by Patricia Fry
When Savannah started to move toward the cat, Margaret said, “No, Vannie. Don’t open it yet. We don’t want to lose her. Hold Rags back. Let me get my hands on her. Easy, little one,” Margaret crooned as she approached the very pregnant cat. After a few moments, she whispered, “Okay, Vannie, slide that pocket door aside…slowly now. I don’t think she has a limb or a tail caught.”
“No, it’s just her belly,” Savannah said, stifling a chuckle.
“Poor kitty,” Aggie said. “She must have tried to come out of there to eat or get a drink of water and found she no longer fit through that opening.”
“Yeah, and the kittens rolled and tumbled, making her considerably wider, and she got wedged in there.” When the cat was free, Margaret gently lifted her, wrapped the blanket around her and held her close.
“I’ve never seen anything like that,” Savannah said. She reached out and petted the black-and-white cat. “Poor thing. She looks exhausted.”
“Yes, I imagine she is.” Margaret peered into the closet. “Looks like she found some old tablecloths or blankets or something here in this closet and made a bed for her kittens.”
“How long do you think she’s been stuck like that?” Aggie asked.
Savannah shined the flashlight around on the floor. “Uh-oh, it’s been at least several hours, I’d say. See the puddle there on the floor?”
“Even several days,” Margaret said. She told Rags, “Good job, boy. You may have saved this little girl and her babies.” She looked around. “Now how do you suppose she got locked up in here like this?”
After thinking about it, Savannah squinted. “I’ll bet the cats know how to open that secret door. Do you remember when we first saw the black cats up here? They kept disappearing right before our eyes. Yeah, they must be able to trigger the latch on that secret door and get in and out.”
“Or there’s another way in,” Aggie said, glancing around the room.
Suddenly Margaret yelped. “Uh-oh, I think we’re about to welcome a new family of kittens into the world. We’d better make her comfortable. Grab another blanket from that closet, will you, Vannie?” As an afterthought, she said, “And don’t you get stuck in there with your big belly.”
Savannah smirked at her aunt’s attempt at humor. She pulled a piece of fabric from the closet and handed it to her. Then the three women made their way back down the staircase and out to the car with the cat. As Margaret carefully placed her in the larger of the two carriers, she said, “Ohhh, here they come. Vannie, why don’t you take over? This is your expertise.”
“Sure,” she said, handing Rags’s leash to Aggie, “but I doubt she’ll need help. I’d like to offer her a little water. We don’t want her to dehydrate.”
“I’ll get it,” Margaret offered.
“No food right now,” Savannah suggested. She then said, “You know, if she’s been without food for a while, it might be a good idea to let her eat if she wants to.”
“Coming right up.”
Aggie approached Savannah. “Good job,” she said.
Before either of them could stop him, Rags leaped into the back of the car and the female cat began to hiss and growl.
“Oh no you don’t, Ragsy. This little girl does not want company right now—especially from a male,” Savannah said easing him back down to the ground.
“Oops, my fault,” Aggie said, taking up the slack on his leash.
Just then, Savannah leaned over and grabbed her belly.
“What is it, Vannie?” Margaret asked as she returned with a dollop of canned cat food and a bowl of water.
Aggie quickly supported Savannah and said excitedly, “She’s about to have my grandson, that’s what.”
“Really, Vannie?” Margaret asked.
“I’m afraid so. I’ve been having small contractions all day.” She took a deep breath and stood tall. “Yeah, I think it’s time. We’d better get us home.” She smiled at Aggie and took Rags’s leash from her. “Are you ready to welcome your newest grandson?”
Aggie nodded. “Yes. Yes. Oh, Savannah, I’m so happy. This is a magical moment.”
“Aggie, you’re crying,” Savannah said, hugging her.
“We’ve got a kitten,” Margaret announced as she latched the carrier. “Looks like she’ll do okay.” She spoke to the cat. “Sorry girl, you’ll have to push the others out while we’re on the road.” She glanced at Savannah. “You hold yours in until you get to the hospital.”
