Falling In Love With Her Husband Page 23

  She jumped. “Why don’t I ever hear you when you come into the kitchen?”

  I chuckled. “Alex and I had a race to see if we were going to eat here or in town. I won so we’ll be eating here.”

  She frowned and turned from the sink where she was washing some bowls. “Why doesn’t he want to eat my food?”

  “He’s afraid you’re going to put something bad in it. I told him you wouldn’t but he believes the worst.”

  “I can’t believe this. I went to great lengths to be nice to him in the barn, and this is how he thanks me?”

  For Ann, it probably was a big effort on her part. “I know. You were wonderful.” I kissed her soapy hand. “I think Agnes told Alex the ‘Creepy Alex’ rants you had while we were growing up. It’s got him paranoid.”

  She seemed ready to protest but then she looked out the window and slyly grinned.

  “What are you planning?” I liked it when she had that twinkle in her eye.

  “You’ll see.” She kissed me on the cheek. “I don’t want you to have to share the blame.”

  “Is there anything I can do to help?”

  “Just keep Alex and Agnes out of here. I want him to know that no one was in here with me.”

  I couldn’t wait to see what she was scheming. And fortunately, I didn’t have to wait long. As soon as we sat at the table, Alex led us in prayer.

  “Lord, we thank You for the chance to get together,” he began. “Most of all, we thank You for Your protection from things we cannot see that may be out to harm us. Please watch over us while we eat this meal and give us long life afterwards. Amen.”

  I struggled to hold in my laughter, but Ann’s own quiet giggles didn’t help. She nudged me in the side, which only made the situation that much more funny.

  “What is so funny?” Agnes wondered, bewildered. “I thought that was a lovely prayer.”

  I couldn’t look at Ann. I knew I would burst out laughing if I did. Instead, I focused on my little sister. “We’re just so happy you two are here.”

  “Oh, that’s nice.” She smiled, content with the answer.

  Alex hesitated to eat the food on his plate. He glanced around the table and sighed.

  Agnes brought a fork full of pot roast up to her mouth.

  “Agnes, stop!” Ann cried out. “I gave you the wrong plate.” She ran over to the other side of the table and switched Agnes’ and Alex’s plates. “There. That’s better. I wanted to give the bigger potato to Alex. I know how you men need your strength.” She sat next to me and took a bite of the food on her plate. “Isn’t anyone else going to eat?”

  I stared at her in awe. How could she do that with a straight face?

  I tried to eat but I was too busy fighting off my laughter to do so.

  “This is delicious,” Agnes said after she took a bite. She glanced at Alex. “You should eat some. It’s your favorite dish.”

  “I’m not that hungry. Maybe I should just share your plate,” he replied.

  “You haven’t eaten anything since this morning.”

  “Traveling affects my appetite.”

  “You ate just fine last night.”

  “Are you lying, Alex?” I pretended to be shocked. “You can’t preach the Bible and lie.”

  “I’m not lying. I really don’t have much of an appetite.”

  Ann groaned. “Alex, I did nothing to your food. I must admit I’m disheartened that you would think I would do such a thing.”

  “Well, you did put a squirrel in my bag during the Christmas performance when we were fifteen,” he told her.

  “I did not.”

  “Sure you did. There wasn’t anyone else who could have done it.”

  “Oh no?” I spoke up.

  He gasped as he turned his attention to me. “You did it?”

  “Yes,” I admitted.

  “But why? We were supposed to play pranks on other people, not each other.”

  “Do you remember that day you made me eat bugs when we were twelve? Ann said I didn’t have to eat the bugs but you told me to either eat the bugs or kiss her?”

  He grinned. “That was great. I actually wondered which one you’d pick. You were always praising her. It would have been more fun if you had kissed her in front of the whole school.”

  “No. It wouldn’t have been fun. I was twelve. Kissing girls was embarrassing back then.”

  “So you waited for three years to put a squirrel in my bag?”

