Virgin River (30 page)

“That turned into a few months…” Brie observed.

“Jack renovated the cabin without being asked, while I stayed at Doc’s house,” Mel said. “About the time I was going to make a break for it, he showed it to me. I said I’d give it a few more days. Then my first delivery occurred and I realized I should give the place a chance. There’s something about a successful delivery in a place like Virgin River where there’s no backup, no anesthesia… Just me and Mom… It’s indescribable.”

“Then there’s Jack,” Brie said.

“Jack,” Mel repeated. “I don’t know when I’ve met a kinder, stronger, more generous man. Your brother is wonderful, Brie. He’s amazing. Everyone in Virgin River loves him.”

“My brother is in love with
you,
” Brie said.

Mel shouldn’t have been shocked. Although he hadn’t said the words, she already knew it. Felt it. At first she thought he was just a remarkable lover, but soon she realized that he couldn’t touch her that way without an emotional investment, as well as a physical one. He gave her everything he had—and not just in the bedroom. It was in her mind to tell Brie—I’m a recent widow! I need time to digest this! I don’t feel free yet—free to accept another man’s love! Her cheeks grew warm and she said nothing.

“I realize I’m biased, but when a man like Jack loves a woman, it’s a great honor.”

“I agree,” Mel said quietly.

Late, in the dark of night, as he held her in his arms in the bed in his father’s house, she said, “You have the most wonderful family.”

“They love you, too.”

“It was such fun watching you all together. They’re ruthless—you don’t have a secret left!” And she laughed.

“I told you. No slack here.”

“But what fun, to have all that history, all those hysterical stories.”

“Oh—I listened to you and Joey for a few days. You didn’t grow up deprived.” He kissed her neck. “I’m just glad you had fun. I knew you would.” He kissed her neck again, nuzzling closer.

“Your sisters are all so put together,” she said. “Very classy, very sharp. I used to dress like that, before I moved to a place where you’re overdressed in good jeans. You should have seen my closet in L.A.—it was huge, and bulging.”

He pulled the T-shirt she wore up and over her head. “I like what you’re wearing right now. In fact, I find you overdressed in this thong.”

“Jack, I thought we decided, we’re not going to do it in your father’s house…”

“No, you said you weren’t going to.” He slipped the thong down. “I’m thinking of going after that G-spot again…”

“Oh, God,” she said, weakening. “We shouldn’t. You know how we get…”

He rose above her and grinned into her eyes. “Want me to get a sock for your mouth?”

Susan Stone delivered her son in August—a robust eight-pounder. She went to Valley Hospital, had a stunning delivery and was home in Grace Valley in forty-eight hours. It was in Mel’s mind to give her some time alone with her baby, but both John and June called and urged her to come the next Sunday afternoon, the baby not yet a week old.

Jack would not be left behind. He brought the beer and cigars.

Susan was very fit for a woman who had just delivered, but still she stayed on the couch, bassinet nearby, and let her friends fuss over her. In typical country fashion, women brought food so that the new parents wouldn’t have to be bothered with cooking. Mel was sur
prised to see such an air of celebration and atmosphere of an open house so soon after bringing a baby home.

There was another couple present, a very pregnant Julianna Dickson and her husband Mike. John dropped an arm around Julianna’s shoulders and said to Mel, “This one is legendary—she could never seem to wait for the doctor. June and I finally got to attend one of her births—it was the last baby, and it was sheer luck. She delivers with about fifteen minutes notice. This is number six. We’re going to admit her tomorrow and induce.”

“Don’t let the baby hear you say that,” Julianna said. “You know what always happens.”

“Maybe we should go over there right now?”

“Maybe you should strap yourself to me and keep one hand on my stomach.”

The women gathered in the living room around Susan with cups of coffee and cake. John plucked the baby out of his bassinet to show him off. As Jim already had baby Jamie in his arms, John offered the baby to Jack. And he willingly, happily took him into his arms. He cooed at the little bundle.

