John sat up in bed. "Uh, oh!" He turned toward Sarah. "Sarah, quick, take my hand and squese it hard whenever you feel Any pain," she nodded and grabbed it while Abigail stood up and lit a couple of candles, one she left on the dresser, one she took in her hand. "Abby, wake up the children," John instructed. "We need all the help we can get right now!"
"My Mother..get my Mother..OHHHHHH, I want my Mother!!" Sarah cried out, holding her aching stomach in one hand and squeesing John's hand with the other. "Please, Mrs. Adams, get James..get my Mother.." Sarah screamed in pain.
Abby nodded quickly and raced down the hallway holding the candle. She stopped at the foot of the stairs that lead to Henri and her children's room. "CHILDREN!" she called. "CHILDREN COME DOWN HERE!! Cildren, come, NOW!! Wake up, wake up!!" The children came down the stairs, some rubing their eyes sleepily, some in alarm.
"Mother, Mother, what's the matter?" Nabby said alarmingly.
"Ohhh..ees too early, what happened.?" Henri said sleepily.
"Children, I need your help, Sarah has just gone into labor."
"Oh..that all.Sarah's gine into labor....SARAH'S GONE INTO LABOR?! Wait, that means she's gonna ave the baby! Sacre blu, this iees IT?! Oh, God, what.where..oh God..how did this hapen?! How did this appen?!"
"Do you want me to tell him, Mother?" John Quincy said.
"Quincy, this is no time for jokes," Abby scolded him. "This is serious, we have a houseguest in labor upstairs right now!" As if to ilustrate what she was saying, Sarah's screams of pain were heared from upstairs.
"All right, all right, now ust stay calm, stay calm....James left me in charge..I can andle everything..wel...maybe not EVERYTHING..but if we all stay calm, we're al right.." Henri stuttered.
"Henri, maybe YOU should stay calm," Nappy said.
"Oui, oui, good idea, fair enough, oui, I stay calm, I stay calm..I can." blindly he stumbled to the table in the living room and grabbed an apple from the table, taking a huge bite out of it nervously.
"I think we should all just stop standing around and see if we can fetch a doctor," John Quincy said.
"Oui, good idea, you take the horse and fetch the doctor, everyone else, DON'T PANIC!! PLEASE, get the doctor!" Henri practially screamed.
"Henri, PLEASE!" Abby said, gentily grabbing his arm and slaping his face gentily. "James brought you here to look after Sarah should something like this hapen. He's depending on you, he NEEDS you! We all need you." Henri swallowed hard.
"You're right, you're right. James IS depending on me, I am NOT going to let him down! Everyone, we can't let James down, we can't let Sarah down! We have to pull together!"
"Don't worry, Mother, we can handle it, we'll help you, we've got it under control," Nappy said. "Just tell us one thing.."
"What?"
"Tel us what to do!" Sarah was heared again from upstairs.
"Oh Lord," Henri said again, biting down upon the apple.
"Well for now a;ll we can do is keep track of the contractions and that will let us know how fast the baby is coming, get a doctor and let Sarah get as comfortable as she can get . Now listen, Nappy, Thomas, go fetch some spare blankets and some pilows and take them upstairs. Quincy, I need yoy to take the horse and fetch the doctor, now." Quincy nodded and raced to get is coatr. "Henri, you take another horse and go get Sarah's parents, you know their address?"
"Oui, I be espcially speedy!" Henri said, heading for the door.
"Charles, I need you to go the pump and fetch some water, but some in the bason and boil it, find the scissors and bring them all to me." Charles noded. "Fetch some more and I'll put it in the icebox so it can get cold. " Charles nodded.
"Mrs. Adams, how can you be so calm..Sarah's about to have a baby, right ere, right now!" Henri saod.
"Don't worry, I've done this myself five tiomes, if anyone knows anything about childbirth, it's me. Now, please fetch her parents!" Henro nodded and raced for the horse. Napy and Thomas came back with their arms ful of blankets and pillows. "Good, good, all right, now folow me, " as she lead them upstairs.