Epilogue
St. Louis, Missouri, September 1903
Belle letSeth lift her from the carriage. She waddled up the sidewalk to Barnaby and Sadie’s two-story brick home, holding her three-year-old daughter Daisy’s hand. The house was in one of the nicer parts of town and Belle had designed her and Seth’s home based on this one. They made it larger by two bedrooms, which gave her home six bedrooms and an attic, if they ever have need of it.
Seth was behind them with their eighteen-month-old twin boys, Danny and Davey, one in each arm.
The door opened and Barnaby and Sadie Drake stepped out, followed by their four-year-old daughter, Gracie.
Barnaby was one of the biggest men Belle had ever seen. He had to be at least six feet, four inches and towered over Sadie. His hair was dark brown, almost black, and he had blue eyes.
Sadie, on the other hand, was petite next to him despite being about five feet nine inches and tall for a woman. Her curly red hair gleamed like fire in the sunlight.
She ran toward them, shouting, “Daisy!” Her arms were open wide,
Dark-haired, Daisy let go of her mother’s hand and ran toward the red-haired little girl. “Gracie!”
The two little girls hugged fiercely.
Two-year-old Jamie Drake, who was the spitting image of his father, shadowed his parents out the door. He held his mother’s skirt with one hand and put the thumb of his other hand in his mouth. He solemnly watched as Seth and Belle approached.
Belle stopped at the bottom of the steps to the porch. “Hi, Jamie. How are you? Are you being shy?” She held out her arms. “Do you want to come see Auntie Belle? Hmm?”
Jamie let go of his mother’s skirt and toddled down the stairs to Belle. He held up his arms.
Belle picked him up and held him on her hip. “How’s my favorite little nephew?”
“Aunny Belle.” He patted her cheek with his wet hand.
Belle laughed. “That’s right. Shall we go inside and let Auntie Belle get off her feet?”
“Belle,” admonished Sadie. “You don’t have to carry him. You’re about to have a baby.”
“That doesn’t matter. I carry our boys around the house when they need comforting...one at a time, of course. Sometimes, they just need a hug to make the world right.”
“I know.” Sadie came over and took Jamie into her arms.
Belle walked in and to the right before reaching the staircase. Once she seated herself on the sofa and before he started fussing, Sadie placed Jamie back in Belle’s arms.
Then Sadie sat in one of the overstuffed chairs that faced the sofa across a coffee table.
The men followed, carrying Seth’s and Belle’s twins. They were blond with dark blue eyes, just like their mother.
Seth carried Danny.
Barnaby came after him, carrying Davey.
The men put the boys on the floor. They rushed into the living room, as fast as their little legs would carry them, and to the box of toys Sadie kept in there for the kids.
The little girls ran inside and right up the stairs to Gracie’s room, giggling all the way.
“They’ll be okay for a while,” said Barnaby. “Let’s all have a seat.”
“Where’s Sarah?” asked Belle.
Sadie closed her eyes and took a deep breath. “She’s sleeping, thank God. You’d think I’d remember what it was like to have a little baby in the house, but she’s only four months old and rules the roost. I’ve put the crib Barnaby made for Gracie in the dining room, since it’s in the middle of the house. Then if I’m in the kitchen or the living room, I can hear her.”
Barnaby laughed as he settled in the second chair next to Sadie. “You could hear that child if she was upstairs in the farthest reaches of the house. She has a set of lungs, that one does.”
“Try having it twice.” Seth snapped his fingers. “I guess you have since you’ve watched the twins for us so we could go out in the evening. So you know they are not little angels all the time.”
Sadie nodded. “And you know the same of ours. Kids are kids, whoever their parents are. The children are angels and devils at the same time.”
All of them laughed.
Seth moved to the sofa and sat next to Belle.
Jamie decided he had to be on the floor to play with the boys.
“Mine,” said Davy, pulling the small horse from Danny.
“Mama!” cried Danny.
“No! Mine!” Jamie grabbed the toy.
They had played together often, but it wasn’t unusual to hear them fight with each other over a toy.
Barnaby looked at the children and clapped his hands once. “Boys, there will be no fighting or the toys will be taken away. Understand?”