“Yeah, I think I can do that. Just get us home. Michael will take it from there,” Savannah said as she slipped gingerly into the car with Rags.”
“Michael’s going to deliver this one?” Margaret asked.
“No. He’s going to drive us to the hospital.”
“Oh this is going to be the best day of my life all week,” Aggie said.
Chapter 11
At one fifteen in the afternoon on Tuesday, May sixteenth, little Theodore Michael Ivey was born.
“He’s beautiful,” Aggie said, dabbing at her eyes. “Just beautiful.”
“Isn’t he?” Gladys agreed. She hugged her daughter. “What a lovely gesture, Vannie, to name him after your father.” She glanced toward the heavens. “He would be so pleased. Will you call him Ted?”
“Probably eventually,” Savannah said. She looked into her baby boy’s face and smiled. “For now, he’s our little Teddy.”
After several minutes spent admiring her new grandson Gladys said, “Your aunt is down in the lobby with Lily. I’m sure she’s eager to come meet her new great-nephew.” She patted Savannah’s hand. “I’ll send her up, then you should get some rest while he’s sleeping.”
“Okay, Mom. Thank you for taking care of things at home. We really appreciate it.” She turned to Aggie. “And you too. I understand you made a coffee cake this morning.”
“Yes, she did,” Gladys confirmed. “And it was wonderful.” She took Aggie’s arm and the two of them walked toward the door. “Where did you learn your culinary skills?” Gladys asked.
Savannah smiled while watching them leave the room, then looked up at Michael. “We’re so blessed.”
He leaned down and kissed her, then softly kissed the baby’s head. “Yes, we are.”
“Where’s my nephew?” Margaret asked as she stepped into the room. “I want to meet this robust little boy.”
“Right here, Auntie,” Savannah said, smiling down at the infant she held in her arms.
“Awww, Vannie, he’s adorable. Oh my gosh, I thought Lily was the most beautiful baby I’d ever seen. But look at this guy. he’s…he’s…oh, Vannie, he’s gorgeous,” she said, her eyes filling with happy tears.
“Handsome,” Michael corrected.
“Yes, that too,” Margaret agreed.
“How’s Lily?” Savannah asked.
“She’s fine. She misses her mommy and she’s eager to meet her baby.” She laughed. “Not her baby brother, but her baby. Vannie, I think she plans to take him over…maybe keep him in her toy box, push him around in her doll stroller. I do believe she thinks you’re bringing home a new dolly for her to play with.” She looked at Savannah, then Michael. “When are you bringing him home—I mean, so we can hold him and all?”
Savannah glanced at Michael. “I think tomorrow.”
He nodded. “That’s what they told us.”
“Good. Well, I have things to do and you need your rest. I’d better go.” Margaret sighed deeply. “I must talk to that sister of yours and see if I can straighten her out.”
Savannah frowned. “What’s going on with Brianna?”
“Well, she wants my blessing for something I’m not too sure is a good idea.”
“Like what?” Savannah pushed.
Margaret thinned her lips, then said, “Oh, I don’t want to burden you with it.”
“What, Auntie?” Savannah urged. “She isn’t leaving Bud, is she?”
“Is that why he’s been so preoccupied at work?” M
ichael asked, thinking out loud. When both women looked at him, he said, “He just seems a little grumpy—sort of in a funk. I’ve wondered if it has anything to do with Brianna. What’s she up to, Maggie?”
When Margaret realized that she probably wouldn’t get out of there without an explanation, she said, “Well, she wants my permission…um…or approval…to go on one of those adventures I used to suggest when she was a younger woman—you know, to learn something about life and to sow some of her wild oats.” She winced. “But that was then—when the world was a gentler place. Now, I’m not so sure I’d suggest such a thing and I’m not sure the timing is right for Brianna to be doing this.”
“She wants to travel? What about her practice?” Savannah asked.
“Yeah, and Bud…” Michael persisted.
