Helen clinched her teeth and waited for the pain to pass.  Her contractions were coming every 22 minutes, just like clockwork.  She neatly folded her white cotton nightgown and place it on top of a worn dark blue shift.  They lived almost 30 miles from the nearest hospital and the early snow storm Carl Clayton, WKXO's favorite weatherman, had predicted was raging on the other side of her bedroom window.  She smiled.  This wasn't her first rodeo.  She had plenty of time.  She check her small overnight bag once more than zipped it closed.  It was time to get going.  She was about to pick up the bag when Walter Yager hurried into the bedroom with 10 year old Zachariah right behind him.

"Ma, ain't you done packin' the suitcase?  Daddy says we gotta get a move on if we're gonna make it to the hospital in time."

Helen smiled and ruffled her son's hair.  "Now, now Zach.  No need to rush.  This here little one ain't just gonna be born in a minute or two.  Me and him's gonna be tusslin' with each other most of the night 'fore he decides it's time to show his face to his Momma."

"You keep sayin' he."  Walt commented with a smile, "What ya gonna do if'n its a girl?"

"Not gonna be a girl, Walter."  She stated matter-of-factly, taking her husband's arm and accepting his help down the stairs.  "Gonna be another boy, just ya wait."

"Well Zach, ya hear that?  Ya gonna have ya' self a brother."

Zach smiled but, didn't say anything.  He didn't mind if he had a sister.  They lived about as far up in the Black Mountains as a family could get.  There weren't many neighbors and Zach didn't have many friends.  He'd be happy to have a sister.  But, a brother?  That would be even better, even if he would be mostly all grown up by the time the little tike was old enough to catch a baseball.

Helen made it to the bottom of the stairs when the next pain ripped from the middle of her back straight to her pelvis like quick lightening.  She clutched her husbands arm and bit back the cry before it could escape her throat.  She didn't want to get Walt all nervous when he had to drive these icy, country roads with the family in tow and she didn't want to scare Zach, who wasn't yet aware that the business of having babies was hard, painful business.

"You alright woman?"  Walt asked, his love for her shining in his eyes.  "You didn't go an' wait too long, did ya?  I don't mind but Zach here might never get over us havin' to deliver his brother in the back seat of the Ford."

Helen laughed, in spite of the gripping contraction.  "I didn't drop Zach in the Ford, I ain't droppin' this one in it neither although, we better be gettin' on with this.  I expect the roads are powerful slippery."

"As an eel, My Love."  He said, kissing her hand, "But, don't ya worry none.  I'll get us to that hospital if'n I gotta push that old Ranger m' self."

The little family made their way cautiously across the side yard to the barn.  Zach helped his father open the doors and then Walt helped Helen inside.  Zach jumped into the truck and Walt bundled his wife into the passenger's seat.  Then, he got in behind the wheel and started the ancient truck.  He purred to life.  He and Zach kept this truck up.  She didn't look like much but, she ran come rain or shine.  She'd get 'em safely to the hospital, you could bet on that.

Walt took the curves and steep dips in the old country road as carefully as he could without slowing to a complete stop.  Helen kept looking over at Zach.  She was beginning to worry by the time the fourth contraction came and they still hadn't made it to the fork in Black Mountain Road.  At this rate, that little joke about delivering the baby in the truck didn't seem so funny anymore.  They still had 28 miles to go and they'd been on the road for almost half an hour.

"Ya alright, Sweet Pea?"  Walt anxiously asked his wife.

She answered with a short cry as her next contraction hit.

"Daddy?"  Zach questioned anxiously.

Just then, a snow plow appeared around the bend of the road.  Luckily, it was headed up Bear Road.  Walt flashed his lights and honked his horn.  As they drew close to each other the truck stopped.  Walt rolled down his window.

"That you, Walt?"  The driver yelled to be heard above the howling wind.

"Thaddeus Jay?  God be praised!"  He smiled at his wife and then cranked his window down so he could lean closer to the other vehicle.  "Thad, the baby's comin' and I got to get Helen over to County General."

"The baby's coming!  Lord A Mercy!  You never gonna make County in that heap, Walt!  Ya'll better climb on up in the plow.  I kin' have ya there in time to have a 10 course meal before ya' little one peeks his head!"

Helen was already opening her door and Walt hurried to help her get out out of the truck.  Then, he held on to her tightly to keep her from slipping on the ice as she painstakingly made her way to the tow truck. Then, with Walt behind her and Thaddeus Jay's strong calloused hands on hers, Helen was manuvered into the tow truck.

"Want me to move the car, Daddy?"  Zach called.

"No Sir, not in this weather.  Get on in the truck in the back compartment.  I'll get the car."

