Chapter 4: New Life

England was seeing an unseasonable hot summer, and now with July’s approach Evelyn was ready to have her babies. Dr. Brigman, as well as his colleague agreed she was having two babies, and the bed-rest had helped her body get into normal rhythm. Today Rick had carried out outside, and set her on a blanket beneath the weeping willow and sat with her letting her lean against him as he rubbed his hands over her stomach.

“I want these babies born,” she said sleepily. His hands on her always had a lulling affect and Evie wanted to sleep until the babies were born.

“I know you do honey, it won’t be to much longer,” he said hopeful.

“Evelyn,” they both heard Aunt Claira call out. Evie groaned not wanting another lecture from her aunt about being out of bed.

“Back here Claira,” Rick yelled. In a few moments, she appeared with three decorative bags.

“Well I do believe you look ready to have those children, and I found a few things for them,” Claira said. Relieved that she wasn’t going to lecture her, Evelyn let Rick help her sit up then both of them opened the bags finding in the first one four gowns.

“Oh Aunt Claira these are wonderful but we don’t know if we are having girls or boys,” Evie said. One gown was pink with short ruffled sleeves and on the front of each dress was embroidered animals of different sorts. The next bag was two bears each with matching bows, and the next bag four receiving blankets.

“Thank you Claira,” Evie said accepting a kiss from her.

“Well I hope that you can put those to good use. The way your holding those children I’m sure your going to have girls,” she said. She said her goodbyes then left, and Evie sighed about to fall asleep when Alex ran from the front of the house excited.

“Mum, mum guess what. Darby let me play in the last part of their game and I scored two goals all on my own,” Alex said.

“I’m so happy baby,” Evie responded.

“I can’t wait till they are born then you can come to the park and watch the games,” Alex said. With Summer’s arrival the games played were for fun, more than sport, and Alex was able to play with them which he really loved. He ran off to get some lunch. Evelyn had noticed that he was eating them through house and home and that he was growing again, and knew once she had her babies they would need to go cloths shopping before school started up in the fall. When she fell asleep, Rick easily carried her to their room and on his way up the stairs both of them felt the wetness of her water breaking.

~*~

In the waiting room at St. Frances Hospital a large group of people awaited the word of the birth of the baby or babies. Alex sat with his Uncle Jonathan playing a game of spades while Nanna and his two Aunts knitted things for the babies.

While everyone waited Evie was hard at work bringing her babies into the world. Unlike with Alex who was ready to be born quickly this baby seemed to be taking its sweet time. She and Rick had made several trips up and down the hall ways of the maternity ward trying to speed things along, and it was late that evening when she was finally ready to begin pushing. Rick sat at her side holding her hand as she started to push. Evelyn took a breath, her memories of Alex’s birth flooding back, and she pushed with the contraction crying out at the pain she felt.

“Water,” Evie said. Rick got the washrag and dipped it in the washbasin of ice water and wiped her lips with it. Evie pushed more, and Rick marveled at her strength. It took almost twenty minutes, but the first baby, a girl made her way into the world. Dr. Brigman gave her a swat on the bottom, which she obviously didn’t like then gave her to one of the nurses to bathe.

“Be with her,” Evie said. Too emotional to speak, Rick kissed her and walked over to where the nurse was washing his new daughter, who was tiny, and who had a full head of black hair like her mother. Rick watched the nurse as she weighed their new daughter, and did a few things like measure her head. Once she was wrapped in a blanket the nurse silently placed her in Rick’s arms.

“Hello,” Rick said as she tried to focus on him. She whimpered, and Rick held her closer to him swaying watching as Evie once again was told to push. All to soon the nurse took his first daughter away, and Rick watched as a second baby slid into the world smaller than the first, and another girl. Doctor Brigman once again gave the baby to his nurse and once again Rick watched as she got her bath. Unlike her sister, this baby did not calm down once she was wrapped up, and it took a little bit of time for Rick to get her to stop crying. He looked up when he heard Evelyn cry out and Dr. Brigman once again instructed her to push.

~*~

At almost three in the morning Rick walked in the waiting room finding Jonathan Alex and Nanna awake.

“So did she have two of them?” Alex asked running to his dad. Rick knelt down.

“You have three new sisters,” Rick said. Alex’s eyes got big.

“No boys?” he asked.

“No boys, but you do know that there is more for you and I to do alone,” Rick said. At that thought Alex smiled and yawned.

“Can we see them?” he asked.

“You may come, but Nanna and Jonathan need to wait until they are ready to go home,” Rick said and laughed as Alex grabbed around his neck for a piggy back ride. The two of them made their way to Evie’s room, where all was quiet. All three of the new babies were asleep in one bassinet side ways beside one another. Two of them weighed five pounds and one weighed a little under four.

“What are we going to name them?” Alex said. Evelyn smiled at him as he snuggled in bed with her.

“Well The one on the far right is Elizabeth Christina. The baby in the middle is Rebecca Jordan, and the baby on the left is Louisa Amber,” Evelyn said. Alex didn’t respond and Evie kissed him closing her eyes to join him in a much needed rest. Rick smiled as he lay on the couch and for a while there was silence.