by Judith Keim
“Wait!” a young woman called to her.
Sheena picked up her pace. Publicity at this point could help or hurt them, and she wanted it to be right for the senator’s family.
Regan and Darcy were in the office when Sheena burst through the door. “I have to make a phone call to the senator’s staff. Where’s Nicole? We need her here now.”
“I’ll call her,” said Regan. “What’s happened?”
Sheena turned to them, her emotion too strong to hold back any longer. “Senator Bowen is dead.” Tears ran down her cheeks. “He died of a brain aneurysm.”
“Oh my God! That’s awful!” said Regan. “This morning, he seemed so relaxed, so happy even.”
“When the public finds out he died here at the Salty Key Inn, what will that mean for the hotel?” said Darcy.
“That’s why we need Nicole,” said Sheena. “We need help in protecting the hotel’s reputation. It’s not fancy, but we can’t let the press make it seem as if it’s not a nice place. You know how judgmental they can be.”
Sheena went into the back office, closed the door, and punched in the number Evelyn had given her. A man’s voice came on the line almost immediately.
Sheena explained who she was and why she was calling.
“All right, we’ll get on this right away. You say we can reach the doctor at the hospital?”
“Yes, Tampa General Hospital. He’s waiting for your call. And, Steve, Evelyn wanted you to know she and Chuck were staying at the Salty Key Inn for a very happy reason. Yesterday, their son, Dirk, married Lea Webster here on the beach.”
“Ah, nice touch. I’ll be sure to work that in. Thank you, Sheena. If we need anything else, I’ll call.” His voice cracked. “Chuck was a helluva guy. A guy’s guy.”
“Yes, he seemed to be,” said Sheena. “We’re so sorry his life ended this way. Please give our condolences to all the staff.” Feeling drained, Sheena sat in her chair, unable to move. Life was one surprise after another.
CHAPTER FIFTY-THREE
SHEENA
Sheena and her sisters could never have imagined what the story of Chuck Bowen’s death would do for the hotel. Once it became known he had stayed there because of his son’s wedding, it seemed as if every young, engaged woman on the east coast wanted to have her wedding at the Salty Key Inn.
Taking on a bigger role in marketing, Nicole hired a full-time wedding coordinator, whom both Sheena and she agreed to oversee. As part of the bigger program, Sheena arranged special deals with suppliers and service providers like florists, photographers, and others. Regan became busy with new upgrades to the suites and function rooms, making sure themes were carried out in all areas. Darcy upgraded their website and worked with photographers to present videos, photograph albums, and personal stories for the brides and their families,
On the waterfront, Michael was given the task of adding sports equipment and manning the dock area with assistance from others. The gazebo was upgraded to have better flexibility in lighting and was wired for music. Comfortable lounge chairs were added in small conversation groups in several shaded areas along the perimeter of the property, along with additional tropical flowers and palm trees.
The hotel wasn’t the only business going through changes. The Key Hole Bar worked up special menus and options for bachelor parties and now offered personalized “morning-after” meals for wedding parties. Bebe was now devoting much of her time to designing and baking wedding cakes, which meant new staff had to be hired for Gracie’s. Casey hired an event manager at Gavin’s, who worked closely with Nicole and the wedding coordinator. She also ran smaller events that ranged from birthday parties, to anniversary parties, to class reunions as more and more people discovered Gavin’s and the hotel.
The part-time staff who manned the Bohio Bar on the property also shared duties driving the hotel van when necessary.
###
After one wedding in late May, Sheena sat with her sisters in the office reviewing their performance.
“It seems like we finally have weddings down to a routine,” said Regan.
“It’s taken all of us working together to make it happen,” Sheena said, rubbing a hand over her swollen stomach.
“I wasn’t going to tell you, but now I will,” Darcy said. “When I came back to Florida from Europe, I had every intention of telling you that I was quitting the hotel business. Austin and I were offered the chance to take over his parents’ travel business, and I was all for it. Then, with Senator Bowen’s death, everything changed. And now, I know I could never leave the Salty Key Inn. It’s where I want to be ... with you.”
