Radclyffe - Crossroads

Annie took the piece of scone Hollis broke off and nibbled on it. “You should eat the rest of that before I do.”

“Oh.” Hollis grinned and bit into the scone, instantly moaning with pleasure. “You got this from Principato’s, didn’t you?”

“From the grocer at the corner of Morris. They got it from Principato’s.”

“Good to know,” Hollis said around another bite. “Fabulous.”

“Mom!” Callie raced up with a blond boy right behind her. “We’re going to Mike’s tomorrow, right?”

“We are.” Annie smiled up at Robin. “Hi. Robin, this is Hollis Monroe.”

“Hi.” Robin held out her hand to Hollis. “We’ve met, but you probably don’t remember me. I’m Robin Henderson, Linda O’Malley’s wife. She’s a nurse at PMC.”

“Of course. I know Linda,” Hollis said. “Good to see you again.”

Robin pointed across the park to the side opposite Hollis’s house. “We’re just over there on School House. We’re having a neighborhood thing tomorrow about one. You’re invited—just follow the noise.”

“Uh.” Hollis floundered. A neighborhood thing was so far out of her comfort zone, her instant response was to make up an excuse.

Robin must have read her discomfort and added, “Having an escort under three feet in height is not a requirement.”

Hollis laughed and glanced at Annie and Callie, both of whom were watching her. Annie had said they were going. She’d know someone, at least. She was probably imagining that Annie seemed anxious for her answer. “Okay. Sure, that sounds great. Thanks.”

“Great. See you then.” Robin tugged Mike’s striped T-shirt sleeve. “Let’s go home and make Mommy some tea. What do you say?”

“’Kay.”

“We ought to go too.” Annie stood and took Callie’s hand. “You should try sleeping at home and not on the bench, Hollis.”

“I will. Thanks for the scone.”

Annie smiled. “Anytime. See you tomorrow.”

“Have a great day,” Hollis said, watching Annie walk away with Robin and the kids. She couldn’t believe she’d just agreed to go to a neighborhood barbecue, and knowing why didn’t make it any less crazy. Annie was going to be there, and she wanted to see her again.

Chapter Eight

The phone rang and Annie checked the clock. She rarely had unexpected calls—she had no family who might suddenly decide to get in touch, no close friends who might ring with an impromptu invitation to go out, and no romantic pursuers who might call for a date. When her phone rang, it was always business. Eight thirty. Callie had been in bed a little while, and she’d just made a bowl of popcorn and picked out a book to read. Saturday night and she had big plans.

“Hello?”

“Annie,” Cindy Caprood said apologetically, “I know you’re off this weekend, but Donna Drake just called and she’s in labor. So is Felicia Simmons.”

“It’s got to be the full moon. They’re both a week early. I’ll find a sitter and head over to Donna’s.”

“I’d try to get there if Felicia moves along, but I know Donna’s really counting on you being there.”

“That’s okay. Your time will come.”

Cindy laughed. “Oh, don’t I know it, and it’ll be three in the morning.”

“Would you mind calling her back and telling her I’ll be there as soon as I can? They know what to do, and if she’s in early stages, she’s got plenty of time.”

“From the sounds of it, she’s not moving that quickly. I’ll make sure she calls me if anything changes before you get there.”

“Thanks.”

Annie rang off and sorted through her list of possibles for emergency childcare. Everyone who helped at short notice was part of her group. JoAnn and Andrea were both on call, so Suzanne was probably her best bet. Even better, she lived around the corner. She called, and Suz answered on the third ring.

“Suz? It’s Annie. I’ve got an emergency.”

“No problem. Bring her by. She can stay as long as you need.”

“There’s a good chance it’ll be all night. It’s Donna Drake, and even if she delivers before morning, I’ll need to stay until I’m sure she and the baby are both settled.”

“No problem.”

“Listen—I don’t know what you’ve got planned for tomorrow, but I promised Callie I’d take her to the barbecue at Linda and Robin’s. If I can’t get there—”

“Don’t worry. Just pack clothes for her for tomorrow. Dan and I were going anyway.”

“Great, thanks. She’ll be so disappointed if she doesn’t get to go.”

“If you need anything else, just give me a call.”

“You got it.” Annie grabbed the overnight bag she kept packed and stashed in her bedroom closet and added extra clothes for Callie for the next day. Then she wrapped Callie in a travel blanket and scooped her up.

Callie opened her eyes. “Where we going, Mommy?”

“To Suz’s.”

“Okay.” Callie’s head drooped against Annie’s shoulder and she went back to sleep. She smelled like sunshine and miracles. Annie kissed the top of her head. “I love you, baby. More than anything.”

Twenty-five minutes later, Annie pulled into the drive of a single-family Victorian in East Falls, a mile from PMC and three from her apartment. The first- and second-floor lights were blazing. She parked behind the old Volvo wagon, collected her equipment bag from the trunk, and climbed the wide wooden stairs to the porch that wrapped three-quarters around the house. The front door opened before she had a chance to ring the brass doorbell.

“You’re here,” Donna’s husband Mark said with just the barest hint of relief in his voice. Tall and broad-shouldered, he taught math at Textile and had a quiet, understated sense of humor. His dark brown hair was thinning on top, but his still unlined face and faintly rosy cheeks made him look boyish.

“Hi, Mark. The baby decided to make an early appearance, I understand.” Annie smiled and Mark smiled back, his joy warming her.

“We do everything early in our family.”

“Do you have the baby kit ready?” Annie followed Mark through the house to the screened-in back porch. Donna and Mark had decided they wanted to give birth outside, or as close to outside as they could get and still have a secure and sanitary place to welcome the baby. She’d given them a list of what they’d need to have ready for the birth a month ago—supplies, clothes for the baby, towels, and linens.

“Everything you asked for is there. If you need anything else—”

“Don’t worry. You go be with Donna. I’ll take care of the details, that’s why I’m here.”

Mark and Donna were second-timers—their first child had been born in the hospital, and though they’d had no problems, Donna had found the experience impersonal and a little alienating. They’d made the choice to have this child at home. Donna had no risk factors—she was young and healthy and had normal blood pressure, no familial or personal history of diabetes, no clotting disorders, nothing that might raise a red flag. Still, Annie was always on the lookout for problems so that complications might be avoided before they happened. She’d last seen Donna just a few weeks before, and she’d been progressing perfectly.

“Hi,” Annie said, walking out onto the back porch where Mark knelt by a lounger, holding Donna’s hand. The night was warm, and Mark had set up a portable heater to keep the area comfortable during the night. Donna, shorter than Mark by almost a foot, had flaming red hair and a spatter of freckles across her nose. Her loose T-shirt, one of Mark’s probably, said College of Textiles across her breasts. Her rounded belly rested on her thighs, her legs folded as she reclined on the lounger.