"These nurses are so stupid with their silly rules," Lauren said as Anna handed her back the baby. "I was just telling Donald that I want to be let out of here."
"And I told you that's up to the doctor." Donald seemed to be focusing all his attention on Lauren now, trying to avoid any eye contact with Anna.
"It's impossible to get any sleep in here," Lauren complained. "They wake you up constantly. Really, I'd get better rest at home in my own bed."
"Except that you'd have to take care of the baby then," Anna said gently.
"How hard can that be?"
"Harder than you expect," Anna told her. "But don't worry, it won't take long for you to get into some routines."
"Why don't you come home with me and help me with the baby, Mom?" Lauren's hopeful expression reminded Anna of when she was little. "And you can help me to convince Dr. Stangler that I'll be better off at home. Please?"
Donald reached over and patted Lauren on the top of her head. "I'll let you and your mother work these details out. I need to get back to work." But as he was leaving, Anna excused herself as well, promising to come right back, then she followed Donald down the hall, calling out to him.
He turned with a worried expression, but waited. "Are you going to bawl me out again?" he asked. "Right here in the hospital?"
"I didn't bawl you out, Donald. I caught you doing something you know good and well you shouldn't be doing. I simply called you on it."
"Well, I'm sorry about that." He shoved his hands into his pants pockets. "I know there's no real good excuse, but Lauren and me have been having our problems. She's not the easiest person in the world to live with, you know. Take it from me, a guy can only take so much."
Anna locked eyes with him. "That may be so, Donald. But if you really love Lauren and if you believe in your marriage, I think you'll find a better way to deal with your problems."
"Like what?"
Anna thought hard. "Maybe you should go to church."
He looked like he'd bitten into a sour pickle. "To church?"
"Yes. That's what Lauren's dad and I had planned to do after he returned from the war. We had decided we'd take Lauren to church every Sunday."
"I don't remember Lauren ever saying anything about going to church."
"Because it never happened. By the time Adam came home, he was too ill to go anywhere."
"Oh . . ." Donald looked down at his feet.
"You see, Donald, Lauren grew up without a father and it would be very, very sad if she had to raise her child without a husband. Tell me, is that what you really want?"
"No, of course not." He looked back at her. "It's just that I don't want to spend my whole life being miserable. And Eunice is not exactly a walk in the park either. She's always sticking her nose where it doesn't belong."
"Then find a place where you and Lauren can live on your own. Surely you can afford a small house or apartment."
He looked skeptical. "I don't know . . . ."
"Well, it might be what saves your marriage. In fact, if you honestly can't work a small rental into your budget, maybe I can help—"
"I don't want your help." He looked at his watch. "Really, I need to get to work."
She put her hand on his arm. "I had planned to tell Lauren everything . . . what I saw last night. Now I'm not so sure that's the best thing. Tell me, Donald, do you honestly want to make your marriage work?"
"I told you I do."
"Then I won't mention this to Lauren . . . not yet, anyway. But I promise you, if I ever find out that you're doing something like this again, I will definitely tell her everything I know."
He just nodded.
"And I want you to start looking for a place for you and Lauren to live on your own—today."
"But I've got work—"
"I'm telling you, Donald, either you look for a place or I will. There's no shame in living in a rental for a while. You can save up to buy something bigger later."
"Fine." His brow creased. "I saw a for rent sign on a duplex not far from the mill. I'll call them about it."
"Perfect." She smiled. "I'll tell Lauren the good news."
"Thanks." He actually seemed slightly relieved. "I guess you could be right. Having our own place might help some."
"I'm sure it will. I realized too late that I spent far too many years under Eunice's roof. It's not a healthy place for a young family."
She watched as her son-in-law walked away. She had never been terribly fond of Donald, but maybe he just needed some good encouragement. She really hoped that this might be a turning point for the young man. Sometimes it took something negative, like getting caught and being forced to face reality, to make a person wake up and turn a corner . . . sometimes it took a whole lot more.
