Chapter Three

"You're late," Cora commented as Robert arrived home from the cottage. "No Bates?"

"No," Robert replied. "He had some kind of appointment in the village. We aren't changing tonight, it's only the four of us. He went home I hope."

"Good," Cora replied as she ran her hand along Robert's arm. "Anna needs him. The little ones have been angelic, playing with Caroline, Sibby, and George. Sybbie is turning into such a little mother."

"I told Bates we would have them the night and I hope he and Anna relocate here tomorrow. It'll make things easier."

Cora started to laugh. "What's so funny?" Robert asked as he poured himself a watered down scotch.

"The idea of you going to check up on a pregnant woman this close to her due date," Cora replied. "Until a few years ago, you were practically allergic to anything medical and here you are…"

Robert slid his arms around Cora, "When the most important person in your life is suddenly ill, and you feel like the only thing you can do is know everything you can to help as much as you can…"

Cora leaned her head up for a kiss, but the sound of the door to the drawing room opening made the couple instinctually part. "Honestly," Mary shook her head, it was still hard for her to believe her father had originally married her mother for her money. They were still so deeply in love.

John was surprised that the top of the stable door was open as darkness fell. He called out so that Anna wouldn't startle when he entered, a habit left over from the first days of her return after Mr. Green.

"Anna?" John called out. Anna?"

"I'm here," Anna called up from her place on the floor. She was still down on her knees, her arms folded in front of her resting on the settee; her head was resting on her arms.

"Anna?" John gasped and hurried forward ignoring the pain in his knee and back. "What's wrong, love? Is it time?"

"Soon," Anna replied. "Very soon. The pains are sharp, but they haven't a pattern yet. My back burns."

John smiled as he lit the gas lamps and shut the door. He settled on the settee, the bad leg stretched a bit further out than the good one, and waited for Anna to move her head to his lap. This was how she labored with Maggie.

The labor with Johnny had been different. She hadn't felt well for a few days, then in the morning she had a sudden burst of energy. Her waters broke before any really painful contractions. Johnny's birth was relatively quick.

Maggie's, by contrast, made itself known early. Anna had called for Mrs. Hughes and Mrs. Crawley more than once believing she was beginning her labor only to find out she wasn't. The false pains were strong enough to fool them. When Anna did finally go into labor, the only position that was comforting was on her hands and knees with her head in John's lap. When her water broke and it was time to separate, Anna was in a state. It took Lady Mary and her ladyship half an hour to calm her tears. Tears that were forgotten the moment they saw their little girl's face.

This labor seemed to be following the same pattern. "Hush now, me darling," John's soft voice murmured, that hint of an Irish burr slipping out in the tenderness of his speech. "It's all right, I'm here. I'm here."

John started to rub Anna's back as she arched it upwards to relieve some pressure. "How far apart are

the pains? Should I go next door and send word to his lordship?"

John was quite angry with Robert at the moment. Robert had promised to look in on Anna, Bates presumed that meant he would take care of things for him. Why and how could he leave if Anna was laboring?

"No," Anna shook her head. "Not yet. And don't be angry with his lordship, my love. He was by and he was kind. He did right by your friendship. I'm not even sure these are contractions, I haven't felt like this before."

"What does it feel like it could be?" John asked as he moved his hand up to hold her shoulders as she buried her face between his knees.

"Nothing," Anna replied. "It just hurts."

"How can I help you? You're perspiring. What about a cool cloth?"

"No, that means you'll go," Anna whispered. "Please don't."

John sighed, "All right, my darling. I'll be right here, I'll stay right here."

Over the next few hours, John managed to get Anna to their bed. They were both convinced this was not labor, just back pain from the baby's position. Still, she was clingy and almost constantly desired his physical touch. John had positioned Anna on her side with pillows between her knees and bolstering her belly. He tried to keep her cool with damp rags and sips of water. She felt like she was boiling even in the cool April night.

Anna managed little sleep. John kept watch. When the sun came up, it was much clearer that today would be the day the baby was born. Anna was sure she felt contractions when she got up to use the bathroom. "I'll call and have Mr. Branson bring the car down then?" John asked but Anna shook her head. "We should walk. Can you walk? It helps move things along, it did before."

John nodded, even if he couldn't walk, he would for her. He would do anything for her.

The walk was infinitely slow, stopping every 12 or so minutes for contractions. When they hit, Anna would slide her arms up to John's neck and dip her head to rest it against his chest. John would massage her middle back and rock side to side to comfort her as much as was possible.

Robert had just finished breakfast when Mrs. Hughes came into the dining room. "M'lord, I'm sorry to disturb you, but Mr. Bates has just arrived and Anna Is with him. Her time is imminent m'lord."

Robert's face broke into a smile. "Let Lady Mary and her ladyship know. They want to be available for the lying in. Set them up in Princess Amelia and please let Bates know the library is open."

The midwife was called and examined Anna. She was dilating slowly with irregular contractions. Anna chose to visit with her children and walk the gallery with John, Mary, and Cora.

