Harp on the Willow

by BJ Hoff

  Clay nodded and ran back to his horse.

  Sarge was at his heels as Daniel scrambled to grab his bag and a jacket before hurrying to the barn. Although he knew an early delivery wasn’t unlikely in cases like this, he still didn’t like the idea. He reminded himself that Esther was in remarkably good health, always had been, and was a strong and vital woman. She had dedicated herself to this baby, and she was determined to do anything and everything possible to see that it was born strong and well. God willing, this should be a relatively easy delivery—if that was even what was about to happen. It could be a false alarm. There wouldn’t be anything unusual about that.

  Even so, he was still praying as he rushed toward the barn.

  NINETEEN

  THE BEGINNING OF A LONG DAY

  No morning begins with a map of the day.

  ANONYMOUS

  Daniel stopped only long enough to go by the office and collect Addie Rose. He had a feeling he might need her with him this morning. Fortunately, he’d given her a spare key early in her employment because Dominic often dropped her off as much as half an hour ahead of his own arrival.

  He was also grateful for her foresight in having drawn up a sign not long after she started working for him to alert any patients that the office was temporarily closed during an emergency. This morning, it took her only long enough to grab her coat and the extra medical bag he’d given her soon after her hiring, and they were on their way.

  Sarge was relegated to the back of the buggy in spite of his obvious intention to park his considerable bulk between them on the bench. The big oaf had wasted no time in appointing himself as Addie Rose’s personal guardian. The way things were going, Daniel figured it might not be long before he was shuttled into second place in his own dog’s affections.

  Not long before they arrived at the Holliday farm, Addie Rose asked about the family. “You said Mrs. Holliday was in her early forties?”

  Daniel nodded. “Which some might say puts her at risk for childbirth. But Esther is a young, healthy forty-three, and other than the fact that it’s more than a month premature, if the baby is really coming, she should do just fine.” He paused. “All the same, I’ll be a little uneasy until I see just how she’s doing.”

  “You’re good friends with the Hollidays, aren’t you?”

  He glanced over at her. “They’re like family. In fact, they took me in like family almost as soon as I arrived in Mount Laurel.” He turned back to the road but went on to explain. “I took care of their son when he was wounded at Gettysburg. He didn’t make it, so after his death I made the trip to bring his family his personal effects—and I ended up liking the area so much I decided to settle here.”

  She was quiet for a moment. “Their other son—Clay—has been seeing my sister.”

  He turned back to her again. “So I’ve heard.”

  When she said nothing more, Daniel also remained quiet. Then, just before they pulled onto the lane that led up to the farmhouse, she added, “Elly and Clay want to get married.” Another pause. “Da doesn’t think they should.”

  Daniel nodded. “What do you think?”

  “Me?” She drew a deep breath. “I suppose I understand Da’s concern. Elly’s only seventeen, and she can be a little…flighty. And they come from really different places in life. But even so, it seems to me they should have the right to decide their own future.”

  Daniel tended to agree with her but didn’t reply. Slowly, he pulled the buggy around to the back of the house and came to a stop. When he glanced up, he saw Stephen standing at the edge of the porch, frowning into the gray morning light.

  Daniel could see the tension and anxiety carved into his friend’s features. And in that moment, he felt a renewed wave of his own unease, stronger than before, rise up and begin to roll over him.

  Stephen met them at the back gate. It took Daniel only an instant to sense that his friend was at the edge of panic. In spite of the brisk cold of the morning, his face was moist with perspiration, his jaw set in a rigid line, and his eyes glazed with something akin to raw fear.

  “It’s too soon, isn’t it, Daniel?” he blurted out even before they reached the gate. “What does this mean?”

  Daniel reached to grasp his hand. “First things first, Stephen. I can’t tell you a thing until I examine her. But keep in mind that babies don’t always cooperate with our expectations. They have a tendency to arrive when it’s convenient for them.”

