Special Blessings

by Anne Marie Rodgers

  “Oh, thank you. See you in a few minutes.” Candace shoved her feet into her sandals, ran to her mother's bedroom to give her a quick explanation, and headed for Hope Haven. Calculating as she drove, she realized that the Nottingtons’ baby was a little early, not even quite three weeks. With luck, there would be no unusual complications.

  Since it was the middle of the night, she parked practically next to the door and sprinted inside. The elevator stood open and waiting, and within seconds, she was rushing into the Birthing Unit.

  “Hey, there.” One of the night nurses grinned at her. “I heard a rumor you might be visiting.” She pointed Candace in the direction of the room to which Therese had just been admitted. “You have time to gown up,” she advised. “She's got a little more work to do.”

  Marveling at how fast Therese's labor had moved, Candace rushed to put on a gown and cover her hair and her feet. When she backed into the room, Lewis looked up. “Boy, are we glad to see you.”

  Candace noted that Noelle, their daughter, was stationed on her mother's other side.

  “Hi,” she said, walking over to smile at Therese. “So I hear you’re anxious to hold this baby.”

  Therese tried to smile, but her face contorted as a contraction rippled over her belly. Noelle was massaging, and Lewis was letting her squeeze his hand to death. “It's too early,” she panted.

  “Not very much,” Candace assured her. “Your baby's going to be fine.” She glanced at the nurse working with Therese, and she nodded her head a fraction. Good. That meant they had already called the hospital's only neonatal specialist to be on hand.

  “Does your family know you’re in labor?” Candace asked, mostly to engage Therese's attention and get her to stop worrying.

  “The whole bunch is in the waiting room,” Noelle said, grinning. “They said there was no way they were going to miss this baby's birth.”

  There was a flurry of activity, as an incubator and other special equipment was brought in for standby. Candace used her body to block as much of it as she could, but she explained the uses of each to Therese.

  “Do we have a name for this little peanut?” she said.

  “Noelle's naming it,” Lewis said.

  “Within reason,” Therese stipulated. “I’m not having a son named Dweezil or Homer or Banjo.”

  “Banjo?” Candace laughed. “That's not a name.”

  “An actress named her son that,” Noelle told her.

  “Good grief.” She raised her eyebrows. “So what names have you chosen?”

  Noelle shook her head. “It’ll be a surprise.”

  Things sped up. Dr. Carpenter came in and gave Therese the green light to push. Two other doctors and several nurses joined the gathering. Candace prayed that their services wouldn't be needed.

  As it turned out, her prayers were answered very quickly. Baby Girl Nottington arrived shortly after four in the morning. She weighed six pounds even and was seventeen inches long. Her lungs were extremely healthy, as evidenced by her annoyance at being kept from her first meal for a quick examination. The neonatologist found nothing problematic from a medical standpoint. The breast-feeding consultant felt that her suck reflex was a little weak and gave Therese some pointers and things to watch for. And Noelle named her Kylie Rose.

  When Candace carried the infant out to the waiting room to meet the rest of the family, she was surprised to see Penny Risser in the waiting room too.

  “Your mom called Heath, who called Anabelle, who called me,” Penny told her, making Candace grin at the efficiency of the grapevine.

  When Therese learned Penny was there, she insisted on inviting her into the room for a few minutes, despite the hour. Penny brought gifts for the baby and her parents, a handbook for parents of babies with Down syndrome and a toy that played music and lit up when the baby kicked at it to help stimulate muscle tone, something that was routinely a challenge with a Down syndrome baby.

  As Candace bade the group farewell, hoping to get home and get an hour or so of sleep before her day truly began, Penny looked at Therese. “Do you want to tell her our news?”

  Therese beamed. “We are working together to start a Deerford chapter of the National Down Syndrome Society. Thank you, more than I can express, for putting us in touch.”

  “You’re welcome.” Candace thought she might just float home without her feet ever touching the ground. The birth had gone better than her wildest dreams. “I expect to be invited to the first meeting.”

