It was a fair, if windy Monday afternoon in April. In less than an hour, Pine Needle Elementary School would let the K-2 students out for the day.
Joe was putting soap in the washing machine to do a load of laundry when his phone buzzed with a message.
missvi123 sent: are u there
joebeaufort84 sent: ?
missvi123 sent: can u take claire
joebeaufort84 sent: ?
missvi123 sent: please im at the hospital i cant take her
missvi123 sent: baby is coming!
Oh. Oh! That was certainly a pickle. No, more than just a pickle; it was the whole jar! This was not going to be a normal day for anyone!
Over at the elementary school, the students were being dismissed for the day. When Katrina found her dad, he was looking frantic. "Où est Claire?" (Where's Claire?)
"Over there," said Katrina, pointing to Claire standing with Mr. Lucien. "Why?"
Joe went over to Claire and Mr. Lucien. "Bonjour, M. Lucien," he said, starting to run out of breath. "Claire vient avec moi et Katrina cet après-midi." (Hello, Mr. Lucien. Claire is coming with me and Katrina this afternoon.)
"Why, what happened?" Mr. Lucien was confused.
"Ses mères sont à l'hôpital," said Joe. "Mme. Gwan-Jameson est en labeur." (Her mothers are at the hospital. Mrs. Gwan-Jameson is in labour.)
"Oh!" Mr. Lucien snapped his back up straight. "Of course!"
"What's labour?" Claire asked, staring up at Joe.
"It means your baby sister is being born," said Mr. Lucien.
My baby sister is being born? Now? Claire was very quiet. She didn't exactly know how to feel.
Joe ushered Claire and Katrina home quickly. Once they were inside, he went to the kitchen and picked up the phone to call Viona. After three rings, she answered. "Hello?"
"Bonjour, Viona, c'est Joseph," said Joe. "J'ai Claire. Comment va ta femme?" (Hello, Viona, it's Joseph. I have Claire. How is your wife doing?)
"The doctors are getting her induced," said Viona, frazzled. "She may not be ready to start pushing for a few hours. I'm really sorry to have sprung this on you so last-minute."
"Non, non, c'est correct," said Joe, "ces choses vont se passer." (No, no, it's okay. These things happen.)
As Joe sat on the phone, trying to ease Viona's nerves, Katrina and Claire sat on the couch in the living room. They had put a cartoon on, with the volume lowered so they could still listen to the call.
"I wonder if my baby sister will like me," said Claire.
"I hope she does," said Katrina.
It was early the next morning when Joe's phone buzzed with a message. He picked it up and opened the message, which was a photo of Cath holding a newborn baby, with the text "baby is here!". The most recent message was "Are you awake?"
joebeaufort84 sent: bon matin (good morning) (6:35 am)
missvi123 sent: We're ready for visits whenever you and the girls are ready. (6:35 am)
joebeaufort84 sent: 👍 (6:36 am)
A half-hour later, after breakfast and a quick shower, Joe, Katrina, and Claire drove over to the hospital. When they arrived at the correct room, Cath and Viona were inside cooing to their newborn baby girl.
"Claire," said Cath softly when she saw her stepdaughter, "this is your baby sister. Her name is Daisy Ann."
Claire looked at Daisy. Daisy looked back at Claire. Claire thought Daisy looked like the perfect mix of her mother and stepmother. Daisy was just trying to figure out who Claire was.
"Elle regarde beaucoup comme Katrina quand elle était un bebe," fawned Joe. (She looks a lot like Katrina when she was a baby.)
Daisy grinned and raised an arm. "Salut," cooed Joe to her.
Just then, a doctor came in holding a document. "Mrs. Gwan-Jameson, Mrs. Gwan, we need you both to sign the birth certificate."
She handed them the paper and a pen, and they both signed.
"This certificate is to welcome the birth of Daisy Ann Gwan-Jameson, born on April 13th, 2015 at 4:08 am weighing 7 lbs 9 oz to Catherine Gwan-Jameson and Viona Gwan."
Looking at the time, Joe realized he needed to get the girls to school. He bid Cath and Viona farewell and one last congratulations before he ushered them to the parking lot.
