Merriment, Mayhem, and Meows

by Patricia Fry

  “Oh, he had things to do,” she explained.

  Rochelle grinned. “Not his cup of tea, huh?”

  “Shall we do this in room five?” Iris suggested.

  “Where are the lights exploding?” Rochelle asked.

  “In the hallway outside that room.”

  “Let’s go up there, then. In the hallway. Do you have some cushions we could sit on?”

  “Yeah,” Iris said, “in the second-floor linen closet.”

  Rochelle started to walk toward the staircase then stopped and turned. “Those who do not believe should stay behind. If you’re not interested in something of the…woo-woo nature, it’s best you not be involved.”

  Michael, Peter, and Craig looked at one another.

  “I’m curious, does that count?” Michael asked.

  “Me, too,” Peter said, looking at Craig, who said, “Oh, what the hell,” before following along behind the others.

  “Okay,” Rochelle said, “but if you can’t accept what I’m saying, keep your thoughts and opinions to yourself. Don’t even try to participate.”

  “Yes, ma’am,” Craig said, saluting.

  Twenty minutes later, after sitting quietly with her head bowed, Rochelle looked up at the others in the circle they’d formed. “It’s gone,” she said, letting out a deep breath.

  “It?” Iris questioned.

  “Yes. I don’t think it was spirit energy. It felt to me more like…oh, I don’t know…the sort of energy push-back I feel when I’m doing a healing.” She glanced around. “Did anyone else feel it?”

  After a lengthy silence, Craig said, “Do you mean a sort of pressure? How could we not feel it? What was that? It’s like the room suddenly became pressurized.” When he saw Iris and Savannah staring inquisitively at him, he said, “What?”

  “Craig, are you joking?” Iris asked. “This is no time to be joking.”

  “No,” he said seriously. “You mean you didn’t feel it?” He looked at Rochelle. “You said you felt it.”

  “Yes, I did. You must have dropped your guard this evening, Craig. It appears that you’re more sensitive than you thought.” Rochelle moved closer to him. “Tell me what you were thinking when you felt the pressure. What thoughts were coming to you?”

  Michael snickered. “Probably that his butt was getting tired and he wished he could go downstairs and get a cold beer. Right, Detective?”

  Craig grinned. “A cold beer did cross my mind once or twice, Michael. You got that right.” He creased his brow. “But when I felt that strange force—the heaviness—after wondering what in the heck it was, I remember having thoughts of…”

  Suddenly Margaret gasped.

  When the others looked in her direction, she began laughing. “Oh my God,” she said, “A cat just attacked me. Scared me out of my wits.”

  “What do you mean attacked you?” Iris asked, scrambling to turn on the hall lights.

  “Sophie. She just came out of nowhere and ran across me.” She pointed. “Look out, here come the others!”

  “Boy, they’re running to beat the band, aren’t they?” Michael said. “Like something has frightened them.”

  Just then, Francine walked up to the others. “It’s just me. They aren’t frightened, they’re just full of energy tonight, so I opened the attic door for them. I’ve already closed off the walkway to the outdoor area.”

  “So it was a cat stampede?” Craig said, chuckling.

  Iris suddenly jumped. She pulled her vibrating phone out of her pocket, and answered it, then stood and walked away from the others in order to talk. Within seconds she rushed back to the group and announced excitedly, “Damon just took Colbi to the hospital. She’s having our baby!”

  “For real?” Margaret asked.

  “For real, this time.”

  Margaret struggled to lift herself from the floor.

  When Savannah saw Michael stand and stretch, she reached out toward him for a hand up. “How exciting. Are you going to the hospital, Iris?”

  “We sure are.”

  “Me, too,” Margaret said.

  When Savannah looked at Michael, he offered, “I’ll get Lily home. You go ahead.”

  In the meantime, Iris headed for the staircase, then stopped and hurried back to Rochelle. “Thank you for coming here tonight and flushing out whatever the heck that was.”

  “Sure,” Rochelle said. “You shouldn’t have any more problems. I don’t know exactly what it was, but I did feel it leave. I think you’re in the clear.”

  Iris hugged Rochelle. “Thank you so much.”

