A/N: The poem "Owl and The Pussycat" isn't mine. Thanks to Terri, Kilikina
and Satan's Apprentice and everyone else, who I have been neglecting, for
reviews!
February 1961
"Then you just throw it and . . ." Three apples clattered to the ground. Hawkeye had been trying to teach me to juggle for the past week, and now as we both had the evening off with all the kids in bed, I was failing dismally.
"Edna will spew when she sees those apples." Hawkeye grinned. I shrugged as I picked up the bruised fruit. Danny loved stewed apples, and I was happy to oblige my 19mo son's appetite by cooking my juggling accidents. He was a big, big boy, with his father's height, and a sturdy little frame, quite unlike Hawkeye or myself.
"Never mind." I laughed. "I know practise makes perfect, so what say we practise for something else?" With Danny's second birthday (and my 35th) on the way, another, final child was on our agenda. We'd decided to leave it until the summer to attempt conception but it didn't mean that we weren't going to put in plenty of practise first.
"You're feeling feisty tonight honey." Hawkeye stated. I laughed and we headed upstairs.
The next morning, things were busy as I served breakfast with the phone jammed under my ear, giving Margaret advice about her 8mo daughters; Hannah didn't want to crawl, and Isabelle didn't want to sleep. Hawkeye had lost something, Dad cut himself shaving, and Edna was muttering as she tried to find an unbruised apple. Felicity was brushing her hair under the table, Ben was scrabbling under the sofas looking for his missing sneaker, April was refusing to go to school, Jess was screaming blue murder because her teddy was missing, Lydia was traipsing around nude, no idea how or why, and Danny was running around with a football, a Christmas gift from Colonel Potter who had come east for the holiday, which had now become his most treasured possession.
"Yes Margaret, no Margaret, of course I will Margaret, I hope to see you soon too. I love you, and I really have to go." I hung up, Margaret didn't often ring at a bad time for me, but she was at her wits' end with two boisterous daughters and a father whose disinterest in his offspring grew as the girls became more feminine.
"Okay Lydia get dressed, Edna I'll pick up some more apples at the store today and I'll buy myself some tennis balls as well. April honey, there's nothing wrong with school is there. You just had a bad day yesterday." A new boy named Mike had joined her class and April and he hadn't hit it off.
"Felicity, get out from under there, your hair looks fine, now can you help Jess find her teddy? Ben it's in the box in the laundry with the outdoor toys, Danny, call a timeout you'll vomit if you run around that much after such a big breakfast." I intercepted my son in one arm and caught Lydia in the other.
With Jess content with her teddy, the youngest two dressed, and the twins walking to school with Cathie, I turned now to April who had an afternoon class.
"April honey, what's wrong?" I cuddled my daughter, mindful of the fact that I was nearly late for work. I had another shift on at the hospital again as a ward nurse 9am-3pm, followed by the midnight-6am shift in ER. I didn't know how or why I'd been double booked but as there was no one to relieve me, I had to pull both shifts.
"I don't like school, Mike is mean to me!" April sobbed. "He makes fun of how I talk." April's stutter had initially caused a bit of interest from her classmates, but was now ignored at pain of lunchtime detention.
"April, he's just new, I'll bet he's never seen anyone who talks quite like you before, and he can't understand how you talk in your unique way."
"What's you-nick?" April asked, sounding the word out carefully, having never heard it before.
"Unique Angel, means one-of-a-kind and special just like you are my darling." April's tears stilled.
"So, my ever beautiful Angel-face, how about you promise to go to school today, and give it one more try? I'll be home in the afternoon, so you can talk to me and tell me how it went okay darling. Ma is home all day, so she'll take you to Kinder, but I have to."
"Annie! Get your cute little tush out in the car or you're gonna be walking to work!" Hawkeye, who was driving me to Portland, had to make a house call in precisely 23 minutes, 20 of which would be occupied in getting me to the hospital.
"Okay Angel, I have to go, so be good okay. I love you."
"Annie, come on!" Hawkeye hollered thumping on the horn.
"ALRIGHT!" I shouted back, handing April over to Edna, grabbing my bag, shoes, stockings and hair clasp from the hall table and dashing out to the car barefoot. My feet froze in the frost that was still on the ground, and I was grateful when I could sink into the car and finish dressing.
"Sorry about that, it's just that I had to have a little chat with April." I explained as we turned onto the main road to Portland. "Her stutter is causing some unwarranted attention."
"That new kid she mentioned?" Hawkeye asked, stopping at an intersection, and ducking as my elbow narrowly missed his head while I did my hair.
"Yeah, I'm thinking maybe a trip to Boston is in order, to see Aunt Nora. She stutters too, it's something in the genes we think. Apparently my father stuttered. April just got the gene from both Charles and I."
"Makes sense." Hawkeye murmured, "It might do her good." He agreed louder, smiling briefly at me.
"Anyhow, we'll talk, have fun today, love you" We had arrived at the hospital and I dashed in, coming on just in time, and relieving the weary nurse.
I got home from a relatively uneventful day at work, to find Ben, Felicity and some of their little mates playing on the lawn, I smiled, Ben and Felicity weren't going to be as close as Jack and I had been for the first 25years of our lives, but I was happy to see them playing together anyway.
"Mum, April is inside, she's real upset about something." Felicity informed me. I threaded my way through the cowboy and Indians game that was happening and into the house.
"Annie, we're in here." Daniel called from his study. I went in, dropping my bag by the front door, scaring Glory, who was napping, she yelped and dashed into the laundry, where she bolted out the door and hid in the kennel.
"Oh, my Angel, Mike didn't tease you again did he?" My daughter sat, tears pouring down her face, on Daniel's lap while he tried to console her. "Where's Edna?" This was to Daniel.
"Upstairs, Lydia's had a long nap, so she's waking her so we can sleep tonight." We all knew if Lyddie slept too long at naptime, she'd never go to bed. By now, I'd sat down beside Dad and April was on my lap, crying.
