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Chapter 21

Posted on 2010-04-24

They sat around the kitchen table, silently eating the breakfast Elise had prepared with Callie's assistance. Once done, Richard needed, desperately, to speak with Elise, to gauge her state of mind. However, a hitch prevented time to talk; he and Callie had to go to the stable to tend to the morning chores. Callie ran ahead while Richard walked over to the sink, where Elise stood. During the meal, they had exchanged tentative smiles and endeavored to keep the atmosphere light for Callie's sake, but the fact remained that neither knew how the other felt.

"Ellie," he approached with a questioning look, "I know we need to talk…"

"Rich," she interrupted and reached for his hand, "I need to talk. I'm sorry for running out on you and for chastising you for the way you dealt with Callie. I felt awful; and I don't want to ever come between you and that little girl who loves you so much." He attempted to interrupt her, but she held up a hand to stop him. "Wait. Let me finish," she requested while caressing his cheek. "I feel so much better than I've felt in so long, and I have you to thank for it. But, I need to be realistic – we need to realize that situations are going to occur when one or both of us will have a bad reaction. We have to help each other, not criticize, like I did, or over react, like I did, or take it out on someone else, like you did." For a moment it looked like he would protest, but he listened intently and kissed her open hand. "Now, get out to the stable and have a good time with Callie. We have the rest of the day to be together, right?" Richard nodded in agreement, and she kissed him gently before shooing him out the door.

After an uneventful lunch, Callie and Bella piled into the back of the Jeep, ready to spend the night with Ed and Marie. The couple really missed having kids in the house. When they had found out about the Cincinnati weekend for Will and Beth, Ed had actually called and offered to take Callie. The arrangements included all of them meeting for lunch the next day and then they would all driving over to Ft. Wayne to see Jeannie. With Callie taken care of for the night, Richard had called the pastor and set up for their first meeting.

Sitting in the parked Jeep in front of the pastor's home, Richard glanced over to try to gauge Elise's emotions, before blurting out, "I'm so nervous; I can't see straight."

Turning quickly to face him Elise replied, "But this was your idea."

"Yeah, well, ask anybody, I don't always come up with the best ideas. I have no idea how to talk to a minister outside of church," he confessed timidly.

"That's what you're nervous about?" she asked with incredulous wonder. "You're nervous about talking to a minister? The reason why we're here doesn't bother you; it's the talking to the minister?"

"Okay, Okay;" he pulled his handkerchief out of his pocket and waved it in surrender. "The fact that he's a minister should be the least of my worries, but I can't help it. Ministers seem so, I don't know, so out of touch with real folk or something."

"Then why are we here, Richard?" she laughed, took the cloth out of his hand before bringing it to her mouth for a kiss.

Richard chuckled as well and then sighed, "I don't know. He really helped Will, and he's no push over. They both told me repeatedly that the counseling really helped them."

"Well then, come on," she commanded, bestowing a quick kiss to the befuddled retired officer. "This has to be better than facing the enemy, or a classroom of kids. Who knows, Rich, there might be hope for us yet."

Paul greeted the couple warmly and led them to his home office. To get the conversation started, he explained that his wife and two youngest had traveled to Toledo to visit their oldest son's family for the day. Richard asked about the rest of his family, and they made small talk for a few minutes, much to the relief of the pair.

Glancing from one to the other for a moment, the minister, moving on to the task at hand, asked calmly, "Tell me a little bit about why you're here today." He settled back into his chair to observe their interaction with one another and to listen to their story.

The nervous couple looked at one another, before Elise squeezed Richard's hand and told him to begin at the beginning. Richard smiled weakly and summarized their relationship at college and his side of the break up. Paul asked a few questions in regards to the way they communicated back then, but, by and large, he remained silent and observant.

Elise studied the silver-haired man intently while Richard talked of their past. She had quizzed Beth about the preacher and believed what she had heard, but noting his kind eyes and his open expression comforted her. Still, talking about her life with Jeffrey was traumatic; it usually brought back so many terrible images that it took days to push them back down. She and Richard had agreed, beforehand, that she would tell the pastor what she felt she could, however she felt she could.

"Ellie," the pastor's voice broke through her thoughts, "you seem very far away. If this is too difficult for you…"

"No, no, Paul," she attempted a small smile, "I'll be alright. I think I'm just getting my courage up."

"I see," he responded, compassionately. "I'd like to offer a word of prayer first, if you don't mind." Elise nodded, and Paul asked the Lord for guidance and for courage for Elise to revisit her past. He prayed for them as a couple, for them to listen to and help each other and for hearts to continue to heal. Both Elise and Richard held on to the other's hand but, by the end of the prayer, they began to feel less troubled.

Taking a deep breath, Elise began her tale. She didn't go into as much detail with Pastor Paul as she had with Richard, but she left no doubt as to what her marriage had been like or its aftereffects on her life. In his numerous years as a minister, Paul had heard many harrowing tales of abuse, neglect, infidelity and even confessions of crimes; but this young woman's story left him heartsick for all that she had endured. When she finished, her face streaked with tears, the older man realized that he had shed a few himself. Without conscious thought, he stood up and walked over to her, knelt before her and gathered her into a warm, tender hug.

Elise allowed the man's embrace and let her tears continue to flow. The pastor spoke of God's love. The clergyman assured her that He could heal the broken-hearted and that He was a God who offered many, many chances to begin anew. As he moved away from her, his gaze fell to Richard noticing that he was also quite shaken. Richard stood up, gladly accepting the comfort of the pastor's embrace. Then returned to their seats and, for a moment, let the silence settle.

"Well, Richard," the older man eyed him expectantly, "I believe it's your turn to relate the details of your life in the past seventeen years. And, young man, don't sugar coat it."

Sighing deeply, Richard followed his orders. He spoke of the devastation he felt at Ellie's rejection and the continued downward spiral of his last semester of school. He described how his mother begged him to open up to her about the break up, but he refused to talk about it to anyone, and that it was only seeing Elise again that prompted him to tell Will and Beth the whole story. Regret filled his voice and his face as he talked on about the accident and then his avoidance of what was left of his family for so many years.

He honestly admitted that talking about the bombing remained quite difficult, but he did describe his injuries and the subsequent help that Will provided and how his defenses began crumbling when he allowed Callie's love to affect him. Laughing at how she brought Elise back into his life, he acknowledged that he tried to fight his feelings for her, but they seemed to be drawn to one another.

"So," Paul began quietly, "the Lord has seen fit to bring you back together, as I think He intended all along." Richard and Elise nodded, again holding each other's hands tightly. "But what you two have experienced cannot be ignored or taken lightly, can it?"

Richard responded, telling him what had happened just that morning and how he had handled Callie so harshly. "I can't believe I yelled at her like that. I…we both over reacted and Callie paid the price for it." He shifted uncomfortably in his seat with his head bowed.

"Well, son, if that's the worst thing that you ever do or say to that darling little girl, you'll still be the perfect hero to her." He smiled and went on, "Children know the real deal, and she's always had a soft spot for you, to hear her mother tell it. You apologized to her, and she accepted the apology. Case closed as far as she's concerned. You need to let it go as well." Richard nodded, as Elise agreed with what the pastor had said.

"As for you, Elise, I'm very glad to hear that you're seeing a professional counselor and that you've established a new life for yourself. Both of those things are very important. Finding yourself must be your priority; you cannot depend on Richard , or anyone else, to 'fix' you. But as the Bible says, love does cover a multitude of sins, and the love that you two have expressed can go a long way towards healing your wounds."

Agreeing to meet on Sunday afternoons for the next several weeks, re-evaluating their progress in a month, they left. Paul asked if he would see them at church the next morning, and each answered that he would. As he watched the two embrace, before Elise slipped into the passenger side of the Jeep, Paul thought of Richard's parents and of how proud they would be of their son. He knew they'd been concerned for him before their deaths, and he had kept the young man in his prayers since then.

Richard and Elise had agreed to join Cammi and Dave for dinner after their meeting with Pastor Paul. Arriving at Dave's, they found the other couple ready and waiting; the four decided to drive into Defiance for dinner. Dave regaled the group with stories about the crazy criminals he came across on a daily basis. Richard and Elise relaxed in the back seat of the SUV, and then expressed gratitude to their friends for lightening an otherwise serious day.

The couples enjoyed their evening, and ended up back at Dave's for a night cap and a few hands of euchre. Cammi and Dave soundly beat the other couple, but no one seemed to mind. As they said their goodnights, Cammi hugged Elise and whispered that she thought Dave would pop the question very soon. Elise hugged her back and told her friend to take care and not blow it this time.

"Man, what a day," Richard exclaimed as he pulled away from the curb. "But all's well that ends well, right?" He looked over at Elise, expectantly.

"Yes, I think so," she answered with a smile. "Do you think Elizabeth met with her father today? I can only imagine what she must be feeling." They spent the remainder of the drive talking about Beth and Will and then comparing their feelings after meeting with Paul. With great difficulty, they said their goodnights in the hallway in front of Jeannie's room, and slept in their separate beds.

Beth lay wrapped in Will's loving embrace but couldn't go to sleep. The day had been a roller coaster of emotions, and she couldn't seem to get off the ride. She replayed her conversations with Samuel over and over, until she could recite them verbatim. Astounded by her feelings and expressions to him, she could only chalk it up to pregnancy and to the very real need she had to feel connected to her mother and to her past.

After dropping Samuel off at his car, Will remarked that they only had about a half an hour to return to the hotel, change, and make it to the boat before it left the dock. As a former single mother used juggling many plates, Beth could move quickly when she wanted and needed to and, though they had to walk quickly, they made it to the river boat with a few minutes to spare. The clear night sky presented dazzling stars and a slight breeze chilled the air.

Below deck, they'd enjoyed dinner; it had tasted delightful and had allowed the couple time to enjoy each other's company. Although Beth's birthday was on Sunday, Will gave her his gift that night: a stunning mother's ring with Jeannie and Callie's birthstones, and room for adding more. His friend in Defiance had designed it to complement the pattern of her engagement ring, and, once again, Beth was overcome by her husband's thoughtfulness.

They danced on the deck to the music that floated up from the live band playing below, and Beth confessed that their time together made her yearn for more experiences with just the two of them. "I guess I'm selfish, Fitzwilliam, but I cherish the times when it's just us two."

Will smiled and stroked her cheek before kissing her gently. "I'd be worried if you didn't, love. The next months will be hectic, to say the least. I want to spend time with the girls, though, before this little one appears, and our lives really take a drastic change. Maybe we can get away for a night or two in May or early June, after Georgie gets home from school." His plan satisfied Beth, and they danced and talked the two-hour cruise away.

They ended their day as they had started it, expressing their love as intimately as a couple could. Soon after, Beth heard the regular breathing of her husband, signaling that he'd fallen asleep. She pulled his arms tighter around her and let her mind again wander toward Samuel and his family. She admitted that she had actually been nervous about meeting her half-brothers and Luke's wife and family. Smiling to herself, she saw the humor in suddenly being surrounded by so many men. The one who meant the most to her sighed in his sleep. She closed her eyes, thinking that maybe her mind was ready to let her join him in slumber.

Sometime during the night, Elise's nightmares raged through her mind and caused her to sit upright in bed, confused as to her whereabouts and horrified by the visions in her sleep. She thought that maybe she had even cried out in her anguish. Hugging her legs and resting her head on her pulled up knees, she practiced breathing deeply and, eventually, calmed down and recalled her surroundings. She pulled on her robe, stepped into her slippers and quietly made her way down the hall toward the bathroom. After splashing her face with warm water, she decided to go downstairs and make some tea, or maybe hot chocolate, before attempting sleep again.

She stood at Richard's door, longing to feel his comforting arms surround her, but she told herself that he needed his rest, and she continued to the stairs. Starting down the hallway at the bottom of the steps, she saw a light coming from the kitchen and heard the whistle of the kettle. As she entered the room, she saw Richard pouring not one, but two cups of tea. He looked almost childlike with his mussed hair and sleepy expression as he turned to her with the cup raised, "I figured you'd make it this way. It's chamomile; learned from Elizabeth of its magical powers," he smiled, assuring her of his compassion.

"Thanks," she murmured softly, accepting the mug, "I'm really sorry to have awakened you."

"I wasn't asleep. It doesn't get any easier hearing about your life. How do you do it, Ellie? How do you keep going?" He pulled out a chair and looked up to see her shake her head. Without speaking, she nodded towards the doorway, and he, carrying the mugs of steaming brew, followed her to the den and the oversized recliner. Smiling in understanding, he set both cups on the end table, sat down in the gigantic chair, and opened his arms, so Elise could settle on his lap and into his loving embrace.

"This is how I keep going," she said, as she wound her arm around his neck and gently pulled him down to meet her lips. After sharing loving and tender kisses and caresses, they both sighed, and Elise continued. "I'm sorry you have to keep hearing the details, Rich, but for me, every time I speak the truth about it, it seems to take some of his power over me away. I can't really explain it, but words have some kind of power over the silence I forced myself to keep for all those years." She snuggled against his chest, and he pushed the lever to release the chair to its full reclining position.

"Hmmm," he replied, breathing in the flowery scent of her hair, "I'm glad for that, that it helps you. But it didn't keep the nightmares away, did it?"

"No," she sighed, enjoying the feel of his hands stroking through her hair. "You can stop that in about six or seven hours."

"No problem, as I've found that I'm having a most difficult time sleeping without you."

"I miss you, too."

He shifted positions, but held on to her tightly. Taking in a deep breath, he thought, Say it, man; just say it! Taking in a deep breath, he let his heart speak. "Ellie, I've waited seventeen years to feel the way that I do now. I don't want to wait any longer. I don't want to waste another minute. Elise Renee, marry me. Please, say that nothing will ever come between us again."

Silence

Keep talking, keep talking. "Okay, I know this is kind of sudden and not exactly the most romantic way to propose, but we went that route before. This feels much more real and true to who we are now and –" Elise stopped him by covering his mouth with her hand.

More silence.

I blew it. I pushed too soon.. I can't believe I just blew it. He reached up and moved her hand away as he spoke again, "Ellie, I'm sorry…"

"Richard, shshhh," she pulled his head gently down to allow her lips to meet his, and he could taste her tears. Before he could speak again, she whispered in his ear. "I had to still my heart and convince myself this was really happening. Richard, I love you so much, and I've dreamed of this moment for so long. Yes, yes I'll marry you. Nothing – nothing will separate us again. I promise."

She moved back to kiss him again. This time, she tasted the salt of his tears. They talked through the night of plans and dreams and nonsense, until they exhausted themselves just before dawn.

"Mrs. Stephens…" Will whispered in his wife's ear while stroking her hair and then nibbling her earlobe and continued his attentions down her neck. "Mrs. Stephens…" he repeated, a lilt in his voice, as his kisses continued their journey.

"Hush, Fitzwilliam," she answered, as she moved her head to allow him more access. "I'm having a wonderful dream; I don't want to wake up."

"And what are you dreaming about, Mrs. Stephens?" he asked between little bites.

