409Please respect copyright.PENANAoNsDq3j08G
It was a cold and dark day.409Please respect copyright.PENANAiiSsIiGO04
Wet. Dreary. Certainly, not a day one would wish to be married on. But for409Please respect copyright.PENANAIh55BLoAAp
them, there wasn’t a more perfect day. And they were being married in the409Please respect copyright.PENANAPvh2G32V8O
church, after all; it wasn’t like they had to worry about being rained on, or409Please respect copyright.PENANAHBPE40iTq1
their entire wedding being ruined, altogether. Nothing could ruin this day for409Please respect copyright.PENANAdnfGB8m8Mv
them. Not the weather, not a kink in plans, nothing.409Please respect copyright.PENANA3Gk8AlQQAy
409Please respect copyright.PENANABpq6taEtVu
“Do you, Justin Daniels, take409Please respect copyright.PENANAc0s6rGKwYB
this woman, Mary Smith, to be your wife? To have and to hold, to love and to409Please respect copyright.PENANAhohzMs5iqP
cherish, and to honor and respect her, until death do you part?” The priest, who409Please respect copyright.PENANAbSZseq90Kk
was their good friend, Jacoby, asked with a smile.409Please respect copyright.PENANAXzH6w6OXHN
409Please respect copyright.PENANAKwxlTAnEOk
Justin beamed, tears in his eyes,409Please respect copyright.PENANATx4CZUm8L8
as he stared down at Mary, right into her eyes. He didn’t even have to think409Please respect copyright.PENANAEuJ7Aa4rRu
about it. He gulped down the lump in his throat and nodded. “Yes. Yes, I do.”409Please respect copyright.PENANA9LM7gGDLZE
409Please respect copyright.PENANAe1pGPp9uSM
Then turning to Mary, Jacoby409Please respect copyright.PENANAVa5yLUSz6H
directed the words to her. “Do you, Mary Smith, take this man, Justin Daniels,409Please respect copyright.PENANAHIG2VLNjk8
to be your husband? To have and to hold, to love and to cherish, and to honor409Please respect copyright.PENANAI0sT9EQJUn
and respect him, until death do you part?”409Please respect copyright.PENANAV1sp7bBMi6
409Please respect copyright.PENANA8CM0YwNree
She couldn’t help it; her409Please respect copyright.PENANAvLdQUL8gxM
tears fell freely down her unblemished face, as she nodded without a second409Please respect copyright.PENANAVzz1y4jL2i
thought. “I do.” She said with a strangled voice. Justin smiled at her409Please respect copyright.PENANApfHNUwYAJ4
confirmation, as if previously afraid that she would change her mind.409Please respect copyright.PENANA0KYKXKA8Ul
409Please respect copyright.PENANAURnf0YqSc7
“Then, without further wait,409Please respect copyright.PENANAUvh6nrDoLp
I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss your bride.” Jocoby announced409Please respect copyright.PENANABkcqhKoZLy
with his thick accent weighing heavily throughout the small room.409Please respect copyright.PENANAzYikbNodI5
409Please respect copyright.PENANAQoy5qwfWmX
Not waiting a second longer,409Please respect copyright.PENANAB6PFwEZKFQ
Justin slid his hands over Mary’s slender hips and pulled her near to him.409Please respect copyright.PENANAx5A6YcXQzL
Smiles lit their faces as they kissed passionately, but still innocently enough409Please respect copyright.PENANARICweteYRX
while in front of a crowd. Cheers rang through the whole room, as they sealed409Please respect copyright.PENANA64cTivn7FV
their marriage officially, finalizing their union as one.409Please respect copyright.PENANAyLy205GhWH
409Please respect copyright.PENANA8WiQui069V
After the marriage ceremony,409Please respect copyright.PENANAdoJwAhhtn8
the crowd hauled over to the bar just across town. For hours, they drank, sang,409Please respect copyright.PENANAvG3bBsoRpv
and danced the day away. When it came time for supper, they all gathered409Please respect copyright.PENANAxkxmaklkYt
around, the finest mugs, filled to the brim with the best whisky, in their409Please respect copyright.PENANAUZxiZHhyN2
hands. It was time for the bride and groom toasts. Justin’s best man, Mark409Please respect copyright.PENANAK0vntsoRPY
Avery, went first.409Please respect copyright.PENANA0dAAQeXkl5
409Please respect copyright.PENANASeWOBkyErz
“I have known Justin and Mary409Please respect copyright.PENANA8GCWn51lWD
for most of my life. Separately, of course. But I know that there isn’t a409Please respect copyright.PENANA0lKc0M2vD0
