405Please respect copyright.PENANAv9UwelimMS
It was a cold and dark day.405Please respect copyright.PENANAF4ASrDSkTh
Wet. Dreary. Certainly, not a day one would wish to be married on. But for405Please respect copyright.PENANA0M6cwk0kSc
them, there wasn’t a more perfect day. And they were being married in the405Please respect copyright.PENANA2hV3LiSpEs
church, after all; it wasn’t like they had to worry about being rained on, or405Please respect copyright.PENANA1cuoCraKmw
their entire wedding being ruined, altogether. Nothing could ruin this day for405Please respect copyright.PENANAbdekfkRtAX
them. Not the weather, not a kink in plans, nothing.405Please respect copyright.PENANAWS7cqDELYH
405Please respect copyright.PENANAvfsz2hRiu7
“Do you, Justin Daniels, take405Please respect copyright.PENANAggnyj0gbj9
this woman, Mary Smith, to be your wife? To have and to hold, to love and to405Please respect copyright.PENANA7vCf6hqSor
cherish, and to honor and respect her, until death do you part?” The priest, who405Please respect copyright.PENANAsInGegh4eH
was their good friend, Jacoby, asked with a smile.405Please respect copyright.PENANAUjSJbIM2Jq
405Please respect copyright.PENANAfX6TpYY1rn
Justin beamed, tears in his eyes,405Please respect copyright.PENANAbgd6kEKgfO
as he stared down at Mary, right into her eyes. He didn’t even have to think405Please respect copyright.PENANAQ1KWQkBsfG
about it. He gulped down the lump in his throat and nodded. “Yes. Yes, I do.”405Please respect copyright.PENANAkyFiZZNySM
405Please respect copyright.PENANAhUI8K4bKnx
Then turning to Mary, Jacoby405Please respect copyright.PENANAZL4z1vge45
directed the words to her. “Do you, Mary Smith, take this man, Justin Daniels,405Please respect copyright.PENANAkOR8LeZiwp
to be your husband? To have and to hold, to love and to cherish, and to honor405Please respect copyright.PENANARrRHyaC5Z7
and respect him, until death do you part?”405Please respect copyright.PENANAOum3yJMCkP
405Please respect copyright.PENANAwNBi6WPHQL
She couldn’t help it; her405Please respect copyright.PENANAVaEd9bFofu
tears fell freely down her unblemished face, as she nodded without a second405Please respect copyright.PENANAXI5DZIpkWB
thought. “I do.” She said with a strangled voice. Justin smiled at her405Please respect copyright.PENANAlbQAqh3KpK
confirmation, as if previously afraid that she would change her mind.405Please respect copyright.PENANA9zDGlCtDAh
405Please respect copyright.PENANA4n32u0JZPU
“Then, without further wait,405Please respect copyright.PENANAThYGbCcMX8
I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss your bride.” Jocoby announced405Please respect copyright.PENANATMTCBS1jgv
with his thick accent weighing heavily throughout the small room.405Please respect copyright.PENANA809BpQO9Ls
405Please respect copyright.PENANARMNOwrRuEd
Not waiting a second longer,405Please respect copyright.PENANA6UgvRQGoqh
Justin slid his hands over Mary’s slender hips and pulled her near to him.405Please respect copyright.PENANASEt3OlmkWG
Smiles lit their faces as they kissed passionately, but still innocently enough405Please respect copyright.PENANA7YR4Voza4y
while in front of a crowd. Cheers rang through the whole room, as they sealed405Please respect copyright.PENANAv01voSfBOl
their marriage officially, finalizing their union as one.405Please respect copyright.PENANA22A1Mvl1qP
405Please respect copyright.PENANA8G80WpFn41
After the marriage ceremony,405Please respect copyright.PENANAl46KAZnx00
the crowd hauled over to the bar just across town. For hours, they drank, sang,405Please respect copyright.PENANAD68b28fBor
and danced the day away. When it came time for supper, they all gathered405Please respect copyright.PENANA9DEjSEG8ka
around, the finest mugs, filled to the brim with the best whisky, in their405Please respect copyright.PENANAFR2exNvtp7
hands. It was time for the bride and groom toasts. Justin’s best man, Mark405Please respect copyright.PENANAjjXkHNfDEB
Avery, went first.405Please respect copyright.PENANAz8SZvzuSst
405Please respect copyright.PENANAd4k5b8ue93
“I have known Justin and Mary405Please respect copyright.PENANAdgT0Wo694e
for most of my life. Separately, of course. But I know that there isn’t a405Please respect copyright.PENANAbJU6kRDanG
