DON'T MESS
WITH MOTHER NATURE!




THE UNBELIEVABLE CAMPAIGN..........by Coralynn

It took WandaSue all of a week to get the required number of signatures to get her name on the ballot for Mayor of the town. It is now just two and a half weeks till the election, which is turning her into a dynamo. She has done research on the her opponent, Vince Wells, the incumbent.
"Enough graft and corruption to rival the stink of that outhouse we had on The 1643 House!" she marvels. "I've gotta come off as the cleanest, most nature based earth mother I can, never mind I never had a child and the thought of it makes me retch."
She flips through several magazines, waiting in the dentist's office to get a couple cavities filled, poking the areas with her tongue, which shoots pain up into her head, but she's incapable of stopping. She flings down Field & Stream and starts in on Cosmopolitan. "Hmmmm, how to be a Goddess, in or out of bed, now that looks like my kind of article!"
She flips to the page indicated and sees a photo of a stiking looking woman in a toga. "Looks like an earth mother to me!" she thinks as she rips it out and stuffs it into her purse, "I have to get me a getup like that one! I can show up at the debate tomorrow night in it and totally knock everyone out! That Vince Wells doesn't have a prayer!"
She chuckles, remembering the late night phone call from BB, in which he yelled at her for using the name WandaSue Skaggs Montgomery on her campaign posters and fliers. Trading on a distinguised name, bringing it down into the gutter, was what he'd accused her of doing. She giggles just remembering how frustrated he sounded and how she totally blew it off, telling him that if he divorced her and she got half his wordly goods, then she'd change her last name. "A win-win situation if ya ask me!" she now mutters as the dental assistant calls her in for her session. Giving her sore teeth one more good poke with her tongue, she flounces into the room where the dentist is waiting, smiling.


JUST KICKIN' BACK......by Terri

"That must be it over there. Marty told me it was a grey clapboard house on stilts. He said when you cross the road by the lighthouse, look over to the left. He said you can't miss it, it is the only house there, " John said.
He deftly turned the 4-wheel drive SUV over the sandy road. The SUV bounced gently over the sand. He turned into the driveway. On the first floor was a garage. The house was accessible by stairs on the outside leading up to a house that sat on stilts. A wooden deck surrounded three sides of it.
"John, it is just so CUTE!" Rose said.
She got out of the car and massaged her back. John grinned. "And it is all ours for the next five days!"
They walked up the stairs and John got the key out. He pushed the door open. Inside, the house was furnished in shabby chic beach furniture.
"Kind of quaint, isn't it?" he said.
Rosamond walked into the bedroom. "Nicely done but not my taste. If we buy it, I want wicker, wicker and more wicker! And Adirondack deck chairs! I see a blue and white color scheme with accents of yellow."
John groaned. "How long have we been in the house now? Five minutes? And already you are redecorating. I'm going downstairs and getting the boxes of food. We brought enought to last a month!"
After he went down, Rosamond threw open the French doors and stepped onto the upstairs deck. She inhaled deeply the salt air. Wonderful! First time I have felt at peace in the last two months. John made several trips down to the car. When he carried the last of the boxes in, Rose started to put the groceries away.
John said, "We need to kind of conserve the water here. Everything but the toilets are on cistern water and the toilet flushes with salt water. Very efficient."
Rosamond said, "Are you keeping the car out or are you going to put it away in the garage?"
"Thanks for reminding me! I don't want the salt and the sand blowing on it. Be right back."
He came back in a few minutes. "OK--car put away and food put away. Let's go out on the deck and relax."
Rose sighed contentedly. This is what I need. A week of peace and quiet before the baby comes. Hear that, baby? Let's take advantage of it while we can!

Rose and John sat on the upper deck and enjoyed the evening. The sea air was brisk and breezy. John was relaxing with a scotch and soda and Rose had a ginger ale. She turned the glass in her hand and held it up.
"If you try real hard, you can almost pretend it is champagne."
John laughed and put his feet up on the railing.
"I'm sorry the TV doesn't work."
"I'm not! It is so nice--I don't have to hear Spongebob and Square Pants."
"Well, it sure is quiet here. Nothing but the sound of the surf pounding below. Look at the waves!"
"Maybe we are going to get a thunderstorm. Look at the whitecaps!"
"It's been so nice here, John. We haven't even had to leave the house for anything."
John said, "I know. Just the three of us..you, me and baby."
"Should we call the children?"
"No, we'll be home in a few days. Let's just enjoy this. Celeste would get word to us if anything was wrong."
"Isn't it weird that the cellphone hasn't rung?"
John picked it up and flipped it on.
"No wonder. It's dead. And I forgot the charger in the Corvette. Oh, well...if there was a disaster, they would get word to us."
"Isn't it strange that Marty doesn't have a phone here?"
"Hon, with cellphones he doesn't need it."

They sat until the sun went down. Then they sat there in the dark, talking and sitting under the full moon. John looked up.
"Seems the clouds are coming up. Look--you can hardly see the moon anymore."
Rose said, "Let's go to bed. It's almost ten now. Help me up, darling."
John grabbed her hand. Rose stood up and let out a little gasp.
"You alright, sweetheart?"
Rose rubbed her back. "Yes. Just a little catch. I must have been sitting wrong. Either that or the baby is situated in such a way that he's kicking my ribs."
John grinned. "HE?"
Rose said, "He."

The patrol car scanned the beach. The patrolman turned to his partner and said, "Isn't that the Henshaw place?"
The partner said, "Yeah. But look. No one is staying there. See? No lights. And no vehicle. Besides, Mr. Henshaw didn't notify us that anyone is staying there. So let's go. We have to work that other beach and notify everyone that there is a mandatory evacuation."
"You sure no one is there?"
"Sure as I'm sitting here, Steve. Let's go. It's going to be a long night as it is."
The patrol car's lights faded into the night.


THE RALLY..................by Coralynn

WandaSue has gone to a dressmaker with the picture ripped from the Cosmo magazine, and, after paying an exhorbitant price, has the completed outfit in hand.
"Might as well show up at the rally in this," she tells her empty apartment, "This'll get donations flowing bigtime!" She glances at the wall-clock as the microwave dings alerting her that her HungryMan dinner is ready. She pulls out her dinner and consumes it rapidly, which results in beef gravy dripping all over her shirt.
"Ahhh, babydoll, you are one big winner!" she tells herself as she takes off her blouse and flings it toward the hamper in her bedroom. It misses, but it's close enough for her.
She lovingly takes her earth goddess outfit from the box in which it's been placed, goes into the bathroom and splashes water on her face, dries it off and returns to don the sensational outfit. After it's on, she ties the golden braided rope around her waist and figures it's about time to get over to the fire hall, where the ralley is to take place.

