Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters except Noah and Nate Camden.. This is a long chapter but I felt I needed it to be a bit longer this chapter to get everything in that I wanted to.
3rd July 2012
*Camden Household*
Annie was woken up early by her husband kissing her forehead as he got ready for work. He had to be at the Church early to get some work done and then he had counseling sessions all day. She opened her eyes, smiling as she saw her husbands eyes watching her every move, "Good morning my love", he said as he sat on the edge of the bed. "Good morning to you", she said as she slowly sat up, looking confused. "It's only 7:30, where you going so early?", she asked him forgetting he had told her last night. "I thought I mentioned.. I had to go to the church early to get some work done and then I have counseling sessions all day", he said reminding her. She nodded and then remembered the conversation they has the night before.. "I think I need to speak to Ruthie or Lucy.. They usually know everything.. And Mary and Lucy have been really close lately", she said as she sat up more and pulled the covers off her. "Well I gotta get downstairs and grab something to eat.. ", he said smiling at her, and said as an after thought, "Good luck".
Eric put his jacket on and walked out of the bedroom, checking in on his sons who were still sleeping. He thought back and realized none of his other children even slept in late especially during the school vacation. It wasn't a surprise to see David still curled up in bed as he had been through a lot this last year with him being diagnosed with a blood disorder called ITP. His body killed off his platelets which were the things that clotted your blood, without the platelets.. You risked internal bleeding, so David had been through many hospital visits and treatments trying to get them back up. Some of the treatments made him not feel well and have some bad side effects including feeling tired, he had just recently had another lot of treatment so Eric decided to let him sleep as long as he needed to.
As he peeked his head in on Sam, he saw he was sitting up in bed and rubbing the sleep away from his eyes, "Morning Dad", he said as he saw his father walk past and sneak his head around the corner. David had their old room which used to be Ruthie and Simon's room and Sam had the room which used to belong to Lucy and Mary and then Matt and Robbie's room. "Good morning son, you ready to come down for something to eat?". He nodded as he jumped up off his bed and walked out of his room, still in his pajamas. "Dave still asleep?", he asked as they walked downstairs. "Yeah, I think he is still feeling the effects of his last treatment", Eric explained to his son, moving to the fridge and then putting the coffee on and starting to get breakfast organized for himself and Sam.
Just then, Ruthie came in from the back door, her and Martin were now living in the garage apartment while they were saving for their first house together just as Lucy and Kevin did. Martin decided to following in his father's footsteps and joined the Marines and he was currently away on a training exercise for two weeks so sadly he wouldn't be joining the family for the Fourth of July celebrations. "Hey Dad, Sam", she said as she went over to the coffee pot and reached for two mugs, pouring her dad and herself a cup of coffee. "Hey there Ruthie, sleep,well?", her dad asked her as he took the mug she handed him. He knew she didn't sleep as well when her husband was away and both he and Annie had told her she was welcome to stay in the house in her old bedroom upstairs but she declined saying she needed to get used to it for when they had their own house.
"I slept okay Dad, I spoke with Martin last night so I was able to sleep better last night then I have in a while", she said honestly as he reached over and hugged her, Sam having made himself some toast and was now sitting down and eating it. Annie had been in the shower and heard Ruthie come in, so she shortened her shower and got out, dressing and quickly drying her hair and then came down the stairs, "My babbbyyy", she said as she walked down the stairs and held her arms out for her daughter who pulled away from her father to hug her mother. "Good morning Mom", Ruthie said giggling a little at her mothers affection. Annie pulled away and spoke, "Ruthie.. Do you happen to know any news about Mary?", she asked looking at her. Ruthie creased her brows and frowned, "new.. What news Mom?".
"She was not feeling well last night and she hasn't seemed herself over the last couple of weeks", Annie answered back as she got herself a cup of coffee. "Honestly Mom.. I have no idea this time.. Whatever it is.. I don't know". Annie nodded and looked at her daughter more closely and decided she was telling the truth.. "But if you do find out.. Be sure to let me know", She said as she shoved a piece of toast in her mouth, smirking a little. Ruthie honestly didn't know but she knew if something was up, and she didn't know about it.. Her mother would not have any luck snooping around. "Maybe Lucy knows something", she added as he sat down at the table to eat her toast and drink her coffee. Eric chuckled and kissed Annie's forehead and looked at his watch.. "I best be going.. I'll be home in time for dinner". He said as he grabbed his briefcase and walked out to the car.
