Mail Order Midwife (Brides of Beckham Book 18)

by Kirsten Osbourne

  He yawned. “Or you.” He reached out and touched her arm. “I hate waking up this way, but it’s part of being a doctor.”

  “And a midwife.” She grabbed her dressing gown and rushed to the door. Pulling it open, she saw a man she’d never met. “My wife is having the baby, but she’d bleeding everywhere. I don’t know what to do!”

  “Did you bring her with you?” she asked quickly.

  “Yes, ma’am. She’s in the back of the wagon.”

  “Drive her around front. The doctor and I will meet you at his office.”

  She hurried back into the house as he ran back to his wagon. She realized she’d forgotten to ask the woman’s name; but really, at that moment, it didn’t matter. She got into her bedroom and Wesley was just buttoning his shirt. “There’s a woman in labor, but her husband says she’s bleeding everywhere. If what he’s saying is true, I can’t help her. I told him to take her to the office, and we’d meet them there.”

  He nodded, grabbing her hand and pulling her against him. “We’ll work together.”

  They rushed into the office, and she immediately went into the examining room to ensure clean sheets were on the bed. She had no idea how bad it was, but she was going to prepare for the worst possible situation.

  She made sure there were plenty of bandages to sop up any extra blood. When Wesley carried the woman in and put her on the table, the husband followed, and she shook her head. “You need to wait in the waiting room. Or better yet, go to our house and wait in the parlor. You can nap there.”

  “I need to be with my wife!”

  “No, you need to be out of our way so we can save your wife. Go!” She pointed to the door and the young man all but ran out.

  She looked at Wesley, her eyes wide. The front of the woman’s dress was completely covered in blood. “I’ve only seen something like this once, and we called the doctor in. I don’t know what to do!”

  “I do. We’re going to have to do a cesarean section. I need you with me if you can stay calm. Can you help?”

  She nodded. “Of course I can. Just tell me what to do!”

  *****

  Two hours later, Patsy looked down into the face of a beautiful baby boy, so thankful she wouldn’t be telling his father they’d lost his mother during his birth. Without Wesley there, she wouldn’t have been able to save her.

  Wesley finished washing his hands and turned around. “We did good.”

  She nodded. “We did. I couldn’t have done it without you.”

  He walked to her, putting his arm around her. He closed his eyes and rested his cheek on her head. “I couldn’t have done it without you. I’ve never needed a nurse as badly as I did tonight, and I never dreamed you’d be able to step in and do what I needed that way.” He choked up. “Thank you. Thank you for coming all this way to be my wife. You were exactly what I needed, and I didn’t realize it until you were here.”

  She sniffled a little. “It means so much to me that we can work together this way.” She smiled at him. “You stay with her. I’m going to tell his daddy that we were able to save them both. How long will she need to stay here?”

  “Just a few days. Take the baby with you when you tell him.”

  Patsy made her way through the house to the parlor where she found the new father pacing back and forth. She drew a blank when it came to his name. Had she ever even asked?

  “I brought you something,” she said softly.

  The man jerked and looked at her, staring at the baby in her arms. “What is it?”

  She laughed. “It’s a boy, and he’s got all his fingers and all his toes. He’s absolutely perfect.”

  “What about my wife? Margaret?”

  “She’s fine. We had to do a cesarean section, which means we had to cut her belly to get him out, but we were able to stop the bleeding. She’ll need to stay with us for a few days, but unless infection sets in, she’ll be just fine.”

  He closed his eyes. “What happened? Why did she bleed that way?”

  Patsy shook her head. “Sometimes those things just happen. I don’t have the ability to save her on my own. If Dr. Hardy hadn’t stepped in, we’d have lost her.”

  “Can I see her?”

  “She’s still sleeping from the medicine we gave her to put her to sleep, so she wouldn’t feel anything. You can peek in at her, though. Do you want to hold your son?”

  He nodded, looking as if he was in a daze. “Yes, I’ll hold him.”

  She put the baby into his arms. “Make sure you support his head.”

  He stared down at him. “What are we going to call him?”

  She laughed. “I think that’s up to you and your wife.” She started toward the office. “Follow me, and I’ll take you to her.”

  When they reached the office, Wesley was sitting in his chair, looking exhausted. “She’s fine,” he said, looking at the young father whose eyes were locked on his, as if he needed someone else to tell him what he’d already heard. “She’s staying here for a few days where we can watch her more closely, and she’ll need to be careful for a few weeks, but she’s going to live.”

  “Thank you, Dr. Hardy.”

  Wesley nodded. “You are welcome, Mr. Lunney. Would you like to see her?”

  At the younger man’s nod, Wesley led the way into the examining room. Mrs. Lunney was just starting to stir. “Where am I?”

  Patsy hurried to her side. “You’re at Dr. Hardy’s office. You have a son.”

  Mrs. Lunney tried to sit up, but Patsy put a hand at her shoulder. “You need to stay flat for a little while. You lost a lot of blood.”

