"Do you want me to go get your aunt?" Gil asked her as he put another quilt on her.
Sara shook her head. "No, I'll be fine," she said.
Sara knew it was too soon for the baby because she had counted in her head. She had heard that babies came early, but she wasn't ready for it yet. Sara tried to sleep, but her back was aching and her stomach started to ache. She tried not to let Gil see how much pain she was in, but he could tell.
"I am going for your aunt," he said as he put on his big coat.
Before Sara could say anything, he was out the door. She sat up in bed and rubbed her back. She figured she had done too much at the barn raising and that she was feeling it. A wave of pain came over her and she let out a cry. The pain felt like her legs were being squeezed together and shoved up into her stomach. As soon as the pain subsided, Aunt Catherine and Gil came back.
"You are drenched with sweat!" Aunt Catherine said. "Gil, hand me a bowl of hot water."
Gil moved faster than Sara had ever seen. He filled a bowl with hot water from the kettle and handed it to Aunt Catherine.
"Gil, maybe you should go for the midwife," Aunt Catherine said.
Sara shook her head. "I am not ready for the baby," she said.
Aunt Catherine laughed. "Babies come if we are ready or not," she said.
Gil had gone without Sara knowing, but she called his name anyway. Aunt Catherine pulled one of the quilts off of Sara and tossed it on the floor.
"I'll put more coal on the fire," Aunt Catherine said.
It seemed a long time before the midwife came. Waves of pain had started to come with more force and for a moment Sara wondered if she was dying. Riley checked Sara over and nodded. It was time for the baby to come.
"Gil, could you go down and wait with James and John?" Aunt Catherine asked.
Gil seemed reluctant to leave, but most men gave women privacy when they gave birth. Gil left reluctantly and Riley rolled up her sleeves. Sara couldn't believe this was happening now. She wasn't ready.
"Ok, don't push until I say so," Riley said.
Sara clenched her teeth. "Aunt Catherine," she said in a voice that scared her. "I'm not ready for the baby. I'm not ready."
"It's OK," Aunt Catherine said in that voice that always reassured her. "women have children everyday. I know you're ready to hold your baby."
Sara tried to imagine that this pain was bringing a baby. It was ready to be born, and Sara had waited a long time to see it. She felt a wetness down below and she was startled. It felt like she wet herself, but she knew she didn't.
"OK," Riley said. "get ready."
~~0~~
Gil paced the kitchen and looked out the window towards the little wooden house he built for Sara. He didn't want to admit that he was worried, but he was. Gil had woken up to Sara tossing about and when he got up she had stayed awake in bed for a long time
"Gil, have some coffee," Nick said.
"I don't think he needs any, son," Dr. Brass said.
Gil poured himself a tin cup, but Sara's uncle had been right. He set it on the table and paced. He felt useless and wanted to hold Sara's hand.
"Gilbert, I know how you are feeling. While Cathy was having my boys I paced a hole in the floor. Sara is going to be fine," Dr. Brass said.
Nick opened a biscuit and spread butter on it. "Let's just pray that all goes well," he said. "Sara is tough. It'll take more than a baby to bring her down."
Gil took a seat and John brought out the checkerboard. He tried to play checkers and then cards, but his mind was somewhere else.
~~0~~
Catherine poured fresh water into the blue bowl and carried it back to Riley and Sara. Everything appeared to be going smoothly, but with the first baby it could take a long time. At first Sara didn't want to start pushing, but she did when Catherine soothed her.
"How is she?" Catherine asked.
Riley nodded. "She is fine. We'll need the cradle in a moment," she said.
Catherine turned and opened one of Sara's trunks. In it she found a ready-made baby quilt and a extra pillow. She put the pillow in to act as a mattress, then she added the quilt. There were other small blankets in the trunk as well, so Catherine brought these out because it was cold.
"Just push one more time, Sara," Riley said.