*Meanwhile at the Kinkirk household*
Mary and Ben both had a bad night.. She spent the majority of it in the bathroom vomiting and Ben was up with her as he tried to comfort her and make sure she was okay. He rubbed her back and kept her hair held back and held her in his arms in the moments she didn't have her head stuck in the toilet. She had finally stopped vomiting about 6:30am and curled back up in bed, cuddling up to her pillows as a Ben pulled the covers back over her, kissing her forehead. "Get some more sleep babe", he said softly as he pulled her hair away from her face. "You have to go to work babe?", she asked weakly, letting her eyelids flutter open slowly. He nodded and smiled warmly at her, "For a little while sweetie.. I'll get Lucy or Kev to check in on you every now and then". She nodded and groaned again, Ben looking at her with concern.
"You need the bucket Mare?". She took a few deep breathes and held her stomach, shaking her head. "No.. I'm fine". She said as she closed her eyes once again. "I can stay home if you need me to?".. She smiled softly and shook her head, "I'm okay baby.. Just need some sleep". He kissed her and then stood up, getting ready for work. She nodded and let out a little noise to let him know she heard him and fell asleep again as he dressed. Once he was dressed, he kissed her goodbye and headed downstairs for a quick breakfast and a coffee, sighing as he opened the fridge up knowing it was going to be a long day being that he had so little sleep. After his finished his breakfast, he rang Kevin and Lucy, hoping that one of them would be able to check in on his wife.
Savannah picked the phone up, "Kinkirk Residence.. Who's calling?", came a soft little voice. Ben smiled wide and answered, "Hey there pretty girl.. It's Uncle Ben". She smiled and exclaimed, "Uncle Ben.. Hi.. When you coming for a visit?", she asked happily. Ben chuckled and leaned against the kitchen counter. "Well.. Soon hopefully.. We will see each other tomorrow though.. Is your Mom or Dad there?", he asked as he took a sip of his coffee. "I'll go get one of them", she said as she took the portable phone into kitchen where Lucy was reading the paper. "Mommy.. It's Uncle Ben", she said as she handed the phone to her. Ben explained to Lucy what was going on and if she could check in on Mary during the day. "Sure, of course I can"' she said, nodding, telling Ben she would call her a little later. "Thanks Luce", he said as he hung the phone up.
"Mommy", Savannah said as she walked over to her mother, "Is Aunt Mary okay?", she asked feeling a little worried. Lucy smiled as she picked up her daughter and sat her in her lap. "She is okay sweetie.. She is just feeling a little unwell.. But that is all normal baby". Savannah snuggled into her mom and nodded, "Is Uncle Matt, Aunt Sarah and the boys coming tomorrow?", Lucy smiled and kissed her daughters cheek, "'I think they are sweetie". A little later in the morning after Lucy had done some housework and Savannah was coloring at the table, the door bell rang and Lucy stood up, with her daughter still in her arms and walked to the door and opened it. "Mom!", she exclaimed, surprised to see her mother so early in the morning. "Nanna", Savannah said as she jumped down from Lucy's arms into her grandmothers. "Hey there my baby girls", Annie said as she hugged them both.
Once the greetings were over, they all went and sat in the kitchen, "So.. Mom.. What brings here this morning?", Lucy asked as she looking back at her mother, as she stood at the counter to make them both some coffee. "Well, I was talking with Mary last night and she said she wasn't feeling very well and was tired.. I also remember her not feeling well for a while.", she said as she turned her head to look at her daughter who was busy making coffee, her heart racing a million miles hoping she wouldn't find out and Savannah wouldn't say anything. " I was wondering if you had any idea on what was wrong with her?". Lucy kept her body turned the other way to try to figure out a good lie and then turned around, "Mary is sick?" She asked putting on her best concerned look. "I had no idea Mary was still sick Mom, is she okay?".
