The Loose Threads stood in a silent cluster as the ambulance drove away, once again turning on the lights and siren.
"Would someone like to tell me what's going on here?” Sarah demanded. “Why was there an unconscious woman in Avanell's bushes?"
"Don't you think if one of us knew what had happened we would have told the paramedics so they could help her?” Lauren shot back.
"We think she's diabetic,” Carla offered, her cheeks turning their customary pink.
"Yeah, but why was she under the bush?"
"It seems like she had a blood sugar crisis and wasn't able to think clearly enough to come in and ask for help,” Mavis said. “We don't really know, so there's no point in speculating until we have more information."
Harriet folded her arms across her chest and rubbed her hands on her upper arms.
"Can we go inside, please,” she asked. “It's cold out here."
Robin was holding both Harriet's sweatshirt and her own yoga jacket. She looked at Harriet and wiggled the sweatshirt slightly. Harriet shook her head once, and Robin let it fall back against her arm.
"Does anyone want to go back up and look at our blocks?” Harriet asked.
"We might as well,” Robin replied. “We're all here."
Everyone else had gone in when Harriet started up the stairs to the porch. A crunch of gravel signaled a vehicle coming up the driveway-fast. Aiden's Bronco slid to a stop, and he jumped out.
"What happened?” he shouted. “Where are Carla and Wendy?"
Harriet turned to meet him as he leaped the porch steps two at a time.
"Wendy and Carla are in the house,” she said. “They're fine."
He stopped. “So, why did Angela hear on the police scanner there was a ten-forty-five-C at my address?"
"Who is Angela, and what's a ten-forty-five-C?” Harriet asked.
"Angela works in my office. She heard the police scanner calling for an ambulance pick-up for a person in serious condition.” He raked the fingers of his left hand through his silky black hair.
Harriet put her hand on his back and gently patted.
"Let's go inside,” she said.
"Let's stop treating me like a child and tell me what happened."
"Okay. We were having a Loose Threads meeting in your upstairs parlor, and we looked out the window, saw something under a bush, investigated and discovered an unconscious woman."
"An unconscious woman?” he demanded. “What woman?"
"Can we please go inside? It's cold out here."
He brushed past her and wrenched the door open. She followed, and as soon as she was through the door, he whirled to face her.
"What woman?” he demanded.
"She claims she's the sister of a friend of yours from Africa-Nabirye Obote."
"She was conscious when you found her?"
"No, she wasn't conscious today. She said that when she first came to town."
"So, you know her? Did she come here to see you?” His voice was getting louder as he paced across the kitchen.
"Can we sit down a minute?” Harriet went to the breakfast nook and sat at the table.
"Harriet, what's going on here?"
She sighed. Her decision to spare him the additional stress while he was in Ephrata didn't look like such a good one now.
"This woman came to town looking for you-” she began.
"What woman? Why was she looking for me?"
"I'm trying to tell you.” She put her hands on her knees and took a deep breath, willing herself to relax. “This woman, Neelie, came into Pins and Needles. At first, she just said she was looking for you. We-Aunt Beth and I-told her you weren't here. She asked us about a hotel and left."
"Is she the one who grabbed your phone?” Aiden asked, his voice still too loud.
"The Threads are upstairs,” Harriet pleaded.
"I don't care,” he said, louder than before. “It's my house. Or, at least, I thought it was."
She knew it was his lack of sleep talking, but it still hurt.
"The next day,” she continued, “she showed up here. She claimed the baby she had with her was her sister's and that her sister had asked her to bring the baby to you."
"Why would her sister send her baby to me?” he interrupted.
"Aiden, I don't know why any of this happened. I didn't tell you this because I thought you already had so much to deal with, and you couldn't do anything about it until you were back anyway."
"So, she came to my house with the baby…” He made a rolling motion with his hand.
"She said she didn't have any money for a hotel, so we assumed she didn't have money for formula or milk, either.” Harriet paused. “Then she had some sort of episode. She's a diabetic, but she wouldn't admit it. She got sort of faint. I gave her orange juice, and she perked up. Anyway, we didn't know what to do-"
"I told her she could stay here,” Carla said. Neither one had seen her come down the servant's stairs. Kissa was perched on her hip. “She was starving the baby."