Mel’s eyes warmed as she watched him.

“You’re pretty good at that for a bachelor,” John said appreciatively.

“Nieces,” he said.

“Eight of them,” Mel added.

Jack jiggled and the baby sent up a loud wail. “I guess you’re not that good,” John said.

“Jack did fine. He’s hungry,” Susan said, reaching for the baby.

“Okay—there’s going to be breast-feeding,” John said. “We should find something to do.”

Jack pulled cigars out of his breast pocket and immediately a very grateful hum of approval sounded. Jim handed Jamie off to June and left the women and babies in the house to go outside and indulge.

“They’re going to stink,” Julianna said.

“To high heaven,” June agreed.

“At least they’re out of our hair.” Susan settled the newborn onto her breast and Mel watched with longing. “Mel,” she said. “How’d it go in Sacramento? With Jack’s family?”

“Oh, they’re fantastic,” she said, coming back to herself again. “Four sisters who tell every secret he’d ever dream of keeping, and eight nieces, all beautiful, all in love with their uncle Jack. It was delightful. So, Susan—how was your labor? Back labor, like you predicted?”

“Epidural,” she said with a grin. “Piece of cake.”

“I’ve never had time for one of those,” Julianna said somewhat wistfully, smoothing a hand over her round tummy.

“You and Julianna are awful close to the same due date,” Mel observed.

They all laughed. “I might’ve neglected to mention—the big fight John and I had before this little conception? It happened at a night of cards with Julianna and Mike.”

“We were both so furious with our husbands—they had both been banished. Apparently we let them both into bed at about the same time.” More laughter. Julianna rubbed her swollen tummy. “I meant to stop doing this…”

“What in the world happened?” Mel wanted to know.

“Long story short—they had a couple of beers and
started in on working women. I wanted to work alongside John and June in the clinic, but John wanted me to stay home, mind my own business and clean house. And make sure he had one of those solid country meals in front of him when he got home. Now, I come from the part of the world where a salad with some chicken strips is a dining delight.”

“Mike, on the other hand, thought it was wonderful that I
didn’t
work. With five kids and a farmhouse to run,” Julianna said.

“Oh, brother,” Mel said.

“They were made to suffer very appropriately,” June put in. “No conversation, no sex. Perfect discipline for idiots.”

“How’d it turn out?” Mel asked.

“Well, when I’m not nine months pregnant or post partum and nursing, I run the clinic.”

“And very well, at that.”

“But a side effect was… Well, as you can plainly see—we had been knocked up. You might not want to drink the water around here,” Susan advised.

“No kidding,” said June, propping Jamie on her shoulder.

I drank the water, Mel almost said.

Nursing done, Susan passed the baby to Mel. She smiled gratefully and took the little guy. His rosy round face was contented in sleep; little baby noises escaped him.

The women talked about their labors, about their men, and they brought Mel into the conversation very well with questions about her midwifery experiences. June went to the kitchen for the coffeepot and refilled them all while Mel happily cuddled with the newborn.
Her breasts actually ached as she held him. Hormones are amazing, she found herself thinking.

On the way back to Virgin River, Jack said, “Your friends throw a nice little party.”

“Don’t they?” she replied, reaching across the truck’s front seat to hold his hand.

“All these babies,” Jack said. “Everywhere you look.”

“Everywhere.”

He pulled up in front of her cabin. “I’ll shower off the cigars,” he said.

“Thanks,” she answered. “It actually makes me a little nauseous.”

“I’m sorry, honey. I didn’t realize.”

“No big deal. But I’ll be glad to loan you the shower. And meet you in the bed. I’m suddenly exhausted.”

