Chapter 12: New Beginnings
Patrick comes flying in so excited to see Lee and Rosemary. He runs into Lee's arms, giving him a big hug, and then does the same to Rosemary. He shouts, "I'm going to live here? You are going to adopt me?"
With tears streaming down Lee and Rosemary's faces, Rosemary inquires, "Do you want to live here and for us to adopt you?"
Patrick enthusiastically says, "More than anything else in this world!"
Lee picks him up, and the three of them hug for what seems like an eternity. Grace and Elizabeth watch with tears in their eyes. They couldn't be happier for Lee and Rosemary.
Elizabeth says, "We will let you have some alone time, and then when you are ready, please come over. We have a little surprise for you."
Rosemary asks Patrick, "Would you like to see your room?"
Patrick answers, "Oh, yes, please!" The three of them walk into his room, and they notice the look on Patrick's face.
Rosemary inquires, "Do you like it?"
"This is all for me? I have never had my own room or this many toys and books. Thank you!" He gives them another big hug.
Lee says, "You're welcome. We are so glad you are finally here. We are sorry it took so long. We wanted to bring you home when we left Brookfield, but we had to wait to get permission. When did you find out you were coming here?"
Patrick responds, "Miss Grace and Miss Lillian surprised me about a week ago and said you wanted me to come live with you and adopt me. They asked if I would like that. I told them very much! I asked when I could see you. Miss Grace told me she could take me in a few days." Patrick walks to the settee in his room and takes a piece of paper out of his bag. "This is a drawing I did of us three playing with the top the first day we met."
Rosemary takes the drawing for her and Lee to look at and says, "Oh, Patrick, it is perfect! I remember that day very well. You were in our hearts even that first day. We knew we wanted to bring you home and adopt you." She hugs Patrick and wipes a tear from her eye. "I made you something. Do you like peanut butter cookies?"
"Yes, please. Peanut butter cookies are my second favorite."
Rosemary giggles, "Okay, let's go downstairs and get one. Then we better go over to Elizabeth's house. It appears they have some sort of surprise for us."
The three of them each have a cookie, and then they walk into Elizabeth's house. Everyone yells, "Surprise!" Lee and Rosemary are happy to see Elizabeth, little Jack, and Grace, along with Nathan, Allie, Opal, Bill, Jesse, Clara, Fiona, Lucas, Carson, and Michael. Each person comes up and introduces themselves to Patrick and welcomes him to Hope Valley. After all the introductions, Allie and Opal invite Patrick to play in the backyard with them and little Jack.
Patrick looks at Lee and Rosemary, and they both nod in agreement. Patrick responds, "Sure." While Allie and Patrick are playing out back with Opal and little Jack, the adults are inside asking how Lee and Rosemary met Patrick and his backstory. Rosemary starts telling them about Diogo and his brothers and how they opened their hearts towards adoption. Immediately after, Lee contacted Lillian and Grace about a child for them to adopt. Patrick had just come to live at the New Hope orphanage, and Lillian and Grace thought Patrick was the perfect child for them! Grace explains Patrick's sad backstory of losing both parents and his brother a few years later.
Clara asks, "When will he officially be yours?"
Rosemary responds, "I am not sure exactly. We have been cleared to adopt and have signed all the necessary paperwork. We are just waiting for the official adoption decree to come in. Bill, do you know how long it will take?"
Bill answers, "It could take several months, but it is just a formality. For all intents and purposes, he is yours from now on." Rosemary and Lee both let out a sigh of relief. He has been their child in their hearts since they met him, and they can't wait to give him all the love and attention he deserves. They excuse themselves to go find Patrick. He is happily playing quoits with Allie, Opal, and little Jack. Lee comes from behind and wraps his arms around Rosemary. They watch their son play with the biggest grin on his face and adorable giggle.
Lee whispers, "Are you happy? Mama!"
She turns her head and whispers back, "I've never been so happy…except maybe on our wedding day. I love you. Papa!"
He plants a quick kiss on her lips and responds, "I love you more than you can ever know."
A few minutes later, Elizabeth comes outside to get Lee and Rosemary. She tells them people are starting to leave, "Did you want to say goodbye?"
