“I can’t take the table,” Andrea says. “You bought it.”
“It’s yours,” Lauren says. “It belongs in your family for as long as possible.”
“I’ll make you a new one,” John says to Lauren.
“We can make you a new one,” Larry pipes in, winking at John. “Do you still work with wood, John?”
“I still dabble.”
“He doesn’t dabble,” Joan says. “He makes beautiful things.”
“Don’t tell me you live in Grandon and we’ve not seen each other all these years?” Larry asks.
“We never lived in Grandon,” John says. “Just over the line in Elmore.”
“And we met at City Hospital twenty miles from each one of us,” Larry says, amazed. “When was that?” He searches his brain for the answer. “Forty years ago!” Larry looks at Joan. “You had part of your lung removed.”
Joan nods. “And then later I had more of it removed. And it was a long recovery, but it seems the entire community rallied around us. Elaine would bring me milk,” she says, looking at Bud.
“I remember that,” Bud says.
“And she never charged me a dime for all that milk and cream she dropped off.”
“Oh, I didn’t know that,” Bud says, making everyone laugh.
“She’s been cancer-free as long as I’ve been in the family,” Bill says.
“She was a wrecking ball against cancer,” Andrea says. “She and Dad both were. They were a team. Mom even has the robe to prove it.” Joan laughs, thinking about that silly robe from Halloween that still hangs in her closet.
“Who’s ready to eat?” Lauren says.
Andrea looks out the kitchen window to the driveway. “What about Gloria and Marshall, Miriam, Dalton and—”
“Oh! They weren’t really invited,” Lauren says, grinning. “I told them before the meeting that day that I had a surprise for you and needed all of them to agree to come here just so you’d come. I even made up Robert and Kate Layton to make it sound like a party. I couldn’t believe it when you called today and said your parents had driven into town and asked if it would be okay to bring them! This turned out better than I ever imagined!”
“I feel like a party crasher,” Larry says sheepishly.
“You have made the party!” Lauren says, opening her arms wide and running to him to give him a hug. “You were definitely meant to be here!”
Lauren passes out punch to those who don’t have any and raises her glass. “To a table that brought us all together!”
“And to beating cancer,” Andrea says.
“And to wood!” Larry adds, looking at John.
“And hospital cafeterias,” Joan says.
“And to dairy farmers,” John says.
“And to handwritten family recipes,” Bud says, laughing.
“And to old friends and family memories,” Bill says.
“And to babies who are about to be born,” Travis says, putting his arm around Lauren.
“And to mysteries that are solved,” Lauren shouts as they clink their glasses together.
TWENTY-NINE
December 2012
Lauren works alongside Miriam as they set silent auction items onto tables near the gazebo for the annual Glory’s Place fund-raiser. Nearby, Travis, Dalton, Gabe, and Amy set up chairs. In just a few hours the children from Glory’s Place will be performing Christmas songs and carols for what they hope will be their most successful fund-raiser ever. “Whose idea was it to start having this fund-raiser outside in December?” Miriam sneers.
“Uh, it was mine,” Lauren says, grinning.
Miriam stops her work, looking at Lauren. “Oh, that’s right. If you weren’t pregnant, I’d say something, but I won’t for fear the baby will hear and won’t like me.”
Lauren laughs out loud and grips her stomach. “Miriam!”
Miriam runs around the table to her side and sees that Lauren’s water has broken. “Now I’ve done it! Me and my big mouth!”
Lauren grabs her hand, squeezing it. “Miriam! Get Travis!”
“Of course!” She turns to yell for Travis but looks back at Lauren. “I really don’t mind the fund-raiser being out here. It’s actually quite fun, but I could never let Gloria know that, you know. And I certainly don’t blame you for—”
“Miriam!”
Miriam jumps, turning again to run toward Travis. “Travis!” she says, running to where he is unloading more chairs from the back of a truck parked near the gazebo. “Travis! The baby is coming!”
“What?” Gloria says, snapping her head up from a conversation with Betty Grimshaw from Betty’s Bakery about a delivery of baked goods this afternoon. “Everybody get out of the way!”
“Nobody’s in the way, Gloria,” Miriam says, running back to Lauren.
Travis reaches Lauren’s side and puts his arm around her waist. “I’ve got you. The baby’s really coming,” he says, breathless and smiling.
“The baby’s cooomiiing,” Lauren says, her face grimacing in pain.
Andrea and her husband, Bill, honk as they pull up to a spot near the gazebo. As they get out of the car to begin helping at the fund-raiser, they stop when they see both Gloria and Miriam waving their arms like air traffic controllers. “Get back in the car!” Gloria yells. “Take Lauren to the hospital!”
Andrea sees Travis and Dalton helping Lauren across the town square, and she runs to the back car door, opening it. “Come on!” she says, waving them on.
The entire setup crew of Gloria, Miriam, Amy, Gabe, Stacy and her son, Ben, and Heddy rush to the car to help Lauren inside. “Gloria, I’m so sorry…” Lauren screams again as Travis helps her into the car.
“Sorry nothing!” Gloria says. “We’ve got everything under control here. We love you, babe! Andrea, call us as soon as the baby comes!”
And with that, Bill backs out of the parking space and heads for the hospital.
“The baby is coming early,” Gloria says, watching the car. She turns to look at Miriam, scowling. “What did you do?”
Gloria, Miriam, Dalton, Heddy, Gabe, Amy, and their daughter Maddie, and Stacy and her son, Ben, hurry through the hospital hallway, leading to the maternity ward. Andrea and Bill are waiting at the nurses’ station in the middle of the ward. “How’s Lauren?” Gloria says, rushing to her.
“She’s doing great!” Andrea says.
“A baby girl!” Gloria squeals, clapping her