Lucy busied herself getting something for eat for morning tea and then set the Oreo cookies out onto the table and brought Savannah her milk and the coffee for herself and her Mom. "You didn't know she was sick?"Annie said, creasing her eyebrows a little, not sure if she should believe her. "And what do you mean still sick?", she added as she took her coffee and had a sip. "No.. I mean I knew she had a cold about a month ago but I didn't realize she was still unwell", she managed to say as convincingly as she could. Luckily Savannah remembered her promise to her Aunt Mary and Uncle Ben and stayed quiet, drinking her milk and dunking her Oreos. "Are you sure you had no idea she was still sick?". Her mother said, slowly getting a little frustrated that she was not getting anywhere..
She could usually break her second eldest daughter a lot easier then this, so she was either telling the truth or she had brushed up on her lying act cause her and Eric both were terrible liars. "No idea Mom", Lucy said as she took a sip of her coffee, remaining calm and collected. She really hoped that after all this time, Mary and Ben could pull of their surprise of telling the whole family together at such a special time of year. Annie sighed and nodded, knowing she wasn't going to get anything out of Lucy. She almost decided to ask to take Savannah for the day and ask her but then she realized she didn't want to put her grand daughter in a hard position if she did know anything and was told not to say anything, so she thought maybe she would ask the other kids or possibly go over to Mary's later that day.
"Okay, Well I should get going, the boys are at home alone and I don't want to leave them alone for too much longer.. Let me know if you hear anything about Mary", Annie said as she stood up and kissed her daughter and grand daughter goodbye. Lucy nodded as she picked Savannah up and they walked Annie out to the front door, "Yes, Mom.. I will let you know if I hear anything", she said as they waved goodbye, "See ya tomorrow Nana" , Savannah said as she waved and then once Annie was gone, Lucy closed the door and breathed in a deep sigh of relief, resting her back against the door.. "Wow.. That was close", she said slightly to herself and to Savannah. Savannah giggled and nodded, Lucy poking her nose a little playfully. "Thanks for not saying anything to Nana.. We should go check on Aunt Mary and make sure she is okay".
Savannah nodded and giggled, "You're welcome Mommy". Lucy put her down and walked into her bathroom to make sure her hair looked okay and put some makeup on and then smiled, heading back into the living room and grabbing her bag as she called out to Savannah. "'Okay Anna, let's go". Savannah came running out of her room with one of her favorite teddy bears and her little hand bag her Mother had brought her. "Why you bringing Muffy with you?", she asked eyeing the ratty old bunny.. "I thought Aunt Mary might like it to keep her company", she said a little shyly. Lucy smiled and lifted her daughter up into her arms as she grabbed her keys, "I am sure she will love it.. Come on sweetie". She waked out the door and locked it and then put Savannah into the backseat and helped her with her belt.
Once they got to Mary and Ben's house, Lucy got out and helped Savannah out, and took her key ring and found the key to unlock the house and let themselves in. "Mare?", Lucy called as she closed the door behind her. There was no answer so Lucy put her finger on her lips to make sure Savannah was quiet in case Mary was sleeping and took her hand walking upstairs into her bedroom. She smiled softly as she saw Mary laying down in her bed and walked over to her, sitting down on the bed noticing she was stirring. "Hey Mare.. You feeling any better?". She asked her as she helped Savannah up onto the bed. Mary sat up and looked at the clock noticing it was nearing 12pm. She nodded and smiled seeing Savannah, "I think I am feeling a bit better.. Wow.. I slept all morning". She said as she really took in the time.
"That's good, You feeling hungry or thirsty at all?", Lucy asked as she looked at her again. Mary felt her stomach growl a little and Savannah giggled hearing it.. "I think that's a yes", Mary hand as she laughed along with Savannah. "How bout you take a nice relaxing bath and I will make you something for lunch?". Mary raised her eyebrows at her sister, "You don't have to go to any trouble Sis". Lucy smiled, "it's no trouble at all is it baby?", she asked her daughter who shook her head. "By the way.. Mom is fishing around for information, she came round this morning asking if I knew you were sick". Mary groaned as she remembered last nights conversation, "I rang her last night about tomorrow and she could hear that I wasn't well.. I just said I was tired.. I hope she doesn't find out".
