As they drove, he pointed out different things. “I used to play baseball there with my friends.” Then at another place: “There’s a man who lives in those woods. I don’t think he’s bathed in fifteen years. The stench is pretty bad.” And when they got into Nowhere: “There’s the mercantile where I shop for anything other than the absolute basics. They have a better selection here than at the mercantile in Bagley.”
Once they were through Nowhere, he pulled off to the side of the road. “I wish we were doing this in the springtime when all the flowers were in bloom, but I guess being here in the autumn has its appeal as well.”
“When do the leaves start changing?” she asked.
“You won’t find there’s as much color to the leaves here as you’d have had back in New York. This is the best part of Texas for fall colors, though. In a couple of weeks there will be a little color to the trees.”
“Fall has always been my favorite time of year,” she said wistfully. “I love that it’s getting cooler and school is back in session. Even as a girl I preferred going to school to being off for the summer. I guess that makes me just a little bit odd.”
“It probably does,” he said with a grin. “But I love how odd you are.” I love you, he added silently, but he wasn’t ready yet to give her the words. He wasn’t ready for her to have that much power over him.
She made a face at him. “Let’s have our picnic.” She got down from the buggy more carefully than usual, aware of the child growing within her. She didn’t want to risk a fall. Carefully spreading the quilt she’d brought for their picnic, she put the basket with their food in it atop. “I didn’t have time to put something fabulous together. We’re just having cheese, ham, and bread. I hope that’s all right.”
“Will I get to eat it while gazing into your beautiful eyes?” he asked. He knew he was laying it on a little thicker than he probably should be, but he had to make up for yesterday. He wanted her to be happy and no longer ready to throw him off a roof.
“Absolutely,” she said, smiling at him. “In fact . . .” She leaned forward and kissed him softly. “Your sweet words have earned you a kiss!”
“I wonder what I’d need to do to earn more than a kiss . . .”
She laughed. “You’d have to take me home for starters. There may be no one in sight, but this is a public road, and I can’t see myself being willing to do anything like what you’re thinking with anyone around us.”
“You know what I’m thinking?” he asked, pretending to be surprised. “And here I thought I was the one with a special power.”
“Yes, but it doesn’t take much to be able to read a picture book, and your mind . . . well, a picture book is the only way I can begin to describe reading it.”
He laughed. “You are something else, Beulah McClain.”
“You’re pretty special yourself.”
Chapter Nine
As time went by, Beulah was sleeping more but still trying to get the same amount done she had been. She gave up on studying her anatomy and simply tried to keep her head above water where schoolwork was concerned. She’d heard that pregnancy made a woman tired, but she couldn’t believe just how tired she was. Having the ability to thrive on only four hours of sleep was something she’d always prided herself on. Now she needed at least ten hours per night or she was almost completely unable to function.
By the beginning of December, she no longer had to worry about morning sickness, but the extra sleep she needed more than made up for it. She found herself napping during recess at times, and once forgot to call the children back into the building for more than an hour.
The first weekend in December, Jack was moping around the house, obviously upset that he wasn’t getting enough time with her, which had become a common refrain throughout their marriage.
She was still asleep well past mid-morning, and he sat down on the side of the bed, watching her sleep. “Are you all right?” he asked when she opened her eyes to look at him.
She reached out and took his hand, feeling badly that he was worried about her. “I’m fine. I’m just so tired! Growing this baby is sucking every little bit of energy I have.”
“I feel like we never have any time together anymore.” He felt like he was a little boy whining as he begged for a crumb of affection from a busy parent, but it was crazy that they were married and spent so little time together.
She propped herself up on one elbow, thinking about all the papers she still needed to grade and the planning she needed to do for that week of school. “I’ll have time off for the Christmas holidays soon. We’ll be able to spend lots of time together then.” She would only work on grading and planning while he was out working, and the rest of the time would be for him. And sleeping. There needed to be lots of time for sleeping.
“Mrs. Buchanan already cleaned up from breakfast, and she said lunch would be ready in an hour. Do you want me to fix a bath for you?” He wanted to pamper her and make her feel special, but he just didn’t know how.
“No, thank you. I’ll take one tonight.” She hid a yawn behind her hand. “I’m sorry I’m always so sleepy. I feel like every time we have time to be alone together, I fall asleep. Is it still spending time together if you are reading a book and I’m sleeping in the chair beside you?”
He smiled at that. “I guess I can understand why you’re so tired. You are growing another person inside you.” He got to his feet. “You’ll come down for lunch?”
“Yes, I’m just going to sleep a few more minutes, and then I’ll get up and get dressed.”
“Let’s drive into town this afternoon. We can pick up our mail and get any supplies we need.”
She nodded, her eyes already drifting closed again. “Soon.”
Jack looked down at her with a sad look on his face. It was hard to believe she preferred sleep to spending time with him. They’d only been married a few months!
She barely made it downstairs in time for lunch, and Mrs. Buchanan smiled at her. “That baby is making you sleepy!”
Beulah nodded. “I’ve always heard that expecting made you really tired, but I had no idea it would be this bad! I feel like all I do is eat and sleep.”
