Victoria called them back a few minutes later. The dark-haired nurse practitioner-midwife greeted Maddie with a hug. “You look great!”

“I’m being more careful about what I eat this time around,” Maddie said with a frown. “I was way too indulgent with Hailey and paid for it after.”

“You were gorgeous when you were pregnant with Hailey,” Mac said.

“Gorgeous and fat.”

“Not that I ever saw.”

“You have to say that. You did this to me.”

“Oh no. Not this time. This one is all on you.”

Victoria laughed at their banter. “I’m not even going to ask…”

“Suffice to say there was champagne involved,” Maddie said with a laugh.

After Maddie was weighed and provided a urine sample, Victoria handed her a gown. “You know the drill. Everything off from the waist down.”

“Oh joy,” Maddie said.

“Victoria,” Mac said, “before I forget. Do you know Lisa Chandler?”

“Sure, she comes in with her kids to see David. Haven’t seen her in a while, come to think of it. The boys must be healthy.”

“They are, but she’s got an awful cough. She told my cousin Shane she can’t afford to come to the clinic.”

“Ugh,” Victoria said. “I’ll tell David. He’ll stop by to check on her.”

“Thanks,” Mac said, relieved to know Lisa would get some help.

“I’ll be right back,” Victoria said.

“I’d be happy to help you out of your clothes,” Mac said to Maddie when they were alone.

“Stay over there. This is a no-hanky-panky zone.”

“You’re no fun.” Deciding to make his own fun, he started opening drawers in the exam room, checking things out. Some of the items were positively draconian and made him cringe as he imagined what they might be used for. “Holy shit, they’ve got a gross of condoms in here. Wish I’d known that when I was sending Janey out to buy them for me. Could’ve saved me a ton of grief.”

“Mac! Knock it off. Close that drawer and don’t touch anything.”

“What? I’m just looking.”

“You’re stressing me out worrying that she’s going to come in here and catch you.”

“What’ll she do? Kick me out?”

“Mac.” She pointed to the spot right next to the exam table.

Because she was adorable and he loved her, he moved to the appointed spot. “Happy now?”

“Stay. Behave.”

“Yes, ma’am. Am I allowed to put my arms around you?”

“That and nothing else.”

“I love when you’re stern with me. It turns me on.”

“Mac! Shut up.”

He was still laughing when Victoria knocked on the door and came into the room.

“Sorry for the delay. Things are crazy as usual here today.” Always efficient, Victoria got right down to business, moving Maddie to the edge of the exam table and settling her feet in the stirrups.

“Do not look down there,” Maddie said to him. “You’re allowed to look right here and nowhere else.” She pointed to her eyes.

“Yes, dear.”

While Maddie grimaced her way through the internal exam, Mac did as he was told, even though he’d much rather be watching the goings-on below. But he knew his wife well enough by now to know when she was being dead serious.

“Don’t you know most guys don’t want to see what goes on down there when their wives are being probed?” Maddie asked.

“Very true,” Victoria said. “Most of them require smelling salts after their wives have a routine pelvic exam.”

“I’m not most men.”

Maddie grunted out a laugh. “No, you’re not. You’re a freak show.”

“Thanks, love.”

Maddie rolled her eyes at him.

The snap of latex gloves indicated the end of the invasive part of the program.

While Victoria washed her hands, she said, “As I mentioned last time, we do a quick ultrasound at eight weeks to make sure everything’s going according to plan. If we see anything that needs further examination, we send our moms to an OB on the mainland. It’s all perfectly routine, okay?”

“Yep,” Maddie replied, reaching for Mac’s hand.

Victoria covered Maddie’s lap with a sheet and raised her gown over her belly. Next came some gel stuff followed by the ultrasound wand.

Even though he’d seen this done before with Hailey, Mac was fascinated by the view that appeared on the screen. Not much more than a blob, but that blob was his kid. Mac’s heart melted at the first sight of their baby.

Victoria ran the wand around on Maddie’s belly, watching the screen intently. “Hmm,” she said.

“What?” Maddie asked.

“I’m going to have you turn onto your left side for me, if you will.”

