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“You too,” Roland said, and then ended the call.
Connor looked at the photo one more time. Damn. He really looked like he adored the baby. But he remembered exactly what he had been thinking. It was,“What the fuck!” Somehow the camera didn’t seem to capture the emotions correctly.
Even though he didn’t want to remember yesterday, he couldn’t bring himself to delete the picture either. He meant it when he told Roland he never wanted kids, but this little girl, well, she was as close to having one that he was ever going to get.
It made no sense, but something in him wished he’d gotten the mother’s name or contact information. He’d like to know how they were doing. Connor didn’t even know if the baby’s father was in the picture. For all he knew, that girl could be a single mother with no one to help.
He put the phone down. What the hell was he doing? He’d done his part. It wasn’t up to him to go and check on her. They have people who do that, maybe someone from the hospital or maybe her family. It definitely shouldn’t be him.
If Roland had found that picture, it meant it was out on the Internet somewhere. He could spend his day looking for it, but why? Connor didn’t want to see any more. With any luck, this was the one and only photo out there.
Something told him it wasn’t, but for now, he would try to think positive. That and head to the gym. He was going to need an extra-long workout at this point.
Krista did not believe what she was hearing. “You must be mistaken,” she said.
“I wouldn’t joke about such a thing,” Darlene said, pouring Krista another cup of coffee. “They are getting married. And yes,” Darlene lowered her voice and added, “she’s pregnant with twins.”
Krista had only been gone for a few days and already she was the last to know something. She found it funny that Darlene was whispering, because everyone knew that this diner was like the Gazette. Anything you wanted to know about the town you could find out here. Krista was surprised to hear that it was going to be twins. She hadn’t delivered a set of twins yet. There’s a first time for everything. She just wished she had been the one to give the happy couple the news. She also wondered why they hadn’t gone to her to have the pregnancy test done. Were they going to use a different obstetrician? She was the only one in town. Where would they go?
Krista could ask Darlene, who probably already had that information, since she seemed to know everything else. But she wasn’t ready to hear that answer. She was hoping it didn’t have anything to do with the lack of faith in her ability, and care. This wasn’t just a job that she did. She loved and cared about each baby she brought into this world. And every mother, every woman who came into her office? She treated them as though they were her own family.
Why would they go to someone else?
Then she got her answer, and it was almost more surprising than the prior news.
“I heard that they’re moving out of Vermont.”
“But they’ve always lived here. Why would they move when they’re just about to start a family?” Krista wished she hadn’t asked that question out loud. She didn’t need anyone knowing her concerns. But these young families should be in a tight community where everybody watched out for each other. That’s how they did things here. And if they were going to have twins, they were going to need all the help they could get.
Darlene shrugged and replied, “Something about more opportunities for them in Boston.”
Krista swore her heart skipped a beat. She understood there were jobs in Boston, but why raise a child in the big city when you have a home like this? Even their parents lived here. And the grandparents were here as well. What Darlene was saying couldn’t be accurate. There was no way this young couple was moving out of Montpelier. But just in case Darlene wasn’t mistaken, Krista knew she needed to make one stop before going into her office.
“Darlene, if you don’t mind, I’ll take the coffee to go,” Krista said. As usual, Darlene just smiled, grabbed the mug, and headed into the back. And when she returned, she no longer had a small cup to go but an extra-large iced coffee made exactly how Krista liked it. With mocha peppermint, extra cream, and no sugar. “Darlene, this diner would never run without you.”
Darlene chuckled. “Don’t think I don’t know it.”
Krista handed her five dollars, grabbed her coffee, and headed out. She couldn’t just let this couple make this decision without first talking to them. It wasn’t like they were her children; she just needed to make sure that they had thought this through thoroughly.
They weren’t hard to find. Patty was on the porch and Mikie was already packing things into their car. It seemed the final decision had already been made. It was too late to give them any advice, at least not about staying here.
She headed up the porch stairs and said, “I guess I heard correctly.”
Patty nodded. “Yes, we’re leaving for Boston in the morning. Mikie already has a job. And he has friends that are going to let us stay with them until we can find our own place.”
That was not quite the plan she would have chosen for them, but she was happy to hear that they had friends in Boston. She had been concerned they wouldn’t have a support system out there. “Well, that’s good. Hopefully you can find your own place quickly. I assume the rest of what I heard is accurate as well?”
“You mean that Mikie and I are going to get married?”
“Yes, that is part of it. I also heard that you are expecting.” She hated putting Patty on the spot like that. But if the rumors were accurate, she wanted Patty to know that she’s always welcome to call 24/7. Just because Patty wasn’t going to be her patient didn’t mean that Krista wasn’t going to be there for her.
Patty placed her hand on her abdomen and said, “I can barely believe it myself. Twins. I guess they run in Mikie’s family, because they don’t run in mine.”
“Well, you know how to reach me anytime you need me. Whether it’s for medical advice, or just to talk and give me an update. Even if you want to talk about the weather, I’m always here for you.”
Patty leaned over and gave Krista a hug. “I never thought I would have anyone delivering my children other than you. I’m… I’m kind of scared.”
Krista rubbed Patty’s back gently and said, “It’s scary no matter who is delivering your child. It’s called being an expectant mother. But if you’d like, I’d be more than happy to look for a qualified obstetrician in Boston for you.”
