Lily (Suitors of Seattle) (17 page)

Laura grinned.  “Oh that’s wonderful!  Do you want a boy or a girl?”

Lily shrugged.  “I want a boy, because I have no idea what to do with a girl, but Daniel keeps saying he wants a little girl with red hair who will climb trees and fish with him.”  She could see herself as a mother to a little boy, but to a girl?  She had no idea how she’d manage.

Laura laughed.  “It sounds like the man is head over heels in love with you.”  She glanced up.  “He’s excited about the baby?”

“I haven’t told him yet.  I think I will tonight.  It didn’t feel like the timing was right yesterday.”  She got to her feet.  “I’m going to go get some water.  Would you like a glass?” They’d been working for a while by that point, and she’d built up a strong thirst.

Laura stood up too, rubbing her back.  “I’d love one.” 

They walked toward the back door just as Mildred flung it open.  Her eyes were frantic as they met Lily’s.  “There’s a man at the bank holding everyone inside hostage.”

Lily’s heart sank.  “Daniel?  Papa?”
  What could she do?  There had to be some way she could get in there and help out.

Mildred shook her head.  “I’ve told you everything I know.”

Lily picked up her skirts and ran through the house and out onto the street.  She knew she probably shouldn’t be running while she was pregnant, but she didn’t care.  What if Daniel died without ever knowing about the baby they’d created together?

She rushed through town, noting that most people were crowded around the bank, watching the situation.  She walked to the sheriff, a longtime friend of her father’s and tapped his shoulder.  “What do we know?  Is it Charles?”
  She wanted to plead with him to get her family out of there safely, but she knew it was all in her eyes, and he’d do the best he could.

The sheriff gave a brief nod.  “I know you’re worried, Lily, but we’ll get them out of there.”  He pointed to a spot behind a buggy parked in the street.  “Please crouch down behind there.  We don’t want him seeing you.”

Lily did as she was told, panicking as she prayed for her husband and father.  She felt a hand on her shoulder and turned to see James.  “Do you know anything?” he asked.

Lily shook her head.  “I don’t know any more than anyone else does.  I’m worried about them.”  She clasped her hands together, shaken to the core.
  James needed to just go away and leave her alone.  She was too upset to deal with him just then.

James looked down at her.  “You really love him, don’t you?”

“Of course I do.  I never would have married him otherwise.”  She kept her eyes on the door to the bank, hoping against hope they’d all walk out the door any second.

“I hate it that you’ve come between us.”  James shook his head at her.

“I haven’t done anything to come between you. I’ve told him to stay friends with you.”  She still didn’t look at the man, wishing he’d go away.

“He won’t even talk to me anymore.  He said I don’t respect you enough.”
James’s voice was bitter as he said the words.

Lily looked over at him for the first time since they’d begun their conversation.  “But I heard you say that I was the silliest flower in the garden and he laughed like he thought that was really funny.”
  She was confused about what she’d heard that day.

James looked at her in surprise.  “He told me then that I wasn’t allowed to talk negatively about you.  He hasn’t spoken to me since.”

Lily blinked in surprise.  “Really?”  A slow smile covered her face, and then she remembered where Daniel was and turned back to the building.  “He’s got to get out of there!”  She had to tell him how she felt and that there was a baby on the way.

James patted her shoulder.  “He’ll be okay.”

She shrugged him off, not wanting him touching her.  Her eyes stayed glued to the door as she prayed silently.

*****

Daniel sat on the floor with Fred on one side of him and Walter, the new man, on the other.  He looked up at Charles.  “Fred will drop charges if you’ll just let us go.”  He knew his voice was pleading, but he could see a crowd gathering outside, and he was afraid Lily was part of it.  He knew she’d be frantic with worry both for him and her father.

Charles kept the pistol pointed at Daniel.  “You’re the one who started all this, aren’t you?  You couldn’t leave well enough alone.”

Daniel shook his head.  “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”  Daniel carefully kept his voice and face blank. 

