Between Two Worlds (19 page)

His brow perspired profusely. “I’ve got to reach into the birth
canal and turn the baby manually. There’s no other way.”

“You don’t have forceps?” She couldn’t imagine how he could move
the baby without them.

“Not with me. But if I don’t get this baby out immediately,
they’re both going to die.”

He sent a prayer to Heaven and inserted his hand.

Gabriel grasped the baby’s arm and turned it gently. “I need to
push the arm back in and maneuver the head into proper position.” He was being
very careful so as not to cause a tear, which was not an easy task to
accomplish. But repairing a tear without the proper tools would be even more difficult,
he explained. After several prods, the arm retreated back into the mother’s
body. Gabriel immediately inserted his hand again and felt for the baby’s
shoulder and then the crown of the head. He gently tugged the head forward.

Dances With Wind’s eyes flickered open.

“
Push!”
Gabriel demanded.

Delaney stared into the woman’s face and repeated the command. “
Push!
It’s time for your baby to be born.” Her heart hammered in her chest.
Was
this woman going to die?
Would the baby survive?

Dances With Wind bore down hard. She gritted her teeth together,
but never cried out. After three pushes, the baby boy slipped into Gabriel’s
hands. He immediately removed mucus from the newborn’s nose and mouth with a tiny
dropper. “Delaney, come hold the child. I need to snip the cord.”

She smiled at the new mother and stroked her forehead. Sweat
matted both their foreheads. Her own breathing labored after watching such an
ordeal. “You did real good,” she told Dances With Wind. “You have another son.”
Scooting onto her knees, she formed a cradle with her arms, and Gabriel placed
the little brown baby in them. As he dug into his bag for scissors, she peered
at the infant. He had an oblong head and a shock of black hair. His body was long
and lean. “You’re a miracle, little man,” she whispered.

Gabriel cut the umbilical cord. “Turn the baby over for me.” When
she did, he smacked the child on the bottom, and the baby let out a loud wail.
“Good lungs,” he said, grinning.

For the first time since she’d entered the hut, Delaney saw
Gabriel smile and felt his sense of relief.

He Who Fights Bravely lumbered into the hogan at the sound of the
cry. He glanced at his new son and then hurried to his wife’s side. Exhausted,
she still had just enough energy to smile and speak a few words to him in their
language. He kissed the top of her head. Delaney laid the baby in his mother’s
waiting arms.

“Thank you, friend,” He Who Fights Bravely said to Gabriel.

Gabriel wiped his forehead with his shirtsleeve and slapped the
Indian on the shoulder. Delaney gathered up his medical instruments and dropped
them into his black bag. “Go outside and wash up. I’ll clean her and the baby.”

He didn’t argue, seemingly grateful for the offer.

Not knowing the Pima traditions concerning childbirth, she
addressed the new father in the same way, shooing him away with her hand. “You
can go out and wait with Gabriel. I’ll come get you when I’m finished in here.
Okay?”

The Indian looked at his wife, who responded with a nod of her
head, giving him permission to leave. Then he slid his gaze back to Delaney.
“O…kay,” he said, his tone uncertain. Delaney wondered if the term “okay” was uncommon
in that time and place. Whatever. He seemed to understand her request. “I make
tea for wife,” he said.

“That’s a great idea.” She nudged him out the door.

As he passed by her, their shoulders touched. His dark eyes bore
into her. She held her breath, wondering if he was angry with her. His handsome
face was unemotional when he said, “Thank you.”

She released the breath she’d been unconsciously holding. Not offended
by his stone-faced expression, she felt a kinship to the man. Beaming, she
replied, “You’re welcome. I’m glad I could help.”

After He Who Fights Bravely retreated from the hogan, Delaney
began tending to the new mother and child.

Sometime later when she stepped out into the bright sun, her eyes
narrowed into a squint while she readjusted to the light after having been in the
dark interior of the home for so long. “You may go in now,” she told He Who
Fights Bravely. He carried a mug of tea in his hands, which he explained was
made from boiled roots. When he entered the hogan, his three children followed behind.
Their dark eyes shone with anticipation. A new baby and a healthy mother was
something to celebrate.