Rosemary answers, "Oh, yes. Thank you for coming to get us and for putting this all together." She gives Elizabeth a hug and then takes Lee's arm as they walk inside. Lee and Rosemary tell their guests goodbye as each person leaves for the night. By the time everyone is gone, it is already supper time. Rosemary invites Elizabeth, Nathan, Allie, little Jack, and Grace over for dinner. Lee runs to pick up some food from Abigail's since Rosemary didn't have a chance to prepare a meal. She tells them to come over in an hour. Rosemary goes in the back to get Patrick.
He comes running to her, shouting, "I won! I won!"
"You did? That is great, Patrick. I think it is time to go home now. Everyone is going to eat dinner at our house. Do you think you can help me set the table?"
"Yes, ma'am." They say goodbye and walk next door. Rosemary notices Patrick stopping for a moment contemplating something. Finally, he just asks, "What do I call you?"
"I will let you decide. Whatever makes you feel comfortable."
"I think I will call you, Miss Rosemary." Rosemary smiles and pats his back to let him know she is okay with being called Miss Rosemary, even though, on the inside, she's really hoping he will call her Mama.
She says a quick prayer to herself for God to give her patience. And for Patrick to know how much she and Lee love him and want to provide him with the world. She takes a moment to compose herself before putting a smile on her face. Rosemary grabs the plates, silverware, and glasses and sets them on the table, where Patrick helps her place them in all the correct spots. Lee smiles when he comes in with dinner and sees Rosemary and Patrick setting the table.
Lee asks, "How are my two-favorite people?" He kisses Rosemary on the cheek and messes with Patrick's hair.
Patrick giggles, "No, fair, I can't reach your head."
Rosemary giggles, "You two are my favorite people as well. Thanks for picking up dinner, Lee. Let's go sit on the settee before people start coming over. I want us to talk some." Patrick happily sits down between them, and she asks, "Did you have fun meeting everyone? It looks like you got along well with Allie, Opal, and little Jack."
Patrick answers, "I had a lot of fun! I am going to miss Fred and the other children, though."
Lee responds, "We are sorry you miss them, but you will get to meet the rest of the children in town, and before you know it, you will have lots of new friends. If you want, we can also take you to Brookfield to visit everyone. Is that something you would like to do?" Patrick smiles and hugs Lee.
Rosemary adds, "Everyone should be over soon. How about we read you a book once everyone leaves? You can pick out whichever one you want! Does that sound good to you?"
"Yes, ma'am!"
Elizabeth, Nathan, Allie, little Jack, and Grace knock and come in the door. Rosemary rises off the couch and invites everyone in. "I hope you don't mind; I had Lee pick up some food from the café."
Elizabeth says, "Oh, we don't mind. I know you have been busy preparing for Patrick."
Rosemary announces, "Why don't we go ahead and eat before it gets cold? Please come and take a seat." Everyone takes their seat, and the food is passed around.
Having Patrick there seems natural. He blends in with everyone, which warms Lee and Rosemary's hearts. They have been dreaming and praying for this for quite some time, and it is finally here. After dinner, Elizabeth helps Rosemary with the dishes and rounds up Nathan, Allie, Grace, and little Jack. They all say their goodbyes and leave the new family of three by themselves. Lee tells Patrick to go pick a book out from his room for them to read. He comes back quickly with "Peter Pan" by J.M. Barrie. They sit down on the settee with Patrick in between them, and Lee and Rosemary take turns reading from "Peter Pan." At the end of the third chapter, Lee happens to look down and notices Patrick is already asleep. He picks him up and carries him to his bed, where they tuck him in and kiss him goodnight.
Patrick groggily says, "Thank you for letting me live with you and adopting me, Miss Rosemary and Mister Lee."
Rosemary responds, "We wouldn't want it any other way. We love you, Patrick." Lee takes her hand and leads her out while turning off the light and shutting Patrick's door.
Lee and Rosemary are abruptly woken up when Patrick jumps in their bed. They both sit up, and Patrick climbs into Rosemary's lap. Rosemary asks, "What's wrong, Patrick? Did you have a bad dream?"
In between shuddering breaths, Patrick says, "I want to stay here. Please don't make me go."
