Chapter 26
CHAPTER 26
O nce alone with her thoughts, Kat knew exactly what she needed to do. Her conversation with Chelsea convinced her that she was on the right path. She looked at her watch and hoped it wasn’t too late to catch Nolan before he left for the airport.
She ran up to the main house and directly to Nolan’s room. Grateful she could hear movement inside his room, she knocked on his door.
“Kat, I was just thinking I should stop by the cottage to say goodbye. Is everything okay? You look a bit frantic.”
Kat nodded. “Yes, everything is perfect, actually. Can we talk?”
“Of course. Come in.”
She went into his room and sat on the bed. Joining her, he waited for her to speak.
“Nolan, I’ve given this a lot of thought. Trust me, I don’t think I’ve ever been so focused on anything the way I have our marriage. First, you need to know that I love you. What I want…”
She shook her head. “No. What I need to do for me has nothing to do with how I feel about you. I know that I can’t return to the life we had before.”
“I understand that, Kat. I don’t want that either.”
She smiled. “I believe you. The thing is that there is something in me that feels lost…missing. I’m not sure I can explain it to you, but I think Maggie and my mother might hold the key to helping me figure this out. I need to stay here a bit longer. Can you support me in this?”
“How much longer?”
“I’m not sure. Maybe just a few weeks or a month.”
“A month? Kat, I want to support you, but I miss my wife.”
Kat sighed. “That’s the problem, Nolan. You miss who I’ve been. I don’t want to be that person anymore. I need to change some things. I won’t be a good wife to you if I don’t take this time. I think our marriage deserves us putting in this effort, don’t you?”
Nolan seemed to perk up.
“Does that mean you still want to be my wife?”
Kat smiled. “I do.”
She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him. She didn’t know where the next few weeks would lead her, but it didn’t matter. For now, she was proud of herself, and that was the beginning of something wonderful not just for her marriage, but for her sense of self.
They stayed in that embrace for a while before she walked Nolan to his car. They hugged once more, and she watched him drive down the driveway and turn out onto the street.
The pride she felt for standing her ground made her smile. Kat understood more than ever that the journey she was on was about much more than her marriage. It was about discovering her strength and resilience. Her marriage was important to her, but she understood that to be the partner she wanted to be, she first needed to become the person she was meant to be.
This path of self-discovery was daunting to her, but it was also empowering. For the first time in a long while, she felt in control of her destiny, ready to face whatever challenges came her way with confidence and determination.
Kat couldn’t wait until Maggie returned from Boston. She had so much to tell her sister. Until then, she’d call her mother and see if she’d like to go shopping. If she was going to spend some time with her mother, shopping was always the best place to start.
When Lauren was released from the hospital, Maggie, Paolo and Sarah stayed back at their house with Olivia and Lily. When Jeff sent a text to say they were on their way home, the girls sat at the front window waiting for the car to pull up.
“They’re here!” Olivia yelled as she ran to the front door and opened it.
Lily followed behind and jumped up and down.
“Come on, let’s meet them in the driveway,” Maggie said.
Everyone ran to the car and welcomed Jeff, Lauren and little Daniel.
“Can I hold him?” Lily asked.
Maggie laughed. “Let them get in the house first.”
Jeff took Daniel from the car seat, and they all went inside.
“How are you feeling?” Maggie asked Lauren.
“Tired, but happy to be home.”
“Why don’t you sit on the sofa? I’ve made a little lunch for us, but let’s start with a warm cup of my tea?” Maggie asked.
Lauren laughed. “Now I know you’re really home, Mom. You and your famous tea will work wonders.”
Maggie went to the kitchen, while Olivia and Lily joined their mother on the sofa. Jeff placed Daniel, who was sound asleep, in Lauren’s arms.
“I know the girls want to hold Daniel, but why don’t we first get the call to Grandma out of the way? She’ll be mad at all of us if we don’t video with her,” Sarah said.
Lauren rolled her eyes and chuckled. “You’re right about that. Maybe Daniel will wake up for her.”