Billy Bob Montgomery has spent the afternoon driving his mother around to stores, and would like nothing better than for her to announce she wants to return to Texas, but, alas, this statement has not been forthcoming.
Mary Ellen looks out the car window and shrieks, "Look at that sign! WandaSue Skaggs is in small letters, and Montgomery is huge.....those letters must be a foot high! Can't you do something about this, Billy Bob? I mean, she's dragging our name through the mud! Why haven't you divorced that walking piece of garbage?"
"Because, come to find out, she'd take half of my assets!" he deems that a perfectly reasonable answer.
"I thought you hid them or put them in your father's name or......"
"Can't do that. Not allowed. Nope, she has me by the short hairs on this one."
"But........but.........she's using our respected name! Look! See over there? See that big sign saying MONTGOMERY for MAYOR rally here tonight!"
"You wanna go?" he joshes.
"I wouldn't be caught dead in a place like that. With her nerve, she'd probably introduce me as her mother in law! Honestly, Billy Bob, how could you have married that lowlife?"
"Tired of telling you, mother. Young. Stupid. Told me I was going to be a father...."
"Oh, that! You know her kind.....they lie like rugs. I'm wondering what will happen if, and it's big if, and hopefully an impossible if...........she becomes mayor. Will this town be worth living in anymore? You would do well to move back to Texas."
"I have my business here, and I'm not going to let that woman drive me out. No, here I stay."
"Pull over, Billy Bob............I said pull over! Look! That's her getting out of that taxi, isn't it?"
"Oh my God, what does she have on? This is October, but it's not Halloween yet!"
"Maybe it's a theme ralley. Ancient Greece perhaps."
BB laughs, "She doesn't have that good an imagination, mother. I don't know what her deal is, but she must be working an angle. Let's go!" he pulls away from the curb as he sees WandaSue disappear into the hall, followed by what appears to be several hundred people.
"Those are the unwashed masses," Mary Ellen sneers, "who else would pay good money to hear a speech by that retard?"
"We'll see on election day in a few weeks..........God help us if she wins!" he steps on the accelerator suddenly and his mother's head slams back against the headrest as they head back to the ranch.

MEANWHLE:

Eleanor, Marilyn, Celeste, Beth and Bess enter the large auditorium and try to be as inconspicuous as possible. Bess begins one of her giggle fests, and is poked by Marilyn, "Shhhhhh, we don't want WandaSue to see us! She might point us out as those evil people......."
"Oh yeah, the Enquirer! Almost forgot. Why are we here anyway?" Bess wonders aloud.
"Because our curiosity is getting the better of us," Celeste replies.
The chanting has begun: "WandaSUE, WandaSUE!" over and over. The five women exchange glances, trying not to laugh.
After several minutes of this chanting, which is becoming louder and louder, WandaSue appears on the stage at the end of the hall. Everyone gasps. She's dressed in something akin to a Grecian toga; even has those leaves around her head.
"Oh...my...God!" Marilyn blurts out.
"Shhhhhhhhh!" Bess enjoys returning the advice.
WandaSue holds up her arms, the bell shaped sleeves revealing armpits that haven't been shaved in...well, maybe ever.
"Thank you!" she says loudly several times. An attendant brings a mike over to where WandaSue is standing, but her voice is so loud she doesn't need it.
"I am here to bring integrity back into the Mayor's office!" she yells.
Wild, overwhelming cheers.
"I am here to drive that bottom-feeding scum sucking creep, Vince Wells, out of office!"
More cheering.
"I will clean up this town. I will bring justice back to the little people!"
Deafening cheers.
"I will represent you as your friend, not just your mayor!"
The cheering hasn't let up, and is so loud that WandaSue grabs the mike just in case. "I am going to kick his ass out into the street!"
Pandemonium.
Our five women look at each other and laugh loudly. No one can hear it over the ear-splitting noise from the rally participants.
"LOOK!" Beth motions toward where men are passing collection plates up and down the rows for contributions.
"Just like in church!" Celeste exclaims.
By the time the collection plate for their row reaches them, it's heaped up with hundred dollar bills. Our five women each toss in a nickel as it goes by.
"Want to go now?" Beth asks, "I only have a sitter for an hour."
"Oh yes, by all means, let's skedaddle!" Marilyn agrees. They walk toward the back exit, and just as they are ten feet from successfully leaving they hear from the stage, "LOOK! Even Eleanor of Aquitaine is voting for me!"
They quickly bolt outside, and as the door closes behind them, laugh ever harder.
"Well, Eleanor," Celeste says as the calm night air envelops them, "Who are you going to vote for? Can we vote?"
"Yes. We registered back when William had those phony birth certificates. I hate to say it, but I'm going to vote for WandaSue because Vince Wells has to be removed from office. I never thought I'd be voting for someone like her.."
"Should have been you!" Bess says indignantly.
"I know, but hey, look on the bright side....if she becomes impossible to deal with, we can always blow the whistle on her because she lives in another town, not this one. Her local address is a mail-drop. So...."
"You mean it's illegal for her to run for mayor here?" Bess' eyes are like saucers.
"Yep! It surely is! Let's blow this popcycle stand, ladies, and go home, nuke up some popcorn and watch "Casablanca!"
"I love that one!" Marilyn exlaims.
"Is that the one where the piano player, whats-his-name, Sam, runs off with the blond?" Bess is trying to remember.
"Close enough!" Eleanor says cheerily as the women link arms and head for the car.


STORMY WEATHER......by Terri

SLAM!!
John jolted out of his sleep and sat up with a start. Rose said sleepily, "John? I think Jake wants outside..."
John threw back the covers and said, "Go back to sleep, Rose. Jake is back in Chappaqua. It's just the wind."
John walked over and opened the French doors they had left open for a nice ocean breeze. He walked out onto the deck and looked at the water below. The waves were high and white-capped. He closed the door and got back into bed.
"Everything alright, John?"
He said, "I guess so. Storm is brewing, I think. I'm glad we are up on a second floor though."

A few hours later, the French doors banged open. John jumped out of bed and walked out to the deck. The waves were cresting higher and the wind was gusty. This is really weird, he thought. Rose was still sound asleep. John closed the doors and bolted them on the bottom. He grabbed his jeans and sweatshirt and put them on. He went into the kitchen and flipped the light switch. Nothing. He opened the refrigerator. No light came on when he opened the door.
OK, the power is out. He rummaged in the junk drawer in the kitchen and found a flashlight. He also found candles of which he lit one. There must be a storm coming up that we must have missed. He went out the front door and walked around the deck. The lighter-weight chairs were tossed over to the rail. The wind really whipped around.
John had an uneasy feeling. This isn't good. Were there any hurricanes forecast before we left? Maybe it's an nor'easter. We used to get them in Southold. He found a transistor radio that Marty had left behind. He clicked it on. Nothing. He went back to the junk drawer and found a package of new batteries. He put them in and the radio came to life. He put the transistor up against his ear so he wouldn't disturb Rosamond.

