River's Call

by Melody Carlson

  "Thank you." Anna smiled. "And you're right, I am excited. It's just weeks away now."

  "Will you go to be with your daughter when she has the baby?" Martha asked.

  "I'm not sure." Anna frowned.

  "I've told her she has to go," Clark explained.

  "But there's the inn," she said. "We'll have so many guests then."

  "Babette has offered to help with the cooking."

  "Oh, you must go be with your daughter," Martha insisted. "I don't know what I would've done without my mother with every one of my children. A girl really needs her mother when she has a baby."

  Anna nodded. "Yes . . . I will do what I can." Fortunately, someone changed the subject, but Anna's mind was still stuck on Lauren—she so wanted to go and be with her when the baby was born. But how could she leave Clark minding the inn by himself? If only Lauren wanted to come here for the birth of her baby. However, Anna knew that was out of the question. All three of them—Eunice, Donald, and Lauren—had rejected that idea straight out. Anna understood their concerns regarding the remote location, but Dr. Robertson was known to make housecalls and, after all, he'd been the first doctor to see Lauren. Still, Anna knew that was not an option.

  Later that evening, as she and Clark were getting ready for bed, she broached the subject again. "I know you say that you can handle the inn on your own," she said gently, "but I'm afraid you don't realize what all it entails. There's not just the food, and that's a big thing, but there's laundry, and the little extras like soaps and fresh flowers in the room and, oh, a million other little things."

  "Maybe we could give the guests who come that week an unexpected discount and explain the situation. No frills due to the missing hostess."

  She laughed. "No frills such as no clean linens or meals?"

  He frowned. "That might not fly."

  "Really, as badly as I want to go, I don't see how it's possible."

  He held up his hand. "I have an idea."

  She paused from brushing her long hair. "And we cannot close the inn. Not this early in the game, Clark."

  He nodded. "I realize that. But Mom will be home by then. She's done with her thesis and she'll want something to keep her busy. How about if she helps out here while you're gone?"

  Anna frowned. "I don't want your sweet mother working her fingers to the bone."

  "But she'd love it. And if you had some things pre-prepared, you know, like all the laundry done and folded, and the shopping and menus all planned out, maybe some sauces or casseroles in the freezer. We could have a bonfire night with hotdogs one evening, that's always easy enough. Babette would want to help too. And school should be out, so I can get Marshall over here as well. He's always willing to roll up his sleeves for you."

  "I don't think it's practical to—"

  "Hear me out, Anna. You could just plan on being gone a day or two for starters . . . and if things don't fall completely apart, and I don't think they will, you could stay a little longer if you like."

  "Oh, Clark." She set down her hairbrush and went over to hug him. "Do you know you are the sweetest man ever?"

  He grinned. "I'd like to think you think so."

  "Well, I'll give your plan some thought. Besides, it wouldn't hurt to get ahead of the game by getting foods and things preprepared, as you say."

  "Yes. Just be ready . . . and who knows." He leaned down and kissed her.

  "Who knows . . . ?" she whispered back. Really, he was the sweetest man! What would she do without him?

  13

  For the next two weeks, Anna worked harder than ever. Her plan was to have the inn running so smoothly that if—and it was a big if—but if she decided to return to Pine Ridge for the birth of her first grandchild, it wouldn't be a great imposition on anyone. However, this was the first season that the inn had been host to this many guests and so many little things came up, situations she wasn't prepared for. Like when the Barnes family needed a first-aid kit, or the Taylors needed a crib. Fortunately she had good friends on the river. Not only that, but Clark's son was spending the summer with them. Anna called Marshall her "go-to man" and insisted that she was going to pay him for his help at the inn, although Clark suggested they simply put his money into a college account.

  "You keep that crib for as long as you like," Mrs. Danner told her as they stood on the dock together. "Dorothy won't be having any more babies, and her girls are too young to need it anytime soon." She smiled in a knowing way. "Besides, you're going to have your own grandbaby soon, aren't you?"

  "Lauren's due date is the end of the month," Anna said.

  "Well, you just keep this as long as you need it, dear. It was simply gathering dust." She glanced up at the inn, where Marshall was jogging down the path toward them. "Why, your place just keeps getting nicer and nicer, Anna." She shook her head. "Your parents would be so proud."