“I’ll use my cellphone,” Sarah said. “She and I did a test run to make sure she’d know what to do when I called.”
Sarah dialed her grandmother’s number, and when she answered, the nostrils of her nose were the first image on the screen.”
“Hey Grandma, you can move the phone back a little. You’re too close to your face.”
“Oh, sorry. I kept thinking I needed to bring the phone close to see the baby, but I guess you all have to move it close to him. Let me see my new great-grandson.”
Sarah held the phone in front of Daniel, who was still sleeping.
“Sorry, Grandma, he’s been sleeping ever since we left the hospital. I thought maybe he’d be awake by now,” Lauren said.
“Oh, that’s okay. He’s gorgeous. What a precious boy. I hear you named him Daniel Christopher?”
“We did. I think Dad would have loved that, don’t you?”
“I do, honey. I’m sure your father would be proud of you, Lauren.”
Lauren’s eyes watered, as she looked at her mother. Maggie nodded in agreement.
“I think he looks like me, actually,” Grandma added.
Everyone laughed, and Lauren, for the sake of keeping her grandmother happy, said, “I think you’re right, Grandma…exactly like you.”
Two hours later, Paolo was fast asleep in front of the television.
“Mom, why don’t you relax and let me make dinner tonight?” Sarah asked.
“I don’t mind cooking,” Maggie answered.
“I know, but if it turns out that I’m not a match for Emily, I’ll be headed back to Florida long before you return. You’ll have plenty of opportunities to cook after I’ve left. Let me do this for you all.”
“I think we should let her, Maggie,” Jeff joked.
Lauren laughed. “It gets him out of the kitchen for the night. Thanks, Sarah. That’s sweet of you.”
“Let me show you what I got from the market. There’s plenty to choose from.”
Sarah and Jeff went into the kitchen, and Maggie looked down at her cellphone. A notification that she had a text from Becca surprised her.
“Mom, I’m thinking of taking a nap before dinner. I’m going to take the baby with me. The bassinet is right next to the bed, so there’s nothing for you to do. Why not just relax and watch TV for a bit?”
Maggie looked at Paolo, who was already asleep.
Maggie chuckled. “I guess you don’t have to convince Paolo to relax. Let me help you get settled upstairs.”
Once Lauren and the baby were napping, Maggie went into her bedroom and dialed Becca’s number.
“Hey, Becca. How are you, honey?”
“I’m good, Maggie. Busy as always. I’m sorry I wasn’t at the hospital when you were there. I’ve been doing pediatric rotations for the last couple of weeks. It’s been eye opening.”
“That sounds wonderful.”
“I know you’re busy with Lauren and the family, but I wondered if you might stop over for a bit.”
“Of course. When would you like me to come over?”
“Can you come now?”
Maggie sensed urgency in Becca’s voice, and it worried her.
“Becca, is everything all right?”
“Yes, we’re fine. I just need to talk. Chris won’t be home for a couple of hours, so…”
That she wanted to talk to Maggie when Christopher wasn’t home concerned Maggie even more.
“I’ll borrow Lauren’s car and be right over.”
“Thank you, Maggie. See you soon.”
Maggie’s imagination ran wild, she hated to think Becca and Christopher were having problems in their marriage, but it was the only conclusion Maggie could make.
Why else would Becca need to talk to me privately?
Maggie reached Becca and Christopher’s house within twenty minutes. She sat in the driveway and looked at the home where she had raised her family. When Maggie moved to Captiva, Becca and Christopher moved in and promised to manage the property, including the gardens in the backyard. Whenever Maggie revisited the place, a tug at her heart and memories from the past overwhelmed her.
Taking a deep breath, she climbed the stairs to the front door and rang the doorbell.
Becca opened the door, and immediately wrapped her arms around her mother-in-laws neck.
“You know you don’t have to ring the doorbell. You still have a key to this house, don’t you?” Becca asked.
Maggie shook her head. “I don’t care. This is your home now, and one doesn’t enter without being invited, It’s proper.”