  “You’re welcome. Now go greet that lovely little granddaughter…” Rochelle put her hands up to her mouth. “Oh, I’m sorry.” She cringed. “…or grandson,” she said weakly.

  “No, you said granddaughter,” Savannah challenged. “You sense it’s a girl, don’t you?”

  Rochelle tightened her lips and stared sheepishly at the others.

  “Well, let’s go find out, shall we?” Iris said, looping her arm in Savannah’s as they rushed down the staircase. They were surprised to see Margaret waiting at the front door with their handbags and jackets. They grabbed what was theirs and rushed out through the front door. Michael trailing behind with Peter and Rochelle.

  When Michael noticed Craig standing back scratching his head, he asked, “Aren’t you going with them?”

  “Well, I thought I was.”

  Just then, Iris ran up to her husband. “Come on,” she said, grabbing his arm and pulling him along.

  “I guess I am. See you fellows later,” Craig said as he walked out into the night.

  ****

  “It’s a girl!” Damon said excitedly when he greeted the others in the waiting room of the Straley Hospital several hours later.

  “A girl,” Iris said, tears streaming down her face. She hugged Damon. “I’m so happy.”

  Margaret leaned toward Savannah and Iris. “That’s what Rochelle said, isn’t it?”

  Iris nodded. “And what I wanted all along. After getting to know Lily, I couldn’t even think about a rough-and-tumble boy. A girl! I’m so, so happy.” Iris hugged Savannah, then Margaret. She moved toward Craig. “Babe, you’re crying.”

  “Am not. Got something in my eye.”

  She smiled and wrapped her arms around him. Turning to Damon, she asked, “When can we see her?”

  “Soon. I’d better get back. They want me to help weigh her and all.”

  “Hey, what’s her name?” Iris called after him.

  He stopped and announced proudly, “Rosemary Iris Jackson.”

  “Ohhh,” Iris said, covering her face with her hands, her eyes filling with tears again.

  ****

  “Two at a time,” the nurse instructed a little while later, after announcing that mother and baby were ready for guests. “And don’t stay too long. Mommy needs her rest.”

  “You go meet your granddaughter, Iris,” Savannah urged.

  “I may be here for a while; why don’t you and Maggie go, then you’re free to head on home if you want.”

  Margaret stood. “Good idea.”

  “She’s beautiful,” Savannah said, peering down at the baby in Colbi’s arms.

  Damon smiled at Colbi. “How could she miss? Just look at her mother.”

  Margaret wiped at a tear. “Adorable. A sweet, sweet kitten.” She looked at the couple. “She sure has a big name, though. Will you give her a nickname?”

  Damon and Colbi gazed at each other. “We’re not sure. Damon doesn’t like Rosie; he says it sounds like a cantina owner or a dance-hall girl. Mary doesn’t do her name justice. So far, we’re probably going to call her Rosemary.”

  “Do you have everything ready for her?” Savannah asked. “Is there anything I can do before you bring her home? Did Iris ever have time to decorate her nursery?”

  “Yes, we did it all one weekend. I think you were gone then, visiting your mom. I
ris and Damon did the painting and stenciling and I picked out most of the furniture and accessories.” She chuckled. “Molly-kitty thinks it’s her room.”

  “She has a rude awakening coming,” Damon said.

  “Hey, we’d better go and let Grandma and Grandpa come in and meet Rosemary,” Margaret said.

  “Oh, Maggie, don’t call Iris ‘Grandma.’ Remember, she wants to be Mimi or Gigi or maybe Oma…Meema…”

  Damon laughed. “Yeah, but she’ll probably answer to whatever Rosemary calls her.”

  “Probably,” Savannah said. She hugged Colbi. “Auntie’s right, we’d better go. Meema is probably biting those long fingernails to nubs out there. Good job, Mommy,” she murmured. “She’s wonderful.” She hugged Damon. “Congratulations, Papa. Your life will never be the same again.”

  ****

  Ten days later, the Iveys hosted an intimate baby shower at Damon’s and Colbi’s home. “How’re things going?” Savannah asked the new parents when she and Michael arrived with gifts, refreshments, and twenty-three-month-old Lily.

  Damon sighed deeply. “Well, we’re not getting a lot of sleep.”

