Oliver lay in bed with his hands tucked behind his head, staring at the ceiling, lost in thought. He glanced at the clock. Quarter to seven. It was Saturday. He allowed himself an extra half an hour of sleep on Saturdays, but today his thoughts had awoken him right at 6:30.
Shane stirred slightly next to him, but remained asleep. He carefully reached over and tucked a few stray hairs behind her ear. He smiled to himself. A prayer of thanks went heavenward once again and a feeling of contentment washed over him.
He smiled again, thinking of the new things he was learning about her. Shane often gave herself more than an extra half hour of sleep on Saturdays. She refused to set an alarm on the weekends, unless necessary. Today was Rita's baby shower and Oliver knew her alarm would go off at 7, she would hit snooze twice, and finally rise around 7:30. Guests would begin to arrive at 11. There was much to do before then.
Oliver very carefully slipped out of bed, hoping not to wake Shane. He grabbed his robe and slippers and headed to the kitchen to make coffee and something for breakfast. Shane would need both. He would as well.
Oliver's brow furrowed slightly as he remembered how tired Shane had looked the night before. It had been a long week. Work had pushed them all to their limits. They still hadn't made any headway on locating the recipient of the ring and letter. Oliver and Norman had stayed late at work the last few nights, knowing that was the only way to catch up. Shane, along with Rita and Heather, had spent the evenings working on baby shower plans.
In addition to that, Shane had wasted no time and had Dr. Noom refer her to a high-risk pregnancy specialist. They'd gotten her in quickly and Oliver had attended the appointment with her just the day before. Shane seemed to know exactly which questions to ask and left feeling optimistic. Oliver left with his head spinning, feeling completely inadequate to support Shane during this process. They'd come home with several pamphlets on pregnancy and childbirth. To Oliver, it seemed like a foreign language.
"Hmm, you appear deep in thought, Oliver. Something on your mind?" asked Shane as she rolled into the kitchen.
Oliver jumped slightly as Shane began to speak. He had not heard her enter. He turned towards her and smiled, "Good morning, beautiful."
Shane smiled all the way to her eyes, "Good morning." She then looked at him, head cocked to the side, waiting for a response.
Oliver sighed, "I have many things on my mind." He set down the plate he was holding and grinned, "But mostly I'm thinking about how we both need a good breakfast and coffee to tackle the day."
Shane smiled as Oliver walked over and kissed her on the cheek. He then began bringing plates and silverware to the table.
"Are you and Norman really going to work today, instead of going to the stamp symposium?" asked Shane.
"I believe we must." said Oliver as he poured two cups of coffee.
"I'm sorry Rita and I won't be able to help today, Oliver." Shane sighed and looked contemplative. "It's really bothering me that we haven't made any headway on that dead letter. It feels so urgent. I even had a dream about it last night!"
"It's been on my mind as well." said Oliver. "In difficult cases such as these with many dead ends, I believe the timing must be very important."
Shane nodded, knowing he was probably right. "Well, we better hurry and get ready. Norman and Rita should be here at 8:00 to put up the tent. And my mom is coming at 9:00 to help set up."
Oliver took a sip of coffee and simply looked at Shane.
"What is it?" she asked, confused by his expression.
"One of these days, I'd like to spend an entire Saturday with just you, honeymoon style." said Oliver, flirtatiously.
Shane laughed, flattered. "That was quite the bold statement, Mr. O'Toole. I would love that." She reached over and squeezed his hand and smiled. "Thanks for breakfast."
Oliver smiled with teasing eyes, "It was my pleasure, Ms. McInerney."
Shane gasped and laughed, "You said it!" She looked thoughtful. "You're right though, Mrs. O'Toole sounds much better."
Oliver chuckled and took another sip of coffee. "I agree."
"Should we offer assistance?" asked Heather. She stood on one side of Shane's chair, Rita stood on the other, both with arms full of decorations for the tables. They all watched as Oliver and Norman attempted to erect the tent over the tables.