  “Where’s the baby?”

  Mr. Lunney stepped close to her. “I have him. He’s beautiful.”

  Patsy left the room, closing the door behind her to give them a bit of privacy. She walked to where Wesley was sitting slumped in his chair and walked behind him, massaging his shoulders. “We should move her to the spare bedroom so I can take care of her while you work.”

  He rested his cheek against her hand. “Would you mind?”

  “Of course not. When I realized it was a doctor whose letter I was answering, I was happy. I liked the idea of being able to help out with deliveries. I never imagined I’d be witnessing a cesarean section, but I was so happy I was there for it.” She paused, trying to put her thoughts into words. “I love helping you. To me, that’s what a wife does. She helps her husband in every way she can. Not just the ways people expect. I’m here to cook, clean, sew,” she said, wrinkling her nose, “but also to be there as a nurse when you need one.”

  He put his hand on hers, pulling her around in front of him. “When I realized you were a midwife, all I could think about was keeping you from ever practicing again. Now I realize, there is a need for women who can deliver babies. You’re not just someone who decided you could do it. You’ve studied and trained. I respect what you do and who you are.”

  She smiled at that, stroking his cheek. “I’m so glad to hear you say that. I know I’m good at what I do, but it’s not always something that a doctor will admit to. I don’t ever intend to be your competition, but I’m so happy you’re allowing me to be your helper.”

  Mr. Lunney opened the door of the room. “What do I do now? I can’t feed the baby or take care of him.”

  Patsy smiled. “What you do is leave both of them with us. I’ll take care of them while she recovers. The baby needs to be close to her so she can nurse him.”

  “I can’t just leave my family!”

  “Well, you’re welcome to stay in our parlor, but she needs to be cared for.”

  He frowned. “I can’t stay here. I have cows to milk.”

  She shrugged. “I don’t have any other options for you. I think she’ll be ready to go home on Friday or Saturday, and I promise you, we’ll take good care of them both.”

  He finally nodded. “I have to leave them. I don’t know what else to do.”

  Patsy hurried to the young father, patting his arm. “You tru
sted us to save her life and get your little one into the world. Trust us to take care of them for a few days.”

  “I don’t know how I’m going to pay for all this…”

  Wesley shrugged. “You have already paid me for delivery. This was a little more complicated, but that’s all right. Don’t worry about it.”

  Patsy took the baby and carried him toward the house to let the men discuss money. She frowned as she thought about where she was going to keep a newborn. She walked into her bedroom, and laid him in the middle of the bed, and then she emptied out a drawer. She put a quilt in it to pad it, and then laid the baby onto the quilt. There. He’ll be safe.

  She looked up and saw Wesley and Mr. Lunney carrying Margaret into the spare room, and lying her on the bed.

  After the young man had left, she looked at Wesley. “We only have a couple of hours before we need to be up.”

  “Then let’s sleep while we can.” He caught her hand and pulled her to him. “You’re something else, Mrs. Hardy.”

  “I’m pretty impressed with you too, Dr. Hardy!”

  They didn’t bother undressing, realizing they’d both be up in a short while, and they would need to see to their patients as necessary. It was going to be a difficult few days, but they both knew they could get through it together.

  *****

  Patsy spent the next day taking care of the baby and Margaret. Emily was fascinated by the baby, and Patsy realized she’d never really been around them. With as many babies as she’d delivered, she’d never had one come home with her.

  “Are you going to have a baby now that you’re married, Mama?”

  Patsy finished changing the baby’s diaper, thinking carefully about how to answer. “I’d like to have one. Would you like to have a little brother or sister?”

  “Yes. I’d help you take care of him. I promise!”

  “You’d be too busy playing baseball!”

  “I wouldn’t.” Emily swallowed hard. “If you have a baby, I’ll even help you make clothes for it.”

  Patsy laughed. “Wow, that’s dedication. Maybe I’ll have a baby. We’ll see if God gives us one.”

  The baby, who had been fussing softly, started crying in earnest then. “Let’s get this little guy to his mama to feed.” They tiptoed into the room, and found Margaret awake in bed.

  “I heard him,” she explained, adjusting the front of the nightgown she’d borrowed from Patsy, so she could nurse the baby. “I worry I don’t have enough milk for him.”

  “You will,” Patsy said simply. “Your body will know how much to make, and you’ll do just fine. Are you getting hungry? The doctor doesn’t want you on solid food today, but he said you could have some soup.”

  “I guess I am hungry. I’d love some soup.”

  “I’ll go get it so it can cool a bit while you feed him. Would you prefer milk or water with it?”

  “Milk please.”

  Patsy hurried away to get the food, smiling at Emily as she lingered, not wanting to be more than a few feet from the baby.

  *****

  When the house was mostly empty again on Saturday, and Margaret and Seth, as they’d decided to name the baby, had gone home, Patsy prepared another picnic. She knew that Wesley had forgotten the fishing poles, so she went to the general store and bought two of them, one slightly shorter than the other.