"April, sweetheart, is the new boy really that bad to you my angel?" April nodded, cuddling against me.
"He's gotten Timmy, and Maria and Aunty Alice's friend to tease me too!" She wailed. Aunty Alice's friend was Clara, who had sat for April once or twice, however, it was not Clara but her young niece, Laura.
"Angel, don't listen to them, they're just silly children. Would it make you feel better if you went and stayed with Daddy and Aunt Nora for a while?" I hugged my daughter soothingly.
"Y-y-y-yes m-m-m-Mum." She sobbed inconsolably. I sighed, kids were so cruel sometimes and April's stutter seemed to be fodder for their teasing. I sat with her for a while, hugging her and rocking softly.
"Angel-eyes, how about Grandpa takes you upstairs to have a bath while I call Daddy? A nice hot bath before supper will make you feel heaps better and then we can sit down and talk about this a little more when you're calmer." I put this suggestion forward, once April's tears had stopped. She nodded and took Dad's hand.
"I've got to make a house call at 4.30." Dad said as he led April from the room.
"I'll call you Dad, and thanks. Where's Jess?" I'd promised to teach her a song on the piano, but I hoped she'd forget about that until after I'd called Charles.
"Playroom." Dad called as he and April went upstairs. I settled down and picked up the phone.
"Clarissa, it's Annabelle Pierce, could I speak to Charles please?" I said soon as the maid picked up the phone. I was told yes, and in a few seconds Charles had it picked up.
"Charlie dear, I was wondering if you had room for your daughter to stay for a little while."
"Certainly Annie, I'd love to have her here, as would mother and Honoria. But why?"
"She's been teased at school about her stutter, and I think that some time with Nora, and yourself may help."
"Of course she can stay! I can drive up even tonight if you like. But when did this start?"
"Two, maybe three days ago, but she's taken it really hard. It's a new kid who started it, and I want to get in early before it gets too bad." I explained. "Hey mate, Mummy will kiss it better." I added as Danny ran in, football in hand, crying about a bumped head sustained playing football and climbed onto my lap. He settled there as I kissed the little bruise and listened to Charles's response.
"I see your point Anne, I'm sorry I'm not there now, when she needs me. When would you like me to come up?"
"Tomorrow, I'd like to try one more day of school. I also need to arrange time off for her. It's now 4, and I'm due for an ER shift in 8hours, and I need to eat, teach Jess a song, sleep if possible, listen to BJ and Lyssa's reading, talk to April more, play football with Danny, spend time with Lydia and practise juggling, so I really have to go."
"Of course Annie, I shall drive up tomorrow night. Honoria may come too, so April gets to know her better."
"That's fine you can both stay the night, I won't have you driving back so late, it'd be a strain on you."
"Of course, now you must go." Charles and I said goodbye, and Danny and I began a raucous game of football in the living room, which eventually the whole family joined in even April and Edna, April feeling as I had predicted much better after her bath. The game ended when Dad left for his house call.
"I learn song now Mummy?" Jess wanted to begin and my beautiful daughter and I sat down at the piano.
"Baby, it's like this." I played her the piece, "When a note is here, on the fourth line, it's always a D, which is right here, between the two black notes." I was talking treble, not bass, in which case the fourth line of the stave was F.
"Like this?" Jess got it wrong again. She was struggling to comprehend putting what she saw, onto the keyboard. However, at going 5, she was still very good and amazingly persistent.
"Honey, remember this bit here, see." I pointed and played simultaneously "Now, I promised Ben and Felicity I would listen to their reading tonight honey, so can you practise until dinner?" She agreed and I called the twins.
"Okay, chickadees! Let's get reading." Edna was cooking, so I had enough time to attend to my family. Ben and Felicity settled on the sofa, Captain dozing underneath and read their books.
"Ben, when you see that 'p' and that letter 'l' together, they make a sound like 'pl' Sport, like in plenty." Ben wasn't the greatest reader, while Felicity had finished minutes earlier and was helping Edna with supper. "Try to read the next sentence okay?"
"The ow-owl look-ed u-p, up to the stars a-a-above." He stammered through the sentence.
"Darling, that was good, that word is funny I know, guitar." I explained. Ben read it again, and this time got guitar right but said that the owl was singing to the 'puh-sea' as in pus, the smelly yellow gunk in an infected wound.
Slowly, we finished the book, by which time I was finding my tolerance pushed, Ben was in frustrated tears and supper was ready. We adjourned to the dining room where April was sitting under the table. The table was very much loved and at anytime of the day, I could find one or all of my children playing under there.
"Never mind Sport, everyone has something they find harder." Hawkeye soothed. "You'll learn in time." I smiled at my wonderful husband, the phone rang and I hurried to pick it up. I was hoping they'd found a nurse to cover me, instead it was an old familiar voice on the other end of the line.
"Hey-hey, Max here!" I laughed at Klinger's familiar speech.
"Hi Max, how are you? Great, and Soon-Lee? That's lovely to hear! And the boys? Oh, that's fabulous!" Stephen, the younger of the two boys already adored baseball and 'Strike!' was among his first words.
"Say, Anne, you remember that baby that was at the camp, the time when you worked at the orphanage for a week by way of reality check?" I told him yes, and he continued "Well, we found out what happened to her."
"Oh, Klinger what?" I still called him Klinger, it was an appalling habit I had. "It's good news isn't it?"
"In a few weeks, Soon-Lee and I are having a child, an nine-year-old Korean- American named Madeline."
"Klinger, that is the best news I've heard in a long time! I'm so happy for you!" I was thrilled. "How?"
"She was sent to France and was raised in a convent with other Amerasian orphans. They searched mixed race marriages to find families for them, and when they came across us, they asked if we'd consider adopting. Well, we said yes, we'd love to have a daughter. We've discovered from a few photos they've sent us it's the baby."
