Above Rubies (Rockland Ranch)

by Jaclyn Hawkes

  The days warmed up and Rob tilled Naomi’s garden. She and Kit planted peas and lettuce and beets. There were so many things here that Kit had never experienced. She’d always loved flowers, but this was her first experience with growing anything and she found she loved it. There was something about dirt that was so basic and wholesome. She knew she'd found a new hobby for life.

  The guys loaded the snowplows, snow cat and snow machines into the back of an equipment shed and Kit helped Naomi pack what seemed like truckloads of snow gear into storage.

  Kit had been experimenting more and more with the lifelike sculptures of the horses and calves, and even Slade and Rossen roping. She was pleased with the way some of them were turning out and decided to ask Mr. Perkins about learning to cast bronze.

  She did a figurine of Slade and Isabel walking near the pond. It took her several days to finish the raw clay and she decided she liked this kind of work even better than her free form stuff. The realism was more challenging and the satisfaction as she was done was intense.

  She started a series of foals in several poses bucking and playing. They were larger and more lifelike than anything she'd ever done and she threw herself into it with such a passion that she found her back aching at times from working too many hours at a stretch.

  She started swimming at Slade and Isabel’s pool more often, as it seemed to soothe the aches and pains and muscle spasms that became more bothersome the larger she got. Several times since her and Rossen’s initial night walk, she'd gotten up to go outside, rather than try to pace off her heartburn inside and chance waking someone.

  Without her knowing, Rossen always checked on her to make sure she was safe and never went far. He just watched from a distance and let her go, her white nightgown and robe easily seen in the dark.

  One early morning when she was feeling particularly miserable, she couldn’t seem to walk out the spasms in her back and wished she dared sneak into Slade’s pool house at this time of night. She walked the entire perimeter of the pond several times, but nothing was helping. She’d waded the pond a few times lately in the daytime where they'd piped a hot mineral spring into it, and although so far she’d only dipped her feet, she walked that way wondering if the hot spring would bring relief.

  She kicked off her slippers, left her robe on the bank and tentatively put a foot into the water to check the temperature in the wee hour chill. The mineral water felt like warm silk and she didn’t hesitate to wade all the way in. She swam to where the water spilled in from the pipe and turned to float under it letting the weight of the miniature falls pound her back where it ached. It helped almost immediately and she was so grateful for the relief. The warm water, the night air and the mystique of the dark were powerful medicine, and she basked in its spell. Her body felt so much less awkward and big in the relative weightlessness of the water.

  Finally relaxed, she was still loathe to go, but went because she knew her body needed rest. She came out of the water wishing she'd brought a towel and hoping she hadn’t ruined her white cotton gown. She stepped into her slippers and wrung out her hair, and carrying her robe to keep it dry, she fairly floated back up the path to the house. Her gown was actually somewhat dry as she slipped back onto the darkened deck feeling immeasurably better.

  ****

  Rossen heard her get up and let herself out and checked on her several times. She’d never walked this long before and he was just wondering if he should go out to see if she was okay, when she disappeared.

  He waited a few more minutes, then threw a hoody on over his sweat pants and went to find her. When he got to the pond, he realized she was, in fact, in it. Just for a split second he thought she'd drowned and his gut wrenched. Then she turned over to lay her head back in the water and he understood she was just floating under the piped spring. He climbed up the hill a way to let her have her privacy and so he wouldn’t scare her here in the dark. He watched over her until she climbed out of the warm water and headed back to the house, her white gown clinging to her skin and occasionally blowing in the night wind.

  He followed her at a distance until he’d made sure she was back safe, then he sat on the deck in the dark letting the same night wind cool his head. Several minutes later, he let himself in.

  Her night swims became quite common, but after busting her in her almost transparent gown, he only checked to make sure she made it safely in.

  ****

  One day she came in from a walk around the ranch in the daytime and changed her clothes to go work in her studio. When she walked in the craft room door, Rossen, Slade, Isabel, Naomi and Rob were all five standing inside, staring at the foal sculptures in silence.

  She instantly wondered if there was a problem. “What’s going on? Is something wrong?”

  Naomi answered, “No honey, there’s nothing wrong. It’s just none of us had been in here for several days, and we hadn’t seen the change in the style of your work. When Isabel came up and found these, she wanted all of us to come up and see.”

  Kit looked from one face to the next, trying to read their expressions. “Well?” She wasn’t sure she could take it, if they disliked her latest stuff.

  Slade and Isabel looked at each other and finally Isabel asked, “Do you do commissions?”

  Kit was still hesitant. “Commissions like what?”

  “Could Slade and I hire you to do a series of these horses, but in larger than life size for our farm in California? We want to have them bronzed.”

  Kit was stunned. “Are you serious?” She looked back and forth at them.

  Slade nodded. “Yeah, we’re serious. They're incredible!”

  Kit was somewhat hesitant. “I can try. I’ve never done anything like that before, but it would be way cool.”

  Rossen and Naomi grinned at each other at her terminology and Naomi said, “World class talent and she calls it way cool!”

