One Week Later

Whenever Faith looked back on the day of the big announcement, it almost seemed as if she had somehow known ahead of time how the evening was going to end, even though that wasn't possible. No one could have known. As happy as Faith was about her impending motherhood, she was nervous about sharing the news with her family and the Blythes, and despite Jem's convincing words of reassurance, Faith couldn't shake her uneasy feeling. She tried to stay busy that day, hoping any activity would keep her mind off the evening ahead, but she was still edgy.

Faith never could remember all the details of that evening, but in spite of her uneasiness, it stated out to be lovely. By the time she, Jerry, Bruce, Rosemary, and her father arrived at the Blythes for dinner, Faith appeared calm on the outside, but inside she was anything but tranquil as she and Jem exchanged nervous glances. They had hoped their siblings would all be present as well as their parents, but that was virtually impossible to arrange with such a large family. Rilla and Ken were still on their honeymoon; Susan was away visiting her brother; and Di, Una, Shirley, and Carl were attending an engagement party in Lowbridge. Faith was almost grateful for the smaller gathering, as fewer people seemed less intimidating.

At some point during the pre-meal conversation, Jem noticed Faith did not look well – she was very pale, and he knew it was more than nerves. But before he could pull her aside or say anything to her, his mother asked him to go outside to get some more wood for the fire.

"Faith, do you feel alright?" Rosemary asked just after Jem had disappeared into the kitchen. "You look pale."

"I'm fine," Faith replied, even though she knew she wasn't. "I just need some fresh air. It's a little stuffy in here. Please excuse me." She then made a quick exit before anyone could say anything more.

"She hasn't been herself all day," Rosemary said to no one in particular.

"No, she hasn't," agreed John Meredith. "But her paleness doesn't concern me nearly as much as that look in her eyes."

"What look is that?" asked Jerry.

"Fear," replied the surprisingly perceptive Rev. Meredith. "Total fear in the eyes of a girl who is never afraid of anything."

"Gil, maybe you'd better go see if she's alright," suggested Anne Blythe, who had also noticed that look.

Turning around as soon as he heard the kitchen door open, Jem was alarmed by the terrified and bewildered expression on his wife's colorless face.

"Faith, what's wrong?" he asked as he dropped the wood and rushed to her side.

"I don't know – I feel so strange, so sick. Oh Jem, I'm afraid…" she said before doubling over in excruciating pain before she could finish the sentence.

Dr. Blythe, who had witnessed but not heard the excited conversation from the kitchen window, rushed over and opened the door as Jem picked up his wife and carried her into the house.

"I think she's hemorrhaging," Jem said to his father.

"Quick, bring her into Susan's bedroom," he ordered as he led them into the little room off the kitchen.

"Dad, there's something you need to know," said Jem, who by now knew exactly what Faith was afraid of. "She's three months pregnant."

"She's what!" exclaimed Dr. Blythe, who couldn't have been more surprised if Jem had told him Faith was suffering from Bubonic Plague.

"She's three months pregnant," Jem repeated.

Gil started to say something to his son, but stopped himself. There would be time for recriminations later. Right now his patient was his top priority.

The rest of the Blythes and Merediths waited tensely in the parlor for the next two hours. They had heard Faith moaning in pain when Jem carried her into the house, had heard Gilbert order them into the bedroom, but hadn't heard anything else. The Merediths had wanted to go back into the bedroom to find out what was the matter with Faith, but Anne had convinced them not to. Having been a doctor's wife for twenty-eight years, she knew never to interrupt a physician in the middle of a medical crisis. He would talk to the worried family members as soon as the patient was out of danger.

When Gilbert finally entered the parlor, he looked grim, but not because Faith wouldn't be ok. She would recover. His expression was due to the fact that for the first time, he was deeply disappointed in one of his children. Of course, as no one else knew the reason for his grim look, they feared the worst.

"What's the matter with my daughter?" John Meredith demanded to know.

"Is Faith alright?" Jerry asked simultaneously.

"She'll be fine in a few days," Gilbert said, causing everyone to breathe a collective sigh of relief.

"But what's wrong with her?" asked Rosemary.

All eyes were fixed on Dr. Blythe. As much as he didn't want to answer the question at that moment, he knew he had to. After a long pause he quietly said, "She suffered a miscarriage."

Dr. Blythe's words rendered everyone in the room temporarily speechless.

"A miscarriage!" exclaimed John Meredith, who was the first to recover his power of speech. He couldn't believe it was possible his daughter had been pregnant. Hadn't he and Rosemary raised her better than that?

"Believe me, I'm as shocked as you all are," Gilbert said, glancing at his wife. The bewildered look on her face indicated to him that she was just as disappointed in their oldest son as he was. "But Jem says he can explain."

"Explain! What is there to explain? Where is he?" Jerry asked indignantly as he rose from his chair. Jem was his best friend, but that made no difference when it came to defending his sister's honor.

"Sit down, Jerry," Rev. Meredith ordered impatiently. Although he was every bit as shocked and angry as his son, John Meredith was not as impulsive. "While it appears there is nothing to explain, I think we should at least listen to what Jem has to say."