SquidgeWorld Archive

Vignettes: An 'official' Baby Singer story
By Michele Savage

DECEMBER 5, 1941

Hilary lay on the couch in the green room and listened to both the sounds coming from the radio and the soft breathing from the cradle next to her. She smiled and glanced at the baby sleeping peacefully. It had only been three weeks since Elizabeth was born, but Hilary had insisted on coming to work with Jeffrey.

He tried to talk her out of it saying she'd be more comfortable at home, but Hilary countered that she could just as easily rest at WENN as she could at home. In the end, she'd made him a deal. She and Elizabeth would go to the station, but she'd promised to stay off the air and in the green room. Resting.

Going stir crazy. And listening to Maple attempt Elizabeth Marlowe's accent was not helping. Having heard enough, Hilary reached back and switched off the radio. She picked up another magazine and flipped through it for the third time. Setting it onto the table, she eased herself off the couch and decided to get a little exercise by walking to Gertie's phone station and picking up her mail.

"Hilary, I've been told by Jeff to make sure you don't leave the green room." Gertie told her halfheartedly while handing her a mix of envelopes and boxes.

"Gertie, if I stay in the green room any longer the walls are going to start talking to me." Hilary smiled and sat on the couch across from Gertie's desk.

Gertie noncommittally acknowledged the statement and turned back to her own work.

Hilary sorted through a stack of envelopes. She & Jeff were getting quite a few congratulatory cards and gifts for the baby from their fans. Mostly baby clothes. Some of their sponsors had even surprised them with gifts. Broome Brothers had given them the cradle Elizabeth was sleeping in now. Even the Foxx's had given them a year supply of Midas Touch baby lotion. That particular gift had surprised Hilary. Mrs. Foxx still wasn't speaking to her. Hilary smiled remembering the broadcast in which Mackie, Jeff and herself tried to out kill each other. She decided that 'Pinky' must have given the gift without his wife's knowledge. Apparently Mr. Foxx does a lot of things without his wife's knowledge.

"Anything interesting?" Gertie asked, her curiosity getting the better of her.

Hilary opened another envelope with a box and was very surprised when she saw the signature. "Grace Cavendish?" She read the note aloud, "Congratulations to both of you. Your baby couldn't have asked for better parents. I honestly mean it, Hilary. I know you won't want to accept this gift, but please do so. "

Hilary opened the box, and was surprised to find a sterling silver baby comb and brush set, engraved with Elizabeth's initials.

"Those are beautiful." Gertie commented. "Are you going to keep them?"

"I shouldn't." Hilary commented smartly, "But I will for the baby." She smiled, "I'll just make Jeffrey write the thank you note." Hilary stood and handed Gertie the box to put with the rest of the cards and gifts. "I should get back into the green room before I'm spotted." She told the older woman and walked down the hall.

She walked through the door and heard Elizabeth starting to work up a cry. She leaned over the cradle and tenderly picked up her daughter. "Did you think mama left you?" she cooed to the baby as she walked to the refrigerator for a bottle. She was warming the milk when Jeff and Maple came in the room laughing.

"There's my little pumpkin." Jeff said in his best 'proud poppa' voice and took the baby from Hilary.

"What is it about babies that turns men into goo?" Maple asked, watching Jeff make faces at an only slightly interested Elizabeth.

Hilary tested the milk on her wrist and smiled, "I don't know," she handed the bottle to Jeff and sat whispering conspiratorially to Maple, "but I wish they'd tell us grown women"

"Trust me darling, neither you nor Maple need any help." Jeff said, adding his opinion to their conversation.

"Flattery, Jeff, will get you nowhere with me." Maple retorted. "When Hilary's in the room," she added with a smile.

Hilary chuckled sarcastically. "Maple, do remember that Elizabeth doesn't speak in that heavy an English accent," she retorted.

"Hilary, I am sorry I can't imitate your voice." Maple apologized dramatically.

Hilary smiled and calmly replied, "You should be, dear."

"Ladies." Jeff cut into the sniping conversation. "See what I put up with everyday, Bethie?" He softly told the baby who grasped his finger against the bottle she was drinking.

"You gladly put up with it." Maple noted.

He looked at Hilary and smiled. "I . . . put up with it," he said with a wink.

DECEMBER 7TH, 1941

Hilary pressed the back of a hand to her mouth to cover a yawn. One doesn't get much sleep with a three week old baby. She heard Jeffrey outside relieving the sidewalk of three inches of snow that had fallen overnight. Shivering slightly, she made sure the baby was covered warmly.

