In the Fullness of Time

by Sabra Brown Steinsiek

  In the

  Fullness of Time

  ISBN: 978-1-932926-43-9 (ebook version, Smashwords Edition)

  Copyright (c) 2000 and 2015 by Sabra Brown Steinsiek

  Cover Photo: Syda Productions

  Printed in the United States.

  This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each person you share it with. If you're reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then you should return it and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

  Names, characters and incidents depicted in this book are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, organizations, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental and beyond the intent of the author or the publisher.

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or by any information storage or retrieval system without written permission of the publisher, except for the inclusion of brief quotations in a re-view

  Artemesia Publishing, LLC

  9 Mockingbird Hill Rd

  Tijeras, New Mexico 87059

  info@artemesiapublishing.com

  www.apbooks.net

  In the Fullness of Time

  Book 2 of the Taylor’s Girls Series

  by

  Sabra Brown Steinsiek

  Artemesia Publishing

  Albuquerque, New Mexico

  www.apbooks.net

  Dedication

  FOR JOSEPH GORVETZIAN and BARRY RUMBLES with Gratitude

  Epigraph

  To everything there is a season, a time to every purpose under heaven…a time to be born.

  ~ Ecclesiastes 3

  Acknowledgements

  Each book carries with it a responsibility to the readers. Even a work of fiction requires research, help, and encouragement. All the mistakes in this are mine…all of the glory goes to the following:

  To Kathy Mondragon for medical research, Bill Jacoby for legal research, and Karen Talley for computer advice. Their help was invaluable and accurate. What I did with it is not their responsibility.

  For my advance readers who once again had faith in me: Marsha Baum, Renee Bernard, Cyndi Dean, Teri Hanson, Carolyn Huesemann, Heidi Nesbitt, Beverly Rumbles, and Will Steinsiek.

  To my family for their support, especially my sisters Eileen and Shannon who are always there for me.

  Chapter 1

  It was so hot! New York in the summer was not Laura’s idea of fun. Albuquerque had been hot, but the air was never this humid and heavy, trapped in the canyons of the city streets with only the breeze of passing traffic to stir it. Even after all this time she wasn’t used to it. Glancing at her watch, she realized that she still had time to get to the theatre to meet Taylor. Flagging down a cab, she acknowledged she’d really rather take a nap but Taylor’s schedule left them so little time to be together. And if it wasn’t Taylor, it was Meg’s recital or Betta’s play or her own publishing deadlines that kept them apart.

  Sinking gratefully into the relative coolness of the cab, she told the driver to take her to the Majestic Theatre, where Taylor’s show was playing—had been playing for almost three years now. But he’d given notice that he would be leaving at the end of his contract, only a few months away. Betta and Meg would be graduating and heading off to school. Finally, they would have some time for themselves.

  Not that she begrudged the time their daughters required. Taylor had adopted Megan when they had realized her mother, Annie, was dying. He had been her godfather and couldn’t have loved her more if she were his own. After Taylor and Laura’s marriage, Laura had officially adopted her as well.

  Elizabetta (Betta to the family) was the niece of their housekeeper and chauffeur. She had lost her parents in an accident two years before Taylor and Meg had lost Annie to cancer. The two girls had become inseparable when Taylor moved to Italy after Annie’s death. When Taylor needed to move back to New York to take this role on Broadway, it had caused major havoc in their lives. Megan had refused to go with him and both girls were in tears most of the time. The solution was that Betta, with her Aunt Rosina and Uncle Matteo, would move to New York with them. They’d found a building with two apartments available and renovated them so that a hidden staircase connected the two. Rosina and Matteo lived in the apartment below. Betta lived with the Morgans in the apartment above—Meg’s sister and their daughter in all the ways that mattered. On her sixteenth birthday, the Morgan’s officially adopted her.

  Laura picked up the new batch of brochures she had brought from the travel agency in her publisher’s building. Looking at the bright colors and enticing pictures, she smiled in anticipation of showing them to Taylor. There were so many possibilities.

  The cab careened into the loading area at the front of the theater. Laura paid the driver, then stepped out into the heat, hurrying to the shade of the marquee. Joe, the theatre’s security guard, opened the door for her.

  “Afternoon, Mrs. Morgan.”

  “Hi, Joe. Good grief! It’s suffocating in here!”

  “Air conditioner troubles. It’s been down all day but they’re hopin’ to get it fixed in time for tonight’s show so’s they don’t hafta cancel.”

  Shaking her head, Laura made her way backstage to Taylor’s dressing room. If anything, it was hotter backstage and she wasn’t surprised to find Taylor in an open shirt, sitting in front of an inadequate fan.

  “Hello, darling,” she said as she came into the room. She leaned down to kiss him, gently running her fingers down his sweat-streaked chest before she pulled away. “How can you stand it in here? It must be a hundred degrees.”

  “Only ninety-five the last time we checked,” Taylor said, smiling at her. “You should go on home where it’s cool.”