“And work,” Jack added. “Don’t forget you work.”
“I do work. But don’t worry. We’ll spend the afternoon together today. And I won’t work at all this evening.”
“But then you’ll spend all day tomorrow catching up on what you didn’t do today?” he asked. He felt like he was in direct competition with her job, and it was making him crazy.
She frowned. “No, I won’t work at all tomorrow. We’ll go to church, have a nice lunch, and then we can nap together all afternoon!”
He saw that Mrs. Buchanan had left the room, so he said what was really on his mind. “If I thought you meant just spend the afternoon in bed, I’d be all for it, but you really do mean nap.”
“I cannot begin to describe the level of bone-deep tired I’m feeling. It’s as if I’ve been trying to climb a mountain and I keep slipping down the side, and then I climb the same spot again.” Beulah yawned behind her hand. “I want to take a week-long nap, and then get up and take another. There’s not enough hours in the day to sleep all I need to sleep!”
“Have you seen a doctor? Maybe there’s something wrong with you that you are so tired. Beyond expecting, I mean.”
“I haven’t. Not yet anyway. Maybe it’s time for me to make an appointment and try to figure out what’s going on with me.” Beulah shook her head. “Why don’t I cancel school for Monday and plan to go then? I think I need an extra day off anyway.”
He nodded. “I think that would be really smart.” And truthfully, he wanted her to tear herself away from her school more. It was hard to believe how jealous he was of a couple of dozen children.
“I’ll put the word out at church tomorrow.” As she ate, she thought about how badly she wanted to climb back into her bed. This couldn’t be normal, could it?
When they dr
ove into town later, they happened to see the doctor out. He was clutching his black bag and about to climb into his buggy. Jack called out to him, and he walked over to them instead. “Jack, how are you?”
“I’m doing very well. It’s my wife I wanted to talk to you about. She’s expecting, as you can see, and she’s sleeping all the time.”
“That’s pretty normal, son.”
“I don’t think this much is normal,” Beulah said. “I’m sorry, but I’ve spent a great deal of time studying medicine. I have always been able to exist on four or five hours of sleep per night, but now my body wants more like eighteen hours of sleep. I wake up tired, and I do everything all day tired. I’m even sleeping during recesses and have forgotten to call the children back into school several times.”
The doctor frowned at that. “You have? That does seem a bit excessive. Now I don’t want you to worry your pretty little head about it. Can you come and see me on Monday morning?”
Beulah nodded. “I had just decided to cancel school for the day. What time?”
“Let’s say ten. But don’t bring your husband. Can you come in with your mother-in-law?”
“Yes, of course, but why don’t you want Jack there?”
“Men don’t belong anywhere around childbirth. Surely you know that!” The doctor walked off then, leaving Beulah frowning after him.
“He’s certainly old-fashioned. What is his name?”
“Dr. Murphy. He’s a good man, but yes, he does have some interesting ideas. I’m just glad you’ll be able to see him so soon. Maybe we can get to the bottom of what’s wrong with you!”
Beulah nodded, already half asleep again. When they went into the mercantile, she realized she had done no sewing for the baby, and the only chance she would really get was during the Christmas break. She was ready to cry just thinking of all that still had to be done, but she kept her chin up. Reaching for different fabrics, she chose several to make sleepers for the baby. Perhaps Mary would be willing to help her with her sewing as well. How could she possibly keep up and teach school at the same time?
When they left the store, Beulah asked softly, “Do you mind if we stop by your parents’ house on the way home? I have a couple of questions for your mother.”
“Of course not.” He flicked the leads and turned the buggy around, heading toward the ranch. Hopefully his mother would have the answers, because after talking to Dr. Murphy, he was certain that man didn’t have any answers for her.
Thirty minutes later, Beulah was seated at her mother-in-law’s dining room table, drinking tea and eating cookies. Jack and his father were out somewhere doing something. She had no idea what, nor did she care.
“There’s something wrong with me,” Beulah said softly. “It’s more than just expecting. I’m so tired. I cannot keep my eyes open no matter what I do. I slept a good fifteen hours last night, which is ridiculous, and still I’m too tired to stay awake.”
Mary frowned. “You need to see Samantha Jeffries. She’s the local midwife.”
“I have an appointment with Dr. Murphy on Monday.”
“You don’t want to see Dr. Murphy for pregnancy. The man is . . . not good with women. You want to see Samantha. She’ll know what to do right away. She’s delivered hundreds of babies over the years. No one will go to Doc Murphy.”
Beulah was surprised by that. “I’ve always thought that a doctor would be better than a midwife for delivering babies.”
“Maybe if there’s something wrong with you, but for a healthy pregnancy, you really do want Samantha. You will get no sympathy from the doctor. He’ll just keep telling you that’s the curse women have to bear for Eve’s sin.”
“He did seem the type.” Beulah shook her head. “I’ll see him, and if his answers don’t satisfy me, I’ll go see Samantha.”
“That sounds like a smart compromise.” Mary took Beulah’s hand. “How are you doing with preparing? Are you getting your sewing done?”