  "Thank you." Anna felt a warm rush. "Please, tell Dorothy hello for me if you hear from her."

  "She and the girls will be coming for a visit in August." She made a slight frown. "Too bad your inn is so full up with guests. I know they'd rather stay here than my little house. I wouldn't mind much either."

  Anna laughed. "Well, you tell Dorothy that if I have room, I'll be happy to have them."

  "Telephone for you," Marshall told Anna. "I'll get this crib over to the Taylors' for you."

  Anna thanked him and waved to Mrs. Danner as she hurried back up to the house. The phone had been ringing more and more lately. She knew it was the result of an article Hazel had written about the river and the inn and Native American history. She'd sold the piece to a national travel magazine and now they were getting reservations far in advance. She'd shown Marshall how to book a reservation in her big black book, so perhaps this was something different. She picked up the phone, answering breathlessly.

  "Mom!" cried Lauren. "It's time for the baby. I'm in the hospital, and I'm so scared. Can you come?"

  Anna felt her heart pounding, and without even thinking, she said, "Yes. I'll come right away."

  "Hurry, Mom! I want you to be here!"

  Anna quickly calculated the absolute soonest she could make it there. It was too late in the day to catch the bus. That meant she'd need to drive. And although she now had her license and they'd purchased a station wagon for the inn, she still felt a little unsure. "I won't get there until after four," she said.

  "Well, drive fast," Lauren commanded. "I really need you, Mom!"

  "I'm coming," she promised. Then she dashed to her room where she threw a few things in an overnight bag and grabbed the box of things she and Babette had put together for the baby, then hurried back out to where Clark was fixing something in the shower house. "It's time," she told him between breaths. "Lauren wants me." She made a nervous smile. "She said she needs me, Clark. She needs me!"

  "Of course she does." He smiled. "The car is all gassed up. The road out of here shouldn't be too bad since it hasn't rained for a few days. But if you want, I could drive you out and catch a ride back with Henry—"

  She looked at his toolbox and the clogged sink. "No, you need to be here."

  "How about Marshall, then?"

  "No," she firmly told him. "I'll be fine. If I can't make it out of here, I shouldn't even be driving."

  He grinned. "Just take it easy, okay? No speeding tickets."

  As if her mother were still looking over her shoulder, Anna glanced around to be sure no one was looking, then kissed him. "I'll miss you, darling."

  "You call me as soon as you get there. If you need anything, call. I can drive out if I need—"

  "No," she said firmly. "You need to stay here and keep this place running."

  "I'll call Babette and let her know," he said as she was leaving.

  "You know where all my lists are," she reminded him.

  "Don't worry," he called. "We'll be fine!"

  As she got into the station wagon, she could barely believe she was doing this—not just leaving the inn, but driving all
the way to Pine Ridge on her own. If anyone had told her just one year ago that she would be capable of such a thing, she would have laughed. So much had changed—mostly her!

  As she drove, she felt thankful that driving was still new enough to her to be a challenge. It required her full attention and consequently didn't allow her to think too much about Lauren . . . or to worry. But each time a fretful thought came, she turned it into a prayer, reminding herself that soon she would meet her grandchild—her very first grandchild! And what a beautiful day to be born, she thought as she drove through a canopy of evergreen trees, golden sunlight filtering through. Surely this child would be a blessed one!

  It was getting close to five by the time Anna pulled into the hospital parking lot. Not much had changed here since she'd given birth to Lauren twenty years ago. She hurried through the entrance, heading directly to the maternity ward, and pausing at the nurses' station to inquire about Lauren. "I'm her mother," she explained.

  "Mrs. Thomas delivered at 1:47," the uniformed nurse told her.

  "She's already had the baby?" Anna was surprised since her own labor had taken much longer than this.

  "Yes, a baby girl." The nurse looked at her clipboard. "Seven pounds, eight ounces."

  Anna giggled. "A girl, she had a girl!"

  The nurse tipped her head down the hall. "The baby should be in the viewing window by now. And Mrs. Thomas is in room 206."