"Max, that is lovely! I'm so happy for you. And of course, for Madeline!"
"Here's the thing, my family's. . ."
"Dead, pregnant, in jail?" Klinger laughed and continued.
"Unable to mind the two boys while Soon-Lee and I travel to France in three weeks. They're going out of town for my Uncle Abdul's first wife's niece's daughter's wedding. This is where you come in, I was wondering if you'd be able to mind Max and Stephen for a while?" I lost him at "out of town", but offered to help.
"I don't see why not, but listen, I'm due at the hospital in five hours, so I'll have to call you back soon, there are six little munchkins here waiting for me to get them to bed."
"Of course, but please, let me know." I agreed, and we hung up. I told Hawkeye the news, he was suitably thrilled, he had loved the little girl when she had stayed with them and was glad to hear she would be getting a new home. He also agreed the boys could stay, but I would call Klinger back in a few days when things were less hectic.
"Alright, Danny-boy it's bath time, let's go. Lydia you're next." By 8, all six children were bathed and asleep, much to my amazement. So, I settled down on my bed to juggle, while Hawkeye pondered a patient in the study.
"Damn!" I'd nearly got up a nice rhythm, which I promptly lost and the balls bounced harmlessly onto the bed.
"Practise my girl!" Hawkeye called. I tried a little longer, and then fell asleep, to have Hawkeye wake me at 10.
"Anne my love, you've got to go to work again." He shook me gently, wearing his pyjamas, ready for bed himself.
"Thanks Ben dear," I roused myself and was soon in the ER of Portland General. The night wasn't too busy, and although the hospital was understaffed, we were also lacking in patients, making it a reasonably easy shift.
"Nurse Pierce, report to Psychiatry immediately!" I jumped, and wondered why I'd be pulled off my post. However I headed over to the Psych ward at once. A doctor met me.
"Pierce, we've been talking to a Doctor Freedman, he's a psychiatrist in Manhattan, about an patient who came in today, it seems Dr Freedman knows of you and he told us to let you talk to the patient. The patient's not talking to anyone. Here's his room." I went in, the man lay on his bed, he was facing the wall and didn't even look up when I came in. I said hello but he didn't reply, in fact he continued to ignore my presence as I checked his name.
"Listen, umm, Jim." I said, "I'm Annabelle Pierce, I was told to come and say hello to you." He rolled over and looked at me, I recognised the face at once, he recognised me too.
"Annie! Annie Pierce!" He sat up and offered me a seat beside him.
"Jim, it's so good to see you! How are you?" He shook his head, misery in every feature. "Is it why you're here?" I asked softly. Slowly, hesitatingly, Jim began his story.
"A bunch of guys found out about me. You see, I have this, well, friend. Chris Stallone. " He looked away.
"Chris is more than a friend?" Jim nodded. Jim was the homosexual patient I'd met at the 4077th.
"He was, he's dead. I don't know what the word is, but I go for girls too. Chris found out, and he got drunk, and then started shouting. Some gang that were outside the bar heard and they beat up on us. I got away, and I just kept running. I was found later, pretty bashed up, I didn't say a word, so they stuck me here in the Pysch ward."
"It's okay Jim," I said, tears pricking in my eyes. "Why haven't you spoken?"
"Because, they killed him, and they would've killed me too, but I was a coward and I ran, he protected me and told me to run, so I did. I didn't fight them, I just ran like a coward and my best friend died because of it." Jim's tears were leaving a wet patch on my shoulder that was soaking through to my skin.
"Jim, I bet Chris was running too, if you'd both fought, you against all those others, you would have died too. Both of you, or maybe just you, how would you think Chris would feel if you were dead and he wasn't?"
"Like I do now." Jim answered.
"Or would he say that he was lucky? That you gave him the gift of a second chance at life? Because that's what Chris did for you. Did you love Chris?"
"Very much, we . . ."
"Don't go into details. But he loved you, and because of that he wanted to protect you, and he did."
"I'm still a coward Anne, I should have fought."
"And maybe you should have, but where would that have got you? Dead. You're much more useful on this planet as a living human being rather than another senseless casualty of discrimination."
"I see your point now Annie." Jim stopped crying and smiled.
"Good, I hoped so. Of course Jim, you do understand, that you're a long way from better. The doctor will talk to you lots more. I'm not a psych, I'm just a nurse." It was an old joke that I was glad to see Jim plainly remembered.
"I know, I will, and you can't be a psych, you're not screwed up enough." We burst into laughter, each peal echoing around the quiet hospital. It brought several nurses and interns running.
"Get Dr Gaylor!" Jim and I kept laughing and Dr Gaylor, fearing something was terribly wrong came at a run. He too, started to laugh when he saw us laughing hysterically.
"Congratulations Pierce, I'm glad we spoke to doctor Freedman. He was the one who recommended you." Gaylor said, clearing the audience away. "You can return to your post."
"Wait a minute. Jim, I'm sure you'll have a very happy life, whether you choose to live it with a Chris or a Christine." I smiled from the doorway. Gaylor gave me a smile saying thankyou.
"Would it be permissible for the patient to hug the nurse?" Jim asked, I caught the Dr's eyes.
"I don't see why not." He said with a laugh. He'd figured that we already knew each other before.
"Thankyou so much Annie." Jim wrapped me in a bear hug I returned it with a grin and went back to the ER.
By the end of my shift I was suitably exhausted, and caught a cab back home. It was nearly seven when I dragged myself into the house, and I was shocked to find everyone still asleep, so after rousing them all and seeing them off to school and work, even April agreed to try one more day, I went upstairs and fell asleep with Danny.
It turned out April hadn't enjoyed her day at school and I had to pick her up from the office at lunchtime, sobbing her beautiful little eyes out. Not surprisingly I was exhausted, 5hours' sleep and a 6hour shift didn't add up, and I was finding my patience very much tried.