Lee scoots closer to Rosemary and Patrick, brushing his hair out of his eyes. Lee says, "You are not going anywhere, Patrick. You are our son, and you are staying here forever. You are an answer to our prayers, and we love you so much."
Patrick looks up at Rosemary and asks, "Do you mean it?"
She looks at Lee and then back to Patrick, "Of course, you are our little boy until the end of time."
"Can I sleep in here with you?"
Rosemary answers, "Yes, you can, but only for tonight." They both lay back down with Patrick resting his head on Rosemary's chest. She gently brushes Patrick's hair back until he falls asleep, which doesn't take long. They both can't seem to peel themselves away from watching their little boy sleep. Eventually, Lee and Rosemary drift off to sleep hand-in-hand.
Lee and Rosemary wake up with Patrick's arm on top of Rosemary and his legs on top of Lee. Neither wants to wake him up. He seems content just sleeping between them. Before Rosemary can whisper, "No, Lee. Let him sleep," he tries to move Patrick's leg a couple of inches. Patrick cracks his eyes open and sees both Lee and Rosemary smiling at him. She softly says, "Good morning, Patrick. How did you sleep?"
Patrick rubs his eyes and says, "Great!"
Rosemary giggles, "So, who wants breakfast? Then we have to get ready for church." Both boys smile at the thought of breakfast. "We can even eat in our pajamas. Meet me downstairs in twenty minutes." She gets out of bed, puts her robe on, and saunters down the stairs.
Lee suggests, "Why don't we make the beds for Miss Rosemary? She will be pleased." Patrick nods his head, yes.
Downstairs, Rosemary is mixing up the batter and setting the table. She puts the first couple of pancakes on the skillet and calls up to the boys, "Breakfast is ready."
Lee announces, "We're coming."
Rosemary puts the last couple of pancakes on the plate and puts them on the table. She sits down waiting for them to come downstairs when she sees Patrick and Lee in their church clothes. She can't help but smile when she sees Patrick's clothes are too small for him. She jokingly asks, "Have you grown in the last week?"
Patrick laughs and answers, "No, ma'am. I don't think so."
"Lee, did you notice the clothes didn't fit him?" giggled Rosemary.
"Yes, but I figured that is what you wanted him to wear today."
Rosemary laughs, "Patrick, did you bring any nice clothes you can wear to church?"
"No, ma'am," answered Patrick.
"Let's go see what you have. I'm sure I can figure something out." Rosemary takes Patrick upstairs to his room and goes through the clothes he brought and the other couple outfits they had bought for him. "Here, wear this new shirt and these old pants. No one will care what you are wearing, but it looks like I have some sewing to do. Now, we need to eat the pancakes before they get cold, or Mister Lee eats them all." Rosemary and Patrick giggle as they are walking down the stairs.
Lee asks, "What is so funny?"
"I told him we needed to get down here before you ate all the pancakes," answered Rosemary.
"I wouldn't eat them all, sweetheart."
Rosemary gives him a smirk, "Since you are both in your church clothes, you better not get them dirty. Do you hear me? That goes for both of you."
Lee looks at Patrick, and they both say, "Yes, ma'am." They both look down at the fluffy chocolate chip pancakes and dig in.
Rosemary remarks, "Well, I guess I better eat fast, so I can change into my church clothes." She eats a pancake and is about to get up when Lee stops her.
Lee announces he has an idea. He asks Patrick, "Have you ever ridden a horse?"
"No, sir. My brother was going to teach me when I got a little older."
"Well, how about the three of us go for a ride after church? We can teach you." Patrick's face lights up, and he jumps up and down with excitement.
Rosemary mentions, "That is an excellent idea, Lee! I can prepare a picnic lunch when we get back from church." Rosemary goes up to change into her church clothes while Lee and Patrick finish eating. She is pleasantly surprised when she sees Patrick's bed is made as well as hers and Lees. She thinks to herself, "So, that explains why it was taking them so long to come down." She puts on her latest design, part of the collection from their trip: a dark blue tiered skirt and light blue silk blouse with embroidered flowers and three-fourths length sleeves. It fit perfectly and made her look as happy as she feels. Rosemary finishes getting ready and comes downstairs to a clean kitchen. "Lee Coulter, what have I done to deserve you?" She kisses him on the cheek just as there is a knock at the door.