couple better suited for each other, than the one right here. Justin, you’re my409Please respect copyright.PENANANMe4N4JhiM
best friend, though I know that, to you, I come in second place of Mary. My409Please respect copyright.PENANA2mFaE3RFWk
friend, you chose well. If only there were more women like Mary out there. And409Please respect copyright.PENANAakf3kgtswE
let me say, you deserve the finest. After Catharine broke your heart, I thought409Please respect copyright.PENANA8HHkevwA4T
you’d never move on. I’m glad you proved me wrong. To Justin and Mary Daniels!409Please respect copyright.PENANAsZk80eg3SD
May you two live long, and happy together!” He cheered before raising his mug409Please respect copyright.PENANAFfCw9x3Anu
to his lips and taking a long swing, just as everyone else did.409Please respect copyright.PENANAskIdclPPzv
409Please respect copyright.PENANAZEQkjc2HUE
Mary’s maid of honor, Leah409Please respect copyright.PENANAMAgb27LiOC
Cassidy, went next. “Mary, I have seen you struggle through everything in your409Please respect copyright.PENANAlp2JYYgnJz
life, since the day your mother passed. All the things you went through with409Please respect copyright.PENANAKshkpWR5sK
your father, they were tough. But, they also made you strong. And I couldn’t be409Please respect copyright.PENANAdR23QpDvXs
happier to see you as the strong woman you are now. I know that you will work409Please respect copyright.PENANARQf1qwQYYf
hard in your marriage. Justin loves you, I think everyone here can see that.409Please respect copyright.PENANA5pOFvubGjX
What can I say? He has a great taste. To Justin and Mary Daniels! May you know409Please respect copyright.PENANAOrtiMfTXV2
bright and happy days, and always know how lucky you are!” Once again, everyone409Please respect copyright.PENANAt11aNMboX0
took a swig of their whisky.409Please respect copyright.PENANAbMT1AEV12l
409Please respect copyright.PENANAaMuIpFyhgH
After the bride and groom409Please respect copyright.PENANAxKseYtHqVz
were toasted, the people went back to dancing, and before to long it was time409Please respect copyright.PENANAk8vP1VqX1U
for the first dance of the newly wedded. Against the wishes of his parents,409Please respect copyright.PENANAnkwIbXnj3N
Justin and Mary had decided they wanted a lively reception; so their first song409Please respect copyright.PENANAM6caYY060c
was The Old Zip Coon. It was a spry dance, one that kept people moving409Please respect copyright.PENANAflLg8Z904N
constantly.409Please respect copyright.PENANAv5aZjAA0OY
409Please respect copyright.PENANAohidLP8jND
Hoots of fun-filled laughter409Please respect copyright.PENANA2onEgw6xDu
filled the air, as the couple swung around with the biggest smiles. Soon, the409Please respect copyright.PENANAr2M43V5PhH
whole community joined in, and the room was full of women and men bounding409Please respect copyright.PENANA1K8Z6vcSam
around the spacious bar. Without a doubt, it would be a time for the small town409Please respect copyright.PENANA7NvfdrbCHH
of Berk to always remember. But, for Justin and Mary, the most memorable part409Please respect copyright.PENANAZbwqkFawjb
came that night.409Please respect copyright.PENANA8uDKpwNpeF
409Please respect copyright.PENANA22ZBSsg4x9
That was seven years ago,409Please respect copyright.PENANAOFRoXNswbe
though. All but a faded memory, left in the past.409Please respect copyright.PENANAA9heTviQFn
409Please respect copyright.PENANACURGiq9bLl
409Please respect copyright.PENANAl0Ms9FHZko
409Please respect copyright.PENANATsKPelt1Pd
Present day409Please respect copyright.PENANAGNUSmcMtcu
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409Please respect copyright.PENANAe6KzB9vjWN
She was bleak, weary, and409Please respect copyright.PENANARS4DO6Jji9
couldn’t find it in her heart to smile. She longed for it, yearned for it. all409Please respect copyright.PENANAjxk1rsUEmO
she wanted was to look out at them, running around in the sunlit yard. They409Please respect copyright.PENANA7apaiYpDZ2
were so graceful and beautiful, her two oldest daughters. They had finally409Please respect copyright.PENANAjfBi8UFy7u
cheered up, she just wished she could join in their happiness.409Please respect copyright.PENANAx4dUJb4qaE