"Oh, we already did." said Shane with a concerned expression.
Rita grinned awkwardly, "Norman and Oliver both insisted they had it under control."
As if on cue, half of the tent collapsed onto Norman.
"Well, I think they were trying to be considerate of our...conditions." added Rita.
"Yes," agreed Shane, "but we are capable of steadying a few poles." She knew it was because he cared, but sometimes Oliver wanted her to be too careful.
Heather glanced at her watch, nearly 9:45. They were running out of time for set up. She glanced at Shane and Rita and they all nodded in unison. They set down the decorations they were holding and all quickly helped with the tent. It was up in 5 minutes.
"Well," said Norman as he looked at Shane, Rita, and Heather, "Thank you for your help."
They all smiled.
Oliver was analyzing the tent. "You know, I think it is slightly crooked. Perhaps we should make some adjustments…"
Shane tilted her head to the side. It was almost completely straight. "Oliver?"
"Hmm?" he said, still looking at the tent.
"What are the chances it will collapse onto our baby shower guests?" Shane asked sweetly.
He looked at her, "Well, very slim, I suppose. The structure seems sound…"
"Great! Then it's perfect!" said Shane, signaling to Heather and Rita to start decorating the tables.
"It looks great, Oliver." added Heather with a smile.
Oliver sighed and smiled at Shane, realizing she was challenging his perfectionism once again. "It is time for Norman and I to depart for the DLO." He leaned down and gave Shane a kiss, whispering an 'I love you' in her ear.
"Have a great day!" exclaimed Rita, after Norman had kissed her goodbye.
"And let us know if you make any progress on the mystery couple!" added Shane.
Norman turned around once again, "Oh, Rita, don't forget to use the signal." This was followed by a wink.
Shane looked at Rita with a questioning face.
Rita smiled at Norman and gave him a thumbs up.
Heather waited until they were out of sight before commenting, "Those two are as good as they come!"
Shane and Rita were both beaming.
"The signal?" asked Shane.
"Oh, if I go into labor while apart and can't call him, I text him "baby time" in all capital letters."
Shane smiled, "You two are so adorable."
"Rita, it's so good to see you, but why are you helping with your own baby shower set up?" asked Heather.
"Oh, I begged Shane to let me! Otherwise I would be in my apartment 'nesting' and driving Norman crazy when I ask him to move the dresser for the 11th time." replied Rita with a chuckle.
"I bet he never complained about having to move it once." said Shane.
Rita grinned, "He has been so supportive."
They quickly finished the decorations and then went inside to focus on food preparations.
"All set!" said Shane as Heather slid the last dessert tray into the refrigerator.
"Guests should begin to arrive in about half an hour!" said Heather.
The doorbell rang.
"Or right away?" said Shane as she wheeled herself to the door. "Rita, did we put up the sign directing guests to the backyard gate?"
Rita nodded, "Yes, I'm sure we did!"
Shane opened the door and there stood Andrea. Shane was so surprised to see her, she was speechless.
"Hi." said Andrea, looking very uncomfortable. She smiled as if out of practice. She held out a gift bag towards Shane, "I can't stay. This is for Rita."
Rita popped her head around Shane and took the gift. "Thank you so much, Andrea! Are you sure you can't stay? We've got a lot of fun things planned!"
To their surprise, Andrea hesitated slightly, "No, thank you. Congratulations." And then she walked away.
Shane closed the front door. "Hmm, what do you make of that?"
"I don't know!" exclaimed Rita. "It was so sweet of her to bring a gift!"
"That was Andrea?" asked Heather, surprised as well. "She must really like you Rita."
"Open the gift!" said Shane.
"Oh, I should probably wait until later when we open all of the presents…" replied Rita.
"We can place it back into the bag and stack it with the other gifts!" encouraged Shane. "Don't you want to take just a little peek?"
Heather laughed, "Says the girl who carefully unwrapped and rewrapped all of her Christmas presents one year just to 'take a little peek.' Don't let her influence you, Rita!"
