First Beginnings New Creations

9. Two Brothers

Two months have passed since Gabe and Lyndsay had been in the shed. Charles and Tommy and Jimmy and Mary had left. But Noah got a letter letting them know that they were fine and they would be back by the end of the summer to visit again. Mary was also pregnant again. Lyndsay was in the kitchen cleaning after supper while Noah, Noel and Gabriel were playing cards. Everything was pretty quiet when there was a frantic knock at the door. 

"Please, help me! Please!" A woman's voice was sounding like as if she was terrified for her life. Noah smiled and opened up the door to a woman with a four year old boy. He had red hair and green eyes. His hair was so red that it was hard to not notice him. Explains it since the mother herself was a red head. "May we help you madam?" Noah asked. 

"Please, can you let us in? It's just me and my son, we got lost." Noah took a good look at the woman, her little boy was adorable. The woman looked to be about eight months pregnant. "Come on inside miss." He said. "ohhhh!" the woman howled. "Are you alright?" Gabriel asked. "I'm in labor. I need, oh God I'm bout to push ahhhhhh." The woman cried out. "Lyndsay get her settled upstairs now please, Gariel, Noel get some water and towels hussel everyone!" Noah said with a smile. 

Lyndsay walked the woman up stairs gently helping her get comfortable on her and Gabe's bed. "Easy there sweetie. What's your name?" Lyndsay asked. "My name is Makenzie." "Oh what a lovely name. What is the name of your son?" Lyndsay asked. "It's Jacob. I'm having another boy right now, I wanna name him Michael." "Oh wonderful!" Lyndsay said with a smile. It hit her, Mackenzie's boys could be her's for the taking. The men came inside. Jacob with Noah. "Mommy?" He asked worried. "Don't worry baby, mama's fine. Your little brother is on his way here." Said Mackenzie. "Noel take the little boy to play in the living room please, we'll help the mother deliver her baby." Noah said. 

Noel took Jacob's hand in his. "Come on little man. Don't worry, your mama will be fine." Noah took hold of Mackenzie's hand smiling at her. "Don't worry miss, I've done this before. I'll help you push. Lyndsay hold her hand and Gabriel you watch since you would need to know how to do this when you have your own child." Everyone got in their places. 

As Mackenzie was about to push there was a problem. "Wait stop something's wrong you're bleeding." "Bleeding?" Lyndsay asked in fear. She went over to look. "She can't deliver naturally Noah." Lyndsay said in shock. "Then what?" Noah asked. "You're gonna have to cut me open, my son has to live." Everyone looked at her in shock. "No, no." Lyndsay said in tears. Mackenzie called her over. "Please, my son has to live miss, please. Do it. Cut me open, you just gotta perform a C-section on me. I know I won't make it. Take care of my sons please, take care of them for me." Mackenzie spoke. Noah looked over thinking how this could of happened. "I was taught some of the steps in nursing school but I have no equipment or any medicine to duel your pain before slicing you open." Lyndsay said in tears. "Please. Before you do I wanan see my son real quick." 

Noah took Gabriel outside to talk for a bit while Lyndsay went to go get Jacob. "Alright Gabriel, we will keep the boys. Let's let the mother say her goodbyes and then when she's gone we will hang her up on meat hooks and get her ready for dinner." "But dad, do we need to do that to her? She's giving us a gift. Two boys. We can't eat her, she's been kind to us." Gabriel spoke softly. After a while of thinking on it Noah left to check on their meat situation and they had plenty if not lots of meat the freezer was over filled with the human meat. He smiled. "Ok son we won't." He said. Noel was told of the situation so he took Jacob upstairs and everyone went into the room. "Mackenzie Jacob is here to see you." Lyndsay spoke softly. 

Jacob may have only been four but he was smart. "Come here baby, listen to me ok. I want you to be a good boy for this family and listen to them. Just as I taught you manners and mind your elders. Do whatever they tell you and your little brother I want you to watch over him since you are a big brother now." Mackenzie spoke with tears falling from her eyes. "Where are you going mommy?" He asked. "I'll be fine baby, just listen to them ok? They are your family now I won't be here anymore they are all you got and your little brother will need you. Be brave Jacob like you always are. You are smart, and brave and so strong." Jacob started to cry. 

