A warm "thank you" to everyone who has written or commented on the 'On Loan' Series. The response has been so positive. I am sorry it's taken longer than usual for me to produce Part 3. It's a transition chapter, as you'll see. It's set up Part 4 beautifully. Hopefully, it stands on its own and I hope you all enjoy it.
Now ... back to Mrs. McAllister!
*****
Part Three
Stephanie's mother, Marjorie, swept into the house. Amanda had to force herself not to curtsey. Some people had it, this really intimidating presence. They didn't show up, they ... arrived. Looking around the spacious great room, Marjorie gave the place a visual inspection and seemed to find it wanting. "Where is my daughter" she asked, as if Amanda were the hired help. When she thought about it, she technically was, but she was also family.
"Stephanie, Jack and the baby are all at the hospital. She lost a lot of blood, she's going to be there a few days." Giving politeness another try, she held out her hand. "I don't know if you remember me, Mrs. McAllister, I'm Amanda Morgan. Jack is my uncle." When Marjorie merely looked at her, she attempted one more time. "My mother is Jack's sister."
Marjorie set down her bag on the island in the kitchen. "I know who you are, young lady, and while I did marry into that godforsaken family, I am not Mrs. McAllister. I never took my husband's last name. One of the true ironies in life is that I share the same last name as my worthless excuse of a son-in-law. No relation, I can assure you."
Amanda gave up on using the manners her mother had drummed into her over the years. "Ms. DeWitt, your daughter lost a lot of blood giving birth to Ren. She will be in the hospital several more days. Can I give you directions to the hospital?"
Marjorie paused a moment. Amanda could tell she was trying to find an excuse to be rude about her offer, but it was clear she needed the directions. She gave a brief, condescending nod. Amanda took a pad of paper out of the drawer and quickly wrote them down. As she handed them over, she looked the woman in the eye. "Your new grandson is adorable, Ms. DeWitt. Congratulations." Figuring that there was nothing else she could do in this scenario, she left to go on her run, her heart beating harshly in her chest.
Stephanie was sleeping when Marjorie arrived at the hospital. Jack was holding his son, marveling at him. They were definitely in the "stare and cry" phase of new parents still. He was in the middle of making goofy smiles at the newborn when the dragon swept into the room. Looking up, he stifled a groan. "Hello, Marjorie," he said stiffly.
Marjorie looked at her sleeping daughter, then at the baby in his arms. "I suppose that is the baby?" she said, pointing out the obvious. "He's rather large. No one in my family has such large babies," she said, almost accusingly. "That young person at your house mentioned that Stephanie would be in the hospital several days?"
Jack nodded. "She lost a lot of blood. It was a close call, they both could have died. She'll need blood transfusions and careful monitoring before they will allow them to come home."
Sniffing, Marjorie looked over her shoulder. "We didn't hear of such nonsense in my day. We just had our babies and got on with life. Nowadays, everything is such an ordeal."
Jack found himself gritting his teeth. "Back in your day, women merely died in childbirth, sparing the rest of you the drama. We're really glad that didn't happen here." He stood, offering Marjorie his chair. "Do you want to hold your grandson, Marjorie?"
Acquiescing, Marjorie held out her arms for the infant and for a moment, something that look like a normal human emotion swept across her face. "For all that he's such a large baby, he does appear to be well formed. So many babies these days don't look so attractive so soon after their birth." Looking up at her son-in-law, she asked, "And they're quite sure that Stephanie will make a full recovery?"
Nodding, Jack added, "She's got to be one of the strongest women I've ever met, Marjorie. You should be very proud of her and the way she handled herself."
There was a sigh from the bed. "Don't tell me the two of you are getting along. I'll think I've died and this is the afterworld." Stephanie pulled herself upright with a sigh. "Hello, Mother."
Desperate to be out of the room, Jack excused himself to go get something from the cafeteria. Marjorie waited until the door shut behind him, then leaned forward. "I saw his niece at the house. Didn't she used to be a rather unappealing little thing?"