Shane laughed, "Guilty."
Rita hesitated slightly, "Well, I suppose it wouldn't hurt anything…" She carefully pulled the tissue paper aside and gasped softly.
Heather and Shane leaned forward, trying to glimpse what was inside.
Rita pulled out a baby quilt, clearly handmade. The top had fabrics featuring different post office themed prints. The bottom was a soft minky fabric in red. There were pink accents, making it clear it was meant for a baby girl. The details were amazing.
"Wow!" exclaimed Shane.
"It's beautiful!" added Heather.
Rita actually had tears in her eyes as she opened the card inside. She read it out loud:
Rita,
Congratulations on the new baby. Thank you for being kind.
-Andrea
"Wow..." said Shane.
"People can really surprise you, huh? I knew she had a soft spot!" said Rita happily.
The doorbell rang again, causing all three of them to jump. Shane opened it and there stood Hazel, gift in hand.
She came right in, clearly distressed. "Hi, so sorry I'm early! Rita, what a pretty floral dress, I love it! You are glowing! Oh, hi Shane's mom! So good to see you again. Oh, I'm so frazzled! Could you two do me a huge favor?"
Shane and Rita glanced at one another with an apprehensive look.
Hazel didn't give them a chance to respond, "My wedding is in two weeks and Lester's sisters were supposed to be bridesmaids, but they began to fight over who was going to be my maid of honor and who was going to wear which color. Well, of course this arguing upset me and Lester told all of them that none of them could be in his wedding anymore. And he was serious, I assure you. Which is very sweet that he was worried about me, but now I have no bridesmaids and Lester has a best man and a groomsman! Everything is off balance and...would you two please do it?!"
Hazel paused speaking for a moment, clearly out of breath.
"Why don't you sit down over here, Hazel, and I'll get you some lemonade." said Heather, concerned Hazel may faint.
"Oh, thank you." said Hazel with a sigh as she dropped into the chair.
Shane turned her chair to face Hazel and Rita took a seat on the couch.
"You want us to be your bridesmaids?" asked Shane, surprised.
Hazel nodded and took a sip of lemonade.
"I don't know, Hazel...what if Lester changes his mind?" asked Shane.
"He won't! And I'd rather have you two anyway. I like you both better than anyone!" exclaimed Hazel.
Shane looked at Rita with raised eyebrows, letting her know it was up to her. She would be the one very pregnant in over 90 degree weather.
Rita smiled, "Of course we will! What would you like us to wear?"
Hazel looked relieved. She jumped up and hugged them each tightly. She reached into her purse and whipped out two pieces of cardstock with a printed schedule and handed one to Rita and then to Shane. "The wedding is Saturday morning at Washington Park, and then the luncheon and reception, and then you're done! Easy peasy!"
Shane and Rita just smiled at her, trying to take everything in.
"Is there no rehearsal dinner, Hazel?" asked Shane.
"Oh, nope. Lester wanted the wedding to be more authentic and less rehearsed. Isn't that nice? As far as dresses, anything in pastel purple or blue would work just fine!"
Rita smiled sincerely, "It was so sweet of you to think of us, Hazel."
Shane just smiled and nodded in agreement.
Heather interrupted, "It looks like guests are starting to arrive. Should we go out back?"
Hazel bounced out of the room, through the back door.
Shane placed a hand on Rita's arm to stop her from leaving. "Rita, are you sure you are going to be okay standing out in the heat? How many weeks will you be?"
Rita sighed, "About 36. I think it will be alright. I'm not sure Norman is going to like it though. He's been really encouraging me to stay off my feet, but Hazel really needs our help. I'm sure he'll understand."
"Well, maybe we could dress shop tomorrow and find you something really comfortable?" suggested Shane.
"That sounds great! Because I really don't have anything that would work!" replied Rita as they quickly headed outside.