couple better suited for each other, than the one right here. Justin, you’re my405Please respect copyright.PENANAfI28Ctx53H
best friend, though I know that, to you, I come in second place of Mary. My405Please respect copyright.PENANAoHdqufm5Sm
friend, you chose well. If only there were more women like Mary out there. And405Please respect copyright.PENANAFPFYW0AV18
let me say, you deserve the finest. After Catharine broke your heart, I thought405Please respect copyright.PENANA5JVXi4pI0B
you’d never move on. I’m glad you proved me wrong. To Justin and Mary Daniels!405Please respect copyright.PENANALnV385iV0V
May you two live long, and happy together!” He cheered before raising his mug405Please respect copyright.PENANAJXhrZhlAz6
to his lips and taking a long swing, just as everyone else did.405Please respect copyright.PENANAZb2X9msKp0
405Please respect copyright.PENANAgmhuiKDNlB
Mary’s maid of honor, Leah405Please respect copyright.PENANA2fGqTIL0J7
Cassidy, went next. “Mary, I have seen you struggle through everything in your405Please respect copyright.PENANABh1aRFZdaR
life, since the day your mother passed. All the things you went through with405Please respect copyright.PENANANPav6AzveZ
your father, they were tough. But, they also made you strong. And I couldn’t be405Please respect copyright.PENANAuWeiCMUJjy
happier to see you as the strong woman you are now. I know that you will work405Please respect copyright.PENANAPtiwYugUod
hard in your marriage. Justin loves you, I think everyone here can see that.405Please respect copyright.PENANAIydgvh4NXQ
What can I say? He has a great taste. To Justin and Mary Daniels! May you know405Please respect copyright.PENANALJa5KOw7aD
bright and happy days, and always know how lucky you are!” Once again, everyone405Please respect copyright.PENANA9I5MUDRvhi
took a swig of their whisky.405Please respect copyright.PENANAm5CseNwqPS
405Please respect copyright.PENANAOAZIkDgIXa
After the bride and groom405Please respect copyright.PENANA76noJ3qILn
were toasted, the people went back to dancing, and before to long it was time405Please respect copyright.PENANAuJzjY8tlVN
for the first dance of the newly wedded. Against the wishes of his parents,405Please respect copyright.PENANAV0w3jsjOiV
Justin and Mary had decided they wanted a lively reception; so their first song405Please respect copyright.PENANAjI0SagMr8Y
was The Old Zip Coon. It was a spry dance, one that kept people moving405Please respect copyright.PENANACHHCZSXLew
constantly.405Please respect copyright.PENANAJXtA7QY07u
405Please respect copyright.PENANAweySp5LPAw
Hoots of fun-filled laughter405Please respect copyright.PENANAaZtTv7hkB9
filled the air, as the couple swung around with the biggest smiles. Soon, the405Please respect copyright.PENANApSHYgHGaue
whole community joined in, and the room was full of women and men bounding405Please respect copyright.PENANA3AJu3ogXL4
around the spacious bar. Without a doubt, it would be a time for the small town405Please respect copyright.PENANAKJZugM0PAW
of Berk to always remember. But, for Justin and Mary, the most memorable part405Please respect copyright.PENANA0BX711D1cV
came that night.405Please respect copyright.PENANAsOC4WQ7AUs
405Please respect copyright.PENANAQpcupLOXgh
That was seven years ago,405Please respect copyright.PENANA31CmNnM9pP
though. All but a faded memory, left in the past.405Please respect copyright.PENANAhWvwNcMzI4
405Please respect copyright.PENANAdSWo7Yfjhx
405Please respect copyright.PENANAphfh351XBM
405Please respect copyright.PENANA8qj1upHZ2b
Present day405Please respect copyright.PENANAmPhzRf7PwA
405Please respect copyright.PENANAmeIG2mFBRX
405Please respect copyright.PENANAqZpNd2K4Yi
405Please respect copyright.PENANAXIZCkbUfLu
She was bleak, weary, and405Please respect copyright.PENANA84pDgaYExf
couldn’t find it in her heart to smile. She longed for it, yearned for it. all405Please respect copyright.PENANArEfBJt7u7T
she wanted was to look out at them, running around in the sunlit yard. They405Please respect copyright.PENANAyRVKmNEVpC
were so graceful and beautiful, her two oldest daughters. They had finally405Please respect copyright.PENANAH0wWHVWz6I
cheered up, she just wished she could join in their happiness.405Please respect copyright.PENANAnMHLRPbgpt
