Until the Stars Fall From the Sky Read online

  Tara, who has been quietly observing everyone all day, joins the conversation, “It’s really funny how we never see ourselves the way the world sees us. I was really skeptical of you at first, Mr. Lifeguard, because I figured you’d be all flash and no substance. Yet, I’ve been surprised that despite your Adonis looks, you seem to have real depth. You actually see the real Kiera and appreciate that she’s beautiful. So, for now you have the approval of the Girlfriend Posse. But, if you screw her over, you’ll answer to us.”

  “Understood, I would expect no less,” I answer, as I nod respectfully toward Tara and Heather. “I’m profoundly honored to have your support.”

  “You’ve got it,” replies Heather. “Besides, your friends are hotter than pine needles in a wildfire. Why would I deprive myself of that option?” she fans herself with a napkin and winks. “So, Kiera, if Tara and I wanted to buy matching summer dresses what color should we wear?”

  Tara asks, “Why would I ever willingly buy a dress?”

  At the same time, Kiera inquires, “Why would we ever buy dresses?”

  “Maybe I’m going to write a fashion blog or something,” answers Heather vaguely, “you know how obsessed I am with all this stuff. Come on, Kiera, humor me and play along. Just for fun, throw Donda into the mix.”

  I watch as my mom makes the connection in her head. Her jaw drops open and her eyes widen in shock. Denny notices and shoots my mom a secretive grin and holds up his finger to his lips. My mom snaps her jaw shut and begins watching us all as if she’s at the U.S. Open.

  “Oh Geez-O-Pete! I don’t know why you even bother to ask me these things. I bet Mindy has more fashion sense than I do. Maybe you should ask her. It’s going to be a challenge to come up with a color that flatters everyone’s skin tone and doesn’t clash with my hair. I’m in this too, right. I’m thinking maybe a jewel tone with those really long handkerchief skirts so Tara doesn’t feel uncomfortable,” Kiera answers shrugging. “Why are you asking me? You’re the expert.”

  Donda laughs as she replies, “Girl, if that’s your ‘bad’ answer, you need to pick up a side job at Macy’s because you’d make a killing. Sounds pretty spot on to me.”

  I look at my watch, I’m surprised that the whole drama with Kevin actually took less time than it seemed. I glance at Denny and Ty as I ask, “Is there anything Mom, Kiera and I need to be doing here?”

  Ty answers, “No man, I don’t think so. The girls are finishing the murals and they kicked all of us out, insisting they were at the delicate ‘artistic’ part. After they’re done, I need to paint the trim and clean up the tarps. After that, the paint needs to dry overnight before we can move in furniture. I’ll help Heather clean the kitchen and put furniture and toys together. Javier is still here from the CSI unit. He donated an old laptop from his daughter. He wiped the hard drive and put a new operating system with nanny software and a bunch of educational games on it for her. He says it’s not rocket fast, but it’s decent.”

  “Wow, that’s amazing,” I reply trying to fully grasp the level of generosity. I’m not even sure Mindy’s had any exposure to computers. “I think I’m going to take Kiera and Mom over to the hospital to see the girls, if no one minds.”

  “Oh! I have to take a shower really fast before we go,” gasps Kiera as she rushes to unbraid her hair. She grimaces and exclaims, “Dandelions, that hurts!” as it pulls painfully where the paint has dried.

  “Pip, easy babe, you might want to wash it out first,” I say as I kiss a paint smudge on her forehead.

  “Baby oil,” Donda and Tara suggest in unison.

  “Okay, I’ll try that,” replies Kiera as she speeds toward the bedroom to grab clean clothes.

  After we hear the water in the shower, my mom corners me in the kitchen. “Jeffery Charles Whitaker,” she whispers with her hands on her hips, “Do you have something you need to tell your mother?”

  I look around to make sure that the coast is clear before I quietly answer, “Yes, ma’am. I’m going to ask Kiera to marry me tomorrow and we’re doing it next Sunday, if she says yes.”

  My mom looks completely gob-smacked as she hisses, “You’re certifiably insane. No woman can plan a wedding in a week.”

  “That’s why her dad and friends are helping.” I explain, shrugging as if I don’t have a care in the world. Yet, despite Denny’s reassurances, I’m not sure how we’re going to pull this off in a week. However, my mom doesn’t need to know about my doubts.

