...continued from previous page

Everything was going fairly well, until three days before the greatly anticipated event. It all began when Sherri checked Eliza, who was sleeping contentedly in the bassinet that the hotel had brought up for the baby.

"She feels warm," muttered Sherri, placing her hand on the baby's forehead. "I think something is wrong. Would you go get my Mom, Charlie?"

The teenager ran into the hall and quickly located Aunt Angela, intently debating with Shirley over some seating arrangement on the reception chart.

"Aunt Angela?" said Charlie, running up to the two women, while Vera stood nearby. "Sherri wants you! Something might be wrong with the baby!"

Aunt Angela quickly left, with the other women following on her heels. They found Sherri standing over Eliza's bassinet with a concerned look on her face.

"Mom," said Sherri, "Eliza's awfully warm. I think she has a fever."

Aunt Angela felt the baby's face and nodded her head in agreement.

"Calm down, Sherri," said the mother, "it's probably just a little cold."

As the evening wore on, little Eliza started coughing, and her eyes and nose began to run. Aunt Angela held fast to her diagnosis of a cold. Of course, Shirley had her own opinions and freely shared them with Aunt Angela, who politely and firmly refused to listen.

Vera, who wasn't willing to jump into the debate, moved Charlie into the same room as hers, just in case Eliza did have a cold.

"I don't want you getting sick," Vera said, checking her granddaughter's forehead. "Stay out of Sherri's room, and drink plenty of liquids. You hardly touched your dinner earlier, so I'm going to order room service. This time, I want you to eat! 'Feed a cold, starve a fever'-- that's what my mother always used to say."

The next morning, Charlie woke up feeling warm. She kept this from Vera, but when the sneezing and runny nose began later that day, Vera didn't need to be told what was going on.

"Maybe it's just a twenty-four hour virus," said Vera, hopefully. "I don't want you attending Sunday services, today. You need to stay in bed and get all the rest you can. My, my. What will go wrong next?"

A doctor was called in, for Charlie could not leave the hotel without being mobbed by Wallace Shipley fans. She was prescribed a medication that helped to alleviate the most obvious of cold symptoms, and given a throat spray that would shorten the duration of the ailment. Armed with these, Charlie began to feel more comfortable and confident that her wedding pictures would not show her with a red nose.

A day before the wedding, scores of guests flooded the ritzy hotel, as relatives from the Overholt and Clark sides of the family flew in for the big day. Executives from the recording label that handled Wallace Shipley's music also arrived, including music vendors, musician friends, and recording technicians. Then relatives from the Garner side of the family began to show up, along with old friends and acquaintances from Vera's past. The wedding of Wallace Shipley to Charlotte Overholt was such a publicized event, that it was hard to not include people who hoped that they would be invited. All in all, the wedding guests took up a good part of the hotel.

The bride's cold symptoms had eased off a little, making her feel pretty well, under the circumstances. Charlie was almost more excited than she could stand! Tomorrow she would marry Adam! It seemed too good to be true! The last of the wedding dress alterations were finally done, and the gown hung in careful readiness in the closet. Her wedding bouquet arrived from the florist, a beautiful arrangement of small pink roses-- her chosen color for the bridesmaid dresses. Maggie was to be Charlie's matron of honor, and Bill was going to be Adam's best man. The former would arrive early the next day, while the latter would fly in with Adam that evening on his private jet.

As evening approached, the young bride eagerly awaited Adam's arrival from her hotel bed. She had been much too excited to eat very much that day. Clinging to her satellite phone, Charlie waited breathlessly, while Vera knitted in a nearby chair, trying to contain her own excitement.

"He should be landing at the airport any minute now," said Charlie, checking the clock. "Adam promised to call as soon as he got in."

Just then, her phone rang. It was Adam.

continued on next page...

<< Love Stories Last PageLove Stories Next Page >>