A/N - Happy Sunday. I am sorry this took me so long to get out to you. This week has been a tiring one for me. I hope you all enjoy and thank you so much for reading and supporting this story.
Chapter 31 – Searching
Rosemary walks up to Elizabeth, looping her arm around hers, suggesting, "You are not going to sit here and wait for Nathan, are you?"
Elizabeth replies, "No, of course not."
"I think we need to go knock on some doors to see if anyone has seen them. Come on, Lee." The three of them each knock on a door, with Elizabeth purposely going to Opal's house first. No one has seen them all night. They plan to continue going down the row, waking people up and asking if they saw the kids this evening.
Nathan runs to his house as fast as he can in his suit. He opens the door, hoping to find the kids sitting on the settee, but instead, he finds an entirely dark house. Nathan runs up the stairs, calling out their names, and checking thoroughly in each room. He's unfortunately met with a deafening silence. Nathan quickly rips off the uncomfortable tie he hates wearing, throwing it on his bed before grabbing a better jacket and running back outside.
Rosemary sees Nathan first and yells out, "Nathan! Did you find them?"
Nathan catches up to Rosemary, responding, "No, they are not there. Where are Lee and Elizabeth?" As if on cue, Elizabeth comes out of Opal's house, letting out a sob when she sees Nathan but no Jack. She runs into his arms, and he lets her cry it out.
Lee comes out of Vincent's house and sees Rosemary fighting off tears and Nathan holding Elizabeth as tight as possible. He takes a deep breath and walks over to his distraught wife and their friends. Rosemary grabs onto Lee's arm while the other hand instinctively rests on their little one. Lee inquires, "What should we do, Nathan?"
Nathan looks around, then back at them. He questions, "How many houses have you checked?"
Lee answers, "Just three."
"Okay, everybody split up and start knocking on doors. Hopefully, someone will know where they are." For the next forty minutes or so, the four of them optimistically knock on their neighbors' doors, and one by one, their hopes are dashed. Feeling cold and downtrodden, Nathan suggests, "Why don't you three go home and get on heavier coats, and I'll start gathering people together so we can look in town. Maybe they went to see Clara, Fiona, or Hannah and fell asleep there."
Rosemary chimes in, "I can't be stuck at home again by myself, Nathan. I am going to help this time."
"Are you sure? What if they come home and no one is there?" questions Nathan.
Lee suggests, "Maybe he is right. Someone needs to stay here. In any case, I don't want you getting sick in this cold night air."
Rosemary pouts, mentioning, "Lee, I can't. I need to be looking for our son. I will be careful, and if it gets too cold or too late, I will come home. I promise."
Lee reluctantly agrees but insists she has to get a heavier coat and has to stay near him. She rubs his chin, and the four of them walk back towards their houses. Lee and Rosemary stop in front of Elizabeth's place when Rosemary asks, "Will you be okay going in by yourself?"
Elizabeth replies, "Yes, I will get my bigger coat and be right out." She goes inside, checking one more time for the kids. Elizabeth shouts, "Jack? Allie? Patrick? Are you here?" Elizabeth doesn't hear anything, so she goes upstairs to grab her jacket. She calls out their names again, and she hears banging. Elizabeth continuously calls out their names while she checks her room and Jack's room and then comes to the attic door. She can see the door shaking from all the banging. "Is that you, Allie? Are you, Jack, and Patrick, okay? Why are you in the attic?"
"Yes, Aunt Elizabeth. Thank goodness you are here. We've been stuck in here for hours, I think. We came in here, and the latch got stuck." Elizabeth rattles the latch and can't get it open.
Jack yells, "Mommy! I want you."
"Mommy is trying, my sweet boy."
Patrick asks, "Miss Elizabeth, are my Mama and Papa with you?"
"No, I will go get them. I'll be right back, okay, Allie? I need to find a hammer." Elizabeth calls out to Jack, "Mommy will be right back. Listen to Allie, and we will get you out as soon as possible." She runs downstairs and over to Rosemary and Lee's. Elizabeth barges in, yelling, "The kids are in the attic, and I can't get the door open. Can I borrow a hammer?"
