Family Comes First

Chapter 46: Key and Chain

The next morning, we ate breakfast like nothing had happened last night. Flashbacks of Emme screaming played in my mind as I tried to eat my cereal.

Once we were finished, I went to stand, but Jimmy put his hand on my shoulder.

"Sit down, Julie," he said. "You're going to give birth any day now. I don't want you straining yourself and doing a lot of chores."

"But I want to clean," I said.

"You can do your chores, but you need to take it easy."

Jimmy stacked our bowls and brought them over to the sink.

"How are you feeling, Jules?" Tommy asked.

"Good," I said. "Thanks."

His chair screeched as he stood. In the corner of my eye, I watched him walk around the table. I assumed he was going to go outside like he always does after breakfast. My heart pounded in my chest as Tommy pulled my chair back.

"Tommy!" Jimmy shouted.

"Calm down, Jim," Tommy said. "I want to try something that I read in a book the other day."

Tommy got down on his knees beside me. He hooked his finger around the chain on his neck and pulled the key off over his head. Jimmy walked over to us and leaned against the table. I looked over at Charles to see him staring at us. His elbows were resting against the table and his fingers were tented in front of his face.

"I was reading that you can tell the sex of a baby by holding a chain with something at the end of it over the mother's belly," Tommy said.

"I've heard of this before," Charles said. "We did it with your mother before she had you Tommy. It said that you would be a boy."

"How does it work?" Jimmy asked.

"You hold the chain over her stomach," Tommy said. "If it swings in a circle you're going to have a boy. If it goes back and forth you're going to have a girl."

I looked over at Jimmy to see that his jaw was hard and his teeth were clenched together. We have never really talked about the sex of the baby before. Having a girl was something I tried my best not to think about.

I reached out and grabbed Jimmy's hand. He squeezed my hand tight.

"Try it out," Jimmy said.

Tommy smirked as he raised the shirt I was wearing, which was a very large men's shirt they had found, and exposed my belly. Jimmy's grip tightened on my hand as Tommy touched me. I ran my thumb over his knuckles to try and reassure him.

Tommy lifted the chain over my stomach. All of their eyes were on me, and I wanted to shrink away from their gaze.

The chain started to swing and we all watched it. My throat tightened as it swung back and forth. I prayed that it would soon switch direction and start to turn in a circle.

It did not switch direction.

The chain swung back and forth over my bump. Jimmy's grip tightened even more and I gasped out in pain. Tommy pulled the chain back and put it back around his neck. He looked at me, still smirking. Jimmy let go of my hair, and I pulled my shirt back over my stomach.

"It looks like you're having a girl, Jules," Tommy said. I chewed on my lip. It may have worked for Marilyn, but that did not mean that it works every time. Tommy got up off the floor and whispered into my ear, "remember our conversation at the top of the stairs."

The bile was rising in my throat as I thought about the day at the top of the stairs. I convinced him not to kill my baby so that Jimmy would have to when I had a baby girl. I never thought that I could possibly be having a girl. I only said that to save my baby's life.

I wondered how much Tommy thought about that. He said he couldn't wait to make me his wife, but surely he would change his mind when he gets his own girl. I had not thought much about it since that night. There were only three more months until Tommy's twentieth birthday.

I can't wait until she comes.

--

I was humming to myself as I was sweeping the floor. The air was heavy and humid, and the sweat was building on my neck. I tied my hair on the top of my head, but it did not stop me from sweating.

The boys were outside on the farm, and I would have to start cooking dinner in a couple of hours.

I wiped the sweat off my forehead with the back of my hand. I let out a sigh as I stretched my back. Pain shot across my stomach and I gasped. Sweat was running down my legs. There was pressure lying at the bottom of my stomach.

I decided it would be best to keep cleaning. I tried to ignore the awkward feeling of sweat running down my legs, but I could not. I looked down to see through my jeans and left a dark stain running down my legs.

The pressure did not let up and my heart began to pound.

My water must have broken.

I dropped the broom onto the floor. I was about to give birth and no one was home. I ran to the door with my bump cradled in my arm.

I grabbed the door handle and tried to turn it. It was locked. I hurried over to the back door and tried to open it, but it was also locked.

I was panting for breath as panic set in. I banged on the door with my fist.

"Jimmy! Charles!" I screamed.

I knew that it was probably useless. They were probably nowhere near the house.

I was going to be in labour for hours before it turned dark and they would be coming inside.