A Promise for Ellie Read online

  When he finished, he walked back to her, never taking his gaze from her face. He reached for her hand and led her out the open doorway.

  “Would you like to go for a walk?”

  Wherever you would like to go. Instead, she shook her head. “I’d really like more ice cream.”

  “If there’s any left.”

  “Oh, they’re still cranking there under the trees.” They made their way over to the ice cream table, stopping to talk with friends and neighbors on the way.

  “Chocolate sauce or caramel?” Dr. Elizabeth asked. Seated at the table, her bulging form was slightly hidden, although she had to reach to pour the syrup on the dishes of ice cream.

  “Plain for me,” Ellie said.

  Elizabeth held the dish of scooped ice cream Thorliff handed to her.

  “I’ll take both. I make up for her.” Andrew grinned.

  “Andrew, I don’t know where you put it all.” Elizabeth poured a healthy dollop of each on his mound of ice cream. “So how does it feel to be graduated?”

  Ellie sat down across the table. “When I think of never going back to school, it makes me a bit sad. I have always loved school.”

  “I didn’t hate school,” Andrew put in, “but there are so many things that need doing around the farm, and now I’ll be able to catch up on some of them, along with getting our house and barn built.”

  “Did it come in?” Thorliff asked.

  “Not yesterday, and surely Penny would have told me had it come today. They said it might be an extra two weeks or more.”

  “Lot of people must be building houses.” Elizabeth picked up the fan lying in front of her on the table and waved it slowly in front of her face. She smiled at Ellie. “I’m looking forward to getting to know you. I’m sorry your wedding has to be postponed.”

  “She’ll probably be working for Penny at the store, since Astrid will be helping you.” Andrew swallowed a spoonful of ice cream.

  I can answer for myself, Andrew. The thought caught Ellie by surprise. Had Andrew always answered for her? She’d have to think back.

  “Really? That’s wonderful. For an only child like me, this big family is such a pleasure.” Elizabeth smiled.

  “Ja, Ellie will be one more Bjorklund woman to make trouble for us men,” Andrew said with a straight face.

  “Oh, you.” Ellie pushed at his arm. “You won’t let anyone else tease us, but that doesn’t seem to apply to you.”

  “Should it?” He paused midspoonful.

  Ellie rolled her eyes and exchanged smiles with Elizabeth.

  “I saw you and Toby pushing at each other.” Thorliff dished up another bowl of ice cream and handed it to Lily Mae, old Sam’s youngest. “There you go.”

  “You ’bout out?” Sam’s dark face shone with sweat.

  “No.”

  “Good. The ball players are on their way over.”

  “You want some help?” Ellie asked Elizabeth.

  “Sure. You hand the bowls to Andrew. He can dish while Thorliff unpacks the next freezer.”

  Laughing, cuffing, and sweating, the young men and boys lined up for their ice cream. “How come the Bjorklunds didn’t come play?” someone called.

  “Then who would have made the ice cream?” Thorliff answered.

  “The old men.”

  “Sure wish someone had told me that.” Thorliff handed out another dish. “See the women for syrup.”

  Ellie glanced at Elizabeth with a giggle. “Women? Guess you are but not me, not yet.”

  “I might be big as a house with baby, but I don’t think of myself as a woman either. I guess doctor took the place of woman. Now, I’ll tell you, I like wife.”

  “Is that so?” Thorliff wiggled his eyebrows.

  “Hey, Dr. Bjorklund, you sure did a good job sewing up my brother.” A young boy stepped up to the ice cream table. “Ma said that one was beyond her needle and thread.”

  “Thank you. My mother said I never learned to sew. You might write and tell her I did all right.”

  “The doctor in Grafton was too far away to go, bleeding like he was.”

  “Glad I could help.”

  “It sounds like you saved the boy’s life. What happened?” Ellie poured the last of the chocolate syrup.

  “The boy ended up on the wrong end of an ax. Slipped and fell. Had his brother not put a tourniquet around his arm, he’d have bled to death. I’m so grateful he has the use of his arm. I prayed so hard for that one. It could have been useless. And thank God there was no infection.”

  Ellie thought back. “Maybe if you had been here, Agnes might have lived longer.”