In a few minutes they were at the fork of Bear and Black Mountain Roads.  Thaddeus turned up the heat in the truck and made his way down the road faster than the Ford ever could have.  Helen's pains were coming 5 minutes apart by the time they turned onto the interstate but, from there, they'd be at the hospital in less than 10 minutes.  Helen grimaced against the pain and tried to pant through the worst of it.  Then, her water broke.  The look on her face told Walt all he needed to know.

"Thaddeus, we gonna be deliverin' this here little one right here in this tow truck if'n ya don't step on it."

"I got her goin' as fast as I dare, Walt."  Thaddeus promised his friend.

"Well, you go faster than ya dare and I'll name this little un' after ya."

Without saying a word, Thaddeus Jay stepped down on the gas pedal and the tow truck lurched forward, slowly picking up speed.

At a quarter to twelve, the tow truck pulled up at the emergency entrance of the hospital and Walt let Zach out into what was now a blizzard with instructions to get inside the hospital and fetch the first able body he could get his hands on.  He was gone less than 30 seconds.  He'd done better than grab an able body.  He went into the hospital yelling that his Moma was having a baby - right now!  Two paramedics who just dropped off a patient in the ER came running.  By the time Walt got his wife out of the truck, they were there.  With a sigh of relief, Walt let them help his wife onto a gurney and wheel her inside.

"Walt!"  She called, looking around frantically for her husband.

"I'm right here, Sweet Pea."

"He's comin'."  She panted.  "He's comin' and he's comin' quick."

"What's happening here?" 

"Doctor Garfield, this woman is in labor."  One of the paramedics answered.

"How far apart are the constractions?"  The doctor asked.

"They ain't."  Helen answered for him.

"Get her up to labor and delivery.  I'll call them and let them know you're on your way."

Helen was now doing her best not to push, even though every fiber in her being was screaming for her to do so.  As soon as the elevator doors opened, two nurses grabbed the gurney.  Walt and Zach ran with them down the hall.

"Is this the expectant Mother?" 

"You a doctor?"  Helen panted.

"Yes, I am.  My name is Carolyn Michaels and I'm going to deliver your baby."

"Nice to meet ya.  I'm Helen.  This here's my husband Walt and my boy, Zach."  Helen smiled through her pain.

Doctor Michaels smiled and walked into the delivery room ahead of the gurney.  "Alright folks, come on in here and help me deliver your baby."

"Zach can come in?"  Walt asked.

"If you want."

Zach looked pleadingly at his mother and she nodded her okay.  He sat down beside his father, out of the way of the delivery team and watched the doctor and nurses set up equipment and prepare for his little brother to arrive.  Then, his mother screamed and the doctor ran to the foot of her bed.

"Let's get her delivered.  I don't think this little one is going to wait for us to get ready for him."  She smiled at Walt.  "Come on over here, Dad.  You can hold Mom's hand and help her with her breathing."

Walt hurried over to the bed and grabbed his wife's hand.  She squeezed down on his fingers and tried to concentrate on breathing against the pain.  In the excitement, the entire team and the boy's parents forgot Zach was in the room.  He stood where he could see the baby come into the world.  Then, he held his breath.

"Okay Helen, you can push until I tell you to stop."  The doctor instructed.

Helen pushed with all her might.  She was right.  She had tussled with her son all night long.  She watched the clock.  At three minutes to midnight, the doctor's eyes met hers.

"Stop pushing, Helen.  Stop pushing and breath."

Helen stopped pushing just when her body wanted to push most. 

"Okay, your son's head is almost out.  Don't push.  That's it, Helen.  You're doing great."

Helen felt her son's head come out of her body.  Then, Zach's piercing scream filled the room.

"He ain't got a face, Momma!"  Zach screamed.  "He ain't got a face!"

"Sure he does."  Doctor Michaels said, pulling the cawl off the baby's face and clearing the mucus from his nose and mouth. Doctor Michaels patted Helen's leg.  "Push for me Helen.  Push as hard as you can.

Helen pushed and screamed as her son's shoulders    emerged from her body, one at a time.  Then, her newborn slid from her body and Zach got a good look at the baby's face.  It was there, just like the doctor said.  As soon as she felt the boy's body leave hers, Helen looked at the clock and smiled.

"How about that, Helen?"  The doctor laughed, for she too had looked at the clock so that she could put a time of birth on the newborn's birth certificate.  "You have a brand new baby boy and he was born at exactly midnight."

Helen smiled up at Walt.  She knew about cawls and she knew what it meant when your second son was born at midnight.  Walt didn't believe in such things but, she did, with all her heart and soul, she did.

"You got a new baby brother, Zachariah." Walt said proudly.

"Yep."  Zach said with a smile.  "Just like Moma said."