Rainey Bell Thriller Bonus - Rainey's Christmas Miracle Read online

  Neither Rainey nor Katie had time to respond before a deep voice boomed through the room. “Maria! That is entirely enough!”

  Rainey turned to see Katie’s father, Timothy Meyers, coming toward them.

  “Apologize to your sister and Rainey immediately,” he demanded.

  Timothy Meyers rarely got involved in his daughters’ spats. From what Rainey had observed, he chose to ignore all the women in his house out of self-defense. Four high-strung blondes in one house were enough to drive anyone crazy. Timothy chose to remain as sane as possible by leaving the bickering women at home and seeking solace on the golf course. Rainey was thinking about digging out her old clubs and joining him, only appearing on holidays for dinner, and staying far away from home when all of the girls were in the house.

  It surprised Rainey to hear Katie’s father speak to one of his daughters in that tone. She looked back at Maria and realized this was the voice their father used when he had finally reached his limit. Maria recognized it immediately and was now staring sheepishly at the tops of her shoes. Out of the corner of her eye, Rainey saw Helena with Katie’s mother, Melanie, entering the room.

  “What’s going on in here?” Melanie asked, wiping her hands on a dishtowel.

  “Let me guess,” Helena said. “Maria is channeling Michele Bachmann again.”

  The tension in the room evaporated instantly, as the occupants burst into peals of laughter, all except Maria, who turned scarlet-red before storming from the room. Rainey was remembering the confrontation as she pulled the car into the Meyers family driveway. Katie sensed Rainey’s apprehension and reached out, touching Rainey’s hand.

  “Don’t let her get to you,” Katie said.

  Rainey smiled bravely, even though she was dreading this gathering. “It’ll be fine. Enjoy your day with your family.”

  “They are your family now too, Rainey, warts and all.”

  Rainey grinned. “Well, if your mom has any wart remover, I may bathe Maria in it.”

  Katie laughed. “Don’t waste your time. I tried it years ago.”

  #

  Rainey escaped to the den as soon as possible. Once the hugs were exchanged — Rainey managed to make it through a brief embrace with Maria without giving in to the urge to strangle her — she joined Timothy and Maria’s poor, punch-drunk husband Kenneth. Rainey wondered how Kenneth had survived all these years with the raging blonde and his two out of control daughters. Rainey was beginning to speculate if she too would wind up in the den with glazed over eyes, staring at the TV screen, hoping the wife and kids would just leave her out of it, whatever it was.

  “Rainey, welcome to the sanctuary,” Timothy said, standing. “What can I get you to drink?”

  Rainey grinned. “I suppose you are assuming I need one.”

  “I went through three pregnancies with Melanie. I know you need a drink and I have just the thing. Ken here brought me a bottle of Makers Mark. How’s that sound?”

  “That sounds wonderful, but I better stick with water. Katie can’t fit behind the steering wheel anymore,” Rainey replied. She turned to the other man. “How’s it going Kenneth?”

  Rainey used his formal name, because Maria flew into a fit if anyone called him Ken. She noticed that Timothy used the shortened nickname, which made her think Maria had already started something. Ken looked up, the glaze leaving his eyes like a lizard’s false lids blinking open. It was hard to imagine that he was a software millionaire. Maria most definitely took the fight out of this man years ago. He smiled at Rainey and she saw the man he used to be come to the front. He had been still as a possum, feigning death, but sprang into animated excitement when he spoke.

  “Hey, Rainey. How’s Katie doing? She should be having the babies any time now, right?”

  “I think the doctor is going to do the C-section next week. We have an appointment Tuesday,” Rainey answered. Taking the glass Timothy extended to her, she sat down on the end of the couch.

  Timothy returned to his recliner. “Well, enjoy your last few nights of sleep. You won’t have another good night’s rest for eighteen years.”

  Ken spoke up, sounding defeated. “That’s if you can get them to leave and not come back.”

  “It’s a good thing you’re getting it all done at once. When you space them out, it takes a lot longer to return to a peaceful existence,” Timothy said.

