Bennett seemed to realize that she had retreated into herself and didn’t press for conversation on the drive home. After he had parked in his spot behind the building, he said, “Why don’t you grab a couple of the lighter bags and head on up. I’ll take care of the rest.”
Grace considered arguing, but she suddenly found that her energy was gone, pushed away by memories and sadness. “Thank you.”
Bennett chose a couple of bags for her, then grasped the handles of several others. Grace unlocked the door to let them into the building and led the way up the single flight of stairs to their floor. After she opened the door to her apartment, Bennett followed her in with the bags he carried.
“I’ll be up with the rest in a minute,” he said as he put the bags on the counter.
Grace appreciated that he didn’t put everything on the floor. Not that she couldn’t bend over, but doing that wasn’t as comfortable as it used to be. She found the bag with the ice cream in it and stuck the two containers into the freezer. Next came the bag with the refrigerator things. Bennett had definitely packed strategically. He could give bag packing lessons. She always started out trying to pack strategically, but as soon as she realized she was falling behind, she’d just start tossing things into bags in order to not hold things up for others in the line.
“Here’s the last of them,” Bennett said as he carried a couple of bags into the kitchen and set them on the counter. “Did you need help putting things away?”
“I think I can handle this part, but thank you.” Grace gave him a smile. “And thanks for letting me tag along tonight.”
“Anytime. I usually make a grocery run on Saturday evenings. Feel free to come along or give me a list.” Bennett paused. “I guess I’ll see you tomorrow.”
Grace walked with him to the door. “Good night.”
After watching Bennett head back for the staircase, Grace shut the door and locked it. She turned around and leaned back against it for a moment. Exhaustion was pulling at her once again, but she knew she couldn’t let herself relax just yet because if she did, she wouldn’t get done what she needed to do. Pushing off the door, she headed for the kitchen to finish putting away the groceries before crawling into her new bed.
17
Bennett and Ethan were the last to leave the room where they’d met with the men's class before the service. It was their first class back after taking the summer off, and Bennett found himself excited about the upcoming year. He was glad that Ethan was in the class with him. They had agreed to co-lead it, and he was so encouraged by the growth the other man had shown since they’d first met over a year ago.
“That was a great class,” Ethan said as they headed toward the foyer.
“I was surprised at the turnout. It is amazing to get that on a Sunday morning.” Bennett spotted Makayla in the foyer and followed Ethan as he headed in that direction. “I hope they all continue to come.”
“I suppose the attendance will fluctuate, but it would nice to stay that size or grow.” Ethan greeted Makayla with a quick kiss when they reached her. “Hey, sweetie.”
Bennett saw Grace standing a little past Makayla talking to Danica and Sierra. The two teenagers had probably been the most excited about Grace’s pregnancy. They were always giving her name ideas and talking about how they were going to be the best babysitters ever.
Though he wasn’t altogether sure why, Bennett got the sense that Grace was doing her best to ignore the impending birth. She was dealing with the pregnancy, but it seemed odd that she wasn’t interested in looking at baby stuff or setting up furniture for the nursery. Of course, he couldn’t discount the role her grief might be playing in all of it, but at the same time, he would think that a grieving woman would be looking forward to the birth of the child that would carry on her deceased husband’s legacy.
But what did he know? When it came to women in general, let alone Grace in particular, he had no clue. Grace’s grief mixed with her pregnancy was new ground for all of them.
After their little trip to the grocery store, Bennett had hoped that Grace would actually let him help her out more, but aside from when they were at work, he hadn’t seen much of her. In fact, he saw about as much of her now as he did when she had lived at the condo.
He followed the others into the sanctuary, stopping to talk briefly with one of the ushers before continuing down to the pew where Makayla and Ethan were sitting. After taking a seat beside Ethan, he stared at the front of the sanctuary and let out a long breath.
He was tired. He clasped his hands loosely between his knees and let his shoulders slump. It was odd how coming into the sanctuary often brought to the surface the things he tried not to focus on the rest of the time. Like just how tired he was.
It had been a hectic couple of weeks, especially with Ethan being away. Without a family of his own, he knew he had a habit of working more than he really had to, of taking on extra commitments at the church, or helping out friends and family members, often at the expense of doing things he enjoyed. But doing that often brought an inner sense of fulfillment even though it could be physically draining.
As he watched, the worship team filed out onto the stage. When he saw Dalton there with his guitar, Bennett smiled. Seeing his youngest brother using his talents at church made Bennett happy.
As the music started, he put away the thoughts that were weighing him down. He usually left a service refreshed, and he expected nothing different this time.
Working on a reply to a business email, Bennett paused when his cell phone began to ring. He recognized the ringtone as Makayla’s, so he reached out and picked the phone up from where it lay on his desk.
“Hello,” he said after he put the phone on speaker and returned to his email.
“Bennett, I have a huge favor to ask of you,” Makayla said, her words coming in a rush.
Bennett glanced over at the phone, hesitant to respond. In the past, Makayla’s huge favors had gotten him in trouble.
“What’s going on?” he asked with a bit of trepidation because he usually couldn’t say no to her.