  “I have a lot of patience.”

  Ann placed her hand on my thigh and smiled at me. “Thank goodness for that.”

  I returned her smile.

  “So you see, you’re perfectly safe,” Agnes said. “I swear, all the way out here, he kept fretting over all the things he was afraid you were going to do to him. Now he knows who he really has to watch out for.”

  “Then explain why she changed our plates around,” he insisted.

  “She wanted to give you the bigger potato.”

  “I was just playing with you, Alex,” Ann interrupted. “I didn’t touch your plate.”

  “If it makes you feel better, you can have mine,” I offered as I exchanged my plate with his. “Now if I die in the morning, you’ll know you were right.” I took a bite. “This is really good, Ann. Once again, you outdid yourself.”

  She blushed from my compliment. “Thank you.”

  Alex slowly picked up his fork. “I guess I was wrong. I’m sorry, Ann.”

  “It’s alright, Alex. I spent a lot of time calling you ‘creepy’, so I can understand your hesitation.”

  “I won’t call you ‘Scary Annie’ anymore. Peace?”

  “Peace.”

  It was good to see them finally getting along.

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  Todd’s Point of View

  Ann’s parents and Ginny moved to Jamestown in August, and the harvest came shortly after that so I spent most of my time in the fields. Her father offered to help and seemed to enjoy the process. It was hard work, but it was work I enjoyed. I didn’t miss sitting at a desk at the bank even though it meant regular work hours and weekends off. Besides, by the time the crop was taken care of, I had plenty of time to spend around the house getting things ready for the baby.

  John gave us a bassinet he made, and Barbara, Ann and her mother sewed baby clothes. Whenever they discussed the details of giving birth and taking care of a newborn, I would find something else to do, even if her father or John wasn’t around. I was happy and anticipated the birth of my child, but enjoyed my ignorance on the topics Ann loved to discuss. To her credit, she simply let me feel the baby kick and didn’t say anything else.

  It was late November when I woke up in the middle of the night and saw Ann sitting on the bed and staring out the window.

  “Is something wrong?” I asked.

  “I think the baby’s getting ready to come.”

  I sat up in bed. “Why didn’t you wake me?”

  She smiled. “It takes awhile. I could be in labor for a day. There’s no sense in both of us not getting much sleep tonight.”

  Now I was beginning to wonder if I should have asked for some of the details. “How long do you think it will be? When should I get the doctor?”

  “The contractions should be five minutes apart when you get the doctor.”

  “Then I should probably keep track of them for you.”

  “You don’t have to start yet. They’re far apart. Besides, I’ll keep an eye on the clock. I would like Barbara and my parents to also be here when the time comes. Barbara wants to help and I know my parents are eager to see their grandchild.”

  “Alright. Just tell me when I need to go.” I wished there was more I could do for her, but I knew it was something she had to do alone. “If you need anything, will you let me know?”

  She nodded. “I’m going to do some cleaning downstairs. Try to get some sleep.”

  “Shouldn’t you be taking it easy?”

  “If I do that, the night
will pass too slowly. I have to do something.” She leaned over and kissed me. “You’re going to be a wonderful father. I hope your father will want to come here once the baby is born.”

  I sighed and squeezed her hand. “Even if he doesn’t, I’ll be alright. You and our baby is what I’m concerned about.”

  She left the room and I managed to go back to sleep. I didn’t realize I had slept in so long until I went down to the kitchen after getting dressed. It was almost nine. I didn’t usually sleep this late. “Ann? Where are you?”

  She didn’t reply.

  I immediately ran through the house and breathed a sigh of relief when I saw her doing laundry in the small room off to the side of the parlor. Though I could tell she was in a lot of pain, she didn’t scream as I expected her to.

  When her face relaxed, I asked, “How far apart are your contractions and what are you doing in here?”