409Please respect copyright.PENANA3gv2R8ExFV
Mary looked behind her, where409Please respect copyright.PENANAjxVGelfr4s
her youngest was sitting up on the floor with a big smile. So much like her409Please respect copyright.PENANA7zGiCm9JGq
father, she thought. Sallie was, indeed, the spitting image of her war-bound409Please respect copyright.PENANATFqZqDPe59
father, all but those green s. She had his face, his nose, his hair and409Please respect copyright.PENANAHNvWguiIgW
freckles, everything. The Violet eyes had passed over her though, instead being409Please respect copyright.PENANA6EsOSa7Lfx
given to little Ethel.409Please respect copyright.PENANAGiAwGUNmBD
409Please respect copyright.PENANAz1g0k0Vfyu
Turning completely to keep a409Please respect copyright.PENANAQB4OD2k45X
full eye on her daughter, and make sure she didn’t wander off, she leaned409Please respect copyright.PENANAT9Pu3ZcZD8
against her chair and sighed. Resting a hand on the swell of her belly, she409Please respect copyright.PENANAKvWvLM6xe1
rubbed it gently, lovingly. For the hundredth time since Justin left for war, she409Please respect copyright.PENANAxrXaub7yP2
felt her heart break again. She didn’t understand how it was possible to409Please respect copyright.PENANAAMvQmM9smK
experience heartbreak so many times, in such a short amount of time; all she409Please respect copyright.PENANA1nQnLgZB4F
knew was that she hated it.409Please respect copyright.PENANAzfRjRn0k4p
409Please respect copyright.PENANA0WHQljpjEP
Not even a month after Justin409Please respect copyright.PENANAu0vmaYAPuD
left, she discovered that she was once again with child. She was pregnant, with409Please respect copyright.PENANAuNhOcNwxw0
a baby Justin didn’t even know about; a baby she wouldn’t get to tell him about409Please respect copyright.PENANANUoK71N8gh
until he returned. Now, not only would Sallie be estranged from her father, but409Please respect copyright.PENANA7XXUOpU4hZ
another baby of theirs wouldn’t know him. He would be a total stranger, in the409Please respect copyright.PENANANYdFn1qEbm
eyes of his own two children.409Please respect copyright.PENANAbkqpPilX36
409Please respect copyright.PENANAz1B8wAh5Oh
She was currently seven409Please respect copyright.PENANAmyHqUW5wPC
months along, and her belly was already round and swollen. Women of the town409Please respect copyright.PENANARdHoS2ex7z
had talked, first thinking she’d had an affair. But when she vehemently told409Please respect copyright.PENANAObBaPKwqBr
them that that was certainly not the case, that she would never do that to409Please respect copyright.PENANAYZtdCOthmJ
Justin and their girls, the women began to take pity on her. She hated it, but409Please respect copyright.PENANAksJtZjR8uj
had to admit that their bugging petty was a step up from their thinking she was409Please respect copyright.PENANAZ5hLhIYLhV
having an affair.409Please respect copyright.PENANAhHjMqLE2nD
409Please respect copyright.PENANArXFr65zBdC
A hiss brushed past her lips,409Please respect copyright.PENANAxmOb3yOrXa
as she felt a sharp jab to the side of her stomach. “Easy, little one.” She409Please respect copyright.PENANANfZGKCUoXU
whispered, directing it toward the baby inside her. Lately, she hadn’t been409Please respect copyright.PENANAcNjNXItWan
feeling right. She was throwing up more, and the baby had been much more active409Please respect copyright.PENANAcDzdZNfL3h
than he/she had in the beginning stages of movement. Almost constantly, she409Please respect copyright.PENANAjsLXfBeSgl
felt the baby turning completely around, which just wasn’t normal. It worried409Please respect copyright.PENANAnWjtR9qe1n
her, yet she decided not to go to the town doctor.409Please respect copyright.PENANAHVUwkxco2D
409Please respect copyright.PENANAMgqBeKCT6y
Just then, a whinny could be409Please respect copyright.PENANAYYOGdCOalm
heard from down the trail. Mary frowned, as no one ever came this far out of409Please respect copyright.PENANAw6Hy2HcsIO
town. Maybe it was a passerby? Someone looking for direction? She didn’t know;409Please respect copyright.PENANALcSgPvCADj
but taking extra precaution, she grabbed the rifle that had always been kept by409Please respect copyright.PENANA3NkHaEy6bx