With Mac’s assistance, Maddie shifted into the requested position.

“What’s wrong, Vic?” Maddie asked.

“Just give me a minute.” She moved the wand around while continuing to watch the screen, almost without blinking.

A tingle of anxiety went down Mac’s spine.

“Let’s try it vaginally.” They moved her to her back for the more invasive procedure that ended when Victoria removed the wand.

“Hang on just a second, Maddie,” Victoria said before she left the room.

“What’s going on?” Mac asked.

“I don’t know.”

She sounded scared, and Maddie never sounded scared. While they waited for Victoria to return, Maddie gripped his hand tightly.

After about five very long minutes, Victoria returned. When Mac saw that David was with her, his heart sank. That couldn’t be good.

“Hey, guys,” David said, his tone friendly and relaxed.

“What’s wrong?” Mac asked the man who would’ve been his brother-in-law.

David glanced at Victoria, who took a deep breath before she spoke. “I wasn’t able to find the baby’s heartbeat.”

“Oh God,” Maddie said, her eyes filling. “No.”

Victoria rested her hand on Maddie’s shoulder. “David is going to give it a try before we jump to any conclusions.”

David went through the same ritual with the gel and the wand, but the room remained stubbornly silent.

In all his life, Mac had never heard a louder silence. God, please. Please don’t let this happen.

After a thorough exam with lots of clicking on the computer screen, David removed the device from Maddie’s belly and used a paper towel to wipe up the gel.

Mac felt like he was going to be sick or pass out or something equally unpleasant while he waited to hear what David had to say. The small room was suddenly closing in on him. Since flaking out on Maddie, who was crying silently, wasn’t an option, he forced air into his lungs and swallowed frantically to keep from puking.

“We’d like to do a blood test to get some more information,” David said.

“Am I… Did the baby…” Maddie fumbled over her words as she continued to sob.

“We don’t know anything for certain yet.” David rested his hand on Maddie’s shoulder. “The blood work will tell us more.”

Mac had only felt this helpless one other time—the night Hailey was born during the storm.

“I’ll get that going right away,” Victoria said, scurrying from the room.

“David, please…” Mac cleared his throat. “Be straight with us. What do you think is happening?”

“I’d hate to say before we have all the information.”

“Please,” Maddie said, hiccupping. “Just tell me.”

David sighed. “I’m so sorry to say that we could be looking at a miscarriage, but we won’t know anything for certain until we run the blood work.”

Mac’s chest ached as he tried to comfort Maddie from an awkward angle. Her heartbroken sobs destroyed him.

Victoria returned and made quick work of drawing the blood.

“We’ll be as quick as we can,” David said before he and Victoria left the room.

When they were alone, Mac said, “Let me hold you, sweetheart.”

Maddie let him help her up so he could sit behind her, his arms around her.

“It’s m-my f-fault,” she said.

“Why in the world would you say such a thing? It’s not your fault. You’re a wonderful mother.”

“I-I didn’t want to be p-pregnant again. How many t-times did I say that?”

“Maddie, honey, of course you didn’t want to be pregnant again so soon after Hailey was born. But just because we didn’t plan this baby doesn’t mean we didn’t want him or her.”

“I wanted him. He’s a b-boy. I know he is. I wanted him.”

“I know, honey. I did, too.” Mac wanted to weep and wail, but more than that, he wanted to comfort her. “No matter what happens, sweetheart, it’ll be okay. I promise.” He would make it okay for her or die trying. “We have each other and our two beautiful kids.” With the back of his hand, he brushed away his own tears, determined to stay strong for her.

David and Victoria returned, and their grim expressions told the story.

“I’m so sorry,” Victoria said, “but we believe the fetus is no longer viable.”

“Why, Vic? What did I do wrong?” Maddie asked.

“Nothing at all,” Victoria assured her. “Early-term miscarriage is far more common than you realize. And there’s hardly ever a satisfying reason. It just happens.”

“Here’s the deal,” David said. “We can give you some meds and send you home. You’ll have what would seem like a particularly painful and heavy period over the next few days and then it would be over. The other option is we send you to the mainland for a routine surgical procedure.”

