River's Call

by Melody Carlson

  "You will have to be very strong, Sarah Pearl," she whispered. "Not everyone will love you like I do. But you have your ancestors' blood, your great-great-grandmother's blood, and that will make you strong. I can feel your spirit, little one. You will be very strong." She leaned over and kissed the top of Sarah's head. "Be blessed, little Siuslaw princess. Be very, very blessed."

  14

  Anna used a hospital phone to place a collect call to Clark, quickly relaying to him that she was safely in Pine Ridge and about her granddaughter. "She's absolutely precious, Clark. I fell in love with her immediately."

  "That's great. And there's nothing to worry about on the home front. Everyone is helping out, Babette fixed a great dinner of beef bourguignon."

  "Now you're making me hungry."

  "You haven't eaten yet?"

  "No, I was spending time with Lauren and the baby."

  "Do you know where you'll be staying tonight?"

  She sighed. "Well, Eunice didn't offer any accommodations."

  "That figures. But I don't want you staying with her anyway, Anna. Isn't there a hotel or inn in town?"

  "Yes, but—"

  "No buts. I want you to go to the best place, get the nicest room, and then buy yourself a wonderful dinner. Don't think about the money. Like I keep telling you, we're just fine. I want you to splurge, Anna."

  She giggled. "Fine. I will splurge and I will celebrate the birth of my adorable granddaughter."

  "That's the spirit." They talked a bit longer, then expressed their love and hung up. Anna glanced down the quiet corridor of the maternity ward, deciding to tell Lauren goodnight before she left. That is, if no one else was in there with her. Lauren had been quite busy with visitors—friends from school, and family members. By dinnertime her room had been filled with flowers. However, Anna hadn't seen Donald there yet. Perhaps he would be with her now.

  But when she found Lauren, she was alone, and judging by her expression, unhappy. "I just came in to say goodnight," Anna said quietly as she came in.

  "Oh?" Lauren looked up with a tired expression. "It is getting late, isn't it?"

  Anna nodded. "Visiting hours are nearly over."

  "And Donald hasn't even been here."

  Anna tried not to seem surprised. "Not at all?"

  "Well, sure, he was here earlier. He saw the baby and everything. But then he said he had to get back to work to take care of something." She looked at Anna with fearful eyes. "But I don't know if I should believe him."

  "Why not, sweetheart?"

  "Because he's such a liar."

  Anna braced herself.

  "I don't know what I'm going to do, Mom." Lauren had tears in her eyes now.

  "I don't understand . . ." Anna sat down, waiting.

  "Donald is a lousy husband, Mom."

  "In what ways?"

  "Every way."

  "I assume he's providing for you, by working."

  "Yeah, he works. But that's about the only thing he does right. If you can call it that. He's supposedly saving money for our house, but I have my doubts."

  "Why do you have doubts?"

  "For one thing, he drinks like a fish."

  "Oh . . ." Anna frowned.

  "He goes out almost every night, comes home late, and he doesn't seem to care a bit about me or the baby."

  "Do you think that it was too much too soon for him?" Anna asked gently. "I mean getting married, going to work, having a child . . . all in such a short period of time . . . it seems a lot."

  Lauren folded her arms across her front and scowled. "I didn't figure you'd stand up for him. My own mom."

  "I'm sorry, Lauren. It's not that I'm choosing sides. I just know that for any marriage to work, you need to give and take. It's possible Donald is going through a rough spell. What did he think when he saw Sarah?"

  Lauren shrugged.

  "It might take him some time to adjust."

  "Time, time . . . everything takes time." Lauren started to actually cry now. "But when do I get time? First I get big as a house and can't do anything fun. Now I'm going to be stuck taking care of a baby. Plus, I have to live under Grandmother's roof! You know what an old grouch she can be. And now that I'm not pregnant, she'll probably let Mabel go."

  "Mabel?"

  "Our housekeeper. Grandma said she only hired her to help out while I was pregnant."

  "That was nice of her."

  "But now she'll expect me to do everything." Lauren shook her head. "And that's just not fair."