Becca laughed. “Okay, fine, just remember that you have a permanent invitation to come anytime, day or night. Come in and relax. Can I get you something to drink?”
“No. Thanks, I’m fine. You come and sit with me. Tell me what’s been going on in your world.”
Becca nodded and joined Maggie on the sofa. “I’m sorry for being so cryptic and mysterious in my text. I needed to talk to you, because with my mother and Gran gone, I don’t really have any women in my life that I can go to for advice. I think of you more as a mother than a mother-in-law. I hope that’s okay with you.”
“Oh, sweetie, it’s more than okay. I’m glad you thought to contact me. I’m sorry I live so far away now.”
“Well, most things I could email, text or even call, but this is something I needed to talk about in person…I’m pregnant. I haven’t told Chris yet, because I wanted to talk to you first.”
Maggie hugged Becca and was over the moon excited with this news.
“I’m thrilled…but…wait…you’re not happy about this?”
Suddenly, Maggie was worried for Becca.
Becca started to cry and fell into Maggie’s arms. Sobbing, Maggie waited for her to release whatever tears she needed to cry. She reached into her pocket and pulled out some tissues. Becca took them, wiped her eyes, and tried to compose herself.
“I’m a third year medical student. Do you know how rough things will get for the remainder of this year and then in my fourth year? How am I going to complete my work if I’m pregnant?”
Maggie didn’t have an answer for that, never knowing what a medical student’s school calendar looked like.
“Honey let’s slow things down for a minute. Now, I realize that the rest of your studies will require a lot from you, and so will pregnancy. Pregnancy, I know something about…medical school, not so much. So, let’s address the pregnancy first. If there were no medical school, how would you feel about having a baby right now?”
Becca smiled. “I’d be in heaven. I’ve always wanted to be a mother, and I know Chris will be ecstatic. Even with this scary situation, there’s a part of me that wants to celebrate, but…”
“But?”
“Honestly, Maggie, I’m terrified. How can I have a baby and complete medical school? I want to be a doctor more than anything.”
Her answers made Maggie happy, mostly because she knew Becca wanted this baby even with the challenges.
“Becca, you asked me to come over here to advise you, right?”
Her face wet with tears, Becca nodded.
“Well, this is what I think. I’ve known you since you were fifteen years old. I’ve never known you to not go after what you want with passion and single-minded focus. Quite honestly, sweetheart, I don’t think there is anything you cannot accomplish if you set your mind to it. You want this baby and you want to finish medical school…so do both. If anyone can do it, you can. However, I’m not a betting person, but if I had to, I’d bet that there are other women who have had babies while in medical school. I think you need to find those women and ask them how they did it. Maybe there is a support group for women in your situation. I don’t know a lot about the internet, but I know you and your generation can find anything using the computer.”
Becca’s face brightened. “I hadn’t thought of that.”
“What I know is this. Women do best when they rely on each other. They’ve been doing it since the beginning of time. You are not alone, and what you are dealing with right now has been managed by others before you. I’m not saying it won’t be challenging, but I know you can do this. I believe in you. You’ve got this, Becca.”
Maggie took tissues and wiped Becca’s face.
“Hey, Mom!” Christopher said as he entered through the front door.
Becca put her hands to her face.
“How do I look?”
Maggie smiled. “Like a new mommy,” she whispered, then looked at Christopher.
Maggie got up from the sofa and smiled at her son.
“Hi honey, come and give me a hug. I can’t stay. I’ve got to get back to Lauren’s. Sarah is cooking dinner.”
Christopher hugged his mother and then kissed Becca.
“Okay, but I haven’t seen you in forever, so promise you’ll come back and hang out with me?” he asked.
“Of course, I’m going to be with all my children before I return to Captiva. By the way, I’m going to take a few of these photo albums over to Lauren’s. I’ve been looking for some of your Aunt Kat and me when we were kids.”
Maggie bent down and kissed Becca on the cheek.
Becca’s face glowed with happiness. She whispered, “Thank you…Mom.”