"April, baby just settle down, Daddy and maybe Aunt Nora are coming tonight and you're going to go stay with them for three days." I massaged my head and took along sip of coffee. Fortunately April was pretty tired from crying and went to sleep, while I rang Klinger and arranged when his kids would be staying with us.
"We'll see you then." I hung up. In a little over two weeks, almost 5yo Max Jr and 2yo Stephen would be joining our family for almost a month while Klinger and Soon-Lee adopted Madeline. As they had to leave from New York, Max and Soon-Lee would do an overnighter in the Cove. We were quite happy with that arrangement, and we hoped by then that I would have mastered juggling, April would be calmer about stuttering, and Ben's reading would have improved.
"Charlie, Nora, I'm so glad you made it!" I opened the door, Danny on my hip. I embraced Charles, and then Nora.
"Anything for April." I kissed Charles's face, which promptly blushed very red.
"Come on in, Nora, this is my place, the boy here is my youngest, Daniel." Danny smiled perkily, realising he was the topic of conversation. Nora, maternal (very!) fell in love at first sight. A few seconds later, we made it into the lounge Danny cuddled in Nora's arms, while Charles carried the overnight bags.
"Where's April?" Charles asked, upon seeing that Lydia and Jess played with the dogs and Edna, Felicity and Dad were cooking, and Ben and Hawkeye were outside.
"Sleeping, she's worn herself out with all her tears." I replied.
"I hope I can help." Nora stuttered, "Maybe talking to me will help her understand."
"That's what I hoped." I agreed, taking Danny from her, to finish bathing him. I'd fed the younger three earlier and I was trying to get them to bed one-by-one, April and the twins would eat when Dad and Lyss were done cooking.
"Goodnight all." Nora had been put into the master bedroom, and Hawkeye and I took the playroom so that she wouldn't receive the rude awakening Hawkeye and I expected at roughly five am when Danny and Ben appeared for a raucous pre-breakfast football game.
I saw my second eldest daughter off around lunchtime the next day, and with a determined air, I returned to my juggling. I was determined to get it, even if it killed me or drove me insane and it was well on the way to doing the former.
April returned three days later in high spirits. Dad was stuck with a patient at the Cove, Hawkeye had a shift, and Edna was at a sewing circle so it was just the kids and I. They would all be returning soon though.
"Hello Angel-eyes, look at you! Did Daddy buy that?" She was adorned in a beautiful new woollen hat and it sat adorably on top of her curls. With her blue eyes and rosy cheeks she was definitely reminiscent of an angel.
"Yep." She giggled. "And Daddy bought a hat for Lydia and Felicity and Jess too! Just like mine! Except Lydia's is green and Jess's is purple and Lyssa's is pink!" April's hat was a sunny yellow. There was also something different about the way she talked, but I couldn't quite place it.
"That was lovely, thankyou Charlie dear." I smiled up to see him looking at me with an expectant air.
"Aunty Nora and I helped pick them, and he bought Ben a coat and it's blue, Aunty Nora said it was army blue."
"Angel, I think you mean navy!" I gave a peal of laughter. The way she talked still puzzled me however.
"Yeah, navy and Daddy bought Danny a new football." Danny's old one had recently met it's demise at the hands, or rather teeth of Captain and Glory. He still had his little toy one, but the destruction of the proper one that all the kids used had proven to be heartbreaking for him.
"Charlie, thankyou! That's lovely of you, we weren't going to be able to get one for a while with having to pay for the new car." Hawkeye and I had bought a second car, with seatbelts fitted in addition to Dad's beat up 1951 Ford Victoria and Hawkeye's beloved whatever it was. We were dying to see Frank Burns's face when he heard we had a house worth upwards of $60,000 and three cars.
"Aunty Nora had to stay in Boston, she's gotten the flu and Daddy said she shouldn't travel." April added.
"Give her my con. . . . April Emma-Rose Winchester-Pierce, you're not stuttering!" I finally realised the difference in her speech.
"I know, Aunty Nora talked like me, and it was badder than me, and she asked me to help her stop it, by saying words for her properly, and I don't do it anymore."
"I doubt that was it, three days of practise is hardly enough, but she hasn't stuttered, or shut up, the entire drive up here." Charles smiled. I grinned and hugged April, as he continued. "We have no idea what triggered it."
"It's great, whatever she did, thankyou!" I hugged Charles tightly, and he returned the squeeze, just as Hawkeye, Dad and Edna walked in the door.
"Annie!" Hawkeye scolded with a playful grin, telling me he was okay with the hug, then saw the wide beam on April's face. "April, what's up?"
"I don't stutter anymore Hawkeye, Daddy and Aunty Nora helped me!" April grinned. Hawkeye swung April into the air with a whoop of joy.
"Mummy, mummy, listen, I can read now!" Ben ran downstairs with the book in his hand. He gave me the book and opened it, he began reading and pointing confidently to each word.
"The owl and the pussycat went to sea in a beautiful pea green boat. They took some honey and plenty of money wrapped up in a five-pound note. The owl looked up to the stars above and sang to a small guitar. 'Oh wonderful pussy, oh pussy my love, what a beautiful pussy you are, you are, what a beautiful pussy you are.'"
"Benjamin Jack! That's great! I am so proud of you sport, think how glad Mrs Tillman will be to hear that! What a night, April stops stuttering and you learn to read the book!" I hugged my son, and his arms, still chubby with baby fat curled around me tightly.
"Annie, if April can talk, and Ben can read. . ." Dad began, Edna emerged from the kitchen, holding out three apples. Determined, I took them from her and began to juggle, I was unsure, but this time I got it, I tossed them steadily around and around, without ever dropping them once.
"Annie! You did it!" Hawkeye kissed my cheek, and it was only then when I lost my balance as he rather energetically hugged me that I dropped them.
It was amazing, everything turned out okay, we'd all learnt or mastered whatever it was we'd wanted to, we didn't know how or why it was all so simultaneous, but we weren't going to question it as we got ready for dinner.