“That’s what I hope to talk to her about.” Margaret gestured widely with her arms. “But she has this grandiose idea of traveling to places she’s never been before and experiencing things she’s never experienced. She figures it will give her time and space to consider her future, with or without Bud.”
Savannah shook her head. “That sister of mine. I should have known she wouldn’t settle down for long. She’s one adventurous gal. I guess if Bud wants her, he might have to open up his horizons, if you know what I mean.”
“Yeah. Bud is set in his ways—comfortable in his world,” Michael offered. “I think he’d be better off with a woman who shares his love of the farm life.”
Savannah looked into his face and said rather defiantly, “Or he could change.”
Michael thought about her comment for a moment. “I think we all have limits as to how much we’re willing to change, don’t you?” When she didn’t respond, he said, “I wouldn’t quit being a veterinarian for any reason. And I’d hope that you wouldn’t give up something you love to please someone else. We have to be true to ourselves, Savannah.”
“Ohhh, this is a deep subject to be having in front of our brand-new arrival,” Margaret said, running her fingers over Teddy’s little head.
Everyone laughed when he scrunched up his face.
“You’re right,” Michael said. “Good luck with Brianna. I hope she does follow her heart and if it doesn’t include Bud, it’s best that they find that out before they start bringing little farmer boys and girls into the mix.”
****
A couple of days later Brianna entered the Iveys’ living room and announced, “I’ve been dying to see my new nephew. Where is he? Where is he?”
“Hi, Sis,” Savannah said, hugging her.
When Lily saw her aunt, she ran to her shouting, “Baby, Auntie Bri!” She grabbed Brianna’s hand and pulled her toward the portable crib, which was set up in the living room. “Baby, Auntie Bri.”
“Awww, he’s so cute,” Brianna cooed.
“Yes, and I think it’s about feeding time,” Savannah said. “I’ll change him and that’ll wake him up enough to eat.”
Once Savannah began nursing Teddy, Brianna looked around and asked, “Where are Mom and Michael’s grandmother?”
“Out picking apricots. They want to make a cobbler and if we have enough, maybe a batch of jam.”
“At ninety-two, the woman is still climbing trees and making jam?”
“Yes, well, Michael’s helping them. We don’t want either of the grandmothers on a ladder.” She studied Brianna for a moment. “Sooo?”
Brianna avoided making eye contact. “So what?” she asked flippantly.
“So what’s this I hear about you wanting to make some lifestyle changes just when it seems you have everything a woman could want—a nice career, a nice young man in your life…”
Brianna slouched a little. “Oh, Vannie, I don’t know. I just don’t know what to do. What I feel like doing is traveling—seeing people and places I haven’t seen and helping along the way if I can—you know, sharing my medical skills.”
“But you haven’t decided for sure?”
“No. And I don’t want to know what you think.”
Savannah’s eyes flashed rather mischievously. “Oh, you don’t?”
“No. We’re too different. You can’t understand my needs any more than…um…than I guess I can understand yours. You’ve never had the wanderlust—the sense of adventure that I have. Vannie, I crave it like I guess you have always craved being tied down to a family.”
Savannah stared at her sister for a few moments. “Bri, are you running away from something? Bud, maybe? Your relationship? Are you feeling pressured…trapped?”
“Yeah, kind of. Sure. Wouldn’t you? I mean really—me on a farm, feeding chickens?”
After thinking about what her sister had said, Savannah asked, “So what are your plans? Will you just distance yourself from Bud for a trial run? You aren’t thinking about closing your practice, are you?”
“Maybe.”
“That’s a big step.”
“Hey, I started a practice once, I can do it again, if I so desire. Anyway, I have someone to take it over for now while I’m on a…sort of a sabbatical.”
“So you’ve put some thought into this, have you? Do you know where you’re going?”
“Not really.”
“Brianna,” Savannah said sternly.