405Please respect copyright.PENANAwGZUcs97l4
Mary looked behind her, where405Please respect copyright.PENANAnc9rDQLnIj
her youngest was sitting up on the floor with a big smile. So much like her405Please respect copyright.PENANA4csqTMRzAW
father, she thought. Sallie was, indeed, the spitting image of her war-bound405Please respect copyright.PENANAtSuEsfX4Ey
father, all but those green s. She had his face, his nose, his hair and405Please respect copyright.PENANAEmCgramO3b
freckles, everything. The Violet eyes had passed over her though, instead being405Please respect copyright.PENANA8Re0ZMF2sT
given to little Ethel.405Please respect copyright.PENANAjukGQdKMMc
405Please respect copyright.PENANAStWo6gZLwX
Turning completely to keep a405Please respect copyright.PENANAjnkQAhXNiA
full eye on her daughter, and make sure she didn’t wander off, she leaned405Please respect copyright.PENANAbGJSK9Sa4C
against her chair and sighed. Resting a hand on the swell of her belly, she405Please respect copyright.PENANAy5G2cSUgAN
rubbed it gently, lovingly. For the hundredth time since Justin left for war, she405Please respect copyright.PENANApkufc7GuLL
felt her heart break again. She didn’t understand how it was possible to405Please respect copyright.PENANAlpgKQXPEAH
experience heartbreak so many times, in such a short amount of time; all she405Please respect copyright.PENANAx90N2EoX1z
knew was that she hated it.405Please respect copyright.PENANAJpBZBIR0mv
405Please respect copyright.PENANAqsuo6teIwU
Not even a month after Justin405Please respect copyright.PENANApdKnaTRSw9
left, she discovered that she was once again with child. She was pregnant, with405Please respect copyright.PENANA3TGUD6hYKN
a baby Justin didn’t even know about; a baby she wouldn’t get to tell him about405Please respect copyright.PENANAnK6tTCuxjL
until he returned. Now, not only would Sallie be estranged from her father, but405Please respect copyright.PENANATreUr1aENo
another baby of theirs wouldn’t know him. He would be a total stranger, in the405Please respect copyright.PENANAeHjbXgbS3c
eyes of his own two children.405Please respect copyright.PENANAufSLXi7LKb
405Please respect copyright.PENANAwyKHnFigXV
She was currently seven405Please respect copyright.PENANAMEvdkOIYxj
months along, and her belly was already round and swollen. Women of the town405Please respect copyright.PENANAwOxZJWA52W
had talked, first thinking she’d had an affair. But when she vehemently told405Please respect copyright.PENANAQL3yjbXKZ9
them that that was certainly not the case, that she would never do that to405Please respect copyright.PENANAnpXM2ToDzh
Justin and their girls, the women began to take pity on her. She hated it, but405Please respect copyright.PENANAo45W1DiaBU
had to admit that their bugging petty was a step up from their thinking she was405Please respect copyright.PENANAMTE0F1hPhA
having an affair.405Please respect copyright.PENANAx7AIfaE9Y7
405Please respect copyright.PENANApShwJGJrp3
A hiss brushed past her lips,405Please respect copyright.PENANAtVWEyry0hF
as she felt a sharp jab to the side of her stomach. “Easy, little one.” She405Please respect copyright.PENANAtwxxvIyKUo
whispered, directing it toward the baby inside her. Lately, she hadn’t been405Please respect copyright.PENANAgVcAtsN5fZ
feeling right. She was throwing up more, and the baby had been much more active405Please respect copyright.PENANA2ej7EbDwvY
than he/she had in the beginning stages of movement. Almost constantly, she405Please respect copyright.PENANABuArqmpaxr
felt the baby turning completely around, which just wasn’t normal. It worried405Please respect copyright.PENANABmJFiYnQE5
her, yet she decided not to go to the town doctor.405Please respect copyright.PENANAAuBLoJ7Rxx
405Please respect copyright.PENANAuK98N2zuhu
Just then, a whinny could be405Please respect copyright.PENANAELxGvZpnj6
heard from down the trail. Mary frowned, as no one ever came this far out of405Please respect copyright.PENANATLR0oCfNTR
town. Maybe it was a passerby? Someone looking for direction? She didn’t know;405Please respect copyright.PENANAeJoGDiRn0t
but taking extra precaution, she grabbed the rifle that had always been kept by405Please respect copyright.PENANAwYWPshwDs7