  Anna didn't know what to say. "Maybe you and Donald should think about finding a small house that you could rent."

  "A small rental house?" Lauren looked like Anna was suggesting she go live in a tent.

  "Just for a while." Now Anna told Lauren about how happy she and Adam were for a short time. "It was just the three of us, cozy and comfy in our little house. Housekeeping wasn't very difficult. It was truly one of the best times of my life, I mean before most recently. But then the war came along and Eunice insisted that you and I should move in with her." She sighed. "I never should've given in."

  "So where did you and Dad live back then?"

  "In one of the mill cottages over by—"

  "Eew. You lived in one of those horrible shacks?"

  "It was just past the depression, Lauren. And they were in better shape then, and—"

  "No, thank you. I would rather live with Grandmother."

  "I wasn't suggesting you needed to live in a mill cottage."

  "I should hope not."

  Anna reached over and took Lauren's hand. "Visiting hours are over and I can tell you need your rest. Try not to worry about these things right now. It's normal to feel overly emotional after giving birth . . . just give yourself a chance to rest and recover. All right?"

  She just nodded. "I am sleepy."

  "See you tomorrow, sweetie."

  Anna felt sad and frustrated as she left the hospital. Sometimes Lauren seemed to be growing up and making progress and sometimes she seemed to be going backward. Anna hated to blame anyone, but she couldn't help but sense that Eunice's influence was overly strong.

  Deciding to get a room at the Starlight Hotel, Anna pulled her car into the back parking lot. To her surprise, there was a car there that looked exactly like Lauren's baby-blue convertible, and to Anna's knowledge there was only one car like that in town, the one that Eunice bought for Lauren's sixteenth birthday several years ago. The car looked a little more worn now, but as Anna got her bag from the trunk, she checked the license plate to see that it was indeed Lauren's car.

  Curious as to what this meant, Anna went on into the hotel and booked her room. Then, after dropping off her bag, she went back downstairs to the restaurant. There, as she was waiting to be seated at a table, she glanced into the smoky lounge and saw Donald seated at a small table with a pretty redhead sitting across from him. The two had their heads close together, drinks at hand, and cigarettes glowing in the dimly lit room. Anna took in a quick breath as she considered going in there and hitting him over the head with her handbag.

  "Right this way," the hostess said pleasantly. "Unless you care to sit in the lounge?"

  "No . . . no, thank you." Anna told her. "I don't care to sit in there." She followed the young woman to a corner table, feeling slightly shaken as she slid into a chair. What should she do? What should she do? Pretending to study the menu, all Anna could think was that she needed to go out there and confront her son-in-law. But how? What should she say? Soon the waitress returned, telling Anna about the special, something with chicken. "I'll have that," Anna told her. "And coffee." She glanced toward the lounge. "If you'll excuse me, I want to go say hello to someone in the lounge."

  "No problem." The waitress smiled.

  Steadying herself with a deep breath, and silently whispering a prayer, Anna made her way to the lounge. She was actually hoping she'd been mistaken. Perhaps it was simply someone who looked like Donald. And perhaps Lauren had gone into labor with her
car parked out back . . . and it had been left there for someone to pick up later. But she quickly realized that, no, it was indeed Donald. And judging by the way the young woman was looking into his eyes, this was not just a casual encounter.

  "Excuse me, Donald." Anna stood right next to his table. "I thought that was you."

  He looked up with a shocked expression. "Mrs. Gunderson!"

  "No, I'm not Mrs. Gunderson," she corrected him. "I'm Mrs. Richards now. Remember, I remarried." She looked directly at the young woman with a somber expression. "I just came from the hospital, where I've been with your wife, Donald. Lauren mentioned that you had been detained at work this afternoon. I see that isn't the situation now." She gave him a confused frown. "I would've assumed you'd want to spend your spare time with your wife and newborn baby."

  "I, uh, I, well . . . visiting hours are over now."

  "So that is why you are here, Donald? Because visiting hours are over?"

  "Look, Mrs., uh, Mrs . . . ."