  Kit went over and tossed a towel over the bust of Slade and Isabel as she turned to them and said, “Don’t see this one. It’s a surprise gift for you, but it’s not done so pretend you don’t know about it, ‘kay?”

  “Know about what?” Slade smiled at her. “Find out how to do the bronzes. We’ll bankroll the whole project and pay your commission. Just let us know what you need.”

  They all left except Rossen, who stood looking for the longest time in silence. Finally, he said, “When I first met you, I thought God had dealt you way more than your fair share of trials. I had no idea then about your gifts. I’ve never known anyone like you in my whole life, Just Kit. About every other day, you amaze me.”

  ****

  As April drew to a close, Kit finished all of her high school work and she and Rossen went in to take the last childbirth class. They’d made it through four weeks, and Kit felt they should have been given a diploma or at least an "I survived" T-shirt.

  They’d been reading her pregnancy books and between the books and the class, they’d had some rather interesting talks in the truck on the way to and from.

  That Friday, Sean was graduating from college and the whole family drove the two and a half hours to Logan to attend the commencement. The Rocklands had bought a house there that they’d turned into three apartments for their kids and their roommates to live in. Everyone had moved home except the family, so they all stayed there for the night.

  The next morning, Naomi and Joey took Kit on a mini tour of campus. They stopped at the bookstore and Naomi bought a current student catalog. Kit wondered what she wanted it for and she was floored when Naomi gave it to her on the way home saying, “Just look through it. You never know, you might end up there sometime. They have one of the best art schools in the country.”

  Naomi and Rossen were always talking about when she went to college. Kit thought they were nuts. New mothers didn’t go to college.

  Kit really had reached one hundred and eighty pounds over the last weeks and even though her doctor said she was perfect, she still felt as big as a house.

 
Playing her guitar had become awkward and she could only work at Rossen’s computer for a half hour or so at a time, before she had to get up and move around. Sleeping through the night had become a fairytale and she could only eat a few bites without the fear of heart burn. She’d pretty much decided this pregnancy stuff could get old fast and she wondered how in the world she was going to make it through four more weeks.

  Her prenatal appointments were scheduled just a week apart now and they did another ultrasound. Rossen didn’t go in this time and she was relieved. She wasn’t sure she wanted him to see her huge tummy. She got another great photo, though. This time they could even see the baby’s hair. On the way home she and Naomi stopped at Shopko and bought things like diapers and a car seat and some tiny clothes and blankets.

  The first week in May, Rob asked Rossen to take a bull to Alpine to a rancher friend of his there. Joey was good friends with his daughter and wanted to ride along, so Naomi suggested Kit go with, saying, “The scenery is marvelous if you think you can stand to sit for sixty miles. You can take the suburban. It rides smoother.”

  Anything was better than sitting just hanging out waiting, so she went, and Naomi was right. It was a breathtaking drive. They left at six in the morning and drove up through Star Valley and after dropping the bull and visiting, they headed back down on the Salt River road on the east side of the drainage. It was about the same distance, but a whole new country for her to see.

  About halfway back, Kit decided this trip had been a mistake. Everything she owned began to have charley horses and her back began to cramp miserably. On top of that, they were stopped by a flagman who reported a wildfire up ahead that was uncontained and threatening the highway. He let them pass with a warning that the road could be closed at any time and they may have to turn and backtrack to Alpine and come down the other way. Kit groaned inwardly. She didn’t say anything, but she felt awful.

  She kicked off her shoes and began trying to stretch and relax as best she could. When they safely passed the place where the fire came closest to the road, she breathed a sigh of relief. The smoke was blowing straight toward the highway and she knew it would only be a matter of minutes before this route would indeed be blocked. As it was, the visibility was terrible and she was grateful Rossen was the one driving the Suburban and trailer.

  Several miles past the smoke, the road narrowed and began to wind with a large river on one side and a steep ridge of mountains on the other. At this point Kit started to get carsick on top of her other miseries.

  Traffic slowed behind several big rigs in a row and Kit began to pray, realizing that if she had to be sick, there was nowhere to pull off out of the way.

  She was watching the line of trucks ahead when everything seemed to go into slow motion. The double tanker three vehicles ahead of them lost control on a turn and began to fishtail back and forth, then skidded as its rear tanker slid toward the river. The trucker finally got stopped, but not before the back wheels of the rear tanker went over the edge to dangle in space above the bank. In a chain reaction, the next two trucks careened as everyone tried to stop before they hit the vehicle in front. Rossen hit his brakes and the suburban skidded hard to the right as he, Kit and Joey were all three thrown forward.

  Neither airbag deployed, so Kit assumed they were all okay, until she felt a frightening pull, low in her stomach, and an even more frightening warm gush of liquid begin to soak her sundress and run off the leather seat and down her legs.

  She was horrified and looked up at Rossen with panic in her eyes.

  ****

  Rossen instantly realized Kit’s water had broken and several different anxious emotions washed over him, as he looked backward and then forward, trying to decide what to do. The trailer directly in front of them had jackknifed across the road. The trailer they were pulling had jackknifed too, as well as the big rig directly behind them. Beyond that he couldn’t see, but both he and Kit knew there was a dangling tanker in front of them and a wildfire closing in behind. Reality settled in fast.

