I went ahead of them and asked the kids to leave the bedroom. They wanted to stay and watch. Tempted though I was to ask Charlotte if she’d allow it - I figured it might cut down on the chances of teen pregnancy for them to watch childbirth - I scooted them out.

Someone had found Doc and he appeared, bag in hand. Curt looked relieved to be off the hook, I’m sure it had been years since the pulmonologist had delivered a baby. Everyone left the room while Doc checked Charlotte out. I called for an ambulance but knew it would take at least a half hour to get here.

Doc came out a few minutes later. “Meredith, could you please go out to my car and get the brown bag from my trunk? It has supplies for childbirth in it. Charlotte is dilated almost 10 centimetres, this baby is coming fast.” He gave me his set of keys.

“Doesn’t it take a while after the water breaks?” I asked him.

“Usually, but not always.”

I retrieved the bag Doc needed and brought it in to him. “Is there anything else you need?” I asked him.

“Some towels, please. And a blanket to wrap the baby in. Oh, and my clean lab coat that‘s hanging in the laundry room - so I don‘t get my clothes dirty.” I went to the linen closet and got the towels and blanket and then to the laundry room for his lab coat - he brought them home to wash instead of sending them to the laundry, as he said they didn’t always get stains out. Back in the bedroom, Charlotte’s husband, Ben, was with her and Scott Campbell, an internist friend of Doc’s was ready to assist if need be.

“This is a pretty good place to have your baby if you are going to have it outside of a hospital”, I said to Charlotte. “We have an obstetrician to deliver him or her, and a few other doctors to help if they are needed.”

Charlotte smiled. “It’s ‘her’, the baby is a girl.”

Very soon it was time for her to push. Ben held her left hand, I held her right. I’d seen a number of mares foal and had to intervene in a few, but had never watched a human give birth. It seemed to go on forever, but was really just a few minutes. Karen had taken all the kids that were there out to the barn to see the horses. I was glad of that, Charlotte’s screams would have scared them.

I looked down and saw the baby’s head come out with the umbilical cord wrapped around her neck. I gasped. “It’s okay”, Doc said as he deftly lifted it over her head.

“What??” Charlotte asked between breaths.

“Nothing”, Doc replied in a calm, reassuring voice. “Everything is okay.” Nothing fazes Doc when it comes to his job.

Once the shoulders were through, she seemed to just slip right out. Doc clamped the cord and asked Ben if he wanted to cut it. Ben said yes and Doc showed him how.

The ambulance arrived shortly after that. Doc said he wanted to ride with Charlotte just in case anything went wrong, even though there was a paramedic on board. I followed in my car so I could bring him home. Kevin, Karen’s husband, said they would take care of everything at the house.

“Don’t stop the party”, I instructed. “We will be back and we’ll want to continue the festivities.”

At the hospital, Doc made sure Charlotte and the baby were okay and admitted to the maternity ward before we left for home.

When we were halfway there, my phone rang and it was Ben. I asked Doc to answer and put it on speaker. “Everything is fine”, Ben reassured us. “We just wanted to let you know we are naming the baby Julie Anne, after Julian. We‘d also like you two to be her godparents, if you will accept.”

Doc was pleased as punch at both having the baby named after him and being asked to be her godfather. He walked around with such a glow the rest of the night.

We got home to find Karen had cleaned up the bedroom - Julian had put a large absorbent pad on the bed to protect the mattress - and changed the bedding. I made a mental note to get her something special for her help.

The rest of the night was fun, though not as eventful as the first part had been. Nick had arrived while we were gone and Doc teased him about his timing. He was in a rare mood tonight - he seldom teased people.

When the last guest left, it was about 2 am. We were both exhausted but we had to get the leftover food put away. “Doc, everything else can wait until later”, I said. “I know you don’t like to go to bed with a mess downstairs, but we can make an exception tonight. We‘ll just get all the used plates, platters, bowls and such out of Jessie‘s reach.”

“I agree, hon. We are both beat and you have overdone it enough for one night.” I had been on my feet a lot, mingling among the guests and helping to bring out more food and drinks when needed.

As he snuggled up to me in bed a bit later, Doc said “When are we going to have our own baby, hon?”

“When *you* can get pregnant”, I replied.

The next morning, I woke up to an empty bed - no Doc and no Jessie. I threw some clothes on and went downstairs. Doc and Karen were doing dishes. “Karen, you don’t need to be here working”, I said. “Go home and enjoy Sunday with your family.”

“It’s okay, Meredith. I was home alone anyway. And Julian said you need your rest.”

“Julian is too over protective of me.”

“I can never be too overprotective of you , hon”, Doc said as he stopped drying for a moment and leaned down for a kiss.

“I’ll go straighten up the rooms and put things back where they belong.”

“Nothing heavy”, Doc ordered. I sighed as I left the kitchen. He caught up to me and said “Meredith, you’re sighing a lot again. Perhaps I should give you another physical and see if I can find a cause this time.”

“Doc!” I whispered as I turned around. “Not in front of a guest!”

“You mean you haven’t told your bestie about our exam room?” he whispered as he gave me a hug.

“Have you told *your* bestie about it, Doc?”

“Point taken, hon.”

Later, after lunch, when everything was cleaned up, we sat in the tv room with coffee. “Hon, I want you to take it easy this week”, Doc said. We have the office party on Friday and then we are going to Walt and Martha’s for dinner Saturday night. Monday is Christmas Eve, so we’ll be doing last minute things on Sunday. I know you don’t want a flare on any of those days.”