  "Richards, Donald. Your mother-in-law's name is Mrs. Richards."

  "Yeah, right." He looked flustered. "Well, you don't know everything about Lauren and me. Just because she's the one getting all the attention for having a baby doesn't mean that she's blameless in everything."

  "You're right, I don't know everything, Donald. But I do know this—you are married to my daughter. You have a newborn baby. If this is your idea of being a good husband, I'm afraid your marriage is doomed. And if you have no interest in honoring your marriage vows, I suggest you make your position clear with Lauren. To go sneaking around like . . . like this—well, that is just lowdown rotten."

  He just stared at her now.

  "I am severely disappointed in you, Donald. If you were an honorable man, you would be severely disappointed in yourself as well." Anna felt angry tears stinging her eyes. "To think you are the father of that darling little baby girl, just hours old, and here you are." She turned to the woman. "Did you know about his baby? Sarah Pearl Thomas was born this afternoon— are you here to celebrate with the new father?"

  The woman stood, quickly stepping away. "I gotta go."

  "So do I," Anna told Donald. Then, fighting to hold back her fury and her tears, she turned away and hurried back into the restaurant where, with trembling knees, she sat down. With her eyes downward, she picked up her cup of coffee and, holding it with both hands to keep from spilling, she took a careful sip. Between sips she took in some slow, deep breaths . . . attempting to calm herself.

  More than anything, Anna wished she'd tried harder to discourage Lauren from marrying Donald. Not that it made any difference now. "If wishes were fishes, we'd all have a fry," her father used to say. Really, there was no point in looking backward. Besides, she realized as her salad was placed in front of her, Lauren and Donald's marriage, even if it was a mockery, had allowed her granddaughter to be born into this world with no plans for adoption. Little Sarah Pearl had her place in this world, even if it seemed a slightly unstable place. That alone was worth a lot. So, as Anna slowly picked at her lemon chicken, she began to create a plan—a plan that might help to protect both Lauren and Sarah. Or so she hoped.

  Anna called the law office in the morning. To her relief, Mr. Miller hadn't retired yet and sounded happy to meet with her. Feeling a sense of urgency and a sense of mission, she walked on over and was barely through the door when she began to pour out her troubles about Lauren and Donald and her granddaughter. "I knew that I could trust you," she said finally.

  He nodded slowly, rubbing the bridge of his nose and adjusting his wire rimmed-glasses. "Certainly you can trust me. But I'm not sure how you want me to help."

  "Well, I realize that I told you I didn't want anything from Eunice, regarding Adam's estate, I mean. But now I'm wondering if it's too late to change my mind on that."

  He scooted his wide girth toward the desk and opened up the file folder in front of him. "Well, as I told you, some of the assets are frozen. And, despite your decision to back off from Mrs. Gunderson last time we talked . . ." He chuckled. "Well, I've just been letting sleeping dogs lie, so to speak."

  "I'm not asking about this for myself," she explained. "But if there is anything left of Adam's estate, I would be so relieved to know that it could be used for Lauren and Sarah. I'm so worried that Lauren might find herself as a single mother and I don't want her to feel beholden to Eunice. On the same token, I don't want her to feel forced to come and live with me, although I would love it."

  "You would?" His white eyebrows drew together as he smoothed his narrow tie.

  She nodded eagerly. "Yes, most definitely." She described the situation of the inn and the cabins. "So we really have plenty of room. The only problem is that Shining Waters is so remote . . . and Lauren is accustomed to a social life. I know how important that is to her."

  "Shining Waters sounds like a very nice spot to me." He jotted the name down. "In fact, I might like to come visit sometime. How's the fishing?"

  She smiled. "It's great. And you'd be most welcome there."

  "Now, as to Lauren and the child. I'd suggest we set up a trust fund. Especially if you have any concerns about Donald."

  "Yes, a trust fund for Lauren and Sarah would be wonderful. I'd like Sarah's money to be protected too." She paused. "I mean . . . even from Lauren."

