Stranded On Christmas (23 page)

“
Of
course. I'll hurry back.”

That
month I felt better. Being preoccupied was the best painkiller. I
made Anna Rose a beautiful pink blanket, a couple of pairs of socks,
two sweaters, and a jacket with a matching hat for going to church.

Gideon
would read to me about farming, and we talked about which crops to
plant. I had talked him into going home for the spring planting.

He
spoke of taking me along. The way he saw it I could knit in my bed at
home just as well as at the hospice.

I
was starting to think that he was right. I didn’t need to be here
if I was refusing the medicine they offered.

When
I looked at myself in the mirror, I saw that I was getting some color
back. I was able to get up more often. Mornings were a hard time for
me, but that was normal.

Gideon
wanted to know how far along I was. I was starting to show, a lot.
Now that a bump was there people were starting to see the baby as we
did, as a real person.

Arrangements
were made and I was brought to a gynecologist at the hospital. I felt
ridiculous being brought to the hospital in an ambulance. I could
have walked.

Gideon
was right by my side. He whispered into my ear that he wanted Anna
Rose even if there was something wrong with her. That wasn't a
deciding factor he told me.

I
had to agree with him. A child was a gift, and we would take what we
could get.

“
I
hope I live long enough to hold her in my arms.”

Gideon
kissed me and squeezed my hand.

A
doctor came over to us and introduced herself. I could see the look
of pity in her eyes.

Gideon
helped the nurse roll my bed into her room. There was an ultrasound
machine and a few other machines.

“
We
are going to take a very close look at your child.”

My
tummy was bared, and I rubbed over it lovingly before the doctor came
with her machine.

“
Let's
see what we have here.”

The
room got very quiet, and the doctor said nothing. But she traded a
look with the nurse helping her. I couldn't make out anything on the
screen.

The
doctor swallowed hard. “As you can see this is one of the babies
hearts. The heart has a good strong beat. And this is the other
baby's heartbeat. Both boys look very healthy.”

“
Boys?”
I asked.

“
Twins?”
Gideon asked.

“
Yes,
your wife is expecting twin boys.”

Gideon
started to chuckle.

“
Is
something wrong?” the doctor asked, unsure.

“
My
wife has been preparing for a girl.”

The
shock wore off quickly. I snapped my jaw shut. I simply couldn't
believe that all the stuff I made had been for nothing. I had wasted
so much time, and now I needed to make twice as many things but in a
different color. “How far along am I?”

“
The
beginning of the fifth month.”

“
So
this is likely. I could do this?” I asked.

“
I
can’t make any guarantees about something like that. However, twins
are often born early. I think it is fantastic that you’re doing
this for your sons.”

“
Thank
you, doctor.” Gideon shook her hand, pumping it up and down.

“
I
still have a question. Are the boys all right? Is there anything
wrong with them? We are worried because of the tests and the medicine
I was taking.”

The
doctor did another test, taking a sample from each baby's umbilical
fluid.

Gideon
was glad that the boys weren't identical. It was clear that he could
already see them wrecking havoc on the farm.

Gideon

We
were at the hospital again. The results were back. Those didn't
matter. We were packed and ready to go home. I had convinced Jessie
that she should be at home. The babies needed to hear their
surroundings.

I
peeked over at Jessie. She was biting her lip. She was worried about
the results. I was glad that I wouldn't be left completely alone once
Jessie was gone.

It
was getting harder to believe that she was going to die. She was one
of those glowing mothers who beamed when she was pregnant. That
hadn't been the case with Aaron. She had suffered the entire
pregnancy, but the twins were suiting her. She looked adorable.

Maybe
we could even have a little fun in bed when she wasn't having one of
her spells. That was what I was calling her headaches.

She
insisted that they weren't that bad. She was one tough cookie. I
admired her with all of my heart.

“
Mr.
and Mrs. Thompson, the doctor will see you now.”

The
doctor greeted us and listened to our plans. She was glad to see
Jessie on her feet. My beautiful wife impressed everyone.

The
doctor was all smiles. I figured that we were about to receive good
news. I helped Jessie change into a paper gown and helped her get up
on the doctor's table. That took awhile. Jessie was still so weak.

I
planned on bringing our bed down to the living room. I didn't want
her anywhere near the stairs.

The
doctor came in and looked Jessie over. We got to see our boys again.
That had Jessie in tears. She looked so happy.

The
doctor told us that both of the boys were doing fine. Neither had
anything that would cause her to really worry. She expected them to
be healthy if Jessie could go without medicine. Jessie was almost in
the seventh month. She just had to stay strong for them.

Jessie
promised she would without batting an eye.

I
got to take her home. Before Jessie got into the car, I moved her
seat back and reclined it. Once she was in, I buckled her seatbelt
for her. It was hard to decide where to place the straps because of
her round tummy.

She
was grinning at me. “They're beautiful, aren't they?”

“
All
three of you are.” I covered her up with a blanket.

I
got in next to my wife and off we drove. I could hardly believe that
we were going home.