February 1961
"Then you just throw it and . . ." Three apples clattered to the ground. Hawkeye had been trying to teach me to juggle for the past week, and now as we both had the evening off with all the kids in bed, I was failing dismally.
"Edna will spew when she sees those apples." Hawkeye grinned. I shrugged as I picked up the bruised fruit. Danny loved stewed apples, and I was happy to oblige my 19mo son's appetite by cooking my juggling accidents. He was a big, big boy, with his father's height, and a sturdy little frame, quite unlike Hawkeye or myself.
"Never mind." I laughed. "I know practise makes perfect, so what say we practise for something else?" With Danny's second birthday (and my 35th) on the way, another, final child was on our agenda. We'd decided to leave it until the summer to attempt conception but it didn't mean that we weren't going to put in plenty of practise first.
"You're feeling feisty tonight honey." Hawkeye stated. I laughed and we headed upstairs.
The next morning, things were busy as I served breakfast with the phone jammed under my ear, giving Margaret advice about her 8mo daughters; Hannah didn't want to crawl, and Isabelle didn't want to sleep. Hawkeye had lost something, Dad cut himself shaving, and Edna was muttering as she tried to find an unbruised apple. Felicity was brushing her hair under the table, Ben was scrabbling under the sofas looking for his missing sneaker, April was refusing to go to school, Jess was screaming blue murder because her teddy was missing, Lydia was traipsing around nude, no idea how or why, and Danny was running around with a football, a Christmas gift from Colonel Potter who had come east for the holiday, which had now become his most treasured possession.
"Yes Margaret, no Margaret, of course I will Margaret, I hope to see you soon too. I love you, and I really have to go." I hung up, Margaret didn't often ring at a bad time for me, but she was at her wits' end with two boisterous daughters and a father whose disinterest in his offspring grew as the girls became more feminine.
"Okay Lydia get dressed, Edna I'll pick up some more apples at the store today and I'll buy myself some tennis balls as well. April honey, there's nothing wrong with school is there. You just had a bad day yesterday." A new boy named Mike had joined her class and April and he hadn't hit it off.
"Felicity, get out from under there, your hair looks fine, now can you help Jess find her teddy? Ben it's in the box in the laundry with the outdoor toys, Danny, call a timeout you'll vomit if you run around that much after such a big breakfast." I intercepted my son in one arm and caught Lydia in the other.
With Jess content with her teddy, the youngest two dressed, and the twins walking to school with Cathie, I turned now to April who had an afternoon class.
"April honey, what's wrong?" I cuddled my daughter, mindful of the fact that I was nearly late for work. I had another shift on at the hospital again as a ward nurse 9am-3pm, followed by the midnight-6am shift in ER. I didn't know how or why I'd been double booked but as there was no one to relieve me, I had to pull both shifts.
"I don't like school, Mike is mean to me!" April sobbed. "He makes fun of how I talk." April's stutter had initially caused a bit of interest from her classmates, but was now ignored at pain of lunchtime detention.
"April, he's just new, I'll bet he's never seen anyone who talks quite like you before, and he can't understand how you talk in your unique way."
"What's you-nick?" April asked, sounding the word out carefully, having never heard it before.
"Unique Angel, means one-of-a-kind and special just like you are my darling." April's tears stilled.
"So, my ever beautiful Angel-face, how about you promise to go to school today, and give it one more try? I'll be home in the afternoon, so you can talk to me and tell me how it went okay darling. Ma is home all day, so she'll take you to Kinder, but I have to."
"Annie! Get your cute little tush out in the car or you're gonna be walking to work!" Hawkeye, who was driving me to Portland, had to make a house call in precisely 23 minutes, 20 of which would be occupied in getting me to the hospital.
"Okay Angel, I have to go, so be good okay. I love you."
"Annie, come on!" Hawkeye hollered thumping on the horn.
"ALRIGHT!" I shouted back, handing April over to Edna, grabbing my bag, shoes, stockings and hair clasp from the hall table and dashing out to the car barefoot. My feet froze in the frost that was still on the ground, and I was grateful when I could sink into the car and finish dressing.
"Sorry about that, it's just that I had to have a little chat with April." I explained as we turned onto the main road to Portland. "Her stutter is causing some unwarranted attention."
"That new kid she mentioned?" Hawkeye asked, stopping at an intersection, and ducking as my elbow narrowly missed his head while I did my hair.
"Yeah, I'm thinking maybe a trip to Boston is in order, to see Aunt Nora. She stutters too, it's something in the genes we think. Apparently my father stuttered. April just got the gene from both Charles and I."
"Makes sense." Hawkeye murmured, "It might do her good." He agreed louder, smiling briefly at me.
"Anyhow, we'll talk, have fun today, love you" We had arrived at the hospital and I dashed in, coming on just in time, and relieving the weary nurse.
I got home from a relatively uneventful day at work, to find Ben, Felicity and some of their little mates playing on the lawn, I smiled, Ben and Felicity weren't going to be as close as Jack and I had been for the first 25years of our lives, but I was happy to see them playing together anyway.
"Mum, April is inside, she's real upset about something." Felicity informed me. I threaded my way through the cowboy and Indians game that was happening and into the house.
"Annie, we're in here." Daniel called from his study. I went in, dropping my bag by the front door, scaring Glory, who was napping, she yelped and dashed into the laundry, where she bolted out the door and hid in the kennel.
"Oh, my Angel, Mike didn't tease you again did he?" My daughter sat, tears pouring down her face, on Daniel's lap while he tried to console her. "Where's Edna?" This was to Daniel.
"Upstairs, Lydia's had a long nap, so she's waking her so we can sleep tonight." We all knew if Lyddie slept too long at naptime, she'd never go to bed. By now, I'd sat down beside Dad and April was on my lap, crying.
