“I wish I could stay out here in the barn with you tonight,” he told her. “It’s lowering, but I have to admit this whole birth thing scares me.”
Willow stood patiently while Samuel stroked her. “I remember the day you had your foal. I thought you were so brave.” He took a deep breath and led her into an empty stall. “Let’s hope it’s all over quickly and Hannah and the boppli are safe.” He closed the stall door. “I’ll be back out in the morning and maybe we’ll get to go home then.”
Samuel walked out of the barn, shut the door, and went back to the house. The kitchen was warm, and he found there was a fresh pot of coffee sitting on the stove. Since Hannah wasn’t supposed to drink it, he figured she must have made it for him and Rebecca.
She was a gut schweschder, he thought as he poured himself a mug. He sat at the table and drummed his fingers on the wooden surface. The only sounds he heard were the ticking of the wall clock and the snow that pelted against the kitchen window. He wanted to know how things were going but was afraid to go to the front bedroom to see. Maybe if he put his hand over his eyes as he approached the door, he mused. He didn’t want to intrude…
Minutes passed but he couldn’t seem to get up and move.
Just then, Rebecca walked into the room. “There you are. Hannah sent me to make sure you were allrecht.”
“She doesn’t need to worry about me. She should be concentrating on having the boppli.”
Chuckling, Rebecca got a glass from the cupboard and filled it with water from the faucet. “She is. She wasn’t schur you’d gotten in from putting Willow up since you didn’t come and say hello to her.”
“I didn’t want to intrude.” He felt his face flush.
“No need to be embarrassed,” she said with a grin. “She’s tucked in bed and you won’t be asked to deliver the boppli. That’s my job.”
“Don’t tease,” he muttered.
“I can’t help it. Did you know the top of your ears turn red when you blush?”
“Men don’t blush.”
“You just did.” She drained the glass. “Now, are you ready to visit with her for a few minutes?”
“Schur.” He rose and grasped her hand, pulling her toward him. When she looked at him curiously, he bent and swiftly kissed her.
“What was that for?” she asked.
Now it was his turn to watch her blush. “I couldn’t do that earlier when I picked you up. Lizzie was in the back seat.”
“Well. Allrecht.” She pulled at his hand but gave up when he wouldn’t release it.
Hannah was sitting up in bed with a quilt pulled up to her waist when Samuel walked into the room. A fire burned cozily in the fireplace.
“There you are. I wondered where you were.”
“Just waiting on you. As usual.” He looked at Rebecca. “She was never ready for schul on time and I had to wait because Mamm made us all walk together. Then we had to wait after schul for her because she wanted to help the teacher tidy up for the day. Teacher’s pet.”
“Don’t mind his stories,” Hannah said and then she winced and began concentrating on a contraction. “He was always gut at making them up.”
“Just breathe through it,” he told her as he moved over to the bed.
She took a deep breath when the contraction passed and stuck her tongue out at him. “I know how to breathe.”
“Well, I’ll just go back to the kitchen if I’m not needed here.”
“Check on Jacob, will you? Make schur he’s gone to sleep.”
He nodded. “I should check on Lizzie, too. Sometimes I find she’s sneaked a book into bed.” He walked to the door, then paused. “Yell if either of you need anything.”
When he went upstairs, he found Jacob sound asleep. But just as he expected, Lizzie was wide awake and reading the animal babies book she’d insisted on bringing along. Her doll was wrapped in a blanket and tucked under one arm.
“Lizzie!” he said sternly.
She just grinned at him. “I’m too excited to sleep, Daedi.”
He told himself he should have expected it.
“Did she have the boppli yet?”
“Nee.” He motioned for her to move over in the bed and stretched out beside her. “Why don’t I read the book to you? And then it’s time for sleep.”
“Allrecht.”
Her head was nodding before he reached the last page. She roused when he stopped reading. “You’re not finished,” she protested.
He resumed reading. When he finished, he got up, tucked the quilt around her, and bent to kiss her. She held up the doll. “Kiss Katie.”
