When the Music Ends (The Winter Rose Chronicles) (25 page)

            "Honestly,
I don’t know. I think it’s somewhere in between. It’s like
they like each other but neither is able to make a move yet."

            "What
kind of man is he?"

            "Hard
to say. What Sheridan tells me doesn’t fit with my observations during
the small amount of time I spent in his class. To me he seemed grumpy and
withdrawn, but he might just be really shy. He’s very sweet with her, and
the way he looks at her is intense."

            "How
old is he? I never really could grasp that part."

            "I
don’t think he’s very old. I would be surprised if he’s much
more than thirty. He may be younger than that. He must be one of those genius
types. Maybe that’s why he sometimes seems so awkward. But his admiration
of her is clear. I just don’t know if anything will ever come of it. I am
glad, though, that she’s able to be attracted to a man again."

"Yes. So am I. For her sake, I hope he comes around. Well
that’s enough ornaments for this year. Would you like some lunch?
I’ve been thinking about soup and a sandwich."

"Thank you. I would like that."

Ellen took out a container of homemade tomato basil soup and popped
it in the microwave while Erin arranged deli chicken and lettuce on small buns
with a smear of pesto mayonnaise.

They sat together at the bar, since the table was such a mess.

"Thank you for inviting me today Mrs. Murphy," Erin said
softly, "I’ve had a really good time."

"You’re welcome. It was nice to have you." Ellen
smiled. "But you don’t have to call me Mrs. Murphy. Ellen will do.
But if you wanted, and I understand if you don’t dear, I would be glad
for you to call me mom."

Erin
blinked. Then she reached over and grabbed
the older woman in a tight hug.

"Goodness dear," Mrs. Murphy exclaimed, startled.

Erin
kissed her on the cheek. Then they both
returned to their lunch in silence.

******

            That
day proved to be a turning point. Erin was grateful for Mrs. Murphy’s
altered attitude, of course, and the more time Ellen spent with Erin, now that her guard was lowered, the more she remembered why she had always liked the
girl so much. Many times over the years she had wished she could take Erin away from her careless parents and keep her. Now, it appeared, she finally could. And
it was fun to have another woman around to do things with. She had missed that
when Sheridan left for college, and she knew Sean was right, that her daughter
had left this place and would not come back except as a guest. Her life was
elsewhere now, and rightly so.

            Christmas
morning dawned bright and cheerful under a blanket of new fallen snow, and the
young Murphys woke up early, snuggled in Sean’s old bed in his
parents’ house, as they had stayed the night. It had been fun, especially
when Sean pulled her into his arms and instructed her to be silent while he did
everything he could to make her scream. She had not been nearly as quiet as the
last time they had made love in this bed, and Erin hoped the elder Murphys
hadn’t heard anything. It was rather too much to hope that Sheridan, on the other side of the wall, had not. Erin’s cheeks turned a little pink
when her friend gave her a knowing glance as they descended the stairs
together.

            "So
much for a silent night," she teased, and Erin giggled.

            Sean
laughed, his arm around Erin’s waist, saying, "quiet, Sis.
You’re innocent as new fallen snow and didn’t hear a thing."

            "Of
course."

            They
all headed into the kitchen for cups of rich coffee before assembling in the
living room. Sean pulled Erin to sit beside him on the loveseat while Ellen and
Roger claimed the sofa. Sheridan, as the youngest, had been enlisted to hand
out the gifts. As everyone was an adult, there weren’t masses of presents,
but each one was thoughtfully chosen. They took turns opening them.

            Roger
got a new tie from his daughter, featuring Snoopy and Woodstock. It was a
tremendous joke since, as a builder, he rarely wore ties anyway, and this was
hardly something he would ever put on. His wife had given him homemade fudge,
the same as every year, and he ate a piece immediately. Erin had heard about
his sweet tooth and when he opened her gift to reveal a box of chocolate
liqueurs, he was delighted. From his son he received a new socket wrench,
something he had needed, and he proclaimed his Christmas perfect.

            Ellen
received from her husband a set of pearl earrings. Sean gave his mother a
necklace with a single pearl dangling from a delicate gold chain, and from
Sheridan she got a lovely silk blouse in lavender that matched her eyes. Erin,
having seen all the pieces ahead of time, had contributed a blazer in a daring
print that featured a complimentary but darker purple. As Ellen pulled the
little jacket from the box, an object rolled into her lap. It was another glass
ball, like the ones she and Erin had made. It was pearlescent white and covered
in lavender dots. Wavy lines in purple, gold and pale green encircled the top
and bottom. In a careful script, the word mom repeated around the middle. Ellen
gave her daughter-in-law a slightly watery smile and went to hang the ornament
on the tree.

            Sheridan’s parents had given her a gift that couldn’t be wrapped. They were
renting her an apartment near the university so she could continue her studies
without having to waste time being a resident assistant. She was overjoyed by
this. Sean gave her a book of poetry. Erin had helped him pick one she
didn’t already have. When she opened Erin’s package, she squeaked a
little. Taking a very great risk, Erin had photographed her friend when
Sheridan and Dr. Burke were standing close together. She was looking up at him
with soft adoring eyes. His gaze on her was intense, passionate, and since the
shot was only from the shoulders up, his ugly clothes did not distract from
them. Erin had printed the photo and framed it.

            "Oh
Erin," Sheridan said, "Thank you."

            "I
know how important it is to have a picture of someone you care about," Erin said softly.

            "Now
you," Sheridan insisted.