Makayla gave an audible sigh. “I was supposed to go with Grace to her ultrasound appointment today. But I had an appointment of my own this morning which is running much later than I thought it would.” She hesitated for a moment. “Would you be able to take her?”
Bennett sat back in his chair. He ran his hand across the back of his neck as he tried to formulate a response. “Not to be insensitive, but does she really need someone with her for this?”
“Bennett,” Makayla said, her voice laced with exasperation. “Of course she needs someone to go with her. Normally, it would’ve been Franklin, but he’s not here, so someone needs to be there with her.”
“And why exactly has this fallen to me?” It wasn’t that Bennett didn’t want to take Grace. In fact, the opposite is true. But he had to factor Grace’s feelings into the scenario, and when he did that, it didn’t seem like a situation that she would be happy with. “Why can’t Tami or even Sammi take her?”
“Tami is working, and Sammi is sleeping since she had an overnight shift, and she’ll be working again tonight,” Makayla said. “If Mom were here, I would ask her. But since she’s with Dad in Vancouver, that kind of just leaves you. Trust me, I did try to consider other options before I got to you.”
Bennett leaned forward to rest his elbows on the desk, his fingers massaging his temples. He still didn’t think that Grace was going to be happy with the solution Makayla had found to her problem. “Have you actually talked to her about this? Or were you just planning to have me surprise her with the change in plans?”
Makayla sighed again. “It’s not that I want to surprise her with it, but I just want to let her know there is another plan in place when I call to tell her that I can’t be there.”
"And what's to stop her from just deciding to take her car and go on her own?"
"She doesn't have her car with her today. Ethan dropped it off with Finn’s
mechanics early this morning for an oil change, so she came to work with me. I had planned to take her by the shop to pick up her car after her appointment was over.”
Bennett let out a sigh. He would agree to go with her, but he would also be willing give her the keys to his truck if she objected to having him come along.
In the months since Franklin’s death, Grace’s interactions with him had blown hot and cold. One day she would be happy to have him help her out with something, and the next she would barely speak to him. Bennett had given up trying to figure out what prompted her mood swings — aside from her pregnancy. He had no idea which way she was going to swing when she heard the news that he was Makayla’s substitute.
“So I’m assuming her appointment is sooner rather than later?” Bennett said.
“It’s at two o’clock. I haven’t even gotten into my doctor’s office yet. I’m still sitting around in the waiting room, and my appointment was for eleven-thirty.”
Bennett heard the faint sound of Makayla’s name being called.
“I gotta go,” Makayla said. “Guess you’ll have to be the one to tell Grace about the change of plans.”
Before Bennett could say anything, the line went dead. He let out a frustrated sigh and reached up to rake his fingers through his hair. Though he did his best to try to accommodate Grace’s moods, he hated to put her on the spot. But unfortunately, he had no choice.
He pushed back from his desk and reached for his suit coat from the back of his chair. He slid his arms into it and pulled it up onto his shoulders before grabbing his phone and keys off his desk. After taking a moment to brace himself for Grace’s possible reaction, Bennett left his office and headed for the foyer. Grace looked up as he stopped beside her desk. He could see that she was ready to go. Her purse sat on the desk along with her sunglasses and a water bottle.
“I just got a call from Makayla,” Bennett began. He saw her brows draw together in a frown as she glanced at the clock on the wall.
“She was supposed to take me to my ultrasound appointment,” Grace said.
Bennett nodded. “That’s why she called me. She said that her appointment was running late, and she’d only just now been called into the doctor’s office while on the phone with me. She asked if I would be willing to take you to your appointment since your car is in the shop.”
Grace’s frowned deepened. “You don’t have to do that. I know you’re busy. I can just call a cab instead.”
Bennett shoved his hands into the pockets of his pants. “I’m willing to take you, Grace. I was only answering some emails.”
Grace got to her feet, an uncertain expression on her face. “Are you sure? I hate to impose on you in this way.”
“It’s not an imposition,” Bennett tried to assure her. “And we can swing by and get your car at the garage when your appointment’s over."
"As long as you’re sure.” Grace picked up her purse, sunglasses, and water bottle. “I don’t mind taking a cab, but I’d rather not.” She glanced around then said, “Just give me a minute. I need to let Maya know that I'm leaving.”
Bennett gave a nod and went to stand next to the door. It didn’t take long before Grace reappeared with Maya at her side.
“I probably won’t be back today, but I’ll see you tomorrow.” Grace gave Maya a parting wave then headed in Bennett's direction.
Bennett opened the door and held it for Grace. He followed her out into the cool fall afternoon. The leaves on the trees around the building had begun to turn beautiful shades of yellow, orange, and red. Fall was probably his favorite season of the year because of its beauty and the cooler temperatures.
He opened the door to the truck and waited as Grace grabbed hold of the handle above the door and stepped up into the cab. When she was secured in the seat, Bennett closed the door and walked around the bed of the truck to get to his door.
Once they were buckled in, Bennett backed out of his spot. “Where are you having the ultrasound done?”
