CHAPTER THIRTEEN-ELIZA

“Throw them big ole things on up here,” said Sofia as Imara stretched out in her chair.

Imara put her foot on Sofia’s lap and she rubbed the bottoms as Imara sighed. “I’m as big as a house. My feet are so swollen. Well, I think they are, I haven’t seen them for months.”

Sofia kneaded deep into the arch of Imara’s foot making her moan. “Baby, all of you is swollen. It won’t be much longer, Imara. That moon is awful big and bright in the sky, it’ll probably be any day now. So, have you picked out a name yet?”

Imara smiled as Sofia’s calloused hands scratched her foot. “Well, if it’s a girl, we’re calling her Eliza Mae and if it’s a boy, we’re calling him Jason Dean.”

“Oh, those are just wonderful names. You know, I crocheted a little bunny rabbit for the baby. It’s got big giant floppy ears and a button for its nose and this big silky ribbon round it’s neck. Don’t forget to take it home with you this evening.”

Imara and Ben couldn’t afford much and hadn’t bought anything for the baby. Ben made a cradle out of the stump he pulled from the field and Thorin had some clothes made the last time he was in New Orleans. Imara had no idea what raising a baby entailed, but she was excited to meet her little one. “Thank you, Sofia.”

“You about ready, Imara?” asked Shaw as he sat down across from her in the sitting room.

Imara took a deep breath and nodded. “Sure, but y’all will have to help me get up.” After Sofia put her shoe back on, Shaw took Imara’s hands and pulled while Sofia placed her hand on Imara’s back and pushed her up.

“Thank you for doing this every night, Shaw.” Shaw climbed in the buggy then gave her his hand to pull her up.

“No hardship at all.” Imara wrapped her arm in Shaw’s as he cracked the reins and the horse started down the drive. “I’m going to miss having you around all the time once that baby of yours gets here.”

Imara rested her head against Shaw’s big arms. “Yes, I’m definitely going to miss all this pampering I’ve been getting. You’ve all made me feel like a queen through this whole thing.”

Shaw sighed as he looked out across the corn field at Ben’s farm. No one had expected Imara to make it this far and now that it was getting so close to the end, everyone was on edge. Thorin and Sofia waited on Imara during the day and Shaw kept watch outside the cottage every night.

As the buggy turned down the lane, Ben walked out of the barn to meet it. When it stopped, Ben took Imara’s hand and helped her down then pulled her into his arms and kissed her. “I’ll be back soon, baby. I just have to go drop off this load to the market.”

She poked her finger into his chest. “Well, I will be right here waiting, my love. I’m far too big to do much else.”

Shaw got the basket Sofia sent over from the buggy then took Imara’s hand and walked her inside the cottage while Ben drove off. Shaw pulled some dishes off the shelf and put them on the table then he started removing the food from the basket.

Imara straightened herself in her chair and put her hand against her low back. “Dammit, I can’t wait for this to be over.”

“Watch your mouth,” said Shaw as he poured water in her glass.

Imara took the deepest breath she could then sighed it out. “Everything hurts, I can’t breathe, and I can’t even see my feet.”

Shaw chuckled to himself then sat down beside her. “I’m pretty sure a healers supposed to know how babies are made, Imara. This was hardly a surprise.”

Imara grimaced in pain as a stabbing sensation started in her back. “Oh God. Shaw. Oh, go get Anna.”

Shaw scooted off his chair and knelt beside her. “What’s wrong, Imara?’

Squeezing her eyes tightly shut, Imara held her breath while the first contraction tore through her back and around her belly. When it started to pull back, Imara panted and said, “Oh! I’m in labor, Shaw.”

Shaw’s heart began to race, and he wiped his hand across his mouth. “Come on, let’s go walk over to see Anna.”  He took Imara’s hand and as she tried to stand, another contraction started. 

Imara collapsed back in the chair and whimpered. “Oh, no! No! I can’t walk. It’s too late. Please Shaw go get her now.”

Shaw looked to the door and tried to think. Ben hadn’t been gone very long and he couldn’t leave Imara alone in the house. Shaw put Imara’s arm around his neck then he put his around her as he started to scoop her up. “Come on, Imara, I'll carry you baby girl.”

Imara braced against him and gritted her teeth as the pain tore through her again. “No please.” 

Shaw knelt down in front of Imara and pushed her hair off her sweaty face. “Imara I can’t leave you here alone.” Imara’s quivering lip tugged at Shaw’s heart and he pinched his eyes shut to stop his own tears. “It’s just for a minute, Shaw. Please, I need Anna.”

