A Mrs. Miracle Christmas(47)

Zach’s glistening eyes revealed the depth of his emotion. “The choice is yours, Laurel. Like I told you before, baby or no baby, you’re all the family I need.”

“Of course we want the baby,” she cried.

Immediately Zach brought the phone back to his ear and told Mary, “We’re on our way.” Then, grabbing hold of Laurel’s hand, he added, “The mother is in labor and wants us to come to the hospital.”

Laurel felt like her knees were about to buckle.

Seeing her shock, Zach placed his arm around her waist and helped her remain upright.

“But we…we aren’t prepared for a baby.”

“But we are. Those baby clothes, remember them? The bag we’d decided to donate to charity after the holidays?” He was laughing and nearly crying, both at once. Laurel laughed, too, as tears of joy flooded her own eyes.

    Mrs. Miracle stepped forward and waved her hand, attracting their attention. “I believe you’ll have plenty of time to get whatever else you will need before you bring your daughter home.”

“Our daughter?” Laurel and Zach said in unison. “How do you know we’re having a daughter?”

“My goodness. You people!” Nana exclaimed, tossing her arms in the air. “Mrs. Miracle told me about the baby the first day she arrived. I’ve kept it a secret all this time. Didn’t I tell you we had a Caring Angel? A real one? Now scoot, you two—and get to the hospital!”





CHAPTER SEVENTEEN




After dropping Nana and Mrs. Miracle off at the house, Laurel and Zach raced to the hospital. Laurel was dumbstruck as Zach pulled into a parking space. Together they raced toward the double-wide glass doors.

Laurel came to a screeching halt when she saw that the receptionist space was empty. She had no clue where they were supposed to go. Her heart slammed against her ribs and she froze. She was terrified and exhilarated at the same time. This had to be a dream. It must be. Soon she’d wake up and find this had been only a figment of her imagination.

“Third floor! The elevators are this way!” Zach shouted, grabbing hold of her hand, jerking her forward to the point that she stumbled behind him.

Is this real? Could it possibly be happening?

    By the time they reached the elevators, they were both out of breath. It seemed to take an interminable amount of time for the elevator to move, and for the sluggish doors to open. When it did, they entered and collapsed against the back wall, panting and excited.

Laurel placed her hand over her heart to find it beating frantically. “I can’t believe this is happening.”

“I can’t, either.”

When the doors opened on the third floor, they leaped out, paused, looking to the left and to the right, not knowing which direction to go. Anticipating their arrival, Mary Swindoll appeared from around the corner.

“Mary, we’re here!” Zach proclaimed.

She greeted them with a big smile. “I can see that. Let’s sit down for a minute and I’ll fill you in.” She led them to a quiet corner in a nearby waiting room. Laurel and Zach sat on the sofa. Zach reached for Laurel’s hand.

Mary took the chair and sat close to the edge of the cushion, angling so her knees nearly touched Laurel’s. “Zach, if you recall when we spoke last week, I mentioned the high school girl who’d decided to place her baby for adoption.”

Laurel looked at her husband. Zach hadn’t said anything about this.

Sensing her confusion, he glanced at her. “I asked about any babies coming up for adoption, and Mary told me there was a teenager who was working with another caseworker. She said the girl had already chosen the adoptive family.”

    “It appears that this family knows you, Laurel.”

“The girl and her family know me?” she asked, folding her hands over her heart.

“Apparently so,” Mary confirmed. “The family name is Bancroft.”

Zach shook his head, indicating that the name didn’t mean anything to him. He looked to Laurel. “What about you? Is the name familiar?”

The scene after the recent school holiday program suddenly played back in Laurel’s head. Tears gathered in her eyes. “Bella,” she whispered.

“Bella?”

“She was in my first-grade class last year. Isabella Bancroft.”

“But how does this all connect back to you?”

“It must be her older sister. I’d met her during the school year. A smart, beautiful girl.”

“You’re right, Laurel. Her name is Lizzy,” Mary supplied. “She’s a high school senior, and Isabella is her youngest sister.”

Laurel squeezed Zach’s hand. “This totally explains what Bella said to me that day,” she said, more to herself than for the others.

    Her husband stared at her as though confused.

Laurel closed her eyes and recalled the second-grader seeking her out at the end of the school program. Zach knew the story, but she now shared it with Mary.

“Bella approached me after the school’s holiday program. She looked up at me, and, with a big smile, declared that I would be a good mother.”

A loving smile formed on Zach’s face. “She’s right, you know. You’re going to be a wonderful mother.”