“It’s at the Women’s Hospital at the Health Science Centre,” Grace said, her voice soft. Bennett glanced over at her, dismayed to see the worried look on her face.
“Is this just a routine ultrasound?” Bennett asked, concerned that perhaps this appointment could have some potentially devastating news.
“Yes. It’s just to check to make sure everything’s okay with the baby. That it’s grow is on track for my due date. My doctor tells me that it’s routine.” Grace paused then said, “But of course something can start out as routine and quickly change into something not so routine.”
Before Bennett could stop himself, he had reached over to take one of her hands. He gave it a quick squeeze before releasing it. Gripping the steering wheel tightly in both hands, Bennett tried to reassure her. “We’ll just have to pray that this stays a routine exam. There’s no use borrowing trouble from the future.”
Grace was silent for several minutes before speaking again. “I’ve spent the last couple nights imagining the worst. Preparing myself for the worst. I just haven’t been able to let myself believe that this pregnancy is going to be trouble-free. That this baby is going to be born healthy.”
Bennett wanted to reassure her that everything was going to be fine, but he couldn’t guarantee that. He wanted to. More than anything else in the world, Bennett wanted to be able to tell Grace that the rest of her life would be free from heartache and sorrow. But he just couldn’t do it. And he respected her enough to not offer her empty platitudes.
When he got to the hospital, Bennett parked his truck in the pay parking structure then followed Grace as she led the way into the Women’s Hospital. She checked in at the information desk and was given directions to where she needed to go.
Though there was a waiting room in the general area, Bennett chose to follow Grace as she walked down a wide hallway to another waiting area. There she gave her name and appointment time to the woman sitting behind the desk.
This waiting area was much smaller, with only a handful of people waiting. A man who looked to be about his age sat beside a woman who looked ready to deliver at any moment. Seated at the other end of the group of chairs were two women, with the pregnant one looking closer to Danica’s age. He couldn’t imagine having a baby at such a young age.
Grace walked over to the chairs and sat down, settling her purse in her lap. She watched Bennett as he sat down beside her but didn’t say anything to him.
As Bennett made assumptions about the others there in the room with them, he wondered what they might be assuming when they looked at him and Grace. No doubt they thought he was the father of her baby and that they were there together for the ultrasound of their little one.
If only they knew the truth. It was a reminder that so often the outward appearances of people or a situation could be completely off-base.
A nurse stood in the doorway and called out a name. The couple on the other side of Grace got to their feet and followed the nurse out of the room. Not long after that, someone else came in and gave their name at the desk then took the recently vacated seats, but still, Grace said nothing to him. Because of that, he didn’t know if Grace wanted him to go with her into the ultrasound or if she preferred for him to stay in the waiting area until she was done.
By the time the nurse came to call Grace, Bennett still wasn't sure what to do. He got to his feet when Grace did, and when she turned to look at him, he finally asked, “Do you want me to come with you?”
18
There was a mix of fear and vulnerability on her face, so Bennett wasn’t surprised when Grace nodded. Without hesitation, he followed her as the nurse led them down the hallway to another door.
Once inside the room, the technician pulled the curtain to give them privacy. She instructed Grace on how to position herself on the bed. Bennett took Grace’s purse and water bottle then helped her onto the bed before settling into a nearby chair.
“I’ll just have you lift your shirt over your belly,” the techni
cian said. “I’ll tuck a towel here to protect your pants from the gel.”
Bennett kept his head bent, gaze on the floor, trying to figure out why he hadn’t realized sooner what exactly this ultrasound would involve. Much like his sisters, Grace had adopted a more modest approach to her clothing. Even her swimsuit—at least the ones he’d seen her in—had always been one piece. So Bennett felt a little uncomfortable to be in the room with her as she bared her stomach. It created a feeling of intimacy that he didn’t want because it was fake.
He wasn’t there as her husband, and no doubt she didn’t really want him there either. They were both trapped in the situation. He had no idea if she’d thought through what having him in the room meant. Or maybe he was the only one sensitive to the situation.
“The gel’s going to be a little bit cold,” the technician said, and then Bennett heard a squirting sound. “Now, let’s just see how the little one is today.”
Bennett tried to keep his attention on the floor, but when he heard the technician begin to point out body parts of the baby, he couldn’t resist looking up at the monitor. He listened as the technician explained that that particular ultrasound was a 3D one, which allowed them to see the baby in much greater detail. Bennett stared at the screen as the technician worked, moving whatever she held in her hand around on Grace’s stomach.
“Were you wanting to know the sex of the baby?” the technician asked.
Bennett glanced at Grace, curious to hear what her response would be. For some reason, he really hoped that she said yes because as he looked at the figure on the ultrasound, Grace’s baby had become very, very real to him.
Grace stared at the monitor in silence. Bennett met the technician’s curious gaze as she looked between the two of them. Finally, Grace gave a slow nod, and Bennett felt a rush of relief. Excitement grew within him as he stared at the monitor once more, waiting for the technician to tell them if it was a boy or a girl.
For the Love of Grace: A Christian Romance (The Callaghans & McFaddens Book 2) Page 16