Hello and Goodbye

"Laurence, why did you ring the bell? You have your key.

Grinning as he followed his Granny through the door behind Laurence, William reminded her, "For now at least this is the honeymoon suite, you know."

Scoffing, "They've been living together now for over a month! Honeymo-" Catching sight of Caroline supported by the sink counter her arms around Kate leaning against her. Oh, for pity's sake Caroline, in the kitchen?!"

Restraining Kate to remain as they are, "Hello Mum." Pointedly, "Fine thanks, and you?"

Alan, buffering Celia's grouch with his kind cheerfulness, "Good morning, I hope we aren't too early. Somehow we always seem to wake up earlier at the farm."

By now the newlyweds have come around to hug and kiss everyone, "Not at all, we were just putting the caterer's leftovers into the oven for lunch. They were very generous, looks like there might be enough for another meal at the farm too. Caroline, weight on one foot, a hand on the corner of the breakfast bar where her mother has found a seat at the far end, stood regarding Celia meaningfully, "So, going behind my back?"

Alan, standing beside Celia's stool, opens his mouth to make peace until he sees what Celia does not, Kate's amused face and twinkling eyes behind Caroline and he knows its going to be alright, Caroline is having her mother on.

Defensively, "I just wanted to do something for the two of you. Traditionally the parents of the bride do put on the wedding, you know." Looking away from her accuser and continuing on, slightly irate in her confusion, "Though I don't know which of you was the bride or who is responsible for what in a case like this." Then trailing off as she looks back and sees Caroline's genuine smile, full of love for her, "Anyway, I just wanted to…"

Caroline has reached her now, bending to give her a warm hug, "I know you did. Thank you. It turned out beautifully. It was truly wonderful. Everyone had a lovely time," reaching for Kate's hand beside her, "we had a lovely time."

Kate took Caroline's place and hugged Celia too. "Thank you Celia, it was a generous and thoughtful thing to do."

Still defending herself, too many days of anxiety and consternation in her wake to be nullified by a couple of hugs, "Well, you can't invite people to a wedding and only give them cake, can you? Not after the lovely time we had with the McKenzie's last Sunday."

Caroline had seated Kate beside her mother and gone back inside the kitchen to pull cold food from the refrigerator to place buffet style on the dining room side of the breakfast bar. Looking pointedly at her mother, "But you already had the caterer hired before Sunday didn't you?"

"And very glad I had," retorted Celia.

At the ring of the bell Kate greeted her mother and Kevin, come as arranged for a last visit before Kevin's train left that afternoon. The conversation turned general as the meal was prepared and served. Once at table the conspirators regaled Caroline with the progression of events in the early evening of yesterday, clearly delighted with themselves for having carried off the surprise and averting a scene between her and Celia. Caroline is trying to pretend to be put out with them but is clearly enjoying the story and having the gaps filled between the bits she already knows.

When the bell rang again, it was Felicity and Angus for Laurence, who was spending the week with them at Felicity's parents home. Accepting a cup of tea as the boys were dispatched to take everyone's luggage to the appropriate vehicles, she told of her mother's recent decline in health and the purpose of her visit to go with her mother to a new consultant and take up some of the slack in the housekeeping. She assured Caroline that Laurence's presence would help to occupy Angus and they would both be company for her father.

Suddenly, it was time for all of them to go. Kissing Laurence goodbye until his return on Saturday, Caroline turned to help the others package up the remains of the food for Celia and Alan to take to the farm. Kate and Kevin had a few minutes to themselves on the window seat, not knowing when they might be together next. Finally, helping him and Edie on with their coats, Kate said a tearful goodbye to her twin and hugged him hard then she and her mother held one another for a long moment each missing Kevin already.

William accompanied Celia and Alan to their car after they had said their goodbyes to Caroline and Kate, carrying the food packages for them. Closing the door behind them, Caroline turned to Kate, taking her into her arms to comfort her on the departure of her brother and the uncertainty into which he traveled every day.

After a visit to the loo and a stop to repair the damage to her makeup, Kate allowed Caroline to help her on with her coat so they could go down to join William at the Jeep for the first leg of their honeymoon journey. They were going as far as Oxford today, taking a hotel room there and attending a musical revue in which both William and Roxy were performing. They would get to meet Roxy's parents at dinner tonight and then attend the revue with them.