Sara gave one more hard push and then the room was filled with the sound of a crying baby. Catherine gave Riley a towel and they wrapped the baby in it.
"Can I see it?" Sara said weakly.
Catherine smiled and brought the baby around to her. It had dark hair and bright blue eyes. It's tiny fists were waving in the air and it was wailing. Sara took the baby and tried to soothe it.
"It's a boy," Catherine said with a smile.
~~0~~
Gil grew tired of waiting, but succeeded in beating John at checkers a few times. He was just about to put his coat back on and go up to the house when Sara's aunt started down the hill. In a flash, Gil was putting on his coat and clapping his hat on. He ran out of the house and trudged up to hill to meet Catherine.
"Is it alright?" he asked out of breath.
"The baby is fine. You can go see her now," Catherine said.
~~0~~
Sara had never felt anything like that in her life, but she thought it was worth it. Riley said the baby was big and it seemed to be healthy. Sara thought her son was beautiful. When the baby was done feeding she re-swaddled it and laid back with it in her arms. Gil came into the house and went quickly to Sara's side.
"This your son," Sara said proudly.
Gil gently picked up his son and looked at it's tiny face. "He's beautiful," he said.
The baby squirmed and began to whimper. Gil handed him back and quickly went to heap more coal onto the fire.
~~9~~
March 1780
They decided to name the baby Thomas Lansford Grissom. Thomas proved to be a big eater and for the first few days, Sara didn't know what to do with him. He slept all day, but cried all night. She quickly developed a system that required her to sleep while he slept. She was only in bed for three days, but then she was up moving about the house. She always kept Thomas nearby in case is started to fuss. When she fixed breakfast she slid his cradle into the front room and went about her day. Sometimes she put him in a basket, covered in warm blankets, and carried him to Aunt Catherine's house. Thomas was always cooed over and passed around the room. He was quieter when he was in Gil's arms, as if he knew he was his father. Thankfully, the snow began to melt and Sara was able to walk outside while he napped. Hank was very accepting of Thomas and acted as a third parent. Sara didn't have the heart to explain to Hank that he wasn't a human, so she left it alone. Every night when he came in, Gil would sit with Thomas and talk to him.
"When it is warm, son, we will go fishing," Gil said.
Thomas seemed to agree because he didn't cry, he never cried when Gil held him. It was when Sara tried to take him away and that he would cry. He cried when she changed his nappy. He cried when she tried to feed him and bathe him. Mostly, he cried while she tried to sleep. She tried to explain it to Aunt Catherine, but she couldn't put into words.
"He just cries all the time and I do believe he doesn't like me," Sara said as she wiped her tears back.
Aunt Catherine shook her head. "He is probably crying because you worry too much. Babies can sense those things," she explained.
Sara didn't understand. "How do you not worry about your son?" she asked.
Aunt Catherine shrugged. "I can't," she said.
~~0~~
Thomas's crying only got worse, soon he was crying when Gil held him and he was crying when he was supposed to be sleeping. Sara thought he was sick so they had Uncle Jim come and look at him. He cried while Uncle Jim felt his body and he cried when Uncle Jim picked him up. He walked about the room with him and after a few moments, Thomas was quiet.
Sara was amazed. "How did you do that?" she asked.
"He has colic," Uncle Jim said.
"Colic?" Sara asked, afraid that it was deadly.
"He is going to cry a lot, but just walk about with him and bounce him up and down. He isn't sick," he said as he handed her Thomas.
Thomas looked like he was tired of crying and Sara wished she could help him. After Uncle Jim left, she walked back and fourth with him until he fell asleep. She placed him in the cradle gently, but Thomas started to cry again.
"I need to sleep," she told him.
She pulled the cradle to her side of the bed and laid down to rock it. It seemed the harder she rocked it, the longer he was quiet. Sara spent a long time rocking the cradle and finally she stopped. Thomas didn't cry. Sara peeped at him and he was sound asleep.