“Wait. It’s not what you think. I joined a group. It’s an adventure group. The leaders, Nancy and Bart, plan the itinerary and we just go along with it, adjusting to what may come. Vannie, I’m convinced this will be good for me—having to go along with someone else’s agenda. You’ve told me before I should be more flexible—more open-minded.”
Savannah rolled her eyes. “I think I said you might benefit from a more conventional lifestyle—that maybe you should consider settling down.”
“I have settled down—maybe too much. I practice medicine all week and hang out with Bud and his parents most weekends.” Brianna shook her head. “It’s stifling, Vannie. I sometimes feel like I’m dying a slow death.”
Savannah took a deep breath. “So you don’t know if you’ll be canoeing the rapids, wrestling alligators, or going on a safari?”
“That’s right,” Brianna said, smiling. “Maybe all of the above.” She grimaced. “Packing will be a bear.”
“Does Bud know about this?” Savannah asked quietly.
“He knows I’ve been thinking about it. That’s all.”
“When is all this happening? I’m guessing you’re past the thinking stage. You’ve already signed up, haven’t you?”
“Yup. I’m leaving tomorrow.”
“Bri, I don’t know what to say, except are you sure about this? Can you get out of it if you want to? You don’t know what you’ll encounter out there.”
Brianna’s face lit up. “Exactamundo!”
“And you’re still game, huh?”
“Sure am. Sis, I need more excitement in my life than…well, than what I can get here in my practice and on Bud’s farm.” She peered into Savannah’s eyes. “Can’t you understand that?”
Savannah smiled at her sister. “No. I can’t understand it. But…” she let out a sigh. “I wish you all the best. Stay safe. Will you write?”
Brianna walked to Savannah, who was now burping Teddy. She ran her fingers over his head. “Yeah, I’ll write, as often as I can. I don’t know about the rules on that yet. I had email conversations with a couple of people who’ve gone on these excursions and I guess they can be rather challenging. I’m actually eager to test and maybe strengthen my resolve.”
Savannah sighed. “Well, I can think of better ways to do that, but hey, whatever works for you, I guess.”
Brianna wrapped one arm around her sister, giving her an awkward hug. “Hey, I wish you could go with me. We’d have such a good time.”
“I think my resolve will be tested enough this summer with two babies, a ninety-two-year-old, and Mom, not to mention an orchard that’s starting to ripen.”
Brianna rolled her eyes. “Dull. That’s what I’d
call it—dull.” She reached out for Lily as the child walked past with her dolly in a blanket. “…except for this one. She’s a laugh a minute.” She kissed the top of the toddler’s head. “I’ll sure miss you, little one.”
“Are you going someplace?” Michael asked, entering the room.
“Um…oh…yeah, I might be. But Michael, Bud doesn’t know about it, yet. So mum’s the word, okay? I’ll probably talk to him…um…tonight.”
“You aren’t going to break his heart, are you?” he asked.
“Well, it’s all in the perspective, I guess. I hope not. But what I have to do just might make him very happy in the long run.” When she noticed Michael and Savannah staring at her, she said, “I’ll know more about that when I return.” Just then she heard her mother and Aggie chatting in the kitchen. She picked up her purse and rushed to the front door. “Gotta go,” she said, quickly stepping out.
“Was that Brianna?” Gladys asked when she entered the room. “Where’s she off to so fast?”
“Um…I guess she had an appointment, Mom.”
“It’s Thursday. Why isn’t she working?” Gladys asked.
“She has taken some time off. You know she’s going on a trip, don’t you?”
“Yes, she told me. But I still don’t know where she’s going.”
“Neither does she.”
Michael looks confused.
“It’s an adventure. She’s going on one of those lifetime adventures before she settles down and starts a family.”
“Oh, is that what the young women do these days?” Aggie asked.
“Well, I’ve never heard of such a thing,” Gladys complained. “But then, I married young and my adventure was raising my daughters.”
****
Later that evening as Michael got Lily ready for bed and Aggie was rocking baby Teddy, Gladys and Savannah chatted over tea in the kitchen.
“I’m thinking about selling my house, Vannie. What do you think?”