Eleanor ran to Carol. “Well – we got to get her to the hospital right now!” Duncan took Carol’s arm from Mr. Thompson who stepped aside.
“It’s too late for that!” Edith shouted over the approaching storm. “The roads will all be underwater and swamped with alligators by the time we get there!”
Carol bent over and cried out loudly, holding her abdomen.
“Well, we got to do something! Or else she’s going to have it right here on the porch!”
Duncan picked her up and kissed her on the cheek as he carried her inside. Mr. Thompson opened the door for them. Carol lay her head against his shoulder and put her left arm around his neck. She still had her right hand on her abdomen and she kissed him looking up.
“I can always count on you,” she said with a faint smile.
“I reckon we can always count on each other.”
“Bring her in here,” Richard opened the master bedroom door.
“Yes, that’s perfect,” Edith followed in behind. “Lay her down here on the bed, Duncan,” she said. “It’s the most comfortable place we got.”
Duncan leaned over and placed Carol down in the middle of the bed. Another contraction came and she cried out loudly.
“Them’s getting stronger.”
Eleanor squeezed in behind Duncan who was holding Carol’s hand. “We’ll take over things from here,” she said. “You men – out!”
“But, but – ”
“Out, out,” Eleanor pushed Duncan, Richard and Ronald Thompson out.
“Boil some water, Ron.” Edith looked up just as Eleanor closed the door. Outdoors the wind rattled the house and suddenly the rain pummeled them in a downpour.
“We got to get these here windows closed up tight and the shutters on a’fore they gets blowed in!” Richard said. “This here hurricane’s going to be in there with them babies if we don’t hurry, Paw. Forget the boiling water for now! Come on!”
The three of them, Duncan, Richard and Ronald Thompson rushed through the old ranch house and closed all of the windows as tight as they could. The driving rain beat down on the roof as the wind pushed around the huge juniper tree just outside the front porch. Its massive limbs groaned. The wind stripped off the leaves and small branches, hitting the glass window panes loudly. It whistled and howled around them as Duncan, Richard and Ronald worked outside to nail plywood up over the window casements. They were nearly done, except for the last window in the kitchen which suddenly blew in. Duncan held on to the last sheet of plywood along with Richard and Ron, but even his great strength couldn’t hold it and it fluttered out of their grasp and hit Richard in the head.
“Rich!” Ronald called out as he went to his son. There was a gash on the left temple with blood pouring out. Ron removed his snakebite dressing and held it tightly up against Richard’s head.
“Come on, Duncan,” he said. “We got to get him inside!”
Duncan picked him up and the three of them went in through the kitchen door which slammed shut once they were able to go through it. It didn’t matter. With the kitchen window smashed, the hurricane force winds now were nearly as bad inside as they were out. The old ranch house moaned and groaned. Broken dishes, spice jars and kitchen knives were scattered around on the floor as they made their way into the living room. Ronald held his hand over his face to shield his eyes from the debris blowing about. Duncan lay the unconscious Richard on the couch while his father held the bloody bandage to his head.
Eleanor opened to door to the bedroom but she was met with a blast of wind.
“What’s going on out here?” She shouted. Carol screamed from inside with another strong contraction. “The babies are coming!”
“The wind blew in the window!” Ron shouted back.
Eleanor slammed the door shut. Duncan put his shoulder to the open door for the kitchen which was banging back and forth and he groaned finally closing it against the wind.
“That won’t last long, Duncan!” Ron said. “Put my easy chair up agin it!”
Duncan picked up the huge overstuffed easy chair and shoved it against the kitchen door. Out in the kitchen the sounds of breaking dishes and glass continued and the house groaned and moaned. Richard stirred on the couch and moaned, putting his hand up to his head.
“What happened?” He opened his eyes.
“You was hit in the head. Duncan done saved you and brought you in.”
“Oh,” Richard groaned holding his hand up to his head.
“I sure am glad to see you,” Ronald Thompson patted his son on the arm. “I thought for sure I lost you, boy.” He sniffed.
Duncan sat down on the easy chair as all around them the wind howled, the house groaned and the rain pelted down on the roof. “How long these things last?”