"Of course," replies Lee. He rummages around his tool drawer and pulls out a hammer, screwdriver, and some pliers. "Let me try opening the door before we break the latch." Elizabeth agrees, and they go back over to Elizabeth's. Rosemary is the first one up the stairs, more winded than usual.
Rosemary announces between breaths, "Mama and Papa are here! Are you okay, bud?"
"Papa, Mama, you're back!" exclaims Patrick.
"I told you we would. Besides, we missed you too much," responds Rosemary.
"I am okay, but I'm cold. Can you please get us out of here?" whines Patrick.
"Papa will get you out of there in no time."
Lee remarks, "She's right, Patrick. I'll have you three out in a jiffy. Lee fiddles with the latch and gets it unstuck. He opens the door and sees the kids huddled together with blankets covering them and books sprawled out on the floor behind them, along with a flashlight that barely lights up a ten-foot area. Patrick crawls into Lee's open arms as fast as he can, and Rosemary joins them in a hug, not wanting to let go. Allie helps Jack get to Elizabeth, and she happily picks him up. Jack holds onto her tight, and Elizabeth rubs his back up and down.
Allie inquires, "Where's my uncle, Aunt Elizabeth?"
"He is gathering people to go out and look for you."
"I am sorry, Aunt Elizabeth. I didn't mean for us to worry everybody. Can I go tell him we are safe and sound?"
Lee offers, "I'll go. Allie, you stay here and warm up." While Lee goes to find Nathan, Elizabeth and Rosemary take the kids downstairs. Elizabeth adds some wood to the fire and gets it going again. They all sit by the heat, huddled together, trying to warm up the children. Patrick is in Rosemary's lap, Jack in Elizabeth's, and Allie between them on the settee.
Elizabeth questions, "Allie, why were you three in the attic of all places?"
"You mentioned you had some more books up there in a crate, so I thought we could look through them and find one I could read to them before bed. Patrick was the last one in and accidentally let the door shut a little too hard, which caused the latch to get stuck. I tried to get us out, but nothing I did seemed to work. Jack was starting to cry and wanted me to hold him, so I rummaged through some more of your crates and thankfully found some blankets. We sat against the wall and huddled together to keep warm. It was so cold."
"Why didn't you say anything when we were calling out for you the first time?"
"You were here before? This is the first time we heard you," remarks Allie. She thinks a moment and then says, "I'm sorry, Aunt Elizabeth, Missus Coulter, I must have fallen asleep, too. I read to them by flashlight, and they fell asleep pretty easily. I remember trying to read a book you mentioned, but I don't remember getting very far."
Nathan comes running in, hugging Allie and Jack. He asks, "You were in the attic? Why didn't you hear us yelling your names?"
"I'm sorry, Uncle Nathan. The latch got stuck, and we fell asleep."
"You fell asleep?" Nathan fingers through his hair, mentioning, "It's okay, Allie. I am glad you are safe. We'll talk about this some more, but right now, we need to find Mister Coulter. He probably wants to get home to Patrick."
"Yes, sir. I'm sorry.
"It's okay, Allie. You had no idea the latch would get stuck. I am glad Elizabeth found you when she did. Say goodnight so we can go." Allie hugs Elizabeth and Rosemary and waits for Nathan just outside the front door.
Nathan brings Elizabeth in for a full embrace, and they stay in each other's arms until Patrick whines, "Ew."
Rosemary quickly grabs Patrick's hand, and she excuses themselves, stating, "I'm sorry," as Patrick and her walk out the door.
Rosemary spends the next week working on her wardrobe as well as planning Patrick's birthday party. She designs a few more dresses in the same "expanding" style since they seem to work with her growing midsection. Rosemary also experiments with her jackets and a couple of ideas she has on blouses. She decides to add button loops to her favorite jackets, hoping she can continue wearing them as long as she can. Rosemary dabbles with adding an empire waist concept to a blouse. Her idea is to make the blouse bigger and add a high waist that will have extra fabric to fit around her stomach and tie in a perfect bow in the back. Another design Rosemary came up with is making a blouse a few sizes larger and then adding flaps to the side that will tie in the front or the back, depending on her mood. The final design she came up with is a slightly bigger blouse with a high waist and two tiers of ruffles that will be big enough to cover her bulging belly. Hannah and Clara offer to help since Rosemary is barely able to fit into her clothes.
