Chapter 9

As I rode around the side of the house into the back yard to stable my horse, I noticed Thomas looking haggard and worried, coming down the back steps. "Thomas, are you ok?" I asked. He rolled his eyes and said "Doc, they have just 'bout kilt me today. I am thinking on just gettin' on my horse and headin' out somewhere up in the mountains and camping out for 'bout a week." "According to my momma and wife, Miz Abigail is nesting. Which from what I can see it a whole lot of runnin' around and cleanin'. I ain't done nothin' today 'cept take orders, Thomas do this and Thomas do that and Thomas come here and Thomas go there." "I believe that if I charge you for the steps I took today and I could quit my job and be a rich man," he grinned up at me. Just about that time we both heard the back door open and a loud voice say, "THOMAS."

We both looked sheepishly at Bet as she sat a bucket of dirty water down on the back steps. "Well, look who decided to come home and help. Do you realize that I went into the kitchen this mornin' and found your wife on her hands and knees trying to clean out from under the stove. Now I know you can't picture it but just try. It took me and Addie both to get her up. Seems she figured that she needed to clean out from under the stove before the baby gets here." "I asked just what she thought the baby might be doin' under the stove and she just gave me a terrible look. Now that you're here, you can handle her. It's been non-stop all day long. We have took down curtains and washed them and put them back up, shook rugs, washed bedclothes, you name it and it's been washed." Thomas and I walked toward the barn to put up the horse and she followed right behind. "Doc, that baby is gonna be here soon, this is a sure sign of it. Miz Abigail has been going wide open since you left this mornin'. We can't even get her to set down and eat a bite." I turned to Bet and said, "Just calm down. There's no need to get frazzled. Let me and Thomas put up the horse and I will come in and see what I can do. I'm sure it's not that big of a deal." At that point I believe that if she had a gun in her hand she would have shot me from the look I got. She got real quite, her eyebrows went up and then her eyes narrowed, she turned around and headed back toward the house. As she started up the steps she turned and looked at me real hard and said, "You had just better plan on hearing at the end of the day, 'Doc it's not that big of a deal,' " and with that stomped in the house and slammed the door.

I looked at Thomas and he just shook his head. "I believe you just added fuel to the flame, Doc." I told him to hide out in the barn awhile and I would go in, but to stay real close in case I needed some backup. He just grinned and started toward the back of the barn stating he would be out back and I had better holler real loud or he might not hear me.

I took my time walking back to the house and even walked around to the front so I could bide my time. When I opened up the front door I was shocked at what I saw. All of our furniture had been moved out of the front parlor and the floors were bare. My wife was down on her hands and knees scrubbing the base boards. She looked up as I walked in and said, "I received a telegram a short while ago, momma will be at the train station at 6:00 and you need to pick her up, in the buggy." This was not stated as a request or a question, it was a direct order. "But darlin', it's 2:00 now, how will you ever get the house put back together before she gets her?" I asked. Both Bet and Addie set back on their heels and Bet said, "Doc, hang up your jacket and roll up your sleeves, you got work to do. And don't worry it's no big deal," and at that they all three went back to scrubbing.

Around 4:30 I finally had the furniture back into place, all of the tabletop trinkets back into place and the rugs put down. My wife had headed upstairs for a bath, which I had to carry water for and Bet and Addie had walked across the back yard to their own homes. There was a plate of sliced meats and cheeses, a fresh baked loaf of bread and a pound cake on the table for us to eat with my mother-in-law when I returned from the train station. I slowly trudged upstairs and tapped on the bedroom door, "May I come in?" I asked. "Why, whoever could be knocking at my door. Is it my husband, lover or friend come to rescue me?" was the reply I received. "All three," I said as I opened the door and there sat my lovely wife in a deep tub of bubbles. Her reddish hair was piled up on top of her head in a large swirl and soft tendrils hung around her face, curly from the steam off of the water. "I swear," I said, as I walked towards her, "You are just going to boil my little one in all of that hot water." She just smiled as she pointed to a drying towel on the foot of the bed and said, "I believe I will need small bit of help rising from the water." I draped her towel over my shoulder and took both her hands in mine gently tugging. I then wrapped the towel around her and stood hugging her a few moments. As she returned the hug she said, "I believe that this is what got me in into the shape I am in. But I do need to get out of the water because I am starting to resemble a prune." I held one hand while she gripped the high edge of the tub with the other and gingerly stepped out onto the floor. "Here," I said, "Let me get you something to stand on so you don't slip," I reached for a rug that had just been cleaned and placed at the side of the bed. As I let go of her hand I felt her slip and heard a slight, "Oh!!" as she toppled backwards into the tub. I turned in time to see her legs go up in the air as her back raked the side of the tub when she fell backwards.

