Soccer Women Ch 19
When Joseph was nine months old, Katie and Melanie got the wonderful news that Jo and Margaret were going to have a baby. Margaret was about three months pregnant and they were looking at a March due date. When Joseph was a year old, Katie and Melanie got the upsetting news that Margaret was in the hospital. The baby was okay, but they knew Margaret's pregnancy had not been going as smoothly as Melanie's had.
Over the next three months, there were a lot of doctor visits and finally a month of bed rest. One night, Katie and Margaret got a phone call. They did not recognize the number but they knew that Margaret and Jo were at the hospital. It turned out the call was from Angelina Napoli, Jo's mother.
Angelina's news was both good and bad. The baby, a little girl named Maisie Catherine Napoli, was healthy and well. Margaret was also healthy. However, there were some complications during the delivery. It had required serious surgery and the result was that Margaret would not be able to have any more children. Since Jo had been adamant about not having children herself, it seemed that Maisie would be an only child. "That just means she will get all the love." said Angelina trying to keep a positive tone.
Jo called them later that day. She sounded fairly upbeat. Margaret was going to have to stay in the hospital for a few days and so they would keep Maisie a little longer as well. But everyone would be fully recovered, well, mostly.
When Katie and Melanie finally spoke with Margaret, she seemed resigned to what had happened. She was mostly thankful that Maisie was healthy and did not say anything about her own situation. It was months later that Angelina told Katie and Melanie just how dire Margaret's situation had been and how close they had really come to losing her.
For now, everyone was healthy and happy, with one exception. Katie and Melanie were not quite ready to take Joseph on a plane. Jo and Margaret were not taking Maisie on the plane yet either. So, they were not going to be able to be with each other in person for a while.
They had the advantage of social media and so they were each able to keep up with their respective godchildren. The girls talked with each other several times a week. They even went on Skype and tried to share their intimacy with each other for New Years but that didn't work for them. They all sensed the impact the distance was having on them and how the demands of life were keeping them apart. Katie had said she would make sure they stayed together no matter what. So after the New Year's Eve Skype debacle (as Jo was calling it), Katie called Jo at her office.
"Jo, it has occurred to me that my son had not actually met his cousin. He's seen pictures and videos on social media but they haven't actually met."
"True. Do you have a point or are you stating unpleasant random facts?"
"Well, I am guessing you are going to want to have a big birthday party for Maisie's first birthday, correct?"
"I am sure we will. My mom and dad have already been talking about coming and some of Margaret's family will as well. She's gotten close with some of her mom's relatives since the wedding and they live nearby."
"So do you think your mom and dad will get a hotel?"
"There is a second bedroom here so they will probably stay here."
"Get them a hotel."
"Why"
"Because Melanie and I are going to be in the spare bedroom. And we'll need some kind of kid's bed for Joseph."
"Why would we...ooooohhhhh. My mom might ask questions."
"I bet she won't. In fact, I bet if you tell her that Melanie and I are coming and you want us to stay over at the house, she'll know and offer to get a hotel herself."
Katie was pretty close. The way it actually went down was Jo was talking to her mother and asked, "Mom what do you think about you and dad getting a hotel room instead of staying at the house?"
Angelina immediately asked, "Are Katie and Melanie coming for the party?"
"Yes, but I was just trying to see if you'd rather not be in the middle of all the hullabaloo."
"Of course, Bambina, of course. Come to think of it, your father and I would probably prefer to have some of our own alone time. So, we'll be getting a hotel room. But we'll be there for the party."
Katie wasn't sure what Melanie would think about taking Joseph on the plane, and she was all ready to debate the issue. But when she brought up the subject of flying out to California for Maisie's first birthday party, Melanie loved the idea. Arrangements were made, vacation time was approved and airline tickets were purchased.
A bit of planning went into this trip. First Katie, Melanie and Joseph drove to Carol and Jen's house. They stayed a day there and then the next day, Carol and Jen drove them to Chicago so they could get a direct flight. Had they left from Pittsburgh, they would have had to stop in Chicago, or Denver or even Atlanta. The thought was one less leg would be better for Joe as well as for the other passengers.
At the gate, Joe was not very happy and he was letting the whole world know. This was making Katie and Melanie (and probably most of the other passengers) very nervous. However, he must have gotten it all out of his system waiting to board. By the time the plane was taxiing to the runway, Joe was in his seat, fast asleep. This made Katie and Melanie (and the rest of the plane) very happy.