“It wasn’t enough for you to get me fired.  You had to say that I was stealing and sic the sheriff on me.”

Daniel sighed.  “Yes, it was me.  Let the others go.” He didn’t want to die, but better just him than both him and Fred.  Lily needed one of them to lean on.

Charles laughed.  “I don’t think so.  It would kill you with guilt to see me kill them, wouldn’t it?”  He pointed the pistol at Fred’s head.  “Maybe I’ll start with your new father-in-law.  Then you can tell your sweet little wife that you killed him.” 

Fred stared up at Charles.  He’d made them all line up sitting on the floor with their backs to the wall.  “I’ll get you all the money from the safe.  There’s no reason to kill any of us.”

“You really think they’re going to let me out of here, Pops?  I’m not that stupid.  As soon as I set foot outside, the sheriff is going to pull that trigger.  I’ll take as many of you with me as I can.” 

Fred and Daniel exchanged a look.  They’d talked multiple times about what to do in the event of a bank robbery.  Daniel wasn’t about to risk his life for an idiot like Charles.  When the guard hadn’t come in that morning, they should have known something wasn’t right.  Charles had already admitted to knocking him out and tying him up on his way to the bank that morning.

At Fred’s nod, Daniel got ready to spring.  Fred groaned loudly, clutching his left arm.  “Oh, it hurts.  I think I’m going to die!”

Daniel wanted to laugh at his father-in-law’s pathetic attempt at faking a heart attack, but he was too busy watching Charles.  The man looked down at Fred with a frown, and Daniel jumped up, knocking Charles back.

Fred was on his feet in an instant helping to wrestle the pistol from Charles.  The gun went off and shot out one of windows at the front of the bank just as they rolled Charles to his stomach and held his hands behind him.  Daniel held him down while Walter ran to get the sheriff.

*****

Lily flinched at the gunshot, wondering who Charles had shot.  Was it her husband or her papa?  Tears streamed down her face as she saw the new man, what was his name?  He ran for the sheriff who followed him in.  A moment later, he brought Charles out of the building with his hands cuffed behind his back.

As soon as she knew Charles wouldn’t hurt her, she jumped and ran for the bank, her skirts hiked to her knees.  Being afraid of being hurt wouldn’t normally have stopped her, but she couldn’t risk the baby.

She rushed into the bank, her eyes searching.  Daniel and her father were together in a corner, talking in low voices.  She didn’t care what they were saying, because she had to get to Daniel.  She threw herself between the two men, holding Daniel tightly.  “Are you okay?”
  Her panicked voice was too loud, she knew, but she couldn’t help it.

Daniel smiled down at her, stroking her hair that had fallen down around her face.  “I’m fine.  No one was hurt.”

Lily sucked in a deep breath, the tears continuing to fall.  “I heard a gunshot!”  She looked around frantically to be sure no one was bleeding.

“Just a window as we were fighting the gun away from him.” 

She lowered her head to Daniel’s shoulder and cried.  “Don’t ever do that again!”  She knew she was being unreasonable, but she just didn’t care.  She’d never been so frightened in her life.

“It’s not like I planned to do it this time!”

“I thought you were going to die, and I hadn’t even told you about the baby yet!”  Her voice was a wail, tears streaming down her face.

Daniel held her at arm’s length for a moment as a smile transformed his face.  “Baby?  We’re having a baby?”

She nodded, her face glowing with happiness.  She turned to glare at Fred who was grinning from ear to ear.  “And no telling Mama!  I’ll tell her later!”  Why had she blurted it out that way?  She’d wanted to tell him at home, privately.  Couldn’t she do anything right?

Fred nodded.  “Why don’t you two come to dinner tonight?  She’s going to want to know why I’m so happy after what happened today otherwise.”

Lily grinned.  “I think we can do that.”  She loved the idea of telling her mama there was another baby coming.

“More grandsons.  I need lots more grandsons.”

Daniel shook his head.  “This one’s a girl.  A pretty little redhead like her mother.”

