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Chapter 8: Getting Away By the middle of May, Michaela found that her belly was expanding more and more each week, she was starting to find it uncomfortable to sleep in any position in bed, and when she did get to sleep, she would be woken up by the baby’s constant kicking. She felt as if there was a whole army marching around inside of her. Sully was doing what he could to make his wife comfortable, including rubbing her feet at night, giving her back massages, and making her herbal tea so she could relax in the evening. Michaela couldn’t believe how miserable her nights were, and she was only in her fifth month. She was thankful that the nausea had gone away, but that had been replaced by the backaches, the sore feet, and the slowly swelling ankles. Sully, however, was having a wonderful time watching his wife’s belly grow, talking to the baby, and preparing the new cradle. Michaela had finished the christening gown, and Sully’s project for the baby, the new cradle, was all finished except for the final finish he was going to paint on as soon as he could get time to buy the material. The children had been helping out, at their grandmother’s encouragement. Colleen was helping Michaela at the clinic more often, trying to keep things tidy. School had started a week ago, so after school everyday, she would come to help her mother out. Brian would go home with Matthew, who had decided to attend at least a year of schooling, to clean out the stables and do other chores around the house. Josef, too, had been helping out. He had been assisting with surgeries which would require Michaela to stand for long periods of time. He would take over Michaela’s work if her feet or back started to hurt too badly. She didn’t like to admit when she was uncomfortable because she didn’t like to feel dependent. But the truth of the matter was that she wasn’t as able to do everything on her own when she was pregnant. She couldn’t button her own dresses up in the mornings. Sully would help her with those little things. She wasn’t able to ride a horse anymore because of the baby. She loved being pregnant, but she hated feeling handicapped because she couldn’t do a lot of the things she could do before she got pregnant. “Michaela? Are you ready to go home?” Sully asked as he walked into the clinic. He found Michaela lying on a cot which Josef had put up for her. Josef was sitting at his daughter’s desk. “She’s had a long day,” Josef whispered. “She delivered a baby and removed a spleen.” “I’m gonna take her home,” Sully explained. Josef nodded. “Go on ahead. Colleen will be along from school shortly. She’ll help me clean up.” “Thanks,” Sully replied, nodding his appreciation. He knelt down next to Michaela and put his hands on her belly. She felt his hands and smiled knowingly. Her eyes slowly fluttered open and she smiled even wider when she saw her husband. “You ready to go?” “It’s still early.” “You’re real tired. You should get home to a comfortable bed.” Michaela sat up slowly. “Go on, Mike,” Josef urged. “I can take care of things here.” Michaela sighed. She appreciated having her father there so she didn’t have to worry about her patients, but she still felt inadequate because she couldn’t be there for everyone all day. “Perhaps it would do me some good to rest.” Sully took Michaela’s hand and helped her up. Sully was amazed. He couldn’t believe how big Michaela’s belly was getting. He knew that Michaela was trying her best to only eat healthy food for her sake and the baby’s, but her belly was still getting very large. Her belly was at least twice the size Abagail’s was at this time of the pregnancy, but then again, Abagail had been much shorter than Michaela. He wasn’t sure if that really had anything to do with it, but he always tried to say things to make Michaela feel good about her changing body. As they were on their way to the homestead, Michaela sighed heavily as her hands rested on her belly. “You feelin’ alright?” “Yes. I feel fine despite the back pain and the fact that I nearly pulled a muscle trying to get out of bed this morning.” Sully shook his head and looked at his wife for a moment. The sunlight was shining down on her, and he could see that she was thoroughly happy despite her discomfort. “Well, just think, in a few months, you won’t have to feel like this anymore.” “Yeah,” Michaela said with a dry laugh. “Then I’ll get to go through labor.” “You’ll be alright.” “I’ll need to send for Dr. Bernard.” “You want him to deliver the baby?” “Yes. I trust him completely.” “Good,” Sully replied with a smile. “Sully?” “Hmm?” “Will