  Ken sat up on the edge of his armchair. “I can’t imagine having three at the same time, talk about exhausting, but Tim’s right, at least you won’t have to go through the same stages repeatedly.”

  Timothy must have seen what Rainey was feeling, because he said, “Children are a blessing, don’t let us scare you. They will drive you to distraction, it’s true, but the joy they bring is worth the ride. I wouldn’t change a thing.”

  “I would,” Ken mumbled under his breath.

  As if on cue, Kenneth’s youngest daughter, Clarissa, sauntered into the room. When Rainey saw her last Christmas, she had black hair, black clothes, tattoos, and piercings everywhere. This year, Clarissa was into Steampunk. Her hair was no longer jet black, but still darker than her natural blond. She wore a black Victorian high-necked blouse, a brown leather vest, and a gun belt with fake shotgun shells slung across her shoulder. The black thigh high boots she wore had so many gadgets, Rainey could have stared at them for an hour and not seen all the intricate details. One boot looked mechanized, with silver and bronze sprockets and gears running up Clarissa’s leg and disappearing under her short red leather skirt. Rainey was sure the nineteen-year-old was not dressed that way coming through airport security last night.

  “Dad, Mom wants you to go to the store,” Clarissa said, smacking her gum.

  “Nothing’s open. It’s Christmas Day,” Ken protested.

  Rainey leapt at the chance to leave the house for a few minutes. She asked, “What do they need? We passed a little store that was open, coming here.”

  “Katie needs some more whipping cream for the pies,” Clarissa answered, and quickly added, “I’ll come with you.”

  Rainey could tell by the look in the young woman’s eyes that Clarissa wanted out of there as badly as she did. “Okay, come on then.”

  #

  Once the acquisitions list had been obtained from the quartet of blondes in the kitchen, Clarissa and Rainey set out to find an open store. Rainey hoped she could remember where she saw it. Katie’s running monologue during the drive down distracted her. Katie expounded on the virtues of breast-feeding and how she wasn’t sure she’d be able to feed three babies. Rainey was sure Katie could feed a platoon of babies considering how large her breasts had grown.

  Clarissa started talking immediately when the doors closed on the car.

  “So, Rainey, you’re a behavioral analyst?”

  Rainey backed out of the driveway and headed the car toward US highway 15/501, back toward Chapel Hill. She answered, “I used to be.”

  “But you still know how to do it, right?”

  Rainey chuckled. “Yeah, I think I can still remember.”

  “What about me? What do you see?” Clarissa asked.

  “It’s not exactly like you see on TV, Clarissa. I would need to know a lot about you to make those kinds of observations.”

  Clarissa turned in the seat to face Rainey. “What do you need to know, other than my mother is a total control freak and my father is emasculated by her? I am a graphic design major at Cal-Poly. I have a four point GPA. My boyfriend is a lit major. I don’t do drugs and I rarely drink. Is that enough?”

  “You appear to be a very well adjusted young woman.”

  “That sounds like a politically correct answer, Rainey. Seriously, what do you see when you look at me?”

  Rainey glanced over at the young girl. She suspected Clarissa was beautiful under all the make-up and false persona. Clarissa wanted what all young people wanted, validation that they were moving on the right path. Rainey saw a bit of sorrow in Clarissa’s eyes, something plagued her a
nd Rainey recognized it immediately.

  “Clarissa, you will not become your mother. I have a similar relationship with my own and I know what you’re thinking. We are not programmed to be like our mothers. We are given free will and our experiences alone will make us different. The clothes, the make-up, the attitude, none of it is necessary. You don’t have to go that far to distance yourself from her.”

  “Wow, you’re freakin’ good at this shit.”

  Rainey laughed, her eyes on the road, scanning for an open store.

  Clarissa wanted more. “What the fuck is wrong with my mother? I’ve seen pictures and home movies. She used to be cool like Katie and Helena.”