  “And not see you again until the wee small hours?” she said as she sat on the couch. “I know this is your life, Taylor, but I can’t say I’ll miss it. It’s going to be nice seeing you in daylight occasionally.”

  “You make me sound like a vampire!” Taylor laughed as he said it. “But I don’t think I’ll miss it either, at least not right away.”

  He poured a glass of iced water for her from a thermal pitcher on his dressing table. After she had gratefully downed it, she handed it back to him. “More please. Taylor, what do you think of Australia for our first trip? “

  “Right now, skiing in the Alps sounds a lot more attractive.”

  She made a face at him. “Look at this.” She stood to hand him the brochures—and sank gracefully to the floor as she fainted. The next thing she knew, she was lying on the couch, looking up into Taylor’s worried face as cast and crew crowded into the doorway.

  “Laura?” Taylor’s eyes were filled with concern as he took a damp cloth from the wardrobe mistress to put across Laura’s forehead.

  “What happened?” she asked, still slightly disoriented.

  “You fainted, I think. It must be the heat. Joe’s calling a cab. I’m going to take you home.”

  “Don’t be silly, Taylor. You have to get ready for the show.” She pushed him away and slowly eased herself up to a sitting position. “I’m fine. You’re right, it must have been the heat.” She glanced at the faces in the doorway and flushed with embarrassment. What a fuss Taylor must have made to bring them all crowding in here! “I’m fine, everyone. Honest!”

  They slowly moved away and Laura tried standing, leaning on Taylor for support. Sh
e was a little unsteady at first, but that went away quickly. She brought her hand up to her husband’s cheek. “See, Taylor. I am fine. But I think I will go on home.”

  He started to protest, but Joe appeared in the doorway to tell them the cab was here. Taylor walked her to the stage door. Leaning in the door of the cab, he kissed her. “Sure you don’t want me to come with you?”

  “I’m sure, Taylor. Go on. Break a leg.” He closed the door and watched as the cab drove away before heading back inside.

  * * *

  When Laura arrived at their building, she found Matteo waiting anxiously outside. “Taylor called you, didn’t he?” she asked, shaking her head. Still, she was grateful for the support he gave her as they went into the building and rode the elevator up to the apartment where Rosina was waiting.

  “Madonna! You shouldn’t have been out in this heat, Laura! Taylor called and told me what happened. You need to go lie down for a while—rest.” Laura let Rosina fuss over her. Actually, everything she was recommending sounded good. Their bedroom was quiet and cool, dark as Rosina pulled the shades. Laura sank down on the bed, kicked off her shoes, and lay back against the pillow. She drank the water that Rosina handed to her then said, “I think I’ll try to nap for a while, Rosina. Wake me when the girls get home.” She was asleep before Rosina pulled the door shut.

  * * *

  Taylor tried not to worry about Laura. It must have been the heat—but she’d been so pale! Laura was almost never sick. But Annie—Meg’s mother and his first wife—had never been sick either. The brain tumor that had killed her made its presence known suddenly and had taken her in less than six months.

  He shook his head as his makeup woman came in. Laura would be fine. She would…she had to be. He couldn’t lose her, too.

  Chapter 2

  Laura woke the next morning feeling remarkably well, much to Taylor’s relief. “You worry too much, Taylor,” she said as she brushed her long red hair. “It was just the heat. It’s so much worse here than at home.” She looked out the window at the high-rise buildings that surrounded them. She loved Taylor and would follow him wherever he needed to be but she missed the clear blue skies and sweeping vistas of New Mexico. Sometimes she felt like she couldn’t breathe in New York.

  Taylor came up behind her and put his arms around her. “Homesick?” he whispered.

  “A little. But it’s nothing you can’t fix,” she said as she turned to him. She pulled his head to hers and kissed him. “I don’t have anything on my schedule today. The girls are gone to school, Rosina’s downstairs…”

  “And me? What if I have something planned?” he said as he began to unbutton her shirt.

  “Whatever you had planned, darling,” her voice caught as he lowered his mouth to her throat, “will just have to wait.”

  Laughing, he picked her up and carried her to their bed. He only had one thing planned and he intended to give it his full attention for the rest of the morning.

  * * *

  The fainting episode was forgotten until Laura woke up a week later, nauseous, and barely made it to the bathroom before vomiting again and again.

  By mid-morning she was feeling better and was able to convince Taylor to go on to the theatre. “It’s only something I ate, Taylor. I’ll stay home today and be fine by tomorrow.”

  It happened again the next morning and the day after that as well. Taylor was worried enough to override Laura’s objection and made an appointment for her with their doctor. The time she was in with the doctor was an eternity to Taylor waiting for her in the outer office—too many memories of Annie’s last months with doctors and hospitals and bad news…

  Laura squeezed his shoulder as she and Doctor Bernard came into the room. She knew how hard it was for him to be there. If he’d just listened to her instead of panicking over a silly case of the flu, they wouldn’t be here at all.

