Nuclear Winter (Book 1): First Winter

by Nathan Jones

  After tucking her in and making sure she was comfortable Matt had gotten out the inventory of the town's stores. He was seated at the end of the bed going over it with a pen, making notes. Once he finished he planned to head out to the storehouse and check the inventory against the actual stores to make sure everything was there.

  Catherine had warned him that things would probably be missing. Theft was inevitable, even with defenders on guard 24/7. In fact, she'd even hinted at the possibility that the defenders themselves might sneak items, hoping not to be caught. As long as the thefts remained infrequent, only a few small items here and there, it was probably best to address it with a stern warning but not make too big an issue of it. For one thing it would be nearly impossible to catch the culprit, and the trouble it created wouldn't do anyone any good.

  Of course, if it was a major problem it would require a major response. Matt really, really hoped that wouldn't be the case. He'd have to get Trev involved for something like that, and his friend had enough on his plate at the moment. Not to mention that even for major thefts finding the culprit would be hard, and the town couldn't afford to lose anything.

  Who knew, though. Aspen Hill was an upstanding place and the defenders had all risked their lives to protect it. Maybe they'd be above petty theft, and vigilant in their duty from outside thieves. It couldn't hurt to expect the best from his people, even as he prepared for the worst.

  Sam abruptly sucked in a sharp breath and sat upright, blanket sliding off her head as she hunched slightly around her abdomen. “Ah!” she gasped.

  Matt turned, immediately attentive. “A contraction?”

  His wife nodded, although most of her focus was on her pain and her breathing. Matt was concerned, but not immediately alarmed since Sam had experienced false labor contractions four times in the last week.

  Still, she was almost to her due date and any of these could actually be the real deal. “Should I get Dr. Maggy?”

  Sam grimaced. “She's going to stop answering the door for us,” she said. “Maybe wait a bit and see if these settle down?”

  Matt nodded doubtfully. They'd had the OB/GYN come for two false alarms already, ones that really seemed like they were the precursor to labor. Sam was embarrassed about wasting the doctor's time, even though everyone assured her it was perfectly fine to be careful, and that was part of Dr. Maggy's job.

  By this point Mona, April, and Terry had come over to see if Sam needed anything. “The closer we get to the due date, the more we want to err on the side of caution,” Terry advised.

  Sam shifted in obvious discomfort. “Well maybe,” she admitted hesitantly. “I just don't want to keep bother-oh!”

  There was a new expression on her face, less pain and more . . . surprise? “What is it?” Matt asked worriedly.

  His wife flushed in embarrassment. “I think, um, my water just broke.” She gave them all a look, half fearful and half excited. “That means it's time, right?”

  Matt's heart began pounding in his chest at the announcement. “I'll get Dr. Maggy,” he blurted, bolting for his coat and boots. His mom and sister also burst into motion, gathering clean towels and getting water heating on the stove. Terry was already kneeling beside the bed, taking Sam's vitals and talking her through breathing and relaxation techniques.

  During all this Matt's dad had ushered Paul and Aaron to an out of the way corner, where the boys were staring at the flurry of activity with wide eyes. “Is Aunt Sam hurt?” Paul asked fearfully.

  His older brother gave him the look of complete exasperation unique to children. “No, dumby, she's having the baby!”

  “But we're all supposed to be excited about that!” Paul protested. “Why does she look scared and like it hurts?”

  Matt was grateful when his mom took a break from her preparations to swoop in and handle the children. “That's right, she's getting ready to have your cousin,” she said briskly. “But it's very hard work and we need to give her some space. Ed?”

  His dad jolted into action. “Right. Get your warm clothes on, kids! We're going to visit Aunt Alice and Uncle Rick.”

  Aaron whooped in excitement and rushed to grab his coat, hat, and gloves. Paul, however, paused long enough to look up at Matt. “But when I come back my cousin will be here, right?”

  The old familiar fear surged, but Matt forcefully pushed it down and smiled at his nephew. “That's right. And if you're very quiet and gentle and Aunt Sam isn't too tired, you might get to take a peek at him or her before bedtime.”