the door, and readied it, in case it was a robber, or someone who would harm405Please respect copyright.PENANAPkHRO2s3MM
her or her girls.405Please respect copyright.PENANAZRWimlDpz4
405Please respect copyright.PENANAMDDvle0wN3
Waiting by the porch, rifle405Please respect copyright.PENANAXGyOSJg40F
readied, she watched as the mounted horse glided toward them. “Girls, come up405Please respect copyright.PENANA6Ye1vU8nt7
here, please!” She called to her daughters, and they obeyed without argument.405Please respect copyright.PENANAIIvgv302u0
Watching the horse and rider come closer, she could finally see what the person405Please respect copyright.PENANAFum0lLkWnt
was wearing: blue army jacket, with a blue cap. Gold lined the jacket and cap,405Please respect copyright.PENANAGhUfiCnLZr
and the clothes could be seen as clean. The horse was also well groomed, and405Please respect copyright.PENANAWKPVtemWqq
it’s saddle appeared to be fancy.405Please respect copyright.PENANA3Ji8BujbTd
405Please respect copyright.PENANAQLzjpBmXwa
She didn’t dare to hope, but405Please respect copyright.PENANA63f0qGiJG6
the closer the rider neared, the more she felt her heart begin to lift. “Justin?”405Please respect copyright.PENANAAMfDAPFmTr
She choked. Closer and closer. Faster and faster, her heart beat. But it405Please respect copyright.PENANAiuiz111LDS
suddenly dropped, when the man came to a stop and unmounted. It fell, hitting405Please respect copyright.PENANAt3WmXj3zSV
the dirt ground hard and painfully.405Please respect copyright.PENANA0MFkIJlE4W
405Please respect copyright.PENANAUK9o2A6dPd
It wasn’t Justin.405Please respect copyright.PENANAp1D0vAhGln
405Please respect copyright.PENANALzThbS9qqv
The man walked up briskly,405Please respect copyright.PENANAxjLHT2Ogen
taking off his cap as he came up the steps. His gaze drifted down to the two405Please respect copyright.PENANAtlWmNCBg3a
girls behind her, clinging to her dress. A tone of sympathy edged his eyes as405Please respect copyright.PENANAfJCfBpOkru
he slowly lifted them back up to meet Mary’s. “Ma’am, I’m sergeant Michael,405Please respect copyright.PENANAmIcM1W3j2d
are you Mary Daniels?” He asked softly.405Please respect copyright.PENANAQsskaI5M7u
405Please respect copyright.PENANAhtgCktFjOY
She forced the lump down her405Please respect copyright.PENANARlDEmjad0t
throat and nodded. “That I am. Is-is my husband alright?”405Please respect copyright.PENANAUilRsgb5e1
405Please respect copyright.PENANAttKvI3ZgZn
He ran a shaky hand through405Please respect copyright.PENANANI3S8JhG7i
his hair and closed his eyes briefly. “Mrs. Daniels, I’m…I’m sorry to inform405Please respect copyright.PENANAbOxT1U5u53
you that yesterday, July 2, 1863, at 5 in the afternoon, your husband was405Please respect copyright.PENANAKWbAX8phmI
killed on the field of battle at Gettysburg. I’m so sorry for your loss.” One405Please respect copyright.PENANAKFgH5B3E3H
last look at her and her daughters, then he turned and left.405Please respect copyright.PENANAqKTEWaLBB8
405Please respect copyright.PENANA6Nsznb5B5T
Shock filled her at first.405Please respect copyright.PENANAvyEPsZLSax
Against her will, a sob ripped through her lips, and she slapped a hand over405Please respect copyright.PENANAnxXLQkgt6f
her mouth to stifle her cry. Slowly dropping her eyes downward, she looked to405Please respect copyright.PENANABdyN4nTJza
her daughters. They looked scared, confused, and worried.405Please respect copyright.PENANADj1TWMFHx9
405Please respect copyright.PENANAhvTlUXYcH6
“Daddy coming home?” Ethel405Please respect copyright.PENANAf0MuwduyWG
asked her softly.405Please respect copyright.PENANAmGicm5FXXi
405Please respect copyright.PENANAvjUcezhVZ9
The tears raged down her face405Please respect copyright.PENANAVNnpn3DvqM
and she shut her eyes tight for a moment. As best as she could, she knelt down405Please respect copyright.PENANAw4kHYx2Dcq
and pulled the girls close to her. “No, Ethel.” She whispered. “Daddy’s not405Please respect copyright.PENANAE2iSmckJxh
coming home. He’s…he’s with the angels, baby.” She choked, the lump in her throat405Please respect copyright.PENANAewdibKc5gf
growing by the second. Her daughters were too young for this. The pain of405Please respect copyright.PENANAhgCiz06rPy
losing a parent was difficult no matter what, but none of her children were405Please respect copyright.PENANAtLEH3QiPYC
