Grace Falls
Page 20
Epilogue – Part Two
Maddie pushed the door handle down and entered the room; she narrowed her eyes trying to pick out a clear path towards the bed in the darkness. She peeked over Alan’s shoulder as she edged slowly towards the prone figure in the bed. She reached out and flipped on the lamp, she couldn’t help a small smile, as Jessica’s face scrunched up in complaint at the light’s intrusion on her sleep. The doctor bent her knees to reach down, careful so as to not disturb the dozing toddler in her arms, and removed the heavy open textbook resting on Jessica’s chest. She rolled her eyes as she lifted the book and inspected the title. “Cardiology! Honestly Zoe, corrupting young innocent minds,” she huffed to herself and placed the book carefully on the nightstand. “Squirt, time to get up.” Jessica made an unintelligible noise and turned away from the light. “Jessica, count of three then I get the water jug,” Maddie said firmly.
“Mooooomm,” groaned Jessica, as she twisted her head and popped one eye open. “Do we have to do this?”
Maddie still got a kick out of hearing Jessica call her Mom; since Alan’s birth, more and more the girl had started to use the term directly when speaking to her. “Your mama’s already gone to help your dad set up and everyone’s going to be there; so yes we have to do this.”
“It’s the middle of the night,” Jessica moaned as she pulled herself into a sitting position. “What are you wearing?!” she looked in horror at Maddie’s outfit.
Maddie looked down and held the hem of her T-shirt out, “We’re all wearing them.” She shifted the still-dozing Alan in her arms to show Jessica his T-shirt, the small boy huffed and wound his chubby arms tighter around his mother’s neck, releasing hold of the soft toy that accompanied his every move.
Jessica shook her head as she spun her legs out of her bed and crouched down to retrieve the stuffed toy skunk, “No way, I’m not wearing one.”
“Um, yes you are,” Maddie replied, shifting her position so she could toss Jessica’s T-shirt down onto the bed. “Your mama made these. If I’m wearing it, you’re wearing it,” she took the skunk from Jessica’s outstretched hand and turned to leave the room. “We’ll see you downstairs in twenty Squirt.”
“So uncool,” Jessica flopped back onto her bed and lay looking at the ceiling.
***
Maddie opened the door to Sullivan’s Sports Bar, each time she entered the bar her eyes were drawn to the altered sign on the door. She was almost disappointed that Sully had given up replacing it. The group of friends would watch amused, as the bar owner would be left scratching his head and muttering about a ‘wise ass’ after the sign had been changed back to Sullivan’s Sports Bra practically overnight. In all the years that it had been happening, Sully still had no idea that the wise ass was Alex.
She held the door open while Jessica entered carrying Alan on her hip. Sully looked up from behind the counter and smiled. “We’ve set up a sleep zone in the office for the rug rats and we’re planning on putting Ruth in there when she gets cranky,” he grinned and nodded his head towards the door, before he ducked a towel thrown in his direction by Ruth.
Jessica and Maddie opened the door to the office quietly so as not to disturb those inside, an inflatable mattress dominated the floor space and in the middle was a softly snoring Ben flanked by his sister and cousin. Jessica lowered Alan onto the mattress and covered him over. Satisfied that he was going to remain asleep they backed their way out of the office and headed back to the bar.
“So what can we do to help?” Maddie asked rolling the sleeves of her sweatshirt up.
“You managed to just arrive as we’re done,” Alex smiled, swatting Maddie’s butt. “Everyone should be arriving any minute,” she kissed Maddie on the lips. “I hope you’re wearing your T-shirt under that sweatshirt.”
Maddie tugged on Alex’s T-shirt stopping her from moving away. “I’m more interested in what’s under your T-shirt,” she smirked.
Alex felt the heat rise in her cheeks, “Much more of that and we’ll be kicking the kids off that mattress and giving this a miss.”
Jessica brushed past carrying a pile of flags, “No way you two are disappearing off. If I’m here in the middle of the night wearing a stupid T-shirt you’re both staying.”
The two women rolled their eyes and separated.