“Come with me,” Gabriel urged. “I’ll walk you down to the river so
you can wash the blood from your hands and arms.”

The two of them carefully traversed the banks of the South Salt so
Delaney could wash with the lye soap. She was quiet as she knelt and soaped
both her arms and hands, and dunked them into the cold river for a rinse.

Gabriel knelt beside her on one knee. “You were marvelous back
there.” He stared at her with his trademark intensity. “I couldn’t have
delivered that child without you.”

“I’m glad I was able to help, but
you
saved that young woman’s
life. And her baby’s.” She dried her wet hands on the towel Gabriel offered.
“While I was cleaning her and the baby, I was thinking about how precious life
is. How fragile. The two of them could have died, if not for you. You really make
a difference in people’s lives. Not only with the job you do, but also in the
way you do it. You should be so proud of yourself.”

Gabriel tipped up her chin with his finger, as he’d done before.
“Thank you for the kind words. I’m thankful to have been given the opportunity
to become a doctor.” He paused and frowned. “Why the glum face?”

She responded with a heavy sigh. “I admire you
so
much. You
save people’s lives. You heal the sick. What you
do is awesome.”

“Awesome?” he chuckled. “I take it that’s another twenty-first
century term.”

She smiled. “Yeah. It means you’re a wonderful doctor, and what
you do is so important. I guess I’m feeling a little sorry for myself. What I
do for a living doesn’t compare in any way. I don’t help humanity in any way, shape,
or form. In fact, sometimes the ads I come up with have quite the opposite
effect.”

Gabriel spoke with candor. “Then do something else. Make a change.
You can do anything you want, Delaney. You’re an intelligent woman. You have
gumption and fortitude and enthusiasm. You’re a very caring person. You were
wonderful in there with Dances With Wind. We were able to deliver her a healthy
child because she trusted you. If that’s not significant, I don’t know what
is.”

“But my father…” she started.

“Forget your father. That job—ad woman, whatever it entails—was
your father’s dream. You told me that yourself. You must live your own dream or
you’ll never be truly happy and satisfied. Don’t you understand that?”

She nodded. “Mr. Pendergrass told me the same thing.”

“This Mr. Pendergrass knows what he’s talking about.”

The two of them gazed into the rolling river. Gabriel placed his
arm around her waist and drew her close, but she shrugged away and started
walking up the hill in silence. There was so much to think about. She’d loved
kissing him on the blanket under the mesquite tree. If He Who Fights Bravely
hadn’t shown up, they probably would have ended up going a lot further. Her body
ached for the man. But it wouldn’t be right for her to love him and leave him.
It wouldn’t be fair. She’d experienced that herself and knew what it felt like
to be dumped after giving away your heart and body.

Gabriel had fallen for her—any fool could see that. But their
relationship wasn’t meant to be. This wasn’t her time or place. She belonged in
the future, and she was determined to find her way home, one way or the other.
She didn’t need the added stress and confusion that falling in love with
Gabriel would bring.

She heard him tramping up the hill after her. “Delaney, wait for me.”
When he reached the top, she was holding a staring contest with the donkey.
“Delaney,” he repeated.

She gave him a sideways glance. “Shhh. I’m bonding with the
donkey.”

Apparently noticing her eyes glistened with unshed tears, he
quietly said, “Let’s not talk about you going home right now. I have some news.
He Who Fights Bravely has invited us to stay the night.”

“Why?” she asked, spinning toward him.

“The village will have a feast to celebrate the baby’s birth.
There will be dancing. He wants us to join them. We’re to be the guests of
honor.”

She thought about that a moment. “But what about Charlotte? Won’t
she worry if I don’t show up at the boarding house?”

“She knows you were spending the day with me, right?”

“Yes. I told her.”