Most of the pain was in her back this time and to John at least, she looked frightened. He wanted to get her on her own, but the women were rapidly pushing him out of the process.

Robert was waiting for his friend to come join him. He knew John would stay with Anna the entire labor if he could do, but it just wasn't something any midwife nor woman of the house would allow.

It was well after luncheon when Cora came into the library with a distressed look on her face. "Is everything alright, Darling?" Robert asked.

"Robert," Cora said in a no nonsense, no argument style tone. "Please go upstairs and get him. He is driving us all to insanity. Anna's labor is slower than anticipated and Bates is working everyone into a state. He loves her, he's concerned about her, we all know that, but a birth is no place for a fussing husband."

Robert gave a light laugh, "Okay, I'll be up in a few minutes. I'll take him to the Grantham Arms, get something to eat."

When Cora gave birth to their girls, Robert had been distracted by liquor and board games. He wasn't even in the same wing as she was while Mama, the housekeeper, and the doctor were with Cora. Robert wasn't involved in the birth of his daughter's until they were born, washed, and secure in their mother's arms. Cora had also been bathed and changed before he'd seen her.

Times had changed, and John was a different man. Only four years' Robert's junior, they were contemporaries, but Bates had led a different life, and had come to happiness much later than Robert had. John was a stoic man, with broad shoulders, that could take on much of anything including being directly involved in the birth of his child, though Robert knew what was underneath the mask, that's what made them friends.

Robert climbed the steps and stopped when he saw John and Anna. She was on the floor, on her hands and knees with John kneeling on his good knee beside her, rubbing her back in slow circles. Mary and Cora were also crouched down supporting Anna's small frame,trying to take as much weight from her as they could.

"Seventy-seven, seventy -eight, seventy-nine…" Was he counting? Robert was not sure what that was about at all.

When the contraction passed, John struggled to his feet, then helped Anna to stand up and start to walk again.

"Bates," Robert interjected. 'Can I have a word?"

"I'll be right back, my darling," John assured Anna then stepped over to see Robert.

"My dear fellow," Robert began. "It would be my absolute pleasure to buy the third time father a bit of tea at the Grantham Arms. We can get you some fresh air, let the ladies take care of Anna."

John hesitated. He didn't want to leave Anna until he had to do so and that would be when her waters had broken. Robert lowered his voice, "Just for a short while, John," Robert urged. "Let the ladies get Anna rested and cleaned up a bit, I'm sure you will be able to see her again before the real work begins."

"I'm starting to annoy her ladyship, aren't I?" John clarified.

"That's about the size of it," Robert answered truthfully. "Let's go down to the Grantham Arms, when was the last time you ate?"

Robert already knew the answer. If it had played out the way John said it had did, he hadn't eaten in almost 24 hours.

With John neutralized for the moment, Cora and Mary took the opportunity to help Anna into bed to be examined. "She's not progressing much yet," the gentle spoken Irishwoman named Mrs. Casey told them. "But she seems to be handling things well. Let's see how it goes in the next few hours. If she's not further along, we can consult with Dr. Clarkson."

Cora sighed and sat down beside Anna as Mrs. Hughes fussed with her covers and Mary fed her a few bits of ice to wet her lips. "I remember when I gave birth to Edith, I thought that it would never end. It was 30 hours of arduous torture. Eventually, it did end, and it ended beautifully. It will be for you now, you'll see."

Anna licked her lips and looked around, "Where's John?"

Cora and Mary exchanged a worried glance over Anna's head. "He's gone with his lordship, my lamb," Mrs. Hughes replied. "Keep him occupied for a while so he doesn't worry."

Anna laughed at that, "He'll worry. He didn't tell me he was going is all."

"I'm not sure his lordship gave him much of a chance to back out," Mary replied. "He was working us all into a state."

Anna took a breath as a contraction hit her, "That's what's best for now. I was unfair to him last night, uncharitable."

"I can't imagine that," Mary soothed. "You're having a baby, I'm sure he wasn't upset with you."

Anna shook her head. She felt terrible for hanging on John that way and not letting him feel as if he could eat and sleep. She knew he would do anything for her and their children, she'd taken advantage.

"How does that feel Anna?" Mrs. Hughes asked as she tried to distract her. "Clean sheets always improves one's mood."

Anna shifted in the bed and rolled onto her side. She cried out with the next contraction and recoiled her body in on itself, pulling her knees up and dropping her torso down in effort to make herself more compact.

"No," Cora soothed. "Don't tense so. It only makes it worse. Breathe in and out, take it like a hill. Start climbing up, breathe deeper, you're almost to the top now, almost there…and you're over. Breathe out all the way and just keep imagining getting over the top of the hill."

Mary wiped Anna's forehead again. Her cheeks were red and her eyes lack luster. This labor seemed to be sapping much more of Anna's strength than any of the ladies wanted to admit.

A/N: And there is Chapter 3. If you are reading, kindly drop a review and let me know your thoughts. Lots more to go on this hill, we only just started the climb.