"...24 millibar drop in the last 24 hours. This is called the 'bomb'. This nor'easter is bigger in size than Hurricane Ivan and wider. Expect heavy amounts of rain and hurricane-force winds with high surf, coastal flooding and extensive beach erosion. Residents are warned to stay indoors from Cape Cod down the Jersey shore and southwards. Winds in excess of 120 mph are expected along the coast.."

Rosamond appeared in the doorway of the livingroom.
"John?"
Her face was pale in the moonlight and she had her lightweight robe wrapped around her. She wrapped her arms around her, shivering. Her voice trembled a little.
"I---I think we may be in trouble," she said hesitatingly.
John came over to her and tried to downplay it. "Oh, it's just a storm, honey. The power went out. I have the candles and a radio..."
Rose shook her head and wrapped her robe tighter around her.
"No, John..I----I think I am in labor!"


HOUSTON, WE HAVE A PROBLEM.......by Coralynn

Marilyn closes the back door, which has just blown open from the fierce wind, and, looking out at the trees being blown almost sideways, exlaims, "This is a bad one! Let's turn on the TV and find out what's going on here."
This is done. They all hunker down in front of it and aren't surprised when they hear that a nor'easter has hit the east coast all the way up through Maine.
"Didn't Rose and John go to the Jersey Shore?" Eleanor asks.
"Yes, and they must be getting hammered!" Celeste sounds alarmed. "I think I'll use my coin to check up on them."
"Good thinking, Celeste," William tells her, "Maybe I'll go with you. Get your coin and let's be off."
Celeste is back in her bedroom but just a few minutes, returning with coin in hand. "Anyone else want to accompany us?" she asks as she takes William's hand, prepared to zap off to the shore.
"We'll wait here for you," Marilyn answers as she and the others hear Celeste tell the coin where to take them, then tell it again, and yet again.
Celeste shakes the coin......rubs it between her palms, and tries again. Still they don't disappear.
"What on earth is the matter with this coin?" she asks, frustrated.
"I'll get mine," William goes to his room and returns with his. They again take hands and he tells his coin to take them to the Jersey Shore. Nothing. They remain.
William throws his coin on the floor and yells, "Work!" then picks it up and tries again. Nothing.

"Why won't the coins work?" Eleanor is flabberghasted. This has never happened before.
Celeste, ever the psychic, closes her eyes and asks the question, and when she opens them again, explains, "There are electrons in the air from the storm that are de-activating the coins. It's very rare, but happens. Talk about your poor timing!"
"RATS!" William stomps around the room. "We have to know how they are out there in that little shed or whatever Marty Henshaw loaned them."
"How about checking out the Story?" Bess volunteers timidly.
All eyes turn toward Bess. "My girl, you're a genius!" William exclaims.
Bess hardly knows how to react. She can't remember ever coming up with a solution to a problem before, and wonders if maybe her brain is growing. She figures it must be, because William thinks she's a genius.
Everyone races into the computer room while Eleanor gets the Story online. They read up to the part where Rose is having pains in her back, then the screen goes blank because the electricity has just been knocked out.
"Blast!" William explodes.
"I think she could be in labor," Celeste says calmly as she starts putting tap-on lights around the room, "those back pains are usually percursors to real labor. She's awfully close to her due date, too. Think we should call Roger?"
Marilyn is on the phone with Roger 20 seconds later, "Roger! Thank God you're home! We think Rose is in labor................right, they're at the Jersey Shore..................some place Marty Henshaw loaned them.................good idea, call him and get directions. I feel bad asking you to go out in this weather, Roger...............yes, I know, you're her obstetrician, but still..............OK, take your cell phone and keep us up to date. Thanks."
She hangs up. "Roger is going to check on Rose, so help is on the way. I just hope Rose can hang on long enough........"
Eleanor, the voice of experience, adds, "This will be her third baby and it could come fast. Let's hope Roger makes it in time."

It's slow, torturous going, but Roger, following the directions he got from Marty Henshaw, is making progess. He dials up the big house and when Eleanor answers, tells her, "I can't be more than a few miles from their cabin..........right..........so far so good.........."
Before Eleanor gets a chance to ask him another question, she hears a loud crashing sound. "Roger? Roger? What just happened?" No answer. She yells into the phone, "Roger, are you OK?" Silence.
William grabs the phone away from her and, in his clearest, loudest voice, asks, "Roger! Please answer!" but he also hears nothing but the sound of the wind, whether there on Winding Willow or where Roger's car is, is all the same.
He hands the phone back to Eleanor, "Stay on the line and keep trying to contact him...."
She does so, every few minutes calling out his name.
"The Story is still on the computer, is it not?" he asks the others.
"Yes, but if something just happened to Roger, it's too soon for it to appear," Celeste explains, "It takes between 30 and 60 minutes for the Story to be updated. What can we do? The coins aren't working."

Roger is lying against the door of his car, unconscous, a huge tree having caved in the roof. His cell phone is lying beside him on the seat, the sound of a voice coming over it frantically, "Roger! Roger! Are you OK?"


STRANDED!.....by Terri

John's heart dropped to his feet. Of all the things that she could tell him--except for telling him she was leaving him for Daniel--that was the absolute worst. He rushed over to her.
"What? Are you...sure? Maybe it is just a muscle spasm. Gas?"
Rose shook her head and leaned against the doorframe, her body sagging with fatigue and pain.
"No, I'm sure this is it."
John said bewilderedly, "But...but you aren't due for another six weeks! You can't possibly be in labor!"
Rosamond moaned a bit and said defeatedly, "No, John, this is it..I got up to use the bathroom. John, my water broke! I had been having light pains all day. But I thought they were those Braxton-Hicks contractions. I mean, I have been having them off and on since before we had to go to Court and get Will. I just chose to ignore them. Besides, Roger had been keeping a close eye on me. He really didn't want me to come on vacation but I told him come hell or high water, I was going."
She looked out the window and said, "And it looks like that is what it will be. Hell AND high water."
She tried to give him a smile. John looked worried.
She said, "So I suppose we should leave and get to the hospital now, right? Let's not worry about our stuff. Marty will save it for us."
John said, "Right. I'll get the SUV out of the garage. I'll be right back."
The wind howled as John went down the inside stairs of the garage. He came back in a few minutes. Rose took one look at his face and asked, "What's the mattter?"
John said, "The car battery is dead."
Rose looked fearfully at John and said, "No. Don't tell me that. John? What are we going to do?"
With that she gave our a moan and bent over. "Oh! That was a long one. John, we have to get out of here!"
John said, "With what? The winds are blowing about 60 miles per hour and they are expected to double. We have no electric and at 60 miles per hour the bridge to the mainland will be closed. No emergency vehicles and no police come out here when the winds reach that point."
Rose leaned against the sink, trying to grasp all of this. "But--why didn't they tell us? Why were we not told to evacuate?"
John said, "Nearest I can think is that no one knew we were here. We turned off all the lights and went to bed. The SUV was in the garage."
Rose said, "But--but didn't Marty notify anyone--like the authorities?--that we were here?"
John said, "No. I didn't tell you, but before we left, there were some reporters wanting to do a story on us. People magazine was foremost. They wanted to do one of those Jennifer Anniston-Brad Pitt things but on us. You know..something like 'And Baby Makes Five!'. Marty was all for it, wanted the publicity for Planet. But I told him no. Then a few other magazines caught wind of it and wanted to beat People out of it. That's when I decided we needed a vacation. I made Marty promise not to tell anyone where we were. Police have been known to tip off reporters for a little extra cash in their pockets."
Rosamond said, "Oh no! Here comes another one...Oooh! OH!"
John could only helplessly stand by while the contraction crested and subsided.
Rose said, "Let me get this straight. We are stuck in a beach house. Hurricane force winds outside. No electricity. No vehicle. No lights. No phone. And I am in labor...AAAH!"
John nodded miserably. "That's about right."
Rosamond doubled over and said, "Help me to bed. Maybe we can slow this..OHHH!..down."
John guided her back to the bedroom, helped her into bed and then came out for the candle. He grabbed a few more. But deep down in his heart he knew they were in trouble.
Because this was the real deal.