  “In my experience,” Rainey began carefully, because she was speaking about the girl’s mother, “when people change like that it usually means they’ve had a life experience which shifted their value system. Your mother values her family more than anything else. In doing so, she has developed a belief system that protects that family. In her eyes, she is safeguarding what is precious to her. Her need to control everything and everyone is a symptom of her very real insecurities about losing the one thing that gives her purpose.”

  “She is driving us all away. My sister, Carla, won’t even come home anymore and Dad’s just given up. Mom is so judgmental and intolerant of anything that doesn’t fit in her carefully constructive conservative box, it makes me crazy. It seems to be getting worse.”

  “Don’t let her get to you,” Rainey offered, but she knew that was impossible. Maria infuriated everybody at some point. “Her daughters leaving the nest may have sparked all the changes. She loves you both desperately. She can’t be all bad, right? There has to be something good in her that you can focus on.”

  “Do you feel that way about your mother? Mom said you don’t even talk to her.”

  It appeared Katie had been gossiping with her sister. Even though Katie and Maria fought often, they were still sisters and talked every week. That was something Rainey couldn’t understand. She was an only child and the blood bonds that held Katie and her sisters together were a mystery to her. Rainey cut all ties with her mother over the same kind of behavior Maria displayed. Rainey figured Maria had not pushed Katie far enough, but that day would come if things didn’t change.

  She considered her answer carefully, before she said, “I hope that you are able to maintain a relationship with your mother. Unfortunately, my situation is a bit more complicated than yours.”

  “I don’t know how much more complicated it could be. I have a right-wing, housewife terrorist for a mother.”

  Rainey laughed. “There are worse things.”

  “Yeah, I guess,” Clarissa said, picking at one of the fake shotgun shells.

  Rainey saw the lights on in a market just up the street. “I hope they have whipping cream. Katie doesn’t handle disappointment too well these days.”

  “I know. She cried when she saw that there wasn’t any left, because Mom used it in the mashed potatoes,” Clarissa said, adding, “I don’t know how she’s carrying all the baby weight. She’s huge.”

  Rainey put the car in park and turned to Clarissa. “Do me a favor and don’t mention how big you think she looks. She’s kind of touchy about that.”

  Rainey grabbed the door handle and started to get out, when Clarissa stopped her.

  “Rainey, I’m glad Katie found you. You guys are really sweet together. I hope I find a love like that one day.”

  Rainey smiled. “You will. Be patient.”

  Clarissa laughed. “Katie said the same thing, only she added that I should keep my options open. Actually, she said, ‘You never know what life has in store for you until it happens.’ I think that’s good advice.”

  “Your aunt is a very wise woman. Listen to her.”

  “Thanks, Rainey. I’m glad you’re part of the family.”

  Rainey reached out and squeezed Clarissa’s hand. “Me too.”

  #

  Rainey was thankful that several cartons of whipping cream were still in the cooler and tipped the clerk ten bucks for making her life easier. She listened as Clarissa chattered about school and her projects all the way back to the Meyers' house, commenting when needed, but mostly lost in thought. The nursery was complete at home. Katie had stocked up on everything they would need. She seemed supremely prepared for the challenge of raising triplets. Rainey had barely become accustomed to the idea of being a parent when she was told she would be raising three children at once. She’d had months to get used to the idea, but it was still overwhelming. Katie’s confidence made it easier to deal with the fact that Rainey was scared to death.

  At Ernie’s Christmas party last night, Rainey was standing alone, staring up at the clear night sky. The recent clouds had parted, revealing the stars in the new-moon blackness. Ernie was suddenly at her side, wearing her special Christmas sweater that would take first prize at any bad holiday costume contest. In fact, it had been a secret Santa gag-gift from Rainey years ago. Ernie wore it every Christmas Eve from that time forward. Ernestine Womble was the loving mother Rainey wished she’d had. They loved each other fiercely and, genetics aside, were family.

