Sunset: 4 (Sunrise) (27 page)

Hayley spotted him from a ways off, and her face lit up. As she reached him, she held out her hands and took a running jump into his arms. She hugged him around his neck and leaned back enough to look straight to his heart. “That was good, right, Papa?”

“Yes.” He nuzzled his face against hers and pressed his hand against her silky hair. “That was very, very good.”

Hayley kissed him on his cheek. “Thanks for the bike. I like pink so much!” She flashed him a grin, then scrambled down and ran with Peter to catch her cousins.

John turned to Brooke. For several seconds they only looked at each other, the reflection of Hayley’s painful past haunting both their eyes. Finally John pulled his oldest daughter into his arms and held her for a long time. They had so much in common, really. Their love for the medical field and their ability to handle things calmly, directly. And a long time ago in a hospital room with Hayley hooked to life support, they had both struggled with the same thing.

Believing for a miracle.

John stepped back and took hold of Brooke’s hands. His voice was tight, but he managed. “You . . . you found it in my garage.”

“I didn’t think you’d mind.” Brooke smiled through fresh tears. “We told Hayley it was from you. She’s been practicing on one at school.”

“Remember . . .” John was overwhelmed once more, and he stared at the ground as a quiet sob caught in his throat. “I was the first one who believed it could happen.” He sniffed hard and pressed his palms briefly to his eyes.

This time the hug came from Brooke, and neither of them said a word. This was the way family was supposed to be—there for each other through whatever life brought, loving each other, supporting each other. And believing God for the best.

As the hug ended, John smiled at his daughter, and in awestruck silence they walked arm in arm down the hill to join the others. Everything that needed saying had already been said in a single picture. The image of their precious Hayley, who wasn’t supposed to walk or talk or ever get out of bed, pedaling away on her pink bicycle.

A picture John would cherish as long as he lived.

The barbecue was over and daylight was close to fading when Ashley began to take her contractions seriously. The big annual fishing contest between her dad and Landon was more than halfway finished, and the cousins were bunched together on a couple of fallen logs not far from the water. This year the kids were split between who they were rooting for. In the first few minutes of the half-hour contest, Landon had caught a fish so small his
own
cheering section burst into laughter. Since then her dad had snagged a twelve-inch bass. The stakes were same as last year—loser jumps in the lake with his clothes on.

Ashley noticed Katy and Dayne sitting on top of a picnic table, their feet on the bench. They were off by themselves, their heads close together, and whatever their conversation, it seemed intense. Ashley took a step in their direction. Maybe Katy wasn’t feeling so good either. Earlier she had also been having what felt like contractions. Ashley looked back at the water. She wanted to find a spot close to the fishing action, but maybe if she wandered over to Katy and Dayne, the walk would distract her body from the tightening in her belly.

Already the day had been so full, with swimming and throwing a Frisbee and of course the sand castle contest between the boys and girls. She glanced back at Cole, sitting with Tommy and RJ and Devin and cheering for Landon. The child was so competitive. At one point during the sand castle building, he’d stood up, raised his shovel in the air, and shouted, “No one can beat this castle! Especially not a bunch of girls!”

After that Landon had gone over for a little talk with him. Ashley had watched from the hillside, and she saw Cole’s immediate remorse. He really meant well. And Maddie never lessened her efforts at egging him on. Still, he needed to be gracious, whether he won or not. In the end, Landon had declared the boys’ castle the biggest and most lifelike and the girls’ castle the prettiest and most thoughtful.

Landon had no idea Ashley was having occasional contractions—at least she didn’t think so. Earlier she’d seen him talking to her dad. The conversation looked serious, and Ashley figured Landon had questions about her pregnancy. But other than that, he hadn’t seemed too concerned, and she hadn’t wanted to worry him unless they became more regular. Now that they were, he was in the middle of the fishing contest. A half hour wouldn’t make a difference.

Ashley trudged up the hill. As she reached Katy and Dayne, she saw they had a pad of paper between them, and Dayne was writing something down. His face looked drawn, his eyes anxious. He looked up at Ashley. “She’s having contractions.”

“Still?” Ashley took the spot next to her brother so he was in the middle. “You’re writing them down?”

Dayne glanced at the paper. “Every eight or nine minutes for the last hour.”

“They’re not strong enough to be real.” Katy stretched back and leaned against her hands. “I think I just need a little rest.”

