Aboard Providence Page 10

  Catherine began to grin then sucked in a breath and doubled over as another contraction gripped her. Marian tossed the damp shawl back onto Peggy’s bunk and helped steady her mother. When the pain passed, Catherine straightened her posture and walked with legs wide, one step at a time until they were at the stairs.

  Olivia and Mrs. Owens moved the children out of the stairwell, and Anna Ashton met them on the steps. She helped Marian walk Catherine carefully up the stairs, across the deck to the ship’s sterncastle, and into the captain’s cabin.

  Two rows of windows were open across the back of the well-lit cabin, allowing fresh air into the room. A sextant was atop a stack of closed books on a Davenport desk beneath the windows. All of the cabinet doors along the wall were closed except one.

  Anna had pulled the mattress off the patient berth and onto the floor so she had plenty of room to assist the birthing mother. She bent over the mattress and covered it with freshly washed linens. As she fluffed a feather pillow, she looked up at Marian. “Did anyone alert Jonah?”

  Marian shook her head. “Mother’s pains came on so quickly, I brought her straight here like Doctor Ashton told me to. Jonah is still tending to him down below. He has the curtain closed.”

  As Anna helped Catherine down to the mattress on the floor, she glanced back at Marian. “Not to worry. I’ve attended thirty births. No need to call in the physicians unless we need them.” Anna began to examine Catherine, as she had before the last three births.

  Marian walked to the open windows and let the fresh air cool her face. Her skirt brushed the leaves of the captain’s blueberry plants and made her wish she were at home in the garden. It would be almost time for spring planting. It did no good to think back; she must only look to the future.

  She stepped to the Davenport and ran her finger along the navigational instrument and the medical books on the desk. They were Jonah’s textbooks from college. There was so much knowledge to be had in the world, and she didn’t have any of it. She only knew the basic botany she had begun teaching herself before the voyage and it seemed like a speck of knowledge compared to navigating a ship or performing surgery. She reached for the books.

  “Oh, dear,” Anna mumbled. “The child is still breach.”

  Catherine’s chin began to quiver. Marian dropped to her knees beside the mattress and caressed her mother’s arm. “Don’t worry, Mother. It’ll be all right. Mrs. Ashton will do something.” She looked at Anna. “You can do something, can’t you?”

  Anna wiped her hands on her apron as she stood. She paced the patch of floor between the mattress and the cabinets. “There’s a method the old midwives in Dover taught me. We have to create motion to get the baby to turn.”

  Marian took a clean cloth and dabbed the sweat on her mother’s forehead. “More motion than being on a constantly moving ship?”

  “Don’t be smart.” Catherine’s scold lacked sincerity. She laid her head back on the pillow and groaned. “Whatever you think is best, Anna. We will try it.”

  Anna stopped pacing and pointed at Marian. “Stand up and help me.”

  “What do I do?”

  “We have to shake the bed.” Anna bent over and gripped the corners of the foot of the mattress. “Grab the top corners and we’ll shake the mattress. Lie flat, Catherine, and tell us if the baby moves.”

  Marian did as she was told and helped Anna shake the mattress. When her mother gagged and clasped both hands over her mouth, they stopped. Anna knelt beside the mattress and touched Catherine’s belly. “She isn’t moving.”

  Marian looked at Anna. “Does that mean it didn’t work?”

  Catherine rolled to her side. “I’m going to be sick.”

  As Marian slid a bowl close to her mother’s face, she looked at Anna. “Why did you say she? Do you think it’s a girl?”

  “Well, no boy would give his mother this amount of trouble.”

  Catherine wiped her face as she returned her head to the pillow. “I don’t care as long as she or he turns.”

  Anna examined her again and Marian took the bowl and stood to carry it outside. As she reached for the door, Olivia opened it from the other side. Her black hair fell across her face. She gave Marian a sympathetic look then shifted her gaze to Anna. “I told Jonah that Mrs. Foster is in labor. He’s out here by the ship’s wheel in case you need him.”