“You are right, Doc, I don’t. I’ll try.”

Easier said than done. Four whole days of behaving? Me?? He might as well have asked me to jump over the moon.

I was good the rest of Sunday, all day Monday and all day Tuesday. Wednesday, I was going out of my mind with boredom. I thought “It won’t hurt if I ride a bit in the indoor arena.” I’d taken all the jumps down after Eclipse went to his new foster home. I brought my newest horse, Cinders, in from outside and saddled her up. I had not had a chance to ride her yet, but was told the 12 year old mare hadn’t been ridden in a few years.

It was mid afternoon and I planned on finishing up and doing supper feeding before Doc got home from work, but I must have lost track of the time. Next thing I knew, I heard a voice call out “What did I tell you about taking it easy?” Cinders spooked and took off at a full gallop. I fell out of the saddle and landed on my right side, the same side I’d landed on when I got thrown from Pete a few months before. Doc came running up to me.

“Doc!” You can’t be yelling like that around the horses! Some of them spook real easily.”

“I’m sorry, hon. Are you okay?”

“I think so. The ground here in the arena is pretty soft.”

Doc insisted on checking me over before letting me get up. He made sure I had no injuries, then helped me to my feet. Cinders had stopped running and was at the other end of the arena. I got her and took her into the barn and took off her saddle and bridle before rubbing her down and putting her in her stall. Then I brought the rest of the horses in for the night.

Time for their grain. I got the cart and started pushing it down the aisle. “Can I help in any way?” Doc asked.

“Yes, if you really want to”, I replied.

“I want to.”

“Ok, I’ll do one side, you do the other. Each can of grain ration has the horse’s name on it. Match that up with the name on the stall door. You’ve seen me pour it into the grain feeder in the corner from outside the stall. Just stick your hand in the space that has no bars. The feeder is right below it.

“Will I get bit?”

“No. But they do get excited so don’t get scared if they dance around a bit.”

Doc took his coat off and put it on a hook. I watched him do one feeding to make sure he was okay, then went to the other side of the aisle to do my share. I was impressed with him being willing to do this, this was a first! I was still trying to get him on a horse. I’d thought that telling him I’d let him take my cyst out if he learned to ride and went on a trail ride would do it, but so far he had not agreed to it.

We were almost done when I heard Doc yelling at a horse to get back. I looked over at him and it was Nell’s stall. I went over. “Doc, don’t yell at them, please.”

“He keeps hitting my arm with his nose!”

“Nell is a she and she is just excited about getting her grain. It’s her way of telling you to hurry up. Here, I’ll do her.” I took the can from him and fed Nell.

“I’m sorry, hon.”

“It’s not your fault, Doc. I should have remembered about Nell. I can see how it’s intimidating to someone who isn’t used to it. I’m really proud of you for helping!”

“I want to get you inside and resting as soon as I can.”

When we finished feeding them, I asked Doc if he would sweep the aisle while I refilled the tins for morning.

“Sure thing, hon.”

By the time we were done, I was starting to feel the effects of my fall. Nothing was broken but I was a little sore. I tried to hide it from Doc, but of course he noticed. “Meredith, you are off your feet for the rest of the night”, he said as we walked to the house. “I will get supper after I have a shower and I will do clean up. You are to sit or lay down at all times unless you have to go to the bathroom.”

“Doc …”

“Don’t ‘Doc..’ me. That is an order.” I resisted the temptation to tell him that if it were not for him shouting in the arena, I would be fine. I knew he felt bad enough as it was.

After supper, I went upstairs for a long soak in the tub. Doc came up when he’d finished cleaning up. He put a towel on the floor and sat on it. “Hon, I’m sorry. You shouldn’t have been riding when I’d told you to take it easy, but it’s my fault your horse spooked and you fell off.”

“Don’t worry about it, Doc. I’m all right. Just please don’t yell around the horses, okay?”

“Sure thing, hon.”

Doc stayed and talked to me until I was ready to get out of the tub. It was reminiscent of the time I had heat exhaustion and he made me get in cool water to bring my temperature down. Little did I know that June day how my life was going to change in the coming months!

When I was ready to get out, Doc helped me up and had a towel waiting. He dried me off and brushed my hair. “You spoil me, honey.”

“I like spoiling you, hon. Now, into bed.” I didn’t argue, I was beat and not feeling up to staying up much longer.

“Have you taken anything for your pain?”

“No, Doc.”

He got my pills from the nightstand and handed me the bottle. “Take two. I’ll get you a glass of water.” He took my glass off the nightstand and half filled it with water in the bathroom. When I had taken the pills, he tucked me in, then said “I’ll let Jessie out for a few minutes, then I will be back up.”

I turned the bedroom tv on and flipped around a bit while I waited for Doc. Nothing interesting on, so I turned if off and got my tablet from the nightstand drawer and surfed a bit.

Doc came up in a bit and changed into his pajamas, then got into bed with his laptop.

“Not reading a medical publication tonight?” I asked.

“No, I’m looking some things up.”

“You should Facebook, Doc.”

“Meredith, please.”

“It’s fun, Doc.”

“About as fun as having a root canal.”

“By the way, I posted that pic I took of you lying in the leaves at Andrea’s cabin on Facebook.”

“You did not!” Doc had a horrified look on his face.

I let him think I really had for a minute, then I said “I’m teasing, Doc. I didn’t.”

“I don’t know what I am going to do with you, hon”, he said, looking at me over his reading glasses.

“I have a few ideas, Doc. Why don’t you put the laptop away and I’ll tell you.”