took out my pocket watch. “So your last contraction just
ended?”
She nodded. She turned her attention back to the
clothes.
I couldn"t think of anything to talk about, so I just
stood there and stared at my watch. When she paused and
gripped the sides of the wringer, I knew she was in pain
again. I forced myself not to snap at her. “You"re four
minutes apart, Ann.”
I didn"t wait for her response. I simply grabbed my
coat and boots and rushed out to Lightning. The horse was
hungry but he"d have to wait. My first stop was at Barbara
and John"s house. Barbara immediately jumped on her
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horse and headed over so I could go into town to get the
doctor and her parents.
“When did her labor start?” the doctor asked as he
collected his bag and coat.
“Around four in the morning. She was supposed to
tell me when her contractions were five minutes apart but
when I got up, they were already four minutes apart.”
“I hope I make it there in time.”
He didn"t say anything else, and I didn"t feel like
asking him if she was in danger because she waited too
long. Again, I wished I had asked for the details but
shrugged off the thought and went to tell her parents.
“We"l leave shortly,” her father said.
Her mother was too excited to talk.
I rode the horse hard back to the house. I was
anxious to find out how she was doing. Lightning protested
when I didn"t feed him, but I ignored him and went into the
house. On my way from the barn, I shook my head at the
sight of the clean laundry hanging on the line. I hoped
Barbara had talked some sense into Ann. She real y didn"t
need to be doing work when she was about to give birth.
Barbara ran out of the scullery room, looking
irritated.
“Is she alright?” I asked, alarmed.
“Oh, she"s fine. She"s just stubborn, that"s all. Did
you know she was hanging up laundry when I got here?
She nearly doubled over in pain when I came up to her.
She kept saying that she needed to focus on something
else, but I made her lie down. She real y shouldn"t push
herself so hard. That baby is eager to come out. I don"t
know if the doctor will get here in time. I may need your
help.”
She grabbed a bucket of water and turned to go
back to Ann.
I hadn"t realized I beat the doctor in getting back. He
probably didn"t know about the shortcut. I wished I had told
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him because by this time, Ann wasn"t holding back her
screams, and quite frankly, I didn"t want to go through this.
But I followed Barbara into the room. I had never seen a
woman in labor and from the look on Ann"s face, I could see
that the pain was intense.
“Here.” Barbara handed me some clean towels. “I"l
hand you the baby. Its head is starting to come out.”
The room started to spin around me. I felt like I was
going to pass out.
Fortunately, the doctor entered the room at that
moment. “I"l take over from here,” he told me.
I didn"t argue with him. I handed him the towels and
left the room. I hadn"t expected it to be so hard to watch
Ann like that. I wished I could take the pain for her.
“I see the head,” the doctor said.
How could he be so calm?
“You"re doing good, Ann. When I say to push, push,”
he told her.
I felt sick. I had to get outside. As soon as I stood
on the porch, I took a deep breath. The cold air settled my
stomach. Ann"s parents climbed up the porch steps. I was
thankful for the distraction from listening to Ann scream.
“I think this is a situation where we should be out of
the way,” her father said as her mother ran into the house.
He sat in the chair.
I was too nervous to sit. Ann had stopped
screaming.
“It"s not easy for us men either, though the women
do all the work,” he acknowledged. “Are there any chores
that need to be done?”
It took me a moment to remember the horses. “I
haven"t fed the horses yet.”
The sound of a baby crying interrupted my thoughts.
“Todd! It"s a boy!” Barbara called out from the front
door. She walked out. “Ann and the baby are doing fine.
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She practically gave birth all by herself. I can"t believe she
progressed that fast. I wish my labors were that easy.”
I smiled, relieved and glad it was over but also
anxious to see Ann and our son.
“Ann"s mother is washing the baby and the doctor is
taking care of Ann. We"l bring the baby out after the doctor
says it"s alright.” She quickly went back into the house.
“I"l feed those horses for you,” he offered.
“Thank you.” Feeding the horses was the last thing
on my mind. I wanted to see what the baby looked like and
make sure Ann was feeling well.
After what was five minutes but seemed like forever,
Ann"s mother came out holding a swaddled tiny baby in her
arms. “He"s precious.” She smiled as she gently placed him
in my arms. “He has ten little fingers and toes and little bit of
light brown hair on his head.”
I was surprised that he was asleep after all the crying
he had done just a couple minutes ago. He seemed small
and fragile. He yawned. I laughed. It was an amazing
experience to know I was holding my son.
“Did you and Ann decide on a name?” she asked.
I looked at her in surprise. “Didn"t she tell you?”
“She said she wanted to wait until after he was born.”
“Nathaniel Alexander Brothers.”
“What a nice name.”
The doctor came out of the house and shook my
hand. “Congratulations! Mother and child are doing fine.
Ann can have as many kids as you two want. She handles
labor very well. In the future though, notify me when her
contractions are about seven minutes apart. She gives birth
faster than most women. Now I already talked to her about
not waiting so long next time, so you don"t have to worry
about that. Ann is ready for you to see her. Good day.” He
nodded to Mrs. Statesman who smiled in return.
