Chapter 45 – Getting Ready

Monday night, after putting Patrick to bed, Lee and Rosemary are on the settee enjoying the first free night they've had in a long time, discussing their busy week ahead. Rosemary has her notebook in hand, pillows are propping up her back, and her legs are resting on Lee. Rosemary giggles to herself, "I still can't believe you are surprising Nathan with a baseball game for his bachelor party."

Lee responds, "I know. It started as a joke because he suggested a baseball game for Jesse's bachelor party since he didn't know what you did at one. But then it started growing on everybody. We can get out of town for the day and have some fun. Thank you for helping me plan this one. My last two attempts at planning a bachelor party didn't go so well."

Rosemary offers, "Well, they turned out in the end because of your brilliant and loving wife." Lee leans in, and they kiss.

"What do you have planned for Elizabeth's bachelorette party?"

"It's a surprise. The only thing I will mention is it will be in the café on Wednesday afternoon."

Lee questions, "You really won't tell me?" Rosemary chuckles.

"You'll be free to watch Patrick, right?"

"Of course. Maybe Patrick and I will do something fun without you knowing." Rosemary rolls her eyes while Lee says, "I'm kidding."

Rosemary inquires, "Did you grab the film from our camera and give it to Carson? I want to see the pictures from your swearing-in ceremony and the play."

"Yes, I did this morning. Do you need more film for the wedding?"

"No, I think I have plenty."

"Good. Is everything ready for the wedding on Friday?"

"I think so. There are a few things we are waiting on, but I believe we are all set." She opens her notebook to the last page. "You guys had your suit fitting, right?"

"Yes, and they all fit."

Rosemary checks it off, saying, "I can't wait to see my handsome husband and my adorable little boy in their suits."

"And I can't wait to walk next to my one and only, who only gets more beautiful the longer I've known her." Rosemary giggles, which turns into an ow when the baby gives her a firm kick in the ribs.

Lee and Nathan pull into the brand-new Minor League stadium in Union City. Nathan looks around and inquires, "What are we doing here, Lee? I thought we were here to pick up something Elizabeth needed for the wedding."

Lee chuckles, answering, "Not exactly. It was an excuse to get you here."

"Get me here for what?" asks Nathan as they get out of the car.

Just then, Bill, Michael, Lucas, Jesse, Carson, Joseph, Henry, and Ned all show up yelling, "Surprise!"

Nathan questions, "What is going on?"

Lee replies, "This is your bachelor party. We are here to see an exhibition between the Vancouver Beavers and the Toronto Maple Leafs."

"I don't know what to say," remarks Nathan.

Lee pats his back, suggesting, "You deserve it, Nathan." Nathan shakes all their hands, and they enter the stadium, finding their seats close to first base.

Nathan questions, "How did you get these great seats, Lee?"

"One word, Rosemary."

"I will be sure to thank her tonight."

"I think she'll appreciate hearing it from you," mentions Lee.

The game starts, and the Maple Leafs take an early lead at the top of the third inning. However, nobody scores again until the top of the ninth when the Maple Leafs add another two runs. The score is now Maple Leafs five and Beavers two. The Beavers are now up to bat at the bottom of the ninth. The Maple Leafs quickly get the first two outs, and the Beaver's top part of the lineup is up to bat. Kid Willson goes first and hits a ball down the third baseline and is safe at first. Next up is Ike Wolfer. He hits it out of the park and scores along with Kid, bringing it to Maple Leafs five and Beavers four with only one out left. Joe McGinnity is up next and hits a foul ball to the left. He shakes it off and steps back up to bat but hits another foul into the screen behind home plate. Then, Joe takes a few moments to ready himself. He gets into position and swings at the next pitch, which flies to the right, in foul ball territory. It hits a pole and ricochets into the crowd, directly towards Lee and the guys. Nathan is the first to realize the ball is flying straight towards them. He pushes Jesse out of the way and tries to catch the ball, but unfortunately, it hits his wrist and bounces off, hitting his right eye and dropping to the ground. Nathan stumbles into Lucas and Joseph, who help him get his footing before Joseph tosses the ball to a kid sitting in the next row. Once Jesse realized why Nathan pushed him out of the way, he profusely thanked Nathan along with the other guys. Lee observes Nathan for a bit and asks, "Are you okay?"

