Waves of Change at Steep Rock Cove
Spring is arriving, bringing renewal and change—but for the residents of Steep Rock Cove, it also brings unexpected challenges. Gillian is about to have her baby out of wedlock, and she’s not alone. Others face similar trials, leaving Pastor Fred and his friend Jessica Foster searching for ways to support the struggling teens before more young girls find themselves in trouble.
Ashley is juggling the demands of four foster children, while Derek is eager to marry her—if only they can find the time amid life’s chaos. Meanwhile, Morgan and Anthony prepare for their wedding, but blending a Jewish and Gentile family proves to be more complicated than expected.
Elsewhere in town, the construction of a new multi-use complex is underway, promising to serve good causes. Yet, repeated vandalism threatens its completion. Will the culprit be caught before the town loses a valuable resource?
Waves of Change at Steep Rock Cove is the fourth installment in this heartwarming series, bringing familiar faces, new characters, and thought-provoking twists in a captivating multi-plot journey.
Ashley is juggling the demands of four foster children, while Derek is eager to marry her—if only they can find the time amid life’s chaos. Meanwhile, Morgan and Anthony prepare for their wedding, but blending a Jewish and Gentile family proves to be more complicated than expected.
Elsewhere in town, the construction of a new multi-use complex is underway, promising to serve good causes. Yet, repeated vandalism threatens its completion. Will the culprit be caught before the town loses a valuable resource?
Waves of Change at Steep Rock Cove is the fourth installment in this heartwarming series, bringing familiar faces, new characters, and thought-provoking twists in a captivating multi-plot journey.
Chapter 1
Fred Baxter glanced at his silver watch. Lately, he felt like he spent more time in the waiting room of the hospital than any place else. His wife Phyllis and Gillian, their youngest daughter, had been in the doctor’s office quite awhile now. He wondered if something was wrong. Actually, in Fred’s mind, it was all wrong. They shouldn’t be in there in the first place. It should be Gillian and her husband in about eight to ten years from now, excited to be having their first child. But no, Gillian was in her final month of a pregnancy that never should have happened. She had only just turned 16 and she was ill-prepared for the harsh reality of single motherhood and adulthood thrust upon her years before her time. Was she capable of taking on this much responsibility? Probably not. And what kind of future would she have? Would any decent young man be interested in her in light of her reckless past? The father of her child, Kris Hatfield, was completely out of the picture, at least Fred hoped so. Kris was Bill Hatfield’s son, and he was the former mayor. Kris and Gillian were the same age, and Kris already had a juvenile delinquent record. He had even spent some time in jail. At first, he had vowed to take care of Gillian and the baby, but Bill Hatfield had stepped in and made sure that would never happen.
And even at this late date, Gillian still hadn’t decided what she would do with the baby, whether she would keep him or her, or adopt it out. She was up and down like a yo-yo. When she first found out she was pregnant, she was adamant about keeping her baby, like it was a novel idea, then when she thought about the huge responsibility of motherhood, it scared her and she’d decide to adopt it out. Fred knew that he and his wife could never make this decision for her, although Fred was certainly tempted to. She got herself into this, and now she had to face the lifetime consequences. They would always love her and support her, but they couldn’t live her life for her. At least this was Phyllis’s philosophy, and she was adamant about not persuading her one way or the other. Strange, he thought, since usually she was so complacent and agreeable to whatever Fred decided, but not in this case. Truth be told, Fred hoped Gillian would decide to adopt it out. That way, it would avoid scandal and not soil his ministry as a pastor. But he hadn’t said a word to Gillian, his wife or his other daughters, at least not yet.
Gillian would never consider abortion, at least not as long as Fred had any say in the matter. That is one reason why he and his wife had made sure Gillian knew she would be loved, accepted and taken care of during her entire pregnancy. There was no need for her to run away and have an abortion. He had made sure each of his daughters had known all the facts when they were of age to understand about sexual reproduction. He didn’t want them to do anything behind his back, and then find out years later what had happened. But in Gillian’s case, she had gone behind his back and become too intimate with a boy. Now her life was changed forever. He often wondered where he had gone wrong and it haunted him that he had been unable to protect her from the likes of Kris Hatfield.
Speaking of which, Bill Hatfield was coming towards Fred, walking slower than usual and he had his hand on his right upper chest. He plunked himself down beside Fred on the small two-seater green floral couch, and he coughed quite deeply. Then he breathed a deep labored sigh.
“Everything alright Bill? You need some water or anything?”
“No, no. I’m fine. I seem to have caught a bug, and I want them to check out a pain in my chest. Since I had that heart attack last fall, I can’t be too careful.”
“True, and being that we are at the tail end of the winter season, the end of March, there are various flus still going around. Or it could be stress. My Dad used to get chest pains, especially after his church burned down. It nearly killed him.”