  “Maybe. But Ingeborg and I talked about that. From the sound of it, Agnes had cancer, and while I might have been able to remove the tumor, the vicious stuff comes back.”

  “We all grieved for her. Agnes Baard was a wonderful woman. I’m so glad you are here now.” She glanced over to see Thorliff and Andrew emptying out the ice and putting the freezers in a box, then looked back to Elizabeth. “Are you all right?”

  Elizabeth nodded. “But I think we better head home.” She raised her voice. “Andrew, will you take care of those things? Thorliff, you need to bring the wagon over now.” She emphasized the last word and flinched afterward.

  Ellie stared at her. “Are you . . ? I mean, is it time?”

  “Unless this is a false labor, we have a baby on the way. Please go ask Ingeborg to come too.”

  Ellie glanced at Thorliff. He stood staring at his wife, not moving, as if he’d been cast in stone.

  “Good thing Andrew knows what to do.” Elizabeth nodded to the figure flying toward the teams tied along the hitching rails.

  “Thorliff!” Ellie took his arm and led him over to his wife.

  “I-I’m sorry. I-I’ll get the team.”

  “Andrew is doing that. Please get my things out from under the table.”

  Ellie shook her head. How could Elizabeth be so calm? Here she was shaking like she was the one having the baby. Maybe not getting married yet was a good thing. What if Elizabeth’s baby dies like Mor’s did? The well-remembered picture made her shudder. How can I get married and not have babies? I know Andrew wants children, and so do I. But I’m afraid to have a baby. Dear Lord, what am I going to do?

  “THORLIFF, COME HELP YOUR WIFE,” Ingeborg ordered some hours later.

  He leaped to his feet and followed his mother into the bedroom, where Elizabeth reached for his arm.

  “Help me walk. It helps when I have someone to lean upon.”

  “Shouldn’t you be lying down?” he stuttered as he put an arm around her.

  “No, silly. The more I walk, the easier the labor will be. So far everything is perfectly normal.”

  Ingeborg smiled at her daughter-in-law and shook her head. Thorliff, always so sure of himself—at least he gave others that feeling—was now a bundle of contradictions. He’d assured them he was fine, but his hands were shaking, no matter how hard he tried to keep them still, and fear lurked in his eyes.

  “Thorliff, I’m not going to break. We walk, not shuffle.” But when at that moment she grabbed his hand and nearly strangled it, he stared at his mother, his mouth working but no words coming out.

  “Keep her walking, son. She has everything all ready.” Ingeborg wiped her hands on her apron after placing the scissors, narrow strips of cloth, and a couple of towels into a pan of water on the stove to boil them to make them sterile.

  “Oh.” Elizabeth stopped and a puddle formed on the floor. “Good. Now we’ll get this going.” She patted her rounded belly. “The time has come, little one. No more dallying.” Smiling up at her husband, she shook her head. “You men, you see a puddle of fluid and you freeze. I tried to tell you all the stages, and you didn’t want to hear.”

  “I know.” He took the rags from his mother and knelt at his wife’s feet to mop the floor.

  Ingeborg tapped him on the shoulder. “I can do that. You keep her walking.”

  “You
walk with her. I’ll catch up.”

  Ingeborg nodded and took Elizabeth’s arm. “He’ll be all right now,” she whispered in her ear. “Our Thorliff ’s back.”

  “Good thing. I’m going to really need him pretty soon. I’ve always thought the husbands ought to help their wives. That old idea of banishing them from the birthing room is sheer idiocy.” Elizabeth stopped and took several breaths, blowing them out. Looking out the window to the faint lavender tinge left on the western clouds, she said, “I missed the sunset. I didn’t realize we’d been at this so long.”

  “Things are moving right along for a first baby.”

  “I know, but it’s different when you’re the one having it.” The two women kept a steady pace, wandering all through the first floor of the house.

  “I remember when Andrew was born.We lived in the soddy then, and there wasn’t a whole lot of room to walk in. Kaaren was still recovering from losing her little ones. Ach, such an awful time we had.”

  “Kaaren told me that you saved her life, that she lost all desire to live, but you wouldn’t let her give up.” As she walked near him, Elizabeth took her husband’s arm, and the three of them walked together.

