Chapter 26

twenty-six

T rudy rapped gently on the door of Jo’s room. “Jo? Are you sleeping?”

“Hello?”

Trudy heard her voice faintly through the door. She knocked again but something told her to open it immediately. She did and found Jo sitting on the edge of the bed with damp hair and a pale face.

“Jo,” Trudy exclaimed, rushing to her side. “What’s wrong? What happened?”

“I think this impertinent baby wants to be born. Now.”

“Oh, my. Well, if that’s what he wants then… that’s what he wants. Are you having birth pangs?”

Jo nodded.

“For how long?”

“They started as soon as Chase left but he said you’d be coming to see me, so I’ve just been waiting.”

“Oh, my goodness. I’m so sorry I didn’t come sooner. He said you were sleeping.”

“I thought I would be.” She frowned and clutched the quilt beneath her as a labor pain took hold. “But this keeps happening.”

Trudy felt a ripple of unease. She’d delivered her fair share of babies but none that arrived early, and it seemed as if Jo’s progress might be farther along than she’d like. It didn’t give either of them much time to prepare. A quick examination proved her right, and never before had she so wished to be wrong.

“I need to go and get a few supplies,” Trudy said with false tranquility. “I’ll send someone to town to find Chase, but I’ll be back to you lickity split, all right? You stay right here.”

“Where would I go?” Jo murmured, and Trudy was glad she still maintained her sense of humor. That wouldn’t last.

Trudy quietly shut the hotel room door, then hoisted up her skirts and ran as fast as she could to the to the lobby—the nearly deserted lobby.

It seemed everyone had gone to the horse races, including her own family. It certainly would have been handy to have her mother or father here, but the only person Trudy could find was the scruffy-haired, freckle-faced porter who had been in the reading room on the day of the scavenger hunt. He was perched behind the registration desk reading a newspaper.

“Hey, I know you,” he said, smiling brightly as she arrived at the desk breathless and in an obvious hurry. “Somethin’ wrong?”

“Let’s hope not,” she said emphatically, slapping her hand against the desk. “I need you to do several things for me. Are there any other porters around?”

He shrugged casually. “Can’t rightly say but I bet there’s some folks in the kitchen. Are ya hungry?”

She shook her head. “No, I am not hungry. I’m delivering a baby.”

He raised up on his toes to look at her belly, confusion adding to his already present squint.

“Not me,” she said tersely. “Mrs. Jo Bostwick in room 201 is about to have her baby and I need to help her, but I also need some supplies, and I need to find her husband.”

“She don’t have no husband?” His eyes went round with shock.

“No,” Trudy said impatiently. “I mean yes. She does have a husband but he’s in town with Mr. Plank and I need someone to fetch him.”

“Fetch Mr. Plank?”

“No. Uh! Never mind. I’ll check in the kitchen.”

“Dr. Hart?”

Trudy spun at the sound of a feminine voice to find Lorna walking toward her, concerned etched on her pretty face.

“Is something wrong?”

Lorna was certainly not the first person Trudy would have solicited assistance from, but it was either her or this sweet but useless young man behind the desk.

“Mrs. Bostwick is about to have her baby, and I need several things. Can you help me?”

Lorna’s eyes widened in surprise. “Yes, ma’am. Of course. What to you need?”

Trudy took a breath and exhaled slowly. “I need someone to go to town and find Mr. Bostwick. I need someone to track down the midwife, Mrs. Worthington. Someone needs to find Constance Bostwick and Daisy. And I need an assortment of medical supplies which we could probably get from Dr. Prescott’s office if he’s willing to share.”

“There are a few employees in the lounge, ma’am. I was just there. I can run back to see if they might help, and if you give me a list of supplies, I know where Dr. Prescott’s office is, too.”

Relief flooded through her. “That’s excellent, Lorna. Thank you. If you could go to the lounge now while I write a list, that might be the most expedient.”

“Yes, ma’am. Certainly.”

True to her word, Lorna was back in minutes with Mr. Tippett, Harlan Callaghan, Mrs. Culpepper and a handful of employees Trudy didn’t recognize but who she very much appreciated.

She doled out the various tasks then sprinted to her room to find her copy of The Principles and Practice of Obstetrics. Coco had teased her for bringing medical textbooks along on their holiday but thank goodness Trudy had ignored her. She tucked the manual discreetly under a towel since it surely would not put anyone at ease to see her flipping through the pages while Jo was in the thick of childbirth, but in the event of a complication, she’d be glad to have it nearby.

Outside Jo’s door once more, Trudy smoothed her hair and her skirts. Her nerves were jangled by adrenaline, but it was essential she present a calm and professional manner. She could panic on the inside if necessary, but Jo needed her to be confident and soothing. Everything was fine. It would all be fine.

“This baby is so rude,” Jo whimpered as soon as she saw Trudy, but in spite of her teasing words, it was obvious she was in distress. Her hair had grown more damp and her cheeks were flushed. She’d rolled to her side and was curled into as much of a ball as her body would allow.

“Yes, very rude,” Trudy agreed quietly, moving to the bed and rubbing her back. “But you’ll forgive him and love him anyway. At least that’s what my mother says. Now let’s see if we can make you a bit more comfortable.”

Mrs. Culpepper arrived minutes later with a tea made of black cohosh, yarrow, and red raspberry leaf, just as Trudy had instructed.

“Here, darling, drink this,” Trudy encouraged she mopped Jo’s brow and watched the clock. She was keeping track of the birth pangs as well as wondering if Chase would arrive in time. Things were progressing quickly.