the door, and readied it, in case it was a robber, or someone who would harm409Please respect copyright.PENANA1zuvEUX1P2
her or her girls.409Please respect copyright.PENANAQJvuXIJGF8
409Please respect copyright.PENANABhCcXOR1jQ
Waiting by the porch, rifle409Please respect copyright.PENANAqBWlsfNEK6
readied, she watched as the mounted horse glided toward them. “Girls, come up409Please respect copyright.PENANAhblSe6jr7P
here, please!” She called to her daughters, and they obeyed without argument.409Please respect copyright.PENANA1JqSrIcQUD
Watching the horse and rider come closer, she could finally see what the person409Please respect copyright.PENANAaGv6SvEcSh
was wearing: blue army jacket, with a blue cap. Gold lined the jacket and cap,409Please respect copyright.PENANA2YKPvmRxqv
and the clothes could be seen as clean. The horse was also well groomed, and409Please respect copyright.PENANAEH4vJSqQKF
it’s saddle appeared to be fancy.409Please respect copyright.PENANAMNvjEmgfSG
409Please respect copyright.PENANAUcfFc3P2lk
She didn’t dare to hope, but409Please respect copyright.PENANAi9tbfkHbJ2
the closer the rider neared, the more she felt her heart begin to lift. “Justin?”409Please respect copyright.PENANAufsPpqU7xG
She choked. Closer and closer. Faster and faster, her heart beat. But it409Please respect copyright.PENANAwFTEJOWmTe
suddenly dropped, when the man came to a stop and unmounted. It fell, hitting409Please respect copyright.PENANA91Vm0QV7Xn
the dirt ground hard and painfully.409Please respect copyright.PENANAMpgdU2x1OP
409Please respect copyright.PENANAS7LoNF3yds
It wasn’t Justin.409Please respect copyright.PENANA9x9bSM0BTZ
409Please respect copyright.PENANAjeq91cBVM5
The man walked up briskly,409Please respect copyright.PENANAwPG4vJkPQF
taking off his cap as he came up the steps. His gaze drifted down to the two409Please respect copyright.PENANAjRYj9WsJAy
girls behind her, clinging to her dress. A tone of sympathy edged his eyes as409Please respect copyright.PENANA6TcoOMjns0
he slowly lifted them back up to meet Mary’s. “Ma’am, I’m sergeant Michael,409Please respect copyright.PENANAePVmAnkApd
are you Mary Daniels?” He asked softly.409Please respect copyright.PENANAUd8OpeHOGn
409Please respect copyright.PENANAs4FSHgbxj9
She forced the lump down her409Please respect copyright.PENANAcxe3wWXkbS
throat and nodded. “That I am. Is-is my husband alright?”409Please respect copyright.PENANAR4ExVJo9ij
409Please respect copyright.PENANA7vjEDVBmTq
He ran a shaky hand through409Please respect copyright.PENANAxwGzrShbvY
his hair and closed his eyes briefly. “Mrs. Daniels, I’m…I’m sorry to inform409Please respect copyright.PENANAwaCbKRucVs
you that yesterday, July 2, 1863, at 5 in the afternoon, your husband was409Please respect copyright.PENANApLbwGw6Q5f
killed on the field of battle at Gettysburg. I’m so sorry for your loss.” One409Please respect copyright.PENANAahbDXur06K
last look at her and her daughters, then he turned and left.409Please respect copyright.PENANAnPoMBTmFJo
409Please respect copyright.PENANAAYBrMfH2On
Shock filled her at first.409Please respect copyright.PENANA6I8fQ5mHR6
Against her will, a sob ripped through her lips, and she slapped a hand over409Please respect copyright.PENANAcH4bPBScnk
her mouth to stifle her cry. Slowly dropping her eyes downward, she looked to409Please respect copyright.PENANAArX8zxLBJO
her daughters. They looked scared, confused, and worried.409Please respect copyright.PENANA0GKSW1io3d
409Please respect copyright.PENANACELh7cgTi8
“Daddy coming home?” Ethel409Please respect copyright.PENANAM7IOVb3S75
asked her softly.409Please respect copyright.PENANAqZ4ZvspQkD
409Please respect copyright.PENANAsfqXbeeFeI
The tears raged down her face409Please respect copyright.PENANAB6Pj9nPmKi
and she shut her eyes tight for a moment. As best as she could, she knelt down409Please respect copyright.PENANAxkzVUnRVpB
and pulled the girls close to her. “No, Ethel.” She whispered. “Daddy’s not409Please respect copyright.PENANAyV6POFEk3s
coming home. He’s…he’s with the angels, baby.” She choked, the lump in her throat409Please respect copyright.PENANAPdfzGFrKFc
growing by the second. Her daughters were too young for this. The pain of409Please respect copyright.PENANAbipPbnSTFM