  “Don't worry,” Penny said. “You’re going to be known as the mother of our chapter.”

  Candace laughed. “Sounds good to me, since my labor experience was a lot less demanding than Therese's.”

  Candace was the first of her friends to enter the courtyard at lunch on Thursday. She’d gotten a good night's sleep last night, badly needed after being up half the night before.

  The little water feature lent a soothing ambience to the area, which was in the full glory of summer bloom at the moment. Perennials with shorter bloom seasons were enhanced by judiciously placed annuals in shades of pink, yellow, orange, and many others. Cam Scott had done amazing things with the small space, and the hospital groundskeepers kept it in excellent shape.

  Anabelle came outside a few moments later. “Hello. How are you feeling today?” Her friends knew how tired she’d been yesterday.

  “Much better thanks. How's your day going?”

  “Well,” Anabelle said, “I had a meeting of the Bike Smarts! committee this morning. They were all as stunned—and thrilled—as I was with the size of that donation.”

  “I imagine so,” Candace said. “That's just incredible.”

  “Hello, hello.” Elena breezed into the courtyard.

  “Hello.” The other two turned to greet her.

  “Goodness,” Anabelle said. “You certainly sound chipper today.”

  “I feel chipper,” Elena said. “Ever since I realized that Cesar isn't hiding health worries from me, I’ve felt like a hundred pounds have been lifted off my shoulders.”

  James came through the door just in time to hear the last sentence. “I know that feeling. Gideon seems to have remembered that he still has to finish high school and get into college, so Fern and I are feeling quite relieved.”

  “I bet,” Anabelle said. “Is the girlfriend still in the picture?”

  “You bet. She's going to be a senior this year, and he’ll be a junior. We like her a lot, and she's been very helpful in motivating Gideon, but…” He grimaced.

  “But it worries you,” Elena finished. “As it should.”

  “It's difficult to let them go,” Anabelle said. “But impossible to hold them back. I’ve learned that lesson with Kirstie.”

  “Hey, how's she doing at Shedd?” James asked. “I was thinking about taking the boys and Jenni up there while she's there to explain her green iguanas.”

  “Blue,” Anabelle said. “They’re Blue iguanas, and you’d better not call them green in front of Kirstie, because you’ll be subjected to a ninety-minute lecture on why they’re called blue, how they got their color, and so on and so forth.”

  “Why are they blue?” Elena asked. “Are they really blue, or is it like flowers and dogs, when blue really means something else?”

  “I don't know why they’re blue,” Anabelle said, “but yes, they really are blue. The males are bluer than the females, especially during the breeding season.” She moaned and covered her face with her hands. “I find it very disturbing that I can answer even part of that question.”

  Everyone laughed.

  “Ainslee and Doug and Lindsay Belle are coming with us to visit her this weekend.” Anabelle's face lit up. “I can't wait to see her.”

  “I imagine so.” Candace patted her hand. “I’d be excited too.”

  “Your turn,” Anabelle said. “Wedding plans coming along well?”

  “Very well.” She told them about the dress, and how Brooke had been instrumental in finding it. “And H
eath and I are going to taste cakes on Thursday night.” She grinned. “It seems silly to me for such a small wedding, but Heath says the cake is the most important part. Other than the bride.”

  “Just like a man,” Elena commented.

  “Hey! Man present,” James protested.

  Elena had opened her mouth to respond when the public address system squealed. After the initial attention-getting blab-blab-blab from Penny, a new voice came on. “This is Albert Varner. Ladies and gentlemen, I have some great news to share with all of you. Hope Haven Hospital has been named the runner-up in the National Outstanding Small Hospital Quest for Excellence Award competition. First place…”

  None of them had ever heard of the Minnesota hospital that had taken first place. The four people in the courtyard erupted into shouts of joy, screams from Elena, and an ear-piercing whistle none of them had any idea James could produce.

  Candace was thrilled. Their little hospital was the runner-up for a national award. It was hard to believe. Perhaps the prestige would translate into some relief for the persistent financial hardships the hospital had suffered in the past two years.

