This
is based on what happened to friends of mine Kelly and Jeff and is my GW
Holiday Project #4.
Merry
Christmas everyone!
By: Steph
“Oh, Holy
Night, the stars are brightly shining
This is the
night of our dear Savior’s birth”
Trixie Belden Frayne, age twenty-five, walked by the small group of carolers
and dropped a couple of dollars for the children’s hospital project as
appreciation for the effort. They did
sound beautiful.
It didn’t feel much like a merry Christmas for Trixie and her twenty-seven-year old husband, Jim Frayne. They had found out a couple of months earlier that it was going to be very difficult, if not impossible, for them to have a natural child of their own.
Trixie had been through treatments seven years earlier for stomach cancer. She had come through it fine and it showed no signs of recurring through the years but the doctors thought that was what was most likely causing her to be apparently sterile. It was not impossible for them to conceive, it would just take a major miracle.
On top of that, they were having trouble with the adoption process. Agencies saw she had a cancer history and it made them hesitant.
They were thinking in looking into foreign adoption or possibly adopting an older child down the road but Jim was the last of the Fraynes and it was profoundly sad to him and Trixie that he would be the last to carry on the family genes.
It did hearten them to be doing the work they were to prepare his long dreamed of a boys school for its opening in the fall. At least they would have those children to love and help grow up.
Trixie had trouble getting into the spirit while at the mall, but she did manage to purchase an ornament for their tree. They had a tradition of giving ornaments every year to each other even when they were just dating. She had bought a little schoolhouse ornament for him since this was going to be the year when he opened his school.
To top everything off it was Christmas Eve day and Trixie had a doctor’s
appointment. She thought she was just
coming down with a case of the flu. She
just had been out of sorts for a while. With what had happened to his parents
and with her health history, they didn’t want to take any chances.
She wished that Jim could be with her but he had to take care of things for the
school that needed to be wrapped up so they could go on their vacation starting
the twenty-sixth to Hawaii. She figured
just a routine doctor’s appointment nothing special.
Trixie arrived at the Professional Building that was next to Sleepyside Hospital and first stopped by the lab for them to take blood and send the results of a standard workup to her doctor, Dr. Kerry Ferris, the daughter of the old family doctor, Dr. Michael Ferris who had retired a few years earlier and had been the one to diagnose their fertility problems.
Trixie had known Kerry her entire life although Kerry was a few years older, a year ahead of Brian in school. Brian was the pediatrician in the practice with Kerry being the OB/GYN.
She and Kerry were good friends and Kerry had cried along with them when she delivered the bad news a few months earlier.
Trixie walked into the office and checked in and was given a form to fill out with why she was there for the day and everything. She had gotten so used to these darn forms and she didn’t like them very much.
After she turned in her form she followed the nurse into the exam room, who
took her blood pressure and asked her a few more questions. She said “Dr. Ferris will get your blood
test results back and will be in in a few minutes.
When Kerry walked in Trixie saw she had tears in her eyes and Trixie was immediately alarmed when she saw that she had what appeared to be a sheet of test results.
Trixie asked, “What’s wrong? Why are you
crying? Is it that bad? I thought it was the flu.”
Kerry said, “It’s not the flu and it is a condition that will require regular
visits for the next several months and a 2-3 hospital stay at the end. Trixie, I had to double check these results
myself but you’re pregnant!”
Trixie was stunned speechless and then said “But I had my period. How can that be? It was really light though and only 2 days. And I’m 10 days late for this one but I’ve
never been all that on time to begin with.”
Kerry said “We’re going to need a sonogram to determine how
far along you are. It’s good that you
have a healthy lifestyle so no drinking or smoking. Would you like to call Jim before we set up the sonogram?”
Trixie said, “Yes!”
Trixie reached him at his office as he was finishing up a meeting and said
“Meet me at Dr. Ferris’ office as soon as you can. It’s good news but I want to tell you in person.”