  That seemed to satisfy the three year old and he ran off to get his warm clothes, which was a relief. Paul was proving pretty smart for his age, and had a habit of asking awkward questions. Like the one he asked his grandpa as Ed ushered the two boys out the door, about why the baby wasn't a boy or girl until they were born, and what they were before that.

  The door shut behind the three, blessedly cutting off the inrush of frigid air, to the sound of Matt's dad patiently doing his best to explain that the baby was a boy or girl right from the start. They just didn't know what it would be until it was born, unless they had special medical equipment to see inside the mom's tummy.

  Matt was out the door close behind the boys, although he immediately broke off in a different direction to the cabin where Dr. Maggy lived with the Clarkson family. The older woman immediately bustled to get her warm clothes and medical equipment when Matt explained the situation, asking for clarification even as she let him lead her out the door at a brisk walk.

  When he stepped back inside the house with the OB/GYN close behind, the partition that covered his and Sam's room was in place to block the view. From beyond it he could hear muted female voices speaking encouragingly.

  Dr. Maggy immediately called a greeting and let them know she was coming in, disappearing behind the screen. Matt wanted to follow and see how his wife was doing, but he was a bit foggy on protocol for the father during labor. He supposed it was up to his wife, and he'd wait until she asked for him.

  April and Terry came out. “It's a bit cramped in there for so many people,” his sister explained quietly. “Anyway we want to go make sure it's not an imposition on the Watsons to watch the boys.”

  Matt nodded. Normally they would've taken Aaron and Paul to Linda or Mary to watch, and in fact they'd made tentative plans to do just that when Sam went into labor. But with the loss the family had just suffered that would definitely be an imposition, and anyway the boys were fond of the Watsons as well.

  With the couple gone and everyone else behind the partition Matt was left alone in the main part of the cabin, feeling awkward overhearing the conversation coming from their small room. He'd already learned most of the finer points of childbirth, when the OB/GYN talked him and his wife through everything to prepare them for what it would be like. But now that it was actually happening the details were a bit embarrassing.

  Thankfully it was only a few minutes before he heard Sam's quiet voice asking for him, and then his mom bustled out to beckon him in. He hesitantly stepped around the screen to find his wife lying comfortably on their bed, done for the time being with whatever checkup and measurements were necessary, and bundled up in blankets once again waiting for her next contractions.

  “Dr. Maggy thinks it's going to be several hours still,” she said, patting the bed beside her. “I was thinking to pass the time we can settle on a name if it's a girl.”

  Matt was only too happy to comply. He held his wife tight as his mom and the doctor excused themselves, busily making a few preparations out in the main room, then settling in to wait and chatting about other things.

  Aside from the contractions which took place every fifteen minutes or so, and Dr. Maggy regularly coming in to check on Sam while Matt did his best to ignore the procedure, things started out fairly placid. Keyed up with nervous energy like they were Matt and his wife both had a bit of trouble staying relaxed and playing it casual.

  But the labor seemed to progress quickly, the contract
ions coming closer and closer together over the next few hours. Soon Matt found himself being gently ushered around the partition, informed it wouldn't be long now. April bustled in to take his place holding Sam's hand and offering encouragement.

  He felt a bit bad not being there to support his wife all the way to the end, but a bit relieved as well.

  As he imagined the birthing process had gone for who knew how many centuries or millennia, he waited out in the main room with his dad and Terry, while the women handled the final moments of bringing a baby into the world.

  It wasn't an easy wait for him, having to listen to Sam's pain as her gasps and moans turn to muted shrieks over the next half hour or so. Then he felt guilty because if just hearing it made him feel that awful, he couldn't even imagine how she must be feeling.

  Finally her cries were joined by urgent whispering from the other women, and he was sure he heard the word “crowning” said along with even more intense encouragement. After another minute or two all the noise dropped into a moment of sudden, tense silence.