  He nodded. "Don't worry, I get your drift." He wrote something else down. "And just so you won't be worrying about my age and retirement and all, I've hired an associate. My sister's son is going to be joining me in the fall. Laurence is young, but he graduated from Stanford with honors."

  He pulled out a legal pad and began to go over some numbers and dates with her and finally he promised to have some papers sent for her signature. "Probably not for a couple of weeks," he told her as he stood to see her to the door. "I'm glad you came back. I never liked the idea of Mrs. Gunderson beating you like that."

  "I was just eager to be out from under her," Anna explained. "Sometimes there are things in life that are worth more than money."

  He reached for the doorknob. "I agree. But I'm still glad you're doing this . . . for Lauren and Sarah's sake. I don't think you'll be sorry."

  "So what shall I tell Lauren now?"

  "You just tell her that whenever she's ready—or if things really disintegrate in her marriage—you tell her to come and see me and that I'll help her out." He opened the door and led her out into the lobby.

  "Thank you so much, Mr. Miller." Anna reached over to shake his hand.

  "And I plan to take a vacation as soon as Laurence, that's my nephew, gets settled in. You think you'll have a room available in October?"

  "I'll make sure we do. In fact, you can probably have a whole cabin if you like."

  He grinned as he opened the front door. "Whatever you think is best."

  "October is one of the most beautiful times on the river."

  "Looking forward to it."

  Anna decided to walk to the hospital from the law office. It was only six blocks and it gave her a chance to clear her head and to think. Walking past the city park, in the shade of a row of pine trees, she could hear the whirring of a lawnmower somewhere. She glanced over to the play area, wondering if Sarah would play on that slide or dig in that sandbox. Would Sarah's life in Pine Ridge be happy and carefree? Or would her parents' marriage problems ruin everything?

  Anna had no idea what, or how much, she would say to Lauren about her encounter with Donald last night. Just the same, she felt certain that she couldn't simply sweep it under the rug. However, when she noticed Lauren's convertible in the hospital parking lot, she felt unsure. At least Donald was here today. That was something.

  Anna tried to act natural when she found Donald at Lauren's bedside. Standing in the shadows of the doorway, she watched the scene unfolding. They would make a nice snapshot, although Anna cared little for cameras. The handsome doting husband leaning over his pretty wife as she cradled the baby in her arms was quintessentially sweet. Then the b
aby let out a loud wail, and the magic was broken. "I don't know what to do with her," Lauren complained loudly to Donald. "She shouldn't be hungry. Do you want to hold her?"

  "I don't know how to hold a baby," he protested as Lauren held Sarah out for him to take.

  "Well, it's time you learned."

  Worried the baby, caught in the lurch, might fall to the ground, Anna stepped up. "Hello there," she said casually, "how about if I hold her?" She shot Donald a quick warning look as she reached for the howling baby. "There, there, little Sarah," she shushed gently as she rocked the sweet bundle in her arms, "it'll be all right."

  "Don't you think Donald should be willing to learn how to hold his own child?" Lauren asked loudly.

  Anna nodded. Then, continuing to shush her granddaughter while the new parents argued about whose job it was to care for the baby, Anna made her way to the door.

  "You're the one who wanted the baby," Donald was saying as Anna left the room. She carried the baby down the hallway, quietly talking, shushing, and rocking. By the time she reached the nursery, Sarah had settled down.

  "Why did you bring her back?" the young nurse, who'd helped with the feeding yesterday, asked. "This is mothering time."

  "Mothering time?"

  "The babies are supposed to be with the mothers."

  "Oh." Anna looked around the empty nursery. "But the father was there and, they, well, they were having a little disagreement."

  "So . . . ?"

  "And the baby was crying."

  The young nurse just shook her head. "The sooner they get used to it, the better off they'll all be." She pointed to the door. "Please, take the baby back to her mother."

  Anna sighed. "I suppose I see your point." Feeling like Sarah's traitor, Anna slowly walked her back to Lauren's room. At least the baby was calmed down now. "I'm back," she said quietly. "I took Sarah for a little walk, but the nurse told me to bring her back to you."