Chapter 54: Birthday Surprise
"Come on Emma, We're going to be late!" Peter calls from the base of the stairs.
"I'm sorry Peter, I'm just finishing up this page for my essay,"
"Okay, but you know Holly and Carl are expecting us to help set up."
"I know, but I only got a 64 on my last law essay, I need to make sure this is free of mistakes and such."
Peter sighs, he knows that Emma is working so hard on these courses, but he's worried that she's overwhelming herself too much. He knew that Emma wanted to prove herself to be worthy of running her father's company but… she's fighting an unwinnable battle, especially in today's world. He was sure that her professors looked down on her and deliberately gave her bad grades because she was a woman. They probably never even read her assignments fully and assumed that they were all weaker than the men in her class. He knows that Emma wouldn't give up, she was a fighter and he loved her. He just wished that the people would look past her gender and see that she was equally as strong as the men in her class. The young girl had survived a full night clinging to a lifeboat in freezing temperatures during the greatest maritime disaster ever recorded.
Sybil sits at Peter's feet, playing with a small toy. He had a tough time keeping the child in one place. Ever since she started crawling, Sybil was everywhere all at once, always underfoot. She was also in everything. They had to put things in front of the stairs to prevent the little girl from falling and put anything breakable out of her reach. Also, anything within her reach went straight into her mouth. Buttons, spools of thread, the couple exhausted themselves trying to keep Sybil safe. Emma was quite easy going about it though as Sybil was exploring her environment, something that her baby sister had wanted to do since the Titanic.
Emma finally comes down in a sensible dress and has the present wrapped and ready to be presented to the birthday boy. Peter leans in and kisses Emma before scooping up Sybil and heading to the car.
The ride to his sister's house was relatively quiet, Emma staring straight ahead while Peter drove through traffic. Peter could see the circles under his fiancée's eyes; running the company during the day, taking classes at night, maintaining a household and raising an infant around the clock, left very little time for anything else, especially for sleep and for each other. Peter tries to be proud of Emma, but she was so immersed and committed to all these things that he felt a distance between them. He hadn't said anything yet because he wanted Emma to achieve her goals and not make her feel guilty. He knew he just had to wait until the classes were over and then they could focus on each other again.
Once they arrive at the house, there are balloons hanging on the front porch and a colourful banner inside reading Thomas is 4. The three come up the path to the house and open the door to a grinning Thomas. He was dressed in his Sunday suit, very clean and pressed, complete with a little bowtie. His dark hair had been combed to near perfection and even his shoes had been shined for the occasion.
"UNCLE PEETA, AUNT EMMA!" the child practically yelled before throwing his whole body around his uncle's legs. "Did you know I'm four today. I was only three yesterday and today. poof, I was four! It was magic! Is that my present? What did you get me?"
The child chatters happily as Holly came to the door to pry her son off her brother. Emma hands over the present to Holly and then brings Sybil down to the living room. There were several games laid out on the floor, ready for young children to play with as well as colourful ribbons and balloons hanging around the house. Holly, however, looks flustered and very tired. She was covered in flour, assumingly from the cake. Emma immediately goes to help Holly prepare the drinks and snacks, while Peter heads out back to help Carl set up some more games in the back.
"It was supposed to be a small party," Holly mutters, mixing the icing for the cake with a wooden spoon. "How did it turn into such a production? Thomas has been running around the house non-stop asking for cake and presents."
"It's his birthday," Emma smiles. "Let him wear himself out."
"Mommy, when can I open my presents?" Thomas asks coming into the kitchen. He immediately reaches over and grabs for some freshly cut vegetables on the table. Emma gives him a playful smack to keep his hand away.
"Thomas you know you're supposed to wait for our guests to come," Holly says, pacing back and forth with the bowl in her arms.
"What kind of icing are you making Mommy? You know I like chocolate. Is Ivan Weiss coming?" the birthday boy is overwhelming his mother with questions. Holly grimaces and blows a strand of hair from her face. Her son is tugging at her skirt and apron for her attention.