"I'm dreaming about Mr. Darcy, my Mr. Darcy, and he's doing the most amazing things to me, so shush. Her eyes still closed, she purred, "Let him continue, and let me keep dreaming."

"And what does your Mr. Darcy look like, if may I ask?" He smiled, continuing his ministrations.

"Oh, he's quite handsome, Fitzwilliam. He's tall and muscular, with curly brown hair, and his lips, oooooooh, his lips and his hands are…"

"Happy birthday, my Elizabeth."

Richard awoke with a start and a crick in his neck. Before he moved, he realized he held a beautiful, long-haired goddess in his arms, one who slept with a peaceful smile on her face. Focusing on the clock on top of the TV, he realized that not only had they slept through church, they were well on their way to missing lunch with Ed, Marie and Callie. "Ellie, beautiful, we've got to get up. We're supposed to be meeting everyone at the diner in less than an hour." He kissed her on the cheek and nudged her. "Ellie, seriously, we overslept. We have to get a move on."

Moving ever so slightly, Elise raised her arm so that she could caress his face. "I will," she drowsily replied, "if you just answer one thing."

"Okaaay…" he ventured, kissing her hand.

"Was I dreaming last night, or did you really ask me to marry you?"

"Oh, yes, my love, I did, and we're really going to get married," he hugged her warmly. Then, without missing a beat, he added, "And we're really going to get socked by Callie if we don't show up for lunch. We're already in trouble with the pastor; I can't have my princess mad at me, too."

Later, racing into town in Richard's new automatic Jeep, Elise struggled with a issue she knew had to be raised. "Rich, how do you think Callie will take news of our engagement?"

"Oh, come on, Ellie," Richard tried to lighten the mood, "she'll be just fine."

"Really?' she asked with a sarcastic tone and raise of a brow.

"Well, it's what I hope, anyway," he replied with a nervous laugh. "I know this summer she'll face a lot of changes – the baby, Jeannie might be home more often, and then, hopefully, my house – our house will be ready in July; but Callie knows how much I love her. Don't worry, she's warming up to you more and more."

"Did you convince yourself?" she squeezed his hand, shaking her head at him.

"Not really," he sighed, "but maybe Will and Elizabeth can help us tell her."

"I don't want a huge wedding, but maybe if she took part in it that would help." She turned to face him with a dazzling smile while he nodded in agreement. "And, of course, Georgiana and Elizabeth and Cammi…"

"Hey, I thought you said 'small wedding'." He laughed at her enthusiasm before continuing, "Ellie, I don't care how many people are there, just as long as you're one of them, and we leave legally united. That's it."

"But, Rich, you'll want Will and Seth and maybe Dave or some old Army buddies, won't you?" she countered but joined in the laughter.

"Okay, Will, Seth and Dave, but that's it. Man, I didn't think about the Best Man bit, I mean, Will's the obvious choice, but then there's Seth. He's grown up so much this year; I'm amazed when I talk to him about business and the farm. But Will's always been there for me. Always."

"Who's says they both can't be your Best Men? If I can have a Maid and Matron of Honor, why can't you have a best man and a better man, or something like that?" They both laughed with Richard concluding that he'd think about it.

"Are you alright, love?" Will asked with concern as they pulled into the parking lot of the pizzeria. "You look a little flushed to me."

"That's because I'm reliving my morning birthday present," she pertly replied and topped it off with a delicious kiss.

"Well, ahem, be that as it may," Will blushed at the memory, "the fact remains that you're taking a big step here. That's all I'm saying."

"Fitzwilliam!" she giggled at his embarrassment, "you're so handsome when you turn red. I'll have to make that happen more often," she threatened as she bestowed another tempting kiss.

"Wait a minute, woman!" Will pulled himself away. "You're avoiding the subject and using me at the same time." He laughed with mock indignation.

"Well, maybe just a little." She kissed him again for good measure. "I am nervous, and the little one is kicking up a storm this morning. I'm sure it's thanks to you."

"Hmmmph! Well, if he's not used to me by now, that's his fault. I have no intention of stopping loving his momma until I absolutely must. But, that's not what we need to talk about right now. Seriously, Elizabeth, are you sure you want to do this? We can beg off, you know?" His stern, protective demeanor replaced his laughing mien.

"No, I want to meet them. I want to see some connection. I want to look like someone other than my mom, to have some feature or gesture or something in common. I know how Seth must feel at times and what the girls, or at least Callie, will go through some day. Family is such a strong connection, Fitzwilliam, it's such …" she hesitated and looked at him sincerely, "But you know all about that, don't you? You know how much you lost. That's why you stick so closely to Seth, Georgie and Richard. You know what you lost." She caressed his face as he slowly nodded his head, but he didn't have the words to answer her.

"No matter what happens today, or in the next months or years," her eyes bored into his very soul, "you and the girls and this little one are my main focus; you are my world, Fitzwilliam, my rock and my home. God is granting me more relatives, but you are my heart."

Will swallowed hard, fighting back tears at her declaration. He had no worries about her affections or loyalties, but to hear her express her heart in this manner, made his heart soar. Once again, he marveled at how he grew to love her more everyday. "Well then, I'd say you're ready, Mrs. Stephens. You're ready for an incredible birthday present."

"Another incredible birthday present," she reminded him with arched brow and teasing smile. "I've already received several today."

The Johnson family sat at the table anxiously awaiting Beth and Will's arrival. They deliberately seated themselves at a round table, where they could see the couple enter. Samuel fidgeted with the menu and continually admonished his sons to be nice and not overbearing. Luke and his wife Jessica found the older man's nerves endearing, but Jason still hadn't wrapped his mind around the fact that he had an older sister who just happened to be illegitimate.

Women weren't exactly high on his list, except for his sainted mother, his sister-in-law and his niece. Every other one he held as highly suspect. When Samuel had come back from his trip to Pemberville right after Christmas, Jason listened as his father recounted the disastrous first meeting, and he became incensed. He told his dad to just let it go and live his life with a clear conscience; he'd done his duty. Luke didn't see it that way, and he advised his dad to wait it out and keep praying.

Now, the six of them waited. Samuel startled when he saw Will open the door for Beth and follow her into the restaurant. "This is it, kids," Samuel said nervously. "Please be n--"

"Nice" the group finished in unison and all laughed, except for Jason, who eyed the couple suspiciously.

"Well," Will stuck out his hand and shook Samuel's warmly, "this seems like a very happy group." All except this one here; man, what a sour expression.

"Yes," Samuel spoke up, a quiver in his voice, "they were all teasing me because I have to admit that I'm a little on edge."

"I'd say there's a good chance we all are." Will looked sideways at his wife who seemed to have lost her ability to speak. "Sweetheart…"

As much as she fought it, Beth stared at Luke and Jason, scanning them up and down, searching for any similarities. Luke favored Samuel immensely; they shared the same medium build and fair complexion and his hair even thinning in the same spot. Jason's hair, however, was different, dark brown, almost black, with tight curls, ringlets. He appeared to be much taller and with a ruddy complexion. He did not look like Samuel at all, so Beth figured that he must take after his mother's side of the family.

"…Elizabeth?" Will tightened his grip on her arm a little, and Beth turned to him as if coming out of a fog.

"I- I'm sorry. I just ....," she responded, flummoxed.

"Beth," Samuel moved around the table and stood on the other side of his clearly unsettled daughter, "Let me introduce you to the rest of the family. This is my oldest, Luke, and his wife Jessica." They extended their hands to her, and she, scarcely aware, squeezed each for just a second. "Amy and Christopher belong to them," he pointed to his grandchildren, and the two kids smiled tentatively at the pregnant lady, who they figured was their aunt but weren't going to say that out loud. "And this is Jason, the youngest," Samuel shot his son a warning look as he caught the scowl on the young man's face.

"Beth," Jason muttered curtly and barely touched his hand to hers before falling back into his seat.

Will watched the scene with discomfort and dread. He didn't like the way Beth looked and responded, and he had certainly felt the glacial reception that had come from the younger brother. Regretting the decision not to bolt from the parking lot, he decided to take the protective husband approach instead. "I'm Will, the husband," he extended his hand to Luke and Jessica, nodded to the kids and turned to Jason with a scowl that clearly outweighed the younger man's. "Will Stephens," he offered and gripped the younger man's hand tightly. Don't mess with my wife! he thought, as his eyes darted between Jason and Beth.

Jason almost winced, but he understood what the taller man communicated with his eyes and handshake. That, coupled with his father's disapproving frown, convinced him that he'd better cool down. "Jason Johnson," he answered and opened his fingers, signaling Will to release his iron grip.

Will whispered in her ear, "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine," she answered, weakly; Will thought she might faint right there. "I just need to visit the restroom."

"Come on, Beth," Jessica stood up quickly before Will could respond. "I'll show you where it is. You know, we ladies have to go together; the unwritten girl code, right?" she laughed and winked at her daughter. Standing up and walked around the table and took Beth's arm. "Besides, I've been where you are twice. I know how they just love to dance on your bladder."

"Oooo, Mom, that's so gross," Christopher groaned while his grandpa and dad laughed.

Will wasn't sure what to do; he didn't want Beth out of his sight, but he certainly couldn't go into the ladies' room with her. Jessica stood beside Will and whispered, "She'll be fine. She just needs a moment." Turning back to Beth, she smiled. "Follow me; it's just over here."

He stood there watching them, until they turned a corner. He shook his head and looked over at Samuel. "She's really nervous. Maybe I should…"

"Will," the older man motioned for him to sit down, "we understand. She'll be fine. We'll all be fine, right boys?" He looked pointedly at Jason.

As Will sat down next to Jason, Amy asked, "Daddy says you have a girl my age."

"Yes, I do," Will smile. "Her name's Callie and she turns nine next week."

"Daddy says you live on a farm. Do you have pigs and cows and stuff like that?" She seems as intrigued with the idea as Callie had been when she and Will first discussed his livestock.

Will explained a little about the farm, followed by Christopher asking a few questions. Samuel and Luke noticed Will's easy way with children, and they passed a knowing look between them. Jason noticed it, too. He had to admit that his niece and nephew were fairly good judges of character, so he listened to the conversation, but added nothing to it.

Meanwhile, Jessica and Beth stood at the sinks, looking in the mirror, as they washed their hands. "Thanks for rescuing me out there." Beth smiled at the petite brunette. "I suddenly felt overwhelmed, hot and nauseas."

"All of which we'll blame on the pregnancy. We won't even mention you staring your two half brothers in the face and seeing absolutely no resemblance between them or with you." Jessica's statement surprised Beth.

"You could tell what I was thinking?" Beth asked incredulously while blushing.

"Yes, because I was thinking the same thing. Luke's a carbon copy of Samuel; no doubt about that. Jason favors his Greek side, his mother's family. She came from a Greek and Italian heritage. It was a big deal that she married a Heinz 57 like Samuel who really couldn't trace his ancestry nor was he all that interested in doing so.. Anyway, Susanna, Luke and Jason's mother, was dark-complected, with curls like Jason's. My husband's full name is Lukas Angelo Johnson," she giggled at his expense. "He's named after Susanna's father and grandfather, but he looks so Anglo. Jason's named after Samuel's dad and grandfather – his middle name's Randall, and he's the Greek god type. I think that's a hoot."

"I bet they used to fight about their names," Beth relaxed, feeling comfortable in Jessica's presence.

"They still do. People mistake them all the time. You'll do it, too. Don't worry. Everybody does." Jessica looked at Beth sympathetically. "Beth, Luke and I don't want to pressure you at all, but we are happy to welcome you into our family. I grew up with three brothers; I'm dying for female companionship in this male dominated group."

"Thanks, Jessica," Beth responded genuinely, "When my husband and I walked in, I could tell that you were friendly. Your brother-in-law, on the other hand…" she nervously bit her lip.

"Jason has a long story attached to him, but he's really an amazing guy. Give him a chance to warm up to you. He took his mother's death hard and the news about you even harder" She turned and made her way towards the door.

"I understand." Beth walked with her, "I didn't take it very well myself."

"So we heard," she smiled at Beth, and the two women felt they gained some ground in building a tentative friendship.

"Here they come," Samuel informed the group at the table, "and Beth looks much better." He reached across the table and held the anxious husband's arm for a moment. "Everything's going to be alright. We'll all make sure of that."

"Thanks," Will replied, still not convinced they'd chosen the best way to celebrate Beth's birthday. He stood up as the women neared, nodded his thanks to Jessica, and then pulled out the chair for his visibly more relaxed wife. "Elizabeth," he whispered into her ear, "are you sure?"

"I'm much better now, darling," Beth smiled reassuringly to her overprotective spouse. "Amy," she turned toward the little girl with the serious face and bobbed brunette hair, "you're about the same age as my Callie."

The conversation took off from there and continued after they ordered. Will couldn't help but recognize the familial banter of brothers and father, and he knew, instinctively, that despite what Samuel had confessed, his sons loved their father and were good men. Jason worried him a little; as a matter of fact, the young man reminded Will of how he'd been ten years earlier – bitter, and wary of everyone and everything.

Luke explained that they worked downtown in the Federal building, as government employees. "We push a lot of paper around; you know, your tax dollars at work," His wife rolled her eyes. "Well, it's true, but I love what I do, so the hours I put in are no chore. Can't beat the benefits, either." After that, it seemed that no one had anything else to say.

The waitress, bringing the pizzas, put an end to the lull in the conversation. For several minutes, the group passed plates and dished out the hot, cheesy Cincinnati favorite. "I can honestly say," Will chuckled, "that Cincinnati's a city full of good food. No wonder my wife craves it so much."

Will's remark lead to stories of Jessica's pregnancy-induced cravings and then to good natured teasing of her teen-aged son who, like almost any boy, had no desire to hear about such things. Will talked to the young man about the baseball trip he and his grandpa planned to take, and that led naturally into talk about other summer plans and Beth's due date. Beth squeezed Will's hand under the table, and he looked over at her curiously. Figuring she was thinking about the baby and Samuel's role, he smiled back as if to say it was her decision.

The next step is mine, but I just don't know how to make it happen. Taking in a deep breath, she gathered her courage and told them about their plans to go to Hocking Hills. One thing led to another and soon, Beth invited them to meet their family up there to stay a few days or to just make a day trip. Addressing Luke and Jessica, she asked, "Do you think you could get away from work for that week? They exchanged glances and smiles before declaring that they could probably swing a least a few days. Samuel eagerly accepted and then pointedly addressed his other son, "JJ, what's your summer look like?"

Jason thoughts darted off, recalling the last time he'd visited Hocking Hills, and he lost the thread of the conversation. Realizing that the whole group looked his way, he shifted uncomfortably, aware that he again scowled. "What'd you say, Pop?"

Samuel repeated the question with a not too subtle glare at his youngest. Receiving the silent rebuke, Jason explained, "I'm sorry, my mind drifted off. I've … well, I've been up there before, and …" As his voice trailed off, Samuel, Luke and Jessica winced. Jason shook himself and quickly attempted to recover, "Anyway, I have a couple of weeks coming, but I don't have any real plans, yet. It's possible I could come up for a few days.