losing a parent was difficult no matter what, but none of her children were409Please respect copyright.PENANA5mrOQY5ocq
even through their first decade of life. Her oldest was barely seven.409Please respect copyright.PENANAcraUydeu8A
409Please respect copyright.PENANAqZ0t9OhPrk
The small girl had tears in her409Please respect copyright.PENANAHrHyievlRu
eyes, and her lip quivered. “Daddy left us forever?” She whimpered.409Please respect copyright.PENANAPOqTLkHrsD
409Please respect copyright.PENANAxdp5E0A3VD
Mary hated to think of it409Please respect copyright.PENANAOeEnyy6gDF
that way, but what other way was there to explain to her daughters? Unable to409Please respect copyright.PENANA1huMz7jNmB
say anything, she nodded and pulled her daughters into the safety of her arms.409Please respect copyright.PENANAN9wIFZYLLt
“He loved you girls. So very much. You and your sister were everything to him.409Please respect copyright.PENANAInZ66nDXAj
And if he were here, right now, he would tell you how much he loves you.”409Please respect copyright.PENANA4pbaoHsUES
409Please respect copyright.PENANASUd0tvyVDW
Her heart ached so much409Please respect copyright.PENANA2ry08TnTXY
though. Sallie wasn’t even a year old, and the father she would never remember409Please respect copyright.PENANAWmEN5IYOL7
was gone. The baby growing inside her would never even meet his/her father. He409Please respect copyright.PENANAZGr0nFhXg1
hadn’t even known about her pregnancy. Now he would never know. He would never409Please respect copyright.PENANAmfxPbZB1Wt
know his youngest daughter. He would never know his unborn child. He would409Please respect copyright.PENANAkhIPduqfZI
never walk his daughters down the aisle on their wedding days. He’d miss out on409Please respect copyright.PENANAcDDqbCpYjp
his grandchildren being born and growing up. All of that, he would never have a409Please respect copyright.PENANA2vLLPMJH1j
chance to do or see.409Please respect copyright.PENANAN35vgTMVnm
409Please respect copyright.PENANAcQEwciKqfv
409Please respect copyright.PENANAtsGPexCQOw
409Please respect copyright.PENANAHoPx0lg0Je
……409Please respect copyright.PENANAsDLENUkItK
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For several days, the Daniels409Please respect copyright.PENANAlicdbXCuDy
girls were all in a state of melancholy. Townspeople had stopped by a few409Please respect copyright.PENANAlpCojXKkni
times, both to give their condolences, and to offer Mary anything she needed:409Please respect copyright.PENANAIKM2420NXV
help with the girls, food for the next few days, someone to talk to, anything.409Please respect copyright.PENANAG1K0BG5wkZ
The young widow refused though. She didn’t wish for charity, and she thought it409Please respect copyright.PENANAkhBhwtrX6f
best that she be the one to care for the girls, especially through such a time409Please respect copyright.PENANAT4lQVWZphd
as the news of their father’s death.409Please respect copyright.PENANA3cxy17Tx4H
409Please respect copyright.PENANAzEWccPSmik
Ida and Ethel, while still409Please respect copyright.PENANA9wHrAlCb2u
not fully comprehending that their father was gone forever, seemed to409Please respect copyright.PENANAdoBsgxWWAi
understand that something really bad had happened to him. Mary hated seeing it409Please respect copyright.PENANAF62IbdJ4GL
on her daughters; she’d gone through the same thing when she was not much older409Please respect copyright.PENANAyLFZse6lok
than Ida. She knew it wasn’t fair, on anybody.409Please respect copyright.PENANASGPtoYQT9U
409Please respect copyright.PENANAI2MhryS1CD
It was barely a week after409Please respect copyright.PENANAHqZafB34A0
receiving the news, when Mary felt a hard kick to her lower abdomen. At first,409Please respect copyright.PENANANbAW7l94Ub
she didn’t take it to mean anything, just the baby putting up a fuss; but when409Please respect copyright.PENANAz4pZOVbDAD
the kicks increased in severity, she became slightly worried.409Please respect copyright.PENANAijZuqbQvoP
409Please respect copyright.PENANArSwNOvUO60
Just as she was getting up to409Please respect copyright.PENANAGFXCJTNxX9
make something for the girls to eat, she felt something wet between her legs.409Please respect copyright.PENANAOarsLEolGK