Emma comes to her rescue.
"Thomas, I know your friends will be coming soon, but can you please play with Sybil until that happens?"
Thomas' face falls for a moment.
"If you do that, then time will go by faster and you might get an extra piece of cake afterward."
Thomas smiles brightly.
"Okay, Aunt Emma," and the four-year-old skips off.
Holly sighs. "I know it's his birthday, but does he have to drive me up the wall? I thought carrying him for nine months was punishment enough."
Emma laughs and sets out the food. She wasn't planning to have any big party for when Sybil turned one, just Peter's family and Jack and Rose.
Holly was throwing a nice little party for her son with just a few of the neighbourhood children and their parents. Soon the doorbell begins to ring and the voices of excited children and less than thrilled parents show up. They are all dressed nicely and each hand Thomas a wrapped package, which Emma takes from him and puts them away until later. Holly pours all the parents cups of lemonade and the children chase each other around the house. They yell and scream, much to Thomas' enjoyment. Eventually, Carl and Peter are ordered to start off some outdoor games. They play ring-around-the Rosie, several games of tag, jacks, horseshoes, and games of marbles, but Emma notices that at some point, all the games go back to chasing one another around the yard. Some of the mothers who came to help Holly in the kitchen while several of them men smoke on the back deck and chat about the weather. The children laugh and scream until it was time to eat. Holly makes them sit on blankets and eat sensibly. The women gossip amongst each other and sip on some of Holly's homemade tea.
As the dishes are being cleaned up, Emma suddenly notices something amiss.
Her sister!
She checks the living room and in the yard thinking one of the women had maybe picked her up so she could join in the fun. Emma's heart pounds loudly as she begins searching the house in growing panic. It was so much easier for the child to get lost now that she was mobile. She couldn't have climbed the stairs, she wasn't that strong yet, but she could be anywhere.
"Has anyone seen Sybil?" Emma says, coming back into the kitchen.
"No…" Holly says.
"Has anyone picked her up?"
The women whisper amongst each other to see if any of them had picked her up. They ask the men and when they haven't seen her. Emma begins to tear up in fear.
"Peter do you have Sybil?" Emma asks, coming out to the backyard.
"No, why would I have her?"
"I thought you were watching her!" Emma says. "Because clearly, I was busy!"
"She's not my sister!" Peter snaps back.
"She may as well be…"
"It's not my fault you are so busy to notice everyone around you!" Peter barks.
There is a growing rage between the two, Emma bursting into to tears, mostly from the stress, Peter also fuming.
"Split up everyone," Carl shouts trying to keep everyone calm. "She cannot have gone far."
"You'd be surprised," Peter says.
Everyone began splitting up in search of Sybil, no one knows where she might have gone. Even the children help out, looking into small spaces that they themselves might hide. People even go upstairs in case she did manage to escape up there. They look under beds, behind the couches, in the bathtub, in the kitchen cupboards and all around the back yard. Some of the men even check near the roads. This entire time, Emma is frantic, the fear similar to what she had felt the night Cal abducted her. Sybil could be hurt or worse. She just prays her baby sister didn't crawl towards the road or fall down the stairs.
"I found her!" a young voice calls out.
Everyone comes rushing over. Thomas holds open the door of the linen closet. On the floor, amongst the presents is a sleeping Sybil, covered in ribbon and scraps of paper. She has her fist in her mouth and seems to have torn at the packages around her. She must've worn herself out and laid down for a peaceful nap.
Emma immediately scoops up her sister and sighs in happy relief. She kisses her over and over again.
"Looks like she couldn't wait to open the presents either," Peter grins.
Emma smiles, still a little upset at Peter, but happy that everyone was safe.
Holly decides that Thomas can open his presents now since Sybil only got halfway there. The four-year-old smiles and rips open the packages with much glee and satisfaction.
He loved everything that he received, including new cars, tinker toys, his own checker's board and from Emma, Peter, and Sybil, a brand new scooter, a red one just the perfect size for a big boy! He also got birthday cards and his own farmer's hat from Peter's parents out west.