15
By the end of the day it was all settled. Donald had rented the duplex and Lauren and the baby would be released from the hospital the following day.
"I can't see that this is a good thing," Eunice said as she and the two grandmothers stood in front of the viewing window, gazing at baby Sarah. "Those kids will be poor as church mice on their own."
"Then maybe you need to give Donald a raise," Anna said quietly.
Ardelle chuckled. "I have to agree with Anna on that, Eunice."
"Humph." Eunice removed a glove from her handbag.
"Why don't you give him a raise?" Ardelle demanded.
"Because he makes exactly what the last man in his position made."
"Yes, and poor old Rex Collins probably hadn't had a raise in decades." Ardelle shook her head. "He probably makes more in retirement than he did at the mill."
"I pay my men fairly." Eunice tugged a glove on.
"But if Donald doesn't even earn enough to rent a duplex, it can't possibly be a fair family wage?" Anna persisted.
"Are you going to tell me how to run my business now?" Eunice narrowed her eyes at Anna.
"Maybe Donald can find some other form of work," Ardelle said in a tight voice, "I'm sure there's someone in this town who will pay him fairly."
"Fine, fine. I'll give him a raise." Eunice shook a finger at Anna, as if she alone were to blame. "But mark my word, no good will come from this folly. Lauren doesn't know the first thing about housekeeping, not to mention caring for a baby. I predict that within the first week, the girl will fall completely apart. And do not expect me to pick up the pieces!"
"Lauren will learn," Anna told her.
"Don't be so sure." Now Eunice made a sly smile. "That girl is used to being pampered and spoiled. She likes it that way."
Ardelle laughed. "Well, now who doesn't want to be spoiled, Eunice? But I'm sure Anna is right, Lauren can learn to manage her household. It will be good for her."
Anna almost thought that, given enough time, she might actually begin to like Ardelle. "Maybe you can help her a little," Anna suggested to Ardelle. "I'll stay as long as I can and I'll help however I can, but after I go, perhaps you could drop in occasionally and give her some housekeeping pointers or help with the baby."
"Yes." Ardelle nodded eagerly. "I'd be glad to do that."
Visiting hours would end soon. The shadows on the walls were getting longer, but Anna had lingered on, hoping to bolster Lauren's spirits and to encourage her that living in a duplex wouldn't be as bad as she was predicting. "It'll be your very own place," Anna said cheerfully. "You can decorate it however you like. Maybe you'll want to sew curtains."
"You know I can't sew."
"But I taught you enough that you could make a simple curtain, Lauren. All you do is sew straight—"
"Yes, perhaps I can weave the cloth myself too."
"Well, maybe I'll have time to make some. And, if you like, I can help you get a few things to set it up. I learned how to shop secondhand stores while getting the inn ready and—"
"Secondhand stores?" Lauren frowned. "I don't want a house filled with used junk, Mom. I mean that's fine for your inn, but I don't like old things."
"Well, howeve
r we do it, I'm sure we can make your house homey and comfy and sweet, Lauren. And once you're settled in, I'm sure you'll see how lovely it is to be on your own."
Lauren looked unconvinced. "I just wish that you'd come to live with us at Grandmother's, Mom, and that you'd help me with Sarah. Why can't you do that for a while?"
Anna had already answered this question . . . several times. "You know I would love to help you and the baby. And my offer still stands—if you want to come live at the river, I'll do all that I can to help. That is my home now, sweetie. And you will always be welcome there. You and Donald could have your own cabin and—"
"You know I don't want to live there, Mom. It's a nice place to visit. And I really did start to like the river, but it's too remote."
"Maybe you and Sarah could just stay with me, just for a little while," Anna suggested. "I could help with Sarah and teach you some things, like sewing and housekeeping."
"I don't know . . ."
"And Babette could teach you about French cooking. She's such an excellent cook."
Lauren looked slightly interested.