It was a game they played. Katie always had to be kissed at bedtime. As she held up the doll, he recognized the blanket covering it.
“Lizzie, where did you get the blanket?”
“I found it in a box in our house.”
Emotion swamped him. After Ruth died, he’d discovered the box of baby clothes and blankets in the cedar chest in the nursery room they’d planned and had put it in the closet. Something had made him keep the box and bring it along when they moved. Apparently, Lizzie had found the blanket and wrapped it around her doll.
His throat tightened painfully as he gazed at it.
“Daedi?”
“Hmm?”
“Is Aenti Hannah going to be allrecht?”
“Ya, of course.” He frowned. Should he be concerned she was worrying again?
Lizzie had been four when Ruth died. He’d told Lizzie that her mudder had gone to heaven and held her as she’d cried.
“Boppli?” she’d asked.
“Boppli went to heaven with Mamm.”
She’d cried some more. She’d asked about both of them every now and then but mercifully, the questions had stopped. He’d asked his family not to talk about it and they’d agreed.
But evidently Lizzie had overheard things.
“I want you to go to sleep now. I need to be downstairs if Rebecca needs me.”
“You’ll come wake me when Aenti Hannah has the boppli?”
“I will.”
When he went downstairs, he found Rebecca fixing a cup of tea in the kitchen.
“How’s Hannah doing?”
“Just fine. Taking a bit of a break.” She studied his face. “How are you doing?”
“I’m fine. I’m not the one having the boppli.”
“Nee, but I can tell you’re worried.” She bit her lip. “It must bring back memories…” She trailed off.
“Of Ruth. You can say her name.”
She nodded. “Of Ruth. But there’s no reason to be concerned. Everything about Hannah’s pregnancy has been normal. I got her records from her last midwife and that birth was uneventful.”
“She got dizzy the other day at my house.”
Rebecca frowned. “She didn’t tell me that.”
“She insisted it was nothing. It was over pretty quickly.”
“I’ll talk to her about it.” She put her hand over his. “Pregnant women get dizzy easily. It’s not usually a problem.”
They heard a crash and then Hannah cried, “Rebecca!”
Chapter Twenty-Two
Rebecca rushed into the bedroom and found Hannah sitting on the bed, clutching the bedpost and shaking.
“What happened?”
“I got up and was dizzy,” she said. “I knocked over the glass on the nightstand and it broke.”
“Don’t get up,” Samuel told her. “I’ll get a broom and sweep up the glass.”
Rebecca moved to Hannah’s side and gently took her wrist to check her pulse. It was a little fast. “Samuel just told me that you were dizzy before.”
She shrugged. “It was nothing.”
It wasn’t nothing, but Rebecca didn’t want to alarm her. Or make more of it than needed. “So the other day and today were the only times?”
“Another time or two,” Hannah admitted.
Samuel returned with a broom and dustpan and swept up the glass. Then he used a damp cloth to wipe
the wood floor to make sure any tiny slivers were gone.
“Let me know if you need anything. I’ll be in the kitchen.”
Rebecca helped Hannah get comfortable in the bed again, checked the progress of birth, then took her blood pressure. She unwrapped the cuff and frowned. Pregnant women usually had low blood pressure and Hannah’s had been in the normal range throughout her pregnancy. But her blood pressure was rising. Prebirth stress could cause a rise, but her contractions hadn’t grown closer, and Rebecca didn’t like the increase. She covered her patient with the quilt and sat in the chair beside the bed.
“Allrecht to come in?” Samuel called.
“Ya,” Hannah answered.
“Brought you another glass of water,” he said as he entered the room.
Hannah laughed. “A sippy cup. I didn’t think I had any of Jacob’s left from when he was a toddler. Thanks, Samuel.”
He grinned and set it on the bedside table and then brought his other hand out from behind his back and revealed a regular glass with water.
“Can I get you anything else?”