even through their first decade of life. Her oldest was barely seven.405Please respect copyright.PENANA6bLpzo4Fcl
405Please respect copyright.PENANA4eSvrrErN9
The small girl had tears in her405Please respect copyright.PENANARwhSt9gFWE
eyes, and her lip quivered. “Daddy left us forever?” She whimpered.405Please respect copyright.PENANAU6IvsfzbWB
405Please respect copyright.PENANA9D6U0DWN2o
Mary hated to think of it405Please respect copyright.PENANAmm0IIm3OS7
that way, but what other way was there to explain to her daughters? Unable to405Please respect copyright.PENANAClqUttmC6v
say anything, she nodded and pulled her daughters into the safety of her arms.405Please respect copyright.PENANAKHVyCMIz9o
“He loved you girls. So very much. You and your sister were everything to him.405Please respect copyright.PENANAbyKgdPboC6
And if he were here, right now, he would tell you how much he loves you.”405Please respect copyright.PENANAiKAuAptZOG
405Please respect copyright.PENANAeCFtQYi2aZ
Her heart ached so much405Please respect copyright.PENANA2m6h0txn3s
though. Sallie wasn’t even a year old, and the father she would never remember405Please respect copyright.PENANAsEctkY7Odp
was gone. The baby growing inside her would never even meet his/her father. He405Please respect copyright.PENANAk3FnGmgBXj
hadn’t even known about her pregnancy. Now he would never know. He would never405Please respect copyright.PENANA3wIhW8IBkY
know his youngest daughter. He would never know his unborn child. He would405Please respect copyright.PENANA3tMABP61hh
never walk his daughters down the aisle on their wedding days. He’d miss out on405Please respect copyright.PENANAfDtKNMR89T
his grandchildren being born and growing up. All of that, he would never have a405Please respect copyright.PENANArwkjUu2x7N
chance to do or see.405Please respect copyright.PENANA8iXpo1U70e
405Please respect copyright.PENANAEsgT9v2mWC
405Please respect copyright.PENANAXbcOAGCEiY
405Please respect copyright.PENANA6BjCgt2hO5
……405Please respect copyright.PENANAR3CFsDqfN6
405Please respect copyright.PENANAcq57dPTqCK
405Please respect copyright.PENANAIkNhwsXW3e
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For several days, the Daniels405Please respect copyright.PENANAK5hkxAmnhS
girls were all in a state of melancholy. Townspeople had stopped by a few405Please respect copyright.PENANALljNS7P0rz
times, both to give their condolences, and to offer Mary anything she needed:405Please respect copyright.PENANAOJupMeoIlZ
help with the girls, food for the next few days, someone to talk to, anything.405Please respect copyright.PENANAeX1c7Xdbbi
The young widow refused though. She didn’t wish for charity, and she thought it405Please respect copyright.PENANAZkwrPw241T
best that she be the one to care for the girls, especially through such a time405Please respect copyright.PENANAP82KzZ6zUr
as the news of their father’s death.405Please respect copyright.PENANAPZLVkCrSPM
405Please respect copyright.PENANABNEWBU9T0H
Ida and Ethel, while still405Please respect copyright.PENANAA5mxtQkHzt
not fully comprehending that their father was gone forever, seemed to405Please respect copyright.PENANApCYAT4Behp
understand that something really bad had happened to him. Mary hated seeing it405Please respect copyright.PENANAA3ndhpOtsL
on her daughters; she’d gone through the same thing when she was not much older405Please respect copyright.PENANAK04Tl22MBK
than Ida. She knew it wasn’t fair, on anybody.405Please respect copyright.PENANAosWkepuxes
405Please respect copyright.PENANADhPUMXeK10
It was barely a week after405Please respect copyright.PENANA2n6ENoJAX9
receiving the news, when Mary felt a hard kick to her lower abdomen. At first,405Please respect copyright.PENANA6guzZdHFH8
she didn’t take it to mean anything, just the baby putting up a fuss; but when405Please respect copyright.PENANACZiEpt6qXQ
the kicks increased in severity, she became slightly worried.405Please respect copyright.PENANAa50bYNnCxP
405Please respect copyright.PENANAncJ2GtuqWB
Just as she was getting up to405Please respect copyright.PENANAO6K1qOpy6k
make something for the girls to eat, she felt something wet between her legs.405Please respect copyright.PENANACgH1HMJrqp
