It's my first real try on a story, so don't expect too much. I don't own the characters or anything! I just write for my own amusement and for other people's. And I'm not a mother, I've never witnessed one giving birth or being near to it and I'm also no doctor. I tried to inform myself on the subject, but I suppose I'd have to experience it myself to be really able to write about it. I'm not going into all the details anyway. And if you notice wrong gramma, please feel free to tell me. My English is not perfect, no matter how much I want it to be.

Have fun! Thanks for reading!


Waiting

The 11th of August had been the hottest and most humid day of this summer, or at least so it seemed to Margaret Thornton.

There was no place to find shelter from the suffocating heat, expect down in the kitchens. But the older Mrs. Thornton didn't like to see Margaret walking into the servants' parts of the house and in these last two weeks Margaret hadn't been going anywhere far anyway, her condition made it very hard for her to do much. The fact that she was now very near to the birth of her first child was not to be overlooked. For one thing her abdomen had become a huge round balloon, its weight and size made her very immobile and clumsy. Moreover she felt sick very frequently now. And above all the premonitory pains had started almost two weeks ago, which the doctor declared as a sign, that the child was to arrive very soon.

In addition to all this, the sweltering weather only worsened Margaret's condition.

John was worried about her. He feared that her state would weaken her too much and leave her to weary for the birth. "When there is the slightest sign of the child coming, I want you to call for the doctor immediately, if I am not at hand!" he had told her. In fact she thought he quite overreacted. Of course she was nervous about the upcoming event, but not afraid. The thought of giving birth to John's and her child thrilled her and at the moment she really wished the baby to come soon. Her condition vexed her greatly, not only because the pains and sickness were such unpleasant things, but also because she couldn't stand the idleness that was inflicted upon her by the circumstances.

She could no longer take her usual walks, could not visit her friends - and Mrs. Hannah Thornton still disliked the Higginses being in the house, although John had invited Nicholas for dinner twice - could not see to John in his office and could not help Mary with lunch for the workers. The elder Mrs. Thornton highly disapproved of her doing this. In fact they had often quarreled over that and other things, but Margaret would not give way to her mother in law. And once they had finished quarrelling over certain topics Hannah accepted things as they were and didn't complain about Margaret any further. Her opinion of her daughter-in-law had actually improved a lot during the first months of Margaret's marriage to John, since she had learned from her son what had really happened at the train station when Frederik had been in town. She also had come to develop a certain sympathy and respect of her own for the younger Mrs. Thornton, although she never showed it with words or affectionate actions. The two women never talked much. But the elder Mrs. Thornton did at times let shine through small glimpses of good humor, which gave Margaret the feeling of having at last overcome the barrier that had been between them.

Now, however, they were sitting again in silence, each working on some embroidery. It wasn't Margaret's favourite occupation, but it was better than doing nothing. The heat was pressing down on her and she had a headache. The baby seemed to be moving constantly. She wished it was some other time, some other month, so that the weather wouldn't have bothered her so much. Then she would have enjoyed these signs of life in her belly, she was sure. But now she was tired of her whole constitution. For almost two weeks she had felt like this and for just as long the weather had been unbearable. But she had a feeling that at least one part of the discomfort would very soon be over.

The clock above the mantlepiece struck four and shortly after the machinery of the mill stopped its ever humming sound. Margaret sighed. At least John would be home soon. Now that the coming of their child was so near he always came home as early as possible, although there was much work to do. But she suspected that he just didn't take lunch to save time, because recently he seemed especially hungry at supper.