Love’s Ultimate Sacrifice – Extended Epilogue

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One Year Later

“When is Grandpa coming?” Luc asked eagerly as she jumped on her feet. 

Alanna wondered how many times she was going to hear that question before they could finally meet the stagecoach. The children were so excited to be finally meeting her father. 

“We’ll be picking him up at precisely two this afternoon,” Tom answered as he tickled Lucy. “Are you excited?”

“Yes!” Lucy shrieked with a giggle.

“What do you have there?” Alanna asked Cooper who appeared in the kitchen holding a tall thin tree branch. A piece of string was tied to the end. 

“It’s a fishing pole. Grandpa wants to go fishing as soon as he gets here,” Cooper explained. “I made this for him.”

Tom took the pole from Cooper and looked it over before handing it back. “You did a great job, but I think you might need to wait until tomorrow to go fishing. Grandpa might be too tired from his travels.”

Cooper frowned and shook his head. “He said he’d go when he gets here. He said so in his last letter.”

Alanna smiled. “Let’s see how it goes, alright? Why don’t you both get dressed and let’s get the barn chores done.”

The children ran down the hall to their rooms, Cooper still holding the fishing pole. Alanna began to mix up some batter for pancakes while Tom went outside to check on the horses.

Alanna loved her new life. It had been a year since she married Tom and she didn’t regret a moment of it. It had taken the children only a few weeks to adjust to their new lives and soon they were thriving. She was sure part of the reason they had done so well was because they were already familiar with living on a farm since their birth parents had owned some land where they raised cattle in the mountains. 

Tom still worked as a deputy in town, but only part time. His plans for raising and training horses was doing well. He had already sold two horses to the nearby army fort and was able to purchase three more with the money he made. One of the mares he’d purchased a year ago had a colt that spring. Cooper loved spending time with Tom and did so whenever he wasn’t in school. He also showed a talent with horses, and he followed Tom everywhere he went, when he had the chance to.

Lucy also loved being outside with the farm animals. She was a great help with feeding the chickens and gathering eggs. She also showed interest in watercolor which thrilled Alanna. She had figured out how to make some paints with the red rock that was so plentiful around her, as well as using wildflowers and other types of plants for dye. 

As she continued making breakfast for her family, and her thoughts turned to her parents. After she married Tom, she wrote her father to inform him, glad that she no longer needed to lie to her mother. She had wanted to tell her mother the truth; that she hadn’t married Odie, as well as the reason why. Her father had immediately vetoed that idea and insisted that her mother continue to think that she had married the man she had originally come west for. Alanna really hadn’t understood why. After all, it wasn’t like what had happened been her fault. Surely, her mother would understand once the entire situation had been explained to her. But she finally decided that it was up to her father. She had never felt close or totally accepted by her mother and didn’t at all miss always feeling like she didn’t quite measure up to her expectations of a perfect daughter. 

Then she received a telegram six months ago from her father, informing her that her mother had died, most likely from a heart attack. It was then when she discovered that her mother had been having problems with her heart, something that she hadn’t known about.  

She had immediately wanted to travel back east and had even begun to make plans to do so. She knew she would be missing the funeral, but she still wanted a chance to say goodbye and she wanted to see how her father was doing. Tom had immediately disagreed with her plans. Didn’t she remember how long it had taken her to travel from Massachusetts to Sweetwater Springs? Then she had discovered that she was expecting and was already almost three months along. That exciting discovery had settled the argument. She knew that traveling so far while expecting a child would be difficult.

Instead, she came up with a new plan. Maybe her father could come out for a visit. She waited a few months before broaching the subject, thinking that he’d need some time to himself for a while. But he had immediately sent a letter accepting the invitation. It had taken him awhile to make plans, but now he was finally arriving that afternoon.

Alanna admitted to herself that she was just as excited as Cooper and Lucy were to see her father again. She hoped that he would be comfortable in the room they set up for him. He planned to stay at least until the baby was born which was in a few weeks. But Alanna hoped that he would stay much longer than that.

The kitchen door opened, and Tom stepped inside after removing his boots, a rule Alanna had implemented early on in their marriage. Shoes and boots were to be taken off before going into the house since she despised mud, dirt, and manure on her clean floors. He smiled at her as he hung his hat on a peg and then kissed her cheek. Placing a hand on her bulging belly, he asked, “How are you doing?”

Alanna reached up to give him a kiss on his cheek. “I’m fine.” She handed him a plate full of pancakes. “Do you want to call the children for breakfast?”

