"Now don't you worry, Ma'am, this is gonna be alright!"
"I know." Emeline offered a small smile through the pain. "We'll be fine, but we just need to be ready, the first child can take hours, but the time gets shorter..." So, a few hours, maybe? Emeline, honestly, would be happy for ten minutes! "We'll need some blankets, towels...the baby will have to be kept warm."
Laying back, she closed her eyes. "If the rain lets up, maybe I can get to the house, but I don't want to take chances on that." It was just as good here, although the draw of her own room sounded good. "We'll see once Mr. Pike gets here, and in the mean time hope things just wait."
Once his faithful mare was saddle again, it was back out into the rain. Not that he had had time to dry off earlier so it wasn't like he could get much wetter unless he dove into a river. Cade took in the last direction he and Justus had been out there with Mr. Pike. Hopefully the man hadn't wandered too far since then. Because when cowpokes are chasing horses, those animals don't exactly use much logic out there.
It seemed a good hour (but it wasn't in reality) before he finally sighted the others and drew closer. Yes, there was his employer.
He wasn't about to waste time as soon as he got with hearing range, "Boss! Boss! It's yer wife! She's havin' the baby!" Granted that was hardly a sound medical opinion. But the odds were heavily in favor he was right.
Storyteller / Shared NPC
"I know." Emeline offered a small smile through the pain. "We'll be fine, but we just need to be ready, the first child can take hours, but the time gets shorter..." So, a few hours, maybe? Emeline, honestly, would be happy for ten minutes! "We'll need some blankets, towels...the baby will have to be kept warm."
"Now between me an' Danny when he gets back, I believe we can get you inside the house," Nate said optimistically. "Between us, we can do the job, but you need ta just rest up a bit first." It was not that far, and actually, Nate believed he and Danny could certainly help her from the bunkhouse to the main house, rain or no, it was not all that far.
Laying back, she closed her eyes. "If the rain lets up, maybe I can get to the house, but I don't want to take chances on that." It was just as good here, although the draw of her own room sounded good. "We'll see once Mr. Pike gets here, and in the meantime hope things just wait.
"We kin wait on the boss alright, might just be the better thing ta do." Nate just wanted her to be comfortable and most of all safe, the mud might well be a risk not worth taking, and Mister Pike was sent for, so he would be along shortly. "We'll wait a bit and he'll be along fast as he can.
Danny burst through the door, wiping the rain out of his face, "They're off! Cade's after Mister Pike, and Justus he took off fer town!" Nate suddenly felt a lot better. He had delivered calves, but never no human being.
Pronto was pushing to get back, the weather was cold and miserable, but they had rounded up the Morgans and Noeland now it was back k to the barn for the escapees. It would be good if they could do something for the men, as they had all turned out for the horses, and he appreciated that.
He would be glad to get back to Em, time was getting close, or so he figured, maybe a couple of weeks yet, and he was nervous. Pronto Pike was about to become a first time father, and from what Em had promised him, he best get used to it because she had said there would be a lot more on the way.
Somehow the idea of children, a wife, and children had not been something he thought much about after Julia Dey had passed. It was just not what he thought of as a part of his life, but then there was Emiline, and all of that changed. Marriage? Not something that even began to fit his lifestyle, and, then it did. It was then he saw a rider coming as fast as he could ride, it was Cade and that meant something was wrong!
"Take it as it comes," Emeline sighed as she braced for the upcoming marathon. Unfortunately, there really wasn't anything to do for the pain, and she knew she'd have to ride it out, although she was really wishing to have another woman here, particularly one who knew something about birthing babies!
Sure, she'd feel better about this all when the doctor arrived, but even then, another woman would ease some of the embarrassment, even though she knew those worries were unfounded. Once the baby started to come, the last thing anyone was going to pay attention to was...well, what was down there!
"If you think we can make it to the house..." At this point, it really didn't matter to her, besides intruding on the male sanctity of the bunkhouse!
Storyteller / Shared NPC
"We'll make the house, Ma'am. Count on it." A determined Nare said, then, "Danny, you'll allow Missus Pike here has her arm over yer shoulder. You hold onta her an' we'll lead her over't main house."