Lily laughed.  “I just hope it’s a healthy baby.”
  Secretly, though?  She wanted a boy.  A little boy who would be just like Daniel.

“Well, we’re closing up shop for the day,” Fred told them.  “I don’t think any of us need to work again before morning.”  He hugged Lily and pushed her toward the door.  “I’ll see you at dinner, and you make sure to take good care of my grandson!”

“My daughter will be just fine.”  Daniel laughed at the look on Fred’s face as they walked away moving slowly through the streets.  “Have you see the doctor?” he asked, his face concerned.

She nodded.  “I haven’t had any symptoms at all.  No morning sickness or anything.”  She patted her flat belly.  “It’s kind of hard to believe there’s really a baby in there.”
 

“But the doctor confirmed it?  And said you and the baby are healthy?”

“Yes, we’re both fine.  The doctor examined me yesterday morning.”  She was thrilled he was so concerned.  She’d married a good man.

Daniel looked at her with a frown.  “Why didn’t you tell me last night?”

She shrugged.  “It just didn’t seem like the right time.”  It wasn’t a lie, but it wasn’t the whole truth either.  Later, she promised herself.  Later the two of them would have a long talk and they’d discuss everything they were feeling.  They had to.

The whole family gathered at her parents’ house that evening.  Even Rose and Dr. Shawn were there with little Freddie.  Lily stayed close to Daniel, afraid to stop touching him for fear he’d disappear.  It had been a trying day for all of them.  She wasn’t sure how she was going to feel about Daniel working for a while.  She didn’t want to let him out of her sight.

After dinner, they sat in the parlor, most of the girls on the floor, but Rose and Lily sitting on the small sofas with their husbands.  “I’m so glad you were both okay!” Mary exclaimed for the fiftieth time looking between Daniel and Fred.

Fred smiled, touching her cheek.  “We’re fine.  Daniel and I have discussed many times how we’d handle it if there were ever an emergency or robbery attempt.  We just did what we always said we’d do.”

“I’m so glad you thought to have that talk ahead of time!”  Mary had never considered that the bank could be robbed.  She knew it should have crossed her mind, but she was too busy raising girls to
worry about things like that. 

Lily looked at Daniel and smiled, rubbing her cheek against his shoulder.  “I have some news,” she said loudly over the sounds of her sisters talking.  The whole family had treated the evening as a celebration.  Two of their own had faced a terrible situation and come out healthy and whole.  They couldn’t be happier.

Mary’s eyes lit up as they met Lily’s.  “Please tell me that news is a grandbaby.”

Lily laughed.  “Of course it is, Mama.”  She watched as her mother flew across the parlor and pulled her into her arms. 
How could a woman with eight children still get that excited about a baby?

“I’d like a little girl this time,” Mary announced with a grin, as if she thought Lily could just make that happen.

Lily laughed.  “I want a boy.  Papa wants a boy.  You and Daniel want girls.  Maybe we should all pray really hard for what we want and see who God listens to!”  She grinned impishly at Daniel.

All of the girls crowded around her to hug her.  When it was Amaryllis’s turn, she said, “I’m so jealous, Lily.  I’m happy for you, but I’m jealous for me.”

Lily hugged her sister tightly.  “Everything will work out for you.  I just know it will.”  She hated that Amaryllis was so sad about Alex courting another girl, but she knew if it had been Daniel, she’d have been sad as well.

Amaryllis shrugged, not believing a word of it.  “How can anything work out with such overprotective parents?  They like Alex!”

Lily didn’t have an answer to that, but soon found herself hugging Iris.  “I can’t believe I’m going to be an aunt again!  I thought I’d be the youngest in the family forever, and soon this place will be crawling with babies!”  Iris clapped her hands excitedly at the prospect of more babies to help take care of.

They all laughed, and the tension caused by Amaryllis was gone.

On their walk home, Daniel and Lily clung to one another’s hands.  “I’m so happy about the baby.”  Daniel squeezed her hand as they walked.