Anderson recognized the woman as Dr. Rosenthal, Grace's obstetrician...
Grace's face twisted and she moaned. "Oh my God. I'm having another one."
Dr. Rosenthal nodded. "Good, they're coming regularly now. Let's get her up there." She backed out of the room and gave a little wave. "See you soon."
"Good?" Grace screamed. "This hurts!" She leaned forward and grasped her belly. "Anderson, make it stop!"
He glanced helplessly at the nurse, who smiled and shrugged. "Nothing you can do, sweetie. Just move back so we can get her up to the third floor. We'll probably get her some paid meds when it gets really bad."
Grace's face reddened. "When it gets really bad? Are you kidding me?"
The move to the Maternity ward proceeded swiftly. Someone shoved a packet of sterile clothing into Anderson's arms. "We'll tell you when to put these on."
He followed them to the elevator, where they whisked Grace's gurney efficiently to the third floor... He noticed he'd been dragging the suitcase behind him the whole way, and with a rush, he realized he had a job to do. He flipped it open and took out the photo Grace had chosen to be her focal point. Carefully, he set the picture on the shelf opposite her bed. It was a picture of her mother, Daisy, sitting in a bed of wildflowers as a young woman.Daisy wanted to be with Grace when she gave birth, but her New York city doctor, a specialist in cancer research, had advised against it. She was in remission, but still frail. And the meds she was on lowered her ability to fight off viruses and bacteria. The photo was the closest thing Grace would have to her mother.
"I want my mother, Anderson," She started to cry.
"I know." He moved to her side and took her hand. "But your sister's on her way up honey. And we'll keep your mom informed the whole way,"
"I want to hear her voice. Call her, please.
Anderson glanced at his watch. Ten past six. Daisy would be up, because her husband, Dirk, always rose at five to tend to their horses and start his long day of barn work tending the fields. "Okay, hang on." He dialed Daisy's cell.
She picked up instantly. "Anderson? is my baby okay?"
"She is Daisy. She wants to talk to you."
He pressed the phone into his wife's hands and took a stop back.
~~~
By Aaron Paul Lazar
At the same time, both of the farms were having trouble due to weather conditions that had wiped their crops out. Grace's sister, Portia, had a suggestion, since their baby was now older, for Grace to go back to riding horses for show...and the result was that Anderson, Grace and the baby moved into the bunk house to have their own space... Grace started training with her father, hoping that their farm's name would again became known for good quality horses... Portia also got a job at a local nursery... In order to allow that, one of the grandmothers agreed to babysit...but they were still afraid of losing their farms...
A photographer in town noticed the two babies and exclaimed how beautiful they were... She noted that she thought she could use them for models to sell their photos to companies selling baby products...
Everybody was worried at first, but then decided to try it. And soon they were on their way to start...
The female photographer knew just exactly how to help the grandmother relax...and soon the children were happily playing with toys... The photographer asked the grandmother to leave so they wouldn't be distracted. Tess hesitated, and then went to the front room where she was offered a cup of tea... Tess was soon unconscious... If someone is out to make money through criminal actions, they have no concern for what they do to those they hurt... After some time, Tess awoke and everybody was gone; the only thing left was the baby carriage...
It certainly is a good thing that the Bittersweet Hollow Trilogy closes with this final book. This family has had enough grief for a lifetime! Find out what I mean by checking out my reviews of Devil's Lake and Devil's Creek! In this book, the older generation has two suffering from illness and dealing with medical expenses, adding to the stress and tension...
However, when the two babies, ages 2 and 1, are abducted, the tension went sky high and even with the FBI getting involved, the babies were still missing... Actually, I was surprised when the abductors were not found before the end of the book... They had already left the country...
After the babies were sold and delivered to a wealthy couple...
Oh, you think the story is close to the end? NOT!
Actually, the majority is just starting...
While the rest of the book is exciting and breathtaking...in a bad way...personally I didn't enjoy this last book as much as the first two. The only word I can use is that the two-step theme seemed contrived, artificial. As earlier mentioned, not capturing the original abductors seemed to me an oversight...
The characters in the second theme were quite interesting, but it was hard to accept that the new father would have bowed to the wishes of his wife, who had already suffered hallucinations about having children and losing them... In general these two rather small issues that seemed "off," does not result in a book that you should not consider, especially if you are already a fan. I have come to expect continuous excellence from this author, so I tend to pick up on even small issues when one of my top favorite authors does not totally satisfy...Sorry Aaron💖 Yes, I admit it, I've been spoiled by loving every single book of his up to this one...
Lazar has been dealing with family health issues and I applaud his continued writing through this stressful time... Please join me in good thoughts and prayers for him and his family members...
GABixlerReviews
Visit his website at www.lazarbooks.com.
Aaron, sending you special words of love and comfort....
