love can stand

With Me

Maria bit her tongue as they walked in the dark. She stopped and leaned on the brick wall.
"Mother?" Liesl asked. Her hand was holding Ralph's.
Maria looked at her eldest. "I'm okay. Come we must keep going." She said.
The group stopped at their destination. A small barn in the woods. The farmer was an old friend of Georg and owed him a favor.
The farmers wife met them in the barn. "Welcome. I'm afraid this is all we have." She said softly.
"This'll do." Maria said. "Thank you ever so much." She said and set the bags she carried down.
Georg looked at his wife. "Maria are you quite alright?"
Maria nodded. "Quite." She whispered.
"I'll go fetch you folks a meal. You must be starving." The farmers wife said and left them.
Maria closed her eyes. Pain bloomed through her and she felt her knees hit the ground.
Georg's strong arms immediately gripped her arms. "Maria?"
Maria let out a breath. "The baby's coming Georg." She said and opened her eyes.
Liesl looked at Ralph. "We must fetch someone."
"You will do no such thing." Maria said. "We must all stay here." She said and looked at her children.
Kurt looked at his mother. "Will you be okay?"
Maria nodded. "I'm sure."
    The farmers wife returned and brought her husband and some food. "I'm afraid it's not much but it's all we have."
    "Thank you." Georg said. "Do you happen to have any blankets or water? My wife is in labor."
      The farmer wife's eyes went wide. "Of course! One moment." She said rna off.
    Maria looked at the children. "Eat. You're going  to need energy."
     Georg rubbed Maria's arms. "You need energy too." She said.
     Maria looked at Georg. "I'm okay." She said softly.
     Maria gripped his hand as a contraction blew through her. "That one was five minutes apart." She said softly.
     She let it pass and released Georg's hand.
     The farmers wife returned and ushered the children to the other side of the barn. Liesl spoke to them softly.
     Maria leaned on Georg. "I'm so tired." She said softly.
     "You need to stay awake Maria." He said.
     The farmers wife set up a male shift station. "I'm going to see how diapause you are. I'm afraid I've only done this sort of things with animals but I'll do my best."
    Maria nodded.
    Another contraction hit her a few moments later. She let out a strangled whimper.
   "You're fully dilated. You need to push on the next contraction." She said.
     Maria looked at Georg. "If something happens-"
    "Nothing will happen Maria." He said.
    A rather painful contraction hit Maria and and gripped his hand and pushed. She let out a cry and felt against her husband. She panted and closed her eyes.
     "Good dead. I see the head." The farmers wife encouraged Maria.
     Georg looked at his young wife. "I wish I could take the pain away." He said.
    Maria clenched her teeth and pushed on the next contraction. She couldn't stifle her scream this time.
    "There's the head." The farmers wife said. "One last push dear."
    Maria let out a deep shaky breath. "I'm so tired." She said.
    The final and most painful contraction ran through Maria and she used all her strength. She screamed. The barn filled with cries of the newborn child.
    Maria fell into her husband and closed her eyes. "Georg? Is it a boy?"
     The farmers wife cleaned the baby. "Look at you. Strong lungs. It's another girl captain."
    "Aww!"Kurt mumbled.
     Maria opened her eyes. She smiled slightly and held out her arms. The baby was placed in her arms. Maria looked at the baby. She shared her blonde hair."
     Georg helped Maria situate to feed the baby.
     Liesl glanced at Ralph. He looked at her. "She's strong like her sister."
    Liesl smiled. "Thank you."she whispered.
     Maria laid her head on georg's chest and fed the baby. "Are we safe?" She asked softly.
     Georg kissed his wife's head. "Always with me my love. Always with me."