  “And then when I hit the pit of despair, she pulled me along. That black pit . . . it is a terrible thing. Blows out the light, and all you can think is dark.”

  “Mor wore men’s pants, went hunting, and worked in the fields. She nearly worked herself to death.” Thorliff shuddered. “Those were terrible times.”

  “But I saved the land. Roald and Carl had worked so hard for this land to give to their sons that I couldn’t let the homestead be lost.”

  They waited while Elizabeth huffed through another round of contractions. She looked up at Thorliff afterward. “Don’t get so worried. I keep telling you this is the way it is supposed to be.”

  “And I’m supposed to think you’ve done me a favor by letting me help?”

  Ingeborg chuckled. “This is why most men would rather wait out in the barn, preferably with a jug for company.”

  “They’re coming closer.” Elizabeth caught her breath after another one. “Walk!” She caught her breath again. “Tell me more about the early days, please.”

  “One time Andrew got lost in the tall grass, and Wolf found him and saved him,” Thorliff said.

  “Wolf?”

  “I told you about Metiz, our old Indian friend?”

  “Yes.”

  “She had saved a young wolf from a trap, and he remained her friend the rest of her life. He decided we were part of her family and watched out for us too. One winter he fought off a pack of wolves that were attacking our sheep.”

  “You remember that?” Ingeborg smiled at her tall son who’d been such a serious little boy. They entered the kitchen on their continuous circle through the house.

  “No, but you told the story many times.”

  “We never saw Wolf much. He was more like a silver shadow, but we’d see his tracks, the one front foot deformed so you could recognize it.”

  “He came back when Metiz died, you know,” Ingeborg said. “I heard him howling but didn’t realize why till the next day, when I found her. Metiz was so old, but she refused to come stay with us. Wanted to stay in the small cabin we built for her by the river. Between her and Agnes, I’ve had the best friends.”

  “And they’re both gone now?”

  “Ja, I still miss them so much at times it hurts.” Ingeborg moved the boiling kettle to the cooler side of the stove.

  “Mor, Thorliff, may I come in?” Astrid called from the back door.

  “Of course. Come join the party.” Elizabeth looked to Ingeborg. “That’s all right, isn’t it? I mean, is she too young?”

  “Not at all. Some women are having children by her age,” Ingeborg answered softly.

  Astrid kept the screen door from banging as she entered the room. “You’re having a party? I thought you were having a baby.”

  “Soon.” Elizabeth clenched the hands that held her and puffed her way through another contraction.

  Thorliff shook out his hand when she straightened again. “I never realized how strong my wife is.”

  “You want me to take your place?” Astrid volunteered, grinning at her brother.

  Thorliff nodded and tried to retrieve his arm.

  “Wait a minute.” Elizabeth smiled while Ingeborg wiped the perspiration from her brow. “You know, I have a fan upstairs in the top right-hand drawer of the tall chest. Would you like to get it?” She shrugged at her husband. “Sorry, dear, I still need you.”

  “Sure. Thorliff most likely couldn’t find it.” Astrid headed for the stairs, laughter at the look on her brother’s face floating over her shoulder.

  When she returned, Astrid waved the fan in front of Elizabeth as they trudged back across the parlor.

  “That feels so good. Thank you.”

  “At least this baby won’t have to fight off the winter cold.” Ingeborg shook her head. “Sometimes when they’re born in the dead of winter the only way to keep them warm enough is in a box on the oven door.”

  “Or wrapped and carried in a sling cuddled against the mother’s chest.” Elizabeth stopped again. “About time to lie down, I think.”

  “Do you, I mean . . .”

  “Don’t worry, Thorliff. We’ll tell you exactly what to do. After all, I’m the one who has to do all the work.” Elizabeth sounded a bit testy, which made Ingeborg smile.

  “You ready to push?”

  “Soon, I think. Having had one of my own will make me a better doctor, I hope. Uh!” When she could walk again, they headed for the bedroom.

  “All right, Thorliff, you sit with your back against the headboard there, and Elizabeth can use you to push against.”

  When they had Elizabeth settled, she groaned and her face twisted with the pain.