  Savannah frowned. “She seems so contented when I’ve seen her. Has she become a fussy baby?”

  Colbi glanced at Damon before responding. “No, not really. She’s actually a pretty good baby. But we’re up and down all night checking on her, wondering why she’s not crying. She eats really well and she sleeps for hours at a time.”

  “Gads, how lucky you are,” Savannah said.

  Michael added, “But we know how it is; we were up a lot at night checking on Lily at first, too.” After leaving an armload of beautifully wrapped gifts and a gift bag in the adjoining dining room, he asked, “Where is she? Can I hold her?”

  “Right here.” Damon led him to a bassinet set up in the living room. “Sure, Michael, you can hold her. She likes that.”

  “Baby!” Lily screeched. “Baby Monica.”

  “Shhh,” Michael said as they gazed down at little Rosemary. “Baby’s sleeping,” he whispered. He reached in and picked up the infant. “Sit here by Daddy on the sofa and we’ll hold the baby.”

  Once Lily was sitting quietly next to Michael and smiling down at the baby, everyone pulled out their cell phones and snapped a few pictures.

  Michael said, “Lily, this is baby Rosemary.”

  Lily looked up at him and shook her head. “Baby Monica,” she insisted.

  “There’s your nickname, guys,” Savannah said, laughing. “Monica.”

  “How cute is that?” Margaret said when she and Max arrived. She set down her elegantly wrapped gift and took a few pictures of Michael and Lily with the baby.

  Iris and Craig arrived next with Iris’s teen-aged sons, Brett and Chris. “Awww, Lily,” Iris said, “are you helping Daddy hold baby Rosemary?”

  “Baby Monica,” Lily chirped.

  Iris looked at her for a moment, then turned to Craig and instructed, “Take a picture of them, will you? I have my hands full.”

  “You sure do,” Colbi said. “Did you buy out the baby store?”

  Iris smiled. “Almost.” Sounding a little giddy, she revealed, “I love shopping for baby girls.”

  “So how are things at the inn?” Savannah asked Iris a little while later.

  “Really good.” She turned quickly toward Savannah. “Our garden is starting to sprout. Rupert says we should be able to pick some of the herbs by Thanksgiving.”

  “Cool. And the weird noises and bursting bulbs…is all that resolved?”

  Iris nodded. “Yes. Whatever it was is gone. And Michael seems to have done a good job of padding the area where the cats were making all that noise.”

  “Oh,” Michael said, standing. He looked around the room. “Anyone want a turn with Rosemary?”

  “Me,” Iris, Savannah, and Margaret all said at once.

  When Michael looked bewildered, Iris said, “Let Savannah have a turn. I was here most of the day yesterday.”

  Savannah thought about her offer for a moment. “You know, I’d better set up the refreshment table. Go ahead, Auntie. I’ll take my turn when she’s awake.”

  Margaret winced. “I guess I’d better help Vannie. But I get dibs for later.”

  “Just put her back in her bed, Michael,” Damon instructed. “Maybe she’ll sleep while we get the party started.”

  After laying the baby in the bassinet, Michael turned toward the others. “I forgot to show you this.” He dug into his pocket and pulled out his hand with something hidden in the palm. “I believe this is what was causing the light show you girls were treated to that night you stayed at the inn.”

  Iris studied the small light in Michael’s hand. “What do you mean?”

  He turned it on and clicked it a couple of times.

  “It changes colors,” Margaret noticed. “That’s kind of neat.”

  “Yeah, like the colors you saw glowing from around the hatch in room five, right?”

  “Oh yes,” Savannah said. “Remember that, Iris?”

  “Yes!” she exclaimed. “So where was it?”

  “Well, it was up in that area where the cats were rolling balls and making a racket. Evidently, they found it someplace and carried it into the catwalk. The batteries were dead when I discovered it.”

  “Oh for heaven’s sake,” Iris said. She sat up straighter. “Wait, Francine said something about missing a small light. I wonder if it’s hers. She said it went missing the night of the open house.”

  “When Rags was there,” Margaret said smugly.

  “Yeah, what other explanation could there be?” Iris said. “Unless one of the cuddle cats is also a klepto.”