Thomas had just stepped out on the front porch of his little cabin, planning on a quick smoke after a fine meal of chicken fried steak and gravy, homemade biscuits and some boiled potatoes mashed up with sweet cream butter. He heard the scream as he reached for the top porch beam where he kept his matches. Bet and Addie were both out the door and past him before he ever got down the steps. He had just torn open the back door when he saw the doc come down from upstairs headed towards his office. "What's wrong?" he asked as he rushed toward me. He followed me into the small office and watched as I scrambled for the black medical bag. I turned and Thomas had never seen a man's face as white as mine, "Gabby fell backwards into the tub as she got out. She hurt her back, she can move her legs but it is scraped something bad. The skin is completely raked off along her spine and she can't lay on her stomach because of the baby." "Thomas can you please hitch up the buggy and go get Mrs. Beaumont from the train station, I have to get Abigail settled and out of pain before she gets here. Bet and Addie are both upstairs with her right now keeping her lying on her side but she is in pain something bad." Thomas replied, "Don't you worry, doc I will go get her and make your apologies 'bout not being at the station. What do I need to tell her?" he asked. "I have no idea, just tell her we have had a small incident but it's nothing to worry about," I replied. Thomas did something then that I had never seen before. He ran from the house and slammed the door as he left. He was running towards the barn as I started up the stairs.

Gabby was lying on her side facing away from the door, moaning and trying to touch her back. Bet sat behind her, helping keep her on her side while Addie sat in front of her holding both her hands. All three were crying as I rushed into the room. "How's she doing," I asked looking at my wife's bare back . "Not good," Bet replied, "She keeps wanting to reach back there and feel it but it is raw looking and bleeding bad." I started toward the bed as Gabby let out a scream, clutched her belly and fluid ran from between her legs.

Thomas had the horse and buggy going as fast as he could without tipping it over. He realized that no matter how grave the situation at home he had to slow down and stay calm. If the horse got too lathered up to pull the buggy they would be in a fix for sure. He finally slowed the horse down to a walking pace, realizing that rarely did that train make in to the station on time and if so it would still take them 15 minutes or so to unload the passengers and baggage. He was worried about Miz Gabby and her baby, Lord please, he said a silent prayer, let Miz Gabby and her child be alright. It would just kill her and the doc if something happened to that baby. They had been planning on it before it was ever conceived and seemed like it was as much his, Addie's and Bet's as doc's and his wife.

"Quick," I ordered, "place that bath towel between her legs and then move down towards the bottom of the bed so I can tend to her back," I said to Bet. I reached into to the bag for ointment to place on her back and some bandages. "Gabby," I said, "Listen to me, I have to put some ointment on your back, it's going to hurt but you have to be still. OK?" I asked, but she only replied with a low moan. I opened the small tin of ointment and scooped up a large amount of the greasy solution and gingerly touched her back. She screamed loud and long startling everyone in the room. I just kept applying the medicine to her back. Her back was raw from between her shoulder blades down to the middle of her waist. Then reaching into the bag for a small package of cotton strips I had from a old sheet torn into strips. I gingerly placed one lengthwise down her back and several across it, letting the ointment hold it in place. "Gabby." "I need to roll you over onto your back so I can check to see how far along the baby is, ok?" he asked.

