Still badly shaken and somewhat dazed, Old Cliff stepped out of the Mercedes-Benz that took him home.
Mary, who was waiting anxiously for her husband on their porch, had already stood up when she saw the Benz coming towards their house.
Her gaze moved from her husband to the young man coming outside from the driver's side.
"Cliff, what…?"
As if he had just realised where he was, Old Cliff looked up sharply at the sound of his wife's voice.
"Mary! Oh, sweet God! Mary, ah!" A movement behind his wife caught his gaze as she rushed down the porch steps.
As if Cliff had seen a ghost, his eyes widened and his hand shook as he pointed at the clueless children who were seated with Mary before the car arrived. "These poor kids. Oh, what will we…?"
"Cliff!" Mary spoke a bit urgently as she reached her husband and held his forearms, so he could look at her.
Neighbours who had heard Cliff's exclamation had started coming out of their homes.
After all, they had all been waiting for the news from the hospital.
"Kids, go inside, okay?" Mary said this to Allysyn and Junior.
"But grandma…"
Allysyn pulled her brother inside with her and shut the door behind them.
"I am sorry, Mary. I shouldn't scare those kids like that," Cliff said.
"What happened? Where is the truck? Where is Ruth?" Mary asked, looking from Cliff to the man who had walked up to them.
"I am Doctor Murphy, ma'am. I think your husband is still pretty shaken, ma. Though we have given him something to calm his nerves, he will still need some rest. He couldn't drive the truck back; that is why I brought him back."
"Why? Is the baby fine?" Mary asked urgently.
"I am sorry, but the baby died, ma'am. She was dead before she got to the hospital. There was nothing we could do for her."
"The baby died?" Mary asked in shock.
The people around them expressed their shock and grief in varying displays.
Some of them held their hands to their heads in exclamation, while others looked around as if searching for Ruth, so they could console her.
"Oh, poor Ruth! What must she be thinking now?!" Mary exclaimed in pain as she automatically looked behind her to be sure the kids were not still lurking around.
"Ruth? Ruth cannot think of anything! She cannot think anything at all! She died with the baby. She jumped out of the truck and died with the baby! That damned truck! It chose a damn fine time to stop working!"
"What are you talking about?" Mary asked in fear and hope.
Hope that what Cliff said was not true.
Fear that she had heard him right.
The doctor quickly walked towards the house and carried Cliff's favourite porch chair.
"Here, sir. I need you to sit down and calm down," he said compassionately.
"Is it true?"
"Ruth is dead?"
"Did I just hear that Ruth is dead?"
Chorus and whispers from the neighbours as people who were just joining them asked curiously to be sure they heard right.
"Unfortunately, he is right. There was an accident at the hospital and she didn't survive it. I am so sorry." said the doctor.
He couldn't say more than that when cries and tears of loss began to circulate among Ruth Lanoth's neighbours.
All grievances and old grudges were forgotten when it dawned on the residents of McColins Avenue that they would never see their longtime neighbour alive again.
*******
"They say Grandma is dead. When will she bring Leah home?"
"Ssh!" Allysyn said to Thomas Junior as she dialled their dad's number again.
They had been right behind the door earlier, and they heard everything they were saying outside.
They ran towards the kitchen when they heard the doctor's footsteps.
Once they were sure that nobody was entering the house, Allysyn ignored Junior's request that they should go back to the door.
Instead, she started calling her father's number with renewed determination shining in her pale blue eyes.
"The number you dialled is switched off, please..."
"They are lying. They are lying," Allysyn was repeating as she disconnected the call and dialled it again.
"I will get Dad. Dad will come, and he will bring Grandma and Leah home. They will all see."
She was muttering with determination as she dialled the number over and over again, while her brother looked on with curiosity.
Then suddenly, she stopped and looked at the unlocked screen door that led from the kitchen to the back of the house.
A thought occurred to her, and she said to Junior. "Let's go."
"To listen at the door?" Junior asked in anticipation.
"No, dummy. We have to find Dad. We have to tell him and he will bring Leah home. I know where to find him," she explained hurriedly.
Thomas scrunched up his nose in thought and nodded as if he could see the wisdom of what his sister was saying.
Then his mouth thinned peevishly. "I am not a du…"
"Let's go," Allysyn said as she grabbed his hand anxiously.
"Should we tell Mary?" he asked as he followed her towards the back door.
"No, she will stop us. Now keep quiet," Allysyn said as she carefully opened the door and nodded for Junior to pass.
The ball in Junior's hand fell inside just as he was stepping out.
They both froze and waited to see if the sound would attract the grownups.
When nobody came bursting through the door, Allysyn quickly hurried out after Junior.
"My b…"
"Sshh!"
*************
It didn't take long for Dr. Murphy to realise that he couldn't give them the additional information he had at that moment.
As grief overwhelmed everyone around him and Cliff and Mary held each other in their grief, he decided to leave first.
The next day was early enough to talk about the family coming to claim the bodies and all that.
So he gave Cliff his card and left the sombre atmosphere behind.
As he drove through the close-knit neighbourhood, he wondered how it must feel to live in a place where everyone knew what was going on with each other.
A place where everyone grieved as if they were all one extended family was a thing of marvel to him.
Dr. Murphy had seen death before in his short career, but he was certain that he would not forget the one that happened that day.
He could still see some people hurrying out of their homes and heading in the direction he was coming from.
Just as he was about to get out of the street, a movement to his right caught his attention.
It was two kids walking briskly down the road.
The girl had the boy's hand in a viselike hold and the boy was the only one who looked back at the approaching car.
The girl must have said something to him because he immediately turned his face away.
A small smile showed on Dr. Murphy's face, as that reminded him of his sister.
He automatically thought that things like kids walking on the street at night must be common in a neighbourhood like this.
Maybe their mother was at the house that he had just left, and they were going to meet her.
But then he thought of the fact that they were not heading in the direction of the house but away from it.
That made him slow down.
His phone started ringing just as he called out to them, and they ignored him.
"Shit," he said as he saw the number and remembered something.
He picked up immediately with an apology "Marjorie, I am so sorry."
"Killian, you forgot our dinner again. Is this another work thing?" a disappointed voice said through the phone.
"No, no, I am so sorry! I am on my way right now. Wait for me, okay? Please wait. I promise I will make it up to you. Just hold on."
He hastily disconnected the call and sped off to meet his fiancée.
The two kids quickly walked away from the street.