Elizabeth comes in with little Jack on her hip, "Are you all ready for church? I figured we can pick up Allie and head over there. Nathan will meet us when he finishes his rounds."
Rosemary looks at her two boys, and joyfully says, "Sounds great! Are you ready, Patrick?"
"Yes, ma'am!" He takes Rosemary's hand, and they walk out the door. Patrick reaches for Lee's hand, and they go to pick up Allie and then on to church. "Miss Elizabeth, did you know Mister Lee and Miss Rosemary are going to teach me how to ride a horse after church?"
Elizabeth says, "How exciting." She looks at Rosemary and smiles. Elizabeth can tell her friends are over the moon in love with their little boy. Nathan joins them just as the service is starting. Little Jack climbs over Allie, insisting he sit on Nathan's lap. Next sat Allie, Elizabeth, Rosemary, Patrick, and Lee. The whole town is delighted they finally have a full-time pastor, Pastor Zeke. This is the third Sunday in a row for him holding services, and the townspeople couldn't be more grateful. Rosemary and Lee are thankful for Patrick behaving during church, although they had no doubts he would. After the service, all the attention is on them. Everyone wants to know who this little boy is with the Coulters. Lee and Rosemary introduce him to Pastor Zeke, Florence, Molly, Ned, Henry, Laura, Robert and his family, Anna and her family, Emily and her family, and Opal's parents.
Lee can tell Patrick is getting a little overwhelmed with all of the attention, so he announces, "We promised to teach Patrick how to ride a horse. We need to get home, so we can change into some more appropriate clothes." The Coulter's say their goodbyes, and they walk in the direction of the row houses.
As they are leaving, Rosemary waves to Elizabeth and inquires, "See you later?" Elizabeth nods in agreement. They get home, and Rosemary packs them lunch before going upstairs to change. She sees her boys playing in Patrick's room.
Lee sees her walking by and announces, "We are ready when you are, sweetheart." On their way downstairs, Lee grabs a blanket, and he and Patrick wait for Rosemary to come down. A couple of minutes later, she joins them downstairs wearing the purple pantaloons she bought in New York City and her dark purple blouse. Lee asks, "Are you both ready?" They both clap their hands in excitement and quickly walk out the door. The family of three proceeds to walk over to the livery hand-in-hand. Lee goes in to get two horses and meets Patrick and Rosemary outside. Lee gets up on the horse, and Rosemary helps Patrick get up there. She smiles and states, "You are almost too big for me to do this!" Then Rosemary puts the blanket and sack of food and drinks in the side saddlebag and gets on her horse, and they slowly ride out of town. Lee shows Patrick how to get the horse to go left and right and start and stop and eventually canter. It melts Rosemary's heart to see Lee and Patrick bonding as father and son. She smiles and counts her many blessings.
Lee inquires, "Who is ready for lunch? This looks like a good place to picnic." Lee jumps off the horse and grabs Patrick as Rosemary sets up the blanket and the food. They all have finger sandwiches and some tea from a thermos. Rosemary even brought the peanut butter cookies.
She asks both of them, "Do you mind if we stay here for a little while, it is so peaceful here, and I want to spend time with my two favorite guys?"
Lee says, "Of course, sweetheart! Lee scoots over and sits beside Rosemary. She smiles and takes his arm, and puts her head on his shoulders.
Patrick says, "I am going to go look for rocks over there."
Lee reminds Patrick not to go too far. After a while, Patrick runs up to Lee and Rosemary and sits on Lee's lap. Lee remarks, "I guess I should have brought something for us to play. Hmm…how about we play charades? Sweetheart, do you want to go first?" Rosemary gets up off the ground and starts acting out what looks like some animal. Patrick and Lee start yelling out different words.
Patrick finally yells out, "Bear!"
Rosemary runs over to Patrick, giving him a hug, "You got it!"
Patrick cheerfully announces, "My turn!" He gets down on all fours and starts jumping. Lee and Rosemary purposely say wrong things to get Patrick to giggle.
They let him go on for several minutes, and then Lee yells, "Frog!" Patrick giggles and runs to give Lee a hug.
