mom? Are you okay?!"
"Bethy? No, I'm fine. I'm sorry to have scared you." She said weakly. It didn't even sound like her mom.
Bethany smiled, "It's okay, mom." The night before Bethany had told her mom all about her dad and their meeting, "I'm about to leave for . . . " She didn't know what to call her dad. Did she call him Dad? No. That didn't fit. Rev. Camden? No. Too formal. Eric? Maybe. . .
"Eric's house?" Her mom finished for her.
"Yeah." Bethany hugged her mom, "Bye mom. I love you."
Laura hugged her with all her strength, which wasn't much, "I love you more." She said, "Tell Eric I said hi."
"Okay." Bethany smiled and giggled a little. She left the room and slumped against the wall. This couldn't be happeneing. Her mom couldn't be dieing. The whole time her mom was in the hospital Bethany knew she was going to die. But she didn't think it would actually happen. As twisted as that sounds, she didn't. She let a few tears fall but quikly wiped them away and rode down the elevator, got on the bus, and went to Erics.