Open Arms

by Traci DePree

  Livvy leaned over to Kate and asked, “Who’s her date?”

  “That’s Michael Bradley. He’s a sophomore and her childhood friend.”

  The couple looked stunning together. When they paused at the end of the makeshift runway, Angie’s gaze caught Kate’s. She smiled, and Kate knew in that moment the girl was going to be just fine. God had his protective hand on her and on her child.

  SINCE KATE WAS ALL DRESSED UP, Paul took her to dinner during prom, though when the waiter at the Bristol took in her retro outfit, she saw Paul’s face turn five shades of red.

  At around eleven, they headed to the church to wait for the afterprom party to begin. The scent of Tony’s Pizza filled the fellowship hall as volunteers chatted and finished any last-minute preparations.

  At midnight, an avalanche of teenagers descended on the church. Some still wore their promwear, but most had changed into more casual clothing that seemed out of place with their elegant hairdos. The rented photo booth and games were huge hits with the partygoers.

  Kate manned the food table, handing out punch and making sure the table was well stocked for the ravenous crowd.

  When Ronda came by to take her place in the booth, Kate noted how much healthier the young woman looked than the last time Kate had seen her. She was working the dart game next to Kate’s table.

  “You look like a new person,” Kate said when there was a lull in the action.

  “Thanks,” Ronda smiled. “I feel like a new person now that I know what’s wrong with me.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Turns out I really am allergic to perm solution. My doctor has me on some meds that are supposed to get my allergies under control.”

  “That’s great,” Kate said, noting that Angie Petzel had just arrived. She’d changed into jeans and a Copper Mill High sweatshirt in red and white.

  “I was hoping to get another glimpse of Angie’s dress,” Ronda said, following Kate’s gaze. “Did you see it? She made it herself. Didn’t even use a pattern—how amazing is that? She’s going to do really well when she gets to design school in New York.”

  Kate nodded her agreement.

  Kim Lewis waved to her from her spot by the Velcro jumping wall. A boy ran past, jumping hard on the rebounder and gluing himself upside down to the wall. His friends squealed in delight, and Kim grinned as she went with Chad to peel his orange jumpsuit off the thing.

  Ashley Williams was working the beanbag toss, bending to pick up the thrown bags and handing them to the next person in line. She came by Kate’s table at around one thirty.

  “I wish we’d had this when I was in high school,” she said. She took a sip of her punch. “I needed this.”

  “How are you feeling?” Kate asked.

  “Good.” She smiled. Her gaze shifted to Carl Wilson, who was passing out basketballs at the free-throw game.

  “Did you know Carl has a brother?” she said.

  “I did,” Kate said. “Jack.”

  “He’s cute.” She lifted her eyebrows. “I hadn’t known they were brothers...”

  Kate smiled inwardly, glad that the girl had started to move on.

  “I better get back.” She ambled to the beanbag toss and took up her spot once again.

  Kate glanced around and realized that Angie and Kim were standing next to her. The expression on Kim’s face said something was up.

  “I was wondering when you’d make your way here,” Kate said to Angie. “I loved your dress, by the way.”

  “Thanks.” Angie gave her a long hug.

  When she pulled back, Kate said, “So, what’s going on with you two?”

  Kim and Angie exchanged conspiratorial glances.

  Angie said, “I have a favor to ask you, Mrs. Hanlon. I already asked Kim.”

  “Anything,” Kate said.

  “I’ve been thinking about it. Of course, my mom will be there, and I thought about maybe one of my sisters, but they aren’t really the ones I want...”

  Kate had no idea what she was talking about. Kim’s smile grew.

  “Well,” Angie went on, “I could use a couple of birthing coaches.”

  Kate was stunned. She looked at Kim, who was nodding. “There are no two people I’d like to have there more than both of you,” she said.

  Kate placed a hand on her chest at the sudden emotion that came over her. Tears coursed Kim’s cheeks.

  “I’d love to,” she said.

  “Oh, I’m so glad,” Kim said.

  Angie smiled at both of them. “I told you she’d want to be there.”

  Epilogue

  Kate and Paul were there at graduation. They saw Angie receive her diploma. Kate’s pride in the girl had swelled when she took the stage and shook the principal’s hand. She had seen so much courage and determination in Angie during those months that she knew the girl would be more than all right when all of this was over. Even though some in town talked about her behind her back, Angie had held her head high, confident that God had forgiven her and was giving her a new future.

  Summer had bloomed. Kate stopped often at Emma’s to see the young woman. Kate was happy that Angie continued to report her father’s growing level of acceptance of things as they were. Her belly grew from a small bump to a large volleyball, but she always looked adorable in the maternity creations she made for herself.

  Kim and Chad had gone to every prenatal visit, asking questions of the doctor and holding Angie’s hand. So far, the pregnancy had been smooth sailing. Angie had taken good care of herself, and it showed.

  Kate, Kim, Mona, and Angie had attended birthing classes in Pine Ridge together, practicing the breathing techniques for each phase of delivery. Kate had answered Angie’s questions, though it had been a very long time since she’d experienced childbirth for herself.

  Then autumn arrived in all its fickle bluster. Leaves fell from the trees, and most of Angie’s classmates went off to distant colleges. Angie, Kate, and Kim had decided to take walks in the mornings before the birth, even when it was chilly.

  They were headed up Sweetwater Street on a cold October day when Angie’s water broke.

  “Ohhh,” she squealed.

  Kate looked at her, not comprehending what was happening at first. Then she saw the puddle of liquid at the girl’s feet.

  Kim seemed the most surprised.

  “What?” she said. “Are you okay?”

  Angie squealed again. “My water broke.” She pointed at the ground.

