PART 2
"Pressin' against that window ain't gonna make us go any faster," Nick chuckled from his seat next to Jo.
"I know, but…I guess I'm just so-" Jo paused as the train jolted a bit, "excited! I mean Nick, imagine it! A whole month with the kids. It seems like forever since I've seen them."
"Jo, it's only been a year," he said.
"I know that…but I just can't wait. And Franz! Oh how long it seems since I last saw him! I wonder if-"
"Three minutes!" shouted the conductor. With that simple statement, Jo lost all train of thought, and gathered her things together. In what was really less then three minutes, but what seemed like more than 3 years to Jo, the train pulled into the station. Like a giddy child on Christmas morning she bounded from the train towards her…'Christmas tree?'
"Nick, we'll come back and pick up the trunks…I want to find Franz…do you think someone here would….oh! Oh, excuse me!" she called. Walking past Nick's grinning form she approached a man inside the ticket booth. "Would you happen to know where Mr. and Mrs. Franz Bhaer live?" she asked.
"Ooh, Mr. Bhaer aye?" the man said with an odd accent, "He be livin' down at the end of the road. That green house down there. Ye be family?"
"Yes," Jo said with a warm smile, already inching her way down the street.
"Always good to have family at times like these," the man said with a solemn expression.
"Times like what?" Nick asked, fully aware of Jo's squirming.
"Well…considerin' what happened and all," the man drawled on.
"What happened?" Jo said suggestively, not even really listening.
"You mean ye don't know? 'Bout the Misses. She had them babies beginnin' this week…'cept….'cept she herself didn't fair so good."
"What do you mean?" Jo asked, her attention fully fixed on the man now.
"She passed on," was all he said. There was silence for a moment, and then Jo abruptly walked back towards the station, in the opposite direction of Franz's house.
"Thank ya," Nick said kindly, and then excused himself to go after Jo. She was facing away from him, a hand up by her face. "Jo?" Nick said softly. She was silent though.
"We….we should probably go," she said softly as Nick nodded. She paused and then reached out to find comfort in his arms. He encircled her with his arms lightly, but then gently guided her away. She tried to push other lines of thought out of her mind and focus on Franz as she gave him a smile and began to walk down the street. As soon as she knocked on the door she could hear the babies crying. As they waited for the door to open, Jo noticed some of the townsfolk…well…staring.
"Aunt Jo!" Franz exclaimed, taking a few steps back as he opened the door. Noticing the looks on their faces he said, "You heard." Jo looked him straight in the eye, and then simply walked over to him and hugged him. He grabbed onto her tightly and breathed out a breath that he had been holding for….well…a week. Nick took a moment to look around the house…and the disarray it had fallen into. After Jo and Franz had finally parted, Franz reached out a hand to shake Nick's, and was much surprised when Nick pulled him into a hug.
"Knowin' what it's like when ya loose people ya love, I just wanna let ya know that Jo and me are always here for ya," he said. Franz nodded his head, and both moved over to where Jo was leaning over two little 'bundles of joy.'
"Twins!" breathed Jo.
"Yes, they're fine. Two girls. They came out of it with no harm," he said, smiling down at them.
"Their names?" Jo asked with a smile.
"Well, umm…the one on the right is Belle Bethany Bhaer, and the one on the left is Josephine Anna Bhaer," he smiled.
"Jo?" Jo commented, wonder in her voice. Franz just smiled and looked at her in admiration and pleasure. "And Bethany…that can't be-"
"Your sister," he said quietly, "From everything you've said, she was a very admirable woman who's life was over before it had begun. Anna is a favorite relative of Isabel's, and I'd like to think of it as a form of Nan…and Belle…well…"
Jo nodded and picked up little Jo-Anna. "Here darling! How is my little niece?" The baby gurgled in her arms, causing everyone to laugh. Jo looked intently at Franz again and simply said, "We're here now…you don't have to do this alone anymore."