The entire group eats cake afterward, chocolate with Holly's homemade cream cheese icing and Emma sneaks Thomas an extra piece for being such a good sport about Sybil trying to open his presents. Soon the birthday boy falls asleep on his mother's lap and the party guests pack up, ready to go home.
Holly carries Thomas up to bed and places a special package under his pillow for when he wakes up. Emma, Carl, and Peter help clean up before the couple takes a tired Sybil and head home. There was still some silence between them.
"That was exhausting," Peter says as the two climb into bed. They still hadn't talked much since their fight at the party
"It was," Emma says. "We may have to tie a bell around Sybil's neck to make sure we know where she is."
There is a long pause.
"I'm sorry I yelled at you," Emma says gently. "I was letting my frustrations get the better of me."
"I'm sorry too," Peter sighs.
"I know something's bothering you… after you said about not paying attention to the people around me" Emma says, turning to face her fiancé. "Tell me."
"I…I just don't want to make you feel bad," Peter says, looking down at his pillow.
"Peter…" Emma says, lifting his face to hers.
"I-I just feel like with everything that you're doing right now…you don't have a lot of time for me…"
"Oh Peter," Emma says, reaching over to hug him tightly. "If that's all… Why didn't you tell me sooner?"
"I didn't want to say anything because I know how determined you are to finish these classes and you shouldn't feel guilty"
"I'm so sorry…" Emma says with tears coming to her eyes. "I didn't realize this is how you felt and you're right, you have taken a back seat to everything right now. And here, if the world was ending, you'd be the only thing worth saving. You shouldn't feel guilty for telling me, we don't want to enter a marriage where we keep secrets do we?"
"No," Peter sighs.
"I love that you're being so patient with especially after everything that we've been through and I love you a million times over. I don't know what I'd do without you, but you're right, you've had to put up with a lot and you've always had to sacrifice, now I think it's my turn. How about sometime in the next week, we go out for dinner and dancing, just the two of us and then take a walk through Central Park."
Peter smiles, tears coming to his eyes.
"And I'll start coming home earlier so we can have some time together okay?"
Peter nods and kisses Emma passionately. He runs his hands through Emma's hair and grabs onto her like he'll never let go again. He loved this woman so much, he too, couldn't imagine life without her.
"I love you," Peter says.
"I love you too," Emma smiles.
"Forever and always?" Peter asks.
"Forever and always," Emma agrees.
…
Two days later, a taxi carrying the newly engaged couple pulls up in front of the house. Emma watches as the two come up the front path, smiles on their faces and a sparkling diamond on Rose's left hand. Emma swallows hard thinking about how her news about the private investigator could ruin this beautiful bliss.
They were so happy and the world was going crumble down around them, but Emma knew she couldn't keep this a secret. The two had to know, for their own safety and the safety of their child.
"Home Sweet Home," Jack says happily, opening the door. Emma opens her arms and embraces her friends, so happy to see them again. Jack carries the bags into the house and hugs Emma next.
Both seemed to have gotten some sun down in California, Jack's face and arms a gorgeous golden brown and his hair seemed a little bit blonder too. Rose had freckles bursting all over her face and her arms were a little red from too much sun.
Jack and Rose overwhelm them with happy stories and questions about how life was here. Peter brings Sybil over and the tiny child gurgles at familiar faces.
They all eventually settle down in the living room and Jack and Rose tell them about their trip. The people they met, the things that they did, the engagement… They brought home shells and other souvenirs, still laughing and giggling the entire time.
Emma smiles, wishing, hoping that she and Peter could recapture some of that bliss, get some alone time to bring out the passion and fire in both of them again.
Peter shares everything that was going on here and the engaged couple shows a small little telescope that they bought for the birthday boy.
The excitement soon settles down a bit more, enough for them to have dinner and then they go and sit on the porch again.
Emma sighs, looking at Rose and Jack, so happy in each other's arms…
They have to know! Echoes in her head.
"Uh, Rose…" Emma says.
"Yes?"
"There's something I need to tell you…"