Alex skipped after Jessica and grabbed her daughter round the waist. “You’re such a little grump when you’re tired,” she nuzzled her face into Jessica’s neck as the teenager started to giggle.
“Mama, I’ll drop the flags,” Jessica laughed, dropping her head to the side to rest it against her mother’s.
“Can’t have you doing that,” Alex replied, planting a loud kiss on Jessica’s cheek.
The door to the bar opened and Douglas and Teddy arrived, Teddy held out a platter full of food. “Where do you want this?” she called, shrugging her jacket off. “I wasn’t sure what kind of food you make for the middle of the night.”
“Doesn’t matter what it is,” Maddie shrugged lifting a sausage from the platter and popping it in her mouth. “Food never tastes the same during the night. Don’t get Mack started on the subject or we’ll miss the race.”
Alex took the platter from her and smiled at Douglas, who was carrying his sleeping son in his arms and a car seat holding a babbling baby girl, “I’ll take this and put it with the rest and you can pop Sleepy there in the office with the other little humans.” She looked down at Teddy and Henry’s daughter, “And you, big girl, can help your Aunt Madeleine stop eating all the food.” She looked pointedly at Maddie whose hand was in midair towards the platter.
“Right,” Maddie grinned. “I’ll take you.” She took the car seat from Douglas and lifted it up whispering to the baby as she walked further into the bar, “We’ll just go this way and see what other food there is.”
Half an hour later and the bar was filled with more Grace Falls residents than Maddie had seen in a long time in one place, had it not been for the clock telling her it was two in the morning she would have thought it was a Friday evening with the bustle and energy the bar exuded. As the big screen flickered into life and the occupants of the bar turned their attention towards the end of the bar, eager to watch perhaps the biggest event that Grace Falls had ever seen.
The noise started to increase as the commentator mentioned the name that they were all there to support.
“Sweatshirts off you two,” Alex nudged Maddie and her daughter who both reluctantly removed their tops to reveal their ‘Team Hunter’ shirts.
Sam took his position at the start line clad in the dark blue lycra of Team USA. Sully shushed everyone and turned the sound up on the commentary.
“It’s a lovely afternoon here in Pyeongchang and the competitors are lining up for the mass start Biathlon. Sam Hunter our home interest in this one has the most intriguing story. Sam hails from a small town back in the Alabama called Grace Falls, where I’m told they don’t actually get a great deal of snow, so it should be interesting to see how he copes here.”
Mack leapt from her chair, her clenched fist punching the air above her, “You give ’em hell Sam.”
Maddie laughed at her nurse’s outburst. “She’s been excited all week,” she murmured against Alex’s hair. Alex leaned back against the warmth of Maddie’s body.
“Yeah, but did she make T-shirts?!” Alex replied, never taking her eyes from the screen.
Maddie grinned and let her eyes wander around the bar. Sully was standing behind the bar leaning over the counter to kiss Lou as she bounced their daughter up and down. Peter, Ruth, Teddy and Douglas were sitting at the table that they habitually sat at on a Friday evening; their children, now wide awake thanks to the noise from the bar, were shared out amongst them. Jessica was now down at the front of the bar near the big screen with Lewis. Sitting on her lap watching with wide eyes was Alan his toy skunk firmly in his grasp. Maddie twisted her head towards the bar and smiled as she spotted the photographs in pride of place on t
he wall. The first was a graduation photo, the younger versions of the faces that Maddie had just scanned looked back out at her along with the face that she had never seen in real life. Next to it was a photo of Sully and Alex during Jessica’s sign ceremony and the largest photo was of the friends with all of their children taken during what was billed as the biggest sign ceremony the town had ever hosted. She took in a deep breath and a satisfied smile appeared on her lips.
“You okay?” Alex asked, tipping her head back so she could see Maddie.
“I’m wonderful.”
“So why the big sigh?”
Maddie pulled Alex closer to her and rested her chin on her shoulder, “I was just counting my blessings and thanking God for car trouble.”
About the Author
HP Munro lives in Scotland with her wife and a dog called Boo.
You can connect with HP through munrohp@gmail.com
www.red-besom-books.com
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