Beyond Expectations (Mended Hearts Book 3)

by Sarah Markel

  Chapter 6

  “Mama, stop it!” Alex said, frustration making her voice sharper than she intended. Andrea gave her daughter a blank stare before waving her off. “Oh shush Alex. If you don’t want to hear it, go outside and play with the boys.” She instructed, referring to the men who had taken up residence in the garage with Hank’s project car. Alex grumbled and glared at her mother. After settling Kelly’s father into Andrea’s house the day before, the couple and children had stayed the night to avoid having to travel back the next day. It was only eight o’clock in the morning, but Alex had had enough of the conversation. When they had come down for coffee, half an hour earlier, Kelly had waved off the coffee in favor of some herbal tea. She had been fighting nausea since the day before, and didn’t want to upset her stomach further. Now, Andrea and Angie were regaling Kelly with embarrassing stories of Alex’s pregnancies. Irritated, Alex huffed out a breath and stormed out the door.

  “Anyways, like I was saying, when she was about six months along, we were all here having spaghetti and watching a horror movie in the family room. Alex was huge and used her belly as a table to set her plate on. She was happily forking up her food and a particularly gruesome scene came on, and Zane decided he was done with Mommy eating the spaghetti, so he kicked really hard and knocked the plate right off of Alex’s belly! She had so much red sauce all over her, she looked like she could have been in the movie!” Andrea finished, laughing. Kelly snorted into her tea and grimaced. “Oh my goodness! That must have been hilarious. I wish I could have been there when she was pregnant.” she said wistfully. “I’ve seen the pregnancy pictures and the candid photos that Angie has, but I just wish I could have known her back then.” Taking another sip of her tea, she felt tears welling in her eyes. She sniffed and batted at them, “You know, before I met Alex, I only dated femme women. I’ve never really belonged to a label, but I just always fell for the femmes. Alex changed that for me, although I don’t think she’s as butch as she wants everyone to believe.” Kelly chuckled as she finished her thought.

  Angie laughed with her and nodded. “Oh she is. Don’t let the photos fool you, Sis. Callie and Alex were a paradox. Alex was very femme in appearance, she loved the girly things in life, but she was a total butch in attitude. Callie was the same way, she looked like a stone butch, but she was a giggly girl to be around.” Kelly thought about that for a moment, she had always assumed that Alex had been just as she appeared in the pictures; soft and feminine. She had never really thought about Alex’s change, she just knew that Alex was different than any other woman she had dated before. Just as she was about to speak, Karen came into the kitchen. With a quick glance to Andrea and Angie, Kelly greeted her mother and changed the subject. “When are the others coming, Mama?” she asked, referring to Alex’s brothers and their families.

  *****

  “Now they’re all in there talking about my pregnancies.” Alex grumbled to Hank and Steve. Hank chuckled while Steve laughed loudly. “Well Alex, you know how women are. Shit, Angie and Callie used to talk about it every time they were together, even when you weren’t around.” Steve said, passing a socket wrench to Hank. Alex grumbled again, muttering under her breath. “Don’t get me wrong, it’s nice to be able to compare my experiences to what Kelly is going through, but it’s getting annoying! It’s all they talk about anymore!” Alex loved her wife, and was thrilled about the baby, but she was over the constant baby talk. She had felt the same way about the wedding, and it was annoying the hell out of her. Steve clapped her on the shoulder and gave her a one-armed hug. “Don’t worry, Alex. We’ll make a rule. The garage is a baby-free zone. No more baby talk inside these walls.” Alex laughed and hugged him back. “Deal. Now, let’s get this engine re-built.” she said, rolling up her sleeves.

  *****

  “Kevin, would you mind going out to the garage and telling the others to get inside and clean up? They don’t want me to come out there.” Andrea asked, irritated that Alex and the boys had avoided the house all day. Kevin nodded, leaving the kitchen with a chuckle. “I’ll be back in a minute, Mama. I need to talk to Alex for a minute.” Kelly said, following her father out the door. Falling into step with him on the deck, she slid her arm through his. “Thank you for coming out here this year, daddy. It’s nice to have the whole family together once in a while.” Kevin smiled at his daughter and released her arm to pull her into a hug. “Of course, sweetheart. It was really nice of Andrea and Hank to open their house to us. The kids love it here.” he replied, kissing the top of Kelly’s head. After their arrival the day before, Kevin Jr and Kylie had spent the better part of the day exploring the different rooms of Serenity Manor. Andrea and Hank had happily played tour guide, even going as far as playing a game of hide and seek with the kids that ended with Kevin Jr getting lost in the basement. Kelly smiled up at the man, “Andrea and Hank are great with kids. It doesn’t matter who they belong to, if they are here, they belong to Andrea and Hank.” she said with a chuckle.