She shook her head. “Nee, danki.”
“Jacob was sound asleep when I checked on him. Lizzie wasn’t, of course. She was reading a book.”
“Typical Lizzie.”
A gust of wind shook the window and drew their attention.
“Storm’s getting worse,” Samuel said. “Supposed to be a bad one tonight.” He looked at Rebecca. “Is the room warm enough?”
“It’s fine.”
“Maybe I’ll go bring in some more wood from the back porch. Just to be safe.”
She nodded. “That would be gut.”
“I wish that Levi hadn’t had to go out of town,” Hannah said after he left. “I hate that Samuel’s being reminded of losing Ruth.”
“He wanted to be with you since your mann can’t.”
Hannah nodded. “Samuel always does the right thing.”
Samuel came back in and set the wood he carried in the basket beside the fireplace. “I’m going to go and wash my hands.”
“Wait!” Hannah gestured him over. “I didn’t mean to scare you and Rebecca.”
Rebecca stood. “I’ll leave the two of you so you can talk.”
Hannah shook her head. “Nee, please stay.” She turned to look at Samuel. “I appreciate you being here, Samuel. I know it’s difficult. But everything is going to be allrecht.”
He nodded. “I know. But could you just speed it up a little? This waiting around is getting hard.”
“Ya, I’ll see if I can do that,” she said wryly. “Go find something to do.”
Rebecca had never seen him move so fast. She chuckled and shook her head. “Men.” Then she bit her lip. Maybe she shouldn’t have said that. After all, the man was Hannah’s bruder.
Hannah laughed. “I agree. Men think all we have to do is decide to have the boppli and it should arrive. God knew what He was doing when He decided women should have the bopplin.” She sighed. “I had my first after four hours. It’s not looking like this one is going to take after him.”
“Every birth is different. But I have to say this is a little easier on the nerves than another birth I attended recently.”
“Oh, I know who you’re talking about. Abe is quite proud of himself for delivering his boppli when it came so quickly.”
Rebecca smiled. “I would be willing to bet that next time he will insist on calling me the minute Abigail has the first contraction.”
She watched Hannah breathe through the next contraction. They weren’t getting any closer. “Hannah, why don’t you try to get some rest? Let’s turn off the light and I’ll go in the living room. Just call me if you need me. And don’t get up if you feel dizzy.”
“Gut idea.” She slid down in the bed and lay on her side. “Go have some coffee and talk to Samuel. I think he kind of likes you.” She grinned.
Rebecca turned the battery-operated lamp off on the bedside table and left the room. She found Samuel in the kitchen making himself a sandwich.
He looked up hopefully. “Any progress?”
“Sorry, but the boppli doesn’t like your suggestion to appear. I’ve told Hannah to try to rest for a little while.”
“Hungerich?”
She eyed the huge sandwich he’d constructed. “That looks gut but it’s too much.”
“It’s a Samuel sandwich,” he said with satisfaction. “That’s what Hannah always called them. I’ll make you a smaller one. I just made a fresh pot of coffee if you want some.”
She poured herself a cup and sat while he made the sandwich.
Both their phones went off at the same time. Rebecca pulled hers out. “It’s a severe weather warning.”
As if to punctuate the message, a burst of snow hit the kitchen window.
“Gut night to be inside.”
Rebecca nodded. She got up, walked to the door, and opened it to look out.
“At least two feet so far,” Samuel said behind her. “Close the door before you catch a chill.”
She shut the door and rubbed her arms. She felt a chill but it had nothing to do with the wind she’d let inside.
* * *
Samuel paced the kitchen.
He and Rebecca had eaten their snack, drunk coffee, and talked while Hannah rested. He was grateful for the time they were having together but it wasn’t relieving his anxiety that hours had passed and Hannah still hadn’t delivered.
Schur, he knew some labors took a long time. But Hannah had told him that she delivered Jacob after four hours.
They were now into hour ten of Hannah’s labor and she was looking more drawn, more exhausted. And as much as Rebecca tried to hide it, he felt she was concerned.