Beth and Will watched the little drama unfold, but said nothing for the moment. Will offered to take care of the details for the get-away and coordinate everyone's schedule. He turned and asked Jason what he did for a living.

"Oh," Again, he seemed preoccupied. "I guess I didn't say, did I? I'm an occupational therapist. I work with home bound children." For the first time that afternoon, the young man smiled. "It allows me to travel all over the city."

Samuel also smiled, knowing Jason's occupation would intrigue Beth and Will, and they did not disappoint. The three fell into an animated discussion as Beth described Jeannie and Will shared his new professional interests. Jason's love of his work shone through in his eagerness to hear more about Jeannie, and he asked many questions about SKAT, finding the premise of the program fascinating.

At this point, Christopher asked for more pizza, and his parents teased him about his appetite and his growth spurts. Will shared tales about the amount of milk and other foods that Seth had consumed as he grew up. The meal ended on more comfortable note than it had begun. Looking at his watch, Will reluctantly admitted that if they hoped to shop for groceries, they needed to leave. He added that they wanted to arrive at Pemberville before Callie went to bed.

Beth looked around the table and wondered how to say good-bye to everyone. Samuel came to her rescue and insisted on paying the bill and walking them all out. As Luke and Jason admired the Mustang, Jessica took advantage of the moment to talk to Beth "I am happy that you called Samuel and wanted to meet all of us this weekend." She smiled warmly and took hold of her hand, placing a brightly colored card in it. "I know it's your birthday, but we didn't want to embarrass you by singing or making a big deal out of it in the restaurant." Beth nodded her head and murmured her thanks, feeling overwhelmed.

Jessica continued, "We'd really like you to become a part of our family, but we'll let you decide how much of our motley crew you can take. You'll find our contact information inside. If Luke and I can help you with anything, don't hesitate to call."

Tears threatened, hindering Beth's attempt to speak. Will noticed and bent down to lightly kiss her cheek. She felt his encouragement give her the composure she needed. "Jessica, you're so kind. So is Luke. I think Callie and Jeannie would really like to meet Amy, and Christopher seems like such a good kid. I guess I'm trying to say that I'd be a fool not to want to get to know all of you better." She turned to face the one she felt least accepting of her, "Even you, Jason. I know you don't trust me, and I understand. But we've just met, right?" She smiled, and he startled at seeing his father's twinkle in her eyes as the same one Will had detected the day before.

"Um, well, yeah," Jason stammered, again realizing that he stood at the center of attention in an awkward moment. "It wasn't as bad as I thought it would be," he responded, honestly.

"I think that's safe to say all the way around," Will added, shaking hands with the adults and Christopher. He held out his hand to Jason who looked momentarily horrified as the memory of Will's vice-like grip came to his mind. Will grinned widely and assured him that this time he had nothing to worry about. The two men shook vigorously and nodded their acceptance of one another. Amy asked Will and Beth if she could hug them and then, innocently, asked what she should call them.

"I mean, shouldn't I call her Aunt Beth?" She looked around at the uncomfortable adults, none of whom would make eye contact with anyone else.

Beth bent down as best she could and answered, "You may certainly call me that, Amy. I'm not anyone else's aunt, so that would be special. Darling?" she looked up at Will expectantly.

"Sure, Amy." Will squatted to her level, "I'll be your Uncle Will, if that's okay."

"Well," the girl smiled mischievously, "I have lots of uncles, but one more'd be great."

The group laughed, and Will stood up while moving to the passenger door to open it for Beth. Samuel stood beside it and, try as he might, a tear escaped his eye. Beth caught his emotion and walked over to the man who had worked his way into her life and heart in just twenty four hours. "Thank you for introducing all of us." she managed to get out, hugging him tightly as a sob escaped. "Thank you for answering my birthday wishes from so long ago. You made them come true, Samuel; I finally have a father."

Embracing Beth tightly, his emotions spilled over as well. At last, he released his daughter to her husband, and shakily moved to stand between his two sons. Luke also fought tears, gripping his wife's hand for support, and softly assured Beth that he was happy to call her sister. Jason didn't know what to make of the afternoon, let alone this emotional scene. He stepped up to Beth and genuinely wished her a happy birthday. They both knew that in saying that, he'd done the best he could.

Will helped Beth into the car, shut the door and walked around to the driver's side. Before he opened his door, he looked at the family standing before him. "Thank you for making this easier for her. Family is very important to both of us. We've lost a lot, Elizabeth and I, but our marriage started us on a road to gaining so much more. I don't think either of us dreamed of anything like this. Thank you for making Elizabeth's birthday a great one."

Chapter 22

Posted on 2010-05-01

Will pulled the Mustang into the garage and nudged his sleeping wife as he leaned down to kiss her hair. "Honey, we're home," he said gently. "I expect Callie to come flying out the door any minute."

True to his prediction, Callie scampered towards them with Bella on her heels. Beth had barely a chance to sit upright by the time her daughter shouted with delight, "Happy birthday, Momma! I'm so happy you're home." She tugged at the car door and danced around in excitement, urging her mother to get out of the car, which both of her parents did quickly, so she could get her hugs.

Her mother, smiling at her soon-to-be middle child's antics spurred Callie to ramble on about her weekend and all the fun she had with Ed and Marie. She continued chattering as Will unloaded the trunk, and Beth removed the Cincinnati groceries they had purchased from the back seat. "Jeannie and I played together, too, Momma. She made a card just for you. We brought it home." On and on she prattled and followed her weary parents into the house.

"Where is everybody?" Beth asked for the house seemed strangely quiet. She turned to her daughter with a raised brow and asked again, "Callie, where's Uncle Richard? Did Ellie go home already?"

The child acted as if her mother hadn't said a word and suddenly ran out of the kitchen. Beth turned to Will as he attempted to duck up the back steps unnoticed with the luggage. "Just a minute, mister," Beth commanded. "Where do you think you're going?"

"Elizabeth," Will continued running up the steps, "I'll be right back down. I just want to get the luggage out of the way." She could hear his footsteps travel the long hallway; the luggage hit the floor, and his quick return down the stairs. "See?" he practically skidded into her as he spoke. "What's suddenly got you so keyed up?"

With her hands on her hips, she answered, "Oh, I don't know, Fitzwilliam. Maybe it's the fact that my daughter didn't answer my question then made a hasty retreat, or maybe it's that you're so concerned about our luggage, or maybe it's the silly grin you're wearing that tells me you are up to something."

"Me?" he pointed to himself, trying to feign innocence. "I just walked into the house, same as you."

"Hmmph, you're far from innocent," she accused him but maintained her smile and arched brow. "Callie, where are you?" She walked determinedly out of the kitchen and down the hallway, following the sound of Bella's whines. Will followed behind, with his hands on her shoulders, teasing her about being so paranoid. She turned into the living room where she was accosted shouts of "Surprise" and "Happy Birthday."

In the middle of the partiers, Callie and Jeannie stood holding hands, smiling broadly and jumping up and down. "Momma, Momma, look at me!" Jeannie hollered above the din. "I'm here for your birthday party, Momma! I get to stay the night and go back with Daddy in the morning!"

Beth remained frozen in place, taken so completely by surprise that she was without words. Her eyes shone and her chin quivered, not only because of the surprise party, but that all of this was planned and included Jeannie as well. To her amazement, she spotted Seth, Justin, Rachel and Georgiana looking back at her with silly grins. Her husband placed his arms around her shoulders and bent his head so that his lips met her ear. "Happy birthday, one more time, my love."

Jeannie could stand it no longer and ran with full force at her momma. Luckily, Will's body kept Beth upright when her twelve year old careened into her. Beth responded by hugging Jeannie tightly and kissing her giggling mouth. Callie followed close behind, and the family hugged one another soundly. Beth turned around and looked up at Will, unabashed tears of joy written all over her face. Finding her voice, she cried, "Oh, Fitzwilliam, this is the best birthday I've had in my entire life. Thank you! " The two were lost in each other for a moment, enjoying a very sweet kiss when the crowd intervened.

"Okay, you guys," Richard bellowed, "like you haven't had all weekend to do that! This party's for Elizabeth, not you, loverboy!" He made his way to Beth and hugged her, warmly. "Hmmm," he looked at her critically, as if examining her, "you don't look like you're over the hill."

"Wicked, wicked man," Beth swatted him on the shoulder. "How dare you remind me of how old I turn today."

"Okay," Ed cut in, "then I will. Happy fortieth birthday, Lizzybeth! Now, you can join the missus and me in our old age glory," he teased as he and Marie bestowed hugs and kisses to the harassed guest of honor.

Callie and Jeannie had created a "throne", complete with balloons and crepe paper, so that she could hold court and not exhaust herself. Will led her to it and bowed. Still in shock, she received hug after hug from Juanita, Jorge, Cammi, Dave, Elise and even Jordan and her mom. The pastor and his wife had also been invited and congratulated her on reaching such a milestone. Beth's heart felt full to bursting. All the while, her eyes kept landing on her husband's glowing face, and she marveled at how much he loved her and the lengths he traveled to prove it to her over and over again.

The girls tucked snuggly in bed and the last guest out the door, Beth fell back onto her throne as the rest of the family, including Elise, collapsed in different spots around the room. Georgiana announced that she planned to skip her morning class, and Seth remarked, slyly, that he never, ever, scheduled classes for Monday mornings. Will decided to let both remarks fall on deaf ears as he felt too happy and tired to spar with either one.

"Richard," Beth closed her eyes and called out, "you've been rather subdued this evening, except, of course, for that horrible remark about me and some hill." Opening her eyes, she turned to look at him. "Am I going to find out that Callie now has three cats, two bunnies, and a hamster?"

"Absolutely not," he answered with indignation. "She now owns a skunk and an iguana; credit me with some sense." The family laughed at his humor. Richard held tightly to Elise's hand, never taking his eyes off of her.

"Well then, what is it?" Will demanded. "Something's up with you. You have a 'cat that ate the canary' look about you. I thought only I could look so smug."

Elise leaned over and whispered in Richard's ear, "Tell them, Rich. I know you're dying to tell them. But first, tell Elizabeth what you told me about her."

Richard smiled broadly, "Okay, okay – geeze I'm getting it from all sides. But first, I need to say something else. Elizabeth," he stood up and walked over to her, kissed her on the cheek, socked Will in the shoulder, and returned to his seat. "I can hardly believe that two years ago, no one in this room knew anything about you. One year ago, that big oaf mooned over you constantly and completely and, once again, Georgiana and I had to come to your rescue." He paused as Will snorted, and the rest of the room laughed in remembrance.

Before he spoke again, he caressed Elise's face. He continued, his tone softened, considerably, "But I have to say – and you know this is incredibly difficult for me to do - but I have to acknowledge, Elizabeth, that this family is better for knowing you. Will may think he's the only one you improved, but, the fact is, that between you and my little princess sleeping upstairs, I've become more the man my parents wanted me to be. You forced me to look at myself, and Callie broke down the wall I thought no one could ever penetrate.

"Even Jeannie's made me look at things differently and not take so much for granted. So, you see, the Thomas ladies, now very much the Stephens ladies, are responsible, in part, for what I'm about to tell you all."

Will listened with amusement, and not a little bit of amazement, as he intently watched his wife. He thought he knew what Richard was leading up to, but he whole-heartedly agreed with all his cousin had just poured out from his heart. Elizabeth had no idea of the impact she had made on the lives of those around her. She constantly amazed him with her wit, her insight, and her empathy for those she met. Her now crimson face caused his heart to swell. He realized that she would inevitably deny having had any part in changing any of them. But the Stephens family knew the truth.

"Bro," Seth broke into the dramatic moment, "come on, what's going on?" He sat on the edge of his chair.

"Well," Richard took a second to gaze at each member of his family, "Bella obeyed a command this weekend, but that wasn't the most momentous occasion here at Pemberville." He paused for effect and to take a breath. "You see, this beautiful woman has agreed to marry me, and this time, we intend to make it stick." His smile could have lit up a runway as he bent down and kissed Elise with relish.

Georgiana and Seth sat in stunned silence. They each wanted to like this woman who Seth had dubbed Ms. Blast from the Past, but they worried about her history and, for that matter, his. Will looked over at the two of them, sharply, casting his famous look, before he spoke. "Richard, Ellie, this is wonderful news. Truly, I'm very happy for the both of you." He leaned down slowly and kissed Elise on the cheek as she now stood beside Richard. Turning his attention to his cousin, he teased, "I think your days of watching Dr. Phil have finally paid off for you, my friend." He laughed, and the two men embraced.

Beth couldn't remember a day when she had shed so many heartfelt, but happy tears. "Oh, my goodness, you two," she motioned to the smiling couple as she descended from her throne, "this is the most amazing news. Richard, you and Ellie have made each other whole again." She pulled him into her arms and hugged him, then kissed him warmly on the cheek before turning to Elise. "Welcome to the family, Ellie. Regardless of what they have said, these loving people made me a better person and have brought me so much happiness. I hope that we, all of us, can do the same for you."

The week flew by as Beth prepared for Callie's birthday celebration planned for Saturday afternoon. "Why are there so many people born in April, for crying out loud? I know I was a preemie, but, geeze, what's so special about the month of August that everybody conceives children?" she muttered to her husband as they prepared balloons for the festivities.

"I don't ever remember you saying you were premature," Will remarked with a frown. "How early were you?"

"At least a month, I think. Mom said I was a little thing, that I weighed less than five pounds. I didn't come home with her. She told me that the social worker was concerned about me at first, but Mom's foster mom helped a lot." She looked at him curiously, wondering why he still frowned. "What's the matter?"

"Well, first," he stopped filling the balloons and dug his hand through his hair, Beth grimaced, understanding the level of his distress, "do we need to be concerned with our little one if you were a preemie? I mean, does that follow through the mother? Should you tell Doc next week during our visit?"

"Darling," she tugged at his arm so his hand fell away from attacking his perfect waves, "you're getting stressed out over nothing, I'm sure. I'll tell Doc next week, I promise. Babies come when they're ready to come, and we're being so careful." Laughing lightheartedly, she half-joked, "I'm more worried about this old lady surviving labor."

"Elizabeth!" His voice took on a shrill tone as shadows of pain and loneliness skirted across his features and landed in his eyes. "Don't tease about that! Don't even think about that; please," he pleaded. "I couldn't bear to lose you."

Horrified at the effects of her teasing humor, Beth's hands caressed Will's face. She stood on tip-toes to place light kisses on his cheeks, chin and, finally, his mouth. "I'm sorry; I wasn't thinking when I said that. I didn't want you to worry; then I made it worse. Please don't worry about me, or this baby, darling. He's a gift from God, and both of us will be with you for a long time. I think he's coming to bring new life to this house- the way it was meant to be." She again looked lovingly into his troubled eyes and spoke determinedly, "Please, don't think of the bad that could happen. We'll all be fine."