“You’re due this week, so I don’t know.” Ashley gave Katy a wary look. “If they don’t stop . . .”

“It could be time.” Dayne swallowed hard. He looked at his watch. “It’s been four minutes.”

Katy allowed a light laugh. She motioned at Dayne but kept her attention on Ashley. “You don’t happen to have a paper bag?”

It took Ashley a minute, but then she laughed too. “For Dayne?”

“In case he hyperventilates. I’d hate for him to pass out on the way to the hospital.”

“Fine, go ahead.” Dayne tossed his hands, feigning persecution. “Mock me. I can take it.”

Ashley was about to say something to her brother, something about never being too safe when it came to babies, when another pain grabbed at her midsection and held tight. She sucked in her breath and held it, leaning back in an effort to relieve the contraction even a little.

Dayne turned to her. “Don’t tell me . . . you too?”

A worried look flashed in Katy’s eyes. “It’s too early. You aren’t due yet.”

Gradually the pain eased and Ashley exhaled. She caught her breath, fighting the wild fears inside her. “Three weeks away.” She breathed out more slowly. “Early . . . but not too early, I guess.”

“So what are you saying?” Alarm replaced the laughter in Katy’s tone. “You’ve been having contractions since we talked earlier?”

“On and off. Not regular enough to tell Landon.” Ashley sat a little straighter, stretching her torso, trying to get comfortable. “I keep thinking maybe they’re false.”

“But not if they’re regular and they keep getting—” Katy squeezed her eyes shut, and her hand went to her rounded stomach.

“Another one?” Dayne sounded almost panicky. He poised the pen over the pad of paper and checked his watch. “That’s seven minutes.” He stood up. “I’m getting Dad.”

From down the beach came a loud cheer, and the three of them turned to the sound. Ashley watched their father steady himself and then reel in a struggling fish that had to be at least twenty-four inches long.

The kids seated on that side of the competition jumped up, cheering and squealing and chanting, “Papa . . . Papa . . . Papa.”

“Looks like the contest might be over.” Katy’s contraction had come to an end, and she sounded tired but not nearly as worried as Dayne. She slid her feet slowly to the ground. “Let’s go watch the last few minutes.”

They walked down the hillside and reached the sandy shore.

Landon appeared to get a bite. “This is it! I can feel it!” He dug his heels into the sand and focused all his attention on the movement in the water thirty feet out. “Come on, baby!”

Cole bounded to his feet, his hands cupped around his mouth. “Get in here, you stubborn fish, and you better be huge!”

Then with everyone watching, the fish on Landon’s line jumped into the air. It was easily the biggest fish of the day. But as it flopped in the air, it pulled free of the hook and swam off in the other direction.

“What?” Landon reeled in as fast as he could, but it was no use. He let his hands fall to his sides. “That’s plain old wrong.”

Ashley laughed quietly to herself.

Cole was still staring out at the place where the fish disappeared, his expression frozen in shock. He tossed his hands in the air and looked over at his grandfather and then at the girl cousins supporting him. “You all saw it. So that counts, right?”

“No.” Maddie giggled. “You have to
catch
the fish. Not
look
at it!”

“And . . .” Peter raised the stopwatch he’d been holding. “Time!”

“That’s it!” Maddie ran around in small circles, and the other girl cousins followed her lead. “Papa wins! Papa wins!”

Ashley winced. She could only imagine the battle ahead.

Cole put his hands on his hips. “That’s not fair, ’cause we had the biggest—”

Landon walked up a few feet onto the beach and set his pole on the ground. He moved to their son’s side and messed up his blond hair. “Papa won fair and square.” He shrugged. “You win some, you lose some.”

“Yeah, but—” Cole lowered his voice, but his determination remained—“you lost last time.”

“Here’s the good news.” Landon pointed out at the lake. “That big ol’ fish is still out there. And next week you and Devin and I’ll come back and catch him for sure.”

Cole hesitated, but a smile crept up his face. “Okay. Let’s do that.” He giggled and gave Landon a light push toward the water. “Plus, now we get to watch you jump in the lake!”

“Lake . . . lake . . . lake!” The girl cousins formed a half circle a few feet up the sloped shore.

Just as Landon took a deep breath and ran straight into the water, Ashley noticed Katy get hit by another contraction. Dayne put his arm around her and supported her, but he looked ready for the trip to the hospital. Ashley heard Landon hit the water, and she glanced back to the shore as—like last time—he ran out until the water was a little past his waist, and then he flopped back and disappeared beneath the surface. When he came up, he held his hands high, his face full of exhilaration. “Papa’s the winner!” he shouted.