Rosamond laid on the bed curled up in a little ball. Every five minutes she let out a moan. Sometimes a whimper. But not a scream. No, not yet. That would come later. John knew that sure as he knew they were in trouble.
John said, "Rose, honey, any signs of it letting up? Maybe you are mistaken."
"JOHN, THERE IS NO WAY I AM MISTAKING THIS!"
He sat next to her and rubbed her back. "Maybe this will make the muscle spasms go away, " he said hopefully.
Rosamond clenched her teeth and said, "These are no muscle spasms. This baby is getting ready to be born in this beach house and there is nothing we can do about it! AAAARRRRGGGHHH!"
John jumped up. "Oh my God! Another contraction? That must have been the worst one yet!"
Rose's eyes filled with tears. "NO! Not a contraction. I just realized something. THIS BABY IS GOING TO BE BORN IN NEW JERSEY!!!"


FOUND.......by Coralynn

Ted and Ralph are exhausted after patroling most of the evening and their thermos of coffee is almost empty. "I think we did all we could," Ted comments as they slowly went their way down the road, dodging debris that has blown across it.
"What's that up ahead?" Ralph asks, "Turn on the brights...."
"Oh wow! Some poor person has been hit by that enormous tree. Let's hope he or she is still alive in there."
They park and quickly exit the patrol car, pulling the hoods of their rain slickers around their heads as the wind is trying to whip them back. The rain is still coming down in torrents, as well.
They approach the accident scene; check to make sure no electrical wires are also laying on the car, and after being satisfied, open the driver's side door.
One person is in the car. A man, who, as the door opens, slumps out almost into the road. Ralph reaches over and pushes him back inside as Ted makes an emergency call on his cellphone. "Paramedics will be her as soon as they can," he states.
"This guy is unconscious, but breathing. Had that tree fallen another six inches to the left and he would've been killed instantly. As it is he looks......bad. Real bad."
Ted opens the passenger seat door to check for anything in the vehicle which could help them identify the man, and hears a faint voice coming from the cell phone lying there. He picks it up and hears a plaintive voice pleading, "Roger! Please answer!"
"This is the police, ma'am."
"OH!" the woman's voice is shocked after spending 45 minutes on the phone with no reply. "The police?"
"Yes, ma'am, there's been an accident. A tree fell on this gentleman's car and he's unconscious. Can you tell us who he is?"
"YES! He's Dr. Roger Bidwell. He was on his way to the Shore to help our friend, Rose, who's in labor. He's an obstetrician. Is he OK?" Eleanor pleads for reassurance.
"Hard to tell. He's unconscious. We've put in a call to the paramedics, and chances are they'll take him to the hospital nearby."
"Oh please, can you drive him up to Chappaqua?" Eleanor asks.
"That's a fair distance, I don't know if they'll do that."
"We'll pay! We'll pay extra, we'll......we'll buy them a new ambulance! Yes! Can you please, please take him to the hospital in our town?"
"Are you his wife, ma'am?"
"I'm a close friend of hers. We live across the street from each other. Would you like her phone number? She'll want you to bring him nearer home too!"
"I'll see what I can do," is all Ted tells her. "Give me your phone number and I'll call you back when I find out more."
She tells him the number very clearly and slowly, then asks him to repeat it back. He does.
"Does his wife know he's missing?" Ted asks.
"We weren't sure till now! But we'll tell her, thank you, thank you, officer. One more thing: he has directions with him to the cabin in which our friend Rose is going into labor. He was on his way to assist her. Can you send someone out there, too?"
Ted sighs, thinking that this night of crisis after crisis will never end and he will never get home to his warm bed.
"We'll see what we can do. Soon as we know more, we'll call you."
He rings off.
They hear sirens approaching, making an especially eerie sound conbined with the howling wind.


MY FAULT?!.....by Terri

John took Rosamond's hand and said, "Darling, we did this once before, we can do this again."
Rose shook her head. "No. It's not supposed to be this way. I am supposed to be in a hospital with nurses and doctors and ice chips and you are supposed to be in a surgical gown. Roger was going to deliver our baby in a nice quiet atmosphere. Instead I am in a beach house--in NEW JERSEY, I might add!--with no electricity and no phone."
She started to cry. "And I am going to die! Again!"
She cried even harder.
"I want my MOM! I WANT CELESTE!"
John started to panic as he didn't know how to stop the flow of tears. He took her hand and said, "Darling, I really think we can...OW! OW! OW!"
Rosamond had bitten his hand during a contraction. "It's all your fault!"
"MY FAULT! HOW IS IT MY FAULT?!"
Rosamond tried to stop the flow of tears but was unsuccessfull as they slipped down her face and saturated the pillow.
"YES, YOUR FAULT! IF YOU WEREN'T SO DEVASTATINGLY HANDSOME I WOULD BE ABLE TO RESIST YOUR CHARMS AND THEN I WOULDN'T BE IN THIS SITUATION SO YES, I WOULD SAY IT IS ALL YOUR FAULT, JOHN GWINNETT!"
John said firmly, "I have had just about enough of this foolishness, Rosamond!"
He took her face in his hands and looked her very resolutely in the eyes.
"OK, this is the way it is. It is too late to turn back the hands of time. We started this in motion nine months ago..well, maybe a little less. Now, because of circumstances beyond our control, we are in a situation that we have to make the best of. Now, we are going to do this together. But you have to work with me on this, hon. No blaming each other. We will do this and we will bring this baby in the world together. Like we did Julie. So like it or not, I am all you have. Now you have to co-operate with me. Trust me. You can do this. Understood?"
Rosamond wordlessly nodded.


