This excerpt is roughly the first two pages of They See a Family. I do not generally enjoy sad books myself. Though this book begins with tragedy, it is not intended to be a complete tear-jerker. The main character, Kay, is fairly inexperienced with babies. I tried to use that to set the mood as more overwhelming than sad. The tone gradually lifts, if I did it right, and is primarily a love story. But it isn’t just the story of Kay and William. It is about the two of them falling for the babies, too.
From the book:
Kay was babysitting when she got the call. She needed to get to the hospital. But she was babysitting. She had no car seats for the little ones. She couldn’t drive to the hospital without car seats. Her first thought was to go to the store on the way so she could buy car seats. But she couldn’t drive to the store either. Her brain swirled around what seemed an impossible problem. She couldn’t leave home without car seats, and she couldn’t get car seats without leaving home.
It couldn’t be real. Kay felt overpowered by the situation and needed someone to rescue her. William. William could bring her car seats. She fished in her purse for her phone while the infant in her other arm began to fuss. “Shh,” she whispered. “I’m gonna take care of both of you. Just hang on a minute.” She lightly bounced her arm up and down as she waited for William to answer.
“Kay. How’d the babysitting go?”
“I need help.”
“Two under two is a bit much to handle, huh?”
“No, I really need help. They were in an accident. I need to go to the hospital, but I don’t have car seats. Can you go to the store and buy car seats and bring them to me? I’ll pay you back.”
“Whoa. Slow down.” His tone became serious and businesslike. “Rob and Beth were in an accident?”
“Yeah. I need to go, and I’m stuck here with the babies.”
“Couldn’t I just come over and watch them for you?”
“No. No, I need to take them because…” She couldn’t say it. She couldn’t say out loud that when her sister found out her husband was dead – if she didn’t know already – she would need to hold her babies. They would get her through this. “I just need car seats.”
“How old are they exactly?”
“Two months and thirteen months.”
“Two months and thirteen months.” William seemed to be repeating the ages to commit them to memory. “Okay. I’ll call Annie from the store. She can tell me what you need. I’ll be there as soon as I can.”
“Thanks.” Kay hung up and dropped her phone on the counter. Pete had worked himself into a full wail while they talked. She pulled him into her chest and held him. “Time for that bottle Mommy left for you.” She pulled the bottle from the fridge and gave it a little shake. The milk had separated somewhat.
“Here we go.” She sat with Pete on her couch and positioned him in the crook of her arm. His brother, Will, was sitting on the floor playing with the laces on a pair of Kay’s shoes. She held the nipple in his mouth, wiggling it against his bottom lip, and he continued to cry. “Here it is,” she whispered soothingly.
He turned his head away and cried harder.
“Oh, you’re used to it warm, aren’t you? Sorry, sweetie, I’m a little scattered at the moment. I know I should warm it.” Kay shook her head, trying to focus, as she returned to the kitchen. Beth had said something about not putting it in the microwave. Kay turned hot water on at the sink and held the bottle under it.
Will crawled after her to see what was going on. She smiled at him, he smiled back. Then she put her attention on the bottle. She was trying to calm Pete with some jiggles, and it wasn’t doing any good. Every time she pulled the bottle out of the stream of water, the milk inside seemed just as cold as when she started.
A whimper made her look back at Will. His face was scrunched up in the beginning of a cry. For no reason she could see. “No.” Kay shook her head. “Don’t cry. Everything’s fine. There’s no reason to cry.” She offered him an encouraging smile.
Apparently, he didn’t believe her because he burst into real tears. And why should he believe her? She was lying to him. Everything wasn’t fine. His father was dead. His life was forever changed. His aunt was incapable of even warming up a bottle. Between the two crying babies and the rushing water, Kay felt everything in her already tiny apartment begin to shrink. No wonder Beth had looked so happy when she left for a night out.
Kay took a deep breath. She shut off the water and set down the bottle. She crouched on the floor and patted Will’s back. She couldn’t pick them both up without risking dropping one. Will settled somewhat with the attention. She looked desperately around the room for something to entertain him, something that would keep him busy while she figured out how to feed the smaller baby.
Perhaps he’d like to bang on a pot. She reached over and opened a lower cabinet. Before she could pull out a pot, Will’s little hands slapped across the floor to grab the door. He sat up and opened and closed it several times as though it was the most fascinating thing he’d ever seen. All the cabinets at Rob and Beth’s house had latches. There probably was some novelty to doors that opened freely.
How much time it would give her to deal with Pete she didn’t know. She picked up the bottle again. It seemed to have at least gotten to room temperature. Maybe that was good enough. She held the nipple in Pete’s mouth and moved it around, trying to get him to start sucking. He was frantic and still ignoring the food.
She set the bottle down yet again and tipped Pete up to her shoulder and bounced him as she walked in a circle. Surely he’d take the bottle if she could get him to calm down a little first. He did begin to quiet and soon she realized he had cried himself to sleep. That was fine. The bottle could wait. But should it wait in the refrigerator? Kay didn’t want to have to start over warming it. How long could it sit out and not spoil? Beth referred to breast milk as liquid gold. That felt appropriate as Kay looked at less than four ounces of milk and knew it was the only thing in her entire place she could feed to her nephew.
Maybe she should have asked William to buy formula, too. Maybe they should get some on the way to the hospital. Kay didn’t know anything about Beth’s injuries. What if she’d been given medication that would prevent her from nursing? They should buy formula just in case. At least that would come with instructions.