  My mom looks at me, skepticism clearly written on her face as she pushes for more information, “Does she even know her friends are helping? What about getting invitations to people? How are you guys going to find a venue and pay for it at this late date? What about rings?”

  “Mom, I’m going to be a lawyer in just a few months. I’m capable of laying out complex cases. I’ve thought about this stuff and I think we’ve got it covered,” I answer, feeling a bit defensive that I need to defend my choices. “No, she doesn’t know yet. However, after tomorrow she will. Now that I’ve told you, you can share with Donda and Gabriel ensuring that everybody I need will be there. Everybody we care about is helping out in some way. I’m hoping you’ll make her bouquet and that Donda will draw a line drawing of us for our program. One of our friends is a Former Justice of the Oregon Supreme Court and he owns a horse farm on the beach. He is going to officiate our wedding and let us stay for our honeymoon which will be two days because I have school.”

  I walk over to the coat rack and fish the ring box out of my pocket. I open it so that she can see it. My mom gasps as she covers her mouth, “Oh my! Look at that. They nearly match your great grandmother’s pearl and jade necklace.”

  “I know,” I reply. “That’s the reason I chose to use them even though they are antiques. They are family heirlooms from Denny.”

  My mom smiles brightly at me, although tears mist her eyes as she declares, “I guess you did think of just about everything. I just wish your dad could have been here for this. He would have been so proud of you. He would have loved Kiera. She reminds me of how I used to be before Kevin sucked the life out of me. She loves you like your daddy loved me. I have no doubt her answer will be what you pray for.”

  “I hope you’re right, Mom,” I reply as I hug her and kiss her on the cheek, “On so many levels, I hope you’re right.”

  Chapter 24: Kiera

  I snap the bottom buckle of the front baby carrier around my waist and tighten the strap. I’m anxious to hear from the doctor about how the girls are doing since they are supposed to come home on Sunday. I hope their kidney output is better.

  Gwendolyn glances over at me curiously, “I wondered how you were going to handle that. Yet, I didn’t know if I should ask,” she admits.

  “Mom — ,” Jeff starts to admonish, shooting his mother a silencing stare.

  “No, Jeff, it’s okay. Really. I’d be curious too. Some of these are just further adaptations of adaptations that I already do. Some things are simple, while other modifications are going to be more complicated. Dad has to practically rebuild the crib so that I can use it safely. I’m still not sure how I’m going to handle bath time with Becca. She may have to shower with me. Dad has already built me a special changing table that I can roll under,” Kiera answers giving an honest assessment of her skills.

  “Well, it seems like you’re more prepared than most new parents,” Gwendolyn acknowledges as she gives my shoulder a light squeeze.

  As we enter the hospital room, Mindy has pillows propped all around her and Becca is carefully cradled inside them as Mindy is feeding her a bottle. When Mindy sees me, she gives an excited squeal before she remembers that she needs to be quiet. Becca starts to protest the intrusion, but is easily distracted by the bottle.

  “Miss Kiera, I’m so glad you comed. Becca is getting heaby. My arms hurt,” Mindy says in a rush.

  I carefully examine Becca. She really has filled out and looks much more like a typical healthy infant. Even her arms and legs
are starting to develop little rolls of fat. “Wow, you’re not kidding! Do you think they’re feeding her steak and spinach?” I ask.

  Mindy giggles, “No, silly! They feed her formula. Don’cha know nothin’ about being a mommy?”

  “Relax, Mindy Mouse, I was kidding. I know what I’m doing.” I reassure her with only a tad more confidence than I feel. I’ve seen enough parents screw up the job in my line of work that I know I have a daunting task ahead of me and the sheer volume of what I don’t know yet is frightening, but I think I’ll keep my reservations to myself.

  A wide grin split her face and her eyes twinkle as she retorts, “Me too!” She looks at Jeff as a wave of giggles overtakes her, “Mr. Jeff, I made a funny. It was good, huh?” she brags proudly.

  Jeff ruffles her hair as he laughs. “Yeah, Sweetheart, that was a good joke. Can I hold Becca?” he asks, “I want to see how much she’s grown.” Jeff makes a huge show of pretending that Becca was a barbell that he was barely strong enough to lift. “Holy smokes! Princess Mindy, have you been putting anvils in her diaper or something?” Jeff teases with a wink.

