A Special Christmas Surprise
"Beth?" Laura was still lying in bed when she could hear Almanzo whispering her name. She opened her eyes slowly and saw him sitting next to her.
"Morning, sweetheart," Almanzo said with a smile on his face. "I just wanted to tell you that I have to go to town now." He leaned over Laura and kissed her cheek.
"Go to town now?" Laura asked puzzled. "What time is it?"
"It's almost eight o'clock," he answered.
"Oh no," she pulled the blanket away and wanted to jump out of bed, but her aching head stopped her. "I've overslept," Laura was frustrated. "Why didn't you wake me up, Manly?"
"You looked so tired yesterday," Almanzo explained to her. "I think you're working too much. You need more sleep."
"But I have so many things to do," Laura protested.
"Beth, everything is alright," Almanzo caressed her cheek. "I made pancakes for breakfast and the girls liked them. Jenny is on her way to school now and Rose is taking a little nap. You don't have to worry. There are still some pancakes left. You can eat them for breakfast," he kissed her again. "I'll be back in the evening," he smiled and left the bedroom.
Laura could hear Almanzo leaving the house. She brought herself into a sitting position, but her head was aching terribly. Besides that she was so tired that she longed to sleep on, but she knew she couldn't do that. When she tried to stand up, she felt so dizzy that she had to sit down again. It was the third time this week that she had these problems in the morning. Laura waited a little while until she felt ready to leave the bedroom. On her way to the kitchen she could see that Rose was still sleeping peacefully. She filled some tea in a cup and started to drink, but suddenly a bad sickness overcame her. She couldn't help it and had to run out of the house to throw up.
After inhaling some fresh morning air, Laura walked slowly back into the house and sat down in the rocking chair. The last two weeks she had been tired every day, but she hadn't really cared about it. She had worked a lot and the cold weather was energy-sapping. Actually there was no reason to worry, but today's morning sickness was bothering her. The last time she had felt so sick she was expecting Rose. Laura leaned back and stared at the ceiling. She had always wished for a big family, but at the moment she wasn't sure how to feel about having another baby. During the last two years she and Almanzo had to deal with so many hardships that there had never been the right moment to talk about this topic. Laura had no idea what Almanzo would think about becoming a father again. All she knew was that her husband had to work a lot because they were still in debts. It was a bad time for another baby. Laura rested for a while and struggled with clearing her mind. When she felt better, she got up and started doing her chores. She was busy the whole day and had no time to worry anymore.
After supper, Laura began cleaning the dishes. She had cooked cinnamon chicken, Almanzo's favorite meal, but he hadn't eaten much. It seemed that something was bothering him. He sat at the table and wrote some notes down in a book. His concerned look troubled Laura. She hurried to finish the dishes and walked towards him.
"What are you doing there, Manly?" she asked and sat down next to her husband.
"I'm trying to get an overview of our financial situation," Almanzo sighed.
"Is there something wrong?" Laura wanted to know.
"You don't have to worry," he answered.
But Laura could feel that something was wrong. "Manly," she grabbed his hand, "you know, you can tell me if something is bothering you."
"I know, Beth," Almanzo forced himself to give her a smile.
"Then tell me," Laura encouraged him.
"Well, there isn't much work at the mill, and we still have to pay so many bills. At the moment I don't know how to earn enough money. I'm afraid we have to sell the new plow," Almanzo said.
Laura could hear the sadness in his voice. "Do you think it's really necessary?" she asked him.
"Yes, but I can use the old plow. It will need some fixing, but I can manage," Almanzo answered silently. "Beth," he looked into her eyes, "there is still another thing. You know, Christmas is coming soon, but this year we can't spend much money for presents."
"It's alright. I'm sure we'll be fine anyway," Laura tried to comfort her husband.
"I hope so," Almanzo placed a soft kiss on her lips. "Sometimes I'm wondering how my parents could manage," he got up and headed towards the door. "I mean, we were six children. Six children, and they had always taken good care of us," he said while putting on his coat. "I'm really glad that we're a small family with only two children. That makes it a lot easier."
"You're probably right," Laura replied silently.
"I just have to feed the horses, but I'll be back in a moment," Almanzo said and left the house.
Although Laura was sitting near the fireplace, she felt cold and started shivering. When she realized that her hand was resting on her belly, she was shocked and pulled it away quickly. There was no need to ask Almanzo what he was thinking about having another baby. He had given her the answer right now: He wasn't ready. Laura went to the bedroom and put on her nightgown. She tried to convince herself that there could be many other reasons for today's morning sickness. The hard farm work and the cold winter took a lot out of her and maybe last night's hearty food had been too much for her sensitive stomach. Probably all she needed was a bit rest. She lay down in bed and hoped she would feel better soon.