"I don't think so will.. Anna and I didn't say anything and only Ben, Kev and us know .. It will be fine.. You go and have your bath and we will get you some lunch ready". Mary nodded and went to stand up but before she could, Savannah handed her the bear and smiled, "this is to keep you company Aunt Mary", she said in a small voice. Mary smiled and cuddled it to her recognizing it as the one she brought her niece when she was born.. " Awe, Thanks sweetie", she said leaning over and kissing her cheek and cuddling her. "You are welcome". She said smiling as she pulled away to let Mary stand up. "Take as long as you need Sis", Lucy said as she took Savannah's hand and waked downstairs. As Mary ran the bath, she thought back to when Savannah was born and how excited she felt to see her niece for the first time.
*flash back*
Mary was back in Buffalo when she got the news her first niece was born. She went straight to her boss and asked if she could take some family time explaining the situation, "My sister just had her baby and I would love if I could have some time off to meet my niece". Her boss smiled and nodded, Mary was a good worker and she was dedicated to her family too, so she knew the feeling of wanting to be with your family especially at times like this. "That sounds fine Mary, you go spend some time with your family.. And congratulations". Mary smiled and hugged her boss, "Thanks, I really appreciate it". Her boss hugged her back and smiled wider, "I know the feeling of wanting to be with family, go be with them", she said softly. Mary nodded and walked away, waving..
She headed to her apartment and packed some clothes in a suitcase and then had a quick shower and got dressed in more causal clothes, jeans and a nice low cut fitting top and straightened her hair, putting some makeup on. She then headed back to Buffalo airport to catch a flight back to Glenoak. As she worked for the airline, she was able to get a plane ride back for free.. Once she got back to Glenoak, she headed straight for the hospital and she was looking in the gift shop at the hospital for a gift and saw the most perfect little teddy.. It was almost like a off white bunny with big floppy ears and a little pink blanket which was sewn into the bunnies hand. She thought it was perfect and brought it and a bunch of flowers as well and then headed to Lucy's hospital room.
Once she got to her room, she knocked softly before entering and smiled as Lucy smiled and tilted her head for her to come in, "Hey there Mare". Mary walked in and put the flowers on the table and gave her sister a hug. "Congratulations Luce.. I'm so proud of you", she said as she sat on the bed next to her and reached for the flowers, "These are for you". Lucy smiled and motioned towards the empty vase next to her, "Thanks.. I appreciate those. Could you put these in there?". Mary nodded as she placed the flowers in the vase and looked around, "So... Where is my niece?", she asked curiously. Lucy giggled and smiled, "Kevin just went to go give her a bath and get cleaned up.. They should be back in a minute". Just as she said those words, Kevin walked in with a little bundle of pink blankets in his arms.
"Hi Mary", he said as she walked over to him and gave him a hug and a kiss on the cheek, pulling back the blankets to get a close look at her niece. "Congratulations", she said excitedly as she looked at them both as Kevin walked over to the bed where Lucy was and Kevin spoke up, " Lucy.. So do you wanna?". Lucy smiled and nodded beckoning Mary to get closer to the bed, "Mare, we would like to introduce you to our daughter Savannah Jennifer Louise Kinkirk", she said smiling wide as Kevin made a move to do a hand over and passed the baby girl to Mary who took her into her arms gently and carefully. She looked at them both and smiled, feeling tears well in her eyes at the sight of her niece looking up at her.. "Wow, she is so beautiful and perfect". She said as she slowly rocked Savannah in her arms.
She sat down on the bed and carefully grabbed the bunny bear she brought and placed it in her arms with her niece and said, "This is for you sweetheart.. I hope you like it". She was so proud of her sister and brother in law and very happy for them but it did make her long for a happy ending of her own. It didn't work out with Wilson West or Robbie Pamler, She knew why now.. Neither of them really held her heart, but Ben Kinkirk.. Now he was the one who really held her heart and knowing this little girl was apart of him too made her ache to hold hers and Ben's on child, but she knew it would never happen. They had broken up and she felt like she had lost him for good this time. She leant her head forward and kissed her niece's forehead, taking her little finger in hers, always vowing to be there and have a special bond with her.