  “Thank you, Olivia,” Anna said without looking away from Catherine as she rubbed her hands along her belly, trying to determine the baby’s position. They all watched and waited while Anna concentrated on whatever she was feeling beneath Catherine’s skin. Finally, she pulled her hands away. She covered Catherine by pulling the sheet up from her waist. “Tell Jonah to come inside. We need him. Marian, go clean out that bowl.”

  “No!” Catherine cried then gasped as she clutched her abdomen. She spoke through clenched teeth as another contraction captured her. “Olivia can clean the bowl; I don’t want Marian to leave me.”

  Marian handed the bowl to Olivia and rushed back to her mother’s side. If this baby didn’t come out alive, her mother wouldn’t move on from this moment, which meant Marian wouldn’t be allowed to move on. She wiped the cloth across her mother’s face. “You will be all right. Just breathe slowly. I won’t leave you.” She tried to comfort her mother, but inwardly braced for the screams and the crying and the grief that would follow if she birthed another dead child.

  Jonah knocked once on the cabin door then let himself in. Anna met him by the door and began to whisper. Though her volume was soft, the fear in her voice was ill concealed. Jonah cuffed his sleeves as he listened to his mother’s hushed report, but his eyes were on Catherine, his expression solemn.

  Olivia opened the cabin door a crack. She passed the clean bowl to Anna and closed the door again. Anna said one last word to Jonah and shrugged.

  Marian felt more relieved with each step Jonah took toward them. As he crouched beside the mattress, he glanced at Marian. “I will do everything in my power to help her.”

  She nodded, unable to properly respond, and Jonah swiftly turned his attention to Catherine. His low voice never wavered as he asked her about her pains and the baby’s movement. Anna stood behind him with her hands folded, waiting to assist her son. Marian wondered how often Anna had assisted Doctor Ashton in his medical practice over the years and was fascinated that mother was now assisting son.

  Jonah told Catherine that he needed to perform an examination and as he laid his palm on her belly, she gripped Marian’s hand. When another contraction overtook Catherine, her face contorted from the pain. “Just do it, Jonah,” she cried with a broken voice. “Whatever you have to do to save me from this child, do it.”

  “It’ll be fine, Mother.” Marian stroked Catherine’s wet hair, pouring out words of comfort. “Try to breathe slowly.”

  Jonah moved with gentle confidence and conducted his examination. Anna stood beside him with a towel, and when he was done, he wiped his hands. “I believe I can turn the baby.”

  “What?” Anna blurted. “You’ll rip the woman apart.”

  Jonah turned his chin toward Anna. “Externally, Mother.”

  She scowled at him. “It’s not possible.”

  Marian forgot about wiping her mother’s sweat and stared up at Jonah. She realized her mouth was hanging open and closed it promptly before he looked at her.

  “It was demonstrated in an obstetrics course and I learned the technique.” Jonah put his hand on Catherine’s abdomen and felt around. “Mrs. Foster, I’d like to try to turn the baby. It might be difficult since the bag of waters has already broken, but I believe it can be done.”

  Catherine nodded as much as the pillow allowed. “Then try. I trust you.”

  He pushed the sheet away, exposing her abdomen, and then he moved his hands across her belly in all directions. “Since you are between contractions, I need to begin now.” He glanced continually between Catherine’s face and his hands as he began working.

  Marian
raised her head to watch as Jonah pushed low where the dark midline met the bedsheet that was covering Catherine’s bottom half. He sank his fingers deeper into her abdomen than Marian knew was possible and the baby began to move visibly beneath Catherine’s skin. His hands guided the baby’s movements and mounds rose and fell as the child turned inside the womb. Soon the baby was sideways, but as Jonah continued applying pressure, the lumps moved until the belly was smooth again. Finally, he pulled his hands away. “It worked.”

  Catherine released her grip on Marian’s hand. “It worked!” She let out a little laugh and then drew a sharp breath as the next contraction began.

  Jonah stepped to the open cabinet and took out a journal. As soon he was away, Anna knelt between Catherine’s knees. She smiled and looked at Marian. “She’ll be fine.”

