Susanna tried to smile, but it turned into a grimace from the next pain. Grabbing her knees, she pushed again, and with my help the baby cleared the tailbone. “The head has crowned,” I said, at the sight of the thick black hair. “One more contraction should clear it. Then another for the body and you’ll be done.”
As the next contraction mounted, the baby’s heartbeat suddenly dropped. Oh, no you don’t! I thought desperately. Power flowed into Susanna’s belly as I focused on keeping that little heart beating. “Push, Susanna! This baby needs to come out now!”
Responding to the tension in my voice, Susanna bore down with newfound strength, pushing the head free. I surrounded the tiny heart with fire to keep it beating. Another pain started and Susanna pushed again, crying out from the effort.
The baby slipped free from the birth canal onto the bed. Healthy infants have a strong reddish complexion at birth. This little girl was pale, verging on ashen. She gave a weak cry as she struggled to fill her lungs for the first time. Leaving one hand on Susanna’s belly, I placed the other right on the infant’s chest. Then, closing my eyes, I concentrated on her heart. Nothing else was going to improve until this problem was fixed.
I had looked at enough hearts over the years to immediately see the defect in the left pumping chamber. It was small and underdeveloped compared to the others. I focused on this specific area, allowing a great surge of warmth to pour from my hand into her body. The baby jolted from the energy, and started crying with more force.
“It’s a girl,” I said, my voice deceptively calm. “With dark hair just like her mother.” More energy flowed into the baby as I worked to develop the chamber to its proper size.
Finished with the birthing, Susanna had collapsed back on the bed, exhausted. “Will she live?” she asked, her voice raspy from crying out during the pains.
The baby’s heart responded, its beat strengthening and increasing in speed. Her color also improved from the air now moving through her body. “Oh, she’s going to live,” I laughed. “And by her first birthday she’ll be causing more trouble than you can imagine.”
Susanna quietly wept with joy. After so many years and losses, she was finally a mother.
It took several long minutes for the baby’s heart to stabilize and begin beating well on its own. Her cries strengthened, becoming lusty as she filled her lungs to capacity. Taking a pair of scissors from my case, I cut the cord and tied it off.
“What are you going to name her?” I asked.
“Megan after Matthew’s mother. And Elizabeth for you and your mother. My daughter’s life is a testament of truth to anyone who dares to doubt you.”
Tears temporarily blurred my vision. “Thank you, Susanna,” I said, brushing my eyes with my sleeve.
“You’re the one who needs thanking. This girl is alive because of you, and I’ll make sure everyone in Hopewell knows it.”
I wiped the baby clean with some warm water and then swaddled her in a linen towel. “Megan Elizabeth Appleton,” I said, handing her gently to Susanna. “It’s high time you met your mother.”
Susanna’s face lit up with joy. It took very little encouragement to get Meg suckling, and within minutes she was asleep at her mother’s breast.
“I’ll go get Matthew,” I said, a lump forming in my throat. Wandering through the empty house, I found the men sitting together in the kitchen over cups of cider.
Matthew stood up so quickly he nearly toppled the cups. “How is she?” he asked.
“Susanna and Megan are both doing just fine.”
He looked unsure. “The baby is going to live?” he asked, his voice guarded like he hadn’t expected to hear this news.
“She’s small, but I’m certain she’ll live.” Her little body was now perfect, inside and out.
His mouth broke into a broad smile. One moment my feet were firmly on the ground and the next I was twirling in a circle with my face pressed into Matthew’s shirt. “You’re an angel,” he cried, “sent straight from heaven!”
I stumbled slightly when my feet found the floor again. “Not an angel, exactly,” I said smiling back, “Would you like to see them?”
Matthew darted from the room, grinning like a child. Weary from the past few hours, I sat down in the empty seat, and rested my head on the table.
“Well done, Selah,” Henry said. “Once this gets around, your name will be cleared for good.”
“Do you really think so?” I lifted my head just enough to see him.
“How could it not? Nathan practically accused you of killing this baby tonight. Her life proves your innocence.”
It was hard to believe that something so small as Megan could be that important to my future. “She’s a testament of truth,” I said softly, and then looked Henry in the eyes. “Thank you for not doubting me. I wouldn’t have gotten through this without your help.”