The premise of this story is the same as when I first started writing it, but I got stuck because I felt like there wasn't enough dialog or action more of me just telling a story instead of being a story. I hope that makes sense. When I went to start rewriting it with more details, more ideas came and though the basic outline of this story is the same. Their are details that have been changed. I have re-written the first 7 chapters and am working hard on the rest. I almost didn't start posting again, wanting to wait until I was done or almost done with the story but then tonight I had a little too much liquid courage and wanted some feed back so here is chapter 1 of the new re-write I will post the next few chapters in the next few days. Each chapter I have rewritten is twice as long so without further ado...
Chapter 1
I awoke to the sensation of damp grass against my cheek and the distant chirping of birds. Slowly, I opened my eyes, squinting against the morning light. The sky above was brilliant blue, dotted with fluffy white clouds. This was definitely not Los Angeles.
As I pushed myself up, I took in my surroundings-a vast, open field bordered by a dense forest. I spotted a young boy standing a few feet away, staring at me with wide, curious eyes. He looked to be about nine years old, dressed in old-fashioned clothing. It struck me how out of place he seemed, like a character from one of the historical novels I loved to read.
"Good day, miss. You do not look familiar, who are you?" the boy asked, his voice a mixture of curiosity and caution.
I blinked, trying to make sense of what I was seeing. This had to be a dream. "Rachel," I replied, my voice shaky. "Rachel Palmer. And you?"
"Thomas Bennet," he said, taking a tentative step closer. "Are you alright, Miss. Palmer?"
I glanced around, still disoriented. "I think so. Where am I?"
"This is Longborn, my family's estate," Thomas explained. "in Hertford, England."
My heart raced. England? How could that be possible? I took a deep breath, trying to steady myself. "What year is it, Thomas?"
"1765," he answered, his brown furrowing in confusion.
The shock hit me like a physical blow. I was a Certified Professional Midwife, freshly graduated with a minor in natural medicine, standing in a field in 1765 in England. This had to be a dream-or a very elaborate hallucination.
He asked, "Where are you from? You do not look to be from around here?"
I focused once again on his clothing and with a sinking feeling, was still hoping I was in a dream, but with all dreams or time traveling movies, was not the person supposed to conceal when they are from? Though, why I would dream of the time of Thomas Bennet childhood I could not guess, I know the history of his daughters well as it was a story I long knew by heart. That is if it was that, Thomas Bennet. "I am from America," was all the responds I allowed myself to say.
Unsure what to do next, Thomas recalled his manners and offered me his hands to help me stand. I turned and saw my medical bags had somehow come with me. I walked over to them and without thought was looking through them, when Thomas inquired what I was doing.
"I am surprised that some of my personal items have come with me, I am examining what has come with me and I am hoping that perhaps I can figure out a way to get home."
"Oh, America is very far away, I am sure it would take at least 6 months," Thomas replied.
I mumbled under my breath if only it was just the distance of land and not time, apparently, I spoke too loudly because Thomas was quick to inquire, "time? And I must say some of the items I see are very strange."
Not sure what to say, if this is a dream it would not matter if I said the truth but if this real, could I be burn as a witch if I spoke the truth, no wait I think they stopped that in 1600s, but still I would not want to end up in Bedlam, but he was just a child and perhaps if an issue arose I could convince the adult that I was just telling a story that the child took too literal. With that in mind, I spoke, "I am a midwife from the year 2024, and I live in a land that has yet to be discovered in America."
"You are trying to fool me, are you not, that seems impossible, and yet your clothes, your accent, your strange items, I would say you are a person that has appeared out of a book, I was just reading Robinson Crusoe and some of his adventures seem unbelievable, perhaps I am to have my own."
I wanted to laugh, if I was in his position I would think the same thing, I guess that was the best I could expect but then I did not know what to do from here on out, I am beginning to doubt that I was dreaming because I do not recall ever not knowing what to do in a dream and yet here I stand at the edge of a forest in Meryton, England in the year 1765!
"Wait, are you really a midwife," Thomas cried out interrupting my thoughts. "Yes, I have trained as a midwife, I was in fact on the way to help a mother when a light appeared, and I felt great pain and woke up here."
"Oh, perhaps God has sent you, for in truth I was wondering around the woods praying to God that he would save my mama. You see, I was sent from the house because her time has come but I heard my father before I left something I was not supposed to, for he would not want me to be worried. But I was a naughty boy and was listening at the door before I was noticed and sent outside. He was in great distress because our local midwife is too ill to come and mama was having a difficult time, he was not sure if the groom would be back from Albany with a doctor and midwife. Since I have been sent out, I have been wandering the woods praying for a miracle then I saw a light and found you. You must come back to the house and help."
I felt a sense of duty welling up within me. Despite the strangeness of my circumstances, the urgency in Thomas's plea resonated with in my compassionate nature. "I will do my best to help, Thomas. Lead me to your home."
Thomas grabbed my hand, pulling me towards the estate. We walked quickly, almost running, and soon the large, modestly grand house came into view. It was not as opulent as some historical estates I had read about, but it was well-kept and clearly belonged to a family of some means.
As we reached the front door, a stern-looking woman with graying hair and a severe expression stepped out. "Thomas! Why have you returned?" She scolded "and who is this?"
"Mrs. Watson, this is Miss Palmer," Thomas said, barely able to contain his excitement. "she is a midwife! She can help Mother!"
The woman, Mrs. Watson, whom I assumed was the housekeeper, looked me up and down skeptically. "A midwife, you say. I do not recognize you, where to do come from?"
"I…I come from a distant land, but I am well-versed in the art of midwifery and wish to offer my services."
Mrs. Watson exchanged a skeptical glance with the other servants but eventually acquiesced. "Very well, we are in desperate need. Follow me."