  Once inside, Daniel introduced Addie Rose while shrugging out of his coat. Although Stephen was clearly too agitated to pay close attention to the introduction, Daniel noticed that he did give Addie Rose a quick, sharp look.

  “Murphy, you say?” Stephen said.

  She met his gaze. “Yes, that’s right.”

  Daniel cut in before any questions could be asked. “Before you take us to Esther, Stephen, tell me what time her pains began. And has she been nauseous at all?”

  Stephen raked a hand through his hair. “Clay called me inside a little before eight. I was out walking.” His words came like a spasm, broken and uncertain. “By the time I got to her, she said she’d been having cramps and a lot of back pain for several minutes. I don’t know about nausea. She didn’t say anything about that. She was restless through the night, but she’d gone back to sleep before I left the house this morning…”

  He stopped, catching his breath and clenching his fists at each side. “So—do you think the baby is coming early, Daniel?”

  “I’ll let you know what’s going on just as soon as I know. Now take us to her, and then you go—where’s Clay? You go and stay with him.”

  “He’s outside. He’s taking care of the milking. I’m staying inside, Daniel.”

  Of course he was. “That’s fine. But you can’t be in the room while I’m examining her.”

  “But—”

  “No, Stephen. You’re not all that steady now, and you’ll just unnerve Esther.”

  Stephen’s hands went up. “All right, all right. But I’m not leaving the house.”

  Daniel squeezed his arm. “That’s fine. Make some fresh coffee, then, why don’t you? I promise I’ll fill you in just as soon as I examine Esther.” A thought struck him, and he stopped in midstride. “Where’s Miss Ruth Ann?”

  “She’s been visiting with my cousin Lorrie and her family. She’ll be there the rest of the week.”

  Daniel nodded, somewhat relieved. Stephen’s elderly mother was a dear, but any change in routine tended to set her off, and she could be difficult at those times. They didn’t need any additional problems today.

  “All right, then. Off with you while we tend to Esther.”

  When Stephen still hesitated, he gave him a gentle push. “Coffee,” he ordered.

  “Now.”

  He had to fight down his own concern when they walked into the bedroom. Esther was propped up against the headboard, a blanket thrown over her drawn-up legs. Pale, her face heavily doused with perspiration, she was still in her night clothes and—most telling of all—her hair was damp and falling free of the neat knot at her neck she usually wore. Daniel had never seen Esther looking less than perfect, and for a moment he found himself completely taken aback. In fact, this stark difference in appearance said more than even the grimace of pain on her face.

  He managed what he hoped was a fairly casual greeting as he crossed the room. “Well, now, what’s going on here that brought me out before my breakfast?”

  “Oh, Daniel. I’m so sorry! This is probably totally unnecessary! But Stephen…well, you know how he is—”

  “I’m teasing, Esther. And yes, I do know how that husband of yours is. And we wouldn’t want him any other way, would we?”

  She shook her head, but at the same time she said, “Where is he? And Clay…where—” She stopped short, clutching her abdomen and gasping for breath.

  “Don’t worry about your men. They’re taking care of business while I take care of you, which I’m going to do right now.”
After quickly introducing Addie Rose, he set about examining her, gently but thoroughly.

  Daniel had already seen enough to be almost convinced that this was no false alarm. By the time he completed the examination, he knew it for certain.

  And so did Esther. She had delivered twice before, after all.

  “I’m in labor, aren’t I?”

  “You are.”

  “It’s too early,” she said, her voice ragged. “I was never early with the boys, Daniel. Does this mean there’s something wrong with the baby?”

  He hurried to reassure her, at the same time wishing he could reassure himself. He tried to be careful not to say too much. “Absolutely not, Esther. It just means that this baby has decided to come in its own time. We simply have to adjust our schedule to accommodate his—or hers, as the case may be.”