  “Well, let’s get some refreshments, shall we?” Savannah suggested, heading toward the dining room. “Then the new mom and dad can open Rosemary’s gifts.”

  ****

  Everyone had enjoyed a piece of cake and a glass of punch and the new parents had unwrapped most of their gifts when they heard a sound coming from the bassinet. “Oh, she’s awake,” Iris said. “My turn, my turn!”

  “How are you going to nurse her, Mom?” Damon asked. “She’s probably hungry.” He pulled a diaper out of a nearby package and handed it to Iris. “She’s also probably wet. Here, want to change her?”

  “Sure do,” Iris said, eagerly walking toward the bassinet. Once Rosemary was dry and wrapped up in her blanket, Iris lifted her and handed her to Colbi, who used a nursing cover to conceal herself while feeding the baby.

  “Whose turn is it?” Colbi asked after getting a good burp from the infant.

  Iris wasted no time in going to Colbi and carefully taking Rosemary from her before Savannah or Margaret could respond. “I just love her so much,” she said, smiling down at the baby. “She is wonderful. I can’t wait to play blocks with her, take her shopping, have sleepovers, push her on the swings at the park. Oh, I’m so happy.” She walked to where Savannah sat and handed the baby to her. “Your turn.”

  “Goodie.” After cradling the baby for a few minutes, Savannah said, “Lily, do you see what Mommy has?”

  Lily looked at her mother. She dropped the toy she’d been playing with and ran to Savannah’s side. “Baby Monica.”

  “This is baby Rosemary,” Savannah told her.

  “Baby Monica,” Lily said.

  “No, baby Rosemary. Can you say Rosemary?”

  “Baby Monica,” Lily insisted, amidst a round of laughter.

  “So Damon,” Margaret said, “what about you? Are you happy to have a girl, or are you like so many guys who want a boy the first time around?”

  “Well, Maggie, I’m beyond thankful that we have our little girl. But sure, someday we’d both like to have a son to complete our family.” He looked at Colbi, who nodded.

  “Maybe your next one will be a boy,” she said.

  “That would be nice, but there are no guarantees, are there?” He reached for Colbi’s hand and squeezed it. “We
feel very fortunate for what we have.”

  Savannah glanced at Michael, then smiled at the new parents. “No there are no guarantees. But maybe we can be trailblazers for you.”

  Damon looked confused.

  Margaret frowned. “Trailblazers?”

  “Yeah,” Savannah said, smiling widely at her husband, who had a huge grin on his face. “Michael and I had a girl first, and now we’re expecting a little boy in May.”

  At that, the room filled with chatter as everyone cheered and congratulated the Iveys.

  “You sure are secretive these days,” Margaret complained.

  “Well, we were waiting for the right time to share the news with you all,” Savannah explained. “We didn’t want to take away from Colbi’s and Damon’s exciting baby news or Arthur’s and Suzette’s wedding.”

  “Well, you could have told me,” Margaret grumbled. “I know how to keep a secret.”

  “Sure, Maggie,” Iris snarked.

  “Uh-huh,” Savannah said. “I know just how well you keep secrets, lady.”

  “What do you mean?” Margaret said defensively. Rather than wait for a response, she moved closer to Lily and cooed, “You’re going to have a baby brother.”

  “Baby Monica,” the toddler said.

  “No, baby brother,” Margaret corrected.

  Lily looked at her and said defiantly, “Baby Monica.”

  “Hey, not to change the subject,” Savannah said, “but how many of you are going to serve the homeless on Thanksgiving?”

  Craig scowled. “Thanksgiving? When’s Thanksgiving?”

  “Week after next,” Iris said. She addressed Savannah. “Count us in.” She looked at Chris and Brett, who were both eating another piece of cake, while they checked their cell phones. “I’m hoping to get the boys involved this year.”

  “One of us might be there,” Colbi said, “while the other one takes care of the baby. Why?”

  “I told Pastor Sheila I’d try to round up enough servers.”

  “I may help with the cooking,” Max said. “They have a lot of turkeys to roast and stuffing to make.”

  “Good,” Savannah said. “Mom’s flying in to help and I think Brianna and Bud will be there.”