A short while later, Annie removed some of the more soiled linens and blankets to be taken to the wash. Then Eva saw her tap Ellen on the shoulder. “I’ll make ye some hot chocolate. Let’s leave them for a while. I think they’re sayin’ sorry to each other for the fightin’.” Ellen smiled at Annie and picked up the basket of soiled bed clothes. They both headed for the door.
“Come back when ye’re done with yer hot chocolate, Ellen,” Liam said.
Eva smiled at her daughter. Ellen ran to her mother and kissed her, then followed Annie.
The cradle that had been shipped when Ed and Annie came west had been set up a few days before. It was on Eva’s side of the bed. When the baby finished nursing, Liam put him into the cradle, covering the already tightly swaddled baby with a soft knit blanket. He gazed at his son. It was hard to believe he had created a son and a daughter. He lay down next to Eva, leaning on the now mercilessly flattened pillows.
“I think he and Liisa are goin’ to be a set of matchin’ bookends,” Liam said, softened by the birth and survival of his wife and baby.
“I don’t know vhat are bookends.”
Liam chuckled. “I love ye so, Eva.” He gazed at his wife, and then smiled impishly. “Ye look like ye just went through a tornado.” He smoothed the sweat-soaked hair out of her face as he gazed into her stellar blue eyes. “Ye’ve never looked more beautiful to me than ye do now.”
“Dis time you see nottink bad like last time?”
“No, and I was glad for it.”
Eva gave him her best smile, considering she’d just given birth to a ten-pound boy. She was tired and sore, and she wanted to be washed and dry, in a clean flannel nightgown and bed. But first she wanted to touch Liam, to reconnect with him. As he stretched out next to her, she cuddled into him, feeling his warmth, his strong arms, breathing his scent in deeply.
She stayed still in his arms for quite a while, and then said, “You make me angry.”
“I know. I’m sorry.” He held her just a little tighter and cuddled into her just a little more.
“I’m sordy I puss you ’vay, and I sordy not tellink you I vas in labor.”
He squeezed her as if to say all’s forgiven. “I’m curious,” he said. “How long were ye in labor?”
“All day,” she whispered.
She could feel him tense up, then take a deep breath and let it out slowly. She also felt him cringe. “I von’t do dat ’gain,” she promised. She shifted in the bed so she could look into his eyes.
“Ye’re a stubborn wee Finn, aren’t ye?”
“You are stubborn Irishman.” She blinked a few tears away.
“Then aren’t we a fine pair?”
“Yes. And I luff you, too.”
Eva snuggled in and fell asleep in Liam’s arms.
~~~
Two days later, Dr. Sean O’Neill helped Colleen Murphy Brady deliver a baby girl. The baby was only seven pounds compared to Conor’s ten, but a very healthy girl. They named her Kathleen Bernadette Brady. After the birth, Sean told Liam he did not like the baby’s father. He said the Brady creep was aloof and barely registered any joy at the birth of his first child.
“Ed and Annie were perplexed by his behavior,” Sean said. “He showed little concern for Colleen. Ed was furious, but didn’t let Colleen know.”
“There’s trouble brewin’ there,” Liam remarked. “I saw young Kari Pelto have eyes for Colleen at Thanksgivin’.”
Chapter 9
Liam was happy that all was well with mother and baby but, at nearly two months, Conor Michael Dady decided he was going to keep everyone up nights. Ellen declared him officially “backwards.” Annie was chief cook and bottle washer along with Sally, who was the only one of them who was getting decent sleep at her own home, except Liisa, who could sleep through thunderstorms and, Liam surmised humorously, military artillery. Eva insisted Liam sleep in the spare bedroom so he could get a good night’s sleep. She promised to wake him whenever the baby or she needed him.
Ellen was well so far, but influenza was going around the school and town. It wasn’t influenza that hit Liisa a few days after her birthday. It was whooping cough. Pertussis, Liam called it. It was mild. But then Liam noticed symptoms of the influenza come on.
Ellen was allowed to stay home, for fear she would spread the germs from her sister to her classmates. Liam thought it would help slow the infection at school, but to no avail. Many children and school staff flooded doctors’ offices in the city’s hospitals. Beds began to fill.