Her husband nodded his head, still too emotional to say anything else. His mind raced back to all the heartache his parents had endured between miscarriages and the still birth of the twin girls. In his darkest moments, he wondered if his youthful indifference to what they suffered would be visited on him as some sort of retribution. So many nights, he watched his wife sleep and begged God to let him keep her with him on earth. He believed she was his guardian angel, and he feared living in this world without her. Though delighted to become a father through birth, he felt terrified of losing his wife and his unborn child.

Of course, being Fitzwilliam Darcy Stephens, he had expressed these fears to no one. Beth studied his expression as they stood there amongst the balloons. She realized the man she loved suffered more than just the typical first time father jitters. The great losses he'd endured during his life still haunted him, no matter how often she commanded them to leave him alone whether by laughingly assuring him or literally telling the ghosts to leave the house. Just as she faced her fear of losing Jeannie, he wrestled with the devastation of having lost most of his family.

"Darling," she spoke softly, eyes brimming with tears, "you're stuck with me for a long time -- a lifetime. We'll raise this baby together. And we'll dance at his graduation and at his wedding. We'll embarrass this child with our love and devotion for each other. Believe it; don't doubt, believe."

"I want just half of your faith," he sighed, and held her tightly. "I'll try harder to enjoy this time and not worry, but thanks for understanding why I am like I am."

Enveloped by his arms, she felt his rapid heart beat sensed his continuing anxiety. "I love you, Fitzwilliam. I always will."

"Ellie," Richard sighed in exasperation, "I love you more than life itself, but if you refuse one more ring, protesting that 'it's too expensive' or 'I don't deserve that'," he imitated her in falsetto, "I may be forced to pick one out and heaven only knows what monstrosity you'll end up with just to spite you." He stood in the middle of the fourth jewelry store they had visited that week, his arms crossed in front of his chest, his tone the same as the one he used to inflict on undisciplined privates.

Elise laughed at her fiancé's frustration and couldn't help but tease him further, "Picking out a ring is serious business. I'll have this one for the rest of my life. You need to learn to be patient. Just because the proposal was impromptu, doesn't mean I'm rushing anything else." She explained smugly.

Richard strode over to join her as she leaned in to look carefully at the rings the salesman had laid out on the velvet tray. Richard lowered his head so that his mouth brushed against her ear, "Then it seems we have two choices: I can rescind my offer, or I can just carry you out of here right now. We can drive to the Justice of the Peace and be married in about an hour." Upon hearing her gasp, and seeing her head shake violently in protest, he grinned and placed a kiss upon her cheek.

"Fine, you impatient man!" She turned and kissed him full on, not caring about who watched or the smirk of the salesperson. "You win, this is the one I want." She pointed to a brilliant cut diamond solitaire set in a platinum band.

"Are you sure?" Richard asked as he bent to examine it on her finger. "It's nice, but it's rather plain." He kissed the back of her hand and the finger, then released it and gazed up at her with uncertainty.

"'It's nice?'" she quoted him mockingly. "It's beautiful. It's a solitaire. It's ageless. Did you know that it's formed under heat and pressure, in darkness, before it's brought into the light of day and refined. That's us, Richard. That's our story – and this, dearest husband-to-be, is my engagement ring." She gingerly took it off and handed it back to the salesman, who not only beamed over his anticipated commission, but also at her words concerning her relationship with the gentleman at her side.

"Hmmmph," Richard bristled in mock indignation, and then turned to the salesman. "Well, you heard the lady. Did you know that she keeps me locked in a cave and only lets me come out to buy her expensive baubles? Once we complete this purchase, I'm back to the cavern until the wedding day." Elise swatted at him and admonished him for not taking her seriously. Again bending to her ear, he tantalized her saying, "Oh, I heard every word, my love, and I'm taking what you said quite seriously; so when we're alone, I'll give you my thoughts." Straightening up, he led her over to the wedding bands and pointed to a wide platinum set, embellished with three graduated diamonds . "I like these." He stated, matter-of-factly.

"They're stunning," she agreed, peering into the glass, "but why do they attract you?"

"Because to me, each stone would be our past, our present, and our future," he replied while bending down to look at them with her, side by side. "I like how this one, which would be our past, is the smallest." He kissed her cheek gingerly. "The next one gets bigger, our present. Finally, the largest one, the most brilliant one, represents the lengthy future we'll share, together." He turned to determine her opinion of his sentiments, but she continued to stare down at the ring. Just as he spoke her name in question, a tear slid from her eye and landed on the glass showcase. "Ellie?" he asked with great concern.

She turned to face him with a dazzling smile and tear-brimmed eyes. "How do you do it?" She held him tightly, then lifted her face to kiss him. "How is it that one minute you're teasing and playful, and the next you say the most romantic and heartfelt things?" He smiled back and shrugged with a little embarrassment. "Are you sure that you're really Richard Andrew Stephens, the hardened, war-weary army officer?"

"I'm not sure he exits anymore," he replied honestly with a slight blush. "Callie began the exorcism, and I think you finished him off." They embraced lovingly again.

"Sir," Elise called to the salesman while still within Richard's arms, "We'll take these, and my fiancé will tell you how he wants them engraved." She then spoke quietly to Richard, "I think we're done here, and we have about five minutes to get to the pastor's and then on to Callie's party." They stood up, walking back over to the counter where the salesman stood. Richard handed him his credit card while Elise tapped her foot in mock impatience. Finally, Richard signed the charge with a flourish and a mischievous grin before Elise grabbed his arm and led him out of the store.

"OOO, I love it when you take command," he chuckled as they made their way to the Jeep.

An hour later, Richard and Elise walked out of the pastor's home, hand in hand, with the same number of premarital counseling sessions and homework assignments that Beth and Will had tackled before their wedding. In addition, the minister delegated a few additional exercises for them to deliberate and discuss. Paul and his wife Joyce extended their congratulations and, for part of the session, Joyce and Elise left the men, so that they could talk more in depth about Elise's past without the men present. Listening with much compassion and empathy, Joyce praised Elise for how far she'd come in changing her life and opening her heart to Richard.

Elise felt an instant connection to the older woman, much as she'd felt when she first met Beth. "My heart always remained open to Richard," Elise confessed freely. Before they'd separated, Richard had handed her his handkerchief with a knowing smile, and she now twisted it in her hand. "My heart's not the problem, Joyce. It's my fear, at times, of even the slightest physical touch; I overreact. Sometimes even when he's teasing me."

Joyce eyed the beautiful and fragile woman sitting across from her. As a pastor's wife and woman's counselor for over twenty years, she had met with many women in similar, horrifying situations, and she believed Elise remained on track to securing a peaceful, loving new chapter in her life. "My dear," she took Elise's hand and gently squeezed, "you'll gradually begin to accept the fact that you've been given the gift of a man who truly loves you. Richard comes from good people," she smiled in remembrance of his parents. "And you two are going about this the right way – God's way." She finished by recommending some books for the couple to read on topics of healing after abuse and starting over, which Elise gladly accepted. They left the living room and knocked on the pastor's office door before entering.

The older couple smiled at each other, signaling that their respective talks had been fruitful. Paul nodded for the ladies to take a seat, and he genuinely expressed his delight in the reasons Richard had shared for choosing their rings. "I can tell," he continued, smiling warmly, "that the two of you take nothing for granted and are continuing this relationship with your eyes wide-open." Elise and Richard nodded in agreement as they gazed at one another.

"I'd like to close today's session with this scripture. I'd really like you to both meditate on this, not just this week, but for the balance of your lives together, as I believe this may become your favorite verse in times of need: 'But perfect love drives out fear. Fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.' That's in 1John 4:18. Notice, it doesn't say that you will never fear – that would be a ridiculous statement for God to make, wouldn't it? But He does say that His perfect love will drive it away. Accepting His perfect love for you and, in turn, relying on the love you are able to give to each other, will drive away the fears from your past and help you to continue on with your lives together.."

Richard and Elise listened intently to both the scripture and to the pastor's explanation of it, each knowing that they had never allowed God's love to truly enter into the framework of their individual lives, let alone into their relationship. Richard fidgeted uncomfortably, promising himself to talk this over further with Beth and Will and, of course, Elise. He knew the time had come to work through all of his anger towards God, and against life in general, but he wasn't sure how to go about doing that. He nodded his head at the pastor's words, but did not look up at him as he spoke.

Elise had not been raised in any form of religion, but innately had acknowledged God. She didn't feel anger towards Him for the way her life had turned out; she honestly knew the responsibility lay squarely on the men who conspired against her and with her own choices: agreeing to marry and to stay with Jeffrey. But, the concept of a loving, caring Father was rather foreign to her, and she said as much to the pastor.

"I thought so," he answered gently. "Well, when we talk about your parents and the way you were raised, we'll get into that, I'm sure. Today, however, I just want the two of you to just think that one scripture. Say it to yourselves when you're tempted to give in to fear or when a memory surfaces or you react to a situation and fear overwhelms you. I hope that it will help."

They remained silent for the few minutes it took to reach the farm, each replaying the words of advice and the scripture's promise to drive out fear. "Rich," Ellie finally broke the silence and turned towards him, "even the idea of being able to trust something or someone so implicitly that fear is gone is amazing, isn't it?'

"Yeah," he answered, reflectively, "the closest thing I can think of as an adult is the trust I had to have in my men, and they in me. If we didn't have that, we'd never have been able to face the enemy. We had to believe that we'd be victorious, or it would have been impossible to run into those buildings, or aim a gun at another man, for that matter."

"Wow, I guess you're right about that." She noticed his knuckles turning white as he gripped the steering wheel of the Jeep. "Rich," she moved as close as she could to him within the confines of her seatbelt and held onto his arm. "What are thinking about right now? You appear much stressed to me." With one hand, she reached up and ran her fingers his jaw, trying to release the tightness she observed.

Richard shook his head, not really wanting to discuss it, but knowing he should. He sighed deeply and unconsciously rubbed his leg where the deepest of the physical scars remained. "A man died because he put his trust in me. I led him into that booby trap," he answered quietly between clenched teeth. "And Will could never trust me at all for help with the kids. I've let so many people down, Ellie. How can I be sure I won't do that to you?" By this time, he had pulled off the road and turned to look at her, his eyes searching hers intently.

Elise saw the hurt and regret etched across his face, especially in his eyes. She placed her hand on top of his and he grabbed it, holding onto it tightly. What can I say to him now? What can comfort him and ease his mind? "Richard," she began hesitantly, "You need to forgive yourself for what you think you've done, or not done, for that matter. From what you've told me, no one ever considered you at fault for the deaths that occurred in that school. You can't be held responsible for the evil intent that already existed there." She squeezed his hand and again leaned as far over as she could and kissed him gently before taking a deep breath and continuing. "As for Will, Seth and Georgiana, I guess the more you show them that you are a different man now, the more they'll come to trust you and believe in you. The more they trust and believe in you, the more you'll believe it yourself. They forgave you a long time ago, soldier boy."

I want to believe you. I want to forgive myself. His troubled eyes clouded over, and he nodded to her as he tried to maintain control. Finally looking up and over at her, he said with a weak smile that never reached his eyes, "I don't like all this introspection. I don't like rehashing all of this stuff."

"I know," she replied while leaning in for another kiss, "but remember when I said that each time I talk about my marriage, he loses a little more control over me?" Richard nodded. "Well, maybe it'll be the same with you. We can hope for that, right?"

"Yes," he nodded again, "I think we can," Attempting to lighten the mood, he took a steadying breath and changed the subject, "Right now, we need to get to the farm 'cause I need to party with my princess."

"But we will keep talking…" She arched her brow.

"Yes, Elise, we will keep talking," he sighed and steered the Jeep back onto the country road.

Later that evening, when the girl's sleepiness took over, her doting Uncle Richard carried her up to her room. Momma and Daddy trailed behind. Beth stopped for a moment to check on Jeannie, who had given up about an hour earlier. Satisfied that her oldest slept soundly, she and Will walked into Callie's room together, to witness the now nine year old girl wishing her favorite uncle 'good night'.

"This was the best day, ever!" she enthused a little wearily. "Well, except maybe our wedding day, but it's close." She held Richard's hand while the other petted Bella, who was now allowed to sleep outside of her cage at night, most of the time ending up nestled next to Callie.

"I'm glad you had a great day, princess." Richard smiled down at her lovingly. "You know, Ellie and I will have a good wedding day, too. We want you to be up there with us, like you were with your momma and daddy. Would you like that?" Ellie will kill me, but I couldn't wait; I wanted to ask her myself.

Callie eyes grew wide but she suddenly frowned and moaned, "But I can't choose, Uncle Richard."

"Choose what?" he asked with some concern.

"I can't choose between you and Daddy. I'm already married to him, remember?" she answered, sincerely.

Will and Beth chuckled softly, alerting Richard to their presence, but he remained focused on his girl. "Callie, I love you so much, it's scary. I'm not asking you to choose between your daddy and me. I'm asking you to be up there with us, like Georgie was for your daddy; you know, like a bridesmaid. You're nine now; you're too old to be a flower girl." He smiled brightly as he saw the impact of his words on Callie.

"Oh, well, then, yes, Uncle Richard. Are you sure Mrs., I mean Ellie, would like that? I'm trying to share you with her the best I can," she admitted with her toothy grin.

"And you're doing a great job, princess." Richard's index finger tipped her button nose. "Ellie wants you are up there with us; she told me so. You know, when we move into our new house, you will have a special room to sleep in when you stay. It won't be as fancy as this one, but it'll be for you."

"Okay," she said, dejectedly, "but I don't want to talk about you not living here anymore. That makes me sad, and today's still my birthday."

"Fair enough, my sweet." He bent over and kissed her cheek. "Dream of your castle, Princess Callie. Dream of your castle in the clouds."

"Dream of the people who love you," she answered back and then rolled over, missing the smiling looks that passed between the adults.

Chapter 23

Posted on 2010-05-08

Sometime in the middle of the night, Bella jumped off Callie's bed to do a little exploring. Several of the balloons from the party had lost their helium and floated along the floor. Delighted with something to play with, the pup managed to grab one between her teeth, waving it while she pounced on two others. As if on cue, they popped loudly, one after the other, not only awakening Callie with a start, but also, to one degree or another, the entire family.

Richard's dreams filled with images of his talks with Ellie, the beautiful rings and the bombing at the Afghanistan school. He tossed and turned as he had not done in many months. Suddenly, the sounds of gunfire alerted him to the enemy and their proximity. In a blind panic, he screamed orders for his men to take cover and for his sergeant to determine the location of the enemy.

Hearing muffled cries, he commanded the medic to see to his injured men, while he began searching for his weapon. "I'm not prepared!" he screamed frantically. "I have no weapon, no helmet; who is responsible for this!" He cursed the absence of night goggles but began down the darkened path. An unfamiliar noise caused him to turn quickly in that direction only to lose his footing and crash head over heels several times down the steps until he landed sprawled out on the marble entryway floor.