“What would you do?” Mac asked, trying to remain calm for Maddie’s sake.

“Because of where we are, I’m concerned about the remote possibility of complications—”

“We’ll go to Providence then,” Mac said. The possibility of complications—even a remote possibility—made the decision easier. To Maddie, he said, “Is that okay?”

She nodded.

“I’ll make the call to get you a referral,” David said. “How soon can you get there?”

“We’ll go tonight.” Mac’s mind began to spin with details and things that needed to happen. He’d call Joe to get the truck on the next ferry. His parents could stay with Thomas and Hailey. He needed to let Maddie’s mom and sister know what was going on. They’d need clothes… The details gave him something to focus on besides the overwhelming, awful pain in the vicinity of his heart.

He helped Maddie up and got her dressed, going so far as to slide flip-flops onto her feet. “Can you walk, honey?”

She nodded, but he didn’t take any chances as he pocketed the referral paperwork that David handed him and put his arm around Maddie.

“If we can do anything, please call,” Victoria said tearfully as she hugged them both.

“Thank you,” Mac said. Every nerve in his body was on fire as he walked Maddie out of the clinic, her face turned into his chest so no one could see her. Thankfully, he didn’t see anyone he knew in the waiting room as they left. He got her into the SUV and fastened her seat belt. They’d come back to the clinic to get his truck later and take it to the mainland. His parents would need the SUV with the car seats in the back.

While Maddie cried softly and quietly, Mac made his calls.

“What’s wrong?” Joe asked after Mac told him he needed a spot for the truck on a boat later in the day.

Mac couldn’t bring himself to say the words out loud, especially with Maddie sitting right next to him. “I’ll, um, I’ll tell you later.”

“I’ll get you on the six o’clock boat.”

Grateful that Joe hadn’t pressed for more information, Mac said, “Thanks.”

Next, Mac called his mother. “Can you meet me at my house?”

“Why?” she asked. “What’s up?”

“Could you just come? Please?”

“Mac… You’re frightening me. The kids—”

“Are fine. I’ll meet you there, okay?”

“Of course. I’ll be right there.”

“Bring Dad.”

“Okay…”

Mac ended the call before she tried to pump him for information he was incapable of giving. He would call Tiffany and Francine later, when Maddie was out of earshot.

“The kids,” Maddie said. “We need to get them from my mom.”

“I’ll take care of everything, sweetheart. Don’t worry about a thing.”

“Don’t want them to see me upset.”

“They won’t.” He grasped her hand and held on tight, giving as much as taking comfort. He would get her through this, and then he’d fall apart.

---

With her mother’s assistance, Katie was able to take a shower without getting her injured foot wet. The entire thing required an inelegant balancing act that had her constantly on the verge of falling. Somehow she managed to wash her hair and condition it, which was critical to controlling her propensity for frizz near the ocean.

While Katie sat on a chair with her foot propped on a footstool, Sarah blow-dried her hair. “I feel very pampered,” Katie said.

“I haven’t done your hair in ages. It’s fun.”

“Remember when Cindy was eleven and decided she was going to cosmetology school? She ‘practiced’ on us?”

“I recall several unfortunate haircuts before I had to take away her scissors.”

“Oh my God! I thought Julia was going to kill her.”

“The pageboy,” Sarah said, cringing. “Not a good look on Julia.”

“That’s not a good look on ninety-nine percent of all women.”

“As Cindy soon discovered.” Sarah brushed Katie’s hair until it was soft and shiny. “I’m glad to know that not all your memories of growing up are awful.”

“They’re not. Of course they’re not.” She grinned at her mother in the mirror. “We had deployments.”

Laughing, Sarah rested her hands on Katie’s shoulders and met her gaze in the mirror. “That we did.”

“So how’s it going over at Charlie’s?”

“Good, but…” She shook her head when she seemed to think better of whatever she had planned to say.

“But what?”

“Your father is being bullheaded about the divorce.”

“Naturally.”

“Charlie says it doesn’t matter, that we can live in sin for the rest of our lives if we have to.”

“What does your lawyer say?”

“Dan Torrington handled everything for me, and he’s on it. But he can’t make your father sign the papers, and he’s holding out because I get half of his pension. He’s so bitter about that.”