  “Alright men, Andrea is demanding that you all clean up and get inside before she comes out after you.” Kevin announced as he and Kelly stepped into the garage. With a groan of protest, the boys put their tools away and tossed their soiled automotive cloths in the hamper by the door. Kelly stepped aside to let the boys through and waited for Alex. Once the last of the group had left, Kelly looked around with concern. Where is Alex? She wondered to herself. “You go ahead daddy, I am going to look for Alex.” she said when Kevin offered his arm to her. When she was alone, Kelly called out to her wife. When she didn’t get an answer, she walked toward the car the group had been working on and tried again. “Alex, where are you? It’s time to eat.” Walking around the car, she stopped and smiled to herself when she saw the toe of Alex’s shoe sticking out from under the car. “Honey, why are you hiding under the car?” she asked, dropping carefully to the floor and resting her hand and Alex’s shoe.

  “Because. Mama would never get down on the ground to look for me, and under here I am safe from the endless ‘When Alex was pregnant’ stories.” she grumbled, sliding out to sit up next to her wife. Kelly smiled and shook her head at the pout on Alex’s face. “Honey, you tell me stories about your pregnancies all the time. Why does it bother you when Mama tells them?” Alex shrugged and stared down at her hands. “I tell them to share my experiences with you. Mama tells them to embarrass me. She only tells the stories that make people laugh at me, she never tells the ones that share something I learned or that had an impact.” Kelly leaned forward and rested her forehead against Alex’s. “Sweetheart, the stories that Mama tells do the exact same thing that you are trying to do. They allow me to share in what you went through. To be honest, the more I know about what you dealt with, the less jealous I am that I wasn’t there.” Alex sat up straight and considered her wife. When she said nothing, Kelly nudged her knee. “Alex?” she asked. “I never thought of it that way.” Alex said, mentally kicking herself for being so selfish. “I’m sorry for acting like a child, babe.” she said with a sigh. Kelly chuckled and got to her feet. Holding her hand out to help Alex up, she pulled her close and brushed a quick kiss over her wife’s lips. “I guess I will forgive you this time. But let’s try to remember that I am the one who is supposed to be irrational and emotionally unstable, okay?”

  *****

  Once everyone was inside and washed up, the family gathered in the dining room to enjoy their meal. “This all looks wonderful, Andrea. You all did a great job!” Kendall praised as she took her seat. Andrea had delegated Karen and Kendall to child duty while the others worked in the kitchen. “Thank you, Kendall, but this is what holidays look like in this house.” Andrea said proudly, taking her seat as the others agreed with her. As food was passed around the table and plates were loaded down, Alex listened to the conversations around her. Jon and Cheyenne were telling Kevin about their recent fishing trip, while Brandy and Lee were listening to Karen talk about her Country Club. Alex looked around the table as her f
amily chatted happily with each other. Squeezing Kelly’s hand, she leaned over to whisper in her ear. “Do you want to wait until after dinner to tell them?” Kelly shook her head and whispered back, “Let’s do it and get it over with. I’m feeling queasy.” Before Alex could ask for everyone’s attention, Melissa stood and tapped her spoon to her wine glass.

  “We would like to say something, in front of you all, to Alex, Kelly, Ryan, and Raul.” Melissa said, looking a bit nervous. When the room fell silent, James stood with his wife and cleared his throat. “As you all know,” he began, unconsciously playing with the knot in his tie. “The last time we were all gathered here, Melissa and I, along with JJ, said some things that were very hurtful. At the time, we felt that we were in the right, and we felt it necessary to express our feelings in a way that was wrong.” He took a deep breath to steady himself when his voice faltered. Sensing that her husband was flailing, Melissa stepped in. “What we said was wrong. Just because we don’t agree with your lifestyle, doesn’t mean that you should have been subjected to our hateful words. We love you all, and we would like to ask for your forgiveness. We never should have attacked you because of your choices. God says to love thy neighbor and treat him as you would have him treat you. We would never want someone to treat us the way we treated you. So from the bottom of our hearts, we are so very sorry for how we treated you all.” When the couple reclaimed their seats, the rest of the family just stared at them in awe.

  “You’re forgiven.” Ryan said, lifting his glass to the couple as Raul nodded his agreement. When everyone turned to look at them, Alex looked at Kelly. When her wife nodded, Alex stood and cleared her throat. “Well, that was a lovely speech.” she said, her voice flat and her expression unreadable. Fixing her brother and sister-in-law with an icy stare, Alex raised her glass. “The things that were said were unforgivable, and nothing you can say, and no apology that you can offer, will convince me that you two have changed. That being said,” she continued after raising her hand to stop her mother from speaking up, “the thing that Kelly and I try to instill in our children above all others, is acceptance. Now, I can’t speak for my wife, but as far as I am concerned, what you have said here today in no way makes up for what was said before. But for the sake of keeping our family together, and clearing the air for anyone else who may come along, I will say that we’re good.” Retaking her seat before anyone could speak, Alex set down her glass and looked to Kelly.

