Forever Mine: Callaghan Brothers, Book 9(55)
Both his cardiologist and his doctor son had told him that walking was good, so Jack used that as an opportunity to go for several strolls each day, weather permitting. He cherished the quiet peace of the chilly early mornings. The industrious hum of the afternoons. The gentle cloaking of early evening.
He was careful to keep his forays to the paths and away from the steep slopes. It felt good to move again, even if it was done more slowly and with greater care.
Off to the left, monstrous machines made quick work of harvesting the seasonal crops -— soybean, potatoes, yams, and apples this month. The high-class hotel and restaurant was owned and operated by family friend Aidan Harrison. Jack’s daughter-in-law, Lexi, was the head chef and the creator of the unique mix of Irish and Greek cuisine, a result of her own mixed heritage.
Lexi was also the only daughter of his old friend Brian. A sweet, loving child, she was the perfect match for his mischievous son, Ian. Not for the first time, Jack wondered what Brian thought of those two getting together and smiled, but it was a sad smile. So much had happened after Lexi’s mother passed. Deep in grief, Brian had remarried. Unlike Adonia, Patricia was a selfish, odious woman who, with her equally unpleasant daughter Kayla, had made life a living hell for Lexi.
Jack missed his friend. Brian was gone, having succumbed to a massive heart attack nearly seven years earlier. His death was what brought Lexi and Ian together. Jack liked to believe that it was Brian’s way of making amends for all of the bad things that had happened. Lexi was happy now; Ian made sure of that. Hopefully, Brian was at peace now, too.
The warmth of the sun kissed his face. He lifted it heavenward and closed his eyes, wondering why he was still earth-bound. So many of the people he loved were up there: Kathleen, Bri, Charlie, Fitz, his parents, Erin and Seamus. Why the hell was he still here where they weren’t? How long would it be before he saw them again?
When no answer was forthcoming, he sighed and returned his gaze to the earth. He could almost hear his father’s voice whispering in the light breeze. “All in good time, son.”
The words he’d spoken to his granddaughter days earlier were not spoken lightly. Jack truly believed that everything did happen for a reason. If he was still here, it was because he was supposed to be. Sometimes it was the only thing that got him through the day.
He wished he knew what that reason was. And how long it was going to take.
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December 1979
Pine Ridge
“How long is it going to take?” a four-year-old Kane wanted to know as Jack helped Kathleen in the truck.
“Yeah. How long?” echoed his two-, almost three-year-old brother Jake. Kane curled his upper lip and shot his little brother a cold look.
“Stop copying me.”
“Make me,” Jake said stubbornly. One of them, Jack wasn’t sure who, instigated a pushing and shoving match in the back seat.
“Boys!” Jack warned sternly, not in the mood for their spirited antics. Kathleen’s contractions had gone from five minutes apart to less than two in the span of a few hours. Taking the boys along wasn’t his first choice, but they hadn’t been able to get hold of Erin, and Brian had his hands full with the bar.
“It shouldn’t take long,” Kathleen said, slightly breathless. “Your new brother or sister is in a bit of a hurry, it seems.”
“I hope it’s not a girl,” Kane wished fervently.
“No girls,” Jake agreed.
“I’ll see what I can do. In the meantime, I want you both to be on your Sunday behavior.”
“Like church?”
“Exactly like church, except you can talk quietly and color. I’ve got brand new coloring books and crayons in my bag for you.”
“The sixty-four count box?” Jake asked hopefully. “With the sharpener in the back?”
“Yes.”
Leave it to Kathleen to think ahead and prepare activity bags for the boys in case it came to this. He hadn’t given it a single thought until just then.
“Okay, Mom.”
“Okay, Mom.”
“Stop copying me!”
Jack was just about to reprimand them again when Kathleen put a hand on his arm. “Jack.”
“What?” he snapped.
“Hurry.”
Jack pressed his foot to the floor, fishtailing his way along the frosty streets toward the hospital. Kathleen held on to the side while the boys whooped in glee in the backseat. At least they weren’t arguing anymore, though Jack didn’t miss the way they took advantage of the momentum around the corners to body slam each other.
The ER was bursting with activity when they arrived. Jack helped Kathleen to the only available chair and told the boys to stay with her while he ran up to the receiving window.
“My wife’s in labor,” Jack said hurriedly.
“Not another one,” a square-jawed, gray-haired nurse muttered. “I hate full moons. Name?”
Jack didn’t know what full moons had to do with anything, but he didn’t particularly care. In the forty-five minutes it had taken to collect the boys and get to the hospital, Kathleen’s contractions had become almost continuous.
“Jack Callaghan.”
The nurse rolled her eyes. “Your wife’s name, not yours.”
“Kathleen. Callaghan. Kathleen Callaghan.”