Mending Jan's Heart

         As Frank Donovan pulled into his driveway, he sneaked a glance over at Janice. He could tell that she was exhausted, so when she headed into the house without a word to him, he figured that she was going to their room to take a nap.

         Frank fixed up some tea and brought it up to his wife. But when he pushed the door open with his elbow, he was confronted with an empty, still-made bed. Figuring that Janice couldn't have gotten far, as she was nine months pregnant, he set down the tray and began to search for her.

         Janice must not have heard him calling to her, because when he found her in the attic, she didn't even look up. Frank could see that she was hugging something to her chest, and her head was hanging down. As he sat down beside her, he looked at her with concern, only to discover that she was crying.

         When Frank saw what was in Jan's hands, he understood her tears a little better. His wife was clutching a picture with both hands, a picture of her mother holding her when she was just a few weeks old. In the photograph, Mary was smiling and holding Janice, who was wrapped up in a blanket.

         "A picture of your mother," Frank said softly, passing his hand over the picture. "Where did you find it?"

         "My old hope chest," Janice said with a sigh, pointing to the chest that sat in the corner, but never taking her eyes off of the picture. "I had forgotten that I had this picture."

         Frank couldn't ignore the tears that were rolling down Jan's face. He knew that seeing the picture of her mother had to be upsetting to Janice. She hadn't seen her mother in years. "Talk to me, baby," he whispered, as he pulled her closer and began to rock her.

         Frank could feel the weight of Janice leaning against him, knowing that she was accepting his support. Frank had only a vague notion of how his wife was feeling, as his parents were very much a part of his life. She wiped her tears and turned to face him.

         "It's a picture of me and Mom," she whispered, handing the dog-eared photograph to him. "Look at the blanket."

         Frank did as Janice requested. The blanket, which was well-worn even then, was a mint green felt, with a white lace border. As Frank studied the picture, Janice told him how important the afghan had been.

         The blanket had been passed down from generation to generation, every baby for the past 60 years had been brought home from the hospital wrapped up in it. "Every baby but my own," Janice finished, fresh tears in her eyes.

         "Does Mary have the blanket?" Frank asked quietly, watching Jan's eyes intently. Frank knew that Janice was emotional about her mother. She acted like it didn't matter to her, but he knew that she was still smarting from the pain of her mother's absence. But he also knew that Jan's wounds would never heal without closure.

         "I was the last baby born on her side of the family," Janice said quietly.

         "So why don't you give Mary a call?"

         "You know that we don't get along," Janice said with a grimace.

         Frank thought about his wife's relationship with his mother-in-law; it was true, the two women didn't get along. They never agreed on anything. They were always at each other's throats. It just seemed that things went better when they were ot of each other's lives.

         "Maybe she wants to see you," Frank said, as he laid the picture aside.

         "After all these years!" Janice exclaimed, pushing herself up off of the bed. As she stood looking out of the window, the fading sun afforded Frank a view of his wife's sillouhette, and he felt a surge of love for her.

         "She is your mother," Frank said softly, reaching for Jan's hand.

         "Are you on her side?" Janice demanded, furrowing her eyebrows and pucking her lips.

         Frank wanted to tell her that she looked incredibly sexy, but he didn't think that she would enjoy the comment right now.

         "I don't know what you mean," he said, as he mirrored her expression. In reality, he was wondering if Janice didn't need her mother after all. She just didn't know it yet.

         "You don't expect me to bring that woman into my life after she walked out of it!"

         "It's been years," Frank said softly, gently pulling his wife to him. "Maybe she's changed."

         "I don't care," Janice pouted. "I don't want to see her."

         Frank pulled Janice closer, and she let herself be moved into his embrace, finding comfort there. He had always tried to give her all of the love and security that she needed. He wondered if she needed a little more right now. Maybe becoming a mother herself would help Janice to understand her own mother.

         Frank knew that Janice was too stubborn to make the first move. It didn't matter if she was crying inside; she would not be the one to "back down". And Frank also knew that Janice had inherited these qualities from her mother. The only way the two women would get together, was if Frank himself played the mediator.

         Frank told himself that this was the case, as he picked up the phone and dialed Mary Parson's number. When he got through to his mother-in-law, he told her that she was going to be a grandmother, that Janice really needed her, and she should come right away.

