by Mercy Levy
“Maddie, you are the love of my life, and I don’t want to get angry with you, so please, don’t ask me about this again. I said we shall celebrate our Christmas, so let’s leave it at that, shall we?” Maddie nodded, feeling embarrassed he had raised his voice to her.
He leaned over from his chair and kissed her on the forehead.
"I love you. Don't worry about me; everything's fine. I promise." He smiled, and Maddie felt a little better, but she still wished she know more about his past. Feeling it was better to let things go as he said, she dropped the matter.
She would just be happy with the Christmas tree.
A few days later, the two of them walked out into the woods near the house and found a tree for the living room. They chatted and laughed the entire time, and for the first time in a long time, Maddie genuinely enjoyed herself.
When they got back to the house, she popped a bunch of popcorn and strung it on her thread to create a strand for the tree, and Hank brought in a box with Christmas ornaments inside to hang on the branches.
When they had finished, Maddie made hot chocolate, and the two of them sat in the rocking chairs next to the fire chatting and looking at the tree. Maddie felt happy and relaxed, and she almost asked Hank again about his past. She caught herself just in time and took a sip of her hot cocoa.
"You know, I'm glad we decided to do this," Hank said as he looked at the fire. Maddie looked at him with questioning eyes, but she didn't say anything. At last, she smiled and reached forward, touching his hand.
“Me too.”
Chapter Eight: The Surprise
A couple of days later Maddie sat in the rocking chair working on some mending when she heard a shout. Surprised, she rose and walked over to the window to see who it could be.
Hank was just walking out of the barn to greet the visitor, and Maddie could see that the man looked like a preacher. He was dressed entirely in black. She couldn’t hear what they were saying, but it appeared as though Hank knew the man, and the two of them walked over and looked into the buggy.
Hank looked up at the man in surprise, then reached into the buggy and lifted out a small bundle. Maddie couldn't see what it was but hurried over to the door to open it and welcome their visitor inside.
"Maddie, this is Reverend Jones. He's a traveling preacher and is only in town once every few weeks. He's brought us something." The Reverend smiled and touched his hat when he met Maddie, but Maddie was far more concerned with the bundle in Hank's arms.
It was a baby. Very young, perhaps only six months old. Maddie felt her hands get very cold, and her chest gets tight. She tried to speak but fumbled over her words. She apologized and cleared her throat, then tried once more.
“A baby? Whatever is the meaning of this?” She didn’t mean to be rude, but she was caught off guard, and she was worried about what the reverend may say next.
“Yes, a baby. This little one has recently lost both her mother and father, and I’m afraid I’ve tried everyone. No one can take her in. I know it’s sudden, and I don’t know how the two of you feel about being parents. I’m well aware that you both lost children recently.” He paused, and Maddie gave Hank a look.
Hank looked down at the baby, then back at the Reverend.
“We would love to take her in. I don’t exactly have a baby’s room set up right now, but there’s a cradle in the barn that I could bring in.” He put his hand on, but Maddie stopped him.
“We can’t take in a baby! We’ve hardly taken the time to know each other! How are we going to raise a child?” The reverend looked from Maddie to Hank, who smiled.
"You're happy here, and I'm happy you're here. I don't see any harm in adding another little one to the mix. It might do you some good. Thank you, Reverend. I'll show you out." The Reverend smiled and once again tipped his hat to Maddie, who looked at them both incredulously.
Hank said nothing as he closed the door behind them, and Maddie was left alone with the child. The baby gurgled happily in her bundle, lying in the chair as content as could be. Maddie looked down at her and shook her head.
She did love children, but she wasn't ready for this. It was hard enough struggling with her emotions for Hank; she didn't see how she was going to manage a child. She hadn't even said her own daughter's name since the tragedy, and now she was expected to take in another.
“I can’t do this.” She whispered.
"The girl needed a place to stay, and we have one. What did you expect me to do? Tell him that we couldn't take her? You heard what he said; she had no place to go!" Hank kept his voice low, but he spoke sternly.
“You could have asked me what my opinion was before you offered me to be a mother!” Maddie also kept her voice low, but she felt angry. She didn’t want to wake the baby, but she couldn’t believe Hank had done that to her.
"You were a mother before; I didn't think you would mind," Hank said simply. It was clear he didn't want to upset her, but he wasn't going to turn the child away out in the cold, either.
"And what's this he said about you being a father? Hank? Did you lose a child? What happened to your wife?"
Hank looked at her, anger written across his face, but it subsided as he sighed.
“I guess it’s your right to know now, isn’t it?” He paused and looked out the window, then began.
"I never was married. I was young, and she was young, we loved each other so much, and we didn't know what we were doing. She went away for the holidays one year and didn't come back until the end of summer. Then, when she came back, she had a baby." He paused, and Maddie listened, wide-eyed.
"She didn't know what to do, and she was scared. Her father told her to get rid of the child and said it wasn't his grandchild. He put her out of the house, and she had nowhere to go. I told her we could marry, and live here, but she refused. I offered to let her stay in the house overnight, and I slept out in the barn, same as with you. When I came in the next morning, she was gone, but her baby was still here. I never saw her again." He wiped his hand across his forehead, then looked down at the baby sleeping in the cradle.