The meal was a lively affair as they mainly talked about all the things Cooper and Lucy had for their grandpa to do. She loved hearing their plans and was glad that her father had been very receptive and happy that they had adopted these two children. He wrote them letters regularly, letting them know he was Grandpa to them right from the very beginning. Her mother hadn’t been as thrilled that Alanna had made her an instant grandmother, and she now did her best to push her disappointment aside at her mother’s reaction. It no longer mattered. Part of her wished she could have fixed her relationship with her mother before her death, but she also knew that it never would have happened. She learned to accept her mother as the woman she was and insisted that her mother do the same with her. 

The morning passed quickly and soon, it was time to travel into town and meet the stagecoach. The children were still so excited, they had a difficult time sitting still in the wagon bed. When Lucy almost fell out, Tom had to get stern to get her to sit still. 

When they arrived at the stagecoach station, Alanna gasped with delight when she saw that her father was already there, standing next to a very large trunk. She sat impatiently until Tom could help her down before running awkwardly toward her father. 

“Father,” Alanna greeted him with a fierce hug. “I’m so glad you are finally here.”

His eyes twinkled at her, letting her know he felt the same way. “It’s good to see you so happy.”

Alanna looked him over and although he seemed to have aged quite a bit since she last saw him, she was pleased to see that he looked well, although a bit tired from his travels. She quickly introduced him to Tom and the children. Not surprisingly, Lucy and Cooper were quieter than usual, but that didn’t last long as Lucy began to chatter once they loaded her father’s belongings into the wagon bed. Tom guided the wagon through town and Alanna pointed out businesses that she thought her father might be interested in visiting. 

“Sweetwater is a fine town,” he said once they passed the town’s boundaries. 

“What until you see our farm,” Cooper spoke up. 

“Tell me about it,” her father invited and listened attentively while Cooper described the animals and things they did on the farm. He talked about two lambs that he was helping to raise while Lucy spoke about the chickens and the kittens that were just born.

As Tom had suspected, her father was very tired and went to bed right after dinner, much to the disappointment of Cooper since he still wanted to go fishing. 

The next morning, Alanna woke up feeling a sharp, strange pain in her back. She groaned when it got worse and then suddenly stopped.

“That’s strange,” she whispered. She laid in bed for a few minutes and when it didn’t return, she got up and dressed for the day. She was happy to see her father already at the kitchen table, a book in his hands and a cup of coffee in front of him.

“Tom made me a cup,” her father said holding it up.

“How are you this morning?” Alanna asked as she began to make breakfast.

“I’m definitely not as tired as I was last night,” her father answered.

“I’m so glad you are here,” she said. “It’s so good to see you.”

“When you invited me, I knew I wouldn’t be able to stay away. In fact…” He paused and Alanna stopped what she was doing to give her father her full attention. 

“Yes?” she prompted when he didn’t continue.

“I’ve been thinking that maybe I should move here. There isn’t anything for me back in Massachusetts now that your mother is gone.”

“That’s a wonderful idea,” Alanna replied with a wide smile. 

“I do want to talk to your husband before I make any definite plans. After all, you have a new family now and I don’t want to be in the way.”

“You are part of our family, and you will never be in the way.”

“I also brought the books for the correspondence course you wanted,” her father continued.

Alanna had known he was bringing the books with him and had actually informed him that she no longer needed to take the courses, but he insisted, saying that she had fulfilled her end of the bargain, so he wanted to do the same. She knew she would be able to use the information in furthering her interest in art, but she also had plans to share the books with Lizzy and the few students she had.

She was about to thank your father when she suddenly felt the strange pain in her back again. She put a hand on her lower spine with a slight gasp. Her father noticed and asked with concern, “Are you alright?”

She nodded, but she grimaced for a moment. When the pain again relented a moment later, she grinned as she put her hand on her bulging stomach. “I think this little one is getting a bit cramped.” When she saw the concern on his face, she quickly reassured him, “I’m fine. The doctor in town told me that I still have a week or two before the baby will come.”

He took a sip of his coffee. “Maybe so, but babies come when they want to, regardless of what the doctor says.”

She continued to make breakfast and was reassured when she didn’t have any more back pain. Tom and the children soon joined them, and they had a nice meal all together. The children continued to talk about the plans they had for their new grandpa, and she was delighted when her father took everything in stride. 

She finished a last bite of eggs and stood when she felt an intense pressure and then a pop. Liquid ran down her legs.

“Oh, my,” she muttered as she gazed at Tom with wide scared eyes.

“Is something wrong?”

“I think I might be in labor,” she half whispered the words, not wanting the children to overhear or be concerned.