Jo took a few sips then let out a stifled groan as another pang took hold.

“They’re getting stronger,” she said with a grimace, once it had passed.

“That’s good. They’re supposed to, and you’re doing so well, Jo. But drink the tea. It will help,” Trudy said soothingly. “And just remember that every breath you take brings you closer to welcoming your beautiful baby into the world. I’m sure the midwife will be along any minute.”

Jo turned her eyes to Trudy, her expression filled with worry, even as she said, “You’re here. I know you’ll take good care of us.”

Her trust filled Trudy with warmth and a renewed determination to provide the best care possible. She would have done that anyway, of course, but this was personal. Jo was dear to her. They were sisters of a sort. Two bold, unique women determined to leave their mark in a world that sought to keep them small and silent. But they would not be ignored. And neither would this baby.

“Focus on my voice, dear,” Trudy murmured as another pain rolled over Jo. “You’re getting there.”

But when she examined Jo just a few moments later, Trudy realized she wasn’t getting there.

She was there.

“We need a proper racetrack,” Hugo shouted above the chaos of the crowd lining Main Street. “It’s no good missing half the race because the horses are out of sight.”

“Add that to the list or our new businesses,” Chase shouted back. “The Bostwick Derby.”

“I was thinking Hugo Downs,” he replied with a wink and a hearty gulp of ale.

They were standing outside the saloon, aptly named The Saloon. The racehorses had galloped past just moments before, starting at the south end of the street and heading north before disappearing behind buildings and it would be a moment or two at least before they reappeared. Alex was tempted to get himself another ale but spotted a lone rider galloping down Main Street.

Surely not one of the racers. No horse could run that fast.

Alex craned his neck as the crowd took note of the rider and he realized with a start that it was Mr. Tippett. He tugged on his brother’s sleeve, nodding at the hotel’s social director as the man he pulled up the reins in the center of the road.

“Chase Bostwick,” Tippett bellowed. “You’re about to become a father!”

Alex laughed as the crowd cheered, but his brother was not amused. He looked stricken and fearful.

“Give me that horse,” he shouted to Tippett as the sidewalk crowd parted to let him pass.

“Take mine. He’s fresh,” another man called out, and somehow, within moments, Chase and Alex were each mounted on trusty steeds and in a race of their own back to the hotel.

Alex had never ridden so fast, nor seen his brother move with such alacrity and focus. Once they arrived at the Imperial, they took the stairs three at a time, rushing to Jo and Chase’s room. They entered through the suite finding Constance sitting primly on the settee. The door to the bedroom was ajar and Chase rushed through it, causing their mother to gasp.

“He has no business being in there,” she uttered tersely. “Childbirth is no place for a man.”

Alex knew it wasn’t a place for him, at least, but he found himself drawn to the opening between the door and the frame. He had to know what was happening in that other room.

A quick peek revealed Jo on the bed with Trudy sitting at the foot of it. He saw Mrs. Culpepper and Daisy and… Lorna? What on earth was she doing there? She was lingering at the edge of the room, but his attention was quickly drawn back to Trudy who offered a quick smile of relief as she saw Chase, and then returned her full attention to Jo.

Alex turned away, not wanting to impose on their privacy, but remained standing next to the door so he might listen. It was all right for him to listen, wasn’t it? He hoped so because hearing Trudy offer clear, calm instructions and words of encouragement to his sister-in-law filled him with a sense of wonder. Something miraculous was occurring, and she was in the thick of it, using her hard-earned expertise and God-given talents to guide a new life into this world. He was mesmerized just from the sounds of it.

“Darling, I got here as fast as I could,” Chase murmured to Jo. “I’m so sorry I wasn’t here sooner.”

“You’re here now,” she mumbled tiredly.

Time hung suspended as the women moved about the room, and Trudy continued soothing Jo with her words and her ministrations.

“You’re almost there, Jo. Almost. One big push, push, push, push.”

Then came a silence that seemed to last for an eternity, until a slap echoed throughout the room, followed by a hearty squall, and Alex sagged against the doorframe.

“It’s a boy!” Trudy announced, her voice trembling with emotion. “He looks perfect. Now let’s get that second one.”

Alex’s head snapped back up and he looked into the bedroom once more.

“The second one?” Chase croaked, appearing more dazed than elated.

“Twins,” Constance muttered, shaking her head. “Of course, it’s twins.”

“Two impertinent babies,” Daisy said with a smile. “Isn’t it grand?”

Chase looked toward the doorway, caught Alex’s eye, and then they both began to laugh.

“Hush, now,” Trudy scolded gently. “Jo and I are still working.”

Alex nodded at his brother, then turned away again to let Trudy do her job.

As he stood there, listening and in awe, he suddenly understood what she’d meant when she’d told him being a doctor wasn’t just something she did. It was part of who she was. And she was wonderful at it. She should never give it up.

He would certainly never ask her to… if she were his wife…

The thought came to him like a thunderbolt, although he realized just as quickly it had been there all along. His destiny had been determined the moment Trudy had stepped outside into the rain to wait beside him, to care for him. To make sure he was all right. To offer him hope. He wanted to provide her with the same.

He wanted to marry her.

He was going to marry her.

He’d be patient this time, though. No rushed engagement or hasty trips down the aisle. She was meant to be his wife, just as soon as she was ready.

And just as soon as he’d set Isabella free, once and for all.