"April, sweetheart, is the new boy really that bad to you my angel?" April nodded, cuddling against me.
"He's gotten Timmy, and Maria and Aunty Alice's friend to tease me too!" She wailed. Aunty Alice's friend was Clara, who had sat for April once or twice, however, it was not Clara but her young niece, Laura.
"Angel, don't listen to them, they're just silly children. Would it make you feel better if you went and stayed with Daddy and Aunt Nora for a while?" I hugged my daughter soothingly.
"Y-y-y-yes m-m-m-Mum." She sobbed inconsolably. I sighed, kids were so cruel sometimes and April's stutter seemed to be fodder for their teasing. I sat with her for a while, hugging her and rocking softly.
"Angel-eyes, how about Grandpa takes you upstairs to have a bath while I call Daddy? A nice hot bath before supper will make you feel heaps better and then we can sit down and talk about this a little more when you're calmer." I put this suggestion forward, once April's tears had stopped. She nodded and took Dad's hand.
"I've got to make a house call at 4.30." Dad said as he led April from the room.
"I'll call you Dad, and thanks. Where's Jess?" I'd promised to teach her a song on the piano, but I hoped she'd forget about that until after I'd called Charles.
"Playroom." Dad called as he and April went upstairs. I settled down and picked up the phone.
"Clarissa, it's Annabelle Pierce, could I speak to Charles please?" I said soon as the maid picked up the phone. I was told yes, and in a few seconds Charles had it picked up.
"Charlie dear, I was wondering if you had room for your daughter to stay for a little while."
"Certainly Annie, I'd love to have her here, as would mother and Honoria. But why?"
"She's been teased at school about her stutter, and I think that some time with Nora, and yourself may help."
"Of course she can stay! I can drive up even tonight if you like. But when did this start?"
"Two, maybe three days ago, but she's taken it really hard. It's a new kid who started it, and I want to get in early before it gets too bad." I explained. "Hey mate, Mummy will kiss it better." I added as Danny ran in, football in hand, crying about a bumped head sustained playing football and climbed onto my lap. He settled there as I kissed the little bruise and listened to Charles's response.
"I see your point Anne, I'm sorry I'm not there now, when she needs me. When would you like me to come up?"
"Tomorrow, I'd like to try one more day of school. I also need to arrange time off for her. It's now 4, and I'm due for an ER shift in 8hours, and I need to eat, teach Jess a song, sleep if possible, listen to BJ and Lyssa's reading, talk to April more, play football with Danny, spend time with Lydia and practise juggling, so I really have to go."
"Of course Annie, I shall drive up tomorrow night. Honoria may come too, so April gets to know her better."
"That's fine you can both stay the night, I won't have you driving back so late, it'd be a strain on you."
"Of course, now you must go." Charles and I said goodbye, and Danny and I began a raucous game of football in the living room, which eventually the whole family joined in even April and Edna, April feeling as I had predicted much better after her bath. The game ended when Dad left for his house call.
"I learn song now Mummy?" Jess wanted to begin and my beautiful daughter and I sat down at the piano.
"Baby, it's like this." I played her the piece, "When a note is here, on the fourth line, it's always a D, which is right here, between the two black notes." I was talking treble, not bass, in which case the fourth line of the stave was F.
"Like this?" Jess got it wrong again. She was struggling to comprehend putting what she saw, onto the keyboard. However, at going 5, she was still very good and amazingly persistent.
"Honey, remember this bit here, see." I pointed and played simultaneously "Now, I promised Ben and Felicity I would listen to their reading tonight honey, so can you practise until dinner?" She agreed and I called the twins.
"Okay, chickadees! Let's get reading." Edna was cooking, so I had enough time to attend to my family. Ben and Felicity settled on the sofa, Captain dozing underneath and read their books.
"Ben, when you see that 'p' and that letter 'l' together, they make a sound like 'pl' Sport, like in plenty." Ben wasn't the greatest reader, while Felicity had finished minutes earlier and was helping Edna with supper. "Try to read the next sentence okay?"
"The ow-owl look-ed u-p, up to the stars a-a-above." He stammered through the sentence.
"Darling, that was good, that word is funny I know, guitar." I explained. Ben read it again, and this time got guitar right but said that the owl was singing to the 'puh-sea' as in pus, the smelly yellow gunk in an infected wound.
Slowly, we finished the book, by which time I was finding my tolerance pushed, Ben was in frustrated tears and supper was ready. We adjourned to the dining room where April was sitting under the table. The table was very much loved and at anytime of the day, I could find one or all of my children playing under there.
"Never mind Sport, everyone has something they find harder." Hawkeye soothed. "You'll learn in time." I smiled at my wonderful husband, the phone rang and I hurried to pick it up. I was hoping they'd found a nurse to cover me, instead it was an old familiar voice on the other end of the line.
"Hey-hey, Max here!" I laughed at Klinger's familiar speech.
"Hi Max, how are you? Great, and Soon-Lee? That's lovely to hear! And the boys? Oh, that's fabulous!" Stephen, the younger of the two boys already adored baseball and 'Strike!' was among his first words.
"Say, Anne, you remember that baby that was at the camp, the time when you worked at the orphanage for a week by way of reality check?" I told him yes, and he continued "Well, we found out what happened to her."
"Oh, Klinger what?" I still called him Klinger, it was an appalling habit I had. "It's good news isn't it?"
"In a few weeks, Soon-Lee and I are having a child, an nine-year-old Korean- American named Madeline."
"Klinger, that is the best news I've heard in a long time! I'm so happy for you!" I was thrilled. "How?"
"She was sent to France and was raised in a convent with other Amerasian orphans. They searched mixed race marriages to find families for them, and when they came across us, they asked if we'd consider adopting. Well, we said yes, we'd love to have a daughter. We've discovered from a few photos they've sent us it's the baby."
"Max, that is lovely! I'm so happy for you. And of course, for Madeline!"
