Heart of Texas Vol. 3 (38 page)

“One, two, three…”

“Slower.”

“One…two…three…” He continued until he'd reached twenty and she told him to stop.

She took several big breaths and opened her eyes. “The pains are much more intense than I expected.” If they were this strong now, she couldn't imagine what they'd be like later.

“Let's get her to the car,” Frank suggested.

“I'm ready,” Amy said, and the two men helped her stand. Dovie stepped back and watched, her face taut with concern.

They'd gone only a few feet when another contraction ripped through her, nearly doubling her over. She moaned and clutched her stomach.

“Stop!” Dovie shouted.

“Stop?” Frank repeated, then stared at Dovie. “What's happening?”

“We aren't going to make it to the Brewster hospital in time, not with her contractions two minutes apart.”

“What do you mean?” Wade demanded, although her words were perfectly clear.

Frank Hennessey studied him with a shocked white face. “Tell me, Preacher, how much do you know about delivering a baby?”

S
HERIFF
H
ENNESSEY COULDN'T
have called at a worse time. Max Jordan's pacemaker had gone haywire, and Jane dared not leave him, so she'd sent Frank on to Bitter End with specific instructions to phone the clinic as soon as they arrived in Brewster. The rest of her afternoon had been hectic, with the phone ringing off the hook. When she'd finished sewing up Wiley Rogers's sliced thumb and setting Walt Wilson's broken leg, she sorted through the messages and realized she hadn't heard back from Frank.

She was about to call Brewster Memorial to check when Ellie burst through the door.

“Is it true?” Ellie asked, her face bright with excitement as she hurried into Jane's office.

“If you're asking about Amy, yes, it's true,” Jane said. She stood in front of her file cabinet and slipped a chart back into place. She felt a rush of excitement herself. “Amy's about to have her baby. It turns out she went into labor in Bitter End.”

“Why didn't somebody tell me sooner?” Ellie demanded. “Every tongue in Promise is wagging, and I'm the last person to hear what's happening with my own employee.” Disgruntled, she flopped down on the chair and stretched out her legs.

“How'd you find out?” Jane asked, curious. The nuances of small-town life continued to fascinate her. Having been born and raised in Southern California, she never failed to be astonished at the lightning-quick way word traveled in Promise.

“George.”

“Who told George?” Jane asked, shaking her head in wonder.

“Pete Hadley, who heard from Denise down at the bowling alley. According to Pete, Denise has a real soft spot for Amy.”

A lot of people had a soft spot for Amy, Jane reflected. The young mother-to-be had captured the town's heart. Sunday, when Wade had stood before the congregation and asked for a vote of confidence, the people had given him their overwhelming approval. But their votes hadn't been cast for Wade alone. They were showing support and approval for Amy, as well.

Jane suspected there was even some sneaking admiration over the fact that he'd been defending her against the likes of Lyle Whitehouse. Given the circumstances, a lot of the men in the congregation would have done the same thing.

She didn't think Lyle would be showing his face round town anymore. Billy, the owner of Billy D's Tavern, had suggested the ranch hand take his business elsewhere. Feelings ran high when it came to looking after one of their own. Wade McMillen was highly respected, and folks tended to feel protective toward Amy, too.

“You know who's kind of a gossip?” Ellie said, waggling her eyebrows as if this was an interesting tidbit of information.

“You mean other than you?” Jane teased.

“Me!” Ellie pointed to her chest in mock outrage. “I'm the picture of discretion.”

“If you say so.” Struggling to hold in a smile, Jane closed the file drawer and waited. “Well, don't keep me in suspense. Who?”

“Martha Kerns.”

“The church secretary?” Jane had trouble believing it.

“How else do you think word got around so fast?”

“Hold on here,” Jane said, stopping her sister-in-law. “What's Martha got to do with any of this?”

“She was working in the church office when Wade suddenly rushed in and said he was leaving with Sheriff Hennessey.”

“Okay, got you,” Jane said. It made sense now. Wade had told Martha and word had spread from there. She opened the small refrigerator in her office and removed two bottles of spring water, holding one out to Ellie. “No caffeine,” she said.

