Chapter 1
The dream was back again. It had been a solid year since she started having this dream, and it still wouldn't stop returning to pay a visit. It would always start off innocently enough; there she would stand in the barber parlor waiting for her sailor to come back and whisk her away. She would walk around, looking at random objects. The walls, the furniture, the water pitcher, but what always caught her eye was a small duel-picture frame with a woman and baby inside. She would look at it vaguely wondering who they were, and then the sounds would start. The yelling, the spitting and sputtering, the gears grinding, and finally, a sickening thud. She would always try to move away from the sound. She would urge herself to move, but no matter how she tried, she would be frozen in the same place she was when it started. Then, almost immediately, his face would appear before her, drenched in blood with the same murderous gleam in his dark eyes. Then, just as quickly as he had shown up, he would grab her by the throat and force her back into his barber's chair. Then, he would raise a glinting silver razor toward the ceiling and bring it slashing quickly down toward her-
"Johanna! Johanna, calm down!" said a voice near her. She was sitting upright in bed, a cold sweat covering her brow, and her gasping for air. She jumped when she felt hands clasping her shoulders. She looked up and saw Anthony staring back at her, a concerned look on his face. "Oh, Anthony," she gasped, her voice breaking as tears began to sting her eyes, "it was that dream again! That awful, awful dream!" Anthony wrapped his arms around her in a tight embrace, gently stroking her long yellow hair as she cried on his shoulder. "There now, Johanna… there now…" he cooed in her ear. After a while, she stopped crying and he released her, and looked into her eyes, a small smile playing on his face.
"Thank you, Anthony," Johanna whispered, "I really am sorry for this…"
"Not at all, my love," Anthony said earnestly. He looked down at her swollen belly, "do you- I--I mean, does the baby-?"
"No, no, the baby's fine," she said, smiling. She placed a delicate hand on her stomach and started rubbing it affectionately. "Anthony, are you sure we had to come all the way back to London for the birth? You know I don't like being here…."
Anthony nodded. He really did know she didn't have much desire to be back in London. So much had happened to her there, and he had felt wrong bringing her back. "I know, darling…" he said, placing his hand on hers. "But there were no adequate midwives back home… I don't want to have anything to happen to this baby…"
"Nor do I," Johanna said, "so I suppose I can see your reasoning… But…"
"I know, Johanna- I know…" He said, giving her another hug. Suddenly, he felt his wife tense up. His eyes grew wide, and he pulled away to see his wife's face contorted into a shocked and slightly pained expression. "A-Anthony! The baby…! It's… it's…coming!" She breathed. Anthony felt his heart skip a beat. He nodded fervently, and rushed to grab his coat and shoes. "R-Right! I'll fetch the midwife! D-Don't move around, I'll be right back!"
"Alright, Dearie, just a few more good pushes," the midwife, Mrs. Jenkins instructed. "That's it.. Just a little more…!"
Johanna grasped Anthony's hand firmly. Anthony sat beside her, whispering to her, "Just a bit more, Johanna… just keep breathing… just a little longer…" Johanna screamed out, and suddenly, the sound of a child's cry could be heard. "Ahh… Missus Johanna…" Mrs. Jenkins said happily as she wiped the newborn clean and cut the umbilical cord, "you got yourself a right beautiful daughter…" She then wrapped the baby in a clean cloth and handed it to Johanna. Tears of joy streamed down her face as she reached out for her daughter. "Oh, Anthony!" she whispered, "she is beautiful…!" Anthony moved quickly to see his child. A look of wonder filled his eyes- this was his child; the feeling was overwhelming. He reached out and lifted one of the baby's tiny hands with his index finger. He laughed a little when the hand didn't fully encompass the tip. Then he looked into Johanna's eyes, and she looked back.
"So, what's she going to be named?" Mrs. Jenkins asked the young couple.
"Olivia…" Johanna said through a large smile. "Olivia Grace…."