"Yes sir, like when we toted Weezer back ta camp with his broke leg." Danny remembered. He walked up beside the woman gently took her hand, raising it just enough, and then slid his head under her arm so that it rested on his shoulder, "Gonna be jest fine Ma'am, we'll have you to the house in no time." Doing his best to comfort her. "Ready, Nate."
"Aw-right then." He stated as he repeated the actions Danny had taken, and as gently as they could, they helped Emeline stand, "Here we go Ma'am, steady as she goes now." And they stepped forward toward the open door.
Meanwhile, perhaps a quarter of a mile to a mile away, Barnabas Pike heard the words young Cade said,
"Boss! Boss! It's yer wife! She's havin' the baby!" He had called out galloping toward him. Pike stopped dead. The baby?
"Cade, you see to it these horses get back up to the barn. The boys are back a ways, not to far. Ya might let 'em catch up." Barnabas said, 'The Doc, We gotta get the Doc out here!" There was a touch of near panic setting in, this was new for him. This was his child that was coming!
@Wayfarer
His loud shouting got the message across to Pike even as Cade closed the distance. As he pulled up, Pike responded.
"Cade, you see to it these horses get back up to the barn. The boys are back a ways, not to far. Ya might let 'em catch up." Barnabas said.
"Sure, boss, don't worry about the horses," Cade was confident he could handle it.
Then Piked sounded a bit frantic, 'The Doc, We gotta get the Doc out here!"
"No sir, you just go back to her wife. We already sent a rider for the doc! Justus is far ahead of ya, just go back to the ranch," Cade assured the man.
"We'll make the house, Ma'am. Count on it." A determined Nare said, then, "Danny, you'll allow Missus Pike here has her arm over yer shoulder. You hold onta her an' we'll lead her over't main house."
"I have every confidence," Emeline declared with a tired grin, moving to sit up. This would have to be an efficient expedition to get her to the house before another cramp hit. Gingerly, she pulled on the oversized boots that were now dry, and nice and warm inside, then she let the men help her stand.
"Yes sir, like when we toted Weezer back ta camp with his broke leg." Danny remembered. He walked up beside the woman gently took her hand, raising it just enough, and then slid his head under her arm so that it rested on his shoulder, "Gonna be jest fine Ma'am, we'll have you to the house in no time." Doing his best to comfort her. "Ready, Nate."
"Weezer?" Emeline couldn't help but chuckle at that. "Well, at least my legs are fine, and I'll be up and around again by tomorrow!" They started slowly toward the door, Natty trailing behind, his tail wagging happily.
"Aw-right then." He stated as he repeated the actions Danny had taken, and as gently as they could, they helped Emeline stand, "Here we go Ma'am, steady as she goes now." And they stepped forward toward the open door.
After a few steps, she nodded. "Steady! I'm between contractions, so let's do this quickly." There was no chiding, but she did want to get over there before the next cramp hit. "We'll be fine, but now I'm afraid we'll have to name it Nathaniel Daniel!" She laughed. "Hey, that rhymes, I like it!"
A blast of cool, damp air met them as they headed outside, but at least the rain was gentle by now. Still, there were patches of deep mud, and it was in one of these that Emeline again lost a boot. She started to laugh, hopping on one foot with the men's help, then winced as another pain started.
"No sir, you just go back to yer wife. We already sent a rider for the doc! Justus is far ahead of ya, just go back to the ranch," Cade assured the man.
"Good man, Cade!" Pike said as he laid spurs to the hammerhead roan, who bolted forward and into a full gallop toward the ranchhouse, the rain whipping at the both of them.
Meanwhile...
"Hold on we'll get ya there!" Nate promised as they pushed through the mud toward the main house and all the things they needed. Danny and Nate did all they could to get the woman to the house, as quickly and safely as possible, despite the lost boot.
"We're almost there Ma'am. You hold on now, never mind that lost boot, I'll get it for you later on." Danny stated as they made their way closer to the house.