Chapter Thirty-Four

Burlington, VT

April 4, 1961

6:34PM

"Really?" Geoeg got up quickly. "Have you had any contractions?"

"Georg, I've been having contractions for weeks, and twice I called for Curtis and twice it was a false alarm, not this time around."

Maria and Georg seemed to have switched places for this birth. She was at least outwardly calm, while he seemed flustered and nervous. "It's okay, Darling. I just need to change my dress. Then we can cut the cake."

"Maria, once you do get cleaned up, I think I should check you first," Curtis spoke up. "Marta, help her please and of course prepare tbe bed. I'll get my bag."

Maria got up slowly, gave Georg a kiss, then headed back to the bedroom with Marta and Liesl to change her dress. Marta checked the remaining fluid on Maria's clothes, "Looks good so far, nice and clear. Are you sure you aren't having contractions?"

"No," Maria replied. "I'm having a good one right now." Maria took a deep breath and held onto the bed post until the ache finished. It was short but it was getting a bit stronger than the cramps she had all day.

Liesl noted the time, then helped Marta line the bed with towels and sheets purchased foe that purpose. When Maria was settled, Curtis went into the bedroom to examine Maria.

"Try to relax," Curtis instructed. "Do you need Georg for this?"

Maria nodded. She had come a long way from the terrified woman under the steps nine months ago, but for this she needed her husband. She needed Georg.

Liels moved out to call Georg in for the exam. Maria had never been examined like this by a male. She was tense, her entire body rigid, in fight mode. Georg knew if he didn't calm her anything Curtis did would hurt. "Darling, look at me. Look at me."

Maria looked up at Georg, her eyes fearful. Georg smiled, "It's all right, my love. I'm right here, this is Curtis, family, and he is safe. He won't hurt you, I won't let him. I promise you, but I need you to relax your legs and open your thighs so he can check the baby."

Maria nodded to Georg. "I'm going to use a little lubricant so it won't hurt. Just a little pressure, I'll tell you everything I'm going to do before I do it."

Curtis described how he was going to examine her, what she might feel and why he needed to do it. Maria relaxed and was able to trust in Curtis. "Okay, good. Marta, note the time. 7:04PM. 4 centimeters dilated, 90% effaced, contracting moderately, 9 minutes apart about 15 to 30 seconds in duration. How's her pressure?"

Marta examined Maria's vitals. "115/82, respiration 17, pulse 94."

"You are doing great, Maria," Curtis smiled. "If you want to get up and move around a little, Georg can open his gifts, we have time. Probably a few hours."

Maria sat up, "That I knew, Curtis. Thank you, you have a gentle touch."

Curtis and the ladies left Maria and Georg alone for a minute. Maria looked at Georg sheepishly, "Happy Birthday, Darling," she laughed.

"This is a lot better than a tie," Georg laughed. "You want to go back to the party or rest?"

"Well, when I had Lida and Julia I rested and when I had Cathy I moved around and Cathy was easy so…help me up and tell Uncle Max he's on duty."

Maria had a contraction as soon as they settled in the living room. Max checked his watch and noted it. Brianna was very interested in Max's role in the delivery. "Well, Georg is usually pretty occupied helping with the contractions, he is in charge of helping Maria and I'm in charge of helping him. It's just the way of it in Austria, the husband helps the wife give birth and the other family helps him."

"Not the way of it here, that's certain, and in Ireland some say tis bad luck having a man near a birthing room even the doctor for in Ireland if the doctor is needed tis bad luck already."

The hours slowly passed. Georg opened his gifts and the family enjoyed some cake before Maria's contractions got to a level where they were truly uncomfortable. "Four min," Max told Georg.

"Okay, Maria, I need to check you again. Let's go to the bedroom and see how much you've progressesd."

With Georg's help, Maria got back into the bedroom and up on the bed. Curtis washed his hands and put on gloves before checking her again. "Good work, Maria! 7 centimeters dilated, 100% effaced. Marta?"

"Good," Marta replied. "Pretty normal considering…just the pulse 110."

Curtis agreed it was the onset of transition that caused that. He listened to the baby and smiled, "Hang in there. Shouldn't be too much longer. You know it will be really nice if you deliver before midnight, the baby and Georg will have the same birthday."