“I didn’t know anything about parenthood, but I loved that little boy. I took care of him as best I could, even when he got sick. I sent for the doctor, but out here, the doctor is much like the preacher. If you’re going to get sick, you better hope it’s when he’s in town I guess.”
Maddie could guess what happened, and she put her arm around Hank.
"I'm sorry. I know how it feels. I do, but I wasn't ready for this. I don't think I can do this again… Hank. I'm just not ready." Maddie had tears in her eyes and Hank brushed them away; then he kissed her on the forehead.
“I’m sorry, too. I should have asked you first. Go on, get some sleep. We’ll talk about this more in the morning and decide the best thing to do.”
Chapter Nine: Silent Night
Maddie didn’t sleep much at all that night. She knew Hank was out in the other room caring for the baby, and she didn’t want to go out there. But every time the baby would cry, she would be reminded of her own daughter, and the sting that ran through her heart was nearly unbearable.
The next few days seemed to drag by. Christmas was less than a week away now, but all the joy had gone out of the season for Maddie. She wanted to take the tree down and forget about how happy she had felt. She wanted to go back to Vermont and live alone in her cabin once again.
She wanted to do anything but be married to this man she barely knew with a child she didn’t ask for. But, her life was what it was, and she was left to live with it.
"What's her name?" Maddie asked finally. She had only called the child "the baby" until then but thought it only fair she ask her name.
"Rose. The preacher man said her name is Rose Carson, but we can, of course, change her last name if we choose." Maddie nodded but didn't say anything. She didn't want to change the baby's last name. She didn't even want to change her last name, but she had.
She walked over and leaned over the
cradle, looking down at Rose sleeping inside. Something soft stirred inside Maddie, but she looked away before she let it go too far.
Rose began to stir and started to fuss. Bending over, Maddie picked her up.
“There, there, Rose, you’re ok, I got you.” She spoke softly in the baby’s ear, and she could see out of the corner of her eye that Hank was watching her keenly. Suddenly, Rose coughed, and Maddie put her hand on the baby’s forehead.
“Hank, have you felt her recently? She seems rather warm to me.” Maddie looked over to Hank with concern in her eyes, and Hank stood and walked over.
“The preacher said he tried to keep her as warm as possible, but it was quite the right down here from the north. She may have caught a cold.” He smiled, but Maddie wasn’t convinced.
"She feels like she's got a fever, Hank. I don't mean to argue with you, but I think we should take her to see someone." Maddie held Rose close and looked up at Hank worriedly.
Hank put his hand on the baby’s forehead, then looked down at his wife.
“There’s no one we can take her to see, My Love. I told you, the doctor is like the preacher, and only comes around every few weeks. Perhaps one of these days we’ll have enough people to have a steady doctor but not now.” He had worry forming in his own eyes, and Maddie began to feel sick.
She laid Rose back down in the cradle, then hurried over to the washbasin and washed her hands.
“What are you doing?” Hank asked in concern, and Maddie nodded toward the baby.
"I'm going to wash her blankets and her clothes. We have to put her in something clean, and make sure you keep washing your hands. I lose my family because I got sick trying to save them. I'm not going to let that happen again." Hank hurried over to the small box they had put her few clothes in and changed her outfit.
Maddie heated water on the stove, then boiled all the clothing and bedding Rose had been laying on. She then changed the sheets in her cradle and gently laid her back in place.
“We need to keep an eye on how she’s doing, and how you and I are. If she has anything we could catch, we need to treat it early, or who knows what’s going to happen.”
As the hours passed, Rose seemed to get worse. Her forehead got hotter, and she began to fuss, throwing her blanket off and refusing to take her bottle. After two days, Maddie began to worry they were going to lose her.
"I lost my own little girl on Christmas; I don't think I could stand to lose Rose as well." Maddie sobbed as Hank held her close to himself. He shushed her, assuring her Rose was going to be ok, but Maddie could see in his eyes that he was just as worried as she was.
"I don't know if she's going to be, Hank. She's so little! She's never had a real chance at life! Just like Katherine." The name came out so quickly; Maddie clapped her hand over her mouth. It was the first time she had said her daughter's name in years, and it brought a flood of tears.
“Listen Maddie! You know what you are doing, and you aren’t going to let Rose die! Now keep taking care of her as you know how, and she’s going to be fine!” Hank leaned in close as he spoke, and Maddie sniffled. She drew her sleeve across her nose, then walked over to pick up Rose who had begun fussing again.
She knew it was pointless to argue with Hank on the subject any further, but she still had her doubts.
She just hoped he was right.
Chapter Ten: Christmas Morning
Maddie spent so much time trying to help Rose; she had lost track of what day it was. She was up with the child morning and night, often sleeping for only a few minutes at a time. Hank took on many of the household chores, trying to give her all the free time he could so she could be with Rose.
The more time Maddie spent with Rose, the more determined she was to save the child. She knew Rose was getting worse, but she was doing everything she could to keep the fever at bay and ensure the baby pulled through.
