Chapter 9

Mrs. Haley came out into the front yard when Jarrod and the boys returned. "Don't worry," Mrs. Haley said to them quickly. "I'll be here all night and tomorrow night if need be, until your mother gets some strength back. I can look after you boys for now and I think she would like it if she wakes up and finds you're here with her."

Jarrod was relieved with that. At least things would be stable here for tonight. "I'm gonna go get some food for all of you. Why don't you fellas come with me and help me?" Jarrod figured they still needed that, to feel like they were helping.

Mrs. Haley smiled. "That's a good idea."

"Then I'm gonna have to leave, I'm afraid," Jarrod said, "but don't worry. Mrs. Haley will take good care of you guys, and maybe sometime tomorrow your ma will be awake enough to see you and maybe give permission for you to go see your pa. I'll come back tomorrow morning."

Jack Jr. and Randy looked at each other but didn't say anything.

Jarrod said, "Come on, now. I need you to help me bring the food back. Will you help me with that?"

"Okay," Jack Jr. said.

XXXXXXX

Weary and grieved, Jarrod arrived home after dinner had started there. He kissed his mother, saying, "Sorry I'm late, but I've already eaten. I had to get the Main boys fed." He sat down and asked Nick to pour him some coffee.

"What's happening there?" Nick asked. "Is Frances a problem?"

"Frances had her baby today," Jarrod said. "A girl. It was stillborn."

Victoria and Audra both moaned.

"Frances is quite exhausted and slept all day afterward," Jarrod said and took a sip of coffee. "I spent the day with Jack Jr. and Randy, trying to keep them occupied, but you can imagine how unhappy they are right now. Mrs. Haley is staying over and taking care of Frances and the boys and we thought it was best if the boys were there when their mother wakes up. I'll go back in the morning. And I'm going to have to go up and tell Jack what's happened. How did he do today?"

"Thank heaven there's something to be happy for," Audra said. "He stood up several times today, and he is able to say his sons' names. A little garbled, but recognizable. Are the boys going to be able to come see him?"

Jarrod shook his head. "Not yet. Frances wasn't up to considering that today. Mrs. Haley will take care of everything there tonight. Jack Jr. and Randy and I went over to the town cemetery to pick out a spot for the baby to be buried. It was their idea. I think they cared more about that baby than anybody else did."

"I assume there won't be any kind of service," Victoria said.

"Only if Frances were to scream out loud for it, and she's not able and frankly never showed any interest."

"Did you see her?" Audra asked.

"No, she wasn't up to it. It's going to be tomorrow at least before she's up to much of anything, and the baby needs to be buried soon. I suspect they'll do it tomorrow, quietly."

Jarrod rubbed the back of his neck and finished his coffee. Nick started to pour more for him, but Jarrod shook him off and got up.

"Do you want me to go up to see Jack with you?" Heath asked.

Jarrod shook his head. "We might have some confidential things to talk about, Heath. If I need you, I'll yell for you."

"Poor Jarrod, he looks exhausted," Audra said after Jarrod left.

"This is about the roughest divorce I've seen him handle," Victoria said.

"Well, I hate to put it this way," Nick said, "but it might be easier to deal with now that the baby is…". He stopped, knowing that anything he was to say was going to sound brutal.

"You never know what a baby might have become if she had lived," Victoria mused. "Many children rise above their beginnings. It's sad that we'll never know about this one."

But she saw Nick's point, even if as a mother she could not bring herself to agree with it.

Jarrod gave a knock on the guest room door before he went in. He found Jack just lying there, as usual, but he was awake and he actually made an effort to sit up more in bed, using both arms. Jarrod quickly moved to help him.

"No," Jack said before Jarrod could touch him, and he rested back. "'Nuff," he said.

"Jack, I have news," Jarrod said. "Frances had the baby today, a girl. I'm sorry, but it was stillborn."

Jack nodded a little. He tried to say something but it came out just as a "Kay?" with a question mark.

Jarrod assumed he was asking about Frances. "Frances is quite exhausted but Mrs. Haley is taking care of her and the boys overnight. I'll go back there in the morning."

Jack closed his eyes, nodding slightly.

"Needless to say, I can't ask her to come out or about bringing the boys out just yet," Jarrod said. "If she can see me tomorrow, I'll ask if I can bring Jack and Randy out, but one way or another, I'll see they're cared for and come see you as soon as possible."

Jack nodded a little again.

Jarrod said, "Audra says you've done even better today, and you sure sat yourself up pretty well just now. I think if you keep at it, Jack, you can regain a lot of what you've lost."

Jack snorted a laugh. His doubt was obvious even if he couldn't say the words.

"Keep trying, Jack," Jarrod said, "and I'll keep trying to get Frances and the boys out here as soon as I can."

"-Vorce – " Jack said.

Jarrod was surprised, not only that Jack brought it up but that he could actually say part of the word. "The divorce?"

Jack nodded, but then he said, "No. No – vorce – "

"You don't want a divorce anymore?"

"No," Jack said.

"May I tell Frances that tomorrow when I see her?"

"Aye," Jack said.

"You realize – she might want one now."

Jack shook his head. "No." The he tried very, very hard, squeezing his eyes closed, and said, "-ove."

"You want me to tell her you love her," Jarrod said. It was not a question.

"Aye," Jack said. He struggled to say something more, but he couldn't get any more words out. He grunted in frustration.

Jarrod sat down on the edge of the bed and put his hand on Jack's good right arm, making the man look up at him. "I will tell her you love her and you don't want a divorce, and Jack, I will do everything in my power to help you two work through this and put your family back together. I promise you that."

Jack smiled. His smile now took up both sides of his face.