“I’m sorry about that, Fred. You know I was just a stupid kid, and I messed up big time.” Bill admitted that he had started the fire from a smoldering cigarette, but he had kept it a secret until last summer. He had blamed it on Fred’s estranged hippy brother Isaiah, and Isaiah, although innocent, had fled the town to avoid getting charged, and to spare his family from public shame. Bill’s dad had been the mayor, and he had kept everything hush-hush in order to protect his erring son, and his own political career. And until last summer, Bill had a lot of influence in the town as the mayor, and Fred had suffered much persecution at the hands of Bill. Is it any wonder that Kris turned out the way he did, with few, if any morals, and he had a juvenile delinquent background? And it didn’t surprise Fred that Bill’s wife Francine had left him and that she lived in the city with Kris. But Fred didn’t know any more about that. All he knew is that after Bill had nearly died last fall, he had become a changed man, turning his life over to Christ, and doing as many good deeds as he could, similar to a Scrooge turn-around. It had taken a life and death situation, and unfortunately, as a minister, Fred knew that this is often what it took in order for a person to get their heart right with God before it was too late for them.
“I have forgiven you, my friend, as Christ forgave me for my sins.”
“Thanks Fred. It means a lot to me.”
Just then Gillian and Phyllis came out of the office, and walked towards Fred and Bill. Gillian wanted to run the other way. She never trusted Bill again after he practically kidnapped her and Kris last summer, taking them to the city to sort things out after finding out she was pregnant. Gillian and Kris had planned on running away together, getting married and raising their child themselves. But of course their parents stepped in to prevent that. Now she never saw Kris since he was in the city living with his mother.
Bill said hello, and Gillian was relieved when the nurse called him in for his appointment. Fred went out to get the van and drive it up to the lobby doors, so the women didn’t have to walk to the van. In Gillian’s condition, she should really have been in a wheelchair, but the last time they tried that, Gillian balked, worried that someone she knew from school might see her. How much more embarrassing would that be? Thankfully, they were experiencing an early spring, and she didn’t have to worry about slipping on ice. Most of the snow had melted, and there wasn’t any ice on the sidewalks or the roads. Fred helped both women into the van, and since he wasn’t in a big rush, he took the scenic way home, along the lake. Gillian noticed that ice still mostly covered the vast lake, ever present, now showcasing its white expanse as far as the eye could see up north. The sky was a chalky blue, with deeper shades of navy blue streaked across the sky. As they neared home and drove closer to the lake, Gillian noticed dark blotches where the snow had melted on the surface of the lake.
She loved that about Steep Rock Cove—the scenery was always so interesting because the lake and sky could completely change, sometimes several times in a single day. It might be calm, and a cloudless sky in the morning, and by lunch it could be cloudy with tempest seas tossing up froth-tipped waves. One day she wanted to learn how to paint, so she could re-experience the beauty she was seeing. Their big white manse was in short walking distance to the long Beach east of the downtown. Gillian missed walking along the sidewalk by the beach. She couldn’t wait to deliver this baby, and for the fullness of spring to arrive so she could get out and enjoy the outdoors again.
But first, the season of ice melting on the lake had yet to occur. Gillian had never witnessed a full lake melt, but she hoped she could hear the ice melt, and the sounds it made when big chunks of ice cracked under the water, giving it an eerie, loud booming sound. Depending on the melt, when there were crystal shards that washed up onto shore or crashed into each other along the large rocks at the marina, others had said it sounded like chandeliers tinkling together, or tiny wind chimes gently clanging together. But then again, she likely wouldn’t be allowed to go to the beach in her condition. She had felt like a prisoner for the past eight months. Thankfully her baby was due in the next few weeks.
They arrived at the manse, and her parents went their separate ways. Gillian made her way to her bedroom to rest before supper. As she lay there on her bed for the umpteenth time, she thought about how complicated her life was, and she had missed nearly an entire year of school. Her mother had home-schooled her, since she needed almost constant rest so she wouldn’t lose her baby. She dearly missed her friends at school, even though she hadn’t known them that long.
In all these months she had been at home, except to go to the doctor for regular appointments, she had read every book and magazine she could get her hands on regarding pregnancy and motherhood. She had reserved them on the Internet, and her mother, Phyllis, had gotten them from the local library. Since Fred was a minister, he wanted Gillian’s pregnancy to be off the radar to the local townspeople that he had been trying to reach with the Gospel, and he didn’t want the family to speak of Gillian’s illegitimate pregnancy. When it first happened, he had to be honest and inform his congregation, but that was because he had been ready and willing to step down as their pastor. But they insisted he stay on, and they would help the Baxter family any way they could. However, so far, they hadn’t needed a lot of help. The fact that they were willing to support the family, and accepted Gillian in her condition, was enough.
Even though times may be modern, and “anything goes,” Fred did not agree with any of it. He wanted to maintain an outward Godly standard, in spite of his errant daughter’s ways. Consequently, Phyllis had to tell a little white lie, and explain to the library attendant that she always tried to keep up to date on the latest medical breakthroughs, in case she ever wanted to work as a nurse again. She didn’t dare mention that it was for her teenage pregnant daughter. And the attendant, Adrian, had smiled and understood. In fact, Adrian had put books aside for her, and let her know when any new book had come in. Phyllis and Adrian, about the same age, in their early 40’s, had become friends. In fact, not wanting to deceive anyone about her daughter, Phyllis told her the truth after only about a month.