Mel was just pulling up to the clinic in the morning when beside her an old pickup was pulling into the next parking spot. She recognized the man at once—Calvin. She hadn’t seen him since that first time, when she treated his facial wounds. He jumped out of the truck as she got out of the Hummer. His hands were plunged into his pockets and he seemed to nearly vibrate with the jitters. She suddenly realized something—the man who took her to deliver his baby in the backwoods, also a grower, didn’t seem to be on anything. This guy was wired. High. She’d never have gotten in a truck, in the middle of the night, with Calvin—baby or no baby. She further realized that without a plan of any kind, she could get hurt if she refused such a request from Calvin. He was pretty scary, and clearly unstable.

Before she could even address him, he said, “I need something. Back pain.”

“What do you need?” she asked calmly, very practiced in handling his type back in the city.

“Pain medicine. I need something for pain. Fentanyl, maybe. OxyContin. Morphine. Something.”

“Did you hurt your back?” she asked, trying to avoid his eyes as she proceeded to Doc’s front porch. He was jerking and tweaking, and upright rather than sitting on a low stool, she became aware of his size. He was almost six feet and broad-shouldered. It was clear he’d gotten his hands on something not depressive. Maybe methamphetamine, as Doc had earlier suspected. He wanted a narcotic to bring him down. The pot from his garden must not be doing it for him.

“Fell off a ledge out there. Might’ve broke it. It’ll be okay, but I need a little medicine.”

“Fine. You’ll have to see Doc,” she said.

His feet moved nervously. He pulled a hand out of his pocket and grabbed at her sleeve and she jerked out of his reach.

Jack, coming from her cabin arrived behind her and was just pulling into town as Calvin made that move and for a split second she almost felt sorry for him. Jack accelerated, screeched to a stop within inches of Doc’s porch and was out of the truck in one second. “Get away from her!” he shouted.

The guy backed away, but just a little bit. He looked at Mel. “I just need something for the pain in my back,” he said.

Jack reached into his truck and had his hand on his rifle. The look in his eyes was frightening. “I’m okay,” she said to Jack. Then to the twitchy young man, “I
don’t prescribe the kind of drugs you’re looking for. We leave that to the doctor. And he’ll want an X-ray, undoubtedly.”

The guy stared at her, then grinned stupidly. “You ain’t got no X-ray.”

“There’s one at Valley Hospital,” she said.

Jack pulled the rifle off the rack and held it at his side for a moment. Then he kicked the truck door closed and came up onto the porch to stand beside Mel. He put an arm around Mel and pulled her against him. “Want to see the doctor?” he asked Calvin, rifle in hand.

“Hey, man,” he laughed nervously. “What’s your deal, man?” He backed away with his hands up, palms facing Jack. “Take it easy. I’ll go to the valley,” he said. He jumped off the porch, not bothering with the steps. Must be some back pain, she thought. He got in the old pickup, started it, put it in gear and drove away. But he didn’t go toward the valley—he went toward the woods.

“You know him?” Jack asked.

“He was at that camp Doc and I went to a few months ago. When you watched the baby for us. You remember…”

“Paulis’s?”

“Uh-huh. Did you have to do that?” Mel asked. “He really hadn’t done anything threatening.”

Jack glared after the departing truck. “Yeah,” he said. “I had to. He’s wrong. He’s just wrong.”

E
very August before school started, the Andersons played host to a huge late-summer picnic at their ranch. Everyone they knew in Virgin River and even some folks from surrounding towns showed up. Buck had a huge canvas tent he erected in the pasture outside the corral, barbecues were set up, people provided tables and chairs. The Bristols brought their miniature horses and set up pony rides. Jack always donated a couple of kegs while Preacher whipped up some of his best potato salad in a tub so big it looked as if it would feed a third-world nation. There were barrels of lemonade and iced tea, ice chests full of sodas and, in the afternoon, homemade ice-cream makers were brought out of trucks and SUVs, and the hand cranking began.

The barn floor was swept clean and a small band was set up for country dancing. There were children everywhere, running from one end of the ranch to the other, from corral to hay loft.