  This quiet was different than the others, a deeper hush. Matt found himself on his feet, listening intently. Surely it couldn't already be over. Sam had only been in labor for a few hours, and with her petite size and it being her first child they'd expected the pregnancy to be so difficult for her. This had to be just another lull between contractions, Sam resting and the others giving her some space.

  Then a tiny cry pierced the air and Matt's heart dropped out from beneath him. He slumped back onto the chair, a swirl of emotions warring with numb disbelief.

  The baby was born, had just taken its first breath. Their baby. He was a father.

  He stood again, waiting eagerly for someone to come out and get him so he could see his son or daughter. His dad pulled him into a hug while Terry slapped his back.

  It seemed to take forever for the women in the other room to do whatever it was they did, cleaning the baby and wrapping him or her in a clean cloth and helping Sam get composed after her ordeal. Matt couldn't help but begin to pace, listening to the continuing small cries of his child until finally, to his relief, they petered out to hiccups and then stopped.

  His mom emerged from behind the partition, beaming as she dried her freshly washed hands on a towel. “You can go in,” she said, pulling Matt into a tight hug. “It's a girl. A healthy baby girl. Congratulations, daddy.”

  A girl. A daughter. Matt found himself grinning stupidly as his mom stepped aside, and he eagerly stepped around the screen.

  Sam lay limp on their bed, pale face soaked with sweat and equally soaked hair clinging to the pillows propping her up. She'd been covered with a blanket but was still in the labor position, and he realized she still needed to deliver the placenta.

  But that was just a fleeting thought, because in his wife's arms she held a small bundle that immediately grabbed Matt's full attention. April hovered nearby, as if ready to spring into action if she was needed. When his sister saw him she stepped away to clear the path between him and his family.

  Sam looked up when he entered, giving him a radiant smile in spite of her obvious exhaustion. “Hey.”

  “Hi, mommy,” he said, coming over to her and sitting on the edge of the bed. He leaned over to kiss her damp forehead and smoothed away a bit of limp hair, then looked down at the tiny face peeking out from the bundle. Their baby was still a bit red from her ordeal and her first cry, eyes scrunched tightly shut and lips smacking and making tiny bubbles. A fuzz of the same raven hair as her mother's was plastered damply to her head.

  Matt could immediately see she was the most beautiful girl in the world.

  He kissed Sam again and rested his cheek against the top of her head, staring down at their child. “Good job.”

  “I want to say it wasn't as bad as I was afraid it would be,” she said in a wrung out voice, “but it was pretty miserable.” She moved one finger to gently stroke her daughter's cheek, a single tear of mingled exhaustion and joy slipping down her own. “And completely worth it.”

  Matt reached down to mimic her gesture, feeling the baby soft skin. His wife immediately shifted slightly to support the newborn's head and lifted her, offering her to him. He accepted his daughter as carefully as he could, feeling like it was impossible for his big clumsy hands to properly hold someone so tiny and fragile. Beneath the blanket he felt the baby kick her legs very slightly.

  “Hi,” he said, looking down into the small red face. She didn't respond to his voice, still blowing her little bubbles.

  He only held her for a few seconds before returning her to her mother, who began adjusting her shirt to nurse. April immediately bustled over to help, offering a pillow to help support the baby as they waited to see if she'd latch on.

  All of this was new to Matt, and he felt a bit awkward. “Do you want me to stay?”

  In response Sam, eyes still on their daughter, blindly searched out his shoulder with her free hand and gripped it tight, pulling him closer. Matt complied, a bit relieved to let her dictate what to do here. Together they watched their daughter, so tiny and new, cuddle against her mommy.

  “She's a miracle,” he whispered.

  His wife looked up at him with a soft smile. “Now's as good a time as any to settle on her name. What will it be?”

  Matt pulled her a bit closer. “After listening to you screaming for a the last half hour I'd feel like kind of a jerk if I didn't let you have this one. Olivia Chloe Larson it is.”

  April, who'd been getting ready to slip out and give them their space, shot him a dirty look. “Screaming? I believe you mean “singing the angelic cries of a mother's love.”

