"A new life" is a sequel of "An anniversary like no other", but it can be read separately.
The story takes place after "A tale of three letters" and Shane's announcement to Oliver.
All these wonderful characters not belong to me, but to the very talented Martha Williamson. Thank you to Eric Mabius, Kristin Booth, Geoff Gustafson, Crystal Lowe and Gregory Harrison for portraying them the way they do.
A new life
Chapter 3
Oliver and Shane arrived at the Post Office with a light step. Arm in arm, our happy parents heard a joyful voice call out to them.
"Good morning, you two! How are you today?" Hazel welcomed them.
"Considering the last events that happened to us, we are flying on a little cloud", Shane first answered.
"The little cloud materializes a state of intense happiness and euphoria, like a sort of daydream", Oliver explained.
"We are doing great, Hazel, happier than ever", the young mommy corrected.
"Where is the baby?" the postwoman asked.
"He is with Oliver's dad. We have to leave you. Norman and Rita are waiting for us. We are running late."
"Norman, Rita, good morning", Oliver announced as they entered.
"Oh, good morning, Oliver! Good morning, Shane!" Rita replied with a big smile. "How are you? Has the separation not been too hard?"
"Oh, Rita! If you knew…My little love was sleeping when we left the house", the mommy answered making an exaggeratedly sad face.
"Then, that's not me anymore?" Oliver asked her taking a disappointed look to the attention of his wife.
"Of course you are, Oliver. But you are no longer the only one. You will have to get used to this idea", she said with a wink. Then, coming closer to her husband, she whispered in his ear: "Darling, have you noticed that we are at the office?"
"No, really? I hadn't noticed", he whispered back with a smile.
"You both look in a very good mood! You are too cute." Rita was so happy to see her two friends being so fulfilled.
While the three of them began laughing, Shane saw Norman.
"Are you okay? You look strange."
"Yes, I'm fine. It is just that we received a letter this morning", he announced with a puzzled look.
"Show me this letter which bothers you so much", Oliver asked him.
Norman handed the envelope to him before giving some information about it.
"The handwriting is from a child. The spelling is neat, but still hesitant. I would think of a 7- or 8-year-old author, maybe a boy. The mail is addressed to the neighborhood library of Cherry Creek."
"Why did the letter come to us in that case?" Shane questioned.
After giving a look on what he was holding, Oliver was able to answer.
"The writer forgot to put a stamp", he declared.
"Ah, I see. But a child never writes a letter for nothing. It is probably important", she said with a hint of concern for this little writer. "What shall we do in such a situation?"
"Insufficient postage…", Norman began.
"Return to sender", Oliver ended.
"Do we have his address?" Rita asked.
"No. We only have one thing to do", Oliver declared handing the letter to his wife.
Shane took it. Then, after choosing one of Oliver's letter openers, she carefully opened the envelope and read out loud:
.
Mister Croley,
My name is Thomas. I am 8 years old next week. I am writing to you because I have something to ask you. My mommy went to work very far. Daddy doesn't know when she will be back. I see he is sad. He works a lot, and sometimes, I have to go to bed before he comes back home. I play basketball during the holiday, and also circus. It is funny. But I would like my daddy to come to see me sometimes. We live just a stone's throw away from the library, but he is too busy. My circus show is on July 25. Could you give him a day off? Please, I want to see my daddy. Can you tell him to come to see me? Tell him he will have fun.
Thank you.
Tommy Callum
.
Tears came into our four POstables' eyes at the reading of this letter.
"We absolutely have to do something for Thomas. He says he doesn't live far from the library. I'll make research to see if we can find a Mr. Callum who lives in Cherry Creek. It will probably need a moment", Shane declared.
Everyone then went to their work station, waiting for the computer to show its skills. Lifting his head from the documents he was filling out, Oliver noticed that his wife was tenderly smiling at her screen. He suspected what she was watching this way. So, he stood up from his desk and went to place himself behind her so that he could also see the screen.
"Can I join you, my love?", he whispered in her ear, her hair tickling his face.
"With pleasure, darling."
The couple lovingly contemplated the pictures of their little Matthew that Shane scrolled on her screen.
"What about your research?" he asked.
"Wait for me …" Shane didn't have the time to finish her sentence. While she was about to answer, she lifted up her head and she saw Joe, entering the DLO, pushing the stroller.
