Chapter 17 #2
“I can’t imagine losing a child, and I hope I never find out what that’s like. I do forgive you, Father. It was a very long time ago, and I’ve moved on.”
“That’s generous of you. I hope you and the others can…”
“Already done.” Lincoln looked across the bed at Charlotte. “We’ll never be out of touch with each other again. I promise you that.”
“That gives me peace, Linc. You’ve given me peace by coming all this way to see me.” Carlton raised his hand.
Linc took his father’s hand and gave it a squeeze.
“Tell me more about your life in Vermont.”
For the next hour, Lincoln and Molly told him about the run-down barn they’d renovated into a showplace, about the store that had been at the center of their lives and the town moose named Fred, who was such a big part of the Butler, Vermont, community.
Carlton laughed at the story of Fred strolling through the tent at Will and Cameron’s wedding and then coming “home” with baby Dex.
“He’s basically living in Hannah and Nolan’s house,” Molly said.
“She has an actual moose living in her house?”
“You’d have to know Hannah to fully understand why that’s not even surprising,” Linc said. “Her husband, Nolan, is a saint.”
Carlton’s eyes filled again. “I’m so sorry I don’t know her. That I won’t know her or the others. Tell me more about each of them.”
Once again, Lincoln went through the list of his kids, filling his dad in on things about them that a grandparent would normally know by heart—awards, degrees, sports played and victories achieved.
“Will was a champion-level skier. We thought he might make the Olympic team until he blew out his knee and ended his career. He went through a tough time after that, redefining himself, but he’s bounced back and has found a wonderful life with Cameron and baby Chase. ”
Carlton hung on Lincoln’s every word until a coughing fit seemed to deplete the last of his strength.
“Rest,” Char said, patting their father’s shoulder.
“Thank you, Lincoln,” Carlton said without opening his eyes. “And Molly. Thank you both for coming and for bringing your beautiful family.”
Lincoln leaned over and kissed his father’s forehead. “Rest easy, Father.”
Blinking back tears, he followed Char and Molly from the room. For a full minute, they only stood together, each of them seeming to process what’d just transpired. And then Charlotte broke the silence. “You truly gave him peace just now, Lincoln. Even if he didn’t deserve it—”
“Everyone deserves peace in their final hours. I’m glad I was able to do that for him and that I could reconnect with you, Max and Will. That’s what matters now. Where we go from here.”
She nodded. “Yes, all we have is right now, and I want you back in my life. I want to know your children and have you know mine.”
Linc stepped forward to hug his sister. “We’ll make that happen.”
A shout from downstairs had them breaking apart and heading for the stairs.
Colton was on his way up. “Ella’s water broke.”
Sarah Stillman Guthrie was born in Philadelphia at three o’clock the next morning. Her exhausted grandparents and great-grandfather were on hand to help her elated parents welcome her into the world.
Elmer cried when he heard the baby’s name. “Thank you for honoring my Sarah this way, sweetheart,” he said as he kissed his granddaughter’s forehead.
“She was one of my favorite people in the whole world,” Ella said.
“Mine, too,” Elmer said.
Gavin called his parents at home in Butler to share the happy news with them.
Leaving the new family to rest, Linc, Molly and Elmer took an Uber back to the hotel, where the others were spending a second, unexpected night.
“What a day—or two days, I should say—this has been,” Linc said.
“Indeed.” Elmer shook his head in disbelief. “You just never know what’s going to happen next in this family.”
“Thank God Gavin came on the trip,” Molly said.
“That was a good call,” Linc agreed.
They dropped Elmer off at the room he was again sharing with Charley and headed for their own room, using new keys that Hunter had brought to them at the hospital earlier.
The delay in departure would get them home on Christmas Eve.
They were hoping Ella and Gavin could come with them, but that hadn’t been decided yet.
Linc hadn’t been this exhausted in a very long time, and as Molly curled up to him in bed, he tried to come down from the emotionally charged day and night.
“How’re you feeling?” Molly asked.
“Tired, wound up, drained…”
“We hardly got a chance to talk about the things your father said.”
“It was nice to hear him say he was sorry it’d happened.”
“I’m sure.”
“And to see Char and the boys, who aren’t boys anymore, and to hear I have nine nieces and nephews.”
“It’s all so painfully sad.”
“It is,” he said with a sigh. “And so unnecessary.”
“Are you able to forgive him?” Molly asked.
“That’s a complicated question. I can forgive him for being human, grieving his lost son and making mistakes that harmed a lot of people. However, I never saw my mother again, and he took actual steps to prevent me from contacting my siblings… Those are tougher things to forgive.”
“You’d be a bigger person than I am if you could forgive him for either of those things.”
“I’m glad I had the chance to see him one last time and to hear him express regret. That helps me cope with the rest of it.”
“I hope so. We’ll come back to see Char, Max and Will and meet their families after the holidays. And we’ll invite them to visit us, too.”
“That’d be nice. I’d like that.”
“Char said her daughter has an infant car seat they don’t need any more that she’s going to give Ella to get baby Sarah home to Vermont.”
“Poor Ella, having to ride on a bus for seven hours after giving birth.”
“If they decide to come with us, we can make her comfortable, and at least she’ll have lots of help with the baby.”
“True.”
Lincoln yawned, and the next thing he knew, sunlight was streaming into the room. He glanced at the bedside clock and saw that it was eight thirty. “Hey, Mol.”
She moaned.
“The kids are going to want to get going home.”
She moaned again.
Laughing, he said, “Wake up, Granny. It’s time to go home for Christmas.”
“Christmas is canceled this year.”
“No way. You’ll have a riot on your hands.”
They dragged themselves out of bed, showered, got dressed and joined the others for breakfast.
“How’s Ella?” Charley asked after they shared the news of the delivery.
“Doing wonderfully,” Molly replied. “Baby Sarah was eight pounds, six ounces, and twenty inches. Baby and Mom were resting comfortably when we left them early this morning.”
“That’s a relief,” Charley said. “Will they be coming home with us?”
“We’re going to check in with them this morning to see what they want to do,” Molly said. “How’s everyone at home?”
“All good,” Hunter said. “But I’m anxious to get home to Megan.”
“Same,” Colton said. “Lucy.”
Having Ella go into labor early had the other expectant fathers on edge.
“We’ll get you there as soon as we can,” Linc said.