  The doctor sat behind her desk and opened Laura’s folder. “Well, Laura, I don’t think this is anything you’re going to throw off easily.”

  With her words, it was as if the past and the present had suddenly collided for Taylor. He was back in Annie’s hospital room in Florida listening as the doctor told them she was dying.

  Before the doctor could continue, Taylor, suddenly pale, demanded, “What are you talking about? What’s wrong with Laura?”

  Taken aback by the tone of his voice and his sudden intensity, she was quick to assure them both, “I’m sorry. There’s nothing wrong. Laura, Taylor—you’re pregnant.”

  Pregnant? Now? They had talked about children in the beginning and had even tried for a while. When she hadn’t gotten pregnant they decided that having two teenage daughters was more than enough and had gotten on with their lives.

  But now? The girls were nearly grown. They were planning on traveling, concentrating on Laura’s career for a while. Taylor and Laura looked at each other in disbelief then burst out laughing while Renee Bernard looked on in amazement.

  Chapter 3

  Taylor opened the door to the apartment and let Laura go in before him. Neither of them had said anything on the way home from the doctor’s office. The reality was beginning to sink in—a baby. They were going to have a baby.

  He watched as Laura opened the French doors that led to the balcony. She stood in the doorway, making no move to go out.

  “Laura? Darling?” He crossed the room and wrapped his arms around her, pulling her back against him where he could feel her trembling. “What are you thinking?”

  “I don’t know. It’s all so sudden. A baby?” She turned to face him. “What do I know about having a baby? What do I know about being a mother?” She placed her fingers over his mouth before he could answer. “Don’t, Taylor. The girls were thirteen when I came into their lives. I’ve been more of a big sister and friend than I have a mother. Babies are so tiny, so fragile. What if I do something wrong?”

  Taylor saw the fear in her eyes. “What do I know about babies? Meg’s eighteen. That was a long time ago. I’m pushing forty, now. Too old to be a first-time father. No one ever believed that Meg was my daughter, I was too young. Now people will think I’m this one’s grandfather.” He smiled at her and brushed a strand of hair from her face. “I don’t know nuthin’ ‘bout birthin’ no babies, Miss Laura,” he whispered and was rewarded with a small smile.

  “Are you happy, Taylor? This means all of our plans will change and we’ll be starting over.”

  “I was in shock in the doctor’s office. I guess we should have been smart enough to figure out what was going on,” he said with a rueful smile. “But now that it’s sinking in…Yes, my darling Laura, I’m happy, I’m thrilled, I’m excited…and I’m scared to death, too. But this was meant to be. I know it. And we’ll get through it together. We just have to start over again.”

  Laura leaned her head against his shoulder. He was right. They had each other. They’d get through it. Through the shock and the fear, she felt a glimmer of happiness. A baby! A part of her, a part of Taylor…suddenly it seemed very right. She raised her head and smiled at him. “I love you…Dad.”

  Chapter 4

  “What was with Taylor and Laura at dinner?” Meg turned from her desk to look at Betta. “They were off in some other world.”

  “Knowing them,” Meg said, “they probably spent the morning in bed.”

  “Meg!”

  “Oh, Betta, stop. You know it’s true. They’re still young enough to do it. Taylor’s at the theatre ’til late, Laura’s in bed early most nights. Mornings are the only time they have!”

  “Meg? Do you think you could ever love someone as much as they love each other?”

  “First I’d have to find someone who could love me…and that’s not going to be easy. Not with the schedule I’ll have to keep to get into med school.”

  “I got a letter today. From Milan.”

  “Betta! Why didn’t you say anything?”

  “I haven’t opened it yet. I’m afraid to. What if they hated
my portfolio? What if I didn’t get accepted? I’ll die.”

  “They wouldn’t dare turn you down,” Meg said fiercely. “Open the letter!”

  She watched as Betta slit open a creamy envelope covered with Italian stamps and drew a sheet of paper from inside. Betta read silently, the paper trembling as her hands shook.

  “Well?”

  Betta looked up with tears in her eyes. Uh-oh. They couldn’t have rejected her!

  “Betta! What did it say?”

  “They accepted me. I’m going to go to design school in Milan.”

  Meg shrieked and threw her arms around her sobbing sister. “Why are you crying, you silly goose? This is wonderful! We have to go tell Laura and Rosina and Matteo. You should call Taylor at the theatre before the show starts!”

  “Wait, Meg. Not yet. Let me get used to the idea. This is going to mean so many changes. I’ll be half a world away. What will I do without you?”

  Meg sobered instantly. They’d been talking about school for two years now. Meg was trying to get into the Stanford pre-med program but hadn’t heard yet. Betta wanted to study fashion design in Milan and now she would. But neither of them was prepared for the reality—they’d been together since they were twelve and seen each other through all the changes in their lives. Now they would each be on their own.