Free Special Delivery (A Valentine's Short Story) by Ginny Baird

Chapter One
     
    Amanda awoke to the sound of a foghorn
wailing across the water. It was going to be another gloomy day,
and snow was predicted this evening. But Amanda trusted her
two-bedroom bungalow to keep her safe and dry. They’d had gas heat
installed and a backup generator at the ready. Plus, there was a
cheery brick hearth by which she could warm her fingers and toes
when the winter chill cut in. She and Luke lived three miles from
the river and forty minutes from the world’s largest naval base in
Norfolk, Virginia. Theirs was a cozy community of starter homes,
nestled among tall oaks and pines with suitably private lots and
cul-de-sac streets that lent themselves to children playing. A
group of them was always outdoors, engaged in a makeshift soccer
game or shooting hoops through the stand-up net the neighbors had
erected at the end of their drive. While some folks might find it
annoying, Amanda didn’t mind the thump-thump-thumping of the
basketball against the pavement, or the hoots and hollers that rang
out each time another kid scored. The hubbub and laughter were all
part of the joy of living in a family neighborhood. She and Luke
would be starting a family of their own soon.
    She felt a stirring inside her and laid her
hands atop her big, round belly. Through her flannel nightie, she
felt a hard lump rise beneath her skin. Ouch, that was sharp! Maybe
an elbow? A smile creased her lips as she thought of how feisty
Little Bean had become. That was the nickname her husband Luke had
given the baby. During that very first ultrasound, he’d commented
that the tiny embryo wasn’t much bigger than a pinto bean. “The
kind that you put in chili.” Amanda could still see the wry
twist to Luke’s lips as he’d said it. He was an incredibly handsome
man, with a buff six-foot frame, dark hair and eyes, and shoulders
broad enough to take on the world. And often he did. Luke was
fighter pilot stationed aboard the USS Liberty . He was gone
for months at time, and Amanda never knew exactly where. His
standard line was to tell her he was going on a training mission.
This was likely because he thought it would worry her less than the
truth, if he were destined for someplace dangerous.
    Amanda threw back the covers and scrambled
into a sitting position. It was hard to maneuver these days.
Carrying the extra thirty pounds was no easy task for her slight,
five-foot-five frame. Yet it was a burden she happily endured. Each
ache and each pain only reminded her of her love for Luke and how
much closer this baby had brought them. Even with him being so far
away. Oooh, what was that twinge? Amanda reached her hands behind
her to massage the tension sprinting from the small of her back and
racing around her belly.
    She inhaled deeply and breathed through it.
Braxton Hicks. Had to be. She’d suffered from enough of these
preparatory contractions to let them startle her. They were
uncomfortable but would lead to a positive end. She’d Skyped with
Luke just last night and told him she thought it would be soon.
Amanda was three days past her due date already. They didn’t yet
know whether it was a girl or a boy. Both had made a pact not to
ask either the obstetrician or ultrasound technician for an
interpretation. They wanted it to be a surprise. Emotion welled
within her, clouding her eyes. If only Luke could be here… But she
knew he couldn’t. She also knew he had no control over his schedule
or the navy’s needs. She’d have to stay strong for her own sake as
well as the baby’s.
    Amanda was grateful she had her close friend
Katie to lean on. Katie was her birthing coach in reserve. Now that
Luke’s mission had been extended and Katie’s role had moved to the
forefront, Katie checked on Amanda daily: at least two times by
phone, and four times by text message. Sometimes she even e-mailed
as well. Amanda knew she was blessed to have a friend like that.
Her mother had passed away when she was in high school, and