“What right does he have to be bitter about anything when you did the real work of raising seven children, often on your own and frequently with his rages to contend with?”

“Part of me wants to tell Dan to forget about the pension because I don’t really need it now that I’m going to be with Charlie, but the other part of me thinks…” She met Katie’s gaze. “I earned that money. I earned it.”

“You’re damned right you did, and I know everything is great with Charlie, but what if, down the road, you change your mind? You should have your own resources to fall back on.”

“I don’t think anything will go wrong with Charlie or that I’ll change my mind about him, but you’re absolutely right about having my own money.”

“The whole thing makes me furious. Why doesn’t the general just set you free once and for all?”

“I didn’t tell you this to upset you, honey.”

“I know you didn’t, but still… Where does he get off stonewalling you when he’s put you through hell for more than thirty years already?”

“He doesn’t think he put me through hell. In his mind, he was keeping a tight rein on the little woman.”

“I’m so glad you’re free of him, Mom. Even if he doesn’t ever give you the divorce, you never have to spend another second in his presence.”

“And for that I’ll be eternally grateful.”

“I’m so happy for you and Charlie. From what everyone says, he’s a really nice guy.”

“He’s amazing, and one of these evenings, I’d like to have you over for dinner so you can get to know him better. Bring Shane with you, if you’d like to.”

Katie felt her face heat at the thought of inviting Shane to dinner at her mother’s new home to spend time with her mother’s new fiancé. Four days on Gansett and her life bore no resemblance whatsoever to what it had looked like a week ago. “That would be fun. We’ll do that sometime soon.”

“You look beautiful, honey. Go have a nice time with a wonderful young man and let your hair down a little.”

“My hair is down.”

“Don’t be obtuse with me, Katherine. You know exactly what I mean.” Sarah leaned in closer. “Go a little crazy. It’s high time, wouldn’t you say?”

“What’s with you and Gram today? Who are you and what have you done with my mother who’d never allow me to talk to a boy, let alone go wild with one?”

“Your mother wants to see you happy. I want to sit back and watch you fall madly in love with an incredible guy and have him love you back the way you deserve to be loved.”

“Mom! It’s our second date. You’re going to jinx me.”

“I never said you had to fall madly in love with Shane, but if you do… Well, I’d be thrilled to be that lovely man’s mother-in-law.”

“Mother!”

Sarah laughed heartily, and even though Katie was a little horrified by the assumptions her mother was leaping to where Shane was concerned, the sound of her mother’s unfettered laughter was music to Katie’s ears.

A knock on the door interrupted the revelry.

“Oh, let me get that.” Sarah moved to the door before Katie could stop her. “Hello there, Shane. Don’t you look so handsome!” He did look really nice in a light-blue dress shirt rolled up over his tanned forearms and khaki shorts. The shirt did crazy things for his blue eyes. The word “dreamy” came to mind, which made Katie feel like a simpering teenager.

“Thank you, Sarah. You’re looking quite lovely yourself this evening.”

“You don’t have to suck up to my mom,” Katie said. “She’s already in love with you.”

Shane laughed at Katie’s saucy comment. “What does Charlie think of that?”

Sarah patted his chest. “He approves wholeheartedly.”

“Mother…”

“My beautiful daughter is ready to go. What do you have planned for the evening?”

Before Katie could intervene and tell him he didn’t need to tell her, Shane said, “Dinner to start with, and then we’ll see.”

Katie felt a shiver of anticipation go through her at the thought of what “and then we’ll see” might entail.

“Well, don’t let me keep you,” Sarah said. “I was just saying to Katie that Charlie and I would like to have you two over for dinner. Maybe tomorrow night?”

“We’d love that. Wouldn’t we, Katie?”

When had her mother become so brazen? “Sure,” Katie said. “That’d be nice.”

“Great!” Sarah clapped her hands gleefully. She came over to kiss Katie and then kissed Shane on the way out. “You kids have a great evening, and we’ll see you tomorrow. Is six thirty good for you?”

“Fine by me,” Shane said.

“Wonderful! I’ll see you then.”