WHO ARE YOU?.....by Coralynn

William has driven Bethia and the twins over to the big house, and now glances over to see her not much improved. She's sitting on a chair, her sticken face devoid of all color, her hands clenched tightly together in her lap.
He walks to her and raises her up, hugging her warmly, "All will be fine, Beth."
"Roger! He needs me! I must go....."
"The ambulance will phone us when they get near the hospital and you can be there when they arrive, dear," Celeste tells her for the fourth time.
"Oh Celeste!" she leaves the comfort of William's arms and flings herself at her surrogate Mom. "What if he......if he........"
"He won't, he won't," Celeste hugs her, rocking slightly, patting her head, "I'll stay with the twins, so don't worry about them."
"But you already have Rose and John's children to care for...."
"I'll stay here and help Celeste," Bess volunteers, grateful to have a job to do at the house, as she knows she would be in the way at the hospital.
The phone rings. William grabs it up, and after a short time, hangs up and announces, "Time to go."
Beth grabs up her raincoat, barely getting it on before she's out the door.
Eleanor and Marilyn follow William out, and all four get in his car, which, upon turning the key, makes a pitiful sound like it has no intention of starting.
"My car!" Eleanor says decisively. They all go to her car, which starts right up.
"Please drive carefully, Eleanor," William directs from the back seat, "The roads could be sliippery. Keep the speed down."
"I know how to drive, William!" she snaps at him as she exceeds the speed limit, heading for the hospital.
The arrive without incident, and exit the car the minute the engine is turned off.
"Go to Emergency!" Marilyn suggests as they pull their raincoats closer around them, the rain and wind still in a roil.
They race into emergency and see that the ambulance is just now pulling up to the entrace. Beth starts to run over to it, but is held back by William, who tells her, "Wait till they get him inside, Beth." She stops, but her whole body is charged, nervous energy making her unable to stand still.
They see the paramedics unloading a stretcher, and bring it inside. William still holds Beth back, "Let me make sure it's him," he insists as he goes over to the attendants and asks the name of the patient. Returning to the group, he tells them, "It's Roger."
Beth breaks from her friends and rushes over to peer down at her husband, whose eyes are closed. "How badly is he hurt? I'm his wife!" she tells them in a voice full of panic and tension.
"We'll know more after he's examined," one attendant tells her calmly, as they put the stretcher on a wheeled gurley and trundle it down to a curtained room. She follows.
Several Doctors converge upon the little room, conferring, examining, taking Roger for X-rays, bringing him back, conferring some more in muted voices. Beth is pacing. "How is he? Is he going to......."
"He's going to live," an older doctor tells her, "No danger there. He got a nasty bump on his head, but no bones are broken! No internal damage, no bleeding. So it's just a matter of time before he becomes conscious and, although we have to keep him here for a day, maybe two, he should make a complete recovery."
Beth races back to where William, Marilyn and Eleanor are still waiting for word.
"He's going to be OK!" she tells them, then, as the enormous tension drains out of her body, she bursts into tears, hugged by first one, then another of the group.
"Can we see him?" Eleanor asks, hoping to distract Beth from her sobbing.
"I think so....." Beth wipes her eyes and her tear-spattered face, and smiles for the first time, "Oh, thank God, he's going to be alright!"
An attendant comes out of the little room in which Roger is lying and smiles at Beth, "He's coming around. You can all see him now."
They follow him back to the little room, where Roger is lying with his eyes open, even smiling faintly.
Beth rushes over and looks down into his face. "Roger! I love you! And I thought I was going to lose you! I love you, I love you!"
He wrinkles his forehead, then replies, "Oh Tiffany, I love you...too...just a minute....you're not Tiffany. Who are you?"


BABY MINE.......by Terri

John got Rosamond situated in bed with pillows and blankets. He gathered towels and a basin with bottled water and kept all the extra bottled water next to him. He got a pair of scissors and some twine. Lastly he got a bottle of whiskey.
"John? What is that whiskey for? You surely aren't going to..AAAHHH!"
John held her hand and let her squeeze his hand until he felt like his hand was going to break.
When the contraction subsided, he explained, "No, that is to sterilize my hands. I don't have any hot water and I don't have any betadine. Whiskey should do the trick."
"What time is it?" Rosamond asked.
"Quarter to three, honey."
He looked at his watch. "Looks like the pains are coming every three minutes."
He brushed the hair out of Rosamond's face and took a washcloth and washed her face to cool her off. Her face had a sweat sheen as did the rest of her body.
"John? If I die, will you remarry?"
"Rose, don't even talk that way!"
"But it is a real possibility, isn't it?"
"NO! You survived Julie. You will survive this baby too."
"John, this one is different. I had more back pains."
"Darling, that is back labor."
"Well, it is the worst....AAAHH"
John took her hand and said, "Rose, if you want to really let it rip, go ahead. There is only the two of us. So go ahead and scream if it helps."
Rose shook her head. "No. Because once I start to scream, I won't stop. But I have never had such pains as I am having with this baby..AAAAHHHH!"
John looked at the clock he placed next to the nightstand. "That one was two minutes. This baby is coming pretty fast, Rose."
Rose grabbed his shirt and pulled him to her. "NOT FAST ENOUGH!! I feel like that guy in 'Alien'."
John lit another candle. Rosamond made a feeble attempt to joke. "The baby was probably conceived on one of our candlelit nights. Isn't it ironic he is going to be born by candlelight?"
John held her hand and said, "You know, we never did discuss a name for the baby."
Rosamond said, "His name is going to be John Gwinnett Jr. No if, ands or bu--AAAAHH! John, these pains are one long...AAAHHH!"
Rosamond then proceeded to call John a name that indicated to him that she didn't think his parents were really married when he was born.
John looked at the clock again. "One minute apart, Rose."
He washed his hands with the whiskey and let them air dry.
By this time, Rosamond decided that screaming would help. The pains were one long single pain. At this point there was no cresting and ebbing.
Rosamond could barely get the words out, "I think this is it, John..I need to push!"
John said, "OK, hold on, precious! I see the baby's head crowning. Slow down, now! Just like pressing the accelerator on a car.."
Rose gasped, scrunched her face up and gave a mighty push. John reached and took the baby by the head. The shoulders slipped out and the rest followed.
Rosamond gasped for breath and fell back against the pillows. John wiped the mouth and nose of the baby and his face shone with pride. A whimper and then a lusty cry. He laid the baby across Rosamond's stomach. She lay there with her eyes closed, trying to catch her breath.
John said softly, "I can't believe it! I just can't believe it! Oh, Rosamond, she's perfect. Absolutely perfect! She's beautiful! Just beautiful!"
Rosamond opened her eyes and said, "She? She? There is a mistake. We had a boy, John."
John shook his head and said, "No, love. We had a girl."
"John, no..are you sure?"
John grinned but his eyes were filled with tears of relief, joy and love. "Rosamond, darling, I think I know the difference!"
Rosamond touched the baby's tiny hand and whispered, "Forgive me!"
John stroked her cheek and said, "Nothing to forgive, my love. I love little girls!"
Rose shook her head and whsipered, "Not to you. Apologies to the baby. For being born in New Jersey!"

