Sister's Choice (41 page)

“Plan on a lot…of those.” She closed her eyes as Dr. Raille handed over the baby to his real parents and began the business of finishing one delivery so the next twin could be born.

“I’m right here,” Cash told Jamie. “You rest up now. But I think the next one’s going to be easier. You’re all set to go.”

“I’m going to hold you…to that.”

“Just keep holding my hand.”

The first twin was six pounds four ounces. The second was only slightly smaller. Both passed their physicals with cheers from the grandstand. They were not identical, of course, but nevertheless, everyone agreed there was a resemblance. The first did seem to have curly hair of Kendra’s distinctive reddish brown, although not much of it. The second had lighter hair that might well be straight. But Jamie knew those markers could change, and quickly, as would the dark blue of their eyes.

Now, with the birth completed, Jamie was settled in a room with Cash for company, at least until the nurse came to send him home. There had been one awkward moment right after she’d settled in, when a lactation consultant had appeared to inquire if Jamie planned to nurse the babies. The woman was so determined to make Jamie understand that nursing twins was possible that it took a full minute to convince her the babies weren’t really Jamie’s after all.

“I had planned to pump milk for them,” Jamie told Cash after she left. “Probably just for a month or two. But that’s not in the cards now, not with what’s coming up.”

“You’ve done great things. Now your sister will make sure they get everything else they need.”

Jamie wasn’t sure what she felt. No day of her life had been filled with so many emotional moments. Cash’s return. The births. The transfer of responsibility now that the twins were here.

Kendra and Isaac were with the babies in the nursery, and although that was right and proper, Jamie felt an emptiness she couldn’t explain. After the second delivery, she had held each twin for a few moments, and cooed convincingly over their cute little noses and ears, but now she felt as if every part of her—except her rational mind—was demanding more.

“It’s harder than you expected, isn’t it?” Cash asked. He sat on the edge of the bed and handed her a tissue.

“It’s hormones.”

“That’s what makes the world go round.”

She blew her nose. “I can’t imagine doing this, handing them over, then never seeing them again. At least these babies will be part of my life. My nephews.”

“
Our
nephews.” His laugh was low. “Let’s try to explain
that
to the lactation lady and confuse her even more.”

“I have my hands full with two kids.”

“Yes, you do.”

“They don’t look one thing like me.”

“If that really matters, poor little Alison is in trouble.”

She laughed, but it ended on a hiccup. “Kendra and Isaac are going to be so happy.”

“Already are.”

“I really am a mess.”

“You really are going to be fine. Which is good, because I think you’re about to have visitors.”

Jamie heard scurrying in the hallway. Before she could identify the sound, the door burst open, and Alison and Hannah darted in.

“We thought you might need a little company,” Grace said from behind them.

“How did you get here?” Jamie asked.

“Sandra, of course. She’s good for many things, including driving me anywhere I need to go. And for waiting patiently.”

Jamie held out her arms, and the girls descended on her. Cash warned them to be careful, but Jamie didn’t care. “
My
babies,” she said. “Aren’t you wonderful to come and see me?”

Alison climbed up on the bed. “We brought you a present!”

Jamie glanced up at Grace, who held out a lovely pastel quilt. “A gift from the Bee. I’m not finished binding it, since you just couldn’t wait, but everyone had a hand in making and quilting it, and I wanted you to see it tonight. It needs washing to get the markings out, and some threads probably still need to be clipped, but I didn’t think you’d care. It’s called Shining Hour. And this evening was certainly yours.”

This time Jamie couldn’t choke back the tears. She clutched the unfinished quilt; she clutched the girls. She wiped her eyes. “It’s so lovely. I’ll treasure it.”

“Of course you will.”

“The babies are gone?” Alison patted her mother’s abdomen, but carefully.

“The babies are with Aunt Kendra and Uncle Isaac. They’re beautiful.”

“Like Sister Duck’s eggs!”

“Exactly.”

“I planned to walk all the way down the mountain to find somebody to help,” Hannah said. “All the way!”

“You’re a heroine, Hannah Banana,” Cash said, lifting her up in the air and depositing her carefully next to her sister.

Hannah leaned closer to Jamie and whispered in her ear, “Are you sad, Mommy?”

