Into Magnolia (Sandy Cove Series Book 3)

by Rosemary Hines

  Michelle watched Madison cuddle on her grandfather’s lap and savored the joy in John’s eyes as he held her close. Great grandparents Phil and Joan also clearly delighted in their precious little girl, with Grandpa Phil playing hide and seek in the back yard, and Joan helping Maddie create handprint turkeys for table decorations.

  Michelle’s lifelong friend Kristin and her husband were in town visiting Kristin’s parents, so Michelle and Maddie joined her for a walk on the pier and a little treat at Ruby’s Diner. Madison spotted the bronze seal statue and wanted her picture taken with it, bringing back a flood of childhood memories for both Michelle and Kristin.

  “Remember when we used to hang out here?” Kristin asked with a wistful smile.

  Michelle nodded. “Seems like only yesterday.” She looked down at her daughter and smiled as she reflected on how Madison would also have memories of Seal Beach, even though it would be about visits to her grandparents rather than as her childhood home.

  Above all else, Michelle’s favorite time of the weekend was the beginning of Thanksgiving dinner as everyone in the family held hands around the table while Grandpa Phil asked a blessing upon the food and their lives.

  Seeing her father’s hand firmly grasping Sheila’s on one side and Joan’s on the other triggered a heart-swell of gratitude for God’s grace and mercy. Memories of her father’s struggle to survive after his suicide attempt were starting to fade as memories of his newfound faith took their place.

  Thank you, Lord, for all you have done for our family, she prayed silently, squeezing Steve and Madison’s hands as they all said their amens.

  The next few weeks passed quickly as Michelle tried to keep her students focused on A Christmas Carol. It was clear they were ready for their two-week vacation, but this unit was a department requirement and included an essay.

  By having them take turns reading parts in the script form of the story, she was able to keep them interested and engaged. A follow-up viewing of the movie version solidified the characters and plot in their minds and helped her walk them through their essay responses.

  A week before break, Bonnie Blackwell called and left a message on Michelle’s cell phone. Amber’s OB appointment would be the following day.

  Dr. Miller rolled her stool back from the examining table. “You can sit up now,” she said to Amber.

  Bonnie moved forward from her place in the corner of the room and stood next to Amber, who had requested her presence during the exam.

  “You are fourteen weeks pregnant,” the doctor began. “Everything looks good to me. The nurse found a strong heartbeat, and you seem like a healthy young lady.” Looking over her paperwork, she asked, “No drinking or drugs?”

  Amber hesitated.

  “It’s important that you tell me the truth, Amber. We’re not just talking about you now. There’s another life under consideration.”

  Bonnie put her hand on Amber’s shoulder in a show of support.

  “Just a little weed,” she confessed under her breath.

  Dr. Miller waited for her to lookup. “How much is a little?”

  “Like maybe once or twice a week,” she admitted.

  “You need to stop that completely while you decide what you want to do.”

  Amber nodded.

  “How about cigarettes?” the doctor asked next.

  “No,” she replied, and then added, “I’ve smoked a couple of times, but not since I found out I was pregnant.”

  “Okay. That’s good.” She looked Amber in the eye before continuing. “You’ve got an important decision to make here, young lady. If you want to terminate this pregnancy, the sooner you do that, the better.”

  Amber nodded. “That’s what they said at the clinic.”

  After a short pause, the doctor continued. “If you decide to maintain the pregnancy, we’ll need to set you up with a series of follow-up appointments.”

  “Would it be possible for me to have an ultrasound to see the baby?” Amber asked.

  The doctor looked at Bonnie with a questioning expression, and she nodded an affirmative response.

  “Okay. We can actually do one here in the office. Let me get the nurse.” She got up from her stool and walked out the door, Amber’s file in her hand.

  Several minutes later, a light tap on the door revealed a young, African-American nurse pushing a cart toward the examining table. She smiled warmly at Amber and adjusted the end of the table to provide a footrest.

  “Just lay back and relax,” she instructed. “I’m going to put some gel on your abdomen, and then we’ll get a look at your baby.”

  The gel felt warm on Amber’s skin. “I expected that to be cold,” she said with a smile.

  “Oh, we’ve got a warmer for the gel now. No more shock factor,” the nurse added, returning Amber’s smile. She placed the ultrasound wand firmly on Amber’s abdomen and began moving it in slow circles.

  Soon a whooshing sound emanated from the machine. “There’s the heartbeat,” she said.

  Amber listened carefully, studying the monitor’s image.

  “Here’s the head,” the nurse explained. “And the little rear end.” She continued to move the wand. “Do you see the arms and legs?”

  Amber nodded, her heart beating loudly in her ears.

  It really is a baby, she thought, as she gazed in awe at the picture on the screen. She could even see its tiny heart beating.

  “Looks like it might be a boy,” the nurse added. “It’s still pretty early to tell for sure, but sometimes we get a good angle, even as early as this.”

  Immediately Amber thought of her brother Jack. She could remember him as a baby, and she tried to imagine what it would be like to have her own baby boy.

  Would he look like Adam? Or maybe like her or Jack? She was mesmerized by the images on the screen and was sad when the nurse lifted the wand, announcing they were finished.