"Matthew!" The mommy rushed to her baby and took him in her arms. "I missed you so much!" she said, her eyes wet with tears.
"We left him barely 2 hours ago", Oliver declared innocently.
"Yes, I know. That has been endless!" she replied.
The newborn began crying.
"He must be hungry, it's the time. I'll leave you", she hastened to say before going aside to breast-feed the tiny one.
Joe noticed his son looking at his wife with incomprehension, being surprised to see her like that. So, he smiled at him tenderly.
"You know Oliver, she is a mommy now", he told him as explanation.
"She has trouble thinking of anything other than the baby", Oliver worried.
"That's normal. This is all new for you two. You just need time", his father reassured him.
"Are you coming to eat with us, dad?"
"With pleasure, son."
.
.
All 5 of them walked with a light step to Ramon's restaurant, Shane having taken control of the stroller.
"My favorite postal workers!" Ramon welcomed them. "Shane, Ovileer, and little Matteo! What a pleasure to see you. How is our beautiful little family?"
"We are all doing great, thank you", Oliver answered proudly.
After our friends were sat around the table, "Ovileer" decided to move away a little with the tiny one to chat with Ramon so that Shane could enjoy a bit her lunch. When the meal was finished, Oliver and Shane didn't have a choice than to let Joe and their tiny treasure go back home. But before they left, the mommy couldn't help but giving some recommendations to the grandfather.
"If you go out for a walk in the afternoon, don't forget to take other clothes if he needs to be changed. You never know."
"Agreed."
"And above all, don't forget to cover his head. He is fragile."
"Yes, mommy", Joe replied with an amused smile.
With these words, Shane noticed her father-in-law's face.
"Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't want to insinuate that you…", she apologized, realizing that she had, despite herself, doubted the man's abilities.
"Don't worry honey. Everything is fine. You are a mother, I get it. And it's so cute to see you protect your baby this way", he reassured her fondly kissing her on the cheek.
Shane smiled gratefully to him. She was so happy to have a father-in-law such as him. She couldn't have dreamt of a better grandfather than Joe for her child.
After that, both parents tenderly kissed the newborn and looked at them as they were leaving. Then, our four POstables went back to the office to try to give back, to Thomas, his letter as soon as possible. On the way, Shane sighed, annoyed to have reacted as she did with Joe.
"Don't worry, my love. My dad will take care of him very well", he whispered to her, his arm around her shoulders.
"I have no doubt about it. If only I had thought before talking", she lamented.
"That's what I love about you. You always say what you have in your heart", he continued before kissing the side of her head.
.
.
Back to the DLO, Shane immediately went to check her computer.
"Bingo!" She exclaimed. "I have a name, "Michael Callum", and an address in Cherry Creek. You should call him, Oliver."
The man sat behind his desk, picked up the phone, and dialed the number of the library, that Shane had handed him. Then, he shared with his team the result of his call.
"Dearest fellows, Thomas' circus class ends at 3p.m. and Michael goes to pick him up there. We will meet them at 4p.m.", Oliver declared.
The POstables took advantage of the few hours they had, before the meeting, to sort and forward some lost letters. The afternoon was busy, which was very beneficial for Shane. Even if she missed Matthew, going back to her old work habits did her a lot of good.
When his watch showed the time to go, Oliver got his team informed. They all walked to the Jaguar and sat inside, Shane next to her husband, Norman and Rita at the back. The section leader parked the car in front of a single-story house and knocked on a red door. A thin man in his thirties opened to them.
"Good afternoon. My name is Oliver O'Toole and here are my colleagues Shane McInerney, Norman Dorman and Rita Haywith-Dorman. We work for the Postal Service. I called you earlier because we have a special letter to deliver to Thomas", Oliver declared. He still tried to keep things "professional" at work, but it was becoming harder and harder, even for him.
"I am his father. You can give it to me", Michael replied.
"When a letter is entrusted to us, we have the obligation to deliver it to its recipient or, if it is not possible, to its sender in person", Norman explained.
"The letter has not been stamped. So, we can't deliver it to its recipient. That's why we are here, to give it back to its author", Oliver completed.
Michael invited our 4 POstables to come in, then he led them to the porch of the house. Thomas was playing in the garden when the adults sat to talk about the situation.
"May I go to talk to Thomas about his mail?" Oliver asked.
Michael gave him his permission.
"Who was the letter addressed to?" the father questioned.
"To a Mr. Croley. Do you know who it is?" Shane asked.
