Annie was going over the new production facility one morning when it happened. She had been feeling poorly most of the morning, something that hadn't happened since her arrival to the North Pole. She had a pale look instead of her usually rosy complexion. She was with Carrow, who was now in charge of all the production centers at the North Pole.
As they were going through the new facility and discussing which lines might be set up first, Annie suddenly fainted. She dropped to the ground like a load of rumpled laundry.
Carrow called for help, but there wasn't anyone near enough to the new facility to hear him. So he took off as fast as his ancient legs would carry him to another building that was occupied. Several elves ran with him back to where he left Mrs. Claus.
Annie had regained consciousness but was still feeling a little sick. The elves brought over one of the hovering cargo movers called a “squibble”. They helped her up and then the elves took the squibble from the manufacturing area down to the medical clinic.
One of the elves was dispatched to let Santa know something had happened to his wife. He had arrived at about the same time as the elves and Annie. The doctor came out at once and ushered Annie back to an examining room. He asked Kris to wait a moment or two while he did a preliminary examination.
A few more elves had come in as soon as they had heard about the incident. The grave looks on their faces did nothing to console Kris who was now very worried and thinking horrible thoughts to himself. I thought we were in great health, as I for one haven't had any aches or chronic pains, not even a cold, he said in his mind. He had hoped that they might live as long as the elves. Now in truth he knew that they were ancient by normal tallfolk standards. As it was now 1854, this was his 114th year on this earth, which was unheard of in regions outside the North Pole. He thought that perhaps life was running its final course, all be it slower, when compared to the rest of the world.
But Annie had always seemed to be in the best of health like Kris. She was a few years younger than him chronologically, and had never complained about a single ailment. Was the stress of running the North Pole too much for her? Had she over-taxed herself and worn herself right into the ground? His mind bounced from one problem to the next and from one worry to another.
It seemed forever before the doctor entered the room again. Everyone gathered around pressing Kris until he felt he wouldn't be able to breathe. The doctor assured Kris and the others that Mrs. Claus was just fine. “Although I am going to turn her over to the care of Dr. Goodlife,” he said. A couple of the elves started giggling right then, while Kris looked confused.
“Dr. Goodlife? Is he a specialist?” Kris asked.
“She. And yes, she is responsible for bringing nearly all the babies we have into the world here,” he smiled.
“Excuse me?” said Kris.
“Congratulations Santa, you are going to be a Papa!” the doctor laughed.
It was inconceivable. They were both over 100 years old. How, when they were unable to have a child when they were younger and in their prime, could they be having a baby now?
Dr. Hope Goodlife smiled and looked at the couple. She said, “As you already know there are some strange properties taking place at the Pole. It is possible that whatever prevented you from having a child in your younger years is no longer an issue now.”
“Will it be safe for Annie to have this child in her advanced years?” asked Kris with a strained look.
Annie gave him a hard look.
“How do you feel right now, Anne Marie?” questioned the doctor.
“Too be perfectly honest except for the morning sickness, I have never felt better,” she admitted.
“Well then,” continued Hope, “you seem to be in excellent health, and I don't see why there would be any cause for alarm other than the usual concerns during pregnancy. I do not even recommend that you change your usual lifestyle until the last trimester. Possibly go a little easier running all over the Pole, so you don't faint or feel light-headed again. We will keep things closely monitored and I would like to see you every two weeks for now.”
Annie laughed and said that would be fine, as they had much to accomplish before this new life would change many things for them both.
“And in wonderful ways,” laughed the doctor.
As they left the doctors office Annie snuggled up to Kris and said, “Imagine, the one thing that I thought would make our life complete, but gave up hoping for, a child.”
Santa shook his head and said, “I thought we were busy before. I can't even fathom what this will do to all the other things we were trying to accomplish.”
Annie gave him a concerned look, “Do you not want this baby?”
Kris looked horrified, “Of course I do! You misunderstand me! I was just saying that we were so busy before, and had such full plates...I guess I am just trying to conceptualize how with all we were doing, how to fit all the activities a baby will require into the mix as well.”
Annie laughed and said, “Like every other set of parents do! I am sure nearly every couple starting a family wonders how they will do everything they need to when a baby comes along. We are no different than any other parents.”
“With one exception,” said Kris.