  “Everything looks good,” she told Amber as she wiped the gel from her abdomen with a towel. “You can get dressed. They’ll book your next appointment at the check out desk.” She rolled the machine out the door, calling over her shoulder, “See you next time.”

  “I’ll meet you out front,” Bonnie told her.

  Amber appreciated the brief time alone to savor the images of her baby as she dressed. There was no way she could have an abortion now.

  Not after seeing him.

  Amber sat at the far side of the front seat of Adam’s car. “You don’t have to be a stranger,” he said, patting the spot next to him.

  The December air was cold, and his invitation was tempting. “I think I’d rather sit here,” she replied.

  Adam started up the car. “Whatever.”

  They rode in silence for the few miles to the beach, and then Adam turned off the motor. “I can’t stay long,” he said. “My dad’s all over me about my grades and homework.”

  Amber looked at him and cleared her throat. “I just wanted to tell you that I decided what I’m going to do.”

  “Oh yeah? Okay. So what did you decide?”

  “I decided I’m going to have the baby.”

  Adam was silent for a long time. Finally he asked, “You really can’t let go of this, can you?”

  “I saw him, Adam. I saw his heart beating, and his arms and legs, and everything. He’s a real baby, not a bunch of tissue like they said at the clinic. The nurse said she thinks it’s a boy.”

  “Great. Well you do whatever you want,” he added.

  “I want to be with you and be a family…to be a mom to him,” she stammered.

  “That’s not going to happen. I already told you I’m not dropping out of school to raise some kid.” He looked her in the eye. “I mean it, Amber. You’re on your own if you do this. That kid will end up with a messed up life just like yours.”

  “Thanks,” she replied sarcastically.

  “Hey, you made up your own mind, remember. I told you what I thought you should do.”

  “Yeah. You made
that pretty clear.”

  “So, if you’re not going to listen to me, and your determined to ruin your life, then I think maybe we should take a break.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “I mean, I’m not going to hang around and be your boyfriend, and pretend everything’s fine, when it’s not.” He paused and studied her face for a moment. “If you think you’re going to change my mind about being a dad to this kid, you’re crazy.”

  “Great. Thanks for the kick in the gut.”

  “Whatever.” Adam reached for the keys and started the motor. “I’d better get home before my dad has a stroke.”

  Amber just looked at him through her tears and shook her head.

  Jerk. I don’t need him anyway.

  She turned away and stared out the window as the car pulled away from the curb.

  As soon as she got back to her foster home, she went upstairs and collapsed on her bed, crying for what seemed like hours. Thankfully Cecilia had taken the kids to dinner at some fast food joint, so no one interrupted her meltdown.

  When she finally pulled herself together, she picked up her phone to call Bonnie. Hopefully this conversation would go better than her little talk with Adam.

  As Michelle stopped to pick up the paperwork in her mailbox early that morning, she noticed she’d missed a call from Bonnie Blackwell. Maybe I can reach her before class starts, she thought as she hurried directly to her room.

  “Bonnie? It’s Michelle Baron. Sorry to call so early,” she began.

  “No problem. I’m about to leave for the office.”

  “What’s up?”

  “Amber’s made her decision, and I’d like to come by and talk to you later today,” Bonnie said.

  “Okay… I could meet with you during my lunch break or after school.”

  “Let’s meet for lunch. I’ll come by at noon.”

  “Great. See you then,” Michelle replied.

  The first few classes were hectic. The kids always seemed so much rowdier after they’d had a sub, and with Christmas break looming large, Michelle was constantly trying to reel them in.

  When at last the morning was over, Michelle hurried to scoot her last straggling students out the door before Bonnie arrived. Grabbing a quick bite of her sandwich, she heard the door open and Bonnie’s friendly, “Hello!”

  “Come on in. I’m eager to hear about Amber,” Michelle said, shoving her sandwich back into the brown bag.

  “Don’t let me stop you from eating. We can talk while you have your lunch,” Bonnie encouraged her.

  Michelle waved off her suggestion. “It’s okay. I can eat during my conference period.”

  They sat together at a table on the side of the classroom. “So what’s the verdict?” Michelle asked.

  “She’s decided to have the baby.”

  Michelle nodded, trying not to look too relieved. “Okay, so how can I help?”

  “She’s going to need a lot of understanding and patience,” Bonnie began. “Your friendship will mean the world to her right now. Any time you can give her will be a great gift.”

  “I’d like to keep doing our park days,” Michelle began. “Maybe we could set up one or two during the Christmas break.”

  “Good. I know she treasures those, as does her brother.”

  “And I was thinking about something else, too,” Michelle added tentatively.

  “What’s that?”

  “I thought I’d offer to take her to church with us.” Michelle watched Bonnie’s face for her reaction. It was hard to read.

  “Have you discussed that with Amber?”

  “No. I wanted to mention it to you, first.”

  “I have no objection to you doing that, Michelle. But you are crossing a line here that might be problematic in a couple of ways.”

  Michelle leaned forward. “Go on.”