The atmosphere was tense, filled with the muffled sounds of a woman's cries from upstairs. Mrs. Watson guided me up the stairs and down a hallway, where we found a worried0looking man pacing outside a bedroom door.
Upon seeing the man, Mrs. Watson introduced me and said I was a midwife from a distance land but heard about their plight and was willing to help.
Thomas's father looked at me skeptically, but then the cries of his wife quickly transformed his face into the fear that he was trying to hide. With as much grace as I could muster, I tried to reassure Thomas's father that I could help. Another scream from his wife that traveled through the walls, and the knowledge that a midwife he might trust more was too far away, led him to his decision.
"Mrs. Watson, please direct this lady to my wife, and make sure young master Thomas goes back outside to play."
"Yes, sir."
In the dimly lit chamber, the air was heavy with anticipation and the scent of sweat mingled with anxiety. Mrs. Bennet lay in the throes of labor, her face contorted with pain as she clutched the bedclothes in agony. A maid servant was wiping her brow, another was dropping off fresh clothes and hot water and was trying to quickly exit the room, as she seemed to be a girl of no more than sixteen. Though my appearance seems to give her pause. I am not sure if it was due to my dress or just my presents as a stranger in general. Her curiosity was peeked, and I was actually grateful that she had not exited the room because as I exam Mrs. Bennet, I knew something was wrong. I tried to go based just on feel as the candles did not offer me enough light.
"Miss. …" I looked to the young maid, "Parker, ma'am Sarah Parker, at your service." I looked to the other maid that was bathing Mrs. Bennet's face with a cloth, "and yours, Mrs. Emily Smith ma'am."
Miss. Parker, I know I am asking a lot but could you please hold this objection up so I may see better. "It's, just Sarah ma'am and I better not Mrs. I am not supposed to be in this room except to fetch and carry." She responded while eyeing the object with fear and hesitation.
"Please I know you are scared but so is your Mistress, if you want me to help save her, I need your assistance."
With hesitation, Sarah did as I asked, and with better examination my heart raced, what was I to do. If I was back home, I would have called for us to be moved to the hospital and ordered a c-section but that was too dangerous to do here, my mind tried to review all that I had learned. Then I recalled an article that spoke about some technics that I and the mother could try to turn the child even in the throws of labor. I can not recall the details, but I recalled that I had saved the book to my kindle. With that thought I grabbed my bag and started looking through my things again, please let it be charged. It was, I asked if there was another maid who could assist us, they said only the housekeeper was left.
I asked Mrs. Smith to summon Mrs. Watson. When she arrived, I saw her bewildered glances, and her fear as she was hesitant to approach. Once again, I pleaded for assistance. She had decided that it would be best if she held the strange light and Sarah was to hold the large, flat object that emanated light but had strange lettering on it, that apparently were words that I needed to read. I heard her mumbling a prayer that I was not a sorcerer here to harm them. I probably would have laughed if I was not so stressed. Instead, I said, "I understand that this is unfamiliar to you, but we are in a critical moment. Your mistress and her child's live depend on our actions. Please trust me."
Sarah wavered as she spoke, her eyes darting between the device she held and myself. "but…what if I do something wrong? What if I make it worse?"
"I know this is frightening, but we must act swiftly and decisively. Your mistress is counting on us. I will guide you every step of the way."
With that reassurance, despite their fears and uncertainties, the maid's worked well and hard, following my instructions. I was now left to reassure the mother. With confidence I did not really have but could project. I explained the procedure, though it was with great pain Mrs. Bennet followed my directions, and blessingly the method was a success, sixteen hours later, Mrs. Bennet welcomed a healthy baby girl, and both mother and daughter were doing well.
Mrs. Bennet, exhausted but radiant, expressed her gratitude. "Thank you, Miss. Palmer. You have brought a blessing to our home in our time of need. You must stay with us, please."
Mrs. Bennet who was summoned to meet his new daughter, approached me, his expression one of awe and gratitude. "You saved them both," he said quietly. "I do not know how to thank you, but I agree with my wife you must stay with us."
I smiled, feeling a strange mix of pride and bewilderment. "Just take good care of them, Mr. Bennet. That is all I ask, and I thank you for the offer of a room."
As I left the room, Thomas ran up to me, his eyes shining with admiration. You're amazing, Miss Palmer. Like a heroine from one of my adventure books."
I laughed softly, ruffing his hair. "thank you, Thomas. But I'm just someone who was in the right place at the right time."
As the sun dipped below the horizon, casting Longborn estate in a soft glow, I was escorted to a guest chamber-a sanctuary of warmth and comfort, contrasting with the unfamiliarity that surrounded me. The soft patter of rain against the windowpane provided a rhythmic backdrop to my thoughts, which were consumed by the surreal turn my life had taken.
As I began to unpack my belongings, the door creaked open, revealing Sarah, the maidservant who had aided me earlier. Her eyes widened at the sight of my strange garments, her gaze flitting nervously from my underwear to my shirt, as I had already ready myself for bed.
"Ma'am," she began hesitantly, "those…garments you are wearing, they are not...customary for a lady."
I chuckled softly; the absurdity of my situation was not lost on me. "I understand they are unusual for the time, Sarah. But they are comfortable for me."
Sarah hesitated, her brow furrowing in concern. "it is just….it's not proper, ma'am. Please, allow me to assist you in changing into something more suitable for sleep."
Caught between the customs of my time and the propriety of theirs, I acquiesced, allowing Sarah to guide me into a nightgown-a garment that felt alien against my skin, yet seemed to put her at ease.
Climbing into bed, I tried to reflect on what had occurred in the last 24 hours, but I was so exhausted I fell into a deep sleep.