“Hours – sometimes a whole day.” Ronald Thompson cleaned the gash on Richard’s head. “Depends on which ways it’s headed and how fast.”
Inside the room, Carol screamed.
“No, I meant her.”
“Oh – that,” Mr. Thompson looked up. “Same thing. They’s can last for quite a spell too!”
Duncan knelt with his head between his knees and his hands to the back of his neck. “Oh, God!” He said. “T’ain’t there nothing we can do?”
“Nary a thing I’m afraid, Duncan.” Ronald Thompson looked up at him. “But don’t you worry none. My Edith’s birthed many a colt, filly ‘n calf in her day. I reckon if there be anybody ‘cept’n the doctor what can get them babies safely delivered here in this world – even during a hurricane – it’s her!”
Duncan rocked back and forth, still holding his hands to the back of his neck. “Oh my God!” He said.
With a massive booming crash the huge juniper tree outside the porch uprooted and smashed into the front of the house sweeping through the bedroom Carol was in. It narrowly missed Eleanor and Edith, but it wiped off the entire front of the house. The wind picked up the roof and in less than a second it tore completely off and blew away. All three women screamed as the hurricane thundered in.
Duncan struggled to reach Carol against the hurricane and the scattered debris in the way. He picked up smashed up pieces of furniture and threw them desperately aside. The winds were howling all around them now. Duncan’s way was blocked by some roof beams and branches. Reaching down he lifted them up with all of his strength and shoved them aside.
Carol was screaming from both the wind and rain and the birth pains which were nearly continuous. Duncan pulled the shattered door off the hinges and threw that aside too. The wind picked it up and it disappeared into the storm. Duncan lifted up Eleanor and Edith who were lying on the floor. Placing himself between the raw winds of the hurricane and Carol, he reached down and lifted her up off the now soaked and torn bed.
Edith took Eleanor’s arm. “The smokehouse!” She shouted. “We got to get to the old brick smokehouse out back! It’s the only place we can be right now!”
Duncan nodded and carrying Carol, he followed them out past Ronald and Richard lying down on the floor. Richard was trying to get up, but Ron wasn’t strong enough to help him. He pulled him behind the overturned couch which provided a little protection from the shrieking wind and rain.
“Stay here!” Duncan shouted. “I’ll come back and get you both!”
Ronald Thompson nodded and made a thumbs-up gesture.
“Go! Go! Go!” He shouted.
Edith and Eleanor struggled through the wind and rain behind the old farmhouse to the squat red-brick smokehouse building. It was square and partially set down into the hard-packed dirt of the barnyard with a large square heavy oak door. Edith opened the door and the four of them went inside. It was dark and smelled of old woodsmoke and fat renderings but it was safe and the sounds from outside were considerably lessened. There was an old cutting bench alongside each thick brick wall. Carol squeezed Duncan’s hand and gritted her teeth. She screamed and grimaced mightily, her fingernails digging deeply into his palm.
“Here, Duncan,” Edith said, after lighting an old-time oil lamp hanging from the ceiling. She patted the tables. “Put her down here!”
Duncan placed her down on the oaken cutting boards and took off his shirt. He placed it down near her buttocks and Carol lifted up. Eleanor sat behind Carol’s shoulders and lay her head in her lap. She was soaked through from both from rain and sweat. Edith sat down at the other end and examined her.
“We got things here Duncan,” she said. “Go get my man and son!” She pointed back toward the house.
Duncan nodded and turned, opening the big door of the smokehouse. Wind and rain poured in. He closed it behind him.
As soon as Duncan left, Edith looked up. “I sees the head,” she said. “One of ‘em’s nearly here.”
This is a full-length unpublished fictional novel that I’m posting here each week. It’s still a work-in-progress, so you can actually read it as I’m writing it. Not even I know how it’s going to turn out yet! More than 305 previous pages are here on Facebook if you wish to read them. You can also read sample chapters from my other books at www.aperrinauthor.com Please “Like” my page and come back for more every Thursday night until 1/1/2022. After that date please visit www.booklocker.com.
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