At the car, Kate offered to sit in the back aware of William's propensity for carsickness. The talk once again turned to the wedding and the events of the night before. Without Celia present it came out that in fact once Celia left Caroline's study she had been so overcome by anxiety that Alan had had to take her for a walk to calm her down. Margo and Marta had arrived minutes apart to find the caterer's going demented for lack of direction so the two had taken charge. After a consultation that included the boys and Edie they quickly laid a plan for the auxiliary tables, marshalling their families to help the caterer's as time was now of the essence.

Margo had talked with Kate and they discussed the photographer, who would arrive shortly, and she had agreed to Margo's suggestions about moving the piano to make room for dancing. Kate told her that Laurence was well able to operate her sound system and knew how to find music in her CD collection and offered her mobile for its playlist. Thus Margo and Marta had become the wedding organizers assuring that the details for the rest of the evening went smoothly.

They talked of the skillful job Laurence had done keeping the music going all evening with a little coaching assistance from Margo's son-in-law, Jason Hughes, who it turned out had worked as a DJ during his university days.

Of Kate's Auntie Chris showing up at all and then unbending enough to dance with the Mackenzie men, one dance each, doled out as a favor to those intrepid enough to ask her. Of Amanda and Gerald, her children who had left spouses and children at home to accompany their difficult mother north for the wedding and an opportunity to see their cousins Kate and Kevin again. They had joined in the festivities wholeheartedly, covering their mother's lack of enthusiasm wherever they could.

The trio reminisced about Celia, Alan and Edie holding an impromptu jitterbug class for the younger set while their parents sat on breakfast bar stools drawn to the edge of the dancing area, drinks in hand, taking a break or milling about talking and watching or stepping in from time to time to assist. Remembered again the touching sight of Kate's parents dancing, of Uncle Donald being coaxed into a watusi by Auntie Eileen at the end of their sedate foxtrot. The three laughed and talked of the wedding all the way to Sheffield where they made a rest stop.

Once in the car again, Kate, tired of sitting forward to hear the conversation over the road noise in the car sat back and soon found herself drowsing as William regaled them with tales of university life. Making use of the pillows and blanket Caroline had thoughtfully provided she made herself comfortable and was soon soundly sleeping, a hand captivatingly under her cheek when Caroline glanced over her shoulder.

When Will's stories ran out the two drove in companionable silence for a time, watching the scenery, enjoying the quiet after so much excitement. Will, craning around the back of his seat at the sleeping Kate turned back to his Ma, "Is Kate OK?"

Glancing at him, "Yes, it's helped that she is only teaching part time now."

Gravely, "Laurence said something about blood pressure. Is that…?"

Seeing his concern, "It is still a little elevated but the doctor is monitoring it. He doesn't seem overly concerned just now so I try not to be either." Another glance over her shoulder, love and unease on her face, she said softly, "We try to save her all we can. Let her rest."

"And the baby is due when?"

"End of March, six weeks time."

Looking at her closely, "How are you doing?"

Giving him a sharp look to find the mature William who was no longer a child to be evaded regarding her, Caroline all at once felt off balance with her son. Slowly, "Um, I'm concerned about Kate's health, she could end up on bed rest before the time comes. I worry if everything will go all right for her. She has waited so long to have a child. I just want her and Callie to be healthy and happy."

"Callie, is that what you are calling her?"

Giving him another searching look, "Didn't Laurence tell you? It would seem he's keeping you fairly well informed."

Smiling, "You don't mind do you? I think it helps him to talk about things."

Suspicious, "Things?"

Grinning, "Well, he is living alone with the honeymooners, isn't he?"

Chagrinned, "Is that what he's told you? What does he say?"

Reassuring her, "He's OK. Better he talks to me than to Angus, don't you think?"

"Well, he's not! Surely not to that little shit, Angus!"

"No, no. I warned him off of that before I left, right after the move. Best to keep family matters in the family."

Giving him an appreciative glance, "I didn't know I had so much to be grateful to you for."

Shrugging, "Laurence is a little worried about when the baby comes. Not sure what to expect and all of that."

