Page 48 of Christmas Spirits at Honeywell House (Ghosts of Rowan Vale #3)
‘She’s so beautiful.’ Jack’s voice was loaded with awe and wonder, as his little finger gently stroked our daughter’s cheek. ‘I’m so proud of you, Clara.’ He kissed the top of my head and added, ‘You did really well. I’m sorry it was so awful.’
‘Totally worth it,’ I told him, meaning it. At least it hadn’t been as traumatic as when I’d had Freddie, and the hours of labour pains were already becoming a memory. ‘Although if you miss that appointment for the snip in January, I’ll hurt you far more than the op would, believe me.’
‘I promise I’ll be there,’ he said, laughing. ‘Four kids are more than enough. Oh, it’s so good to have you both home.’
It was Monday afternoon, and Caitlyn and I had been discharged from the hospital just before lunchtime. Despite arriving three weeks early, she was a good weight, was feeding well, and the medical staff were very happy with her condition, which had been a huge relief.
The scene when I’d left the market was still a bit of a blur.
I’d been so scared and in so much pain that I’d barely taken in anything that was happening, but Jack had evidently collared Brodie, who’d immediately run back to the Hall and brought his car as close as he could get it to the green, so I didn’t have to walk far.
He’d driven us straight to the hospital, while Callie, despite having a VIP guest and media people to look after, promised to keep an eye on the boys and said she’d take them back to Harling Hall where they could spend the night.
Jack told me later that he’d been so panicked he hadn’t even thought about collecting my hospital bag, or anything for the boys, but he’d given Brodie our keys and Brodie had taken them back to Honeywell House to gather up their pyjamas, toothbrushes, and anything else they needed.
He’d also grabbed my hospital bag and, after dropping our children back at the market, and taking Toby to the Hall, he’d driven all the way back to the maternity unit to hand it in, along with our keys, at the reception.
He’d even offered to stay so he could bring Jack home afterwards, but as we had no idea how long that would take, Jack had declined his offer and got a taxi home in the early hours of the morning. Even so, neither of us would forget how kind our friends had been when we’d needed them most.
We owed them a lot.
Callie had rung me that morning just after breakfast to assure me that the boys had enjoyed themselves tremendously, had bombarded Aubrey with questions about his life and his afterlife, which he’d apparently taken great pleasure in answering, and had had a wonderful few hours exploring the Hall, attacking each other and Immi with snowballs, and being fed all manner of delicious treats by Mia.
She also warned me that Freddie had informed her he wanted a kitten.
Toby had apparently decided that having met Aubrey and suffered no ill effects, he could take Agnes and Florence in his stride.
He’d been far more wary of Brian, funnily enough, and despite only being a few months old, the kitten had quickly realised he could wrap our gentle boy around his paw.
Right now, Callie said, Toby was lying contentedly in front of the fire in Lawrie’s sitting room, with Brian fast asleep on his back, the two of them having worn themselves out chasing each other round and round the snowy back garden.
The snow had fallen steadily all last night, and Rowan Vale was a picture of wintry beauty.
I gazed out of the living room window to where our car was parked, thinking how odd it looked to see it there, but glad that the estate rules weren’t so draconian that exceptions couldn’t be made in cases of medical need.
Jack bringing me and our baby girl home definitely counted.
I was longing to see my sons and introduce them to their sister, and I didn’t have long to wait.
The gate was pushed open, and I smiled in delight as I saw the boys, along with Callie, Brodie, Immi and Aubrey walking towards the house, Brodie carrying a big pink balloon with ‘It’s a Girl’ written on it.
‘Are you sure you’re up to all those visitors, love?’ Jack asked worriedly.
‘Positive,’ I said. ‘I think, at this point, I’m running on adrenaline. The crash will come later.’
The boys raced in like mini tornadoes before Jack hushed them and led them sedately over to the armchair, where I was cradling Caitlyn.
Ash and Declan nodded approvingly.
‘She’s cute,’ Ash said. ‘And I got to choose her middle name, which is cool.’
‘But I chose Caitlyn,’ Declan pointed out smugly. ‘It suits her. Are you okay, Mum?’
I was quite touched by his concern. ‘I’m fine, sweetheart. Just a bit tired, but nothing a good night’s sleep won’t put right.’
‘Not much chance of that for a while,’ Callie said, smiling. ‘Are we okay to have a closer look at her?’
‘Of course,’ I said. ‘Come and see.’
Our four visitors edged closer.
‘Oh,’ Callie said longingly, ‘isn’t she just gorgeous?’ She reached over and kissed my cheek. ‘Well done! And congratulations.’
‘She’s like a little doll,’ Brodie said, sounding awestruck. ‘Look at those eyelashes! And those tiny little fingernails.’
‘I’d love a baby sister,’ Immi said wistfully. ‘You are lucky, Ash.’
I glanced up at Aubrey, who had said nothing. He was staring down at my baby with the sweetest expression on his face.
‘Well, Grandpa?’ I asked him softly. ‘What do you think to your new great-granddaughter?’
‘Oh, Clara,’ he said, sounding quite choked, ‘she’s as beautiful as her mother. Quite, quite beautiful.’
‘Agnes and Florence are here, too,’ Callie informed me. ‘They wanted to see the baby, and they hope you don’t mind.’
‘Of course I don’t mind,’ I assured them. ‘We’re all family now, aren’t we?’
Callie winked at me.
‘Please, take a seat,’ Jack told them all. ‘I’ll get that kettle on.’
‘Freddie,’ I said worriedly, ‘you haven’t said anything. Do you like your new baby sister?’
Freddie had been hanging back, clearly uncertain about our new arrival. Now he came forward, peering at her with curiosity. I watched him anxiously, hoping he wasn’t going to feel pushed out, now that he was no longer the baby of the family.
‘What do you think?’ I asked.
He leaned forward and gave Caitlyn the gentlest of kisses on her forehead.
‘She’s nice,’ he said with a shrug. ‘I still want to call her Bluey, though. Mummy, can I have a kitten?’