"Here's the thing, my family's. . ."
"Dead, pregnant, in jail?" Klinger laughed and continued.
"Unable to mind the two boys while Soon-Lee and I travel to France in three weeks. They're going out of town for my Uncle Abdul's first wife's niece's daughter's wedding. This is where you come in, I was wondering if you'd be able to mind Max and Stephen for a while?" I lost him at "out of town", but offered to help.
"I don't see why not, but listen, I'm due at the hospital in five hours, so I'll have to call you back soon, there are six little munchkins here waiting for me to get them to bed."
"Of course, but please, let me know." I agreed, and we hung up. I told Hawkeye the news, he was suitably thrilled, he had loved the little girl when she had stayed with them and was glad to hear she would be getting a new home. He also agreed the boys could stay, but I would call Klinger back in a few days when things were less hectic.
"Alright, Danny-boy it's bath time, let's go. Lydia you're next." By 8, all six children were bathed and asleep, much to my amazement. So, I settled down on my bed to juggle, while Hawkeye pondered a patient in the study.
"Damn!" I'd nearly got up a nice rhythm, which I promptly lost and the balls bounced harmlessly onto the bed.
"Practise my girl!" Hawkeye called. I tried a little longer, and then fell asleep, to have Hawkeye wake me at 10.
"Anne my love, you've got to go to work again." He shook me gently, wearing his pyjamas, ready for bed himself.
"Thanks Ben dear," I roused myself and was soon in the ER of Portland General. The night wasn't too busy, and although the hospital was understaffed, we were also lacking in patients, making it a reasonably easy shift.
"Nurse Pierce, report to Psychiatry immediately!" I jumped, and wondered why I'd be pulled off my post. However I headed over to the Psych ward at once. A doctor met me.
"Pierce, we've been talking to a Doctor Freedman, he's a psychiatrist in Manhattan, about an patient who came in today, it seems Dr Freedman knows of you and he told us to let you talk to the patient. The patient's not talking to anyone. Here's his room." I went in, the man lay on his bed, he was facing the wall and didn't even look up when I came in. I said hello but he didn't reply, in fact he continued to ignore my presence as I checked his name.
"Listen, umm, Jim." I said, "I'm Annabelle Pierce, I was told to come and say hello to you." He rolled over and looked at me, I recognised the face at once, he recognised me too.
"Annie! Annie Pierce!" He sat up and offered me a seat beside him.
"Jim, it's so good to see you! How are you?" He shook his head, misery in every feature. "Is it why you're here?" I asked softly. Slowly, hesitatingly, Jim began his story.
"A bunch of guys found out about me. You see, I have this, well, friend. Chris Stallone. " He looked away.
"Chris is more than a friend?" Jim nodded. Jim was the homosexual patient I'd met at the 4077th.
"He was, he's dead. I don't know what the word is, but I go for girls too. Chris found out, and he got drunk, and then started shouting. Some gang that were outside the bar heard and they beat up on us. I got away, and I just kept running. I was found later, pretty bashed up, I didn't say a word, so they stuck me here in the Pysch ward."
"It's okay Jim," I said, tears pricking in my eyes. "Why haven't you spoken?"
"Because, they killed him, and they would've killed me too, but I was a coward and I ran, he protected me and told me to run, so I did. I didn't fight them, I just ran like a coward and my best friend died because of it." Jim's tears were leaving a wet patch on my shoulder that was soaking through to my skin.
"Jim, I bet Chris was running too, if you'd both fought, you against all those others, you would have died too. Both of you, or maybe just you, how would you think Chris would feel if you were dead and he wasn't?"
"Like I do now." Jim answered.
"Or would he say that he was lucky? That you gave him the gift of a second chance at life? Because that's what Chris did for you. Did you love Chris?"
"Very much, we . . ."
"Don't go into details. But he loved you, and because of that he wanted to protect you, and he did."
"I'm still a coward Anne, I should have fought."
"And maybe you should have, but where would that have got you? Dead. You're much more useful on this planet as a living human being rather than another senseless casualty of discrimination."
"I see your point now Annie." Jim stopped crying and smiled.
"Good, I hoped so. Of course Jim, you do understand, that you're a long way from better. The doctor will talk to you lots more. I'm not a psych, I'm just a nurse." It was an old joke that I was glad to see Jim plainly remembered.
"I know, I will, and you can't be a psych, you're not screwed up enough." We burst into laughter, each peal echoing around the quiet hospital. It brought several nurses and interns running.
"Get Dr Gaylor!" Jim and I kept laughing and Dr Gaylor, fearing something was terribly wrong came at a run. He too, started to laugh when he saw us laughing hysterically.
"Congratulations Pierce, I'm glad we spoke to doctor Freedman. He was the one who recommended you." Gaylor said, clearing the audience away. "You can return to your post."
"Wait a minute. Jim, I'm sure you'll have a very happy life, whether you choose to live it with a Chris or a Christine." I smiled from the doorway. Gaylor gave me a smile saying thankyou.
"Would it be permissible for the patient to hug the nurse?" Jim asked, I caught the Dr's eyes.
"I don't see why not." He said with a laugh. He'd figured that we already knew each other before.
"Thankyou so much Annie." Jim wrapped me in a bear hug I returned it with a grin and went back to the ER.
By the end of my shift I was suitably exhausted, and caught a cab back home. It was nearly seven when I dragged myself into the house, and I was shocked to find everyone still asleep, so after rousing them all and seeing them off to school and work, even April agreed to try one more day, I went upstairs and fell asleep with Danny.
It turned out April hadn't enjoyed her day at school and I had to pick her up from the office at lunchtime, sobbing her beautiful little eyes out. Not surprisingly I was exhausted, 5hours' sleep and a 6hour shift didn't add up, and I was finding my patience very much tried.