Giving a revealing tilt to her head, "Yeah, well, none of us do really."

Looking at her speculatively, hesitating to ask but wanting to know, "You OK about the baby now?"

Another sharp look at this man disguised as her son, then a smile lights her face, "I am. I'm getting very eager to have her here with us. To see her, hold her, touch her, smell that baby smell again."

Wanting to understand, "But you weren't always?"

Debating with herself for a moment whether to tell him, she decided that she would. They had always talked, the two of them. Well, he had talked and she had answered his perceptive questions as truthfully as she could, given his age at the time. Now, obviously, he was grown. She had no wish to relinquish the closeness they shared. Besides, other than Kate she had no real confidantes. She found herself sharing less and less with her mother these days. As Celia aged everything seemed to upset her more in spite of her newfound happiness with Alan. And she still wasn't always sure she could really trust Gillian So now she felt glad to have someone to talk to.

Her focus on the road, Caroline remembered, "At first, when we started talking about a baby I didn't think I would want to start over raising a child again. It was early in our relationship and I was still embroiled in so much with your Dad and I handled it all very badly." Glancing at him as he watched her face intently, "It is one of the reasons we broke down, Kate and I." Sighing, "then last summer preparing you to go off to university I started to remember all the sweetness of raising you and Laurence. Holding the two of you on my lap, snuggling to read stories, teaching you to ride a bike, cooking together in the kitchen." Giving a chuckle, "Even the arguing and the noise and the dirt seemed suddenly appealing in retrospect."

"Then, when you were gone and your Dad had gone weeks before and it was just Laurence and I rattling around that big house I realized that in less than two years he would be off to university too. You'd both be gone, grown, living your own lives." Looking over and going on quickly, "And that is exactly how it should be. What I want for you both. To be happy independent adults."

Looking through the windscreen again, "Of course that meant I'd be alone. That was a new thought for me. I lived with that for a while. Then I realized that being alone didn't frighten me but the thought of being without Kate filled me with dread." Fighting back tears now, "I went to Kate at one point and asked her if we could try again but she didn't feel she could risk it. Well, that is what I learned later, after we reunited. At the time I thought she just didn't want me anymore." Brushing away rolling tears, "That was hard. But I realized that I did still have Laurence and I shouldn't waste those precious days. So, I made an effort to find things to do with him, things that he would enjoy. We started playing tennis on the game box, went to movies, cooked together – he's getting pretty good at some dishes."

Lost in her thoughts she almost forgot that William was listening, "I was working to make my peace with that when about ten days before Granny's wedding I was heading to my office from an off campus meeting when Beverley met me on the staircase to say that Kate had driven herself to hospital. She was bleeding. Without a second thought I turned around and drove over to find her. I was afraid that she would be cross with me for being there but she was so scared that she actually talked to me that day, even let me come with her into the sonogram room." Her smile lighting her eyes again, "When I saw that little figure on the screen, its heart beating away… well, I lost my heart to her.

Looking at William again, she saw a tear in his eyes and love for this tenderhearted son of hers welled up and she patted his hand. Both of them took a moment to recover. Caroline continued, "It didn't seem to change things between us, my being there that day. Although I think she was grateful. After that I couldn't get that little life out of my mind. Suddenly she was real to me." Taking her eyes from the road to see his face, "So now, Kate and I are back together again, I'm as excited to have her as I was for you and Laurence to be born. I hope that doesn't make you feel…"

Interrupting, "No, Ma. You mustn't ever think that. I'm just happy for you. Happy for both of you. Laurence is too, I think. He just doesn't always know how to show it. It makes me happy to think of you so happy." Grinning at her, I've enjoyed the texts and calls I've gotten from Laurence this term. He is pretty droll about the two of you but I can tell that he is kind of enjoying it as well, being in a home where there is happiness and love rather than…" Embarrassed to be saying this, "Well, the way it got to be at the end with you and Dad. Makes me feel like I'm missing out sometimes." Going on quickly, "Not that I don't like university, I do. I really do. It's just sometimes I wish it wasn't so far from home so I could get back and forth more easily."

"You know I'll pay train fare anytime you're able to come home. No question. We want you here with us too, as much as you can be. We miss you too, you know."