How Does Your Garden Grow?

by Donna and Ev

    It was a beautiful summer day and everybody on Carol's farm was busy outside. Since it was Sunday, Mac and Wally were busy on the farm, as well. They were in the shade of the tree next to the barn fixing the axle on the wagon. Carol was in her dairy barn working on cheese. Dani was working in the field. Marie was busy in the vegetable garden, down on her hands and knees swearing at the weeds as she pulled them.

    She was nine months pregnant now, and her belly tended to get in the way. Still, she wasn't all that uncomfortable and had had a remarkably easy pregnancy!

   Mac had tried to tell her to take it easy and she pointed out that she wasn't doing any heavy lifting. She was drinking plenty of water, was wearing a good sun hat, and felt fine. He tried to argue with her, but it was no use and so there she was. The longer she worked in the garden, the more she had ideas for things she would like to plant next year. She was proud of her garden. It was in full production now. Not only with all sorts of wonderful vegetables, but bright colored flowers and heavenly smelling herbs as well. Now if she could just keep these pesky weeds from trying to take over this one area, it would be perfect!

   She looked over at Carol's small herb gardens. One had her herbs for dyeing wool and linen that they raised on the farm. The other was for her special ones that she used for her rituals and things. She said being Wiccan was a little different in a place where she didn't know the local deities. Marie couldn't help wondering why her herbs seemed to have so few weeds, when they didn't seem to be fussed over very much.

   She sighed and lurched to her feet, reaching down to pick up the stool she had been sitting on, one hand supporting her belly as she did so. "Ow!" She felt a sudden cramp low in her belly. Probably got up too fast, she decided. She moved on to the next spot that needed weeding and paused for a moment. The cramp returned again, this time tightening her entire belly into a hard ball. "Damn Braxton-Hicks," she grumbled. "If I can get this done early enough, I can put in some squash today. Just let me get done."

   But as she started to sit down on the stool, a gush of warm liquid ran down her legs, soaking the clothes she was wearing. Marie looked down and sighed. "Not right now!" She waited for a minute. Nothing seemed to be happening. Well... It was likely to be hours until anything happened, so why not stay in the garden a little longer. There was always time to go in, if contractions started getting close together.

   She might have gotten away with her plan if Mac had not picked that moment to come check on her. Seeing the state of her clothing, he immediately guessed what had happened! "Marie, how long were you going to stay out here in the garden before telling me your water broke?" He frowned slightly at her.

   "I don't know. I'm feeling fine. I was going to call you when the contractions got closer together." Marie grinned up at him. "It's ok. Really."

   "No, it's not," he said firmly, stepping over to Marie's side. Before she could say a word, he scooped her up into his arms and started to carry her to the house.

   "Mac! Put me down!" Marie gave him a swat on the side of his head. "I'm fine! Put me down!"
With all the commotion Wally and Carol came out to see what was wrong. Fab woke from her nap in her playpen in the shade and yawned at them.

   "Marie's water just broke and she thinks she should stay in the garden and weed." Mac kissed her cheek. "You don't need to be superwoman."

   Marie was about to answer him, but she had a fairly strong contraction that lasted a little longer than the last one. She had to pause and calm herself through it.

   "Marie, what am I going to do with you?" Carol sighed. "Wally, tell Dani to come watch Fab while you go fetch Katherine."

    "Carol! Not you too! I'm fine! It'll be a long time until anything happens!"

   Carol shook her head. "I'll help you get her settled upstairs." She went ahead upstairs and straightened the bed and got out a nightgown for Marie.

    "What can I do to help?" Mac said with such a smug look on his face Marie wanted to toss something at him! "We'll need some clean towels, and boiling water. You can start that and
I'll help her get changed." Carol tisked at Marie after Mac left the room. "It's just silly to be out there after your water breaks, you know. Do you want to risk an infection? Let's get your hands washed and get you into this nightgown."

   Marie blinked. "Oh... I didn't even think of that." As she changed into dry clothing, she fussed about all the stuff she had wanted to do that day.

   Carol just smiled at her. "You have a much more important chore to do right now," she chuckled.

   "I know, but why couldn't all this just wait for a couple of hours?" Marie sighed and then winced as another contraction started. This was harder yet. When it was over, she took a deep breath. "I haven't had many of these. Do I really have to be in bed already?"

   Carol wasn't sure. She knew that if the water hadn't broken, it was alright to be up and walking about. She just shrugged. "Kat will be here shortly. She's the expert."

   "What about until then?" Marie fussed.

   "Now, listen! You're going to get into that bed and stay there, or I'm going to get some rope and tie you down in it! You're having a baby!"

   "She's right," a cheerful voice came from the window. The two ladies turned and saw Nickel, who was sporting a growing belly of her own, sitting on the ledge, grinning as Dani frantically called for her to get down from there!