Maria groaned in the midst of a contraction, "I'll try my best," she replied, rolling her eyes at Curtis.

"Breathe Maria," Georg coached. "Don't talk during them, just breath. Big breath in. and out…"

As Maria's labor progressed, she alternated between standing up with her head resting on Georg's chest, swaying back and forth, kneeling with Georg rubbing her back, or lying down on her side, exhausted.

For this part, only Curtis, Marta, and Liesl were present with the older couple, staying busy preparing but out of the way.

In the living room, the rest of the family waited. They made conversation with Lida about her work. Lida told her siblings about Andrew and about going back to Carlisle after the family was more settled, the baby had been born, and Georg regained his strength.

"He's not going to," Brigitta told Lida. "Father is as well now as he will be."

"But he is using that walking stick and they need to have his strength so he can stop and the damage can heal," Lida said as her face turned a bit red that she was still on the outside of this.

"Lida," Friedrich sighed. "Curtis explained it like the blood that the heart pumps reaches the bottom of the leg last and the tip of the finger. So when Father was sick, probably for a couple months before he had the attack that put him in the hospital, the nerves died. They can't come back he will always need that stick."

Lida looked at her hands and seemed uncomfortable so Max changed the subject. "I heard around town that Will Brown moved back to England. Has he reached out at all to you, Lida, since you last spoke?"

"He sent me a letter," Lida replied. "I know he knew I went out to Pennsylvania and he wrote me through the orphanage. He asked if I wanted to learn more about the Braun side of the family, but by then I'd decided I didn't need to know anything else. My family isn't named Braun or Brown, I'm a Von Trapp will all that entails, including a loving Mama, overprotective Papa, and a huge crop of siblings. I might move back to Pennsylvania, but I'll never be apart from all of you again, not in my heart."

For everyone in the room, Lida said all that needed to be said. They were a family, a big family, that was slowly, but surely getting bigger with the, passage of each hour.

11:42PM

"And deep breath out," Georg soothed. "That was a good one, Darling. You are doing great!"

"If I were doing great, he'd be out already," Maria griped. "I'm tired, I don't want to push anymore."

"She might just take after her Mother," Georg prodded as Maria's rest period ended."Push, Maria, come on, bare down, and push…2,3,4…"

Curtis was now dressed head to foot in a starched white surgical gown, hat, gloves and mask. Marta was similarly dressed while Liesl and Georg remained in normal clothes though with sleeves rolled up and collar undone. Maria had been pushing over an hour. "Vitals, Marta," Curtis stated as he watched Georg cuddle Maria inbetween contractions.

"BP 130/85, Respiration 25, rate a little fast 122 but not for labor, " Marta replied. Curtis moved to change his gloves and check the instruments. "The head is close but it won't pass. Prep her for an episiotomy, just in case. I don't want to stress them too much more."

Marta nodded and began to prepare Maria and Curtis' instruments in case Maria needed some extra space to pass the baby out.

Ten minutes later, they were in the same place. "Okay, Maria, I need you to really try to relax those legs for me. Liesl, Georg help her open up for me. I need to widen the birth canal a little bit. Scissors, please."

Marta passed Curtis the needed tools and he quickly cut a median episiotomy to help Maria get the baby out. She was exhausted and was losing strength in her efforts.

"Okay, big push on the next one, Liesl and Georg this time pull her legs back a little more," Curtis advised.

Maria cried out. The cut hurt, now the stretching hurt even more..Georg's sweet nothings did little to calm her down as she cried.

Then suddenly Curtis instructed her "Don't push, Maria." The baby's head was nearly out when it stopped. Curtis.saw the issue and prayed he could fix it but felt unsure as he told Marta, "Get your finger in here, lift it up."

"What's going on?" Georg asked. "Why can't she get the baby out? What are you doing to her?"

Curtis didn't look up from his work as he replied, " Georg, this is precisely why we don't want father's around when their wives deliver. "Clamp. Clamp! Scissors! I need to free up the cord."

"Is it around it's neck?" Georg asked in a panic as Curtis snapped the scissors.

"Nope," Curtis replied. "Stuck under the bottom. Okay, Papa, switch with Marta and come catch this little one.'