He understood that his mother was letting him know she was passing away. They hugged and cried together when she gave him a kiss on his cheek. "Ok, ok I'm ready." Mackenzie spoke up. Noel had taken Jacob downstairs when Gabriel instructed Lyndsay to do the cutting. "But?" "Don't worry, I'll help you." Mackenzie spoke. 

Lyndsay walked over with Gabriel and Noah close by. "I already have a scar from when I had Jacob. I'm not sure why but I guess my body wasn't built to deliver naturally. So here's the scar." Mackenzie raised up her shirt to show them her old scar. Right across like a smiley face. "Just cut it from there, I'll be fine." 

Noah gave Lyndsay a knife. Noah came over to hold Mackenzie's hand to comfort her. She took a last breath and spoke, "take care of my boys please." "Don't worry Mackenzie, we will." Noah smiled down at her. 

"I'm sorry." Lyndsay said before starting to cut. Mackenzie screamed in agony, after it was over she had bled out and died. Lyndsay then dug her hands inside of her to get the baby out. "Gabriel please help me, I gotta be careful taking the baby out." "Ok, I feel the arm or leg, ok, ok." Lyndsay said trying to steady herself. She then proceeded to pull out the baby boy. He appeared to be healthy. 

He didn't make a sound so Lyndsay wiped the afterbirth from his nose and mouth and eyes, she then flipped him over her shoulder gently patting him on the back when he started to cry. Noah took the boy and cleaned him up. "We are gonna need formula for the baby. Her milk is all dried up." Lyndsay spoke. "Ok, Gabriel you stay here with Lyndsay and the baby and his brother Jacob. Noel and I will get the bottles and diapers and all the things a baby needs." Noah went downstairs to get Noel telling him what they were doing. 

Jacob clinged to Lyndsay's dress. She was holding his little brother and decided to keep the name Michael as Mackenzie would have wanted. Gabriel smiled at him. "He's got red hair just like his mama and his older brother." "They are ours now." Lyndsay said smiling. 

"yes they are." Jacob was crying. "I want my mommy. I miss my mommy." "Oh don't cry Jacob it'll be alright. We're your family now." Gabriel said smiling. He held Jacob, he laid his little head on Gabriel's chest. After midnight Noel and Noah were back with the baby supplies. A new crib since they didn't have time to build one, and all the formula they could get and baby bottles and everything. "Oh good." Lyndsay made the bottle of formula and fed Michael right away. He was hungry. "Noel and I will stay up putting the crib together. We will try not to keep you all awake." "Jacob honey, you need to try and get some rest baby." Lyndsay said smiling at him. He was dozing off here and there. Gabriel took him up to Noel's room letting him sleep but he asked for the hall light to be on. "Ok little man." He went to sleep fast since he was exhausted. 

Lyndsay stayed up for a few hours with Michael, feeding him and singing him to sleep. She went to bed with him on her chest, she fell asleep with him on her. Gabriel stayed up with his dad and Noel helping them put together the crib. They talked and finally got it all put together by early morning. "Now, we gotta bury Mackenzie, we aren't gonna eat her." Noah said. So him, Noel and Gabriel buried her outback and had a little service for her. They came inside to rest. "We are all gonna rest for today. No working today since we are all exhausted. 

Noel went upstairs to find Jacob was still asleep. He closed the door when he woke up. "I'm hungry." Noel smiled. "We will eat later for now let's just sleep." Noel climbed into his bed with Jacob and the two fell asleep fast. The house was dead silent with everyone napping in their rooms till afternoon when everyone got up feeling rested. Lyndsay cooked some mashed potatoes, gravy, meat and some green beans and she made some biscuits to go with their meal. 

Jacob at his entire plate loving every bite. He asked if he could have seconds, they allowed it. Then he wanted another plate. "Slow down Jacob why are you so hungry?" Noah asked. That was when Jacob couldn't hide it anymore. "Well, mommy and I the reason we were out here was because we were leaving my daddy. Daddy beat us and he starved me for days. I can't remember the last time I ate." He said crying. "Oh my!" Lyndsay spoke with a fright. Everyone looked to notice how malnurished he  was and how skinny he was too. Noah allowed for him to have another plate but with only meat this time. "Meat will be good for you to grow and put on some weight boy. So eat it." Noah gave him three more slices of meat. "May I have some gravy with it please?" He asked. Everyone laughed and allowed it. 

When he was done eating Lyndsay was able to clean again. Gabriel fed Michael while Noah and Noel played with Jacob in the living room.