Maude Read Free Page A

found Tommy’s
watch from the little pedestal that it rested on. It was
the one that his father had given him that he carried
only on Sundays. The doctor stood and pulled the chair
up next to the bed. He motioned for me to sit. He took
my hand and pressed my palm against Helen’s side.
“First babies take a long time coming. I can’t
stay here all afternoon and night. I’ll be in my office
when you need me. It’s right down the street.” He
pushed my hand firmly against Helen’s side. “Feel her
stomach?”
I nodded.
“Watch her face, and you’ll be able to tell when
a pain is coming, even if she doesn’t wake up. When
the pain starts, her stomach will get real hard for a few
minutes and then it will let up for a while. At first it
will be a long time from one pain to the next, but
they’ll get closer together all the time. Do you
understand?”
I nodded again.
“Good, now, when those pains start coming
about five minutes apart you have Tommy come and
get me.”
Again, I just nodded that I understood. The
doctor stood left the room. I could hear him talking to
Tommy in the kitchen, then the slamming of the screen
door.
All afternoon and into the evening, I sat staring
at Helen’s face and watching for it to change. I kept
one hand or the other pressed against my sister’s side,
changing hands when one got tired, but her stomach
never changed. Tommy came in and out of the room
every half-hour with a puzzled expression on his face.
He would look at me and ask if anything was
happening, and I would shake my head in silence.
Finally he threw his hands up in the air in surrender. “I
have to get another woman to help us. It isn’t right for
only a little girl and a man to be in here with this going
on. I’m going to get my Aunt Deborah.”
Tommy’s mother had passed away the year
before, and Deborah was the only female relative he
had left. She lived on the other end of town.
I knew it would take more than a few minutes for
him to get back, and I was afraid to be left alone with
such a big responsibility, but the thought of having
someone else come to take over the job eased my
mind. My eyes locked onto Tommy’s. He seemed to
be asking for my approval. I forgot I was only seven
years old.
“That’ll be good,” I said. “Hurry up.”
He raced out of the house. He hadn’t been gone
two minutes before Helen let out a loud moan and
stiffened her body. Under my palm, I could feel
Helen’s stomach become as hard as rock. I looked at
the watch standing on the table. It was seven thirtyfive.
“Seven thirty-five.” I said it out loud so I would
remember the time. After a few minutes Helen relaxed
and her stomach softened. It was happening like the
doctor said it would, and it made me feel better. It was
going to be all right. Tommy would bring Aunt
Deborah, and when the pains got close enough, they
would have the doctor there.
Only, it wasn’t a half-hour before the next pain
came. I stared at the watch as Helen’s stomach
hardened under my hand. It was only five minutes. I
wanted to call out for help, but there wasn’t anyone
else within the reach of my voice. I was afraid to leave
Helen alone to go run for the doctor, and afraid not to
run for the doctor.
After a few minutes the pain let up. I bolted from
my chair and ran out to the front porch, down the steps
and over to the Thompson’s house next door. I
pounded on the door with the side of my fist as hard as
I could. One of the older boys opened the door and
looked at me in surprise.
I shouted, “The baby’s coming! I need Doctor
Wilson at Tommy’s right now, please go get him.”
Then I turned on my heel and ran back to Helen’s
bedside. Helen was relaxed again and looked like she
was sleeping. I sat back down on the chair and pressed
my hand against Helen’s now-familiar stomach. In a
few minutes another pain came, only this time Helen’s
eyes popped open for the first time since that
afternoon, and she screamed loudly. She turned