Nathan replies, "Yes," even though his wrist is throbbing. Joe steps up to bat again and hits it straight into the left fielder's glove. The game is over, with the Maple Leafs winning five to four. Lee and the guys gather their things and follow the crowd out of the stadium when Carson notices Nathan touching his wrist and grimacing in pain.

Carson offers, "Nathan, let me look." Carson examines his wrist, telling him to try and move his fingers and wrist. When he has trouble rotating, Carson informs Nathan, "I think you broke your wrist. Do you hurt anywhere else?"

Nathan carefully touches his face, revealing, "Only my eye."

Carson feels around his right eye and replies, "It's fine, but you will have a shiner."

Nathan fingers through his hair and mumbles, "Elizabeth is not going to be happy."

Lee chimes in, "Neither is Rosie."

"I want you in the infirmary tomorrow. You'll probably need a cast." Nathan acknowledges. "I'll be right back. I'll see if I can get a sling from the team doctor," Carson offers as he heads back to the stadium.

"I'm sorry, Nathan. You getting hurt is not how I saw today going."

Nathan responds, "No worries, Lee. It happens, and I still have one good arm."

"Good, man," remarks Lee as Carson comes back with a sling. He slips it on Nathan and adjusts it to the correct length. "Well, we better get on the road, but first, we need to figure out what to tell Rosemary and Elizabeth," suggests Lee, and they both chuckle.

Around 10:00 pm, Lee parks in front of his rowhouse, and he and Nathan get out. They can hear laughter coming from Elizabeth's house, so they knock and step inside. Rosemary and Elizabeth are at the kitchen table gabbing about something when they see their men walking in. Rosemary says, "Thank goodness. You are finally here." Elizabeth and Rosemary both get up to greet them but stop when they see the sling on Nathan's arm and his black eye. Rosemary gasps, shouting, "Lee Coulter, how could you let this happen?" Lee tries to kiss her, but she turns her face and raises her hands.

Elizabeth embraces Nathan, asking, "Are you okay? What happened?" as she carefully touches his face, eye, and arm.

Nathan flinches, answering, "I'm fine. I merely had an incident with a foul ball, but there is nothing to fuss over. I'll see Carson tomorrow to find out if I broke my wrist. How does my eye look?"

Elizabeth lightly pats his face, stating, "Not good."

"I'm sorry, Elizabeth."

"There is no reason for you to be sorry. I am just glad you are not hurt too badly."

Nathan glances around and questions, "Where are Jack, Allie, and Patrick?"

"Oh, they are up in Jack's room. Allie is most likely reading a book, and the boys are probably sleeping by now," mentions Elizabeth.

"It's been a long day, Elizabeth. I'll get Allie, and we can go. Thank you for letting her stay here. I know she can stay by herself, but I still like having someone around if I can." Nathan brings her in for a one-armed hug and kisses her forehead.

Elizabeth whispers, "I love you," and kisses him on the cheek. "Why don't you stay here. I'll run up and get the kids."

"I love you too," replies Nathan. Elizabeth climbs the stairs and finds Allie reading a book, Patrick trying to stay awake on the floor, and Jack sleeping in his crib. She whispers to Allie and Patrick, "It's time to go home." They get up and tiptoe out of the room so that they won't wake up Jack. Elizabeth covers her son with a blanket and follows Allie and Patrick downstairs.

Allie jogs to Nathan, hugging his good side, "Hi, Uncle Nathan. What happened?"

"Nothing big. I'll tell you on our way home."

"Okay."

Patrick immediately runs to Lee, saying, "Hi, Papa. I missed you."

"Hi, buddy. I missed you too. Did you have fun?"

"Yes, sir."

Lee suggests, "Let's go home." He offers his arm, inquiring, "Are you ready, sweetheart?" Instead of accepting her husband's arm, Rosemary takes Patrick's hand and walks out with Nathan and Allie. They all hug goodbye, and the Coulter's and Grant's go home.