  Jonah wrote something then closed the journal and put it back in the cabinet. He brushed his hands together as he turned to face them. Marian could not take her eyes off him. He had helped her mother and the baby, and though it might have been by a scientific technique he’d learned in medical school, it was miraculous to behold. Even if they made it to South America and Jonah went back to America on the ship with Captain Frakes, he would forever be a hero in her mind.

  Jonah looked down at Anna. “Do you want me to stay and oversee the delivery?”

  “No,” Anna answered. “She might still have an hour yet.”

  He nodded. “Should I go get Mr. Foster?”

  “No,” Catherine answered. “Leave him be.”

  Jonah furrowed his brow but didn’t say anything. After a moment he reached for the door. “I will stay close if you need me.” Before he stepped out, his gaze settled on Marian and she was glad she was already seated. He grinned, making her wonder if her feelings for him were obvious. She pressed her lips together, hoping to conceal her delight, but a smile still broke through. He turned to leave, and she stared until he closed the cabin door.

  * * *

  Jonah couldn’t sleep even though it was long after midnight. Tossing and turning only made him more restless, so he threw off his blanket, slipped on his shoes, and ambled between the bunks and up the stairwell.

  The cloud cover allowed no direct starlight, but the ocean reflected the moon’s virescent glow, illuminating the deck. The calm sea echoed the peace he felt since Mrs. Foster’s healthy baby had been born moments after dusk. He had helped save a life and that was what he had worked so hard for all his years in school.

  Migrating to a remote land was not what he had planned, but since successfully turning the baby, he more than once imagined staying with them to build the settlement. The idea kept coming back into his mind and he grew fonder of it each time. They needed him. He would be doing the work he loved. But he would not have completed his training and he had left Penn under threat of scandal. If he stayed with the group, the gnawing voice of failure would taunt him forever.

  As Jonah leaned against the starboard rail, smoke from the ship’s stove caught his eye. The stove fire was always doused before nightfall. Curious, he walked toward the portside bow. Marian was standing at the stove, pouring boiling water into a tin cup. He stayed where he was for a moment and watched her. Once his schoolmate and now a grown woman, she captivated him with efficacy he neither anticipated nor desired, yet its power built day upon day, compounding until he could think of little else but her.

  Afraid his presence might startle her, he scuffed his footsteps as he walked toward her. She glanced back.

  He grinned as he approached the stove. “It’s a little late for tea, isn’t it?”

  “There is no such thing.” Marian smiled. “Would you like a cup?”

  “Yes.” The air smelled like a mixture of the brewing tea leaves and Marian. It was intoxicating. He stepped closer. “I can’t sleep anyhow.”

  “Nor I.” Her hands shook slightly as she poured hot tea while on a moving ship, but she didn’t spill a drop. “I’m running low on this tea. I still have souchong, and the saplings I brought aboard are still alive despite the clouds, but it’ll be two years before their leaves are ready to harvest. Maybe I’ll find a new type of tea bush in our new land.”

  He loved her optimism. “Maybe. Just promise me you will take care brewing strange plants.”

  “Of course, but I believe most plants are medicinal.”

  “The difference between medicine and poison can be simply a matter of dosage.”

  Marian turned her face toward the dark sea. Maybe he had scared or offended her. He hadn’t meant to.

  At last, she looked back. “Asher. They decided to name the baby Asher after my grandfather.”

  “They? Did your father finally come up top?”

  She nodded.

  Jonah felt the urge to inveigh the unfairness of Mr. Foster leaving Marian to carry Mrs. Foster emotionally. Though men were not generally welcomed near the birthing bed, Jonah had felt the circumstances called for a husband’s strength. He cared about Marian a great deal, but it was not his place to interfere in her family, so he held back his opinion on the matter. “Asher. Strong name for a strong boy.”

  “He will have to be strong, being born on a ship. Asher means happy, and my mother is definitely happy.” She held a cup out to him. “How is your father?”

  “Sleeping.” He took a sip. “His foot swelled quickly, and we don’t have any ice left, so I could only wrap it and tell him to keep it elevated.”

