The Devil Stood Up (26 page)

She slid down, losing half of what she’d gained and the despair came again, even stronger than the contractions. She looked at her feet and the snow had bloomed with a blood rose that looked black in the dark…the baby was coming.

I’m not going to make it, she thought, bewildered and shocked. What about the baby? God help me, I want to save this baby. A wave of faintness blurred her vision and she tilted dizzily backward, almost down the slope.

A hand found hers in the dark, gripping her wrist and then her elbow. Then the someone was beside her, an arm around her back, helping her stand, helping her up the embankment. Rosie tried to ask his or her name, but the wind and snow pulled her words from her mouth and threw them up into the night.

They reached the road. An SUV idled on the shoulder. Rosie could see the hulk of it behind its twin cones of headlights, but it was indistinct, almost ghostly in the storm. The flashers were on, strobing warm yellow light into the gloom and Rosie thought she’d never seen something so welcoming.

Another contraction overtook her and she stumbled again, and went to her knees. This time, she didn’t think she’d be able to get up, but then the hands were in her armpits, pulling her up. Then they were around her chest, and the extra support was heavenly. Rosie sighed in gratitude.

They shuffled together to the rear passenger door of the SUV and it was opened. The hands helped her in and she sat gratefully on the wide back seat. Heat poured over her and she began to shake in compensation.

Rosie looked back at the door. A woman stood, smiling in at her. Her features were plain, but strong, like a face you’d see in a painting. Her eyes were extraordinarily beautiful.

“I’m Kelly,” she said. “I’m going to take you to the hospital.”

“I’m…I’m Rosie,” Rosie said and her eyes slipped closed as tears coursed down her cheeks. When she opened them, the woman still stood smiling at her. “We…the baby and I…I don’t know if we would have made it if you hadn’t come along. How did you know I was down there?”

The woman’s smile faltered and puzzlement fogged her emerald eyes.

“I’m not sure. I just had this feeling. It was the strangest…well…the second strangest thing that’s ever happened to me.” She laughed, but it was a private laugh, something Rosie knew she was not meant to understand. Then Kelly reached in and grasped Rosie’s ankle and squeezed it.

“Let’s get you to the hospital. I’m sure everyone is anxious for your baby to be born.”

The End

* * *

Christine Dougherty lives in South Jersey with her husband, dog and two cats. Visit Christine online at:

http://www.christinedoughertybooks.com