Beulah shook her head, feeling tears pop into her eyes. “I’ve just realized that I am spending so much time working and sleeping that I’ve done nothing at all to get ready for the baby. I’m walking around growing a child that will have nothing to wear!”
Mary smiled. “I had a feeling that would be the case. I’ll go ahead and call all my daughters-in-law together, and we’ll get some sewing done for you. You shouldn’t have to teach and sew. You can do one or the other.”
“I sure wish Jack felt that way. He seems to feel like I’m letting him and the baby down by not getting enough done.” Beulah rubbed the back of her neck, feeling defeated. “I need another twenty hours in the day to do all I need to do and spend time with my husband. I’m frustrating Jack because I’m always busy or sleeping.”
“Jack cares for you, so he wants you to have time for him. That’s understandable.”
“It is. But I have no time. I decided to take today off and grade no papers and not prepare for school so I can spend some time with him. But that means that I’ll need to do more Monday. I have to find the time to do my work somewhere.”
“Are you still able to do the studying you feel so strongly about?” Mary asked, her eyes on Beulah’s face.
Beulah shook her head. “No, I have no time for that or anything else. I’m doing good to take the time to brush my hair in the mornings.”
“I’m going to make sure you get the help you need,” Mary said. “How about if I find someone who can help you grade papers as well?”
“Do you know someone who could do that?”
“Don’t you worry. I believe Edna will be able to help you. I’ll talk to her and see if she can find some time for you.” Edna was Jack’s third oldest brother’s wife. It was all Beulah could do to keep track of the relations, but she was managing somehow.
“That would please me more than anything. I know I’m letting Jack down, but I don’t want to keep working this hard. If I can get just a little help—or a whole lot of help—I can keep teaching.”
“We’re not going to have trouble getting help for you. Everyone in town is thrilled we finally have a teacher and a school, and no one is willing to let you go just because you’re expecting.”
On the drive home from his parents’ house, Beulah briefly told Jack about how his mother was going to help. “I’m glad I thought to ask her. She seems to know everyone around here.”
“Of course she does. She was born and raised in Nowhere. This isn’t a large area. Everyone knows everyone else. Give yourself a little time, and you’ll know everyone as well.”
Once they were home, she yawned again, and he sighed. “Get a nap. I’ll wake you up for supper.”
“No, I don’t want to give up our time together.”
“Well, I suppose I could sit and watch you nap, but that might be odd for both of us. Don’t worry, I’ll be able to keep myself occupied. You need your sleep.” As she climbed the stairs, he watched her, a frown on his face. All of a sudden, he was worried about her health. It had always been the baby, but now that she was barely coherent, he knew there was something that needed to be fixed. Soon.
On Monday morning, Mary was there to take Beulah to the doctor. “Are you ready?”
Beulah nodded. “I hate putting you out to take me. I have no idea why the doctor said that Jack wasn’t allowed to go with me to an appointment with him.”
“Because Dr. Murphy is an idiot. You’ll see, and then we’ll move on to someone who can really help you.”
Beulah stubbornly refused to believe anyone about Dr. Murphy. She knew all about the training a doctor received, and it was hard to believe any doctor could possibly act the way Dr. Murphy was accused of acting.
When they got to town, Beulah carefully got down out of the wagon Mary drove and walked to the door of the doctor’s office. As soon as the doctor had her in the examining room, he asked her some basic questions. “How far along do you think you are?”
“I think about four months.”
“And you’re st
ill feeling exhaustion, is that correct?” Dr. Murphy looked up from the paper he was making notes on.
“Yes, that’s right. I am sleeping at least three times as much as usual. It’s ridiculous.”
“It sounds to me like you’re using this pregnancy as an excuse to be slothful. Have you always resented working? Do you hate having to do your chores?”
Beulah felt her jaw drop. “Slothful?” She used the small step to get down off the examination table. “Good day, Dr. Murphy.”
Mary was right behind her as she left the building. Dr. Murphy yelled after them. “You’re still going to have to pay for this examination!”
Beulah stared straight ahead, refusing to even look at the man. “If you’ll take me to Samantha, I’d greatly appreciate it.”
Mary hid her smile as she got into the wagon beside her daughter-in-law. “I would love to. Samantha is expecting us.”
“You were that sure of me?”
“I know Dr. Murphy that well. I won’t even take a broken bone to him, and we drive to Nowhere to the doctor there when we need one. Dr. Murphy is evil to the very core of his being.”
Beulah shook her head. “After all the learning I’ve done about the medical profession and becoming a doctor, I couldn’t believe any doctor would treat people that way. I’m very sorry for not taking your advice to begin with.”
Mary drove through town to a small house on the outskirts, and she jumped down, hurrying to the door. A woman who must have been in her seventies with a huge smile and gray hair falling in tendrils around her face invited them both in. “I hear you’re having trouble with exhaustion,” Samantha said, looking Beulah up and down. “I think you need to take something called yellow dock root. You’ll steep it into a tea.” She walked to a carpet bag that was on the floor near her table. “Here’s a small pouch of it. Now, do you want me to examine you?”
Beulah's Brains: A McClain Story (The Alphabet Mail-Order Brides Book 2) Page 8