  Anna thanked her then hurried to the window to get her first peek at her granddaughter. A granddaughter, she thought, what could be better? But when she reached the window, she saw that Eunice was already there, leaning forward with a disturbed-looking expression.

  "Hello, Eunice," Anna said cheerfully. "Is anything wrong?"

  Eunice frowned at Anna. "Haven't you seen the baby yet?"

  "No, I just got here." Anna peered through the glass to see three bassinettes. "It must've been busy here," she said as she read the cards.

  "That's her," Eunice pointed to the baby on the left.

  Anna read the card aloud. "Thomas Baby Girl," then sighed to see a smooth-faced child, sleeping peacefully. "She's beautiful," Anna gushed. "And look at all that hair."

  "Yes . . ." Eunice shook her head in a dismal way. "It's nearly black. She looks just like a little Indian."

  Anna bristled at the jab. "She is absolutely beautiful," she said quietly. "Perfect."

  "Yes, well, you would think that, wouldn't you?" Eunice made a tsk-tsk sound. "I'd thought with her two fair-haired, blue-eyed parents, the baby would've had a, well, a fairer complexion."

  Anna pressed her lips together. She was not about to ruin this moment and she refused to let anyone else spoil it for her either. "I'm going to see Lauren now," she told Eunice.

  "Prepare to get your head bitten off."

  Anna ignored this as she headed for Lauren's room. "Hello, darling," she said quietly as she went into the sun-filled room.

  Lauren gave Anna a pouty expression. "Oh, I see you finally made it."

  "I came as fast as I could. In fact, I probably could've gotten a speeding ticket, I drove so fast."

  "Why didn't anyone tell me how perfectly horrible it is to give birth to a baby?"

  "Did you have a very hard time?"

  "For a while, I thought I was absolutely going to die. Then the doctor gave me something to take the edge off. After that, it all got pretty blurry."

  "Well, at least it's over now." Anna pushed a strand of hair off Lauren's forehead. "Good job, darling."

  "Did you see the baby yet?"

  "I did." Anna reached for Lauren's hand. "She is beautiful, Lauren. Perfectly lovely."

  Lauren's frown returned. "Grandmother is calling her a papoose."

  Anna took in a deep breath. "Well, if it's any comfort, she called you a papoose too . . . at first anyway."

  Lauren blinked. "Really?"

  "That's right." Anna sat down in the chair by her bed. "You were born with dark hair like that too. But then it fell out." She chuckled. "I was a little alarmed at first, but the doctor assured me that was normal. Eventually it was replaced with what looked like soft yellow duck down."

  "Really? I looked like her, all dark like that?"

  "The doctor had a name for that kind of hair. Prenatal, I believe."

  "But you think her hair will really turn blond?" Lauren looked up with hopeful blue eyes.

  "Well, I can't promise anything. I'm just saying that's how you started out, sweetheart. But, really, Lauren, would you love your child any less if her hair stayed dark like mine?"

  Lauren looked down at her hands, fidgeting with her gold wedding band. "No, no . . . of course not." She looked up with a partial smile. "And, just for the record, I think you're pretty, Mom . . . for an older woman, that is."

  Anna laughed. "Thanks . . . I think."

  "But Eunice made such a fuss about Sarah that—"

  "Sarah?" Anna asked. "That's her name."

  "Yes. After Donald's grandmother."

  "It's a lovely name."

  "Sarah Pearl." Lauren made a smug smile.

  "Oh, Lauren, that is so sweet of you."

  Lauren wrinkled her nose. "I think I did it just to get Grandmother's goat. She was being such a pill about the baby's coloring. Good grief, you should've heard her going on and on about it. I finally told her to leave and not come back unless she could be civilized."

  Anna patted Lauren's hand. "Good for you. Now, tell me, how are you feeling?"

  "A little groggy."

  "Maybe I should let you get some rest."

  Lauren nodded sleepily. "But you're not going home yet, are you?"

  "No, I'll stick around for a while. You rest up, sweetie. I'll see you later."

