Suddenly, Mattie’s issues vanished from her mind, replaced by concern for her friend.
Resting her hand on Rebecca’s shoulder, she could feel the tension knotting the other woman’s muscles. “Are you all right?”
“I’m fine. It’s not surprising that my back is bothering me with the extra weight I’m carrying.” She cupped a hand over her distended stomach.
“Regardless, maybe you should tell Elias—”
“No. I don’t want him to worry. There’s no cause for alarm. I felt a bit of pain for a moment, but it’s gone now. Please, don’t desert to Elias’s side. One fusspot in this outfit is enough. And promise you won’t say anything to him about this.”
“All right,” she agreed reluctantly.
But she watched Rebecca for further hints of pain or discomfort. And saw more than one before they stopped for the noon meal.
She dithered in indecision. Should she break her promise by going behind Rebecca’s back to Elias? Or was she worrying over nothing, as the other woman had insisted?
* * *
During the noon meal, Josiah noticed that Mattie seemed troubled. Her eyebrows pleated, while lines of strain bracketed her mouth. And she contributed very little to the conversation.
Something was clearly sitting heavy on her mind. But what?
She didn’t volunteer any information or explanations. Which left him with two options. He could act like he hadn’t perceived anything amiss. Or he could take Mattie aside and get answers from her.
On the one hand, it was probably none of his business. And she likely wouldn’t thank him for sticking his oar in. But there was a piece of him that couldn’t let it go without trying to make things better. And that part won out.
“Would you all excuse us for a minute?” he requested of Elias, Rebecca and Adela. “I’d like to speak to Mattie alone.”
“Of course.” Rebecca gave him a smile, then turned to Mattie, sending her a significant look.
Though Josiah didn’t understand what message she was communicating, he had more important things on his mind than figuring it out.
Taking Mattie’s arm, he led her far enough away from the others to gain a bit of privacy.
“What is it?” she queried.
“Please tell me what’s bothering you.”
Her eyebrows arched in surprise.
“You didn’t think I’d notice?”
“I...” Her tongue darted out to moisten her lips. “I wish you hadn’t,” she revealed.
“Why? Is it something to do with me?” Though she shook her head, he kept talking, convinced he’d hit on the truth. “If I’ve done something, or not done something, that has upset you—”
She put her hand over his mouth, cutting off his words. “It’s nothing like that.”
Grasping her wrist, he drew her fingers down to rest against his chest. “Then what is it?”
She remained silent for a moment, and it was apparent she debated with herself about what to say to him.
His gaze steady, he looked deep into her eyes, urging her to share the burden she carried.
Her breath gusted out, and she pulled her hand from his hold. But she didn’t walk away as he’d expected.
Shooting a quick glance over her shoulder, she kept her voice low. “I’m worried about Rebecca.”
The comment took him by surprise. His eyes shifted to his sister-in-law, but nothing stood out to him as cause for concern.
He brought his gaze back to Mattie. “Why?”
“She’s been having some pains.”
That sounded ominous, but there was no sense panicking when he didn’t have all the facts. “What kind of pains?”
“I believe it’s in her back, mostly. But what if it has something to do with the baby? What if there’s something wrong?” She shook her head. “Or maybe I’m fretting needlessly. Perhaps it truly isn’t anything of significance, as Rebecca maintains. I’ve never been around an expectant mother before. Except my own mother, when she was carrying Adela. But I was only four years old at the time. So, I don’t know what’s normal and what isn’t.” A frenzied note had crept into her voice, which didn’t match her logical words.
“Calm down, Mattie.” Reaching for her hand, he found it curled into a fist. He rubbed his thumb over her clenched fingers. “Getting all worked up won’t help the situation.”
“You’re right. I’m sorry.” She took a deep breath, then released it. “All right, I’m calm.” But her hand remained fisted, belying her assertion.
He didn’t point that out to her, however. “Good. Now, Elias was acting more solicitous than usual toward Rebecca over dinner, but he didn’t seem to feel the need for any additional precautions beyond that. If he’s not overly concerned, then the pains probably aren’t a serious issue—” He broke off when Mattie shook her head.
“Elias doesn’t know about all of them,” she explained. “Rebecca didn’t want him to worry. And she wouldn’t let me tell him, either.” The hot wind caught strands of her hair that were too short to be pulled back into a bun or braid and blew them across her face and into her eyes.
Reaching up, he grasped the wayward locks and tucked them behind her ear. “Elias has a right to be informed about any possible problems with his wife and child, no matter how large or small.”
She bit her bottom lip in dismay. “I promised Rebecca—”
“That you wouldn’t say anything to Elias,” he finished. “And you won’t. I will.”
Her expression didn’t clear. “You’re splitting hairs. Either way, I’ll still have broken her confidence.”
“Would you rather break your promise, or keep silent and risk tragic consequences?”
Distress filled her features. “Do you really believe it might come to that?”
“I don’t know.” He prayed not, though he couldn’t be certain. “I’m not a doctor.”
Her gaze dropped to the ground. “But Elias is...” She stated what Josiah had left unspoken.