Shutting her eyes, not wanting to admit to herself what she already knew was409Please respect copyright.PENANAcfBBoZs000
happening, she looked to the ground under her feet. There it was; that small409Please respect copyright.PENANATspmRF9KMB
puddle that could only mean one thing: she was in labor.409Please respect copyright.PENANAOsFbiyvpUV
409Please respect copyright.PENANAql2xomcHjJ
It’s to early, she said in409Please respect copyright.PENANAId8EyXrKnv
her mind. The same thing had happened with her baby boy a few years ago. She’d409Please respect copyright.PENANAtPu2xPEQhG
gone into early labor, and he only lasted a few minutes after birth. The first409Please respect copyright.PENANA3PTrelxn0B
thing since her father’s death, and it broke her. Losing her child, the child409Please respect copyright.PENANA2XGP4qWz89
she had carried for six months, the child she felt moving inside her, was the409Please respect copyright.PENANAlxxDFnLJP8
hardest thing. She couldn’t go through it again, especially after the409Please respect copyright.PENANACLK64UhbFN
heartbreak of losing her beloved husband.409Please respect copyright.PENANAPe7FLMJkOQ
409Please respect copyright.PENANAnN9SEDnSuS
Braving through her fear for409Please respect copyright.PENANAGr4OFYQj7P
the moment, she looked to Ida, holding her stomach tightly. “Idie, I need to to409Please respect copyright.PENANAVl5kKgPxZd
ride Bobbie into town and tell auntie Leah that your baby brother or sister is409Please respect copyright.PENANAxMzJrK9YOU
coming.” She said in a steady, but still fearful voice.409Please respect copyright.PENANA5EwhinI62K
409Please respect copyright.PENANAhY52ty3ArW
The seven year old wasted no409Please respect copyright.PENANAsGHDjPx3DS
time in jumping up from the floor, racing to pull on her coat, and running out409Please respect copyright.PENANAUEQokVvRBJ
the door. She was thankful to know that her father’s horse was already saddled409Please respect copyright.PENANA7FcHsIDefa
up and ready to go. Climbing up, she gripped the reins in shaking hands and409Please respect copyright.PENANANw2REIUTIF
gave them a snap.409Please respect copyright.PENANA7q8MnkXIWC
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Only half an hour later, she409Please respect copyright.PENANAUoL8HxprKC
returned with Leah riding behind her. They slid off their horses, and Leah immediately409Please respect copyright.PENANAKH17UGvZYQ
made a beeline for the house. “Mary!” She called in a panic.409Please respect copyright.PENANAsYLkB8km9E
409Please respect copyright.PENANATpODtakUQ4
“Back here, Lee!” Mary called409Please respect copyright.PENANAdFvUBUpPTb
back to her best friend. When Leah stood beside her, she took a deep breath and409Please respect copyright.PENANAvIKjKonE9G
leaned back slightly. “I’m sorry. I know you have to take care of the boys-“409Please respect copyright.PENANAnEqoWRCagy
409Please respect copyright.PENANA0Vaqq4UEtS
“Mary, Ivan and Timothy are409Please respect copyright.PENANAh3o54IEK03
fine. Mark is watching them. What matters is that you’re in labor. Now, listen,409Please respect copyright.PENANAvpj7ucuJht
since you’ve gone into early labor, you know what we have to do.” Leah stroked409Please respect copyright.PENANABclDZ2Hskf
her friend’s hair sympathetically and dabbed her already sweaty forehead.409Please respect copyright.PENANA7aDgTyrZ0W
“Let’s get you in bed, and I’ll do what I can to bring your little one into the409Please respect copyright.PENANAQ51W7E0pn7
world.” She guided her over to the bed and helped her lay down.409Please respect copyright.PENANAU73rfiEf7i
409Please respect copyright.PENANAJYxFfFDUQJ
Hours passed by, and the only409Please respect copyright.PENANAIUsiz8vPDD
thing that seemed to change was the pitch in Mary’s screams. They varied from409Please respect copyright.PENANABnqiwP1A3v
loud, to quiet, to high pitched, and real low. The three girls, Ida, Ethel, and409Please respect copyright.PENANAFJJzsw7UBh
Sallie, all sat in the corner. They worried for their dear mother, as they409Please respect copyright.PENANA4bC5xEu7VT
didn’t understand what was going on, but they stayed silent and kept patient.409Please respect copyright.PENANATMBygaaJcd
409Please respect copyright.PENANAHUGxYkJo0h
It was well into the night,409Please respect copyright.PENANAn9DexAUTSF
