Free A Widow Plagued by Allie Borne

buckets.”
    Nodding, Gavin strode from the room. Millie returned to Sara and helped her to get on her hands and knees. “Get out!” Sara yelped as Gavin came in with the palette.
    “I will leave when I have done what is needed,” he returned calmly. Picking up Hannah, Gavin lay her on the tick and tucked the blankets about her.
    The moment he left, Sara turned to Millie and stated, “I do not want him here.”
    “He will come in only to bring me what I need. I am sorry, Sara, but I will need some help.”
    Sara sighed and lay back upon her side.
    ~
    Sweat poured from Sara as her labor continued into its ninth hour. Something is wrong, she is not progressing, yet the contractions have become more intens e , Millie thought. Anxiously, she coaxed Sara onto her back and pushed up her night rail to examine her again. It was a foot she felt! A foot! No wonder her water hadn’t broken and the head had not moved down! The child was breech! How had she not seen this all along?
    She was not expecting it; that was why. First, children were rarely breech, in comparison with those to follow. This one would not be, if she could help it. “I will return promptly,” Millie patted Sara on the shoulder and slid quickly from the room.
    Rushing down the stairs, she called out, “Lord Sanders! Please! Where art thou? Lord Sanders!” Sitting up from his pallet in front of the hearth, Sir Gavin gazed blankly at Millie.
    “What is it? What is the matter?” he croaked out, half-asleep.
    “Tis the bairn! The child is breech! Come, I need thy help to turn it.”
    “What art thou saying, Millie? Turn the babe? I have no experience with birthing. Tis unnatural that a man be in the birthing chamber. Tis bad luck. I should not be there.”
    “Nonsense! Now, listen to me! Sara cannot continue to labor as she has. She is already growing fatigued and with little result. Each of us will get on either side of her and turn the baby in the womb. Once the head is down, the baby will come quickly and all should be well. I just pray that the cord does not get wrapped around the child’s neck, but we have nay better choices. They will both die if we do nothing.”
    Gavin nodded. He had assisted surgeons in battle when young men needed a limb amputated. He could assist a midwife in birthing a baby. Entering the room, Gavin paled to see Sara, bathed in sweat, lying on her side in utter exhaustion. She was normally so vibrant; she looked to be fading away.
    “Sara,” Millie called smoothly. “Thy babe is in the wrong position. This is why he has not yet been born. Lord Sanders and I shall help thee to have this baby. We are going to turn the child in thy womb, so that he can come out the right way. Art thou listening, Sara?”
    At Sara’s moan, Millie continued. “We will have to roll thee onto thy back for a brief time. I need thee to stay relaxed and allow us to push on thy stomach. Canst thou stay relaxed, Sara?”
    At that moment, another contraction racked Sara’s body; she contorted in pain. “The moment this contraction passes, we will roll her. We will both push the baby, I will push his head down while ye push his bottom up. He must come out headfirst.”
    As Millie talked, she pulled out a jar of salve and rubbed it into her palms. “Rub this into thy hands. Twill help thee to move along her skin. The idea is to push the baby, not her belly, understand?”
    “I pray so...” Gavin responded.
    “Okay, the contraction is passing, now! Roll her on her back; dost thou feel the bottom?” Millie moved his hands to the proper place on Sara’s abdomen. “Ye must move his bottom up, while I move his head. We must move together. Go!”
    Working, probing deep beneath the surface of her stomach, the two moved the child sideways before Sara’s womb tightened again. “Keep thy hand on the babe!” Millie ordered. “We cannot allow him to turn back the way he was!” The moment the tightening eased, they again worked the baby until, suddenly,