Each boy suddenly didn’t want the toy they’d been fighting over and now found other things to play with.
“How do you do that?” asked Belle.
“It’s his voice. It goes so deep and I guess it sinks in,” said Sadie.
“It’s more than the voice,” said Seth. “My voice is low, but they don’t respond to me like they do Barnaby.”
“Oh. Seth. Help me up. Now.”
“Sure.” He scrambled to his feet and pulled her up off the couch.
She looked behind her, glad to see she had not made a mess. “My water just broke. The baby is coming.”
“We need to get you home.” Seth put his arm around Belle’s waist.
“We’ll keep the kids.” Sadie stood.
“No, I want them at home so they can meet the baby right away. What would really help me out is if you, Barnaby, and the children would come to our place. You could watch them there and then Sadie can help me and Barnaby can keep Seth company.”
“We can do that.” Sadie turned toward Seth and waved a hand. “And we’ll bring the kids with us. You just get her home.”
“That would be a great help.” Seth gazed down at Belle. “What do you want me to do?”
Belle stood with an arm around the bottom of her belly and one around the top. “Have Justin bring the carriage around and let’s go home.”
“I can do that.” He disappeared from the room.
“In the meantime, I’ll get a towel for you and one for the floor. You poor thing. I know just how you feel.” Sadie hurried from the room.
“Gracie! Daisy! Come on down here. We’re leaving.” shouted Barnaby.
Small footsteps pounded down the stairs, sounding like a herd of elephants.
The girls ran into the room.
Gracie came to a stop in front of her father. “Papa?”
“Just a minute, sweetheart.” Barnaby looked over at Belle. “You want to take it from here?”
Belle nodded and looked at her beautiful daughter, who looked so much like Seth, with her brown hair and brown eyes. They were two peas in a pod. Seth doted on all the children, but the first one, Daisy, was special. “Daisy, Mama is going to have her baby soon. Your daddy will be here shortly with the carriage to take me home. You and your brothers will be coming with Uncle Barnaby and Auntie Sadie.”
“I wanna come with you.”
Belle could see a tantrum forming. “No, sweetheart. Mommie has to go right away. You’ll be there, way before the baby comes. Don’t worry, but Mama needs to go now and she and Daddy can’t watch you. You need to wait and come with Gracie.” Just then, a contraction hit. Belle grimaced as the pain passed.
“Mama?”
She frowned at her daughter; the pain gone, but not forgotten. “Don’t argue with me. Stay with Gracie. Do you understand?”
Daisy’s bottom lip trembled, but she nodded.
“Good. Now, give me a kiss and then go over to Gracie.”
The little girl obediently kissed her mother and then went to stand with her friend.
The front door slammed open, and Seth entered the room and strode over to Belle. “The carriage is ready. Let’s get you home.” He swept her into his arms and turned toward Barnaby and Sadie. “We’ll see you in a little while. Thank you for taking care of the kids.”
“Of course, now go.” Sadie did shoving motions with her hands.
Seth hurried out of the house and settled Belle inside the carriage, sitting next to her with his arm around her shoulders. Then he put his hand through the open window and slapped the side of the vehicle.
Justin hollered, “Giddy up!” Then he cracked the whip.
“I can’t believe this happened while we were at the Drakes’.” Belle rested her head on Seth’s shoulder.
He kissed the top of her head. “It could have been worse.”
She huffed. “How?”
“We could have been out to dinner, or you could have been shopping, or any one of a dozen other things.”
“I suppose you’re right. Let’s just get home.”
“Justin is driving us as fast as is safe. He knows I’ll fire him if he puts you in any sort of danger.”
Belle batted his chest. “You wouldn’t dare. He and Mabel are getting married in two weeks, and I need her more than ever.”
He chuckled. “Good to know I can still get a rise out of you.”
“That’s mean. You shouldn’t do that to your poor about-to-give-birth, wife.”
“I’m sorry, my love.”
The carriage slowed to a halt.
Seth opened the door and jumped to the ground.
Belle moved to the doorway.
He caught her in his arms and lifted her from the carriage, leaving the door for Justin to close. Then he carried her up the walk to the porch and the front door.
Kicking the door with his boot, he waited for Mabel to open it.
The door swung open.