John wrapped the baby in the towels and handed her to Rosamond. She just stared at the precious bundle and said, "A girl. Really? I mean, you are really sure?"
John said, "Really. You were fantastic, my love."
Rosamond closed her eyes and said, "A girl."
She opened her eyes and looked into John's eyes. "What would I have ever done without you, John? I am sorry---sorry I called you that name!"
John stroked her hair away from her face and ran his finger down her cheek. "No apologies needed, dear. When you started to scream, I felt like one anyways!"
John pulled the towel back and looked at his new little daughter. "I swear, she looks just like Cecily!"
"Cecily?"
"Yes. The baby in the family. Cecily used to give Father fits. He doted on her. She was a real wild-child!"
Rosamond said, "Well, this baby is off to a flying start. I've never felt such pain. Not with the other two."
John kissed the top of her head. "Baby should have a name. We can't keep calling her 'baby' or 'she'. I have something I feel very strongly about and I won't take 'no' for an answer."
Rose said, "What is it?"
"I insist the baby have a very special middle name."
Rosamond groaned. "I'm almost afraid!"
John said with love in his eyes. "I insist whatever we name her that the middle name is Rose. After the most wonderful woman I know."
Rose reached out and touched his hand. "And I shall honor that request."

Rose and John went back and forth with baby names. They finally settled on the perfect one.
Jenna Rose Gwinnett.
John took the baby from Rosamond, held her close and whispered to her.
"Welcome to the world, Jenna Rose!"


SLEUTHING, Part 1:........by Coralynn

The attending physician is sitting with Bethia, Eleanor, Marilyn and William, reassuring them, "Dr. Bidwell will be fine.....no reason he won't make a complete recovery."
"But you don't understand!" Beth exclaims, "He doesn't remember me! He must have........."
"Amnesia," Eleanor fills in the sentence.
"It's not impossible, but highly improbable," the doctor responds.
"But it happens, right?" William presses the issue.
"It has been known to, but......but what makes you think he's suffering from amnesia?"
"Because he doesn't know who I am!" Beth is losing patience, "He tells 'Tiffany' he loves her and wants to know who the heck I am! He also groans like, well, like he's having pleasure and tells 'Tiffany' that he'll be late for class if she doesn't stop." Beth's face begins to redden.
"Do you know this person, Tiffany?" the doctor asks.
"NO!" everyone says at once.
"I would suggest you find out, then," the doctor is late for his next appointment and edges toward the door.
As the door closes behind him, Beth says angrily, "I will, believe me, I will!"
"Sounds like he must have been a student," Marilyn points out, trying not to emphasize the groaning pleasurably part of that scenario.
"Where did he go to Med school?" Eleanor asks.
"University of Michigan," Beth knows that much, "He said he graduated in 1995."
Marilyn suggests, "We'll have to get a list of the students at the med school and see if any of them were named Tiffany. Of course she might have been a student in another discipline, hard to say."
William stands and starts to put on his raincoat, then takes it off, "I think it's stopped raining. Must be 3am by now......let's go home, get some sleep, and in the morning we can launch into research on this."
"I won't be able to sleep!" Beth blurts out.
Eleanor gives her a hug and reassures her, "I'll stay up with you, Beth. Stay at the big house tonight. The children are already there, Celeste and Bess can manage them."
The group leaves the hospital and proceeds over to Eleanor's car, gets in, and as they drive back toward Winding Willow, Bethia keeps repeating, "How could this happen, how could this happen!?:


________....by Terri

John gave the baby back to Rosamond to be nursed. He walked over to the French doors and looked out.
"The winds seem to be letting up. Must only be about 60 mph now."
She laid there utterly exhausted. John laid down next to Rose and the baby and touched her little cheek.
He said, "When it gets light, I'll start walking to look for a phone."
He looked up and saw a reflection of red lights on the French doors.
"What the hell is that? A fire?"
A pounding at the door and someone yelling, "Is anyone in there?"
John jumped up and threw the door open. Standing outside was an ambulance and three paramedics.
"UP HERE!"
The paramedics rushed into the room. The woman paramedic said, "Looks like we are a little late, Steve!"
Steve the paramedic got his blood pressure equipment out and wrapped it around Rosamond's arm. The woman paramedic, named Bonnie, asked Rose, "When was the baby born?"
John said, "Half an hour ago."
"Wow! Who delivered her?"
John said proudly, "I did!"
Rose raised her eyebrows and John amended his statement. "Well...the both of us did!"
Bonnie laughed. "That's more like it! One of you kicked and the other held the ball! Now...how are you feeling, dear?"
Rose said, "Completely exhausted."
Bonnie checked her blood pressure. "A little low. But to be expected. Let's get you and the little one into an ambulance and take you to Community Memorial Hospital."
The paramedics got Rose onto the stretcher over her protests. But the protests didn't last long when she found herself too weak to stand. Bonnie said to John, "Daddy? You want to carry the baby into the ambulance?"
John said, "Yes. But she stays with me." He held her tight.
The three of them went into the ambulance and it drove away into night.


SLEUTHING, Part 2............by Coralynn

"Here it is!" Eleanor announces, " A list of the graduates of the Med school at the U. of M. in 1995!"
"Ummm," Bethia's head is still lying on her arms, which are spread over the table.
"You awake in there?" Eleanor asks, examining the other woman for signs of being awake......or not.
No answer. Eleanor prints out the list, which is quite extensive, glancing at it to see if any of the given names might be Tiffany, not expecting it to be so, as chances are she was in a different major. As the names whiz by she is caught up short as the name 'Tiffany' jumps out from the page. She grabs up the print-out and sure enough, there is a Tiffany Lockwood Lowell Aster Winthrop on the page, by far the longest of all the names printed, and they're all printed in full.
This is a possible, she concludes, though not definite proof. But what will constitute proof? Do they have to track down every young woman enrolled at the U. of M. in 1995? She could have been a freshman, for all we know. But at least it's something.
She glances over to where Bethia is now definitely asleep. Afraid to disturb her, she covers her with a blanket, turns off the computer, and tiptoes out of the room.