As soon as the Coulter's get in their house, Lee tells Patrick, "Go on upstairs. Mama and I will let Laika out and be right there." Patrick nods and hops up the stairs while Lee follows Rosemary to the kitchen, and she opens the door for Laika. "Rosie, why are you mad at me?"

Sarcastically, Rosemary asks, "You really don't know?"

"It is not my fault Nathan got injured. How could I have stopped that from happening."

"I know it's not your fault. I just feel bad for Nathan and Elizabeth. Now Nathan is going to have a broken wrist and a black eye in his wedding pictures."

"I know, sweetheart. I wish I could go back in time and stop it from happening, but I didn't see the ball coming." Laika runs in, and Lee shuts the door.

Rosemary chuckles and pats his cheek, "Well, you should have." Lee chuckles, and they walk up the stairs together.

The following afternoon, Rosemary finishes the last of the decorations for Elizabeth's bachelorette party and stops to admire her work. All the tables in Abigail's café are off to the side. The chairs are in a circle, and there are a couple of signs on the wall. One says, "BEST WISHES," and the other, "LOVE CONQUERS ALL." In the corner is a table with punch and cookies, balloons, and bouquets of roses. As Rosemary and Clara sit down, the rest of the ladies stroll into the café: Faith, Fiona, Molly, Florence, Minnie, Hannah, and Josephine. Rosemary excitedly hugs Elizabeth and ushers her to a chair decorated in pink lace. "Okay, ladies, please take a seat. We have lots of games to play today." Rosemary goes over to the table with all her games. "We can play charades, the laughing game, the minister's cat, or consequences. Elizabeth, you choose."

Elizabeth replies, "Consequences sounds fun."

"Perfect," announces Rosemary. She searches for the set of index cards with the words Con #1 on them. She had written what the player needed to write on each index card the night before. Rosemary starts passing out the index cards and pencils, handing two to Elizabeth and Clara. Since there were only ten people, two players will get two cards. "Now, on each card is a description of what you need to write. I'll put them in order, and they will tell a story." Florence tries peeking at Molly's card, but Rosemary stops her. "No peeking, Florence." Rosemary glances at her pocket watch, stating, "You have two minutes to write down your answer, and then I will pick them up." Rosemary walks around the circle, ensuring no one has a question, and then shouts, "Start!" She scribbles down her answer and watches everyone as they struggle to think of what to write. When time is up, Rosemary yells, "Time," gathering all the cards and putting them in order. She sits down and giggles at their responses. "Good job, ladies. I think this one will be fun." Rosemary reads:

Average (1)

George (2)

met

Gorgeous (3)

Madeline (4)

At the library (5) to chop wood (6).

He wore a bathing suit (7).

She wore a ball gown (8).

He brought her flowers (9).

She cooked him dinner (10).

And the consequence was they rode off into the sunset (11).

And the world said nonsense (12).

All the ladies giggle, and Rosemary inquires, "Shall we do another one?" They nod yes.

Rosemary passes out another set of index cards and gives Minnie and Molly the extra ones this time around. "Are you ready?" Everyone acknowledges. Rosemary eyes her watch again and yells, "Go!" This time they only have a minute since they know what to do. After a minute, she shouts, "Time! Pass your cards down to me." Rosemary collects all the cards and sits down again. She flips through them and puts them in order, a smile building on her face. Rosemary reads:

Delicious (1)

Wizard of Oz (2)

met

Thrilling (3)

Jane (4)

at the livery (5) to start a campfire (6).

He wore a potato sack (7).

She wore a Mountie uniform (8).

He jumped in the freezing lake (9).

She ran away crying (10).

And the consequences were they had to eat worms (11).

And the world said how predictable (12).

Rosemary remarks, "The second one is better than the first, ladies," and they all laugh. "Elizabeth, what do you want to play now?"

"The Minister's Cat," answers Elizabeth.

Rosemary chimes in, "To make this a little bit more fun, you have to remember all the words before your word. So, let's do a practice round. Molly, start us off."

Molly says, "The minister's cat is an adorable cat."

"The minister's cat is an adorable, brave cat," mentions Florence.

"Since I'm player eight, I need to say a word that starts with the letter H. The minister's cat is an adorable, brave, cuddly, delightful, energetic, furry, gentle, hungry cat," mentions Rosemary as everyone chuckles. "Next, Faith needs a word starting with the letter I, but she can't think of one. So, she's out. Then we start the game over and go until there is only one player left."

