A Baby by Easter (17 page)

“Yes. I'm fine.” Darla touched her hand. “Susannah, what's wrong?” She had to wait while Susannah worked her way through the pain before she could explain what was happening.

“I'm so sorry, Darla. I should never have brought you out here today.” She slid her seat all the way back and caressed her fingers over her stomach, breathing more normally as the skin grew less taut. “The baby's coming.”

“Now?” Darla's brown eyes widened.

“Pretty soon, I think.” Again she had to stop and work her way through another contraction. They were much closer together now. And getting stronger.

“We have to pray, Susannah,” Darla insisted. “We'll ask God to help us and help the baby. He loves us, Susannah. He knows about your baby and that we need help.”

“Just another thing I've messed up,” she muttered.

“God doesn't care about that. He always forgives, if we ask.” Darla closed her eyes and began to speak to her heavenly father, asking His help. Then she opened her eyes and smiled. “God loves children,” she said with supreme confidence. “In the Bible Jesus told his disciples they had to let the kids come to him. He won't let anything happen to your baby.”

Susannah wished she was as sure.

“I should never have waited so long,” she said, tears slipping down her cheeks as the pain began with renewed force. “How could I make such a stupid mistake?”

“I'm going to call for help.” Darla took Susannah's phone and dialed 911 and in a clear, precise voice told
the operator what was happening. “I can't stay on the phone,” she said. “I have to call my brother, Davy.”

Susannah didn't hear the rest of her conversation—she was too busy managing her breathing. When finally she was through the contraction, she heard Darla say, “Susannah is having her baby, Davy. We need help. Hurry, okay? Susannah's really scared. But I'm not. I prayed. Davy?” She frowned, shook the phone then held it out. “Something's wrong with it.”

“The battery is dead,” she explained after glancing at it. Terror clawed at Susannah's throat. What if something went wrong with the baby?

“Darla, I'm so sorry. I should have left earlier.” Susannah searched the girl's eyes, wondering if she would panic.

“It doesn't matter, Susannah. Davy will find us.” Darla used her scarf to dab some of the water from her bottle on her forehead.

“I hope somebody does. It will be dark in less than an hour. Ooh,” Susannah groaned, losing a bit of her focus as the pain grew.

Darla waited until the spasm was gone.

“I don't think you can have the baby sitting there, Susannah. I think you should get into the backseat.” She scooted out and around the car and in between huffing and puffing right along with Susannah, managed to get her lying in the rear seat. “Put your feet in my lap,” she ordered after she'd closed and locked the doors.

Susannah got caught up in another contraction but Darla was right there with her, encouraging her to follow her breathing pattern as they'd done so often in Lamaze.

“You're doing very well, Susannah,” she encouraged, smoothing back her hair as she spoke. “Don't be afraid. I
remember all the steps they said you have to go through before the baby comes. I'll help you.”

“I know you will, sweetie. You're a great help.”

She had Darla—and God. Trusting was so hard.

After several fierce contractions, Susannah was convinced her baby's birth was imminent. She had to count on Darla's help and she had to prepare her before things progressed any further.

“Listen to me, honey.”

“I'm listening.” Darla remained silent and attentive as Susannah explained what she'd need.

“Do you think you can do all that?” Susannah asked.

“Yes.” She nodded confidently and calmly. “I can do it. And I won't get scared, Susannah. I'll keep praying.” With that simple assurance, she began assessing their resources. “There's a blanket here. Mrs. Peters put it in last week. She thought it would be good for a picnic. And we have the water. Everything is going to be okay, Susannah.”

There was no other choice, Susannah realized. She had to trust that God loved her. In that moment she realized the truth of that Scripture verse David had written. God was working out a glorious purpose in her life. He'd helped her during the fire; He'd sent her to a good home to grow up in; He'd led her to David and Darla.

“Susannah?” Darla touched her hand, her wise eyes soft. “Are you okay?”

“I'm scared, Darla. What if something goes wrong? What if the baby needs help?” She wanted to trust, but she hurt so much and now the fears and worries she'd kept tamped down for so long rose in a tumult of terror. “What if I did something to hurt my baby? What if God is going to punish it because of me?”