  “I’m getting things ready. I’ve decided to give birth in here since it’s the easiest room to clean. I have clean blankets, towels and clothes in the corner next to some clean water. It’s really a matter of waiting. I already cleaned the downstairs. I got bored so I began washing some dirty clothes. I’m almost done.”

  “Ann, you’re pushing yourself too hard.” I didn’t mean to sound stern but her actions worried me. I didn’t want her to wear herself out.

  “The work keeps my mind off the pain. I can manage it better if I concentrate on something else.”

  “I never realized how worrisome the whole process could be on the husband,” I admitted, softening my tone. I took out my pocket watch. “So your last contraction just ended?”

  She nodded. She turned her attention back to the clothes.

  I couldn’t think of anything to talk about, so I just stood there and stared at my watch. When she paused and gripped the sides of the wringer, I knew she was in pain again. I forced myself not to snap at her. “You’re four minutes apart, Ann.”

  I didn’t wait for her response. I simply grabbed my coat and boots and rushed out to Lightning. The horse was hungry but he’d have to wait. My first stop was at Barbara and John’s house. Barbara immediately jumped on her horse and headed over so I could go into town to get the doctor and her parents.

  “When did her labor start?” the doctor asked as he collected his bag and coat.

  “Around four in the morning. She was supposed to tell me when her contractions were five minutes apart but when I got up, they were already four minutes apart.”

  “I hope I make it there in time.”

  He didn’t say anything else, and I didn’t feel like asking him if she was in danger because she waited too long. Again, I wished I had asked for the details but shrugged off the thought and went to tell her parents.

  “We’ll leave shortly,” her father said.

  Her mother was too excited to talk.

  I rode the horse hard back to the house. I was anxious to find out how she was doing. Lightning protested when I didn’t feed him, but I ignored him and went into the house. On my way from the barn, I shook my head at the sight of the clean laundry hanging on the line. I hoped Barbara had talked some sense into Ann. She really didn’t need to be doing work when she was about to give birth.

  Barbara ran out of the scullery room, looking irritated.

  “Is she alright?” I asked, alarmed.

  “Oh, she’s fine. She’s just stubborn, that’s all. Did you know she was hanging up laundry when I got here? She nearly doubled over in pain when I came up to her. She kept saying that she needed to focus on something else, but I made her lie down. She really shouldn’t push herself so hard. That baby is eager to come out. I don’t know if the doctor will get here in time. I may need your help.”

  She grabbed a bucket of water and turned to go back to Ann.

  I hadn’t realized I beat the doctor in getting back. He probably didn’t know about the shortcut. I wished I had told him because by this time, Ann wasn’t holding back her screams, and quite frankly, I didn’t want to go through this. But I followed Barbara into the room. I had never seen a woman in labor and from the look on Ann’s face, I could see that the pain was intense.

  “Here.” Barbara handed me some clean towels. “I’ll hand you the baby. Its head is starting to come out.”

  The room started to spin around me. I felt like I was going to pass out.

  Fortunately, the doctor entered the room at that moment. “I’ll take over from here,” he told me.

  I didn’t argue with him. I handed him the towels and left the room. I hadn’t expected it to be so hard to watch Ann like that. I wished I could take the pain for her.

  “I see the head,” the doctor said.

  How could he be so calm?

  “You’re doing good, Ann. When I say to push, push,” he told her.

  I felt sick. I had to get outside. As soon as I stood on the porch, I took a deep breath. The cold air settled my stomach. Ann’s parents climbed up the porch steps. I was thankful for the distraction from listening to Ann scream.

  “I think this is a situation where we should be out of the way,” her father said as her mother ran into the house.

  He sat in the chair.

  I was too nervous to sit. Ann had stopped screaming.

  “It’s not easy for us men either, though the women do all the work,” he acknowledged. “Are there any chores that need to be done?”

  It took me a moment to remember the horses. “I haven’t fed the horses yet.”

  The sound of a baby crying interrupted my thoughts.