  He darted a glance at Addie Rose on the opposite side of the bed, and found her watching him closely. “We could do with an extra sheet and another blanket,” he told her. “And a couple more pillows, I think. And some boiling water.”

  She nodded, and while Esther pointed out the linen closet on the other side of the room, Daniel opened his case and placed any instruments he might need on the table beside the bed.

  Without being told, Addie Rose also brought some washcloths and soap when she returned with the hot water.

  At this point, all that seemed left to do was to try to make Esther more comfortable and let Stephen know what was going on. Then they would settle in to wait.

  And pray.

  TWENTY

  AN EVENTFUL DAY

  This is the day which the LORD hath made.

  PSALM 118:24

  The morning had pointed to a long day ahead, and it more than fulfilled its promise.

  By four o’clock, Stephen had made no less than a dozen trips in and out of the bedroom, where Esther labored in obvious distress. Yet as apparent and wrenching as her pain was, Daniel would have had a difficult time discerning which of the two was suffering the most. Somehow, despite her agony, Esther managed to maintain a bright face and relentless optimism, while Stephen, on the other hand, seemed gripped by continuous and nearly debilitating spasms of nerves.

  Daniel thought the best he could hope for was that the baby would make an appearance before he had to treat the expectant father for a complete collapse.

  He was pleased by the way Esther had responded to Addie Rose, almost from the time of their arrival. This wasn’t the first time he’d noticed that the girl had a steadiness, a poise about her that seemed to provide a calming effect on patients, even those in severe pain. With Esther, though, it was more. The two seemed to connect emotionally. It was almost as though Addie Rose could anticipate the times Esther would be close to panic and somehow manage to calm her.

  When Daniel thought about it, he could recall times when she’d had a similar effect on other patients, steadying them during a particularly stressful treatment or unexpected crisis. More than once she had caught him by surprise with her keen perception.

  Most of the instructors in medical school had trained the students to keep their feelings under wraps, insisting that to show any emotion other than confidence in the presence of a patient was unprofessional. Daniel would have thought he had mastered his own feelings accordingly had Addie Rose not proven so adept at spotting even the slightest hesitation or any hint of distress in him.

  As it was, he found himself strangely relieved by the girl’s discernment. It was as if she recognized what he would have considered a weakness in himself—a trait that surely Serena would also have identified as a weakness—and found it not such a bad thing after all.

  Perhaps because that thought darted unexpectedly into his thoughts, Esther’s question during one of her lulls between contractions caught him completely off guard.

  “You didn’t answer me.”

  He looked at her. “I’m sorry. Too much coffee, I expect.”

  “I asked you how things are between you and Serena these days—”

  She broke off, clearly in the grip of another contraction.

  Without answering her, Daniel checked his pocket watch.

  “Your contractions are coming much closer together now. And the pains are sharper, aren’t they?”

  She nodded, putting a fist to her mouth. “Where’s Addie Rose?”

  “She went to give Sarge something to eat.”

  “Let him inside, Daniel. It’s too cold to keep him outdoors.”

  “You just concentrate on doing your job for now. Sarge is in the barn. Most likely Addie Rose will find him sound asleep.”

  “He’s such a good dog.” She drew a ragged breath at the end of the contraction. “You didn’t answer me,” she said again.

  He glanced at her. “What?”

  “Serena…I asked how things are with the two of you.”

  He hesitated. “Actually, I haven’t seen her for several days.”

  “Oh?”

  “It’s been a busy time,” he said, knowing he sounded lame.

  “Is everything all right?”

  Again, he stalled before answering. “Serena has been a little put out with me, I believe.”

  Esther frowned. A motherly sort of frown. “What did you do, Daniel?”

  “Nothing. Literally nothing. I expect that’s why she’s put out with me. I had to forego an evening with her. I didn’t want to, but it just didn’t work out, and since then—”

  He stopped short when her frown turned to a grimace and a sharp cry. He bent over to grasp her hand. At the same time Addie Rose walked back into the room and, seeing Esther’s distress, turned back to close the door before hurrying over to the bed and clasping her other hand.

