The Final Goodbye © By: J.L. Jacobs

Chapter Twenty-Three: Resolutions

Chapter Twenty-Three: Resolutions

     The whole family was gathered around the kitchen table to break their fast over a simple meal of pancakes with maple syrup and sausage links, courtesy of their beloved Nellie. From the look of Sophia and Travis's demeanor during breakfast, the two were in an exceptionally good mood which was contagious, especially after the disastrous dinner they had experienced the night before. The very same dinner that Sophia had been conspicuously absent from with the exception of her tumultuous return. Sophia knew full well that the second the breakfast meal was finished, her father would be demanding an explanation of not only last night's events, but about her cancer. Louis had never been known for his patience and would want to know where she had been, and why it was so important that she was absent from the dinner in the first place. In order to be prepared for what was to come, Sophia had previously pulled Nellie aside before the meal had been served so she could make sure Nellie had the children out of the house before things got heated. As loving as her father was, he also had a terrible temper. There was no way Mikey and Hope were going to find out the truth of her health if she had anything to do with it! 

     A short while later, Nellie came into the room and asked the children if they wanted to go outside to build snowmen down at the village green, and the children eagerly left the table to go with her to do just that, so Sophia knew full well that the coast was clear. The adults were still seated at the table as they lingered over the rest of their mugs of coffee and tea while making small talk with one another. Baby Jocelyn slept soundly in her cradle. Joseph had carried it downstairs so that Rachel could hear her better when she woke up for her next feeding. Sophia spent most of her time during breakfast looking at the baby while trying to imagine what her own baby would look like and whether or not it was a boy or a girl. When she asked Travis a while back which one he preferred, his only reply was that he didn't care. He only wanted their baby to be born safe and healthy. Sophia surmised that she actually would like a little girl so that Jocelyn and her own daughter could grow up being close like Rachel and herself had been. However, with the distance between Wellington and Turtle Creek, that would be pretty hard to actually achieve. As Sophia currently gazed over at her niece, she couldn't help but to think of how Jocelyn was so beautiful and precious. Sophia could only hope the baby inside of her would be half as adorable as her new niece was. 

     Sophia casually deigned a glance over at Travis and he nodded his head silently to indicate that it was time to get on with it. Deciding to take the reins before her father did so, Sophia cleared her throat to get the attention of her family. "Ahem." she said loudly. There was immediate silence in the room which came as a surprise to her. It was more than obvious now that her upcoming conversation with them was something they were waiting on her to begin. Travis, who was sitting in the chair next to hers, clasped her hand within his own and gave it a slight squeeze as a silent gesture of his loving support. She couldn't help but feel such love for this man. Her husband. Not only was he so pleasing to the eye with his tall and masculine body, but he also possessed a very caring and nurturing soul. She smiled at him weakly. Sophia briefly looked into the eyes of everyone in the room that she held so dear in her heart. A sudden lump formed in her now-constricted throat and it became quite hard for her to talk. There was a glass of water sitting to her right that she picked up and took a drink from. She set the glass back down on the table and worked her courage up enough to begin the discussion as everyone patiently waited. Even her father appeared unusually passive. "Look," she began in a solemn voice. Already she could feel her emotions starting to get the best of her but she wasn't about to let those damned hormones stand in her way. She only had a certain amount of time before Nellie returned with her step-children and wanted to get this conversation underway so that she could pull Travis aside after this one in order to tell him her other little bit of news. She wasn't sure which would one would be worse and that did scare her a little bit. "I wanted to discuss with you all what happened yesterday. Last night. You know, at dinner before I showed up." Dangnabit! There went those pesky tears again! Would her poor body ever let her catch a break? She had cried more in the last seven months than she had in her entire life! Hopefully that would stop happening after the baby was born. Being as how they already knew part of the truth, Sophia figured she would start off by finding out what happened while she was gone and exactly how they had found out. Travis assured her that he wasn't the one to tell them and Sophia honestly believed him. She wished fervently that she had discussed it with Travis last night instead of being caught up in a moment of passionate lovemaking with her husband. Sophia decided to start off with that topic first so she could learn what exactly they did know in case there was the slightest chance they did not already know the whole story. Four pairs of eyes stared at her with a look of fright and concern while Travis's own pale green eyes watched out carefully for her own emotional well-being.