  “A doctor once tried to tell me that . . . women didn’t . . . feel pain with birthing . . . only pressure.” She groaned and sucked in a breath again. “He was wrong!”

  “I can see the crown.” Ingeborg knelt on the end of the bed. “Easy now. All right, give a good push.”

  Elizabeth pushed and screamed at the same time, then lay back panting.

  “Take a cloth and dip it in that basin. You can wipe her forehead.”

  Astrid did as her mother told her, then flinched as another contraction rolled through Elizabeth.

  Ingeborg gave her son a reassuring smile. His face about matched the sheets. “She’s doing fine. One more good one, Elizabeth, and we’ll be done, I think.”

  Elizabeth nodded, clamped onto Thorliff ’s hands, and with another thin scream, pushed and grunted.

  Ingeborg turned the baby’s shoulders and, tears streaming down her cheeks, held her granddaughter in her hands. Oh, dearest Jesus, mange takk. Oh, mange takk. “You have a beautiful daughter, my dears.” She laid the baby on her daughter-in-law’s chest. “There. You three get to know one another while I clean things up a bit here.” She used a clean corner of her apron to wipe her eyes.

  “She’s so tiny.” Astrid clutched the cloth between her shaking hands. “Mor, can she see?”

  “Oh yes. Human babies can see immediately, not like kittens and puppies.”

  “Oh, Lord, thank you, thank you, thank you.” Thorliff could hardly talk around his tears.

  Elizabeth and the baby stared at each other, then the mother reached out and stroked her daughter’s cheek. The baby turned her head, lips puckering.

  “See, she’s a smart one. She’s ready to nurse already.” Ingeborg folded back the towel, picked up the strips of cloth, and now that the cord lay flaccid, she tied it off several inches from the baby’s navel and then again a couple of inches farther toward the mother, cutting between the knots with the scissors. As soon as the afterbirth appeared, she folded up the pad of sheeting and went about cleaning up Elizabeth, all the while explaining everything she was doing to Astrid.

  “Now we’ll wash the little one, get he
r diapered and in a gown. Thorliff, you help Elizabeth into a clean nightdress. Then we’ll change the bed, and these two can settle in for a much needed nap.”

  “What are you going to name her?” Astrid asked.

  “Inga Annabelle, after both our mothers.” Elizabeth yawned. “Astrid, dear, could you bring me a drink of water? I am so thirsty.” She raised her arms for Thorliff to remove her gown and bring her a clean one. “Ah, this feels so nice.” She yawned again and shifted around. “Massage my belly, please, Thorliff. That helps the uterus shrink more quickly.”

  “What’s a uterus?” Astrid asked, handing Elizabeth a glass of water. She propped her elbows on the bed so she could watch.

  “That’s the part inside of a woman God created to grow and hold the baby. All the other mammals have them too.” Elizabeth took her swaddled daughter in her arms. “Little Inga, you are so perfect. You want to hold her, Thorliff?”

  “I suppose so.” He sat down on the edge of the bed and took his daughter in his two hands. When she screwed up her face and a whimper turned into a cry, he handed her back. “You need your mother, baby girl. She’s probably hungry.”

  “Oh, Thorliff, babies cry for all kinds of reasons. But speaking of hungry, while I feed her, perhaps you could warm up that soup I made yesterday.”

  “I will.” Astrid got to her feet. “Mor, would you like some too?”

  “Why don’t you and Thorliff fix something for all of us?”

  “All right. Come on, big brother. Mor said.”

  He stood and tugged on a lock of her hair. “You act mighty grown up, young lady. As soon as we take care of these things, I’ll go send that telegram to let your folks know they are grandparents.”

  Elizabeth nodded her thanks.

  “I just helped with my first birthing,” Astrid said proudly. “Other than kittens and puppies, that is. I think seeing babies born is the most beautiful thing in the whole world. Someday I’m going to help women have babies, just like Mor and Elizabeth do.”

  Ingeborg and Elizabeth exchanged smiles as they heard her declaration.

  “So we have another doctor on the way?” Ingeborg asked, helping nestle tiny Inga against her mother’s breast.

  “Or a nurse.” They both watched the baby root around, questing for the nourishment she needed. Ingeborg assisted again, and the little mouth settled onto the nipple and began to nurse.