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back in the bedroom, urging Thelma to take a breath.
    “I wanna stay!” Emmie protested.
    “Ain’t no use none of us stayin’,” George maintained. “We been here too long a’ready. It’s jus’ with no radio over to home, it give William a little treat. But Lizbeth’s here, and they’re gonna have more help’n that ’fore long. We’d be complicatin’ things to linger. Time to be gettin’ out.”
    I went into the bedroom, glad they were going. I didn’t want all the kids hearing any more. Things were getting harder for Thelma, and we had a ways to go. “Take what’s left of the cake with you,” I called out to them.
    “Oh! Mrs. Wortham!” Thelma exclaimed as soon as she saw me. “I’m ready for this baby to be here.”
    “I know you are, honey.”
    “Can’t I stay?” Emmie’s voice was persisting out in the sitting room. “I wanna see the baby!”
    “We can see it in the mornin’. That’s good enough,” George was telling her. “Hey, Sam!”
    Sam had been petting at Thelma’s hair and jumped at his father’s call. “What, Pa?”
    George didn’t stick his head in this time, just called loud enough for Sam to hear. “You’re welcome to come along and rest over t’ home with us if you want. You hadn’t oughta be in the middle a’ things anyhow! Samuel’d be glad to bring us the news later. Or they can send Robert.”
    Sam Hammond looked genuinely insulted at his father’s suggestion, and I was glad about it for Thelma’s sake. “No, Pa. I ain’t about to go nowhere.”
    “Suit yourself. Bad luck, if you ask me.”
    I shook my head, and Thelma was shaking hers too. “Don’t listen to him,” she whispered. “You was there for Georgie, and he’s strong as a bull elephant.”
    “I know.” Sam sighed. “I know. It’s just Pa says it ain’t what’s done, me stickin’ around you so close. He gets testy at times like this.”
    I was feeling a little testy myself. Worrying. Over the baby, of course. A little over Franky. And now I was really wondering what could be keeping Samuel and Ben. It was almost 8:00, and they’d been gone more than two hours. A blessing that Thelma wasn’t further along by now.
    “Ah—” she started to cry out but then just clenched her teeth together.
    “Are you pushing? Thelma, are you pushing?” I could feel my heart thumping through my chest. Maybe I’d just thought we had time.
    “No. I don’t think so,” she told me when she could breathe. “Oh!”
    There it was again! Lord, have mercy! These pains are close now. Samuel, Ben, Dr. Howell! Where are you?
    “I wish I was pushin’!” she groaned. “I wish it was done!” She grabbed for Sam, missed his hand, and got hold of his shirt.
    “Why didn’t I think about this part?” she lamented. “A wonder any woman ever has more’n one!”
    “They make up for themselves,” I reminded her. “Don’t they, now?”
    I could hear George ushering all his clan out the door. Little Georgie started crying, and I heard Sarah taking him upstairs.
    Robert poked his head in. “It’s been awfully long, Mom. Dad wouldn’t stop for nothing else. You think I should go after them in the truck?”
    Ordinarily I would have said no, but this night was different, and I knew he was right. I’d tried to talk myself out of worrying over it, but I knew they’d been too long. And now I wondered if maybe they were lying smashed up along the road someplace. Maybe Ben had been hurrying too fast.
    I couldn’t voice such a thing, though. “You’ll probably just find them coming up the road,” I told him as calmly as I could. “But go ahead and go. It won’t hurt anything. Drive careful.”
    If George Hammond had waited two minutes, I might have sent one of his boys with Robert. But it was surprising, really, that George had stayed as long as he did.
    Robert seemed glad to have something constructive to do. He was out the door in seconds, and I prayed I’d told him right.
    “What are you hopin’