you be there? “What do ya mean?” “It’s not something common. I know most fathers are asked to wait outside while their wives are giving birth, but if I can talk Dr. Bernard into it, which I’m sure I can, will you stay with me?” Sully swallowed hard and stopped the wagon. “You want me to be there with our baby’s born?” “Yes. I do. I don’t want to do it alone.” He could see the fear in her eyes, and he took her hand in his. His other hand moved to caress her belly. “There’s nothing I want more than to be there when the life we created is born into this world.” Michaela smiled and Sully gave her a reassuring kiss.” He could tell she was tense, but she relaxed at his touch. He pulled away from her and smiled. “The boys won’t be home for an hour.” “Sully! I don’t . . .” “What?” “How could you want to be with me when I look like this?” Sully tilted Michaela’s chin up so she could look into his eyes and see the truth. “How many times do I gotta tell ya? You are the most beautiful woman I have ever seen. You are perfect in every way, and there’s no way I could ever stop wanting to be with you.” Michaela practically melted at Sully’s words. Her husband put a loving arm around her as they continued on towards home. *~* As husband and wife lay in each other’s arms in the afterglow of their lovemaking, Michaela felt more comfortable than she had felt in weeks. Sully’s hand was caressing her back, and his touch seemed to make all of the aches and pains go away. “I can’t believe how incredibly busy I’ve been,” Michaela whispered as her fingers traced invisible circles on her husband’s chest. “Why don’t we take a trip?” “A trip?” Michaela asked quickly. “Yeah, why not?” “Well, I can give you five reasons off of the top of my head.” “Why don’t we? You’ve been so busy, and most of all, you’re carryin’ my baby. I think you deserve a few days away.” “We can’t just leave the children.” “They’re stayin’ with your folks at the clinic.” “You’ve already suggested this to them?” “Yeah. They thought it was a good idea. Your pa is lookin’ forward to lookin’ after the clinic alone for a few days anyway.” “Where will we go?” “That’s a surprise,” Sully replied with a grin. “When will we leave?” Michaela asked, loving the sound of Sully’s plan even more by the moment.” “How’s right now?” “Now?!” Michaela sat up quickly. “Yeah. The boys are actually stayin’ in town. They’ll be out later to clean out the stables. Your ma and pa promised that we’d get some alone time since you’ve been so busy.” “Sully, you never cease to amaze me.” “You told me that on our wedding day.” “You remember?” “Of course I remember,” Sully replied with a smile. He kissed her hand and got out of bed. Michaela started to get out of bed when she cried out in pain. “Oh!” “What is it? Is it the baby?” he asked. “No,” she replied breathlessly. “Leg cramp.” Sully breathed a sigh of relief and knelt down next to the bed to massage the cramp out of Michaela’s leg. It was then that Michaela knew that Sully really did think she was beautiful and that he would go to the ends of the earth to make her happy. *~* Sully and Michaela had ridden in the wagon for a while until they reached a bridge. Sully helped Michaela down and unhitched the horses from the wagon. “Won’t someone take the wagon?” Michaela asked curiously. “Nope. Nobody ever comes out here.” He took both of the horses by the reigns, and helped Michaela walk across the bridge. As he led the horses, he kept an eye on Michaela. He knew it wasn’t a very long walk and that it wouldn’t take long to get there, but it had taken them hours to ride out in the wagon. He loved the place he was taking Michaela, and he couldn’t wait to show her the secret he had never told anyone about. “You feelin’ up to walkin’ much more?” “I feel great,” Michaela said with a smile. What made her feel so much better was the fact that she was out in the middle of nowhere with the man she loved. She trusted him with her life, and she knew that whatever he had planned was going to be great. She inhaled the wonderful smell of the mountain air. She heard the sound of water running. “Is there a river up here?” “There’s a small creek,” he replied. But once they stepped off of the trail, Michaela gasped at the amazing sight before her. There was a small cottage with a chimney protruding from the roof. A barn sat off to the side. Running alongside and behind it was a small creek, and the entire area was surrounded by beautiful tall pine trees. “Oh Sully!” she exclaimed. “I’ve never told anyone about this place before. Until you.” He squeezed her hand and she began to cry. He knew they were happy tears. “Sully, this is