"April, baby just settle down, Daddy and maybe Aunt Nora are coming tonight and you're going to go stay with them for three days." I massaged my head and took along sip of coffee. Fortunately April was pretty tired from crying and went to sleep, while I rang Klinger and arranged when his kids would be staying with us.
"We'll see you then." I hung up. In a little over two weeks, almost 5yo Max Jr and 2yo Stephen would be joining our family for almost a month while Klinger and Soon-Lee adopted Madeline. As they had to leave from New York, Max and Soon-Lee would do an overnighter in the Cove. We were quite happy with that arrangement, and we hoped by then that I would have mastered juggling, April would be calmer about stuttering, and Ben's reading would have improved.
"Charlie, Nora, I'm so glad you made it!" I opened the door, Danny on my hip. I embraced Charles, and then Nora.
"Anything for April." I kissed Charles's face, which promptly blushed very red.
"Come on in, Nora, this is my place, the boy here is my youngest, Daniel." Danny smiled perkily, realising he was the topic of conversation. Nora, maternal (very!) fell in love at first sight. A few seconds later, we made it into the lounge Danny cuddled in Nora's arms, while Charles carried the overnight bags.
"Where's April?" Charles asked, upon seeing that Lydia and Jess played with the dogs and Edna, Felicity and Dad were cooking, and Ben and Hawkeye were outside.
"Sleeping, she's worn herself out with all her tears." I replied.
"I hope I can help." Nora stuttered, "Maybe talking to me will help her understand."
"That's what I hoped." I agreed, taking Danny from her, to finish bathing him. I'd fed the younger three earlier and I was trying to get them to bed one-by-one, April and the twins would eat when Dad and Lyss were done cooking.
"Goodnight all." Nora had been put into the master bedroom, and Hawkeye and I took the playroom so that she wouldn't receive the rude awakening Hawkeye and I expected at roughly five am when Danny and Ben appeared for a raucous pre-breakfast football game.
I saw my second eldest daughter off around lunchtime the next day, and with a determined air, I returned to my juggling. I was determined to get it, even if it killed me or drove me insane and it was well on the way to doing the former.
April returned three days later in high spirits. Dad was stuck with a patient at the Cove, Hawkeye had a shift, and Edna was at a sewing circle so it was just the kids and I. They would all be returning soon though.
"Hello Angel-eyes, look at you! Did Daddy buy that?" She was adorned in a beautiful new woollen hat and it sat adorably on top of her curls. With her blue eyes and rosy cheeks she was definitely reminiscent of an angel.
"Yep." She giggled. "And Daddy bought a hat for Lydia and Felicity and Jess too! Just like mine! Except Lydia's is green and Jess's is purple and Lyssa's is pink!" April's hat was a sunny yellow. There was also something different about the way she talked, but I couldn't quite place it.
"That was lovely, thankyou Charlie dear." I smiled up to see him looking at me with an expectant air.
"Aunty Nora and I helped pick them, and he bought Ben a coat and it's blue, Aunty Nora said it was army blue."
"Angel, I think you mean navy!" I gave a peal of laughter. The way she talked still puzzled me however.
"Yeah, navy and Daddy bought Danny a new football." Danny's old one had recently met it's demise at the hands, or rather teeth of Captain and Glory. He still had his little toy one, but the destruction of the proper one that all the kids used had proven to be heartbreaking for him.
"Charlie, thankyou! That's lovely of you, we weren't going to be able to get one for a while with having to pay for the new car." Hawkeye and I had bought a second car, with seatbelts fitted in addition to Dad's beat up 1951 Ford Victoria and Hawkeye's beloved whatever it was. We were dying to see Frank Burns's face when he heard we had a house worth upwards of $60,000 and three cars.
"Aunty Nora had to stay in Boston, she's gotten the flu and Daddy said she shouldn't travel." April added.
"Give her my con. . . . April Emma-Rose Winchester-Pierce, you're not stuttering!" I finally realised the difference in her speech.
"I know, Aunty Nora talked like me, and it was badder than me, and she asked me to help her stop it, by saying words for her properly, and I don't do it anymore."
"I doubt that was it, three days of practise is hardly enough, but she hasn't stuttered, or shut up, the entire drive up here." Charles smiled. I grinned and hugged April, as he continued. "We have no idea what triggered it."
"It's great, whatever she did, thankyou!" I hugged Charles tightly, and he returned the squeeze, just as Hawkeye, Dad and Edna walked in the door.
"Annie!" Hawkeye scolded with a playful grin, telling me he was okay with the hug, then saw the wide beam on April's face. "April, what's up?"
"I don't stutter anymore Hawkeye, Daddy and Aunty Nora helped me!" April grinned. Hawkeye swung April into the air with a whoop of joy.
"Mummy, mummy, listen, I can read now!" Ben ran downstairs with the book in his hand. He gave me the book and opened it, he began reading and pointing confidently to each word.
"The owl and the pussycat went to sea in a beautiful pea green boat. They took some honey and plenty of money wrapped up in a five-pound note. The owl looked up to the stars above and sang to a small guitar. 'Oh wonderful pussy, oh pussy my love, what a beautiful pussy you are, you are, what a beautiful pussy you are.'"
"Benjamin Jack! That's great! I am so proud of you sport, think how glad Mrs Tillman will be to hear that! What a night, April stops stuttering and you learn to read the book!" I hugged my son, and his arms, still chubby with baby fat curled around me tightly.
"Annie, if April can talk, and Ben can read. . ." Dad began, Edna emerged from the kitchen, holding out three apples. Determined, I took them from her and began to juggle, I was unsure, but this time I got it, I tossed them steadily around and around, without ever dropping them once.
"Annie! You did it!" Hawkeye kissed my cheek, and it was only then when I lost my balance as he rather energetically hugged me that I dropped them.
It was amazing, everything turned out okay, we'd all learnt or mastered whatever it was we'd wanted to, we didn't know how or why it was all so simultaneous, but we weren't going to question it as we got ready for dinner.