"It would be a chance for you to get your feet under you, so to speak. You could build up your confidence as a wife and a mother." Anna felt more and more that this might be the perfect solution. "Besides that, it would give Donald time to get things settled in the duplex. Perhaps he'd get some furnishings, or maybe he'd like to paint the baby's room."
Lauren's mouth twisted to one side, as if she was seriously considering this.
Anna patted Lauren's shoulder. "How about if you think on this, sweetie?"
"It does sound kind of good, Mom. And the idea of me being on my own, trying to take care of Sarah and Donald . . . well, it's overwhelming." She started to tear up now.
"You're tired, Lauren. You need to rest. If you get released tomorrow, it will be a busy day."
"But you'll go with me to stay at Grandmother's, won't you? Just for a while?"
"Yes, if your grandmother doesn't mind, I'll stick around to help out a bit." She kissed Lauren's cheek. "Good night, sweetie. Maybe you'll get more sleep tonight than last night."
"I doubt it."
Anna left, pausing to use the lobby phone to place another collect call to Clark. Again, he reassured her that things were under control. However, she felt she heard a tiny edge in his voice as he told her to stay as long as she needed. "You're sure?" she asked.
"Yes, really, we're fine. Marshall is even learning to cook. Between Mom and Babette, he might turn into a master chef." He laughed.
"If I thought Lauren was going to be okay, I'd come home right now," she confessed. "As it is ... well, it's a long story and these phone calls won't be cheap."
"You just do what you need to do, Anna, and come home as soon as you feel it's right. Of course I miss you. But see to Lauren and the baby. They need you."
As she hung up she suspected that Clark, in his own way, needed her too. But at least he understood how desperately needy Lauren was. Just the same, she wasn't sure that anyone, short of God Almighty, would ever be able to meet all of her daughter's needs.
Anna spent the next day getting Lauren and Sarah settled into Eunice's big house. Naturally, Eunice was no help. In fact, she seemed determined to make them as miserable as possible. To start with, she wasn't even home and had locked all the doors and Lauren didn't have a key with her, but Anna remembered an old hiding place and, to her a relief, a key was still there. But when they got inside, both the baby and Lauren were starting to fuss.
"I can't believe Grandmother let Mabel go," Lauren complained as Anna carried the baby up the stairs. "I know she did it just to spite me."
Anna didn't say anything.
"Here's the baby's room." Lauren opened the door to what had previously been a guest room, but was now a fairly attractive nursery. "Grandmother insisted on blue for the walls. She was certain that Sarah was going to be a boy and wanted her to be named Adam, after Dad."
"Well, you're not a boy, are you?" Anna said as she laid Sarah on the changing table. "Come learn how to change a diaper, Lauren."
"I'm tired," Lauren said. "Can't I learn later?"
"There's no time like now." Anna sniffed at the baby. "And you better get some wash rags too. Get them wet, too, warm water."
Lauren reluctantly left, returning with several washcloths then watched as Anna went through the steps, explaining each one.
"Ugh," Lauren plugged her nose as Anna peeled off the diaper. "That's disgusting."
"You'll get over it," Anna said as she held out the soiled diaper.
"I don't want to touch it!" Lauren jumped back.
"Lauren," Anna said sternly, "take it now."
"No, Mom!" Lauren shrieked. "That's nasty. I refuse."
Anna just stared at her daughter. "Lauren, you have to—"
"No, no, no!" Lauren cried as she ran from the nursery.
"Oh, dear." Anna kept one hand on the startled baby as she set the diaper aside. "Your mama has a lot to learn, little Sarah."
Soon Sarah was all cleaned up and tucked into her crib, but Anna knew that it would be feeding time before long. She found Lauren in her room, sitting in a chair with a slightly glazed expression. "I wish I'd stayed in the hospital now."
"Well, it's too late for that." Anna frowned. "I'm going to get the baby things from the car. We'll need to make her some bottles."
Lauren just nodded.
"You need to come downstairs," Anna told her. "So you can learn how to make the bottles."
"This is too hard," Lauren mumbled as she followed Anna back down.