The popping balloons had awakened the entire house, setting off a catastrophic chain of events. No one recognized the origin of the sounds. Jeannie leapt from her bed in utter confusion, crying out that she was trapped in her room with no way out. Callie stumbled around her bed as Bella yelped, personally affronted that her new toys should explode in such a manner. Fortunately, after a few moments of dazed bewilderment, the birthday girl guessed at what had happened, flipped on her light, and started to run down the hall to quiet her sister. The light from her room illuminated the long hallway, allowing her to see down its entirety. She stopped dead as Richard's frantic screams echoed through the hallway. Calling his name, she watched in horror when her daddy threw open his bedroom door and ran from the opposite end of the corridor, trying to lunge at Richard before he fell down the steps.

"Oh, my god, Richard!" Will called as the fabric of his cousin's t-shirt slipped through his fingers, and he propelled himself forward, noisily tumbling down stair after stair. Not pausing to turn on the light, Will scrambled after him as quickly as he could. "Rich, Rich, are you okay?" he cried. "Somebody turn on the lights!" he commanded, and Callie, in a daze, felt along the wall until she flipped the switch. Meanwhile, Will fell to his knees at Richard's side, trying to assess just how badly injured his cousin might be. Looking over his body, Will winced in horror when he saw the ragged edge of Richard's shin bone protruding from his leg. Without turning his head, he barked out, "Elizabeth, call 911, NOW!"

Beth had just arrived at the top of the steps and held onto her crying child . Callie broke her momma's embrace and flew down the steps in search of her precious uncle. Recognizing the panic in Will's voice, Beth, torn between protecting Callie from whatever lay below, her eldest child screaming from her room, or phoning for help, turned and ran back into the master bedroom to grab the phone and dial.

Richard moaned quietly as he began to come around. He stared up in confusion at Will's anguished face. Struggling for breath without realizing why, he stuttered, "What is it? What's the matter? Why are you in my room?"

Before Will could answer, Callie reached the landing and gasped at the sight of Richard. Not only could she see his leg bleeding, but his arm looked oddly twisted, his face contorted in pain. "Uncle Richard," she said in almost a whisper, "please don't die."

Now fully aware that he was not in his bed, and realizing that he was in a great deal of pain, Richard heard his princess's plea and struggled to get himself under control. Will began to speak, but Richard grabbed him with his uninjured hand and growled through gritted teeth, "Don't you dare scare her any more than she already is." He willed himself to turn his head and force a weak smile, "Callie, honey, I'm not going to die. I just fell down the stairs." He paused to again catch his breath. "Give me a minute, and I'll get up…"

"Oh, no you won't, Richard," Will threatened, his terror growing by the minute. In a voice that sounded much calmer than he felt, he asked, "Callie, could you get Daddy some towels from the bathroom? That would be a big help." He could hear Jeannie yelling upstairs and prayed that Beth could handle her and still make the phone call. As if reading his mind, he heard his wife say that the ambulance was on its way and that she would tend to Jeannie though she was terrified for what was happening to Richard.

"Will," Richard asked as he began shaking violently, "how did I get here?"

Will paused for a moment, not wanting to panic the obviously confused man any further. "I don't know. I just know that something startled both Elizabeth and I awake. I told her to stay put and I'd see what was going on. I saw the light coming out of Callie's room, but all I know is I heard you in the hall. You turned towards me, probably because I opened the door, and before I knew what happened, you were …" he motioned toward his cousin's prone body, "… like this. He stopped again, sizing up whether his cousin comprehended what he had just told him "Rich, I woke to hear you yelling something about helmets and night goggles. You must've been dreaming." Trying to calm himself, Will looked on the sight of Richard once again broken and bruised, and his heart broke.

Callie returned with the towels and silently handed them to Will who placed several under Richard's leg, raising it above the level of his cousin's heart. He then instructed Callie to go and get a sheet out of the upstairs closet. When she hesitated, he quietly repeated his request and assuring her that her actions would help Richard if she quickly did as he asked. Though crying, the little girl ran up the steps and resolutely marched to the closet, grabbed several sheets and returned to her daddy's side in what seemed an instant.

Beads of sweat had formed on Richard's brow and the shaking continued. Again, Will commanded Callie to retrieve a blanket from the den. This time she didn't hesitate. "Rich, I think I need to tourniquet your leg. I'm sure there's probably be a better way, but you're really losing a lot of blood, and the tourniquet is all I can think of to stop it" He paused, looked intently at Richard, and his alarm grew again. "Richard!" he cried, "stay with me. I think you're going into shock. Stay with me! It's going to take the ambulance awhile to get here, so stay with me, please."

Callie placed the blanket over Richard and sat down beside him, staring at him intently through her tears. Richard struggled for consciousness, if for no other reason than to make sure he didn't cause her any more stress. As Will worked tearing the sheet and then securing it just below Richard's knee, Callie suddenly turned on her side and lay next to her beloved uncle. She had a small towel in her hand and she reached up to begin wiping his face, cooing to him as her mother would when she had a fever or a booboo that needed attention. Both men fought for composure at her gentle ministrations. They remained in much the same manner until they heard sirens piercing the early morning air.

Beth managed to calm Jeannie rather quickly by turning on the light and explaining that she was at home in her own room. She allowed her momma to lead her back to her bed, and she again slipped between the sheets. Beth sat with her a few minutes, until she believed that her oldest had fallen back to sleep. Shaking her head at the wonder of Jeannie's mind which seemed to block out so much around her, Beth closed the door tightly behind her, and leaned against it for a moment to figure out what she needed to do next. Bella's whimpers could be heard behind Callie's door, so the puppy, though angry to be missing all the action, was, thankfully, out of the way. Beth snapped to attention and reached into the pocket of her robe to retrieve the phone. She dialed Juanita's number and informed her that Richard had had an accident. She asked, knowing the answer, whether someone could come and stay with the kids while she and Will followed the ambulance. In typical Juanita-fashion, she and Jorge barged through the kitchen door, as the paramedics pulled into the driveway.

Jorge strode quickly to the front door and opened it for the crew. Juanita's face turned white upon seeing her Ricardo in such a predicament, but she quickly took command of the situation. Prying Callie's hands from Richard's ashen face, she tutted to the little girl to come with her and, when she refused, picked her up as she cried out for her uncle. Will retreated up several steps to allow the men to assess Richard's condition and figure out how best to move him. Juanita ordered Will to go upstairs and change, so he'd be ready to follow the ambulance, and then commanded him to check on his wife as he did so.

In spite of the pain and stress, Richard turned his head toward Juanita. As they slid a board underneath him and carried him to the gurney, he managed to mumble, "You would've been a helluva general, Mamacita. I'm glad you're on our side." With a grimace, he pleaded, "Take care of my princess," and then passed out.

The paramedics rushed Richard into the ambulance, slammed the doors and then started up the siren. Beth had tossed Will a pair of sweats and a hoodie, and he threw them on. He knew better than to protest about her going with him when he noticed she was similarly dressed. She followed him down the back stairs, and they each kissed Callie goodbye, assuring her that Richard would be fine in no time. Will then ran to the truck to start the engine while Beth clamored in.

He drove quickly to catch up to the ambulance and followed it down the country roads. With vehemence, he insisted that Seth and Georgiana not be called until morning. "I'm not going to worry about Seth driving home from Purdue at three am," he snapped loudly at Beth when she suggested that he should let the kids make the decision. "I've got to have a clear head to listen to the doctors. In the morning, I need to check to see if the therapists we hired before can come back and work with him. Thank God I just finished getting the fields ready because now I'll need to figure out the business side of things that we was doing…" He glanced over at his wife to see her tears flowing while her hands fidgeted with her purse strap. Only then did he realize he had yelled at her and shut her down. "Elizabeth --"

She cut him off. "I'm calling Elise, and you are stopping this truck to pick her up when we get into town." She picked up her phone, dialed the number and glared at Will defiantly. Before he could apologize, the two women began conversing, "Ellie? Hi, it's Beth. I don't know how to tell you this but … Richard's had an accident." She listened as Elise responded. "I'm not sure, he fell down the stairs at the house. We're following the ambulance to the hospital." Again, she waited while Elise said something. "We'd all been asleep." Another pause. "Richard was in too much pain to talk much, but we think he might have been dreaming about his time in the service and became disoriented." Once more, she waited as Elise responded. "We're coming to pick you up. Hang up now, throw on some clothes and we'll be at your house in about five minutes." She flipped the phone shut and shifted to stare out the passenger window.

"Elizabeth," Will attempted again, "I'm sorry. I just take over and try to get some kind of control and I--"

"… and you don't let anyone help you," she interrupted tersely, "or, heaven forbid, come up with an idea. Will, I know you think you know what's best, but what if … if something should happen before the kids can get to him? Do you want that on your conscience along with everything else you stockpile there?" She still had not turned to look at him. "Your quick thinking may have saved Richard's leg tonight; I know that. I saw all the blood, and so did Callie. Letting her assist you kept her from panicking, but then, suddenly, you turned into someone I don't know, barking orders and then …" Breaking down and sobbing kept her from finishing.

"Elizabeth, please, I'm sorry, truly sorry. I'll call them as soon as we get to the hospital, okay? I'm sure you're right," he paused to gain some composure but quickly lost the battle. "I-I-I've never had someone with me b-b-before, s-s-someone to h-help. I-I've always had to d-d-deal with things on my own," he began trembling and again fought for control as Beth finally turned to him, her face full of concern and love.

"I know, I know, darling," she soothed as she grabbed hold of his hand. "You're used to protecting everyone and making the decisions, but even though we call them kids, they aren't, anymore. And Richard, he has Ellie now. She'll want to be there, to help make any decisions that need to be made. The world no longer has to rest entirely on your shoulders."

His throat tightened and, for several moments, he stared at the tail lights of the ambulance. When he felt himself in better control, he sighed loudly, "I don't want the world there anymore, Elizabeth; honestly, I don't. It's just – it's just hard to let go. You didn't see him before he fell. All I could see were the whites of his eyes as he ordered me to take cover. I wish I knew what could have set him off like that."

Will turned off onto the road leading to Elise's townhouse; the ambulance continued on its way to the hospital. As they pulled into the driveway, they saw Elise waiting at her door. No sooner did the truck come to a stop, than she flew to it and climbed in. The couple couldn't believe how calm and collected she acted, and Beth noted her hair pulled tightly into a bun. In less than ten minutes, Elise had changed into dress pants and an attractive spring sweater, and had even managed to apply some makeup. Beth thought about her own appearance and began rummaging through her purse for a hair band. Will placed his hand over hers and shook his head.

"Please tell me what happened," Elise requested in a firm tone, one familiar to school children brought into her office after a fight.

Before Will could open his mouth, Beth cleared her throat and squeezed hand as a warning to tread lightly. "Well, it's kind of a blur." He quickly explained the events that had occurred as well as he could recall them. "And that's pretty much it."

"Mmm, hmm, and did he lose consciousness?"

"Well, that's hard to say," he answered as, again, his wife squeezed his hand. "When I reached him, he did show some signs of disorientation, but I'm not sure if he was coming out of the dream or if he had blacked out for a moment."

"But he could move everything and had no difficulty talking?" she pressed on.

"No, I mean, yes -- oh, for heaven's sake, Elise, the man's injured!" Unable to bear no more of his wife's squeezes or his passenger's patronizing questions, he shouted, "He didn't pick a fight with a kid on the playground, you know!"

"Ellie," Beth tried to intervene, "Richard's leg is broken. We know the break is below his knee, and we could see the bone sticking out. It looked horrifying." She shuddered, then took in a deep breath and continued, "Will thinks that maybe Rich's shoulder's dislocated and he might have broken his arm."

"I see," she answered curtly and met Beth's curious stare with her eyes registering no emotion. "Thank you for explaining the situation so fully. Now I'll be prepared."

"'Now you'll be prepared?'" Will repeated, incredulously. "Well, that makes one of us!"

"Will," Beth again grabbed his hand and pleaded with him, "you've got to calm down. I know you're all wound up and worried about Richard, but you can't charge in there barking at everybody."

"No," Elise agreed calmly, "that wouldn't do at all."

Beth's hand flew up to cover her husband's mouth, before he could say any more. In moments, he pulled up to the Emergency entrance. "Fitzwilliam, why don't you drop us off, and we'll meet you inside, okay?" He nodded angrily, and Beth pulled on the door handle before the car came to a complete stop. She knew when Will had reached his limit, and Elise's detached questions and responses had pushed him over.

The truck's tires squealed off after Elise closed her door and joined Beth on the sidewalk. "My goodness, he's emotional, isn't he?" she asked no one in particular.

Beth grabbed Elise's arm and pulled it, so that the women stood face-to-face. "What in the world is your problem?" Beth demanded. "Why are you acting as if you're dealing with school business? Richard is your fiancé. I mean, I didn't expect you to be hysterical, but this, this is…" She stopped as she watched Elise's posture sag and her head fall.

"This is what I do to keep it together when I am hysterical." Elise's voice shook. "Richard saw me like this when my mother died." She took a deep breath and raised her head to look at Beth as Will ran up to join them. "I know you don't understand, but this is how I survive when things go bad."

Will reached out and took hold of Elise's hand. "We do understand," he replied in a much calmer tone. "I'm sorry for yelling. I figured it out as I nearly drove up the retaining wall."

"It's okay," Elise said, gently pulling her hand away. "Now, we need to get inside and see if they'll tell us what's happening."

More than an hour later, a nurse came and informed them that Richard had regained consciousness and had refused a Life Flight out of Bryan. She told them that the doctors would need to deal with not only Richard's broken leg, but with a dislocated shoulder and a broken wrist. The hospital had contacted an orthopedic specialist from Ann Arbor's VA hospital, who had agreed to come and perform the surgery. The nurse, in an attempt to comfort the family, assured them that the surgeon had a great deal of experience in dealing with military injuries. She empathized with Richard over not wanting to leave his family. even if the hospital they wanted to move him to was only an hour away.

She directed them to move to the pre op unit waiting room, where they sat for another hour before they received permission to see Richard. Each one took a deep breath and then walked toward his room. Suddenly, Elise stopped and suggested that Will go in first. "Maybe he won't want to see all of us together", she explained, nervously. "Or maybe he'll just want to see you, Will."

"I doubt that," Beth replied and reached out to take Elise's hand. "But maybe you should go in first, darling." She smiled to encourage him. "We'll be right here. Besides, I imagine there's a good chance Georgie will come bursting in at any moment, since it's been well over an hour since you talked to her and then Seth."

Will nodded in agreement, quickly kissed the woman who kept him sane, and walked resolutely into his cousin's room. There, he found Richard awake, but drowsy and dazed, a combination brought about by his earlier shock and sedation. His leg looked strange, immobilized and elevated above his head, and a unit of blood hung at his side. "Well, here we are again," Richard spoke first through a forced smile. "Not as bad as last time, though."

Sitting down next to the bed, Will nodded and decided he'd play along and try to make light of the situation. "Way better than last time. And do you know why?"

"You mean aside from the fact that I'm not in Afghanistan waiting for someone to find me? And you're not lovesick over Elizabeth?"

"It's better because there are two women out there waiting for us, women who love us, and who are going to help us though whatever comes next. That, my friend, makes this infinitely better than last time." Will leaned forward in the chair as he spoke and watched Richard intently. "Do you remember anything before you fell, anything at all?"