*end flash back*
Mary was finished in the bath and getting dressed, she decided on a loose fitting dress, and while she sat at her vanity and did her hair, she looked over at the bear Savannah had leant her and smiled, knowing that her hopes, dreams and wishes of being a wife to her best friend Ben and a Mommy to their children was finally coming true. They had been through their fair share of ups and downs but they were finally making it through. She made the bed and sat the bear at the top of the bed with the pillows and took one final look at it as she made her way back downstairs, smelling a grilled cheese and tomato sandwich for lunch. "Mm that smells good Luce, thanks", she said as she sat down at the table. "Wow.. You are right on time and your welcome", she said as she put Mary's plate down in front of her and then finished fixing Savannah and her own lunch before sitting down to eat.
*Meanwhile.. Back at the Camden household.. And Alternating with New York*
It was 1pm and after some shopping, Annie was finally back home and making lunch for her two teenaged sons, as she did she thought about Matt, Sarah and the boys and how she couldn't wait to see them tomorrow. She called the boys who were playing basketball outside in for lunch, "boys.. Lunch". Even though David was going through a lot of things, he was so happy that Annie and Eric let him continue to shoot hops as long as the other family members were careful around him. They came in and sat down, saying a quick grace and as they ate, Annke decided to give Matt a call. She picked the phone up and dialed, getting him on the third ring, "Dr Camden speaking, how may I help you?". Matt must have been on call she thought and smiled at his professional greeting, "Well, " she started.. "You can tell your mother what you know about Mary being unwell", she said in a voice that said she wouldn't be messed around with.
Matt, Sarah and their twin sons Nate and Noah were still currently living in New York but both their families were still in Glenoak and they were starting to get a little home sick. Matt and Sarah been organizing to buy a home and also a private practice in Glenoak so they could be with their families more often, especially now that the boys were getting older, they thought they needed to spend more time with their grandparents and Aunts, Uncles and Cousins. They also had their own little surprise to tell the family when they saw them the next day and that was that they had finally signed the papers to a new home and were getting closer to organizing the paperwork for their family practice. Matt, Sarah and the boys had been in and out of Glenoak over the last few weeks and staying with Sarah's parents.
Only Richard and Rosina knew of their plans were glad to keep or a surprise for the Camden family. As Matt had not heard anything about Mary being sick, he was glad he could be honest to his mother. Mary wanted to ask Matt as he was an OB, but she didn't want too many of the family knowing and she didn't feel comfortable asking Matt about certain things, which is why she was glad she had Lucy. "Honestly Mom.. I didn't know Mary was sick at all, We haven't heard from Mary and Ben for a month or so, we keep getting each other's machines when we call to catch up with each other and she never mentioned in her messages she wasn't well". Matt said as he looked over the file of his next patient. "Well, no one seems to know.. Mary said she was just tired, but she sounded sick".
Matt shook his head slightly amused at his mother and asked the obvious question, "Have you asked Lucy or Ruthie?", she went to the fridge and poured herself and the twins some juice and answered, "Yes.. Both say they have no idea what's wrong". Matt heard a knock at his door and put his hand over the phone, "Come in". It was the receptionist letting him know his patient was here, "Look Mom I have to go, I got a patient coming in", he said as he nodded and took his hand away from the phone, "If anything is wrong, I am sure Mary will tell us when she is ready". Annie nodded and handed the boys the drinks as she balanced the phone between her shoulder and ear, sighing, "I know.. Okay.. Well I will let you go and we will see you all tomorrow". She said defeated.. "See you tomorrow Mom", he said as he hung up the phone and stood up and walked to the door to call his next patient in.
* In New York *
Sarah got home from her shift at the clinic and had picked the boys up from their next door neighbor who watched them and unlocked the apartment door, "Okay boys.. We need to start getting packed cause as soon as Daddy is finished work, we are gonna get going.. I have a list of what you need on your beds, so get to it", she said as she softly clapped her hands together. She looked around the apartment and smiled, she was going to miss their home.. It is where their babies were brought home from the hospital and their first real home, both at the same time she was excited for her families new adventure and being home. The house they brought was big and would fit their growing family. Matt and Sarah had just decided to try for another baby, and hoped that pretty soon, possibly before the end of the year, they would have some good news to share with the rest of their family.