Shutting her eyes, not wanting to admit to herself what she already knew was405Please respect copyright.PENANAVWEKe9DUQb
happening, she looked to the ground under her feet. There it was; that small405Please respect copyright.PENANAeU0gt5qzkf
puddle that could only mean one thing: she was in labor.405Please respect copyright.PENANAmhcryJGAB2
405Please respect copyright.PENANA8yMMcRpOHu
It’s to early, she said in405Please respect copyright.PENANAbUYZJ0LM24
her mind. The same thing had happened with her baby boy a few years ago. She’d405Please respect copyright.PENANAMM0IbM83go
gone into early labor, and he only lasted a few minutes after birth. The first405Please respect copyright.PENANAndzJ4s55F0
thing since her father’s death, and it broke her. Losing her child, the child405Please respect copyright.PENANAjJJ2sSL6AD
she had carried for six months, the child she felt moving inside her, was the405Please respect copyright.PENANAb384W8QfRu
hardest thing. She couldn’t go through it again, especially after the405Please respect copyright.PENANAgp4ou6lSLD
heartbreak of losing her beloved husband.405Please respect copyright.PENANAVeg8unm4xc
405Please respect copyright.PENANA4NC8gBNYGI
Braving through her fear for405Please respect copyright.PENANA9Wmdeg8UmM
the moment, she looked to Ida, holding her stomach tightly. “Idie, I need to to405Please respect copyright.PENANAatKFpntjsb
ride Bobbie into town and tell auntie Leah that your baby brother or sister is405Please respect copyright.PENANAB37o0YPNyw
coming.” She said in a steady, but still fearful voice.405Please respect copyright.PENANAYGaP0Q58A0
405Please respect copyright.PENANAUG6eqDZGXW
The seven year old wasted no405Please respect copyright.PENANA47H96zEbg1
time in jumping up from the floor, racing to pull on her coat, and running out405Please respect copyright.PENANAZlaLkQsPhG
the door. She was thankful to know that her father’s horse was already saddled405Please respect copyright.PENANAqhlGXfufj2
up and ready to go. Climbing up, she gripped the reins in shaking hands and405Please respect copyright.PENANA3kIjo9FDDb
gave them a snap.405Please respect copyright.PENANAlIUOIHVc8i
405Please respect copyright.PENANA6kMoJshC6H
Only half an hour later, she405Please respect copyright.PENANA5zN3dMQJiG
returned with Leah riding behind her. They slid off their horses, and Leah immediately405Please respect copyright.PENANAP4GFNsRCaO
made a beeline for the house. “Mary!” She called in a panic.405Please respect copyright.PENANA6qOayeTySH
405Please respect copyright.PENANA8mo1Bwigw4
“Back here, Lee!” Mary called405Please respect copyright.PENANAMdGvlgUbyy
back to her best friend. When Leah stood beside her, she took a deep breath and405Please respect copyright.PENANAhwdbF9EfdQ
leaned back slightly. “I’m sorry. I know you have to take care of the boys-“405Please respect copyright.PENANABQlnRcNZOa
405Please respect copyright.PENANAj1noDxgnir
“Mary, Ivan and Timothy are405Please respect copyright.PENANA0Se7PIQ1gm
fine. Mark is watching them. What matters is that you’re in labor. Now, listen,405Please respect copyright.PENANA0HnZRE6fDx
since you’ve gone into early labor, you know what we have to do.” Leah stroked405Please respect copyright.PENANAVu6wNVPZb0
her friend’s hair sympathetically and dabbed her already sweaty forehead.405Please respect copyright.PENANAQQZFMQgHpW
“Let’s get you in bed, and I’ll do what I can to bring your little one into the405Please respect copyright.PENANASakzUXMrVQ
world.” She guided her over to the bed and helped her lay down.405Please respect copyright.PENANAkGaFle6Sth
405Please respect copyright.PENANAMbl7ql49ej
Hours passed by, and the only405Please respect copyright.PENANA6UT7fIzfvv
thing that seemed to change was the pitch in Mary’s screams. They varied from405Please respect copyright.PENANA2R3RUw3njW
loud, to quiet, to high pitched, and real low. The three girls, Ida, Ethel, and405Please respect copyright.PENANAJ8vIx2KFxS
Sallie, all sat in the corner. They worried for their dear mother, as they405Please respect copyright.PENANALCYMD9M7Dm
didn’t understand what was going on, but they stayed silent and kept patient.405Please respect copyright.PENANAqRi8EYJQPm
405Please respect copyright.PENANAavagUedH7p
It was well into the night,405Please respect copyright.PENANA8kINTkoWOF