  “That's fantastic,” said Anabelle. “Just amazing. There were nearly a dozen hospitals in that category.”

  “We know Hope Haven is outstanding,” Elena said, “but now everyone else will know it too.”

  About the Author

  Award-winning author Anne Marie Rodgers has published more than forty novels since 1992, several of which have been best sellers. Her work for Guideposts includes stories in the series Tales from Grace Chapel Inn and Mystery and the Minister's Wife.

  Anne Marie has been involved in animal rescue and foster-care efforts for many years. After Hurricane Katrina, she volunteered at the Humane Society of Louisiana, saving animals left behind during evacuation efforts. She also has raised guide dog puppies. Anne Marie currently volunteers at a wildlife rehabilitation facility near her home in State College, Pennsylvania, where she cares for orphaned and injured animals, which are released into the wild after their health is restored. The experience has allowed her to get up close and personal with bobcats, fishers, and bald and golden eagles, along with many other more common species.

  In addition to her work with animals, Anne Marie enjoys a variety of needle arts and sings with her church choir.

  Read on for a sneak peek at the next exciting and heartfelt book in Stories from Hope Haven!

  With Open Arms

  by

  Patricia H. Rushford

  ON A SUNNY SATURDAY MORNING IN AUGUST, Anabelle Scott awoke far too early, but with good reason. How in the world was one to sleep in when the day held so much promise?

  She smiled and stretched, luxuriating in the fact that she not only had the day off, she had a full day to go shopping for fabric in Peoria with two of her best friends. Elena Rodriguez and Genna Hamilton loved fabric shopping as much as she did. The huge discount store they planned to go to offered great sales on the best names in fabric.

  Anabelle had been planning this particular trip since she got the news about the engagement of her good friend Candace Crenshaw to Heath Carlson. She planned to make an heirloom double wedding ring quilt for the couple. The week before, Anabelle had found the pattern online and had talked with Candace's mother Janet about color and style. All she needed to do now was buy the fabric so she could start working on it. The wedding was coming up fast.

  Anabelle scooted off the bed, but not before admiring for a moment her husband of more than forty years. Cameron yawned as he climbed out of bed and shrugged into his worn flannel plaid bathrobe.

  “Do you have time to join me for breakfast this morning?” He met her on her side of the bed and gathered her in his arms.

  “You mean, make breakfast for you, don't you?” Anabelle teased as she leaned against him, still amazed at the depth of feeling she had for him after all these years.

  “You know me too well.” He planted a kiss on her forehead. “I’ll pour the coffee.”

  Anabelle pulled on her lightweight cotton knit bathrobe and hurried down the stairs after him. After Cam poured their coffees, he took several sips of the hot brew before setting the cups on the table. Minutes later, Anabelle dished up two bowls of Scottish slow-cooked oatmeal with brown sugar—made the night before in her well-used slow cooker—as well as a plate of turkey sausages, and cantaloupe along with pulpy orange juice.

  They were just sitting down when their son Evan came in. It wasn't unusual to see Evan up and about so early. He had taken over the family landscaping business from his father and routinely consulted with Cam. He seemed to have stepped up his visits since he’d opened the retail nursery.

  “Morning, Mother. Pop.” He bent to kiss his mother's cheek, gave his father's shoulder a squeeze, and then headed to the cupboard for a bowl. “Is there enough left over for me?”

  Anabelle laughed and rose to pour him a cup of coffee and get a small plate for the melon slices and sausage. “I think we can manage.” The slow cooker had made enough for at least six bowls.

  Evan scooped up a heaping bowl and settled into one of the ten kitchen chairs and lifted back the quilted table runner Anabelle had made. The dining room set—a relic Cameron had purchased recently and restored—took the place of their old smaller set. He figured with their expanding family, they might need the room. So far, the family hadn't expanded all that much. She and Cam had three children, and only one, Ainslee, had married. Last year, she and Doug had given them an adorable granddaughter whose high chair sat in the corner, always at the ready. With the rate little Lindsay Belle had been growing, she’d soon be occupying one of those ten chairs.