  “It hurts—” Esther gasped, half rising from her pillows.

  “I know, dear. I know,” Daniel said softly, trying to soothe her. “We’re getting closer now. You just hang on to Addie Rose and me. You’re doing so well!”

  “You keep a watch on Stephen, Daniel.”

  “You just concentrate on the baby. Stephen will be fine. Everything will be fine, you’ll see. Before the sun sets on this day, you’ll have a new little one to fuss over.”

  She managed a smile before crying out again.

  Daniel looked at Addie Rose. “Make sure everything’s ready.”

  “I already have,” she said quietly, smiling at Esther. “And Esther is doing really well, don’t you think?”

  He nodded and glanced at her across the bed. “I’m glad you’re here. And I can tell Esther is too.”

  “All right, you two,” Esther said, her voice unsteady but still dry with its usual humor. “I’m still here. Stop talking about me as if I’ve left the room.”

  Daniel reached to clasp her hand in both of his. At the same time, he drew a steadying breath as he prayed for Esther and the miracle about to take place.

  Within minutes, Daniel realized they were in trouble.

  Esther was working hard—so hard her heartbeat was racing, her pulse was pounding, and her temperature was climbing. Addie Rose began applying cool cloths to Esther’s forehead even more often in hopes of leveling out her temperature. With relief, Daniel confirmed to himself that the baby wasn’t presenting breech, as he’d previously feared. Even so, things were not progressing as quickly as he’d like.

  He continued to use the relaxation techniques he had found most helpful with his other maternity patients rather than the frequent and extreme pushing procedures employed by most other physicians. Although still somewhat controversial among older doctors, he had found his preferred method to be both less exhausting to the mother and easier on the baby.

  Addie Rose, who apparently had had some experience with a few births among neighbors, had been present at only three other deliveries with Daniel. Even so, she seemed to easily adapt to his methods, and by now Daniel believed she could most likely see a mother safely through the birthing process without him, at least given a traditional delivery. He noticed that her attention never w
avered as she watched his every move and Esther’s reaction.

  He thought hard about the next step. He knew he had to make a decision now, before Esther became completely exhausted.

  “Esther, we’re going to walk around the room.”

  There was no missing the expression of disbelief on Esther’s face or Addie Rose’s searching look. But after another moment, neither protested when he told Addie Rose to get on one side while he took the other and then helped his patient to her feet.

  They walked for several minutes and continued walking even during contractions, when Daniel would hold onto Esther as if they were dancing while Addie Rose watched. They kept this up until he decided to let her rest on the side of the bed for a few minutes.

  “One more time,” he said as he helped her up again and began to cross the room in the same rhythmic pattern, swaying during contractions, then once more picking up their pace. Finally, he helped her back to bed and did another quick examination. Her contractions were quicker now and maintaining a more even pattern.

  “All right, dear,” he said. “Now you can push. Addie Rose, help to brace her.”

  It took another twenty minutes, and by the time the baby made her debut, Daniel was sharing Esther’s exhaustion…coupled with his own exhilaration.

  After taking care of the umbilical cord, he gently sponged the baby and then handed her over to her mother. “Esther,” he announced with a smile, “you have a little girl.” He paused and then turned to Addie Rose. “Would you go give the good word to the new father?”

  Apparently, the new father’s nerves had finally driven him somewhere outside. Clay had left earlier for his job at the leather shop in town, so Addie Rose returned alone.

  “I called for your husband several times,” she said, squeezing Esther’s hand. “He probably just went for a quick walk to get a breath of air. If need be, I’ll go and look for him.”

  Over the next few minutes, Esther occupied herself with examining every inch of her newborn baby girl while plying both Daniel and Addie Rose with questions. She also displayed an exuberance and delight Daniel wouldn’t have thought possible, given how tired she must be.