***

         Two weeks later, Frank was at work, when he received the call that Janice had been taken to the hospital. After 21 grueling hours, she gave birth to their daughter, Emily Ann. Frank thought that he would never be as happy or as in love with his wife; he just wanted to hold on to Janice and Emily Ann forever.

         Shortly after his ladies fell asleep, Frank headed for the airport, hoping that he wasn't doing the wrong thing by bringing Mary here.

         If Frank had never seen his mother-in-law, which he hadn't for several years, he still would have no trouble picking her out of a crowd. She was the mirror image of Janice, only 20 years older. As he approached her, Frank smiled at her reassuringly and put his arm around her. "It'll be okay," he said to the nervous woman.

         "She doesn't know that I'm coming does she?" Jan's mother asked with a frown, eyebrows furrowed, but the look was comical on her face.

         "I didn't tell her, no," Frank replied sheepishly, as he put Mary's luggage in the trunk. He opened her door for her and smiled at her again. "I'm sure that it'll be fine."

         But as Frank started the car, he was getting worried about how Janice would react to seeing her mother. Janice knew nothing of her mother's visit, probably didn't even suspect a thing. She hadn't even spoken of Mary since the day that she had found the picture. Would she be angry at Frank for calling Mary and inviting her?

         At the hospital, Mary and Frank took a seat in the lounge. Mary had said that she needed to collect her shattered nerves. Frank could tell that she was nervous and excited about seeing Janice and the baby. He was sitting beside Mary, watching her with curiosity.

         Mary hadn't said much more, but she was holding the treasured blanket, the one that Janice had been fretting about. Frank could tell that she was anxious, because her hands were shaking. She kept bunching the edge of the blanket and letting it go again.

         "I've held onto this blanket for a long time," Mary confessed with tears in her eyes. "I've been waiting for this day," she whispered, her eyes focased on the floor.

         Frank continued to look at his mother-in-law, and when she looked up, he was trying to reassure her with his eyes. Mary's eyes were pleading with him to understand. "You should be a part of this," he said quietly.

         "Do you know about the blanket?" Mary asked with a watery smile.

         "Janice told me that it was special," Frank commented, as he fingered the lace around the edge. Frank knew that Janice was going to be very happy about the blanket, he just hoped that she felt the ame about her mother's arrival. "Let's go put this on your granddaughter."

         Mary's face beamed anew when the stood outside of the nursery and Frank pointed out Emily Annn. "She is beautiful," Mary breathed, laying her hand on Frank's arm. "Janice did good, didn't she?"

         "She sure did," Frank replied with a proud smile.

         As they wrapped Emily Ann in the precious blanket, Frank could see the love and pride in Mary's eyes, and he felt sure that this was right. As he stepped into Jan's room, holding their baby, Frank hoped that Janice would feel the same.

         Janice instantly recognized the blanket that enfolded her infant daughter. "Where did you get that?" she asked Frank suspicously. But Frank could tell that Janice knew, by the look in her eyes.

         "Please don't get mad," Frank pleaded, as he bent down to give his wife a kiss.

         "Oh, Frank," Janice sighed. "How could you?"

         "Janice, please," Mary said, as she appeared in the doorway.

         Frank watched the two women, as they just stared at each other. Mary had a look of apprehension, as she stood fidgeting by the door. Frank could see the confusion on Jan's face, and he grimaced as he imagined that she felt betrayed by him.

         "Mom," Janice finally cried, her voice breaking, tears running down her cheeks. "You brought the blanket," she whispered.

         "I had to," Mary responded, as she strolled over to the bed and sat down beside her daughter. "It's been too long."

         "I'm sorry," Janice said softly.

         "Me too," Mary whispered, as she pulled Janice to her, and tightened her arms. "I love you, kid."

         "Thank you," Janice mouthed to Frank over her mother's shoulder. "Please don't ever leave," Janice cried, holding her mother tight.

         "Never again," Mary said as she kissed her daughter's forehead. "Never again."

         Frank, who had stood aside with the baby, was quietly watching the exchange between mother and daughter. He smiled at the joyful reunion, and hel his daughter closer, making sure that the mint green blanket was bundled around her tightly.



THE END