“Thanks.” Ellie reached for it, popped open the top and sank back into her chair. “Do you think Amy's having a boy or a girl?” she asked after a moment of silence.

“Girl,” Jane predicted. “After a while a doctor gets a feel for these things. A sixth sense.”

“Really?” Ellie sounded impressed.

Jane hadn't a clue which sex Amy's baby was, and as for any measure of shrewd intuition, well, that was a joke. She didn't think she'd be able to carry on this nonsense much longer and abruptly changed the subject. “Have you told Glen you're pregnant yet?”

Ellie leaned forward and set the bottle on Jane's desk.

“From that grin on your face, I'd say he knows.”

“He does.”

“And he's happy?”

Ellie giggled. “You'd think he was the first man ever to get a woman pregnant. All this strutting around the house like a rooster.”

Jane shook her head. That sounded just like her brother-in-law.

Although Cal and Glen were brothers, their personalities were vastly different. Jane's husband was quieter, more intense than his fun-loving brother. When she got pregnant herself and the time came for her to tell him, she could predict Cal's reaction. He'd grow quiet, and then he'd gather her in his arms and tell her how much he loved her. He'd pamper and spoil her, and they'd spend long quiet hours making plans for their baby. Glen might pamper Ellie, too, but he'd joke boastfully about it and be sure folks knew what a great husband he was. His high energy and good humor would make him a wonderful father.

“We're telling Mary and Phil tomorrow night,” Ellie said.

“They'll be so thrilled.” Jane took a long swallow of her drink. “If this keeps up, Promise is going to have a population explosion,” she said. First Savannah Smith, then Caroline, Amy and now Ellie. She knew from talking to Nell that she and Travis hoped to add to their family, too. It'd been ten years since Nell had given birth to Emma, but Jane could find no reason for her to experience any difficulty in getting pregnant again.

“Twins run in my family,” Ellie said absently.

Jane couldn't help smiling. She could just imagine how her brother-in-law would react to twins.

“Do you think Amy might have had the baby by now?” Ellie asked. She leaned forward, anxious to hear the latest word.

“I was about to phone Brewster Memorial when you arrived,” Jane told her.

“Go ahead. I'd love to be the one to give George the update.”

Jane took another drink and flipped through her Rolodex for the phone number.

Just as she'd punched in the number, Jenny entered the office.

“Jane's phoning about Amy,” Ellie whispered.

“Oh, good, I was about to ask.”

“Dr. Jane Patterson,” Jane announced. “I'm calling to check on one of my patients.” She asked to speak to the nurse on the maternity floor, then placed her hand over the receiver. “They're transferring me.”

“I have a sneaking suspicion Amy's having a boy,” Jenny said.

“It's a girl,” Jane said confidently.

“Boy,” Jenny whispered back.

Jane rolled her eyes and pointed to her small refrigerator. “Help yourself.”

“Thanks,” Jenny mouthed.

“This is Dr. Jane Patterson from Promise,” she said again, launching into her explanation about Amy.

“We're admitting someone now, but I don't have the paperwork yet,” the on-duty nurse said. “If you wait, I'll get that information for you.”

Once more Jane put her hand over the mouthpiece. “She's arrived safe and sound.”

“What took her so long?” Jenny asked, checking her watch.

“Frank probably took extra time not to upset her,” Ellie suggested.

Jane frowned. According to her brief chat with Dovie before the cell phone went out, Amy's water had broken and she was experiencing some hard labor pains. She'd expected them to have arrived at the hospital much sooner than this.

“Everything's all right, isn't it?” Jenny asked, her gaze holding Jane's. “They got there okay?”

“With Frank driving, did you have a doubt?” Ellie asked and drank the rest of her water.

In other circumstances Jane would have traveled with Amy, but that was impossible today. Amy was with Frank, Dovie and Wade McMillen. Unless the mother chose a home delivery as Savannah had, most of the babies in the county were born at the hospital in Brewster.

The floor nurse came back on the line. “What did you say your patient's name was again?”