Later that night, a light snow fell over the town as Franz sat outside in a thin coat. Inside, Jo pushed back her hair and wiped her hands on her apron again. "I'm going to go out and talk to Franz," she said, pulling her coat and a blanket from some pegs on the wall. The second the door closed, one of the babies began to stir.
"Oooh," Nick said in apprehension, "Please…noo…no no no, don't do this, not now…" He looked in agony at the door, and back at the baby…
Jo sat down quietly next to Franz and draped the blanket over his shoulders. "Careful not to catch cold Daddy," she joked. Franz simply sat in silence for a few minutes…as if making up his mind.
"Aunt Jo," he said suddenly, "I want to thank you so much for everything you've been doing all day long today…cleaning, cooking, tending to the girls-"
"Oh Franz, it was nothing really I-"
"Hear me out Aunt Jo," he said gently but firmly, "I appreciate what you've done…but I want to stop this before it starts. I need you now Aunt Jo, more then ever - in some ways. But I can't have you doing these things for me. The girls and I need to figure out how to make do on our own." He took a deep breath, wondering at how she would respond.
"Well," Jo said, taking a deep breath, "I…umm…" Franz looked down at his shoes, clearly upset now. "Franz!" she said quickly, not wanting him to get the wrong impression, "I…I'm sorry. I shouldn't have done everything for you in the first place. This is your home now." She smiled and reached up a hand to touch his face, "This place has changed you Franz…so much…your uncle would be so proud."
"Thank you, Aunt Jo," he said, reaching up to squeeze her hand.
"But, you will come see Dan with us, won't you?" Jo asked. At Franz's unsure glance she went on, "Please…only a month. You can stay with us until Christmas. And like you said, WE need each other right now." Franz slowly nodded and squeezed Jo's hand. "I better go see how Nick's doing with those girls of yours," she said with a grin. She squeezed his shoulder before slowly walking back into the house.
What she saw inside both startled her and touched her. Nick sat with one of the girls in his arms, gently rocking her. "You kinda look like yer Aunt Jo," he said softly, "But least you let me get a word in every now 'n then!" Jo stifled a giggle as she walked up silently behind them. "You know," Nick went on softly, "Always wondered what it'd be like to have a kid of my own…say, I figure you know 'bout this stuff, right? Ya think I'd make a good dad?"
"Oh I agree with you little Jo Anna," Jo's voice cut in, "After all, he's already proven himself to be one many times before." She knelt down next to him and the baby grabbed her finger and giggled. Their gazes shifted from the baby right into each other's eyes, where they shared a deep look.
"Well!" Franz burst in, interrupting their moment, "How are my girls fairing?"
"Fine," Jo said, breaking off the gaze first, "They're being taken care of by their Uncle." That remark caused another look to pass between Jo and Nick…yet this one had many more layers underneath it… "Time for bed! We've got a big day ahead of us tomorrow!" smiled, gently picking up Belle and moving into the children's room. She didn't notice Nick's eyes following her the entire time, a troubled look on his face.
Dan adjusted his vest as he walked up and down the train station platform for the millionth time. He had dressed nicer than usual…yet he didn't want to dress in his best and then seem too overdressed. Confusing thoughts like that had been running through his mind for most of the morning. Suddenly he stopped, hearing a train whistle in the distance. He took a deep breath and put his hat on. Then he took it off. Then…he put it on. Finally, he just held it in his hands, and shook his own head at himself.
As the train pulled in and people began getting off, Dan kept on craning his neck to see a familiar face. Suddenly, one, then two emerged from the crowd. "Mrs. Jo! Nick!" he called. Hearing the voice Jo quickly caught sight of Dan and brusquely walked towards him.
"Dan," she said simply, yet so much emotion was conveyed in that simple word. She hugged Dan so tightly…surely more tightly than the day he had left Concord. Afterwards, Nick was waiting behind her.
"Hey Nick," Dan said, trying now very hard to keep his joy and great admiration, even after all these years, under close check.
"Hey Dan," was Nick's reply, simple like Jo's, yet conveying the admiration he now felt for Dan. He took Dan's outstretched hand and pulled him into a hug.