“Hi, Mabel. Mrs. Kirby has gone into labor.”
“Oh dear. That was inconvenient timing, wasn’t it? I’ll get the bed ready. It will only take a few minutes.” After she closed the door behind Seth, she rushed up to the master bedroom.
Seth followed with Belle at a slower pace. “Now, my darling, will you stay in bed, or do you want to walk around the bedroom? I don’t suggest walking downstairs because the children will want to hang all over you.”
“That’s true. I’ll change into my nightgown and robe and walk up here. You can be with Barnaby when they get here and send Sadie up. You don’t have to stay with me the whole time.”
He nuzzled her neck. “I can think of no place on Earth I would rather be than with you.”
She leaned her head against his chest and cupped his jaw with her right hand. “Ah, that makes me want to cry, because I don’t want you to be anywhere else, either.”
“We are two peas in a pod.”
She chuckled. “That we are.”
He carried her into their bedroom and set her on her feet. “What do you need me to do?”
“Nothing...well, you can help me get undressed. I already feel so tired, but I know I need to walk and get this child moving in the right direction. I want this birth to happen as soon as possible.”
“It will. After the twins, this one will be a piece of cake.” He stopped for a moment, lifted one brow, and lowered the other. “You’re not hiding anything from me this time, are you? No twins, right?”
Belle laughed. She had said nothing about having twins, so he was unaware until they were born. “No multiple births. I promise.” She made a cross over her heart.
“Good. I don’t think this old man could take it.”
“Old man. Oh, pshaw. You’re not an old man. You might be older than me, but you are not o?—”
She clutched his shirt for dear life and grimaced until the pain subsided before releasing her grip on his shirt. “That was a bad one. I know they’ll get worse, but that one was bad.” Freeing him, she walked over to the bureau and pulled her oldest, rattiest nightgown from the bottom, right-hand drawer. She kept it just for this occasion, since she didn’t want to ruin a new one.
“Would you help me with my buttons? They seem to get harder and harder to undo.”
“Of course, let me.” He shooed her hands out of the way and made quick work of the annoying little buttons that ran the full length of her dress. The garment was mostly a sack that hung straight from her neck. It was the only thing that was comfortable at this point in the pregnancy.
When she had her nightgown and robe on, she sat on the edge of the bed. “Would you undo my boots, please? I can’t even see them to do it myself.”
“Certainly.” He kneeled in front of her, grabbed the button-hook, and removed her half-boots.
“Oh, that feels so good. They are a little tight.”
He glanced up. “Do you want your slippers or to just go barefoot?”
“Barefoot. It’s one less thing to take off when I get into bed.”
He stood and put out his left arm. “True. Now, shall we walk for a while? Maybe this little one will come sooner that way.”
Belle wrapped her right hand around the crook in his elbow. “I agree.”
They walked from the door, making a loop to the right past the oak chest of drawers and bureau. Then across the back of the room, where she’d placed two Queen Anne chairs in a pink brocade material, with a high table and lamp between them. The chairs backed to the window which overlooked the backyard. The bed was on the next wall with oak nightstands and head and footboards. The last bit was the wall with the closet and the bathroom. She’d been so enamored of the ensuite bathroom in San Francisco at the Palace Hotel, she’d insisted on having one put in when they bought their home in St. Louis.
The house they’d decided on was red brick, two stories, with a large, covered porch across the front and back and a mature hedge around the backyard. She’d fallen in love with it as soon as she’d seen the backyard. They could sit outside in the shade of a large maple tree and watch as Daisy played. And then, when the twins got old enough, the three of them played back there. She loved being able to watch them. They got along better when she was out there. She didn’t hear, “Mama, Danny pulled my hair or Davy hit me” or whatever the fight was about at the time.
Seth had built a swing set with two swings and a slide. It wasn’t huge, but was big enough for now. He’d also hung a rope swing from one of the sturdy branches of the old oak in the backyard.
So many thoughts and memories as she walked around and around the room, stopping for contractions until they were coming about five minutes apart.
At that point, Seth left to send Justin to fetch the doctor.
She walked alone until he returned.
Seth re-entered the room and came to her side. “I’ve left instructions for the doctor to come upstairs upon arrival.”