and there was still nothing to be gained from the long hours of labor that Mary405Please respect copyright.PENANAHfkoWAPCP1
had endured. She’d been in labor for twelve hours already, and while Leah405Please respect copyright.PENANAMPayq1U3H8
wasn’t expecting her to have delivered by then, she was at least expecting her405Please respect copyright.PENANAmuj6x8wqyF
to be dilating; Mary wasn’t even so much as dilating. There was no doubt in the405Please respect copyright.PENANAbnMzMZW2tk
fellow mother’s mind, this was going to be a long birthing process.405Please respect copyright.PENANAZV9iNbojdb
405Please respect copyright.PENANAEiXPNBYdGw
And so it was. Two days of405Please respect copyright.PENANARUcOoZhDOf
labor, and still nothing to show for it. Mark eventually had to bring his and405Please respect copyright.PENANASrgJXMi2gx
Leah’s two sons out so that she could help them bathe, as he had no idea how to405Please respect copyright.PENANAk3J6CZLSLW
do it. Throughout the whole two days though, Mary still showed no signs of405Please respect copyright.PENANA3QN34Zfjzz
actually giving birth.405Please respect copyright.PENANAlg6aOhb1E0
405Please respect copyright.PENANAF6V5QqdEAB
And then the third day came.405Please respect copyright.PENANAEn2eyGUH6c
405Please respect copyright.PENANAWvAxkjw4JI
It hit them all, like a405Please respect copyright.PENANALZegUZXshm
tornado. It came with piercing screams, and obvious signs that Mary had finally405Please respect copyright.PENANADyqDEwFIpS
started crowning. For when Leah looked under the blanket that was sprawled over405Please respect copyright.PENANAoSfTT8NkKd
Mary, she could clearly see a head full of black hair. And at that sight, she405Please respect copyright.PENANAOMnTz5CX32
gave a joyous cry and told Mary that it was time. She shoved everyone else out405Please respect copyright.PENANAPdArnUsegA
in the meantime, asking Fabian to watch the children.405Please respect copyright.PENANA3v3OgCmk9k
405Please respect copyright.PENANAl5avFnnri7
That night was long and hard.405Please respect copyright.PENANAyvPmNgVccM
And in the end, silence filled the small Daniels’ residence. It was so quiet,405Please respect copyright.PENANA3AN9Vzqep2
you could have heard a pin drop. But suddenly, tiny wails came from the room405Please respect copyright.PENANAMAtTz4a9B1
Mary was in. Newborn wails. Leah came in to the family room with a bright smile405Please respect copyright.PENANAU1rArdGDpc
upon her face. “The baby is good and healthy, though a bit small.” Taking405Please respect copyright.PENANAbDyFnJFtP7
Sallie from her husband, she looked to Ida and Ethel. “Your mother is waiting405Please respect copyright.PENANAD5slA3XrZz
for you. Go on, I’ll be there in a minute.” She told them softly. She watched405Please respect copyright.PENANAyurv4Rq5vK
them leave before turning back to Mark, who looked worried.405Please respect copyright.PENANAsH30Js8we3
405Please respect copyright.PENANAAwgC22Fas4
“So?” He said nervously.405Please respect copyright.PENANArDXWc8loZa
405Please respect copyright.PENANAEsvzrqt3ie
Her smile, still, didn’t405Please respect copyright.PENANAPd0pP1mZKy
fade. “Healthy baby girl.” Her gaze fell then, though, and she looked morose.405Please respect copyright.PENANAob6ZYqwVRj
“Mary…didn’t want to hold her at first. She-she looks like…like him.” She405Please respect copyright.PENANAshHUrTIo32
whispered.405Please respect copyright.PENANA5xaQtpFROf
405Please respect copyright.PENANAJeF5EptIR1
Mark sighed and shook his405Please respect copyright.PENANAG7o2nJS1F8
head. “Those poor girls. And poor Mary, having to deal with four daughters, all405Please respect copyright.PENANA7LXrxpHbjR
on her own. This shouldn’t be happening.” He hesitated briefly before stating,405Please respect copyright.PENANAULcMQMjvUV
“What is she going to do?” A careful edge to his voice.405Please respect copyright.PENANAhBhfM0TUvz
405Please respect copyright.PENANAvmtrMwoNBv
She chewed on her lip. “I405Please respect copyright.PENANAIWRKJW1K8H
think she’s going to go to work. How else is she going to care for the girls?405Please respect copyright.PENANArIzELgXkJY
Still, you’re right; this shouldn’t be happening.”405Please respect copyright.PENANArXSz8j7LDL