“Yes we are older, but then who has more experience around children than we do? Think of the thousands of children you are meeting every year now,” said Mrs. Claus.
It was true, Kris was now leaving the Pole several times and traveling among children to see how they were behaving. Often he would meet up with other elves and they would observe children at play or doing their chores and make notes.
And several came to him to thank him for their gifts or to give him ideas on what they might like to see for that year. Sometimes he brought Annie just so she could see the results of her operations running the North Pole. She always enjoyed meeting the children as much as Kris.
While Zwarte Piet would still go through Europe checking on children, Santa was trying to determine how other children were behaving. He and some other elves had been working on a way to monitor children's activities, but for the now this was the only way. Besides, he enjoyed meeting them and getting hugs and kisses from them.
Suddenly Kris laughed and said, “Yes, but we have always been able to give them back if they acted up, or when they started asking too much from us, now we will have to keep this one! Ho, Ho, Ho!”
“Well, we will just make sure that we will never want to give this one back as it grows.” and she gave her husband's arm a squeeze.
And so as the year got longer, Annie became rounder. But slowing down was not in her nature, and she kept a full agenda of activities for herself and the rest of the Pole. She finally allowed the Council to convince her to take help from some of the volunteers that were offering to do laundry and cleaning around their home, and even allowed some of the elves to bring meals occasionally.
“You know it is tradition in the Pole that whenever one of our own is pregnant, that everyone chips in to assist. They only want to do what they would do for others up here,” Ella Communicado stated to the couple during one Council meeting.
“It's not me,” protested Kris. “I have been telling her the same thing. I keep asking her to slow down and she just keeps charging forward as if the house was on fire.”
“Oh, alright,” Annie finally said with a resigned voice. “I just feel that while I have the strength, I should be getting these things done. But I guess letting others help out will do us both good.”
But she still was charging around the Pole working on the plans for Christmas for that year. Even Dr. Goodlife had asked her to slow down just a little.
One morning, there was a knock on the door about the time Annie usually left to begin her rounds. She opened the door to a small congregation of elves each grinning from ear to ear.
“Good morning, Miss Annie, your chariot awaits,” chuckled Frederick Salsbury. He motioned to a smaller than usual dogsled with four pretty Huskies anxiously awaiting their passenger. “I spoke with Hope and she said she wished that you could at least be transported on your various rounds by something other than your own feet. So here are your own sled and driver, Hans Hindquarter, to assist you each day.”
A young man with a narrow face and bright blue eyes smiled at Annie and said, “It will be my pleasure to work with you Mrs. Claus. I am at your disposal everyday.” and he gave her a little bow.
Annie just shook her head and laughed. “Seems there is a conspiracy against me doing much of anything,” she chortled. “Oh very well, I'll be out in just one moment. And Hans, please call me Annie or Miss Annie if you must. If we are to spend much time together at all, I prefer less formal titles.”
The young man smiled even broader and bowed again.
She told Kris about the latest delegation, to which Kris said, “Bless you, Hope. Annie, these people have your welfare at heart, and you should thank your lucky stars for it.”
She kissed Kris goodbye and just chuckled as she left.
Boarding the dogsled, she actually felt quite comfortable while Hans expertly maneuvered the team through the village to the destinations Annie requested. After a short time, she wondered why she hadn't thought of this herself, except she thought it might be presumptuous to ask to be taxied around the North Pole all day long.
But bigger things were in store as Frieda Cutinglas and Britney Clearwater were in charge of yet another delegation. As both of these women had raised families of their own, they were collecting items on behalf of the new baby’s arrival. A stroller, carriage, furniture, clothing, toys, a high chair, bassinet, bathing needs, and all those necessities that would be needed once the child was born was being assembled by the two women. Many of the things were new as they expected a tallfolk's child would be larger than their own elven children. And whether new or used previously, each was a work of art in its own right. As everyone knew this was for the Giftgiver and their CEO, it had to be the best ever created.
Between the exceptional care given by Hope Goodlife, and the help of the other elves, the time for the blessed event went smoothly and quickly. Around the beginning of September as the Council convened for the first time that month, Annie announced she had come to a decision.
