"Taylor's birthday party is Saturday," Jamie told Jo one day. "She's having it at the skating rink. Will you please take me?"
"You haven't been skating in a really long time," Jo reminded her daughter. "Are you sure you'll be all right?"
"I'll be really careful," Jamie promised.
"Well...all right," Jo conceded.
Saturday morning was cold but sunny. Jo bundled Bethany up warmly and took her to the skating rink with Jamie. Cathy and Taylor greeted them when they arrived.
"This is my cousin, Lauren," Taylor told them. Lauren had shoulder-length blonde hair and braces on her teeth. She was about Taylor and Jamie's age. "This is my best friend, Jamie Bonner," Taylor told her cousin.
"Kennedy, come say hello to Jo and Jamie," Cathy called to her younger daughter. Taylor's eight-year-old sister was busily skating around the rink. She skated toward Jo and Jamie.
"Hello," she said obligingly, then turned and skated back onto the rink. Taylor made a face behind her sister's back.
"Taylor," Cathy said sternly.
"So how many people are coming?" Jamie asked Taylor.
"I invited Ashley and Kendra," Taylor replied. "Oh, and Hunter said he might come."
"Hunter?" Jamie squealed, and both girls burst into a fit of giggles.
"She's adorable!" Cathy said to Jo, looking down at Bethany. "Can I hold her?"
"Of course!" But as soon as Jo handed Bethany to Cathy, the infant primped up and began to cry.
"Oh, no!" Cathy cooed.
"I guess she's reached the age where she recognizes who's holding her," Jo commented. After a few minutes, Bethany got used to Cathy holding her and stopped crying.
Soon a very nice looking boy of about fourteen strolled in. "Hunter!" cried Jamie and Taylor, racing toward him. Jamie was in such a hurry that she didn't watch where she was going and tripped over the curb, falling right on her arm.
"Jamie!" Jo rushed to help her daughter up.
Jamie's face was pale, and she was grimacing in pain. "Mom, it hurts!"
Cathy and Taylor were there as well, and even Hunter, although Jamie was in so much pain that she seemed not to even notice him.
"I'm taking you to the hospital right away," Jo decided.
"No, Mom! That would be so, like, totally uncool!" Jamie protested. "At least wait until the party's over!"
"Well...all right," Jo relented. Jamie sat on the edge of the rink, her face a mask of pain, while the others enjoyed the party. She looked relieved when things started winding down and the other guests began to leave.
Jo drove her daughter home, praying that Doug would be there. He was.
"I need you to watch the baby for awhile, hon," she told him. "I'm taking Jamie to the emergency room. She hurt her arm at the skating rink."
"Aw, hon, I'm so sorry!" Doug told his stepdaughter.
"Yeah, so am I, Dad," Jamie said glumly.
Doug smiled. He loved it when she called him 'Dad'. "Well, they'll take good care of you at the hospital." He ruffled her hair.
At the hospital, Jo signed Jamie in and they sat in the lobby to wait across from a young woman who was vomiting into a plastic container and a man who was groaning loudly. After awhile the receptionist took down all Jamie's information and a nurse took them back to a private room.
They had to wait so long to be seen that Jamie was lightly dozing by the time the physician arrived to take her to x-ray. Then it was another wait for the results.
"It's broken," the physician told them, but rather than looking upset, Jamie grinned.
"I'm gonna have Hunter be the first one to sign my cast," she told her mother.
"I think the novelty's gonna wear off pretty fast," Jo replied.
The physician put the cast on Jamie's arm and gave her a sling. It was twilight by the time they were on their way home.
"How was she?" Jo asked her husband.
"Good as gold," he told her. "She only cried once. I gave her a bottle at about six and she drank about half of it. She's been asleep since then."
"I changed my mind," Jamie announced. "I don't want Hunter to be the first one to sign my cast anymore. I want you to be first, Dad."
"I'd be honored," Doug told her. He found a pen and wrote on her cast. 'To Jamie, I hope you get better soon. All my love, Dad.'
"Thanks, Dad!" Her pain forgotten, Jamie kissed Doug's cheek.
"No problem at all. Happy to do it." He grinned and blushed just a little.
"You're so good with her," Jo told her husband later, when they were alone.
"I'm so glad you think so," he replied. "To be honest, I was kind of scared at first. I never had a daughter before, and now all of a sudden, I've got two of them!" He chuckled.
"Well, you're doing a great job with both of them." Jo sighed. "I'm afraid I'm not doing nearly as well with Clay."
Doug came to her and took both her hands into his own. "You're doin' fine with Clay," he told her. "He's almost grown. Before I met you, Grace was the closest thing he'd ever had to a mother. It's only natural that he'd be closer to her than he is to you, but that don't mean he don't care about you at all. I asked him one time how he felt about you and me bein' married. He said he was happy I'd found someone to love and that he thought you were good for me."
"Well, I'm glad he approves," Jo replied. "I just wish that he and I could be closer."
"It'll happen," Doug assured her. "Just give it some time."
"You really think so?"
"Yeah, I do." She went to him, and he put his arms around her and held her close while she rested her head on his shoulder.