The Surprise
An unexpected baby changes things
Marybeth had parked the van behind the cabin, out of sight of the front road; not that cars passed by often. She had planned the place of the birth for a very long time; almost from the time, she found out she was pregnant. And here she was. Housed where she had expected to be, everything proceeding as planned. She hadn’t expected to go into labor quite so soon; first babies weren’t often early, and she had assumed she would have a week or two here before the birth. But babies (left to their own devices) didn’t often arrive according to a pre-ordained schedule, and this one was no different. The contractions were occurring in a textbook manner; the baby was in a good position and she was ready. The blue tarpaulin was laid across the living room floor, along with the other things she had thought she might need.
The baby basket was across the room along with the diapers, formula, bottles and baby clothes in a few different sizes. The note and documents were ready to be placed on top of the blanket, and she knew that Corrine was at home. That part of the plan had been critical, but she had known the woman who lived next door long and well enough to trust that this was all going to work out.
As she lounged on the couch between contractions she thought about how shocked she had been at her old friend’s appearance when…