“No, Susannah.” Darla shook her head firmly. “God
isn't like that. He loves us. That's all. Love.” She spread her hands.

And finally the truth penetrated to Susannah's heart. God was about forgiveness, not punishment. The guilt she felt, the condemnation she'd lived with for years—that didn't come from God. That was something she put on herself. She'd wanted her baby to be adopted because she was scared—scared to risk moving past the fear, scared to risk being hurt by loving David, scared to accept that she could be more than she'd allowed herself to dream of.

Susannah grabbed her purse and pulled out the note David had written.

It's in Christ that we find out who we are and what we are living for.

Doing things her way had resulted in nothing but trouble. Was she going to stay alone and afraid, and keep getting the same results? Or was she going to get some backbone, accept the love God offered and live her life in a newer, better way?

When she considered what was at stake, there was no contest.

“Please help me, God. Please help my baby. Please help Darla,” she whispered.

A wonderful sensation of warmth suffused her, as if someone had drawn her into warm sheltering arms.

“Oh!” Susannah groaned. “Darla, I think the baby is coming. I have to push.”

“That's okay,” Darla said with a grin. “I'm ready. I remember everything the lady said. Seventy two per cent of births have no complications. And besides, we have God helping.”

“Yes, we do,” Susannah cried. And then she pushed.

“O
h, Lord, be with them both.”

David wove in and out of traffic until he was free of the city. Then he barreled through the desert like a madman, desperate to get to Darla and Susannah. He'd wasted minutes trying to remember where they were going today, only recalling the desert museum when a frantic call to Connie had reminded him.

He still felt the shock of Darla's message. Why hadn't he answered the stupid phone, instead of letting the call go to messages? Was work so much more important than the two women in his life? Why hadn't he gone with them today?

A big lump of fear stuck in his throat as he tried again to reach their cell phone. There was still no answer. He'd contacted Susannah's doctor and received some assurance that labor in a first birth usually took its time. He could only pray that was true because he was afraid to envision anything else.

Darla had gone to the Lamaze classes. She'd regaled him with all the knowledge she'd learned. But she couldn't handle a birth. Not alone. And Susannah—this
was her first child. She'd be alone, afraid and worrying she'd made another bad decision.

If only he'd—no. David wasn't going to doubt. Susannah, her baby and Darla were all in God's hands. He had Wade, Jared and Connie praying. He had to trust that God would show him how to help the woman who held his heart in her delicate hands.

Ahead David saw the flash of lights signaling an ambulance. He swerved to the side of the road before he leaped out and sprinted across. His heart almost stopped when he saw a small figure on the white stretcher.

“Susannah?”

“Davy!” Darla stood beside the ambulance. “We have a baby,” she said showing him the tiny bundle tucked into Susannah's arms. “It's a girl.”

“Grace,” Susannah told him, her voice clear and her eyes sparkling. “Her name is Grace, David. Because of God's grace to me.”

“Oh, Susannah.” He bent and kissed her as his heart lifted with thanksgiving. “I love you.” He gazed down at her and let the picture of mother and daughter frame in his mind. “She's beautiful, Susannah. As beautiful as you.”

“We need to get them to the hospital now,” one of the EMTs said.

“Yes. Go ahead.” David touched her cheek with his knuckles, brushing one fingertip against the baby's velvet skin. “I'll see you at the hospital, Susannah.” Then he bent and repeated, for her ears alone, “I love you.”

She opened her mouth but the attendants whisked her away too quickly and he couldn't hear what she said.

“I helped get the baby, Davy! I helped.” Darla danced at his side, yanking on his arm in her excitement. “Susan
nah said she couldn't ever have done it alone. I'm the first person Grace saw when she came in the world.”

“You did really well, sis.” He hugged her tightly. “I'm so proud of you.”

“Me, too.” She hugged him back but she couldn't stand still for more than a second. “Grace didn't cry at first. Susannah said she had to cry and she didn't so I prayed and said to God, ‘God, can You make this baby cry?' And He did!”

“That's great, sweetie.” He hugged her again. “You're quite a girl.”

“I know.”

While Darla related the events of the day, David glanced at the car Susannah had been in. He stopped Darla's story long enough to call a tow truck and his friends. Then Darla climbed into his car and they headed for the hospital.