Shaw took a deep breath then stood and quickly ran out the door leaving it wide open.

When Ben got to the barn, he tied the horse to the post while he unloaded the wagon. He could already smell the fried chicken Sofia sent over and his stomach rumbled in anticipation.

“Oh, God it hurts. Please help me!” he heard Imara crying from the cottage. His heart pounded in his ears and his hands went numb as the moment he’d been dreading finally came.

Ben dropped the crate in his arms and bolted to the house. “Imara! Baby, I’m coming!” He froze in horror when he came inside and found Imara on her hands and knees on the kitchen floor. 

Anna came from the washroom drying her hands on a towel. “Ben, go wash your hands. It’s almost time.”

Ben bent over and panted as relief washed over him.  Anna shot him a sympathetic smile then said, “Ben, go! Hurry.” 

As he quickly washed his hands and face, Imara continued to moan and scream in pain. His hands trembled and he looked at them and laughed. “Big strong alpha wolf, my ass.” He took a deep breath before turning to go back to the kitchen.

Ben knelt beside Imara and put his arms around her. “It’s ok, baby, I’m here now.” 

Once Ben looked over his two most prized possessions sleeping soundly in bed, he walked out to the kitchen and stretched his arms over his head. The half open front door caught his attention, so he went to close it but noticed Thorin standing on the porch. “That girl of yours sure is a beauty,” Thorin said as Ben came outside. 

Ben smiled widely and nodded. “She’s perfect. Did you see her when she puckered her lips and smiled? Momma says babies don’t smile, but I know what I saw. She looked right in my eyes and smiled at me.” 

Thorin grinned at Ben’s prideful boasting. “I sure did see it. She’s going to be a real heartbreaker just like her Momma.”

Ben curled his lips under, then looked away and closed his eyes. He pinched his nose between his eyes and started sobbing. Thorin put his hand on his shoulder and shook it gently. He knew exactly what Ben was feeling. Neither one of them ever expected this day to actually happen or to ever meet little Eliza Mae Logan.

Ben stood up straight again and sniffed back his tears. “I don’t know whether I should feel relieved or terrified, Thorin.”

Thorin nodded. “I know, Ben. All we can really do is try to stay vigilant and try to enjoy life as it is here in this moment. We enjoy every day the Fate gives us with them, Ben.”

“Do you think…” Ben started.

“That the dangers over?” Thorin inhaled deeply through his nose and glanced around the darkness. He slowly shook his head from side to side. “No, I don’t reckon it is. It’s a terrible thing isn’t it? It’s always the anticipation that’s the worst. Always having to be on guard, never knowing which direction to take. You always have that little voice telling you that you’re missing something, but since we have no idea what or who is coming, there’s no way to really prepare.” 

Thorin closed his eyes and swallowed hard to push down the pain. “I always wonder what kind of life Imara led in her past lives, was there something that happened to bring her this kind of punishment. Why karma has been so cruel. I just can’t see it. I know my sister and she has the most beautiful heart. I don’t know, maybe my family’s just cursed.”

Ben washed his face and hands and walked to the bedroom as he dried them on a towel. He stood in the doorway watching Imara nurse Eliza and smiled as he admired her. “You know on our wedding night, I told you that you were the most beautiful woman I’d ever seen,” Ben shook his head, “I was wrong Imara.” He pointed to her as he walked to the bed and sat down. “This woman right here feeding my baby, she’s the most beautiful woman.”

“Oh, Ben, isn’t she just so beautiful? Look at all this dark hair. She already needs a haircut.” Imara licked her hand and tried to tame the tall hair standing on Eliza’s head. 

Ben took Imara’s hand off Eliza’s head and put it to his lips. “I’m so proud of you, baby. I hated seeing you like that, but you did such a good job. I wasn’t sure you had it in you.”

“Yes, I know I have a reputation for being a fraidy cat, but...I just couldn’t wait to see her face. It was like I didn’t feel nothing at all, all I could see is me holding her in my arms and it took all the pain away.”

“It’s so funny now, Imara. Not even a year ago, I was just living my life, it was nothing special and now I got you both.” Ben sucked in his lip and then blew out hard as he tried to stop the tears. “I don’t know what I did to deserve this, baby.”  He stopped and looked down at the bed and swallowed hard. “You two are everything. I didn’t even know that I was missing out on anything Imara and I can’t…” He tapped his fist against the bed, “I don’t want to ever not have this again.”

Imara took his hand from the bed and squeezed. “You don’t have to worry about that Ben. No matter what happens, we’re always yours. No time or distance will ever keep us apart.