Once again, Eva and the baby had to stay away from another sick child.
Liam stayed home to tend to Liisa while the three other doctors took care of the hospital and the community. There were other doctors available in the town as well.
Liam would not let on to anyone that Liisa was dangerously ill. He was scared to death. She was his first child and so precious to him. He had not yet taken the rubber sheet used for Eva’s birth back to the hospital, so he rigged up a way to put snow and ice around Liisa at intervals, using the rubber sheet to keep her high fever in check. It could be damaging if the fever stayed too high for too long. He’d heard of children going blind from high fevers that ended up damaging the optic nerve. He spread the rubberized sheet over her, then placed ice and snow alongside her body and folded over the sheet, holding the ice in place. Annie and Ed kept Liam in snow, using buckets to bring it upstairs. It didn’t take much. Liisa was small.
When Liisa needed a break from the snow, Liam would hold her in the rocker. He sang softly to her, interspersed with talking while he fed her mehu from a baby bottle.
“My sweet Liisa, Pappa’s taken’ care of ye and ye’re gettin’ better every day. I want to take ye to play outside when the spring comes. I’ll build ye swings and a see-saw. I’m goin’ to take ye to yer first day of school, and I’ll watch ye grow to be a beautiful girl. I’ll say to ye, do what ye want. Fly like a birdy. Spread yer wings, but ye come back and see me from time to time, ’cause yer Pappa can’t have ye gone too long.”
As Liam held her, he cried.
Four days after her symptoms showed, the fever broke. Liam scooped her up gently and wept one more time. His tears dotted her face and woke her. It was the first time in days she spoke to him.
“Pappa. Wuv you,” she said in a terribly weak voice. She was soaked with sweat.
“Pappa loves Liisa.”
He washed and changed her. Then he changed her trundle. Before he put her to bed, he fed her some mehu. He needed to continue her rehydration.
When Eva was able to hold Liisa for the first time since she’d gotten sick, Eva broke down. There was great relief in the big house on Catholic Hill.
At the O’Neill’s, Alice had caught the influenza. She recovered to everyone’s immense relief. Sean the elder had told Liam, “I knew she was stayin’ around for a while. She has important things to do yet before she goes. And she happens to be Daddy’s little girl, as they say in America.”
“I never told Eva, or anyone for that matter, that Liisa came close, too.”
“Jesus Christ, Liam.”
~~~
When the flu and whooping cough were conquered at the Dady house, Liam took a few days off, sleeping for twenty-nine hours straight. Eva woke him at intervals to eat and drink and use the bathroom. When he finally woke up, he went to the kitchen in his pajamas, surprising everyone there. He ate copious amounts of breakfast fare in an attempt to catch up on the food he hadn’t been able to eat while tending to his sick child.
~~~
Liam noticed Eva had been feeling amorous lately.
“Liam,” she announced after climbing into bed, “it now tree monts from Conor birt. I vant you.”
“Are ye sure? There’s no soreness anymore? No bleedin’? Do ye feel strong enough?”
“Yes, to everytink.”
“Do ye mean ‘no’ to the bleedin’? Ye did give birth to a locomotive, if ye remember.”
“Yes! See-yut up, get you penis
ready.”
He laughed. He climbed on top and nestled in between her legs.
After making love, he made a comment as to her slightly altered anatomy. “Ye feel stretched out a bit more than the last time. Ye’re not as snug.” He thought that was hilarious and erupted into silent giggles.
Eva punched him in the arm. “You giff birt next time,” she said, challenging him.
“Ye know that can never happen. But I would if I could take the pain from ye.” He scooped her close to his side, encouraging her to snuggle closer, and gave her a passionate kiss.
“I am not too tired yet,” she whispered, encouraging Liam to come to her again.
He rolled to her, his pelvis next to hers, touching. He kissed her once more and felt himself stiffen. He hadn’t made love to her for the last month of her late pregnancy with a too-big baby, and then for a few more months in recovery. By now, he was burning for her.