She went in to examine Hannah, while he waited in the kitchen and paced some more. This time when she returned, her expression was tense.
“I think we need to move Hannah to the hospital. Can you go sit with her and keep her calm while I call the hospital?”
“Is she—”
She was already pulling out her cellphone. “Please, no questions. Go sit with Hannah and keep her calm.”
He did as she asked, his heart racing. A few minutes later she walked into the bedroom. “The doctor and I feel you should be moved to the hospital,” she told Hannah.
“But I wanted to have the boppli here,” Hannah began.
“I know. But remember I warned you that if there were any concerns, plans would have to change.”
“What’s changed?”
Rebecca sat beside her and took her hand. “I’d just feel better if we got another opinion, Hannah. And since the doctor doesn’t make house calls, we need to go see her at the hospital.”
Hannah’s gaze flew to Samuel. “What do you think we should do?”
Samuel had been worried about Hannah being in labor and having something go wrong as it had with Ruth. The moment he’d feared had arrived. He felt a stab of panic and looked to Rebecca. “You think she should go?”
“I do,” she said quietly. “Better to be safe than sorry.”
He nodded. “Then you should go, Hannah.”
She sighed and closed her eyes. “Fine,” she said finally.
Rebecca rose. “If you’ll sit with her, I’ll make the call for an ambulance.”
“But the expense—” Hannah cried.
“Hang the expense,” Samuel snapped. “I’ll take care of it.”
He watched Rebecca hurry from the room. “Well, at least we’ll finally see this boppli sometime today,” he joked. But Hannah just lay there looking defeated.
When Rebecca returned to the room, she looked concerned and she didn’t meet Samuel’s gaze. “I called nine-one-one and they’re sending an ambulance. Hannah, we’re going to keep you nice and warm here in bed until they get here. Do you have an emergency bag packed?”
She shook her head. “I didn’t think I’d need one.”
“I’ll get Samuel to put one together.”
He shot up, e
ager to do something, eager to be anywhere but here, and followed Rebecca from the room, feeling uneasy.
“Don’t forget my toothbrush!” Hannah called after him.
Samuel grasped Rebecca’s arm. “Does she really need a bag packed?” he asked quietly.
“Nee. Not really.” She bit her lip. “Samuel, the nine-one-one dispatcher said the road’s blocked. They’re getting a snowplow, but there might be a delay. I didn’t want to say anything to Hannah. Her blood pressure is already a little higher than I’d like.”
His heart felt like it had frozen at that instant.
“What about a helicopter? Don’t they have a helicopter for such emergencies?”
“Grounded because of the winds. The dispatcher promised they’ll do everything to get here.”
“And what if they’re not in time?”
She grasped his hands and looked in his eyes. “We can’t think that way. We have to pray, Samuel. And know God’s in charge.”
He wanted to say that God had been in charge when Ruth had died but now wasn’t the time. Nodding, he bent his head in prayer.
Rebecca squeezed his hands and then hurried back to Hannah’s room. He watched her leave, grateful there was no time to talk. He was afraid of what he’d say with fear weighing so heavily on his mind.
He went to pack what he thought Hannah would need in the hospital: the all-important toothbrush and toothpaste, a hairbrush. A nightgown and a shawl to keep her shoulders warm. Hospitals were such cold places. A fresh kapp. Her Bible and some warm socks and her slippers. He zipped the overnight bag, carried it downstairs, and set it by the coats hanging on pegs in the kitchen.
When he opened the back door for a quick check, he saw that another foot of snow had fallen. He shut the door quickly. Why did Hannah have to have her boppli on such a night? he wondered.
He found himself going back upstairs to check on the kinner. Both were sound asleep. One of Jacob’s feet was sticking out from under the quilt. Samuel tucked his foot under the covers and headed back downstairs only to find Hannah’s door shut. That meant Rebecca was doing another exam. He stood there feeling helpless.
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