  Joey leaned forward from the backseat and asked, “Kit, are you okay?”

  Kit’s voice wavered as she answered, “I think so.”

  Rossen immediately tried to get on his cell phone, only to find they had no service. Tensely, he said, “Joey. Dig around and see what Dad has in here that’ll mop up water. I’m going to climb up one of these hills and see if I can get cell service. I’ll be right back.” He gave Kit an intense look as he squeezed her hand and jumped out of the truck, to scramble up the steep ridge.

  He had to climb ridiculously high, but he was finally able to call out and report what had happened. His voice was slightly unsteady as he reported on Kit. From his vantage point he could see there were a total of seven vehicles affected. Two in front, his and four behind, and he realized with a sick heart it would be hours before the road was clear. The wrecks were clear across both lanes and even a helicopter couldn’t land in this!

  He ran and slid back down to the road, reminding himself to be calm in front of Kit. Coming around to her side of the truck, he opened her door. As he did so, water ran off the floor mat and over the edge of the door opening, to drip down onto the pavement below. He looked at her and smiled. “Kit, honey. Aren’t ya glad you took those classes?”

  He expected her to go right into labor, but other than saying she didn’t feel very good, nothing that radical happened. She got out to walk around and stretch and except for her soaking clothes, she looked great. He remembered first babies should take awhile and tried to comfort them all by saying they’d be home and to the hospital long before the baby arrived.

  Joey was perplexed at his anxiousness and said, “So, her water broke. That’s no reason to panic. She’s still almost a month early. Chill out.”

  Rossen looked at her like she was brain dead. “Joey, once her water breaks, the baby has to be born. Today. Or at the latest in the morning. There are no other options.”

  Joey’s eyes grew wide. “Oh.” She looked at Kit again with a new urgency. “All righty then.”

  An hour after they’d been sitting there, they heard sirens. It was in front of them and stopped a long way away. It was another thirty five minutes before a highway patrolman and an EMT walked through the maze of trucks to check on Kit.

  She’d been intermittently walking and sitting in a lawn chair they’d found in the back of the truck and put in the meager shade. The EMT knelt beside Kit to ask her some questions and the cop told Rossen that although there were multiple wreckers on the way, it was going to be awhile. The patrolman continued to walk down the road and Rossen went back to Kit, wondering how long it would be before she went into labor.

  The EMT had one hand on her belly and the other held up so he could see his watch. Rossen almost started to tell him she wasn’t even in labor yet, then he saw the man’s face. The mild mannered EMT of two minutes ago had switched into work mode, big time.

  Rossen went to Kit and really looked at her, and suddenly came to a rude awakening. She was indeed in full blown labor and was just trying to downplay it. He took her hand to look into her face. “You turkey. I didn’t even realize you were in this much pain. Why didn’t you say something?”

  Now he could see the beads of moisture on her forehead and upper lip. He dug in her purse for a clip and pulled her hair up and twisted it into a rough knot on top of her head and secured it.

  The EMT asked, “What have you got in your vehicle? Any towels or anything?”

  Joey answered skeptically, “Two car blankets, one of which is scratchy wool, a travel pillow, some insulated coveralls, an emergency kit, several napkins from McDonalds and an old horse halter. That’s as good as it gets. Sorry.”

  The EMT, whose name turned out to be Seth, instructed Joey to lay the rear seats of the suburban down and open all the windows to cool it off.

  He turned to Rossen. “Can we unhook the trailer and pull ahead enough to be able to get those back doors free?”

  Rossen
rushed to do as he asked, while Seth went back to Kit. He got her up to walk again while he talked to someone on his radio. With the trailer unhooked, Rossen went back to her side and put an arm around her waist to support her as she paced. Almost immediately he could feel her have a contraction under his hand. Either it was milder than it felt or she had amazing self control.

  After a few minutes she went to stand near the back of the suburban and as he stood next to her and brushed her hair back with a gentle hand, she leaned into him hard and put her head against his chest. He could feel her tense and she groaned almost silently.

  He sat inside the back of the truck and gathered her onto his lap and began to rub the small of her back firmly with the heel of his hand. He leaned his head against hers and said, “Talk to me Kit. This is no time to shut me out and try to go it alone.” He continued to rub and massage her shoulders. “Tell me what you need. What would help?”

  She pulled back enough to look into his eyes. “Just hold me, and we’ll get through this. Rubbing my lower back helps.” She leaned back toward him and tensed hard as he pushed against the strain in the small of her back. When she finally relaxed, he felt her release a deep sigh and he tried to relax as well.

  They went on like this, over and over, and he continued to marvel that she didn’t say a negative word. She hardly said a word at all.

  He didn’t think this was supposed to happen quite this fast. At least their instructor had said it wasn’t. He looked around them to see that virtually nothing had moved in the last three hours and tried to make himself loosen up. It was going to be a long day.

  Watching her struggle over these hours, he thought back to their conversation over dinner the first night of their class. He wished there was some way to trade places with her. He’d do it in a heartbeat. He continued to hold her like she’d asked, talking and encouraging as well as he knew how. How one young body could handle this much pain for this long he didn’t know.