"Your turn, Mister Lee." Lee gets up and starts acting out what looks to be a duck or a bird. Rosemary guesses a bird, and Patrick shouts, "Duck!"
"Patrick got it. Good job!" Lee picks him up and spins him around, and puts him on the blanket. Both Lee and Rosemary start tickling him until tears are coming out of everyone's eyes. Lee takes a moment to admire his family, the family he didn't think he could have. He claps his hands together, inquiring, "So, who is ready to ride back home?"
Patrick answers, "I am."
Lee and Rosemary pack everything up, and they all get back on the horses and ride back to the livery.
Later that afternoon, Lee is reading the newspaper, Rosemary is working on some designs, and Patrick is on the floor playing with the Lincoln logs. Lee asks, "Did you have fun today, Patrick?"
"Yes, sir. Can we do that again?"
"How about we plan on doing this once a month on Sunday after church? What do you say?" Rosemary and Patrick both cheer!
The next few nights consist of Lee and Rosemary putting Patrick to bed in his room, and then a few hours later, he has a bad dream and comes running into theirs. On the third night, they decide to bring him back to his room, and they stay with him until he falls back to sleep. This seems to work, and Lee and Rosemary are surprised when they wake up, and Patrick is not in their bed. They go across the hall to wake him up, hoping he will tell them what he is dreaming about. Rosemary sits on his bed, and he cuddles up to her. Lee sits next to them, waiting for Rosemary to speak. She asks, "Can you tell us about your bad dreams?"
Patrick thinks about it and reveals, "We are always having a good time. You are either reading me a book or making up a story. Then the lady from the other orphanage knocks on our door and says it's time to go. I tell her I don't want to go. I want to stay here. I look for you two, and you disappear." Patrick is crying at this point, along with Rosemary.
Rosemary says, "Oh, Patrick. I am so sorry. We will never disappear on you, and no one can take you away from us. Okay?" She wipes the tears from his face and adds, "We love you to the moon and back." She kisses the top of his head.
"She is right. You are here to stay, kiddo," Lee reassures. He holds his arms out and insists, "Come give us a hug." Patrick happily complies. Lee puts him on his lap and inquires, "Do you want to go fishing today, Patrick? Nathan asked if we wanted to go."
Patrick answers, "I have never been. Will you teach me, Mister Lee?"
"Of course, I will."
"Are you going, Miss Rosemary?"
Rosemary giggles, "You want me to go fishing with you?" Patrick nods. Rosemary takes a moment to figure out how best to answer. "How about you go with Mister Lee, Mister Nathan, and Allie? I will stay here and bake some chocolate chip cookies.
In a sad voice, Patrick responds, "Okay, Miss Rosemary. Will you go next time?"
Rosemary answers, "I will try my best." Lee chuckles at the thought of Rosemary fishing. "Never say never, Lee Coulter." He continues to chuckle. "Mister Lee thinks he is funny. Mmmhmm. I will go make us breakfast, and you get dressed, bud." Lee follows her downstairs while Patrick gets dressed. Rosemary starts making eggs, bacon, and some toast, and Lee sets the table. He sneaks in a kiss before Patrick comes down the stairs. She puts Patrick down a plate and tells him to take a seat. She grabs a plate for herself and Lee, and they all sit down and happily eat their breakfast.
"What time do you need to meet Nathan and Allie?" asks Rosemary.
"He said to meet outside at 10 am."
"Great, I'll have some time to take your measurements, Patrick."
"Awe, Miss Rosemary. Do you have to?"
"Yes, you need some clothes which actually fit you. Help me with the dishes, and then I promise it will only take five minutes."
Lee offers, "I'll do the dishes. You take his measurements." Rosemary stands up to give him a kiss. He returns the kiss and tells her, "I love you, Rosie."
"I love you too, sweetheart."
Lee kisses Patrick on the head and remarks, "After Miss Rosemary is done, go change in some of your older clothes because we have some fishing to do." Rosemary gets out her sketchbook, pencil, and measuring tape. She carefully takes his measurements for pants, shirts, and a jacket.
Rosemary rests her hands on his shoulders and reports, "All done. That's not so bad, huh?" Patrick nods. Lee and Patrick meet Nathan and Allie outside while Rosemary decides to design some clothes for Patrick while making the cookies.