  “First, there’s the church-state issue since you are her teacher and this is a public school. I’d recommend you discuss this with your administrator to find out how your idea would go over with the district.”

  Michelle nodded. “Okay.”

  “And then there’s the new territory of embracing Amber into your family life. I know you’ve done that to some degree with the park situation. But this would be on a non-school day and would include your husband in the event as well.

  “Are you sure you want to mix that part of your life with your outreach to Amber? She may become more dependent on you than you realize.”

  “Yeah. I see what you’re saying. It just seems like something that could really help her – you know, give her a support system that she doesn’t have right now.” Michelle paused, grasping for the right words. “The youth group and pastor at our church are really great. I know she’d feel welcomed, in spite of her condition.”

  Bonnie smiled. “Talk it over with your husband and with the principal, and let me know what they say. If you still want to go forward with the idea, I’ll speak with Amber and her mother about it. It’s definitely not something we can do behind her mother’s back. She’ll need to be informed and give consent.”

  “Does she know about the pregnancy?” Michelle asked, recalling her conversation with Amber about her failed attempt to tell her.

  “No. Amber and I will be going to see her later this week. I’ve had the rehab center clear her counseling appointments for an afternoon, speaking of which, you and I need to meet again with Mr. Durand and the counselor and set something up for Amber.”

  They discussed possible times they were both free, and then Michelle picked up the school phone and dialed the office. By the time they’d set up an appointment with the principal and another with the counselor for Amber, the bell rang, and lunch break was over.

  “I’ll be eager to hear how things go with Amber’s mother tomorrow,” Michelle said as Bonnie walked to the door.

  “I’m sure Amber will be happy to talk to you about it. Thanks again for all you are doing for her,” Bonnie added warmly as she waved and left the room.

  After Steve tucked Madison into bed for the night, he went back downstairs to work on some legal briefs. Before he could get settled with his paperwork, Michelle walked into the room and sat down beside him.

  “Can we talk?” she asked.

  “Sure. What’s up?” Hope this doesn’t take too long. I’ve got to finish this work before morning.

  “I’m wondering how you would feel about me inviting Amber to go to church with us?”

  “Didn’t we talk about this once before?” he asked, trying to be patient.

  “Yes, but I really think she needs as much support as she can get right now.” Michelle put her hand on his knee. “She’s decided to have the baby. I just feel like the church could be a good support system for her. She’s going to have a rough road ahead, and I’m really proud of her decision. It would have been much easier to have an abortion.”

  Steve nodded in agreement, praying for wisdom about Michelle’s request. “Are you sure you’re not crossing a legal line here as her teacher?” he asked.

  “I talked to the social worker, and she said to discuss it with the principal, and she’d talk to Amber’s mom. But there’s no point in doing that if you aren’t on board for this.” She looked at him with those big hazel eyes that always melted his heart.

  “Okay. I guess we could give it a try. But only if the principal and her mom give you the thumbs up. You don’t want to take a chance with your job.”

  His wife threw her arms around his neck and kissed his cheek. “Thanks, honey!”

  “Okay. Anything else? I’ve got to finish going over these briefs and make a few corrections before tomorrow.”

  “Nope. Brief away,” she said, patting his knee again as she rose and walked out of the room.

  He shook his head with a smile and reached for the file in front of him.

  Michelle caught up with Cassie as they both hurried to class the next morning. “Hi, friend,” she said. “Hey, I need to talk to you about something.
Do you have a minute before class?”

  “Sure. Come on in.” Cassie unlocked her door and swung it open, propping it with her foot as she gestured Michelle inside. Letting the door fall closed afterward, she dropped a pile of papers on her desk and turned back to face her. “So what’s up?”

  “I told you about Amber being pregnant.”

  Cassie nodded.

  “Well, she’s decided to have the baby, and I’d really like to help her in whatever ways I can. Steve and I have agreed to invite her to church with us. Her social worker says it’s okay if Daniel clears it on this end, and Amber’s mom says it’s okay on the other. Bonnie’s going to talk to Amber’s mom, but I thought I’d talk to you before I ask Daniel.”

  “Like I said last time we talked, I think it’s great that you want to help her, Michelle. Just be careful with the overlap between your life as a teacher and your family time.” She paused, as if waiting for that part of her response to sink in.

  Then she continued. “I honestly think Daniel will be supportive of the idea. He’s always open to additional support systems for the kids, especially the needy ones like Amber.”

  “That’s what I wanted to hear. I wasn’t sure how he’d respond, and I’m still a first year pro-bee.”

  “He’ll be straight with you. If there are legal issues, he’ll let you know. But don’t worry about the probationary status thing. If anything, he’ll respect you all the more for taking such a personal interest in Amber.”

  “Thanks, Cass. That helps.” Michelle gave a mock salute and added, “Off to the trenches.”

  She could hear Cassie chuckle as she walked out the door.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

  Michelle’s meeting with Daniel Durand went well. He was receptive to her offer to invite Amber to church cautioning only to keep it separate from school.

  Any invitation extended or follow-up discussions and arrangements would need to be made on her own time, not during the course of the school day. In addition, the first time Amber expressed a negative on the subject, Michelle would need to drop the whole matter.