The Sweet Gum Tree by Katherine Allred

Author:Katherine Allred [Allred, Katherine]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi, pdf
Publisher: ePub Bud (www.epubbud.com)
Published: 2012-07-17T16:00:00+00:00

The Sweet Gum Tree

I guess Daddy wasn’t taking any chances on her backing out once she said yes. The wedding took place on Christmas day, and my mother was as giddy as a teenager. If Aunt Jane felt any lingering sadness, she hid it well, and the day was wonderful for all of us. The next week was spent in a flurry of getting Mama moved to Daddy’s house in Jonesboro, although for the most part I was relegated to sitting in a chair, watching.

A few days later, on a cold January night, I went into labor. We hadn’t been in bed long, maybe a few hours, when a nightmare woke me. Drenched in sweat, I swung my feet over the side of the bed, pulled on a robe, and waddled into the kitchen to warm a cup of milk. The first pain hit as I finished pouring milk from the pan. Gripping the edge of the counter, I held my breath until it ended, then dumped the milk down the drain and rinsed out the pan and cup.

Some deep, instinctive need to be alone kept me from waking Hugh. I sat in the dimly lit room at the table, keeping an eye on the clock as the pains came closer together, each one lasting a little longer than the one before. I was still there four hours later when Hugh stumbled sleepily from the bedroom, his hair rumpled and his eyes partially closed.

“Alix? What are you doing?”

“Having a baby,” I told him calmly.

His eyes flew open. “Now?”

“Pretty much.”

“Why didn’t you wake me?”

“There wasn’t much sense in both of us staying awake this early in the labor.” I couldn’t tell him the real reason. At the time, I don’t think I understood it myself. Hugh wasn’t the father of my baby, and way down inside I didn’t trust him, didn’t trust any male anymore.

He squatted beside me. “How far apart are the pains?” I glanced at the clock. “Every fifteen minutes.”

“Okay, I’ll call the doctor and then we’ll get you dressed.” I offered no objection as he took over. Another pain hit and all my energy focused inward. And that’s where it stayed for the next eight hours as I worked to give birth to my daughter.

Katie came into the world with a loud protest, her tiny face screwed into a mask of fury as she screamed her displeasure at being shoved from her warm nest, only quieting when they wrapped her in a blanket and put her in my arms. Tears filled my eyes as I inspected her. She looked so much like Nick that I didn’t see how anyone could miss it. Her small head was covered in thick black hair that showed an immediate tendency to curl on the ends, and even when she was finally quiet, the indication of dimples showed clearly on her plump baby cheeks.

Hugh stayed with me through the whole thing, coaching me, rubbing my back and stomach when the pains became intense,

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