Nathan and Allie meet up with Lee and Patrick with four poles, lures, and a basket to store the fish. Allie asks, "Are you ready to catch some fish, Patrick?"
Patrick responds, "I can't wait!"
Nathan comments, "Let's go. Allie, you lead the way." Allie happily leads everyone to her favorite fishing hole. Lee shows Patrick how to fish and lets him try it out. On his first throw, he catches a small trout. Patrick is beyond excited; he almost loses the fish reeling it in. They spend the next couple of hours fishing, with Patrick and Allie catching three, Nathan four, and Lee two. Patrick can't wait to get home and show Rosemary his fish!
She, Elizabeth, and little Jack were outside chatting while little Jack plays with his ball. Little Jack looks up and shouts, "Wee! Aweee! Natan!" Rosemary and Elizabeth see the guys and Allie walking towards them with a basket full of fish.
Patrick runs up to Rosemary and says, "Look what I caught, Miss Rosemary. Can we have them for lunch?"
"Yes, we can."
Without thinking, Patrick gives her a big wet fishy hug. Rosemary looks down and sees the slimy wet fish on one of her favorite skirts.
In a slightly higher-pitched voice, she says, "Oh, Patrick." Lee watches as she fights the frown starting to form on her face.
Patrick softly says, "I am sorry, Miss Rosemary."
Lee says, "It is okay, Patrick. It was an accident. The stain will come out of the skirt, right, Rosie?" She pouts and looks back down at her skirt, and starts laughing. Everyone is surprised at how well Rosemary is taking this; they join in laughing.
Rosemary asks, "Who is ready for the cookies? Patrick, you can have one now and one after lunch. Now go wash up! Lee, you can take care of those fish and fix our lunch. I am going to go change clothes."
Lee asks Nathan and Elizabeth, "Would you like to join us? We can combine our fish…there should be plenty."
Nathan mentions, "I have a better idea. Why don't you all join Allie and me at our house? We have a new recipe for fish we have been dying to try. Why don't you come over for dinner around 6 pm? I need to get some work done and do rounds. That should give me enough time to prepare everything." Everyone agrees.
Lee, Rosemary, and Patrick meet Elizabeth and little Jack over at Nathan's house. Elizabeth welcomes everyone and tells them to sit down, "The food is almost ready." Nathan pulls the bread out of the oven, and Elizabeth helps him bring everything to the table.
Nathan announces, "Time to eat." Everyone sits down and digs into the fried fish, fried potatoes, and fresh bread.
Lee says, "This is delicious, Nathan. Can I have your recipe?"
"Of course, Lee. Remind me later." It is so good there isn't a bite left of either the fish or the potatoes. Nathan and Elizabeth clear the table and bring over the cherry cobbler for everyone to enjoy."
Allie asks, "Can we play twenty questions?"
Nathan chimes in, "We usually play a game after supper. I hope you don't mind."
Rosemary says, "That sounds like fun. Patrick, have you ever played?"
"No, Miss Rosemary."
"Oh, It's so fun. You will like it. Who is going to be the answerer?"
Elizabeth answers, "I think Allie should be. What do you all say?" Everyone nods.
Allie starts to explain the game to Patrick, "I will come up with a topic, and you all will ask me questions about what I picked. I can only give a yes or no response. If someone doesn't guess it by the twentieth question, then I win, and I get to pick another topic."
"I think I get it." The next half-hour or so is filled with people asking Allie twenty questions.
Nathan asks, "Does it swim?"
Allie answers, "No."
Elizabeth asks, "Does it run?"
"No."
Patrick asks, "Can you talk to it?"
"No."
Rosemary asks, "Is it alive?"
"No."
Lee asks, "Is it tall?"
"Yes."
Nathan asks, "Can you see it in Hope Valley?"
"Yes."
Elizabeth asks, "Is it the church?"
"No."
Patrick asks, "Is it a tree?"
"No."
Rosemary asks, "Is it the water tower?"
"No."
Lee asks, "Is it an oil derrick?"
"No."
Nathan asks, "Is it the mountains?"
Allie disappointedly responds, "You got it, Uncle Nathan. It is your turn."