Jamie brushed a lock of Hannah’s hair off her cheek. “A little. But I might be a lot if I didn’t have you and Alison.”

“We will make sure you stay happy. Although it might not always be easy.”

“You don’t have to do a thing. You just have to hang around. The rest will take care of itself.”

“I can do that.”

“I thought you could.” Jamie kissed the top of her hair.

After a few minutes, Grace corralled the girls to take them to view their cousins, then home, and Cash was alone with Jamie again.

“I’ll need to go in a few minutes, too,” he said. “But the doctor told me, if everything goes the way she expects, you can go home tomorrow.”

“I know. And the babies go home the day after.”

“I’ll come and get you whenever they say. And we’ll take extra good care of you at home. Anything you want.”

She lifted her arms, and he sat down beside her and drew her into his.

“I love you, Miss Jamie,” he said softly.

Her heart was so full it was threatening to overflow. “Hey, I think you mean it.”

“It’s pretty darned hard to say.”

“I know. It’s mutual, which maybe makes it easier?”

He held her a little tighter. “That’s a good thing. Because I’m not sure why you do, but I’ll take that gift gladly.”

After the nurse came to shoo him out, Jamie couldn’t stop thinking about Cash. About the years ahead of them, and she knew there would be years. She would do everything she could to make sure of it. Years with Cash. Years with her daughters. Years with…her nephews.

She looked up as a soft rapping at her door grew louder. Then, as she watched, Kendra and Isaac came through, each carrying one of the babies. Behind them a nurse arrived, wheeling two little bassinets from the nursery.

“What’s up?” Jamie asked, trying not to stare too hard or too greedily at the babies in their arms.

“We think you need some time alone with these guys,” Isaac said. “We’ll be back in a while. But for now, we thought you might like a chance just to see what you’ve done and enjoy it. Alone.”

“Oh…” She sniffed. “You’re sure?”

Kendra came over to the bed and sat on the edge, placing one of the babies in her sister’s arms. “This is Colin James. Colin, meet your wonderful Aunt Jamie.” She smiled at her sister. “He needs to get to know the woman who’s going to be so important in his future.”

“Colin James.” Jamie looked up. “James?”

“What better?”

Jamie loosened the receiving blanket to get a better look at her sleeping namesake. This was the baby with the curly hair, the first born. “Oh, he’s so beautiful. What did you name his brother?”

“Logan John.”

“John?”

“John for John Cashel Rosslyn. We think that next to us, you and Cash will be the most important people in the babies’ lives.”

Jamie sniffed. “I don’t know what to say.”

“Absolutely nothing. We’ll be back in a while. When you get tired of holding Colin, Logan will be right here.”

Isaac placed Logan in the bassinet; then he held out his hand to Kendra. She stood, bent down and kissed her sister’s cheek, then her son’s. Hand in hand, she and Isaac left the room, and neither of them looked back.

Neither of them looked back.

Jamie peeked down at the sleeping baby again and saw his tiny lips moving. She smiled, and she felt as if light had suddenly flooded all the dark places in her soul.

For the first time in a long time, she knew everything was going to be all right. All those months ago, she had made a choice. The right choice. Now these two beautiful children were starting their lives because of her.

And she
would
be part of those lives. Kendra and Isaac had walked out of the room without a backward glance, as if to say in no uncertain terms that they knew Jamie was part of their circle and always would be. They trusted her to be part of it, and they trusted her completely with their children. Together they—all of them—were a family in a way that, in the past, they had always been afraid to be.

She had accomplished exactly what she had set out to do. Finally, she could move on and forgive herself. And as she moved on, in the years that were left to her, she would never have to say goodbye. She would never have to let go of what she had accomplished or
any
of the people she loved.

“Hello, Colin James,” she said, bending down to place a kiss right on top of the one his mother had given him. “Welcome to the world, little one. You and I are going to be great pals. It’s a promise.”

G
race was never sure which season at Cashel Orchard was her favorite. Summer was certainly a contender, with wildflowers on hillsides and apples fattening on sturdy orchard branches. So was autumn, the harvest season, with fruit in an artist’s palette of deep reds and golds, heavy with juice on limbs bending gracefully with the weight. She loved the quiet of winter, with the leafless trees like snow-dusted skeletons, stark portraits against a slate-colored sky, with only the occasional cardinal providing color where apples had recently hung.