But the next three weeks Laura didn't feel better. She was still sick and her monthly bleeding hadn't shown up for weeks. She also remembered all those passionate nights that she had spent with Almanzo. It was clear that it would happen sooner or later, and she couldn't ignore the signs anymore. She was going to have another child. Actually this was one of the most wonderful things that could happen, but instead of being glad and thankful Laura was afraid. She remembered her conversation with Almanzo and feared that he wouldn't be happy about the news. She wasn't sure what to do now.
Some days later Laura was still worrying. Of course, Almanzo had noticed that something was on her mind, and he had asked more than once what was bothering her, but she couldn't find the right moment to tell him. Besides, she thought it would be better to have a checkup first, and so she decided to pay Doc Baker a visit.
It was two days before Christmas Eve when Laura left the doctor's office. Doc Baker had attested her what she had known already. She was going to have another baby and it would arrive in August next year. Laura and the baby were fine and there was no reason to worry. For the first time Laura felt happy. The thought of Rose having a little brother or sister put a smile on her face, but she still wasn't sure how to tell Almanzo and so another two days passed by.
On Christmas Eve Laura was busy the whole day. With the help of Jenny she prepared a delicious dinner and Almanzo put up a beautiful Christmas tree. They ate turkey, gravy, mashed potatoes, beans, cookies and apple pie, they read the bible and sang Christmas carols. It was a joyful celebration and Laura almost forgot what was bothering her, but when bedtime arrived, she started feeling restless. After she had tossed and turned in bed for a while, she got up and sneaked into the kitchen. The fire was still burning, but Laura felt cold. When she looked out of the window, snowflakes were whirling through the frosty air. She stared outside like she was searching for something, but all she could see was darkness. Suddenly Laura felt Almanzo's arms encircling her waist, pulling her softly against his warm body.
"Beth, don't you wanna tell me what's wrong?" he asked her.
Laura didn't know what to do. All she wanted was falling in his arms and telling him, but she hesitated because she was still afraid of his reaction.
"No matter what it is, I love you, sweetheart," Almanzo whispered in her ear and placed a gentle kiss on her cheek.
Laura could feel the tears in her eyes. The entire situation was so tensed that she couldn't stand it any longer. She turned around and looked into Almanzo's eyes. "We're gonna have another baby, Manly," she said with a tearful voice.
"A baby?" he asked in surprise. "Oh Beth, a baby," a smile came to his face. "That's the best Christmas surprise I've ever got in my whole life," he said joyfully and embraced her lovingly.
Laura clung to Almanzo and started crying. She was glad, thankful and relieved that he was happy about the news, but the last weeks were too much for her.
When Almanzo noticed Laura's sobbing, he started being worried. He cupped her face in his hands and looked at her. Concerned, he asked, "There's everything alright with you and the baby, or isn't it?"
"Yes, I'm fine and the baby is fine as well," Laura sobbed. "I was just afraid you couldn't be happy about having another child."
"What?" Almanzo asked confused. "How could you think that?"
"I don't know, but we're still in debts and you said you're glad that we're a small family, because that makes it easier," Laura finally told him what was bothering her so much.
"Oh no," Almanzo remembered that conversation and started feeling guilty. "I'm sorry, Beth," he apologized. "I shouldn't have said that."
"Maybe you were right. It's not the best time for another child and..."
"Don't say that, Beth," he interrupted her. "I love you, Rose and Jenny more than anything else in this world and I will love our baby the same way. No matter how bad the times are, as long as we love each other, we'll be fine," Almanzo wiped Laura's tears away and smiled at her.
"I love you, Manly," was all she could say before Almanzo started kissing her gently. Laura could feel all his love and happiness, and she was thankful for being the wife of such a wonderful husband.
"Beth," he stopped kissing her and looked into her eyes again, "when will our baby arrive?"
"In August next year," she smiled at him.
"I can't wait to meet him," Almanzo said delightedly.
"Or her," Laura added and they both started laughing.
When Almanzo glanced at the clock, he realized that it was almost midnight. "Beth, it's late and it's getting cold. We should go back to bed," he lifted her up in his arms and carried her into their bedroom.
They cuddled up together under the warm blanket, kissing, caressing and loving each other. Soon Almanzo fell asleep, still holding Laura close in his arms. She snuggled up against his warm body, feeling comfortable and secure. "We're gonna have another baby," she murmured to herself and smiled, before she drifted off to sleep as well.