She hung up and went with Dr. Ferris to the sonogram room and the machine was
set up and Dr. Ferris turned it on. When Jim walked in she said “Jim, a major
miracle is going to be on this screen in a moment”
She placed the scanner on Trixie’s abdomen and moved it around on the screen
and Jim asked “What is that?”
Trixie said “That’s our son or daughter.
We’re pregnant!”
Jim almost fainted as he kissed his wife and watched the screen with her. He was speechless with joy otherwise.
Kerry said “Make that your sons or daughters or one of each. You’re having twins!”
They were both still a little speechless as she finished the scan and gave them some pictures to take with them and a videotape.
Trixie got up and holding hands with Jim walked into the conference room where Kerry was waiting for them smiling.
She said “Trixie, you’re about 10 weeks pregnant and the due
date is July 15th.
Everything looks healthy and perfect.
I want to see you every other week for the time being and then more
frequently as you’re due date is near.”
As Trixie and Jim walked out of the office with a bag of books and pamphlets
they ran into Brian, who was leaving the office after coming in on an emergency
and was about to ask what was going on, when the nurse rushed out and said
“Mrs. Frayne here is a bottle with the first few prenatal vitamins for
you. The pharmacy may be closed til the
26th so here’s a start.”
Brian smiled and asked “Prenatal vitamins?
Am I going to be an uncle?” He hugged his sister and shook hands with
Jim. He knew as her big brother, his
best friend and a doctor of their troubles and was almost as full of joy as they
were.
They swore him to secrecy until the family gathering that night. The families knew of the problems and these twins also would be the first grandchildren on both sides as Honey and Brian were engaged and Mart and Di were just married two months.
That night
Crabapple Farm
The Crabapple Farm was filled with family and friends as the Beldens, Wheelers and Lynches all gathered for the traditional dinner and party afterwards.
Everyone noticed how Trixie and Jim stuck together like glue, how they were constantly holding hands and both appeared to be glowing.
After a delicious dinner prepared by Mrs. Belden as always but with help from all the Bob Whites even though Mrs. Belden noticed Trixie looked a little queasy with the cooking smells but remembered Trixie telling her the day before she wasn’t feeling well.
Mrs. Belden made all the traditional favorite foods especially her Christmas goose, which everyone loved. Trixie had to pass on her favorite which was the chocolate rum cake though and more than one person took notice.
When they gathered in the living room it was time for everyone to exchange presents among the larger group. Individual families would exchange in the morning before church and then an early dinner at Manor House afterwards.
After almost all the presents were given out and thank yous
exchanged and oohs and aahs said Mr. Wheeler stood up and said “My Christmas
present to everyone is I’ve arranged for the use of a ski area in the Swiss
Alps in February for everyone for a week.
We’ve always talked about doing this and I’ve made the arrangements.”
Everyone was excited as they thanked him and said they couldn’t wait to go but
Trixie and Jim.
Mr. Wheeler said “Trixie, I know you love to ski I thought you’d be the most
excited about this.”
Trixie said “Matt, I will love to go but I won’t be able to ski”
Mr. Wheeler asked “Why?” although looking at her glowing face all the women guessed why.
Trixie said “Because women who are 4 months pregnant aren’t supposed to ski. Especially when they are carrying twins.”
Everyone sat in stunned silence for a moment and then jumped up to surround and congratulate them pat Jim on the back and hug Trixie and ask various questions.
As the stereo started playing “Season of Miracles”, Mr. Wheeler raised his glass of champagne and toasted “To Trixie and Jim and their Christmas Miracles. The greatest gift of all is the gift of life. To a wonderful future for all four of them and us all.”
Epilogue:
On July 4th, a little sooner than expected, in a delivery room at
Sleepyside Hospital the miracle continued. Trixie and Jim became the proud
parents of James Wheeler and Katje Helen Frayne.
And they all
lived happily ever after.