  Anabelle gave her eldest child a lingering glance as she stirred milk into her oatmeal. Though he’d had a few girlfriends from time to time, he seemed in no rush to settle down. At thirty-four, he was among Deerford's most eligible bachelors. Quite handsome, Anabelle thought, with his wavy mahogany hair and eyes that turned from blue gray to green depending on what he wore.

  That morning he had on cutoffs and a lime-green T-shirt with his company logo and name—Scott Landscaping and Nursery—printed on it.

  “Do you like it?” He turned so she could see the back, which had the same logo and lettering, only larger.

  “Very impressive.” Anabelle noted that the logo resembled the carved wooden sign that stood at the entrance of the nursery.

  “Good advertising.” Cam sipped at his coffee. “I like the new name. That Maureen has a lot of marketing sense.”

  “She's a treasure.” Evan's grin and the obvious admiration for the nursery's store manager gave Anabelle a start. “Not only did she design the shirt and order a couple dozen, she ordered coffee mugs and caps.”

  Cam nodded. “Everything has our logo now—even the boxes and bags for customers.”

  “I had no idea.” Anabelle sighed. “When did all this happen?” So much went on without her knowledge. Of course most of that was her fault. She worked full-time and spent much of her spare time visiting with Lindsay Belle and, of course, saved time for all things quilting related—like shopping for fabric. Speaking of which.…

  Anabelle glanced at her watch and placed a hand on Evan's arm. “Hold that thought. I want to hear all about it later. Right now, I need to get moving if I’m going to pick the girls up on time.”

  “Girls?” Evan asked. “As in my sisters? Kirstie's in Chicago.”

  “No. Elena and Genna. We’re going fabric shopping.” Anabelle winked and carried her dishes to the sink.

  Evan chuckled. “More fabric? You already have enough to open your own shop.”

  “Humph. One can never have enough fabric.”

  “By the way, that last quilt you gave me has a tear in it. I caught it on a tree branch last time I went camping.”

  “Just bring it by and leave it in my quilting room. I’ll fix it.” Knowing her bachelor son, she’d also need to give it a good washing. She gave Cam and Evan a hug, reminding Evan about the
family dinner on Sunday after church. “I hope you can come.”

  “Sure—I might bring someone.”

  “Who?”

  Evan flashed her a mischievous grin. “I guess you’ll just have to wait and see.”

  “The more the merrier.” Anabelle smiled but refrained from asking for more details even though she was dying to know. Of late, she had been trying not to be a nosy, advice-giving mother. Trying being the operative word.

  She hurried upstairs before she found herself meddling, reminding herself that the 40 percent off sale at the fabric store was a perfect distraction from her curiosity. When she came downstairs dressed in jeans and a loose top and athletic shoes, she paused to give Cam a good-bye kiss.

  Anabelle picked up her two friends and had just parked the car when her cell phone began playing Mozart. Someone from Hope Haven—probably scheduling—asking her to come in. She thought about not answering, but after a few seconds gave in.

  Lorraine explained her dilemma. “I’m having a terrible time finding someone to fill in a couple of slots in General Med. I hope you can.”

  “Sorry, Lorraine. No can do. I’m in Peoria with friends.” Ordinarily she might have offered to come in later, but Anabelle had recently come to the conclusion that working all those extra shifts exhausted her. In fact, Cam's urgings to retire were beginning to take root in her mind. She’d always planned to retire at sixty-three or maybe sixty-five, but now and then, like today, early retirement sounded appealing.

  Not that she didn't like being a nurse. She loved caring for people and loved the hospital setting. Still in very good shape physically and mentally, she had to admit to slowing down some.

  After saying good-bye to Lorraine, she caught up with Elena and Genna. “Sorry, that was Lorraine wanting me to come in.” Glancing at Elena, she added, “Don't be surprised if she calls you too.”