“I"m going to tell Ann"s father the news,” she said.
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I walked into the house, careful not to disturb
Nathaniel who was still sleeping. I couldn"t stop smiling.
Barbara came out of the scullery room. “I just
finished cleaning up in there. I"m going to take the dirty
blankets and clothes to my home and wash them and bring
them back so Ann won"t worry about it. Knowing her, she"l
probably try to do more laundry before the day is over. The
doctor made sure she understood she has to take it easy for
the next two weeks. I don"t know if she"l listen, but between
me, Mrs. Carson and her mother, we should be able to do
enough of the work so she can relax and focus on the baby.”
“I appreciate that, Barbara. I know she can be
stubborn.”
She laughed. “She wanted to see you right after the
baby was born but kept telling us to wait until she was
presentable. She said you looked like you were going to
faint when you thought you were going to be there for the
birth, and she wanted to spare you from seeing anything
else. She really does love you, Todd. Anyway, would you
tell Ann I"l be back this evening with a meal for everyone?”
I nodded.
After she left, I went into the scullery room where
Ann was lying on a couple of blankets on the floor. I sat
next to her and lightly tapped her on the arm. If she was
asleep, I"d let her stay that way. But she opened her eyes
and smiled at me.
“How are you feeling?” I asked her.
“Wonderful. Barbara was right. I don"t even
remember the pain. As soon as he cried, it was all worth it.”
“I didn"t think it was possible, but you are more
beautiful than I"ve ever seen you.”
“I"m a mess.”
“You"re my wife who just gave me a son. You"re the
most beautiful woman in the world.” I leaned over and
kissed her. “I love you.”
Tears fil ed her eyes. “I love you too.”
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This time I didn"t mind it that she was crying.
***
That Christmas, Ann wanted to have her parents and
Ginny over so she could do the entertaining. The house
was filled with a lot of warmth. The smell of ham, potatoes,
and cake filled the air. Her mother held Nathaniel while Ann
and Ginny took care of the cooking. Her father and I got the
sleigh ready for a ride. Shortly before dinner was ready,
there was a knock at the door. The women were so busy
talking, I doubted they even heard the knocking. When I
opened the door, I paused, stunned.
My parents stood on the porch.
My father cleared his throat. He had his hat in his
hands. “May we please come in?”
For a moment, I couldn"t speak. Final y, I stepped
aside so they could enter the house.
“May I join the women?” my mother asked.
I nodded. “Of course.”
Ann"s father smiled and led my mother to the kitchen
so my father and I could be alone.
Feeling awkward, I closed the door. “Would you like
to sit?”
“Yes, I would.”
He’s as nervous as I am.
I took a deep breath as I
sat across from him. I couldn"t think of what to say, so I
waited for him to speak.
“I came to apologize,” he slowly began. “I feel like a
fool.” He shifted in the chair. “Wil you let me into your life?”
I fought back the swell of emotion that came over
me. “You have always been my father. I would like to have
you back in my life. I am sorry for the way I left. I was afraid
you would talk me out of it if you knew.”
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He smiled. “Yes, I would have, but that would have
been wrong. You were right. You have to follow your path,
not mine.”
“Thank you.”
Ann and my mother stepped into the parlor. My
mother held Nathaniel in her arms.
Ann smiled. “It"s good to see you, Mr. Brothers. Will
you be staying here for a couple of days? We have a guest
bedroom.”
My parents and Ann looked at me.
“It would be nice to talk,” I replied.
My father nodded. “Yes, we wil stay for three days.
Thank you.”
“His name is Nathaniel,” she told Father, smiling at
the baby. “May he see him?” she asked me.
“Of course,” I softly replied.
“We"l leave you two alone,” Ann said.
We nodded as they left.
Father grinned. “I remember the day you were born.
I held you in my arms and you looked so much like this little
one. Where did the years go?” He sighed. “In the end, it"s
family that matters. It"s not what you do with your life, it"s
who you do it with. The job at the bank isn"t worth losing my
relationship with you.”
“I appreciate that. And who knows? Maybe he"l
want to be a banker. He might even want to work in
Virginia. But it has to be his choice.”
He wiped the tears in his eyes. “You are a good
son.”
We spent the next ten minutes talking about what I
was doing and what was happening back in Virginia.
I noticed a movement out of the corner of my eye.
Ann stood by the parlor doorway, smiling at us. When she
realized we saw her, she announced that dinner was ready.
I waited until Father entered the kitchen so I could
have a moment alone with her.
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“How did it go?” she asked.
“Very well.”
“I"m glad. We"ve all been praying for a reconciliation.
What a great Christmas gift. It makes the hat I gave you fail
in comparison.”
“You had people praying for me and my father all this
time?”
She nodded. “I wanted to see you two on good
terms again.”
I hugged her. “The greatest Christmas gift I have
ever received is your love. You have made my life
complete. Merry Christmas, Ann.”
“Merry Christmas, Todd.”
We kissed before we entered the kitchen.
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