Mel had looked forward to the picnic as a chance to hold Chloe for a while, and also to do something she hadn’t done before—meet the rest of the Anderson
family. She had a passing acquaintance with two of the three sons who worked the ranch with Buck, and one of the daughters had come to Doc’s for a prenatal exam, but otherwise, they were strangers to her.

But not strangers for very long. Each one of them, the sons, the daughters, their spouses and children, greeted her as the person who had given them Chloe. The baby was passed around from Anderson to Anderson, cuddled, swept up in the air, kissed, tickled. Even the little ones—Lilly and Buck’s seven grandchildren—ran to Chloe to snuggle her as if she were their newest sweet puppy. Buck was pretty busy around the barn and barbecues, but from time to time he was near the picnic tables or food tables and she would catch a glimpse of him holding Chloe comfortably on his hip.

The Andersons were wonderful, homespun, authentic people with nothing but tons of love in their hearts. Just like Lilly; sweet, nurturing and tender. The sun was beginning to lower in the late afternoon sky when Jack found Mel sitting on the porch swing with the baby, giving her a bottle. He sat beside her and played idly with Chloe’s dark curls. “She seems to be doing well here,” he said.

“She should,” Mel said. “She’s home.” And it gave her deep satisfaction to know that this was true in all ways.

“I’d like to spin you around the barn a little bit,” he said, leaning over the baby’s head to give her a kiss.

“Another surprise. You dance?”

“I think that might be overly optimistic,” he said. “I do something. I’ll try not to hurt you.”

Lilly came out of the house, wiping her hands on her apron. “Here, Mel, let me take her off your hands. I’ll put her to bed.”

Mel stood with the baby in her arms and walked into the house, Lilly right behind her. She turned and placed the baby in Lilly’s arms. Then she leaned toward Lilly and gave her a kiss on the cheek. “You have a wonderful family,” Mel said. “I think you’ll find just the right time to tell them.”

Mel made an appointment at the Grace Valley clinic. She was surprised to learn that both doctors were available, so she requested the OB. Prenatal consult, she said. “We’ll go ahead and put your patient with Dr. Stone,” the receptionist said, and Mel did not correct her. After all, she’d been there before with a couple of pregnant women for ultrasounds and they knew her as the midwife upriver. After seeing a few patients, Mel headed for Grace Valley in the afternoon.

It had only been a short time since the gathering at the Stones’ house and she could no longer deny the truth. She was pregnant. She already knew it. They had plenty of pregnancy tests on hand at Doc’s and she’d used one. Then another one. And another. Half of her hoped it was wrong, the other half was afraid it was.

When she got to the clinic, June was hanging around the reception desk. “Hey, there.” She leaned as if looking around Mel. “I thought you were bringing in a prenatal consult?”

“Yeah,” Mel said. “Me.”

June’s eyes grew momentarily round, surprised.

“It must be the water,” Mel said with a shrug.

“Come on back. You’re with John, and as you know, our nurse is on maternity leave. Want me to stand in or keep out of your business?”

Mel felt a shudder of nervous emotion. “Please,
come with me. I think I need to explain a few things,” she said.

“Oh, boy,” June said, draping an arm around her shoulders. “Sounds like it might be a little complicated.”

“Not a little,” Mel answered.

John came out of the back and said, “Hey, Melinda. You bring me a prenatal consult?” Before she could answer, June inclined her head toward Mel. “Oh,” John said. “Well, first things first—June, set her up in there. Let’s get the facts.”

“Okay,” Mel said, suddenly meek and nervous. “But I already know.”

“Don’t try and make my job so easy,” he said with a laugh. “There’s no challenge in that.”

Mel went into the exam room where she found a gown and sheet. She undressed and sat up on the table, waiting. How was she supposed to feel about this? She’d been desperate for a baby, and now she was having one. Why did it feel so damn confusing? As though something had gone wrong, when in reality it had finally gone right.

But this wasn’t what she had planned. And she knew it wasn’t what Jack had planned—he’d offered to take care of their birth control needs. Oh, brother, was he going to be surprised.