    Marie sighed. "I guess I'm outvoted. All right. I'll sit here." Another contraction started and she moaned a little. "Damn. I guess things are getting started." She smiled at Nickel. "You're giving Dani quite a scare."

   "Hasn't love given me wings?" the mischievous leprechaun said as she lifted off the ledge and floated into the room. Nickel smiled. "Aren't I making him run here and run there? And me havin' the most terrible cravings!"

   "Oh, me too!" Marie grinned. "If I don't have a ham and cheese sandwich for lunch, I just want to scream. It has to be on just the right bread and just the right cheese with all the right stuff on it and a pickle to go with it," she giggled. Nickel floated over to the end of the bed and then down on it, sitting cross legged. She had been running Dani so ragged, he had confided to Carol once that he came to do manual labor on her farm so he could get some rest!

   Marie moaned slightly as another contraction started. When it finished, she took a deep breath and looked up at Carol. "Please tell me it doesn't get too much worse."

   Carol chuckled. "It does, but once you have the baby in your arms, you really don't remember it. Honest! I didn't believe that either, until it happened to me!"

   Nickel looked up. "Herself is here," she stated matter of factly. "And isn't she about ready to have her wee one as well?"

   "Katherine! Please tell me this will be over quick!" Marie called out as soon as the midwife came in the door. She tried to smile as she said it, but she really wanted it over. Marie was starting to be a little afraid now that it was time.

   "Hard to say at this point," Katherine said cheerfully as she waddled in with Mac right behind her, carrying her birthing bag for the midwife.

   Marie started another contraction and Mac settled into a chair next to the bed, holding her hand. "How far apart are the contractions now?" he said as he looked up at Carol.

   "About 3 minutes for this one," Carol grinned. "Not much longer now!"

   "Let me take a look," Katherine said. After she checked things out, she confirmed that Marie was well on her way!

   "I sure hope we're ready for this." Marie squeezed Mac's hand. "I'm getting scared."

   "Don't be silly. You'll be great!" He kissed her cheek. "Will you be ok for a minute while I go downstairs for the towels and things Katherine needs?"

   "Yeah. But just one minute. No longer," she said firmly.

   "Here to help too?" Katherine asked the leprechaun lass who had floated out of the way while Marie had been checked.

   Nickel chuckled. "Aren't I havin' one meself soon?" she said, her green eyes sparkling with a mixture of curiosity and mischief.

   "I heard there was some concern about leprechaun women having babies with human fathers. Something about the size?" Carol pushed a chair in Nickel's direction and another toward Katherine.

   Nickel shrugged. "Aye. But isn't this world full of magic?"

   "That's right," Marie said as she smiled at Nickel. "If it wasn't, I'd be even more scared than I am now." She would have continued, but the strongest contraction yet began at that moment. "Owww!!"

   Katherine talked her through the contraction, counting out the breathing with her. The following contraction, Mac took over, coaching the mother of his child through her ever increasing labor. Carol went downstairs, as she heard Mullard coming home and needed to
fix dinner for everyone else. After dinner was underway enough that Wally could finish fixing it, Carol came back up to see if she could help. She couldn't help marveling at how well Mac was taking all the fussing Marie was doing. She whispered to Nickel, "That's a really great guy she has."

   Marie started to make a comment to the contrary, but another contraction started. After it was over, she grumbled something about not letting him anywhere near the cord with his ever handy pocketknife. Mac was patient with her, reminding her of her breathing and keeping
her calm. The only time he left her side was for one trip to the bathroom. He wouldn't even take time to eat. Marie was a little irritated at his smugly cheerful mood. But the more she fussed and fumed at him, the happier he seemed to get!

   As much as Marie would have liked it to be over quickly, it still took awhile before she was finally to the point where she was starting to feel the urge to push! After several sets of pushes, her face brightened. "I feel the head!" Marie gasped at the end of another long, hard contraction. "Oh god, it feels huge!"

    "You're doing just fine," Katherine assured her. "One more push like that and we should have the head out."

   "I'm so proud of you. You're doing great!" Mac whispered in her ear and kissed her cheek again.

   "Like to see you try to do this," she grumbled, then grunted as she bore down once more.
With this push, the baby's head emerged finally and immediately began to wail. As soon as the shoulders were eased out, a squalling baby boy slid out into the world.

   "That's my boy!" Mac said gleefully.

   Marie began to cry. "He's beautiful!" She kissed Mac and turned to look in wonder at this little person they made together.

   "What is the little man's name?" Nickel asked, a look of awe on her face. Somewhat surprisingly, she had been very helpful during Marie's labor, despite her constant barrage of questions.

   Marie smiled as her new son was handed to her. "His name is James Eric MacGyver, after Mac's father and mine."

   "Congratulations," Katherine said with a smile, holding her own distended belly. "Ladies, thank you for all your help. But right now, I think I better be getting home. Who knows, my baby might be next!"