As Phyllis folded some laundry before heating up some spaghetti and meatballs that she had made earlier, she thought about Gillian and her baby. What should have been a joyous occasion hung heavy over the household that was ill prepared to deal with it. As Gillian’s delivery date drew near, Fred and Phyllis were both feeling anxious, not only about the delivery of this baby, but wondering what would happen once Gillian had her baby. The family had already been turned topsy-turvy, and now it would be even more so if Gillian decided to keep and raise the child.
Because there were some complications with Gillian’s pregnancy, the family doctor, Dr. Ivan Galway, had recommended Gillian see a specialist from the city, who would come out once every two weeks to check on Gillian in case there were complications. If necessary, Gillian was told she may have to spend the last week or two of her pregnancy in the city hospital, where they had state of the art equipment, more beds, and more staff. So now as the day drew near, the family waited in anticipation for the day. Phyllis had already packed Gillian’s suitcase just in case, and they had met with the specialist, Dr. Lydia Brownstein, for several months now. Pretty much all the family talked about was the arrival of this baby.
Gillian thought about what to do, whether to keep the baby, or adopt it out. Her two older sisters, Tara, 17, and Stephanie, 19, had tried in vain to help her decide, but she was very emotional, and she kept changing her mind. On the one hand, she wanted her freedom—to live life like a normal teenager, graduate, get a job, and one day get married and have children. She felt it was too soon for her to take on this kind of responsibility. On the other hand, she had grown to love the child growing inside of her. She felt connected to the baby, and late at night when everyone was asleep, she’d rub her belly and talk to her tiny miracle. Sometimes the little one would kick in response. Gillian had never known such love, and the baby wasn’t even born yet. She could hardly wait to see who he or she was. To think that the child was living inside of her, and actually a part of her! But her dad had warned her that if she decided to adopt the baby out, she should never look into the eyes of the child in case it was a closed adoption. She may never get to see the child again, unless the child one day decided to try and find her. And she would always hope that the child would try.
She heard a soft knock on the door. “Come in,” Gillian said a little above a whisper.
It was Tara. She turned on a lamp, and Gillian sat up. Tara propped pillows behind her until Gillian was comfortable. Then she sat on the edge of the bed. “How did it go at the doctor’s?”
“The usual. I have to keep resting until delivery time, about another three weeks.” She yawned. “It’s so boring, and I’m tired of resting. I want to get out of here! I can’t stand it any longer!”
Tara felt sympathetic towards her younger sister. Truly, what did she have to look forward to? She had messed up her future and limited her options. “Well, it won’t be much longer, and things will get back to normal.”
“Yeah right! I still don’t know what I’m going to do with this baby. I can’t look after it!”
“Well then, you know what you have to do. If you can’t raise the baby, you have to consider letting someone else, perhaps a nice Christian family.”
“I know, I know. I’m so confused, Tara. On the one hand, I already love this baby. It’s part of me, my own flesh and blood. It’s become my companion in all these long and lonely months. But, on the other hand, I want it to have a good life and I don’t think I can offer that.”
“Yes, it’s too bad you can’t raise it, and have a family or a community help you. That way the whole burden wouldn’t fall on you.”
“You mean like a commune? I read something about that in one of the magazines from the library. There’s a commune for single mom’s, where everybody helps each other. There’s a nurse on staff, a school, and nursery, a kitchen with a big hall attached. Every mother has her own little cabin. They stay until they can get a job, their own place, sitters, and that sort of thing. Some stay longer than others. I thought it was a great idea.”
“Yes, but Mom and Dad would never let you go to one, and you’d have to have their signed permission.”
“That’s true.”
Just then there was another knock on the door. It was Phyllis. “Girls, it’s time for supper. Gillian, do you want me to bring you a tray, or do you feel well enough to come to the table and join the rest of us?”
“I’ll come to the table.”
✥✥✥
Tara left and Gillian heard a “ding.” She went to her dresser and picked up her cell phone. She noticed a text:
Hey you! How is the mother of my child doing? I haven’t forgotten our plans to be together and raise this baby. I’m working on a plan, and I’m working on my Mom, trying to get her to see our side of things. Wish me luck. And by the way, she’s a lot easier to persuade than my Dad ever was.Love Kris
Gillian smiled. He still loved her, and was thinking about her! She hadn’t heard from Kris for weeks. His mother must have confiscated his cell phone again, and now he had it back. She had never stopped caring for Kris, although she never mentioned his name around her family. Maybe this was the answer she had been looking for all along. She and Kris would somehow raise their child together, even though they were still teens, and underage. She quickly put the cell phone in her drawer so no one could read it, and slowly made her way down the stairs to the kitchen.
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