  Standing carefully, Kelly lifted her glass. “To family. Not just those gathered here today, but to those who will be joining us at this table next Thanksgiving.” When no one said a word, Alex chanced a glance at Kelly’s parents. Karen and Kevin both looked lost, and a bit embarrassed to have witnessed the whole scene. But when her eyes met Kendall’s, Alex saw the realization strike. “Oh my God! Are you sure?” Kendall squealed, making her husband and his ex-wife jump. A huge smile spread across Kelly’s face when the rest of the family laughed and cheered. At the blank look from both Kevin and Karen, Kendall rolled her eyes and shook her head. “Think about it for a minute, Grandpa.” she said to Kevin, shifting her eyes and tilting her head slightly toward Kelly. After gazing confusedly at his wife for a moment, the light clicked, and he surged out of his chair. In a flash, he rounded the table and pulled his daughter into a tight hug. “Holy hell, Kelly Shane, how long have you been keeping this secret?” he asked, tears leaking down his cheeks. “Daddy…” Kelly said with a grimace, tapping on his shoulders. “Daddy, let go… I’m going to get sick.” Quickly, Kevin let go of his daughter. Alex chuckled and stood, sliding her arm around to rest on Kelly’s hip. Karen looked curiously at the couple. “Are you getting a puppy or something?” she asked. When everyone laughed, Alex shook her head and guided Kelly over to stand in front of her mother, where she positioned her wife in front of the seated woman. “Karen, look right here,” she said, pointing to Kelly’s navel, “and say hello to your grandchild.”

  Chapter 7

  “Mrs. Walker, may I talk to you for a moment?” Alex looked up to see the young woman standing nervously in her doorway. “Sure Megan, come on in. Close the door and have a seat.” Megan, a shy twenty-two year old who tended to fidget with her hands and avoid eye contact, took a tentative seat on the edge of the visitor chair in front of the desk. She had been working for the facility for almost two years, and Alex had heard nothing but good feedback from the nurses and senior staff about the young girl. Alex waited patiently while Megan gathered her courage to address her boss. After a few deep breaths, the younger woman looked up and met Alex’s eyes. “I have a concern that I think you should know about.” Alex smiled encouragingly and nodded for Megan to continue. Megan let out a huff and ran her fingers through her hair. “Well, the thing is, it’s about Dr. Walker.” Megan waited a moment before, watching for Alex’s reaction, before continuing. “It’s just… I’m worried that something might be wrong. She came up to CC and was checking on Mr. Walsh, but before she even finished his vitals, she had to run to bathroom. When she came out, I could tell she had been sick. I wouldn’t say anything, but it happened three more times in the twenty-five minutes she was in the room. I’m just concerned that if Dr. Walker is working while sick, she might end up making a resident sick.” When she finished, Megan looked down at her feet. Alex couldn’t help but chuckle. The sound of Alex’s laughter made Megan’s head snap up.

  “Megan, I assure you, not a single one of the residents will catch what Dr. Walker has.” Alex laughed harder at Megan’s confused expression. She took a moment to compose herself before speaking again. “Megan, are you the one who was on leave for the last two months to take care of your sick grandmother?” she asked. Megan nodded, unsure what her leave had to do with anything. “Yes, I started back this morning.” Alex nodded and stood, walking around her desk and leaning back against it. “Well, you’ve obviously not been caught up on facility gossip.” she said. Megan straightened, “Mrs. Walker, I don’t listen to gossip, it’s rude to speak of someone behind their back.” Alex shook her head and held up her hand. “I know, and you have no idea how appreciative I am that you don’t partake in such things. But this time, it’s good gossip.” Alex suppressed another laugh at Megan’s skeptical look. “Dr. Walker is pregnant.” she said. Megan’s eyes got big and a huge smile spread across her face. “Oh my goodness, congratulations!” the girl gushed. Alex gave Megan a few moments of excited babbling before thanking her and excusing her back to work. Once the woman had left the office, Alex sat back down in her chair, shook her head with a chuckle, and got back to work.

  *****

  “Mom, are you alright?” Zane stepped into the kitchen and dropped his backpack on the table, moving quickly to where Kelly was bent over the sink. She had come home from work at lunch time, the constant trips to the bathroom making it difficult to work effectively. “I think so, son.” she replied, her voice gravelly and thick. Zane laid his hand gently on her back and leaned over to try and see her face. “Mom, you don’t look too good. Come on, let’s go sit down.” he said, guiding her slowly toward the living room. Letting Kelly set the pace, the boy contemplated calling his mother. “I think I should call Mom…” Before he could finish his thought, Kelly clutched his arm tightly before collapsing to the floor. “Mom!” Zane screamed, fear and panic crashing through him at the sight of her crumpled on the floor. Kneeling, he shook Kelly’s shoulder in an attempt to rouse her. When he was unable to do so, Zane stood and dug his phone out of his pocket. Pressing the buttons with shaking fingers, he tucked the phone into the crook of his neck and knelt back down to check Kelly for a pulse. “Judy! I need you guys to come over quick, Kelly passed out! I’m going to call an ambulance.” he said quickly, tears threatening to escape his terrified eyes. After hanging up with his best friend’s mom, Zane dialed again and took a deep breath before the dispatcher answered.

  “Nine-one-one, please state your emergency.”

  “I need an ambulance!” Zane said, his voice threatening to crack a
s he rattled off the address.

  “Alright, Sir, what seems to be the problem?” the woman on the other end of the line kept her voice calm as she waited for him to give her the details.

  “My mom. She’s six weeks pregnant and she passed out, I can’t wake her up! Please hurry!”