Nathan looks around and sees both Patrick and little Jack sleeping. He suggests, "It might be time to call it a night."
Elizabeth says, "Sorry, I do need to get little Jack to bed."
"It's okay, Mrs. Thornton. I understand."
Rosemary adds, "We will escort you home, Elizabeth."
"Thanks, Rosemary." Lee picks up a sleeping little Jack while Rosemary quietly wakes up Patrick. The three of them say goodbye to Nathan and Allie and wait outside while Elizabeth says her goodbyes. A few moments later, she joins them out front with a grin on her face, and they all walk home together.
Rosemary takes Elizabeth's arm and expresses, "Isn't love, grand?"
Elizabeth blushes, "Who says it's love?"
"The fact you are courting, your face just now, and how you two already seem like a team. I am so thrilled for you!" Elizabeth gives her a smirk.
Patrick quietly inquires, "Why did we leave, Mister Lee? I thought we were playing a game?"
Lee answers, "Both you and little Jack fell asleep, so we wanted to get you home and in bed."
Patrick says, "Well, okay. Can you still read me a bedtime story?"
Rosemary answers, "A short one, but then it is time to go to sleep." Once they get to their rowhouses, Elizabeth manages to get the still sleeping little Jack from Lee. She waves goodbye and goes into her house, and puts little Jack to bed. The Coulter's go inside, and Patrick runs upstairs to change into his pajamas and pick a short book.
Lee yells, "We will be right up, Patrick."
Patrick answers, "Okay, Mister Lee."
Lee stops Rosemary from going upstairs. He brings her in close and rests his hands on her hips while she holds his arms. Lee brushes his lips with hers, and they bring their foreheads together. "I don't know about you, sweetheart, but I am exhausted."
"Me too, but I wouldn't want to change a thing. Now, let's get Patrick to sleep, and we can have some time with just you and me."
Lee says, "I would like that very much." She follows him upstairs, and they walk into Patrick's room. They both quietly giggle when they see he is already sleeping with his book lying on top of him.
Rosemary takes the book, puts his covers on top of him, and gives him a kiss on the forehead. She whispers, "I love you to the moon and back."
Lee kisses him on the top of his head and whispers, "Love you, little man."
The next few weeks are filled with lots of fun between Lee, Rosemary, and Patrick. They both agree to work half days, so someone is always with him. Lee works in the morning at the sawmill while Rosemary works at the dress shop in the afternoon. Each evening, though, they spend the night as a family playing games or reading books or making up and acting out little skits. Fred comes to spend some time with Patrick. It's a joy to watch them play and giggle together. Lee and Rosemary have never been happier with the sounds of laughter echoing throughout their little row house. Patrick is now having fun bonding with little Jack and Allie and a little boy, who just moved into town, and lives a few doors down from Allie. His name is Vincent Piraro, and he just turned eight.
Lee comes home from work around lunch, per usual, but this time he finds his wife reading "The Wonderful Wizard of Oz" by L. Frank Baum to Patrick, Vincent, little Jack, Opal, and Allie. He sits down next to Patrick and watches as she does all the voices. When Rosemary finishes the chapter and finally takes a breath, she notices Lee sitting there smiling at her. She asks, "When did you get here, Lee?" Lee and all the children giggle because he has been there for at least ten minutes.
"I have been here a while. You were in your element; I didn't want to interrupt you."
She smiles and then sees the time. "Oooh, I'm late. Clara is waiting for me at the dress shop. I have to go." She kisses both Lee and Patrick on the top of the head, telling them, "See you tonight," as she grabs her things and walks out the door.
Allie asks, "Can you read some more?"
"I can try. I won't be as good as Mrs. Coulter, but I will try my best." The children cheer, and Lee begins to read where Rosemary left off.
One morning, Lee and Rosemary wake up to a quiet house. They usually hear Patrick playing in his room, but it is utterly silent in the house. Rosemary decides to get up and check on Patrick. She goes into his room, and he is not there. Then Rosemary goes downstairs, and he is not there either. She looks out the front and back with no signs of her precious little boy. She runs back into the house in a panic and yells to Lee, "He is not here."
"What do you mean, he is not here?"
"I have looked everywhere, and he is not here, Lee."