“Thank you. As much as I need to walk, I need to sit now. I’ll be glad when this one gets here. My back is killing me.” She sat in one of the Queen Anne chairs. “Ah, that’s better. At least, until—ahhh oww.” She panted, breathing in and out, in and out. Breathe through the pain.
Seth knelt beside her. “Are you all right? Is there anything I can do?”
As the last vestiges of the contraction faded, she shook her head. “I’m fine, really.”
His brow furrowed, and he crossed his arms over his chest. “You don’t seem fine. You never seem fine during this and I feel so dang helpless.”
She reached over and cupped his beloved face. “Don’t. You help me so much. Just having you near comforts me more than you know.” She closed her eyes. “Another one’s coming. They’re too close together. Something’s wrong.” Belle grasped Seth’s hand. “Seth, help me to the bed. I feel the baby coming, and all I want to do is push.”
His brows shot up, and his eyes were round as saucers. “You can’t, my love, not yet. The doctor isn’t here yet.”
“Get Sadie. We’ll need towels and hot water.”
Seth gently pulled her up from the chair and into his arms. Then he settled her in the middle of the bed. “I’ll be right back. Don’t worry. All will be well.”
Belle didn’t know how long she waited for them to return. Long enough to have another contraction. Where is that doctor?
The distinct sounds of two people running down the hall met her ears.
Then Seth burst into the room, followed by Sadie.
Sadie slowed as she approached the bed. “Hi, sweetie. What’s wrong?”
Tears leaked down Belle’s face. “The baby is coming. Too soon. Too fast. The doctor’s not here.”
Seth moved to the bed next to Belle. “It’s okay, my love. We’re here, and we’ll make sure our child is safe.”
She nodded, but the tears wouldn’t stop. “O...oh...okay.”
“Calm down, darling. Let Sadie work.”
Sadie sat on the end of the bed. “Lift your knees and open them wide.”
Belle did as Sadie asked.
Silence reigned for just a moment, and yet it seemed overwhelming, while Sadie worked.
“Well? What do you see? I want to push so darn bad.”
“You mustn’t push, my love. Not yet. I know it hurts.” Seth chuckled from his position at the head of the bed. “You’ve told me enough times.”
Sadie pushed Belle’s knees wider. “The baby is most definitely crowning. It’s time for you to push, Belle. You need to get him out here.” She chuckled. “Or her out here.”
“Good, because I need to push.” She gritted her teeth and bared down as hard as she could.
The baby moved.
Belle yelled and repeated the movement. Again and again, until she felt the baby’s head pop out, almost literally.
She felt Sadie’s hands on her and then they were gone.
“What’s the matter? What’s wrong with my baby?”
Sadie spoke slowly. “I have to release the baby. The cord is wrapped around its neck and I don’t want you to push until I get it released.”
“Okay.” Belle’s voice was tiny, almost too quiet even for her to hear.
Sadie worked quickly, Belle knew, but the time seemed to tick by so slowly as to last forever.
“Okay, the baby is free. You can push to your heart’s content.”
“Thank you.” The relief she felt as she spoke those two little words was immense. She knew she owed her baby’s life to Sadie. She pushed and pushed. She continued, even though she was tired from the earlier events.
Suddenly, the baby slid free of her body.
Sadie picked up the baby and held the infant up for Belle to see. “You have a beautiful baby girl.” She cleaned the baby’s mouth and gave her a little swat.
The cry that rang out in the room was music to Belle’s ears. She held up her arms. I need to hold her. I need to know that she’s all right. “Let me have her.”
“I need to clean her up.” Sadie moved the baby toward the bed.
“I need to hold her. I nearly lost her, I have to have her with me.”
“Okay. You can hold her after I clip her cord off and wipe her down. It will just take a minute. Okay, sweetie?”
Belle nodded. Tears ran down her cheeks.
Seth leaned down and kissed her. “She’s all right, Belle. Sadie did a great job and saved our daughter. She’s okay.”
“I know. I know but I was so scared.”
He kissed her again and then pulled his handkerchief from his pocked and wiped the tears from her cheeks. “You’re allowed to be scared. I was, too.”
A minute later, the baby was in Belle’s arms.
She’d stopped crying and blinked as she stared at Belle with wide blue eyes.