“It is time for me to stay at home and await the arrival of our child,” she stated as the meeting was called to order. “This will be my last official act until sometime after the arrival of the baby. I can, of course, be sought out anytime to make suggestions or offer advice, as the need arises.”
Everyone knew the time was coming, so this was no surprise. They all wished her a good rest and said they would be checking on her needs.
Then Frieda stood before the rest of the board and stated, “As this is Mrs. Claus' last board meeting before the birth, I think we need to send her home properly prepared.” As if that was the cue, suddenly elven men and women came down the central corridor and through both sides wheeling, carrying, and pushing a full array of baby items.
Britney beamed at the Clauses and said, “We expect everything you may need for the arrival of your baby is here. We will set these things up later, but we already have people working on painting and decorating your nursery right now. Hopefully, they will be finished by the time you return today.
The rest of the afternoon, Kris and Annie marveled at all the wonderful gifts that were bestowed on them like so many jewels, and thanked each of the elves in turn for their treasures.
When they returned home they found a beautiful nursery with all manner of furniture and more gifts to make the necessities of raising a baby as comfortable as possible. The room was done in brightly colored murals of the North Pole and its residents, right down to Annie and Kris pushing a baby carriage and stroller through various parts of the village. A note was left on the new baby's dresser. It stated:
For the couple who does so much for elves and tallfolk alike, may you always know how beloved you are by all.
It may have taken nearly one hundred years, but the couple was completely ready for the birth of their child. Annie wept with joy.
About the middle of the month, Annie once more seemed like she was on a mission. She was racing throughout the North Pole again, checking on the production lines and comparing Santa's lists and letters against what was being produced. She was still being taxied around in her custom-made dog sled, but she was a sight walking around the various places with her now very bulging tummy.
While Annie was busy, Hope Goodlife had also been hopping that week. She had delivered five babies to various elves. Each elven child weighed in between four and five pounds, with the five pound, 1 ounce child, delivered to one of teachers at the Elf Trade School being an unusually large baby.
The baby room was filled with many small cribs, except for one that looked twice the size of the rest. In the corner by the window it sat empty, waiting for the Clauses baby. There were a few more elves expecting, but none were due that week.
It was when Annie was being sped from one of the production centers toward the greenhouse when she felt a stabbing pain followed by a gush of water. She lifted her hand, which was Hans' signal to stop. Then she was racked with another spasm and cried out. Hans went white. While he knew it was certainly a possibility that this could happen, he really had hoped it would take place while she was at home.
He looked at Mrs. Claus and said, “Miss Annie, do I need to veer over to the clinic?”
A slightly out of breath Annie just nodded her head and said, “Yes, I believe it is time.”
Hans steered the sled as quickly, though gently, through the snow as he possibly could. He also pushed a red button on the bar which immediately set off a blinking red light at the clinic, the Clauses home, the Council chambers and a small box on Kris' belt. It was to alert everyone that the baby was imminent and that Kris needed to get to the clinic quickly.
For September 16, 1854 this invention was unheard of outside the North Pole, and Jackson Kilowatt was very proud of it. He had it installed when the idea of the sleigh was presented to him. As his own red light kicked on, Jackson signaled the other elves.
Annie went in at 2:15 pm and Nicholas Kristopher Kringle was born at 5:38 pm.
The entire area of the clinic was packed with well wishers and excited guests awaiting the news. When Kris came out and announced it was a boy, the cheers and roars of approval could be heard throughout the Pole.
An heir to the Giftgiver had been born! This was a truly joyous occasion and one that would need to be celebrated. A week later when Annie was feeling better and up and around, the North Pole threw a feast and party, as had not been seen since the banquet for the Kringles as the leaders of the Pole, but now it was in honor of the birth of Nicholas. It rivaled almost anything that had taken place with the tallfolk for Nicholas' descendant, St. Nicholas in December.
Annie was enjoying being a mother with all her heart. She was having the time of her life feeding, clothing and spending every waking moment with her newborn. Kris walked around the North Pole with his chest puffed out all the time regaling the latest looks and movements of his newborn son.
Every day different elves would come by to assist and give Annie a little rest or a nap while they cared for the first, and only, tallfolk born to the North Pole. One thing the Kringles knew without question is that Nicholas would be provided for in all his needs, and would receive quite a good deal of attention from all the residents of the North Pole.