"This is great, I'm so glad to have ya guys here," Dan said with his grin, "We can wait for the others in my office and talk there. So if ya wanna get your luggage now, or later…"
"Wait Dan," Jo said, a smile playing on her lips, "There's one piece of luggage - three actually that we simply can't leave." With smiles, Jo and Nick parted a bit, and off behind them was Franz, carrying two small baskets. Jo ran over to take them, and lead Franz over to where Dan was. The look that the two boys - men - shared was far beyond words.
"What's….what?" Dan began, looking in confusion at the baskets…which were now making giggling/gurgling noises.
"These are my daughters, Jo and Belle," Franz said, looking at them with pride.
"Well," Dan asked in confusion, looking around, "Where's Isabel." A silence came over the three. Nick rubbed the back of his neck and looked at Jo.
She was about to reply when Franz said, "Isabel passed away while in childbirth." Dan looked at Franz, his gaze steady and solid; he knew what loosing people you loved was like…they all did. So he simply hugged Franz tightly. Jo's eyes, already full of tears, threatened to overflow. She and Nick shared another look, more meaningful this time than ever before, and she said, "Well, how about me and my three favorite guys go see that office of yours Dan?" Franz took the children back and they set off, Jo's arms linked through Nick's and Dan's.
"Bess, ya look beautiful," Nat said in answer to her question.
"But…what…what…Nat, remember when I said I wasn't nervous?" she said, smoothing her burgundy dress, complete with black lace around the edges.
"Next stop Coalville!" cried the conductor.
"Yeah," Nat said in distraction.
As she yanked his coat in her direction, her eyes wide, she said, "I lied!" Nat nodded and patted her hands.
"Bess, now look at me," he instructed, "It'll be fine, okay, just fine."
"But Nat," she said, getting more serious, "We've written what…two, maybe three letters to each other over the last year? What do you think that means?"
"Look Bess, he wrote to me about as much as he wrote to you. Maybe Dan's just not a writing person okay? That doesn't change how he feels about you. He loves you." The train slowly stopped as Nat said his final words.
"Just hold my hand," she smiled as Nat began to get up. In reply he took her hand and gave it an extra squeeze as they got in the line of passengers getting off the train.
Outside, Dan, Jo, and Nick stood waiting. "I'm sure Bess will be delighted to see Franz's children," Jo smiled.
"I'm sure Dan'll be delighted to be seein' Bess," Nick chuckled. Jo elbowed him, but he bumped her back in return.
Before their playful fight could go any farther Dan said, "I see them." He literally froze at the sight of Bess…she was more beautiful than ever…his eyebrows crinkled though, at the sight of her squeezing Nat's hand, and him patting it reassuringly.
"Bess! Nat!" Jo called. As Jo and Nick had done earlier, Nat and Bess quickly walked over to the happy trio. Many hugs and greetings and funny words were passed along until the only thing left for Dan to do was…actually welcome Bess. Jo and Nick, sensing his need to do this alone, both became suddenly over-interested in Nat, pulling him aside with them.
"Dan," Bess breathed the word seemingly, "You look wonderful."
"So do you Bess…beautiful," he said, his eyes darting up to meet hers. She leaned in, suddenly wondering why she had been so nervous. This was Dan! She knew Dan better than anyone else in the world. She slowly and sweetly kissed him, her eyes closed, savoring the moment. When she pulled back, Dan took both her hands in his and squeezed them gently.
"Mother, Father, Asia, and Aunt Meg are coming tomorrow," she said with a soft smile.
Dan nodded and said, "Can't wait." They gazed at each other in silence until the other three joined them again.
"Bess, if Dan does that all day, it'll seem just like the paper staff hmm?" Nat chuckled, soliciting laughs from everyone.
"But I don't travel so far on uncomfortable and dirty trains to see the paper staff Nat, do I?" she grinned. They all, once again, made their way towards the Sheriff's office/jail (*grin*) to see Franz, and wait for the final train of that day - the train that would bring them Nan.
PART 3
