––––––––
It turned out to be a good thing they went to church when they did. It began snowing late Monday afternoon and didn't stop for days. Even after the snow stopped falling, travel was practically impossible, unless you were fortunate enough to have a sleigh, and even then the roads were virtually impassable. And it turned out this was just the first of a series of snowstorms that struck Manchester almost continually for weeks on end.
The girls were especially disappointed by this. After being controlled by Brent Harding the better part of a year, and then weeks of suffering from headaches, nausea, and anxiety, once they were free from the hold of Mr. Lee's 'tea', they were ready to meet people. They'd found the people at church so open and friendly. They wanted to get to know them better. They wanted to make friends.
Still, there were things to do. Although Eva was stuck in town because of the weather, Miranda and Colleen did what they could to help the girls with their knitting and crocheting. That is, when they were feeling well enough to work.
Time crept on. The girls seemed to experience periods of feeling a much more normal. Then they'd feel ill for a bit. But, the doctor couldn't be sure if this was the last grip of their morphine addiction or a combination of it and their pregnancies.
But, then there was a day when they both felt well for the entire day. And, they each drank a glass of milk for breakfast, lunch and dinner and kept it down. It looked as though their withdrawal was at last over.
*****
Several days after this monumental date, Kathy waited until Lynn had gone for a walk with Colleen before she approached Miranda and Kit, wearing a very solemn face.
"Kathy—" Miranda began. But the girl cut her off.
"Don't worry. I'm fine. But..."
"What?"
"I wanted to speak to you about something." However, when Kit made a move to leave the room, Kathy added, "No. Please stay. It's nothing awful. At least, I don't think it is."
"Just tell us what's on your mind, dear," Miranda told her in a soft, sympathetic voice.
"I'm worried about when the baby comes. I... I can remember my mother. She died having my little brother. And then he died, too."
Miranda sat down beside the girl put her arm around her, pulling the girl into a close, comforting hug. But, Kit spoke, "Sometimes mothers and their babies do die. But you'll be fine. You're young and strong. And, Dr. Thorne is a very good doctor."
"I'm not scared for myself. At least, not exactly. I know you'll take care of me, that you'll do the best you can, for both me and my baby. It's Lynn I'm worried about."
"Why? Has she been feeling ill and hiding it from us all?" Miranda asked, the concern raw in her voice.
"No! No, nothing like that. It's just... it's just, I... I don't want her to be here when the baby comes." Her pitch had begun to rise as she spoke. "As I said, I can remember when my mother died. I heard her cries—her screams—"
"But," Kit began, "most women scream. Dr. Thorne, Dr. Cooper, why even my papa said they do. And, that the screaming helps them deal with the labor pains. That it actually helps them focus when it's time for them to push."
"I'm not worried about me, or my screaming. It's just... just I... I don't want her to hear it. I'm sure everything will be fine. But, I'm just as sure I will make a lot of fuss, loudly. And, I don't want her to hear any of it."
Miranda let out a deep sigh. "I understand what you're saying and why. Believe me. And, it's something I've been meaning to discuss with... well... with everyone. Other than Lynn that is."
"Well," Kit said, "the doctor is coming out soon. What if we discuss it with her then? I'm sure Miss Colleen will take Lynn out again for a walk. Or, perhaps figure out a reason for her to keep her upstairs."
"But why do we need to discuss it further?" Kathy argued. "She's just a child herself. And, she'll know about the pain and screaming when her labor begins. She doesn't need to know about it before then."
"The thing is, even though Lynn is very young, she hasn't been living under glass her entire life. Between the orphanage and Harding's business, she probably knows much more about 'real life' than any of us think she does," Kit said flatly.
"So, you believe she should be here for the birth of Kathy's baby?" Miranda asked.
"Not necessarily," Kit exclaimed. "I agree that at least Miss Miranda and Dr. Thorne need to talk about it. Kind of weigh each side. Then maybe Miss Colleen and me can enter into it. And, of course, you should be included in all talk."
This seemed to appease both Miranda and Kathy. And, just in time, because Colleen and Lynn were heard stomping the snow off their boots, so they could come back inside.
*****
Even with the bad weather, Neil got Victoria out to check on the girls the day after this discussion. And, it was probably a good thing, because worrying about Lynn was having an obvious and detrimental effect on Kathy.
Miranda mentioned that they all needed to discuss a sensitive subject with the doctor without Lynn around. So Neil and Jake offered to show Lynn how to milk the cows, something she'd been begging to learn for a while.
So, once the men had ushered Lynn out to the barn, explaining that she would have to learn how to care for the cows, before she could learn how to milk them, Miranda, Victoria, and Kathy sat down at the table. Meanwhile, Kit and Colleen bustled about the kitchen, making tea and setting the table.
"Well," the doctor began, "Kathy appears to be doing very nicely. She told me she's been eating several times a day, Although, I did expect her to look a bit happier."
"Yes, the thing is, she's voiced a concern about when she goes into labor."
Turning to face Kathy, the doctor said, "I fully intended to have a very long and serious discussion about what you all should expect, but not for another several weeks."
"She's not concerned, at least at the moment, about her labor. She's worried about scaring Lynn."
"Scaring Lynn," Victoria repeated.
"Yes, ma'am. I was telling Miss Miranda about when my mama died. I was there while she had my baby brother. Things seemed to go on forever, and there was a lot of screaming and blood."
"Well, yes. There's generally lots of crying and blood. But that doesn't mean anything is wrong. It's just the way babies come into the world," Dr. Thorne said, calmly.
"But, I don't think Lynn needs to be anywhere she can hear me screaming."
"Has she said something to you?" Victoria asked.
"No. Well... not exactly. She's been watching how big I'm getting, and I think, and I want to repeat, think, she's concerned about how little she is. And, she's been asking me a lot of questions about whether I've seen a baby being born, or even held a newborn baby."
"It's just," Miranda said, "Kathy spoke to Kit and me a few days ago. And we decided to discuss it with you. However, I'd already been thinking about it. Losing sleep over it, really. And, I think maybe she's right. Perhaps, Lynn doesn't need to be here when Kathy's baby decides to come."
"Well, while I can see your concerns, I wonder if, by sending her away, we won't cause her more worry," the doctor answered. "I'm just throwing that out there, playing devil's advocate, if you will."
Kit had remained uncharacteristically quiet so far. But now, she cleared her throat and announced, "I agree, it probably is a good idea to remove Lynn from here, once Kathy's labor begins. But I think we... or at least someone, needs to talk to Lynn and tell her what you've decided and why. She needs to feel she's a trusted and valued member of this... this strange, wonderful extended family we've formed."
For a long moment Miranda was afraid she was going to burst into tears from sheer happiness. If Kit, who was always a bit removed from everyone else, could call their household a 'strange, wonderful extended family,' perhaps she had succeeded, after all. And they really were becoming a true family.
And, from the way Victoria was looking at her, she was sure the doctor understood exactly how joyous she was feeling.
In the end, they all decided that Kit was right. Lynn needed to be told why she'd be sent away when Kathy's labor began. And, that it was Kathy's desire to keep her calm that was the deciding factor.
After all, as the doctor later explained to Lynn, "Kathy is concerned about scaring you, and we need to do all we can to keep her calm. So, Jake will take you into town when the time comes.
"But you need to know this isn't in any way meant to punish you. And, you'll be brought right back home just as soon as the baby arrives."
Miranda smiled at Lynn and said, "Yes. Right back home because we're going to need all the help we can get."
Everyone smiled at this last comment, which caused Lynn to beam with pleasure.