The radio was playing softly in the background. She thought she heard Enid mispronounce something and made a mental note to give her some hints on pronunciation. Not that she'd actually tell anyone, but she had taken Enid Fairleigh under her wing, and made sure she had a steady job at WENN on the weekends. She was a very good actress and Hilary knew she'd go far someday.

She heard Elizabeth start to stir and went to pick her up. "Come on sweetheart, Mama's got you."

Hearing a startled "oh, my god." from the radio, Hilary froze. *Something's wrong.* She could hear paper shuffling in the background and harried movement. She was surprised to hear the next voice. Scott Sherwood.

*What's he doing there on a Sunday?* He sounded upset. -That- was unusual.

"Folks . . . um . . . I'm sorry to interrupt Calico Jones . . . I'm afraid I have bad news. The . . .um . . . Japanese have bombed Pearl Harbor. . . "

Holding the baby closely, Hilary rushed to the front door and opened it, the cold air hitting her sharply. "Jeffrey!" She moved back and grabbed a baby blanket off the couch, throwing it over Elizabeth's tiny head. Going back to the door, she repeated her call.

He rushed up the porch stairs and tossed the snow shovel aside. "What's wrong," he asked, worry in his voice.

"They've bombed Hawaii." She said, stunned.

She moved so he could come into the house. He pulled off his gloves and turned up the radio. By then WENN had switched to the local news affiliate and was relaying the network news feed. Absently, Jeff draped an arm over Hilary's shoulders and pulled his family close.

"Ooh, cold." Hilary muttered, as she leaned against the damp winter coat he still wore.

"Sorry." He opened the coat and enveloped both she and the baby inside the warmth. "Better?"

"Mmmm " Hilary leaned her head back against her husband's chest. She had a feeling she knew what was going through his mind as he listened to recorded reports from Honolulu. You could hear the chaos and random explosions.

"Mittens. Is this what it was like . . . listening to the London broadcast? Could you hear the bombs?"

Hilary closed her eyes to the memory. It was one she didn't like reliving. But he deserved the answer. "Yes. And no. Mackie said you could hear the bombs. The only thing I heard . . . was the fear in your voice."

Elizabeth chose that moment to remind her parents that she was not being paid attention to. She started crying in earnest sensing something was wrong. Hilary pulled the blanket from over her and nuzzled her closely, whispering soothing words.

"Lives end. Lives begin." Jeff said softly, holding both his wife and daughter tighter. He lowered his head against Hilary's. "I never expected this to happen here."

Hilary turned within his embrace, and looked into his eyes. "No one ever expects it to happen to them."

Jeff kissed Hilary's forehead and told her, "Darling, I promise you . . . and Bethie that I'll do everything in my power to prevent that from happening -here- in Pittsburgh."

Hilary stiffened in his arms. "What are you saying?"

He walked to the couch and took off his coat. "Thanks to the Japanese this country is probably in the war now. I've got to do my part."

"Your part?" Hilary lay the baby down in the cradle. "Jeffrey, was one bomb falling on your head not enough?"

"What kind of father would I be if I didn't fight to give my child the future she deserves," he argued.

"What kind of future would she have -without- her father?" Hilary started to gather some things for the baby and put them into the big bag that Betty had given her. "Elizabeth needs her father." She zipped the bag then looked back at Jeff. "I need her father," She admitted, much easier than she ever could before.

"I'll . . . I can't promise I won't go." He compromised for the moment. "Hilary what are you doing?"

"I thought we'd go to the station; see if they need any help. Their day suddenly got busier."

"That's a good idea." He agreed and picked up the phone to call a taxi.

They dropped the subject of Jeff enlisting for the time being and bundled Elizabeth up for the trip to the station. Jeff made sure Hilary was extra bundled as well. She hid it, but he knew she was still feeling the after effects of giving birth. She'd only argue if he called her on it, so he settled for keeping an eye on her and making sure she didn't overdo anything.

"Promise me you'll rest while we are at work." Jeff asked her during the taxi ride.

"Promise me you won't enlist." She retorted.

Jeff sighed, "Let's not start that again."

*******************

The Singer family walked into WENN and straight into Mackie Bloom, who was hanging his coat on the rack behind the reception wall.

"Mackie, what are you doing here?" Jeff asked.

"Same thing you are, I guess. I heard . . . the news, and wandered in here to see if there was anything I can do. Everyone else had the same idea, I just saw Betty go flying around the corner."

"Hiya kiddo." Mackie said to Elizabeth. "Here let me hold her while you take your coat off," he offered to Hilary, who handed him the baby. He looked at her sleeping face, "You're the lucky one Elizabeth. You get to sleep innocently through all this tragedy while your Mama and Papa, and all your aunts and uncles here have to deal with it."

Hilary glared at Jeff and shoved her coat at him, then stormed off to the green room. Mackie looked from the baby to Hilary then to Jeff. "What? Was it something I said?"