“You know he’s the best person to make a determination on Rebecca’s condition. And that’s more important than her desire to shield him from worry.”
The words brought Mattie’s eyes back to his. “I guess you’re right.”
“I’d best go talk to him now, before we get back on the trail.”
Though she still looked unhappy, she didn’t attempt to stop him.
Mattie trusting him enough to share her worries caused a peculiar sensation in his chest. Her actions seemed proof she believed in his ability to make things better. Even knowing about his past and how he’d failed to save his mother from a life cut short by backbreaking labor. Could it truly be possible that knowledge of his shame-filled childhood hadn’t adversely altered her opinion of him?
Despite the gravity of his errand, his heart felt less burdened as he left Mattie’s side and went in search of his brother.
* * *
“Do you think Rebecca has forgiven me yet?” Mattie questioned Elias as she walked beside him after tending to their teams of oxen at the night stop.
He nudged his hat back and scratched his forehead where the headwear had left a slight indentation. “It’s hard to say. She kicked up a fuss when I put my foot down about her riding in the wagon this afternoon. But she fell silent pretty quickly once we were moving. I suspect she spent most of the time sleeping. When I left the wagon a few minutes ago, she still wasn’t awake.”
At least Rebecca had taken the opportunity to get some rest.
But that didn’t relieve Mattie’s guilt. She sighed, hoping her friend had gotten over her anger. Not for Mattie’s own sake, however, but for the other woman’s. She hated to think she’d piled additional stress on the expectant mother.
“Why don’t you come with me to check on her,” Elias
suggested. “If she wakes up, you can ask her yourself.”
Mattie hesitated. If Rebecca was still angry, Mattie would rather not confront her. But it was cowardly to decline on that premise. Besides, if her temper hadn’t yet cooled, it might benefit Rebecca to vent her displeasure, enabling her to move beyond it more quickly.
Taking her courage in hand, Mattie kept pace with Elias until they reached the Dawsons’ covered wagon. Then she stood back while he pushed aside the canvas flaps.
She had a clear view past him, and she gasped at the sight that greeted them.
Rebecca’s eyes were closed, but not in peaceful slumber. Her face was screwed up in pain, her fists gripping the quilt spread over her. Though she was breathing heavily, her mouth was clamped shut, and she didn’t make a sound.
“Sweetheart, what’s wrong?” Elias pulled himself onto the tailgate and scrambled to his wife’s side, placing his hands over hers.
Mattie stood frozen, looking on helplessly.
Something must have caught Elias’s attention, because his gaze suddenly jerked from Rebecca’s face to her midsection. Shifting, he ran his hands over the large mound of her belly. His frown deepened.
Rebecca didn’t respond to her husband for several seconds, until the pain released its hold on her. She slumped back, her fingers relaxing their grip on the blanket. “That was a bad one.”
Sweat beaded on her skin, and Elias brushed a damp tendril of hair from her brow. “You told me the pains were only minor.” Accusation colored his voice, the harsh tone at odds with the visible gentleness of his touch.
Apology filled Rebecca’s gaze. “They started out that way. But they got worse shortly after the noon stop.”
Mattie guessed the other woman hadn’t been sleeping all afternoon as Elias had assumed. Instead, she had more likely fallen silent in order to keep her husband from learning of her deteriorating state.
“Why didn’t you tell me?” Elias spoke the question that was on Mattie’s mind.
“There was nothing you could do, and I hoped they would stop. But they haven’t.” Tears shimmered in her eyes. “The babe’s coming, isn’t he?”
“Yes.”
A tear spilled over her lashes and rolled down her cheek. “But it’s too soon. Our baby isn’t due for another six or seven weeks.”
Elias stroked his thumb across her skin, wiping the teardrop away. “Don’t cry, sweetheart. Everything’s going to be all right. I’m here.” He lifted her hand to his lips and pressed a kiss to her knuckles. “I won’t let anything happen to you or our child.”
Mattie cleared her throat. “What can I do?” she asked when Elias turned toward her.
“Can you sit with Rebecca? I’ll likely be delivering the child tonight, and I need to get things prepared.” He started to shift away from his wife.
Mattie stopped him. “You stay with Rebecca. Tell me what you need, and I’ll take care of it.”
He smiled in gratitude and resumed his previous position at his wife’s side. “There are linens in that trunk in the corner. And could you fetch a bowl of water?”
“Boiling water?” she checked.
He shook his head. “That will come later. For now, I simply want to bathe Rebecca’s brow with a damp cloth.”
Mattie moved to fill a bowl from the water barrel, then climbed into the wagon to collect the other required items. Following Elias’s instructions, she laid everything out in readiness.
She paused once to give the couple space when another pain hit, then quickly completed the list of tasks the doctor had given her. “Is there anything else I can do?”
“Can you allow us some privacy, please?” Elias requested. “I need to examine Rebecca to check her progress.”
“Of course. I’ll go see to supper. If you need anything, just holler.” Climbing to the ground, she headed to her own wagon to begin the meal preparations and found that Adela had gotten there before her.
The younger girl had already lit a fire and was industriously chopping vegetables to add to the pot suspended above the flames.