Elizabeth was right. When Rosemary finally decided to embrace her pregnancy fully and no longer hide her bump, she is the talk of the town. Every mother is jealous of the clothes Rosemary designed for herself, and the ones who hope to be a mother someday dream of the day they can wear clothes as flattering and beautiful as Rosemary. Quite a few ladies tell her she should try to sell these designs and modifications to regular clothes she came up with to benefit all pregnant women. The idea sounds tempting to Rosemary, but she doesn't feel like it's something she wants to pursue. Rosemary can't put her finger on why it doesn't interest her. She was just having fun experimenting.
One night, about a week before Patrick's birthday, Rosemary and Lee are tucking him in and are about to read his bedtime story. Before they begin, she questions Patrick, "What do you want to do for your birthday, bud?" Rosemary has been planning a surprise, but she wants to incorporate any ideas he might have as well.
Patrick gets quiet and squeezes his stuffed dog. He finally looks up at them, revealing, "I don't remember ever having a birthday party. I don't remember much about my parents, and when my brother took care of me, we didn't have much. We would share a cupcake on our birthdays and blow out a candle, just the two of us."
"I'm so sorry, Patrick. Well, from now on, you will always have a birthday to celebrate with your Papa, me, your little brother or sister, and any friends you want to include. We have something planned for you, but what is something you want to do?" inquires Rosemary.
"I don't know, Mama."
"How about we have your favorite dinner and invite Miss Elizabeth, Mountie Nathan, Allie, and Jack over on your actual birthday? Then maybe on the following Saturday, you can have some friends over, and we can do something fun. Sound good to you?"
Patrick grins, "Yes, ma'am." He thinks a moment before, asking, "Can you make chicken and dumplings and vanilla cake with chocolate icing? And, can Hazel and Fred come?" Lee and Rosemary chuckle.
"I didn't know chicken and dumplings is your favorite meal."
"It is one of my favorites, and I know it is one of Papa's too."
"I believe I can make it all happen. Now, it's time for your bedtime story." Patrick lays his head back down, and Lee begins reading. He barely gets through a few pages before Patrick is sound asleep. They kiss him goodnight, turn off the light, and shut the door.
"I am going to sit by the fire. Would you care to join me, sweetheart?" questions Lee.
"I'll be right down. I want to change into my nightclothes first." Lee stokes the fire and sits down on the settee, waiting for Rosemary. She comes down in her robe, which barely covers her bump, cuddling up next to him. He covers her up with a blanket, and Rosemary inquires, "Lee, do you think Patrick and this little one will be proud of me?" Rosemary rubs gentle circles around her belly.
"Why are you asking?"
"Oh, I don't know. I guess I feel like I can't run the dress shop forever. And I want my kids, our kids, to be proud to call me their mother. I want to be someone they look up to and admire their whole lives. Patrick and the other children around town already think the world of you, Lee. They all want to grow up and be successful, just like you. I know you don't think of yourself as being special, but you are to me, Patrick, this angel, and our friends and family."
Lee kisses her on the forehead and mentions, "Where is this coming from, Rosie? You know Patrick adores you, and the children around town think you are the most exciting person in town."
Rosemary chuckles, remarking, "Well, of course, they do." She pats his chest, stating, "I am trying to be serious, Lee." Lee apologizes. "I've been doing a lot of thinking at night. I don't always fall right back to sleep when I get up a couple of times a night." She takes a deep breath, revealing, "My life has turned out so much better than I could have ever imagined. I never thought I would be a mother, and it has been the greatest gift God has given me, other than you. I never thought I would live in a small town, and now I wouldn't want to live anywhere else. I never thought I would be designing clothes instead of acting, and here I am, designing fun new looks for pregnant ladies. I have enjoyed being a fashion designer and seamstress, but I don't believe it's my life's passion. It doesn't compare with being your wife and a mother to the greatest son I could ask for and this miracle. I want to leave a legacy to our children and do something meaningful and make a difference in people's lives."
"I am extremely proud of you, honey. You constantly amaze me in how you are with Patrick and what you can do when you put your mind to something. Patrick is proud of you no matter what you do or don't do, and I am sure this one will be equally proud. What are you thinking of doing? Didn't you mention you wanted to start a children's theater?"