  Anna couldn't wait to return to the baby window to gaze at her beautiful granddaughter, but when she got there not only was Eunice still staring, but Ardelle was with her. Polite greetings were exchanged then Ardelle held up a paper sack. "I just bought our little granddaughter the most adorable outfit." She reached in and removed a frilly pink dress with a matching bonnet. "Won't she look exquisite in it?"

  "It's precious," Anna told her.

  "And the bonnet will cover up that hair," Ardelle continued.

  Anna just nodded.

  "Look, she's opening her eyes," Eunice said quickly. "See how dark they are, Ardelle. I told you she looks like an Indian."

  "Oh, all babies have dark-blue eyes when they're first born," Ardelle said casually. "Trust me, they'll turn as blue as Donald's before long. His are a darker blue too."

  Anna took in a slow breath. "And if they don't turn blue?"

  Ardelle laughed as she slid the lace-trimmed dress and bonnet back into the bag. "Oh, we'll love her anyway, won't we, Eunice?"

  "Well, of course." Eunice gave Anna a tolerant look. "But it is possible her looks will change." She turned to Ardelle. "As I recall, Lauren looked a bit odd when she was first born, but she turned out to be rather pretty."

  "Yes, babies can change a lot in the first few weeks."

  "Please excuse me," Anna told them. Stepping away, she tried not to listen as the two women continued to speculate over the child's appearance and how she might or might not turn out, as if her looks alone would define her as a person. Anna had to control herself from making a real scene. Instead, she returned to the nurse's station and asked if it was possible to hold her granddaughter.

  "You see, I live several hours from here, and I won't be able to see her too much."

  "Of course." She motioned to a younger nurse, instructing her to help Anna to sterilize herself properly. Before long Anna was scrubbed and wearing a protective gown, waiting in a rocker as the nurse carefully picked the drowsy infant out of the bassinette, gently placing her in Anna's arms.

  "She's so small," Anna whispered. "I'd nearly forgotten how tiny they are."

  "And this was a good-sized one. We get some premature ones sometimes . . . and it's so sad."

  "Hello, baby Sarah," Anna quietly said.
<
br />   The baby's long, dark eyelashes fluttered against her cheeks then, and opening her eyes she blinked once then looked directly into Anna's face. "Hello, darling," Anna cooed at her. Sarah pulled a perfect little hand out of the tightly wrapped blanket, shoving it into her mouth and sucking noisily on it.

  "Would you like to feed her?" the nurse asked. "It's time."

  "Feed her?" Anna looked up in surprise as she remembered how she'd nursed her own baby. "How?"

  "She's on the bottle, of course," the nurse explained. "I know that some of you grandmothers don't understand about using formula, but it's really much better for both the mother and child. A modern convenience of motherhood."

  As Anna looked down at the small vulnerable face, she wasn't sure she agreed with this modern convenience but then remembered, like so many things regarding Lauren, it was not Anna's decision. "Oh, sweet Sarah." She gazed into the slateblue eyes. They reminded her of deep pools along the river. "You are a beautiful little princess. A Siuslaw princess," she whispered. "The blood of your ancestors flows through you. I pray it's a blessing . . ." Anna sighed. How she would love a grandchild who understood the old ways, but what were the chances?

  "You'll come to visit me on the river," she said quietly. "You'll learn to use a canoe and to how to fish and maybe you'll even weave a basket or two." She glanced up to see both Eunice and Ardelle peering around the corner of the viewing window, attempting to get a look at her and the baby. Their faces looked displeased, but Anna simply smiled at them, nodding down to the baby with happy pride.

  "Here you go," the young nurse handed Anna a warmed bottle. "Do you know how to do this?"

  Anna tried not to laugh. "I think I can figure it out."

  The baby eagerly went for the bottle's nipple, and Anna watched as the hungry child sucked earnestly. "You have spirit," Anna told her. "You will grow up to be someone very special, Sarah Pearl. I just know it. You will be our little Siuslaw princess." She chuckled. "But we will keep this our secret for the time being." She reached down to stroke the dark wisps of hair. To her surprise, the texture was nothing like Lauren's newborn baby hair had been. Lauren's dark hair had felt fuzzy, similar to brushed cotton. Sarah's hair felt silky and smooth. Chances were this hair was not going to turn blond after all. Anna couldn't believe how glad that made her.