There is a storm outside and it is keeping Almanzo awake. But that isn't the only reason that he can't sleep. The story is complete in one chapter.
She’s Having My Baby Part 2
1889
As usual, Almanzo couldn’t sleep, but this time it was the storm that woke him. The lightning was fierce as the thunder moved away; it lit up the entire room. And it was just enough to scare to Rose who had started to cry outside in the large common room. He was about to go out there to check on her until he heard Jenny pick her up from the cradle and took Rose into her room to calm her down.
Almanzo turned from the window to look at Laura for any reaction to the storm. The sound of her light snoring put Almanzo at ease. He shook his head and smiled. Nothing could wake her, especially now that she was pregnant again. And she could have the baby anytime, according to Doc Baker. He hoped it was a girl as all three of them had settled on the name Elizabeth. They wouldn’t be prepared if it was a boy.
Almanzo kept his eyes on Laura as he walked over to his side of the bed. He was so worried about her and the baby this time. He didn’t want anything going wrong, nothing at all. He loved her and he couldn’t bear to see hurt or frightened. She had had enough things that had gone wrong, she didn’t need anymore.
Manly lay down on the bed next to her. He propped himself up on his elbow and watched her as she slept, still snoring lightly. He stroked her hair and traced everything on her face, her lips being the last thing he touched.
She was his Beth, his beautiful Beth. And that’s what she would always be.
She was so beautiful, Almanzo thought, as he kept staring at her. He loved everything about her, he wouldn’t change a thing. There was no age difference anymore, not to him. She made him feel so much younger and he loved it. Beth made him feel as if he could do anything as long as she was by his side.
Where would he be without her? How could he make it without her next to him? What would he do if something happened to her and the baby? What if… He shook his head to clear it. There was no what if, ands or buts. He was sure everything would be fine. And if it wasn’t, they would get through this together. Marriage was a partnership; it was a compromise.
The arguments were part of life. Yes, they argued, yes, they had their moments, but they always made up, they always got back together. He was surprised that neither of them could stay angry that long at each other. He loved her too much. He needed her too much.
The thunder started again and another bolt of lightning lit up their small bedroom.
He thought of everything they had gone through up to this point. He thought of his illness, diphtheria for a start. The hailstorm came later and that ruined his crops. And his carelessness caused his stroke.
And the tornado came and wiped out the house and his health along with it. It took away his strength and his confidence in himself. And it took away his will to live and his dreams of the future. And it almost wiped out their marriage. There was no husband anymore; the man she married was gone. In his place was a cripple, a useless hunk of flesh that she’d have to take care of for the rest of her life. He didn’t want that, he didn’t want any of that. That wasn’t who he was. And he sunk deeper into depression.
And then Laura got hit by some flying object, a piece of wood from the house, perhaps. No one really knew. And Laura lost consciousness. She lay outside throughout the storm, the black cat guarding her, making sure that she was safe. At least that’s where they found her when Charles and the boys stopped by the house to see how everything was holding up.
And when Almanzo heard Doc Baker tell Charles and Caroline that she would be alright, he wasn’t sure how he felt. Could he change? Could he become the husband that she needed? As much as he hated to admit it, she had stuck by him, nursed him, and helped him when he needed her. And through all that, she bore their child, a little girl that they named Rose.
And now Beth needed him and he had to prove he could be there for her, just as she had been for him. Almanzo, with Charles’ help, forced himself to walk as part of a surprise for Laura. When Almanzo was well enough, the two started to build a house as the second part of that surprise. Almanzo made up his mind, they would stay in Walnut Grove; there was no moving to Minneapolis with Eliza Jane for him.
It hurt Eliza Jane in the end, but what mattered the most to him was how Laura felt. He loved Eliza Jane but he had his wife and his daughter to think of first. He never regretted that decision.
“Beth,” he whispered, looking down at her. He shook his head and smiled, “My Beth.”
Almanzo reached out with both his arms and wrapped them around her waist, being careful not to disturb the baby. He stretched himself out, moved closer to her and tightened his grip.
“Stay with me forever, Laura, I need you here beside me. I’ll always be there for you, I promise.” He brushed his lips over her ear. “I love you, Beth, I’ll always love you.”
Almanzo put his head down next to her and fell asleep knowing that the chores would be a little late this morning. All that mattered to him was that he’d wake up next to his Beth and that was all he cared about.
And when they awoke, Almanzo and Laura would find that the storm had passed and the only light that filled their room would be the warm sunlight of an early June morning.
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