"He is my employer", their host answered, hardly holding back the emotion that was overrunning him.
Shane couldn't resist the need to inform him about the matter of the letter. That's when tears began to flow down the man's cheeks.
"Do you have children?" he asked his 3 visitors.
"Yes", Norman and Rita joyfully answered in concert.
"What about you, Mrs. McInerney?"
"Yes", she said giving a tender gaze to Oliver, as in a reflex.
Michael understood by the way Shane looked at her husband.
"Ah, I see. So, Mr. O'Toole is your…?"
"Uh…yes, my husband", she completed, embarrassed having, despite herself, revealed personal information about him, he for whom it was so important to keep his personal life private. She had felt so touched seeing him squatting, chatting with the child. She had then imagined him doing the same thing with their own son when Matthew would need to talk in a few years. She hadn't realized that she had gazed at him this way.
"If I may say", Michael began, "don't make the same mistake as me. My wife had to go abroad for her job. It was 3 months ago. We hope she will be back in the next months, but we don't have any date for now. You can't understand my pain if you haven't experienced this yourself."
"I know how it feels, trust me", Shane replied looking down.
"I'm truly sorry", he replied to her. "I tried to hold on for Tommy. But with the time, I got lost. I dove into my work not to think of my pain. I didn't realize that Thomas was suffering so much. Even if it is temporary, he misses his mommy. And because of me, his daddy too", he continued while tears began flowing down his face. "Never put your work before your family. Otherwise, one day, it will be too late."
Overwhelmed by this story, all the eyes turned toward Thomas. They then saw him burst into tears in Oliver's arms, that the man put around him. After a while, the child released him and wiped the tears on his little cheeks. Then, taking this stranger's hand who had comforted him, both reached the porch. Michael stood up to welcome his son. The two of them looked each other right in the eyes and, incapable of saying a word, the child jumped into his daddy's arms, who held him tight against him, saying to him again and again how much he loved him. Oliver sat next to Shane. Seeing that she was holding back tears because of this father-son reunion, he allowed himself a rare mark of affection in public to try to soothe his wife and he took her hand in his.
.
.
The return to the DLO was silent, each one of the 4 trying as best as they could to recover from their emotions and thinking of their own child and of the family relationship they were hoping to build. The day, and particularly its outcome, had been very moving. When they arrived at the office, the two couples wished each other a good end of the day. And both left and went back home.
.
.
"What did you say to Thomas when you were in the garden?" Shane asked Oliver as they were walking between the car and the house.
"He explained to me that his mother works for an organization who helps people who have been displaced because of natural disasters. She has been called urgently 3 months ago after Mozambique has been stuck by a cyclone. He knows that the population over there needs his mommy, but it is very hard for a child of this age. And he thinks his father doesn't want him because he prefers working instead of being with him. Anyway, that's what he said to me", he explained sadly.
"Michael explained to us that the absence of his wife made him suffer so much that he got lost", she continued.
"I have a good idea of how he can feel", he softly began remembering this difficult period of his relationship with Shane. "After 3 months, and even before it, I was nothing more than a lost soul. I barely dare imagine what I would have become if you hadn't come back…", he remembered with a heavy heart, caressing his love's cheek.
"…but I came back. Because you are the only man I ever loved. I love you and you know that I will never leave you. You are the only man of my life", she said to him looking at him right in the eyes before kissing him tenderly.
Oliver was about to open the door of the house when Shane prevented him.
"Oliver, I need to talk to you about something."
"Yes, my love. I'm listening to you."
"Well, I'm…", she began.
"Hello you two!" Joe said as he opened the door. "I heard the handle. I thought you had maybe forgotten your keys."
"Dad! Did the two of you have a good day?" Oliver asked him.
"It was wonderful! You can entrust me this little sweetie whenever you want. He is lovely", the happy grandfather said with his eyes full of sparks. "He just…"
"What?" Shane worried.
"Nothing bad, don't worry", her father-in-law tried to reassure her. "I just think he didn't like his feeding bottle. He didn't drink a lot. But he is doing great."
Oliver led Shane into the house. Matthew was settled in his baby bouncer, his eyes slowly closing. When the two parents came closer, they noticed two little parcels laid on him.
"What do you have there, my sweetheart?" his mommy asked him.
"We had lots of fun together and he wanted to make you a little something that you could take to the office", Joe exclaimed proudly winking at them.