  “Todd! It’s a boy!” Barbara called out from the front door. She walked out. “Ann and the baby are doing fine. She practically gave birth all by herself. I can’t believe she progressed that fast. I wish my labors were that easy.”

  I smiled, relieved and glad it was over but also anxious to see Ann and our son.

  “Ann’s mother is washing the baby and the doctor is taking care of Ann. We’ll bring the baby out after the doctor says it’s alright.” She quickly went back into the house.

  “I’ll feed those horses for you,” he offered.

  “Thank you.” Feeding the horses was the last thing on my mind. I wanted to see what the baby looked like and make sure Ann was feeling well.

  After what was five minutes but seemed like forever, Ann’s mother came out holding a swaddled tiny baby in her arms. “He’s precious.” She smiled as she gently placed him in my arms. “He has ten little fingers and toes and little bit of light brown hair on his head.”

  I was surprised that he was asleep after all the crying he had done just a couple minutes ago. He seemed small and fragile. He yawned. I laughed. It was an amazing experience to know I was holding my son.

  “Did you and Ann decide on a name?” she asked.

  I looked at her in surprise. “Didn’t she tell you?”

  “She said she wanted to wait until after he was born.”

  “Nathaniel Alexander Brothers.”

  “What a nice name.”

  The doctor came out of the house and shook my hand. “Congratulations! Mother and child are doing fine. Ann can have as many kids as you two want. She handles labor very well. In the future though, notify me when her contractions are about seven minutes apart. She gives birth faster than most women. Now I already talked to her about not waiting so long next time, so you don’t have to worry about that. Ann is ready for you to see her. Good day.” He nodded to Mrs. Statesman who smiled in return.

  “I’m going to tell Ann’s father the news,” she said.

  I walked into the house, careful not to disturb Nathaniel who was still sleeping. I couldn’t stop smiling.

  Barbara came out of the scullery room. “I just finished cleaning up in there. I’m going to take the dirty blankets and clothes to my home and wash them and bring them back so Ann won’t worry about it. Knowing her, she’ll probably try to do more laundry before the day is over. The doctor made sure she understood she has to take it easy for the next two w
eeks. I don’t know if she’ll listen, but between me, Mrs. Carson and her mother, we should be able to do enough of the work so she can relax and focus on the baby.”

  “I appreciate that, Barbara. I know she can be stubborn.”

  She laughed. “She wanted to see you right after the baby was born but kept telling us to wait until she was presentable. She said you looked like you were going to faint when you thought you were going to be there for the birth, and she wanted to spare you from seeing anything else. She really does love you, Todd. Anyway, would you tell Ann I’ll be back this evening with a meal for everyone?”

  I nodded.

  After she left, I went into the scullery room where Ann was lying on a couple of blankets on the floor. I sat next to her and lightly tapped her on the arm. If she was asleep, I’d let her stay that way. But she opened her eyes and smiled at me.

  “How are you feeling?” I asked her.

  “Wonderful. Barbara was right. I don’t even remember the pain. As soon as he cried, it was all worth it.”

  “I didn’t think it was possible, but you are more beautiful than I’ve ever seen you.”

  “I’m a mess.”

  “You’re my wife who just gave me a son. You’re the most beautiful woman in the world.” I leaned over and kissed her. “I love you.”

  Tears filled her eyes. “I love you too.”

  This time I didn’t mind it that she was crying.

  ***

  That Christmas, Ann wanted to have her parents and Ginny over so she could do the entertaining. The house was filled with a lot of warmth. The smell of ham, potatoes, and cake filled the air. Her mother held Nathaniel while Ann and Ginny took care of the cooking. Her father and I got the sleigh ready for a ride. Shortly before dinner was ready, there was a knock at the door. The women were so busy talking, I doubted they even heard the knocking. When I opened the door, I paused, stunned.

  My parents stood on the porch.

  My father cleared his throat. He had his hat in his hands. “May we please come in?”

  For a moment, I couldn’t speak. Finally, I stepped aside so they could enter the house.