She did everything she remembered doing with her daughter. Though Katherine had had scarlet fever and Rose was only battling a normal fever, Maddie knew how dangerous they both could be and was doing everything she could to get rid of it.
"Maddie, I think you should try to get some sleep, my Love. You've done all you can for tonight, and…"
“I’ll sleep when she’s better. I can’t leave her, Hank. Last time I left my baby when she was sick she…” Maddie stopped, both because of what she was going to say, and because of what she did say. Hank smiled.
"It's ok; I've been thinking of her as our daughter for the past few days. She's going to be fine, Maddie; I know she is. Just keep going, and you'll see." Maddie gave him a weak smile in return. She hadn't meant to call Rose her baby, but the sound of it was so natural, it just felt right.
Maddie leaned down and picked her up, then rocked her back and forth in the air, gently humming a Christmas song to her. Rose opened her eyes, and though her cheeks were still flushed with fever and she looked like she didn’t feel well, she smiled and reached up to touch Maddie’s hair.
Maddie gently took Rose’s little hand and kissed her fingers, whispering, “I love you.”
She continued to rock the baby in her arms and walk around the room, praying to God that the little girl would be ok. It had been so long since Maddie had felt so strongly about anything, and now she would give her life for this baby to pull through. So many thoughts and emotions from what had happened to her before came rushing back, and Maddie forced them back out of her brain.
What happened, happened, and now it was in the past. The only thing that mattered was right now.
When Rose finally fell asleep once more, Maddie gently laid her in her crib and pulled the blanket up to her neck. She then leaned into the crib and kissed the baby on the side of her head. She placed her hand on Rose’s back to keep her calm as she stood up once more, then Maddie sat down in the rocking chair.
She and Hank talked for a while about so many things Maddie had been too scared to bring up before. She wanted to know so much about him, but when he had spoken harshly about his past before, she didn’t want to bring it up to him again.
Now, they spoke as though they had been married for months, though it had only been a few weeks. She told him about her past, and what had happened with Tom and her daughter Katherine. Hank told her all the things she wanted to know about his former love, and what he thought happened to her.
Maddie hadn't noticed before how much the two of them had in common, and she wished they had spent more time talking about these things before. She would stand and rock Rose every time the baby awoke, then after the child relaxed once more, she would lay her back down in the cradle, and they would talk some more.
Maddie wasn’t sure how long they had been talking, she just knew she was getting very tired.
Not wanting to leave Rose’s side, Maddie leaned back in her rocking chair, making Hank promise to wake her if anything happened with Rose. Hank promised he would, and Maddie closed her eyes for a moment. It was only a few minutes before she was sound asleep.
“Maddie! Maddie wake up, wake up!” Hank was gently shaking Maddie, and she awoke with a start.
“What happened? What’s wrong?” She asked as she stood up quickly. Hank was laughing.
“Nothing, nothing at all! Look Maddie! Look at Rose!” He was holding her in his arms and turned her to Maddie could see. All at once relief flooded over Maddie, and she was so happy she could have cried.
Rose had soft, rosy cheeks no longer flushed with fever, and her eyes were bright and healthy, not glassy or sick. She was smiling and chewing on her thumb, and Hank was laughing.
“You did it! I don’t know how you managed, but you did it! She’s going to pull through, Maddie, and we are going to be a family!” Hank laughed and rocked Rose in his arms once more, then he laid her down and took Maddie in his arms. Looking down into her eyes, he smiled.
“You are the most incredible woman I have ever met,” he said, as he brushed her hair back. She wrapped her arms around his waist and smiled up at
him. She closed her eyes, expecting him to lean down for a kiss, but he suddenly pulled away.
“Do you know what day it is?” He asked, and Maddie thought.
"It's Christmas!" She said suddenly and laughed. She would never have thought she could feel this good on Christmas and walked over to pick up Rose.
“Wait a minute! Come here.” Hank said, motioning Maddie to follow him. She did, with a look of confusion in her eyes. Hank pulled out a small box and handed it to her.
Curious, Maddie smiled as she opened it, then gasped as she pulled out the most beautiful bracelet she had ever seen.
“I wanted to get you a little something to remind you how special you are to me.” Hank was standing close to her, and Maddie looked up into his eyes, breathless at the gift he had just given her.
“I love you.” She whispered, and he pulled her close.
“I love you, too.” He said as their lips met. They shared a passionate kiss, and Maddie knew without a doubt she had made the right choice.
THE END
The Surprise Baby (Sample)
Chapter One
The pounding on her door meant that it was time to wake up and get dressed. Lexi Winter hated corsets, high button collars and she wasn’t fond of the way her mother insisted she wear her hair. Lexi was made to produce ringlet curls with a hot iron, which was torture to her long chestnut locks. At 18 years old, she was expected to be married within a couple of years and begin a family. Maura and Helen were her older siblings who had found suitable husbands and had two children each before 25. Mr. and Mrs. Winter had girls only and they insisted each of them marry up in order to secure their financial future. However, in Lexi they had a bit of a problem because although she was the most stunning, she was also the most willful. She had the spirit of an unbroken stallion. There was mischief behind her wide blue eyes and Lexi didn’t take well to being told what to do.