MEANWHLE:

Tiffany sits on her throne of honor and smiles down at the 'little people' kneeling before her.
"We shall begin tonight's session by warming up, as always. Eeeeeeeeeeeeeellllllllllllllll."
Everyone makes the same sound, and it goes on for quite a while. A few of the supplicants run out of breath and have to gasp, which sends a warning glance their way from their Leader.
She gives the signal for the chanting to cease, which it does right on the beat. As always, she moves to the huge poster on the wall, on which is drawn a descendency chart. At the top is written in gold leaf Eleanor of Aquitaine..............then at the very bottom is written, also in gold, Tiffany Lockwood Lowell Astor Winthrop.
"It is time to contact our Diety," Tiffany intones with great gravity, "Oh Eleanor, forgive us our weaknesses, come unto us, the unworthy, the unwashed, yet your special people with your own precious blood flowing in our veins!"
The lights suddenly dim as an eerrie female voice is heard coming from the ceiling, "I am with you! I am Eleanor, the Queen, the great Queen of Heaven!"
Since this phenomenon doesn't occur every night, some of the attendees swoon and fall over sideways in a rapture. Tiffany smiles inwardly, glad the P.A. system is working so well and that Holly is such an accomplished actress.
"What shall we bring thee?" she asks loudly.
The voice answers, "I must have a great statue made to my glory!" Holly reads from her copy of the script in the back room where the mike is located.
"Where shall we ever get the money to have this statue to your glory........"
"GET IT!" Holly wonders if perhaps her voice sounds a bit impatient, but these suckers wouldn't know a scam if it bit them you-know-where.
"She's gone now," Tiffany tells the fifty or more supplicants. "But our task is clear. We must raise the funds for her statue."
Murmuring is heard from the group, then excited voices, "Let us contribute!" a tall, painfully thin man named Tony yells out.
Before the words have stopped reverberating in the air, an empty golden jewelry box is passed from one person to another. They reverently place bills or checks in it, then kiss it as it makes its way around the entire group.
"We have truly been blessed with this visitation tonight!" Tiffany stands, holding out her arms, diamond bracelets half way up each arm, "It has been a long time since Eleanor our Queen has honored us with a Quest. The Quest for the holy Statue!"
Medieval sounding music plays in the background as they all file past the chart behind Tiffany and kiss it. Then they join hands for the benediction, delivered this night by Ellen Smalchuk, "May we all live in harmony with our Diety, Eleanor, Queen of Heaven and Earth!"
This is followed by the same chanting that began the service, "Eeeeeellllllllll." as they leave the room.

Tiffany flips the lever that kills the music and yells out, "You can come out, Holly. Looks like an especially good haul tonight."
Holly laughs when she sees how much money the poor duped people have contributed. "Tiffany, old bud, my oldest friend in the world, my sorority sister, the champion of the rich, I bless the day we started this Cult. Or rather, you started it."
"YEP!" Tiffany has now counted up the money, "The elite rich of this world are made to be supported by the weak, the gullible, the dim bulbs......."
"So what happens when this statue never comes to be?"
"By then we will have relocated, chum. A moving target's hard to hit!"


SOUVENIR FROM THE JERSEY SHORE...by Terri

"Well, Mrs. Gwinnett, you are doing fine. Considering the close call you had. The baby is a tad undersized. We'd like to keep her here with us for a day. Just for observation. She had a rocky road to get here, " the doctor said.
Rosamond looked at John and he said, "If you don't mind, I'd prefer to go home. Our best friend is Rose's obstetrician and he can keep an eye on both of them."
The doctor said, "As you wish. I'll release both of you. But I'm writing a prescription for iron. You lost quite a bit of blood, Mrs. Gwinnett..it's just to keep you from getting anemic."
The nurse came in and handed the baby to Rosamond. This time she was wrapped in a pink blanket. Rose pulled the blanket past her little heart-shaped face and exclaimed, "Look at all that black hair!"
John pulled his chair over closer and looked at Jenna's face.
"Yep. She's like a clone of Cecily. And Cecily looked like Mother. Must be a gene-pool thing. Both of our daughters..looks like I didn't have anything to do with it!"
Then John joked, "She DOES look a bit like Travis McGee--don't you think?"
Rosamond said, "Don't even THINK that! Although in a round-about way he IS responsible!"
Rosamond said to the nurse, "Excuse me, but what was her weight?"
The nurse said, "Five pounds, five ounces. Length is 19". Since you are going to leave us, we need to fill out the birth certificate."
The nurse sat down next to the hospital bed. licked the pencil point and said, "Let's go. Name?"
Rosamond said, "Jenna Rose Gwinnett."
The nurse quickly filled in the vital statistics.
"Place of birth and age, father?"
John said, "Somersetshire England. And I am thirty."
"Mother? Place of birth and age, please."
Rosamond said, "Northumberland, England. And I am 23."
"OK--date of birth, October 14th. Time--4:16 AM. Think that is it. Jenna Rose. A beautiful name for a beautiful little girl. Congratulations to you both! She's beautiful. And here comes the doctor with your discharge papers."
John helped Rosamond up and into some clothes he thought to grab before they were whisked away in the ambulance.
"But what about the rest of our things?" she asked.
John said, "I'll tell Marty I'll be down there some time next week to pick them up."
Rose was wheeled down the hall, holding the baby. John brought the car around and carefully loaded Rosamond and the baby into it. He pushed the seat down so Rosamond could sleep if she wanted to.
"I just want to get home, John. Shall we call the children and everyone else and tell them about the baby?"
John just grinned and said, "No, let's surprise them! This will be the ultimate souvenir from the Jersey shore!"

John pulled the SUV into the drive around back at Winding Willow.
Rose said, "Let me go in first. I want to surprise them!"
She walked up the stairs in back and opened the door.
"We're back!" she called.
Celeste came out of the living room and said, "Well! Are we ever glad to see YOU! Did you have any storm damage? Oh! And here's someone that wants to see her mommy!"
Julie ran over to her mother and held out her hands. Rose stooped down to her.
"Ma-Ma! Ma-Ma!"
Rosamond hugged her and said, "Sorry, Princess! I can't pick you up!"
William came in and said, "You are a sight for sore eyes, Missy! We were worried about you!"
Rose stood up and looked bewildered at the two of them.
Celeste said, "Where's John?"
Rose said, "He--he's getting something out of the car."
"Well, it's a relief you are home! Were you stranded? Did your lights go off?"
Rose shook her head wordlessly. William continued, "I knew you should not have gone there. Everytime you and John go away there has always been a disaster!"
Celeste asked, "Are you hungry? Of course you are! I've got some chicken salad and cole slaw. Here, dear. I've poured you a nice glass of ice tea!"
Rose looked around. This IS the right house..isn't it? I mean, these aren't Pod People..are they? Did the Stepford Wives start out this way? Have they become the Stepford Grandparents? Has my little girl been taken over by aliens?
Celeste bustled around and said, "Oh, Julie did the cutest thing! She took Misty--you know, Bethia's cat that stayed with us?---and she smeared peanut butter on her face! I think she was trying to feed her."
William sat down at the table and helped himself to some cole slaw.
"Ever since you and John moved out, my vegetable garden has just blossomed, Rose. I mean, we are talking a cornucopiea of earthly delights! John had better hurry up and come in before I eat this all myself! Here..help yourself!"
Celeste dished out some applesauce and put Julie in her high chair.
"She just loves applesauce! I've been putting a little bit of cinnamon on it..."
Rosamond jumped out of her chair and looked wordlessly at the two of them. Celeste and William looked up in surprise.
Rosamond said in a distressed voice, "Don't you notice anything different about me?"
Celeste and William looked at each other. William shrugged.
Celeste suddenly jumped up and said, "THE BABY! YOU ARE NO LONGER CARRYING THE BABY!!"