"Can I push?" Maria sobbed in pain and.exhaustion.

"Yes, big deep breath.. push…"

Three pushes later at 11:58PM, Maria delivered the baby into its Papa's loving hands. "It's a boy!" Georg's eyes clouded over. "We have a boy, Maria. We have a boy."

Curtis cut the umbilical cord as Georg slowly wrapped up the new born boy in a towel before handing him to Maria. Maria drew the baby close to her chest. "Oh, hello. Hello little boy. I'm your Mama. I'm Mama…"

Curtis pulled back and looked over at Marta and Liesl who both had tears in their eyes. Curtis moved closer to Marta, she snuggled up to him and gave him a kiss. "You did great," Marta whispered. Curtis had been worried about the delivery but did very well indeed.

Curtis gave Marta a kiss then spoke up, "I hate to break this up, but I need to get this little guy cleaned up, examined and weighed. I won't be long, I promise."

Maria nodded, "Georg, go with him." Maria took a deep breath. She knew once she delivered the after birth the cramping would stop and she could rest.

"Marta, help your Mother clean up a little bit, Liesl let's give them some privacy okay? As soon as we get baby boy here cleaned up and you deliver the placenta I'll stitch up the episiotomy."

"Are you sure, Darling?" Georg asked. "I can stay."

Maria shook her head, "Stay with our son. Go on."

Georg kissed Maria on her damp forehead then took his new son from Maria's arms and carried him out toward the bathroom to get him washed and checked over.

Georg insisted on handling the bathing while Liesl went and told the rest if the family the news. "It's a boy!" she declared with her winning smile.

"A boy!" Julia exclaimed. "You owe me $5 Uncle Max."

Slowly, the entire family from Max right down to Julia were swapping bills. Only a few of the children put their money on a boy, the odds clearly predicted a female.

Liels shook her head and found Matthias. "Did we win?"

Matthias shook his head, "Nope. A man has ten children, 8 girls. What odds in the world predict a son?'

Liesl laughed as the family continued to swap bets, Julia had nearly $50 when it was all collected.

Curtis handed the clean, squirmy little boy back to Georg after he examined him and gave him a clean bill of health. "He is perfect. A little smaller than I predicted, but still perfect."

"And Maria?" Georg asked. "She struggled more this time."

"She's nearly 20 years older Georg, but I'd say she did beautifully. You show this little guy off, I'll get a glass of water for me and Maria, stitch her up, then you can come back in okay?"

Georg nodded, still in shock he had a son.

The entire family gasped in awe at the little baby in Georg's arms. "How's Mother?" was the question of the day.

As Georg was assuring the family Maria was fine and their brother would have a name soon, Marta's heart was dropping into her stomach in fear.

Maria had cried out in pain as Marta was waiting to finish cleaning her up from the birth. Marta saw and Maria felt a strong gush of liquid pulsating between Maria's legs. Red liquid.

"Marta, it hurts," Maria sobbed. "Get your Father. I need Georg," she cried.

Marta was already heading to the bedroom door, but not to call for Georg, but Curtis. As much as Maria needed Georg, Marta was afraid to put her father in that situation, to have him endure that kind of emotional stress when there was a newborn baby that needed him.

Curtis had finished washing up and getting some water for his patient as Georg passed the new baby to his oldest sister. The tiny, squirming boy went from relative to relative getting his introduction to a large family very early in his short life.

"Curtis!" Marta called out from the bedroom. She was trying to keep calm, but Curtis could sense the fear in her voice. He started to rush toward the bedroom.

Unfortunately, Georg heard Marta's call too and sensed her dread. He started for the bedroom door only to be quickly rebuked by his son-in-law all but barking at him, "Stay there!"

"Like Hell," was Georg's reply. Thankfully, Max and Lida got a hold of him before he rushed Curtis.

Georg shrugged them both off, but instead of rushing up the hallway toward the bedroom, he dropped where he stood, bowed his head to his chest, and prayed.

A/N: Okay, I decided to update early given I have finished the story. I must say I have been a little disappointed you guys are staying so quiet. Not sure if that is a good thing or bad thing. LMK.

Next update will be Saturday. Final update Monday, and then a short (I promise) where we see Lida and Georg in some big and little moments in her life.