He didn’t want to be gentle this time. He wanted to take her. Own her. She was his. He once imagined what he would have done if Victor had been alive and Eva had chosen Liam over her then husband. There very well could have been a fight. There was no doubt who would have been the victor, no pun intended, but it would have been Eva’s ultimate choice. He was sad that Victor had passed, but his path to Eva would have been more complicated if he had lived.
The thought of fighting for Eva made him push her flat on her back. He nudged her knees wide and entered her roughly. He heard her moan at the abrupt intrusion. He felt her spread wider to let him in deeper. His breathing was ragged and rough and he got noisy as he thrust and rocked, his hip bones colliding with hers. He felt her legs wrap around his grinding buttocks, feeling her hands and nails gouging his back. He bit her on her shoulder as he climaxed, muffling his feral yell. He kept going until her climax wracked her and she thrashed and bucked underneath him.
“God almighty, I’ve missed ye so,” he said. He was still gasping for air, still half on her. “I love ye more than anythin’. Do ye know that?”
“I am you voman?”
Even though it was probably ten below zero outside, they had worked themselves into a sweaty frenzy in the well heated house.
“Oh, aye, ye’re mine,” he answered.
He lay limp and blissful, with his face in her neck. He felt her shiver. He shifted and pulled the quilt over her, protecting her from the intruding elements, keeping her safe. He realized she had thrice survived giving birth.
He breathed deep in relief, and fell asleep.
~~~
In the frosty, early morning, Liam dreamed of Dolly. She came to him. They were on the deck of the ocean liner. It was sunny and warm. She was dressed in her wedding gown, the veil flowing in the soft breeze. She spoke clearly to him in her soft, sweet voice.
“I chose to go when I did, Liam. It was that, or dyin’ in childbirth. Our long life together was not meant to be. But I have come to ye once again. Liisa has me inside her. Eva is always going to be fine when she’s havin’ a baby. She’ll be fine, Liam. She’s strong…”
Liam sat up abruptly. He could have sworn the dream was real. He looked around his bedroom.
“Vhat happen, Liam?” Eva was in bed next to him.
He turned in the direction of her voice. “Did I wake ye?”
“No. I yust put Conor back to bed. I feed him and change him. You look like you see a ghost.”
“I did.” He lay back down, making sure he had some sort of physical contact with Eva. He grabbed her hand. He shivered.
It was Eva’s turn to cover him. Her arm covered him along with the quilt.
“I just dreamed about Dolly,” he said. “She came to me and said her spirit was in Liisa and that you would always be fine giving birth. You’re strong.”
“Dat’s nice sees come to visit you. Remember yust before ve married, Victor come to me. He give me to you.”
Liam lay silent in contemplation. He didn’t know how to feel—peaceful or disturbed. “She said she would’ve died in childbirth if she hadn’t chosen to die on the ship.” He moved closer to Eva. He felt safe with her. Suddenly, though, he flew out of bed and went out into the hall.
~~~
Eva thought Liam was still disoriented, and quietly went after him. The hallway was chilly in her robe, as she had nothing under it.
The girls’ bedroom door was open. Eva peeked in to find Liam standing over Liisa’s trundle bed. He picked up her sleeping body and cradled her against his heart.
Eva walked over and put her arms around him. Her thought was, that losing Dolly was still raw for him. He had told her he could go for long periods of time without thinking about it. The same was true for her with Victor.
“Pappa, doin’?” a sleepy toddler voice asked.
“I love ye so much, I wanted to hold ye, Liisa.”
“You take cawe me,” Liisa pushed off Liam’s shoulder to look at him. She put her hand on his cheek. “I not sick.”
“No ye’re not, ye’re all better.”
“Wanna pway?”
“Let’s go downstairs and play, it’s very early.”
“Go! Pappa!” Liisa wriggled to get down. Liam moved quickly to get her out of the room so Ellen would stay asleep for a while longer before getting up for school.
Eva went to the dresser with the changing table on top and got a diaper, and fresh clothes for Liisa. She gave it to Liam in the hall, tucking it under his arm. Eva unlocked the gate and let them through. She watched the precious father-daughter duo chat as they descended the stairs and went into the parlor. As Liam slid the parlor doors shut, Eva heard a squeal of delight out of Liisa. Liam probably put her down. Eva smiled and headed back to bed. She could doze until Conor woke in need of a more substantial breakfast.
