In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins,
according to the riches of his grace;
Ephesians 1:7
For the past weeks, Grace had avoided Adam because she was scared of what he’d say. Marlene and her mother had taken over the making of the baby’s quilt and now it was finished and waiting in the crib.
It was early morning when Grace stepped out of bed. Warm water gushed from her and made a puddle on the floor. She knew her waters had broken and she’d soon be getting labor pains. She couldn't stop herself from screaming.
She stepped over the puddle, opened her door, and yelled, “Mamm, my water just broke!” She could hear her mother running down the hallway towards her. Grace held her nightgown up.
“We’ll have to tell Sarah.” Her mother yelled over her shoulder at Marlene to call the midwife from the phone in the barn.
“You change out of these clothes and I’ll get the room ready.” Her mother set about gathering clean towels and sheets.
“I'm not having any pain yet, Mamm,” Grace said when her mother came back into her room.
“You will.”
“Some people don't have much pain. I might be one of those people.”
“It's not likely,” her mother said.
Unfortunately her mother was right. By the time the midwife arrived two hours later, Grace was in a lot of pain. “Make them stop...”
Marlene was wiping her head with a wet washcloth while the midwife examined her.
“Not long to go; you're already nearly fully dilated.”
“You can do this, Grace. You don't have long to go,” Marlene said.
Grace’s thoughts turned to Jeremy. Would he have been pleased about becoming a father? With Jeremy, it was hard to know what he thought about anything; he was so unpredictable and unstable. He was the total opposite of Adam.
Another wave of contractions crunched her body. When they left, she said, “I didn't know it was going to be this bad.”
The midwife said, “Walk around. Sometimes that eases the contractions.”
“Nee, I’m too big to get up. I want to stay in bed.”
“You can stay in bed,” her mother said. “It's all right. You don't have to get out of bed.”
Her mother was speaking to her as though she were a child. And Marlene was annoying her by constantly dabbing the washcloth on her forehead.
“How much longer do you think it’s going to be?” her mother asked the midwife.
“Why, Mamm? Have you somewhere else you want to be?”
Her mother stared at her. “I don't like seeing you in all this pain.”
“It’s best if we don’t call it pain,” the midwife said.
Her mother looked down and kept silent.
Ten minutes later, the contractions stopped and then there was nothing. Grace felt she didn't know what to do with herself. All she knew was that she couldn’t go on. “I need to go get a cesarean. They’ll have to cut it out. I can’t do it anymore.”
“Sounds like you’re in transition. You’re most likely ready to push.” After a brief examination, she said, “You’re fully dilated.”
“I don't feel like pushing!” Grace heard herself scream.
“You will soon,” both her mother and the midwife said at the same time.
She grabbed the washcloth that Marlene kept dabbing her forehead with and threw it across the room.
“Maybe try and sit up a little. The force of gravity on the baby’s head might hurry things along,” Sarah said.
They all helped Grace sit up. She had to roll onto her side and then sit up from there.
“I might be able to walk a little,” Grace said.
As soon as she stood, she had the urge to push.
Three quarters of an hour later, her baby was born. It was a girl.
The midwife immediately examined the baby, and then she wrapped her in a white cotton sheet and handed her to Grace. Grace looked down at the miracle in her arms and tears of joy streamed down her face. This was her miracle baby, and she was so perfect in every way.
“Have you thought of a name, Grace?” her mother asked.
“Only boys’ names.”
“She’s my first niece,” Marlene said.
Grace couldn't stop staring at the small bundle in her arms. An overwhelming feeling of love for her baby swept over her. She kissed her baby on her nearly-bald head, and then breathed in the fresh smell of the newborn.
Marlene hadn’t stopped peering over her shoulder. “I’ll give you a chance to hold her in a minute, Marlene.”
“I’d like that more than anything.”
Minutes later, Marlene was the first person to hold the baby.
“She’s just so tiny. I didn't know she’d be this small.”
Small? Grace was immediately concerned. “Is she meant to be so small?” Grace asked the midwife.
“She’s not so tiny. I’d say she’d be around seven pounds. I’ve got my scales in the buggy – I can weigh her later.”
“And she's all healthy and everything?” Grace asked.
“She’s perfectly fine and healthy. I’ll stop in every day for the next week to check on both of you. That was very fast for a first birth, Grace.”
“It was?”
Sarah nodded, and then Sarah and Grace's mother cleaned up the room while Marlene and Grace took turns of holding the baby.
That evening, when Grace's father and Matthew came home, they fussed over the baby. Grace could see that Marlene’s longing for a baby of her own was making her increasingly upset.
“I’ll bring dinner up to you,” Marlene announced as she hurried out of the room by herself. While her father was across the room holding the baby, her mother beside him talking to her newest granddaughter, Grace whispered to Matthew, “Go and see that she's all right. I think she's a little upset and it doesn’t help seeing everyone fussing over the boppli.”
Matthew rolled his eyes. “She's always upset about one thing or another.”
“That is so awful. You know she wants a baby and it can't be easy for her that I’ve got one without trying. Can't you see that that would make her upset?”
“Nee, not really. It’ll be better to have one when we’re in our own home anyway. We don’t need one right now when we’re still trying to save for a home.”
“Just talk to her and be nice. Why are you so horrible sometimes?”
“Okay.” Matthew rolled his eyes and walked out the door.
“What was that about, Grace? Is Marlene upset?” her mother asked.
“You know how sensitive she is about having a boppli. I was just telling Matthew that you should all be more sensitive toward her.”
“You're right, Grace. You’ve always been a sensible girl. We’ll be more understanding,” her father said. “Now, what will we call this little girl?”
“I don't know. Something will come to me sooner or later.”
“You should call her Beth after my grossmammi; that's a fine name,” her father said.
“Or what about Faith after my mudder?”
“Nee, I want something more unusual than that.”
“Faith is an unusual name. I don't know of any other people called Faith apart from my mudder.”
“I think I might call her a flower name. Maybe Lilly, or Daisy.”
Her father added, “Rhododendron, or how about Geranium?”
Grace and her mother laughed.
“I won’t be calling her Rhododendron.”
Her father passed the baby back to her.
Grace looked down at her baby. “I want to call her a happy name.”
“What about Joy? That’s a happy name,” her father said.
“Yes, I like it. Denke, Dat. Her name is Joy. Joy Stevens.”
“Aren't you going back to using Byler?” her father asked.
“Nee. I think the she should have my last name. We’re on a journey together. Part of our journey was Jeremy, so we’ll keep his name.
“Well, I hope your journey doesn't take you too far from here,” her father said with a laugh. “You’re welcome to stay with us forever.”
“I know I am, but someday we’ll have to make our own way in the world.”
“Grace, where did you get that thinking from? We’re a family and we remain together. Your brothers and sisters have all married so when your vadder and I are old you can have this haus to yourself. We’ll build a grossdawdi haus on.”
Her father looked at his wife. “We will?”
She nodded. “Jah.”
He raised his eyebrows and smiled. “I’m not in the mood to disagree with your mudder.”
She was grateful to her parents, but they were speaking as though she’d never marry again. Her baby deserved to have a father, a male figure in her life, and she wanted to experience a proper husband who loved her and cared for her. She wanted to experience that at least once in her life.
“I’ll go down and see what’s happened to Marlene and Matthew,” her mother said.
Her mother and father walked out of the room and for the first time she was alone with her baby. She placed her on the bed beside her.
“Let’s have a rest before dinner,” she whispered.
She closed her eyes and said a prayer of thanks that her baby was safe and healthy.