"I must have been dreaming, but, I swear, I've never done anything like this before. I know that Ellie and I had a serious conversation today…or I guess yesterday by now, and the pastor gave me a lot to think about. I wanted to talk to you and Elizabeth about that stuff, but with the party and everything, I didn't get a chance – I just figured we'd talk on Sunday." He shook his head in combination of bewilderment and frustration. "What brought me out of that bed and into the hallway, I haven't a clue."

"It's alright," Will attempted to calm him by putting his hand on his good arm. "What matters now is that this surgeon fixes you up, so we can get back to business."

"Oh, lord, physical torture again." He cringed at the thought and attempted to grab his cousin's arm in an attempt to pull himself up. Through gritted teeth, he implored, "I've got to be able to walk Ellie up that aisle. No cane, no limp, do you understand?"

"Hey," his cousin admonished strongly, "cut that out! They'll kick us out if you get all riled up."

"I mean it," his eyes flashed with intensity. They sat quietly for a minute and Richard seemed to drift off. Suddenly his eyes flew open. "Callie! Callie needs to know I'm okay. You need to bring her after the surgery; promise me. I know I scared her half to death. Promise me, promise me you'll bring her here." He sighed deeply, his head falling back against the pillow, and closed his eyes again, not waiting for Will's reply; he knew his cousin would grant his request.

Elise stood in the doorway and watched the two men talk. They're closer than most brothers. And how he loves that child. I pray that I can give him one of his own. Lost in her thoughts, she barely heard when Richard told her to quit lurking in the doorway and join the party. Out of the corner of her eye, she became aware of Will vacating his chair, and she shook her head to clear her mind. "I'm sorry," she answered his tease, "I didn't mean to lurk. I thought you might be asleep."

Will gripped Richard's hand again before leaving. "I'll be waiting – we'll all be waiting for you to come out of surgery. Prepare yourself for Seth and Georgiana, too; they're on their way. You can't run from us now." He motioned for Elise to take the seat and, with one last look at his lifelong friend; he left the room to go find comfort from his wife.

As Elise began slowly walking across the room to his bed, Richard again tried to sit up, but his weariness kept him down. "Listen to me, carefully," he commanded. Though his voice sounded weak and strained, she could see the love in his eyes. "I can already tell that Elise Roberts just walked into this room. I don't like her," he spit out. "I don't want to talk to her; I don't want to hold her hand, and I especially don't want to kiss her. I want my Ellie beside me, so that I can tell her everything is going to be alright, that I've been through much worse than this and survived."

Elsie startled at his accurate perception, but doubted she could let down her guard and let him see the terror his condition caused her. "Richard, I –"

"No!" he demanded firmly, "I mean it. Release that bun and let your hair down, so I can feel it wrap around me when I kiss you. I know you're scared, sweetheart, and I'm sorry this happened. I'm a little scared, too, and I need my Ellie." He closed his eyes again, exhausted from the combination of emotions and pain killers.

When he opened them again, Elise's head rested on his chest and her hair flowed across it. She cried quietly. He bent his head down to kiss first the long tresses, then her lips as she looked up at him in anguish. "We're going to be alright, Ellie. This was just a stupid accident. No stairs in the new house, so you don't need to worry about me ever doing anything like this again," he smiled, weakly.

The nurse interrupted them, announcing that the surgeon had arrived and that they'd move Richard to be prepped for the operation in a few minutes. Georgiana stood hidden behind the nurse, peeking over the woman's shoulder. Gathering her courage, she solemnly approached the bed while the nurse added more sedation to his IV. "Richard," Georgiana held back a sob, "they'll fix this; I know they will. We'll all help, like last year."

"It's okay. I just fell down some stairs, you guys; it's going to be okay. Quit acting like I'm going to die or something. I mean it!" His eyes fluttered shut again, and the nurse said it was time for him to head to surgery.

Beth had entered the room, Will right behind her, and she and Georgiana kissed Richard on the cheek and patted his good shoulder, which caused him to stir a little to thank them. Will came forward, nudged him slightly and asked how it felt to have three women fawning over him. "Like I'm finally Brad Pitt, and you're his brother," he managed, reminding Will of the conversation they'd after taking Georgiana to BG.

"I'll explain that later," Will laughed to the three curious women as he ushered Beth and his sister out of the room.

"I'll see you soon, Ellie," Richard spoke softly, his words slightly slurred. "I love you."

Trembling and tearful, she managed to choke out, "I love you, too."

If the nurse wondered at all the emotional people, she said nothing. An orderly in surgical garb came in and wheeled Richard down the hall.

Seth arrived a little after eight and the group filled him in on Richard's condition. Justin had accompanied him, and the young man immediately sat down next to Georgiana to comfort her. Elise called Cammi. She offered to come and sit with the group, but Elise declined, promising to call her if she needed her. Beth's head rested on Will's shoulder, and she fell into a light slumber, prompting everyone to whisper.

The nurse had told them that the surgery would take at least two hours, and handed Elise a pager. She explained that it had two modes to alert them: one would light up and vibrate when Mr. Stephens was in recovery; the other would blink off and on, again vibrating, if a member of the surgical team wanted to speak to the family. Elise gripped the black plastic disk like a life line while she stared off into space. Glimpsing at Will, and then at Georgiana, Seth finally settled in a chair next to Elise and asked what she was holding. After listening to her answer, he nodded, then told her not to worry because his brother was one tough cookie.

About that time Rachel entered the waiting room, having been called by Georgiana when she was on her way from Bowling Green. She quietly walked up to the group and quickly caught Seth's eye. Without thinking, he bounded out of the chair and into her arms. At first, the group stared at the couple holding onto one another so tightly. Then, when Seth's shoulders began rapidly rising and falling, Georgiana finding the situation stressful, cried, too, and Justin reached out and gripped her hand more tightly. Will's cell phone chirping brought everybody back from their individual musings, and, when seeing his home phone number displayed, he flipped it open.

He listened for a moment, then answered, "Sorry, Mamacita, we just sat down in the waiting room, maybe fifteen minutes ago….Yes, he's in surgery now….yeah, his leg's broken; they called a…a compound fracture…No, no, it's not in the same place he injured it in Afghanistan; although, they did say that they found some shrapnel on the x-ray and that they might remove it, just to get it out of there…" He continued the litany of Richard's injuries to her before pausing again to listen to her question. "The kids are all here. Did Callie go back to bed?" he frowned when he received the answer. "Let me speak to her, please."

Beth had awakened, but her head remained on Will's shoulder and her arms wrapped around him. He kissed the top of her head and asked if she wanted to talk to Callie after he finished. Receiving her nod, his attention snapped back to the phone as he heard Callie answer. "Callie," he said calmly, "Uncle Richard is in surgery; they're going to fix his leg…No, it won't hurt him because they give him medication to make him sleep through it…Yes, like you see on TV…He wanted me to tell you that he wants to see you very soon…Yes, he wants you to come and visit him…No, Bella can't come; she's not allowed. It's okay if you don't want her to come." Will's eyes smiled, listening to his daughter's conversation; the rest of the family grinned benevolently. "Honey," he continued gently, "you have to get some sleep now. Juanita says you've been crying all night and scolding Bella. Why are you angry with Bella?... Well, Callie, puppies need their sleep. She doesn't understand that you're upset…Even if you tell her, she doesn't get it. I'm giving the phone to your momma now, but you have to promise me that you'll go back to bed and get some sleep …Yes, we'll let you know when Uncle Richard's out of surgery and tell you how he's doing. okay?...Here's your momma. I love you, Callie," he said with a smile.

Will kissed Beth's cheek and handed her the phone. Beth repeated much of what Will had said, and Callie eventually agreed to go upstairs and try to sleep. She handed the phone to Juanita, and Beth could hear her daughter tell Jorge that her momma told her she had to go to sleep, so she was going to try. Juanita asked a few more questions, and then Jorge came on the line to ask a few more. Beth handed the phone back to Will, and he and Jorge spoke for a while. Before Will ended the call, he heard Juanita tell her husband that Callie refused to sleep in her room and that instead, she had climbed into Richard's bed and had quickly fallen asleep.

The young couples dozed lightly in their chairs as did Beth. Only Will and Elise sat perfectly still and wide awake. A volunteer approached Elise and asked if she could bring her some coffee or something. At first, Elise declined, but after giving it some thought, she admitted that a cup of tea would be nice. Will shook his head no when asked. He worried that Beth, thinking that she would need to eat something soon as their little one demanded his momma to have a full belly most of the time. No sooner had that thought crossed his mind, than Ed and Marie entered the waiting area carrying sacks of donuts, milk, juice and fruit.

Justin and Rachel stood up, hugged their parents and thanked them for coming after Rachel had called them enroute herself. Everyone, now fully awake, thanked them for the goodies. Beth scrambled out of the vinyl settee and hugged her friend, then lunged for a container of milk and a donut. "I was just dreaming of eating something, and I know my stomach growled," she laughed and looked down before sinking her teeth into the glazed cruller. "Ellie," she said quietly so as not to startle her, "Ellie, please eat a little something. It won't do for us to collapse when we get the chance to see him." She smiled, and looked around at all the worried faces. "You know what, guys, we should say a prayer. I know I'd feel better if we did."

The group nodded in agreement and in a few moments, they stood shoulder-to-shoulder, in a circle, and held hands while Beth prayed for guidance for the surgeon's hands, Richard's quick recovery, the strength of everyone there and those waiting at the farm. She thanked God for their families, for the friends they all shared, and for Elise coming back into Richard's life. Lastly, she said thanks for the food and joked that donuts needed all the prayers they could get to take away the calories. Quiet chuckles lifted the group's spirits, and they all said amen.

Elise stood ramrod straight afterward, and Will and Beth each saw her start to tremble. Walking over together, they held her tightly and let her cry as she repeated her love for Richard and how grateful she was to have joined with his loving family and friends. After a few moments, she regained control, though in a more relaxed manner. She did eat a donut and a banana while listening to the conversations flowing around her.

The beeper in her hand began buzzing two hours after Richard had gone into surgery, as predicted. The noise startled everyone, causing Elise to drop it. Seth quickly picked it up and carried it to the nurses' desk, where a volunteer who told him that Richard was in recovery and that the surgeon would come out shortly to talk to them. The volunteer lead them to a small conference room where they waited in apprehensive silence.

After a firm knock, a distinguished looking, middle-aged woman dressed in scrubs entered the room and introduced herself as Dr. Wilson. She first assured them that Richard's condition was stable and that there had been no complications during surgery. She explained the details of his fracture. She continued, telling them that due to bruising of the tissue around the fracture and to splinters of the bone they couldn't remove, they had attached a device called an external fixator to his leg with a series of screws.

She cautioned them that infection was the biggest threat, but since they'd dealt with the wound quickly and properly, they hoped for the best. She asked several questions about his previous injury and subsequent recovery, and she told them she had cleaned up some debris she discovered while operating. Explaining that his recovery would be long and arduous, she also said that she expected him to regain full use of the leg, barring any unforeseen complications.

Will stood up and shook her hand, thanking her on behalf of the entire group. He asked how long Richard would be in the hospital. She replied that it would take a few days in order to allow the IV antibiotics to work and to permit her to observe how he would recover from the stress of the accident and surgery. Surveying all the worried faces, she repeated her belief that he would be fine and recover well, but again emphasized that it would be a long recovery. She said she'd check on him throughout the next several hours and then, if no problems arose, she'd cede his care to the doctors on staff at the hospital.

"He won't be able to get therapy on his leg for awhile, will he?" Seth asked, obviously distressed.

"No," she answered honestly, "he cannot bear weight while in the fixator, so a wheelchair will have to do. Besides, we have to give that shoulder and wrist a chance to heal as well. That must be some kind of stairway he fell down."

"How long will he be in this 'fixator'?" Will questioned her, frowning in remembrance of Richard's fall.

"About six weeks; long enough for the bone to begin calcifying – healing itself," she explained before their eyes glassed over with medical terminology. "Then, he'll come back to have the device removed and go into a regular cast."

Will groaned in disbelief as did almost everyone listening. "And then?"

"I know this is a lot to take in," she attempted a little smile, "but I didn't want to take any chances with that leg, considering his other one is somewhat weakened from all the damage of the blast a year ago."

"He's been through so much," Elise stated to no one in particular.

The surgeon moved toward Elise. "Are you the wife?" she asked calmly.

"Fiancée" she replied, but couldn't make eye contact.

She placed her hand on Elise's shoulder. "We make them tough in the army. He's obviously seen quite a bit of action. I'm going to suggest that he go back to some support groups." She glanced around to see the shocked faces in the room. "As you said, he's been through a lot. Probably more than you all even know. I saw a lot of old scars, and he's been over there three times, remember."

Will thanked her for coming down from Ann Arbor, and she acknowledged that once she heard Richard's name, she remembered acting as a consultant on his case when they called from the field after finding him. This news astounded Will and those assembled. He reached over and shook her hand again, thanking her profusely for helping his cousin yet again. Taking in all the gratitude, she laughed, "Don't thank me yet. When he gets a look at that fixator, he'll be cursing me, I'm sure." She excused herself and left the room.

Ed had produced his Blackberry and had googled the terms she'd mentioned: compound fracture and external fixator. "It sounds like something that should go on a car, not a human," he exclaimed, and then he read the information that repeated much of what the surgeon had explained. He passed the phone around for everyone to see the picture of the device.

"Will!" Georgiana cried in anguish at seeing the image, "it looks like some medieval torture device!"

Seth, after viewing it, looked a little green around the gills, "Oh, god, he's gonna lose it when he sees this." He shook his head and passed the phone on to Beth and Will.

Beth gasped as new tears formed and spilled. Poor Will had Georgiana crying on one side of him and his wife on the other. He looked over to Justin, helplessly. The younger man took the hint and moved to stand beside Georgiana, gently pulling her towards him. Will grimaced at the picture as well and hesitated at handing it over to Elise.

"It's okay, Will," she said bravely. "I've seen one before. A student where I used to teach had one. It worked well for her; she recovered nicely." Still, Elise didn't look at the phone, just passed it on to Marie.

Eventually, the group moved back to the waiting room, and, after some time, a nurse appeared and asked for Ellie Simmons. Elise smiled at the use of her maiden name, and quickly stood up and walked toward the nurse. "That's me," she said.

The nurse eyed her up and down and then turned to address the group. "Well, he's awake and giving us all the devil. He's already informed us that he's a retired Army officer and would brook no babying or double talk," she stood with hands on her hips in mock severity. "He demanded he speak to you, dear, but he also said to make sure that you answered as Ellie, whatever that means. Anyway, you can see him for a minute before we wheel him up to the floor." She addressed the group again, "He also commanded that you could come and stare at him for a few moments, but then you need to go home, all of you. Now, who's Fitzwilliam?" Will stepped forward with a furrowed brow. "Yes, that would be you, just as he described. He told me to tell you that you're not to hang around and spoil his chance to be Brad Pitt. They're a little loopy after coming around, but maybe you know what that's all about." She smiled and led Elise away, chatting with her as they walked.