  Wesley arrived home shortly after noon, and he again found his ladies in the parlor, working on their embroidery. There were two new dresses for Emily laying on the back of the sofa. “I see her new dresses arrived.”

  Patsy looked up at him and nodded. “And there are no ruffles. No frills at all. And look here…” She held up one of the dresses so he could see what had been embroidered around the collar.

  He squinted at it, and let out a bark of laughter. “Someone knows our little girl.” There were tiny little baseballs and bats alternated around the collar. “Do you like them, Emily?”

  Emily nodded emphatically. “They’re perfect!”

  He grinned. “At least now I won’t have to listen to anyone complain about fairy puke!”

  “Oh, I’ll find something else that’s fairy puke. Maybe embroidery. I like saying fairy puke too much to stop just because I don’t have any frilly dresses.”

  “Of course, you will.” He held up the picnic basket. “Are we ready?”

  Emily threw down her embroidery and picked up the two fishing poles, carrying them in each hand, while Patsy grabbed their picnic quilt. “Let’s go!” Emily said with a grin, running ahead to open the door.

  While they were eating, Wesley brought up a topic that had been bothering him. “I want you two to stop embroidering. I can see that you both hate it, and there’s no need to torture either of you. If you can’t sew, the world won’t end.”

  Emily let out a squeal of happiness and jumped up, throwing herself at him. “Thank you!”

  He laughed softly. “I’m sorry I tried to change you, Emily. I want you to know that you’re perfect exactly the way you are.”

  She smiled at him. “I know. And I’m a great pitcher. Who could possibly want more from a daughter?”

  “I wouldn’t know,” he said seriously, but his eyes filled with humor.

  “I’m going to go dig up some worms for us to fish with!” With that, she was off, heading down to the edge of the pond, digging into the dirt with her bare hands.

  “Thank you,” Patsy said softly. “You accepting her for what she is means the world to me.”

  He shrugged. “How could I not accept such a perfect little girl?”

  “Don’t ask me! You were the one that wanted her to embroider!”

  “I don’t know what I was thinking. I love her just like she is. I love her mother just like she is too.”

  Patsy smiled at that, her eyes meeting his as she reached out to take his hand. “You do?”

  He nodded. “I do. I love you more than I ever dreamed was possible when I sent off for a random red-haired woman.”

  She laughed. “I do have red hair.”

  “There’s so much that’s special about you. I’ve never had a woman to share my work burden either. I can’t tell you what it means to me when you roll up your sleeves and work with me.”

  “How could I not? I love you.”

  The simple words went straight to his heart. “I need to send a thank you letter to Elizabeth Tandy.”

  She laughed. “You don’t think I’ve already done that for both of us?”

  Epilogue

  “But when will the baby be here, Mama? It’s been forever!” Emily asked for the tenth time in as many hours.

  Patsy sighed, patting her belly. “Do you want to listen to the heartbeat?”

  “You’re not going to distract me with that again. I need to know!”

  “It could be tomorrow, but it could be two weeks from now. I’m ready for it to be born as much as you are.”

  “And I can teach it to play baseball? Even if it’s a girl? You promised!”

  “I did promise, and yes, you can teach a boy or girl to play baseball.”

  Emily sighed happily. “I’m glad we moved all the way to South Dakota for a new daddy,” she said. School had just let out for the summer, and she was happily playing baseball with all the boys in town. She’d tried to talk some of the girls into playing, but it hadn’t worked so far.

  Patsy looked up to see Wesley come in, looking tired. “I miss having a midwife doing most of the deliveries for me,” he said, sitting beside her on the couch. “I didn’t realize how much of my burden you took off me, until you had to stop for a while.”

  She laughed. “I’ll be back to it as soon as I recover from having this one.” She patted her belly.

  He eyed the stethoscope beside her. “Listening to him again?”

  She shrugged. “I always let my patients listen to their babies as well. It’s what midwives do.”

  He leaned over and kissed her softly. “I’m just glad I got the good midwife.”
/>   “And I’m glad I got the doctor of my dreams.”

  “If you two keep kissing so much, I think your lips are going to fall off,” Emily observed.

  “Thank you for your opinion, Emily,” Patsy said. “Go play baseball or something!”

  Emily didn’t have to be told twice. She was out the door in a flash.

  “You know we’re going to have to call her back in for supper in a few minutes, right?” Wesley asked.

  Patsy nodded. “I know. I just needed a moment with the man I love.”

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  About the Author: USA Today bestselling author Kirsten Osbourne knows how to write romance. Each book is an experience that transplants the reader, indulging them in decadence, intense emotion and sweeping love.

  Hailing from the state of Wisconsin, she has lived in Texas for over thirty years as a mother, writer, and wife. Married to the love of her life for more than fifteen years, she knows that true love exists and shares that vision with the world.

  She writes contemporary and historical romance as well and also ventures into the realm of paranormal romance. She invites you to join her in her world of fantasy, love, and make believe, no matter the location, where there is always a happily ever after at the end.