But at that moment, Landon looked at Ashley, and he must’ve caught the concern on her face because his expression changed and he moved quickly out of the water in her direction. “Ash . . . what is it?” He was breathless, drenched from the lake, his tanned skin covered in goose bumps.

Ashley nodded at Katy. “Contractions. We’re both having them.”

Landon wiped the water from his face and tried to wring out his T-shirt. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

“I . . . I kept thinking they were false.” Ashley gave Landon a weak smile. “I’m not so sure now.”

“That was a big one.” Katy looked pale as she turned to Dayne. “Maybe we should have it checked.”

“You too.” Landon was still dripping, so Cole ran a towel to him. He wrapped it around his waist, but his eyes never left Ashley’s. “You don’t look good.”

Ashley felt clammy, and her heart was pounding. “I need to sit down.”

Her father must’ve heard what was happening, because he set his pole down and made his way over. When he reached them, he looked from Katy to Ashley. “You’re both in labor?”

“I know.” Ashley bent over slightly. “Crazy, huh?”

“How long?”

“Off and on all day.” Ashley gripped Landon’s wet arm. She looked at her sister-in-law. “I think it’s the same for Katy, right?”

“Pretty steady for the past four hours.” Katy winced. “I think they must be real.”

Brooke walked over with Peter right behind her. “What’s happening?”

“Contractions.” Dayne’s eyes were wide. “For both of them.”

The group talked about the situation for another minute, and before either Ashley or Katy could have another contraction, Ashley’s father, Brooke, and Peter agreed that a trip to the hospital was necessary.

“What about the picnic? We have to pack up our things.”

“We’ll get it. Don’t worry about a thing.” Peter looked at Dayne and then Landon. “You guys go. We’ll take care of the kids and your stuff, and we’ll all meet at the hospital.”

The decision was made quickly, and Ashley was glad. She bid a quick good-bye to Cole and Devin, and as Landon helped her up the hill and into their van, she had another strong contraction. Landon helped her buckle her seat belt, and he was out of the parking lot headed for the hospital with Dayne and Katy right behind them by the time the pain subsided.

Ashley slumped down, exhausted. “What if . . . I waited too long?”

“You didn’t.” Landon’s jaw was set. “Everything’s going to be okay.”

She looked straight ahead and tried not to remember the last time they headed for the hospital for the birth of a baby. But even so, her eyes blurred with tears. She reached out and worked her fingers between his. “Landon . . . please.” She blinked a few times and looked at him. “Pray for little Isaac.”

Without hesitating, he began praying. “Lord, You know our hearts and You know our concerns.” His knuckles were white from the tight grip he had on the steering wheel, his clothes still wet from the lake. “Be with Ashley and give her peace, and please . . . please help our little boy be okay. And not only our baby but Katy and Dayne’s baby too.” A tense chuckle came from him. “This is a wild day. We won’t get through it without Your help. Thank You, God. In Jesus’ name, amen.”

“Amen.” Darkness was falling over Bloomington, and in the distance a burst of fireworks filled the sky. Ashley watched the reds and silvers swell and fade. “Looks like we’re going to miss fireworks this year.”

“The kind in the sky, anyway.” Landon managed a grin. “How’re you doing?”

“Okay.” She looked at the spot in the sky where she’d seen the fireworks. Maybe if there were more, the display would help take her mind off the pain. But as the next burst of color appeared on the horizon, her body seized up and she was overcome with pain. Not five minutes had passed since the last one. She gasped.
I’m so afraid. Please, God, let us get there in time. Please help my baby. . . .

If ever Ashley wanted a clear, audible answer from the Lord, it was now. But He gave her something just as helpful—a Scripture that had brought her peace time and time again in the days since she and Landon first reconnected
. “Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

The words spoke deeply to Ashley’s soul. She focused intently on the baby growing inside her. How long had it been since she’d felt him move or kick? She dismissed the question as soon as it hit her.
“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving . . .”

She had two more contractions before they reached the hospital, and by then Landon was on his cell with Dayne. Katy’s were getting stronger, but they were no closer together. If Ashley weren’t in so much pain, the situation would almost be comical. Both of them going into labor at the same time, rushing to the hospital caravan-style.