  Mindy exclaims, “I tol’ you she was heaby.” Her face scrunches in concentration as she asks, “What’s an anbil?”

  “An anvil is a really heavy weight made of metal. You’ve probably seen them on Roadrunner cartoons. Wile E. Coyote likes to try to drop them on the Roadrunner,” Jeff answers patiently.

  Mindy brightens as she replies, “Guess what? Mr. Jeff made a funny too. But, it wasn’t as funny as mine. Did you bring me any presents?”

  “No presents today, Mindy,” I answer, marveling at her resilience and how quickly she has begun to sound like a normal six year old. “We did bring somebody for you to meet though,” I add as I gesture towards Gwendolyn urging her to come forward. “Mindy, this is Mr. Jeff’s mommy, Mrs. Gwendolyn Buckhold.”

  Smiling, Gwendolyn steps forward to shake Mindy’s hand as she replies, “Enough of that Mrs. Buckhold nonsense. Call me Nana.”

  Mindy shrieks and scrambles into my lap burying her face into my neck as she sobs, “I don’t want another Nana! Nanas hurt people.”

  Gwendolyn visibly pales in response to Mindy’s outburst and she stammers, “I didn’t mean to upset her, that’s just what Gabriel calls me. I would never, ever hurt you, honey.”

  I reach up and gently pat her on the arm as I try to explain Mindy’s reaction, “It’s okay Gwendolyn. I know you didn’t mean any harm. It’s just that Mindy hasn’t had the best experience with Nanas and she is a little scared.”

  Gwendolyn nods sagely as she reveals, “Hmm, it seems like we have something in common Mindy. I know all about being scared by people who do bad things even though they’re supposed to love you. You don’t have to call me Nana. You can call me anything you want to. When I was little, I used to call my grandma ‘Grammy’. You can think of me like a giant gummy bear.”

  Mindy chews on the end of her hair as she contemplates her options. “I’m going to call you Grummy,” she announces. “I runned away when they was going to hurt Becca. Did you run away too?”

  “No, honey, I’m not as brave as you are I guess. I should have,” confesses Gwendolyn with a shattered look on her face.

  “Mindy, why don’t you show Grummy your new dolls and books?” I prompt gently.

  “I got a new Barbie doll with fairy wings and there’s a matching baby doll too. I got some Disney Princess books and some books about Pippi Longstocking,” Mindy replies ticking off the items on her fingers.

  Gwendolyn chuckles as she replies, “Let me guess, Mr. Jeff gave you the Pippi Longstocking books? I have a whole box of Pippi Longstocking books that Mr. Jeff used to read when he was a little boy. Would you like them?”

  Mindy nods enthusiastically as she inquires, “Are they really old? Mr. Jeff calls Miss Kiera ‘Pip’ because he thinks that she looks like Pippi Longstocking and Papa Denny calls her ‘Pipsqueak’ because she was so little when she was born. Isn’t that funny?”

  Jeff snickers as he replies, “Hey now, Mindy Mouse, those books may have a little bit of age on them but, they’re hardly antiques. I’m not quite that old.”

  “Grummy, guess what? I have nicknames now too. They call me ‘Mindy Mouse’ and sometimes ‘Princess Mindy’,” she announces proudly, “it’s so cool because I’ve never had a nickname before, unless you count ‘dirty whore’.”

  Gwendolyn’s eyes widen and she takes a deep breath when she hears Mindy’s heartbreaking revelation. She discreetly blinks away her tears as she cheerfully says, “Well, I like your new nicknames much better and I love that you gave me a new nickname tonight. Would you like me to read you some of your books before you go to bed tonight?”

  Mindy jumps off my lap in a shot, grasps Gwendolyn’s hand and leads her to the bed.

  “Whoa, there Mindy Mouse,” I caution. “You need to brush your teeth first and go potty.”

  “I keep on forgettin’ ‘cause I didn’t have a toothbrush before,” replies Mindy as she runs past me toward the bathroom.

  I look over at Jeff in astonishment as I try to contemplate why a parent wouldn’t provide something as basic as a toothbrush for a child. I should have learned the lesson a long time ago that child abuse never makes any sense.