Lee and Nathan are on babysitting duty for the afternoon. They all decide to join Nathan in town while he is at the infirmary. Lee brings the boys to the office to work on contracts for a little bit, but he soon finds working while Patrick and Jack are playing is a losing battle. "Let's go outside and play," suggests Lee. Patrick and Jack get excited and race out the back door. Lee grabs the ball and runs out after the boys, chasing them for a few minutes. "Do you want to play chase or kick the ball?"

Jack and Patrick simultaneously shout, "Chase!"

Lee rubs his hands together and chases after Jack first. Lee pretends to have difficulty catching up with him, causing Jack to giggle and run even slower. Before Lee tags him, Nathan sneaks behind Jack and scoops him up with his good arm, spinning him around a few times and putting him down. Jack is so dizzy; all he can do is giggle and plop down on the ground. "You're it, Jack!" yells Nathan. Jack gets up and tries to chase Nathan, but he giggles too much, so Lee chases after Patrick.

Patrick inquires, "What are you doing, Papa? There is only supposed to be one person doing the chasing, and that is not you."

Lee pretends not to know and continues to chase after him, catching him eventually.

"No fair, Papa," whines Patrick.

Lee hides his laughter, suggesting, "Why don't you and Jack kick the ball around?"

"Yes, sir."

So, while Jack and Patrick are playing with the ball, Lee asks, "So you did break your wrist?"

"Unfortunately, yes," replies Nathan.

"How will you do your job with your wrist in a cast?"

They both answer, "Bill," in unison and chuckle.

Nathan mentions, "Bill will like nothing more than being a sheriff again for the week."

"You're right," responds Lee.

Ned and Robert are out at the loading dock of the mercantile, going through the deliveries. Ned takes inventory and realizes the big crate belongs to the Coulters. They both look up when they hear Patrick and Jack screaming as they kick the ball around. Ned suggests, "Robert can you go over and let Mister Coulter know his crate is here?"

Robert nods and runs across the street, speaking, "Mister Coulter, Constable Grant. I am sorry to bother you, but we have a crate for you, Mister Coulter."

Lee clears his throat, inquiring, "Do you know what it is?"

"No, sir," answers Robert as he looks at the boys. "I can watch them if Constable Grant wants to help you."

Thank you, Robert," responds Lee as he lets the boys know they will be right back. Lee and Nathan walk across the street to Ned, who's waiting for them.

"Ah, Lee. It is heavy. You are going to need help getting this to your office. I'm assuming it goes there," mentions Ned.

"Can we open it first?"

"Of course." Ned pries it open, and it is Rosemary's printing press. Lee claps his hand together and grins. "Rosemary is going to be so happy." Lee puts his hands in his pockets, thinking. "In fact, do you think the three of us can get it over to my office while the ladies are busy?"

Nathan offers, "Why don't I see if Carson and Joseph are free as well?" Lee nods. They meet back up ten minutes later, and Lee, Nathan, Ned, Carson, and Joseph take the printing press out of the crate and carry it across the street and into Lee's office. They put it into the corner Rosemary wants and assemble the rest of the pieces.

Lee says, "Thank you so much, guys. I couldn't have done this without you."

"I always say many hands make light work," replies Joseph as Robert, Patrick, and Jack run inside.

"What is it, Papa?" questions Patrick.

Lee answers, "It's Mama's printing press."

"Are we going to surprise her?"

"That is a good idea, Patrick. When she gets out of the party, we can bring her here."

Back at the Bachelorette Party

The only two people left in the game are Fiona and Florence. Rosemary was the last person out, blaming Florence for distracting her and making her lose. It's Florence's turn to describe the cat with a word starting with a G. Florence speaks, "The Minister's Cat is an active, bouncy, cute, dynamic, eager, fluffy…." She laughs, adding, "I can't think of anything." All the ladies laugh in unison, with Rosemary being the loudest.

"I win!" exclaims Fiona.

Elizabeth remarks, "I've never played minister's cat that way. Growing up, we either used the same letter or if we used different letters, we didn't have to remember what word came before. I think this way is more challenging and fun."

