Portersville, J.W. Osborn [free ereaders txt] 📗

things and when he woke up and found his wife gone he got up and went to find her. She looked up at him as he carried her through the front doors of the ranch house.
“Get Doc O’Brien, “ she said as she gritted her teeth against the pain “We are going to be having this baby real soon.”
“Maria!!”, Doc shouted as he carried his wife toward the stairs, “Go get Dr. O’Brien, and HURRY!!” The Mexican cook appeared at the door of the kitchen wiping her hands on a white dishtowel. At seeing what was happening, she dashed out the door to fetch the Doctor.
“Doc,” Victoria hissed as another contraction took hold of her “There isn’t time.”
It had been his plan to get his wife upstairs to give birth, but his baby was not going to wait. “The parlor.,” Victoria instructed as Doc turned and carried her through the door. “Now Vic,” he said as he lay her down on the davenport. “I-I don’t know what to do.” She gripped his hand. “Pray first,” she said as she gritted her teeth. “Then help me birth this baby.”
Doc was no stranger to birthing, he’d done calving, been around for foaling, and even helped with lambing back in the old days, but he had never dreamed of bringing his own child into the world. He remembered something and Scrub Pot had talked about many times. “All things are possible with God, Elliot,” he heard the old man say in his memory. “Yes,” Doc said out loud as Victoria cried out with another pain. “All right, Vic,” he said as he began to pull up her skirts, “Let’s you and me have this baby together.”
She bared her teeth “I didn’t get this way by myself, Elliot Stevens!” she growled. If Doc had not been so scared, he might have laughed. “Oh God,” she cried “It’s coming!!” Doc had only a minutes as he positioned himself at his wife’s feet and prayed that the horses he heard tearing into the front yard were the doctor and the cook. “Come on, Victoria,” he said “We are going to work together until the doctor gets here. Ready, honey girl?”
She nodded, but she could already feel her body pushing the child out. “I am going to push,” she said as she braced herself. Doc looked around himself for something to catch the baby in. All that he had at hand was his leather fringed jacket. He rose and, stripped it off then lay it aside. “All right, Vic,” he said. “I can see the head..”
She nodded and then bore down with all her might and the next sound she heard was the wails of a new born child. She fell back against the pillows that lay against the arm of the davenport to catch her breath. “It’s a girl!” Doc cried as he caught his baby daughter in his hands. “I got my girl!” Victoria seemed to black out for a few seconds and in that time, Doc tied the cord off and cut it. It felt like a dream, but she could hear her husband talking to her and her baby crying. She stretched out her arms. “Give her to me,” she said “I want to hold her.” As Doc wrapped the baby in his jacket and handed her to her mother, Doctor O’Brien and Maria rushed into the parlor. Doc had never been so glad to see anyone as he was to see them.
“I see that your little one did not wait for me,,” the Doctor commented as he took charge of the situation. The baby lay in her mother’s arms wailing. “She’s got a voice,” Doc declared proudly.
“Victoria.” , the doctor said “I want to get you upstairs to your room.” She looked up at him, exhausted. “I can walk,” she said. The Doctor motioned to a tall thin gray haired woman who had followed him and Maria into the house. “This is Evita Mendoza,” he said “She is my assistant. She is also the best midwife in Portersville.” The woman smiled warmly as she came to Victoria’s side and took the baby from her. Doc had recovered some what from his becoming a father so quickly and helped his wife up from the ruined davenport. “You done good, honey girl,” he whispered to her as he gathered her into his arms and carried her up the stairs followed by the doctor and the midwife who gently carried his new born baby girl. He lay his wife down on their bed and kissed her. “Vic,” he said “I am going to leave you and the baby in the care of the good doctor here. “ She smiled up at him. “I love you Elliot Stevens,” she said “and we have a beautiful baby girl.”
He smiled back at her. “We sure do.,” he replied.
“Sheriff,” Doctor O’Brien interjected “Why don’t you wait down stairs. I will let you know when we are finished here.”
“Very well,” Doc replied as he took his wife’s hand. “I’ll see you in a little while.” he said. Sometimes the last nine months seemed to be dragging by and that the day his daughter would be born would never come. He thought of Jerrod and Sam and wished he could get on his horse and ride across the back forty acres to tell them the good news. But Sam and Jerrod Bently were in Texas. He walked out onto the long porch of his house and sat down on the swing he had made for Victoria. Yes, it was a good day. He was going to be a good father, and he already loved the little girl, he had loved her since the day Victoria told him she was having his baby “Sarah,” he whispered to himself as he sat down. “Think that might be the right name for her.”
Behind him the windmill creaked as it spun lazily in the mid morning breeze. The air was heavy, and he could smell the rain coming. He lounged in his slat back rocker and stretched his long legs out in front of him, observing the muddy and well worn boots on his feet. The sounds of the ranch were common place to him as he sat on his porch. Goldy lay beside his chair, doing his best be as supportive as a collie knows how to be.


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. “She is beautiful, Missus,” the midwife said as she lay the precious baby in Victoria’s arms. “I have bathed and dressed her. Now she needs you.”
The Doctor was getting ready to leave. “Mrs. Mendoza will stay with you for a day or two till you are feeling stronger, Victoria,” he said. Then he smiled and shook his head. “Sheriff Stevens did a find job today,” he added. “It was good that he was here to bring the baby into the world with you.”
“I was glad he was here too,” Victoria replied as Mrs. Mendoza arranged the pillows behind her. “Will you send him up here please? “
He picked up his black bag and started for the door. “I will, Victoria,” Doctor O’Brien replied. “Now you and the baby rest. I will stop by tomorrow to check on you.”
Victoria smiled as he left, but her attention was on her daughter. “You are finally here, baby,” she whispered “and you are such a sweet little angel.” She did not hear Doc come up the stairs or walk into the bedroom. She was under her daughter’s spell. He tapped on the door casing. “Want some company, Vic?”, he asked.
“Of course,” she replied with a warm smile for her husband. “Come here and meet your daughter.”
Doc laughed as he crossed the room to the bed where his wife lay. “We met earlier,” he teased.
“Doc, I am so sorry,” Victoria apologized “I thought I would be back in the kitchen making breakfast for you. I didn’t think I’d end up in the parlor having this beautiful little girl.”
“Well, it was just how things worked out,” Doc replied as he touched his daughter’s face.”
“Here, you hold her,” said Victoria as she placed the baby in his arms.
“She’s a beauty, Honey,” he said as a tear slipped down his cheek, “just like her Ma.”
Victoria smiled up at her husband. “I thought I might call her Ellen” she said “Have you thought of any other name ?”
“Sarah,” he said “after my sister. Sam and Jerrod will like that too.”
“Not Lillie?”, Victoria teased..
Doc grimaced. “No .” he said flatly, “I wouldn’t do that to my baby girl!”
Victoria giggled, remembering her rather difficult sister in law and her overbearing behavior at Sam and Jerrod’s wedding. Doc sat down on the edge of the bed , near his wife and holding their daughter. “Sarah Ellen,” he said in amazement. “You got here before the doc even had time to get in the front door. I doubt I will ever forget this day..”
Victoria smiled at him, as he returned the baby to her waiting arms. “Our sweet little Sarah,”