"I'm thinking of enlisting if Roosevelt declares war." Jeff explained.

"Jeff, are you crazy?" Mackie said, surprised. "You've already been in this war -and- have the battle scars to prove it."

"I have a family to protect."

"You can't protect them if you're dead." Mackie handed the baby to Jeff. "Can you honestly look at that sweet face and want to miss her growing into a beautiful young woman? Think about that, won't you." Leaving his friend with the thought, Mackie went to look for something to help with.

Jeff walked to Gertie's empty chair and sat. "Bethie, what do you think daddy should do?" He smiled when she hiccuped in her sleep. He thought, while watching her, about what Mackie said and saw in his mind Elizabeth getting ready for her first date. He imagined she'd look a lot like her mother. Her auburn hair curled and done just right. He smiled when he thought that Hilary would be fussing over her and driving her crazy. "Elizabeth, do stand up straight!" He realized that he did want to see that.

Hilary walked out of the green room and spotted him at the end of the hall. "I wondered where you two had gotten to." She said walking towards them.

"We were just having a father/daughter chat."

Hilary leaned against the switchboard. "Oh?" Anything important?"

He smiled, "Yes, don't fuss over her when she's getting ready for her first date."

She laughed lightly.

"You know what I'm talking about." She told him, setting her hand on his shoulder.

His smile faded into a serious look. "Unless I'm drafted, I won't go."

Hilary breathed a large sigh of relief. "Thank you, Pumpkin."

"Don't thank me. Thank the little pumpkin." He grinned mischievously, "She convinced me that I had to stick around to save her from her mother's fussing."

Hilary crossed her arms and returned his grin. "Jeffrey Jeffrey Jeffrey. You are a glutton for punishment."

He stood and said in a lowered voice, "is that a promise or a threat?"

She just smiled, humoring him.

"Everyone is in the green room, listening to the radio." She said, seriousness returning.

He followed her back into the green room and acknowledged the round of 'hi's' from everyone. After laying Elizabeth in the small cradle, Jeff sat with Hilary on the couch. The news was still on, and nterspersed with replays of the air raid, the commentators were speaking now to shocked survivors.

Jeff slid his hand into Hilary's needing her warmth. Listening to the bombing was harder than he'd realized it would be. Images of London kept flashing through his mind. The whistling. The explosions. Victor. The air raid sirens. The explosions.

Hilary knew Jeff was in trouble when he squeezed her hand so hard she thought he'd break it. She looked at him and saw his eyes were clenched shut. He jumped at a particularly loud blast from the radio.

When he jumped, her first instinct was to reach over and turn off the radio. But that would gain everyone's attention in a hurry. Her next thought was to get Jeff out of the room. She turned to him and rubbed his cheek softly, the way she always did in times like these.

Gently, she turned his face toward her. "Jeffrey. Pumpkin, open your eyes." She whispered. "You're in the green room, you're home."

Slowly, as if he was afraid to believe her, Jeff opened his eyes.

"Hi." She smiled, "see, you're home. What you are hearing is on the radio."

"I can't breathe." He muttered.

"We're leaving the room." She stood and pulled Jeff off the couch and led him through the swinging door.

She sat him on the couch in reception, and pulled her still tightly held hand from his. She flexed the fingers, wincing a bit when the feeling came back. "Okay, the sounds are gone. Take deep even breaths."

He did as he was told and found he was starting to feel better. Jeff leaned his head against the wall, "I'm sorry, Hilary."

"You have no need to apologize." She replied. "Let me get you a drink of water. I'll be right back."

She walked around the corner, still flexing her hand. She looked it over and noticed she'd probably have a bruise where her wedding ring had dug into her little finger. She'd keep it hidden of course; it would break his heart to know he'd hurt her. Yet again cursing the senselessness of the war, she pushed the green room door open slightly and called for Betty.

"Is Jeff okay?" The slight woman asked quietly, holding the door open.

"Yes. Old . . . memories surfaced." Hilary told her, knowing Betty knew what she meant.

Betty nodded, understanding. She thought of Victor, in that hospital and wondered what kind of stories his dreams and nightmares told him.

"Do me a favor, Betty, and listen for Elizabeth, please."

"Sure. Take your time." Betty smiled, "She's in plenty good hands."

"Thank you." Hilary returned the smile and walked over to the water cooler. She filled a cup with water for Jeff and took it to him.

"Feeling better?" she asked, handing him the cup then sitting down next to him.

He nodded and took a drink. "I just . . . started seeing images. Will . . . is it ever going to go away?"

"In time, my love," she took his free hand into hers. "In time."

Finis . . . for now