  He couldn't help but give his sister an impish look. “The angels need to do some serious practicing, then. That's not a chorus I'd want to listen to.”

  Sam's shoulders shook with exhausted laughter, and she held little Olivia a bit more securely so the baby wouldn't get dislodged. “Oh wow, that mental picture is awful.” Matt abruptly yelped as the fingernails of her hand holding his dug in slightly, and his wife turned to give him a sweet smile. “Although I hope you really do appreciate how hard this was.”

  “I do!” he said, hastily but with complete sincerity. He leaned down and kissed her. “You were amazing.”

  They sat watching their child nurse for a few minutes. Then Sam gave a sharp gasp of pain. “Oh! I think that's the afterbirth coming.”

  Matt bolted to his feet. “That's my cue to leave . . . I'll go get Dr. Maggy.” He hesitated. “I mean, unless you really want me to stay.”

  She made a face. “Yeah, no. I think this is a magical moment I can do without you seeing.”

  His mom and the doctor were already pushing into the room, his mom gently accepting Olivia and cuddling her close as Sam sat up a bit and got back to work. Matt wasted no time slipping out around them into the main room.

  A burst of cold air announced his dad returning, closely followed by Rick and Alice. The blond young woman was holding Aaron and Paul's hands, at least until they saw Matt. Then they rushed over to him.

  “Uncle Matt, Grandpa says the baby's here!” Paul shouted.

  “Is it really a girl?” Aaron asked, crowding his younger brother.

  “Shh,” Matt said, smiling at their excitement. “Yes, the baby is here and she's a girl. But we still need to be quiet for a little longer.” He turned to Rick and Alice, accepting a congratulatory handshake and hug in that order from his friends. “Thanks for watching them.”

  Alice ruffled Aaron's blond hair. “It was fun. They're really excited to meet their cousin.”

  “Speaking of which,” Rick said, lifting the bundle he held at his side. “Aside from bringing the boys home, we wanted to congratulate you and give the newborn a gift from the whole family.”

  Matt accepted it and saw that it was a baby blanket, made from the softest rabbit fur he'd ever felt. “Wow. Olivia will love this.”

  His friend grinned. “So you finally settled on Olivia Chloe?”
>
  “Can I see her?” Alice blurted.

  Matt hesitated, about to refuse, when Sam's voice came through the screen. “Oh please send her in, and the boys too! I want them to meet their cousin.”

  He took that to mean his wife was finished with the third stage of her childbirth. Sure enough, a few moments later Dr. Maggy emerged carrying a plastic-wrapped bundle, which she tried not to draw attention to as she took it away to be disposed of.

  Matt nodded to Alice, who took the boys by the hand again and led them around the screen while he stayed back with Rick, Terry, and his dad. They could hear the hushed but delighted sounds from all three, even Paul curbing his usual exuberance.

  “So it went smoothly?” Rick asked.

  “Under the circumstances very smoothly,” Terry agreed. “I suppose unless we can rebuild our infrastructure in record time, we'll have to get used to delivering children the way women did during the frontier days.”

  Matt found this sort of talk a lot less worrying now that Sam's ordeal was done and their baby was safely born. Even so, it was a concern for everyone. “Trying to get a more up to date hospital with proper equipment up and running should probably be one of our main priorities once we get through this winter and we've figured out long term survival. I'm sure enough medical technology is still around for trade or scavenging to get what we need, as long as we can somehow generate power for it.”

  Alice emerged ushering Aaron and Paul ahead of her. “Sam and the baby are ready to rest,” she said quietly. “But she'd love to have the blanket for Olivia.”

  Matt thanked his friends again, accepted more congratulations and hugs, then went around the partition to rejoin his wife and daughter. Sam gave him Olivia to wrap in the blanket, which he did carefully to make sure she was snug but not too restricted. Then she insisted he come sit beside her and hold their baby.

  He did, staring down in wonder at the tiny, perfect face as his wife relaxed and finally fell asleep with her head on his shoulder.