Anna had read about how to make the baby's formula, but it was still new to her. However, she figured it couldn't be any harder than canning preserves. "You put a pan of water on to boil," she told Lauren. "You can boil water, can't you?"
Lauren rolled her eyes.
"I'll get the stuff from the car."
Anna paused outside to look up at the sky. She remembered how, so many years ago, she used to do this very thing. She'd be homesick for the river and she'd go outside and just stare at the sky, trying to imagine it was her river. "God help us," she prayed.
They were just finishing up the last bottle when Sarah's loud wails echoed down the stairs. "I'll go and check on her while you warm this," Anna told Lauren.
"How do I warm it?"
"Just put it in that hot water." Anna pointed to the pan. "Until it's body temperature. You can do that, can't you?"
Lauren narrowed her eyes. "I'm not an imbecile, Mom."
"No." Anna turned away. "You are not. Bring it up to the nursery when it's warm." Now she hurried to fetch Sarah out of her crib, sat down with her, and tried to soothe her from crying. "Your mama's coming, little one," she said, "be patient . . . be very, very patient."
Lauren eventually came up and Anna handed her the baby. "I know you know how to feed her," she said. "I'm going to get your diaper pail set up and then we'll make a plan for how you are going to change diapers, Lauren."
By the end of the day Anna felt certain that Lauren was not ready to set up housekeeping and care for her own baby. Not for the first time, Anna marveled at how she'd managed to raise such a helpless daughter. Still, she told herself, Lauren could learn. She would have to.
After a rather hostile dinner, which Anna prepared, and where Eunice played the wounded benefactress, Donald the sulking husband, and Lauren the weary mother who excused herself early, Anna realized that she needed to speak out. "I think it would be best if Lauren and Sarah went home with me for a spell," she announced.
"Whatever for?" Eunice demanded.
"Because Lauren needs help with the baby and I can help her, but I need to go home and see to the inn as well."
"But you were the one who thought Lauren and Donald needed a place of their own." Eunice narrowed her eyes. "What became of that little plan?"
"That's right," Donald said. "I went ahead and put money down on that duplex. I told the guy we'd be moving in this weeken
d."
"And you should move in, Donald." Anna nodded. "And while Lauren is with me, learning some housekeeping skills and getting more comfortable being a mother, you'll have time to get your house together so that she and Sarah will have a nice place to come home to."
"I guess that makes sense." Donald reached for another biscuit. "Hopefully you'll teach Lauren to cook too."
"That's part of my plan."
"Well, I think that's utter nonsense." Eunice laid her napkin on the table. "First you say Lauren needs her own place, now you say she must go home with you. I suspect your true plan is to keep Lauren and Sarah there with you indefinitely."
"I plan nothing of the sort." Anna set down her coffee cup. "Even if I did, we all know that Lauren is a strong-minded young woman. No one can force her to do anything she doesn't want to do."
"Even so." Eunice stood. "I think you are acting very wishywashy, Anna. It seems you can't even make up your own mind."
Anna decided to ignore that remark, turning her attention back to Donald. "I figured it would take you some time to get the duplex set up. You'll want to get the baby's room ready. I think Lauren is hoping you'll paint it pink. And I'm sure you'll need some furnishings and linens and kitchen things. Perhaps your mother . . . or maybe even Eunice . . . will be able to give you a hand getting it all set up."
"Humph." Leaving her plate on the table, Eunice started to depart. "It was my understanding that no one needed my help anymore, Anna. Surely you're not changing your tune about that as well."
"I'll leave that between you and Donald." Anna got up and, picking up her own place setting, went to the kitchen, where she silently counted to ten. How was it that, after all these years, Eunice was still able to get under her skin?
16
Lauren's second day at home was no better than the first, but Anna was determined not to let Lauren push off all her motherly chores onto her. She'd even dug out a pair of rubber gloves for Lauren to wear while rinsing out diapers in the toilet. "I feel like I'm being tortured," Lauren moaned as she gingerly held a dripping diaper over the toilet.
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