She never said a word just nodded her head. I held her upper shoulders as Addie released her hands and they slowly rolled her onto her back. The look of pain on her face was something I had never seen. She grimaced an she slowly moved into place. "Bet, would you please sit on the bed beside my wife and hold her hand. Addie I need to you to help me while I check her." Both women nodded and did as they were asked. "Gabby, you have to bend your legs up so that I can check the baby. OK? It's going to put some pressure on your back but that's the only way I can check you. OK?" Again she just nodded. As she slowly bent her knees I raised the sheet covering her legs and Addie held it up as I checked Gabby's progress. Her water had broken and there was a little blood but nothing major. I then inserted two fingers into her but cold not feel the baby. I removed my hands and stepped over to the basin to wash them, then came back over to the bed to feel her round belly. As I felt her stomach tighten I saw Gabby reach for her knees to push. "NO," I yelled, "Don't push, it's not time." I then told her, "You have got to get up and walk, do you understand me, we have to get the baby moved down. When was the last time you felt him move?" She slowly rolled over to set on the side of the bed, "Yesterday, around noon I think, why?" "That's good," I replied. "Sometimes when they turn to move into the birth canal they stop moving as they get into place. We just need to get you walking so that he can move down." "Are you able to put on your robe or do you prefer a nightgown," I asked her. "My back feels better," she replied. "How about a nightgown so that it is easier to deal with." Addie moved over to the highboy that held Gabby's night clothes and undergarments. "I'll get this cotton one so it won't be so heavy, hear, let me help you slip it on," Addie said. Gabby clutched my hand to stand up. As she did she groaned and a small gush of water came out of her. "It's ok," I said, "That's just fluid from the sack, your water broke and the contractions help to push it out." "Now take my arm and step into your slippers so that you don't fall again." As she straightened she let out a small moan. "My back is killing me," she said, "and I can't tell if it's from the fall or the contractions, can you give me something for the pain?" she asked. I looked at her sympathetically, "I'm sorry darlin', but if I do that it could affect the baby and slow down the birth, you will just have to bear it as long as you can, now do you want to walk here in the bedroom or up and down the hall outside?" I asked. "Might as well be the hall," she said, "At least I can get in 5 more steps that way" as she held her lower back and shuffled towards the door.

As Gabby and I went out the door to the hallway, Addie and Bet started putting on clean linens. "I shore hope everything is ok with the baby," said Bet, "It will be all right," replied Addie. "Doc done birthed lots of babies and will be real particular with his own, Lord knows his world turns around Miz Abigail." "I done got the room across the way ready for Miz Beaumont, I hope she's not a cross to bear. I ain't never heard doc say a bad word agin' her, but you just don't know folks 'til you have to live with them for awhile." Bet nodded her agreement as she smoothed the wrinkles out of the fresh linens. "I guess we should just fold the quilt up and put it away for right now," said Bet, "as warm as it is outside and as hot as Miz Abigail is gonna be, I reckon the sheet will be enough for now." Addie agreed as they folded the quilt and placed it in the chest at the foot of the bed.

Thomas arrived at the train station just as the passengers were unloading. He tied the horse up next to a water trough so it could drink and cool off. He had forgot to ask the doc what Miz Beaumont might look like but he figured her for a high class lady from the way Miz Abigail talked of her childhood. He walked through the small station out to the unloading platform to look for Miz Beaumont and saw an older lady with a dark blue tight bodice dress on over a lacy shirt with rows and rows of frills. She had the biggest hat Thomas had ever seen and though they must have had to kill a few dozen peacocks just to decorate it. Why in the world she bothered to open a parasol he had no idea, her face wouldn't see sun at high noon with that big ole hat on. He slowly walked up to her and said, "Miz Beaumont, I'm here to give you a ride out to the doc's and Miz Abigail's place, he's shore sorry he couldn't make it himself, but a small problem came up and he sent me. Can you show me which bags are yours?" he asked. The tall lady turned and looked at him with a sneer, "I don't know who you think you are," she said haughtily, "But I am not here to visit a doc and Abigail or whomever you are referring to. I can't believe that they just allow you to walk up to decent people on the train platform and start soliciting them so you can charge a large amount for a ride to the nearest hotel. Why, if we were at home in Atlanta I would have you arrested for panhandling." Thomas drew himself up to his full 6 feet 5 inches, looked her straight in the eye and replied, "Well you ain't in Atlanta no more and I wouldn't give you a ride if you were walking barefoot in the streets," and turned on his heel and walked off before she could reply, smiling to himself with pleasure at the beet red her face had turned.