She lay thinking about Liam’s dream, which apparently disturbed him. He had come a long way since he first began to let Dolly’s death and the grieving come to the surface. Eva’s pregnancies brought everything back though, causing him to be crazy with worry about her and the stairs. The consequence of his fears was conflict between them.
She remembered his words of love and devotion in the heat of passion a few short hours before. What else was going on?
Her fears suddenly came rushing back about infidelity. She felt a sudden lack of confidence, of not feeling good enough.
But he tells me he loves me, she thought. Victor did that. I knew Victor meant it, too, just like Liam means it. Victor still had sex with other women. How do I know Liam is not?
She got up from bed abruptly, putting on her heavy nightgown, robe, and slipper socks. She headed downstairs. Conor, who was sound asleep, would be fine for a while. Eva came into the parlor and closed the doors. Liam and Liisa were just finishing getting Liisa dressed.
“Mamma! Pway!”
Eva could only pierce Liam with a gaze that seemed to alarm him.
“What is it, sweetheart?” he said.
“Am I you only sveetheart, Liam?” Her stomach felt like it had a ball of ice lying at the bottom. “Victor alvays say ‘I luff you’ to me.”
“Ah, Christ, Eva. Yes. You are my only sweetheart. May God strike me dead if I’m lyin’ to ye.” He stood and went to her. “It’s the dream, isn’t it? I had a moment in which I grieved Dolly.” He held her fast. “I’m faithful to ye Eva. I always will be. I know when somethin’ is grand in my life, and I’m not daft enough to throw it away. I’m so happy with you and our children, it makes my heart fill with joy.”
Eva put her face into his flannel pajama top and cried. “I belief you, Liam.”
~~~
As Liam held her, he realized that what grieved Eva the most wasn’t so much Victor’s death, but his infidelity. She had held so much trust in Victor’s love for her that his betrayal made Eva nearly give up on life.
As they held each other now, Liam felt a little hand on the back of his knees. Looking down, he saw a knee-high, black-curled pixie smiling up at them.
“Up!” Liisa chirped like a little bi
rd, her baby teeth showing in a wide grin.
Liam hoisted her into his arms.
“Mamma … no cwy. Pappa take … cawe you. Aww bedder.”
Liisa said a profound thing to Eva in her two-word spurts, which made her cry even more.
Liam was equally as stunned. “How’s that for ye, darlin’? Through a two-year-old.”
Eva laughed, which came out as more of a sob. Liisa leaned in for Eva to take her and wrapped her arms around Eva’s neck.
“Wuff Mamma.”
Liam added, “Pappa wuff Mamma, too.”
Chapter 10
Spring came slowly in April, but the longer days and sunshine made life new again after the long winter.
One morning at the kitchen table, while Eva fed Conor his cereal, Annie and Ed were busy planning a possible purchase of an available storefront down on Main Street. It could be made into a diner or restaurant of sorts, or perhaps a drug store with a lunch counter and some booths.
“What do you think about the drug store, Eva?” Annie asked.
“I don’t know. Vhat you like to do?”
“The problem is, neither Annie nor I know how to dispense medicines,” Ed said. So, they nixed the idea of the drug store and decided on a small Irish restaurant. It’s what they knew.
“It’s time to get out from under foot here,” Ed said.
“You are not bodder here,” Eva said. “I am glad you stay vit us.”
“I’m very glad we are here, too. Ye’ve kept us warm and safe this winter, you and Liam. But it’s time for Annie and me to decide what we are to do on our own.” He put his hand on Eva’s arm.
“Vell den, don’t go far,” Eva said with a smile, putting her hand on Ed’s.
“I don’t think we will. I think this storefront may work as a restaurant. It’s right on Main Street with all that foot traffic. Shall we make a go of it, Annie girl?”
“I’m all for it,” Annie answered.
“I think it’s time to talk to the banker and the seller of the store,” Ed said, folding up the papers he and Annie were writing on.
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