Sheena glanced at the way Regan’s eyes were filling and felt her own eyes well with tears. The last few months had been both exhausting and exhilarating. She could never have done it without her sisters.
Lifting her glass of water, Sheena said, “Here’s to the Sullivan sisters!”
She didn’t mind that tears slid down her cheeks. Her sisters were crying too.
CHAPTER FIFTY-FOUR
SHEENA
Sheena and her sisters were in the office one morning when Rocky knocked on the door and opened it. Startled at seeing him, they grew silent.
“I’ve got some sad news,” Rocky said, continuing to stand in the entrance of the room, looking ill-at-ease. “Well, actually it’s not all sad, I mean ...”
“What are you trying to say,” Sheena asked gently, unaccustomed to seeing Rocky so emotional.
“It’s Duncan. He died this morning.” Tears glistened in his eyes. “Poor guy, he had no real life at all, but, dammit, he was Gavin’s son, and now it’s like losing Gavin all over again.”
“How did it happen?” Sheena asked.
“I think his heart finally gave out. It’s a miracle he lived as long as he did.”
“We’ll have a service for him, won’t we?” Regan asked. “I know you’re in charge, but I think Gavin would want his family and friends to give Duncan a nice service and burial.”
Rocky let out a long sigh. “You’re right. And Elena agrees.”
“What will happen to her?” Sheena said. Elena Garcia and her family had taken care of Duncan for his entire, pitiful life. Unable to speak or hear, and without normal arms and legs, he hadn’t ever been able to thank her for all she’d done for him, much less smile, or laugh, or play.
“Elena will be fine. She’s already been given the house in which Duncan stayed and enough money that she won’t ever have to worry.”
“I’m glad,” said Darcy. “She’s one of my angels.”
He shuffled his feet. “I’d like your permission to give Duncan’s brain to science. A group of doctors has been following his life, wondering how it is that he lived so long. Gavin had wanted to do this, but never signed the papers for it. Now, I can. What do you think?’
A shudder passed through Sheena, but she gave Rocky a steady look. “If it helps others, I think we should do it. That would give meaning to Duncan’s life.”
Darcy and Regan glanced at her and silently gave their assent.
“This might be of great importance to medicine,” said Darcy.
Rocky sniffed. “Thanks. I was hoping you’d see it this way. I’ll let you know when the service will be. Will you tell your father?”
“Sure,” said Sheena. “He’ll want to be part of this too. After all, Duncan was his nephew.”
After Rocky left, Darcy got to her feet with an air of determination. “Sheena, will you call Dad? I want to write a few words for Duncan’s ceremony.”
“And I’ll see about having a reception at Gracie’s,” said Regan. “We want to make it really nice.”
Left alone, Sheena thought about the miracle of life. Automatically, she caressed her rounded stomach with gratitude. All the tests had shown that her baby was normal and was due any day.
###
Sheena and her sisters helped Rocky make the arrangements for Duncan’s memorial service. Rather than holding it indoors, they decided to
have a service outside at the gazebo. There, the sun and fresh breezes would give the impression of a sense of freedom for the spirit of the man who was bound so cruelly by his life on earth.
The minister who’d married Darcy and Regan agreed to handle the simple service.
On this sunny, warm day in early June, he stood in the gazebo with a small group of family and friends gathered around him. He read some passages from the Bible and then stepped aside.
Darcy, her red curls tossing in the summer breeze, stood before them holding a piece of paper in her hand.
“Most of you know and have even read my stories about angels. How could I pass up the opportunity to tell you about another?
“Duncan Patrick Sullivan fought to come into the world just as he struggled with life every day. He was not your ordinary person. He didn’t have normal arms or legs, and he was deaf and unable to speak. At first sight of him, I grew dizzy with disbelief and, yes, horror. Questions circled in my mind. How could any human being live like this? What was his purpose? Why had this happened? I, of course, had no answers at the time.