“Seth. Look at our baby. She’s perfect.” Her heart pounded and the love she felt for this infant knew no bounds. Tears formed again as she remembered they’d almost lost her.
He smiled down at her. “She is. Just like her mama.”
The bed dipped as he sat next to them.
Then the doctor burst into the room carrying a case in one hand and a bucket in the other. “Sorry it took me so long to get here. Looks like I arrived in time to see the happy family.”
Sadie wiped her hands on a towel. “We are all okay. A bit of worry, though. The cord was wrapped around her neck.”
“It looks like it all came out all right. I might have to hire you, young lady, to be my assistant.” The doctor was a barrel chested man in his forties, with graying brown hair and glasses perched on the end of his nose. He pushed his glasses up. “I still want to check the child over after you get her cleaned up. You do that now, while I deal with the afterbirth.”
“Yes, Doctor Crane. Glad you could join us,” Sadie smirked.
Belle laughed.
Sadie reached for the baby. “You let me have her now, so I can get her cleaned up and bundled to stay warm.”
With reluctance, Belle released the baby to Sadie.
The doctor worked on the afterbirth.
In a few minutes, Sadie returned with the baby, who was now tightly swaddled.
Belle laughed. “I don’t know why you bothered to wrap her so tight. You know I’m just going to get her out of it and count fingers and toes.”
“I know, but they’ve always done that for me with our kids.”
“True.” Belle looked up at Seth. “Do you want to see her?”
“Of course.” He leaned down and kissed the baby’s head, then ran his hand over her hair. “We need to name her, too. I think MaryBeth, the name we picked will suit her just fine.”
“I don’t know. I think she needs something more in line with how dangerous her birth was.”
He cocked one brow. “What do you have in mind?”
“I’m thinking of calling her Spring.”
Seth shook his head. “She’ll be teased at school, if we do that.”
Belle frowned. “That’s true, and I don’t want that to happen. How about Flora? That’s almost like a flower, and she wouldn’t get teased.”
He smiled. “I think that will work very well. Flora it is.”
The baby’s soft brown hair was dry.
Seth ran his big hand over the top of the baby’s head. “She’s perfect, despite her high-drama birth. I have to admit, I held my breath until I heard her cry.”
Belle chuckled. “So did I.” She gazed up at Seth. His eyes held pure adoration for his new daughter. Something filled with awe and relief. She knew just how he must be feeling. She was so scared Flora would die before she even had a chance to live.
“Here now, no need for tears.” Seth pulled her body back against his and held his family.
“I can’t help it. I was so frightened.” She sniffled and then hiccupped.
“I know. I know. So was I.”
Doctor Crane straightened and grabbed the towel Sadie held out. He looked at her from his perch on the side of the bed. “Thank you, m’dear. Looks like you did a fantastic job getting her here. Are you sure you don’t want a job?”
Sadie smiled and shook her head. “Thank you, but I have enough at home to keep me busy and soon more to come.”
Though she hadn’t been trying to eavesdrop, Belle heard Sadie’s reaction and realized her best friend had something she was keeping secret. She suspected Sadie was expecting again.
Then Flora made her voice known. She fussed and then hollered, as if a squeak could be called a holler.
Thoughts of Sadie’s secret left, and the only thing on Belle’s mind then was her tiny daughter. “I bet you’re tired of Mama and Daddy bothering you, aren’t you?” Belle swaddled the baby, who quieted instantly.
“She’s so beautiful. She reminds me of Daisy when she was born.” Seth tickled Flora’s lower lip and a bubble appeared. He chuckled. “Thank you for my new daughter.” He leaned down and kissed Belle on the top of her head.
She turned her face toward him.
He didn’t disappoint and took her lips with his. When he pulled back, he cupped her face. “I love you so much.”
“And I you.” Her breath caught. She never thought she would have this quality of love from her husband to her children.
“I thank God for the day you asked me to marry you. That was the start of my true life.”
“Start of our life. I know I’d only been surviving until then, but you gave me a life, a real one. Thank you, my love.”
“And I thank you, too. Forever, my bride.”
She covered his hand where it lay on their new daughter’s tummy and looked up at him. “Forever, my love.”