There's No Accounting For Love

Chapter Eighty Seven

It was 2 pm on Monday 18th March and Alan was hurrying along the Hospital corridor. He was visiting Clare and going to meet his son for the first time. Unexpectedly, Clare had given birth to their son at home, the baby arriving so quickly that the paramedics had only just reached the house in time to deliver him. Straight away Clare and the baby had been taken to hospital to be checked over.

Alan found Clare's room, pushed open the door and rushed to her bedside. She looked tired, but surprisingly calm. He dropped a kiss on her forehead.

"Darling, are you okay? You had me so worried." He took hold of her hand.

"Oh Alan, what an experience! I didn't expect that at all. It was all over within four hours, it was just as well Vanessa was at home today, otherwise I really would have panicked."

"Thank goodness for that!" Alan looked around the room. There was no sign of a baby. "Where's the baby? Nothing's happened has it? Oh, don't tell me..."

"No, don't worry, he's fine. I should have said. They've put him under a lamp as he's a bit jaundiced. Ask the nurse and she will take you to him. But his eyes will be covered to protect them from the light. He's gorgeous, Alan. He's got a lot of hair and such a lovely face, but he doesn't look like you or me, he looks like my mum!"

Alan laughed. "The genes will out." he said. "Perhaps he'll have my dad's varicose veins?Or your dad's feet? What a thought!"

The nurse took Alan to a room full of incubators, but he wasn't allowed inside. He was made to stand at the window looking in. The nurse went into the room and pointed to a certain incubator. There lay his beautiful son under a bright light. Even with his eyes covered, Alan could tell he was a gorgeous boy, with a head of unruly black hair. An overwhelming feeling of love flooded through him, like nothing he had experienced before. 'So this is fatherhood!' he thought.

Adam was under the lamp for two days and then he was allowed to go home with his mother. Alan went to the hospital and brought them home in the car.

"It was like being on the Moon or somewhere unworldly." Clare was saying as she passed the baby over to Alan and went to put the kettle on. "I'm so glad to be home, I can't tell you, but I feel a bit unsettled. I hope we can cope. It's a big responsibility looking after a tiny baby."

"We'll be fine and anyway, he'll get bigger every day."

Alan sat down on the sofa in their family room with Adam in his arms. Adam's eyes were open wide. They were dark eyes, like Clare's and Kathy's and they were looking straight up at him. Alan held his little hand and Adam grasped his fingers. It was certainly an emotional event having a baby, even more than Alan had thought possible.

Clare came across to him with two mugs of tea.

"I've missed you so much. I know it was only three days, but I felt desperate for a kiss and a cuddle." She sipped her tea and then returned the mug to a small table. She cuddled up to Alan who put his arm around her shoulder, cradling Adam in his other arm. Alan kissed her.

"I missed you too. It was very lonely here without you." he said. "It was like a dead house."

"Well, it won't be a dead house anymore." said Clare, laughing. "We're going to fill it with children."

Alan and Clare were very happy with their new son although, at the moment, the house seemed far too big for the three of them. Round about this time, Frank's church which they had been attending, closed down due to lack of numbers.  So they decided to join a local church closer to home and were warmly welcomed at the Methodist chapel in Westbury-On-Trym village. Adam was christened there when he was six weeks old.

The large terrace was now completed and was adorned by troughs of summer bedding flowers. On the right hand side three steps led down to the garden and on the left hand side a slope. The whole of the garden had been completely re-turfed and a few specimen trees and shrubs planted, but the garden was mainly lawn. Alan and Clare had decided to keep the front of the house and the terrace only for summer bedding plants as it would be easier to maintain that way. Alan had bought a sit 'n ride mower with which to cut the grass and was looking forward to using it for the first time.

By mid June, when Angie's twins were six months old and Adam was three months old, Alan and Clare held a belated 'house warming' party, which started early afternoon and ended late evening. Luckily, it was a lovely warm day and the sun shone from early morning, right through until sunset.

Steven Miller, his mother and his three children were invited to the party as well as all of the family, close work colleagues and neighbours. Charles Wheeler and Mel were also invited, but they couldn't come as, unfortunately, Charles had suffered a slight heart attack and was still re-cooperating.

The older children, Sophie, Laura, Toby and Stephen Miller's eldest children had a wonderful time playing in the garden, chaperoned by Vanessa, Alan and Clare's neighbour. She didn't have children herself, but had been a trained midwife during her working years and was very fond of them. Alan had bought swings and climbing frames for the bottom of the garden which they all enjoyed playing on during the afternoon.

Angie and Matthew's twins, Daisy and Isabelle were much admired by everyone present and were passed around like parcels. By now, Daniela was 3 1/2 years old and Gheorghe (whom everyone now called George) 22 months old. George was fascinated by Adam and couldn't stay away from him. He kept pointing at him and saying 'baby, baby' even though he was still a baby himself!

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When Adam was two years old, Clare became pregnant again and this time she had a daughter, a dead ringer for Clare, but with Alan's blue eyes. The birth was again at home, but this time delivered by Vanessa as the ambulance didn't reach Clare in time. This time, as the baby was completely healthy, they were allowed home after 24 hours.

They named their daughter Maryann and she grew to be artistic, but extremely mischievous. If there was trouble, Maryann was in the middle of it. When Maryann was almost three years old, Alan started to write talks for the Minister at the church to read out to the congregation. They were so successful, that people put the idea into his head to become a Minister himself.

It was late one Sunday evening in April 2007 and Alan and Clare were snuggled up together on the sofa in the lounge. Adam and Maryann were fast asleep in bed.

"So do you think I should try?" Alan asked. "You know it would mean me going away to Theological College. Would you mind?"

"If you're sure this is what God wants you to do, then I would have to support you." Clare replied.

"It would mean leaving this house and living elsewhere. Are you prepared to do that?"

Clare was silent for a moment.

"We would have to rent out this house. I would hate to have to sell it. Do you think that's possible?"

"I'm sure it would be, but you haven't answered the question. Are you prepared to live anywhere, it could be Leeds, Blackburn anywhere at all! Is that the life you would like to live?"

In her heart of hearts, Clare wanted to shout 'No. No I don't!' but what she said was, "I'd be with you, that's all that matters."

"I would only get one day off each week and Ministers are highly sought after. Their lives are not their own."

"If you've prayed about this and you feel it's right, then I'll support you." said Clare, but even as she said it, she had a sinking feeling in her stomach.

Arrangements were made for Alan to go to a Theological College in Scotland. It filled Clare with horror when Alan told her his destination. It meant he could only come home once every few weeks, but she said nothing to upset his obvious enthusiasm for his new venture.

Bob was upset when Alan (who was now a full partner) gave in his notice, but said he would always welcome him back if it didn't work out. Alan said he doubted he would go back to being an accountant, but thanked Bob, all the same. By this time Geoff had retired and Mark Thompson was the junior partner. Mark was an asset to the company and Alan felt happy leaving it in his capable hands.

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