  Ernie’s white hair glistened, reflecting the colors of the blinking lights from the tree behind them. Ernie’s house was decorated with enough lights to land a jumbo jet. No tree, bush, barn, or piece of farm equipment escaped becoming a flashing symbol of holiday spirit. Music played in the background, as Henry, Ernie’s husband, and her four sons picked guitars, banjos, and fiddles for the gathering of neighbors and friends. Most of the crowd was occupied with steaming oysters piled on panels of plywood stretched across sawhorses. Katie, who was avoiding seafood because of the pregnancy, was stretched out on a lawn chair covered in a blanket near the open fire. Several of the women from the shelter Katie ran sat with her, sipping hot chocolate. Their eyes were scared, as if trapped like wild animals. Rainey was reminded of how blessed she and Katie were to have put their lives back together, after their own battles with cruelty.

  Katie smiled and waved to her from across the yard. Rainey returned the wave and was warmed all over with the adoration she felt for the beautiful blonde looking back at her.

  “Still moon-eyed in love with that girl, aren’t ya’?” Ernie asked.

  Rainey grinned down at Ernie. “Always.”

  “Are you ready for the big day?”

  “I think so. Katie’s thought of everything. I can’t imagine needing anything else. She even bought a defibrillator and took a First Aid class. She checked that my certifications were up to date and made me show her I knew how to do infant CPR.”

  Ernie sipped her coffee, which Rainey knew was laced with a little bourbon. She looked up at Rainey, steam following her words into the air.

  “That’s not what I meant. Are you ready? I saw you’ve been reading that parenting book. Honey, you won’t find the answer you’re looking for in there.”

  Rainey smiled. “And what might I be looking for, do you think?”

  “You want to know if you’ll be a good parent. Here’s the facts. No, you won’t have all the answers. Yes, you’ll do some things wrong. No, it won’t always be a fun ride. And yes, you will fall madly in love with those babies the first time you lay eyes on them and you’ll learn to be the best damn parent you can. That’s all there is to it.”

  Rainey turned serious. “Were you scared the first time? Was Henry scared?”

  Ernie threw her head back and cackled. “Oh Lord, honey. Henry ran around here like a chicken with its head cut off. He couldn’t tell you which way was up. I’m surprised we made it to the hospital in one piece. I was more worried about him out in the waiting room than having a baby. They had to put him in a wheelchair, because he nearly fainted when we got there. The last time I saw him they had a paper bag over his face, telling him to breathe.”

  “I think I’m okay with the birth thing. We’ll be behind a curtain, so I won’t have to see the actual C-section. With as much as I’ve seen, I
don’t think it will spook me,” Rainey answered confidently.

  “It’s different when it’s someone you love under the knife. Don’t get too cocky, Rainey.” Ernie laughed. “You’ll end up breathing in a bag.”

  Rainey joined in Ernie’s laughter. “You’re probably right.”

  Ernie’s laughter faded. She touched Rainey on the arm. “You’ll be fine, honey. Katie’s mother is going to stay with you for a while and I’ll be around, you know that. We’ll get through this together, one big mish-mashed family. Those kids are going to have more folks loving them than you can shake a stick at. You’re not alone, Rainey. Just remember that.”

  “Thanks, Ernie,” Rainey said, hugging the smaller woman to her.

  “Have you spoken to Constance?”

  Ernie was referring to Rainey’s biological mother, whom Rainey had told to “fuck off” last spring. Rainey had not told her mother about the triplets, because Rainey being a lesbian did not go over very well. She was sure the fact that she and Katie were having children would send Constance Herndon into orbit.

  “No, I haven’t spoken to her since last April.”

  “Grandchildren have a way of warming cold hearts,” Ernie said, casually.

  Rainey knew Ernie never said anything casually. She was sending a subtle message, “Talk to your mother.”

  “Good thing we’re having three at one time. They’ll need to work as a team. It’ll take a blow torch to melt that Grinch’s iceberg heart.”

  Ernie smiled. She didn’t like Constance anymore than Rainey did. “So, she’s the Grinch that stole Christmas now.”

  Rainey laughed. “Katie made me watch every children’s holiday special this year. She wanted to make sure they weren’t too violent. I told her we watched them when we were little and she said, ‘Yes, and you carry a gun everywhere.’ I’m afraid she may cover the kids in bubble-wrap before they go outside.”