Will had moved on to another cupboard to see if it opened, too. Kay’s kitchen was peaceful for the moment. She closed her eyes in prayer. “Please, God, let Beth be okay. Help her to cope with this loss. Give me the strength to help her. She won’t be alone with these babies. We’ll both help her.”
From the book:
Kay was babysitting when she got the call. She needed to get to the hospital. But she was babysitting. She had no car seats for the little ones. She couldn’t drive to the hospital without car seats. Her first thought was to go to the store on the way so she could buy car seats. But she couldn’t drive to the store either. Her brain swirled around what seemed an impossible problem. She couldn’t leave home without car seats, and she couldn’t get car seats without leaving home.
It couldn’t be real. Kay felt overpowered by the situation and needed someone to rescue her. William. William could bring her car seats. She fished in her purse for her phone while the infant in her other arm began to fuss. “Shh,” she whispered. “I’m gonna take care of both of you. Just hang on a minute.” She lightly bounced her arm up and down as she waited for William to answer.
“Kay. How’d the babysitting go?”
“I need help.”
“Two under two is a bit much to handle, huh?”
“No, I really need help. They were in an accident. I need to go to the hospital, but I don’t have car seats. Can you go to the store and buy car seats and bring them to me? I’ll pay you back.”
“Whoa. Slow down.” His tone became serious and businesslike. “Rob and Beth were in an accident?”
“Yeah. I need to go, and I’m stuck here with the babies.”
“Couldn’t I just come over and watch them for you?”
“No. No, I need to take them because…” She couldn’t say it. She couldn’t say out loud that when her sister found out her husband was dead – if she didn’t know already – she would need to hold her babies. They would get her through this. “I just need car seats.”
“How old are they exactly?”
“Two months and thirteen months.”
“Two months and thirteen months.” William seemed to be repeating the ages to commit them to memory. “Okay. I’ll call Annie from the store. She can tell me what you need. I’ll be there as soon as I can.”
“Thanks.” Kay hung up and dropped her phone on the counter. Pete had worked himself into a full wail while they talked. She pulled him into her chest and held him. “Time for that bottle Mommy left for you.” She pulled the bottle from the fridge and gave it a little shake. The milk had separated somewhat.
“Here we go.” She sat with Pete on her couch and positioned him in the crook of her arm. His brother, Will, was sitting on the floor playing with the laces on a pair of Kay’s shoes. She held the nipple in his mouth, wiggling it against his bottom lip, and he continued to cry. “Here it is,” she whispered soothingly.
He turned his head away and cried harder.
“Oh, you’re used to it warm, aren’t you? Sorry, sweetie, I’m a little scattered at the moment. I know I should warm it.” Kay shook her head, trying to focus, as she returned to the kitchen. Beth had said something about not putting it in the microwave. Kay turned hot water on at the sink and held the bottle under it.
Will crawled after her to see what was going on. She smiled at him, he smiled back. Then she put her attention on the bottle. She was trying to calm Pete with some jiggles, and it wasn’t doing any good. Every time she pulled the bottle out of the stream of water, the milk inside seemed just as cold as when she started.
A whimper made her look back at Will. His face was scrunched up in the beginning of a cry. For no reason she could see. “No.” Kay shook her head. “Don’t cry. Everything’s fine. There’s no reason to cry.” She offered him an encouraging smile.
Apparently, he didn’t believe her because he burst into real tears. And why should he believe her? She was lying to him. Everything wasn’t fine. His father was dead. His life was forever changed. His aunt was incapable of even warming up a bottle. Between the two crying babies and the rushing water, Kay felt everything in her already tiny apartment begin to shrink. No wonder Beth had looked so happy when she left for a night out.
Kay took a deep breath. She shut off the water and set down the bottle. She crouched on the floor and patted Will’s back. She couldn’t pick them both up without risking dropping one. Will settled somewhat with the attention. She looked desperately around the room for something to entertain him, something that would keep him busy while she figured out how to feed the smaller baby.
Perhaps he’d like to bang on a pot. She reached over and opened a lower cabinet. Before she could pull out a pot, Will’s little hands slapped across the floor to grab the door. He sat up and opened and closed it several times as though it was the most fascinating thing he’d ever seen. All the cabinets at Rob and Beth’s house had latches. There probably was some novelty to doors that opened freely.
How much time it would give her to deal with Pete she didn’t know. She picked up the bottle again. It seemed to have at least gotten to room temperature. Maybe that was good enough. She held the nipple in Pete’s mouth and moved it around, trying to get him to start sucking. He was frantic and still ignoring the food.
She set the bottle down yet again and tipped Pete up to her shoulder and bounced him as she walked in a circle. Surely he’d take the bottle if she could get him to calm down a little first. He did begin to quiet and soon she realized he had cried himself to sleep. That was fine. The bottle could wait. But should it wait in the refrigerator? Kay didn’t want to have to start over warming it. How long could it sit out and not spoil? Beth referred to breast milk as liquid gold. That felt appropriate as Kay looked at less than four ounces of milk and knew it was the only thing in her entire place she could feed to her nephew.
Maybe she should have asked William to buy formula, too. Maybe they should get some on the way to the hospital. Kay didn’t know anything about Beth’s injuries. What if she’d been given medication that would prevent her from nursing? They should buy formula just in case. At least that would come with instructions.
Will had moved on to another cupboard to see if it opened, too. Kay’s kitchen was peaceful for the moment. She closed her eyes in prayer. “Please, God, let Beth be okay. Help her to cope with this loss. Give me the strength to help her. She won’t be alone with these babies. We’ll both help her.”
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