“Good morning, Moss.” Elizabeth exited the bedroom yawning, waddling her way over to where Amos sat on the floor tending the fire. Carefully lowering herself into her rocker, she rested a hand on her bulging stomach and closed her eyes, yawning again.
“Hey Darling.” Amos scooted over beside the groggy woman and leaned against her. “How are you feeling this morning?”
Tousling his hair, she began to lean forward to kiss the top of his head before abandoning the idea when her belly got in the way.
“Well, considering the usual morning nausea has decided to go on vacation for the moment, I can’t really complain now can I? I do wish this little bundle of energy had let me sleep a little longer before deciding to throw a dance party. Here, give me your hand.”
Amos shifted his muscular frame to face Elizabeth, placing a large hand gently on her front. A childish grin of wonder spread across his face as he felt the baby moving around more exuberantly than usual.
“That’s so incredible…I just can’t get over the fact that we are going to be parents soon!”
Elizabeth shook her head, exasperated at his lack of sympathy for her inner early morning alarm clock.
“You wouldn’t think it so incredible if you were constantly getting beat up from the inside…and lugging around an oversized bulge all day every day. Did I mention that I don’t fit into any of my favorite clothes anymore and am having to constantly alter these ugly dresses to accommodate a watermelon?
Amos smiled tenderly at his cranky wife, amused by her complaints about something he knew she was overjoyed about in reality.
“I know…you definitely have the harder job out of the two of us. That’s for certain.” Amos thought for a moment. “How about this. You sit here by the fire and relax for awhile. Stay off your feet. I’ll make breakfast for us,” he chuckled, “Or at least, try to make breakfast anyway. Then I’ll clean up and keep building the crib we’ve been talking about. The weather is unusually warm and it looks like the snow’s holding off for a bit. I should be able to make quite a bit of progress, maybe even finish it. How’s that sound, Elsie?” He gazed at her hopefully, desiring to help his wife however he could. She smiled and ran her fingers through his hair once more, thankful yet again that God had given her such a dedicated husband.
“That sounds wonderful. Thank you, Moss. I’ll do my best to relax and ignore the barn-jigs going on in my innards.” Elizabeth giggled, enjoying her moment as a spoiled wife. Amos smirked, jumped to his feet and began to dance a fast music-less jig in front of the fireplace. Elizabeth couldn’t help the fit of laughter that overtook her as she watched her beloved husband join their unborn baby in a silent dance. When Amos ran out of breath, he stumbled over to the stove and began frying eggs. Elizabeth, unsure of her husband’s cooking abilities, directed from the rocker and prayed he didn’t burn the house down.
A few minutes later, he delivered a plate of mostly unburnt eggs to her lap, along with a slice of obviously burnt toast slathered in way-to-much butter. He placed a cup of her favorite coffee beside her and she took her first refreshing sip. Black, with fresh mint leaves from her windowsill plant floating on top, adding a sweet minty tweak to the strong scent.
“Mhmm.” Elizabeth sighed, the bitter brew awakening the last of her groggy senses.
Amos sat in front of the fire again, this time facing his wife.
“How much longer do you think, Elsie?”
“Amos,” Elizabeth exclaimed in a gently chiding voice. “You ask this every day…What did I say yesterday?”
“Anytime.”
“How about the day before that?”
“Anytime.”
“And last Friday?”
“Anytime.”
“Week before that?”
“Anytime.”
“So, what do you think the answer will be this time?”
“Anytime.” Amos chuckled sheepishly.
“Exactly. Any other questions?”
“Do you think it will be this week?”
“Uhhhh.” Elizabeth groaned, amused and exasperated at her impatient spouse.
The morning passed quickly as the couple quietly worked on their respective tasks in the living room, oblivious to increasingly bitter weather outside.
“Huh.”
Amos looked up at his wife’s puzzled verbalization.
“What’s wrong, Elsie?”
“I’m not sure.” Elizabeth shifted in her chair, pressing a hand to her stomach. “I just feel strange.”
Amos nodded and continued smoothing the final wood railing for the crib, keeping a discreet eye on his wife. When she continue wincing at random intervals with her knitting laying silent in her lap, he moved to kneel by her chair.
“Is it starting?” He asked softly. She nodded slowly, eyes full of anxiety.
“Okay.” Amos took a deep breath, excitement and fear washing over him. “You take it easy and I’ll ride over to get the doctor, just like we’ve talked about.” His voice steady and soothing, he gently stroked her cheek. She grabbed his hand, glancing out the window.
“Get Mama too please.”
Amos stood up and retrieved a blanket from the bed. Draping it over her, he stooped to rest his forehead tenderly against hers.
“I hate to leave you.” He murmured softly.
“I’ll be okay…and I promise I’ll try not to let the baby come before you are back.” Elizabeth chuckled, anxiety dripping from her voice. She tried to gently push him away, but he resisted long enough to drop one final kiss into her hair and breathe in her scent. Then he hurried to bundle up, a glance outside revealing the ever-darkening sky.
“Are you sure you’ll be safe out there? That blizzard could hit anytime.”
Amos pulled his wool hat over his ears and buttoned the coat she had made for him.
“I’m hoping it will hold off long enough for us to get back, but if not, the horses know the way.” His scarf muffled his voice. “I love you, Elsie.” With another glance at his laboring wife, Amos disappeared out the door before she could notice the concern overtaking his handsome features. Any country boy could recognize a nasty blizzard when he saw one and Amos was no different…they were in for a real whopper and what had started as a peaceful morning had shifted into a perilous race against time.
Wonderful story, Jaela, and thank you for sharing chapter 2.