A Christmas Surprise Page 5

  “That doesn’t look small to me, husband. What is it?”

  “You’ll have to open it to find out.”

  “How did you sneak something this big past me?” Betsy asked as she tore away layers of paper until she came to a framed painting. She stared at it in amazement and delight. “It’s the cabin. How did you do this?”

  “I called the Peters several weeks ago and commissioned their son to do this painting for you. And don’t worry, David didn’t charge much, so our budget is fine. They hid it in Jamie’s old room before we arrived. I thought we could hang it over the fireplace at home. We have such good memories of this place. Remember when I proposed to you in the kitchen before we were almost discovered in a very compromising position by your parents.”

  Betsy laughed. “I remember. I thought I would die of panic and embarrassment when I heard steps on the porch and looked over and saw the door knob turning.”

  “You should have been in my shoes. There I was getting ready to ask your parents for their blessing after they returned from their walk, but our feelings carried us away. Lucky for us, they’re understanding, even pretended not to notice our flushed faces or my tight jeans that day.”

  “They’re just glad we’re so much in love. I know my father thought a lot of you asking for his blessing. It’s old fashioned, but so romantic,” Betsy affirmed, her voice soft and her gaze glowing as she reminisced.

  “I’m darn lucky he said yes. I don’t know what I would have done if he had said no or acted cold to me. I was so nervous he would refuse, but I don’t know why. I respect your parents a great deal and I just wanted them to be happy and give us the encouragement we needed to go out and start our new future together. Parents today don’t realize how much harm they can do by not accepting their children’s choices. Marriage is hard enough these days without any additional burdens by one’s family. We’re lucky that both sides were so delighted by our marriage. Their blessings and support have helped us get through a lot of hard times.”

  For a moment, Tommy’s gaze looked sad, but Betsy knew why: his mother’s condition which prevented Mrs. Reed from recognizing them and being involved in their life. She caressed Tommy’s cheek and said, “We are very lucky. I’m thankful every day that we met and you chose me for your wife. I hope we still feel the same fifty years from now. The statistics aren’t on our side, you know?”

  “Yes, I do, but we have so much going for us, Bets. I can’t imagine us not making it, mainly because I can’t imagine life without you. Now, enough of this mushy stuff. Let’s get some dinner cooking. I’m hungry.”

  “You should be. You must have burned a zillion calories already this weekend.”

  “Well, feed me again, sweetheart, ‘cause I need to burn some more.”

  AFTER DINNER, TOMMY decided it was time for a serious talk. He knew intuitively something was really bothering her. He began, “Now, tell me what’s been going on with you. And don’t say ‘Nothing’, Bets, because I know you better than that.”

  Betsy realized there was no time like the present to get over this quandary. She took a deep breath and said, “Tommy, there is something I need to discuss with you.”

  “Let’s sit by the fire where we can relax and talk.” After they were on the sofa, he asked, “What’s on your mind, Bets?” He knew he was finally going to get answers. What he didn’t like was the serious tone his wife was using or the rigid way she was holding her body, signs the news could be bad.

  “I haven’t been entirely up front with you about what’s been happening with me these last few days. I didn’t want to tell you anything until I was certain the tests were accurate. It would be cruel to burden you with this news and then tell you it was a mistake. We’ve made many plans for the next several years for ourselves, but those plans will have to wait because this event will take top priority for a while.”

  Betsy took a deep breath to still her trembling and went on, “I had my follow up appointment with Doctor Williams last week and got my test results yesterday. I’ve been having a slight problem that I haven’t bothered you with because I didn’t want to give you anything else to worry about considering what’s been happening lately. But I need to talk to you about what he discovered during my exam. He had prescribed medication to help with the problem at my first post-op appointment. But with everything that happened in the last six months, I haven’t been able to follow up with him as I should have. He told me then if my problem didn’t straighten out, he would determine another course of treatment. Well, nature has chosen a path of it’s own.”

  Tommy had the worst feeling of impending doom he had ever experienced. The doctor must have discovered something else, worse than the cyst he had originally thought was causing her problems. Oh, God, he couldn’t lose her now! He needed her just as he needed air to breathe, water to drink, and food to nourish his body. She fed his mind, his spirit, and his entire being. Tommy felt dizzy with fear. No, he must be strong and listen to whatever she was going to divulge. He would be there for her as she had been there for him, and together they could handle anything. He wondered if that was why a strange look had crossed her face when she uttered almost those exact words earlier when they lit the Christmas tree?

  His mind shouted that this couldn’t be happening to her, to him, to them! There must be some mistake! He recalled how he had been there many times to console Betsy’s brother after the loss of his wife, and he wondered how Jamie managed to get up and moving each morning. Tommy’s mind replied it was because he had a son to take care of. Why, he wondered, did he have the feeling her news was going to be bad? The last year must have affected him more than he’d realized. He probably was getting all worked up for nothing and she would be telling him that soon. Wouldn’t she? He prayed for God not to take her from him.

  “I hope you’ll forgive me for not telling you sooner, because now you won’t have much time to deal with your emotions before—“

  They both jumped as the ringing of the phone cut into Betsy’s confession. Before Tommy could stop her, she punched the button which brought her parents’ voice over the speaker.