and there was still nothing to be gained from the long hours of labor that Mary409Please respect copyright.PENANAWAowRkVHTs
had endured. She’d been in labor for twelve hours already, and while Leah409Please respect copyright.PENANAqUj8WzCSOS
wasn’t expecting her to have delivered by then, she was at least expecting her409Please respect copyright.PENANA9DJny1L7Fv
to be dilating; Mary wasn’t even so much as dilating. There was no doubt in the409Please respect copyright.PENANAzActyxZ99W
fellow mother’s mind, this was going to be a long birthing process.409Please respect copyright.PENANAklczFozvvn
409Please respect copyright.PENANAHJv693zOR2
And so it was. Two days of409Please respect copyright.PENANAYQHCPKCehc
labor, and still nothing to show for it. Mark eventually had to bring his and409Please respect copyright.PENANAHGS0WEP7Dd
Leah’s two sons out so that she could help them bathe, as he had no idea how to409Please respect copyright.PENANAgN9RwJd4tO
do it. Throughout the whole two days though, Mary still showed no signs of409Please respect copyright.PENANA7czVpo7RMy
actually giving birth.409Please respect copyright.PENANAtHYLgt7aQv
409Please respect copyright.PENANAC12wvOc6Ec
And then the third day came.409Please respect copyright.PENANAntRzuOc44J
409Please respect copyright.PENANA4JTCjWpPfc
It hit them all, like a409Please respect copyright.PENANAzEmIJTJ0St
tornado. It came with piercing screams, and obvious signs that Mary had finally409Please respect copyright.PENANA4ulI2iAd5t
started crowning. For when Leah looked under the blanket that was sprawled over409Please respect copyright.PENANAKfT9huuamq
Mary, she could clearly see a head full of black hair. And at that sight, she409Please respect copyright.PENANAps7WgQwawz
gave a joyous cry and told Mary that it was time. She shoved everyone else out409Please respect copyright.PENANAXs95Vzhg14
in the meantime, asking Fabian to watch the children.409Please respect copyright.PENANAgx8jZ36U5P
409Please respect copyright.PENANAOe3sonJn7S
That night was long and hard.409Please respect copyright.PENANAFWR7Voiw0o
And in the end, silence filled the small Daniels’ residence. It was so quiet,409Please respect copyright.PENANAUbJ45T1SXi
you could have heard a pin drop. But suddenly, tiny wails came from the room409Please respect copyright.PENANAfvM8CMUzb6
Mary was in. Newborn wails. Leah came in to the family room with a bright smile409Please respect copyright.PENANA2HUfxvxHbG
upon her face. “The baby is good and healthy, though a bit small.” Taking409Please respect copyright.PENANA3pmGalegpw
Sallie from her husband, she looked to Ida and Ethel. “Your mother is waiting409Please respect copyright.PENANAvzP17P5ZBa
for you. Go on, I’ll be there in a minute.” She told them softly. She watched409Please respect copyright.PENANAgho0RDdt0K
them leave before turning back to Mark, who looked worried.409Please respect copyright.PENANAKeMEbCi5rx
409Please respect copyright.PENANAQhxUSXqwck
“So?” He said nervously.409Please respect copyright.PENANAJMZGNpe9e9
409Please respect copyright.PENANA5i4hjgIl30
Her smile, still, didn’t409Please respect copyright.PENANAO4QxGJp06h
fade. “Healthy baby girl.” Her gaze fell then, though, and she looked morose.409Please respect copyright.PENANA9Cko1gSdkt
“Mary…didn’t want to hold her at first. She-she looks like…like him.” She409Please respect copyright.PENANAuO4mESInAD
whispered.409Please respect copyright.PENANA5yw43s6B8C
409Please respect copyright.PENANAFXoELZMoDA
Mark sighed and shook his409Please respect copyright.PENANAopgeUmrhro
head. “Those poor girls. And poor Mary, having to deal with four daughters, all409Please respect copyright.PENANA1TJkUsJ2Hy
on her own. This shouldn’t be happening.” He hesitated briefly before stating,409Please respect copyright.PENANAaMHRHoU0O9
“What is she going to do?” A careful edge to his voice.409Please respect copyright.PENANAD4LFJ8D2Nn
409Please respect copyright.PENANADHGqoFgc76
She chewed on her lip. “I409Please respect copyright.PENANAOT9gHX8FSb
think she’s going to go to work. How else is she going to care for the girls?409Please respect copyright.PENANAFLpqkBvSMM
Still, you’re right; this shouldn’t be happening.”409Please respect copyright.PENANAbljsdUiC9D
409Please respect copyright.PENANAIfyoqsWB1a