Mattie gave her sister a quick hug. “Thank you for doing this on your own.”
Though Adela generally helped with the cooking, it was a combined effort on most days and not left to just one person.
“You’re welcome.” She returned the hug before continuing with her self-appointed job. “I knew you were busy helping Elias tend to Rebecca, so I figured I should get started without you.”
“I appreciate it.” She kissed the crown of her sister’s head, then moved to assist the younger girl.
By the time Josiah arrived at the campfire after seeing to his horses, their supper was ready.
“Where are Elias and Rebecca?” he inquired.
“They’re in their wagon.” Mattie related the current state of events and then turned to her sister. “Adela, can you take these two plates to them while I dish up food for the rest of us?”
Though Mattie doubted either Elias or Rebecca would actually eat anything, she wanted the nourishment available to them.
Once Adela returned and everyone was served, Josiah said grace, adding an extra prayer for the health and well-being of Rebecca and her baby.
“Amen,” Mattie echoed.
She merely picked at the food, her stomach too knotted up to allow her to eat. Josiah tried to engage her in conversation, but her mind wasn’t focused on what he was saying.
Instead, it was with Rebecca and Elias. Throughout the meal, she kept glancing in the direction of their wagon, her ears straining to hear any sounds. She caught the soothing murmur of Elias’s voice speaking low to his wife and a few pained gasps, but nothing else.
Word of the situation traveled through the camp, and several of the other women stopped by to inquire about Rebecca and offer their assistance. But, for the time being, there was nothing anyone could do other than wait.
After supper was over and the cleanup complete, Mattie headed to the Dawsons’ wagon to check on them.
She knocked on the wooden frame, and a moment later Elias poked his head between the canvas flaps.
“How’s Rebecca doing?” she queried.
“As well as can be expected. She’s been brave during the pains thus far. But the baby won’t be here for hours yet.” He was silent for a minute, as he looked at the sun sitting low on the western horizon before bringing his focus back to Mattie. “I know it’s early, but you might try to get some sleep now, in case I need you later on, when it’s time to deliver the child.”
Mattie faltered. She knew nothing about delivering babies. “Maybe another woman would be better. One who has been through childbirth before.”
Elias started to reply, but his wife’s voice halted him. “I would rather it was you, Mattie, than anyone else,” she stated. “I’ll feel more at ease with you by my side.”
Mattie couldn’t refuse in the face of Rebecca’s appeal. “All right,” she agreed.
Returning to the campfire, she gave Josiah and Adela an update, though there wasn’t much to tell.
He folded his arms across his chest and shifted his stance. “I have the second shift for guard duty tonight. But maybe I should switch with one of the other men, so I can stay nearby.”
“There’s no call for that. You can’t do anything for Rebecca—the women and Elias will see to whatever needs doing. And there’s nothing you can do for your brother, either. You can’t sit with him to keep him from dwelling on what his wife’s going through, the way you would with a man who’s not a doctor.”
He nodded his understanding. “I guess I’ll take my turn at guard duty as planned. But if you need me, send someone to let me know, and I’ll come right back.”
“I will.”
Adela voiced her intention to turn in for the night and disappeared inside the wa
gon.
Too stirred up to rest, as Elias had suggested, Mattie remained by the fire and searched for something with which to busy herself. But she couldn’t settle to any task for more than a few seconds and ended up pacing in an attempt to relieve her agitation.
Josiah caught her as she passed him for the dozenth time and pulled her against his chest. Wrapping his arms around her, he rubbed a hand up and down her back. “Try not to worry. Rebecca’s in good hands. Elias will take care of her.”
“I know.” A large part of her frantic energy dissolved as she melted into his embrace, gaining comfort from his strong arms holding her close.
All too soon he moved back, but he pressed a kiss to her forehead before releasing her. “Go on to bed now. I’ll be around for a while yet. I don’t go on guard duty until midnight.”
Doing as he had directed, she climbed into the covered wagon and prepared for bed. But once she crawled under the covers, she couldn’t sleep. Though she closed her eyes, her brain wouldn’t switch off.
She lay awake, apprehension gnawing at her nerves.
Chapter Fifteen
In the early hours of the morning, Mattie was jerked from a sound sleep. She remained motionless for a moment, trying to figure out what had disturbed her. Then a woman’s pained scream rent the night air.
Mattie shot upright in bed, her mind still clouded by sleep and struggling to make sense of what was happening. Something brushed against her arm, causing her to jump.
But it was only Adela shifting next to her. “What was that?”
“I’m going to find out.” She already had a strong suspicion, however.
She didn’t bother with the lamp, searching for her coat and boots, instead. It took her only a matter of seconds to locate the items in the darkness, then she pulled them on. “You stay here,” she instructed her sister.
The younger girl stretched out a hand and stopped Mattie from leaving. “Is it Rebecca?”
Her worry was apparent, though Mattie couldn’t see her face clearly.
“Most likely. But Elias is with her.” She wished she had time to offer more assurances, but responding to Rebecca’s cry and reaching her side was of greater importance. “I might be gone for a while. Go back to sleep, if you can.” She pulled her arm from her sister’s grasp.
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