John came in, June on his heels. “How are you feeling, Mel?”

“Besides terribly confused? A little nauseous in the morning.”

“Damnest thing, isn’t it? But you’re keeping food down?”

“Yep.”

June set up the instruments and pap slide while John got her blood pressure. “Want to talk first or second?” he asked her.

“Second.”

“Okay. June—can you fire up the ultrasound? Thanks. Mel, lie back and slide down for me, okay?” He guided her feet into the stirrups and kept hands on her legs in case she slid too far and accidentally fell. When her position was solid, he took his place on his stool and snapped on the rubber gloves. He inserted the speculum. “You know how far along?”

“Three months,” she said, her voice quieter than usual. “Approximately.”

“Congratulations,” he said. Beside her the ultrasound bleeped as it warmed up. He pulled out the speculum after the pap slide was complete and gently palpated the uterus, measuring for size. “You’re almost as good at this as I am, Mel,” he said. “You have reached the right approximate diagnosis. Good. Everything’s good.” He pulled the wand from the ultrasound; because this was an early pregnancy he would do an internal probe for a better reading as opposed to running the probe over her still flat belly. “Turn your head, Mel,” he said. “Beautiful,” he added.

She looked at the monitor. Tears slid out of her eyes and into the hair at her temples. There it was, a small mass, limbs just visible to the practiced eye, moving around inside of her. They watched the new life for a little while and she gave a hiccup of emotion, moving a trembling hand to cover her mouth.

“Just about twelve weeks,” John said. “Out of the miscarriage woods. We’ll print you out a picture, though the view is going to be lots better in another few weeks.”

He removed the probe and helped her to sit up. June leaned a hip on the counter and John returned to his stool.

“You’re in perfect health,” her doctor said.

June handed Mel a tissue. “I’ve been there, Mel,” June said. “Believe me.”

Finally John said, “What’s the matter, Mel? How can we help?”

She blotted her eyes. “I’m sorry to do this to you, but it’s just so complicated.”

John reached out to her and gave her knee a squeeze. “It probably isn’t as complicated as you think.”

“Oh, wait,” she said with a weak, embarrassed laugh. “How about I start by telling you I’m hopelessly infertile.”

He gave a little laugh. “Let’s see—you have a uterus, ovaries, fallopian tubes… And I’ve heard this business of not being able to get pregnant from pregnant women before.”

“And I went through three years of infertility treatment, including surgery, without success. We even had one very expensive, very failed attempt at in vitro.”

“Well, that puts an interesting spin on things. Maybe you should back up a little. You don’t have to talk to us, Mel. It’s up to you.”

“No, I want to. I need advice. I’m a mess. See—before moving up here from L.A., I was married. My husband was a doctor—we often worked together. We tried desperately to have a baby. He was killed when he happened into a robbery in progress. That was a year and three months ago. Almost exactly. I came up here looking for a simpler life, a safer life. I just wanted to start over.”

John shrugged. “Kind of looks like you found what you were looking for.”

She laughed. “Virgin River isn’t all that simple. But yes, in some important ways, I found what I was looking for,” she agreed. “Of course, this wasn’t planned. I didn’t think it was possible for me to get pregnant.”

“Is the problem Jack?” June asked.

“Yes, but he doesn’t know it. He’s so wonderful, but he knew from the beginning that I wasn’t quite over my husband. I adore Jack—you can’t imagine—but I still haven’t gotten to that point where I feel free to move on to—” She took a breath. “To another man.” They gave her a moment and another tissue. “This is supposed to be my baby with my husband. The one we tried so hard to have.” She blew her nose.

June stepped forward and took her hand. “It seems apparent that Jack loves you. And that he’s a good man.”

“Good with children,” John put in.

“Whether you planned to or not,” June said with a shrug, “it appears you have moved on. At least in some ways.”