  “Oh, oh, oh,” Kim said, looking around.

  A passerby on the sidewalk glanced at her as if she were having an episode, then he made his way into the newspaper office.

  They took a few more steps.

  “Should I call an ambulance?” Kim reached for the cell phone that was in her pocket.

  “I don’t think we need an ambulance,” Kate said, enjoying Kim’s excitement. “We’re closest to your place. Let’s go there.”

  It was only a block to the tan two-story home. They moved as quickly as they could, but Angie had to stop after half a block.

  “Ouch,” she said.

  “What is it?” Kim said.

  “I think...” She paused and placed a hand on her large, round belly. “It hurts so bad.”

  “You’re having contractions,” Kate said.

  “Ugh,” She looked at Kim and said, “This is going to be way more painful than I thought.”

  They made it the rest of the way to Kim’s house without any more contractions hitting. Since it was Saturday, Chad was home tinkering in the garage. Kim called for him from the front entry, and he came in wiping his hands on a shop towel.

  “What’s going on?” he said, then his gaze moved to Angie, whose face had gone ashen. “Is she okay?”

  “She’s in labor.” Kate took over. “Kim, get the car. Chad, call Angie’s folks and let them know we’re heading to the hospital. I’ll call the hospital to let them know we’re on our way.” She glanced at Angie. “And please get a chair
for her.”

  “And a towel,” Angie called to Chad.

  He returned a few minutes later with a wooden dining-room chair and a thick beach towel that he laid down for her to sit on. Kate dialed the hospital.

  Within ten minutes, they were on their way to Pine Ridge.

  “Your parents didn’t answer the phone,” Chad said to Angie.

  She glanced at Kate with a look of panic in her eyes.

  “We’ll find them,” Kate assured her. She reached for the eighteen-year-old’s hand. Then she called Paul to tell him what was going on and to ask him to find Mona and Ryan.

  They reached the hospital in less than fifteen minutes; Kate wondered how fast Chad was driving. The emergency-room staff was at the ready with a wheelchair to take Angie straight to labor and delivery.

  Chad kissed Kim good-bye.

  “I’ll come out and keep you posted, okay?” she said.

  Kate knew he was disappointed at not being able to be in the delivery room, but Angie hadn’t been comfortable with the idea. He moved to one of the padded chairs and lifted his face to the TV in the corner.

  Kate and Kim followed the fast-moving nurse through the corridors of the small hospital and into the labor-and-delivery wing at the end. Angie was transferred to a bed, and the nurse hooked up a heart monitor to check the baby’s beats and a blood pressure cuff to keep track of Angie’s pressure.

  Contractions were a mere four minutes apart, and Kate knew that they had grown in intensity because Angie had stopped talking once they got to the hospital. Her eyes spoke of pain. Kim was at her side the whole time, watching carefully, concerned.

  Kate’s cell phone rang, and the nurse gave her a dirty look. She moved into the hall to take the call since it was from Paul.

  “Angie’s folks are at their church in Pine Ridge,” he said. “They should be there any minute.”

  Relief flooded Kate.

  “Thank you! I’ll keep you posted on progress here.”

  “I’m already on my way,” he said.

  “YOUR FOLKS ARE ON THEIR WAY,” Kate informed Angie when she came back into the room. The girl smiled. Then another contraction hit. Her face glowed with perspiration, and her eyes were fixed on Kim, as if she wanted the kindergarten teacher to know this moment deeply so she could share it later with their child. The sight was so achingly beautiful that Kate found herself choking up.

  “It’s almost time to push,” the doctor informed.

  “But my mom isn’t here,” Angie said, panic in her voice.

  “Yes, I am,” Mona said from the doorway. “Your dad’s in the waiting room with Chad and Paul.”

  The nurse showed her where to scrub up and robe as she had done with Kate and Kim earlier.

  Mona was back at her daughter’s side by the next push.

  Finally a beautiful baby girl emerged. Her face was pink and pinched, and her eyes were dark and seemed too large for her tiny face. She was squealing at the top of her lungs, and everyone in the room, including the medical personnel, laughed.

  The nurse went to clean her off, and the doctor said, “You’ve got a boisterous one, that’s for sure.”

  He was looking at Angie, and Kate felt a twinge of sadness for Kim.

  But Angie said, “Yes, she does,” her eyes on her friend.

  Kate excused herself to get the men, and when she, Paul, Ryan, and Chad returned, the nurse was just bringing the baby back, bundled in a cotton hospital blanket.

  “Who would like to hold her first?”

  She began to hand the baby to Angie, but Mona said, “Her mother should hold her first,” motioning toward Kim.

  Tears streamed down Kim’s cheeks as she took her daughter into her arms with Chad looking on at her side. The baby ceased her wailing, and Kim kissed her cheek.

  There wasn’t a dry eye in the room. Kate pulled several tissues out of the box on the bedside table and handed one to Mona and Angie before offering one to Kim.

  “She’s amazing,” Kim said to Angie.

  “I’m so happy for you,” Angie said.

  Kim smiled and placed the baby in Angie’s arms.

  “She’s a gift to both of us,” Kim said. “A miracle to fill our open arms.”

  About the Author

  BEFORE LAUNCHING her writing career, Traci DePree worked as a fiction editor for many of the best Christian authors in the country. While still maintaining her editing career, Traci loves creating new worlds in her novels. Her hope is that, just as in Copper Mill, Tennessee, her readers will see God’s creation and inspiration within the people in their own lives. Traci is the author of the best-selling Lake Emily series, including A Can of Peas, Dandelions in a Jelly Jar and Aprons on a Clothesline. She makes her home in a small Minnesota town with her husband and their five children, the youngest via adoption.

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