A few of the ladies get up and start putting their chairs away. Rosemary says, "Wait, we have one more activity," so they sit back down. "We need to present Elizabeth with our little tokens of love."

Clara hands Elizabeth her cloth bag, offering, "Here is your something old. It was my mothers."

Elizabeth unties the cloth bag, opens it up, and pulls out a cream hair comb made from pearls. "Oh, Clara. The comb is gorgeous. Thank you."

Elizabeth stands up to hug Clara, whispering, "I am so happy for you."

Rosemary is next. She mentions, "I'm in charge of your something new and something blue, both of which you will get on your wedding day. Then Rosemary hands a box to Elizabeth, revealing, "This is your something borrowed, and it is from Allie. She wants you to read the note first."

Elizabeth reads to herself, "Aunt Elizabeth. This necklace and matching earrings belonged to my mother. I think she would want you to have them for your something borrowed. She hoped Uncle Nathan would find and marry his soulmate, and she would become my new mother. And I've prayed it would be you since we met a few years ago. I love you, Aunt Elizabeth. Love, Allie." Elizabeth wipes a tear and shows what's in the box. Then, she glances around at all her friends and grins with her entire face. "Thank you, everybody. You all mean the world to me."

Rosemary squeals, "Come here, Elizabeth," and they hug, rocking themselves back and forth, giggling.

Lee and Patrick are outside on the office porch playing jacks and waiting for Rosemary. All the ladies left a half-hour ago, and still no sign of Rosemary. Patrick questions, "What is taking her so long, Papa?"

"I don't know," responds Lee right when the café door opens, and Rosemary finally appears. Patrick jumps up and races to his mother, hugging her, yelling, "Hi, Mama. We've been waiting for you."

"You have? What for?" inquires Rosemary as Patrick pulls her to the office. Lee is there to greet her with a smile on his face. Rosemary kisses Lee, saying, "Hi, sweetheart. What is going on?" Lee doesn't say anything. He merely takes her hand and brings her inside. "Oh, Lee. It came!"

"Yes, just an hour ago or so. I had several of the guys help me bring it over for you. Did I put it in the right place?"

Rosemary walks up to it in awe and turns back around, grinning at her two boys. She giggles, mentioning, "It's perfect, and printing the paper is going to be so much easier now." Rosemary jumps into her husband's arms, and he pretends he can't pick her up, acting like she is too heavy. Lee feigns hurt when she lightly jabs him in the chest, and they both chuckle.

The following afternoon, Allie and Nathan are fishing in her favorite spot. Nathan wanted to spend some one-on-one time with her the day before the wedding, and Allie suggested her favorite pastime, fishing. Unfortunately, Nathan sits on a rock and watches Allie fish because of his wrist. He questions, "Are you sure you are good with me marrying Elizabeth? I know you were excited when I proposed and when we set a date, but I have not talked to you about it recently."

Allie smiles, ensuring Uncle Nathan, "I am so happy you are finally getting married. I have dreamt about this day for a long time, and I can't wait to have a mother again." Allie pauses for a moment. "I'll never forget my mom, but I think she would want us to be happy."

Nathan grins and wraps his arm around Allie, inquiring, "How'd you get to be so insightful? You are right. Your mom would want us to be happy." Nathan waits for Allie to look up at him. "I am happy. Are you?"

"Yes, the happiest I have been my whole life. Tomorrow, I will gain a mother and a little brother. I can't think of anything better."

Later in the day, Nathan and Allie bring the fish over to Elizabeth's house. He wanted to spend some time with Jack, and she wanted to spend some time with Allie. Then they would have a family dinner since Nathan and Elizabeth would be gone for their honeymoon week. Nathan brings Jack back to his place, and Elizabeth invites Allie, "I thought we could bake together. Would you like that?"

"Yes, Aunt Elizabeth."

Elizabeth lays out all the ingredients for a cherry pie on the counter, and they get to work. Elizabeth reveals, "Thank you so much for your something borrowed gift. I will take good care of the necklace and earrings and will always treasure how you wanted me to wear something so near and dear to your heart." Elizabeth wipes her hands on her apron and faces Allie. "I just wanted you to know how much I have come to love you as my daughter. Both you and Jack are my children, and I will do anything and everything for you and our blended family."