“What?” Tom leaped to his feet. “You’ve been in labor? Why didn’t you tell me?”

“Because I only had a few pains, and they were in my back. Don’t you think the pains would be in my stomach where the baby is?” She cupped the baby bump as she suddenly felt another pain. This one started in her back and then spread to her stomach.

“I’ll go get the doctor.” Tom grabbed his hat. Her father stood. 

“I’ll go get the doctor. Your place is with Alanna.”

Alanna looked at him with relief. She was so glad he was here.

“Can you get Tom’s mother for me, too?” she asked in a faint voice. While she was glad there was a doctor available, she really wanted another woman with her. She had grown close to Laura as she had become like a mother to her. 

Tom clasped a hand on her father’s shoulder as they left the kitchen. “I’ll hitch up the wagon and explain how to find Dr. Martin’s office and the boarding house. Alanna has already made arrangements for my mother to attend the birth, so this won’t be a surprise to her.”

Tom took the children outside to do the chores while Alanna insisted on doing the breakfast dishes even though it looked like she would be having a baby that day. She wanted the new arrival to happen in a clean house. Besides, the pains were far enough away from each other than she felt fine in between them.

But by the time her father returned with Dr. Martin and Laura, she was ready to lie down. 

“Come on, children. Let’s go fishing,” her father said as he looked at Alanna with worried eyes. “Don’t worry about these two. Just get my new grandchild here safely.

She could only nod as another pain spread through her.

“Is something wrong with Mama?” she heard Lucy ask as they left the house. 

“Nope,” her father declared. “In fact, when we are back from fishing, you might just have a new brother or sister.”

She heard their voices fade as they walked away from the house. 

“Let’s get you into bed,” Laura said in a soothing voice.

Alanna wanted Tom to stay with her and was disappointed when Laura insisted that he went to find something to do outside.

“I’ll keep you updated, but men aren’t much help in a birthing room,” Laura announced as she pushed Tom out the door. 

Alanna wanted to call him back, but another contraction started and soon she was glad that he wasn’t in the room, witnessing her distress. She didn’t remember much about the next few hours. She did her best to work through the contractions and rest in between. The doctor checked her progress and declared that everything looked normal.

“I don’t know why I’m even here,” he muttered. “You are one of those women who likely has babies with no problem at all.”

Alanna did remember wanting to argue with him. The contractions hurt much more than she had expected them to, and it was all she could do to not scream in pain as the day went on. Was it supposed to be this bad? When Dr. Martin began to encourage her to push, she was so relieved because she knew that it was almost over. Soon, she’d be holding a little one in her arms.

Laura continued to encourage and coach her and less than an hour later, she breathed a sigh of relief when she gave a final push and heard a baby cry.

“What is it?” Alanna immediately asked.

“It’s a girl,” Dr. Martin announced.

A girl, she thought happily. She had done it. She had brought a life into this world. Laura quickly cleaned up the baby and then placed her in Alanna’s arms. She barely paid attention to the cleaning up that Dr. Martin and Laura did as she enjoyed holding her daughter for the first time.

Later, Tom joined her after Dr. Martin left, but not before he had announced to Alanna that she had done most of the work, and he wished that all births went as smoothly as this one had.

Tom sat on a chair nearby and looked like a proud father as he gently took the baby in his arms. Alanna watched tiredly as Tom ran a large rough finger against the baby’s cheek. She turned her head as if trying to find a meal. 

They had already decided on a name and now she touched her daughter’s small hand.

“Hello, Kathleen. Welcome to our family,” she whispered and then smiled at her husband who carefully joined them on the bed.

“You did a fine job,” Tom said. 

“I feel bad that my father arrives and then we end up pushing him out the door because I was in labor and didn’t know it,” Alanna murmured.

“Your father is having the time of his life with Cooper and Lucy. They caught two fish which are now sitting in the sink for you to admire. Cooper is showing grandpa the farm and Lucy is checking on the kittens,” Tom replied.

“Did your mother also leave?”

Tom shook his head. “She’s making dinner. I think she plans to stay for a while to help out.”

“Father said something to me this morning, that he was thinking about moving here. What do you think about that idea?” Alanna asked.

“I was wondering if he was considering that because of the large trunk he brought with him. He is welcome to stay if he wishes,” Tom answered. “It will be good for our children to have both a grandma and grandpa nearby.”

Alanna wanted to continue to talk to Tom about the subject, but she was so tired, she soon fell asleep. Her last thoughts were of how blessed she was. She had a beautiful family surrounding her and now a sweet little daughter. And she had the love of a wonderful and handsome deputy.

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