Chapter 30
Vincent, of course wasn't sure that he could father a child let alone if he wanted to take the chance that the baby could look like him. All the while Catherine was eagerly looking forward to have a child by her husband and was not at all worried about how the baby would look.
Because of her belief that baby Jacob should be Vincent's child, she thought they should name this child Charles after her father if it was a boy. Vincent had only suggested once that the final decision should be Catherine's because he wasn't really the baby's father. Before he had finished expressing that thought Catherine had been repeatedly poking him in the chest with her finer as she enunciated each word of, "I don't want to EVER hear those words come out of your mouth again! This child is as much yours as it is mine and we will make all decisions about his or her life together! Is that clear?!"
His subdued, "Yes Catherine," was accompanied by a slight gleam in his eyes though.
That morning they dropped the name talk fairly quickly because they wanted to meet Jenny for breakfast in the dining room and then go to check on Devin.
They arrived in the dining hall to find that Jenny wasn't there yet. Going through the line and settling at their usual table, they felt they had given her enough time to join them, but she still wasn't there. They wondered aloud if something had happened to Devin during the night but both of them dismissed the idea. They knew they would have been notified if there had been any important change. Thinking that maybe she had just slept in, they assumed they would see her shortly. So they finished their breakfast and headed to the hospital chamber.
When Jacob and Peter woke that morning, they both went to check on their patient. They found him sleeping even if he was a bit restless. Mary was also dozing in her chair, but even though she was clearly asleep, her hands were still moving! Even asleep she was still knitting! True it was a much slower pace than her waking progress but both men still stood there in awe.
Finally they woke her and sent her to get some food and then some real sleep. They would examine Devin before Peter left to take delivery of the X-ray machine Catherine had said would be delivered to his home that morning. Jacob would stay until someone relieved him and then he would go to breakfast.
Catherine and Vincent were just leaving the dining hall when Mary came in, the asked after Devin and after she told them he was doing fine she delivered the news that Jenny had gone Above last night.
"Why would she do that?!" Catherine wanted to know. "She was planning to be Below all weekend!"
"It is my understanding that Devin in his infinite stupidity told her that things between them were over," Mary reported.
"Do you think it was because he believes he won't be able to walk again?" Vincent questioned.
"No, I believe it was because he thought Jenny wanted a family and that wasn't in his plans. He sent her to Mr. Maxwell," Mary answered.
"Oh no!" Catherine moaned.
Both Mary and Vincent turned to stare at her wondering what was wrong. She reluctantly told them, "Yesterday at work I learned Joe has been seeing someone else."
Catherine paused to take a deep breath before going on but Mary saw it as an opening to say, "But Jenny was also dating Devin so that shouldn't really matter, should it?"
"If it was only dating…but Gina, the girl Joe was seeing is pregnant and he feels it is his responsibility to marry her."
"Oh dear," Mary sighed.
"Yes," Catherine agreed. "I should probably go Above and find Jenny. She may need a shoulder to lean on."
"That is a good idea Catherine, but don't over do, you have had a stressful time as well," Vincent suggested.
"I promise to take care of myself," she told him and with a kiss to his cheek left to go Above.
To be continued…..