“I slept well,” she answered, wincing inwardly. She’d tossed and turned for most of the night until she’d finally decided to get up and browse the net and get a move on in shopping for gifts.
“Hi, sweetie. Could you take this up to Jules for me? She needs to eat something to take her medication.”
“Sure thing, Aunt Cora.” Rory accepted the tray of fruit and cereal from her aunt and made her toward her cousin’s room on the ground floor, opposite Grandma Becky’s. “Jules? It’s me, Rory,” she called out after knocking. “Your mother gave me your breakfast.”
“The door’s open,” Julia called out.
Rory turned the knob before using her shoulder to prop the door open as she walked through. Julia lay with her back against the headboard, pillows behind her back.
She smiled welcomingly at Rory, but Rory could see the strain behind her eyes. It was evident that even though she’d been on bed rest for the past week that she hadn’t been getting much sleep if the dark circles under her eyes were anything to go by.
“How are you feeling?” Rory asked, placing the tray on the bedside table, and staring down at her cousin.
“I’ve been…better,” Julia answered with a small smile.
“Can I?” Rory pointed to the chair beside the bed, indicating she wanted to take a seat.
“Yeah, sure,” Jules agreed.
Rory reached for the tray and placed it on Julia’s lap before taking a seat and watching her take a few bites of the fruits in the small bowl.
“Have you thought about what I said?”
Julia paused, eating to look over at Rory, her eyes tired and filled with apprehension.
“I did,” she replied slowly, nibbling her bottom lip. “I want to try and find my baby’s father again but just…not yet. I’ll try after I’ve given birth,” she said, her hand coming up to rub her protruding belly.
Rory nodded in understanding. “If there’s anything you want to talk about, I want you to know that I’m here for you.”
Julia nodded her head and smiled gratefully. “Thanks, Rory. I’m glad to hear that.”
Rory returned her smile before rising to her feet. After giving her arm a reassuring squeeze, she left the room. She looked over at her grandmother’s door contemplating whether or not she should poke her head inside to greet her. It was still very early. She decided against it, not wanting to disturb her if she was asleep. She just wished she had more time to get to know Becky better, but this cursed illness was robbing her of that. With a heavy sigh, she continued down the hall and made her way back to the kitchen.
“Thanks for taking the food to her, Rory,” Cora looked up to say, a smile of gratitude on her lips.
“You’re welcome, Aunt Cora,” Rory returned with a smile of her own.
“Is she…” Cora hesitated. Her sisters glanced over at her before returning to their individual tasks.“Was she eating?” she finally managed to ask, the angst on her face evident.
“Yes. She ate a few pieces of the fruit, and when I was leaving, she started drinking the cereal,” Rory informed her aunt.
The woman sighed, and her shoulders relaxed.
Rory understood Cora’s relief. It was evident that the mother-daughter relationship was strained even though it was also clear that her aunt loved her daughter very much. She hoped it would all get sorted before the baby arrived. Although not a mother herself, she knew Jules would need all the love and support she could get in her current state.
The doorbell rang.
“I’ll get it,” she jumped up before making her way to the foyer. She swung the door open to see Kerry and Dianne standing before her with foil pans in their arms.
“Hi, sweetie,” Kerry greeted her.
“Hi, Tessa, Dianne,” she greeted back. Dianne smiled in acknowledgment. “Mom and the others are in the kitchen,” she informed them as they stepped inside.
“Okay, thanks,” Kerry responded, walking in the direction of the kitchen with Dianne in tow. “Tessa is outside. She’s coming with another tray,” she called behind her.
“Okay,” Rory responded, waiting for her cousin to arrive.
When Tessa finally came up the porch steps, and they greeted each other, they made their way back to the kitchen, where there was a lot of chatter and laughter. Rory smiled at how at ease everyone was with each other.