  “Mom, how are you doing?” Betsy asked, then put a finger over her lips and shook her head, letting him know not to mention their interrupted talk.

  Tommy wondered how in heaven’s name he was going to make them believe he was having the best time of his life when he felt as if his whole world was crashing around him? He prayed for a beautiful dream, not a terrible nightmare, especially not on Christmas Eve. No, he fretted, not tonight, not tomorrow, not next year, not ever!

  Chapter Four

  “EVERYTHING IS GREAT here, Mom. The Peters brought us a tree and we just finished decorating it. I wish you could see it in front of the fireplace. It looks wonderful. And before we forget, they made us promise to wish you all a very Merry Christmas.” Betsy rambled, trying to allow her husband time to catch his breath from her earlier implications. “Thanks for calling them last week. Mr. Peters came over and turned up the heat in the cabin, so it was nice and warm when we got here.”

  “Good, that was very thoughtful of him. I was going to send their Christmas gift with you two, but we’ll be up there for New Year’s. I’m glad you’re both having fun. We miss you and wish you were here. The slopes are full of people this weekend with the extra snow they had. I wish you could see little Mike in his snowsuit. I bet we’ve taken a million pictures of our grandson. I don’t think he knows what to make of all the white stuff on the ground, but he sure doesn’t like the cold. We’ve kept him inside most of the time.”

  Betsy smiled. Next year, their child would be too young to see the snow, so maybe they could come back here and enjoy their first family Christmas alone, just the three of them. She was amazed to discover that she was actually looking forward to having a child of Tommy’s. She could hardly believe it. She had thought she wanted to wait, but now that’s it
was actually happening . . . Well, she just hoped her husband didn’t pass out before they finished this conversation, so she could heal the wound her earlier words had caused.

  “Where’s my son-in-law? I haven’t heard a peep from him.”

  Tommy answered, “Right here, Mom. I’m glad you’re having a great time. I can’t wait to see the pictures when you get home. You’re stopping by the house before you come up to the cabin, aren’t you?”

  “Yes, we have to go home first because someone, namely your brother-in-law, has to return to his practice. Oh, the trials and tribulations of the working force. I don’t know if we’ll be coming out here next year, though. Mike will be getting older and we’ll probably want to spend Christmas at home. Besides, I don’t want the responsibility for a plane crash because the gifts overloaded it. This trip was our present to ourselves and to your brother. He needed it as much as we did.”

  “I’m glad you persuaded Jamie to go. I’m sorry we had to miss it, Mom, but I’ve enjoyed having my husband to myself for a few days. With our crazy schedules, we don’t get to spend much time together so it’s nice to relax and enjoy each other’s company. What’s the phone number there and we’ll call you in the morning to wish you a Merry Christmas?”

  Betsy’s mom told her the number, then handed the phone to the others who were waiting to talk to them. Betsy heard the pain in her brother’s voice as he tried to celebrate his first Christmas with his son, but without his wife. Her father talked about the slopes and asked when they were going to get together to exchange their presents. Betsy talked to little Mike as he cooed and she felt a strange fluttering in her stomach. She noticed Tommy was silent most of the time, lost in his own thoughts.

  As they disconnected the call, Betsy felt the strange fluttering again and put her hand to her stomach. Could it be? No, she probably had gas or something. She mentally counted the weeks on her fingers and audibly gasped. It could be! She hadn’t had her monthly flow for over five months. Their baby was already stirring within her. Their baby . . . Hers and Tommy’s. Tears began to flow down her cheeks as she realized how upset she had been and how much she had wished for this not to be true. Now the joy of what was occurring within her washed her with emotions as strong as the ocean’s waves during a storm.

  “Betsy? Sweetheart? Are you okay? Please tell me you’re okay. I love you so much. Whatever this is, we’ll conquer it together, I promise you. We can survive anything, as long as we have each other.” Betsy’s tears had him thoroughly shaken. He felt as if his entire world was breaking apart and he was desperately trying to find the Super Glue to fix it. “Please tell me what’s going on. I can’t stand this.”

  At the panicked tone of his voice, Betsy looked into her husband’s glistening eyes and smiled. “Tommy, I don’t know how to tell you this . . .”

  As her voice trailed off, Tommy urged, “Please try, sweetheart. I can’t take this suspense.”

  “Tommy, we’re going to have a baby.”

  At the unexpected news, Tommy gaped at her. “What?”

  “We’re having a baby.”

  “A . . . baby?” he stammered, not the news he had dreaded.

  “Yes, honey, and soon. I know we planned to wait a while, but there’s nothing we can do about it now. My period has been messed up since the surgery. At my first post op appointment, Doctor Williams gave me something which made it come that month, but I haven’t had one since. I did an early pregnancy test, but it came back negative. The doctor said it might take some time after the surgery to get things back to normal; then, everything happened with your mom, and I just got busy. And then, it was time for my next appointment. And then, they told me the test was positive. And . . . Please say something.” Betsy realized she had begun to ramble as she told her husband the news, but he simply stared at her with wide eyes and without uttering a word, as Mrs. Peters had warned her.

