April 1944
When Douglas heard the door bell ring, he looked at Helen with surprise. "Dah!" he said, pointing.
"Who's here?" she said with a smile. "Should we go see?"
She got up from the floor where they'd been playing and followed as he ran to the front door. He tried to reach for the door handle, but his fingers couldn't quite grasp it.
"Let me help you," she said, turning it for him and opening the door.
"Douglas, hello!" Kitty said, bending to tousle his dark curls. He turned and clutched his mother's legs to hide, and she laughed.
"Hello, Kitty," Helen said, hugging her, and then picked up Douglas, resting him on her hip. "Why are you being so shy all of a sudden? You know your Aunt Kitty."
He grinned at Kitty, but then hid his head in her shoulder.
"I swear he's bigger every time I see him," Kitty said, rubbing his back.
"Hi, Kitty," Annie said appearing from the dining room.
"Annie!" Kitty said going to give her a hug.
"My brother wrote he saw Billy," Annie said when they let go.
"Yes, Billy told me that too. He took him to a pub for a beer."
"Frank really appreciated it. He's been terribly homesick and seeing someone familiar made him feel better."
"That's good," Kitty said with a smile. "Hopefully they'll get to see each other often."
"It's funny they were stationed in the same town in England," Helen said, setting down Douglas who by now was wriggling to get out of her hold. "What are the odds?"
"The world is getting smaller and smaller all the time," Kitty said, shaking her head.
"Yes, it is," Annie said. "I better go back to the kitchen to finish up lunch."
"Oh, wait," Kitty said, stopping her. "Before you go, there's something I want to tell both of you." She smiled as she looked down. "Billy and I – are having a baby."
"Congratulations!" Annie cried, hugging her again.
"That's wonderful!" Helen said at the same time. "And I thought I would be the one with the news. Johnny and I are having a baby too!"
"Oh, my goodness!" Kitty said, giving her another hug. "How far along are you?"
"About three weeks."
"They'll be born around the same time!" Kitty said. "Cousins – growing up together, and you'll look out for them, won't you, Douglas?" she said leaning closer to him.
He buried his face in his mother's skirt with a shy smile, and the three women laughed.
"I better go," Annie said. "Lunch should be ready soon."
"Let's wait in here," Helen said, leading Kitty into the grand parlor. Douglas went to his toy basket, and Helen and Kitty sat near him on a couch. "I'm really happy for you and Billy," Helen said, picking up the white baby blanket she was knitting.
"I'm happy too – I just wish Billy would be here when the baby was born," Kitty said, her voice more somber.
Helen felt the sadness with her. "I know," she said gently. "We all wish he was home. What are you hoping for, a boy or a girl?" Maybe a change the subject would help distract her.
"I'll be happy with either, but – I really hope it's a boy," Kitty said, and Helen was relieved to see her smile. "I want him to be just like Billy. What about you?"
"I'm hoping for a boy too. Then he and Douglas can run the mine together."
"That would be nice."
Helen kept her attention on her knitting instead of replying. Kitty didn't know how fervently she wished the baby growing inside her was a boy, and she didn't want to give anything away with her expression. She didn't feel comfortable keeping secrets from Kitty, but she had to respect Johnny's wishes about not telling Billy the details of the trust.
It wasn't easy keeping it to herself. Ever since that visit in the lawyer's office, she'd felt how important it was they had more children, or even just one, and each month that passed without it happening made her feel worse. She couldn't even share her concerns with Annie. But it had all worked out in the end, she thought with a sigh, letting the tension go. She and Johnny had a baby on the way, and they both could rest easy now.
"Does it hurt bad?" Kitty asked quietly. "You know, when the baby comes?"
"I suppose it does hurt some," Helen said slowly, thinking back to the night Douglas was born. "But it's only for a few hours, and after it's over, all you can think about is the beautiful baby you're holding. That makes it all worth it."
Kitty looked down as she covered her stomach with her hands. "If only Billy could be here," she repeated wistfully. "When I was with him in New York, we were so busy running around trying to get everything ready so we could get married, and after that, we were sight-seeing. He wanted us to see everything – the museums, the Statue of Liberty, the Empire State Building, Coney Island."
Helen had heard this story before, but Kitty had told it as if it had been an adventure – her and Billy trying to get married in the big city. Now Kitty's voice was filled with sorrow, unshed tears evident in her eyes.
"I think he wanted to create memories for us – like this might be all we had. I think he was afraid we'd never see each other again."
A tear rolled down Kitty's cheek, and Helen set aside her knitting and scooted closer to her. "Don't think of it that way," she said, putting her arm around the smaller girl's shoulders.
"Will I see him again?" Kitty said, pulling a handkerchief out of her pocket so she could wipe her eyes.
"We have to be brave, like the soldiers. We have to be as brave as Billy."
"I'm trying," Kitty said with a sniff and straightened. "When I was with him, everything happened so fast, and then I had to say good bye. It wasn't enough time, and now that I'm home, it almost seems like it didn't happen at all." She looked at the gold ring on her left hand. "I miss him more than ever."
"You know what I think?" Helen said, rubbing her arm to console her. "This is the baby affecting your emotions. I cried at the drop of a hat when I was carrying Douglas."