405Please respect copyright.PENANAIZoHWm5HCG
“What’s her name?”405Please respect copyright.PENANA1WcgWSjAI4
405Please respect copyright.PENANAidqtdKvTlu
Leah smiled again, having405Please respect copyright.PENANAwcbkMasQHR
known the name Mary had picked. There was no doubt in her mind, it was a lovely405Please respect copyright.PENANAy8dvuG5O7l
name. “Margaret. Margaret Hope Daniels. Justin loved the name, and Mary thought405Please respect copyright.PENANAKLx3n0b0Kf
that it was perfectly suited.405Please respect copyright.PENANAcHnJYRe4Ai
405Please respect copyright.PENANAkUKuoRfD7i
Mark knew, all to well, how405Please respect copyright.PENANAs40m33t6GX
his friend had loved the name. They had discussed the topic a few months before405Please respect copyright.PENANA0Tjv0bItX3
he left; he said that if he ever had another daughter, he wanted her name to be405Please respect copyright.PENANAGFrTIULUUf
Margaret Hope Daniels.405Please respect copyright.PENANASMzb2zYrNh
405Please respect copyright.PENANAavqhFpBbwP
He wrapped and arm around his405Please respect copyright.PENANABT4FT3idCM
wife as they started for Mary’s room, Sallie in Leah’s free arm. When they405Please respect copyright.PENANAJZYsH5ZnXM
arrived at the entrance, Mark couldn’t help but smile at the sweet scene. The405Please respect copyright.PENANAvod8c7iePE
girls were on either side of Mary, on the bed, and were completely mesmerized405Please respect copyright.PENANAsQMoEKy474
by their new baby sister. Even from such a distance, Mark could definitely see405Please respect copyright.PENANAgsMQv2bvAF
how baby Margaret resembled her late father. Her tiny face was a mold of his,405Please respect copyright.PENANAXMdaDZdVUq
and the small tufts of black hair were as dark and soft-looking as her405Please respect copyright.PENANAr9o9AppNGF
father’s. He could only imagine how much more she would grow to look like her405Please respect copyright.PENANADfbK1BOCvN
father; it was a painful thought.405Please respect copyright.PENANATB7tPpOuI3
405Please respect copyright.PENANAuxwyWnukZi
Mary’s head snapped up to her405Please respect copyright.PENANAY2rulz5Fld
friends, and she smiled wide. “Come and meet the new Daniels.” She beckoned to405Please respect copyright.PENANAUmhpXdvDSW
them gently, yet eagerly.405Please respect copyright.PENANA02tfBOIqje
405Please respect copyright.PENANAfhFg87JrMr
They came in and stood beside405Please respect copyright.PENANA2nmsEaof74
her, admiring the beautiful baby that was nestled within her arms. They smiled405Please respect copyright.PENANADUgF1gK1bf
at each other, and then back at her. “She’s beautiful, Mary.” Mark said softly.405Please respect copyright.PENANApDPHbcaAW1
405Please respect copyright.PENANAKqfT6Ks4dl
The exhausted mother managed405Please respect copyright.PENANAJ6mHrcNAXu
a laugh as she nodded. “She gets it from her father.” Looking back down at her405Please respect copyright.PENANAHBDTkNDUQK
newborn, she brought the girl up slightly and kissed her small, pink forehead.405Please respect copyright.PENANAZdE2jmGTse
“I love you, my sweet girl. Daddy would have loved you too. But remember, little405Please respect copyright.PENANAWrteKouL5T
one, he’s always with you.” Looking around at all of them, tears embraced her405Please respect copyright.PENANAurL5WgNO9s
eyes and caressed her cheeks. She tried licking them away, but to no use. “He’s405Please respect copyright.PENANAvQtNchTgEk
with all of us.” She whimpered.405Please respect copyright.PENANAmE2k1WvYpl
405Please respect copyright.PENANAlWJFqD3gOW
The Avery’s embraced her and405Please respect copyright.PENANAnuGZeGd07O
the girls, and the Avery boys were quick to join in, always loving hugs. They405Please respect copyright.PENANADkjYy5snew
knew this was not a typical hug, but they could feel the love than ran through,405Please respect copyright.PENANAZm7eeLiPyg
just as much as the heartache. The one thing they could all feel though, was405Please respect copyright.PENANATiliQOUvPF
how it uplifted them. They were stronger together. The past months had been405Please respect copyright.PENANAsAA9Y58cV6
hard, but they were sure now that they could get through this hard time. Mary405Please respect copyright.PENANAmRizBUyU85
and her daughters would make it. They would all make it; together.