Then, of course, there was spring. Trees in blossom, their heady fragrance enlivening every inch of the land, acres of drifting blossoms carpeting orchard rows and promising a rich new season of possibilities. Spring was the season of hope, and for that reason alone, if prodded, Grace knew spring would have to be her choice.

Especially on a day like this one.

“Okay, girls. Have you said your goodbyes?” Grace asked Hannah and Alison.

“I think she will come back to visit,” Hannah said. “I feel almost sure.”

Grace didn’t smile, although Hannah always gave her a reason. Instead she nodded solemnly. “I think she will, too. But we won’t worry if she doesn’t. It’s time for Lucky to find a family of her own. A deer family.”

Alison looked sad, her leprechaun face wrinkled in thought. “Who will feed her?”

“Lucky can feed herself. For a few weeks, though, maybe we’ll put out a little hay in the woods, just in case it takes her some time to figure out what’s good to eat and what’s not.”

Alison looked even sadder. “But now I’ll be lonely.”

The girls wouldn’t be lonely for long. Earlier in the season one of Gig’s prize bluetick hounds had sired a litter of puppies. Unfortunately, the mother was a beagle, but the puppies were adorable. Next week, after Lucky had been properly mourned, Jamie and Cash were planning to take the girls to pick out a puppy of their own. Since the girls would undoubtedly not agree on the choice, Grace suspected they would come home with two. For now, though, that was all still a surprise.

Grace dropped a hand to Alison’s shoulder and squeezed. “Lucky won’t be lonely. She’s going to be so happy. She already has friends. Now, are you girls ready?”

“Wait! There’s Mommy. And Cash.” Hannah pointed toward the house.

Grace shaded her eyes and saw that Hannah was right. Jamie and Cash were coming down the hill, hand in hand. Jamie was wearing a bright Turkish scarf wrapped around her head turban style, with black pants and a royal-blue sweater. Cash was wearing a sports coat and khakis.

Nearly three months had passed since Colin and Logan’s birth. Jamie and the girls were still living in the farmhouse, much to Grace’s delight, and Cash was now living in the Taylors’ cabin. The Taylors had finally moved into their new house, delighted to have their builder within hailing distance for whenever inevitable adjustments were needed.

After discussion with some of the area’s best physicians, plus a trip to Houston for one final consultation, Jamie had begun a course of chemotherapy, followed it with thirty radiation treatments and would soon finish treatment with a final round of chemo. Surprisingly, the first time around she hadn’t lost all her hair, although it had thinned considerably. She had cut it short to compensate, and this time around, she was resigned to being completely bald. Kendra and Grace had promised her a hat-and-wig party.

Jamie claimed that, after being pregnant with twins, the first round of chemotherapy had been easy. Grace knew it wasn’t true, but she applauded Jamie’s determination to make everybody believe it.

Jamie’s prognosis was good. There were no guarantees in medicine, but all the signs were encouraging, all the statistics in her favor. She had the best care available, and had taken advantage of every bit of it, opting for the chemo as insurance. Just as soon as the second round was completed, she and Cash were going to plan a simple wedding, although Jamie insisted she wouldn’t walk down the aisle without enough hair to anchor a veil.

Grace thought Jamie was really waiting for the Bee to stop fighting over what kind of wedding quilt they should make the happy couple. Helen wanted something traditional, but Grace was inclined toward abstract sprays of apple blossoms dotted with bright red crazy-quilt apples.

“I’m glad we didn’t miss this,” Jamie said, gathering her daughters close. “Of course, I’m sure Lucky will be back to visit.”

“Want me to do the honors?” Cash asked his grandmother.

Grace nodded, and Cash opened the gate. Lucky looked around suspiciously, big brown eyes asking if this was a trick; then she ambled outside her paddock, as she had many times before. This time, though, if she came back, Lucky was going to find the gate closed. She no longer needed the sanctuary of the pen. She was ready to be on her own.