Kitty looked up at her, wiping her eyes again. "You did?"
"Having a baby makes the melancholy worse. After your little one is born, you'll feel better, and you'll be so busy time will fly. Billy is going to come home, and when all three of you are together, you'll forget these sad times. That's what you have to look forward to."
"Kee?" Douglas had come up to them and was, holding out a stuffed bear for Kitty. "Kee?" he said.
"I think he's saying your name!" Helen said.
Kitty laughed and quickly wiped her eyes. "Is that for me?" she said, taking the bear from him.
He struggled to climb on her lap and she lifted him up. Once he was settled, he talked in a stream of gibberish, gesturing at the bear.
"What's he saying?" Kitty asked Helen bemusedly.
"I don't know, but he sure seems intent on telling us," Helen said, watching him with pride. Douglas took the bear and pressed it against Kitty's chest. "He's making it hug you," Helen said, realizing what he was doing. "He doesn't want you to be sad."
"What a sweet little boy!" Kitty pulled Douglas close, and kissed the top of his head. "I hope my little boy is as sweet as you."
"He will be, with Billy for a father."
"Lunch is ready," Annie said, appearing in the doorway.
"Oh, good. I'm starving," Helen said. She stood and picked up Douglas from Kitty's lap. "Have you noticed being more hungry yet?" she asked.
"Not yet," Kitty replied as they headed for the hallway.
Helen grinned. "You will. I was so ravenous, sometimes I felt like could eat the plate."
~~
As Helen gently eased a sleeping Douglas into his crib, she heard the sound of tires crunching on gravel. Johnny was home. She pulled Douglas's blanket over him and went to the hallway.
"Johnny," she whispered when he came in, leaning over the banister to beckon him.
He set down his briefcase and put his fedora on the table with the telephone.
"I just put Douglas to bed," she said as he climbed the stairs.
He smiled up at her, but there were tell-tale dark circles under his brown eyes. He was exhausted just like every other night when he came home late. At the top of the stairs, he gave her a kiss, and then they went to Douglas's bedroom, their arms still around each others waists.
"How was he today," Johnny asked quietly, reaching down to touch his curls.
"He had a good day. He was very well behaved at lunch. Kitty was impressed at how he was feeding himself, and he called her 'Kee'."
"He did?"
Douglas let out a squeal and shifted under his covers.
"Let's get out of here," Helen whispered, taking Johnny's hand. "I have news."
After she had closed the door behind them, Johnny put his arms around her again. "What's the news?"
"Your brother and Kitty are expecting. He's going to be a father."
Johnny's face brightened. "Well, I'll be," he said, shaking his head while he grinned. "That's great to hear."
"Our babies are going to be born at the same time. Isn't that something?"
"Yes, it is," he said, hugging her tighter. "How is our little one," he said into her hair.
"Quiet. We need to wait a few months before I feel anything."
Johnny let go and put his hand on her stomach. "When he starts moving, you need to let me know. I'll come right home so I can feel him too."
"Don't say it's a boy," Helen said, giving him a frown. "You'll jinx it."
"No, I won't," he said, smiling broadly as he led her to the stairs. "Everything is finally working out the way we wanted. I think it was the cabin. That place has magic in it."
Helen couldn't help smiling. It was her idea they spend the nights there when Johnny came home early from work. She'd always thought of it as their honeymoon cabin since their first months together were spent there, and she'd hoped it would help Johnny relax and take his mind off his worries about work. It seemed to have worked because that's where the new baby had been created.
"How about we stay there tonight?" he asked when they reached the bottom of the stairs.
There was a twinkle in his eye when he said it, and she had to look away but she was grinning. "Alright. I'll let Annie know she should sleep upstairs tonight," she said, still unable to meet his eyes.
He leaned closer to her. "Don't take too long," he growled in a low voice, and then nuzzled into her neck, making her laugh.
"That tickles!" she said, moving out of his reach and rubbing the place where his stubble had grazed her skin.
"Better hurry, or I'll do it again," he said, and started towards her as if he was going to chase her.
She laughed again as she headed for the kitchen, her heart filled with happiness.
****
Even though these are very happy times for Helen and Johnny (and Kitty and Billy), I'm sure many of you who remember events from The Boy in the Woods are filled with dread about is going to happen to Helen and the baby. I'll give you a heads up that what's coming is not what you might be thinking. This is a part of Jonathon's story that hasn't been told before.
A lot of you have expressed concern about reading the chapter where Helen's death happens, and I wanted to let you know that when that time comes, I will give you fair warning at the beginning of the chapter so you can choose whether you want to read it or not. I hope that will help and you can feel less worried reading each new chapter.
I'm afraid this is a rather short chapter, but most of the next one has been written and should be posted in a day or two. It was too difficult a transition to have both included in the same chapter and I didn't want to make you wait until I could post both at the same time, since you've had to wait so long already.
I do apologize for the delay. Over the last week and a half, I've been on a trip to see my dad who I haven't seen in a few years, and before that I was busy writing my chapter for the Wattpad Block Party that will be posted at the beginning of next month. This one won't have anything about my stories in it, but I think you'll really enjoy it. It's going to be rather unique. :)
See you in a few days!