Page 60 of Love and Second Chances
“That’s why they’re all banned to the hallway for now—the germs!” Tory countered. “For the record, I don’t mind if you all take turns and come in.”
The friends mingled, trying their best to keep things quiet. “It doesn’t really matter, though,” Cady said. “There aren’t any other babies or mommas here.”
Tory happened to be the only woman in labor the day before, and the other patients from the unit had been released that morning. So far, no one else had shown up to have their baby. Such was the country hospital life.
Mabel got everyone’s attention by unveiling the item in the oversized bakery cooler: a large cake in the shape of a water tower, with silver frosting and even a tiny ladder attached.
“A big thanks to little Scout for being born so we could have this celebration here,” Mabel said.
Everyone cheered—somewhat quietly to avoid the ire of the nurses, who were doing their best to turn a blind eye to the little party that was probably against visiting hours rules. “I wanted to do this before our wedding next week. It's been a long road to get to where we are now: almost ready to pump water through our brand-new tower!”
They’d originally planned to have the water tower party at the firehouse, but Scout’s birth necessitated a change in venue.
The new water tower, made of less-expensive reinforced steel, cost the city only a little more than what it would have cost to restore the original. The grant from the state, who accepted Zane and Mabel’s watershed windshield survey late the year before, was a few thousand dollars short. But Bartlett gave a Good Will grant to Silver Plum for the remaining amount.
Before they sliced the cake, Zane tugged Mabel into his arms. He shook his head in surprise. “I can’t believe you pulled that cake off. It’s the greatest cake I’ve ever seen. I don’t see how we can even cut into it—it’s too pretty to eat.”
Mabel responded by giving him a kiss—slow, sweet, and hungry.
“Hey, now, almost-wedded,” Parker said, his arm around Anjali. “Is kissing like that allowed here?”
“I think Mabel can get away with it because she’ll be working here soon,” Zane said. “Guys, she passed her nursing exams!”
The hoopla and happiness that ensued did end up being so loud that the charge nurse had no other choice but to ask them to disperse.
But it didn’t matter. The members of Kids’ Night Out, now fourteen strong and growing, had the rest of their lives together in Silver Plum, and Zane knew, no matter what happened, they’d always have each other’s backs.
The End