"One for daddy", he stated handing a first parcel to his son.
When Oliver opened his gift, a smile lit up his face. In his hands, he had a little frame made in two parts. On the left, a tiny hand print had been made with paint. On the right, a little picture of Matthew had been placed. The baby was dressed like a little postman with a blue cap, a blue shirt and a Postal colored short.
"Oh, my sweetheart. I see you are ready to carry on the O'Toole family's tradition", he said fondling the teeny one's head. "Thank you, dad!" he replied hugging his father.
"One for mommy", Joe then stated to Shane.
When the mommy opened the parcel, she had a gift similar to her husband's. On the left, her son had left a tiny print of his hand. On the right, a little picture of the baby has also been placed. This time, he was dressed with the same blue short and the same shirt. But his outfit was embellished with a tiny pair of suspenders and a tiny tie.
"It seems to me that you have a crush for handsome gentlemen in suit. You can place the frames on your desks at the DLO", Joe told her smiling. "You can't imagine how hard it has been to find so tiny clothes and props. I think he will still be able to wear them for a while", he declared joyfully to the couple.
While Oliver was touched by this attention from his father, Shane didn't say a word. She kept her eyes glued to the small picture. Her throat was tight and she was unable to open her mouth. The mother suddenly began to sob silently.
"Dad, can you leave us for a while, please?" Oliver asked, without looking away from his wife.
"Of course. Take your time. I will be in the kitchen", Joe assured, looking worried.
"Thank you, dad", the new daddy replied in a whisper. His heart was tearing by seeing his love like that.
After his father had left the room, he passed his arms around his wife and held her tight. Still crying, she responded to him by passing her arms around his neck. She kept crying for a while and, slowly, she began to calm down. She suddenly became so calm that he thought she had fallen asleep. Oliver released his grip to see Shane's face. She was looking at him in the eyes with a look full of sadness.
"Tell me what's wrong, my love."
"Oh, Oliver!" she began, holding back her tears. "It is that letter. While you were talking to Thomas, Michael explained to us how they got there. His wife is gone because for her work. Then, he put his own work before his family. And before he could realize this, his relationship with his son suffered and now, Thomas is suffering because of the absence of his two parents. I don't want Matthew to live the same thing."
"Of course he won't!" Oliver hastened to say to calm down the new mommy's concerns. "Don't worry, Shane. Matti is doing great. That's all new for us. We just need to find the good balance. And you know that he is very fine with my dad while we are at work."
"I know, darling. Many parents work, and I'm not saying that I want to stop. But look at him. He is still so tiny. He needs me", she explained before pausing. "And I need him. It is too early. Today has been very difficult."
"Don't worry, my love. You gave birth barely a few days ago. If you need to stay with the baby a few weeks, do it. You will come back to the office when you are ready."
Shane's face lit up and she found back her smile.
"I prefer seeing you this way", he said tenderly to her, wiping the tears from his wife's face. "Can I have my dad come back? He looked worried when he left the room."
Feeling way better, she nodded smiling.
"Dad!" Oliver called.
Joe gently pushed the door to see how his daughter-in-law was.
"How are you, honey? I'm sorry. If I had knew that this frame…"
"Oh no, Joe!" she interrupted him. "I am sorry you saw me in this condition. I love the frame! It is just that when I saw it, I realized how much I had missed Matthew today", she continued, taking the teeny one in her arms.
"Don't worry. You have just had a baby. That's completely normal that you missed him. There is no problem", he tried to reassure her.
"I went back to work too early. But after a few weeks, that may be much better, I'm sure about it. I will stay a little with my tiny gentleman", she added with a wink to her father-in-law.
"I'll leave you now. I think the 3 of you need to spend time together. I love you two", Joe declared before kissing goodbye the couple.
"Goodbye dad."
"Goodbye dad", Shane echoed with a smile to Joe.
After his father left, Oliver took the newborn from Shane's arms and settled him in his baby bouncer. Then, he went to set a record and launched it. A familiar music filled the room before the song began:
In every heart there is a room
A sanctuary safe and strong
To heal the wounds from lovers past
Until a new one comes along
…
Oliver held tight his wife and the two of them began dancing following the rhythm of the music. Shane put her head on her husband's shoulder. Then, he whispered in her ear: "I love you, my love. I will always be there for you and for our little treasure."
"I know it", she replied holding him tighter.
(To be continued)