“I am so pleased that I got to surprise you, Dochder. True surprises in life are few and far between. Take it from an old man who knows.”
“Dat—” Sweat cropped up on her forehead, but she could not tell if what slid down her cheeks were beads of sweat or dollops of tears. She wanted to say more. She wanted to tell him how much happier she was that he was here with her than any gift he could have brought, though the gift he brought was the most thoughtful, loving gift she could have ever received. The pain made certain she could say none of it. “Danki,” she said.
Samuel smiled. “And not a moment too soon, it seems, if what Thomas tells me is true.” He paused with a funny smile on his face. “And now I see that he is right.”
“Thomas?” she breathed. “Is he here?”
Samuel chuckled. “You truly have not left the bedroom, have you? Good girl to do as your mater said.” He gestured to the hallway. “Your little bruder Thomas…” Her father seemed to lose his breath, however, he recovered quickly. “He has been sleeping outside your door for weeks now. He calls it being on bopplin watch.”
Rebekah’s eyes widened and her face flushed, as evidenced by the sudden rush of humiliated heat that filled it. So, my sweet, innocent Thomas was there. And he heard my angry outburst at Joseph.
Her dat continued. “It was him who came to get me.” He smiled brightly. “And as I said, not a moment too soon.”
Rebekah couldn’t return his smile. “I fear I have brought on the cramps again with needless worry and angry outbursts.”
Samuel still wore the funny smile. “Thomas?”
Thomas peeked into the room. “Ja, Fater?”
Rebekah offered him a slight smile, but he avoided her gaze. Before she could think too much about it, another pain threatened to split her in two. She squeezed shut her eyes and gripped her belly with her trembling, swollen fingers.
“Go and get your mater. Tell her that my kinskind is ready to be born.”
Chapter Seven
For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son that whomsoever believes in him shall not perish but have everlasting life. – John 3:16
Though Elnora sat on the foot of her bed, Rebekah could not see her mater. It had not taken long for Thomas to return with her, which told Rebekah her mother was nearby, too. However, once Elnora had come upstairs, she was no longer her sweet, gentle, and meek mother. She spoke harshly and expected to be obeyed at once.
In seemingly no time and probably also in thanks to Thomas, Heloise also joined them and took her place near Rebekah’s head.
“On your back,” Elnora said, “knees up and nice and wide apart.” As Rebekah complied, Elnora had draped a sheet there, thus completely obscuring her from Rebekah’s view. “Just breathe deeply,” Elnora said. “When a pain comes, breathe deeply and most important of all, do not fret.”
Having her mater nearby helped ease the worry that had appeared with the sudden onset of intense pains, and her reassurance that the bopplin was coming made the agonies almost bearable. Almost.
“With each pain, your bopplin is a bit closer to being born and in your arms.”
Something sounded off in her voice, and Rebekah would have liked to read her expression. However, as her mother was obscured by the sheet draped over her knees, Rebekah had to be content with only her mater’s words.
“When was the last time you felt the bopplin kick?”
She thought for a moment. Was it today that I noticed he was still? Or was it yesterday? She knotted her hands together as another pain sliced through her middle from between her legs and threatened to split her in two. Or even the day before? Time really had taken on an entirely new meaning since she never left the bed, much less the bedroom. “Maybe it was today? Or a few days ago?”
Joseph’s mater, Heloise, dabbed at her forehead with a cool cloth. She blinked her eyes and offered Heloise a smile. “Danki, mater Graber.” Rebekah had forgotten her mother-in-law was there until she dabbed her with the coolness of the cloth.
It seemed between the birthing pains, the world around her fizzled into darkness, and she passed into a fitful sleep, her arms and legs jerking, and she herself powerless to stop them.
Heloise nodded. “Welcome back, Rebekah.”
“Welcome, from where?” Confusion muddled her brain. “From where had I gone?” Her sentence made no sense, but she did not care.
“The contractions are hard for you.” Heloise’s red hair peeked out from beneath her black covering, giving her a radiant look.
“Joseph?” Rebekah asked.
“Outside with your fater. Waiting to hold his kinskind, Lil’ Bit.”
The world around her grew fuzzy as another pain hardened her stomach. Rebekah breathed harder and her room grew smaller until everything around her was black and the only pinprick of light was the size of the eye of a needle. As the pain ebbed and passed, even that light extinguished into darkness.
In the darkness, she stood next to a woman. A woman who looked like her, only older. Long, blonde hair and big green eyes. She smiled at Rebekah and reached for her hand.
Who are you? Though her mouth moved, her words came out as a thought. It was very otherworldly and strange.
Your mother.
Rebekah went to embrace her, but the woman disappeared. A moment later she reappeared, farther back.
Not yet.
I am scared. I want to be with you.
I am always with you. Her radiant smile lit up the darkness. We will be together someday. But not today.
A splash of cold water brought Rebekah back. However, everything was distorted and nothing in her vision was as it should be.
“Get her on her knees,” Elnora said. Despite her words coming out in a whisper, her demure mater’s brash tone made her blood go cold within her body. “The cord is coming first.”
Heloise yanked and pulled until Rebekah was on her side. “Up now, Rebekah. Up now and onto your knees.”
Rebekah did as she was told, her head hanging helplessly. “It feels like I am ripping in two, but from the inside.” She sucked in a hard breath and her arms shook. “What is wrong?”
“Lil’ Bit wants you on your knees.” Heloise stuffed the pillow under Rebekah’s chest. “Maybe this will help.”
“I cannot do this.”
“You can.” Heloise rubbed Rebekah’s lower back. “And you will.”
Another contraction made Rebekah whimper.
“Now push your bopplin into the world.” Heloise rubbed harder. “And you will be a mater today.”
Rebekah felt the world begin to go away again and she wondered if she was dying. Another stabbing cramp, right on the heels of the last one, assured her that she was still very much alive. She groaned.
“None of that,” Elnora said. “No more noise. Now, take that breath and use it to give birth to your bopplin.”
Rebekah closed her eyes, in too much pain to be hurt over her mother’s scolding.
Gotte, help me. I cannot do this without you. I do not think, if I am being honest, that I can even do this with Your divine help. My first job as a mater, and I am already failing. Please, help me.