She set the empty bottle in her hand on the counter. Kissa started fussing, and Carla jiggled her gently. As she turned to take a seat, Aiden got his first look at Kissa's face and her pale-blue eyes.
His reaction was palpable. His face froze then turned an angry red.
"You thought this was my baby?” he hissed.
"We didn't know,” Harriet said in a quiet voice.
"What? You thought I got a woman in Africa pregnant and then just left?"
"We assumed you didn't know about it."
"But you assumed I could have."
"Aiden, we didn't know what to think. This woman showed up, said her sister died and that she'd brought you a baby at her sister's request. What were we supposed to think?"
"You let some strange woman and her baby into my house without even asking me?” he shouted as he stormed across the kitchen, stopping inches from her.
Aunt Beth and Mavis came down the servant's stairs.
"You lower your voice, young man,” Aunt Beth commanded.
"And back off,” Mavis added.
Aiden strode to the back door, running an angry hand through his hair.
"I've got to check on my patients,” he said in a low voice. “And I want everyone out of here before I get back.” He slammed the door as he went out.
The women stared after him, and then all started to speak at once.
"He's tired and stressed,” Aunt Beth said.
"And I'm sure he'll see the sense of what we did when he's had time to think about it,” Mavis agreed.
Harriet put a hand on each of their arms and nodded toward Carla. Tears were running down the young woman's face.
"What am I going to do?” she blubbered.
"Oh, honey, he didn't mean you,” Mavis soothed.
"He's exhausted and angry, so he's lashing out at Mavis and I and Harriet,” Beth said. “I'm sure he wasn't talking about you."
"He's so angry,” Carla said, her tears slowing.
"He needs you to take care of Randy. And to cook and shop for him,” Harriet reminded her. “I'm sure he didn't mean you. He was talking about the rest of the Loose Threads. It's me he's mad at. I could have warned him, and I didn't, and I told you not to. I'll make sure he understands that."
Aunt Beth handed Carla a tissue. Mavis held her arms out.
"Give me that baby. I'll take her up to the nursery and sit with her while you pull yourself together."
Carla handed the now-sleeping baby to her, and Mavis climbed back up the servant's stairs.
"Connie is up in the parlor with Wendy,” Lauren said as she came in from the dining room. “I told Sarah and Jenny the meeting was over, and they should leave."
Robin followed her. “I'm going to go over to the hospital and see what I can find out about Neelie."
"Good idea,” Harriet said. “Let us know if you hear anything that could help explain all this."
Robin left the way she'd come, and Harriet watched her and Sarah and Jenny get into their cars and pull out of the driveway.
Connie came down the back stairs with Wendy.
"Mavis and I were talking upstairs. We were thinking it might be a good idea if Carla and the two babies come to my house for lunch and dinner and maybe even stay the night. Just to give Aiden time to cool down and come to his senses. I have a crib and high chair, and we can bring the portable crib from here."
"That's not a bad idea,” Beth said. “What do you think?” she asked Harriet.
"I agree. A little peace and quiet might do him some good. But what do I know? I thought keeping him in the dark about Neelie was a good idea."
"Is that self-pity I hear?” Aunt Beth chided. “The boy is overwhelmed. Let's give him some space, let him get some rest and then see where we are."
"I'll go up and pack,” Carla said in a small voice and stood up.
Aunt Beth put her arm around the young woman's thin shoulders.
"Don't worry, we'll get this sorted out. You're going to be fine. Aiden isn't going to put you out on the street. He was just taken by surprise with Neelie being here and all."
"I'll go feed Randy,” Harriet said, and went out the back door without waiting for agreement from anyone. She felt like she might vomit and didn't want to do it in front of her friends.
She stopped as soon as she was out of sight of the kitchen, leaning against the back corner of the garage. She took a deep breath, trying to regain control. She'd never had a man, or anyone else, for that matter, display such naked emotion in front of her, and it had shaken her to her core. And it had never occurred to her she might cause Carla to lose her job.