“Bye, Lucky, bye!” the girls called in unison. Unimpressed, Lucky loped off toward the woods. In a moment, the little doe was out of sight.

“Sam and Elisa are here,” Jamie said, as if she knew the girls needed something else to think about. “Cash’s dad and mom are here, too. Kendra and Isaac are the only ones missing.”

Grace steered the girls in the direction of the house, and at the thought of what would certainly be an adoring audience, they ran off, floral skirts swirling around their legs and sandals flapping.

Jamie slipped a hand through Cash’s arm, and together they followed in the girls’ wake. “Kendra still doesn’t have the hang of packing up two babies and getting them in the car.”

“She needs a U-Haul for all the stuff she has to bring,” Cash said.

“They’re going to be late for their own christening. Before the twins, Kendra was never late for anything.”

As if to prove Jamie wrong, a car’s engine rumbled behind the crest of the hill leading down to the farmhouse.

Cash shaded his eyes to watch until the Taylors came into view. “Think they can manage on their own?”

“The boys, yes. All the stuff that comes along with them? No.”

He kissed Jamie’s cheek, untangled himself, then headed off to help Isaac and Kendra. Jamie tucked her arm in Grace’s, and they followed at a slower pace.

“You feeling okay?” Grace asked.

“Just tired. But this is a glorious day for a glorious event.”

Grace thought about everything that had transpired in the past year. Although most of the people here today weren’t technically Ben’s family, she thought he would have thought of them as such, just as she did, and learned to love them, too. As always, at important moments like this one, she missed him most of all.

When the path split, Grace turned toward the house. “Let’s get you inside. Cash can help your sister all she needs.”

Jamie didn’t argue. Inside, she found a chair by the fireplace and chatted with Elisa Kinkade, who was dressed in a skirt and blouse made from Guatemalan fabrics. Grace’s fingers itched to get more just like them to use in a quilt. She would call it
The Christening.

“This place has seen lots of rites of passage, I bet,” Sam Kinkade said, coming up to stand beside her.

Grace really liked her young minister, whose generous, thoughtful brand of Christianity had inspired her to begin attending the church with Manning and Sandra recently. Sundays had become a day she looked forward to.

“People have been born here. People have died.” She winked. “And people have been created. I don’t know that we’ve ever had a christening, though. Not during my sojourn.”

“To everything there is a season.”

“Sorry we’re late.” Isaac entered the house carrying one of the babies, who was dressed in a darling little denim suit, the citrus-colored Sister’s Choice quilt tucked around him. Squinting, Grace thought this twin was probably Logan, although as the boys grew, their resemblance seemed to, as well.

Jamie held out her arms, and Isaac deposited his son in them without a word, heading back out to make another trip. Kendra arrived with the second twin wrapped in the other quilt, promptly pawned him off on Elisa and followed her husband back outside.

Minutes passed, more trips and commotion, and finally Isaac and Kendra came in to reclaim their sons.

Sam consulted with them; then he turned and motioned for everybody to gather around.

“While the boys seem happy…” He grinned. “Let’s take advantage of it, shall we?”

Somebody applauded; somebody else laughed. Grace went to stand beside her daughter and clasped Sandra’s hand. Manning looked stern, just the way he always did when he was feeling strong emotion, but when Sandra took his hand and squeezed, he leaned over and kissed her cheek. Grace had always been proud of her daughter, but never more so than now. Sandra had gracefully accepted Isaac into her little family and was outrageously fond of her new “grandchildren.”

Kendra and Isaac went to stand at the front with Sam. Then, as Grace watched, Jamie and Cash, as the babies’ sponsors, went to join them.

“It always gives me pleasure to welcome a child into the world,” Sam began. “But I can truthfully say that I have never welcomed any that gave me more pleasure than these little boys, Colin James Taylor and Logan John Taylor, two precious and special children who were brought into this world by a miracle, the miracle of love passed from one sister to another.”

Hannah moved closer and leaned against Grace’s side, and Alison wormed her way to stand just in front of her. Grace felt her heart fill with emotion. She thought of the years when she had been sure she would never have the things she wanted or needed. Now, here she was, surrounded by riches beyond compare.

For a moment she felt Ben beside her, as she often did in this room. And she smiled.