Page 46 of Goodbye Paradise
Daniel snorted. “I’m pretty sure I got one hour of sleep last night. She woke me up with a sharp elbow and demanded to be taken to the hospital. But, dude. Thank you for milking. I don’t know what I would have done if you weren’t here for this.”
Josh shrugged away the thanks, but I could tell that he appreciated it. “I’ll cover you these next few days. You don’t have to worry.”
“The dairy truck comes in forty minutes…”
“I’ll handle it,” Josh said. “Let’s get you some coffee.”
Daniel dropped his head forward in gratitude. “Wow. I accept. And I knew you two were awesome.” He took a mug of coffee and then went upstairs to shower.
When I turned to look at Josh, his eyes were glittering. “What’s wrong?” I asked quickly. Was he freaking out because Daniel had startled us?
Josh gave a sigh, shaking his head. “Not a thing is wrong. I’m just so happy for Maggie. She gets her happy ending, you know? A husband who loves her, andonlyher. She has ajob, Caleb. She can wear jeans if she wants to. And now she has a baby, who will be calledChloe. Not something like Methuselah. And Chloe will go to school with her friends.”
“And then to college,” I added.
Josh nodded, his face solemn. He didn’t mention Miriam. But she was heavy on his mind, I was sure. And mine, too.
Thirteen
Now there werefivepeople living in a house where only two had lived before. And the newest member occupied a great deal of attention.
Daniel’s parents, a tanned, smiling couple came to dote on their newest grandchild. Mrs. Lacey took over the kitchen, making casseroles and soups. Mr. Lacey read the sports section in the living room and admired the cows in the barn.
Maggie all but disappeared. As far as Josh and I could tell, she spent much of her day in the rocking chair, nursing the baby. “Maggie,” we heard Daniel call one morning from the stairs. “Why don’t you come down for a bit?”
“The baby is fussy,” she said. “And I’m just so tired.”
He didn’t argue, and instead took her a plate.
And Josh and I? We just tried our best to stay out of the way. I did the dishes whenever Mrs. Lacey left the kitchen. “Such helpful boys,” she said a couple of times. But I didn’t feel helpful. I felt restless.
In the evenings, when Daniel’s parents retired to the B&B, the house got very still. From our room, we heard the low murmur of voices, and the occasional baby’s cries at all hours.
The elder Laceys departed after four days, and Daniel headed back out to his workshop. “Can I help you with anything before I go to work?” he asked his wife.
“We’ll be fine. I think she nursed every hour last night. We’re both going to crash. I hope.”
There was an uneasy pause. “All right. I’ll come inside in a bit to see how you’re doing.”
On his way out to the barn, Josh stopped him. “Is she okay?”
“The baby is fine,” Daniel muttered.
“I meant Maggie. She isn’t herself.”
“We were up all hours,” Daniel said, stuffing his feet into his shoes. “It’s just hard. She’ll be okay.”
* * *
Unfortunately, things didn’t get easier for Maggie. Little Chloe became colicky, screaming her tiny lungs out whenever she was awake. The rare glimpses we got of her, she had a red, scrunched-up face.
Mornings, Daniel would stumble out to the barn, and then to the workshop. Josh and I would tiptoe around while Maggie and the baby slept. Inevitably, the screaming would begin before noon. And Maggie could be heard pacing upstairs, saying “shh shh shh,” and sounding exhausted.
After a few days like that, Josh couldn’t take it anymore. He threw down Daniel’s newspaper and marched upstairs. “Let me try,” I heard him say over the screaming.
“It’s okay,” Maggie protested.
“Please? Just give yourself a break, Maggie. Have some toast and juice.”