Just then John came in the back door with a baby carrier and said, "Hello? We've got a surprise for you!"
Celeste's hand flew up to her face. "I can't believe it! Oh, Rose! Forgive me! We've been so preoccupied with all that has been going on around here since the storm!"
William said, "You don't mean to tell me that you've been in the hospital all this time having a baby! Why didn't you use the cellphone to call us? Or why didn't you come back to Chappaqua at the first sign of labor? You could have beat the storm. Babies take forever to get here."
Rose sat down. John put the carrier down and reached in and picked the baby up. Celeste squealed with delight and made the appropriate cooing noises.
"A pink blanket! Oh, John! Rose! That can only mean one thing! YOU HAD ANOTHER LITTLE PRINCESS!"
John grinned with pride. "Yes indeed! But I am afraid there was no hospital. Again. No, Rose and I delivered the baby early this morning. At the height of the storm."
Rose continued, "She was born in about an hour and a half. From start to finish. The cell towers were down due to the storm. And the car had a dead battery. We must have slept through some of the storm. John got up during the night to check on things and when I noticed him not beside me, I got up, too. That was then I realized I must be in labor."
John handed the baby over to Celeste's waiting arms and he pulled the blanket away from her tiny face. The baby scrunched up her face and then her eyes opened. Celeste cradled the baby.
"Oh, how perfect!"
Julie ran to her father and John scooped her up. He gave her a big hug and a kiss and said to Julie, "Mommy and Daddy brought you a present from the Jersey shore, sweetheart!"
William frowned. Rosamond said, "I'm sorry, 'Dad.' There was no time to get to a hospital and..why are you frowning so?"
William said in a calm but serious voice, "This baby--oh, Lord! She was born in NEW JERSEY!"

Celeste peered into the baby's face and said, "What a treasure! Rose, she doesn't look like Julie though. Where did she get those dark eyes?"
John supplied, "From my mother. And I think she will have dark hair, too. She was a tad premature. But she weighed in at 5 lbs 5 oz so they let us go home."
Celeste said, "Rose, how are you feeling, dear?"
Rose grimaced. "A little sore. It was like pushing a piano through a transom! Everything just happened so fast. John was wonderful! He totally took charge!"
John smiled proudly. "Roger taught me a few things in case it ever happened again. You know..having a home birth! I did the best I could. It was pretty scary, I must admit. The winds had to be howling outside at 120 mph."
Celeste sat on the couch with the baby. Julie crawled next to her and looked carefully at the baby. She took her cookie and started to put it towards the baby's mouth. John caught her hand and said, "No, no. That cookie is for Julie!"
He said over Julie's head. "She's being a big sister already!"
"And what name have you decided on to give this precious bundle?"
John said, "Jenna Rose Gwinnett. Jenna Rose--meet your grandparents!"
William stood there proud as can be. Celeste got a smile on her face and stood up. "Hold your hands out, William."
"What? No, no..I don't remember how to hold an infant..."
Celeste said in her commmanding voice, "WILLIAM! OUT! NOW!"
He held his arms out and closed his eyes. Celeste handed him a bundle of baby. William opened his eyes and he melted. His eyes filled with tears. Rose nudged John.
"Like riding a bicycle. You never forget!" she said.
William was in his own little world. He carefully sat down on his Barcalounger and studied the baby's face.
"Yes. This is a keeper!" Julie crawled on the lounge next to William and studied the baby. He put his arm around her and gave her a hug.
Celeste sighed. "Oh, is that a picture or what? William and his two little girls!"
Rose laughed. John said, "I'm going over to Roger's. I have to tell him the good news and how his instructions helped me! And I am sure he will want to check Rose and the baby out himself! I won't be long!"
Celeste and William looked at each other.
Celeste said, "I'm afraid there is something you need to know..."


THE BAD NEWS...........by Coralynn

"What is it?" Rose asks, noticing the grave expression on Celeste's face.
"Roger was driving to the Jersey Shore to aid you....."
"Roger was on his way to us? How did he know I was in labor?"
"We found out by reading the Story. When it said you had that back labor, we knew what would come next. Then we lost electicity but we had enough info to phone Roger and tell him."
"Roger is the best! So he drove to the Jersey Shore? He didn't show up at the cabin," Rose muses.
"That's right," Eleanor takes over, "A large tree fell on his car when he was about five miles from you...."
"OH NO!" is all Rose can get out.
"It was a miracle all he sustained was a nasty bump on his head," William adds.
"So he's OK! I'm relieved! But why do you all look so worried?"
Bethia awakens, hearing the loud voices, and groggily makes her way out to the living room, sitting down on one of the soft leather couches. Rose turns her attention to Beth and asks, "Is there a problem with Roger?"
"Yes," Beth replies in a small, defeated tone, "He has amnesia. Has no idea who I am. Keeps asking for somebody named Tiffany."
"WHAT?!" both Rose and John exclaim simultaneously.
"I did some research on the internet, and in the Class of 1995 at the University of Michigan Roger's name appears, and from this printout I also found the name of a Tiffany...."
"There must been quite a few Tiffanys, though....."
"If she were born in the early 70s, as I suspect, there weren't all that many Tiffanys born then. I found a website that shows which girls' names were popular each year, and that name became trendy about 10 years later."
"Where is Roger?" Rose asks, now just as concerned as the others.
"In our local hospital," William answers, "Eleanor promised them a new ambulance if they'd drive him up here."
"You must be frantic!" Rose goes over to where Beth is sitting, sits down beside her and puts an arm around the other woman.
"Devastated," Beth chooses the perfect word for it, then bursts into tears.
"It was all our fault!" Rose moans, "If we'd just stayed home......."
"It was nobody's fault," Beth reassures her, "It was an accident. You didn't ask him to drive out to where you were, how could it be your fault?"
"We still feel somewhat responsible!" John insists, "I'm going over to the hospital now. Maybe he's regained his memory."
"No," William cuts him off, "You've been through a harrowing night. Stay here. Sleep in your old room. Plenty of time in the tomorrow to visit Roger."
"You're right," John agrees, "You all look like you could use sleep, too. Have any of you been to bed in the last 36 hours?"
They all shake their heads side to side.
"I can't get any sleep, how can I sleep?!" Beth says through her tears, then puts her head back against the soft leather on the couch and is out like a light.
Marilyn covers her with an afghan as they all somberly leave the room to get what sleep they can in the various bedrooms.
Rose and John carry little Jenna Rose to the upstairs nursery, lie her down on the crib, cover her and, then sit on their old bed, lean back and go to sleep without getting out of their clothes.

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