“What’s her name?”409Please respect copyright.PENANA8th27fNpzb
409Please respect copyright.PENANASYZoNtMJ42
Leah smiled again, having409Please respect copyright.PENANAqNDyKKRoCS
known the name Mary had picked. There was no doubt in her mind, it was a lovely409Please respect copyright.PENANAtSN8sOCpZw
name. “Margaret. Margaret Hope Daniels. Justin loved the name, and Mary thought409Please respect copyright.PENANA9ZQhbM4Ghw
that it was perfectly suited.409Please respect copyright.PENANAFU34GmQvvr
409Please respect copyright.PENANAmTUDLmGY2G
Mark knew, all to well, how409Please respect copyright.PENANAEWIpS4dTy4
his friend had loved the name. They had discussed the topic a few months before409Please respect copyright.PENANAEKXOgUqFCi
he left; he said that if he ever had another daughter, he wanted her name to be409Please respect copyright.PENANA5j3QCt8yU6
Margaret Hope Daniels.409Please respect copyright.PENANAwLLkYuqqgW
409Please respect copyright.PENANARNtDRmtdQv
He wrapped and arm around his409Please respect copyright.PENANA4rsscK2Rul
wife as they started for Mary’s room, Sallie in Leah’s free arm. When they409Please respect copyright.PENANA6S6cMgAdRN
arrived at the entrance, Mark couldn’t help but smile at the sweet scene. The409Please respect copyright.PENANA9zm19y8VrY
girls were on either side of Mary, on the bed, and were completely mesmerized409Please respect copyright.PENANARjtw4Ta1S4
by their new baby sister. Even from such a distance, Mark could definitely see409Please respect copyright.PENANAENIY4KzMbj
how baby Margaret resembled her late father. Her tiny face was a mold of his,409Please respect copyright.PENANA62q96RgYXZ
and the small tufts of black hair were as dark and soft-looking as her409Please respect copyright.PENANA0t8xiOCTjl
father’s. He could only imagine how much more she would grow to look like her409Please respect copyright.PENANAIFQiACQ1Pl
father; it was a painful thought.409Please respect copyright.PENANAD70wFhDt8k
409Please respect copyright.PENANAcLiEot97zI
Mary’s head snapped up to her409Please respect copyright.PENANA91iuNvBfiV
friends, and she smiled wide. “Come and meet the new Daniels.” She beckoned to409Please respect copyright.PENANAqLVTh7Avdj
them gently, yet eagerly.409Please respect copyright.PENANAJRxDXyRmj3
409Please respect copyright.PENANA3UZvhVV0cQ
They came in and stood beside409Please respect copyright.PENANAzdWEJ7ICOw
her, admiring the beautiful baby that was nestled within her arms. They smiled409Please respect copyright.PENANAn4BhdqVqVt
at each other, and then back at her. “She’s beautiful, Mary.” Mark said softly.409Please respect copyright.PENANABPsACsgFEM
409Please respect copyright.PENANAhDuwiqR3iI
The exhausted mother managed409Please respect copyright.PENANAQSwtrQLz2t
a laugh as she nodded. “She gets it from her father.” Looking back down at her409Please respect copyright.PENANAUqmvZqGxG1
newborn, she brought the girl up slightly and kissed her small, pink forehead.409Please respect copyright.PENANAz1se7JlVZH
“I love you, my sweet girl. Daddy would have loved you too. But remember, little409Please respect copyright.PENANAxM6Nkvfdgw
one, he’s always with you.” Looking around at all of them, tears embraced her409Please respect copyright.PENANAB1wwmrUzFh
eyes and caressed her cheeks. She tried licking them away, but to no use. “He’s409Please respect copyright.PENANAMxqwGbls2B
with all of us.” She whimpered.409Please respect copyright.PENANAsMsNjS8beN
409Please respect copyright.PENANA2PcpHcvXgx
The Avery’s embraced her and409Please respect copyright.PENANA3WXxbB6M8x
the girls, and the Avery boys were quick to join in, always loving hugs. They409Please respect copyright.PENANAGM6UKrIyae
knew this was not a typical hug, but they could feel the love than ran through,409Please respect copyright.PENANAkZdZjCqZeh
just as much as the heartache. The one thing they could all feel though, was409Please respect copyright.PENANAUb3k2LBVht
how it uplifted them. They were stronger together. The past months had been409Please respect copyright.PENANAX93z8TZbzD
hard, but they were sure now that they could get through this hard time. Mary409Please respect copyright.PENANAYgUttWCxoM
and her daughters would make it. They would all make it; together.