Sarah was an only child and she grew up with a lot of love from her parents but she did miss not having siblings and she saw how close Matt and his siblings were and wanted her boys to grow up with some more siblings as well. She headed into her and Matt's bedroom and began packing for the both of them, they were both on vacation and were planning on staying for a week or so and then they both were planning on giving two weeks notice at the clinic so they could move back home. It was ten after four when Matt walked into the apartment and called out to his wife who answered that she was in the bedroom. "Hey there Mrs Camden", he said as he wrapped his arms around her from behind and cuddled her, kissing her neck, "Mm Hello Mr Camden", she said never getting tired of hearing him say her name like that.
"We all packed?", he asked as he kept kissing her neck softly, her hands moving over his and lacing their fingers together, "We are.. I should go check on the boys to make sure they are all finished", she whispered as she turned around and kissed her husbands lips gently. He nodded and chuckled as he pulled away and kissed her again, "'I'm gonna go have a quick shower and change". She nodded and squeezed his butt as he walked past and then she headed into her sons bedroom. "You guys all packed?", she said chuckling as she saw little Noah struggling to close his bag and she walked over and helped him close it. "Got some toys as well?" They both smiled and nodded, "Yup.. We packed this bag with some toys", Nate said pointing to the bag.
Once they had all showered and changed, they decided to head out and grab a quick bite before heading out to the airport, their flight left at 7:15pm that night. It would take them about five and a half hours or so to get to Glenoak, so they were hiring a car and staying at the Glass house that night and having brunch with them and then the four of July BBQ with the Camden's, the Glasses having deciding to spend the four of July going on a wine tasting tour. At the airport, they all went through security and then got onto the plane and sat down, all looking forward to seeing their families and finding out the reaction of the rest of the Camden family when they tell them the good news that they were planning on bringing their family back home to Glenoak permanently.
*Back at the Kinkirk household*
Ben got home from work at about 5:30pm that day and as he put his key into the lock of the door, he yawned softly. He had a big day and was grateful he was off the next day. He knew it would be an early night for both himself and Mary that evening. Lucy had called him once she left and gave him an update on how she was doing and let him knew she was okay. He had gotten them a salad each for dinner knowing neither of them would feel much like cooking.," Hey Mare.. I'm home", he said as he walked through the door. Mary was sitting downstairs on the couch reading a book on pregnancy with a water bottle by her side and smiled, "Hey babe", she said as he came over to her and kissed her softly and sat down. "How you feeling?".
She rubbed her belly as she took a sip of the water and nodded, "I feel a bit better now, been drinking a lot of water and rehydrating", she said pointing to the book Lucy had given her to help her get through her pregnancy. "That's good babe, I got us a salad each for dinner and thought we could have an early night", he said noticing how tired she still looked. She nodded and smiled.. "Sounds good honey". He stood up and went to get everything ready in the kitchen and then brought it out to her. Once they finished dinner, Ben helped Mary upstairs and into bed and then had a cool shower and dressed for bed, putting the ducted air conditioner on before getting in next to her and turning the light out. Mary remembered, "Did you ask your Mother and step father and sister if they wanted to come for lunch?". He nodded and spoke, "Yes, I asked but they can't make it babe.. They are stuck in Buffalo".
She nodded and curled up next to her husband, "We will have to make sure we call them or Skype them tomorrow and tell them too", she said sleepily as she yawned and closed her eyes slowly and rested her head on Ben's shoulder, falling asleep feeling safe and sound in his arms, looking forward to seeing all her family tomorrow and wondering what they say when they tell them all the news, Ben sighing contently and smiled, chuckling as he saw that Mary had a little bunny in her arm and noticed it was the same bunny that Mary gave Savannah when she was born. He quickly took a photo of it and then snuggled in and cuddled her as he let his mind rest and his eyes closed, falling asleep, his mind on how they were gonna tell their family that they were expecting.
Thank you for your patience.. I am sorry this update took a bit longer but I wanted to make sure it was right, I also wanted to make it longer to give more of an introduction to what is going on with the other members of the family. One member I didn't include was Simon but he will be in the next coming chapters.. I hope you all like way I have done with this chapter and bringing the other members of the Camden family to life a bit more, it's hard to add them all but I tried to incorporate it much the same way the episodes ran, that it went from mid scene to another scene. Thanks, WiseGirl10123.. I would love to have them find out the gender and possibly keep it a surprise for the family at least till the baby shower and thanks roganjalex for your review as well.. I am happy that there are people who are reading and enjoying this. :) I am trying to make sure the updates aren't too far apart.