"The man is a menace," Will groaned. Beth laughed at his comment as well as in relief and, she insisted that her husband explain the tale of Brad Pitt to the rest of the group that he had explained earlier to Elise, Georgiana and her.

The nurse took Elise to Richard's room, where she saw him lying with his eyes closed. His pale face told the story of his ordeal, but the nurse assured Elise that he came through well. Hearing voices, he slowly opened his eyes and attempted a weak smile when he focused on his attractive, but clearly worried, fiancé. "Hi, beautiful," he said a little hoarsely.

"Are you losing your voice from barking all kinds of orders in here?" she teased as best she could. A tear escaped down her cheek. She bent over and kissed him gently, aware of all the bruises and abrasions, as a sob caused her to tremble.

"Please stop, Ellie. It's going to be alright. I'm going to be alright." He had clearly not seen his leg, nor did it register that his arm hung in a sling with his wrist immobilized in a cast. "Ellie," he whispered so softly that she had to move her head close to his mouth, "I don't want to wait. Can we get married as soon as possible? I can't do this without you with me, everyday."

Before she could answer, his eyes closed and he fell into a deep, drug-induced sleep. The nurse monitoring him looked over at Elise's shocked face and smiled. "Don't worry, honey, he won't remember he even said it. He's been a real hoot ever since he woke up."

Elise smiled at the nurse and continued to hold Richard's uninjured hand, careful not to disturb the tubes attached to it, until the nurse informed her that they needed to move Richard up to his room.

Chapter 24

Posted on 2010-05-15

Of all the people who visited him the day after the surgery, Seth seemed the most affected. He held on to Rachel's hand, using it as his anchor, as they silently approached Richard's bed. Elise sat on the side of his uninjured arm and held his hand, dozing in a chair pushed up against his bed. Thinking that Richard, too, slept, Seth stopped about two feet away from the bed, audibly gasping when he surveyed all the damage Richard's tumble had wrought.

"Seth," Rachel said gently, returning the squeeze to her hand, "he's going to be alright. Everything's going to be alright."

Seth's head hung and the tears streamed down his face. "He's all I have…of my family…he's all I have. He's finally being a brother to me, and now this." He looked up at the ceiling, unwilling to meet Rachel's eyes. "I mean, come on, hasn't our family had enough already? And to make matters worse, I'm never even here for him." His voiced raised which awakened Elise. Richard, eyes closed, lying still, winced for causing his little brother so much anguish.

Will and Beth stood outside the door awaiting their turn, but at Seth's outburst, Will strode quickly in to help calm him down. Georgiana had also heard, and broke away from Justin to see to her family. Elise felt Richard's grip tighten, and she stood up to caress his face with her free hand.

Upon seeing Will, Seth turned to him for comfort; Will embraced the young man as he sobbed. No sooner had Will begun with Seth, than Georgiana joined the embrace. Will looked over at Richard, and the two men exchanged heartfelt looks of pain and loss. Elise kissed Richard on the forehead and murmured that she'd be back. She silently moved over to Rachel, took her by the hand, and headed to the door; the two women left the Stephens family to regroup.

"Little man," Will referred to Seth, using his favorite nick name for his younger cousin, "I know he looks pretty beat up, and I'm not belittling what happened, but this is nothing compared to last year. You guys didn't see him in the hospital. None of us saw the worst when they pulled him out of the rubble."

"Hey," Richard called to them, "I'm right here, you know. Come over here." As they moved toward his bed Georgiana broke from the rest and walked around to hold his hand while Seth continued to shake his head and look at the floor. Richard took a deep breath, then began speaking, "I'm sorry I keep giving you things to worry about. I've had the bad dreams before, often, in fact, but I have no idea what set this off." Turning his eyes to his younger brother, he commanded in as strong of a voice as he could muster, "Seth, look at me! I am not all you have. We have each other and, now, so much more. We have Elizabeth and the girls and a baby on the way. And we also have Ellie. We're getting our family back, Seth. It's not the same; I know that, but this time we're building a family." He looked around the room. "Where is Elizabeth? She's one of us now; she can't deny that."

"I'm out here, in the hall," Beth called as she walked into the room. "I wanted to give you all a moment." She continued walking but, instead of reaching for Will, she took hold of Seth's arm and pulled her to him. "He's not leaving you, Seth. Not today. We're all here, and God knows how much we love each other. And you are here for him. Right now, today, you're here for him." The young man held onto Beth tightly as he let the tears flow, and the fear of being alone, the fear he'd always felt lying below the surface, slowly but surely loosened its grip on him.

Though saddened by Seth's emotions as another reminder of how deeply they all felt at times, Will looked upon his family with gratitude and pride. "Listen, guys," he stood behind Beth as she continued to embrace Seth. "This is a setback for Richard, no doubt about it. We didn't plan for this, but it's nobody's fault. We'll face it by doing what we always do, and we'll get through it. And Rich is right; we are building an amazing family." He looked around at his loved ones and smiled. Then, his voice cracking, he added, "Our parents would be so very proud of us."

At this point, Elise cautiously rejoined the group. She smiled when Georgiana turned and hugged her. The younger woman leaned downed and kissed her cousin on the cheek and relinquished his hand to Elise. Ellie gazed at the man she loved and drew a deep breath, then faced the family. "You're a wonderful family, and you've obviously accepted Elizabeth and her daughters as your own." Her gaze rested on each person as she looked around the room. "I love this man; I love him so much. He needs me now, more than ever. I want to be here for him, and for all of you." Her eyes turned pointedly to Seth and Georgiana, whom she knew still harbored doubts about her and her past with Richard. "Do you think that you could find it in your hearts to let me in, to give me a chance?"

"Ellie," Will answered for the group, "you don't have to beg to be a part of this clan. I think it's pretty much a done deal, right?" He looked at his family, expectantly.

"You don't have to answer," Elise offered quietly. "But the thing is, Richard asked me to marry him, and now, because of the accident, he wants to get married sooner, not later. And I agree." She turned to see Richard smiling, quite smugly. "You do remember what you said in recovery, don't you?" She poked him lightly, playfully, on the chest.

"I do." His eyes, full of love and mischief, spoke volumes to Elise. Will and Beth couldn't help but notice.

"But what about the walking her down the aisle with no limp part?" Will couldn't help but tease his cousin. "What about the macho man?"

"He hit his head," Richard stated simply, bringing smiles to everyone, including Seth. "Will, can you make this happen? Can we get married here, in the room, or in the chapel or something? I need Ellie to come home with me when I get out of here." He turned to Elise and searched her face, earnestly, "Are you sure? You're not just agreeing out of some weird sense that you owe me or something?"

"I do owe you," she answered while bending over to kiss him gently. "I owe you my heart and my life, but that's not why I said 'yes'. I said 'yes' because I need to be with you, too. I want to help, and I want to be with you."

Beth heard them exchange the tender words, but kept her eyes on her husband, studying him. She could almost see the wheels turning in his mind as his eyes suddenly lit up with one of his famous plans. Smiling to herself, she waited to see what he would propose to the group. He did not disappoint.

"Okay," he began as he rubbed his hands together, "here's the deal." Groans and dramatic sighs filled the air in response. Richard laughed as best he could, for his ribs had taken a beating. "Hey," Will cast a defensive grimace at them all, "you asked if I can make it happen and I think I can. First, we'll call the pastor and see if he can do the ceremony here, and find out from him what we'd have to do. Then, we can go to work in the pool house and make it livable for you two. It's got everything you need: bathroom, kitchenette, your equipment," he nodded at Richard," and we can clear out space for the wheelchair to get all around it, just like last year."

"You know" Beth's face shone with amusement and a little pride in her Mr. Fixit, "that just might work. Guys, we can make this work."

Before they all got too carried away, the nurse appeared and shooed them out, citing the patient's need for rest. As Will and Beth prepared to leave, Richard reminded them to bring Callie as soon as possible. Will teased Elise about having a rival for her future husband's affections, but she coyly smiled and assured him that she wasn't worried.

Little Bella caught Richard's eye when he visited the contractor at his home a couple of weeks before Christmas. To Richard's amusement, his friend explained that the pups had been born the same day as Will and Elizabeth's wedding. An idea formed and then got stuck in Richard's head that Callie would love the puppy and the two of them could train it together. Bella was neither the most aggressive nor the most docile of the litter, a fact that Richard had gone home and researched, finding it to be a good sign in choosing a dog. He struck a deal with the contractor and made arrangements. Juanita agreed to keep the pup a few days, so that Richard could easily give it to Callie on Christmas morning. The favored uncle lived in blissful ignorance of just how much work and, at times, frustration, a pup could be – especially a beagle pup.

During her short ten week tenure at the farmhouse, Bella had single handedly chewed through several pillows, Callie's slippers and a pair of Richard's dress shoes. Anything that was left on the floor, she considered her own, so two of Callie's fashion dolls, a stuffed rabbit and several crayons also lost their battle to little puppy teeth. Though a little cross at times, Callie soon realized that if she left an item on the floor, she had no one to blame but herself if Bella destroyed, mangled or otherwise annihilated anything left on the floor.

A bundle of nonstop energy, the puppy's silliness caused the family to laugh as she ran from room to room at full-speed. Then, without warning, she'd drop down, legs extended, and sleep for hours as if frozen. Will began referring to her as "rigor mortis puppy" and he'd entertain himself by lifting her stiff legs as she slept and then allowing them to drop back into position without Bella acknowledging any intrusion on her rest. All too soon, though, her battery would recharge and the black, tan and white blur would again race through the house, under furniture and through unsuspecting human legs.

Other Bella highlights included the time when Pastor Paul had stopped by after visiting with Mrs. Greenwood. Beth and he had sat in the living room discussing how to help the elderly woman when Bella pranced in with a prize possession clenched between her jaws. Unfortunately for Beth, the item just happened to be the French maid costume she had thrown in the laundry basket. Bella delighted in the basket, esteeming it as a treasure trove of smells and softies which provided all sorts of fun. Eyeing the pastor as a potential playmate, the darling dog presented him with the outfit, complete with slobber.

So Bella made a name for herself in the Stephen's house and, as a testament of all the hard work that went into the training, even Will admitted she was growing into a beautiful, if not a little stubborn, young lady. The family forgave her her little indiscretions, and the training showed signs of actually sticking – as much as could be expected with any beagle.

But Bella's mistress did not forget what had happened the morning of Richard's accident, nor was she quick to forgive either her dog or herself for what she perceived the real reason behind her favorite uncle's misery – she had left the balloons to fall to the floor, and Bella had played with them until they popped.

The Stephens' family returned from the hospital a little after noon. Juanita and Jorge stayed at the farmhouse and entertained Jeannie downstairs while the rest of the family slept . Jorge took Jeannie out to the stable and she enjoyed working and running about under his watchful eye. Several times she caught sight of her butterflies or any flying insect for that matter, and she'd run after them in her futile attempts at capture.

As Juanita prepared one of her classic dishes in the kitchen, Callie appeared and stood by her side. "Calita," Juanita playfully tapped the little girl on her nose as she spoke, "Jorge is outside with Jeannie. Go play, niña." She looked around for Bella. "Where's the pup?"

"I don't know," Callie answered sharply and turned to leave the room.

"You need to know," Juanita admonished, gently. "She's your dog."

"I guess," the little girl answered with her back still turned to Mamacita.

"Of course she is. Ricardo gave you Bella from his heart. He loves you and Bella." She looked at Callie with concern as she had never seen the child so downcast and withdrawn.

"He's hurt," Callie said.

"Si, yes, but he will be okay, Calita. Your papi says so to me." Before she could say anything further, Callie left the kitchen without a word. Bella ran up behind, but didn't make it through the closing door. The pup let out a little yelp at it's smushed nose, but Callie did not open the door to let her follow..

Juanita stood in puzzlement over Callie's behavior and shook her head. She walked over to the door and let the rejected beagle out and watched through the window as Callie continued to ignore the prancing animal. The lost princess plopped onto her swing but did not move, ignoring her chatting sister as well. Clucking to herself, Juanita chalked Callie's behavior up to the fright of the morning and believed all would be well once Callie saw that Ricardo was going to be fine.

The delicious smells of Juanita's cooking reached the upstairs and by five o'clock everyone had wandered into the kitchen to eat and regroup. Georgiana assisted Mamacita in carrying the feast out to the dining room, and Jorge appeared with Jeannie and Bella, but no Callie.

"She says she's not hungry," he explained when questioned by his wife. "Jeannie and I worked together all day, didn't we?" He smiled proudly at the bundle of energy who chattered away about the horses and the bugs and the spiders she had discovered in the stable.

Beth repeatedly shot troubled glances toward the hallway, her actions speaking loud and clear to her husband. Will, unhappy with seeing his wife's distress, excused himself to go find his younger daughter and comfort her. Once again our lives take an unexpected turn. Callie's just getting used to sharing Richard with Elise and, now, she's had to see him all banged up It's not fair.. He shook his head as he opened the kitchen door and stepped out onto the deck. The swing sat empty, her bike abandoned on the ground a few feet away, and a favorite doll forsaken on top of a planter.

Walking past the evidence of a little girl too distraught to play, Will made his way down to the stable with the hope that Callie needed Butterscotch the pony in the same way he had needed his horse, Magic. on many, many occasions. Approaching Butterscotch's stall, Will bent down and saw Callie's legs sticking out and he smiled at the correctness of his instincts. The smile quickly faded when he heard her sobbing. Flicking open the latch, he moved to her side and lovingly scooped her up.

"Callie, honey, please don't cry." He kissed the top of her head as he sat down on a bale of hay in the corner. "We all miss you inside. Juanita made a great supper, but it's not the same without you." He attempted to soothe her in his most reassuring voice.

She shook her head against his chest. "Uncle Richard's not there either," she hiccoughed and clung to her daddy's shirt.

"That's true, but, Callie, he's going to be alright." He pulled a handkerchief out of his pocket, but when he offered it to her, Callie shook her head and pushed it deeper into his chest, crying all the harder.

"Y-y-you d-d-don't know that, D-D-Daddy," she wailed. "M-m-momma said he was h-h-hurt before by b-b-bad people. She s-s-said it took a l-l-l-long time 'til he was b-b-better."

Will sighed, knowing that the truth would be the best way to address her fears. "Yes, that's true. Uncle Richard was hurt very badly last year, before you moved up here. But by the time you saw him - almost a year ago now - he was doing really well, almost all better. He was barely limping. I bet you didn't even realize that he'd been hurt then."

Callie listened to her daddy speak, and his voice rumbled through his chest into her ear. Any other time, she would have laughed at the sound, but now she just held on and tried to figure out how to tell her daddy that it was all her fault, and Bella's, that Uncle Richard had been hurt again. "Daddy," she asked in a small voice as she allowed him to wipe her tears, "what happened to the bad person that hurt Uncle Richard last time?"

Groaning inwardly, Will searched his brain to find the best way to answer his daughter's question. Callie picked up on the fact that her daddy didn't answer right away which added to her turmoil. "Well," Will began tentatively, "that person hurt themselves very badly, too" He paused, still unsure what to say next. "Uncle Richard never saw her again."