  “We’re having a . . . baby,” Tommy murmured in awe.

  “Yes, we covered that point. I have to go in one day next week to find out how far along I am, but it could be as much as four and a half months. The nurse assured me there shouldn’t be any complications coming this far after my surgery. I eat well and take good care of myself, but she said he still wants to run tests to make sure.” Betsy tried to erase the first fear that had come to her mind when she learned she was pregnant, the same one that might worry Tommy.

  “We’re having a baby.”

  “Tommy, you said that. Please say something else. I can get help during the day to take care of the baby so I can work part time and go back to school if Doctor Williams says it’s okay. I can study while he’s sleeping and go to the library on the weekends when you’re there to take care of him. I know this is not the way we planned things, but we’ll find ways to deal with this change. I realize we’ll have to tighten our budget belt, but I think we can manage fine. If not, I’ll keep working full time and postpone school until later. I admit I was upset at first, so I’ll understand if you need some time to adjust to this shock. It’s taken me two days to realize that I do want this baby and I want it now so we can enjoy the fun things with our children.”

  “Our children,” Tommy repeated.

  “I know this is a lot for you to deal with, especially since you’re trying to buy into Jimmy’s business and all, but it could be a good thing. Together we can make this work. Oh!” Betsy finished her plea with a soft gasp.

  Tommy jumped and asked, “What is it? What’s happening?”

  “I think the baby realizes I’m nervous or something. He’s starting to move around a bit.”

  “You can feel him already?”

  “Just now as we were talking on the phone with my parents, I felt him for the first time. At least, I think it’s the baby. It might just be gas or something, but I’m convinced it’s the baby.”

  “Can I feel it?” Tommy asked, his voice full of wonder.

  “I wish you could feel him, but he’s still too small. I promise to let you know as soon as you can. Tommy, please tell me what you’re thinking and feeling,” Betsy urged.

  “We’re having a baby.”

  “We covered that part already!” Betsy nearly shrieked at him, her nerves taut with foolish agitation. “What do you think? How do you feel?”

  “Like I’m the luckiest man in this entire world! I have a wonderful wife whom I love, and now we’re having a baby. Oh, God, Bets, for a while there, I thought you were going to tell me you had some dreaded disease or something. Man, this has been a rough year, but this Christmas is the best!” Tommy got up to pace the floor, his mind spinning with ideas.

  Suddenly, Tommy ran to the front door and yanked it open. “WE’RE HAVING A BABY!” he shouted to the mountains. He turned and smiled at his wife. “I LOVE MY WIFE AND WE’RE HAVING A BABY!” he shouted again as if there was someone else outside who had not heard him.

  Betsy laughed in amusement. “So I guess that means you’re okay with this?” she asked, smiling as she remembered Mrs. Peters’ earlier words of what she had accurately surmised Tommy’s reaction would be.

  “Okay? Okay? Bets, we’re having a baby. Of course, I’m okay. It’s okay. It’s wonderful. We’re having a baby.” He grinned at her.

  “I just need to be sure you’re happy and that you want to have this baby.”

  “Betsy Reed, more than any present you could have bought for me this year, this is the best thing you could give me. I’m going to be a father.” The wonder was still in Tommy’s voice as he uttered those words for the first time. “Wait. Are you sure there’s no danger of you . . .?” He let the unspoken words hang in the air as he looked closely at his wife.

  “If you’re thinking about Cathy, there’s always the possibility of something bad happening, no matter how healthy or careful one is. But I’m sure I’m not in any jeopardy. Cathy had a rare condition that caused so
me complications with her heart. I haven’t exhibited any symptoms of that. The only thing we should have to worry about is whether or not he has ten fingers and ten toes.”

  Tommy put his arms around his wife and said, “I love you, Mrs. Reed. You’re the most important thing in the world to me. I couldn’t bear to lose you. We’re having a baby,” he said again, as if he needed to hear those words many times to convince himself he wasn’t dreaming.

  Betsy smiled at him. “Yes, we are and we’re going to make some of the best parents around, just wait and see. I’m so glad and relieved you’re ready for this. As I said, we’ll have to tighten our belts a bit, because the baby is going to take up most of the extra money we saved, but we’ll manage.”

  “I guess now would be a good time to let you know my good Christmas news. Jimmy has made me an offer which is nearly impossible to refuse, especially now. It would mean a lot more money and insurance and everything,” Tommy hinted.

  “What has he offered you? I know you’ve been doing most of the bidding lately and getting most of the new clients.”

  “He’s ready for me to become a full partner. As my Christmas bonus this year, he’s given me a portion of the business and an option to purchase more as time goes on. You’ll still be able to go to school and hire a sitter for the baby and without having to work part time to help make ends meet. If you want to, that is. It’s up to you if you want to shuffle all of that. Man, I can’t believe this! We’re having a baby. I’ve dreamed many nights of the time when you would tell me that you were ready. I just didn’t expect you to tell me so soon.”

  “I didn’t, either. I was pretty upset when I first found out, because I wanted to do so much more before we had children. But Mrs. Peters said . . .”