“Then it’s fine. Everyone knows how it is with a doctor. A medical
emergency can come up at any moment of the day or night, as you witnessed
today. If Charlotte knows you’re with me, she’ll know you’re safe—even though
we both know that’s not entirely true.” He winked, apparently trying to lighten
the mood.

Needles of awareness prickled her skin. The memory of his body
pressed against hers on the blanket flashed through her mind. The taste of his
kisses still lingered on her lips and tongue. “Where will we sleep?” she asked.

“I don’t know. Under the stars?” He glanced into the sky. “I’ve
slept under this wide canopy many a time. There’s room for you under it…next to
me.”

Delaney take a few more moments to consider the offer. She could
think of nothing better than to curl up next to Gabriel’s rock-hard body and
snuggle all night under the stars with him. It would be so romantic. But hadn’t
she just told herself she wouldn’t lead him on? Snuggling with him would
certainly give him the wrong impression. Still…

“I don’t know,” she mumbled. “There are snakes out here. And
lizards. And God knows what else that can bite or sting.”

Gabriel laughed. “You’re a time traveler. What’s happened to your
adventurous spirit all of a sudden?”

Before she could answer, He Who Fights Bravely stepped out of the
hogan and approached them. He didn’t appear concerned that he was interrupting
their conversation. “The village will begin preparing for the feast tonight,”
he said. “You will stay?” His dark eyes moved between the couple.

Gabriel looked to Delaney for an answer. When she nodded,
Gabriel’s smile almost slid off his face.  He asked, “What can we do to help?”

He Who Fights Bravely shook his head and slapped his chest. “You
are my honored guests. The village will work. You use my hogan this afternoon.”
He pointed to the hut. “I’ll move wife and baby.”

Delaney and Gabriel exchanged puzzled glances. She had no idea what
the Indian was talking about and was glad when Gabriel spoke up. “I don’t
understand. For what reason would we need to use your hogan?”

“Finish what you started under tree.” The Pima’s typical stony
expression did not alter. “I interrupt mating.”

Delaney’s face grew warm, and a flash of crimson even streaked
Gabriel’s cheeks. He chuckled and stammered, “Thank you, friend. Your offer is
a generous one, but Dances With Wind needs her rest and should not be moved
until the feast. She and the baby are to stay in the hogan this afternoon.”

“Then I find another place,” He Who Fights Bravely stated with a
firm jerk of his head. “You mate with woman.” He turned and stalked away.

“Wait!” Gabriel called to his back. But the man paid him no mind.

Delaney wanted to crawl under a rock. She rolled her eyes and then
cast her gaze to the ground in embarrassment while she kicked at the dirt with
the toe of her boot. Hadn’t she just been thinking how great it would be to
continue what she and Gabriel had started under the tree? But to have the
Indian suggest the same thing made it seem dirty!

Gabriel cleared his throat and jogged to catch up to the man. He
clapped him on the shoulder. “Look. I appreciate your concern for my love life,
but you need to concentrate on taking care of your family today. Miss Marshall
and I will keep ourselves occupied until the feast begins.” He stepped in front
of his friend, probably thinking  Delaney couldn’t see him. But she
did
see
him and hear him when he winked and said, “Thanks all the same.”

The corner of the Indian’s mouth curled into a tiny, seldom-seen
smile. “O…kay,” he said, using the new word he’d learned from her. He padded
back to his animal and untied the rope that held him to a tree. “Donkey, let’s go.”

“
Hee! Haw!”
the donkey bellowed, giving Delaney the devil’s
eye as he waddled by her. The two of them disappeared around the bend of the river
and Gabriel returned to her side.

“Where’s he going?” she asked, with her hands fisted on her hips.
“You just told him to stay with his family.”

“I suppose he’s gone hunting to bring back food for tonight.”
Gabriel shrugged. “The man does as he pleases.”

“I can see that. He doesn’t know the meaning of subtlety, does
he?” She sighed in mock annoyance. “He’s even more blatant than you in getting
his point across.”