"Her?" she asked as her head snapped up to reveal wide eyes and a gaping mouth. "A girl hurt Uncle Richard then, too?" She began crying again and attempted to push herself off of Will's lap.

"Well, yes, Callie, it was a young woman, but what do you mean hurting him then, too?" He held her to him firmly, unwilling to allow her to leave his embrace. She didn't answer and, finally, collapsed into him again. Will said no more; he rocked his body and whispered how much he loved her as he knew her uncle also did, as well as her momma and everyone else in the family. He had no idea how to further comfort her, and when he mentioned taking her into town to see Richard whenever she wanted, she sobbed harder and protested that she couldn't see him. Thinking that she meant right at that moment, Will didn't pursue the topic any further quietly rocking her and smoothing her hair. Finally, with her energy mostly spent, she did admit to being a little hungry and she let her daddy lead her back to the house for a bite to eat with the family.

As Will and Beth lay in bed at the end of the exhausting and emotional day, he recounted the whole of his conversation with Callie to his wife. Sighing deeply, Beth wondered at Callie's behavior, but both parents assumed, as had Juanita earlier, that the child was terribly upset by everything that had happened and they hoped that she would calm down as soon as she saw Richard and how well he was doing.

"What if I swing by the house and pick you up tomorrow, after I leave SKAT, and then we'll collect Callie from school and take her to him?" Will offered the best solution he could think of to help.

"That might work," Beth agreed, still concerned about her daughter, "I just hope she gets some rest and will alright at school"

They talked a while longer, making plans for the wedding and the pool house, armed with ideas and suggestions from Elise and Richard, when Beth suddenly gasped and bolted upright in the bed. "Fitzwilliam, I know who can help us get the pool house in perfect condition for Richard," she said, a huge grin spreading across her face.

"Who?" he asked, laughing at her spurt of energy.

"Jason Johnson," she answered smugly, watching Will's eyes squint in confusion. "Jason is an occupational therapist. He'd know exactly how to set that place up."

"You're right, but didn't he say he worked with kids?" He began tracing her jaw line with his finger.

"Yes," Beth admitted while attempting to stay focused despite her husband's distraction. "But he has to have some experience with adults somewhere down the line."

Will followed his finger with his lips, bestowing light kisses. "Well, if you…want to call….him, and you….think he'd be game…sounds like a plan."

"Good, and I like your plan, too," she replied in a husky whisper, drawn in by his scheme and no longer able to concentrate on Jason or the pool house.

By Monday afternoon's return trip from Ft. Wayne, Will had talked with the pastor and secured his agreement to perform the wedding. Paul made his agreement conditional, however, requiring the couple to continue to meet with him after the ceremony, for ongoing marital counseling. Will couldn't answer for Richard and Elise, but he believed that they wouldn't have a problem with receiving additional help for their relationship. The pastor said he would visit with Richard the next day, and talk to Elise soon as well.

Beth phoned Samuel and told him about Richard's accident. Samuel recalled with a shudder how intimidating a figure Richard cut but said he felt genuinely sorry to hear about, not just this accident, but about the scars, physical and mental, that remained with the man from his service. The older gentleman couldn't help feeling elated that Beth thought of him and Jason as a source of help for her family. By the end of the conversation, Samuel had given Jason's number to Beth and assured her that they would help in any way that they could.

After Samuel had hung up, Beth sat with the phone in her hand for several minutes. She contemplated what she had done: she had called her father and asked for his help and the help of her half brother. She was treating them like real family. Momentarily thunderstruck, she started to dial Will's cell phone, but then stopped. Taking a deep breath, she said a quick prayer and dialed Jason's number instead.

Jason Johnson, or JJ, as his family and little clients called him, strode through the therapy room picking up odd toys and adaptive equipment to put them away after his morning sessions. His typical days began at the therapy offices, seeing preschoolers and their parents, and then, after lunch, he visited the homes of children too fragile to travel, due to illness, surgical recovery or psychiatric issues.

Pitching the toys in the bin to be washed, he swung by the break room to grab a cup of coffee before settling at his desk to write up the day's therapy notes. His cell phone chirped, reminding him that he had a message. During his last session, he had noticed that his father had called, but he hadn't had time to check his message or return his call before his cell rang again.

"Hello?" he asked, not recognizing the number.

"Is this Jason?" the female voice responded.

"Yes, this is Jason Johnson. May I ask who's calling?" He hoped it was a new parent as his case load had dwindled of late, due to his company losing a hospital contract to another therapy service.

"Hi, Jason, it's Elizabeth Stephens," Beth paused, "I hope I'm not interrupting a session or anything."

For a second, Jason's mind raced, trying to figure out why the name sounded familiar. Then, he almost choked on his coffee as he realized just who was on the other end of the conversation. "Oh, sorry, Elizabeth, I swallowed my coffee a little too quickly," he lied and found himself sitting straight in the chair and wishing he had checked his voicemail.

"Oh," This seemed like such a great idea last night. She squared her shoulders and tried again. "Jason, I'm calling you in a professional capacity – not with my daughter Jeannie, but with Will's cousin, Richard Stephens."

Jason relaxed a little. He could handle speaking with her professionally; it was the personal issues surrounding her very existence that he didn't think he could discuss. "Why, what's he need?" he asked with his most empathetic voice.

Beth launched into the details about Richard's situation and touched on his injuries from the year before. Jason asked several questions, and she answered them to the best of her ability. Unfortunately, because she hadn't been around at the time, she had no idea about many of the things he wanted to know and could only repeat what others had told her.

Cutting to the chase, she explained, "What we need is someone to help us rearrange the pool house to make it more user friendly for Richard, so can move about freely and take care of himself as much as possible. "He's getting married in a few days and his new wife will be with him, but the key detail is that he's fiercely independent."

"As are most of us men, right?" he added, not realizing how sarcastic he sounded.

Beth smiled into the phone. Another injured male comes into my life. I'm going to have to trust you, Lord. "Well, Jason," she replied judiciously," I can't speak for most men, but the Stephens men are; they've had to be to survive. Someday one of us will tell you their story. Suffice it to say that I thought of you and your area of expertise."

"Hmm, well, I have to say I'm surprised you thought to call me. I wasn't exactly mister warm and friendly last week." He fidgeted in his seat, recalling that his behavior had actually bordered on rudeness which his father had been all too quick to call him on.

"True," Beth agreed, "but then, I think we all felt a little awkward. Listen, Jason, I know you don't know me or my family very well, and I'll understand if you don't want to get involved with us, but we really need some help." She bit her lip and waited to hear his reply.

Jason listened and admired Beth for speaking forthrightly. If there was one thing he hated, it was a woman who beat around the bush or attempted to deceive. He'd had enough of that. "Well, it's true that I think this whole situation is a bit weird, but my dad is happy that you and he made headway when you were in town. I do have some open time in my schedule at the end of the week. Could you send me some pictures, so I know what type of space you're talking about? " I can't believe I'm saying this. "And then, maybe, Pop and I can come up this weekend, and I can take a look and offer some suggestions."

Beth closed her eyes and thanked God for answered prayers. "Jason, you don't know how much we'd appreciate that – how I appreciate that. Please give me your email address, and Will or I will send you pictures tonight, or tomorrow."

They talked a few more minutes, exchanging information and tentatively set up a time to talk again on Wednesday. Jason hung up the phone and shook his head in disbelief. Ten minutes before, he would have laughed at the idea of going up north with his dad to spend time with his half sister, but there he was, making plans to do just that. Dad will be over the moon.

Beth hung up and nervously rubbed her belly. "I've really done it now, little one. Your poor grandma is spinning in her grave."

After picking Beth up at the farm, the couple headed into town to secure Callie. They compared notes on their conversations and each felt much had been accomplished that day. Will expressed some concern about Jason, due to the attitude he'd displayed at their first meeting, but Beth assured him that they'd made a tentative peace over the phone. The mere fact that Jason was willing to come up to Pemberville," she assured her husband, "spoke volumes about the man."

As they approached town, Beth's cell phone rang. Seeing that it was Elise's number, she answered quickly. "Ellie, is everything okay?" she asked with mild concern. Richard had insisted that Elise go back to work, and she agreed that she would be better off with something to occupy her mind instead of worrying about him. Still, Beth couldn't help but be concerned at seeing her number flash.

"Well," Elise replied hesitantly, "if you mean is Rich okay, then the answer is yes; but Callie's a different story. I just spoke with her teacher; Callie's had quite a rough day. The only thing that kept her from being sent to my office seems to be that she melted into tears about Rich; so they talked to her quite a bit and tried to calm her down.

"Oh, dear," Beth fidgeted in her seat, "this whole thing has just rocked her world. We were on our way to pick her up and take her to see Richard, so we're only about five minutes from the school."

"She's outside my office right now. I had her brought to me and told her that she could ride with me to the hospital. I had to call you first and make sure it was okay. Elizabeth," Elise paused a moment before continuing, "one of the things Callie said in class today was that she planned to leave home and run away."

Beth gasped, "What? Why would she say something like that?" She looked over at Will, who asked if there was a problem. Beth wasted no time in sharing the information Elise had just told her. "Will, what is going on with her?" She turned her attention back to the phone, "Ellie, we'll see you in a few minutes. Please don't let Callie out of your sight.'

"Don't worry about that," Elise attempted to comfort Beth; "we'll be here."

The worried parents walked quickly to the office and found Elise and Callie sharing some raisins and flavored water. Callie appeared calm, but when she saw Will and Beth, tears began rolling down her face. "Momma," the girl cried as she flung herself into Beth's embrace, "I've had a bad day."

"Yes, honey," Will bent down to her level, "Ellie told us a little about it, but we want to hear it from you. Why do you want to leave the farm?"

"Daddy," she hung her head and refused to look at him, "I have to."

Beth began to protest, but Will held up his hand and kept his eyes fixed on his daughter. "You have to?"

"Yes," she answered dejectedly.

"Why do you think you have to leave, Callie?" Will began to think that they were finally getting to the crux of the issue.

"You told me yesterday that the girl that hurt Uncle Richard hurt herself, and he never saw her again," she spoke just above a whisper. "The best way I could hurt myself is to leave the farm, and then he won't have to see me, either." She began sobbing into her mommas protruding stomach.

Will's eyes locked with Beth's, and their pain and confusion grew stronger. However, they believed that if Will kept going, they could get to the bottom of the problem. "Callie," he continued in the most soothing tone he could muster, "why do you think you need to hurt yourself? You're not the girl who hurt Richard."

Callie tore herself away from Beth and stood in front of Will. "Yes I am!" she practically screamed. "It's all my fault! Me and stupid Bella! And, now, I have to go away so he can get better again." She turned on her heel with every intention of running, but Will caught her by the arm and hugged her to him. She fought him for a moment, but then her guilt and fear got the best of her, and she collapsed against his chest with violent sobs.

Elise had moved around her desk to stand close to Beth to show her support. When Callie yelled out her confession, both women gasped, and Ellie reached out to hold onto Beth's arm. They turned their confused expressions to each other and then back down to Will. He rocked his daughter, murmuring soothing words into her ear, and motioned for Beth to sit in one of the chairs, before she fell down. When Callie's sobs began to lessen, Will released her from his embrace, then, retrieved his handkerchief, to wipe her tears.

He lifted her chin with his index finger and inwardly winced at all the pain and self-recrimination he saw in her innocent face. Taking a deep breath, he questioned her again, as gently as he could.. "Callie, what did you and Bella do to Uncle Richard?"

The tears welled again, and she sputtered, "B-b-balloons, t-t-the balloons, D-daddy."

"What about the balloons?"

"I had the b-b-balloons in my room…" she managed between hiccoughs.

"Yes, the balloons from the party…" Will encouraged her to continue, beginning to understand.

Callie went on to tearfully explain how the balloons fell to the floor during the night."B-B-Bella likes them"

"Yes, she does."

"Daddy," she squeaked out in a whisper, "B-b-bella popped the balloons." Her red, swollen eyes pleaded with his to understand.

Will nodded his head and glanced up to see not only Beth's tear-streaked face, but also Elise's, before he returned his loving gaze to his distraught little girl. "So, Bella played with the balloons that were in your room, the ones from your birthday party, and they popped."

"Yes," she whispered again.

"And…" he prompted, quietly.

"And Jeannie and Uncle Richard and me heard the popping." She let out a sob, "I didn't mean it, Daddy. I d-d-didn't mean for the balloons to scare anyone."

Will's heart broke for his daughter. He again looked up at Beth and Elise. Beth stood up and approached her child. "Callie," she cooed as she awkwardly knelt down to the girl's level. "it was an accident. You are not responsible for hurting Uncle Richard. Neither is Bella. Oh, honey," she gathered her heartsick daughter into her embrace while Will moved around to hug them both. "My poor love, you've felt guilty and angry and scared for two days. Sweetheart, this was not you fault. "

"Callie," Will joined in, "you're not like the girl who hurt Richard last time. She meant to hurt people; this was an unfortunate accident. When the balloons popped, Richard was dreaming. He thought they were something else; they scared him, and he ran out of his room."

"Daddy," she looked up Will intently, "are you sure? Are you sure Uncle Richard will want to see me again when he finds out it was me and Bella?"

Will return her gaze just as intently, "I'm positive. Richard loves you so much; Bella, too. There's no way he'll blame you for this. He will be very cross that you blamed yourself, so you'd better stop that right now, don't you think?"

"Yes, Daddy," she agreed before looking around for Elise. She then, contritely, lamented, "I didn't mean to hurt Uncle Richard and ruin your wedding."

"Callie," Elise moved toward the group, placing her hand on the girl's shoulder and squeezing lightly. "You didn't ruin our wedding. We're going to get married even sooner, now; but I'll let Rich tell you all about it. Are you ready to go to the hospital to see him? He misses you so much."

Callie nodded, and as Will assisted Beth to stand upright, Elise and Callie embraced. Beth took hold of Callie's hand. Will motioned to the door, telling Beth that he'd meet her and Callie at the truck in a moment. He and Elise watched mother and daughter walk out of the office; Callie turned around once to get another smile of assurance from her father. Will then faced Elise and asked her to call Richard and fill him in on all that had happened.

Elise nodded as she gathered her things, promising him that she'd call from her car. "You were fantastic with her, Will." "I can tell that you must be really good at what you do. There are several children here who could use your help, you know."

Will chuckled, "I have my hands full with just my family – including the big goof ball we're headed off to see. You realize, of course, that he's now going to blame himself for causing Callie so much distress, and the vicious cycle continues." He slapped himself on the forehead with the heel of his hand.

Elise stopped and shifted her weight in agitation. "Will, you're right; he will. I'm going to call him right now."

Will nodded and strode through the office, smiling at the staff who acknowledged the board member in their midst. Brushing his hand through his hair, he sighed, trying to settle after all the emotion of his encounter with Callie. He felt gratitude that the truth had come out. With a chuckle, he thought, Only the Stephens family can manage to create a catastrophe by mixing together a puppy, a retired soldier, and a few balloons. Who'd ever think it possible?