"Yes, I do want to start a children's theater, but I don't think we'll have enough kids or interest to perform more than a couple of times a year. I am looking to do something, dare I say, important for the town and our family." Rosemary lays her head down on his chest, and he wraps his arm around her, drawing her close.
On Saturday, the week before Patrick's birthday party, Rosemary is making some final preparations. Most of her tasks are complete now that she has spoken with Lucas, and he's good with her ideas on setting up the saloon for the children. Rosemary can't wait to surprise her son and see the excitement on his face when he sees what they will be doing. She giggles to herself and hides her notebook.
Patrick inquires, "Why are you giggling, Mama?"
"Oh, no reason. I love watching you play. That's all." Patrick giggles. Rosemary mentions, "If you don't mind, I think I will get some cleaning done upstairs before Papa gets home. Will you be okay by yourself for a little while?"
"Yes, ma'am," announces Patrick.
"Okay, please don't make any messes," reminds Rosemary as she ruffles his curls. Patrick nods, and she walks up the stairs to her room. She starts picking up some of Lee's things when she sees the leather book he gave her for Christmas. Rosemary turns to the last page and fingers over the drawing of her holding their baby. She pats her ever-present bump and looks up, praying, "Thank you, Lord, for this blessing." For the first time, Rosemary lets herself get distracted thinking about where to set up the nursery. Rosemary wants their little angel with her and Lee for at least the first few months. However, Rosemary is still unsure when she'll want to move the baby to the kid's room. Rosemary doesn't want Patrick to lose sleep because he's sharing a room with an infant, but she knows their little one can't sleep in their room forever. Rosemary sits on her bed and starts sketching out possible room arrangements with a crib, bassinet, rocking chair, and possibly a wardrobe to hold the baby's clothes, diapers, and toys. Rosemary must have closed her eyes for a moment, for the last thing she remembers is wanting to go downstairs and get a catalog. Rosemary opens her eyes in a panic, hoping she didn't sleep more than an hour. Rosemary grabs her notebook and walks down the stairs. The first thing she notices is her settee cushions propped up between the settee and the coffee table. Then covering the two side openings is some fabric Rosemary planned on using for baby clothes. As she gets even closer, Rosemary sees Patrick had used dirty rocks to hold the cushions and fabric in place. Rosemary exhales long and hard and calls out, "Hey, bud. What are you doing under there?"
Patrick responds, "I made a fort. Come and play with me!"
Rosemary giggles, "I'll try. I am not sure whether I should get down there with this tummy."
"Please, Mama."
"Oh…all right." Rosemary gets on her hands and knees and tries her best to crawl into the fort her son made. She manages to get in when she feels the movement in her tummy again. Rosemary takes Patrick's hand and places it over where she feels the kicking.
Patrick inquires, "Does it hurt?"
"No, not yet. The baby is still pretty tiny. I'm sure the kicks will start hurting when they get bigger." Rosemary giggles, "They are probably telling me not to crawl on the floor like this. I hope I'll be able to get up." Patrick giggles with her this time. "So, what are we doing in this fort, and why are your hands sticky?"
"We are hiding from monsters."
"What monsters?"
"I heard Robert telling the older boys about this monster who lives in the woods behind the row houses. He said the monster sometimes sneaks into people's houses when he thinks no one is home. I thought I would build a fort to keep us all safe."
Rosemary chuckles, mentioning, "Patrick, I don't think Papa can fit in here with us."
"Sure, he can. There is plenty of room if I sit on one of your laps," responds Patrick.
"Patrick, you do know monsters aren't real, right? He's making up a story."
"He was?"
"Yes, I promise. Now, are you going to tell me why your hands are sticky?"
Patrick hesitantly answers, "I ate some of the pie you made for dessert last night." He hands her what is left, inquiring, "Do you want the last bite, Mama?" Rosemary groans when she notices the pie filling on his face, the floor, and smeared on the front side of the settee.
"Patrick Coulter, you know you aren't supposed to be eating desserts without asking, and especially in the sitting room."
"I'm sorry, Mama."
"They hear the door open up and shut and Lee calling out, "Rosie, Patrick, I'm home."
Patrick shouts, "Mama and I are in here, Papa!" Lee pokes his head in and laughs when he sees how uncomfortable Rosemary looks.