The
drive home hadn't sat well with Jessie. I was amazed to see how
quickly she got out of the car. She quickly waddled into the house
with her hand covering her mouth. Her dog was right at her side from
the second she stepped out of the car.

So
much had changed. It was spring now. The trees were filled with
blossoms, and the flowers in the beds were blooming.

I
gathered a few, so I could give them to Jessie. She was a sucker for
flowers. I saw it in her eyes each time I held some out to her. Her
features would soften, and she would smile so nicely.

I
never thought that she would come back home. Her being here was a
gift from God.

I
went in and stood outside of the bathroom. She sure was being quiet.

“
Jessie?”
I called out.

“
I'm
up here.” Her voice came from our bedroom.

No.
She had gone up those damn stairs. I hurried up and found her lying
in our bed. Pumpkin was in her arms. She was whispering to him about
the two little boys who were on their way to play ball with him.

“
I
picked some flowers for you.” I held them out to her.

“
For
me?” she lifted her head up a little and looked at them. “They
are so nice.” Her head flopped back down on the pillow.

I
was starting to think that this had been a stupid idea. I certainly
hadn't wanted to drive her home just to have her die.

“
I'm
sorry. I get so carsick when I'm not the one driving.” I figured
that she was giving me an excuse so I wouldn't worry.

“
Still,
I'm calling the doctor.”

“
You
can tell him up front that I'm not going to take anything.”

I
rolled my eyes, thinking that she didn't sound so sick anymore.

Gideon

The
doctor stopped by every day again. Jessie was up on her feet and
waddling around. I didn't move the bed down, but I made it clear that
Jessie wasn't allowed to go up or down the stairs alone.

Megan
was planning her graduation party. My parents were going to come.
They were talking about moving back to the community too, now that
they were retired.

I
was glad to hear that. Raising those two boys and working the farm
would be too much for me.

Jessie
wanted to help where she could. She was constantly smiling. She had
been since the doctor said that the boys could be born any time they
wanted to be.

Jessie
was so glad that she had made it. She had every right to be proud of
herself.

The
thing was, I had never seen her looking better – or healthier.

I
was starting to feel hope.

Jessica

I
woke up in the middle of night, and my first thought was that the
intruder was back. I had a sharp pain in my back exactly like I had
when he hit me with the frying pan.

“
Gideon,
whatever happened to the man who broke into our house?”

Gideon
jerked awake and rubbed his eyes. “He’s still in jail. Why did
you wake me up to ask about him?”

“
That
wasn't why I woke you. I woke you because the contractions are
starting. It's time to go to the hospital.”

“
Now?”
he asked. He wasn’t truly awake yet.

“
Now
would be a good time. It's a long drive.”

“
But
today is Megan’s graduation.”

“
Tell
your sons that, not me.”

“
Are
you serious?”

“
What?
Do you think I'm kidding?”

He
sat up and turned on the light. He was dressed in a flash. We were
quiet, but somehow the whole house woke up and wished us the best,
and we went down to his car.

I
had another contraction before I could get in. I laid my upper body
over the hood of the car. Gideon ran his hands over my back and told
me how brave I was being.

I
longed to tell him to just shut up. The pain was crippling, me and
his voice was making it worse.

When
I was able to move, I got into the car.

Gideon
looked relieved. I looked back at the house and waved goodbye to his
parents and sister. I had a bad feeling that the birth would be too
much for me. I doubted that I would ever come back here.

Gideon
was lucky that it was the middle of the night, and that he didn't get
stopped for speeding.

When
we arrived at the hospital, he whispered that my doctor had promised
to come and help, just in case something happened with me.

Within
minutes, I informed my husband that I couldn’t care less who was
with me, but I wanted to have the babies now. I guess I was one of
those people who got mean when they were in labor. It was only that I
needed to get this over with.

A
nurse arrived with a wheelchair. Gideon helped me sit down.

The
nurse took off running with me. She stopped in a room, and I got up
and crawled into bed.

The
nurse tried to ask me questions, but I had to push. She and Gideon
worked on freeing me up of my clothes. After three pushes, Travis was
born.

The
funniest moment was when I told the nurse that it was twins. It was
only the three of us in the room with no doctor in sight.

The
nurse pushed a button and called for help. She shoved Travis into
Gideon's arms and came back to me. I had a couple of minutes before I
needed to push again. The second baby was born even faster.

A
doctor walked in the door just as the nurse was laying Trevor in my
arms.

“
Twins,”
she told the doctor.

He
took Travis and let Gideon cut the cord. The nurse took Trevor from
me and switched him with Travis. The room got very peaceful and
quiet. Gideon made sure that the boys got bracelets with the right
names on them.

A
baby was laid in my arms. He was pink, and his chest was rising up
and falling down. He was alive. His eyes were closed, and he was
sleeping in my arms. “Gideon, I'm holding one of my babies.” I
was thrilled to experience this magical moment.

“
Yes,
you are, darling. I'm holding the other one.”

The
doctor told us in whispers that he was happy with the boys. He
congratulated us before then he and the nurse left. The lights were
dimmed and soft music was playing.