“But with each quiet visit I made to him, mostly with Rocky, I came to see not the being I’d first encountered, but the soul, if you will, within the man. There were times he looked right at me for a mini-second, a time when a corner of his lip once twitched into what I hoped was a smile. Duncan lived, ladies and gentlemen. It wasn’t a life any of us would want, but Gavin, out of love, made sure his son was well taken care of. If Duncan wasn’t able to show love, he knew love through the gentle care given by Elena and her family and through the faithful visits of his father, Rocky, and other family members. Now he has a chance, I believe, to be free from the constraints of his life—to be able to walk and talk and laugh. More than that, all the information about him will be shared with medical professionals and scientists, giving a chance of better lives to others.”
Tears glistened in Darcy’s eyes. “Did his life have meaning? Oh yes. Think of how he’s brought us all together. Our families have blended—Gavin’s and ours. I will never know why his gift to us was given in such a tortured way, but I know the heavens above hear me.”
She lifted her face to the sky and shouted, “Bless you, Duncan Sullivan. You’re free now!”
Sheena was as startled as the others by Darcy’s loud cry of anguish. And then, while her words settled around the family, they tearfully bowed their heads.
###
Later, as Sheena was crossing the hotel grounds with Tony and the kids to join the others at Gracie’s, she let out a groan. “Oh no!”
Ahead of her, Michael and Meaghan whirled around and stared at the wet mess that was forming on Sheena’s sandals.
“Is it the baby?” Meaghan asked, looking aghast.
“My water has broken!”
Michael’s face turned white. “Is it coming right now?”
“Hold on! We’ll get you to the hospital,” Tony said. His face, too, had lost some color.
Hearing the commotion, Regan and Darcy trotted over to Sheena and Tony.
“What’s the matter?” asked Regan.
“Oh my Gawd! It’s the baby,” Darcy said.
Tony tossed Darcy a set of car keys. “Bring the van around to the front. I’ll help Sheena to it. You kids better stay here for now. We’ll call you as soon as we can.”
“I’m sorry. I don’t want to interrupt the family party,” Sheena said, as if she could control the baby’s decision to join the family.
“Oh, hon! Does it hurt?” Regan said, taking hold of Sheena’s free arm.
“Not as much as it’s going to,” she murmured, stopping to catch her breath as a wave of pain filled her.
As they approached the parking lot, Tony dropped her arm to open the door for her.
Darcy came around the van. “Good luck with everything.”
When Sheena couldn’t hold back a long, low moan, Darcy gave her a wavering smile of encouragement. She’d never wanted to be a nurse as Sheena had. Things like blood and pain upset her.
Tony got behind the wheel, gave Sheena a worried look, and said, “Hold on! Let’s not have our baby in the van.”
Sheena grimaced as another pain struck. “Then, hurry!”
Through her haze of worry and pain, Sheena caught glimpses of Tony hunched over the wheel as he swerved around slower traffic, beeping the horn. It was almost laughable, but Sheena was as worried as he.
The hospital emergency room entrance appeared in Sheena’s vision. While Tony raced inside to get help, she managed to get out of the car. A nurse’s aide arrived, pushing a wheelchair. Sheena gratefully sank down into it and grabbed hold as she was hastily wheeled inside. By her calculations, the pains were just two to three minutes apart.
Tony stayed behind to help complete the online forms while the aide wheeled Sheena to the maternity ward.
Sheena had been placed in a birthing room and was wearing a specially designed hospital gown for mothers-to-be when Tony arrived.
“How are we doing?” Tony said.
As another pain hit her, Sheena said, “We are holding on. Want to take over for me?” She knew she sounded cross, but really? We?
Tony gave her a sheepish look. “Okay, I get it. But I’m here to encourage you.” He took hold of Sheena’s hand and kissed her cheek.
Mollified, Sheena gripped his hand as tightly as she could as she rode the next wave of pain.
Later, one of the nurses checked to see how far along she was and said, “You’re getting close hon. Oh, the baby’s head has crowned. Here we go!”
Another pain ripped through Sheena, and amid her scream, she heard a voice say, “Grab hold of the shoulders, and let’s see what we’ve got.”