“Amy Thornton.”

“She hasn't been admitted yet,” the nurse said matter-of-factly.

“Pardon me?” Jane asked. Although she felt an immediate sense of panic, she remained outwardly calm. “I'm sure there's some mistake. Could you check again?”

“Please hold the line.”

Ellie stood. “There's an easy way to settle this. Frank drove in his patrol car, didn't he?”

Jane nodded.

“All we need to do is phone the sheriff's office and ask them to radio Frank.”

“Good idea.” Jane relaxed while Ellie and Jenny disappeared into the outer room to use the second phone.

The nurse from Brewster Memorial returned to the phone. “I'm sorry, no one in Admitting has talked to or seen anyone named Amy Thornton.”

Jane replaced the receiver as Ellie and Jenny appeared in the doorway.

Ellie's face revealed her anxiety. “Something's wrong.”

“The hospital has no record of Amy,” Jane said.

Jenny chewed on her lip. “I phoned the sheriff's office,” she explained, “and they radioed Frank.”

“And?” Jane asked.

“There's no response. Apparently he isn't in the patrol car.”

“Then where is he?” she demanded.

“That's the problem—no one seems to know,” Ellie said. “They've been trying to reach him for the last thirty minutes.”

“H
OW'S SHE DOING
?”
Wade asked, unable to hide his anxiety. He no longer cared if Frank or Dovie knew how concerned he was. A rain squall had hit them soon after they'd decided not to carry Amy to the patrol car. They couldn't stay outside with Amy about to give birth; they had to find someplace safe and dry.

Bitter End was the last place he felt was safe for Amy. He blamed himself for this situation; she'd asked him about the town and he'd put her off. He didn't like the idea of her in this dead town, and the thought of her giving birth here sent chills down his spine.

With Amy moaning in pain and Dovie calculating the time between contractions, he felt panic rising inside him. All four of them were already soaked to the skin. The only structure in the town where Amy wouldn't have to lie on the floor was the church with its hard wooden pews, and with the two men supporting her, she managed to make her way inside. There were still some provisions from Richard's stay in the town, including towels, blankets and pillows.

Dovie cleaned a pew while Frank searched for anything else that might be of use. She and Wade helped Amy onto the pew, and then Dovie went off to give Frank a hand. Wade refused to leave Amy's side. He hadn't attended a single one of the birthing classes, and he didn't know if he was helping or hindering, but she seemed to want him there, and God knew he had no intention of leaving her. Not then. Not ever.

Again and again he counted the seconds as her body was gripped by contractions. Each one seemed to grow in length and intensity. He felt as if his heart would break at the agony she was suffering.

Then Dovie returned with Frank, each of them carrying a tarpaulin and some other supplies. Rain pounded against the roof and leaked into the center of the church where lightning had once struck. It astonished him that the building had survived the wear and tear of the elements all these years.

“Relax,” Frank advised, squeezing his shoulder. “Everything's going to be fine.” He'd found a lantern—obviously left there by Richard—and lit it. The immediate warm glow filled the dim interior.

“I'll relax once I know everything's all right with Amy,” Wade told the other man, too tense to do anything but worry.

After maybe ten minutes, the rain stopped as suddenly as it'd come. Wade couldn't remember seeing a cloud in the sky, and then all at once they'd been trapped in the middle of a torrent.

Now that they'd made the decision to stay in Bitter End, it seemed fitting that Amy's child be born in a church, even one as dilapidated as this. Someone had been inside recently, and he doubted it was Richard Weston. Probably Travis Grant. He and Nell were back from their honeymoon and apparently he'd made a number of research trips to the old town.

“Is everything all right here?” Frank asked nervously. He pulled Wade aside, and Dovie took his place. Amy lay on a pew, a pillow beneath her head and as comfortable as they could make her.

“As far as I know,” Wade assured him.

Frank nodded abruptly. “I'll be right back,” he said.

“Where are you going now?” Dovie asked.

“To the patrol car. I want to radio the office. Tell 'em what happened and where we are.”