Page 24 of Timeless
“What? You know how many people we lost in that influenza. Well, you were young, but you still know. And I’m not saying I want that to happen to Little John here, but it could, so when you’re ready, you and BigJohn will need to get back to it. It took you so long to have this little one; we were all worried that something was wrong with you.”
“Yes, I know, Mama,” she’d replied through gritted teeth, having heard all about how there might be something wrong with her and having to try all the so-called remedies for issues getting pregnant.
Deb had also been upset because she’d told her parents that if it was a boy, they were going to name him John Paul but call him Paul, but her mother had insisted on calling him Little John and his father Big John, which neither she nor John David liked.
“He shouldn’t see you like this just yet. You’ll want to rest a few and then get yourself straightened up a bit before he comes in to see you and the baby. And try to get Little John quieted down, if you can. You want your husband to at least like the child.”
“Can I see him?”
Deb looked up at the door and saw Harriet standing there, looking hopeful and concerned at the same time.
“Can you get him to quiet down before we let his father up to see him?” Deb’s mother had asked before she climbed out of the bed where Deb had had her son not all that long ago.
“I don’t know,” Harriet had replied.
The bed had been cleaned up, but Deb certainly hadn’t been, and Paul was now wailing as if he were in pain when he was probably just hungry or confused.
Harriet had been an amazing support to Deb all those months she’d been pregnant. She’d been distant at first, after Deb had told her, but Deb had understood why. Harriet had been distant from the night Deb and John David had had to try to get pregnant the first time. Deb wasn’t upset with her, but she’d missed her terribly. When she’d finally found out that she was pregnant after their second and, hopefully, final attempt, Harriet had been both happy and sad. She’d been happy because that meant that John David wouldn’t have to touch Deb again, or at least, they both really hoped for thatto be the case. Harriet had also been sad, though, because she’d known that it had meant that Deb would be having a baby soon. Once her initial pain and worry had dimmed a little, though, she’d returned to Deb’s life full force and had been acting like herself again. They’d also made love more often in the early days of Deb’s pregnancy before slowing and then stopping altogether toward the end when Deb hadn’t been interested in moving at all, feeling like she’d been as big as a house and unattractive. Harriet had been there to remind her that she loved her and that she’d always find her beautiful.
“I’m goin’ downstairs to get supper going since you’re not going to be able to cook tonight,” her mother had said. “Harriet, you let us know when she’s decent enough for John David to come up.”
“Okay,” Harriet had replied, still staring into Deb’s eyes. “You’re beautiful,” she’d added once Deb’s mother was gone and the door had been closed behind her.
“Come here, please.”
Harriet had hurried over to her side and hesitantly sat down on the bed beside her.
“Do you want to hold him?”
“Should I? JD should be the first one to hold him other than you.”
“No, it should beyou. You’re his other mama. JD knows that,” she’d replied.
Harriet had smiled, looking down at the baby. Then, she’d held out her arms, and Deb had moved Paul over into them. Within seconds, he’d stopped crying, and they’d stayed like that, with one of Harriet’s arms around her shoulders and the other one holding Paul. The baby had fallen back asleep, and Deb, safe in Harriet’s arms, had done the same.
That had been three months ago, and they’d been the hardest, best, and worst three months of her life. Now that there was a baby in the house, everyone wanted to visit. Her mother wanted to help take care of him, sometimes spending all day at the house, giving John David no time to be with Jacob and her no private time with Harriet, either. The firstmonth had been the worst, and all she wanted had been to hold her son, take him on walks with Harriet, and let them both watch him fall asleep. The second month, people had finally stopped showing up every day, but then the questions about them having another one had started, and on top of that, Paul hadn’t slept at all for a few nights. Now, in his third month, her mother was still around most days, but only to help with a little cleaning and some cooking. Then, she’d go home.
In recent weeks, John David and Jacob had taken to spending time in one of the barns, but Deb had to take care of Paul and couldn’t just leave him in the house to go make love to her wife whenever she wanted. One evening, she sat on the front porch in the rocking chair that John David had made for her, with Paul suckling at her breast greedily, her little growing boy, and she saw the love of her life walking out of the cornfield, which meant she’d taken the long way to get to Deb. Harriet held a flower in her hands, and Deb knew it was for her. Something washed over her then, too. It was an odd sensation, like she’d been here before, lived this moment, or, at least, one close to it. Deb didn’t have time to think too hard about it, though, because Harriet was on the steps, heading toward her.
“You look nice,” she said of Harriet’s floral print dress. “Is that new?”
“I got it in town yesterday. It’s new to me, at least. The thrift store had it for cheap.”
“Well, what’s the occasion?”
“You and me,” Harriet said. “We’re going on a date.”
“We are?” she asked with a little laugh.
“Where’s JD?”
“In the house, fiddling with the radio his mama got us last month. It broke the other day.”
“And is Paul done eating?” Harriet asked.
Deb looked down to check her son, who’d fallen asleep without her noticing, and said, “I suppose so.”
“JD, get your butt out here and take care of your boy,” Harriet yelled.