Abigail Beaumont smiled as she walked toward Thomas. She had overheard the exchange between him and the lady and was proud Thomas had stood up for himself; she could not abide with people feeling they deserved special treatment because of the color of their skin, it is what's on the inside that counts, she thought.

As Thomas got closer she help out her hand and said, "Thomas? I am Gabby's mother." Thomas came up short with a look of surprise on his face, this woman couldn't be no more than 5 foot tall. With her plain brown traveling dress and hat tilted to one side she could pass for Miz Abigail's sister. He stuttered for a second than took her hand, noticing her grip matching his, and said, "Well, I am shore glad to meet you Miz Beaumont. You ain't nothin' like I expected," he said with a smile as she smiled back.

They located her small traveling bag and a much larger bag of yarn and proceeded toward the wagon. After the bags were loaded in the back, he asked her if she wanted a cold drink before they begin the ride out of town and she thanked him and said, "Yes, a cool drink will be most welcome right now." He instructed her to wait in the wagon and he would run back in to the station and get them both one. On his way out with a lemonade in each hand he noticed the rude lady standing by a mountain of bags, huffing and puffing, as she looked up and down the dusty main road of the small town, as if she were expecting someone. He just smiled and headed on to the wagon. He handed both lemonades up to Abigail to hold, while he got in the wagon and turned the horse around to head out of town.

Abigail inquired as to where I might be and Thomas replied, "Well, Miz Beaumont, it seems that Miz Abigail took a small fall and he stayed home with her and sent me to fetch you. But don't get upset, everything is ok and Miz Abigail will be just fine when we get there. I'll just bet she's sitting on the porch right now lookin' for us to come trottin' down the road any time."

Gabby squeezed my hand as she had another contraction. It seemed they had been walking forever but he assured her it was only about 15 minutes. Finally she said, "I have to sit down, my feet are killing me and my lower back feels as if someone is tearing my spine out." I agreed with her and helped her back into their bedroom and toward the rocker. Addie and Bet had gone downstairs to give them some privacy and to watch for Thomas. "When will you check again to see if the baby has moved down," she asked. "Let's wait about an hour and give it time, you know how it is, hurry up and wait," I replied. "How does the upper part of your back feel," I asked. She grimaced, "Well, I probably need more salve on it, it's starting to feel raw again and burning. I know I can't have anything for pain right now, but please promise me if it gets worse you will give me something." Gabby said. "Only as a last resort," I replied. "Now let me go down and get you a bite to eat, it may be a long night and you probably won't feel like it later on. You will need to keep your strength up. Just sit right here and PLEASE do not get up until I get back, OK?" She nodded her head in agreement as her eyes closed and she eased her head back onto the rocker.

As I went down the steps and into the kitchen, I heard the sound of the wagon turning down the small drive by the house. I headed towards the back door and opened it as they swung around into the back yard. I went on down the steps to help my mother-in-law as Bet went around to the other side to whisper to Thomas. "Hello, James," said Abigail "Has my granddaughter arrived yet?" she said with a big smile. "Afraid not," I replied, "But I don't think we will have to wait very long." Abigail was surprised, she didn't think the baby was due for a few more days. As I saw the look, I assured her a few days on either side of the due date was ok. "I was just on my way to fix Gabby a bite to eat when I saw you and Thomas, why don't you go on in and take it up to her. I know she will enjoy the surprise. Everything is on the table and please fix yourself something also," I said, adding "I have just completely forgotten my manners." "Abigail please meet Bet, Thomas's wife and his mother Addie. I don't know how we would survive around here without either one of them." "I am very pleased to meet you," replied Abigail as she stepped forward to shake their hands, "Gabby has written such wonderful things about you both, I feel as if I already know you." Bet and Addie smiled back at her and Addie said, "Let's just go on in the kitchen and get everyone a bite to eat. I know you are tired from that long train ride."

As the women went into the kitchen, I walked with Thomas to the barn. "Bet says Miz Gabby is doing real good but her back is skint bad," Thomas said, adding, "And I hope you don't mind me askin', is the baby really on its way? Did the fall cause it to come early?" I shook my head. "I don't think so, Gabby was having pains all week so I think the baby is fine. I am just worried because it doesn't seem to have dropped down yet. I also appreciate your concern about both of them."