Spring

A/N: The next chapter will be rated M for a flashback sequence...but I think it's a tasteful M (I AM a Catholic, after all). It's totally skipable if you wish. Also, I used the Metric system of weights (pounds instead of stone).

Winter was now giving way to spring. The early afternoon sun shone brightly on the sea outside Whipstaff. The snow had finally melted, and tufts of green grass and purple crocus popped up in the garden. In the kitchen, Kat McFadden stood poised as close to the kitchen counter as she could, as her burgeoning belly now protruded well past her feet. At six months pregnant, she had gained about 55 pounds, which only really showed in her legs and face. Nonetheless, Kat was unbothered by this fact. The only thing that had really irked her in the past month was that she had to drive ninety minutes to see her obstetrician, and the occasional return of the morning sickness she suffered throughout her first trimester. Now well into her second trimester, she and Casper had decided to keep the baby’s sex a secret until he or she arrived. As Kat began to halve an avocado for the salad she planned to eat for lunch, she began to wonder about what her husband was doing at that moment.

Three years ago, after he had become human again, Casper decided he had to find a job. When one had not set foot inside a school for over a hundred years, this would be a seemingly difficult task. However, Kat decided that would not be a problem. As Casper was revived at 18, he would be finished with high school. After harmlessly changing some dates on official records such as a permanent school record and birth certificate, Kat had made Casper go from grade six, the grade he was in at the time of his death, to grade twelve in a matter of minutes. Of course, Casper would need at least some of the knowledge that a student obtains in those formulative years, so Kat set about tutoring him on a daily basis, until finally his education was as good as hers. He was soon able to get a GED (General Education Development).

With his new knowledge firmly in place and a GED to flaunt, Casper was able to start looking for a job. After all, he had to provide for Kat somehow. Kat had decided at seventeen she wanted to follow her father in to the medical profession, and nursing seemed to be something everyone—she included—thought she’d be good at. Kat decided to go to Central Maine Community College, about an hour and a half away in Auburn. However, she was reluctant to leave Casper alone. One day, she offhandedly remarked to him that he could come with her—as a student. That way they could spend more time together, and Casper would be able to be better qualified for a job he actually wanted, rather than forced to take.

“C’mon, you’ll have fun! I promise,” said Kat.
“But…d’you really think I could?” asked Casper, unsure and doubting himself.
“I know you can,” she said, and gave him a peck on the cheek.

And with that, the young couple was off to school, Casper for the first time in decades. Casper decided he wanted to study architecture engineering, after spending years pouring over his father’s blueprints, and had even dabbled in carpentry for the Trio. Besides, Whipstaff needed several repairs…

Kat and Casper lived on campus in separate buildings, but spent time with each other as often as possible. Soon, two years had passed, and each had obtained associate degrees in their chosen fields. Kat got a job at a local hospital and Casper began work as an engineer for a local architectural firm. Both were able to work flexible schedules, earn good money, and were happy with the outcome. A year later they were married. And now, little by little, things were changing.

Later that night, once dinner had been eaten and house grew quiet, Casper and Kat laid in bed together. Kat was musing on recent events. The baby was conceived in October, would be born sometime in July, and it was now the middle of April. Would she be ready to be a mother? She had been forced to go through most of her life without her own mother, which was especially hard during her teenage years. Despite Dr. Harvey and Casper’s constant reassurance, Kat still had nagging doubts. “Casper?” she whispered through the darkness. “Yeah, babe? What’s the matter?” she heard him reply anxiously. She knew he had been trying to sleep, but from his tone he was now wide awake. “Something wrong?” he inquired. Concerned for Kat, he flipped on the lamp on the bedside table, which cast a warm glow about the room.

“D’you think I can do this? Am I ready for this?”

“Of course you are. I’ve told you so many times—you’ll be a wonderful mother. And you’ll have lots of help from me, your Dad, my—well, maybe not my Uncles. But you’ll have help. You don’t have to go through this alone.”

“I love you,” Kat said quietly, kissing him on the cheek.

“I love you, too.” Casper said, returning the affection.

He turned out the light, and a newly reassured Kat fell asleep.