“It’s a boy!” cried Tony. “We’ve got a boy!’
Beaming at him, even as tears remained on her cheeks from the pain, Sheena said, “Let me see my baby!”
Umbilical cord still attached, the baby was placed on her stomach, and Sheena looked down into a red, scrunched-up Sullivan face. Tears of joy mixed with her previous tears. Gavin Patrick Morelli gazed at his mother with dark eyes full of wonder.
Tony called Michael and Meaghan to give them the news and asked them to come to the hospital to see their new brother.
The baby and Sheena were cleaned up by the time the kids arrived. Little Gavin was wide awake after trying to nurse. Wrapped in a blanket, he lay on his back looking at his surroundings with curiosity.
“Ohhh, can I hold him?” Meaghan said, staring at him with awe.
Sheena handed him to her, and Meaghan held him close.
“Does he have all his fingers and toes,” asked Michael hesitantly.
“Yes, he’s perfect. In fact, Michael, he has broad shoulders like you and Dad.”
“And he’s going to have auburn hair like us, Mom,” said Meaghan, smiling at Sheena. She gently fingered the strands of hair on his head. “It already has a little red in it.”
“We’ll see,” Sheena said, returning her smile.
“Now, can I hold him?” Michael asked.
Sheena smiled, touched by his request, and watched as he took the baby from Meaghan, handling Gavin as if he was a china doll about to break. Watching him with the baby, Sheena knew he’d be a good father someday. He glanced at her, and Sheena understood the pain on his face. Meaghan patted his arm.
“When are you coming home?” Meaghan asked.
“Probably tomorrow. They don’t keep mothers in the hospital as long as they used to when I had you two.”
Tony smiled at his family. “Let’s ask a nurse to take a picture of our new family. It seems unreal this little guy is finally here with us.”
“It’s going to seem real when he’s screaming in the night,” said Michael. “I’m glad my bedroom is upstairs.”
Sheena laughed. “There will be other ways you can help, Michael.”
“I know,” he said easily.
After Michael and Meaghan left to go and have dinner, Tony sat beside Sh
eena on the bed holding Gavin, who was sound asleep. Gently, he traced the baby’s cheeks and then lifted him closer to give him a kiss.
“I’m glad we had him, Sheena,” he said. “We’re settled in a way we couldn’t be when we were younger and struggling with the plumbing business.”
“Yes, I want to enjoy this baby. It seems so fitting he’s named Gavin.”
There was a knock at the door. Paul and Rosa entered, carrying a blue Teddy Bear and a vase with yellow roses.
“Got your message. We’re here to see our new grandson,” said Rosa. “I’m dying to hold him.”
Tony handed the baby to her.
Paul stood beside her, and the two of them smiled with pride as they studied the little boy who bore the Morelli name.
Rosa’s eyes welled. “He’s such a beautiful baby—a combination of the two of you.”
“Yup, a handsome boy. And big too,” said Paul. “Eight pounds, like Michael.”
Regan and Darcy knocked and entered the room.
“Let’s see that boy!” said Regan.
“You all right?” Darcy asked, hugging Sheena.
“I’m fine,” said Sheena smiling. “It was a much faster delivery than my other two.”
“Everyone at the reception for Duncan is anxious to see the new addition,” said Regan.
“And we all love you’ve named him Gavin. It seems so right.”
“Bebe is baking a cake in his honor, Maggie is knitting him a blanket, Gracie and Sally have already put together a gift basket for Gavin from the rest of Uncle Gavin’s people,” said Darcy.
Patrick Sullivan and Lynn entered the room. “Had to see my new grandson,” said Patrick. “I hear he was named for me.”
“You and Gavin,” Sheena corrected. “His full name is Gavin Patrick Morelli, so each family is honored.”
Patrick grinned at her. “Sounds good. I think my brother would be very pleased.”
“I love that both Gavin and Patrick, two fine men, have a namesake,” said Lynn.
Sheena exchanged glances of amusement with her sisters. Lynn was crazy about their father.