Legacy of the Dreams

Chapter 72 - Noah

"Papa, why did Cindy have to have her baby today!" Jessie complained while the family stood in line at the Burbank Airport on the last Saturday in October. "I was supposed to go to a Halloween party with Bert after supper tonight."

"Instead of trick-or-treating?" Greg asked in surprise.

Jessie frowned. "No, Papa. That's on Tuesday. This is at school. The teachers say it's a special school social for Halloween ... sort of like the parade we did last year, but a lot more fun."

"It was supposed to be," Susan agreed with a yawn. "I'm sorry you're missing it, Jessie. But new babies are important too ... and we knew Alan and Cindy's baby was coming soon. We also knew he was late ... that he could be born today. Personally I think it was nice of him to come on the weekend so we can travel to see him right away."

"I know," Jessie said with a frown.

"All okay, Jessie," Melody told her.

"Do you know if he's actually going to be here when we get there?" Zack asked. "I thought Greg said Cindy is in labor when Alan called and woke us up this morning."

"He did, however she's been in labor since ten o'clock last evening. They expected her to deliver by mid-morning if not sooner," Greg said. "The baby will probably be here by the time we arrive."

"So why was Alan calling us instead of staying with her?" Zack asked.

"He stepped out to call Sarah to check on Olivia for Cindy. She insisted. He took the opportunity to call us at the same time, hoping we were able to come," Greg explained. "He called early enough, since most of us were available, we decided to make the trip."

Zack nodded thoughtfully. "Yeah, okay. I guess that makes sense. I suppose you don't stop caring about kid number one just because you're in the middle of having kid number two."

"No, you don't," Susan told him seriously. "Not ever ... no matter how old you all get."

"Yeah, I remember. You did that for us when you were in the middle of having Melody," Zack said.

c

The travel time to Oakland by airplane was very short, and their flight was so early, the family left before having breakfast. Instead, they stopped for a donut on the way to the hospital in Oakland to tide them over so they could see Cindy right away. It was the hospital where Olivia was born the year before, which meant Greg was able to lead them confidently up to the maternity floor as soon as they arrived.

"Excuse me. My name is Greg Gaffney. I'm looking for an update on my daughter-in-law, Mrs. Gaffney. My son told us she went into labor last night. Can you tell us if she's delivered yet?" Greg asked the nurse.

The woman behind the counter did a double take at Greg after hearing his name before consulting a computer screen. "What is your daughter-in-law's full name?"

"Cindy Gaffney," Greg said.

"She's in recovery. The baby should be in the nursery soon, if he isn't there already," the nurse told him. "Do you know where that is?"

"Yes, thank you," Greg told her.

The family made their way back down the hall to the newborn nursery, this time stopping to examine the babies lined up in front of the window.

"Do you see him?" Susan asked after they'd stood there for a full minute, examining the tags on the various bassinets.

"No," Greg told her.

"There's one in the back," Zack said. "Back by the sink."

"That could be him," Greg said, watching the nurse giving an infant a bath.