Ecstatic over her role in the birth, Darla talked non-stop all the way. David heard little of it. He was too busy wondering how Susannah would react when the baby was adopted.

“Davy?”

“Yes?” He climbed out of his dark thoughts, noticing sadness creeping over Darla's face. “What's wrong?”

“Susannah's my sister, Davy. I don't want her or baby Grace to go away.”

“Darla, honey, I explained to you about the adoption. Susannah wants another mommy to look after Grace.” But Darla clamped her hands over her ears and refused to listen. She only dropped them when he stopped speaking.

“God made Susannah my sister,” she said firmly. “Baby Grace is my family, too.”

Nothing he could say could change her mind. But Darla didn't get angry and she didn't argue or yell.

When they got to the hospital she waited until he found Susannah's room.

“We must be very quiet when we see Susannah,” he explained. “Don't ask her a lot of questions, okay?” He'd think of a way to explain it all later.

“I won't.” Darla stopped a passing nurse. “Can you tell me where the babies are?” she asked.

“In the nursery.” She pointed. “But only family can go down there. Are you family?”

“I'm the…aunt,” Darla said proudly.

David winced. She was going to be so hurt when Grace went to another family. Maybe if he tried very hard, he could persuade Susannah to—

He pushed open her door and his heart stopped. Susannah lay still in the white bed. In her arms she cradled the baby. Both of them were sleeping.

“Kiss her, Davy.”

There were times when Darla was absolutely right. This was one of them. So David leaned forward and pressed his lips against Susannah's.

“When will you wake up and love me?” he murmured.

She blinked. Then she lifted her incredible lashes and smiled.

“Right now. I love you, David.” She lifted her head for his kiss.

“See? Sleeping Beauty. I told you, Davy.” Darla smiled at Susannah. “Davy needs to listen to me more often.”

“Yes, I do.” He smoothed a hand over Susannah's glistening hair, needing to touch her, to reassure himself that he wasn't dreaming.

“I'll hold Grace while you talk about the wedding,” Darla said. She sat in a chair and held out her arms. “I'm ready.”

David glanced at Susannah who nodded and smiled. He carefully lifted the tiny child away from her mother, feeling awkward and stupid and clumsy, but oh, so blessed.

“Hello, Grace,” he whispered. “I'd really like to marry your mother. And I'd love to be your daddy. Do you think that would work for you?”

When he touched her cheek with his finger, the sleeping child lifted a hand and closed her tiny pink fingers around his. Tears welled in his eyes.

Oh, Lord.
His heart overflowed with thanksgiving at the love that raced through him for this precious child. This Easter baby.

He handed Grace to Darla. Then he returned to Susannah's side.

“Please marry me, Susannah. Let me be a part of your life, and of Grace's. Be a part of mine and Darla's. Nobody could be a better mother to Grace than you,” he added.

“I don't know if you're right about that, David,” she whispered, wrapping her small hand in his. “But I'm going to give motherhood my very best effort.

“Darla was right you know,” she said.

“She usually is.” David loved the way her hand fit into his—he adored Susannah Wells. “But about what, specifically?”

“I was Sleeping Beauty. Well, maybe not the beauty part but I was sleeping, because until I met you, I didn't know what real love was. There are so many facets to love, but I know now that it all begins with God's love. That makes everyone worthy of love.”

“Yes, it does. I believe God led you to Darla and me, that it was He who placed love in my heart for you. So—” David dragged out the word “—does that mean you are going to marry me, Susannah Wells?”

“Yes, please,” she said with a smile.

“Finally.” He wrapped his arms around her and kissed her the way he'd been longing to for weeks.

“But not right away.” Susannah leaned back, her arms still circled around his neck.

“But—” He frowned when she placed a finger across his lips.

“I need time, David. Time to understand what it means to be a child of God. Time to understand what being your wife will mean. Time to understand how to be a mother to Grace and a sister to Darla.”

“I'll be in a retirement home by then,” he teased. But he loved her all the more for her wisdom. “Okay then. While you're figuring that out, I'm going to learn how to be a father. My first lesson will involve a trip to the toy store.”

“I think you can start learning how to be a daddy right now, Davy.” Darla held the baby toward him. “Grace needs her diaper changed.”