  “Is it broken again?”

  “Only his toe. The bones failed to set properly the first time. I failed to set them properly and left him vulnerable.” Jonah felt guilty. He didn’t want to talk about his failure. He pointed at the fire inside the stove. “Are you done with that?”

  When Marian nodded, he passed his cup to her, picked up a pail beside the stove, and splashed the embers inside the firebox. They hissed and steamed in response. He returned the pail to the hook beside the stove.

  Marian handed him back his cup. “I know everyone said it a dozen times this evening, but thank you for helping my mother and the baby. You were impressive. I’m truly grateful.”

  “I’m glad I was able to help. But I was impressed by you.”

  “Me?”

  “Not just during the labor, but these past three months. You’ve barely left your mother’s side. You encourage her constantly. Not just her, but all of us.” Jonah motioned to a bench amidships. They walked there together and she sat. He took another sip then lowered himself to the bench beside her, glad to have a moment alone with her. “You have a way of comforting people. When anyone is afraid of death, you speak life. You’re able to say the right words at the right time.”

  She shrugged slightly. “Maybe, but I can only tell people that things will be all right. I know that helps them feel better, but you actually have the ability to make them better.”

  “Not always.”

  “You did with my mother and the baby.”

  “Until that one success, I’d felt like I was swimming in a sea of failure. I’d hoped to be a proper physician by now but—” Jonah stopped himself, unwilling to dampen Marian’s happy night. “This is not how I imagined my career.”

  “Maybe it’s time you redefined success.” She placed her empty cup beside her and pointed at the sails. “This might not be what you had planned, and leaving America before you earned your medical degree might seem like a failure to you, but you saved two lives tonight, not to mention helping your father. We would not be here if it weren’t for you. And even though it’s difficult and right now we feel like we are sailing nowhere, this is God’s plan for us and He is using you in our lives.”

  Jonah stared at her, captivated by her words and her faith. He fell deeper in love with her every minute he spent near her. He wanted to share his life with her, but if they stayed with the group, he had nothing to offer her. She deserved so much more in life than building a remote settlement and the discomforts and dangers sure to be involved. She deserved the education she yearned for and t
he comfort of luxury and to experience the finer culture he could provide in America.

  He loved her and trusted her and needed her. Needing her scared him the most. He needed his education. He needed professional validation. He needed his father’s approval. But needing a woman? What an unwelcome inconvenience! But sitting beside her, the more he tried to suppress his feelings, the more intense they became.

  Though his logic told him it was romantic nonsense, he couldn’t deny his heart another day. He set his cup down and reached for her hand. A smile lit her eyes, and it encouraged him. His admiration had grown beyond affection and he couldn’t ignore it any longer. “Come with me.”

  Marian’s eyebrows raised a degree. “Where?”

  “No… not now…” Consumed with a sudden desperation to keep her admiration, Jonah struggled to find the right words. He couldn’t ask her what he needed to without telling Captain Frakes’ secret, but he couldn’t let this opportunity alone with her pass. He swallowed his better judgment. “When we make landfall, after the group disembarks, Captain Frakes isn’t returning to America. He plans to take the ship to the nearest port city and sell it. But I told him I must return to medical school and he promised to get me on a ship going back to America. I want you to come with me.”

  “To America?”

  “I want you in my life, Marian. Watching you with your mother, and the way you handle these difficult situations, and I don’t know what will be waiting for me when I go home, but I know I will be able to handle it better if I have you with me.”

  “To help you handle difficult situations?”

  “Yes—no—in every situation. I want you with me. Beside me.” The words gushed out ineloquently. He wasn’t making sense. “I’m sorry, I’m babbling. All I know is I’ve come to admire you very much. I feel like I could face anything with you beside me. I wish I could stay with the settlement, but I cannot. I want you in my life. Come back to America with me. After I get my degree, I was planning to work at a hospital in Philadelphia, but I could open a private practice instead. You could be a nurse. You’d be good at it and I you’d enjoy helping people in that way. Come back with me. It’s the only logical plan.”