"Well, that should do it." said Norman as he stood and brushed the dust off his jeans and t-shirt. He couldn't remember a time he had been this casually dressed in the DLO, but Oliver had said to wear clothes he didn't mind getting dirty. Oliver himself wore a plaid button up and cargo pants, which to Norman looked terribly out of place.
After finishing sorting mail for the week, they'd done some rearranging to hopefully streamline the process moving forward. Oliver was a little worried about Rita's approaching absence.
"Would you like a Yoo-Hoo?" asked Oliver as he opened the refrigerator to retrieve one for himself.
"Sure." said Norman.
Oliver glanced at Norman's t-shirt which happened to say, 'Dad to-be.' He knew Norman's initial nervousness had shifted towards excitement. "So, Norman, when you first discovered Rita was expecting, did you understand all the uh, details of what occurs when a woman, well...during pregnancy?" asked Oliver.
Norman shook his head with wide eyes. "Nope. No idea whatsoever. But then I read books. Lots of books." Norman walked over to his desk and opened a drawer, pulling out half a dozen books on pregnancy and childbirth.
"Hmm, I see." Oliver nodded, "Could I perhaps borrow a few of those, as long as you are finished with them?" Oliver looked slightly awkward as he spoke.
Norman's eyes got wide, "Is Shane…?"
"Oh, no, no…" said Oliver quickly, "I, uh, simply want to be prepared for future possibilities." said Oliver, starting to wish he hadn't asked.
Norman gave him a knowing look. He handed Oliver a few books. Oliver placed them in his desk drawer.
"Thank you for your help today, Norman. I could not have moved all of these shelves without assistance." said Oliver.
Norman nodded. "It's no problem. Rita is nesting. I've had lots of practice moving things around lately."
"Nesting?" asked Oliver, clearly confused.
"Read the books." replied Norman. "It's all in the books."
"Ah." Oliver nodded, still confused.
"Ya know, Oliver, I had a thought yesterday in regards to the lost letter. I was moving a box of Rita's Miss Special Delivery memorabilia and I remembered Peter had said, "many look to you for inspiration." Perhaps our letter recipient was previously Miss Special Delivery?" suggested Norman.
"You may be onto something there, Norman." Oliver walked over to his desk to read the letter once again.
Shane and Rita suddenly came through the doors, laughing and talking.
Oliver smiled, "What are you two doing here?"
"Well, the baby shower is over, so we thought we'd come and help." said Shane, "but it looks like you are all caught up."
"Wait until you see all the gifts, Norman! We know so many generous people! We also brought some leftover appetizers and cake!" announced Rita.
"Great!" said Norman, taking a plate from Rita.
"Wow, you guys have been working hard!" said Rita, looking around the DLO.
"Hopefully this new arrangement will help things go more smoothly during the week." said Oliver.
"I see you are looking at Peter's letter once again." said Shane. "Any new ideas?"
"Norman suggested our letter recipient may have previously been Miss Special Delivery. And he may be correct. Peter said, 'Many look to you for inspiration' and 'you will inspire wherever you go.'
"There is no one more inspiring at the post office than Miss Special Delivery." said Norman, a boyish grin on his face as he looked at Rita.
"That actually seems very possible." said Shane, looking thoughtful. "We know Peter mailed from Denver, but what if our mystery lady worked at a different branch?"
"Oh," said Rita, "Well, Colorado has 437 branches, and Denver County has 17, and at least...12 of those were operating 20 years ago."
"Not to mention," added Oliver, "if she in fact was Miss Special Delivery, she may not have been the year the letter was sent."
They all paused for a moment, thinking.
"Well, I'll pull some lists anyway," concluded Shane. "At least from Denver County for '98 and '99. It may prove fruitless, but we could contact each Miss Special Delivery and ask her if she knew a man named Peter 20 years ago."
Oliver nodded, agreeing to that course of action. "Good observation, Norman. This may be a piece to the puzzle."
Norman smiled as best he could with a mouth full of food.
"I hope so." said Rita.
"Me too." said Shane.
All four looked at the pink box sitting on Oliver's desk.