Lee inquires, "What are you two doing?"
Rosemary chuckles, suggesting, "Ask your son."
"My son?" questions Lee. Patrick crawls out of the fort, hugs his father, and runs up the stairs.
Lee questions, "Where are you going, buddy?"
"I'm not scared anymore. Mama told me monsters aren't real. Can I go play in my room?"
Lee responds, "Of course," and pops his head back in, laughing. He asks, "What is this talk about monsters not being real and not being scared anymore? Care to elaborate?"
Rosemary laughs before responding, "Oh, he heard Robert telling some kids about a monster that sneaks into the row houses. So, he built himself a fort. I told him monsters aren't real, and I guess he believed me."
Lee shakes his head. "That kid and his imagination." He clears his throat before asking, "Do you need some help?"
Rosemary huffs, "You think I need your help, do you? Well, I am perfectly capable of getting myself up off the ground, even with this protruding stomach." She gets on her knees, mumbling to herself, "If I am having trouble now, how will I maneuver when I am eight or nine months pregnant? Help me, Lord."
Lee smiles, questioning, "What was that?"
"Nothing," Rosemary replies.
"Okay then, I will be here if you need me."
Rosemary realizes she is acting overdramatic, so she apologizes, "I'm sorry, Lee." Lee picks the cushions up and watches as she hoists herself up with the help of the coffee table. Lee can't help but laugh at his wife's determination. "Oh, you think this is funny, do you?" She smooths out her clothes, telling Lee in her I'm not happy voice, "Well, if you think this is funny now, wait a few more months until I am huge and uncomfortable. In fact, I think you should clean up this mess and cook dinner. And don't forget to clean up the pie filling on the floor, and on the settee, and everywhere else Patrick has been. I'm going to see what Elizabeth is doing." Rosemary wraps herself in a blanket and storms out.
A few hours later, Rosemary sneaks back inside, hoping Lee cleaned everything up. All she wants to do is change clothes, read Patrick his bedtime story, and then sit by the fire with her loving husband. Rosemary feels guilty about how she treated him before she left because she wasn't mad at him. Lee, as usual, greets Rosemary with the biggest grin on his face. He is happy to see his better half, his best friend, and the love of his life. Lee motions for her to come over, so she sits beside him, intertwining their hands. Rosemary remarks, "I'm impressed. The house is spotless, and everything is the way I like." Lee helps Rosemary out of her jacket and shoes and brings her a blanket if she gets cold. Rosemary reveals, "I love how you know what to do without me saying anything. How did I get so lucky?" Rosemary kisses him and asks, "Where's Patrick?"
Lee kisses her back, stating, "Patrick is getting ready for bed. He was getting hungry, and I didn't know how long you would be gone. I went ahead and fed him, and now he's been waiting for you and his bedtime story. Do you want something to eat? I have leftovers if you want some."
"No, I am not hungry. I might have filled up on cookies at Elizabeth's. What did you do with the fabric? Was it easy to clean the settee?"
"Rosie, you need to eat a more balanced diet. Remember what Carson said at your last visit?"
"I know, but I can't help myself. Our angel loves sweets. Do you want to deny your unborn child the sweets they so desperately want?"
Lee chuckles and rolls his eyes. "I put the fabric over by your sewing machine, wiped down the settee, and cleaned up all of Patrick's messes, I think. And I talked to him about why he shouldn't bring dirty rocks inside, or eat pie in the sitting room, or use your fabric without permission."
"Thanks, honey. I am sorry for leaving. I didn't mean to be gone so long. I wasn't mad at you at all. My back and other things were hurting, and I let my emotions get the better of me. Plus, I didn't want to clean up Patrick's mess for once. Will you forgive me?"
Lee replies, "There is nothing to forgive," and he opens his arms wide for Rosemary to cuddle next to him."
"I love you, Lee Coulter."
"I love you and our little squishy, more." Lee pauses to see her reaction.
Rosemary laughs and then catches herself. She calmly questions, "You want to call your future son or daughter squishy?"
"Why not? It goes with Squidget."
Rosemary rolls her eyes, suggesting, "Perhaps, we can come up with a better name than squishy? Don't you think?"
"You are right. Now, let's go tuck in our son. He wants to apologize to you."