“The last time I gave my heart and soul to a man, he died,” she said with a sniffle. Then she lowered her head and a couple of tears fell on the hands folded in her lap. “I don’t think I could survive something like that again.”

June stepped forward and took her into her arms and John was quick to join her. They comforted her for a minute. Then John gave her shoulders a squeeze and said, “Mel, I like Jack’s chances. Five wars couldn’t kill him.”

“Five
wars?
” June asked.

John shrugged. “You didn’t know that?”

“I knew he was in the marines!”

“Men actually do talk,” John said.

“That husband of mine,” she groused. “He’s so badly trained!”

“I’m so confused,” Mel said. “I don’t really know what to do!”

“Naw, that’s not true. It’s a done deal, Mel,” John said. “Now you just have to be a little kind to yourself and work through it. You wanted a baby real bad, and you’re having one. Jack—he doesn’t know?”

“No. He knows I’m widowed—he’s the only one who knows in Virgin River. But he doesn’t know how hard I tried for a baby. He’s been so supportive of me in my grieving moments—he hasn’t said a word to anyone, because I asked him not to. It’s easier, you know—when people don’t look at you that way. Like you might be in constant pain. But,” she said, “he also offered to take care of our birth control concerns, and of course I told him I had it covered. I was absolutely sure I couldn’t get pregnant. God, I’d never do this to a man!”

“He’s a good man, Jack. He’s going to understand.”

“He’s going to think I tricked him, isn’t he? I mean, he’s forty!”

“Yeah, lot of that going around, too,” June said. “I remember dealing with some of these same issues when I found out I was pregnant. Jim was over forty when I broke it to him that he was going to be a father. I was afraid he’d bolt.”

“I had surgery to remove endometriosis, had my tubes blown out, took hormones, took my temperature every day for two years…” She hiccupped. “We tried everything. Mark wanted a baby as badly as I did. I’m telling you—I’m completely sterile!”

“Welll….” they both said.

“It’s the funniest thing,” John said. “Nature suffers to fill a void. I can’t believe how many miraculous pregnancies I’ve seen…”

“What if Jack is furious? Who would blame him? I mean, he hasn’t even been in a serious relationship, and here I come. Bouncing into town, telling him I have the birth control issue covered. What if he just says, no, thank you?”

“Something tells me he’s not going to say that,” John said. “But, there’s only one way to find out. And—at three months—I’d recommend you not wait much longer.”

“I’m afraid,” she said quietly.

“Of Jack?” June asked, shocked.

“Jesus, of everything! I’m not even sure I should be here! From the beginning, I thought it was a mistake, making such a big change. I’m a city girl.”

“You’d never know it,” June said. “You seem to fit in just fine.”

“Some days I think this place was just what I needed. Other days I ask myself what I’m doing here. Not only that, do you know how scary it is to think of being committed again and opening myself up to the pain that follows when something goes terribly, terribly wrong? I’m afraid to move on—even though you’re right—I already have. I still cry sometimes—over my dead husband. How can I ask another man to put up with that?” She drew in a jagged breath. “At the very least, we should have been able to plan for a possible baby before…”

June held her hand. “Hardly any of us manages to work things out that neatly,” she said. June lifted Mel’s chin with a finger and looked into her eyes. “I think you should try to remember two things—you have a baby
inside you now, a baby you longed for. And a good man back in Virgin River. Go with it, Mel. You’ll know what to do.”

Mel knew John and June were right. It was important to face this head-on and tell Jack as soon as possible. Let him have time to react. Respond. When she got back to Virgin River, she intended to go straight to the bar. But there, in front of Doc’s, was a car she recognized. Anne and Jeremy Givens. It was her time.

When she got inside she found the Givenses with Doc, waiting in the kitchen with a cup of tea. “So this is it?” Mel asked.

“I think so,” Anne said. “I’ve been in labor all day, and now I’m having contractions less than five minutes apart and some spotting. That’s when you said to call, right?”

“That’s what we decided. Would you like to come upstairs, settle in and let me check you?”