Summer Secrets - Barbara Freethy [141]
"But mostly he was a terrible dad and the worst time we ever had," Ashley said. "Don't you agree, Kate?"
Tyler waited for Kate to speak. Ha had a feeling her viewpoint fell somewhere in the middle of theirs.
"He's our father, Tyler. And you're judging our actions eight years after the fact. In retrospect, things always look a lot more clear than they did at the time," Kate said.
"I'll give you that," he conceded. "Tell me about the birth. It must have happened right after the storm. Was it after you got to port?" The three sisters exchanged looks that made him even more curious. "Well?" he prodded.
"I went into labor during the storm," Caroline said. "I don't know if it was the stress or the fear or whatever, but there it was. I started having contractions about ten minutes into the storm. That's why I stayed down in the cabin. I was in a lot of pain. Jeremy kept coming back and forth to check on me."
"Jeremy," Tyler echoed, realizing this was another piece of the puzzle. He turned to Kate. "You wanted him on board to help you with Caroline and the baby in case it came earlier."
"That was part of it," Kate admitted. "I was scared. Caroline had been having some smaller contractions, and while it didn't seem possible she would deliver that early, I was worried something might happen. My father wasn't seeing very clearly back then. I couldn't even talk to him about it."
"When did the baby come and who delivered her?"
"She was born at dawn, and it was a group effort," Kate replied. "Ashley did the most. She'd read all the books. Frankly, I was still in shock from losing Jeremy to be much of a help. Dad was around, too. Jeremy's death had sobered him up quickly. But it was mostly Ashley who talked Caroline through it."
"I can't even imagine that night. First you're fighting for your life, then you lose your fiancé, then your sister goes into labor." He looked at Kate and shook his head in amazement.
Kate gave him a grim smile. "It all happened so fast. In twenty-four hours we saw someone go out of the world and someone come in. It was almost surreal. That morning was eerily quiet. The sun seemed to mock everything we'd gone through, as if we'd imagined that awful storm, as if it had all been a bad dream. But Jeremy's things were on his bunk, and he wasn't coming back to get them. And Caroline was holding her baby in her arms as we limped into port, ravaged, exhausted, overwhelmed." Kate's voice petered out, and Tyler saw Ashley put a hand on her sister's knee. Then she looked at Tyler and continued the story.
"When we got to Hawaii, there were lots of reporters waiting," Ashley said. "We were one of the first boats to arrive. But already news had spread like wildfire that the Betsy Marie had gone down. That's all anyone was talking about. Dad went out first and gave interviews. Then he sent Kate and me out to run interference. As long as the news people could talk to the 'girls,' as they liked to call us, they were satisfied. I kept waiting for someone to ask us about the storm, about Jeremy, but no one did. In fact, people came up to Kate, trying to comfort her. A lot of the other crews knew that they had gotten engaged just before the start of the race. It quickly became clear that no one knew Jeremy had switched boats at the last minute."
"And you didn't tell them?"
"No, we didn't."
"Dad took me to the hospital to get me checked out," Caroline said. "Actually, it wasn't a hospital. It was a clinic, I think. I don't remember, exactly. I do remember the doctor telling Dad that he knew someone who would love to take the baby." She drew in a deep, emotional breath at the memory. "I gave her one last hug and said good-bye, and I put the locket around her neck. I wanted her to have something of mine, and that locket was given to me by my mother." Caroline paused. "I cried for three days straight."
"We all did," Kate