Allie replies, "I love you too, Aunt Elizabeth. You were the first person to really care about me outside of Uncle Nathan, my mom, and my grandparents." Allie grabs onto Elizabeth and starts to sob.

"Are you okay, Allie?"

"Yes, I am so happy you are going to be my mom," studders Allie. They hug again, and Elizabeth holds her until her tears stop.

Meanwhile, Nathan wanted to show Jack what he had made for Elizabeth at his house. So, Nathan leads Jack to the backyard and reaches for something wrapped in fabric. He brings it inside and places it on the kitchen table. Nathan and Jack sit down, and he unwraps the cloth to let Jack see what's inside. It is an oval-shaped wooden plaque carved with another Ralph Waldo Emerson quote. Nathan hopes they will keep this one at home instead of the library. They had both decided for him and Allie to move into Elizabeth's row house since Jack was already comfortable there, thinking it would be better for him. Jack looks up at Nathan and then touches the heart carved into the plaque, yelling, "Heart!"

Nathan chuckles, "You're right. It's a heart." He tousles Jack's hair and reads the plaque aloud:

Love, and you shall be loved.

~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

Nathan picks up Jack with his good arm and puts him on his lap. "I made this for your mommy because I love her."

Jack says, "Love, mommy. Love, Natan."

Nathan responds, "I love you too, Jack. And I will help keep the memory of your father alive, so he is never forgotten." Nathan tickles Jack until they are both laughing so hard it hurts.

After dinner and dessert, Allie offers to watch Jack while Nathan and Elizabeth go for a romantic stroll. Elizabeth grabs a bag as they head out alone together. Nathan questions, "What's in the bag?" after they are outside.

"Oh, you'll see," answers Elizabeth. She takes his hand, and they walk towards the pond.

As they get close to his house, Nathan stops her, saying, "I need to run in and get something. Don't move." Nathan jogs into his home, and Elizabeth stands there, giggling to herself. Then a few minutes later, Nathan comes out with a bag of his own.

"What's in your bag, Nathan?"

"It's a surprise," Elizabeth smirks at him as they continue to stroll past all the row houses and to the pond, which is moonlit by an almost full moon in a clear night sky. Finally, when they get to the dock, where he proposed five months ago, he brings the tree stumps together and lays a blanket on top. Nathan helps her sit down and joins her. He wraps his arm around her, she rests her head on his shoulder, and they stare up into the sky.

Elizabeth reveals, "I cannot believe our wedding is tomorrow and my whole family is here and both of your parents."

"I know. I am so relieved our families all got along," responds Nathan.

Elizabeth hits his chest, "Why didn't you tell me you called my father to ask permission to marry me?"

"I didn't want to spoil that I was proposing to you on New Year's Eve."

"You must have had some conversation with him because he is very impressed by you. And here I was worried about you meeting my family for the first time, two days before the wedding. But it was like everyone already knew and loved you," mentions Elizabeth as she reaches for his hand.

Nathan remarks, "Both of my parents loved you as well. I had told Archie how you helped me see I should give him a second chance, and he is very grateful for you."

"Your mother is so sweet. And I think she and my mother got along great." They intertwine their hands and stare back up at the sky.

After a few moments, Nathan whispers in her ear, "I have a gift for you, my soon-to-be-wife."

Elizabeth lovingly glances up at Nathan, replying, "And I have something for you, my soon-to-be husband."

Nathan grabs the gift from his bag and presents it to her. Elizabeth opens it up and happily gasps, "Nathan, this is beautiful. Did you make this plaque too?" Nathan shyly smiles and nods yes while Elizabeth reaches for her gift. She hands it to him and places her head back on his shoulder. Nathan unwraps the fabric, and it's an eighteen-inch bronze heart with "The Grants" etched in the center. Then on top, Nathan and Elizabeth's names are etched in cursive, and below is Allie's name and Jack's. Elizabeth suggests, "I thought we could hang it together as a family after the honeymoon. What do you think?"

"I think it is a great idea, Elizabeth." He kisses her, and they lay their heads together, gazing up at the stars.