            Erin tore into her packages. Her friend had given her a pin with a little black and silver
oboe on it. Roger had purchased a pair of earrings similar to those he had
given his wife, but in her birthstone of sapphire instead of June’s
pearls. The last box was from Ellen, and it contained three glass balls, ones
that Erin had not seen her make. The first was her own, with her strand of dark
hair inside. Her name, Erin James Murphy, was painted on it, along with her
birth date and the date of her marriage to Sean. She smiled at the sight of it.
The second was even more poignant. It said First Christmas Together and was
circled at the top and bottom with black bands and Celtic knots that mimicked
the wedding rings. In the middle was a small X. Erin looked closer. The shape
was formed by a tiny and stylized but recognizable oboe crossed with a carpenter’s
hammer. Her name and Sean’s were above the design. The space below was
blank.

            "We’ll
put the date of your church wedding there." Ellen said gently.

            The
third glass ball was transparent, empty, and blank. Erin looked at her
mother-in-law questioningly.

            "For
later, dear." Ellen said, and Erin choked up a little.

            "Sean,
where’s your present for Erin?" Sheridan wanted to know.

            "Oh,
I don’t need anything."

            "Don’t
be silly. Of course I have something for you. It’s just a little hard to
wrap. I’ll show it to you later."

            "Okay
honey. What did you get?"

            Sean
looked into his pile. First Sheridan’s gift: a framed picture of the
couple’s wedding. They were standing in front of the fireplace in Rick’s
office, holding hands as they looked at each other with expressions of deep
love. Sean was placing Erin’s ring on her finger.

            "Thanks
Danny." His voice was a little gruff as he passed the picture around. He
turned to his mother’s present: a handmade sweater. He nodded. It was
often cold working on half-restored houses in the winter. Finally, from his
dad, just a card. He opened it and read. Sean froze and the paper slipped from
his fingers.

            "You
don’t have to do that."

            "You’ve
earned it." Roger said firmly.

            Erin picked up the card. Inside was a briefly scrawled note proclaiming Sean a partner in
his father’s company. She squeaked a little and hugged her husband tight.

            "Congratulations,"
she told him. She knew how much this meant. He had talked about it often
enough. She crossed the room to Roger and hugged him too, kissing his cheek.

            "You’re
a wonderful father," she told him sincerely.

            "Thank
you Erin," he replied.

            "But
Erin, you didn’t give Sean anything either."

            "Oh,
I have something for him all right, but it’s going to take me a minute to
get it ready. If everyone would excuse me please."

            She
walked out of the room.

            "I
wonder what she’s up to. Do you know, Danny?"

            "No
clue."

            He
shrugged. "I guess I’ll find out. Anyway, thanks all of you. You
did a great job. And thanks for making Erin feel so welcome too. Especially you,
Mom. You really turned this around."

            "You’re
welcome my dear."

            "Sean,"
Erin called, "could you please come here."

            "Better
go see, son," Roger said.

            Sean
followed the sound of his wife’s voice. She was in the bathroom.

            "What’s
up, Erin?"

            "Your
gift." She held out a small object to him.

            He
looked at it, not sure what it was…a small white plastic stick. She
turned it over to reveal a little oval shaped depression with a blue plus sign
in it.

            "What
is that?"

            "It’s
a pregnancy test Sean. We’re going to have a baby."

            Sean
drew in a deep breath. It was no surprise really. They never had bothered with
birth control, and Sean was aware how fertile they seemed to be together. But
it was still momentous, exciting and scary and overwhelming. Erin was beaming.

            He
reached out to her, gathering her into his arms and pulling her close.

            "I
love you little girl," he told her simply.

            "I
love you too. Shall we go let everyone know? No more secrets, right?"

            "Right."
He put his arm around her waist and walked her back to the family room.

            "Um,
everyone?" They all looked up. Sean looked at his wife. Her normally
reserved smile was dazzling, rivaling his sister’s for sheer impact.
"Erin’s pregnant." There was a moment of stunned silence.

            Sheridan recovered first. Squealing, she dashed to her friend and threw her arms around her.

            "Congratulations
Erin. I’m so happy for you. How far along are you?"

            "Not
very. Probably about six weeks. I only figured it out a couple of nights ago.
Of course, we can pretty much guess when this happened."

            "Yes,"
Sheridan said firmly, "on your wedding night."

It was a good answer, and as likely as not to be true.

            Soon
Roger and Ellen approached, hugging Erin warmly and congratulating her. Sean
still looked rather stunned, and he accepted his parents’ hugs a little
numbly.

            "Don’t
worry son," Roger told him, "you’ll get used to it."

            Sean
nodded.

            "Are
you feeling all right, dear?" Ellen wanted to know.

            "Yes,
for the most part. I did have one bad day during finals. That’s when I
got to thinking."

            "I
see." No doubt she did, and more than anyone was comfortable with. But
she didn’t say anything else and the family went off to the kitchen to
have brunch.

            Later,
around noon, bored with the football game and worn out from a busy evening, Erin
went to take a nap. Sheridan watched her friend trudge off to bed. She could
remember the overwhelming fatigue of early pregnancy. It was so wonderful that
one of them would finally be able to have a baby and it be a joy and a blessing.
But there was one negative to this situation. Concerned, she pulled her mother
and brother into the den for a family conference. Roger was asleep in front of
the game, and he wouldn’t really be part of this process anyway, at least
not by doing anything different than being kind, generous, and welcoming as he
had always been.