so breathtaking,” she replied. “How long have you had this place?” “I built it before I met Abagail,” he replied. “You never brought her out here?” “Nope,” he replied. “We didn’t really have time to go out walkin’ and stuff. Soon after we married, she got pregnant, and we were busy getting ready for the baby.” “When was the last time you came out here?” “I would say three years, but I’d be lyin’. I came out here earlier today to clean up.” “Sully, promise me that we’ll bring our baby out here too.” “We will. Someday, the whole family will come stay out here for awhile to get away from everything.” Michaela smiled and they started down toward the quaint cottage. Sully picked Michaela up into his arms, letting her know without words that he didn’t think she was fat or too heavy. He carried her over the threshold of the cottage and she was amazed at what she found inside. There was a beautifully decorated table in front of a dormant fireplace. In the center of the table was a silver cup filled with beautiful colorful wildflowers. Another door led to a large bedroom with a big bed in the corner. The cottage looked much larger on the inside than it did on the outside. It was perfect! “Sully, can you see the sun set from here?” “Yep, we sure can. But before you watch the sunset, I want you to get into bed and rest.” “Sully, I’m fine.” “I feel bad about draggin’ ya out here, but I needed you to be here with me. Now I want you and the baby to rest.” “Alright,” Michaela replied with a laugh. She walked over and sat down on the comfortable bed. She pulled her medical bag up onto the bed with her. She could feel a lot of activity in her belly, and she wondered how the baby was doing today. She found a comfortable position on top of the covers as Sully piled some logs into the fireplace to make a fire. She pulled her stethoscope out of her medical bag and put the earpieces in her ears. She began to listen for the baby’s heartbeat and smiled as soon as she could detect it. She knew all was well, and she felt something nudge her side from the inside. She put her hand over that area and chuckled. “What is it?” Sully asked, walking over and sitting down on the bed beside Michaela. “Give me your hand,” she said with a laugh. She took his hand and placed it where he could feel the tiny bump. “Is that a foot?” “I believe so,” she said with a grin. “The baby must be happy to be here too,” he concluded. “I believe so,” Michaela agreed. She listened for the baby’s heartbeat a little more, and when she was content, she put her medical bag and stethoscope away. She dozed off a few minutes later, and Sully pulled a blanket over her. He watched as a smile crept over her in her sleep. He loved watching her when she was so relaxed, because she looked so happy and at peace. He wished there was a way to capture this moment forever, because he knew that as the months wore on, there would be fewer of these little moments, at least until the baby arrived. In order to give Michaela some peace and quiet, Sully walked out to sit on the back porch. He looked off into the forest and sighed happily. In the morning, he was going to take Michaela to another special place not too far from the cottage. He knew she would love it, and he thought they could spend the day there. “Sully?” he heard a few minutes later. He figured the baby had woken her up again. Sully walked inside to see Michaela sitting up in bed. “What is it?” “The baby is moving a lot. It just woke me up again.” She sighed and chuckled a little. “I hope this little one wears itself out by nighttime. Maybe I can get some sleep tonight.” Sully climbed onto the bed to sit with her, and he pulled her into his arms. “Maybe if I hold ya, the baby will go to sleep and you can get some rest.” “I don’t know,” she replied. “I think it likes to hear our voice, so it kicks until we talk to it.” Sully laughed and put a hand on Michaela’s belly. “Hey kiddo,” he said with a proud grin. “Your ma’s tryin’ to rest. Why don’t ya go to sleep so she can?” “Well, I do know that as long as our baby’s kicking, everything’s alright.” “That’s true,” Sully replied. “Just think, Michaela. You’ve got four more months left of this, and then our baby will be here. It’s so hard believe that one minute, there’s a life inside of you, and the next it’s out in the world, cryin’ and meetin’ its parents for the first time.” “It’ll truly be a miracle,” Michaela whispered with a yawn. “Thank you for giving me this gift.” “If anyone’s to think, it’s you. You’re the one doin’ all the work.” Michaela leaned into Sully’s arms, and the tired mother-to-be finally fell into a deep relaxing sleep. |