  Gwendolyn whispers to herself, “Those poor babies.”

  Just then, Becca wakes up from the nap that she’s been taking on Jeff’s shoulder. She is fussy which hasn’t been a problem since her extreme diaper rash has begun to heal. Suddenly, the reason for her fussiness becomes abundantly clear as a very strong odor comes wafting out from her diaper area.

  “I guess Princess Peanut has left you a present,” I remark, laughing.

  Jeff grins as he replies, “No, I’m pretty sure this present is for you, Pip.”

  “Well, you seem to be the one holding the hot potato, so I guess it’s your turn,” I tease. I pull the diaper bag off the back of my wheelchair and hang it over his shoulder.

  Jeff arches one eyebrow as he jests, “Ms. Ashley, are you sure that this is the precedent that you want to set? She who holds the baby with the dirty diaper changes the diaper?”

  “Well, when you put it that way, my PC, probably not,” I answer with a grin. “Come on Princess Peanut; let’s go get you cleaned up.” I tuck Becca into the front carrier and grab the diaper bag.

  As I finish giving Becca what amounts to a sponge bath and finish dressing her in a utilitarian white sleeping gown with little mittens, the pediatrician corners me in the nursery. A feeling of dread washes over me because it must be important for the doctor to seek me out. Yet, my feelings of dread are eased when he smiles as he asks, “How do you feel about your girls coming home a day early? They’ve made remarkable progress and all of the kidney abnormalities seem to be working themselves out on their own. They seem to have all been related to their living conditions.”

  For a moment, I’m stunned into silence. I had been so worried about bad news that I hadn’t even considered the possibility that they might come home early. “Umm, I don’t know what to say. I wasn’t expecting this,” I answer with stark honesty. ”I think that I can have everything ready in time. Is the paint smell going to be really bad for them? We just painted today.”

  The pediatrician chuckles. I’m sure he’s seen mini-panic attacks like mine quite frequently. “Ms. Ashley I’m sure everything is going to be just fine. It doesn’t look like either girl has a history of severe asthma. Just open a few windows and use an air purifier, if you have one. I’ll set the release for late afternoon to give you a little extra time and if all of the blood tests come back normal, we’ll plan on them going home tomorrow. Make sure you remember to bring their car seats,” he says with a reassuring smile.

  “Okay,” I respond, nodding blankly as I consider all the things I need to get finished. Becca starts to fuss and I put her back into the front carrier and begin rubbing her back as I unconsciously rock her in a universal motion of motherhood as old as time.

&
nbsp; The pediatrician gently squeezes my shoulder as he walks by and remarks, “For the record, I’ve been doing this for many years and I don’t believe I’ve seen two people more suited to be parents than you and your husband. Relax and have a good time because they’re only little once.”

  “But, he’s not my — “I started to correct him, but thought better of it. Jeff and I might not be married today, but I’m confident that someday we will be, so I decide to just take the compliment for what it is. “Thank you, doctor. Jeff is a really great guy.”

  “You’re no slouch yourself, Ms. Ashley,” he replies. “It’s going to take both of you. See you tomorrow.”

  The bath must have tired Becca out because she has her thumb and her mouth and she is sound asleep again. On the other hand, I’m suddenly wide-awake with adrenaline coursing through my body as if I’m getting ready to swim the 500 meters in an international meet. I wheel back to the room careful not to wake up Becca. True to form, Mindy has completely crashed in Gwendolyn’s arms while they were reading stories.

  Gwendolyn smiles up at me with a euphoric smile as she whispers, “I can’t even tell you how much I’ve missed this. She is so precious.”

  Jeff studies me for a moment and then breaks out into a wide grin as he asks me quietly, “Well, are you going to spill or are you hogging all the good news?”

  I regard him in total shock as I demand, “Wait, how did you know? I haven’t said a single word.” I try to look outraged, but I just can’t because I’m so happy.

  “Pip, you trying to hide your happiness is as hopeless as trying to catch a rainbow in a jelly jar. So, what’s up?” he asks again.

  I drop my voice to a whisper so that Mindy doesn’t overhear me in case she wakes up. “If all goes well with the blood work tomorrow, the girls are doing so well that they can come home tomorrow afternoon,” I announce softly.